Alchemy of Souls

A perfect balance of romance, action, fantasy and comedy!

You know those dramas that you start watching with not many expectations and they turn out to be one of the best dramas you’ve ever watched? AoS is that drama for me. I started it when I had nothing to watch and my Saturdays and Sundays were starting to feel boring. But boy, did I know that would be hooked and wait for those days of the week so eagerly? Absolutely not!

As said in the title of the review, AoS offers everything — acting, plot, groundbreaking cinematography, toe-curling romance and what not? Kdramas, in my opinion, have stopped making *many* romance or simply fantasy dramas ever since they expanded in the west. It’s not like I don’t love thrillers and experimental plots, I’m always up for a good thriller. But sometimes I’m just tired from work & stuff and I just want some action, some family drama and some romance in my life. AoS did the job for me. Though it has a handful of heartbreaking moments (not to mention the one at the end of part 1), it’s still very entertaining and doesn’t get boring.

Onto the last part of the review: acting. Jung So-Min is a phenomenal actor and I regret not discovering her earlier. I can’t spoil much here but the way she has portrayed different characters, I feel like nobody else could do a better job than her. And Lee Jae-Wook, what do you mean he’s a ‘98 liner? How can a person be that versatile and that talented at such a young age? I totally fell for him in AoS. The other actors did a great job too, of course. There wasn’t a single bad acting moment in this series, for me at least.

Last but not least, I’m on the edge of my seat for part 2. Words can’t describe how I’m getting through each day right and how many times I have thought of sleeping right now directly waking up on December 10th. Although I’m a little sad that So-Min will no longer be a part of the series, I’m very excited to see Go Youn-Jung and her chemistry with Lee Jae-Wook. She did a great job during the starting of the series and I’m sure she will do a great job playing the FL in part 2, too!

Thanks for reading this review ♡

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Good but not great

Its a visually dazzling spin on the concept of Chinese alchemy combined with wuxia /xianxia drama structure.

The cgi, action choreo, world building is breathtaking. But the plot has been made overly complex with twists that doesn't hit very well, the overall schemes are quite flimsy and can be seen through if the characters were given more common sense, filler episodes with filler scenes and draggy pacing got boring pretty fast. Female lead being declawed and just being reduced as a maid and not to mention the "love quadrangle" made me go wtf a few times.
But overall it's a very unique and different genre for south Korean dramas and I can respect that. The acting is solid especially Jung so min which I think kinda saved the series for me. The production set takes huge "inspiration" from Chinese historic/xianxia dramas to build gorgeous daeho but as a non Chinese or non Korean person I don't think it's my place to nitpick in that.
The ost is a banger for me as well. Would like to see how they finish this off in the last 10 episodes.

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Great

The only flaw I find in the series is that the story is very fast-paced, I think a week or two weeks go by so quickly in an episode and that's why the timeline is unclear to me. For example, staying in the forest where he trained, I'm not sure if he was there for a month or more, but the whole story about life and training in the forest could have lasted, where the chemistry between the two main characters would have been visible, what they could go trough, how they survived... In general, the series is excellent, I like the story, the plot, the actors are excellent, the reactions of the actors seem so real that they manage to convince me that it is actually reality and not a fantasy... I hope that there will be no sudden changes in the story and feelings in series considering the replacement of actresses for Naksu, current actress is supercool, i feel it would be downfall if she is not shown in second season since people are bonded with this characters. I hope for the best anyway 🤷🏻‍♂️
Best wishes and good luck from Serbia🇷🇸 to all the actors and staff members.

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I'm not usualy a big fan of the fantasy genre because i often feel like those dramas lose my attention mid way. That was definitely not the case with this drama. The story cinematography and acting was all well executed. For people who are unfamiliar with the genre it can get a bit complex but with time you will get familiar with the setting and plot. The chemistry between the character could very well be the sole reason to watch the show but there is so much more this drama has to offer. Honestly for a fun enjoyble light watch (though there is so much plot ) you must definitely tune into this drama. The only problem is the waiting period for next the episodes.

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Alchemy of Blah

Started off with a great premise, but like others here--I feel like Naksu was wasted. Shouldn't she be training too? Instead, it's all on this one guy. Also, I feel like the show would have been better without their love line. They had much better friend chemistry, and it's just so played out to force the leads together. So, I've lost interest. I just don't care about Jang Uk that much, and I keep asking myself wtf Naksu is doing just playing maid.

Gradually, everything that was cool and different about this show is being stripped away and replaced with bland love lines. So, it's not for me. (And I like, romcoms, just not this mash up.)

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Fresh, funny, even a little captivating.

With some rare exeptions, in general I don't really like fantasies, but this series manages to keep my interest. I think it's because the actors; They are all charming and beleivable. The plot is intresting enogh, but I think I watch mostly for the overall vibe of the show.. The interaction between the main 2 characters is really charming, The whole vibe of the show is somehow fresh. I love the intro music a lot. It's not some big piece of art or something, but I like it and I hardly wait for each new episode. And that it says something, bc I am easily bored with most dramas. It's my weekend treat :)
I love all the actors!

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2nd lead syndrome peaked here

There aren’t many admirable historical fantasy k-dramas but alchemy of souls definitely stands out.. The story is interesting and full of surprises. Even thou it’s not a comedy drama but it was hilarious at times.
But I am writing this review to pour my heart out and rant even thou i haven’t started season 2 yet.
First of all, Jang Uk our ML is given everything on
a sliver platter, whether it was power or women. He just keeps getting lucky. The writers spoon fed his character too much. If it weren’t for mudok, he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere on his own. Simply put i wasn’t a fan of the ML. I liked the FL more, her acting was superb and she made us fall in love with mudok. She ate and left no crumbs.

My next rant is regarding the pitiful love triangle, we know 2nd lead never gets the girl/guy regardless of how much they try. Seo yul was no exception, his fate was to get heartbroken .. My heart ached for him and i am soo mad at the writers for doing so. They could’ve brought a proper love interest for yul but no…he was hung up on naksu and his feelings were to remain one sided.!!!! The scene where mudok and yul are on the bridge looking at each other and he put her hand on his heart, it gave me chills. It was soo intense and the music in the background is soo heartwarming that was when I started shipping them together.

It’s soo hard for me to enjoy the show seeing yul get hurt like that. I wanted him to end up with the FL soo badly that it made me lose focus on whatever was going on in the show. I am sure I am not the only one who felt this way.the 2nd lead syndrome hit soo hard here.

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CI SONO SPOILER DEL FINALE IN QUESTA RECENSIONE

Bene, lo ridico per sicurezza: CI SONO SPOILER DEL FINALE, ora chiunque legga che non mi venga a dire storie perché vi ho avvisati in tre punti differenti. Bene, cominciamo con la recensione. Ci tengo a sottolineare che io questa serie la ho vista ben due volte (almeno la prima stagione) ed è proprio bella, proprio perché se la prima volta la guardi perché l’attore che fa Uk e gli altri sono molto fighi, per la storia e tutto, la seconda riesci a cogliere un sacco di particolari in più che prima per ovvie ragioni non erano stati colti (da qui il 10 al rewatch value, proprio perché io ho proprio avuto piacere di rivederla). Poi la musica, adoro, ho tipo “Scars Leave Beautiful Trace” (che è la canzone principale della colonna sonora in repeat da quando lo ho rivista la seconda volta e in generale tutte le musiche sono apprezzate (fa molto ridere un scena dove non dovrebbe esserci la musica romantica, c’è comunque, sì non faccio spoiler di questa scena, ma lo faccio senza pietà del finale). Gli attori, che dire li ho apprezzati tutti, anche quelli più secondari e qui, ecco che si presenta anche il 10 agli attori. Bene, passiamo al 9,5 della trama: allora, quando ho raccontato alla mia amica come mai il finale non mi era piaciuto ho sottolineato molte volte che non le avrei fatto spoiler. Visto che qui lo ho detto tre, a breve quattro volte CHE FARò SPOILER sul finale, se leggete questa recensione per essere introdotti al mondo e per capire se potrebbe piacervi o meno finite qui di leggere, poi più aventi metterò un separè quando finisce la parte spoiler, se invece volte leggere per confrontarvi, beh da qui comincia lo spoiler. Allora, prima di partire con il mega spoiler voglio sottolineare alcune cose: nei libri/serie/film per me esistono tre tipi di finale: il finale aperto, il finale triste e il finale felice, tutto il resto è solo una combinazione dei tre, e questo è anche l’ordine in cui li preferisco, amo i finali aperti, dove la fantasia può giocare sulle sorti e sulle avventure dei protagonisti dopo la serie, mi piacciono molto i finali tristi, perché ritengo che portino un po’ di realtà anche in storie come per esempio fantasy, dove si prefesce il fantasy al reality, e mi vanno bene i finali felici (certo, non sono troppo fan della famiglia da Mulino Bianco del finale, ma sono fatti miei) quindi mi sarebbe andato anche bene un finale aperto, dove si vede Uk risorgere e lei, forse senza una seconda stagione che desse il finale felice per tutti i personaggi (un po’ alla Korean Odessy). Oppure e quella sarebbe stata la mia apoteosi, un bel finale triste, con quel pezzo di ***** del Jin uomo ucciso da Naksu e poi lei che muore con Uk che resta morto (senza che la ice stone facesse il suo mestiere) e quelle bellissime scene dove tutti sono tristi e piangono avessero un senso, perché lettermante il tutto si risolve nel giro di qualche minuto, non hai nemmeno il tempo di elaborare il lutto che già Uk è tornato in vita, per questo questa parte finale mi pare un po’ senza patos. (ma chi cavolo si fiderebbe di quello psicopatico di Jin? solo perché ha detto: no è stata Naksu? automaticamente ci crediamo tutti? ecco quello mi è sembrato un espediente un po’ weak per mantenere in vita un cattivo). Ecco, questo è il mio problema e anche la ragione per cui la prima volta che ho visto la serie è stato a gennaio/febbraio, ma la sto recensendo ora e vedrò la seconda stagione solo ora: perché per me il finale era perfetto così. Non mi servivano resurrezione e/o cose trascendenti, mi sarebbe andata bene una fine triste e/o aperto.
——————————————————————————————————QUESTO è IL SEPARè DEL FINE SPOILER
Per il resto merita parecchio, anzi. Una delle cose che mi è piaciuta di più è il WB e gli effetti speciali che hanno fatto (che invece mi avevano delusa in KO, altra serie super consigliata, con finale aperto, ho già detto che c’è il finale aperto lì? Beh, se non lo ho detto c’è un finale aperto) e poi i personaggi, tutti ben rappresentati e caratterizzati, con caratteristiche che esulano dal semplice buono e cattivo, per la morale di questa prima stagione, cioè che nessuno quando succede una casino di proporzioni epiche come è successo lì dai maghi per l’achemia delle anime è veramente innocente: lo psicopatico ha fatto una cosa, la corona un’altra, anche le profetesse c’entravano e per non parlare dei maghi. gli unici innocenti erano i figli, solo che su di loro sono cadute in maniera violenta le colpe dei padri,

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Nice ride of romance action and fantasy.

It's nice to see a fantasy twist in a K-Drama like Alchemy of Souls. Power is the focus of the series, as it is of most Kdramas during that time period. There are different kindoms that seem to want to get along for the greater good. However, greed, control, and power play a role in complicating things.

In addition to the four seasons, the characters have various talents, strengths, and weaknesses. The show's attention is mostly focused on Jang Uk (Lee Jae Wook) and Mu Deok (Jung so Min). The assassin Naksu initially appeared to be the center of attention, but that was not the case.

The series didn't pan out quite as I had hoped, even though I enjoyed it. Maybe I should have paid more attention to the synopsis. I was hoping that Naksu aka-Mu Deok would remain steady on her mission as the basa$$ assassin she showed very briefly in episode 1. After switching souls into Mu Doek, she conveniently loses her power.
Over the next dozen or so episodes, she was primarily focused on being a maid. As well as training Jang Uk. So, I'm thinking that they don't want to show Naksu in all her glory just yet, since that would overshadow Jang Uk's arc.

While they fall in love, let Jang Uk gradually rise to power. Naksu would then be able to regain her power and assist Jang Uk in defeating Jin Mu and his minions! It's a cool and understandable method. NOT! Her power is regained alright... This isn't a deal breaker, since I knew there would be a season 2. Yeah, I guess (uh-huh).

The production of Alchemy was nevertheless very good. A fantasy filled with action, love, funny moments and fantasy. Acting and chemistry between the leads were good, but not the best I have seen. Park Jin and his Headmaid servant Kim exhibited cuteness. The series development was so deep, at one point I even though if the FL did die during the demonstration, would it really effect the main story much? We seemed pretty much way past major effectiveness and the events of Mu Deok. (priestess or not). That's the scripts fault not actors.
The visuals in Alchemy of Souls are stunning. The production design is stunning, with detailed and immersive sets. The special effects are pretty effective, enhancing the magical elements of the story. It all made the fighting nice.

But Overall, The Alchemy of Souls series is a well-developed enjoyable series with intriguing characters and a captivating plot. Although I would have given it another .5 in the ratings, I was disappointed with how they left me hanging with Naksu. And the ending mmmm...

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