This review may contain spoilers
One of the most interesting fantasy kdrama there is
The immense popularity of alchemy of souls forced me to give it a try. i have to say this drama is mind blowing!! Absolute brilliant writing and visuals !! Truly a treat for fantasy drama lovers. Alchemy of souls successfully fills the void of a historical fantasy kdrama about mages and a magical world.There are some characters that i loved and got attached to; my most favourite was naksu in mudok’s body, she had lost all her powers but she used her mind with such cleverness, her strong wit is the sole reason of UK’s success. I am sorry but she ate the ML’s spotlight .The chemistry she had with three guys at the same time was amazing, she bewitched me as well .This is what a well written character makes you feel !!🙇🏻♀️ 🙇🏻♀️🙇🏻♀️🙇🏻♀️🙇🏻♀️
My other favourites were seo yul and the crown prince. There was something magical about Yul and naksu’s connection that made me want to root for him.. and I absolutely loved the bond between crown prince and mudok. The writer paired mudok with Uk, then they could’ve paired Yul with bu-yeon in naksu’s body. Then the show would’ve been perfect. It made me sad to see Yul heartbroken. Good boys always get heartbroken in kdramas!!! I am observing this pattern from many kdramas .. Anyhow Master Lee was also a surprisingly good character.
I wasn’t very impressed with the ML at first thou as he keep slacking off and didn’t do much of the hard work, moduk had to force him and push him to the edge (in his own words), it was frustrating to watch him being a brat. He truly got into his role after 11 episodes, when half season had already passed. He got a lot better towards the end but still not one of my favourite characters.
I do admit that first 10 episodes were slow paced and there were filler episodes that led the story nowhere.I enjoyed the last 10 episodes more.
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Great Korean Fantasy Watch!
I really love this drama. It has a really strong hook with a great team behind it. I love its story and the production. This drama's style left the impression that it is inspired by Chinese Fantasy dramas. From the different schools of arts and specialties and the way the fighting scenes are choreographed. I really enjoyed this drama and the romance between the characters.I would definitely recommend this drama to any Chinese Immortal drama enjoyers or the martial sects too! Its style is so similar! And this also makes a great binge too (:
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An epic tale of magic and mystery from South Korea
Have you ever had the feeling that something was going to be great just after watching the first couple of minutes of the very first episode of a drama. Well this one was such a drama for me. A new Classic and a Masterpiece.Before coming to the main point, let me first thank the staff for their hard-work in bringing this mesmerizing historical-fantasy-art to us.
The story with its magical-fantasy-historical setting was a breath of fresh air from the multitude of kdramas coming out every year. Never did the story disappoint us by making us comfortable. Just when we think that there won't be any major twists, the writers comes up with lots of them, which worked really well.
The story does not dwell on a particular theme for long. Action, comedy, sadness, happiness, politics... everything had a good arrangement in the entire plot.
The actors have done a great job especially the main cast.
The scenery and art were on a different level. The OSTs were spot on. The action was exhilarating, not to mention the magical sword fights.
The journey of the assassin Naksu and her pupil Jang Uk was a complete entertainment package for me.
Enjoyed it the fullest.
Can't wait for season 2.
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A Promising Future for Korean Fantasy
Curious how the Korean drama industry does when it has its own version of historical inspired fantasy? Then Alchemy of Souls is your fit.The plot, acting, animation,set and costumes are all impressive and it's an enjoyable watch.
I'm an avid reader of Korean fantasy manhwas, and a murim world like Daeho is not unique when it comes to storylines like Alchemy of Souls.
I am however quite impressed with how they brought it to life via the live action lens. The creative freedom in hairstyles and set, and the fights and animations did not disappoint.
I am biased to this part of the story than part 2, but don't let that stop you from continuing on to finish the storyline!
All in all, given AoS' success, I look forward to the future murim inspired or webtoon adapted stories that will spring up in the coming years
I love me some world building 😌
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Great Story
if youre looking for something that twists your mind and everything makes sense at last this is a good choice. i enjoyed watching it but of course it's not perfect.. they could have ended it at the first part but i cant really complain about having another part i just know ill keep missing this kdrama years from now. To be honest at first i didnt get it the story starts at a point where the viewer doesnt understand the world building so it's a bit confusing, it took me 2 episodes to get the grasp of it.Was this review helpful to you?
Thoroughly enjoyed the drama
Starting to End , Story nailed it . Highly recommended.Everything is just perfect . Chemistry between the leads was amazing . Can't wait for the sequel .
One thing going to disappoint me will be that female lead of this drama will not be in sequel .She is my favourite and I want to see her in the sequel . I want to see same leads chemistry in the sequel not with the real Nak su .
Acting ,plot everything just perfect . I loved watching this drama . I hope sequel will be going to be more amazing .
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This review may contain spoilers
THE PERFECT DRAMA
Alchemy of souls!!!, where do i start, this drama is like perfect in every manner i feel, the various plot lines and tropes , like the male lead having a special charecterstic that make him different and stand appart from others , the element of mystry with bu yeon and mu deok, the master and pupil plot line, obviously the fantasy fiction, as wellll as the second lead syndrome everything came along so wel.I am a sucker for some fiction and especially if it comes with a magical element i am dead......
so tbh i watched this drama with zero expectations only to be completely star struck and this is the only drama that i have re watched for the 4th time
the character traansformation of jang uk from a calm yet curious and entertaining person in first season to a more colder person in season two is marvelous and well acted with respect to the trauma that he faced
many people arent very fond of the actress change in season two even i wasnt initially , but after watching the season 2 , i feel that it was required and it adds a different twist to the plot line and it makes more sense over all , also few people may feel that they have portrayed as if jang uk is cheating on mu deok but thats not the way you can look at it , instead he is able to get over her and also see various characterstics of mu deok in her and she is spmeone who is protecting him just like how mu deok did.
over all this drama is a must watch with perfect casting as well as the characters and man the villain in it , he really does his job right in making us hate him,
so i feel you must watch it if your interested in fantasy fiction!!!
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A MUST WATCH DRAMA OF THE YEAR BEFORE YOU DIE!!!!
So basically I am not a fan of historical or costume dramas. I prefer modern dramas over periodic ones but guys trust me this one is way beyond my imagination and expectations. Its not good its mind blowing good. This drama caught my attention from the very 1st episode and that was something rare for someone like me (as I mentioned above).I started this drama because of the posters and trailers that were released for season 2. Definitely to watch season 2 I had to watch season 1 so I immediately started watching it to catchup with S2...... Not with too much of expectations I started watching episode 1 and then boommm..... I really didn't expected to complete this within 5 days (fast as in for me hehe). Every episode was worth watching. I just could not stop myself from switching to next episode.
What makes it special for me is that you can find all sorts of genre into one like it has romance, mystery, action,.... and so on.... I specially loved the way how brilliantly director made every sword fights soo interesting that I couldn't stop myself to replay them. I loved the way how they made the leads fall deeply in love slowly and gradually through all there bickering moments. How they successfully add humour to a serious scene..... Everything about this drama is worth appreciating.
I am really satisfied that I started this drama after its completed because it would be hard for me to keep myself away from thinking about every upcoming episode.
A complete worth my watch!!
Thank You!!
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A high quality drama
One of the best dramas I've ever watched.The photography of the film is splendid: the colors, the saturation, the environment.
The script is good despite the fact that sometimes there are illogical elements. However, as a whole, you will be surprised by the twists!
I think the biggest strength of this drama is the acting. But what good actors and actresses! Two in particular caught my attention: Shin Seung Ho and Yoo Joon Sang are excellent. Obviously the others are all equally good.
I had found a weak point in this drama but it was removed very quickly: At first glance, the main character Mu Deok is sorely lacking in humanity. So the viewers have a hard time to share empathy for her but this is solved by the third episode.
Honestly, I don't understand how we can't enjoy this drama?
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This review may contain spoilers
Strong from start to finish!
Overall one of the best action fantasy k-drama. The story was about land of Daeho & its mages, fictional world which not existed in history & maps. Jang Gang, one of the best mage was tricked by the king to perform soul shifting. Once done, the dying king impregnated Jang's wife. Years later, Jang Uk, the son had grown up. Jang placed a barrier into his "illegitimate" son so he couldn't be a mage. Jang Uk desperately trying to find a master who could undo the barrier, until he met with Mu Deok, a blind girl which was actually Naksu, an assassin who just soul shifted to avoid death. Strange thing happened to Naksu because she lost all of her powers but regained her sight as Mu Deok. Together, the two made a mutual relationship, to help each other to gain their powers back.The acting was what you could expect from a k-drama. The soundtracks were good. The fx was also not disappointed. The action scenes were exciting. If i had a complain, i noticed that Go Youn Jung performed fighting better than Jung So Min. When I saw JSM's fight, it gave me the c-drama wuxia vibe : lots of close-ups.
I'll give a solid 9/10. It's an amazing show. Recommended.
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Gem in the mud
I was reserved when start watching , but it turns out to be quite entertaining .Great actors ,plot with interesting progression.So far I can say that Korean fantasy Tv series look much better compared to Chinese one , because special effects here complimenting the story, are not overdone and don't look too cheap. I started immediately season two but the actress was not the same.
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Meraviglioso drama fantasy
Un drama fantasy ambientato in un passato lontano lontano fatto da re e regine,regni e tutto ciò che comporta con magia,tanta magia.Maghi e sacerdotesse bravi e belli con costumi meravigliosi e magia nei movimenti, nei combattimenti,il tutto reso magnifico dai effetti speciali pazzeschi.
La storia narra di una potente maga trasformata in una crudele assassina che però con l'alchimia delle anime viene intrappolata nel corpo di una domestica bella e imbranata che però saprà fare di tutto per far diventare il suo signiorino e poi amato in un grande e potentissimo mago.
La loro storia nasce piano piano ed è molto bella a tratti buffa.
Contornata da altre storie d'amore e tanti intrighi che rendono questo drama accattivante e interessante mai noioso.
La prima parte non ha proprio il happy ending aspettato.
Una bella e piacevole visione che consiglio.
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