What can i say...
My ratings are already screaming my love for this show. First of all I'm not a fan of historical or fantasy dramas or i thought i wasn't, BUT THIS, this is something else. MU DEOKI, MU DEOKA or the actress in general so much in love with her. Her acting skills are just *chef kiss*. And please let me talk about my JANG UK baby he was funny af and we love him that way exactly.The plot was amazing every character were very well written and all the episodes where full of entertenment with a hint of comedy and romance for the whole series which is absolutely great and... MY NAKSU BABY just killed it even tho she was a guest role. All the action scenes were so well directed the filming process was fantastic and even it was pretty long of a series (because 20 EP are quite too much and i generally watch 16 ep max so...) it was soo worth watching.
I reccomend this drama to people who love an entertaining and long show with lots of amazing main leads.
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One of the best kdramas I've watched
I've been watching kdramas for almost 6 years now and by far this wins on everything for me. This whole drama is just perfect. The music caught me the most though.Was this review helpful to you?
In all honesty? A masterpiece!
Watched this majestic drama while it was still airing in Korea the past year, and honestly was the best drama of all 2022!Usually, I'm not a historic + historic/fantasy drama lover, I love history but I'm not really that good at the Korean one, so at first I wanted to avoid it, I've thought that the mixture of the completely different genres would be a huge mess.
What a dumb thought.
The storyline can be tricky at first, especially for all the different families and the flashbacks are a whole lot, but once the first episodes the story starts to get amazing, and the long length of each episode (pretty much like a movie per each episode) goes in the back. Jung So Min is AMAZING in this, she and her facial expressions are hilarious and a tinge of adding some 'slap comedy' is a big yes for me!
I would recommend this? YES
Is worth a rewatch? Yes Again!!
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Just Like Harry Potter
Alchemy of Souls Part 1 (2022)Likes
1. I like the whole fantasy part about soul shifters and spells. Reminds me of Harry Potter since this drama also had different teams, they used swords instead of wands, and Uk is like Harry Potter who didnt know he was the boy that will save them all (or the boy with the King's Star)
2. I like Mudeok/Naksu coz she is brave and ruthless but she also learned to mature and love instead of becoming an assassin. Im still confused about Buyeon, how can 2 souls reside in 1 body. They say Buyeon is controlling the body and yet when Naksu heard the bells, Buyeon couldnt do anything. So i feel like writer is using Buyeon if they need a plot device.
3. I loved Jang Uk and how much he has grown since ep 1.
4. I love the master-pupil pair of Mudeok/Jang Uk more than as lovers. Naksu/Yul were better in terms of tragic romance. Cho Yeon/Danggu were cute but Jin/Maid Kim/Master Lee were my fave.
Dislikes
1. The first half was so boring, it got interesting only starting ep 12. I think this should have been 16 eps not 20. There were several unnecessary sidestories and too many characters. And why no one ever suspected Mudeok to be Naksu when there are so many red flags about her! For supposedly powerful mages, they were all stupid except for Uk and Yul. And they cant even capture Jinmu who is always one step ahead of them!
2. I didnt feel the romantic chemistry between Mudeok and Jang Uk, even when they finally confessed and kissed on ep 19 it was blah.. the only scene that stirred me was the end when Naksu stabbed Jang Uk and he died and Mudeok woke up and realized what she has done.
3. A little unbelievable that 3 guys were fighting over Mudeok esp the Crown Prince who didnt know she was Naksu and thought of her as a mere servant. I also didnt like the Crown Prince although i think he was meant to be arrogant. I dont know if he is going to be bad in part 2.
Rating: 8.25 (8 for first half, 8.5 for second half)
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Alchemy of Souls
I have already watched episode 1 until 8. For now episodes 1-8 all of the players are cool and Handsome omg!! 😎💘💗. The storyline is unique and amazing!! 🤩. I Like all the OST Alchemy of Souls, the songs also really touch my heart and relate to the story. I Love all the Chemistry. Tomorrow will come out episodes 9 and 10. I'm very excited 🤩 and Can't wait for the next episodes for tomorrow. Thank you for made this drama. Love it!! ❤️. Fighting!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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Don't listen to the haters!
When I was thinking about watching this show, I was initially worried about why the rating was already so low. I ended up delaying it, thinking that it was probably average/not worth watching. It was only by chance, flicking through Netflix that it came on, and I WAS HOOKED!From what I've gathered through the comments section, the low rating is due to C-drama fans bombing the ratings...
This show is actually surprisingly fresh, it has characters that have genuine motivations and also (it seems to me) a unique storyline.
So far, definitely worth the watch!
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best of the best
I think all of them did great job but the star is definetly so min she is the queeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnn of the whole showI think all of them did great job but the star is definetly so min she is the queeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnn of the whole showI think all of them did great job but the star is definetly so min she is the queeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnn of the whole showI think all of them did great job but the star is definetly so min she is the queeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnn of the whole showI think all of them did great job but the star is definetly so min she is the queeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnn of the whole showI think all of them did great job but the star is definetly so min she is the queeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnn of the whole showI think all of them did great job but the star is definetly so min she is the queeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnn of the whole show
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Give This a Chance
To be honest I almost dropped this after watching half of the first episode. I was having a very high expectation because the trope seemed interesting. But the introduction was not engaging and the characterization was weak. I was hoping for something deeper than this and I saw that potential on the past story line instead.The problem was not on the quality of the drama. In fact the CGI was excellent. And I've enjoyed the characters more cringe and the story way cliche than this (this is not cliche imo). I just thought that I was not the right target audience for this. I might love this when I was younger. But later I found myself started to question many things and not just accepted things easily. Especially in this case, for a fantasy I needed to be assured and it had to be logical according to their culture universe. I understood that fantasy had its own structure and it wouldn't be the same as the reality but it's their job to make the world they built in the drama made sense for us to watch. And I felt that this drama was still working on it.
That being said the ending of the first episode was kind of a turning point. When I learned a little about the main lead characters I started to understand. Something I lately realized that it was made sense after all. It was just because of it poorly introduced that almost failed me. It gave me a hope that this was about to get interesting. I was relieved I didn't drop this right away when the episode two began to grow on me.
As I already dropped my expectation, I'm looking forward for whatever this drama has in store for me for the next episodes.
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Must Watch
As a drama lover i watched the series (12 episodes) series is worth of watching & actor are played their roles so perfectly but sometimes feels bored bcoz unwanted comic scenes those was ridiculous as a historical drama i must prefer to the pace of show is not disrupt & as audience i think historical drama must be don't use a unwanted comedy those are so cheeesy & clumsy overall actors are works hard those seen in series. I watched so many historical drama so i think this ia my best opinion as a viewerWas this review helpful to you?
Why should you watch this historical K-drama?
This K-drama is really good and it’s a little different from the other historical k-dramas I have watched. This reminds me more of a historical C-drama but the production, acting, story line, and quality is much better. I have only Watched the first two episodes that have come out but I can't wait for the other episodes. I highly recommend that you watch this k-drama if you want something a little different from other historical K-dramas, and if you are looking for a good story line. So go and watch it, you have nothing to lose.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Good show but meanders a lot
Update during the final episode.As predicted, they ruined the show at the end. They gave themselves a little over 40 minutes to wrap up Nak-su/Mu-duk/Jin bu-yeon story thread. Nobody received any consequences of their actions including Lady Jin and her husband. How did Jin Mu escape and went missing when he was literally surrounded by the entire assembly of sorcerers? The prince just casually runs into Jin Mu in the “secret” room everyone knew about? Worst yet, the prince basically listens to Jin Mu and gets manipulated? Jin Mu had a bell that he can use to control Nak-Su? Now that Nak-Su resurfaces, everyone forgot what Jin -Mu did? What?
I haven’t see many Hong sisters’ work but I guess this is their MO and they couldn’t help themselves.
Update after Ep. 17.
I’m lowering this show to 7.
I’m a little shocked after the latest episode where the king wanted to kill a person just to see the ice stone’s power. What’s more shocking is that people actually went along with it. This is so nuts.
Basically, this episode is the culmination of how this show meandered the entire time. They knew who the bad guys were but they were busy doing stupid stuff to justify 20 episodes. Now, here we are…
Review after 15 episodes.
I’ve watched 15 episodes so far. I’m enjoying it quite a lot so far.
A few points.
1. It’s not as action packed as I thought it would be. Mostly just drama. Lots of talking but done fairly well.
2. It meanders quite a bit. We find out who the bad guys are fairly early on along with the main characters. But they don’t do a whole lot with it for a long time. They do mention it and do some digging around here and there. But the good guys spend a lot of time doing trivial stuff in between. I guess they need enough filler for 20 episodes.
3. Main character Jang Uk is pretty unlikeable. He had a chip on his shoulder for not having the power first. Then when he actually gets it, he wastes his time refusing to train. He knows that a lot depends on him getting strong including Nak-su getting her power back. It’s frustrating watching him wasting his time. But of course, him being the main character, he continues to get strong without putting a lot of effort. He’s also petty and cocky. Hard to like this guy.
4. Mu deuk is great. Love the character herself, her story and acting were all great. Jung So Min is great as usual.
5. Four heirs to the four great families were advertised to be the elites of the elites. But they mostly turned out to be major duds. Incompetent and goofy except Yul. Huge let down.
6. This show has no shortage of great supporting characters. Maid servant Kim, Master Lee, Songrim’s leader, and the prince. So much fun watching them. Love the prince!
7. Jin Mu, the main bad guy so far is done well. He seems sinister and dark. Well done.
8. Not a big fan of how the story unfolds. They show you something and then go back to show what really happened. It gets tiring after a while.
9. Looks like they spent a lot of money and effort creating the world. CG looks pretty good for the most part. Wire-fu… not so much.
I’m looking forward to see how this ends. Just found out that there will be a part 2. Interesting.
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This review is from the first episode and will be edited after the drama ends
Am changing my rating from 10 to 7.5The drama started really strong - I love Naksu and her fighting scenes. It took a while to get used to her new body but the actress Somin did a great job in portraying Naksu and Mudeok.
I am mostly interested in the past and the mysteries of the other characters.
However, lately the story started to focus on romance and I feel like they started to neglect some of the plots. Almost everyone is having a romance and love triangle...
6 more episodes to go but it seems nothing is ever changing, except of course the romance part which I am not really interested in.
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