This review may contain spoilers
It was unbearable to watch for me
After watching the end of the first season, it became unbearable for me to continue watching. I dropped the second season after the fourth episode because I had watched the preview of the next episode, and I couldn't stand it anymore. I don't know why, but this season failed to make me feel that Naksu was portrayed well by the new actress, Go Youn Jung. I felt sorry for Mu-Deok/Jin Bu Yeon because Naksu took over her body, and in the end, she died.Furthermore, it bothered me that Jang Uk seemed to fall in love so quickly with 'Jin Bu Yeon' (even though the audience knows she's Naksu, but he doesn't). Because of this, it felt like Jang Uk was cheating on Naksu, although he wasn't.
Additionally, I didn't like the character So Yi in the first season, so I didn't want to see her again. Every time she appeared in the second season, I felt bored and annoyed because I wasn't interested in what was going to happen to her.
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Came for the fantasy, stayed for Jang Uk and naksu.
I went into Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow expecting the same magic as Alchemy of Souls… but emotionally, this season felt completely different.Season 1 was chaotic, fun, and adventurous, while Season 2 felt like living in the aftermath of heartbreak. Jang Uk’s pain, the mystery around Bu-yeon, and the quiet tension between them carried the entire season. Every scene felt heavy but beautiful.
The biggest problem? Only 10 episodes. The story felt rushed, some characters deserved better, and a few conflicts ended way too quickly.
Still… the ending gave the closure I desperately needed. Not perfect, but definitely emotional.
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Enjoyable, found a new fav actress!
there are some fundamental things wrong with the story or execution in my opinion. but overall enjoyed it. loved go youn jung i see the hype and I'll definitely watch for dramas with her.didn't see much of a sizzling chemistry or anything but uk & yeon were both cute together. overall I guess i enjoyed this season better.
but i wanted more women and naksu in action, and not hiding behind or protected behind men. i thought i was promised that but apparently not
less fillers than the first part, hence more enjoyable for me. the villains and their actions were very convenient and contrived. there were really no actual stakes, given janguk's unbeatable strength. so it was all just watching for the fun visuals and chatacters lol.
jinmu was a very convenient villain, all words and no real power or action. liked maidservant kim lady a lot! her dynamics with park jin were fun.
but overall the whole journey that took 30 eps was rather underwhelming, especially given the hype. it was like a beautiful package with hardly any substance inside.
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This review may contain spoilers
Peak Kdrama Experience
I mean i just completed the second part in 2 days and its been so long i found such captivating kdrama. The story was perfectly continued and with right goal of the villain. But in the end the last ep was overwhelming because of the small plot twist which i thought were not so needed to show that they weren't died. The villain's death could have been more satisfying guven he made me soo angry.Overall i just loved it!!
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True Masterpiece
Set three years after the chaos of Naksu the soul shifter’s rampage, Jang Uk had risen from the dead and became the strongest man in the realm at the highest level of Hwansu, all thanks to the ice stone that had settled in his body. Now working as soul shifter slayer for the palace, Jang Uk came across an imprisoned young lady in Jinyowon as he slain a soul shifter who had went into hiding in the compound, and after pleading by the lady, he abided in making steps for her to escape the prison. Little did he knew, they would later be embroiled in a much deeper relationship that he could ever imagined, that would eventually unlock their past, present and future fate.Now I get why this series had been such a hype. It truly was a real masterpiece that combined romance, grief, action, revenge, friendship, comedy and drama into one perfect balance.
I dont know if the actor purposely got thinner to portray the grief-stricken Jang Uk, but i really thought he looked severely gaunt here, which matches his character as someone who is losing sleep due to the great burden he had to carry as the ice stone wielder, with a soul empty due to the loss of his beloved half. However, his martial moves got fiercer, bolder and deadlier thanks to the ice stone, and nobody in the realm ever dared to cross him. Although I hated how he treated Jin Buyeon in the beginning, I get why the writer had to make him as such.
I totally love Jin Buyeon here. heck I rarely like physically weak female character, but Jin Buyeon’s daring acts just couldnt make me dislike her. Her relentless escapes, her daring move to strike a deal with her future husband, her extremely bold decision to ask Jang Uk to marry her, her unwavering acts of trying to comfort Jang Uk when he constantly pushes her away is truly another level. I love it when she gets sulky with Jang Uk and Maidservant Kim would reprimand her beloved Young Master for making Jin Buyeon mad or cry. The screenwriter did a real good number with this character and the actress is phenomenal.
I actually liked the portrayal of Jang Uk-Jin Buyeon as a couple more than Jang Uk-Mudeok, although i must admit both actresses had an astronomical level of chemistry with the ML and i actually had a hard time deciding. Both were of equal beauty and talent, and I truly love both. But Season 2 set a whole different setting and phenomena, and since it ended with great satisfaction, I just had to give it a higher rating.
And lets not forget the ever so unforgettable Crown Prince Go Won. His character intrigued me in season 1, and he’s even more charming in season 2 despite his ever so changing flags. This grey character, that seemingly need to choose the dark path for political survival but at heart so badly wanted to tread in the light path for a better kingdom had not for his evil master Jin Mu constantly corrupting his heart, is truly hard to despise. Ever since season 1, i had failed to hate this character even when he was bullying Jang Uk. And when they started to politely banter with each other, they become one of the amusing scenes i always enjoy. One of the reasons I don’t really fancy kdramas is they like to yell and scream during arguments just to show superiority, so I kinda appreciate it when I come across a show that has amicable mature banter that doesnt involve banshee-like screaming and yelling.
Oh man I love love love the couple Park Jin-Kim Yeon. Such a cute middle age couple that could make hearts flutter. And dammit they just had to make me shed useless tears for their almost deaths. Grrrrrr. By the end of season 1, i kinda gotten the drift that whenever marriage is mentioned, there would be chaos to ensue next. 3 supposed marriages were mentioned throughout season 1 and 2,, and yep, 3 chaos had occured that stopped the marriages from happening.
Basically there wasnt any that I could really complain with this show. Just watch it!
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Good chemistry between leads in both seasons.
I liked it even more than season 1. Even though season 1 was more funny than season 2 and I adored Mudeok. It was because this season was more romantic and focused on the couple. I wanted more for Jin Buyeon though. An alternative ending for her. I was still hoping for the actress of season 1 to have a lengthy and active part in this season 2, but alas. Also, the fight scenes towards the end were kinda "weak".Was this review helpful to you?
The best, the best, the bestest thing I have ever watched in my entire life!
I won’t write a full review since I just finished it. The emotions haven’t sunk in yet, so I’ll share my instant thoughts about Alchemy of Souls.I just finished both parts, and I’m losing my mind. This is the best, the best, the bestest thing I have ever watched in my entire life! I’m feeling two emotions—one is absolute satisfaction, thinking, Wow, what a series I just watched! An absolute gem! The other is a deep fear: Will I ever watch anything like this or better? And my mind keeps saying, You won’t. My goodness, is there anything better than this? Can anyone please help me? Please, please! I’ve never pleaded for anything before, but today, I am—please recommend something like this.
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It surprised me
I honestly thought I would be so disappointed to watch this but I am not. I can't explain how it tug my heart strings to see Cho-yeong(Naksu) live the life she could've lived if the traumatic things didn't happened. If life had been different, and she didn't have to choose between survival and living. I loved her as Mu deok-i, (S1)but I also loved her as Cho-yeong(Naksu, S2) because I got to see the version of her that bears freedom. Honestly, I was planning to skip S2 because I alrdy known beforehand that Mu deok-i wouldn't be there and I fell in love with the character but I am glad I took the risk.In S1, I was truly looking forward to their wedding but the thought that Cho-yeong(Naksu) would have to sacrifice her power, her chance to freedom consistently bothered me. I am glad that in S2, she wouldn't have to disguise herself entirely just to survive. I also love how the drama, perfectly tells the story of how Jang Uk truly loved her soul. A love so deep it was never bound by the face she wore.
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From Sassy to Alchemy
This is my first review however I've watched over 150 (or 200? 😅) dramas. My first introduction to the Hong Sisters was through Sassy Girl and here we are... 15? No, almost 18 years later finishing Alchemy of Souls season 2.The story is engaging since season one but you can also watch season two as a standalone season.That can of course be taken as a good thing and as a bad one. Good because without becoming tiring S2 explains everything in enough detail while giving a fresh meet cute for the leads and an anew building romance which afterwards is solidified by their past backstory as it happens in many dramas. I mean so many dramas have their leads meeting as kids or being intertwined in fates coincidences.
The second is bad because it drives you away from S1 with a different pace and purpose. That I believe will be okay for most so I'm really not bothered. The director was also careful to not show us Season 1 female lead aka Naksu unless it was necessary. That might be in order to engage with the new lead best which I totally did and to not provide too much financial openings if any to the leading actress of S1.
So how was the story? Quite pleasant and true to the Hong Sisters mythos. Some tragedy, lots of laughs without making it silly and of course some had their happy endings others did not. Despite that though if we look back the Sisters are known to be the believers of better to have loved once than not at all and that sometimes love is here to stay or propel you towards where you wish to be. For me the ending was happy and satisfying.
The OST was also superb in my opinion. For me it's rare to find a good drama with equally good OST. Let's just say that they nailed it.
Regarding the technology used I believe it was a rather expensive production that saved well its budget for when they needed it the most. Cool special effects and green screen usage!
So will I rewatch it? Well, a handful of Hong Sisters dramas are on my rewatch list and annually I binge a couple so I'd say that yeah at some point I will certainly rewatch it. My only issue is the 30 episodes which let's face it they are 1.5 hours long but as my aunt said, thanks for this drama suggestion that cracked us up! It is true that there are hundreds of dramas that we could rewatch and everyone has different tastes but I believe that like Secret Garden you cannot help but go back at some point as they do have a rewatch value.
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Hear me out
Clealry a VERY VERY VERY unpopular opinion (based off of all the bad reviews lol) but i actually reallyyyyy enjoyed watching this 😶🌫️Dont get me wrong, i completely agree that this is NOT the season 2 season 1 deserved in the slightest, season 1 served plot, chemistry, world building, fight scenes that were *chefs kiss* and this season lacked most of that but despite that, if you consider this as more of a epilogue or a side story ...
Then its actually really enjoyable! I enjoyed all the characters, their dynamics and the chemistry was still bubbling beautifully imo ! I get that she wasnt the badass character she was in the first season but i dont get why thats such a bigggg deal. I think the issue with this season is that it could have easily been filled with more content in those ten eps. The events of the last two eps should have happened much earlier and we could have had some fun strong but cute Naksu content too :)
I will say though i dont agree with the comments saying how could he have fallen in love with her before knowing shes Naksu... ??? As far as he knows Naksu killed him (!!) Then died. Its okay for him after three years to fall in love and move on, even if she wasnt Naksu? What, is he supposed to be alone and hurt forever if she was never revived ??
Overall i really enjoyed both seasons :)
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This review may contain spoilers
Everyone says they prefer S1, but honestly, I think S2 is better because she’s the original Naksu. I loved their chemistry, especially with the whole fake marriage trope it was so entertaining. I also really enjoyed the other couples, and the older couples were absolutely adorable. I almost cried thinking one of them might not survive. Was this review helpful to you?
A great sequel
Since I loved season one, I couldn't wait for season two, and it yet again didn't disappoint. I was a bit scared at first to be honest, because I reallz liked the character of Mu-deok and was very sad that this character would be missing. But story-wise it made sense and I really liked to see what would have happened if Naksu would have "stayed" at home. I am not sure whether I liked Jang Uk more in S1 when he was more lively and only wanted to prove himself or in S2 when he was all dark and gloomy. Anyway, I love S2 and think that it was a worthy sequel to the phenomenal S1.Was this review helpful to you?
