Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow (2022)

Best kdrama ever

I love goyoojung and lee jaewook
Best couple with great chemistry
Every actors and actresses delivered perfectly
I wish this two actors work together in the future
They are perfect
The cast crew and everyone who contributed to the acting
The director and writers Hong sisters
Thank you so much for this beautiful drama
Hope one day will we see more drama with lee jaewook and goyoojung in the future
Love alchemy of soul light and shadow
Best drama ever
The perfect lines and drama you can never predict
It’s kept us on the edge throughout the movie
I love everything about it
So please direct more movies with both of them

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A fantastic sequel with character-driven conflicts, never seen plot twists, and top tier chemistry.

Season two has a totally different vibe and focus from season one. If you’re looking for something similar to season one, a story packed with conflicts and climactic events, then season two might not necessarily be your cup of tea. On the other hand, if you’re a big fan of character-focused stories, then this one is for you.

The conflicts in season two mainly lie with the characters themselves. Season two started off with a very different Jang Uk, who chose to stay within his darkness, not having a great will to live as he aims to take the ice stone out to die. He is the most powerful man in Daeho but he doesn’t have any more will to right any wrongs or move on from his past. He didn’t want to face his past and still felt a great amount of guilt and pain. Up until he met Jin Buyeon who helped him see a little bit of light and hope and showed him that warmth is possible even during the coldest nights. As he gain his will to live, he also gained his will to right wrongs. The story focuses on the conflicts within himself and how he managed to end up choosing to do what is right again and live to fulfill his destiny. You also get to see him go back to his old self slowly throughout the season, with his gaze softening, him laughing more, and his clothes becoming lighter colored.

As for Naksu/Jin Buyeon, season two clearly showed how trauma or painful memories can really change who you are. Without her memories, she’s very bubbly and free spirited. She never had the chance to truly be herself but at the same time, she was also still trying to find who she truly is. Once she gained her memories, she still felt like she didn’t deserve to live. She acknowledges that she had done a lot of terrible things in the past during her conversation with Yul, but even Yul highlighted that it was all Jin Mu’s doing all along. Season two is her journey to finding her true self after being used by others her whole life. At the end, she chose not to train again to gain her Chwisu skills back because “it’s too much work” but at the same time I feel like it also shows how she’s completely leaving her Naksu assassin self behind for good. Initially I was also looking forward to having her show her Naksu assassin self again, but watching how the story unfolded, I’m glad she decided to leave it all behind.

Other characters also had their own self development journeys. In this season, we managed to see how far Go Won had come and how he’s trying to do what is right by working together with Jang Uk. While Yul’s conflict lies with his personal guilt with what happened with Naksu and even thinking about surrendering himself to death because of it. But in the end, everyone had grown out of their past and have dealt with their guilt and regrets.

Aside from the great focus on the characters, this season also had very good plot twists. The plot twists of Go Won working together with Jang Uk, the plot twist of Jin Bu Yeon being Jin Seol Ran, and the great plot twist of the three empty coffins which made everyone cry their eyes out. I love the finale as they made us cry but gave the characters the deserved happy endings.

Another great point was the parallels. We had so many great parallels to season one which definitely adds to the story line and the engagement of emotions.

The only thing that I feel like was lacking is how the “action”. I think it might be because it is only 10 episodes that the ending seemed less epic and too simple. Yes, we had the amazing plot twists but how Jin Mu died was not satisfying enough. It was kind of like “that’s it?”. And Jang Uk defeated the fire bird so easily even though everyone was so fearful of the catastrophic consequences it might’ve bring to the world.

All in all, I feel like the cast did a 10/10 job. Lee Jae Wook subtle expressions and Go Youn Jung perfect depiction of the multiple characters she had to portray was amazing. Also, this season is romance heavy and their chemistry also hard carried the story. I think if they didn’t have such great chemistry with one another, this show wouldn’t have been as successful. The main point of season two is also to point out that Jang Uk and Cho Yeong will find and love each other in whatever form. They love each other’s soul and just like light and shadow, they belong together and will continue to protect and support each other. Their love was also what made Jin Seol Ran decide to bring Yeong back to bring the shadow back to his light. It was also why Master Lee asked them to get married — to show the sky and Jin Seol Ran how strong their love is for one another.

Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow is a fantastic drama and is officially in my top three favorite drama of all time.

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Funny, nice story with a really good cast, ending little bit disappointing

So first of all… I really liked this drama. Season 1 and part 2 also. It always kept me engaging. The main cast was really good, i really liked all the characters, the scenery was also beautiful.
However… the last episode of season 2 was a little bit disappointing for me. I need to mention that english is not my first language, so it can happen because of the language barrier, but when it came to soul shifting or the rules of this world… i could not follow it, and most of the times i just let it go. O.o Until the last episode, where i really wanted to follow up the story but i just could not. XD
And it bothers me now. I’m gonna watch it again in my mother language, i’m curious if i would get it better or not.

For me, especially in this season Lee Teacher’s explanations were too much, it’s like he knows everything, so basically he was the mouthpiece of the writers. I get it, it’s a fantasy world, people should understand the rules, but.. I felt like the rules were always changing. xD And because of this… plot armor was keeping the characters in safe most of the times.

In the last ep. where those 3 were dead for… like 3 minutes?! … if I want to be honest…I was disappointed that they are alive. :/ I really loved Park Jin and Kim DoJu, but I felt like… at least Jin Ho-Gyeong and Park Jin’s death would have made sense at some point and could be a collateral damage for the story. But for some reason, everyone got happy ending.
It surprised me that I did not cry, although I’m really that crying type when it comes to dramas. So it was a little bit weightless in the end.

And one more thing. For me they really sc**wed it up, when Jin Mu shifted souls with that Seo guy, he was really bad (also don't really like that actor, sorry xD), I couldn't take him seriously. It took me out of the story. I think the antagonist(s) should have been more…evil.

I’m satisfied with the main cast’s ending, although I still don’t understand Naksu-Buyeon (and others) soul shifting story and I really wanted to see Naksu in action again… but at least they are alive. XD
Altogether it was a nice drama, I recommend it everyone who likes rom-com with a lot of fantasy elements 

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Light and shadow

As a AOS fan from S1, i was worried about how the ending will be. But the ending was very satisfactory. The story was little slow at first, but the second half moved a bit fast. I cried at the ending. Overall, I recommed this drama cause this genre is very arre in kdrama. I don't think there is a drama that has a story coinciding wuth AOS. The whole fantasy theme is very different, which makes it unique.
Talking about the cast and acting, I would applaud the team of AOS for casting brilliant actors that are perfect for their roles. I cannot imagine any other actor giving justice to all the characters of AOS. The acting and chemistry between the casts is also top notch. Specially, the trio of Uk, Yul and Dan Gu and my favorite couple Crown prince and Uk. Everyone gpt their happy ending and the series wrapped up beautifully.
So, give this drama a try. I hope we can all find our light and shadow soon!!!

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MASTER PIECE

LOVE THIS SO MUCH THE CASTING IS SO GOOD THEY'RE SO GOOD SPECIALLY GO YOUNJUNG SHE'S SO GOOD AT THIS HOPE THEY CAN GIVE US MORE OF HER FIGHTING SCENE I WATCH SEASON 1 BECAUSE OF HER BUT HER SCREEN TIME IN S1 IS SO DISAPPOINTING BUT HER IN SEASON 2 IS SO GOOD LIKE HOW CAN I MOVE ON?!!! SHE'S SO BEAUTIFUL AND ELEGANT SHE MAKESS ME THINK THAT GOD DIDN'T LIKE ME THAT MUCH THAT HE MAKE GYJ SO PRETTY AND BLESSED BUT ME A DISAPPOINTMENT ARGHHHH💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓

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|| OVERALL ||

For K-dramas, having a season 2 / part 2 is always hard as it has to live up to the usually better season 1. Given there were only 10 episodes, I think part 2 did do Alchemy of Souls justice. Certain bits seemed a bit slow and unnecessary, some bits seemed very last episode of Game of Thrones (i.e. "what...that's it...?"), but all in all I was pleased.

**I recommend this drama to those that like a fantasy kdrama with well-rounded genres of romance, comedy, and a bit of light action.

|| DETAILS ||

= Story =
*Premise - A continuation of the previous story unravelling the unanswered questions, but also kind of like a new story of its own. Again, set in Daeho a place mages, soul shifters, and magic exist.
*Genre - More of romance and comedy, a little bit of action. The heart-wrenching scenes were well done.
*Plot - The 10 episodes could be split in two parts. First part focused on the love story of the main couple. Second part saving Daeho (the nation they live in). I really have to praise the scenes with the main couple because there were just too many heart fluttering moments. It's really difficult to follow part 1 as the audience already have a main couple in mind and to bring someone else brought mixed reactions, however personally I was very convinced with this new couple. Flaws of the plot, though, were the scenes they dedicated to certain side stories instead of exploring other more important side stories. There are only 10 episodes and not a lot of time, so was it really necessary to give so many scenes (sometimes even a whole episode) to side stories that don't really progress the main plot. For example, sorry Seo Yul, but the whole thing with him, So-Yi, and the bloodworm...good riddance. Maybe more scenes could be spent on elaborating Jin Mu. He's the main antagonist, but extremely not convincing. He caused so much trouble for so long, but he isn't really a strong mage to be honest, and both his demises were so quick and easy. Same with the firebird...something that can cause so much destruction but a bit useless. That is why it gave me the death of the night king vibes (Game of Thrones reference). Anyways, this season is less focused on the action scenes so with that in mind and the fact that they had only 10 episodes to cover everything, despite the flaws, I'm pleased with the plot.
*Characters - Well, we already know most if not all the characters from the previous season. They all had new troubles, and the way the matured and solved each of their problems were nice. Generally the side stories did not take away from the main couple which was nice.
*Ending - Got a little greedy and thought we would be in for another kiss. I liked the ending. To be very honest, despite reading audience's comments on how the Hong Sisters' dramas usually ended, I was quite sure about the direction the plot would end with, and I wasn't wrong.

= Cast =
*Acting - In part 1, Jung So Min really stole the show. In part 2, I rarely say this, but both Lee Jae Wook and Go Youn Jung did exceptionally well. Their characters are the most complex and layered, and they showed that very well.
*Chemistry - I personally think Lee Jae Wook and Go Youn Jung's chemistry was better than with Jung So Min. They seemed more like a couple and it extended off-screen. Those kiss scenes....damn. It's crazy to think that it's the first time Go Youn Jung had kiss scenes in dramas. The way they fed off each other's energies was crazy. They both were great, in contrast to the previous season in which I felt Jung So Min was the stronger actor.

= OST =
Great songs, especially Ailee's "I'm Sorry". Fantastic.


|| A LESSON ABOUT BALANCE ||

In a place too dark, light brings warmth. In a place too bright, shadow brings coldness. Like Yin and Yang, a balance is required in many things in life.

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One of the few great 2nd seasons.

It is really rare to see a 2nd season that is as good as the 1st. I don't really think this is a sequel. It is just the 2nd part of the same drama.
It was a great experience. I really love fantasy and historical dramas. But it had two problems I think. First, the overall really complecated story of Naksu/Bu Yeon. I couldn't understand it and I don't believe it helped the plot. Second, this season was really fast paced. Especially the end was super hurried. As slow was the 1st, so fast was the 2nd. I believe a lot of things needed more time. It was rushed in the end. If both seasons had 15 episodes, it would be better. The 1st needed less episodes and the 2nd more.
All in all, it is a great drama and we rarely see this type of k-dramas. In the bonus, amazing special efects. Also, Lee Jae Wook was great and had great chemistry with everyone.

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FANTASTIC - START TO FINISH

Okay. So I am not one for writing reviews so this will be relatively short and wont include a lot of critic like words as who even understands what critics are talking about half the time anyway.

From the very opening scene to the very end scene of Part 2 this show was fantastic. There weren't really any moments that felt like they were dragging on (unlike part 1 where I found myself skipping through a few scenes in the middle of the show). Everything felt important to the plot and character development. Soundtrack will have you on the edge of your seat. The acting is full of life and emotional from the entire main cast. I could really feel what the actors were feeling.

Go Yoon Jung came into this show with a bit of skepticism from some. She had some big shoes to fill as Jung So Min portrayed a phenomenal FL in Part 1. That being said Go Yoon Jung does not disappoint. Her on screen chemistry with the cast is remarkable. Her acting deserves awards. The way she can subtly shift between the characters she is portraying and her level of emotion shown prove that she is meant for FL roles.

Overall it was an incredible journey.

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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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Overrated, so dragging and boring

Seriously who wrote the script? So foolish , completely ruined story, complete nonsense. Waste of time, i eagerly waited for months but this is all I see. Now I get it why Naksu jumped into lake ,cause she don't want to live to watch season 2.Naksu is smart enough .you should have atleast considered season 1 before making this,I got nothing from this show now, no love , no sense, FL acting seriously was she acting, I thought she is bystander.i haven't seen any comedy , if you think we should laugh at those jokes oh comeon what's wrong with your humour sense.Why such dragging, I am loosing interest in season 1. Don't go for season 2. Why villans always win, boring. I loved season 1 , now I lost interest completely, dropping it .what are they doing childplay?what kind of story is this? Female lead is like"I AM UNBEATABLE BEAUTY" but she is unbearably annoying, I never saw any expression on her face, why they took her in first place, go and learn acting then comeback. Firstly , they could have wrapped the show with good ending in season 1 itself instead of spoiling story. Ruined the show.

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Alchemy 2

Are YOU watching Alchemy of Souls ² ?
Did you watch Alchemy 1?
If not you're really missing out and I don't know how spoiler free I can get discussing 2 if you STILL haven't watch 1 yet but here I go 🤪😌

We are already on episode 4 of Alchemy of Souls ² and I'm already flux with so much emotions.
It's the death anniversary and Jin Mu got so much villainous plotting up his sleeve, when I'm thinking he got no stones to work with, he does a good ole fashion conjuring- he's too much but I'm here for it 😤🤣🤣

Maidservant Kim and Jin are soo adorable, their scenes are so cherished and precious.

Bu Yeon (Naksu) quick tongue is putting folks right in their places.

Meanwhile, Jang Uk placement of grief is falling heavily on Bu Yeon shoulders- how much of Uk hot and coldness can she handle. It made me so sad watching how that last scene unfolded. I'm sad for Bu Yeon.

I'm Anticipating on how all this is gonna play out in Ep 5 but im sure it'll be good, The Hong Sister really can spin a tale with their screenwriting indeed!

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