Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow

If you like overpowered main character, this is for you!

Pros:
- Jin Bu-yeon (with Naksu's body) is the prettiest sageuk character ever.
- Season 2's plot is much easier to understand (only if you've watched season 1 lmao)
- More romance scenes, depict Jin Bu-yeon's ethereal beauty.
- More epic fighting scenes.
- Overpowered Jang Uk and Jin Bu-yeon.
- Not only just the main characters, one of the side characters is overpowered too.
- Comedy represents anywhere, anytime. Like, in serious scenes, the comedy comes out of nowhere 😂 (kudos to the Prince)

Cons:
- It's hard to tell whether it's Jin Bu-yeon or Naksu.
- No more Mudeok's scenes :(

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Despite shortcomings, still an enjoyable watch

STORY
Season 2 falls short of the narrative strength seen in season 1, with both old and new storylines feeling drawn out. I wish the overall series had a shorter episode count in order to enhance pacing and storytelling. Introducing a new villain with different motives could have injected fresh energy into season 2, because I got tired of the same politicking and drama that carried over from season 1.

Romance took a bit more screen time this season, but it still felt somewhat rushed. It still falls victim to some tropes as well as cheesy and contrived moments. Despite these shortcomings, however, the chemistry between the leads kept me watching.

After the incidents of season 1, I welcomed the change in the male lead's character. I loved his tortured angst compared to his hot-headed naivete in season 1. He also became so bad-ass after the 3 year time jump.

Some viewers griped about the female lead's shift in personality, but I think the writers did it intentionally by reversing the dynamic between the male lead and female lead. It's showcasing their complementary yin-yang natures between seasons. In season 1, the female lead was more calculating and clever while the male lead was more naive and carefree. In season 2, the male lead became the clever one while the female lead became more playful and carefree. The female lead also took initiative in pursuing the male lead romantically in season 2, while he was the one who pursued her in season 1. Although the female lead lost her mage powers, she gained divine powers instead which complemented the male lead's powers. Ultimately, I think the changes to the female lead worked out fine and they support the duality theme of the show.

ACTING/CAST
The supporting cast is notably neglected. This was a shame, because they were so enjoyable to watch in season 1.

The romantic chemistry between the leads significantly improved and I enjoyed every moment they were on-screen together. I believe Go Youn Jung is just more compatible with Lee Jae Wook on-screen.

MUSIC
Great soundtrack and I liked the pop ballads in this season more than in season 1.

REWATCH VALUE
While the overarching storyline is not as engaging as season 1 and a lot of side characters were neglected, I absolutely loved seeing the two leads together in this season. I would rewatch this season just to see them together again.

OVERALL
Issues from season 1 are still present in season 2, such as pacing and storytelling issues as well as contrived tropes. Conclusions to some plot lines and the final confrontation at the end of the series also felt underwhelming despite all the build up over 2 seasons. But overall, the series was still an enjoyable watch. I especially enjoyed watching the two leads together on-screen. I would love to see Lee Jae Wook and Go Youn Jung leading another series together because they looked amazing together and their chemistry was phenomenal. I binge watched both seasons consecutively and will dearly miss the world of Daeho and this cast.

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Overall excellent fantasy

SOOO many people are confused about the 'change' of actresses.
The first season had Naksu in someone else's body. So she looked like said person. As all the soulshifters do.
It was wonderful, & Jong So Min did a great job. But let's remember that Naksu in actuality looked like Go Yoon Jung, okay?
So, that ends with her petrifying like other soul shifters.
But Master Lee, plus the powers of the owner of the original body, makes it possible to bring back Naksu/Bu Yeon, albeit without any memory of the past or her identity. The soul that inhabits the body being Naksu, it shapes the body to look like Naksu (very necessary for the plot). THIS undoubtedly was planned from the beginning, because otherwise everybody would have immediately recognized her as Mu Deok! I did find this a bit inconsistent, as the Queen doesn't manage to get her original form back, but I suppose it could be explained by the body of Bu Yeon being turned to stone & having to reconstruct itself.
So all the nonsense about the actress 'changing' is just that - coming from people who do not understand the underlying plot development very well, & possibly failed to realize that the actress in Part 2 is the SAME one playing Naksu (as Naksu) in Part 1!
As for the way Naksu as Bu Yeon acted, good grief! She totally behaved as Mu Deoki had done (or as Naksu as Mu Deoki had done). She didn't have the anger and drive of Naksu because she lacked the MEMORIES of Naksu, but she didn't act like the real Bu Yeon either (as much as one can tell, seeing we only saw her (as Mu Deoki) briefly. I totally enjoyed those episodes so much, because she was reminding Jang Uk of what drew him to Mu Deoki without him realizing what was happening.
The final 2 episodes had some WTF moments, but they weren't overwhelming & mainly had to do with the somewhat illogical plot around the House of Jin & that Firebird/Dragon. It did seem that Jang Uk managed to destroy the mages much too easily, as well, which could have been improved with another episode - but since he'd been touted as all-powerful through-out Episode 2, that didn't bother me overmuch.
I loved the way all the secondary plots & characters had their own stories wrapped up. So many of these fantasies end sadly or ambiguously - or 'they were reincarnated together' ~sigh~ This one didn't do that, and I'm grateful.
So overall this is one of the best high fantasy dramas I've seen - including Game of Thrones, The Witcher, The Rings of Power, as well as several Chinese ones, let alone Korean. It wasn't dragged out too long (GOT, & every Chinese fantasy I've seen other than Ghost Bride), didn't destroy itself in the end (The Witcher), and didn't have a book that it mangled (The Rings of Power, Wheel of Time, Game of Thrones once Martin left). The Hong sisters know their craft very well indeed. Kudos to them!

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I'm completely in love with this drama

I'm not going to lie that memory plot was irritating as far as it was extended, but it still managed to hook me and look forward to the next episodes. The characters are so passionate, especially the protagonists, Naksu and Jang Uk. It's beautiful to see how their love transcends the physical, it's really a meeting of souls. In terms of plot, part 1 still wins, but in part 2, the chemistry between the main couple overflows on screen. I think both parties had very different proposals, but the essence of the story is still there. I just loved the parallels I noticed while watching

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<3 go yoonjung & lee jaewook <3

the best decision i ever made was not watching AOS part 1 while it was airing, bc there was no way i would have survived waiting months for part 2 after that cliffhanger in part 1.

i deeply admire and respect the people that stayed sane waiting for part 2 to come out. you guys are strong soldiers.

in my opinion, after binging s1 right before s2, i'm in the unpopular minority that slightly likes s2 more than s1, romance-wise. comedy-wise, s1 is definitely better. plot-wise...neither. they're both rushed and have their own issues.

the characters:

jang uk saying "i do not care for this world" had such a great effect on me that he instantly moved up my favorite characters of all time list. my favorance of morally grey characters shined in this, and while i did miss his sunshine character in s1, him in s2 gave me butterflies. (as per my notes while watching s2: HOW DOES JANG UK LOOK THIS GOOD IN SEASON 2. HE LOOKS FUCKING GORGEOUS. THE HAIR, THE STYLING, THE CONFIDENCE, (i mean yes he's sad, but OH MY GODS HE'S SO GOOD AT FIGHTING AND USING HIS SWORD).

thinking about buyeon in s2 makes me a little sad, because she was such a likeable character in this. she was a happy-go-lucky girl who was like rapunzel in the sense that she just wanted to explore the world and remember who she was. the fact that uk's and naksu's roles switch (midnight rain and sunshine) in s2 makes me sad but also ??? so smart of them to do that.

KIM DOJU AND PARK JIN OWN MY HEART. they have since s1 and i've just constantly been rooting for them. i need for them to act together or something bc i need to see them playful and cute and bickering again ajfenkljrafdf

the cast:

GYJ is SO SO SO SO SO CUTE. i cannot believe this is GYJ's first lead role??? she literally embodied what jung somin started in s1 and managed to seamlessly continue naksu right where she left in s1. that takes skill, on both GYJ and JSM's parts, to be able to make a character so distinct that you can easily tell who it is, especially in this confusing mess of soul-shifting. def looking into more of gyj's works after this.

literally almost all of the main casts' biggest role ever. even though LJW is the youngest, he's acted the most amongst the other actors who are also in their 20s in this show. this is the prince's first drama, minhyun's first drama, PIS's first lead, arin's first lead, GYJ's first lead. this is LJW's third lead (fourth if you count s2 as separate) and it SHOWS. i've seen LJW in extraordinary you and doldolsolsollalasol, and this is by far his best acting, obviously because he's grown so much as as an actor.

he definitely has the best chemistry with GYJ, out of all his roles. i mean, you can obviously look at the kiss scenes and tell, but even just looking at the behind the scenes and looking at his eyes and body language in the scenes of AOS makes it so obvious. they are the reason why s2 was so enjoyable for me.

the chemistry between not just LJW and GYJ, but between the entire cast is insane. it's so so so funny. but while the comedy in s1 felt more natural, in s2 it felt a little too inserted and forced—not bc of the actors, but because the comedy scenes were written in a tough spot. the entire premise of s2 is so so so sad, so adding in comedy is already so difficult. plus, season 2 is really built around jang uk's and naksu's tragic ending in season 1; there's this aura of sadness hanging over the entire season, and adding in comedy makes it feel fake, almost. (except for kim doju and park jin's scenes; those two have my entire heart and are absolutely hilarious no matter where they are).

the plot:

while s1 is and always will be iconic and hilarious and absolutely perfectly made, it was long and tedious. it had so much build-up to a rushed climax and conclusion. s2, on the other hand, is just as well-made, and is concise with great chemistry, but again, rushed. this is entirely the fault of the hong sisters, who's pacing in writing is absolutely horrible, while they do come up with the best ideas and comedy. they do so much front end work, and completely forget about the back end.

unpopular opinion (which i probably only have because i binged s1 right before s2 came out): i like buyeon a TINY bit more than mudeok. i love them both, don't get me wrong; mudeok's relationship with uk is hilarious and chaotic and is so funny, while buyeon's relationship is very cute and chemistry-filled and angst-ridden. both have their charms, and the only reason why i slightly prefer buyeon over mudeok is because LJW's and GYJ's chemstry is undeniably good.

i feel like they could have broken up the show better, and split the time between the two actresses equally. it being 20 v. 10 eps is one of the the reasons why some people dislike s2—they like mudeok more than bu-yeon. they've spent more time with one over the other. that, and the fact that bc s2 is so short, it feels rushed. they spent nearly 8 eps building up and talking about something happening, but the actual scene lasts only ten minutes. and then they conclude within ten minutes by giving a time-skip to a year later, with barely any interactions between the cast. (literally i would have given anything to see kim doju arranging an extravagant wedding ceremony for uk or taking care of him and naksu, or at least uk interacting w danggu and yul, rather than them just talking about each other).

the final battle and defeat of the villain felt underwhelming, and honestly he needed a crueler end. i really hoped naksu would come and kill him once and for all, bc this all started because he used her. and the most underwhelming thing of all: jang uk recognizing buyeon. while LJW acted amazing, i wish the director had told him to be more surprised, rather than just accept it quietly. if he saw the love of his life after believe she was dead for 3 years, the first thing he would do would at least be to hug her, right? is that not what jang uk would do for mudeok, his master? several underwhelming moments interspersed with overwhelmingly amazing ones (uk's fight scenes, kiss scenes, action sequences)

some of the lines in s2 though are absolutely breathtaking:

- "rather than use my coming death as a cowardly excuse to be together, it is much better for us to be tormented instead."
- "when it is on, i am sane. it is clear to me that i must send you back as i promised. but i go insane when it turns off. i just pine for you. that is why i came to see you."
- "evil always does what it wants without stopping. but why is it virtue always needs to prove itself over and over again?"
- "i do not care. i do not care for this world. the one person i wanted to protect is dead [1 ep. later] i do not care about what happens to this world. but if you touch her ever again, i will use my power as i please."
- (not a line perse but do not get me started on the end of ep 7/the beginning of ep 8 bc i might combust omg i cannot believe it goes from master yeom saying "they promised me they have a pure and innocent relationship" and then cuts to jang uk pushing buyeon against the wall, making out. hilarious.)

all in all: a great, great sequel to a great, great world. i just wish we would have paced it well, rather than use all of our energy in the beginning and leave nothing for the end.

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A few issues story wise, but good overall.

If you want an almost perfect story to answer most of the questions that you had while watching part 1/S1, then don't expect too much. For me personally, the story was okay. There were a few issues. I know people had different opinions and some didn't like it. That's why I'm writing this review to show my perspective. Also note, that I'm going to use pt1-2/s1-2 interchangeably.

These are the issues I encountered regarding the stories & characters:
#1) I don't know if the subtitles were mistranslated, but Master Lee stated that Naksu was not a soul shifter which makes no sense. If it wasn't an incorrect translation, that means there's a flaw in the story somewhere. In S1, she performed the AOS but she had a different target & Bu yeon interfered in the process, leading Naksu's soul to go to Bu yeon's body. People who fail to soul shift also have a blue mark in their original body ( Naksu's original body also had one). In S1, by the temple, Gil joo(Jin mu's assistant) tried to shift souls in Jang uk's body but failed & his soul went back to his original body and he ran wild. In the end of S1, where Naku lost control with the bell & was easily controlled by Jin Mu because he gave his energy to her. She also got petrified, a characteristic of soul shifters.

#2) Jin Mu. I feel like they dragged Jin Mu for too long. I understand that he's the main villain, but there were so many occasions where he could've been rid of both in Pt1 &Pt2. It seems to me they came up with every reason for him to survive just so he could be the villain who brings out the fire bird, the source of chaos 200 years ago. Also Jin Mu's death in the fire with other mages didn't feel good enough. Feel like he should've suffered more.

#3) The fire bird. They made it sound like a huge issue, but it didn't seem like one. They never mentioned it pt 1 that the fire bird was the source of chaos. I feel like it should've been mentioned there & not near the end of pt2? Another thing is if the person of the king's star is able to kill the bird, why didn't master seo gyeong do that 200 years ago with jin seolran. Why did it have to be sealed instead? They made it look effortless to kill that bird. In just a minute, Jang Uk killed it without breaking a sweat. That's something that was never explained.

#4) A lot of things felt rushed. If they wanted to end this in 10 episodes, the amnesia shouldn't have been dragged to like episode 8.

#5) The bells. I hated that they introduced it in S1 (it felt unnecessary), but I don't recall it ever being shown to be used again in Part 2. They mentioned it for like 10 minutes just so Naksu would feel less guilty about her killing people.

What I don't see as issues:
1- FL change. If you cannot handle changes and watch a new face or you cannot accept someone new to play a role since you're familiarized with someone else's face for a character, then don't watch it. My honest opinion is that for the character that was shown in S2 for Buyeon/Cho Yeong, I don't see JSM pulling it off. I could be wrong. I liked Pt1/S1 & JSM, but another thing is that we were already shown GYJ's face as Naksu in pt1/S1. It makes sense to use GYJ face in pt2/s2. It may not be a plausible reason, but it was given in the start of pt2/s2. Before, Buyeon kept Naksu's energy under control to prevent her from going crazy and being petrified. However, when Naksu's energy took over with Jin Mu's energy, Buyeon no longer had control. In order to save her life & reverse the petrification, Master Lee stated that they had to use Naksu's energy and soul, therefore Buyeon's body would have the appearance of Naksu's real body.


2- FL's character. I'll admit I'm into strong FL characters myself, but I don't mind the type of FL character portrayed for S2 because it wasn't a frustrating character (most writers turn females into weak, whiny, jealous, immature, dumb characters which pisses me off the most). I, like others, expected her to go back to her usual self, the badass Naksu who kicked ass. When things didn't go as expected, I understood why they chose it that way and I didn't mind it. It actually seemed better. People (and I) forgot that Naksu was the identity of an assassin. She was used by Jin Mu & killed a lot of people & even stabbed the man she loved (although I really hated that part it was the most stupidest thing writers chose to do but that's for S1). It would make sense for her to want to let go of that identity because it was related to her vengeance and dark past. Additionally, Naksu's reputation would never be cleared in the eyes of the people. You cannot convince an entire country that she was a victim instead and attempting to do so would cause problems and further chaos. So letting go of the identity of Naksu, the elite shadow assassin who kills high level mages, was better for her. When her and Jang Uk were getting married, she said she wanted to use her birth name Cho Yeong. We don't know how Cho Yeong would grow up if she did not suffer that trauma. I'm assuming with the trauma gone, she would act similarly to how she was when she had amnesia. Basically the writers saying that if she hadn't suffered she would be like other female characters in the drama like Jin Choyeon or Yoon ok. Yes, one thing maybe they could've done differently is show a physically strong FL regardless of whether there is trauma or not. For example, in the end, Cho Yeong decides that she would be willing to train her mage powers to Chisu level again to help people. Completely different than being an assassin. But she's using her divine powers of Buyeon to help people instead in the ending that they showed us.

Damsel in distress. I partially agree with damsel distress but she's not weak (maybe physically but not mentally) or dumb. When she was trying to get the jade back, she didn't blindly follow the guy into the trap leading to Jin mu. She used her ability to see energy to follow the correct person (So yi). She also didn't inhale the powder that was meant to knock her unconscious & used her brain to jump in water to avoid it. Seo Yul did help her so yes it's partially damsel in distress. In order to prevent the Unanimous Assembly from taking out Jang Uk's ice stone she gave her being a soul shifter as a reason as to why his ice stone cannot be removed. She knew how to respond in times of stress & didn't make foolish decisions. She also got her revenge on Jin Mu (which the writers ruined by keeping him alive till the end).

What I watched this part2 for & liked:
- The continuation of the slight bromance between CP & Jang Uk. This part included a turtle.
- Maidservant Kim & Park Jin.
- Master Lee.
- The romance between Jang Uk & Bu yeon/Cho Yeong. Part 1 felt more of a platonic relationship & more master-pupil.

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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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EPIC! The best historic drama for me.

This drama was the first historic drama that I watched completely because I always felt that historic dramas are slow and mostly have sad endings so I avoided watching them and dropped them in between but luckily I gave this one a chance and I am not regretting it a bit!!

Season 1 still has my heart but Season 2 was great as well. I feel a little greedy to ask for more end scenes but whatever they gave I am absolutely happy with that also.

I will always be a shipper of FM and ML from season 1 ..maybe that’s why I wished that they could have given atleast one scene to the season 1 FM.

Like everyone is saying that they wanted to see Naksu fight in season 2 the same is what I feel but still I understand that they wanted to project two different kinds of personalities in both the seasons. All the questions that I read in comments after watching each episode as they released they were answered somewhere or the other which made me believe that they purely wanted to make the audience happy and satisfied with this drama and leave no regrets.

One of the best dramas that I have watched in a while and I hope we get to see the cast together somewhere in other dramas.
Everyone’s acting was amazing and natural.

All the best to the team and Thanks for creating this drama <3

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This Is like the best drama i have ever Seen it's so good the story everything about it Is Just perfect and i love the main actors chemistry good cast So Younjung Is really a good actress i loved her as Naksu than Mudeok and Lee Jae wook Is the generation of futur actor. I Just Hope they will have a Happy ending cause both Naksu and Jang Ku deserves It i don't want them to cry anymore. I Will like to see Lee Jae wook ans So Younjung on another drama as lead cause they both have good chemistry their acting is so natural that you can thing they're both together in real Life.

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Even better Well-paced than the First Season with Back to back Intriguing plots!!

I didn't wanted to waste time writing a long one but I think it will be useful for future viewers so here we go...

People are criticising Go Yoonjung but I think they didn't carefully reviewed her character and the circumstance her character was set in. Go yoonjung perfectly picked up the Naksu's character that Jung somin had created and left, just keep in mind that due to special circumstances naksu's character is like that of a person she was before getting exploited by jin mu. I heard this advice and it was so fun to watch her acing the character. She perfectly carried the flow of Naksu's character in the right amount, since she was now also carrying the duty to carry out the character of a priestess. She lost all her memories so giving her mudeok's heavy elements means she remembers all her tough times while training, and killing people. But since that cannot happen, they give her features of cho yeong (the child who held the hand of jin mu not crying even when she saw her father dying before her). An innocent, curious and bold child, who likes to have her way and is willing to play tricks every now and then. Its perfectly fine if she appears as a 3rd person, like cho yeong, since she is not naksu anymore nor mudeok, she only has those personality traits. she forgot everthing and is now making new memories with jang Uk, so she appears both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

I got goosebumps while seeing how Go yoonjung even picked up the habits of her character that Jung so min created, the same way of speaking and making that face , and calling "jang uk". No one can recreate a character so perfectly as she did. I'm beyond impressed.

This drama was really perfect. I even liked it better than the first season. First season had some filler episodes but I'm glad that they made this season well-paced. There was always something intriguing to look forward to in the next episode in S2. The story kept being tight from start to finish. The script was really good. They created many interesting theories and then unveiled them to the viewers nicely. This season really filled a lot of plot holes for 1st season. This season deserves higher rating than the previous one for me.

It's been a long time since a drama made me tear-up. I felt the sadness and bittersweet fate they had so deeply that it ached my heart when this only just a fictional story. All the actors did a wonderful job. It really is a thing to ponder over, how both ML and FL had such a bitter fate.

Jang Uk: He had to suffer from his gate of energy being sealed by his father, he had to live among hurtful rumours , lost both his parents, had to experience numerous life-death situation while training to finally reach Chisu, lost his only precious love by getting stabbed, had to suffer the consequences of having ice-stone within him, facing wraiths everytime, and now again fear of losing his love and so on.
Naksu: Had to see her family die, train hard till death, lived alone all his life in seclusion, had to kill numerous in the pretence of avenging her father, lost all her powers, trapped inside a weak body, got betrayed by Jin Mu who she thought was helping, lost his love, had to kill herself, had to maintain distance from Jang Uk again when she knew she could again not be with him, etc

Also, I'm glad that the crown prince got to be the king, he is the best king the country of Daeho could ever get. He is greedy but not enough to harm his own people. He knows when to stop his greed, and that the powerful ain't always an enemy but an ally. Jang Uk is better off a powerful person who wants to protect his loved ones. But Go Won knows that marriage and bride is not in his control, and that all that is a responsibility. jang Uk is a free person so I'm glad that he remained free and unbothered by these worldly material things like owning the throne. Crown prince is rather perfectly balanced to be the king than his father or mother ( both the soul shifter shaman, and his biological mother), Both his parents were foolishly greedy but he knows when to back down before things go out of control.


I'll forever remember this classic masterpiece!! I hope people take this drama as one of the top ones that all future generations gonna watch

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