Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow

The season was way too short, otherwise it's perfect

I was nervous when I realized the MFL was replaced due to the story progression. I wouldn't say the FL was "recast" since this actress also played the same character in the first season, but she comes back in season 2 to take center stage.
First, the lead actress here is an absolute delight. I LOVED the main actress from the first season, she's one of my favorites, and I missed her funny facial expressions and sass in this season, but I didn't feel overall upset or like I missed out. In the end, and given the direction of the story, the new actress (who, I guess, isn't technically new) was phenomenal and brought her own color to the character which was neither better or worse than the original, just different.
The ML was awesome, as expected, and a bit darker in this season, which I loved. It was great to see his character mature and struggle in new ways.
The lovestory and overall story arc felt rushed, however, and that's why I had to take off a half star. If this had been 2-4 more episodes, where they spent more time building the narrative, it would've been an easy 10.

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Inferior to Season 1, but an ending quite a worth

Set 3 years later after the finale of Season 1, Season 2 starts slowly and brings all the characters back to the game. There are very few fantasy shows which make you invest in characters, and season 2 fits this description.

Although the second season starts sluggish with everything that kinda replicates the first season, the last 3-4 episodes bring the real excitement and closure, with which I am pretty much satisfied. What still works for this fantasy drama is the star cast, the chemistry between characters and how magic is used to weave a tale of ambition, dreams, love and kingdom. What perhaps could have been better was a climax full of action. But again, the makers opted for a rather happy ending. Personally, the latter is inferior when compared to its predecessor, but all ends that ends well.

My Rating : 8.5/10

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Pay attention

In the 1 st series we have a female warrior/master who pretends to be a maidservant. Her pupil is besotted and through great effort gains sufficient skills to be praised by her and along the way falls in love.
In this 2nd season our two lovers (due to plot contrivance) do not recognise each other for the majority of the 10 sessions. ML is now a bad ass with unlimited power and FL is a weakened female locked away by her self-serving mother.

Characters from 1st series abound and there is a thread of humour peppered throughout that was not part of the 1st series. Special mention of the black turtle and Park Jin's cooking. Lots of CGI special effects and a great many characters all acting in their own best interests to the extent that from a Wuxia drama it became a melodrama.

What also stood out for me was how the modern element crept in. From short hair to some language idioms, and the Fl was was definitely channeling a modern woman at times.

I found this entertaining and if I ever rewatch the 1st series I will probably rewatch this as well.
Actors all did a great job and production was very elaborate but I feel the Hong sisters needed to keep the themes and flavour of their brilliant 1st series.

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watched weekly as it came out

LOVED the first season / part and was super excited for this one as well!! the main actress change didnt bother me and i love yoonjung sm the change made sense and the overall romance between the leads & chemistry was off the charts i hope we see them in another project together hopefully.. 🤞,, for 10 eps the pacing done really well, rarely slow and i would have liked jang uk to realize buyeon’s real identity just a bit sooner but no complaints 😭 that last ep was definitely the SADDEST. just the thought that kim doju and park jim could’ve died breaks my heart ❤️‍🩹 but they didnt die and naksu’s soul is still alive so we thank the hong sisters for that 🫶 im seriously going to miss this show i did not expect to love it so much but the things we dont pay too much attention to at first soon are cherished! this drama was my personality for months and now you’re telling to find something else?!? 😞 anyways 10/10 acting & ost we love you blue flower by lia ❤️

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When it was good it was so good. Like any drama, there’s always frustration. Fantasy genre don’t really have rules to follow as they set their world, so I tend to let it slide. All these theories has fans expecting to much and look for them for explanation. As a whole, it’s a 30ep structure drama, could have been 20ep & divide the 2actress each 10ep for better pace but I love this world and characters so I love spending extra time w/ them even when they just talk and bond. GYJ & LJW’s chemistry is what will make me return and rewatch this drama. Overall, The most important thing was it was a pleasure to watch this world & anticipate what to come.

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Hope something more

I just finished watching this drama. I had mixed feeling at the end. I was unhappy about the change of the fl but my optimism kicked in and give the new fl a chance. To be honest, there is not much that big going on apart from waiting to find his true love standing in front of him,

The highlight-
sword fight on point
Comedic moments
This Season was a little dark last season I still enjoy it. An especially Jung UK character.
The outfits were a 10
So the couples still love each other.
Love the big fight with Phoenix on ice lark.
Sexy making-out session (made my face go all red)
CGI was flawless hit the nail on its head

Downside-
I was hoping for a real mother-and-daughter reunion
The Crown prince didn't do much until the boring end
Ml and fl didn’t have kids at the end I was hoping there would.
There was not a lot of mystery this season.
Jung Uk could become king if he want to
Ml and fl didn’t feel much romance from them.
Is the gift that fl give to ml I thought there be connected only to their power, not just anyone can use

Overall what I got from the drama was a powerful start to an unknown end filled with love and pain. I wanted a little more from this show.

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If season 1 was Action>Romance then season 2 is Romance>Action

Definitely enjoyed it more than I expected (due to the low rating of people here)

Reason 1:
I FELL IN LOVE WITH GO YOON JUNG
Many people seemed to be rating this low because of the change of female lead but come on now. Gyj was literally the female lead right from the start. Plus she's a great actress so I don't understand the hate.
She's so adorable and she portrayed Naksu well. Even though she has different aura due to memory loss, you'll still see Naksu.

Reason 2:
I'm a sucker for romance like this.
The tsun husband x cute wife is just *chef's kiss* Many might find Jang Uk weird for falling for Jby(Naksu) in s2 but I don't think you should think it deeply that much. If he fell for her before, why can't he fell in love with her again? His hearts remember her. That's why at first he's confused on why he feels something for her. But again, his heart recognize her. And dude, I know you expect him not to move on that fast but HELLO it's already been 3 years that time. Even if jby was not Naksu, he deserve to fall in love again. Plus jby was really loveable (AND SUPER PATIENT)

Reason 3:
The chemistry of the characters are on another level!
I personally love turtle couple(Crown Prince x Jin Bu Yeon) Their exchange is always hilarious. Totally love their every scene!

Reason 4:
Great Effects. Some found it lacking but personally, it was amazing. Everything was so original and creative.

Reason 5:
Overall Plot. It was different from S1 but I was not disappointed. I never thought I would love it this much tho(enough to make me write a review.) I saw some wasted potential in the plot but it was still enjoyable despite that

So what stopped me from rating this a perfect 10?
1. Too short! I want more of their fluff scenes.
Many hated that s2 story was centered around their romance but I LOVE IT SO MUCH. We didn't get much romance from the s1 so this os like a treat to me(Who like romance more than Action)

2. We didn't get to see the return of Assassin Naksu.
I'm kinda fine with it but it's just a let down cuz gyj looked badass on s1e1. Assassin Naksu Supremacy!

3. So-i was not given the happy ending she deserved.
I know she's bad/evil but SEO-YUL HAS NO END GAME SO WHY NOT JUST LET HER LIVE AND MAKE THEM LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER?! I was disappointed when she died when we could have just get a character development.

Overall a totally good series! I'm already at my third rewatch cuz I can't get over with Jang uk's and Naksu's sweet scenes. Totally recommended, if you're a sucker for romance drama with a good plot and some action.

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Love is meant to create

We love with our soul, and the heart recognises that which the mind is sometimes incapable or simply too slow to comprehend.

Naksu/MaDeok/Cho Young/BoYeon & Jang Wook have certainly shown us that their love was meant to create and protect. I loved what Master Lee said about the two of them:

“He’s the light protecting the world, and she’s the shadow who protects him from the darkness around him.”

I know some people find the soul changes within BuYeon’s body quite confusing, but I understood them perfectly clear. The whole idea of Naksu being chosen by the priestess (both in her reincarnation form as BuYeon and initial one as the first Jin priestess) to be absolutely brilliant.

I was initially sceptical about it, but the use of the new actress helped show how Cho Young (Naksu) would’ve been like without all the heartbreak & tragedy of her life up to her entering BuYeon’s body. The actress did a great job showcasing an innocence of mind and heart, but also remarkable depth.

With her getting her memories back as Naksu, she became truly wise and any idea of the selfishness she had once possessed was entirely thrown away. The fact that she hadn’t killed Jin Mu in cold blood when she had the chance speaks volumes about her character growth.

Jang Wook was even more awesome in this season than I could’ve imagined him. The actor really knows how to portray a man whose heart is in agony but also one that continues to hope. His character growth is perhaps my most favourite one, from the previous drama to this one, he’s only grown to become more powerful, and even more mindful of the responsibility that comes with such power. His wisdom and ability to sacrifice is truly amazing.

This couple has shown an immense amount of perseverance to be true to each other but also true to their duties and the world around them.

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SEASON 2 IS BETTER IN EVERY WAY

I done get it, how most of the people here are giving bad reviews to this masterpiece of a season. This new actress is better in every way and I loved the chemistry between Jang uk and her way better than the chemistry between Jang uk and Mudoek....
The main antagonist Jin mu had a better role here than the season1, overall this season is better in every way...It felt really good to see how Jang uk has become the most powerful mage here...
Sometimes the reviews of this site confuse me, people only focus on the romance here instead of the entire story and they give their biased ludicrous opinion based on that only...
It's very misleading for new kdrama watchers like me to get into a series like this...
So my advice to the people who will be reading this review of mine- "Ignore the negative reviews here and continue watching the series, done drop it just after watching the season 1"
I ENJOYED SEASONS 2 WAY MORE THAN SEASON 1

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