MY FAV 2022 KDRAMA
So, the list of my favorite kdramas is longer now. I know it is 2023 now and I just finished watched all the episodes.I just love all the aspects in this drama. Actors, story, production, OSTs, and others. I just love how all the actors have a great chemistry. I love how the story flow and even though the female lead changed, it doesn't make the story weird. I still can continue watching and enjoy all the episodes. I love how Go younjung can adapt acting as naksu after played by Jung somin.
All of the actors are gorgeous and act really well. I don't know what to say again.
THIS IS MY FAVORITE DRAMA. Of course, it is rewatchable.
p.s. I fell in love with jaewook harder now and of course, my beauty queen, go younjung 💓
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Flawed/rushed but still beautiful and unforgettable
Story:Apart from the flaws mentioned below, the story was pretty good, if you understood it and kept an open-mind that this was a story about Fate, Divinity and Fantasy. Still alot better than many other good dramas in the past few years.
Some flaws/dislikes:
-Flashbacks should have used more Jung So Min scenes, especially the more memorable (critical) scenes. (e.g. the wedding scene should have included flashbacks of when Jang Uk & Naksu first met in the inn , and also when Naksu decided to finally give up regaining her power and sheath her sword)
-Agree with most that the last episode seems very rushed and anticlimatic. Too many things happening in one episode.
-Story seems to have changed last minute and was still ongoing changes while filming was ongoing. Probably due to production team realizing they needed to extend more episodes and Jung So Min unable to extend her contract. One big issue I noticed was Jin Seol-ran/Bu Yeon's soul remaining in the body. Jin Seol-ran's soul remaining in the Ice Stone was only introduced in LnS, plus the fact that Master Lee early on in LnS specifically said that reviving Bu Yeon's body requires Naksu's soul and Bu Yeon's soul will have to be ejected and lost forever, yet this all changed quickly in the middle episodes. Seems it was added in for the tearjerker and to emphasize the "Light and Shadow" theme. (also felt Master Lee's speech wasn't as "impactful"). Another was Seo Yul exclaiming about Naksu's soul during the 7 star thing. (Shouldn't Naksu have already left Bu Yeon's body?)
-Amnesia arc was definitely too long and draggy. But with the Jin Seol-ran soul reason, it became a necessity.
Acting/Cast:
Only change in cast from AoS was Go Young Jung. Felt she did well and was very expressive for a rookie actress. The change from bubbly to the more serious "old Naksu" as she remembers who she was, was good and noticeable.
-0.5 as she was not able to re-produce Jung So Min's deathstare/glare even after regaining her memories.
Lee Jae Wook also did extremely well portraying the change in Jang Uk. Not sure why some people felot it was "flat".
Music:
I have always believed that OSTs are incredibly important for a drama. The quality itself and the time placement.
Having excellent OSTs make a drama so much more unforgettable and immersive.
Continuing from Alchemy of Souls, Light and Shadow did not fail to give such an experience.
Especially to 2 new main tracks: Lia's Blue Flower and Ailee's I'm Sorry
Admittedly, I start watching AoS after watching an MV of Lia's Blue Flower.
Comparatively, my top drama for music is still Hotel Del Luna's, with AoS/AoS:LnS a close second.
(Anyone who sees this and knows what track was played after Jang Uk destroys the tracking thread and he visits Bu Yeon, please do let me know. Did not find it anywhere, so it seems to have been forgotten and they did not release it)
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When/why to watch it?
When to watch it? of course when you finish season 1. When you want to watch fantasy, romance, revenge, beautiful costumes, comedy included in the best way. Also when you want to give up and you need that hand to continue.Why to watch it? I know that there are some bad reviews, but I believe that it depends on the eyes you see the series. The ambience and the magic helps to make you feel that it was real at some point. And the storyline closes everything that end up open in the first season.
I hope this helps someone to watch it when your feelings or your live match the energy of Alchemy of Souls 2. And please tell me if it does!
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What a Beautiful, Crazy and Wonderful Ride
Regardless of its flaws this will still go down as one of my favourite kdrama of all time.The chemistry between the leads really made up for the frustration we all felt about the story during the ending and whilst I do wish some of the plot had moved on quicker and made sense.
There were times I did wish I could see the old Naksu but I feel like this is a view if what Cho Yeong’s personality without all the child hood heartbreak. Not to mention Ukie went from cute in PT 1 to sexy Jang Uk in PT 2. Not to mention those kisses.
Pt1 had the best story but Pt 2 had the best chemistry I’ve seen on screen in a very long time and atleast a “happy” ending.
The BTS and Instagram posts all the edits and this comment interaction made the whole journey worth it. We were all going crazy for 6 weeks and let’s not even pretend we all screamed on New Years Eve and New Years Day.
I hope it keeps the extra 0.1% because just on the above it deserves it!
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Thank you for making up for the ending of Season 1 but…
…I’m not sure why this couldn’t have just been tacked on to the end of Season 1. Season 1 was 20 episodes, Season 2 was half that. It could have just been one complete season of 30 or so episodes, and it would have flowed just fine. But I guess they had to get our hopes up so that we would excitedly watch S2 and drive the Netflix ratings up?Anyways, now that the whole shebang is complete (I hope--though a next generation sequel might be interesting or a prequel, set 200 years before when the whole ice stone problem started), using my personal rating system of "loved," "liked," "meh," & "nah," this is a (one my rarely-given) “loved”. This is taking the two seasons together.
What I liked: That they figured out a way to make a happy ending for Naksu without her having to push someone else’s soul out of their body (well she sort of did that, but it was okay—just watch it if you need more explanation). I don’t think S2 was quite as good as S1 (which is why I wish it had not been a separate season, just the last ten episodes of one, single season), but it was satisfying. Evil lost, good won, Master Lee watched it all with a knowing smile.
What I did not like so much: I wish they would have given the Crown Prince a bit more depth of character, I really thought he’d been playing Jin Mu the whole time, but turns out he really wasn’t and seemingly made an arbitrary decision to go with the good side based on what appeared to be a trivial reason--but I'm glad he made the right decision in the end. I also wish they would have given a hint about who his queen would be and that it would be a smart, capable, and very sassy person :D. Mama Jin made me so angry with the way she treated Naksu. Even the assassin did not deserve that kind of treatment (e.g. being trapped in a room and then the plan to turn her into nothing more than a sow in a gestation crate—omg, those episodes before Jang Uk rescued her made my skin crawl). Matriarch Jin knew Naksu’s history and. sure, Naksu was the one who had killed her husband, he wasn’t exactly a stellar person in the first place since he was the reason beloved first daughter was drowned in the first place! And let’s not forget him deliberately placing a fake in the household with the intention of letting Jin Mu get control of the Jin treasury by soul-swapping the fake queen with Matriarch Jin. Anyways, any points of dislike of mine are minor irritations at best.
Should you watch this? I would recommend watching S1 & S2 as a complete season, which of course is possible because Netflix has them both. If you’re a fantasy person like I am, then I think you should watch it. Its well done. If you prefer hard, gritty reality then you won’t like it—or you could try stepping outside of your comfort zone and seeing what you think. (But I totally understand if you don’t want to because I don’t want to go outside my comfort zone, either, lol!). :D
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Captivating fantasy romance beautifully directed ! Worth all the hype !
The second (and final) season of the latest fantasy series brought to Dramaland by the Hong sisters was worth the watch. The writers managed a successful landing for this highly anticipated show as this sequel reaps all the seeds that were planted in its parent series.Storytelling wise, I found the change of the main actress pretty audacious and leading to some uncharted territories of pinning and angst regarding the romance between the 2 main leads. It was properly captivating to see the lovers interact with each other. The cast did a good job (especially some of the secondary characters which provided some great added-value to the story) and I will be curious to see their next projects.
The drama was also beautifully directed. The production value was amazing with a real artistry in terms of the way scenes were filmed and the choice of colours overall. The pastels of the costumes gave me all the feels and were really eye-catching. I also found the Visual FX satisfactory and some songs of the OSTs are still stuck in my heads because it was so good.
Pacing might have been slightly too slow in the middle and motivation/plan of the arch nemesis might have been better thought through but it was a very enjoyable and thrilling ride that made me go through a lot of emotions. The ending had me glued to my seat, anticipating for the worst and praying for the best.
I would recommend this (and the overall saga as a whole with its season 1) to people looking for a fantasy show with strong production value and in search of an epic romance.
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Season 3 and 4? Why?
Season 2 was absolutely necessary as season 1 left the audience completely heartbroken for this pair of soul-mates. Leaving Uk behind to live out an eternity alone would have just been too cruel, especially considering he would be forever haunted by the wraiths, the residual spirits of the evil souls who greedily took part in soul shifting. As the evil Jin Mu, who never deserved to carry the revered family name, had not been served his just deserts, ha had to be eliminated.So, season 2 wrapped up all the loose ends left by the tragic ending of season 1. Season 3 and 4 would superfluous. What is left for Uk and Yeong/Bu Yong to do? Chase after the escaped relics? Anyway, two thumbs way up for wrapping things up with season 2. Even Maidservant Kim and Lord Park had their happily ever after, with a suggested bundle of joy of their own on the way.
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My heart is heavy but the show was fantastic
I finished this beautiful, stunning gem today and ... cried at like 10 in the morning because the last episode was so epic! I am so sad that I finished this show omg… This was such an excellent, beautiful treat. I cried, laughed, got mad, cheered, just felt all the emotions!! The show was fun and stunning to watch despite my favorite characters being in so much pain. The OST for this part was just as pretty as in the first, and the story was just *mindblown* (I am surprised I actually understood it all lmao). I just loved how intricate and complex it was, my god. I will miss these characters and their interactions, and I will miss Daeho Fortress because she was a true stunner…. What a show*insert a turtle emoji*.Was this review helpful to you?
Perfectly played out
I don't think people really understand this drama because all I'm seeing is complains. Don't watch a drama and start complaining if you aren't going to understand the story that it was telling. I didn't like pt1 but as I began watching pt2 it became obvious to me what the story was all about. I think Right from the start it was obvious to us but we choosed not to see it. First of all, the main theme has always been the seven stars, the king born with the 7 stars, the ice stone and Jonyoen. I will try to break it down if I can.JBY was never existed, she died when she was in the womb, for that reason JS was reborn through her with the help of the ice stone since the ice stone belonged to her which was why she was able to sense and retrieve it from the lake, it was also why she wanted to destroy it because she knew the effect it will have on humans with greed. She came back to stop the future she saw in her vision.
The seven stars are JU, the person he was when his energy was closed and after it was opened which made him also the king as he was a product of the ice stone as well being that the ice stone is a powerful object. The other stars are all Jang UK friends, PDG, SY, the crown prince, Jin Bo Yoen and her sister JCY. The last star is CY aka Naksu. CY (Naksu) was destined to meet JU being that both fathers were best friends and their children would have met and fall in love with each other which master Lee also to be in conclusion of.
JU was a king because of the alchemy of souls in which he was born, JBY was reborn as a star to help him stop the calamity while Naksu (calling her Naksu because it's easy) was born as a star to be his shadow.
Jonyoen played a theme part in the sense that it's the most powerful place, so powerful that an object like the ice stone and the fire bird could be store there, which was why Jin Mu was obsessed in obtaining it or gaining access to it. Jonyoen collapsing would have been a disaster which we almost saw happened.
People wondering what what happened to mudeok soul or JBY soul since Naksu took over. In Pt1 while naksu was trying to shift soul into another woman but got to enter mudeok body is because JBY made it so, both were stars and both had a role to play in the king (JU) coming into his power. In pt1 Naksu got to live as mudeok/JBY and in pt2 JBY got to live in naksu body. Been that the first priestess JS was never met to be born but she had to be born to see the future come to pass and stop it that was why she was able to leave at the end and gave way to the light and shadow which was Naksu to live because she never really got to live.
I summarised it well in my head than I did writing it out, but all in all I really understand the drama and loved it. I guess the problem is the confusion of it all, in my own opinion it shouldn't have been divided, while watching it I refused to think of it as pt1 and pt2 and just sat it as 3YearsLater in my head which made me understand it better and got the bigger picture. I honestly loved the 3 years later more than the first part.
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Again about nakksu
i liked it very much first part all over everything amazing and now second season i like it but nasku so late and Nasku part came at the endAnd for too long and she's gone and i wanted to see nakshu love story this is disappointed me but i was very nice second season soyl part was sad because he loves nakshu very long time and he was broken heart ♥ 💔💜🥰😍😍 i was nice story background music but nasku part was too late ending series and disappear too sone 🥺🥺🥺 but it was osam stroyWas this review helpful to you?
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WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
I DID'T EXPECT THIS! I started season 2 with a broken heart from season one, and honestly, I thought it was gonna be a sad ending. BUT IT WASN'T! I am so happyyy! So, let's start. This drama wasn't just a drama, it was my comfort, my sadness and my happiness. Jang uk is the literally definition of true love and it just set my standarts so high. I couldn't explain the happiness I felt when he expressed the love and when I would seenthem happy together. As I said, I was mentally prepared for a sad ending, so I was a little taken back by the happy one, but it was so worth it. The actors looked so good and not to start with the acting and the CGI! (or how it's the name) . The whole serie was a big plot twist. I honestly hated the crown prince bcs I thought it was on Jin Mu's side, but I'm grateful I was wrong. What more can I say then just GO WATCH IT NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Was this review helpful to you?
