Lacks impact and lore
If you’re in it for the world building, you will find this sequel to be entirely unimpressive. Light and Shadow is filled with parallel scenes from the first season, and while the interactions and appearances of our favourite characters are fun, the lack of fantasy elements which the first part had is missing in this one. A lot of the story revolves around the amnesia plot which gets too dragged after a point. The whole soul switching but single body element with Master Lee making episode wise appearances to give us cryptic comments was frustrating. The main antagonist remains from the first season, but he’s really not that smart or amazing to be taken as a real foe for our leads. The story could have been much shorter because by the time we get to the actual lord part, it’s just a rushed closure.Overall it doesn’t quite live up to its initial promise, but is a decent watch if you decide to give up on consistency. The best parts about this drama was the acting and the interactions, could have been amazing but falls short of it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Why should you watch it?
Because of the prince and the tortoise :')But seriously:
If you haven't watched Part 1, then don't watch this. This doesn't stand alone.
If you loved the first part of the series and felt like there were unresolved matters and want to enjoy watching the main couple more, then watch Part 2. All the same characters are there.
I gave this overall score of 7.5/10. Because I felt that the plot is now completed (or well used) and this was an okay continuation to the 1st part. They could have changed the characters (/enemies)a bit. Now the plot felt repetitive.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
whats wrong with Season 2, Season was a masterpiece!
the worst thing about the season 2 was their explanation why Naku had a different body. They only didnt want everybody to recognise her which would of course include Uk as well, so instead they opted for a differnt actress and came up with some ridiculous idea which later was completely overturned without any explenation.I only wonder who told the new actress to act like a stupid bimbo? Was it the directors or was this her own interpretation of how Naksu would behave? Honestly, you don't forget your character and start acting like a different person just because you have lost your memory. If she was Naksu with amnesia she should have at least behaved the same, if she was Jin bu-yeon who only carried Naksu soul around it would have been fine but unless Im mistaken we were told its Naksu who is in charge as apparently Jin bu-jeon's souls was dead? (Master Lee's own words at the beginning of the s2 and later completely forgotten) Character is fundamental to who you are and does not change so easily unless she had a part of her brain removed or damaged ( s2 FL acted as if she left part of her brain at the bottom of that lake). If Jin Bu-yeon still acted like Mu-deok then s2 could perhaps offer some saving grace as to why Jung Uk fell for her, but sadly no. He fell for a beautiful woman and completely forgot about Naksu. Yeah I get that 3 years is a long time for a 20 something male and he wasn't a eunuch so testosterone finally kicked in but seriously... they should have waited for the kiss until he realised jin bu-yeon was Naksu.
Oh and let's not forget how in s1 Naksu thought hard to regain her power so she could use her sword but at the end of s2 she is happy with Jung Uk using it and herself becoming his side-kick? Shall I blame the Korean culture for this or the writers? I didnt know women as soon as they married completely forget who they are?
Your thoughts?
Oh and something that just came to me: I know a girl never wants to hear: you remind me so much of her or you are just like her, but at least in this case it would have justified Uk's falling for Jin Bu-JEon but you know why he never said that? because she was never like Naksu/Mudeok. ,
Was this review helpful to you?
Not so entertaining to watch, except the last two episodes
Go Youn-jung's "replacement" as the main female lead was actually done very well. Initially, I was ready to be disappointed with this shift, but her mannerisms and innocent-looking amnesiac aura made me realize that she was fit for the role. Even I was able to recognize her as Naksu immediately. She was able to retain the charm of Jung So-min while portraying the character of Mu-deok/Naksu (of course, as the role of Naksu was written for Youn-jung). But then again, I was frustrated that she was again relegated to be fragile and more of an eye-candy when in fact, Naksu was a vicious, merciless, yet skillful person in the first place. The amnesia shouldn't have been an excuse. Besides that, She (the actress) definitely was the surprise for this season.Other than that, I was generally disappointed with how this season turned out. Yes, it was able to answer the fundamental questions from the first season which is the reason why my score for the story is not that low. But, it was full of plot conveniences that initially confused me (Seo Yul's blood parasite problem being solved right away), followed by prolonged dragging of cliches (amnesia, passive aggresive romance, and noble sacrifice being the top culprits) that could've been compressed by at least 2 episodes, and ended with noticeable plot holes that buffered my brain (Park Jin being able to close the door of Jinyowon despite him not being part of the Jin family, among others). The story shifted for the majority of this season, and it only decided to return to the main story during the last 2 episodes.
I was also upset for that it only had few, but still memorable action scenes in this season, partly because of the prolonged building up of tension rather than the action itself. Although, it was vindicated by the last 2 episodes, as the action scenes were breath taking, still I wanted more. The CGI were also top-notch, but it felt that it was only reserved for said last 2 episodes, and budget was only an afterthought for the rest of the season. The wardrobe here were not as sophisticated as the 1st season, but the accessories and the props (relics) were definitely an upgrade.
Speaking of the prolonged tension build up, it was baffling in that everything could've been solved right away, and even the "ultimate" battle was just finished easily. Jang Uk (Lee Jae-wook) was not even sweating during that "battle". Again, deux ex machina overload all over, which definitely killed the ending's potential to be a future classic. It was as if there was more talk than action. Personally, it might be due to the overexposure of the romance plot and its cliches which felt like filler rather than building blocks of the main story. Still, the last 2 episodes are the saving grace for this series all things considered.
Another gripe is Jin Mu (Jo Jae-yoon). How is he still not captured or even dead already? I wasn't really convinced with the reason behind that, and he just was a plot armor. Not a memorable villain as a character, but great delivery of lines and emotions as an actor.
There were still positive comments here, most notably the improved acting of the Hwang Min-hyeok as Seo Yul. He was now able to expand his acting range here compared to the one-dimensional emotionless acting on the first season. Still, there is room for improvement. Also, it was hilarious to think that the Crown Prince Go Won (Shin Seung-ho) had an unexpected character development. Not only that it was lowkey funny, but it was refreshing for me thinking about it due to its being unforeseen.
All in all, still a disappoinment with how this season turned out. Despite my lackluster reception for the first season, I was still optimistic here because of that cliffhanger. However after watching this, I was able to conclude that this season felt that it had a separate story from its predecessor, and as a series, it looked like it has two stories in one.
My review title for the first season was that it was entertaining to watch...at 2x speed. Here, it would be: not so entertaining to watch, except the last two episodes.
Was this review helpful to you?
A disappointing sequel of Great Story
Season 1Story was great, The author builded very appealing, likable , interesting , and engaging story,
The story had ' soul '
The world was explorable.
Characters were alive, there interactions look rights from their perspective. They had their belief, even antagonist had their own rationale and personalities.
MC chemistry was great , it felt personal
SEASON 2
I just want to say " you tried your best " on the grave 🪦 of second season , The crew collectively murdered the story.( I like to press murder charges against production crew for successfully murdering a beautiful story, if that is possible)
* I May be little biased towards season 2 because they replaced the female lead
Was this review helpful to you?
A 'Shadow' of season 1
In Part 1 I was captivated and glued on to the episodes. They didn't feel like they dragged on even though they were long. However, Part 2's pacing was so slow. It felt like it dragged on and on. Then at the end it felt super rushed. Just 2 episodes to conclude every thing.It didn't feel like they thought it through enough. It should have been reversed. They should have rushed it in the beginning and moved at a slower pace towards the end.
But don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it overall, I just felt that it missed the charm of Part 1. It wasn't because the FL wasn't in there. It was just the overall direction and writing messed up this season.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A Revolving Door of Souls in One Body
This sequel promised to bring more intrigue between the opposing factions of mages with Uk now being possessed by the Ice Stone and perhaps a swoon worthy love story with Go Youn Jong replacing Jung So-Min as Naksu. The latter was certainly true being that Go Youn Jong and Lee Jae Wook’s chemistry smoldered unlike his interactions with the previous actress in the role of MuDeok/Naksu.
However, disappointingly, the intrigue with the mage factions came to a screeching halt. With most episodes consisting of Uk falling for Buyeon/Naksu again while killing the monster of the week. Mu continued his nefarious agenda of trying to do….I’m not sure as his agenda got lost in his weekly schemes that never panned out, allies who were sometimes apart of the schemes but their roles weren’t made clear and just the lack of clarity as to why the royal family kept him as an advisor considering the actions he’d precipitated against the monarch in the previous season.
Of course it is learned in the 11th hour of the series that the monarch had been in league with him all along, along with the Unanimous Assembly. Learning this did add some logic to the earlier decisions these characters had made, but still failed to make sense of their end game. Their greed for power was understood. First via the ice stone, then the firebird. The former agenda made more sense than the latter. For the firebird would be difficult to control and would leave the world in shambles. How would this help those greedy for power? It was never made clear.
Moreover, out of all the mages on the Unanimous Assembly only one (too late I might add) realized their plan was a bad idea. It was hard to believe that many seasoned mages who’d seen a lot of good and bad in their lifetime thought Mu’s firebird plan would end with the result they desired. They all came off like a bunch of novice idiots with stars in their eyes over a half-baked plan to grab a smidgen of power, rather than intelligent beings who knew from their ages of experience that this plan would do more harm than good not just for others but themselves. Speaking of Mu his villainy was played out from the first episode. He should’ve been killed in the previous season with another adversary taking on Uk and his family/friends of mages. Mu became unbearable to watch. So much so he nearly ruined the series for me.
Another story thread that became tiresome was Buyeon/Naksu’s soul drama. It didn’t help that every episode changed the story behind what was going on with her soul. First her soul was Naksu, but her blood was that of Buyeon. Hence she could open the ancestral vault of Jinyoun. Then Naksu and Buyeon’s souls were coexisting in the body, with Naksu’s soul soon to disappear. Then it was Cheon which was the name she was born with or perhaps a reincarnation of Seol. By the time the series was over I didn’t know who the heck she was supposed to be.
Despite the confusion surrounding Buyeon/Naksu’s ever changing identity and why it was changing, the love story between she and Uk was well done. The closeness that grew between them was a natural progression and thus believable. And though Buyeon’s connection to Uk and their budding romance was supposed to be due to her soul being that of Naksu, I didn’t feel that she was Naksu. It felt like she was a completely different person, a new person, melting Uk’s heart. Their love story was sweet and their chemistry was amazing. However, I feel the writers took the audience up the mountain but failed to reach its peak. These two had some amazing hugs and kisses. We did get the wedding, but then after that no more smoldering romantic interactions. They may as well been good friends rather than starcrossed lovers who finally beat the odds to be together. Disappointing.
Similar to the first series, the writers missed some opportunities for epic moments within the series. For example, Mu’s death, it should’ve been more painful and dramatic. Uk discovering that Buyeon was really Naksu. He didn’t even blink upon learning this truth, which was odd. Yul being cured of the blood parasite should’ve been more challenging as should’ve been Uk dealing with the firebird. There had been several episodes discussing the dangers of the firebird being awaken and the difficulty in dealing with it only for Uk to wave his sword a couple of times, easily destroying it. Again disappointing. Uk taking on the firebird should’ve been a real battle as I got the impression that on its own it was just as powerful as the ice stone within him.
Though this season had its disappointments, it was still very good and worth watching. Will I watch again? Probably not. There was nothing about this season that was extraordinary enough for me to want to experience it again.
That said, I would absolutely watch a show with the adventures of Uk/Naksu/Buyeon/Cheon/Seol finding the relics that escaped Jinyoun. Provided Naksu/Buyeon/Cheon/Seol doesn’t add another identity/soul to her repertoire. Lol. I think a show about her and Uk’s adventures would be a fun .
Was this review helpful to you?
Season 1 to 2 transmigration falls flat
Those of us watching season 2 (S2) probably enjoyed season 1 (S1). S2 wasn't a bad season so much as it was a let down on expectations for continued enjoyment. Even worse, S2 had the effect of snuffing out some of the joy from watching S1.S1 wasn't perfect. The villains were flat and dumb. But the romantic and comedic charm was strong and alleviated duller elements of the show. Park Jin and Kim Do Ju's romance, for example, was anticlimactic in S2 and that was emblematic of many other characters and relationships that lost charm; they passed their peak and weren't contributing much to the story development. For example, bad cook Park Jin was overdone and not advancing the story or providing effective relief; it felt tiresome. Because S2 failed to keep up the charm, the less rosy parts of the show that were previously easier to ignore were now visible and frustrating.
Heo Yeom, who was charming and well-acted in S1, suddenly felt irrelevant and flat in S2. The same happened for too many characters such as Master Lee, Park Dang Gu, Maidservant Kim, Heo Yoon Ok, and the list could keep going on. Am I to believe the actors collectively performed less than their capability? Could the directors have pulled more from the actors within what was sourced? Nah, it's definitely an issue of writing in S2. I recall being surprised how soon S2 was offered after S1 completion. Perhaps the writers did not have ample time to craft S2. Plot 'twists' felt forced, rushed, and not believable. Characters were not well developed. Sang Ho, for example, deserved development in S2 but received none. Lady Jin essentially stayed the same petty version of herself throughout. Some even regressed; Heo Yoon Ok had charm in S1 and is written to be hated in S2. Character potential was squandered in S2.
Go Youn Jung (GYJ) was very enjoyable as Naksu; she exceeded my expectations by a mile. The scene telling Jang Uk to "Drink Up" was perfect. But, I still found myself missing Jung So Min's Filthy Mu Deok, especially Mu Deok's varied interactions with multiple characters. GYJ's interaction was heavily restrained to Jang Uk in S2. With Naksu's amnesia, the character lost complexity and missed the drive that Mu Deok had (to regain powers and seek vengeance); GYJ Naksu's drive was to remember, which we the viewer know all about, turning mystery of outcome to unbearable waiting. Again, this is a problem of writing, not of the actors/directing. Both FL actresses did a tremendous job.
Let's remember that Master Lee was exterminating shifters despite being a shifter himself. Or that he could be hands on and in save-the-world mode or wander aimlessly and not care about anything. Master Lee's treatment captures the broader sense of inconsistent story material with characters flip flopping personality on short notice. When the story was focused on slice of life charm, such as the Crown Princes' pining for Filthy Mu Deok, bromance with Jang Uk, and cold/warm love of Black Turtle, etc., the show was at its best. When the story power creeped itself as an apocalyptic story, it didn't deliver well.
Oh well, Drink up!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Excellent Cast; Lackluster Story/plot
Im a lover of great stories and faithful characters. To be honest I actually quite liked the first 8 episodes of AOS part 2. It has more of a rom com vibe and i don’t really understand why the writers kept trying to input conflict into the show when that clearly isn’t their strong suit. Every major conflict the show presented was solved so easily— there was no journey, no trepidation or wondering whether things would work out, and nothing significant lost or taken from the characters. The writers literally took no risks. Even if I didn’t watch the ending I could have told you that all the bad guys die and all the good guys live… and that’s exactly what happened.I’m completely underwhelmed with the ending of AOS part 2. There was so much bulld-up concerning so many different plot lines:
- the fire bird that’s going to destroy the whole world “oh no!”
- the evil unanimous assembly who were greedy for the ice stone even from part 1.
- Jin mu pursuing his only character trait “im evil muahahaha”
- The protection of jinyowon and powerlessness of the jin family
- naksu/cho yeon/ jin bu yeon is definitely going to die— she definitely is..the story promises it! (spoiler…she lives)
The resolutions to the plot’s “major conflicts” were all solved SO QUICKLY it made me wonder what was the point of having them as conflicts in the first place? Especially the fire bird scene, the build up of that was across the ENTIRE part 2 show yet was resolved in less than 5 minutes… its just SO underwhelming.
Even that funeral they held for the “death” of the 3 main characters was also resolved almost immediately and then never addressed again. It was just so frustrating. Because I enjoyed the first 8 episodes enough, that made watching the final 2 episodes so shockingly disappointing. Sure its a happy ending, but how can you have a “world is going to end” scenario where all the main/ “good” characters survived no problem and fight scenes were over with a overwhelmingly crushing defeat to the opposing side? I think the writers really should have just stuck to the rom com concept. Also i gave up on the plotline of naksu as a fierce strong assassin from part 1. I felt like the writers themselves just didn’t want to write a fierce female character so i’m not going to put down the show for that plot line.
Ultimately the best part of the show was the actors and what they did with the characters they were given. Basically i liked the friendship chemistry with the characters and felt annoyed that the writers kept trying to push ‘love’ unto Cho Yeon where friendship suited the relationships better. Ultimately I did mostly enjoy the show before the last 2 episodes, so i cant rate it too harshly.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A little bit disappointing compared to season 1
On one hand, I felt like the final episode was a little bit rushed. On the other hand, I felt that it was good enough. The series was already long enough to end it. To be honest, I think this season was created to attract the audience. The ending was also not as great as I had expected, after how they ended the season 1.Also, the second female lead Heo Yun-ok turned into someone completely different from how she had been in season 1. They did her dirty, turned her from a kindhearted girl into someone mean and selfish, just because she fell for the male lead. But I understand they did that to let Naksu remembered who she really was before. But still, I hoped they would be more creative.
The other thing I didn’t like about this season 2 is that my favorite actress Jung So-min never appeared for at least one single scene in the whole series!! They could just let her play the soul of Jin Bu-yeon like how they did in season 1 but no, they used the young actress instead, and that made me so disappointed. I like Go Youn Jung, and I think she did okay in her role, but Jung So-min was the true star of the show in season 1, and she was the reason why I decided to watch the series in the first place, and I believe that was the case for many others too. It was so unfair to me that the production crew kept her out of season 2.
And maybe because Naksu was performed by a different actress in season 2, her aura and charisma seemed to disappear in this season. It turned into a rom-com instead, but I also preferred the chemistry between Lee Jae Wook and Jung So-min in season 1.
It was still an okay watch to me, though. I enjoyed watching the scenes of two lovebirds Park Jin and Kim Yeon, the Crowned Prince and his turtle. I also liked the character development of Seo Yul, and a few cool moments of Jang Uk.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Dragged out sequel to a dragged out prequel
CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD!First of all, I gotta say that I liked romantic chemistry between og Naksu (played by GYJ) and Uk way more than when she was played by JSM. And I liked that the overall story ended on a happy ending, which it desperately needed after part 1's devastating ending. For these two factors I'm willing to forgive a lot of things that were done quite sloppily in part 2, for example:
1. Dragged out FL's amnesia plot and repetitive misunderstandings.
The villains took a bit of a back seat this time around, the main course of part 2 was rekindling the relationship between the leads who, due to FL's amnesia and different looking body, couldn't recognize each other. Very cliche, but not a bad thing in itself. However, for 8 episodes straight the plot was basically going around in circles like this:
-ML says something cold and nasty to FL,
-she gets upset and leaves,
-ML regrets his harsh words and runs after her,
-they reunite until ML has another bout of unjustified cruelty towards FL.
Only in the last 2 episodes the plot finally kicked into high gear and the good guys swiftly, if a bit hamfistedly, dealt with all their problems.
2. Most characters' intelligence got dumbed down compared to part 1.
For the sake of dragging out the drama and misunderstandings they were frequently shown unable to add 2 and 2 together and unable to finish their line of thought when suspecting someone.
-For example, ML, who was very bright and quick to catch on in part 1, in part 2 couldn't figure out that FL is Naksu even with heavy hints given to him since part 1. He couldn't even catch on immediately after she basically spelled it out for him and showed her blue eye marks.
-Another example is Jin Mu immediately recognizing Naksu's face, but not investigating this very suspicious occurence further after simply examining her aura and learning she's a priestess, not a mage.
And the list goes on...
3. Contrived new rules and plot devices that contradict already established lore.
Master Lee, the blatant writers insert, almost every episode kept sparingly throwing newly invented sh*t into the fan to keep the audience in suspence and characters scrambling. Some plot holes remain open because of it:
-Naksu for whatever reason disappearing from JBY's body (that even looks like her now) when she regains her memories, of all things. Why didn't she disappear earlier when she was Mu-Deok? Unclear. But in the end, even her disappearance turned out to be a lie and she simply took a back seat temporarily for Jin Seol Ran to fulfill her duty.
-The fire bird being the original reason Jinyowon was built - no mention of it whatsover in part 1. Was this bird the cause of drought 200 years ago? How was it even captured? Nobody knows...
- The previously established lore stated that only priestesses with divine magic can perform the rain ritual and that it is being kept in Jinyowon. But no, apparently Jin Mu, a mage, had it ready all along and could perform it himself.
-200 years old Jin Seol Ran, who apparently didn't die as was mentioned in part 1, had planned this whole thing all along, so that Naksu and Uk could get together, protect the ice stone and defeat the fire bird, because she could forsee the future. I get Uk being the King's Star with superpowers, but why the heck JSR needed Naksu's soul stuck together with hers in JBY's body still remains unclear.
And the list goes on...
4. The villains overstayed their welcome.
Jin Mu, a very cautios and clever villain in part 1, in part 2 turned into a tired cliche of a tropey mustache twirling, maniacally laughing villain. But his schemes somehow kept working because the good guys, as was mentioned above, were intellectually dumbed down and kept being unmotivated to finish him off until the very end. No smart shaman this time around to boss him around, so he had to contend with dumb sidekicks, creepy crazy queen and greedy grandpas who wanted to live forever. And they all died like total dumbasses, because they grossly underestimated ML's power.
5. Naksu never regained her mage powers.
No badass Naksu expertly wielding sword and magic from S01E01. In the end she was lucky enough to stay in JBY's body through JBY/JSR's grace and kept that body's divine powers, which turned out to be pretty lame, compared. But at least she survived, I guess that's a win.
6. Promised indepth exploration of side characters' stories was a lie.
Most of the time was wasted on retired Park Jin cooking "black matter" to everyone's dismay, while much needed screen time for characters such as Park Dang Gu and Jin Cho Yeon was cut to a minimum. Even Crown Prince got overshadowed by a turtle, of all things.
7. Cheap fake deaths for drama's sake.
In the end none of the good guys died, the audience got duped again just for cheap nail biting thrills. This lessened ending impact by a lot, as the stakes turned out to be pretty minimal. But at least master Lee did something useful for once.
8. ML's reactions to learning that FL is Naksu and that she'll soon disappear were underwhelming.
I dunno what happened to LJW there, but I wasn't feeling any impact from those scenes and he didn't look emotional enough. He looked more like blank faced Yul, but even Yul was more emotional when he learned FL is Naksu.
9. Last episode was a bit rushed, erratic and weirdly edited.
Technically, on paper everything was done right, but somehow still left a feeling of being rushed.
I dunno what it was, but I think it's was an amalgamation of these factors:
-Weird, out of order editing;
-Erratic characters behavior, especially the villains;
-Lackluster CGI, baffling lack of extras in fighting scenes;
-Lack of impact in general - endgame buildup was ruined by ML who, after finally accepting his destiny of a total Mary Sue (aka. King's Star), practically singlehandedly smashed all the villains and that overhyped fire bird as easy as pie without breaking a sweat;
-Too much focus on side characters' endings instead of the main leads and even those were of barely satisfactory length.
Also, I think that leads wedding should have happened at the end of the story when all the issues were resolved, not when FL was about to disappear. It looked out of place considering their current circumstances and reminded too much of part 1 ending, when they were in denial and carelessly making future plans and marriage.
CONCLUSION:
So, did Alchemy of Souls require 2 parts for a complete story? Personally, I don't think so, part 1 already suffered from pacing issues, but in part 2 they've dragged the plot out even more and added lots of new plot holes, to boot. If the writers kept the plot tight, I think they could have ended the story in one season.
But then again, I really liked GYJ's Naksu character and I liked that she too got plenty of time to shine, like JSM did in part 1.
All the rest of the cast, LJW especially, did a really excellent job as well and part 2's overall production value was still through the roof.
Flaws and all, Alchemy of Souls is still a very memorable and gripping kdrama, with a beautiful love story, that I'm sure will be remembered for years to come as a great classic. There's nothing quite like it in kdramaworld right now and I hope it will be an inspiration for more quality dramas like this. Overall, I'm giving part 2 a generous 8 out of 10.
Was this review helpful to you?
