Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow

Treat it as a long epilogue

This would make S2 more palatable because it did give the happy ending we all wanted for Jang Uk and Naksu/Choyeong/Mudeok/Buyeon in S1. Frankly, a lot of things in this season felt like fillers like when they showed Park Jin making kimchi.

Some people are saying that Naksu seemed weaker this season. I agree but I understand. This Naksu had already let go of her revenge and need to be powerful in S1. Her time as Mudeok made her more considerate of others, particularly her mother in S2. Still, I would have wanted her to became a sword wielding Naksu again which would have made this season and the overall series epic. I also wish that Jang Uk didn't become so overpowered.

It really would have been better if AoS was made into just 1 season of maybe 25 episodes.

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You're not missing out by skipping this series

This show really is terrible. The second season even more so. Pt 2 feels like it caters purely to the audience with no respect to plot or logic. It's like they locked a group of horny teenagers and this was the outcome. Both the actresses were unbearable to watch. The fl in Pt 1 shouldn't have attempted speaking in dialect. It sounded as awkward as it looked. I only have negative things to say about the actress in Pt 2. The male lead was horrendous, character wise. I could not and did not want to root for him. I understand this was an attempt at creating grey characters but god damn, was it awful. The chemistry was off. The ml really had a thing for women who acted like a mom.

I will never understand the Hong sisters' warped sense of what a badass female character is nor will I understand their need to mock, taunt, make fun or, and insult other women in their shows to make the fl shine.

The stakes weren't very high. There wasn't a point in the show where I was at the edge of my seat. The world building was flat and illogical. They threw in random explanations to make the world building fit the scene, which was odd.

All in all, disappointing. Not eager to see Lee Jaewook in future projects.

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Perfect Part 1 ... fun but confusing Part 2

Part 1 of this drama was one of my favourite things I ever watched. The characters were well-defined, and the story flowed perfectly. Everything made sense and tied well (and very tragically) at the end.
While I still enjoyed part 2, and while I liked the direction of the story in part 2, most of it was really frustrating to watch. Here are some of my reasons:
[SPOILERS WARNING!]

1. Master Lee
His character was absolutely charming in part 1. I loved how he subtly helped Jang UK reach his destiny and always looked after both of them. But in part 2, his character only seemed to exist just to confuse us and throw us off, so when the real predictable plot happens, we'd be surprised.
In one episode, he says that Bu Yeon is dead, only to reveal two episodes later that, nope! she was actually alive all along...
And then he tells Yul about this big hard choice that UK will have to make between saving Naksu with Hwansu or doing the right thing, but we never saw UK make this choice or even consider it ever?!
Don't get me wrong, it would've hurt to see him make this choice and I'm glad he didn't, but why foreshadow something that was never relevant?

2. Jin seol ran
The whole "She was actually Jin seol ran all along" seemed irrelevant to the plot. She didn't help them like...at all?
Except at the end with the basin but that was after the bird was free and the world was already on fire?
But even then, if the writers went with her being Jin Bu Yeon it would've still made sense. It seemed like an unnecessary added layer of confusion.
If she foresaw all of this, then why didn't she give them a warning? why did she hide in Sari village all this time?

3. Naksu
The memory loss plot realllllyyy dragged. Jang UK seemed to be made slow this season just to stretch the plot. He was really smart in the first part, and I refuse to believe that it took him this long to connect the dots!
Part of why we fell in love with Mudeok was her ruthless, fearless character who had a warm side to her, but she found it hard to show. I didn't feel those characteristics in the second part. Regardless, I think Go Yoon Jung did a great job, and at times I felt like they really were the same person, but those times were rare.
Stretching the memory loss plot robbed us of seeing the Naksu we knew because everything that happened after her regaining her memories felt really rushed. It felt like Mudeok completely disappeared once part 1 ended.
The final scene when she was telling UK that she doesn't want to train anymore felt so detached and out of character from the Naksu we knew and loved...

4. The time jumps
I would have loved to see a little bit of the aftermath of what happened at the end of part 1. 3 years gap was a bit long.
And then again in the last episode, they had a 1 year jump out of nowhere.
One minute we were fighting the firebird the next, we were babysitting Dang-gu and Cho-yeon's babies. From a super intense scene to a super colourful scene. In fact, most episodes had this sharp transition between the scenes. Similar to how 3 main characters died in one scene and were brought back literally 30 seconds later. It felt like a lot of the plot this season was done and then undone over and over again.

Overall, I still loved and enjoyed this drama, and I will dearly miss it. My favourite thing about part 2 was the cute romance since we didn't get to see much of that in the first part. The actors/actresses were great, and the soundtrack was amazing. Weekends will truly feel empty now that this drama is over.

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A highly entertaining absolute mess

It is hard to write a review of this show, since it has elements that are really, really good, mixed with stuff that is really, really bad.

The most irritating part Alchemy of Souls 2 is the main female character. We fell in love with Mudeok/Naksu in the first part of this show because she was this fierce, amazingly powerful figure who had suddenly found herself in a completely powerless body. She adjusted to being completely helpless by using her brain instead of her sword, and by using the increasingly powerful Jang Uk as a tool to eventually get her magical and sword-fighting abilities back (it was never explained how exactly that was supposed to work, but whatever). So, going into part 2, we were led to expect that the reborn Naksu/Jin Buyeon would eventually get back to what we think of as her true self.
Instead, we got an almost completely different person. The new FL is still smart and not afraid of anything, but otherwise a complete blank, and her main, or only, goal is to gain Jang Uk's affection. This is understandable - she can only remember the last 3 years of her life, in which she interacted with about 3 people, so she never had time to really BECOME ANYONE - but it is hard to connect her to her previous incarnation as Mudeok. As the story progresses, she starts to gain some of her old qualities back, especially her old fierceness (the scene in which she confronts Jin Mu is amazing). But, she only becomes her old self for fleeting moments, after which she again turns into helpless Jin Buyeon, permanently in need of rescue.
The FL's transformation could have been explored in interesting ways. Naksu's transformation raises an interesting question - can you still claim to be yourself if you have no memories of your previous self? To what extent do your experiences and the people around you make you who you are? There are a few moments where this comes up (there is one scene in which the FL is asked which of her four names she wants to use, and another in which Buyeon/Naksu realizes she does not even know who she is), but otherwise completely ignored.
Other things that were problematic:
-The plot and consistency issues: People acted in a certain way in one scene and then completely different an episode or two later, without explanation. Or they appear in places with no logical reason to be there, only because they are needed to advance the plot.
-The pacing and ending: The last 2-3 episodes were absolutely rushed, and there was very little tension in the 'big showdown' at the end, because so much was crammed into the last episode.
- Characters become one-dimensional (especially the villains). I loved Jin Mu and his evil genius in part 1, but in this sequel he becomes a bit boring, to be honest.

Now to the things that were really good:
- The visual: stunning costumes and sets
-The OSTs! There is not a single one that is bad, and many will give you goosebumps (Scars leave a beautiful trace, Aching, Blue Flower, to name a few)
-The romance: Even as you want to scream at Naksu/Jin Buyeon not being Mudeok, you can't help but be are drawn in by the increasingly dramatic and painful love story between ML and FL. The actors playing both will absolutely make you believe that nothing in the world matters more to them than the other person.
-Acting: next to the LJW and JSM playing the leads, huge credit goes to the actor playing Jin Mu - SPOILER - after he shifts souls. He became a completely different person! You knew straight from looking at him who he was.
- The humour is great. Park Jin's cooking skills are the best running joke in this series ("If you want to die, I will cook you more noodles!")
- The characters will make you root for them. Jang Uk, who really was an annoying brat through most of season 1, now becomes much more likable as a traumatized but incredibly powerful hero. You will love Naksu/ Buyeon in the moments when you don't want to shake her to come back to her senses. Of the supporting characters, the Crown Prince is really likable (and I really enjoyed his interactions with the FL).
- I loved how the writers drew connections to the beginning of season 1. SPOILER: In the last episode, Park Jin finally has to face the door scenario; Jang Uk fights a powerful adversary on a frozen lake Gyeongcheondaeho, shooting from a bow, which brings you back to Naksu's fighting the mages right at the start of season 1.

Even with all its faults, Alchemy of Souls 2 has HUGE entertainment value. I was not bored for a single minute watching this! And even if you don't agree with the characters' choices a lot of the time, you'll find that they stay with you long after finishing the drama.

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Closure

Alchemy of Souls 2 was basically a Jang Uk runway show. I won't complain about that part, he's good at it.
I missed the fantastic sword fights, he didn't even need those anymore, since he was the most powerful person around.

I believe the drama gave us some sort of closure, even if it felt like a totally different drama most times. There are still many things that don't make sense. The lack of the main actress does make it harder for it to make sense. They showed a loving FL, something the FL from the first season didn't manage to be. It gave closure to the love story but it felt unnatural to the character and the previous story.

The storytelling got worse, since this is a much shorter drama. All the flashbacks and going back in the story were frustrating. It were 10 episodes, yet it felt like the story was rushed because they kept going back and sometimes even letting the characters tell what had happened this season, instead of showing it.

The telling rather than the showing is a problem in more ways than just this one. The whole show they showed us Jang Uk didn't recognise Naksu, yet in the last episodes he says he recognised her from the start, just like he did the first time. NO, HE DIDN'T!!! One of my main issues with this drama is that almost no one recognised Naksu. Most mages from Songrim saw Naksu while she was held there and a whole lot of them fought her. How could they not recognise her? Expecting her to be dead isn't enough of an excuse and only three years had passed, it's not a lot of time. They made up a lot of excuses as plot devices and that's a part of why the story doesn't hold up. In fact, every time Naksu showed herself in Jin Bu Yeon, he doubted her and couldn't even find the hints he was given. He appears to fall in love with this fourth person who isn't Mu Deok, Jin Bu Yeon or even Naksu. Maybe that's why she ends the show with yet another name.

I don't believe one season is better than the other, I believe they're on par with each other. I had some fun watching this one as well, despite the shortcomings and the sexism, nothing different from the first season.

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Too much drama for a simple solution

Ok, so I after finished S1 I came here and the ratings and reviews scared me lool
How it was possible? S1 has 9.1 and this season review where so negative I was confused but now after finishing the all thing I see where people are coming from.

The biggest problem here was the lost memories plot. It took 8 episodes out of 10 and the revelation was dry asf. UK didn't seemed the surprise or happy at all. They dragged the drama so much. 5 episodes would be enough.

The filler with So-I was unnecessary, Yul almost dying because he was too guilty to ask for help didn't maked sense, plus he was planning to kill Naksu, the same friend he was guilty of leaving behind, I just can't understand really.

Every episode a new theory would pop up about Bu Yeon's soul, one episode it was gone and nnext episode it was still alive it was annoying and confusing.
The comic aspect was also gone ?1 or 2 jokes sometimes, but It was forced sometimes.
Bu Yeon's mom was a B, but they made her somehow a better person at the end LOOL

I really think they should wasted more time in showing Naksu's new personality to the public, she kinda lost her badass and rude attitude that we loved, the mannerism was there but still...

I'm not even mad at the change of personality I'm mad that they wasted her character, in my opinion she is living as BY and not as Cho yeong. It would be nice seeing her still as a skilled warrior with BY's supernatural powers, a mix of both. It would be better in my opinion. Her character in this season was just a love interesting of Uk, that was sad for me.

At the end she didn't fight along side with UK and that was disappointing to watch. Just another weak female lead at the end.

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A lot people will not agree with me and that's fine but for me season 1 was definitely better and it's not about the acting or cast but about story. She should have regain her memories way sooner (6-7 ep) and then proceed with the flow. Instead we got couple of boring episodes because they had to drag it somehow till the last ep. And then obviously in the last ep A LOT thing happened.

I was expecting to see much more Naksu as Naksu, instead we got Jin Bu Yeon for the whole season. We have heard about her divine powers like she's a God or something but they show us just bit of it (but that's not a big deal).

There were some parts that brought the light like the prince's turtle and how he changed his mind after his pet dissapeared. That was kinda funny, not gonna lie.

I'm glad with the ending but I'm also dissapointed how the potential after season 1 was wasted. This show could be much better.

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The drama in general is good but main leads totally carried this part 2

Alchemy of Souls is definitely one of the best dramas this year but I have to point out that this part 2 couldn't live the expectations to me. It's not bad but the main leads totally carried with their good acting and chemistry. Of course, the cinematography continued to be amazing and the effects as well. We can't say bad things about the acting too, at least for me it was good. The chemistry between all actors (especially the main leads) continued to be good too. So what exactly didn't go that well?

Ok, first, main leads were the big event to me and they completely stole the show. I was afraid of Jaewook not having a good chemistry with the new actress but gosh he had. Second, I felt like most of the negative points is in the way that the writers decided to develop the story. I felt that 10 episodes were too short for the things the writer wanted to do and everything felt a little too fast. The writer wanted to build up again the relationship between the characters and Naksu (now being in her own body) and I understand that but I felt that doing that all over again made the drama repetitive and also made me feel like everything between main leads were happening way too fast. On the one hand I liked it because I'm not a big fan of slowburns, and thanks to that I felt that this season had more romantic moments between the main leads. But on the other hand, thinking about the story itself, I felt that it was a little rushed. Also I felt that the secondary characters lost a bit of charisma they had in the first season and a lot of scenes felt draggy. And the biggest disappointment to me: not being able to see that badass Naksu from season 1. I understand that things are different now and she was practically a "villain" in the first episodes because she was being controlled. But I felt that we all liked Naksu because besides liking her personality as Mudeok, she was a badass before. I think I can say for everybody that we were all expecting to see the badass Naksu again and unfortunately we didn't. And what disappointed me the most is that I felt that this part 2 were totally focused on Jang Uk being the badass character (don't get me wrong I loved it, especially because we can see his grow), and seemed that Naksu were summed up only as Jang Uk's love interest.

So yeah to me it seems that the Hong sisters did not know how to develop the 2nd part as well as the first one, which caused a feeling of disappointment in many people, including me. Luckily, the cast, the plot in general and other things still made the drama overall memorable for me, despite the flaws in this part 2.

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LEGENDARY

Not gonna lie, this drama, from script, direction, and acting, up to CGI and editing, was just legendary. But how did this become legendary? This season continues the story where it was left off in the 1st season, which I rated 9.5. So, why did I rate this 8.5 instead?


To be honest, the first season is far superior to this one, and the reason this season has become so successful is clearly due to the first season. Let's look why:

First of all, this lacked the punch of the 1st Part. The 1st Part introduced us to a whole new world, and much time was used to build the lore and the details. This kept us engaged and interested. However, nothing much happened in Part 2, in general. Everything was established in the 1st seasonitself,f and this 2nd part didn't have much twists and turns like the 1st.


The pace of the story was another problem. This problem had been there in the 1st season an well. The starting episodes were amazing, but somehow, after some episodes, it felt like the story was moving downhill. The plot was, like, not moving at all. But they picked up the momentum in the later episodes, nonetheless. Honestly, they could have done the whole drama, I mean, part 1 and 2 together, In just 15 or 20 eps.


This is another issue I've had since the first season. They promised us strong, witty, smart, and brave female characters. However, all we got were sidekicks. Let's take a look at the main female characters in the story:

1. First of all, Naksu/Cho Yeong- I really wanted to see her fighting with her sword again. I wanted her to be like how she had been as Mu Doek. Don't get me wrong, I honestly loved how they separated the real Cho Yeong from the Naksu that Jin Mu created. All I wanted was for her to be as sharp-witted and as quick-witted as her older self. That Naksu was more interesting than the present Cho Yeong. In Part 2, Naksu seemed to be reduced to a one-dimensional, not-that-witty, not-that-smart person who was really only meant to host Jin Bu Yeon's priestess powers and to mend Uk's broken heart.

2. Jin Bu Yeon/Jin Seol Ran - She seemed like just a background character, appearing here and there. She was a character with much potential, but sadly, it was wasted. I would have loved to know more about the time when she was Seol Ran, how she went through what they call the Great Chaos, and all. Also, it was entioned in almost all episodes about how powerful she is. But, pity that we didn't even get a glimpse of it.

3. Maidservent Kim - She had no powers whatsoever. She had been just a mother figure for Uk and a love interest for Park Jin, right from the start to the end. But I did love her, nevertheless.

4. Jin Cho Yeon - She was introduced as one of the Jin clan, with great powers, but we didn't actually get to see even one scene where she was using her powers usefully. Again, she was reduced to just a love interest for Dang Gu.

5. Jin Ho Kyung - Again, another character with great powers. In the end, she couldn't even protect her fortress. I know she was ageing and eventually losing her powers, but when Park Jin didn't have any problems while ageing, why does she?

6. Heo Yoon Ok - Okay, I didn't like her. She wasn't said to have great powers, but what made me dislike her was that she was overcome with jealousy half of the time, going after Uk and attempting to separate him and Naksu in both the 1st and 2nd parts. And her happy ending was jsut seeing someone.

7. So Yi - She was another great character with great potential. I really liked her character. She is one of the strongest female characters in the entire series, in my opinion, whose potential got wasted. She could have been developed into a GREAT character. But...

This drama would have been even better if the FLs were as strong as they were said to be. Now, that's all about the female characters. Let's talk about other problems.


They dragged out the amnesia plot for too long. This is one of those common, clichéd plot lines that I hate. But, if executed well, it could become a masterpiece too. Sadly, this wasn't the case with AoS Part 2. They could have either made Naksu remember it earlier, or made Uk realise that it was Naksu all along. And, when they did realise it, it felt really underwhelming.


I really hated to believe that Uk had finally forgotten about his Naksu/Mu Doek and moved on to fall in love with another woman. I know it was her all along, but I just didn't like the feel of it. That ruined the whole point of this romance, for me.


Underwhelming villain characters - this was one of the main things that bothered me. The villains, especially Jin Mu, all had proper goals and objectives and plans to achieve them, but I felt like they were all acting behind the scenes. I would have liked them to be utilised more and build more tension between them and the heroes. Towards the end, Jin Mu seemed reduced to one of those cartoonish villain charactes with just an evil smile and no brains.


Now, enough with the bad points. Let's start with the good points that make this drama stand out from the rest;

The chemistry:

1. The Crown Prince and the Turtle: We can't help but love the Crown Prince. He was the best character in the entire series for me, and I was rooting for him until the very end. He and our MVP Turtle were truly the best duo in the entire series!

2. Crown Prince and Jang Uk - I really really loved the dynamics between Crown Prince and Ukkie, in the 1st as well as 2nd part. Even though it cannot be considered as a real bromance, I loved it, and I would watch an entire series with just them without any complaint.


The comic relief - I laughed hard enough watching this to add comedy as one of its genres. Those scenes were like breaths of fresh air in an intense plot line.


I loved how they explained the meaning of the title. Jang Uk being the light that protects Cho Yeong and Her being the sadow, embrassing him. It was so endearing!


Acting - DO I NEED TO SAY MORE?? The perforance of the cast was impeccably beautiful. I was initially quite disappointed in the replacement of Jung So Min with Go Yoon Jung, but after the first two episodes, I was convinced that she deserved the role. She really is a gifted actress with great potential. Even though she didin't quite manage to catch So Min's charm, she was great in her own accord.

Jae Wook's performance shook me to the core. He was a new actor to me, and I haven't seen any of his earlier works, but this drama alone is enough for me to make him a part of my list of favourite actors.

I had seen Shin Seoung Ho in A-Teen before, but I didn't even realise it! I figured this out recently, and I'm blown! I hope he gets more great characters like this in the future so that he can showcase his great talent! He really does have an acting genre in him!

All the others did a good job as well. Out of the supporting cast, the one who stands out is Do Sang Woo, who played Yul's uncle. His last scenes as Jin Mu, after the Alchemy of Souls were mind blowing. He nailed it. He really did give off the original Jin Mu's vibes!


Music - The music score and OSTs used in the drama were perfect! It gives us the right vibe for every scenes. Some of the OSTs are still on my Spotify favourites list.


Lastly, I enjoyed most part of it. Even with the slow pace, this is a good watch, nevertheless. I would surely recommend this drama to people who love fantasy and heartbreaking romance, original plot lines, amazing cast and chemistry, etc. This drama is legendary and will live on in my memory.

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Middle school romance played by adults

After a few more episodes in, this show is rapidly turning into a major disappointment. Besides my initial concerns listed below, every characterization and plot decision has been childish and terrible. I am getting so tired of back and forth between Jang Uk and Jin Bu Yun. It’s like a middle school romance being played out by adults. So cringy. The infamous Hong sisters are famous for not knowing how to wrap up story threads and it was evident toward the end of the last season. They obviously gave themselves an out by doing a time skip without much explanations and we’re just supposed to go with whatever.

Every episode, I see either Jin Mu or Lady Jin, I’m reminded of their crimes and how everyone knows about it. But they treat these two like some annoying neighbors instead of treasonous criminals. All they can do is take shots at them and make sarcastic remarks. So stupid.

Initial concerns:

What bothers me is how Jin Mu and the Lady Jin are still around even after all they’ve done. Like they kidnapped the queen and swapped her body??? Maybe they’ll explain later but that’s a big plot hole to start the new season with. But what I’m thinking is that by keeping the same villains intact, they’ll recycle the same plots and schemes? I hope not. I initially thought Jang Uk and Jin Bu Yun will take a while to meet but they met right away and ended up “getting married” right away. Anticlimactic, it was.

I also wish they just picked up where they ended. We shall see how this goes.

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