Alche-misery of Souls
I just completed a binge rewatch of the 1st season and having put this off because of the mixed reviews for so long, I decided to dive in and I thought, “Hey, what could possibly go wrong?” Spoiler alert: everything.
I couldn't give a damn about fan wars so believe me when I say I found myself utterly captivated by our original heroine. Mudeok was the true soul of the show, honestly, she made me give a damn about every twist and turn. She emotes in every single scene, and despite not having her powers, you knew exactly how powerful of an assassin she was from her AURA ( in PSJs voice from WWWSK)
I love her sizzling chemistry with all three guys, maybe because I followed this up immediately after the season 1 binge but she could act rings around the new FL without even breaking a sweat.
I began this expecting fireworks, but the new FL’s “screen presence” feels like an afterthought—like she was hired to serve face and nothing else. I found myself hitting that 2x every episode and forwarding so frequently because it felt like everything was filler. Plus the sham of a romance and the speed with which it started literally gave me whiplash. Zero spark, Zero soul, wasn't even interested in the kisses no matter how much tongue was involved 😩.
And don’t even get me started on our ML. In Season 1 he was a flawed, relatable hero, someone I cheered for when he stumbled and wept for when he soared. Now he’s jet-powered but personality-depleted, a hollow shell who got the magic he craved so desperately but lost every ounce of charm that made me fall for him in the first place. Even all the beloved side characters became cardboard cutouts who were just there to look at. Plus Jin Mu looked super stupid with the "look-at-me-I'm-the-villain" smirk, like why even is he still here?
I couldn’t have asked for a worse sequel, so I’m officially dropping Season 2 into the memory hole. I’ll be bingeing Season 1 again, refusing to acknowledge this travesty exists, and waiting for a universe where Alchemy of Souls actually remembers what made us love it.
P. S. I hardly ever write reviews but I was so spectacularly let down that I had to leave this rant as an evidence of my disappointment.
I couldn't give a damn about fan wars so believe me when I say I found myself utterly captivated by our original heroine. Mudeok was the true soul of the show, honestly, she made me give a damn about every twist and turn. She emotes in every single scene, and despite not having her powers, you knew exactly how powerful of an assassin she was from her AURA ( in PSJs voice from WWWSK)
I love her sizzling chemistry with all three guys, maybe because I followed this up immediately after the season 1 binge but she could act rings around the new FL without even breaking a sweat.
I began this expecting fireworks, but the new FL’s “screen presence” feels like an afterthought—like she was hired to serve face and nothing else. I found myself hitting that 2x every episode and forwarding so frequently because it felt like everything was filler. Plus the sham of a romance and the speed with which it started literally gave me whiplash. Zero spark, Zero soul, wasn't even interested in the kisses no matter how much tongue was involved 😩.
And don’t even get me started on our ML. In Season 1 he was a flawed, relatable hero, someone I cheered for when he stumbled and wept for when he soared. Now he’s jet-powered but personality-depleted, a hollow shell who got the magic he craved so desperately but lost every ounce of charm that made me fall for him in the first place. Even all the beloved side characters became cardboard cutouts who were just there to look at. Plus Jin Mu looked super stupid with the "look-at-me-I'm-the-villain" smirk, like why even is he still here?
I couldn’t have asked for a worse sequel, so I’m officially dropping Season 2 into the memory hole. I’ll be bingeing Season 1 again, refusing to acknowledge this travesty exists, and waiting for a universe where Alchemy of Souls actually remembers what made us love it.
P. S. I hardly ever write reviews but I was so spectacularly let down that I had to leave this rant as an evidence of my disappointment.
Was this review helpful to you?
