Magical
Fab-u-lous! I loved everything. The casting is perfection, with so many good actors (both female and male) and unforgettable characters. I can't even pick favourites. Lee Rang really touched my heart though, especially the scenes of him as a young Gumiho half breed. His feelings of abandonment were palpable. Kim Bum is so good.The myths included are wonderful, as ghosts and devils are battled.
The child actors are so good too, especially Kim Tae-yul as the young Imoogi, Lee Joo-won as young Lee Rang and Jung Shi-yool as Kim Soo-oh.
The pace of the drama, whilst having exciting scenes, is relatively gently paced, which fit for me; a central romance spanning 600 years can't be rushed!
The ending didn't disappoint either.
I loved the BTS episode 17 on Viki, with the delightful Hwang Hee (Gu Shin-joo) and lovely Kim Yong-ji (Ki Yoo-ri) ~ these 2 seemed to genuinely get on and have fun together.
A must watch and one I know I'll return to more than once. Magical.
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Complex
I loved series 1, but enjoyed this follow-up even more.Whilst a completely new story and set of intriguing cases to be solved, there are references to the suicide and scheming of season 1.
Both Bae Doo-na and Cho (Jo) Seung-woo are excellent and I love their chemistry, together with the relationship between their characters; she just gets him and he seems to have actual care and cocern for her, something he usually struggles with, having impaired emotions from his childhood surgery.
From the outset the pace and intrigue never let up. There was stuff I thought I was figuring out, only to be slapped off course, as the story within stories twisted its way to the final episode.
This series, like the first, is intelligently written and well directed. It needs concentration and isn't a 'light' watch that can be dipped in and out of, although in truth, if you're like me, you'll be desperate to watch one after the other.
Great cast of characters so well portrayed by a great set of actors ~ not a weak one amongst them.
I know it's not a romance, but I'd love for Shi-mok and Yeo-jin to get together.
Quietly hoping for a season 3 🤞🤞
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Drifting story
Started off great; humour, emotion, a touch of the supernatural. Unfortunately, the story became a little too fanciful for me, with attempted murder and hiding the birth of a child, being treated like they're common occurrences and nothing to take seriously!There is forgiveness and turning the other cheek, but then there's being a martyr and Doo-rim sadly became just that, regardless of her generally feisty and strong character. She made some really dumb decisions.
I liked Kang-joo's emotional development.
Great seeing Jung Hae-in earlier in his wonderful career, too.
I also found the same actors playing several characters (especially in latter episodes) to be confusing as well.
Could've been a 9 or 10/10 had the story been given a little more thought and wasn't stuck between being a rom-com and [over-acted at times] melodrama.
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Gets emotional
Overall I enjoyed this show, especially the cast (big fan of Sung Joon), with nice performances from all of them. I loved Lee Joo Hyung's character portrayal - I just wanted to climb into my laptop and mother him! I also loved SJ's understated acting in this. He portrayed a quite complex person, who starts out as a seemingly selfish, immature, snob of a psychologist (but not cold - even though he is emotionally stunted) really well, as the character could have been completely unlikeable, but he managed to keep me on his side, though not all the time.In general they are all pretty selfish characters at times, but that's where their similarities end, as it's a great mixed bag of people.
I liked the various psychological issues that were visited through Prof Choi Soo Hyun's clients, with some very emotional stories amongst them.
The huge importance of support and understanding needed by those suffering mental health issues underpins the whole series, I felt. As is the equally important need to address and seek help for anyone suffering severe changes in behaviour.
Childhood trauma is at the forefront of many of the individual stories and some are quite upsetting. The devastating affects mistreatment (whether it be psychological or physical) can have in later life is made blindingly obvious.
Soo-hyun's character development made this drama for me, to be honest and Sung Joon played him perfectly. The last episode was so very moving.
What let the drama down for me was the times when humour was mistakenly added in the form of silly, childish dialogue and behaviour. It is possible to prevent a story from sliding into melodrama, by adding even dark humour, which doesn't resort to immature behaviour that just didn't fit with the rest of the storyline. Felt like it was plopped in to prevent the story from becoming too heavy. More creative writing could have provided laughs on a more adult level, befitting of what the drama is about at its core.
One of my favourite friendships was between Choi Seung-chan and Dr Bae Mi-ran. It was writing like that, when compared with what I've just said, which made me wonder whether the author of this drama doesn't have two personalities, like one of the characters!
Worth watching, although I probably wouldn't revisit it.
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Modern Romance, Intelligent Women
More mature portrayal of the career driven lives and very different relationships, friendships and families of the main 3 female characters.The hurdles of being in a relationship with a man 10 years younger are portrayed differently from the usual ones, which was so refreshing. The real issues that are hard to face or tackle, even when in love, are considered and doesn't have to do with the judgement of others for a change.
The women in this are all very different, but what links them is their drive, passion, focus and intelligence.
I very much liked the more mature conversations and interaction between Tammy and Park Morgan, which was befitting of a woman and man in their late 30s and 20s respectively.
I loved how one central female's frankly abusive parents and arrogant, audacious, overbearing mother-in-law, were portrayed; such good acting. Loathed them!
My personal favourite character was Scarlett, fabulously brought to life by Lee Da-hee.
The main male characters have an equally modern representation, as none are either phased nor jealous or intimated by clever, feisty and outspoken women. Breath of fresh air.
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Gritty Drama
Perfect casting of great actors, added to a well written script, really make this drama a cut above the rest.It is very hard hitting, with many of the crimes portrayed being distressing and brutal.
The lives of the rookies this story follows, from jobless to serving police officers, is so good.
The stressful, unappreciated and abused role they fill is at the fore, countered by the few corrupted members on the force, who sadly tarnish them all. Couple this with internal politics and an establishment happy to throw those with less power under the bus to meet their needs, makes me wonder how anyone would choose policing as a career.
If this drama is based on the reality of the Korean police and legal system, it is damning. However, it also shows the closeness of a team, of partnerships where they see more of each other than their own loved ones at home and the impact of betrayals on the moral of everyone associated.
The toll the job takes on personal lives is also touched on, with not just the case stories, but those involving the main characters' families being played out too.
Whilst disturbing, incredibly frustrating and upsetting, it is also funny at times and uplifting at others.
I am so pleased I watched it and would recommend this drama to others.
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Blues in various shades
A stonkingly good, multi layered story about life in a close community where many characters were childhood friends.Ups, downs, successes, failures, secrets, love, heartbreak, family, friends, regrets, dreams, forgiveness ~ it is all here.
I never got bored and loved how, whilst there were multiple stories connected to characters, there was a focus in each episode.
The tribulations of life that this series covered, were vast and highlighted issues rarely found in other dramas.
Depression, grudges, a husband beater, aging and pregnancy, to what really impressed me hugely, the challenges of living with and caring for someone with a disability.
The first actress / character I have ever seen in a K-drama, with Downs Syndrome. The prejudices and ignorance faced, in this day and age, which really exist, was shocking and heartbreaking to me. It both hurt me and made me so angry.
I sincerely hope that anyone with a warped attitude and stupidity towards this and other conditions, that watch it, will see how disgusting their behaviour is and educate themselves.
I laughed throughout and in the final episodes, cried. So moving.
Fabulous acting from the whole (GREAT) cast (the kids on it were SO good) and a soundtrack that fitted the style of the characters, their community and lives.
One I would highly recommend and would happily watch again.
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What a refreshing, well written, excellently directed, fabulously paced and realistic programme this is.
It is not at all sentimental, but feels very real and believable ; from the interactions of the main friends and their colleagues and families, to the patients, their problems and the anxiousness of their guardians. There is no overacting, no perfect scenarios, no obvious clichés, but plenty of laughs, some tears and frustrations.
Real doctors, nurses and carers should watch this too, as it portrays the care patients should get, as when they don't, it isn't washed over, but shown honestly and discussed.
The cast has been perfectly chosen and their relationships are very believable and honest.
I cared about all of them, felt invested in every episode and became quickly addicted.
This one of those dramas that stands out, because it is underpinned by talent from every angle; not by special effects, emphasis on gore, over-the-top fight scenes, power crazy CEOs and mistreated characters.
The struggles, tough decisions, stress and bonds of friendship that are played out, are like a breath of fresh air.
I simply cannot wait for 2021 and series 2, and I cannot possibly recommend this drama enough. Simply FABULOUS! Watch it, or lose out ?
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Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow
7 people found this review helpful
My kind of Drama
It's over; the final episode has aired and overall, it did not disappoint. I will so miss my weekly fix.Equalling S1 and very similar in its slow build, with the action, intrigue and surprises, increasing with every episode.
The shift in Jang Uk's character and the effect on all the characters of S1's finale, was immediately felt from ep1.
There's more obvious romance in S2 as the eps role out, but it was never out of place or eye rolling. Quite the opposite.
I loved Go Yoon-jung's portrayal and the character of Naksu/Jin Bu-yeon. Still feisty, independent, capable and witty. Her interactions with Uk were as amusing, touching and frustrating, in turns, as S1. Subtle differences, as after all, the character has suffered and undergone a big change, but just as strong. Both actresses brought so much to their roles and credit has to go to everyone involved for making it pretty seamless.
There are twists, turns, revellations, just deserts and some shocks in S2.
There are some flash backs featuring Jung So-min's character, Mu Deok, in later eps and I'm really pleased these were included, as it stitched what was unfolding in the story together and was a reminder that the souls and their bodies had shifted to start with.
The ending was thrilling and all gets neatly tied up. It wasn't rushed, but did feel a bit like a conclusion, rather than extension of the story. Some characters and their stories did take a back seat in S2, which was a shame, however, it was still pleasing and unless S2 was to run for another 16+ episodes, the only way to complete the central theme.
With the closing 2 eps, there were a very few times the dialogue felt a little lazy and it only stood out for me because I never thought that in all the other 28 eps.
The special effects, soundtrack and sets were spot on all the way through and Car, The Garden's "Scars Leave Beautiful Trace" is now a favourite song.
An absolute favourite drama of mine now too, which in its entirety of 30 eps, is possibly top of my list. Ticked all my boxes!
All involved did a great job.
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Kept me interested.
Nov/Dec 2025Some very funny moments, in the early episodes especially, but as the story moves on, there are much darker elements.
I found it easy to watch and stick with.
I liked the cast a lot ~ including supporting and didn't feel there were any irritatingly weak or stupid characters ~ though some were very naive.
I didn't like the ending, which felt rushed and, in many ways, quite a big cop-out. What followed a tense and distressing culmination, was a too light and half-hearted finale.
I also thought that the character of said His Majesty, was far from sweet or romantic; yes he changed on falling in love, but he was a maniacal, controlling tyrant before, who had a lot to make up for. That was readily glossed over, which didn't fit a lot of the FL character's principles, I felt.
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Loved it!
October 2025This drama was SO good! KDM is fab in it, as is SSK, and I actually loved their chemistry, which surprised me for some reason.
The character of Yu I-na, is both strong, and yet fragile, at the same time. She is unique, clever, infuriating, troubled and utterly likeable. I thought KDM captured her perfectly.
Kim Han-saem is a traditional, dedicated, tenacious, and principled detective. He has always believed that Yu I-na was responsible for the death of her ex-cop Uncle.... so when, as a profiler, she ends up working with him, he isn't impressed, to say the least.
Thankfully, she is very single-minded in that respect, and disarmingly frank, so he slowly gets beaten down.
Together they begin to unearth truths that lead to some shocking discoveries.
I was totally grabbed by this. I loved the acting, characters, writing, pace and plot. The episodes flew by and there's a lot of story, which didn't feel compromised by the relatively few episodes.
Any shortcomings, I honestly didn't care about.
I kept changing my mind about who the baddie was, too... it never felt obvious!
I SO hope there will be a S2.
A favourite of this year, for sure.
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Utterly captivating
Jan 2025I absolutely loved this period drama. The episodes flew by and I will definitely watch this again one day. Fab characters, and, what I loved most.... great women!
The main female experiences a tragedy as a child and subsequently becomes an assassin, with the goal of exacting revenge.
The male lead was involved in the same tragedy and the two are fated to forever be around each other's lives.
The very first episode is one of the best ever openers, and had me hooked immediately. There is a bath scene towards the end that is just SO good!
The script is more mature than usual, and this made such a difference.
I realise voices are generally dubbed, but I also didn't notice the 'breathiness' that so often stands out to me, especially with the actresses. What I did notice was how bloody cold many of the sets were, with the steam from their breath often being visible!
I honestly didn't find any parts that dragged. The pace was mixed, from battles, fights, and daily life, to the romantic scenes. Whilst romance was an integral part, it didn't swamp things, or feel out of place; at least not to me.
I had so many favourite characters that I cannot list them all. Some grew, some lost their way, others seemed to lose their senses at times. The character I got most whiplash from was the General of Yan, Luomei. Her character was all over the place, purely to move the story in the right direction, but I could forgive that.
I really like the actress, Wu Jinyan, in the FL part of Meilin. There was nothing childish about her at all. Her expressions were subtle when necessary, with her eyes often conveying incredible fierceness. Her character was driven, tough, stubborn, lacked some of tge finer social skills early on, yet was also incredibly lost in so many ways. I felt she craved love, but even as her circumstances changed, she was never weak.
Now, the ML and his character... I have fallen for both! Liu Xueyi was fabulous as Murong Jinghe. Cold on the surface, playing a part, maniacal at times, and totally captivating. He never lost sight of his aims and was a tactical genius.
Concubine Yan was young, immature in life experiences and used to being admired for her looks, BUT, she grew, was sassy, intelligent and not horribly spoilt. I liked her a lot! The slow build of her love was very realistic.
The 'evil' characters were heinously good too, and well acted.
An excellent cast all round.
However, there were several let-downs...
The assassin side of Meilin was lost in the story. There was an occasion near the end where I felt her attire, for example, was all wrong. Regardless of her strength by then, her look just didn't fit.
It was the same with the General of Yan, whose actions didn't fit her personality and outlook, in terms of where her heart took her. Family honour was everything to that character, until it wasn't.
I also found having a younger version of Meilin in some scenes from the past, but then the adult actress in others, bizarre. Meanwhile, the General was portrayed by the same actor throughout. This was noticably inconsistent.
However, in terms of sheer enjoyment and not wanting it to end, I still think this is amongst the best C-dramas I've watched and would recommend it, especially if you're new to them... you'll be spoilt!
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Some different aspects for a Sageuk drama
December 2024Overall, I loved this. It's a classic sageuk drama. However, it is never OTT and all the characters are really good. I didn't find any annoying, although many were absolute barstewards, with others being too easily deceived, and/or misguided.
It does have a gentle pace, but whilst it lacks the action of many other dramas of this type, the plot is clever and aspects were extremely refreshing. There is plenty of intrigue, and intelligent plotting, with those trying to control the King and that position, mistakenly underestimating the person on the throne.
The love side of things is very subtle, but integral to the story, and I found it very romantic at times. The kisses were not at all steamy though, ever. The final one especially, really should have had far more passion. Kang Hee-soo was like a board! Is that the actress, or the director? One really needs a pinch for that :/
It was also very moving on occasion, especially early on, when Jin-han returned from Qing.
There is understated humour from many recognisable supporting character actors, as well as from the King and his guard, Joo Sang-hwa. Two of my favourite characters.
I loved Jo Jung-suk in the lead role; his expressions and habit of slowly closing his eyes when things started to press in on, or anger him, was so good. I really love his acting and find him easy to watch. He rarely fails to draw me in and I've liked a lot of the dramas he's appeared in. Two Cops is still a big favourite.
I don't dislike watching Shin Se-kyung, but I do find her acting quite bland at times. She rarely expresses emotion well and displayed too little passion, which this role was really all about (not just romantic passion, butcthatcof a cause too).
The most annoying character for me was Kim Myung-ha (Lee Shin-young), whose behaviour at one point, coupled with that of his father, made his reasons for hating the King and seeking revenge, somewhat hypocritical. Such a pious character, when he had little reason to behave that way.
I also felt that later into the drama, Mong-woo (Hee-Soo) should have had more faith in the King... but then, these suspicions are needed for tension and added angst, I suppose.
I must say that the Gidaeryeong was much, much too feminine to be taken as a man, so that might marr viewing, a fair bit, for some. I could overlook it, but at the same time I thought the role should have been acted with at least a glimmer of masculinity. There are many pretty men, but their gender is still recogniseable and in this drama that was needed.
The ending had a number of gaps, but was acceptable, and the latter part of the final episode did feel rushed, in comparison to others.
However, I would still recommend this for sageuk drama lovers; overall, it does not disappoint and there are a few things different to the norm, which gave it that bit more.
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Disappointing story, but loved the cast
July 2024I think I'm going to be in a minority here, as this really didn't do it for me.
I did like the cast a lot. As an aside, I have to say, I find the difference a head of longer hair makes to JKY's features, astonishing. It totally softens his appearance and he looks younger than he does in some of his other roles (which are quite diverse). Took me a minute to recognise him!
I thought the latter half of the drama was better, as the pace picked up, but none of the characters grew on me. Bok I-na got a pass because she was young and surrounded by a selfish bunch of supposed adults, in her terribly dysfunctional family.
Every character in that family annoyed me. All wrapped up in themselves, cold and narcissistic. Whilst they may have lost their powers, it quickly became evident they did nothing wortwhile with them before. The poor father figure was nothing more than a servant and completely taken for granted.
I have only ever watched 2 dramas that involved time-travel, where the plot didn't either cause confusion, or lose its way, and this isn't one of them.
There was just too much of Gwi-ju revisiting specific scenes, refusing to give up on trying to alter events, which his 'superpower' doesn't allow him to do.
He himself seemed to begin to question reality / time, as did Da-hae and to be honest, I was in there with them!
Da-hae's 'family' were unpleasant as well, running a sauna and ruthlessly scamming people on the side. I thought they were all made for each other.
The story attempts to salvage all their personalities, but for me it was too late. I did feel a certain amount of sympathy for Gwi-ju, but more for poor I-na. Regardless of the past, he had a duty of care, but instead wallowed in self-pity. The Grandmother was no better and probably my least favourite character, together with Baek Il-hong.
I found a fair bit of Gwi-ju's bouncing around his past very confusing and most of the time, pointless. The plot feels made up as it goes along at times, with no explanation of why certain things are possible. What lies in the future is another can of worms.
Considering they were born with powers and grew up around them, one would have thought they, and definitely Man-heum herself, would be used to her dreams and how to interpret them; but no.
I found the ending bizarre and simplistic, as well.
The very point of their powers was never touched on either and I certainly couldn't work that out.
Very disappointed; I expected more.
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Haphazard at times
June 2024Google's "in a nutshell" description for this drama reads, "Unsettling, hopeless and cynical", which pretty much sums it up!
Whilst the cast and their acting, is really good, the script is all over the place.
The story keeps haphazardly jumping between the recent past (pre-asteroid) and present, with no warning and little reason for doing so, quite often. This can be confusing and at times I wasn't sure where we were, so to speak.
As news of the asteroid strike breaks and the subsequent countdown to impact begins, we of course see the worst coming out in many people.
From the wealthy and powerful leeching off the ordinary citizens in communities, to secure a way out of Korea (ground zero), to criminal gangs who see ways to make money and exploit the fact law and order has broken down, and it's swiftly become every man for themselves. They seem oblivious to the fact they'll never be able to spend it!
The reactions of some characters to decisions they make, are often inappropriate and/or baffling, given circumstances, reasons and situations. I found this frustrating and irritating.
It does also show a close knit community as well, however, and that stops it being dismal, although it's by no means upbeat.
It is a very weak script, with several plot arcs being speedily concluded, at the cost of the story. Disappointing.
It's a huge shame, because I liked many of the characters, but the build up and the conclusion were incredibly mismatched, even though it made sense.
As is often the case with a good cast who give it their all, they carried this drama and made it watchable. Even though I'd never bother watching it again, I can't say I disliked it, but I was very disappointed.
I've said it before and will say it again; if Netflix are going to make K-dramas, they need to stick to the format that is one of the reasons many of us fell in love with them in the first place. A story told completely, in usually 16 to 20eps.
Not 6-12 eps, with no conclusion and a possible S2, but that being dependent on ratings. Or as in this drama, a complete ('Limited') series, but with an inadequate number of episodes in which to give any depth to the story or coherent conclusions.
Great OST and I loved the acting, from all the cast. One would never have known how much YAI must already have been suffering, at this point.
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