Kathryn_51

Jin Mu appears to use "sorcery" rather than "magic". We haven't seen him deal with water (except for one scene in ep. 15). I think his sword is "enchanted" - energized by the power of the ice stone. (Of course, I think Naksu's sword is also enchanted😊😊).

The romance became one of co-dependency (yes, yes, I know all the reasons why their personal histories provide a rationale for the co-dependency) and as of Ep. 17, we finally get to "the love of a good man saved a bad woman" story (although it is a twist or the common "the love a of a good woman. . . . . " trope.

Thankfully, there are so many other interesting characters and evil-doers, not to mention the jaw-dropping cinematography that I still enjoy the show. Not to mention a flawless performance by JSM playing three different personalities.

Ahh, I think she has potential.😊

Just watched Ep. 1 (guess I have to wait for Viki scribes to do their thing with Ep. 2). This is my flavor of rom-com which is what I will need once Alchemy of Souls ends this weekend.

If they would simply give the other Three Seasons some spectacular stories/moments of courage and development - SEPARATE from JangUk/Naksu, I would be happy.

Expectation: Frozen Body appears. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

On a serious note:

LJW said: "the ending is something that you guys can't imagine.
JSM: "you might think it's almost over but you can only know by watching it till the end "

So, something tragic/heart-breaking and then. . . . one last scene with a positive "twist" (example: Mu-deok's jade egg appears on screen?) so that viewers will want to watch Season 2.

I realize he can shift his own soul - I've been wondering if he can shift/transfer souls between two other bodies - which is the basic "alchemy of souls" that this show revolves around.

w/r/t Master Lee, I thought the boy had died and therefor his soul was no longer in his body - so Master Lee was able to easily shift into it. I think the souls leave - but they can be "returned" through the alchemy of souls (perhaps like Bu-yeon? we really don't know exactly what happened with her original soul).

I re-read my notes and the discussion with Master Heo was about "alchemy of souls" and he indicated that it could be performed if one has mastered Hwansu. But so many other ice stone/Soul Ejector "rules" have been broken or ignored after 18 episodes that at this point I don't think we can rely on anything from the early episodes.

Question: Master Lee is at Hwansu level. Does that mean that if he wanted to, he could shift Naksu's soul from Bu-yeon's body into Naksu's body (if it still existed) and there would be no consequences (ie, running wild, etc)???

For weeks, I envisioned Jin Mu trying to do something when he realized that Jin Bu-yeon was alive in "Mu-deok's" body, but he would need the ice stone/Shaman Choi to do it (to avoid using Soul Ejector). Just wondering if Master Lee could do it.

I don't know anything about Kang Ha Neul except that he recently starred in "Insider" which looked fascinating but is clearly much too violent for my tender eyes and ears. Can't wait for a rom-com with the two of them. 😍

Looks like the amazing Jung So Min has a new project in the works. A romantic comedy titled "30 Days". 💕😍💕😍💕

https://twitter.com/Sominah4/status/1562321722358960130

I still haven't completed FNOS - Just wasn't able to handle the very emotional "good-byes" plus I loved the 2nd couple, and they didn't get the proper, emotional end.

However, now that AoS has essentially jumped the shark for me, I can probably handle FNOS if I hit the FF button at the right moments. I enjoy reading your posts that continue to promote FNOS - articulate, positive posts that aim to persuade rather than criticize. 😊

Other than a couple of sword scenes with Dang-gu, he has been back-benched to Jang Uk and Yul. The "Four Seasons" are apparently the "Two Seasons" (Winter and Fall). I am crossing my fingers that we will see more of Dang-gu(Summer) and Cho-yeon (Spring) in Season 2 but... . . . keeping my expectations very low.

Yes I agree it is "all in character". I understand the reasons. During the first 4 episodes, I thought the romance would be epic - but it never got there for me. I am careful not to criticize folks here on MDL who live for the romance. But I'm not obligated to like or admire the character. 😊

I don't like the character of Naksu. There - I said it. And the primary reason is that she hasn't shown any remorse for killing another woman and taking over her body. She's shown curiosity, but no remorse. But I blame the writers. I would have liked to see that remorse/guilty feelings much earlier in the show - but it never happened, so it ruined the character for me.

But then, I don't believe there is a real person "Naksu". She is a creation of Jin Mu thru false memories and with false memories and brainwashing. Survival is all she knows. The viewer might understand her and many admire her - but I, for one, have no obligation to like her.

Thanks for your reply - I remembered the moon scene in Ep. 2, but I thought it first "appeared" in the earlier scene - I absolutely did not catch that it was a fire cracker signal. The Ep. 15 scene isn't the one I'm thinking of - but I spent some time today trying to find it and maybe it was my imagination. 😊 Again, thanks for your help.

Not to mention "country-girl" Mudeok (different accent) . Plus - there is a striking difference (and I wonder if we will ever get an answer) between the blind-folded girl beside the river (with So-i) and the Bu-yeon talking to "Naksu" in the ice stone. And what an amazing scene that was - same actress and two completely different personalities.

Fellow Alchemists, I'm hoping someone can guide me to particular brief scene that was in the last 6-8 episodes.

I'm not sure where it occurred (somewhere within Daeho Fortress) or what was happening at the time. It was at night and dark - and then all of a sudden the clouds parted and the moon shone brightly. It was very similar to the scene in Ep. 1 where Songrim was battling the assassins and the full moon suddenly appeared when Dang-gu walked out on the bridge.

When it happened in a recent episode, I thought - this reminds me of Ep. 1. But I haven't been able to find it in a re-watch. Anyone remember?

Very interesting interview with Hwang Min Hyung that has been translated by a good soul on Twitter. A few tidbits about his role on AoS:

😕He was specifically instructed to not smile and be very blank-faced through all of the early episodes until his "confusion" scenes began. Other actors were allowed to ad-lib a bit or show off facial expressions, but he was prohibited.
😄He was originally asked to audition for the part of Jang Uk (!) but during audition said he would be a better fit for Yul (no joke!). Because of his dance training, he found the sword choreography easy to learn/memorize. [In one of his videos, he said AoS sought him out because he was already in good shape from his dance training.]
😎 They are nearing the end of filming.

https://twitter.com/alwaysmh89/status/1560995647561424897

Haha, I was just going to make that comment again (walk away from computer for a couple of hours and this place goes crazy) but saw you were nice enough to give me credit. 😍