This review may contain spoilers
A more traditional K Drama
To be clear, this contains spoilers so please view it as more of a discussion rather than recommendation - although I do recommend it.
Firstly to get it out of the way: I was so disappointed they changed the FL The chemistry between Jung So-min and Lee Jae-wook; and the character development that Mu Deok went through was well earned and amazing. I missed them just being together.
Secondly: Go Youn-jung is one of my favorite actresses and I thought she did a fine job here.
If they had of kept Jung So-min, the story would have been completely different. I get the need for a different actress or "face" to make the plot work.
Little did I know at the time of watching, was that Alchemy of Souls 2 was much more like a typical Korean drama. It was only the second K Drama I'd ever watched and I wasn't totally fed up with amnesia plots, interfering parents, miscommunications, and 3rd act separations.
This is a romance (A plot) with a fantasy backdrop of scheming & plotting (B Plot).
The show starts with introducing the two main leads (and supporting cast in a classic Joo Wol monologue.) It efficiently shows Jin Bu-yeon's isolation, and Jung Uk's heart ache and incredible power. Any viewer paying attention at the end of season one would understand that in season two Jin Bu-yeon is Mu Deok straight away. The eventual convoluted exposition about Jin Bu-yeon's energy and Naksu's soul and Naksu's face was too awkward and I believe most people would just accept that it happened without thinking too hard on it.
The fact that it started with Jung Uk being miserable and emotionally unavailable is great. The perfect continuation from season one. The audacity of having to continue living after all that sorrow. I like to imagine I could feel his relief at getting stabbed to death after Naksu returned. I also liked the idea that Jin Bu-yeon is an optimist. It's nice to think that she is who she might have become if not for the childhood trauma and being groomed into a lonely assassin.
I like how they get married straight away in a fateful continuation of their love story. I was disappointed that they diluted it later to an engagement. I also would have liked to see them stay together more solidly to tie in with that theme.
Whilst i understood Jang Uk had to express his sorrow and unavailability; as The Viewer, it was painful to watch how coldly he kept rebuffing Jin Bu-yeon knowing who she was and seeing her so earnest.
Whist I don't like amnesia plots now, back then I didn't find them so frustrating. Even so, I feel a better story would have been Jin Bu-youn discovers who she is much earlier - even if she didn't immediately tell Jang Uk, and so her efforts to quietly help heal and protect him would have carried much more weight. Instead they just bounce off each other a few times due to poor communication, parental disapproval etc. like a regular Kdrama.
I love-hated the idea that Seo Yul's response to dealing with his regrets in season one is not to help Naksu this time, but to kill her. I did not see it coming. I liked his relationship with So Yi and felt the tragedy of her death.
Jang Uk and Jin Bu-yeon sort their feelings out; learn who they are in time to be tragically separated again to save the world and then ultimately live happily ever after due to a Deus ex machina from Jin Seol-ran / actual Jin Bu-yeon. Which was mighty kind of her.
Park Jin was a lot more fun in this season providing more of an advisory humanistic roll. His and Maidservant Kim's arc was cute.
I did enjoy seeing the Unanimous Assembly along with Jin Mu get wasted although I would have liked a slower, more painful death for him.
Jang uk being super powerful and wiping everyone with a few sweeps of his sword was both cool and anticlimactic.
In conclusion, I'm glad they had a happy ending although A bigger epilogue would have been nice.
I wait with bated breath for Cha Beom's spinoff series where he's balding and middle-aged, living in some far-flung village, still trying to gather his energy up bit by bit whilst fighting off brigands and watering crops. Team, make it happen!
Firstly to get it out of the way: I was so disappointed they changed the FL The chemistry between Jung So-min and Lee Jae-wook; and the character development that Mu Deok went through was well earned and amazing. I missed them just being together.
Secondly: Go Youn-jung is one of my favorite actresses and I thought she did a fine job here.
If they had of kept Jung So-min, the story would have been completely different. I get the need for a different actress or "face" to make the plot work.
Little did I know at the time of watching, was that Alchemy of Souls 2 was much more like a typical Korean drama. It was only the second K Drama I'd ever watched and I wasn't totally fed up with amnesia plots, interfering parents, miscommunications, and 3rd act separations.
This is a romance (A plot) with a fantasy backdrop of scheming & plotting (B Plot).
The show starts with introducing the two main leads (and supporting cast in a classic Joo Wol monologue.) It efficiently shows Jin Bu-yeon's isolation, and Jung Uk's heart ache and incredible power. Any viewer paying attention at the end of season one would understand that in season two Jin Bu-yeon is Mu Deok straight away. The eventual convoluted exposition about Jin Bu-yeon's energy and Naksu's soul and Naksu's face was too awkward and I believe most people would just accept that it happened without thinking too hard on it.
The fact that it started with Jung Uk being miserable and emotionally unavailable is great. The perfect continuation from season one. The audacity of having to continue living after all that sorrow. I like to imagine I could feel his relief at getting stabbed to death after Naksu returned. I also liked the idea that Jin Bu-yeon is an optimist. It's nice to think that she is who she might have become if not for the childhood trauma and being groomed into a lonely assassin.
I like how they get married straight away in a fateful continuation of their love story. I was disappointed that they diluted it later to an engagement. I also would have liked to see them stay together more solidly to tie in with that theme.
Whilst i understood Jang Uk had to express his sorrow and unavailability; as The Viewer, it was painful to watch how coldly he kept rebuffing Jin Bu-yeon knowing who she was and seeing her so earnest.
Whist I don't like amnesia plots now, back then I didn't find them so frustrating. Even so, I feel a better story would have been Jin Bu-youn discovers who she is much earlier - even if she didn't immediately tell Jang Uk, and so her efforts to quietly help heal and protect him would have carried much more weight. Instead they just bounce off each other a few times due to poor communication, parental disapproval etc. like a regular Kdrama.
I love-hated the idea that Seo Yul's response to dealing with his regrets in season one is not to help Naksu this time, but to kill her. I did not see it coming. I liked his relationship with So Yi and felt the tragedy of her death.
Jang Uk and Jin Bu-yeon sort their feelings out; learn who they are in time to be tragically separated again to save the world and then ultimately live happily ever after due to a Deus ex machina from Jin Seol-ran / actual Jin Bu-yeon. Which was mighty kind of her.
Park Jin was a lot more fun in this season providing more of an advisory humanistic roll. His and Maidservant Kim's arc was cute.
I did enjoy seeing the Unanimous Assembly along with Jin Mu get wasted although I would have liked a slower, more painful death for him.
Jang uk being super powerful and wiping everyone with a few sweeps of his sword was both cool and anticlimactic.
In conclusion, I'm glad they had a happy ending although A bigger epilogue would have been nice.
I wait with bated breath for Cha Beom's spinoff series where he's balding and middle-aged, living in some far-flung village, still trying to gather his energy up bit by bit whilst fighting off brigands and watering crops. Team, make it happen!
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