1. Soo Jae and Yoo Na- Soo Jae's mother seems to be totally against Yoo Na now.- It is also starting to look like…
It's ironic how the first became the last, and the last became the first. Or, in this case, the pace-setter for the marriage race is now the catalyst that might mess everything up.
Yeah, once it blows up … it's going to be a domino effect. How each individual, and each families, will react and handle it will truly be the test of their respective relationships.
Very RPG like. Korea produced many video-game in the high-fantasy genre.
Yep. I like the the king's court top-view camera angle. Reminded me of the isometric view in the classic Ultima series (Ultima 4, 5, 6, and 7). Hehehe.
Then how they incorporated Chinese style sword fighting with Western style magic. Rarely seen in fantasy. One can truly say this is Asian fantasy, or what fantasy really is … it's borderless!
And yeah, RPG, in video games no one whines about "cultural appropriation", it just is. I miss the times when "copying" and building upon was welcomed because it means they see your culture as influential, important, and unique.
For me, this is what Alchemy of Souls is. West meets East. Fusion of cultures.
Exactly! Whenever they attempt something new, they push it as far as they can. For example, Space Sweepers.
In other countries, if it's untested waters, they hold back instead of giving everything they got. In the end, it flops.
Maybe another reason is, they're backed by Netflix. I mean, again, Space Sweepers. To add another, Squid Game--although I'm not a fan of it, they did give their all.
Looks like they can produce high quality shows that rivals other nations as long as they're backed by someone solid … no matter what. I guess we can say the same with the recent Apple-backed shows (like Snowdrop, they pushed on because Apple backed them up and trolls can't force Apple the way they can with local brands).
Going back, I also like the simplicity of the set. It's not grand, with huge buildings and empty space (common in Chinese and Korean period dramas); or huge walls that only giants can possibly build (like in most Western fantasy). They just stayed to realistic sets without sacrificing the feeling of "grand" or "epicness".
They also used the colours well. In many Chinese and Korean period dramas, the colors are usually subdued, they concentrate more on the outfits; in Western fantasy, it's always dark, brown, black, dark green. In Alchemy of Souls, they made sure the colors are prominent which sets the environment and the aura of the scene.
And the BGM, perfect timing and perfect score for each scene so far.
Another thing I noticed, they experiment with camera angles. That King's Court top-view shot was amazing. It was like playing a video game, lols.
I just hope they can maintain what they set us to expect. I've seen other shows (not just K-dramas, elsewhere too) where they set the expectations high in the first two to three episodes, but failed to maintain it in the succeeding episodes.
1. Soo Jae and Yoo Na- Soo Jae's mother seems to be totally against Yoo Na now.- It is also starting to look like…
Oh yeah, the marriage race. That's going to throw off the other two women, especially Mi Rae's mom. Even if Mi Rae's mom is removed as a factor, Mi Rae herself will have second thoughts, what with her failed first marriage.
The rating is not low, it happens with MDL a usual fault. It will be adjusted in few days. This is one of the…
They did switch bodies for 7 days. The king, in Jang Kang's body, got Jang Kang's wife pregnant.
Nine months later, she gave birth to Jang Uk. Jang Kang sealed the magic of Jang Uk. Possible reason is that something Jang Uk is the only living human being with the most opened magic pathways. His future will be very dangerous, either he goes dark or goes good.
Jang Kang left to train himself and study more, possibly looking for ways to keep Jang Uk under control or prevent him from going to the dark side.
Or, maybe there's a curse.
Another is, because they switched bodies, Jang Uk was conceived not only naturally but also of dark energies … which would explain why his wife died at childbirth.
Bottomline, Jang Kang is fearing something very very very very bad. Jang Uk probably possess the strongest dark energy in history. He is probably the fulfillment of a legend or prophecy too (which made Jang Kang fear him).
Alchemy of Souls (환혼) is Dungeons & Dragons meets East Asian high fantasy.
What is a grand city with huge walls, busy scenes, and CGI effects if the characters are shallow and the story is all over the place? This Asian high fantasy is a live-action show with depth of story, character development, solid background/history, simplicity in design yet with strong visuals, qualities missing in many Western high fantasy live-action films and TV series.
Yeah, much better to have a season 2. I mean, episode 1 alone clearly changed the game on live-action fantasy production and story.
Not even Chinese and Western fantasy can match episode 1, how much more the entire series and there is no doubt they'll continually push the standards higher.
And we finally reach the "conflict" part, or in this case … the part when things start to breakdown.A good story…
1. Soo Jae and Yoo Na
- Soo Jae's mother seems to be totally against Yoo Na now.
- It is also starting to look like someone is going to snatch Yoo Na's love.
- But once the their mother's real father is revealed, she will more likely be against her son and Yoo Na's relationship (if they ever end up together). So maybe, Soo Jae and Yoo Na will get back together … if Soo Jae's mother will forgive them.
2. Hyun Jae and Mi Rae
- In episode 25 preview: Looks like Mi Rae's mother won't like Hyun Jae.
- Also, once Mi Rae's mother learns who her real father is and Hyun Jae's connection with the father she despises for leaving her, she will definitely go against Hyun Jae and Mi Rae's relationship.
3. Yoon Jae and Hae Jun
- Yoon Jae's mother had a bad first impression about Hae Jun. And we all know that "first impression lasts".
- Yoon Jae's mother will also view it as "lying" to her, what with what Soo Jae and Yoo Na did, even though Yoon Jae and Hae Jun did not lie about anything.
4. Mi Rae's mother and her real father
- This is going to be a real conflict too. She hates his real father for leaving her.
- Once this is revealed, her mother-in-law will definitely hate her too. Her mother-in-law approved her only because she thought she came from a good bloodline (not 'family').
- She and her husband might also get into conflict.
- Then there is also her husband's sister coming back to Korea. She's going to add to the problems, especially since they already hinted how much of a headache she can be.
And we finally reach the "conflict" part, or in this case … the part when things start to breakdown.
A good story always go this way: Intro > Setup/Happy/Normal > Conflict > Restoration/Reconciliation/Resolution > Ending (happy or sad).
We are now at the "Conflict" part. Probably episodes 24 to 34. Then Restoration/Reconciliation/Resolution will be episodes 35 to 48. Ending at Episodes 49-50.
im 50/50 between jayden and yoona's dad and her dad only because they mentioned he had some sort of heart surgery
Yeah, I'm suspecting Yoo Na's father too.
Jayden is also a possible candidate, what with his character … probably got into an accident and received the heart. But something is not right, I think the timeline. At least so far the clues seems to point that he was supposedly in the US that time.
Something is definitely fishy with Jayden, he knows something too about the secret of the hospital and seems to be trying to bring down their value so he can do a hostile takeover and in a very low price.
If it's Yoo Na's father, it will be an interesting twist. Will Jayden protect Yoo Na, or will he leave her alone since he got what he wants?
Finally! I've been waiting for Lady Jung to say, "I will keep him in check".It is the only way to guarantee the…
If the reason for the death of the late queen is revealed at the wrong time, it will also be revealed that the king kept quiet about the truth which led to the deaths of a clan.
This will put the king in danger, as well as Lady Jung, because her identity will also be revealed and it can be used against her as well.
But if Councilor Park remains in power, he will be able to shield Lady Jung from the aftermath even if the king is deposed or his authority is further weakened.
The reason why the king is not revealing the truth is because he knows full well of the aftermath. It is a very dangerous gamble. He may gain absolute monarchy, then reveal the truth, if he still can not get his way, he will pass down a decision bordering on tyranny just to protect Lady Jung … which, I'm sure you can think of what may happen next.
It is to their advantage: 1. Lady Jung keeps the king in check 2. Councilor Park remains in power, because Park also wants Jung to be the next Queen.
Interesting hint. The stalker and his sister could possibly be twins too. His sister cried for days because she suddenly can no longer feel the "presence" of her younger twin brother, just like how Gye Hoon felt when his younger twin sister died.
Them revealing how the stalker died is a welcome one. It means that they are not going to concentrate that, they're moving on to the other stories and the meaty part of the show.
They also dropped who got the knife and how it ended up with them … her husband was the taxi driver who gave the final blow to the stalker.
Meanwhile, the sister of the stalker is looking at the wrong areas for clues … probably building a case which leads to the FL being the prime suspect once she shares it, engulfing the town into a bad light, bringing back the unsolved case of the ML's sister, and who knows what other bad luck.
There is also the question on what exactly the FL's parents are hiding. So far, it's pointing out that they were ex-assassins. But in episode 4, it seems that they were not and the FL's mother probably killed her husband accidentally because he was beating her (or maybe the grandmother did).
This town have a lot of secrets, and it looks like the entire show will be about revealing those secrets. They'll all probably end up in jail when those secrets are revealed, with the final blow being who kidnapped the ML's sister and possibly murdered her.
1 
Yeah, once it blows up … it's going to be a domino effect. How each individual, and each families, will react and handle it will truly be the test of their respective relationships.
Then how they incorporated Chinese style sword fighting with Western style magic. Rarely seen in fantasy. One can truly say this is Asian fantasy, or what fantasy really is … it's borderless!
And yeah, RPG, in video games no one whines about "cultural appropriation", it just is. I miss the times when "copying" and building upon was welcomed because it means they see your culture as influential, important, and unique.
For me, this is what Alchemy of Souls is. West meets East. Fusion of cultures.
In other countries, if it's untested waters, they hold back instead of giving everything they got. In the end, it flops.
Maybe another reason is, they're backed by Netflix. I mean, again, Space Sweepers. To add another, Squid Game--although I'm not a fan of it, they did give their all.
Looks like they can produce high quality shows that rivals other nations as long as they're backed by someone solid … no matter what. I guess we can say the same with the recent Apple-backed shows (like Snowdrop, they pushed on because Apple backed them up and trolls can't force Apple the way they can with local brands).
Going back, I also like the simplicity of the set. It's not grand, with huge buildings and empty space (common in Chinese and Korean period dramas); or huge walls that only giants can possibly build (like in most Western fantasy). They just stayed to realistic sets without sacrificing the feeling of "grand" or "epicness".
They also used the colours well. In many Chinese and Korean period dramas, the colors are usually subdued, they concentrate more on the outfits; in Western fantasy, it's always dark, brown, black, dark green. In Alchemy of Souls, they made sure the colors are prominent which sets the environment and the aura of the scene.
And the BGM, perfect timing and perfect score for each scene so far.
Another thing I noticed, they experiment with camera angles. That King's Court top-view shot was amazing. It was like playing a video game, lols.
I just hope they can maintain what they set us to expect. I've seen other shows (not just K-dramas, elsewhere too) where they set the expectations high in the first two to three episodes, but failed to maintain it in the succeeding episodes.
Hopefully they won't make that mistake.
And yeah, anticlimactic.
Nine months later, she gave birth to Jang Uk. Jang Kang sealed the magic of Jang Uk. Possible reason is that something Jang Uk is the only living human being with the most opened magic pathways. His future will be very dangerous, either he goes dark or goes good.
Jang Kang left to train himself and study more, possibly looking for ways to keep Jang Uk under control or prevent him from going to the dark side.
Or, maybe there's a curse.
Another is, because they switched bodies, Jang Uk was conceived not only naturally but also of dark energies … which would explain why his wife died at childbirth.
Bottomline, Jang Kang is fearing something very very very very bad. Jang Uk probably possess the strongest dark energy in history. He is probably the fulfillment of a legend or prophecy too (which made Jang Kang fear him).
What is a grand city with huge walls, busy scenes, and CGI effects if the characters are shallow and the story is all over the place? This Asian high fantasy is a live-action show with depth of story, character development, solid background/history, simplicity in design yet with strong visuals, qualities missing in many Western high fantasy live-action films and TV series.
https://im.youronly.one/snoworld/watch-alchemy-of-souls-2022170/
Not even Chinese and Western fantasy can match episode 1, how much more the entire series and there is no doubt they'll continually push the standards higher.
- Soo Jae's mother seems to be totally against Yoo Na now.
- It is also starting to look like someone is going to snatch Yoo Na's love.
- But once the their mother's real father is revealed, she will more likely be against her son and Yoo Na's relationship (if they ever end up together). So maybe, Soo Jae and Yoo Na will get back together … if Soo Jae's mother will forgive them.
2. Hyun Jae and Mi Rae
- In episode 25 preview: Looks like Mi Rae's mother won't like Hyun Jae.
- Also, once Mi Rae's mother learns who her real father is and Hyun Jae's connection with the father she despises for leaving her, she will definitely go against Hyun Jae and Mi Rae's relationship.
3. Yoon Jae and Hae Jun
- Yoon Jae's mother had a bad first impression about Hae Jun. And we all know that "first impression lasts".
- Yoon Jae's mother will also view it as "lying" to her, what with what Soo Jae and Yoo Na did, even though Yoon Jae and Hae Jun did not lie about anything.
4. Mi Rae's mother and her real father
- This is going to be a real conflict too. She hates his real father for leaving her.
- Once this is revealed, her mother-in-law will definitely hate her too. Her mother-in-law approved her only because she thought she came from a good bloodline (not 'family').
- She and her husband might also get into conflict.
- Then there is also her husband's sister coming back to Korea. She's going to add to the problems, especially since they already hinted how much of a headache she can be.
A good story always go this way: Intro > Setup/Happy/Normal > Conflict > Restoration/Reconciliation/Resolution > Ending (happy or sad).
We are now at the "Conflict" part. Probably episodes 24 to 34. Then Restoration/Reconciliation/Resolution will be episodes 35 to 48. Ending at Episodes 49-50.
Jayden is also a possible candidate, what with his character … probably got into an accident and received the heart. But something is not right, I think the timeline. At least so far the clues seems to point that he was supposedly in the US that time.
Something is definitely fishy with Jayden, he knows something too about the secret of the hospital and seems to be trying to bring down their value so he can do a hostile takeover and in a very low price.
If it's Yoo Na's father, it will be an interesting twist. Will Jayden protect Yoo Na, or will he leave her alone since he got what he wants?
hwansang (환상) is similar to the Chinese xuánhuàn (玄幻)
1. Jayden Lee
2. Yoo Na
3. Father of Yoo Na
4. Bodyguard/Secretary of Jayden Lee (LOLs but who knows?)
hahahahha =))
This will put the king in danger, as well as Lady Jung, because her identity will also be revealed and it can be used against her as well.
But if Councilor Park remains in power, he will be able to shield Lady Jung from the aftermath even if the king is deposed or his authority is further weakened.
The reason why the king is not revealing the truth is because he knows full well of the aftermath. It is a very dangerous gamble. He may gain absolute monarchy, then reveal the truth, if he still can not get his way, he will pass down a decision bordering on tyranny just to protect Lady Jung … which, I'm sure you can think of what may happen next.
It is to their advantage:
1. Lady Jung keeps the king in check
2. Councilor Park remains in power, because Park also wants Jung to be the next Queen.
Them revealing how the stalker died is a welcome one. It means that they are not going to concentrate that, they're moving on to the other stories and the meaty part of the show.
They also dropped who got the knife and how it ended up with them … her husband was the taxi driver who gave the final blow to the stalker.
Meanwhile, the sister of the stalker is looking at the wrong areas for clues … probably building a case which leads to the FL being the prime suspect once she shares it, engulfing the town into a bad light, bringing back the unsolved case of the ML's sister, and who knows what other bad luck.
There is also the question on what exactly the FL's parents are hiding. So far, it's pointing out that they were ex-assassins. But in episode 4, it seems that they were not and the FL's mother probably killed her husband accidentally because he was beating her (or maybe the grandmother did).
This town have a lot of secrets, and it looks like the entire show will be about revealing those secrets. They'll all probably end up in jail when those secrets are revealed, with the final blow being who kidnapped the ML's sister and possibly murdered her.