Alchemy of Souls: Part 2 (2022)

This Is like the best drama i have ever Seen it's so good the story everything about it Is Just perfect and i love the main actors chemistry good cast So Younjung Is really a good actress i loved her as Naksu than Mudeok and Lee Jae wook Is the generation of futur actor. I Just Hope they will have a Happy ending cause both Naksu and Jang Ku deserves It i don't want them to cry anymore. I Will like to see Lee Jae wook ans So Younjung on another drama as lead cause they both have good chemistry their acting is so natural that you can thing they're both together in real Life.

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A MASTERPIECE

I liked a lot this drama. I love cast. I think that characters with the actors were suitable. Lee jae wook is my favourite one, although all the cast was my favourite. I believed in the last episodes that the ending will be also bad for the charactes but aftet all not only was happy but also completed. The most completed drama ever. The story also was original and had fantasy that anyones couldn't imagine. I wanted better music for this plot, but actually the visual fx was the best. I recommend to everyone see this drama for the cast and the plot. Especially, the second season was better and you could see even though you didn't saw the first one.

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thoughts on the alchemy of souls franchise

i was bawling my eyes out for the majority of the final episode scenes. midway, i honestly thought a happy ending would no longer be possible. uk & yeong were genuinely happily spending their limited time in danhyanggok, but this just made me cry :(((( plus, that scene wherein park jin had to close the door to jinyowon so that no more relics would escape, but had to sacrifice her wife for that matter :((((( & that scene where yeong said i love you while recalling her last moment as mudeok :(((((((( & died afterwards. felt so much loneliness for jang uk :((((((((( he’s all alone now. tears wouldn’t stop flowing at this point.

things i love about the whole series
1. they showed that love transcends the physical appearance. jang uk loved cho yeong as mudeok, the one he first fell in love with, & as buyeon, the girl whose memory was wiped & asked him to be her husband.
2. during the first episodes of season 2 i was dreading that jang uk learns of jin buyeon’s true identity asap. i was kinda irritated with how hostile he was towards her. i could not understand why they would reveal her identity at the latter episodes. at some point, jang uk fell in love with jin buyeon & i came to understand the reason for this. the hong sisters wanted to show that jang uk loved both versions of cho yeong. they didn’t want jang uk liking jin buyeon (cho yeong) only because she was mudeok, but for what she truly is, or what she could have been if jinmu didn’t raise her as an assassin.
3. the whole character arc of crown prince go. i’m sooo glad they didn’t turn him evil because he was such a lovely character. + the yeong & crown prince dynamic!!
4. seo yul!! also glad they didn’t follow the second lead-turning-bad-at-the-latter-episodes arc. he was innately good
5. storyline-wise, i love how it was written. there’s so much to unpack in the drama—the foreshadowing, the plot, the characters. it was all soooo well-written.
6. am not a fan of fantasy dramas because, i guess, the editing looks all so weird to me. but i love the cinematography on this one.

kudos to the hong sisters. this was a drama for the books. 100/10. probably my favorite drama of the year!!

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Short Answer to "Should you watch it?"

I see why people are saying season 1 was better and all but season 1 was the prequel for a reason, and season 2 the is part for which they wanted to create for a happy ending which made sense instead or rushing it in the first season. I would say this season was quite fitting as a sequel to the masterpiece which was the first season. Definitely a good watch!

I think this was nice form the writers as I would rather they have this season then not and leave the watchers in the dark or even worse make a rushed version in the first season.

As far as my opinion matters I would say its a good watch if you wanna see the great ending the writers concocted. This season was not made to be watched on its own but to be a sequel to the previous one and in that aspect it hit the mark.

Slight heads up! The re-watch rating is not accurate as I personally don't re-watch any shows again so its just done for the sake of the rating so I've given it a fair rating.

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Unpopular Opinion: Better than Part One.

I know this is an incredibly unpopular opinion, but I preferred this season to the last. LET ME EXPLAIN!

One thing I will say is that I loved Jung So Min's portrayal of Naksu/Mudeok in Season 1, but I also really enjoyed the Season 2 portrayal, which reminded me of a Rapunzel-esque character who is locked away with no memories and thus kept childlike/innocent. I think the new female lead portrayed that pretty well. So this was not a major point of contention for me.

Regarding the other actors, I think Arin improved a lot, especially in portraying Jin Cho Yeon's forced maturing and JinYoWon's closing to outsiders. Jang Uk's portrayal was also really great, describing how Naksu's death impacted him and guided his character growth.

Personally, I prefer shorter drama, and the 20 episodes to me felt like it dragged on for a bit, so I for sure preferred the 10 episodes instead.

However, I will also argue that I am mildly put off and confused by the explanation of Jin BuYeon and Naksu's identity. Like from my understanding:
Bodies - Mudeok, Jin BuYeon
Souls - Mudeok, Naksu, Jin BuYeon

I am confused about whether Jin Buyeon's body was already inhabited by Naksu from the beginning or whether Naksu is JinBuyeon.

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surreal

"Ele é a luz que protege o mundo e ela é a sombra que o protege e absorve a escuridão em volta dele" te amei muito alquimia das almas 🌟❤️‍🩹.

Em luto porque a Coreia provavelmente nunca conseguirá reproduzir uma obra tão grandiosa como essa.

tudo sobre essa história é completamente avassalador, os personagens, os dilemas, as tramas e a construção de todo o enredo em si, muito inteligente. Enquanto a primeira temporada foi melhor, a segunda também não me deixou de surpreender.

Alchemy of Souls é um dorama pra se apaixonar, chorar e sofrer porque nunca serei um mago poderoso de Songrim ou uma sacerdotisa com poderes divinos de Jiwowyn.

Sou apaixonada por romances e esse foi avassalador e devastador da melhor forma possível, é muito visível o quanto eles se amam e necessitam um do outro. Desde o primeiro episódio eles se cuidam e mantém um ao outro vivos e eu acho isso muito especial, esse sentimento é surreal e de outras vidas. Me apaixonei pela Cho yeong e Jang Uk, me cativaram de verdade. Já estou com saudades painhos amo demais voceeeess meu jovem mestre preguiçoso e minha mestra impiedosa.

Realmente, é melhor morrer do que não fazer nada minha rainha Mu-deok! ❤️‍🔥.

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How to rate a drama where the first part had me at the edge of my seat, while the second part almost lulled me to sleep? Hence my dilemma with Alchemy of Souls. I wasn’t sure where part two went wrong, or was it because part one was so amazing, it was hard to replicate the same excitement when I watched it?

The bad of Part 2:

- Though the leads are physically attractive, Jang Uk and Bu Yeon didn’t have the same spark as Jang Uk and Mu Deok.

- The pacing in this one dragged endlessly despite its short length. They spent more time wallowing than fighting.

- All this soul-shifting back and forth, like jumping from one body to the next, that defies the laws of fictional logic? How can the drama just explain away why in this instance, it’s okay to shift, but in that instance it’s not? I can’t keep up anymore with whose body belongs to which soul and whose soul is now inside which body.

- As for the secondary characters, it looked like everyone was just there for the sake of being there and going through the motions. You know which character that caught my interest? The god-damn turtle!

- And all the reminiscing. What’s the point? Am I supposed to believe that Jang Uk grew fond of Bu Yeon, because she’s Bu Yeon, or because she exhibits Naksu’s mannerisms and thoughts?

Part 2 Verdict: A shadow of Part 1. (8 out of 10)

Combined score: 9 out of 10.

Overall impression: Should have stopped at Part 1.

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just legendary

I don't even know where to start with this one. "Alchemy of Souls" totally blew my expectations out of the water and basically set a whole new standard for K-dramas. Honestly, I'm worried I won't be able to enjoy any other drama now without comparing it to this gem.

I stumbled upon Season 1 of "Alchemy of Souls" when it popped up on my Netflix recommended list, and let me tell you, Go Yoon Jung as "Naksu" had me hooked right away with her killer looks.

What really got me was how the creators of the show introduced this whole magical world in a made-up country called Daeho. Every episode left me hanging on the edge of my seat with those epic cliffhangers. I actually felt a bit bummed every time an episode ended. I mean, it was a blast watching Naksu (played by Jung So-Min) teach all those different magical skills in Season 1, from Jipsu to Ryusu, Chisu, and finally Hwansu.

Now, let's talk Season 2. I bumped up my rating for it because the chemistry between the main characters was off the charts. Idk... the chemistry between Jae Wook and Yoon Jung just seemed a lot closer to me than Jae Wook with So Min. I get it, Naksu's character evolved a lot and leaned more towards Bu Yeon's style, but I was all for this new, assertive version of her. It was such a breath of fresh air seeing a character who wasn't afraid to speak up and go after what she wanted. Something a lot of K-dramas are missing these days – good ol' communication!

I'm not kidding when I say this is the only drama that's left me in withdrawal mode for weeks on end. Solid 10/10 in my book.

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The season was way too short, otherwise it's perfect

I was nervous when I realized the MFL was replaced due to the story progression. I wouldn't say the FL was "recast" since this actress also played the same character in the first season, but she comes back in season 2 to take center stage.
First, the lead actress here is an absolute delight. I LOVED the main actress from the first season, she's one of my favorites, and I missed her funny facial expressions and sass in this season, but I didn't feel overall upset or like I missed out. In the end, and given the direction of the story, the new actress (who, I guess, isn't technically new) was phenomenal and brought her own color to the character which was neither better or worse than the original, just different.
The ML was awesome, as expected, and a bit darker in this season, which I loved. It was great to see his character mature and struggle in new ways.
The lovestory and overall story arc felt rushed, however, and that's why I had to take off a half star. If this had been 2-4 more episodes, where they spent more time building the narrative, it would've been an easy 10.

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um amor para além da carne: um amor de almas.

essa é uma história que vai além dos romances tradicionais. a segunda temporada aprofundou muito a personalidade do protagonista masculino, e de maneira geral foi melhor que a primeira. é impressionante também como a Naksu modifica sua atuação antes/depois dela descobrir quem ela é.
Para aqueles resistentes em assistir esse drama devido a mudança da atriz, digo uma coisa: Naksu na primeira temporada estava em um corpo que não era dela. nesta temporada, ela agora está em um corpo que tem sua aparência. fico feliz até, pois ela merece se sentir bem dentro do corpo que está.
claro, Jang Uk um perfeito apaixonado: consegue amar repetidamente a mesma mulher, independente de sua aparência ou de mudanças de personalidade.
de fato, um amor para além da carne um amor dr almas.

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Despite shortcomings, still an enjoyable watch

STORY 8.0/10
Season 2 falls short of the narrative strength seen in season 1, with both old and new storylines feeling drawn out. I wish the overall series had a shorter episode count in order to enhance pacing and storytelling. Introducing a new villain with different motives could have injected fresh energy into season 2, because I got tired of the same politicking and drama that carried over from season 1.

Romance took a bit more screen time this season, but it still felt somewhat rushed. It still falls victim to some tropes as well as cheesy and contrived moments. Despite these shortcomings, however, the chemistry between the leads kept me watching.

After the incidents of season 1, I welcomed the change in the male lead's character. I loved his tortured angst compared to his hot-headed naivete in season 1. He also became so bad-ass after the 3 year time jump.

Some viewers griped about the female lead's shift in personality, but I think the writers did it intentionally by reversing the dynamic between the male lead and female lead. It's showcasing their complementary yin-yang natures between seasons. In season 1, the female lead was more calculating and clever while the male lead was more naive and carefree. In season 2, the male lead became the clever one while the female lead became more playful and carefree. The female lead also took initiative in pursuing the male lead romantically in season 2, while he was the one who pursued her in season 1. Although the female lead lost her mage powers, she gained divine powers instead which complemented the male lead's powers. Ultimately, I think the changes to the female lead worked out fine and they support the duality theme of the show.

ACTING/CAST 9/10
The supporting cast is notably neglected. This was a shame, because they were so enjoyable to watch in season 1.

The romantic chemistry between the leads significantly improved and I enjoyed every moment they were on-screen together. I believe Go Youn Jung is just more compatible with Lee Jae Wook on-screen.

MUSIC 10/10
Great soundtrack and I liked the pop ballads in this season more than in season 1.

REWATCH VALUE 8.5/10
While the overarching storyline is not as engaging as season 1 and a lot of side characters were neglected, I absolutely loved seeing the two leads together in this season. I would rewatch this season just to see them together again.

OVERALL 9/10
Issues from season 1 are still present in season 2, such as pacing and storytelling issues as well as contrived tropes. Conclusions to some plot lines and the final confrontation at the end of the series also felt underwhelming despite all the build up over 2 seasons. But overall, the series was still an enjoyable watch. I especially enjoyed watching the two leads together on-screen. I would love to see Lee Jae Wook and Go Youn Jung leading another series together because they looked amazing together and their chemistry was phenomenal. I binge watched both seasons consecutively and will dearly miss the world of Daeho and this cast.

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