A complicated, convoluted, interesting, fast-paced story with lots of characters, CGI, stunts and color. It was beautifully filmed. I loved the color palettes used, the juxtaposition of the lights and darks to represent good and evil. The scenery was beautiful, the stunts and CGI were really good and I was all in until the end of episode 19. I will come clean and say that I’m not a historical drama lover and I don’t go out of my way to watch action/fantasy. Give me a good romance and we’ll call it a day. I loved how we got a bit of 21st century in the way they talked at times, as well as with the hair and makeup for the cast. THANK YOU for not putting all the men in the giant, ridiculous hats. The hairstyles were pretty much current, without all the extra, complicated ornamentation that they tend to use in historicals.
THE CAST was really good overall, but the standouts for me were:
Lee Jae Wook as Uk. Played immature very well, and I really liked watching him grow into his powers. He’s gorgeous to watch and he’s subtle. I am fascinated by him for some reason, I've liked him in everything I've seen of his. PLEASE make him a ML in a true, honest-to-goodness 21st century romance!
Jung So Min as MuDeok. She did amazing things using only her eyes and facial expressions. I could totally buy into her role, and becoming more human as she went along. She was able to change from being the master to the servant in such a way that you weren’t pulled out of the drama. I have liked her in all the roles I've seen her in, she's very natural.
Hwang Min Hyun as Seo Yul. For the first few episodes, all I could think of was Che Eun Woo every time he was on screen. That eventually went away, and I loved his acting. This was another part that required subtlety, using eyes and micro expressions. My heart hurt for his character. Strangely, I cried for him.
Shin Seung Ho as Go Won. Initially, he was kind of a caricature, larger than life, obvious makeup, stiff hair that looked like a football helmet. I thought, “Oh, I’m going to hate him.” His character was wonderful, and I liked the bromance between him and Uk.
Jo Jae Yoon as Jin Mu. I think I’ve only ever seen him as a bad guy, but boy, does he do it well! With that silver hair and that ice stare of his, he was creepy.

Characters/writing: There was a lot to keep track of, but I didn’t really feel like anyone was a throwaway. The writing was necessarily confusing, with all that was going on and I felt like I needed a flow chart for the towns, the characters, and the convoluted love stories (past and present). I loved how the characters called each other by their first names.
Chemistry: I can see why romance is third on the list of tags. If asked, romance wouldn’t be the first word I would use to describe Alchemy of Souls. However, the romance was wonderful from the standpoint that the leads had absolutely no idea how to go about being in a relationship. Their foreplay was arguing, and they did it well. Kisses – just wow. I also really liked the chemistry between MuDeok and Seo Yul, and MuDeok and Go Won.
Music: Fabulous OST. From the haunting opening song, the powerful instrumentals that sound like they are making use of Taiko drums, to the vocal tracks, the music fit perfectly. BIG Naughty’s Love Letter, is beautiful and dreamy. Gummy whispers her way through Raindrops. Car, the Garden’s Scars Leave Beautiful Trace fit perfectly with the Joseon feel of the drama. Jeong Sewoon, Just Watching You – I think he could sing the dictionary and I would be enthralled.
Rewatch value: This is low for me, because romance wasn’t the driving force.
Ending: RANT and SPOILER!! From a romance standpoint, episode 19 was wonderful, because after all the darkness, bloodshed and evil, we got an episode full of sweetness and light. This drama could have ended on episode 19 and I would have been perfectly happy. But noooo, you had to go there, you couldn’t let people be happy! The ending was set up specifically for a second season, which really irritated me. I hate open endings, I hate cliffhangers, and I hate being forced to watch another season of a drama that pretty much tied things up. So, I’m thinking season two will create more of the same problems that our main characters have already gone through. Of course, I have to watch it just to see what happens, and I’ll try to reserve judgment.
Should you watch it or not? I’d say definitely, especially if you are into historical dramas, fantasy and action.