Alquimia das Almas (2022)

Alchemy of Souls is everything a fantasy story should be (plus some)

I am a lover of fantasy in pretty much all forms of media but wasn't sure I wanted to start such a long on-air drama, especially since it was going to be split into two seasons. After all, how much story is there to tell in that genre that hasn't been done before? I am so glad I did. Alchemy of Souls (AoS) does just about everything right; from successfully portraying complex morally grey characters, to creating a detailed but digestible fantasy background.

Every character in this drama has serious flaws (don't we all), but the audience gets to grow with them as the story progresses. It is so seamless and unforced, that you don't even realize how much the characters have developed until they are confronted by one of their original weaknesses (ie-Naksu constantly being presented with opportunities to *unalive* people). The actors have such amazing chemistry together and are giving impeccable performances, allowing these characters to have so much depth and personality that you're constantly hypnotized regardless of the plot. In writing it can be easy to rely on either the characters *or* the plot, especially when in a fantasy narrative. However, here we have a truly seamless blend, where it feels like each is just as important as the other.

The characters have to make choices that give you pause, thinking about what you would do if you were there; there is often not a black and white "good versus evil" choice. The prime example of this is Naksu's whole ~body~ situation; we all kind of want her to stay as we know her, but is that really the "right" choice? Or even the main ~romance~ storyline; seeing their relationship develop, and how well they mature and get to know each other. They are both often forced to give pause and think about what they want, versus how it will impact the other. In my personal opinion, this kind of moral complexity, the kind that is so subtle but forces the audience to subconsciously engage with the story on a deeper level, is the trademark of good storytelling. And while this isn't especially easy to achieve in novel form, I think it is much more difficult to portray on television, when you can just *show* people what they are supposed to think. AoS does an amazing job with this.

"People can be very foolish.” – Crown Prince

“They are not foolish. They are frightened.” – Jang Uk

I love myself a good fantasy novel or movie, but so often it can be intimidating to even understand what is happening due to all the lore; AoS definitely has a lot of this to catch up on, but they spread out a lot of the lore through the story. Uk's character is especially good for this; he grew up in the world but was constantly shut out from truly understanding it. The audience gets to learn about the important details as he does. Side note, I love the incorporation of modern fashion in the character designs. It brings new life to the historically inspired fantasy style, and I think it makes the whole world feel quite fresh and engaging, without trying too hard. Despite the length of episodes, I find myself very rarely skipping through scenes (I'm looking at you, So-Yi).

I definitely think this is a drama that is truly elite to watch while airing, as the world is so new that the excitement and suspense can really be felt as it is quite unpredictable. It is not without its flaws or plot holes, but it is rare to find a drama (especially one this long) that feels so fresh and exciting, that you don't even think about hitting that "skip ahead" button. I certainly see myself rewatching this later in preparation for Season 2... I won't lie, as a fan of the Hong Sister's previous dramas, I am getting a bit nervous about this ending...so I decided to write the review before I potentially cried over this story, hah!

“Some things are hard to see because they are hidden, not because they do not exist.” – Jang Uk

Leia Mais

Great Build Up.. Disappointing Pay Off... Full of Huge Plotholes

Took two of the most powerful and badass characters in the show and combined them.. then turned her into a stupid useless damsel in distress for the whole season. I kept waiting for the moment she unleashes her powers and it never came.. when it finally came at the end, it was so frustrating and anticlimactic.. they just used it to set up season 2.

The 2nd most powerful character spent the whole season being missing. They kept building up for his return. At the end when all hopes were lost he actually returned.. then just died without doing anything!

The third most powerful character spent the whole show drinking chaste tea.

Jang's return, Mu-Deok's real identity reveal, Bu-Yeon's power to control the ice stone, Naksu reveal... All of them were ruined and nobody seemed to care about these reveal.. these were supposed to be the big moments in the finale. The only meaningful fight was in the very first episode. The finale didn't have any fight. They used the last Naksu fight as an end credit set up for season 2.

The last 4 episodes didn't even have 15 min worth of story. I don't even think a 2nd season was necessary.

Whoever cast the child actors for the 3 brothers must be blind cuz they look so different from their adult counter parts that it's not even funny.

Then there's the plotholes.. every single plotline was illogical. I think the writers had go through some intensive mental training to come up with those illogical excuses to stop Naksu from using her power and Bu-Yeon from controlling the Ice Stone. I am going to list a few of them plotholes here ..
1. Everyone blaming Jang Kang for using the ice stone when it was lady Jin who forced him to use it for her own gain.
2. Everyone can use the power of the ice stone for everything except Naksu and Bu-Yeon (who is supposed to be the only one who can control it's power)
3. Bu-Yeon, the most powerful priest who can control Naksu's power and stop her from running wild couldn't stop her from running wild after some weak spell from Ji Mu
4. Ice stone can stop every soul sifter from running wild or being petrified expect for Naksu
5. The whole ice stone barrier episode makes no sense
6. Lady Jin not confronting her husband and Ji Mu full well knowing her daughter is fake.
7. Even after learning that Mu-Deok could be her daughter she did nothing to save her.
9. How could everyone (including Songrim) just agree to kill Mu-Deok to see the power of the ice stone just like that?
10. How is Ji Mu still alive? It makes no sense. When everyone was confronting the queen, he was just standing there and nobody said anything to him.
11. Kept talking about how the ice stone can unlock Naksu's power and keep her from being petrified permanently but after she used it she was back to being Mu-Deok
12. Naksu never caring about who is the blind girl that keep showing up in her vision.. or everyone else not caring about what happened to the original Mu-Deok's soul.
13. Lady Jin letting Ji Mu enter Jijiyoung even after knowing her daughter is fake (atleast she claims that she already knew)

and I can just go on and on..

The whole cast was great, even the actors who played the smallest roles did great. Vfx, action and cinematography were top notch. Comedy was very good. The main idea behind the story was somewhat decent.. but if you pay even a little attention everything falls apart.

Overall the show felt like "2 hrs of foreplay and 4 sec of actual sex or even no sex at all"

PS: Don't ask how I know what it feels like to have "2 hrs of foreplay and 4 sec of actual sex"

Leia Mais

Superb But Could Have Been Tighter

This series has moments of magical charm along with lead actors to love who know how to create characters the audience will enjoy and care deeply about, and also has a fine director. I like the series very much, and it's on my favorites list. The Hong Sisters are among the best writers, it's a great story line, and the cast is outstanding—often heartbreaking and often hilarious. I will definitely be front and center for the sequel. But I do think it is overly long: 20 eps that are really more like 24 since they are extended. I found that tiring and thought many of the secondary plots and scenes could have been cut. But it's a great series and worth the time spent. That ending is amazing, and I didn't see it coming.

Leia Mais

Oh my goodness, this was so good.

I really enjoyed watching this drama. I mean wow... The storyline is perfect. I will be wondering sometimes if soul switching is real, we a lot of people act strange in public. Lee Jae Wook (Jang Uk), and Jung So Min (Mu Deok) played the two main leads and both were awesome. I loved their characters. Hwang Min Hyun (Seo Yul), the main actor played his heart out and I loved his way of portraying his character. Shin Seung Ho (Go Won), Yoo Joon Sang (Park Jin), and Oh Na Ra (Kim Do Ju) are the three main leads who played some powerful characters who had to lead this that, and the other characters. All the other supporting actors/actresses did just as well. I loved the story, the storyline was crazy and interesting. The costumes, the visuals, the fantasy, all of it was perfect. Thank you!

Leia Mais

Fantasy Joseon Wuxia Hogwarts

AoS is a fantasy Kdrama which brings together elements from my most beloved fantasy genres. I saw influences from the world of Harry Potter, WuXia and Korean mythology. All these elements have been amalgamated into a delicious new flavour, which was an absolute delight to watch. At the same time, the show truly retains all the characteristics we love about kdramas.

AoS brought together a stellar cast with talents of all ages. Lee Jae Wook has been a wonderful actor ever since his first project, but he truly shines as Jang Uk. Jang Uk is impossible not to love, and you root for him all the way through the show. Jeon Seo Min has done well in her role of Mu Deok, and her experience did help the show. The other young actors have also created absolutely lovable people to watch on screen. The surprise for most of us was the character of the Crown Prince who became a crowd favourite very quickly. Hwang Min Hyun’s action scenes as Seo Yul were a delight to watch. As much as I talk about the young actors as they’ve led the main roles, the older, more experienced actors add density to the show with their performance.

The CGI and fantasy elements are handled well. Although the action sequences were not many, whatever they did add was done beautifully. The music works to amplify the emotions in the show. The costumes are nice, although I did have a problem with the FL’s costumes. They seemed to be made for comedic effect but it started getting annoying after a few episodes. But everyone else looks regal.

The only thing to complain about would be the pace, which is slowed down because of the 30 episode format with two seasons. In my opinion, making it a 24 episode show in one season would have helped the pacing. There are also controversies around the FL changing in S2 which is difficult to judge right now since we’re so used to JSM playing Mu Deok. We will have to wait and see if the show manages the transition well.

In a nutshell, watch the show, it's a beautiful representation of the fantasy kdrama genre.

Leia Mais

Though Fantasy , Human emotions are the same !!

This series has all the important genres: Romance , Action, Comedy, and Mystery.

Well made series and writers have given through thought to each character.
Acting is amazing by all the characters and supporting characters as well !!

Though it has fantasy elements, human emotions are the same at the end and everything was perfect till 19.

However Ep20 is not that well thought, all powerful ones who controlled icestones get manipulated easily and importantly there was no clue about it in first 30 hrs or so. Last 20 min is done in a hurried manner.

Overall satisfying series in 2022, could have made with better ending !!

Leia Mais

Parade of stupidity and wasted potential

For a drama that is ranked so highly, I expected greatness. What I got was boredom and disappointment. Unfortunately, this is another sad victim of genre confusion where the writers couldn't figure out whether they were creating a drama or a comedy.

The story had a promising start. Jang Uk spent his entire life in mediocrity because of the circumstances surrounding his birth. He was forced to live quietly without an opportunity to practice magic. This could've been a coming of age fantasy drama with a side of romance telling a story of a man regaining power and finding his identity. What we got was cliche slap-stick comedy devoid of any dramatic themes that were promised at the beginning. Instead of working towards self-improvement, Jang Uk was a whiny, unmotivated, blabbering idiot who gave up every time he faced a challenge. Barely any screen time was given to his training so he could achieve the tremendous power he was destined to have. The writers just decided to give him a free level-up by placing him in situations where he didn't even do anything while Mu Deok stood around and clapped "You are so luuuucckkkyy!"

The romance was mostly boring because Jung So Min only had two facial expressions. When Mu Deok did not patronize the crown prince with exaggerated groveling, she had a resting b*tch face most of the time. Whenever they had romantic scenes, only Lee Jae Wook made any effort to show emotion while Mu Deok just looked bored. The characterization wasn't particularly convincing either. Jung So Min as Naksu/ Mu Deok looked more like a pouty teenager forced to do chores rather than a super-powered assassin. The original actress before the soul switch delivered a much better performance.

The overall pacing was very slow because the plot focused too much on side characters and pointless love rectangles. Everyone and their mother had to fall in love with Mu Deok. Instead of showing a blossoming romance between the main couple, the writers forced Mu Deok to spend more time than necessary with rejected lovers. I am not sure why they thought it was entertaining to watch long and incredibly boring scenes of Seo Yul staring longingly at My Deok.

A slew of filler arcs added nothing to the plot. I couldn't care less about side characters' romance, lost family members, and other pointless crap that didn't move the story forward but made each episode incredibly long. The drama would've been a lot more entertaining if it had less episodes and better editing. At the end, my watching experience was reduced to pressing on the fast-forward button to get to the end of this mess.

Overall, this drama was just a giant time sink with very little entertainment value. The plot was messy with too much filler and the characters were not interesting enough to emotionally invest in.

Leia Mais

A MUST WATCH!!

This is a MUST-WATCH Kdrama!! Every episode gets more and more interesting and gripping (I’ve binge-watched until Epi 18! ><.. update: now completed!)

I’m not one who fancies Korean fantasy dramas, I don’t really care for goblins/ magic etc.. I didn’t finish Goblin, Tale of the Nine Tailed, Korean Odyssey... but this one has captured my undivided attention!!! :):):)

The storyline is riveting, each episode gets better and better, and the character development is so good! It probably reminds me of The Lord of the Rings (there’s one scene where all the mages were arguing about the Ice stone, it’s like when they were arguing what to do with the One Ring).

The only small dissatisfaction I have is the FL Jung So Min. As Mudeok she is fine (which is her primary role) but as the Shadow Assassin she doesn’t quite pull it off. Even with her serious trying-to-be-ruthless expressions, mehhh, it didn’t quite cut it for me. However, she pulled it off quite well for the final episode. Every other cast member was fantastic!! I especially love the love triangles!! 🤣❤️

A definite on your watchlist!!

Leia Mais

How can anyone not like this show ?

I dont care what anyone says, this is the best kdrama of 2022, and maybe even 2020 to now. Every episode had me on edge, the different characters, their development, depth and pacing of the story was just brilliant. Of course this show propelled Jung So Min to new found fame, and rightly so. Her performance in this should win whatever lead awards of the korean tv industry. Im planning to rewatch this before the sequel comes out on 10th december. A great series which has been quite innovative in the overused storylines and tropes of kdramas. I give this a 10/10, special effects, CGI, acting, OST music are all on point!

Leia Mais

I think my opinion is an unpopular one, but I really cannot understand all the fuss about this drama (and the 2nd season). I am not saying it is bad because it is not. It is a good drama in general. I really enjoyed the fantasy element. Also, I love how this isn't a historical accurate drama and it contains elements of different eras.

The most annoying thing is the passing. For example, you have 1 scene in which the story is progressing and the rest of the episode is just a filler. Up until ep 12, I was a bit bored. It could work with half the episodes. Also, I didn't like the many pairs. Some was completely unnecessary. And the love triangle didn't make sense. With everything happening, does anyone care who love who? I surely don't. All in all, I believe this drama contains a lot of things and it isn't clear if they are necessary. It is a bit confusing.

It is a promising drama. If it had a bit tighter plot, less elements and less comedy, it would be better. And I think two seasons is too much. If had better passing, they could fit everything in the 20 episodes of 1+ hour.

Leia Mais

Even a kdrama hater will love this show!

To be honest, I’m not very big on watching kdramas, especially when they are over 16 episodes. Most of the time I never even finish the full 16 and just stop watching altogether. However, this show was not the case!
I remember starting to watch this a while back and even though I did enjoy it, I only managed to watch up until episode 14 before forgetting that I was watching it. I later went to watch other dramas and didn’t bother coming back to watch it for a long time.
It was then that I managed to convince my sister (who has never seen a k drama in her life and refuses to watch them) to watch this entire series from start to finish.
I must say, it was definitely worth finishing! This is probably one of the best written k dramas I’ve watched, not to mention the amount of effort put into the sets must have been crazy. For both me (a person who doesn’t usually finish kdramas) and my sister (a kdrama hater) to completely binge watch a show, I would consider it to be nothing short of a masterpiece!

I honestly cannot recommend this enough! I can’t wait to rewatch this show over and over again :D

Leia Mais

2022's Ace

I initially knew about AOS since long time, but it never interests me because the actors and actresses were mainly rookies except for JSM, but then the second season came out and then I was like, "If there is a second season then that means the first season is good right?" so I gave it a go. IT WAS VERY GOOD.

I am a character driven type of a person more than plot driven ones, and this drama served it to me in gold platter. Naksu opened the character with her intense battle and mysterious aura, paving the way into the drama's center plot. We are curious about this person. Mudeok is another interesting character, because it's supposed to be a 'fake' character. JSM played Mudeok very well, her expressions are so funny! It's just sometimes I see her playful kiss character flashing in Mudeok (?) so it kinda bothers me in a way, but I think it's not that prominent so it's fine.
LJW's Jang Uk is literally perfect. Jang Uk is the driving force in this drama, I think. His characterization is fleshed out perfectly and consistently throughout the season. Spoiled, repressed, lonely, innocent and deeply loving, it's hard not to empathize with him.
The supporting characters are all so good and very strongly fleshed out, no one is a stone faced NPC, everyone took part in the big picture of the drama.

Cinematography, CGI, coloring, wardrobe, soundtracks, the drama lines are all exceptional. You may find plot holes, but some will be solved in Season 2. Overall, it was very fun and entertaining and emotionally rollercoastered me into the finale, and built a strong foundation for a next season.

I would highly recommend this if you like a historical fantasy genre, or if you like angst with comedy, in general.

Leia Mais