Alquimia das Almas 2: Luz e Sombra (2022)

What is this??

I can handle storyline but when watching a series, I want to be convinced and I wasn’t. Naksu’s personality was not the same in Season 2, felt more like the leading lady had face of Naksu, body of Buyeon and personality of Buyeon. Where was the Naksu who was gutsy, clever, mischievous, a bit more reserved about her love for main lead? Naksu in season 2 was just sad, foolish, cared only for her looks, too emotional and open about her love – even if was she Buyeon at first, when Naksu remembered everything, shouldn’t she be more like Naksu in season 1? Felt like she wasn’t Naksu. Naksu would never cry or run away. She got hit in the head once and laughed whilst bleeding! Where did that Naksu go?

Leia Mais

Disappointed to tears

Very disappointing compared to part 1.
- I couldn’t feel the connection between the main leads. I didn’t feel the love. I couldn’t root for them because I loved mu deok with jang uk. It felt like betrayal to naksu/mu deok. How and when did they even fell in love? Jang uk fell in love with mu deok because she was so strong. How did he fall in love with a weak bird like bu yeon that always needed saving. I must have missed it. I couldn’t feel excited for them. They both became love-sick puppies.
- Where is my strong FL? I didn’t ask for a weak FL who is only pretty. Pining, whining, crying. I hate that still kept hiding behind the ML even at the end. Why do FL must be saved my ML.
Where are any strong female characters?
- The amnesia plot was prolonged for so long. I’m not sure anymore who the ML loved even though technically the FL was de same soul. I kept waiting for him to realise dat FL was naksu. The reveal was very anticlimactic as well.
- Plot what plot? Plot was ridiculous as hell.
- I waited a long time to watch part 2 and now I regret having watched it. I kept waiting for it to get better but it didn’t. I’m mad and sad!

Leia Mais

Truly a Shadow of Part 1

To preface, I gave part one 9 stars — I absolutely adored it. Part 2 lacked compelling characterization, had a plot that made zero sense, and just overall felt directionless. That best part about it was staying with endearing characters like Lord Park and the Crown Prince for just a little bit longer. The female characters were completely diminished and there was no real weight to any of the "danger."

Also, while I appreciate GYJ, there was a huge hole in part 2, and that was the gap left behind by the absolutely show-stopping Miss Jung Somin. Her performance carried audiences through the endless laughter and excruciating tears of Part 1. Part 1 had it all: novel world-building, suspenseful plotting, and intense chemistry. This season, while adequate, had none of that, and Jung Somin and her character of Mu Deok tied so much of that together. It's not just that I miss the actress — I miss the CHARACTER. Her persona, the way she was written, and the way she loves. GYJ as Bu Yeon was fine, but her character and performance weren't magic like JSM's Mu Deok was.

BUT ten stars to Lia's OST — I loved that.

Leia Mais

Internalised misogyny 101 and a masterclass in reducing strong women to pure drivel

Alchemy of souls season 1’s downhill trajectory in the second half and that clusterfuck of an ending should have been enough of a hint for us to not continue with season 2.

Oh but most of us did. We so did. And do you know what? S2 actually had a promising start. For what it’s worth, I thought Go Young Jung did a good job with bringing forward a new Naksu who had retained her innocence and wasn’t tainted by all the misery. Jung so Min was a tough act to follow and GYJ did it seamlessly, quickly making us like this cute, sweet, resilient and silently strong woman in love, atleast for a short while.

The usual amnesia, cold man/warm woman angst worked well enough as a guilty pleasure watch in the first, say, three episodes but then… it got real old real fast and you quickly realise:

YOU DON’T WANT A CUTE, SWEET, RESILIENT AND SILENTLY STRONG WOMAN IN LOVE ANY MORE.

No. You want Naksu back. It’s absolutely ridiculous how Hong sisters created this idea of a damaged female assassin with baggage who can be selfish, tough, vulnerable, ruthless and is actually a multi layered character and then spent a season and a half forcing her into the role of a ditzy damsel in distress, constantly in need of saving by oh so strong men.

While her male leads are getting these magnificent and badass grand entrances where they fight a hundred enemies in one go, what does the supposedly powerful female assassin get? A good amount of screen time where she faints, gets hot flashes or enjoys her favourite past time: crying helplessly.

The plot in season 2 is nothing to sing home about. It’s just Jang Uk running circles around the elephant in the room: the identity of Naksu who is traipsing right under his nose.

They just drag and drag and drag that one plot line that by the last episode you really just don’t care at all. The grand reveal is also extremely lacklustre and anti-climatic. It’s like the Hong sisters are making shit up as they go and wing-ing it like their lives depend on it.

The cheap attempts at contrived emotion with the fake deaths, sentimental music and dumb cliffhangers is the height of poor writing.

While the Crown Prince does bring in the comedy and there are a few adorable bromance moments; they are nearly not enough to carry the show on for ten episodes.

I am honestly so offended with the way they dangled the possibility of Naksu owning her skills and showing every one who’s boss in front of me like a carrot and forced me to watch till the end but all I really got was unnecessary pining, a grade school romance, a heroine whose entire purpose is solely to build the hero up and then make herself scarce and Hong sisters displaying how deeply they are entrenched in their own internalised misogyny.

There’s no other way to say it because God forbid, the female lead actually saves the day in even one episode. Blasphemy!

Don’t even get me started on the other potentially powerful female character in the drama “Jin Bu Yeon” who was reduced to little more than an after thought only getting five minutes of mentionable screen time.

So really, going in this show, please don’t expect an actual plot, story line or any sort of meaningful character development because you’ll end up having your intelligence insulted.

Instead, check it out only if you want a mindless watch that serves as a guilty pleasure and is more or less fan fiction in TV form.

Oh and there are some steamy kisses.
Hong sisters really thought they’ll throw in some skin ship as a band aid over the bleeding, torched, infected and full of pus wound that was season 2’s plot.

Make of that what you will.

Enjoy.

Leia Mais

Tiring...disappointing...unsatisfying...frustrating

After finishing this I honestly regret ever starting Season 1 because that made me obligated to finish this and oh what a glorious disappointment it was.
Let me start first off by ticking off the few things I liked:
1. Go yoon jung seamlessly filling in for Jung so min. She impressed me a lot in the first episode and she has continued to do so. She just did not have much to go forth because of Hong sister's misogynistic handling of her character as well as the female characters in this show but I will come back to it later.
2 Acting of the cast was top-notch.
3. Crown prince's character development was done well He left the most impact on me in this show overall.

Now, to the things I did not like and why it was a disappointment:
1. Naksu....ahh...the level of regret and pity I have for the absolute character assassination she had to go through to elevate the male characters, it's borderline disgusting. I just could not believe that in the year 2022-2023 two female writers would be this level of misogynistic. Unbelievable. The 2nd half of AOS showed us that they are never gonna raise her to the equal status any of the male characters possess but we still foolishly pressed on just to be dealt with utter disrespect of a character who could have been so much MORE. In part 2, both she and jin bu yeon, another badass character was reduced to nothing but 5 mins of mentionable screen time. Jin mu might be the cause of their deaths in the show but they were killed without kindness at the hands of Hong sisters.
Hong sisters' misogyny was not only confined to those two characters but also reduced ALL of the female characters as conniving, mean, dumb, and spoiled one-dimensional idiots whose only job was to put up with orders and requests from the male characters. Maidservant kim who was the only exception is nothing more than a glorified mother figure whose identity starts and ends with her young master. It is downright criminal and blasphemous what these writers did to such talented actresses.
2. Other than the middle school romance disguised as a fated lovers' angle and the last-minute mythical creature/let's-show-how-cool-the-male-lead-is plot device, I guess they could not come up with anything that is actually creative. But at this point, that's to be expected. Jin mu's divination bell strategy stays largely forgotten to the point he also forgets about it and meets a demise that is so anti-climactic it's laughable.

I honestly can go on and on but at this point, I am so tired. I just finished it for the sake of finishing it but I like I said wish I never even started it because what a FUCKING DISAPPOINTMENT. Toward the finale I just wanted it to end. I did not feel anything for the supposed "deaths" that eventually meant nothing. The nonexistence of a plot, the utter 180 of an assassin whose only goal was to serve the man, and even after pulling off an astounding rebirth was more interested in finding a man than remembering who she is, the shoved-down romance that would make you literally CHOKE, the absurdity of lengthy draggy episodes filled with nothing but nonsense. I wish I never started it. I am never watching anything ever from the Hong sisters. The only reason I think anyone was interested was the CGI and action but even that was missing in part 2 so anyone who does not have a lot of time on your hands I URGE you to watch ANYTHING ELSE.

Leia Mais

Disappointing story development. Pretty/handsome but underwhelming lead actress and actor.

Disappointing story development. Not too sure what's the point of having season 2 with only 10 episodes.
8 episodes are wasted to get Naksu to remember her past.
Felt like season 2 is just a major advertisement to promote Go Yoon Jung and how pretty she is.

Without a strong female lead like So min, Jae Wook's acting for season 2 is just boring and underwhelming compared to Min Hyun
 (Seo Yul) and Seung Ho (Go Won).

Let's not compare So min with Yoon Jung. So min is on another level. Yoon Jung's acting range has alot to catch up with Arin (Cho Yeon) and Hye Won (So Yi). Hye Won is just outstanding! For Yoon Jung, acting cute is not part of acting. But too bad, pretty faces are always pushed for leads irregardless of acting skills.

To sum up, the supporting casts were the ones who carried the show. Not forgetting the CG effects. Too bad, most viewers are carried away by the kissing scenes, Yoon Jung acting cute and boring story development. High ratings does not mean the story is good. I hope they will just give couple awards to Yoon Jung and Jae wook but please don't win any Best actress or Best actor please....it will not be convincing. Hope the supporting casts will win some awards.

Will forever remember how Alchemy of Soul's director capitalise on loyal fans from Season 1 to watch the underwhelming season 2.

Leia Mais

Season 1 to 2 transmigration falls flat

Those of us watching season 2 (S2) probably enjoyed season 1 (S1). S2 wasn't a bad season so much as it was a let down on expectations for continued enjoyment. Even worse, S2 had the effect of snuffing out some of the joy from watching S1.

S1 wasn't perfect. The villains were flat and dumb. But the romantic and comedic charm was strong and alleviated duller elements of the show. Park Jin and Kim Do Ju's romance, for example, was anticlimactic in S2 and that was emblematic of many other characters and relationships that lost charm; they passed their peak and weren't contributing much to the story development. For example, bad cook Park Jin was overdone and not advancing the story or providing effective relief; it felt tiresome. Because S2 failed to keep up the charm, the less rosy parts of the show that were previously easier to ignore were now visible and frustrating.

Heo Yeom, who was charming and well-acted in S1, suddenly felt irrelevant and flat in S2. The same happened for too many characters such as Master Lee, Park Dang Gu, Maidservant Kim, Heo Yoon Ok, and the list could keep going on. Am I to believe the actors collectively performed less than their capability? Could the directors have pulled more from the actors within what was sourced? Nah, it's definitely an issue of writing in S2. I recall being surprised how soon S2 was offered after S1 completion. Perhaps the writers did not have ample time to craft S2. Plot 'twists' felt forced, rushed, and not believable. Characters were not well developed. Sang Ho, for example, deserved development in S2 but received none. Lady Jin essentially stayed the same petty version of herself throughout. Some even regressed; Heo Yoon Ok had charm in S1 and is written to be hated in S2. Character potential was squandered in S2.

Go Youn Jung (GYJ) was very enjoyable as Naksu; she exceeded my expectations by a mile. The scene telling Jang Uk to "Drink Up" was perfect. But, I still found myself missing Jung So Min's Filthy Mu Deok, especially Mu Deok's varied interactions with multiple characters. GYJ's interaction was heavily restrained to Jang Uk in S2. With Naksu's amnesia, the character lost complexity and missed the drive that Mu Deok had (to regain powers and seek vengeance); GYJ Naksu's drive was to remember, which we the viewer know all about, turning mystery of outcome to unbearable waiting. Again, this is a problem of writing, not of the actors/directing. Both FL actresses did a tremendous job.

Let's remember that Master Lee was exterminating shifters despite being a shifter himself. Or that he could be hands on and in save-the-world mode or wander aimlessly and not care about anything. Master Lee's treatment captures the broader sense of inconsistent story material with characters flip flopping personality on short notice. When the story was focused on slice of life charm, such as the Crown Princes' pining for Filthy Mu Deok, bromance with Jang Uk, and cold/warm love of Black Turtle, etc., the show was at its best. When the story power creeped itself as an apocalyptic story, it didn't deliver well.

Oh well, Drink up!

Leia Mais

I'm angry that they made a second season!

I loved AOS #1 up through episode 19. Then they had to go the historic tragedy cliffhanger route to justify another season. So, I'll admit my review is based upon my feelings. PLUS, I felt the script really diminished Uk's love to "love the one you're with" and that irritated me no end.

As with #1, AOS#2 was well-filmed, though granted, a lot darker than the first one. Great CGI, beautiful music.

STORY: Repetitive, with more of the same from #1. How the evil guy, that everyone KNEW was evil, continued to get away with his evilness was just frustrating. My biggest beef was the way the romance was written. Uk fell in love with Cho Yeong before knowing that she was Naksu. That might have been fine if we had some sense that he was struggling with his feelings, considering that he was supposedly so in love with Naksu. I didn't get that impression at all, though. Also, I didn't particularly care for the way that Cho Yeong/Naksu was written. Her personality was just so completely different than Naksu, I didn't get a feeling for Naksu's strength at all. She just seemed clingy to me, coming up with excuses to be with and touch Uk.

ACTING: So good.
Lee Jae Wook as Uk. I was believing his mourning until he met Cho Yeong and then that went out the window. I don't know if he lost weight since the first season or if it was makeup, but his jawline was so sharp it could have cut glass. It was a good look for him. I also liked him wearing black throughout the drama. It was like he had "graduated" from colors to being serious in black.
Go Youn Jung as Naksu/Cho Yeong. She did a good job with the writing that she was given. She is absolutely gorgeous. I've not seen her in anything else I don't think, I'm going to need to check her filmography and watch her in something else.
Hwang Min as Seol Yul. He, again, was my favorite character in this show. He figured out she was Naksu pretty early on, and you really got the sense that he could just FEEL that it was her. He did such a wonderful job with his longing for her.
Shin Seung Ho as Go Won. We got to see a little more understated comedy from him this time around.

CHEMISTRY: The kisses were so good, but I didn't feel the chemistry between them. How is that possible?

I have to say, I'm not particularly caring for the current trend of making multiple seasons of a show, unless it's an exceptional show like Hospital Playlist. Otherwise, it feels like they are just milking the drama, causing a lot of draggy parts to extend the drama length.

Bottom line: If you like darkly filmed dramas with multiple good fight scenes, good CGI, and you really don't care about the romance anyway, give it a try.

Leia Mais

wow

You can be watching a drama written by two women in the year of 2022 and *still* be hit in the face with internalized misogyny.

Where were the prominent female characters without a romantic story arc?
Where were the female characters with their own epic battle scenes?
Where were the complicated friendships, bonds, and relationships between female characters?
Where were the women in the background? Female mages? More than one female doctor? Women in power that were not obsessed with their beauty?

And most importantly: where was the Naksu I was promised?

Leia Mais

This is not a continuation

I personaly liked part 2 somehow, not as much as part 1, but for me it was more like a historical romcom, a side story more than a continuation of AOS (that is what we were promised it would be) The chemistry was good, the acting was good, but the writting took another path from part 1 and the pace was slower.


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The first eps, Ig, it´s ok as a "kind of continuation or whatever" of what happened with mudeok when she was on the lake and how she became the one she is now and so but from then on they just keep dragging the amnesia and lovely dovey trope until almost the very end. On ep 6 they instroduce formaly a new problem they need to solve but it becomes a sub sub sub sub plot of the sub plot until ep 10 and answer to whatever you have doubts came mostly on the last ep too. At least they solved from part one Yul´s illness and I´m glad at least they did, but they took like two ep just for that only.

For me the biggest problem of this part was the amnesia trope cause they totaly changed Naksu´s personality and even when she recovered her memory she still didn´t feel like the Naksu we know (and that´s not the actress problem but writters and direction).

The body wasn´t the problem cause she has the same body sinse part 1 and that never stopped her from achiving what she wanted.
If you want to tell me she wanted to live a normal live you at leasthave to show me how she took that decision, and let´s pretend it was the case, there is an scent of who you are.

I mean I love romance I fuc**ng love romance, but this is not just a romantic drama, it is a GREAT part of it but never was the main focus. At least until part 2 happened.

If you tell me part 2 was another story I would take that but don´t tell me this is a continuation of part 1, cause not, it is not it.

I can´t say how much disappointed I am with the writters cause this is a story I cared so much for, and at the end I felt like they messed it up. I´m glad everyone had their happy ending but I will remember this as a cute side story and for me AOS end on ep 20.

For respect to the actors my rating is a 7/10.
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And just to say, I have the right to write a review bad or good about how I feel about a drama I spent hours watching, so if you think I should know your opinion or if you don´t agree, go and write a review too.

Don´t come at me saying I´m a hater for not liking the things the same way you do.

Leia Mais

Nothing really worked out this season

(some spoilers, but you’re better off not watching anyway.)

I really liked the first season but it admittedly fell down a bit at the end, then this season was extremely convoluted from episode 1. I constantly felt that the things that happened in the plot happened not because it made sense but because the writers were trying to force the story in a certain direction. For example, Naksu's face returns to her original despite being in Jin buyeon's body because the face must match the soul? Something like that. And she loses all her memories? The real reason is that the writers just wanted this long, convoluted saga of Naksu and Jang-uk not recognizing each other. Another example, the King and the unanimous assembly have this really stupid plan to use the firebird to create another ice stone. The only reason they’re on board with Jin Mu is because they want the ice stone’s power, despite the immense destruction the plan will cause. Strangely, these people have not made any preparations on how they would survive that destruction themselves…and they completely trust Jin Mu to share the power of the ice stone for no reason at all, he’s so obviously untrustworthy.

I also felt that the made female lead was not nearly as compelling as in the first season. It’s partly because her role is bad. She comes across all lovey dovey and cute. Unlike Jung so-min's unreadable poker face and sense of confidence, she often has a brooding somber expression. This is excusable at first but when she regains her memories you’d expect some return to her other, way more engaging personality. She’s simply not as cool as a character too, going from secret manipulator in the first season to needy damsel in distress in S2. Even when she does something brave like go to the Gwido prison to retrieve the Jinyowan token, she needs to be rescued by jang Uk. Another reviewer called this misogynistic, which it is, but for me it’s just a massive disappointment that all the badassery I expected to come out later never did— Naksu wasn’t even involved in the final fight and firebird scene! It’s ok to frustrate viewers for some time if there’s a good payoff later, but that payoff never comes.

Most other characters didn’t have an important role either. The crown prince makes the king step down. There’s no reason I guess that he had to do this when he did, ostensibly he could have done it anytime, way before or way after the firebird stuff and completely unrelated. The other characters help to fight chunbugweon mages but it doesn’t really matter since Jang uk confronts Jin Mu alone anyway, who by the way, dies a pretty anticlimactic death that didn’t feel like he got full justice for what he did to Naksu in S1.

The same issues that were in S1 were just as bad if not worse in S2–belaboring sidecharacter romantic subplots I don’t really care about and having many scenes that don’t really advance the plot but just reaffirm feelings or tell us things we already know. But in S2 there was no compelling plot to make up for it.

Leia Mais