Alquimia das Almas 2: Luz e Sombra (2022)

A Must-Watch Masterpiece

I know it's late to add reviews, but I have forgotten to share my thoughts while "Alchemy of Soles" Season 2 was airing from December to January. After re-watching it, I can confidently say that "Alchemy of Soles" Season 2 is an absolute masterpiece and a must-watch. I've already completed it nine times, and there's something about it that keeps drawing me back in. It's interesting how I always find myself starting with Season 2 before moving on to Season 1, a pattern I've even followed with "Dr. Romantic." This series truly has a magnetic pull, and I can't wait to watch it again.

Leia Mais

I *LOVE* Alchemy of Souls but Part 2 is not quite up to the hype

I eagerly awaited each week to watch Part 2 of Alchemy of Souls - seriously looked forward to it all the way back in August. But just because I like the concept of the story and world does not mean the show is free from flaws and holes. I view its current rating as being artificially high.

The Not-So-Good:

The pacing was much too slow for my liking. We spent 90% of the series with the amnesia plot and reveal dragging along. We only had 10 episodes - too few to drag for the majority. The actual reveal was underwhelming - too understated for the weeks of frustration we were subjected to. "Is she the same person?" No shit, man.

Our main villain, Jin Mu, basically became a cartoon character. You'll wonder in the back of your mind why has he been allowed to survive this whole time. Shifty eyes and interesting choice for facial hair - the whole gamut. The Queen - you'll wonder why she's just as bad as the imposter Queen from season 1 and why they had to save her. I thought the whole dried chicken relics plot was laughable.

Seo Yul's uncle looked shady when we first saw him, but his character development was non-existent and weak. Finally, he is totally eclipsed.

I know some were disappointed that we never got bad ass Naksu back. While I understand that they are trying to re-build and re-paint her in a non-assassin way, you'll realize there are no other bad ass female mages out there AT ALL besides Jin Hogyeong who takes a hit this season. So yeah, we missed gothic dark eyed makeup Naksu back in action.

Continuity and explanation of Jin Buyeon and Naksu's soul status seemed to shift as what Master Lee said in one episode wouldn't match what he says later in the series, with no clear explanation for what changed or why he explained it differently previously. So we the viewers were deliberately misled.

Soi - I didn't like her and she got too much screen time.

They also turned Lady Heo into a jealous, catty woman when she wasn't that way in the first part. However, her pettiness actually proves to be a big plot point in moving the dragging story forward.


The Neutral:

The turtle. I liked the turtle, but it got a lot of screen time in a limited 10 episode run and I'm not sure it needed that much. That being said, if they were going to go all the way, they should've given it a place in the ending LOL.


The Good:

I am glad they at least were able to use Jung So Min in the flashbacks and was happy to see her every time. I think Go Yoon Joung did a good job of portraying her character.

The tree finally gets climbed.

The tragedy that I thought would happen didn't end up sticking.

All in all, while I enjoyed the ride, I definitely felt frustrated with Naksu and Jang Uk's ignorance and questioned parts of the story. For something that I really looked forward to, the product for my waiting didn't quite match my level of excitement when watching. I think this season, with the material that was actually played out, could've been 6 episodes instead of being stretched to the already small 10.

Leia Mais

UNIQUE STORY AND THE DRAMA IS A WORK OF SATISFACTION

The drama, the characters everything is so well written and directed. One of the best drama I have watched till date. You will fall in love with each character of the story. I swear I am going to recommend this drama to everyone. I wish there could be more extension to this drama, even though I am satisfied with everything the end the beginning all of it was worth it. The end was satisfying. This is my first time reviewing about a drama. I don't want to give any spoilers. To anybody who wishes to watch it watch it because it will make you feel anxious, happy, sad, excited, thrill, kick I MEAN TO SAY IT HAS ALL OF IT.

THE ACTORS DID A GREAT JOB AS WELL.
JANG UK HAS MY HEART😭

Leia Mais

Disappointing Sequel, Poor Editing, but Great Leads Chemistry for a romance drama.

Subjective Gut Rating; 8.0
Objective Rating as a sequel: 5.0-7.0

Rating this drama is interesting because I can go either way. Did I have a good time watching it? Yes, I did because I enjoyed the romance in the first 8 episodes quite a lot. But is this a good sequel to an amazing season 1? Absolutely not. No more badass FL and poor editing and storytelling.

I reviewed in Season 1 that I find the chemistry between the leads a little lacking. I might be in the minority, as I don’t mind the lead actress changing to Go Young Jung and I find her beautiful and perfect as the amnesiac and inexperienced FL. Jang Uk (ML) has gone through a lot in the last three years, and his personality is totally different than in season 1. Meeting the sunny and optimistic Jin Bu Yeong (FL) is what he needs at that point in his life. I like how she’s the one to recognize him (unconsciously), chase after him and want to be there by his side protecting and supporting him. It’s like a role reversal from season 1. I enjoyed their interaction, their banter and the great kisses. It’s so nice to see two willing partners going at it and being passionate when the plot requires them to put a lot of emotions in those kisses. They look good together!

However, the romance-focused storylines took up a majority of the screen time, and thus not leaving enough time to develop the fantasy and mystery part of the plot. As a sequel to an amazing plot-driven season 1, this drama is actually very disappointing. If you are attracted to “Alchemy of Souls” because of a badass assassin FL, there’s not much badass-ness in this season. FL is reduced to a lovely Cinderella, waiting for prince charming to save her and love her. Her powers and memories were recovered too late to showcase her prowess as the priestess. There actually isn’t a whole lot of substance aside from romance in the first 8 episodes.

Episodes 9 & 10 seem to have a big tone shift back to what season 1 was like. All of a sudden, we’re talking about power, revenge, saving the world, different identities/souls in a very rushed manner. Without previous indication, all the baddies team up together. So much happened that I needed to concentrate hard so as not to miss anything. The editing was choppy and weird. What happened to Jang Uk’s love for Jin Bu Yeong in the first 8 episodes? Without going into spoilers, the romance doesn’t make sense anymore.

On a positive note, I think both Hwang Min Hyun (Seo Yul) and Shin Seung Ho (Crown Prince) improved their acting. I see a little more emotions in Hwang Min Hyun’s eyes. My favorites continue to be Leader Park Jin and Maidservant Kim. They are golden, but slightly more cringey than in season 1.

Overall, this is a disappointing sequel but if you watch it as a standalone romance-focused drama, you will have a better time.


Completed: 1/27/2023

Leia Mais

My favorite drama of 2022 and goes to my top 5 of all time

I didn't know much about the drama until like the week it was going to air (very weird since I usually follow up on the dramas to watch specially kdramas) ok so I saw Jung So Min which I love her acting so much and then Lee Jae Wook another rookie I like since Extraordinary You and it was his major main lead debut so I clicked, I loved the story (since always root for the underdog) Despite watching because of Jung So Min I got sidetracked by Naksu original actress Go Youn Jung but oh well I kept watching.

Part 1 was very entertaining keep me rooting for the couple as a team but it lack something and it was in my POV romantic chemistry always saw them as master and pupil they never gave each other the chance to go all for it, Naksu was kind of cold towards UK so bubbly character but when they announce Go Youn Jung was coming back I felt relief.

Not only they had the best chemistry for me, but the amplify the romantic part that lacked in part 1 IMO, so the entire drama made sense both characters matured one becoming more bubbly and spontaneous (Naksu) and Uk more of the leader and fighter we wanted to see in this kind of drama.

Over all, Jung So Min did a great job on part 1 and the reason I started watching it, then it turned to Uk journey and then when GYJ took over I didn't miss JSM a bit, because that's how good these two were, overall everyone acting specially the rookie actors did a great job and the senior actors so top notch that I got myself immerse in the Daho's world.

I highly recommend this drama to everyone looking for an entertaining and the love story of a lifetime....this puts the meaning of soulmates to the next level......

Excuse me if Im not going to the point or Im redundant with my wording but English is my second language and I barely barely write Reviews but I feel this drama deserved one of mine.....

Leia Mais

A mess

I loved Season 1 - the story, characters, setting, music. I believe it all slowly became the mess that was season 2 because of the change in actress. I'm not a fan of Jung So Min (I found her irritating in Playful kiss) but she did wonderful as Mu Deok. Now she's one of my all time favorite female characters in dramaland. I don't know what exactly happened BTS that led to her not being in season 2 but as a foreboding the last 5 episodes of season 1 had a different feel to them. The first episodes were just amazing. I couldn't stop watching and rooting for Naksu and then Jang Uk. Lee Jae Wook is great - cool and adorable. Gave me feels similar to Gong Yoo in Coffee Prince. A male lead who's vulnerable with emotive eyes.
As I said, despite not knowing what happened and why JSM was replaced, I think we fans deserved a better story that was on par with season 1. Not something that leaves a distaste as an aftermath. This season was a classic example of "love the characters, hate the story". So much potential wasted. It would have been better if they hadn't made a season 2 just because. My fave quote from the drama "It is better to die than to do nothing" doesn't work here. By the end of last episode I felt "It is better to leave it alone if you can't do it justice". They should have atleast tried to bring JSM back or used a better actress than GYJ. Don't know if it was the way she was written or her acting is just only okay.

Overall, I'm so sad and disappointed that I want to rewatch season 1 and see Daeho at its gloriest.

Leia Mais

I can't process how big of a disappointment it was

It's quite sad how they went from a nearly perfect season 1 to whatever S2 was.

It had so much potential in terms of world and characters building but all we got is story elements and informations dropped here and there without proper building and tangible consequences and characters development that either was uninteresting or a dull and boring repetition of s1 characters arcs at best.

I can get why people would enjoy the romance but to me it really gave nothing and felt totally devoid of sincerity and interest. Just like watching 2 sims characters rushing through a love story.

I also think that there are too many bland and boring moments for just 10 episodes (especially in the 5 first ones) and the whole amnesia plot doesn't make a good and strong enough main story line.

Others plot points ,such as the whole fire bird thing, felt like they're developed inconsistently (especially compared to how the ice stone was handled in the first season).

Another thing I deploy is how secondary characters' incorporation in the story was superficial and not necessary. Like whether it is during the Seo Yul rescue part or at the end of the story, it felt like they were all there cause they had to be. It wasn't substantial at all.

The direction that Jang Uk's character took could easily (very easily) had been way more relevant and well written than what we got there. Honestly I think I could go on and on about all the things that bother me about this season, and it pains me more than anything else.

I suppose I'll just pretend S2 doesn't exist.

Leia Mais

whats wrong with Season 2, Season was a masterpiece!

the worst thing about the season 2 was their explanation why Naku had a different body. They only didnt want everybody to recognise her which would of course include Uk as well, so instead they opted for a differnt actress and came up with some ridiculous idea which later was completely overturned without any explenation.

I only wonder who told the new actress to act like a stupid bimbo? Was it the directors or was this her own interpretation of how Naksu would behave? Honestly, you don't forget your character and start acting like a different person just because you have lost your memory. If she was Naksu with amnesia she should have at least behaved the same, if she was Jin bu-yeon who only carried Naksu soul around it would have been fine but unless Im mistaken we were told its Naksu who is in charge as apparently Jin bu-jeon's souls was dead? (Master Lee's own words at the beginning of the s2 and later completely forgotten) Character is fundamental to who you are and does not change so easily unless she had a part of her brain removed or damaged ( s2 FL acted as if she left part of her brain at the bottom of that lake). If Jin Bu-yeon still acted like Mu-deok then s2 could perhaps offer some saving grace as to why Jung Uk fell for her, but sadly no. He fell for a beautiful woman and completely forgot about Naksu. Yeah I get that 3 years is a long time for a 20 something male and he wasn't a eunuch so testosterone finally kicked in but seriously... they should have waited for the kiss until he realised jin bu-yeon was Naksu.

Oh and let's not forget how in s1 Naksu thought hard to regain her power so she could use her sword but at the end of s2 she is happy with Jung Uk using it and herself becoming his side-kick? Shall I blame the Korean culture for this or the writers? I didnt know women as soon as they married completely forget who they are?
Your thoughts?

Oh and something that just came to me: I know a girl never wants to hear: you remind me so much of her or you are just like her, but at least in this case it would have justified Uk's falling for Jin Bu-JEon but you know why he never said that? because she was never like Naksu/Mudeok. ,

Leia Mais

There really was no need for part 2

Okay so I know I’m super late to the party but I’ve only just finished AOS today and I have so much to say.
I can’t even describe to you how much I loved the first part, I literally gave it a 10/10 rating. It was everything I’d want in a romance drama (a story that has more to it than just romance). The chemistry between Mu-deok and Uk was the best thing ever OMG. I really didn’t expect how the first part would end tbh and I was so sad but I ASSUMED that everything could only get better right….. WRONG. Bro I felt like I was forcing myself to watch part 2. I hated seeing Uk pursue a relationship with a different FL it just looked and felt so wrong to me. Like even though I knew she was still Naksu it didn’t feel right at all. Also I just felt like the plot fell off so much. Part 2 only got good for me in the last 3 eps, everything else felt so slow and uninteresting. In my opinion, at most maybe there should’ve only been 20-25 eps in total and the plot of part two could’ve easily been shortened down and rewritten with less ‘flatness’. I mean don’t get me wrong I still love this drama and I’m so glad they ended up with eachother at the end but I was so hyped for the second part and I was very disappointed by the way it was written and how it felt like it was dragging at times :((

Leia Mais

Way too dragged out

This part felt twice as long as it needed to be, and it was very hard to feel any stakes compared to the first part.

The plot was really dragged out. It got even more annoying when side characters had information and just didn't share it because "it would happen anyways." It really made the plot move way more slowly than it needed.

Second, after the serious note we ended the first part on, the second part really needed to match the high stakes in the first one. Instead, the drama tried to repeat the funny and light-hearted vibe we started the first drama in, relying on parallel scenes and humor. It felt out-of-place and doesn't really move the story forwards.

Aside from this, it was very romance-focused, giving us a push-and-pull between the leads that got very repetitive when I would've much preferred for the story to move forwards faster, especially since it felt like the antagonists had stayed exactly where they were in season 1.

Honestly, I just didn't really buy into the romance. After the epic love story we got in part 1, the one in here felt watered down and I didn't really see a reason for the main lead to fall for them again.

I generally found it very difficult to connect the female lead we saw in this one with the Naksu from part 1. While I think it's fine for her, having gotten amnesia, to be brighter and more innocent, I wish we still saw more moments of sassiness and less scenes that just referenced part 1 to be clever.

Overall, it really just feels like they spent too much time on the romance and humor and ended up cramming the plot in the last 2 episodes. I'm glad about how the story ended up, but really didn't like how we got there or how it was paced.

Leia Mais

SUPERB

I highly recommend this historical drama to everyone. Actually, I'm not really into historical kdrama yet because of the undeniable chemistry of the main leads I forced myself to watch it. Never did I regret of this. The best decision I have ever made. I love all the actors—they portrayed their characters ecstatic. The acting skills are beyond what I forsee them to do. They never disappoint me when it comes to the plots, acting skills, and most of all the story and cinematography of this genre. Though, in as much as I badly want a 3rd season but I'm super satisfied of the finale. I have so mixed emotions finishing this drama.

Leia Mais