Upon finishing Alchemy of Soul season one last week in just three days I must say this drama had me in ropes. This drama had all my favourite genres: the fantasy, romance, with a tad bit of historical fiction. Genres I really enjoy primarily in Chinese dramas so I would say there was a bit of hesitation in terms of watching this drama because I was worried that this would not be executed properly. But I must say this drama exceeded my expectations and even topped some of my favourite cdramas.
The storyline of Alchemy of Soul centers around the young notorious assassin Naksu who soul shifted into the body of Jin Bu Yeon, a blind girl who possesses the powers of a great priestess. In the body of Bu Yeon she meets Jang Uk, a young lad who had his torrent of energy sealed at birth. Together they pioneer on a relationship to gain access to their powers and through that end up brewing romance in the mist. Sounds pretty linear right? Well that’s where things get tricky. Through a series of twists and turns, we begin to see the plot unfold in ways unexpected; finding out the back story behind Naksu, Jin Bu Yeon, and Jang Uk. How their childhoods were all interconnected and stemmed from a singular event. The Hong Sisters through pulling out many wild cards in the story we’re able to simultaneously pull on the heart strings of the audience every single episode.
In this season the character of Naksu in Jin Bu Yeon is played by Jung So min who exceeded my expectations. The way she was able to portray her emotions through a variety of facial expressions made me so involved in the storyline. The same can be said about Lee Jae Wook aswell. Allthough, I would say their chemistry could have been a bit better, but this was mended in season two with Go Yoon Jung taking on the role of Naksu.
Overall, this drama is a must watch. Thanks to the Hong Sisters, I was able to let go of my prejudice and found a really great drama that I enjoyed.