Alquimia das Almas (2022)

Nice ride of romance action and fantasy.

It's nice to see a fantasy twist in a K-Drama like Alchemy of Souls. Power is the focus of the series, as it is of most Kdramas during that time period. There are different kindoms that seem to want to get along for the greater good. However, greed, control, and power play a role in complicating things.

In addition to the four seasons, the characters have various talents, strengths, and weaknesses. The show's attention is mostly focused on Jang Uk (Lee Jae Wook) and Mu Deok (Jung so Min). The assassin Naksu initially appeared to be the center of attention, but that was not the case.

The series didn't pan out quite as I had hoped, even though I enjoyed it. Maybe I should have paid more attention to the synopsis. I was hoping that Naksu aka-Mu Deok would remain steady on her mission as the basa$$ assassin she showed very briefly in episode 1. After switching souls into Mu Doek, she conveniently loses her power.
Over the next dozen or so episodes, she was primarily focused on being a maid. As well as training Jang Uk. So, I'm thinking that they don't want to show Naksu in all her glory just yet, since that would overshadow Jang Uk's arc.

While they fall in love, let Jang Uk gradually rise to power. Naksu would then be able to regain her power and assist Jang Uk in defeating Jin Mu and his minions! It's a cool and understandable method. NOT! Her power is regained alright... This isn't a deal breaker, since I knew there would be a season 2. Yeah, I guess (uh-huh).

The production of Alchemy was nevertheless very good. A fantasy filled with action, love, funny moments and fantasy. Acting and chemistry between the leads were good, but not the best I have seen. Park Jin and his Headmaid servant Kim exhibited cuteness. The series development was so deep, at one point I even though if the FL did die during the demonstration, would it really effect the main story much? We seemed pretty much way past major effectiveness and the events of Mu Deok. (priestess or not). That's the scripts fault not actors.
The visuals in Alchemy of Souls are stunning. The production design is stunning, with detailed and immersive sets. The special effects are pretty effective, enhancing the magical elements of the story. It all made the fighting nice.

But Overall, The Alchemy of Souls series is a well-developed enjoyable series with intriguing characters and a captivating plot. Although I would have given it another .5 in the ratings, I was disappointed with how they left me hanging with Naksu. And the ending mmmm...

Leia Mais

An epic tale of magic and mystery from South Korea

Have you ever had the feeling that something was going to be great just after watching the first couple of minutes of the very first episode of a drama. Well this one was such a drama for me. A new Classic and a Masterpiece.

Before coming to the main point, let me first thank the staff for their hard-work in bringing this mesmerizing historical-fantasy-art to us.

The story with its magical-fantasy-historical setting was a breath of fresh air from the multitude of kdramas coming out every year. Never did the story disappoint us by making us comfortable. Just when we think that there won't be any major twists, the writers comes up with lots of them, which worked really well.
The story does not dwell on a particular theme for long. Action, comedy, sadness, happiness, politics... everything had a good arrangement in the entire plot.
The actors have done a great job especially the main cast.

The scenery and art were on a different level. The OSTs were spot on. The action was exhilarating, not to mention the magical sword fights.

The journey of the assassin Naksu and her pupil Jang Uk was a complete entertainment package for me.
Enjoyed it the fullest.

Can't wait for season 2.

Leia Mais

A Promising Future for Korean Fantasy

Curious how the Korean drama industry does when it has its own version of historical inspired fantasy? Then Alchemy of Souls is your fit.

The plot, acting, animation,set and costumes are all impressive and it's an enjoyable watch.

I'm an avid reader of Korean fantasy manhwas, and a murim world like Daeho is not unique when it comes to storylines like Alchemy of Souls.

I am however quite impressed with how they brought it to life via the live action lens. The creative freedom in hairstyles and set, and the fights and animations did not disappoint.

I am biased to this part of the story than part 2, but don't let that stop you from continuing on to finish the storyline!

All in all, given AoS' success, I look forward to the future murim inspired or webtoon adapted stories that will spring up in the coming years

I love me some world building 😌

Leia Mais

Good enough...?

I started watching with no expectations other than "I'm probably going to hate this one", but after watching 20 episodes I can say that I actually enjoyed myself. There are also some things that I found really annoying about it as well, but I wouldn't say they ruined my experience entirely. I'll list what I didn't like first.
- The worldbuilding isn't very solid and it shows on multiple occasions. The magic systems of Daeho are never properly explained, which allows a lot of freedom for the writers to get creative with the events, but also lots of plot holes. There were multiple moments when I thought "wait, they could do that all along?!", and also moments when I wondered why didn't certain characters do anything.
- For a show that is supposed to be based on magical swordmasters, there's not many fights overall, especially for the main characters. It's even worse if we consider that the FMC is supposed to be one of the most powerful mages in the country AND an infamous assassin.
- The introspection of the characters was pretty awful. I could have ignored this if it was just for the secondary roles, but Naksu/Mu Deok herself is never explored as a character all that much. Since she's a protagonist I was expecting better for her.
- Some of the interesting ideas that were introduced during the first episodes were never used later on. One of them is the idea of the Four Seasons mages: I was looking forward to see them shine each in their own way, or at least to see an interesting synergy between the four of them in some fight, but none of that happened. It made me wonder why they got that introduction in the first place.
- The female characters are, for the most part, all imprisoned in the same old stereotypical roles. I was looking forward to see some beautifully written female characters, but they all resulted pretty flat. Mu Deok herself wasn't properly explored even though she's the main character, but she's also the only female character who is an actual swordswoman. Jin Cho Yeon's sole personality trait is her wish to be a wife, Kim Do Ju is just a parental figure, and I'm still trying to understand what was Heo Yoon Ok's reason to be in the story at all. So Yi seemed kind of interesting, but she got so little time on the screen that even her story turned out unsatisfying.
- I'm SO TIRED of love triangles, seriously. They weren't necessary at all. I'm starting to think that the writers include them in the plot just to get on everyone's nerves.
- I'm not mentioning anything specific here so that I don't spoil anything, but the resolution of many sides of the story were very unsatisfying in the end. I felt like some characters were given greatly important roles for no real reason, and also that some other crucial situations of the story got resolved very quickly and quietly. The last two episodes in particular felt extremely rushed compared to the rest.

On the other hand, there were multiple things that I liked.
- First of all, the themes of the story were portrayed pretty well: the struggle for power and for survival, life-or-death situation, the will to sacrifice something important in exchange for something else that is just as important... all these themes keep coming back in multiple situations of different characters and they were pretty consistent.
- The idea of a dangerous mage being stuck in a weak body and the son of a powerful mage who can't use his powers needing to team up was VERY compelling. The dynamic between the two of them was also amazing, with Mu Deok being a very strict, even cruel master and Jang Uk being a talented but also terribly spoiled disciple. They made a great duo and also complemented each other very well. I would have loved them even without their feelings being remotely romantic - I believe they worked just fine together as master and disciple. The way Jang Uk managed to develop his skills over time was also very entertaining, making me root for him all the way.
- Mu Deok is a merciless assassin, but she's also smart and good at acting as a certain role. The way she switched between being a meek and pandering servant to a strict and firm master was fascinating, I always looked forward to see her on the screen.
- The dynamics between other characters were also very good and endearing. The friendship between Jang Uk, Seo Yul, and Park Dang Gu was lovely to see in their interactions, and the tenderness between Park Jin and Kim Do Ju was another favorite of mine (along with their bickering). Jang Uk and Go Won were also a duo I didn't expect to love as much as I do.
- I believe that every single actor was chosen perfectly, really. Everyone did amazing. Jo Jae Yoon was the perfect antagonist, charismatic and scary at the same time. Props to Jung So Min as well for being amazing in her role, despite how difficult it was.
- Last but not least, this drama is visually amazing. The sets, the props, the costumes, and even the styling of the characters is varied and always beautiful. I really appreciated how characters had both long and short haircuts, even with different colors and accessories, instead of the usual period drama styles that can be seen everywhere else. I want to shake hands with whoever decided to give Yoo Joon Sang a beard: I kept thinking how handsome he looked every time he was on the screen.

My conclusion is that, while it's not a perfect drama nor a masterpiece in any way, it was a fun watch. If sword magic is your thing, you will have fun - if not, you might not find anything worth your time here. I'm looking forward to see if the second part of the story makes me change my opinion.

Leia Mais

A MUST WATCH DRAMA OF THE YEAR BEFORE YOU DIE!!!!

So basically I am not a fan of historical or costume dramas. I prefer modern dramas over periodic ones but guys trust me this one is way beyond my imagination and expectations. Its not good its mind blowing good. This drama caught my attention from the very 1st episode and that was something rare for someone like me (as I mentioned above).
I started this drama because of the posters and trailers that were released for season 2. Definitely to watch season 2 I had to watch season 1 so I immediately started watching it to catchup with S2...... Not with too much of expectations I started watching episode 1 and then boommm..... I really didn't expected to complete this within 5 days (fast as in for me hehe). Every episode was worth watching. I just could not stop myself from switching to next episode.
What makes it special for me is that you can find all sorts of genre into one like it has romance, mystery, action,.... and so on.... I specially loved the way how brilliantly director made every sword fights soo interesting that I couldn't stop myself to replay them. I loved the way how they made the leads fall deeply in love slowly and gradually through all there bickering moments. How they successfully add humour to a serious scene..... Everything about this drama is worth appreciating.
I am really satisfied that I started this drama after its completed because it would be hard for me to keep myself away from thinking about every upcoming episode.
A complete worth my watch!!
Thank You!!

Leia Mais

A high quality drama

One of the best dramas I've ever watched.

The photography of the film is splendid: the colors, the saturation, the environment.

The script is good despite the fact that sometimes there are illogical elements. However, as a whole, you will be surprised by the twists!

I think the biggest strength of this drama is the acting. But what good actors and actresses! Two in particular caught my attention: Shin Seung Ho and Yoo Joon Sang are excellent. Obviously the others are all equally good.

I had found a weak point in this drama but it was removed very quickly: At first glance, the main character Mu Deok is sorely lacking in humanity. So the viewers have a hard time to share empathy for her but this is solved by the third episode.

Honestly, I don't understand how we can't enjoy this drama?

Leia Mais

Strong from start to finish!

Overall one of the best action fantasy k-drama. The story was about land of Daeho & its mages, fictional world which not existed in history & maps. Jang Gang, one of the best mage was tricked by the king to perform soul shifting. Once done, the dying king impregnated Jang's wife. Years later, Jang Uk, the son had grown up. Jang placed a barrier into his "illegitimate" son so he couldn't be a mage. Jang Uk desperately trying to find a master who could undo the barrier, until he met with Mu Deok, a blind girl which was actually Naksu, an assassin who just soul shifted to avoid death. Strange thing happened to Naksu because she lost all of her powers but regained her sight as Mu Deok. Together, the two made a mutual relationship, to help each other to gain their powers back.
The acting was what you could expect from a k-drama. The soundtracks were good. The fx was also not disappointed. The action scenes were exciting. If i had a complain, i noticed that Go Youn Jung performed fighting better than Jung So Min. When I saw JSM's fight, it gave me the c-drama wuxia vibe : lots of close-ups.
I'll give a solid 9/10. It's an amazing show. Recommended.

Leia Mais

An epic Masterpiece in all proportions

An amazing drama that I'll never forget! Everything about this was amazing. The chemistry between Soo Ming and Lee Bae Wok, the characters, the character arcs and development, the worldbuilding and the acting. I got to say that both Jang Uk and Naksu/Mae-Duk are two of my most favorite characters ever in drama. And that has a lot to down to how both Soomin and LBW potrayed these characters with so much nuance and realism. They lived these characters and so did I thru them.
Uk and Naksu's character development was also a delight to watch. Nothing forced at all their changes they experience realistically, as they grow and change and grow as the story moves along.
Now onto the story, I'm a big fantasy lover and I was super excited when I found out AoS was a Korean fantasy drama. It had all the aspects that I love: magic, worldbuilding, the characters, the friendships, and of course the romance. I also loved the touch of comedy sprinkled throughout especially when the episodes were dark. It offered a nice balance.
Loved all the emotions AoS made me feel, I regret not watching this when it was airing I feel like watching live would have left me on an emotional rollercoaster every week! phew.
Got to say that Alchemy of Souls is one of the best dramas I've seen and one of my top ones too. Can't wait to get on and watch part 2. After that ending I need it lol.
10/10 for everything.

Leia Mais