Alchemy of Souls: Part 2 (2022)

Alchemy of Souls: The ill-planned side story.

(Please note that there was no way that I could possibly review this season separately from season one as this drama is a continuation of it).

This season was a roller coaster, that’s for sure, and writing this review was certainly challenging for me. From forcing myself to get into the slow start of season 1 to absolutely adoring it and excitedly waiting for season 2, I must say that my expectations were high, yet realistic for this season. All in all, I found that season 2 was well rounded for the little time they had, and they managed to pack the season to the brim where up until the eighth episode, we were still guessing where things would go or how they could possibly resolve everything in time.

For starters, the Hong sisters did an exceptional job at building the Alchemy of Souls world and I was rather sad to see that they were only making 10 episodes for this season. They introduced so many aspects, possible spin offs and unique storylines that could have easily taken this season, to a follow up of a 20 episode season like its predecessor.

There was also a major shift in terms of the story from the first season, and was even pointed out by some, that the posters clearly indicated this by giving an illusion of being action packed in the first season to a more wispy romance for the second. However, as we are introduced to these new and different issues, and seeing the shift in focus from where the story ended in season one, I can’t help but feel they may have missed the mark on certain aspects.

As much as I love a good mushy romance and although we got a happy ending where EVERY character found some form of happiness, the transition into the new season felt messy and ill planned. From the amnesia trope lasting much longer than anyone would have hoped, to the representation of our ever confident and mentally strong FL being downgraded to a helpless damsel in distress. Let’s not forget the anticlimactic reveals of important plot points in the story and the over-dramatisation of the “three deaths” which felt wrongly placed and unnecessary considering it didn’t do much for the story, except shock the audience.

In saying that, I absolutely loved the chemistry between the cast members and thought everyone did a marvellous job at portraying their characters, and the emotions that came with them! Both Jo Jae Yoon and Go Yoon Jung did an outstanding job in terms of their ability to continue the performance of their characters from their original actors, Do Sang Woo and Jung So Min, as well as Oh Na Ra and Yoo Joon Sang making us swoon over their romance, heartbreak and reconciliation.

Another incredible performance to acknowledge and possibly the best character growth throughout this entire drama (season one and two), has to be the growth and development of Jang Uk played by Lee Jae Wook. His performance throughout was fantastic where, as the audience, we were able to feel each emotion felt throughout the story. It’s almost as if the Hong sisters wrote this character especially for him!

All that aside, I enjoyed watching this season with its highs and lows, despite the inconsistencies and questionable moments. The cast, along with the production crew, the CGI used and even the OST were done exceptionally well! One small wish I do have is that we will get to see Go Yoon Jung and Lee Jae Wook working alongside together in another project soon - their chemistry simply oozes out of your screen like warm honey!

x dramafoxx

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O melhor

Digo com tranquilidade, o melhor drama de fantasia e romance já existente.
Alquima nunca foi sobre rostos e corpos, mas um amor que transcede o físico, é sobre o que o próprio nome já diz: almas.
Se alquima é a ciência que precedeu a química e a medicina, este drama conta de maneira poética sobre isso.
A cura e conhecimento que os protagonistas e os vilões procuravam pra suas almas foi feito com sucesso pelos primeiros citados.
Ost impecável, fotografia incrível. É surreal a maneira poética e entrelaçada que as irmãs Hong escreveram este drama, os segredos vão se entrelaçandos uns com os outros e revelando mais, é feito pra vc teorizar e pegar as dicas nos detalhes.
Infelizmente ainda tem muitos que não superaram a troca de protogonista mesmo sabendo que o destino da história já estava traçado pra ser assim, acredito q não informaram desde o começo exatamente pra evitar um número maior de abandonos. Honestamente, essa segunda parte teve um romance mais intenso, ao mesmo tempo suave, sombrio e iluminado e foi isso que deixou a part2 ainda melhor.
Palmas pra protagonista que conseguiu carregar e trazer o carinho do público msm com os 20 eps da part1 gravada na nossa mente, ela conseguiu tirar de letra. Vou amar pra sempre

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Con la ansiedad al límite

Cuando supe que AOS iba a tener dos temporadas no sabía que esperar, no lo quería y si iba a pasar solo esperaba que la historia siguiera siendo entre Naksu y Uk, pues entendía bien que es una serie de cambio de almas.
Puedo decir que estoy aquí porque ame la temporada 1, sin embargo la temporada 2 sello para siempre que AOS este en mi top de dramas, WOW! que temporada me hizo llorar, sufrir, feliz y enamorarme nuevamente de cada aspecto. Las actuaciones son estupendas, cada actor trabajo muy bien su papel, escenario y música genial.
Para los que siguen la historia del drama más que el fanatismo de un actor en específico ciertamente la amaran!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ para mí se coronó como el mejor drama de fantasía que he podido ver! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

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Perfect Part 1 ... fun but confusing Part 2

Part 1 of this drama was one of my favourite things I ever watched. The characters were well-defined, and the story flowed perfectly. Everything made sense and tied well (and very tragically) at the end.
While I still enjoyed part 2, and while I liked the direction of the story in part 2, most of it was really frustrating to watch. Here are some of my reasons:
[SPOILERS WARNING!]

1. Master Lee
His character was absolutely charming in part 1. I loved how he subtly helped Jang UK reach his destiny and always looked after both of them. But in part 2, his character only seemed to exist just to confuse us and throw us off, so when the real predictable plot happens, we'd be surprised.
In one episode, he says that Bu Yeon is dead, only to reveal two episodes later that, nope! she was actually alive all along...
And then he tells Yul about this big hard choice that UK will have to make between saving Naksu with Hwansu or doing the right thing, but we never saw UK make this choice or even consider it ever?!
Don't get me wrong, it would've hurt to see him make this choice and I'm glad he didn't, but why foreshadow something that was never relevant?

2. Jin seol ran
The whole "She was actually Jin seol ran all along" seemed irrelevant to the plot. She didn't help them like...at all?
Except at the end with the basin but that was after the bird was free and the world was already on fire?
But even then, if the writers went with her being Jin Bu Yeon it would've still made sense. It seemed like an unnecessary added layer of confusion.
If she foresaw all of this, then why didn't she give them a warning? why did she hide in Sari village all this time?

3. Naksu
The memory loss plot realllllyyy dragged. Jang UK seemed to be made slow this season just to stretch the plot. He was really smart in the first part, and I refuse to believe that it took him this long to connect the dots!
Part of why we fell in love with Mudeok was her ruthless, fearless character who had a warm side to her, but she found it hard to show. I didn't feel those characteristics in the second part. Regardless, I think Go Yoon Jung did a great job, and at times I felt like they really were the same person, but those times were rare.
Stretching the memory loss plot robbed us of seeing the Naksu we knew because everything that happened after her regaining her memories felt really rushed. It felt like Mudeok completely disappeared once part 1 ended.
The final scene when she was telling UK that she doesn't want to train anymore felt so detached and out of character from the Naksu we knew and loved...

4. The time jumps
I would have loved to see a little bit of the aftermath of what happened at the end of part 1. 3 years gap was a bit long.
And then again in the last episode, they had a 1 year jump out of nowhere.
One minute we were fighting the firebird the next, we were babysitting Dang-gu and Cho-yeon's babies. From a super intense scene to a super colourful scene. In fact, most episodes had this sharp transition between the scenes. Similar to how 3 main characters died in one scene and were brought back literally 30 seconds later. It felt like a lot of the plot this season was done and then undone over and over again.

Overall, I still loved and enjoyed this drama, and I will dearly miss it. My favourite thing about part 2 was the cute romance since we didn't get to see much of that in the first part. The actors/actresses were great, and the soundtrack was amazing. Weekends will truly feel empty now that this drama is over.

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Recensione stagione 1 e 2

Il fallimento di una possibile bellissima opera fantasy in una 30na di episodi. Da amante delle storie fantasy rom/com, avrei voluto veramente tanto amarlo ma ciò non è stato possibile a causa di molti momenti morti e alcune altre cose, tra cui la protagonista. Naksu poteva essere il personaggio più bello, la donna forte, la cercatrice di vendetta, colei che punisce, la combattente che veste alla marinara... Ah no, ho sbagliato. Invece viene lentamente e letteralmente messa da parte durante tutto il dramma per favoreggiare qualcun'altra. Viene messa in ombra nel peggior modo possibile, tutto quello che poteva far risaltare la storia scema in questo putrido modo. Perchè anche se l' "evoluzione" non ci stava troppo male con il contesto, non è così malamente che si fa.
Nulla di nuovo sul fronte occidentale per il protagonista maschile, qui stampo protagonista di un qualsiasi shonen in circolazione. Mi ha sorpreso nella seconda stagione e lì lo ho un po' amato perchè diverso. La sua storia con la protagonista non mi ha colpito ma qualche momento me l'ha fatto provare anche se su 30 ep potevate mettercene un po' di più, non briciole.
Gli altri maghetti sembrano tutti idol kpop sfuggiti ad un qualche concerto per finire catapultati in un mondo magico. Carini, ma nulla di veramente rilevante. Insomma, passabili. Il cattivone di turno non lo potevo vedere, ho trovato l'interpretazione dell'attore piatta e senza spina dorsale, non mi ha convinta per nulla.
Si salvano alla grande gli effetti speciali e i combattimenti, peccato che sono troppo pochi XD
In questo drama sembra prevalere l'elevata quantità di discorsi più che di fatti e la cosa mi ha decisamente alla lunga annoiata. Non ho droppato la visione perchè nonostante tutto volevo vedere come si concludeva l'opera, ma non vi nascondo che molte scene le ho skippate e nonostante ciò non mi sono persa nulla, giusto per farvi capire quanto lento e prevedibile sia.

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Why should you watch it?

Because of the prince and the tortoise :')

But seriously:
If you haven't watched Part 1, then don't watch this. This doesn't stand alone.

If you loved the first part of the series and felt like there were unresolved matters and want to enjoy watching the main couple more, then watch Part 2. All the same characters are there.
I gave this overall score of 7.5/10. Because I felt that the plot is now completed (or well used) and this was an okay continuation to the 1st part. They could have changed the characters (/enemies)a bit. Now the plot felt repetitive.

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When/why to watch it?

When to watch it? of course when you finish season 1. When you want to watch fantasy, romance, revenge, beautiful costumes, comedy included in the best way. Also when you want to give up and you need that hand to continue.

Why to watch it? I know that there are some bad reviews, but I believe that it depends on the eyes you see the series. The ambience and the magic helps to make you feel that it was real at some point. And the storyline closes everything that end up open in the first season.

I hope this helps someone to watch it when your feelings or your live match the energy of Alchemy of Souls 2. And please tell me if it does!

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The best love story that ever existed!

First of all, I just can't believe that it ended already. Its been three weeks since it ended but I feel so empty inside. I keep on rewatching all the episodes. I just miss them so much. The excitement and frustration from waiting for new episodes. The theories that circled through my head. The way I betrayed Christmas and NewYear because I was more excited for AOS than them. It was such an unforgettable feeling. There's no other drama that made me feel like this before. I've become so obsessed and can't seem to let them go. I can't watch other dramas because AOS set the bars so high.

I'm telling you, this is the BEST KDRAMA. Everything about it speaks PERFECTION. But one of the best part was the LOVE STORY. Just like I said, its the best love story that ever existed. So if you're here for romance, don't hesitate and go watch it now!

𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔- 10
Three years after the tragedy that led Mu-deok to run wild and kill innocent people, engineered by Jin Mu, Jang Uk, who returned from the dead as a result of the powerful Ice Stone inside his body, becomes a ruthless hunter of soul shifters and becomes increasingly isolated due to his heartbreak over the death of his love—Mu-deok. He then meets the mysterious heiress of Jinyowon, Jin Bu-yeon, who resembles Nak-su.

- This season focused more on romance. That's why they change the title to Alchemy Of Souls: Light and Shadow.
LIGHT represents Jang Uk and SHADOW represents Cho Yeong/Naksu. It shows how they fall in love all over again, even without recognizing each other. I like how the story unfolds, the parallels from the first season, and how each characters changed.

"𝙒𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩. 𝙒𝙚 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧."
- I believed that this line is the perfect summary for the whole season. It shows the purpose on why they made this season. LOVE CONQUERS ALL!
They changed her appearance, removed her memories and locked her up but in the end Jang Uk ends up finding her. Why? Because light and shadow cannot be separated. They are INSEPARABLE.

Also, the other characters was given their own room to develop their stories. Everyone has their own closure, even those who lacked closure in S1. It was given to them perfectly here in S2. The story was well wrapped. Just prepare yourself for the biggest plotwist! I will not spoil it

There are also some annoying villains who carried the story. Jin Mu was the top of them. His greed lasted till the end.

𝘼𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 & 𝘾𝘼𝙎𝙏- 10
I'll start with 𝙅𝙖𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙤𝙠, the one who lead the whole 30 episodes kdrama. He deserves the best actor award this year. His acting was insane. He perfectly showed how Jang Uk changed over the two seasons. I really can't imagine other actors doing that role, Lee Jae Wook was born for it. Actually this role is too much for a 24 year old actor but JaeWook did it. I respect him so much.

As for 𝙂𝙤 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙣 𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙜, she also did a great job. She succeded in making the viewers love her. For those who already watched S1, you'll know that they changed the actress. From Jung So Min to Go Youn Jung. But it's totally understandable in this drama. Its fantasy and involves soul shifting. And Go Youn Jung is not a stranger in the series, she's the one who potrayed the original Naksu in S1. Her role here in S2 is the complete opposite of her role in S1. She perfectly potrayed a woman without memories. The development of her character from the cruel assassin to a clueless priestess.

Its time to talk about Lee Jae Wook and Go Youn Jung's chemistry. The chemistry that I didn't expect at all. Its insanely offcharts. Be it onscreen or offscreen. Their chemistry leaded this season to a great success.

𝙈𝙐𝙎𝙄𝘾- 10
I just love all the OST in this drama. This season only has three OST but had its own meaning. I already downloaded it and bought the OST ALBUM. They are just simply a MASTERPIECE!..

_________________________________________
𝘼𝙇𝘾𝙃𝙀𝙈𝙔 𝙊𝙁 𝙎𝙊𝙐𝙇𝙎: 𝙇𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙎𝙃𝘼𝘿𝙊𝙒 (A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED KDRAMA) ♡♡♡

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Um dos melhores doramas q já vi!!

Nessa temporada eu senti um misto de emoções, eu amo que alchemy of souls entrega tudo, visual, cinematografia, roteiro, história, na primeira temporada eu tava pensando bastante se ia ter coragem de assistir 20 eps desse dorama pq ultimamente n estou conseguindo assistir nem 16 direito, mas me surpreendi e agora ele virou o meu dorama preferido, a química que a naksu e o jang uk entregam é perfeita, gosto que cada personagem teve uma parte importante no dorama, eu também adorei que o final n foi triste pq já n bastava o final da primeira temp q foi traumático, um dorama que com certeza vai ser lembrado e que foi especial para mim! <3

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