Alchemy of Souls (2022)

Ambitious fantasy kdrama which delivers

1/ STORY: Let's be honest, this drama is more a romance drama rather than a fantasy action drama. It is the story of two persons who have opposite backgrounds and they form an alliance to reach their own respective goal but they start to develop feelings for each other while they are embroiled in a conspiracy.

1.1/ The conspiracy (SPOILERS):
200 years ago, the power of the sky materialized into a stone that brought the ability for humans to shift soul, switch bodies, absorb the energy of souls or even bring back the dead to life by summoning his soul back. These spells called "Alchemy of Souls" created chaos since one mage used them for the first time. The chaos was then solved by a Master who had the power to destroy the stone but did not.

200 years after, an elite assassin is chasing and killing mages who have banned the Alchemy of Soul. But among them, conspirators are using the forbidden spells for their own specific objective.

The conspiracy is not complex but it is not explained in the clearest way. It is unveiled bit by bit through different events and characters like the pieces of a puzzle which slowly unveils the picture. It is not easy to handle as many elements are important but they need to be understood and "digested" quickly. It needs attention and this was sometime prejudicial to how I enjoyed the story. Plus the conspiracy is unveiled and "resolved" slowly over 20 episodes.

1.2/ The romance:
The elite assassin is forced into soul shifting to save herself an ends up in the body of a weak girl and she looses her powers. She is taken as a maid in a family of mages where the rogue son is trying to become the most powerful mage. He takes her as his master to train him. But slowly romance starts to develop between a guy who is very focused and plain on what he wants and who he likes and a young woman former assassin who tries to do her part of the deal but slowly falls for her pupil as she navigates between the blurred lines of caring as a master and caring as a lover. Their story is really cute with emotions and good action when they need to protect each other. In the end ... they can finally live happily ever after. Nope. It's a joke. But the way the two of them slowly come together as an item was nice.

Beside this, there are some sub romances and plenty of love triangles. They are rather cute and not annoying. The side couples have cute scenes and cute stories. The love triangles are not too intense, not confusing for the leads or for the viewers. In fact, they mainly underline the background and personalities of the characters rather than they create angst or opposition or dirty rivalry.

All these romances and love triangles accounts for a huge part of the drama to the point it feels like a romance drama but it is not annoying because most characters involved are good people who are endearing and I could not throw stones at them.

2/ CHARACTERS - ACTORS:
- Jang Uk: a lout with a sad background story but he is a fun person, a good and loyal friend, He keeps his cool demeanor and manages to develop his powers but he also has to face difficult choices. I liked the character. Lee Jae Wook perfect.
- Mudeok : Naksu in the body of a maid. I liked her evolution from cold blooded assassin to smart maid doing her best to improve her pupil and fighting her own feelings. She is scheming and strong but also really fun to watch. Jung So Min nailed the role.
- Supporting leads: Yul, Dong Gu, Cho Yeon : All form a nice company of friends with their qualities and flaws. Underused at times but important in the build up of the story especially towards the end.
- Supporting characters: Park Jin, Master Lee, Maidservant Kim, Master Heo: Good hearted and caring for the leads and friends. I like their personality, actions and the funny moments they delivered.
- Other likeable characters: Crown Prince, a man of his duty and position, benevolent but can be ruthless. Heo Yoon Ok, nice niece, helpful and understanding. Joo Wol intelligence service, a good friend and helpful hand
- Annoying character: The big evil guy. His schemes are bigger than he is impressing himself. At times he looked lost and funny but overall does the job as the villain. Mama Jin weak mum who redeems herself. Papa Jin also in a different way. Jang Kang unworthy father who goes wandering around the world and comes back home not wiser. So-i, terrible person but necessary evil.

3/ OST: Very good.

4/ REWACH VALUE: 20 eps is very long and the story unfolds slowly due to many cute fun moments of humor. Rewatchable it you have time.

5/ OVERALL: Honestly I expected more action and fantasy and I was served more romance and love triangles. Still I am not disappointed. I enjoyed the story the conspiration and the romances and the characters that I found interesting and endearing and fun. Of course, it is no secret this is a part I. I thought the ending was very good with great pace to build-up the climax and deliver the intense final. It sets up perfectly the part II which will probably have a different tone. Very enjoyable drama if you take time to assimilate the details of the plot and if you like cute fun characters. 10/10.

Lire davantage

I'm unsatisfied with the ending

Too many loopholes. Too many fillers. Although I was entertained, I won't recommend this series to anyone as this will annoy them because of the plot twist - typical Hong sisters.

The only thing that I do appreciate a lot in this series is Jung So Min. She nailed her roles 20/10. I will be watching her other shows as I am intrigued by her acting.

As for season 2, Nah. I don't want to get annoyed again. There are too many other great dramas to watch.

The male lead, sorry to say this, has a lot to learn when it comes to acting. He's still young, though, and can still polish his craft.

Lire davantage

Just PERFECT DRAMA with great and unique story

At first I was sceptical about this drama because I am not a big fan of historical dramas, it's just not my thing, BUT....
I AM SO GLAD that I gave it a chance. It is PERFECT. From the cast, to the story and the OST, everything is just really good.
The tension at the end of every episode keeps you hooked like CRAZY. I almost couldn't wait for the last episodes to come out.
The chemistry between the leads and the acting as well is just on point. All the actors did an amazing job. And don't even get me started with the plot. I mean it is just UNIQUE, even though I've watched hundreds of dramas and most of the time I find myself not impressed with the story or by the "plot twists", but damn I was SHOOKED by this one. And I can't wait for the second part of the story to air. If you are looking for a sign, if you should watch this, there it is, I am your sign PLEASE, PLEASE go watch it.

It is just PERFECT!!!!

Lire davantage

Probably my favorite historical-fantasy drama

I write this because I want to remember how this show affected me. I re watch this many times and only this moment I finally thought to write a review.

A wonderful show that's it.

Definitely recommended you to watch it and its getting better if you rewatch it with your friends and family... the feels idk.
Anyways the cast are great, the osts, ( oh I love "just watching you by jeong sewoon :((((<3 ) and the show itself is so good.

I just wish this will have more seasons and be consistent of the good writing and directing, for sure I will be there to watch it.

ps. Can not wait for december! :>>>>>

Lire davantage

No words

I just watched the last episode and I must say that this show didn't let down my expectations. I tent to get bored after a few episodes while watching dramas, but this show is just top tier. I love the storyline, the acting, the cinematography, just everything. The relationship between the main couple is just so beautiful. <33333 The ending itself is not satisfying but it had to be this way for the next season to be good and interesting. I highly recommend and I can proudly say that it's in my top 3. I'm also glad that they didn't hurry the story and just made the second season. Now I'll be waiting every minute till second season <3333333

Lire davantage

One of the best Kdrama of 2022

I watched countless Dramas over the past few years, and I will say to everyone this is one of the best Kdrama so far!

I will write the following reason why this is one of the best Kdrama of 2022:
1. THE STORY. The plot/story of the Alchemy of Souls is so unique that you cannot find it in other dramas. It is based on the historical genre and adds some fantasy. If you are familiar with Chinese Dramas, you might find them similar to the Wuxia genre. It is pretty new to Korean dramas, and I hope they will make more dramas like this one!
2. THE CAST / ACTORS AND ACTRESSES. The chemistry between Lee Jae Wook and Jung So Min is so perfect. Not only them but many support actors and actresses did their job well. I am super happy with the casting of Hwang Min Yun, Shin Seung Ho, Yoo In Soo, Yoo Joon Sang, and Oh Na Ra. They are the best mixture of supporting actors/actresses.
3. COSTUME AND CINEMATOGRAPHY. If you love the historical and fantasy genre, you will love the costume and cinematography in this Drama. The way they looked in their outfits was perfect. The perfect costume with the perfect shots of the scenery will make you fall in love with this Drama.
4. THE ROMANCE. As I mentioned earlier, the leading actor and actress of this Drama have perfect chemistry with each other. You will find yourself smiling every time you see them together. Not only the leading actor and actress but also the supporting actors! The Romance and Action in this Drama are pretty well balanced, and that makes this Drama unique from other dramas.
5. IT HAS SEASON 2. Yes, you heard it, the story is not yet finished, and that is what I love with this drama. They did not end it with just 20 episodes, and more are coming in the next few months! That means we will see the casts again in Season 2.

I hope that by listing why this Kdrama is one of the best in 2022, you will watch it too! Let us spread the love and adventure with this Kdrama!

Additional Comment:
I found the story/plot of this drama similar to those of the Chinese dramas I watched. Maybe because of that, I fell in love with this drama. It has some Wuxia elements on it. I hope by Season 2, they will add more action to the series. Naksu's sword fight is fantastic, and I hope I can watch more of that in Season 2.

Written review by ChickenAdobo (August 29, 2022)
- Your number 1 ulam here in MyDramaList

Lire davantage

Disappointed

It's my first time to make a review so bear with me on this one.
AOS is one of the kdrama that I got hyped watching. The first episode will always be the best episode of this series and is one of the reasons why I got into this series.

Story: This is one of those series that has the potential to be one of the best but ended up not living to its hype. I think the writers got influenced by the fans and didn't know how to continue the story later on.
So many questions left unanswered. So many plot mysteries that was left hanging - because the story started to focus on romance - almost each characters has romance shown in the series.

There are four young mages - yet, there was nothing for them to do - except to be part of love story.

The most disappointing is Jang Gang's return. He was the biggest mystery in this series but they made him come back just to die like that...

It would of been better if they announced that there will be season 3 - so the plots will be cleaned but they choose a rushed ending.

Cast: One of the best aspect of this drama is the casts. They all did a great job. The Somin did a great job portraying two different personalities - so it didn't take long for me to get use to her as new Naksu because her acting as Naksu was so close to the real one.
The rest of the casts did great job as well - even the extras.

Lire davantage

The synopsis does not do it justice!

It will surely pique your interest if you enjoyed 'Lovers of the Red Sky.'

A historical drama with a dynamic female lead! The magic system in this fictional place called Daeho is very very... petrifying (pun intended).

The storyline really pulls you in, especially the whole context behind the female lead's soul and reason for vengeance. The male lead is endearing in a way that does not let him outshine Naksu/Mu Deok Yi, which I genuinely appreciate. Overall, this drama's cast is one to watch out for. There are so many promising actors and their interactions are super adorable. The special effects have been elegantly carried out and the action sequences have been skillfully enacted, further complimented by the exquisite production quality. It all ties together handsomely, showcasing a superior level of storytelling. It does not follow the most cliched plot (although a few cliches were necessary) or have plot armour. This enhances its shock elements. The soundtrack is also very catchy and has a modern touch to it! Look forward to hearing a sageuk rendition of Oh My Girl's 'Nonstop.'

I came in with little expectations, but this has turned into one of the most anticipated historical dramas of 2022 for me.

Lire davantage

My most favorite historical drama

The show kept me loving it from the very first moment to the last. At first I hesitated to start watching it as it had 20 episodes and runtime of almost 80 minutes. Now I'm sad why it ended so quickly. I'm glad to know it'll have another season. Hope they'll bring a sequel along with the prequel. I'd love to see all the actors playing the same roles again. The story with all those twists and turns was so entertaining to watch. It's a perfect package of action, romance, comedy, emotion, mystery, thriller and so on. music was awesome too. I was really tensed when there was so much to reveal but only 2 eps were left and was afraid as well thinking they might ruin the end. I can sleep peacefully now that I know it had a perfect ending and ended with a cliffhanger.

I loved all the characters so much. Normally I'm not fond of second leads. But in this drama I loved Jang Uk, Seo Yul, Crown Prince equally, also Young Lady Heo. none of the second leads were toxic and were always supporting. Cinematography was topnotch. kudos to the vfx team.

In the last moment, when I saw Jang Uk die, I literally had tears in my eyes ( I don't cry easily) I don't remember when I was this sad while watching any series' or movies'. I'm now glad to know that he's alive. Hope Naksu is also alive. I hope for their happy ending in the next season.

Lire davantage

Surprising until the very end

SPOILERS ARE MARKED, READ WITH EASE

I've been waiting to write this review since somewhere around episode 10-12. Never seen such a well made drama in fantasy genre, so let me start to go into detail and be straight forward.

The story
Having a good plot doesn't mean viewers can't guess the ending, you can fully somewhat know the ending yet enjoy the show but having a plot and keeping the viewers at the edge of their seat until the very end is something else. At least I haven't encountered such show. The story was eye catching from the first episode. Characters were understandable since the very moment they were introduced. Their actions and way of logic was relatable. The story remained true to itself, clichés weren't involved, at least not to the point to ruin the unique story. I would say the story line kept getting better as time passed and the sub-plots were added smoothly. They all gracefully came together. Overall the story was unique and entertaining.

The characters
As I said before, characters were well made. They stayed true to themselves, their actions were based on the character NOT on the story. The character's choices made the story, there weren't out of character decisions just for the sake of plot.
For instance, (spoiler on this paragraph), Jung Uk's lack of motivation didn't magically disappear after Mu-Deok's entrance. As the love grew, we saw character development and it all made sense. Mu-Doek's character, unlike some opinions, was very well written and well used up until the end. (spoiler alert) For example the way she used Jung Uk to gain both of their powers, again, their love actually grew into them, it wasn't something to happen over night, yet I hope to see more of her own arc in the up coming season.

(spoiler ended.)

The action scenes were absolutely mind blowing, the casting was on point, the music was heartwarming, the only criticize I dare to make is the filler episodes, although it get back on track very soon.

I would say this drama was the best of 2022, probably be the best of 2023 if they maintain the same level of production in the next season, I keep my finger crossed and pray to have a well made 2nd season too.

Lire davantage

THIS SHOW IS EVERYTHING ❤️

i will just say that is show is a must watch!
the story, the characters, the chemistry everything is literally perfect.

the chemistry between jae wook and soo min is literally everything.
they made the cutest couple ever.

all the lines in this drama grow together perfectly. there is no boring details or unwanted characters. every character is there for a reason.

little sad that jung soo min wouldn't be our main lead the next season but i am sure the real naksu would do a great job.

+

the OST are magical ✨️

i hope su yeol find someone that he can love and end up happy also the crowned princes i really don't want him to turn bad.

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