In all honesty? A masterpiece!
Watched this majestic drama while it was still airing in Korea the past year, and honestly was the best drama of all 2022!Usually, I'm not a historic + historic/fantasy drama lover, I love history but I'm not really that good at the Korean one, so at first I wanted to avoid it, I've thought that the mixture of the completely different genres would be a huge mess.
What a dumb thought.
The storyline can be tricky at first, especially for all the different families and the flashbacks are a whole lot, but once the first episodes the story starts to get amazing, and the long length of each episode (pretty much like a movie per each episode) goes in the back. Jung So Min is AMAZING in this, she and her facial expressions are hilarious and a tinge of adding some 'slap comedy' is a big yes for me!
I would recommend this? YES
Is worth a rewatch? Yes Again!!
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Best in a while ..!
I really enjoyed this show after long time watching animes and k dramas , to say how much this show hooked me i felt sad to finish this show , I didn't want to finish this because I might feel empty after. The best show in a while , definitely worth to watch it. Graphics are really good didn't expect to be this good , story is great blend with action romance for perfect amount , humor and jokes are on point, I learned a lot about life from this serious , just watch you won't regret it , I'm emotionally over whelmed.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Review for Season 1 and 2 together.
Alchemy of Souls Part 1 and 2 are spectacular productions. This is a character driven fantasy Korean drama that has very well choreograph action scenes, conspiracy galore, great CGI’s, beautiful costumes, comedy, and a story of steadfast love and support from the leading couple as well as the friendship among the young generation of mages. The chemistry among the main characters is fantastic as well as the dynamics of the older mages which many times deliver many comedic moments. Alchemy of Souls has an original story line from the famous Hong sisters with many twists and turns, modern styles (costumes and hairstyles), references to pop culture, and a great OST. The entire drama would’ve have been better if season 2 was integrated with season 1 creating just one drama and viewers would not have been disappointed with some changes. The leading lady on season 2 did very well bringing her character to life as she was Naksu in the beginning of season 1, which I particularly agree with bringing her back with her own semblance, but the amnesia plot weakened her magnificent warrior aura. The second season is more about Uk and Naksu’s love story. Overall, even though this drama has n blend of genres (action, mystery, revenge, comedy,…), the drama is about Uk and Naksu’s relationship as Master and Pupil that evolves into a beautiful love story among the mayhem of a fantastical plot and the antagonists underhanded tactics to bring them down. This drama (Part 1 and 2) is very entertaining, enjoy it!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
captivating Entertaining Fantasy Drama
Through its fast-paced plotting, engaging characters and character development and splendid wardrobe, Alchemy of Souls Season 1 was a captivating entertaining fantasy drama that helped me sail through this summer. Using it interesting plot, this drama revolved around the lives of people residing in a place not known to regular humans, Daeho. The writers did a great job introducing all the character and writing storylines that suited each character perfectly but also linked in with the other characters. I especially love the relationship between Jang UK and Mu Deok( Naksu), his master I found fascinating how loyal Mu Deok undeniable always stands by Jang Uk (although at times did not come across that way)and Him her. And how the gradually fell in love with each other. Although season 1 ended with a heart break it also makes it more interesting to see the journey that’s ahead of the characters as sad as it might have ended. one question i keep asking myself is, “Are they character we deem villains actually villains?” only season 2 can answer that question and I can’t wait to watch.Defiantly a rewatch drama.
10/10 for Writing
10/10 for Character development
10/10 for pacing
10/10 for storyline
10/10 for chemistry between lead Actors
10/10 for casting.
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More like this please!
This review is for season 1.I'll start this and say that I am a fan of this show and binged it. That's why even if I noticed 1-2 things that a critic can use to not give it a 10 I went past this and gave it a 10 for the awesome work it is.
The rating for each section is already shown but I can say that the story, overall, is captivating, the acting is what it should be. I haven't found any flaws with it from any actor and many scenes were written/produced/acted as any production of this kind should be done. 11/10 to the actors and 11/10 to the production team for these awesome moments.
Had it on my watchlist for 2 years and one of the reasons I delayed watching it a couple of times was because I expected it to be good(if something is good I simply can't stop watch it, even if it means no sleep). That decision was perfect because if I had started that show in a busier period I couldn't have binged it as I did because it exceeded my expectations. This is a good thing because, unfortunately, expectations are the worst thing for any type of work. They raise the bar and if that kind of show/movie is lacking anywhere it will feel like it is a bigger matter that it trully is. I am glad that this show exceeded that and delivered a great experience.
I recommend it and feel that the rewatch value is high with this show, even more so if you watched season 2.
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Goblin Adjacent
So it has been a while since I watched a drama that was so well written and so well executed. The acting was amazing. Every single actor and actress did a fantastic job. I became a fan of all of them which is usually rare for me. The story was new and interesting. Dramas tend to be somewhat predictable but this one was not. Everytime I thought it was going to go one way it did something differently. I named it goblin adjacent because it probably ruined me for any other dramas right now. I just finished season 2 but I almost feel like I should rewatch it already because it was that good.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Um clássico!
Achei a história muito bem elaborada. Você encontra de tudo na medida, sem nada ficar em excesso. Temos ação, drama, romance, comédia.Todos os personagens são bem desenvolvidos, e quando você vê acaba se apaixonando por mais de um. Até fiquei com pena quando a Nak Su ia rejeitado eles, kkkk.
Foi a primeira vez que assistia algo com o Lee Jae Wook, e foi amor a primeira vista, kkk sua atuação foi impecável, fazendo com que eu ficasse ainda mais pressa na história. Quanto a Jung So Min, senti que faltava algo, para mim ela não mudava a expressão, o que as vezes me deixava agoniada.
No mais, fiquei totalmente rendida a alquimia das almas, e arrependida de não tê-la assistido antes.
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mild spoilers
I immensely enjoyed EVERYTHING about the storyline, even the villain of the story did so well and tied in the story(even though I hated him). it's a total re-watchable series.I also enjoyed the rise of Jang Uk (against all odds), his character development, the dedication of Maid Kim and his friends. he also proved that "destiny delayed is not destiny denied " to come out triumphant.
lastly I loved the inserts of comedy and romance(the right amount) wherever they where needed between the main characters.
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I haven’t been the same since
i literally have not been the same since Alchemy of Souls ended. I have rewatched it and it just gets better and better each time. Every single thing about this drama was amazing and I haven’t watched something since that’s had such a grip on me. I’m always recommending this to anyone I possibly can. The ost is incredible, the casting choices, the cinematography, everything. I miss this cast so much. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to punch Jin Mu lolol. This drama will always be famous to me.Was this review helpful to you?
So many genres mix in together in harmony. Off to a great start. Ignore the review bombing here.
I can't write long reviews. So in short, based on first 2 episodes, it's an absolute delight. There's comedy, action, supernatural, magic and mages mixed in an historical setting. But it succeeds nonetheless. Also the casting choices are great. Main leads have amazing chemistry and rapport established already in two episodes. I have never been into historical settings, but even i am really looking forward to what's next. Bit disappointed that people are review bombing the show here. So many will ignore this show because of what's happening here.Was this review helpful to you?
I loved Hwang Min Hyun but this wasn't for me.
I debated when this ended on saying a little of what I thought about it and it took me a while to come back and write this much. I had watched this to the end but by the time it was over I wanted to roll my eyes.The female and male lead annoyed me and when it came down to it their acting sucked.
I only stuck this out because of Hwang Min Hyun. This drama started out great but I liked nothing
it seemed by the third ep.
The supposed love and their so called love story between the leads wasn't there for me was falling flat as a dry pancake as the eps went on.
I know others felt/feel differently and liked/loved this but I just didn't/don't and could see no romantic chemistry between the two leads and them supposedly supposing to have feelings for each other just wasn't coming through for me and it was just awful to have to watch. When the second half of the show had started I managed to get through the first ep of the and wasn't going to waste my time watching more. It only served to piss me off more because I had wasted my time watching the first half and hated it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Very rewatchable show
Strange title but the preview was humorous. So glad I started watching it. Now rewatching my fav episodes while waiting for the extension 4 episodes. The chemistry between the whole cast is so endearing. Good friends, enemy turned almost friends, adults getting the reverse results trying to protect their kids. Just wish the storyline moved forward in a direct fashion more. They always start with the climax and then show the ‘backstory’ even if the backstory took place the day before. So it’s like watching forwards and backwards forwards and backwards. For the main plot it makes sense. But they do it for even small events like Uk catching the Golden Fish. And I wish Uk fight scenes were longer. After all the angst training etc the fight scenes which usually show his improvements are so short. Blink of an eye and it’s over. Especially the 10 fight with Yul. I loved it though too short.Was this review helpful to you?
