Ongoing 2/10
NoName
7 people found this review helpful
Dec 12, 2022
2 of 10 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

GIVE IT A CHANCE

If u don't like the new actress, I cant blame u. But just give it a chance. I was gonna watch it anyway, but i got really found of her . We were already familiar to her and we already knew she is the real Naksu. We also have so many paralels in part 2 so it is easy to see her as Naksu.
I was a little afraid in the begining because i really liked part 1 so I thought that if i dont enjoy part 2 i would feel like a traitor :))). But I am in lovee with the first two eps. There were a lot of unanswered questions in the first ep, the the second ep answered a lot of my curiosities. I can't wait for the next week for new episodes, i am already hooked. As always I hate JinMu , but I hope he won't turn our crown prince into a bad guy. On the other hand I believe Jin Mu will try something bad, but that will end up making Naksu remembering the past .
I am constantly watching edits and replaying my favourite parts.

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Completed
Luvlychem
1 people found this review helpful
Dec 18, 2024
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers

Disregard the naysayers

Kdrama fans are their own breed of drama and prejudice and many of the reviews panning this second part show how true this is. I loved the first part, but I think the second part was better than the first. It wrapped up the story, matured with a storyline with the characters, and was a fun watch. Genuinely felt both parts 1 and 2 are eminently rewatchable, and both parts are included in my all-time favorite kdramas.
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Completed
Soniii
1 people found this review helpful
Sep 24, 2024
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

What a sequel!!!

Top notch season following up on a top notch season 1. I'm not a fan of sequels in Asian dramas. But, in this case, I couldn't be more excited and happy that there were 10 more episodes to this amazing story.

They rounded off all the story arcs & life did come full circle here. Leads just ate, I was wondering if changing female lead would impact any visual aspect of the show, it didn't. The story really flew well, the change made sense and I loved their chemistry. The ML was so charismatic & their constant banter kept me hooked. Sometimes, I even would rewind just to see them saying those lines again.

Really loved the way story came to its conclusion. Loved this show so much! Definitely on my re-watch list!

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Completed
Spicy Topokki
1 people found this review helpful
Oct 13, 2024
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 7.5

Good chemistry between leads in both seasons.

I liked it even more than season 1. Even though season 1 was more funny than season 2 and I adored Mudeok. It was because this season was more romantic and focused on the couple. I wanted more for Jin Buyeon though. An alternative ending for her. I was still hoping for the actress of season 1 to have a lengthy and active part in this season 2, but alas. Also, the fight scenes towards the end were kinda "weak".
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Ongoing 2/10
ryoato
6 people found this review helpful
Dec 19, 2022
2 of 10 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

Two Souls Forever Drawn Together

This part was highly anticipated and that could make this part be very bad if it weren’t to be good. But the writing for this show sells the drama so well, that every doubt I have is fading away

I thought with a new actress for Naksu that would be jarring and her character wouldn’t feel the same. But her development is there with the last part and she is the same person. The writing for her is fluent and tied with the last part so well even if it has been three years for all the characters. They all are the same people but they have drastically matured by the situations and hardships they’ve been through.

This drama is a top notch one. The setting is stunning and the costumes are just as stunning. It’s got everything and more importantly the script backing this drama up is done very well. With a time skip it could’ve been doing too much or having us assuming, but they leave just enough to assume and enough for us to guess.

I love how well Naksu and Jang Uk play off each other, with it being reminiscent of what it was before. I hope the ending isn’t again a tragedy, but so far this drama is anything but. It’s so amazing really and everything is engaging. Impressive for me and I love this show so much. I’ll write a more in depth review once it all comes out.

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Completed
Christie Wosu
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 18, 2024
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

ONE OF THE BEST HISTORICAL KDRAMAS I'VE EVER WATCHED

For those who keep giving this film negative reviews, sorry to say but you are biased and bitter. Because this drama is so far one of the best kdramas I've watched, this is coming from someone who has watched over 200 kdramas. You're a fan of the actress from the first season and not the storyline if you hate this drama.
I've rewatched this drama over 30 times and what amazes me it's I've never gotten bored of it. Every time I rewatch it feels like a new drama. I don't know why anyone who claim the plot is bad when it's literally just a continuation of the story which was split into two parts. Without part 2 I would never had understood the storyline. I also love the message the writers were conveying "LOVE SOMEONE BASED ON THEIR SOUL NOT APPEARANCE".
In conclusion Awesome and Amazing. Well written and amazing chemistry and cinematography

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Completed
Jaewohn
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 8, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

Great but missing our cold blooded assassin Naksu.

When I first started watching season 2 I tried super hard to make myself like it since I was a big fan of Mu Deok. I find it difficult to adapt to Naksu's new character + the new actress. Naksu was a completely different person at the start of s2. One thing is for sure, they dragged the amnesia plot for far too long and they filled it up with wattpad level romance. So you ask why my rating is still so high. I liked s1 so much, and I just wanted everything to be wrapped up well in s2, and it was wrapped up well. I also have a lot of love for all the characters like Park Jin, Kim Do Ju, Master Lee, Dang Gu, Crown prince and Cho Yeon too. So I got my well wrapped happy ending.
It is however disappointing that there are no more Naksu fight scenes or even her being 'cool'.

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Completed
nicolly
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 13, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.5

O que mais me vidrou nesse dorama é que ele consegue tá prender rapidamente na história.

Um dorama muito bom e muito bem feito em todos os sentidos, te faz sofrer juntos com os personagens e no final seu coração fica quentinho, recomendo esse dorama.
Você pensa que vai dar tudo errado e dá e depois não dá mais fica tudo bem, o que mais me prendeu era saber o que ia acontecer com o Jang Uk com a pedra de gelo, o que o Jin Mu ia fazer pra ficar no poder e quando iam descobrir a patifaria que ele tava fazendo, e se a Bu-yeon ia expulsar a Naksu do corpo dela.
Você não sabe quem é o vilão e quem não é, a história tem um plot muito bom e o Jin Mu parece imortal, não posso falar mais se não vou contar toda a história.

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Completed
whatestheriswatching
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 12, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers
Wow. No wonder they needed two seasons to get through everything.

The beginning of season two starts three years after the end of the first season and a lot has changed. As everything unfolds, you learn about how the aftermath of what happened three years ago affected all the main characters. Park Dang Gu is now the leader of Songrim, and his engagement with Jin Cho Yeon was broken off. Seo Yul is suffering from the aftereffects of the blood parasite entering his body, and Jang Uk has completely changed. He's now in possession of the ice stone and hunts soul shifters and is surrounded by wraiths. It's a pretty gloomy start to the season, where it's obvious everyone is suffering although I love that Jang Uk is a total badass now who doesn't care what other people think.

I feel like I should have rewatched the last episode of season one before watching the second season, because I definitely forgot some very key details - like Jang Uk having the ice stone. *face palm* I had a lot of questions and things that I was wondering about in the first few episodes of the show, but maybe that's their intention because as the story progresses you do learn more about what happened and why. I was curious about how they would explain Naksu having her original appearance when her body got burned up in season one, but it does get explained in a way that I (sort of) understand. It does get pretty complicated though. I'm glad they go into the details of the blood parasite in depth in this season, because it was definitely one of the things I had questions about from the last season.

If the beginning of the show is dark and gloomy, then the middle is more romance oriented, with Jang Uk and Naksu getting to know each other, with the usual kdrama shenanigans where they misunderstand each other and start falling in love. Things are extra complicated because Jang Uk is still traumatized/waiting for Naksu meanwhile Bu Yeon (who is actually Naksu) is getting her memory back in bits and pieces as flashbacks but she thinks its actually someone else's memory.

The last third of the season (from episode 7 onwards) is where the plot starts to really pick up and it gets good. There's epic fights and showdowns, dramatic rescues, double crossing, and not one but TWO absolutely crazy plot twists / reveals that I did not see coming.

In the midst of all the excitement, it's nice that there is still some comedy to break up the tension. I love the interactions between Jang Uk and the crown prince. The whole season I was just rooting for them to be friends again. And the crown prince's turtle! I love how the writers of the show made the turtle so pivotal to the plot when I thought that it was just a cute thing that brought the crown prince and Bu Yeon together. 🐢🐢🐢

”He got rid of my turtle” - a truly iconic quote

Overall I really enjoyed the show, but there were still a few things that didn't quite make sense to me. In the beginning it seems like Park Dang Gu and Jin Cho Yeon's relationship is broken and that she resents him for not saving her father three years ago, but then a few episodes later it seems like they are back to being in love. I wish that the show had given the couple more screentime and shown how they were able to get past that.

I also thought that Jang Uk wasn't aware that Naksu's soul was going to disappear, but then it seemed like he did know when he went to go find her and they got married. And did the crown prince actually turn his back on Jang Uk at the end of season one? Maybe I just need to rewatch the show to catch more details but because of how long it is and how complicated the plot gets I do think things slip through the cracks.

I hate it when you get super invested in a show and then it's a sad ending so I'm happy to say that this is not one of those cases.
Yay for happy endings!

I can't end this review with a special mention to Lee Jae Wook for his phenomenal acting with how much his character did a 180 compared to the last season. It was so rewarding seeing his new persona and what a badass he is now. I had also seen Go Youn Joon previously in Law School but she gave off such different vibes in Alchemy of Souls that it made me completely forget about her past character. I was hesitant about how this season would turn out because of a change in the female lead, but the two of them had good chemistry together and made it work! I also have a soft spot for So-i. She wasn't a main character but I still think she shone in this show. Her character was really well-written and although she made a lot of mistakes, I think she really did her best in her own way and Seo Hye Won did such a good job portraying her.

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Completed
RST Reviews
0 people found this review helpful
Mar 2, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.5

MUST WATCH! JUST WOW!

I enjoyed the first season. But this second season with 10 episodes, just WOW!
ML (Lee Jae Wook) & FL (Go Youn Jung) BRAVO!
The supporting cast, OST, production... This is how you finish off a series with a bang! The funniest part to me was that they kept the villain from the 1st season all through the 2nd season. I'm sure that it was to drive the fans crazy. I found myself yelling at the screen for someone to 'take him out'. I love verbal and nonverbal acting. The ML gave it to us in spades! The ML was so impressive in showing strength, torment and even growing love which draws you in. The chemistry between the leads YES!!! The way so many things were weaved together to come to the ending, I must say that the writers got it right. Beautifully done.

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Completed
dramafoxx
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 12, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

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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Completed
Maria
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 4, 2024
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 3.0

So So Disappointing

I loved season 1 so much that I had huge expectations for season 2. My problem with this season isn't Go YounJung; I think her character was charming. The script and the pace, though... It feels so slow in the first 7 episodes and then they fill everything in the last 3? There are some loose ends too. It's so messy compared to season 1, where I loved every single episode. I honestly find it INSANE that some people like this season more, but to each their own 😭 Pretty disappointed, but it's still an enjoyable watch.
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Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow (2022) poster

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