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AlchemyOfKDrama
This review may contain spoilers
One of my favorite Kdramas
My favourite genres for Kdrama are fantasy and rom-com and I absolutely love Lee Jae Wook. So when I found out that my favourite actor was starring in a show with my favourite genres, I knew that I had to watch it. I started Alchemy of Souls with high expectations from both LJW and the story. And I was NOT DISAPPOINTED! This show has been fantastic to watch.
The actors:
Lee Jae Wook: I had no doubt that LJW would excel as Jang Uk. I have been a fan of him since Extraordinary You and I loved him in Move to Heaven as well. I knew that he would be able to do Jang Uk and Alchemy of Souls justice. LJW does an amazing job at showing all shades of Jang Uk. Whether it's a charming Young Master, a willing pupil or a passionate lover - he was able to do justice to Jang Uk's character. He is expressive and knows how to set the tone and atmosphere of the scene. His chemistry with the other leads and support characters was a treat to watch. #UkkieDoekie and #GoJung are my OTP.
Jung So Min: I hadn't watched JSM's other shows so this was my first time watching her. And my god! She surprised me with her convincing acting - she was able to perfectly embody Mu Deok, Bu Yeon, and of course Naksu! Each character has it's own presence and I was never confused as to which character she was playing at a given moment or scene. After watching her in Alchemy of Souls, I am a true JSM fan! She, just like LJW, was able to form an amazing chemistry with the other characters - Jang Uk, Seo Yul, and Go Won being the mains ones. All with different stories and bonds.
Go Youn Jung: She was absolutely a delight to watch as Naksu at the beginning of Alchemy of Souls. I'm excited to see her reprise her role in part 2 of Alchemy of Souls aka Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow.
The story:
The story in my opinion is nearly perfect. I'd say it's impossible for a show to have a perfect story/script. Personally, the minor 1 or 2 imperfections in Alchemy of Souls are dismissable. The timing in Alchemy of Souls is impeccable, whether it's the comedy, romance, or intense fight scenes. They all come together perfectly.
I love how the story evolves for the leads from being strangers to Young Master and servant to Master and Pupil and finally lovers. The light and shadow brought together by faith, the character growth of the two is unmissable.
Jang Uk goes from being an childish unwilling, careless, and unbothered Young Master to a mature strong willed, benevolent, and passionate Pupil and lover to Mu Deok/Naksu. He isn't greedy for power and he isn't spiteful towards the world even after being subject to horrible rumour all his life. Instead, he is emotional, forgiving, and likes to believe in the good of people. He, throughout the whole show, the only person that believes in Naksu. The person that was misjudged all his life dares not to judge others. The Jang Uk that said that if he dies, so does Naksu in the beginning is willing to die for Naksu in the end. Literally.
Naksu on the other hand, may have started out as a merciless assassin, but as the story progresses we find out that it's far from the truth. She has been manipulated and lied to all of her life. Seeing her go from someone who is willing to kill anyone (even herself) so that she can regain her powers to someone that puts Jang Uk above anyone and anything else - even her powers - says a lot. The Naksu that threatened to kill Jang Uk at every turn in the beginning was willing to do anything to be by his side and save his life by the end. If you haven't figured it out yet, she's a do or die type of a person. Literally.
Special shout out to Seo Yul and Go Won (or CP/Crown Prince) for being well written characters that are smart, clever, and being able to question and figure out what's going on around them and when they're being manipulated.
The pace is perfect considering the tragic back stories of our leads. There is A LOT of foreshadowing and hidden meanings (both during what is shown and said by characters). If you're attentive, you'll be able to catch many of them.
Watching Alchemy of Souls while it was airing was a special experience of it's own. Everyday, people would come up with theories based on the episodes and it's previews. It was a pleasure reading fellow Alchemists theories and sharing some of my own.
I would personally have loved it if they ended the story in Season 1 itself with Jang Uk and Mu Deok getting together. Season 2 felt unnecessary to me, especially since i felt like it dragged a lot and the only thing that carried S2 was the chemistry between LJW and GYJ.
Other things that make Alchemy of Souls my favourite drama of all time is the directing, the visuals and CGI, and of course the OST. The fight scenes and the visuals are some of the best I've seen in Kdrama. Naksu's fight with Park Jin right at the beginning was what, in my opinion, drew is some of the viewers. It was quite epic to watch Go Youn Jung as Naksu the wicked merciless assassin. Scars Leave a Beautiful Trace, Aching, and With You are my favourite OST from not only Alchemy of Souls but from KDramas overall. All of the OSTs hold special meanings to the characters and the story and if you listen carefully, they reveal a lot about the story (and part 1's ending).
The actors:
Lee Jae Wook: I had no doubt that LJW would excel as Jang Uk. I have been a fan of him since Extraordinary You and I loved him in Move to Heaven as well. I knew that he would be able to do Jang Uk and Alchemy of Souls justice. LJW does an amazing job at showing all shades of Jang Uk. Whether it's a charming Young Master, a willing pupil or a passionate lover - he was able to do justice to Jang Uk's character. He is expressive and knows how to set the tone and atmosphere of the scene. His chemistry with the other leads and support characters was a treat to watch. #UkkieDoekie and #GoJung are my OTP.
Jung So Min: I hadn't watched JSM's other shows so this was my first time watching her. And my god! She surprised me with her convincing acting - she was able to perfectly embody Mu Deok, Bu Yeon, and of course Naksu! Each character has it's own presence and I was never confused as to which character she was playing at a given moment or scene. After watching her in Alchemy of Souls, I am a true JSM fan! She, just like LJW, was able to form an amazing chemistry with the other characters - Jang Uk, Seo Yul, and Go Won being the mains ones. All with different stories and bonds.
Go Youn Jung: She was absolutely a delight to watch as Naksu at the beginning of Alchemy of Souls. I'm excited to see her reprise her role in part 2 of Alchemy of Souls aka Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow.
The story:
The story in my opinion is nearly perfect. I'd say it's impossible for a show to have a perfect story/script. Personally, the minor 1 or 2 imperfections in Alchemy of Souls are dismissable. The timing in Alchemy of Souls is impeccable, whether it's the comedy, romance, or intense fight scenes. They all come together perfectly.
I love how the story evolves for the leads from being strangers to Young Master and servant to Master and Pupil and finally lovers. The light and shadow brought together by faith, the character growth of the two is unmissable.
Jang Uk goes from being an childish unwilling, careless, and unbothered Young Master to a mature strong willed, benevolent, and passionate Pupil and lover to Mu Deok/Naksu. He isn't greedy for power and he isn't spiteful towards the world even after being subject to horrible rumour all his life. Instead, he is emotional, forgiving, and likes to believe in the good of people. He, throughout the whole show, the only person that believes in Naksu. The person that was misjudged all his life dares not to judge others. The Jang Uk that said that if he dies, so does Naksu in the beginning is willing to die for Naksu in the end. Literally.
Naksu on the other hand, may have started out as a merciless assassin, but as the story progresses we find out that it's far from the truth. She has been manipulated and lied to all of her life. Seeing her go from someone who is willing to kill anyone (even herself) so that she can regain her powers to someone that puts Jang Uk above anyone and anything else - even her powers - says a lot. The Naksu that threatened to kill Jang Uk at every turn in the beginning was willing to do anything to be by his side and save his life by the end. If you haven't figured it out yet, she's a do or die type of a person. Literally.
Special shout out to Seo Yul and Go Won (or CP/Crown Prince) for being well written characters that are smart, clever, and being able to question and figure out what's going on around them and when they're being manipulated.
The pace is perfect considering the tragic back stories of our leads. There is A LOT of foreshadowing and hidden meanings (both during what is shown and said by characters). If you're attentive, you'll be able to catch many of them.
Watching Alchemy of Souls while it was airing was a special experience of it's own. Everyday, people would come up with theories based on the episodes and it's previews. It was a pleasure reading fellow Alchemists theories and sharing some of my own.
I would personally have loved it if they ended the story in Season 1 itself with Jang Uk and Mu Deok getting together. Season 2 felt unnecessary to me, especially since i felt like it dragged a lot and the only thing that carried S2 was the chemistry between LJW and GYJ.
Other things that make Alchemy of Souls my favourite drama of all time is the directing, the visuals and CGI, and of course the OST. The fight scenes and the visuals are some of the best I've seen in Kdrama. Naksu's fight with Park Jin right at the beginning was what, in my opinion, drew is some of the viewers. It was quite epic to watch Go Youn Jung as Naksu the wicked merciless assassin. Scars Leave a Beautiful Trace, Aching, and With You are my favourite OST from not only Alchemy of Souls but from KDramas overall. All of the OSTs hold special meanings to the characters and the story and if you listen carefully, they reveal a lot about the story (and part 1's ending).
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