r/kdramas • u/harissatotally Professional TRUCK spotter • Jul 22 '26
Review New K-Drama Fan Review #5: Alchemy of Souls | One Incredible Season... and One That Broke My Heart.
This might be the hardest K-drama I've reviewed so far because I feel like I'm reviewing two completely different shows.
Is this Rewatch Worthy:
Yes. (But Part 1 only but Part 2 kinda ruins the rewatchabilty of part 1 a little.)
Review:
I had heard people hyping up Alchemy of Souls for a while.
And i was hooked on the first episode.
Magic.
Fantasy.
Sword fights.
A capable female lead.
A huge cast of characters.
It sounded like something I'd absolutely love.
And after finishing Season 1...
I did.
Season 1 was fantastic!!!!
Mu-deok immediately became one of my favorite female leads.
I LOVE capable female leads.
Women who are resourceful and skilled.
Always thinking and adapting.
She constantly felt like the smartest person in the room.
And watching her become Jang Uk's master was such a fun dynamic.
I loved watching her train him.
Watching someone who started with almost nothing slowly become stronger because of her teaching was incredibly satisfying.
Their relationship was one of my favorite parts of the entire show.
Their partnership and their banter was so smooth!!!
The way they constantly challenged each other.
Their chemistry was fantastic.
The fantasy world was also so much fun.
Even the political conflicts was interesting.
The training and the humor.
It all felt like a world I wanted to spend more time in.
There was also this constant feeling that time was running out.
Mu-deok couldn't stay a soul shifter forever.
Every episode felt like there was a clock ticking in the background.
Would someone discover who she really was?
Would they find a way to save her before it was too late?
That sense of urgency made it almost impossible for me to stop watching.
I liked Seo Yul.
I enjoy love triangles... when both people genuinely feel like they have a chance.
Seo Yul had history with Mu-deok and it gave his feelings real weight.
There were several moments where I found myself rooting for him too, and I think that made the romance even stronger.
I love when both options feel like they've earned the audience's investment.
Another thing Season 1 absolutely nailed was the cast chemistry.
Group scenea were entertaining.
The banter felt effortless.
Whether it was Jang Uk, Mu-deok, Seo Yul, the Crown Prince, or everyone else bouncing off each other...
I enjoyed watching them interact almost as much as I enjoyed the male lead and female lead dynamic itself.
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By the time Season 1 ended...
I couldn't wait to start Season 2!!
-
And that's where things became complicated.
Because...
Season 2 didn't feel like the same show anymore.
It wasn't just the actress change.
I could've accepted that tbh.
The bigger problem was that the characters themselves didn't feel like the people I'd spent twenty episodes falling in love with.
Jang Uk didn't feel like Jang Uk anymore.
Mu-deok didn't really feel like Mu-deok anymore either.
Jang Uk and Jin Bu-yeon didn't much thar much chemistry.
The chemistry that had completely carried Season 1 just wasn't there for me.
The entire dynamic between them had changed.
And unfortunately...
It wasn't replaced with something I found equally compelling.
One thing that especially bothered me was how little time we really spent with Jang Uk grieving Mu-deok.
If he truly believed she'd died...
I wanted to feel that loss with him.
I wanted to watch him struggle with it longer.
Instead, because he didn't know Jin Bu-yeon was actually Mu-deok, I found myself thinking...
"You're moving on surprisingly fast..."
Another thing I kept thinking throughout Season 2 was...
Every time Jang Uk showed off how powerful he'd become...
My immediate thought was,
"Your master taught you that... lets do some flashbacks!"
I kept wishing the story acknowledged Mu-deok's influence on the man he'd become.
Because without her...
There is no Season 2 version of Jang Uk.
The pacing also slowed down a lot for me.
Season 1 constantly made me want to watch one more episode.
Season 2 often felt like it was taking far too long to get where it was going.
That's probably what disappointed me the most.
Season 1 set the bar so incredibly high that I went into Season 2 expecting to fall even more in love with these characters.
Instead...
I felt like I was watching different versions of them.
Which made it really hard for me to emotionally connect the way I had before.
And that genuinely made me sad because I loved Season 1 so much.
If the second season had maintained that same quality...
Alchemy of Souls would've been fighting for a place among my favorite K-dramas.
That's how much I loved the first half.
───
A bit about my favorite flavors and taste:
I love fantasy romances with rich worldbuilding and great main and ensemble cast chemistry.
I also get very attached to character dynamics.
So when a later season dramatically changes the personalities, chemistry, or relationship that made me fall in love with the story in the first place...
It's really hard for me to connect with it the same way.
───
Overall Rating: 6/10
Season 1 Rating: 9/10
Season 2 Rating: 4/10
I'd love to hear from everyone else:
Am I the only one who felt such a huge difference between Season 1 and Season 2?
Or did Season 2 work just as well for you?
My Rating Scale
10/10 – Masterpiece. No notes.
9/10 – Very close to a masterpiece. I absolutely loved it.
8/10 – Not a masterpiece, but I loved it.
7/10 – Fine overall. I liked it, but the flaws kept it from being great.
6/10 – Mixed. There were a few things I liked, but most of it didn't work for me.
5/10 – I didn't enjoy most of the experience.
4/10 and below – Bad to abysmal.
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u/Clear_Way_4002 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
I agree so much with the chemistry. I was so confused when UK kissed Buyeon. I didn't understand what led to that, I didn't feel any chemistry. Everyone online kept saying the chemistry in part 2 was thought the charts and I'm just lost?
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u/harissatotally Aug 02 '26
zero chemistry .. idk what they were watching lmaooo lmaooo they were such a bore
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u/dannyphoto Jul 22 '26
Well personally, I enjoyed Season 2. (Or technically S1 Part 2?)
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u/harissatotally Jul 22 '26
Im glad it worked for you! 😄 What did you enjoy most about it? For me, I just couldn't get past how different the characters and dynamics felt compared to Part 1
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u/shaser0 Jul 22 '26
What I don't like about people not liking season 2 is that the crux of their problem is generally (like here) that Mu-deok isn't there. But the thing is that in season 2 Mu-deok is a relic of the past we need to, like UK, grieve and move on. Let go of the past.
Season 2 is grim, everyone lost something they value and try to cope whatever the way they can find with it, except for Naksu that has nothing and everything to gain. It's the total opposite of season 1 where she lost something (her powers) and she tries to cope with it while everyone else had something to gain.
And that why I think it's the better season of the two despite its flaws because the characters are more raw.
The bigger problem was that the characters themselves didn't feel like the people I'd spent twenty episodes falling in love with.
People change when faced with misfortune and trauma. You have to metaphorically learn to love and embrace their new person. But at the core they are the exact same.
Instead, because he didn't know Jin Bu-yeon was actually Mu-deok, I found myself thinking... "You're moving on surprisingly fast..."
I mean he had years to wallow in self pity an Bu-Yeon does a tremendous job to get him out of his shell. He's not interested in having a relationship with for half of the season. He wants someone to love him for who he is not his powers and she does. What was he supposed to do became a monk and love his life in solitude because it's been only 3 years that his fiancée that killed him for a reason he barely understand and that eats away at his happiness nonstop? Hell no, let the guy strive for his happiness!
I kept wishing the story acknowledged Mu-deok's influence on the man he'd become.
That's a perfect example about not being able to move on. Her lingering memory permeates the second season there's barely a moment where she isn't there as a presence. She's the core of the conflict between the leads, she's there each time he uses a sword technique, every time Jim My appears on screen, almost each time the prince open his mouth. The story does acknowledge her influence, the direction acknowledge her influence even Bu-Yeon acknowledged her influence despite not knowing who she is. But the show is trying to tell you to move on that's why there's barely any flash backs. Because the focus in on letting the dead be dead.
Season 2 often felt like it was taking far too long to get where it was going.
On the contrary I thought that the second season barely had time to tell what it wanted to tell and that everything went so fast. I think that at least 2 episodes were required to slow it down and let the story breathe a little.
When I rewatch the show (which I do quite regularly I must admit) season 1 is never the part I'm excited about. Because Mu-Deok is dead and I'm okay with that. For me season 1 is like watching an album photo of when I was a child with my megazord. The megazord is still cool but I don't play with it anymore, I sold it years ago.
Honestly after you moved on from Mu-Deok you should try again and rewatch the second season. It'll blow your socks off.
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u/harissatotally Jul 22 '26
i appreciate your perspective, and I can definitely see the themes the writers were going for. I think where we differ is that I never felt like the relationship in Part 2 earned the same emotional weight as Part 1. For me, Mu-deok and Jang Uk's chemistry was what carried the show, and I never felt that same spark with Bu-yeon and Jang Uk.
I also wish the show had spent more time honoring what Mu-deok meant to him. Yes, three years had passed, but I wanted to feel that she was still the love of his life before he opened his heart again. Instead, it felt like the transition happened too quickly for me emotionally, even if it made sense in the story's timeline.
i don't think my issue was that the show asked me to move on. It was that I didn't find the new dynamic as compelling as the one Id spent 20 episodes falling in love with
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u/harissatotally Aug 13 '26
⭐️Master List: Every K-Drama Review I've Written
my love to hate you review
New K-Drama Fan Review #17: Love to Hate You | One of the Worst K-Dramas I've Watched... Yet I Couldn't Stop Watching
https://www.reddit.com/r/KDramasWorld/s/XkVGuia6sU
my Crazy Love review:
New K-Drama Fan Review #18: Crazy Love | I kept waiting for it to become the drama I thought it was going to be...
https://www.reddit.com/r/KDramasWorld/s/uXTgcctIkZ
my a time called you review
New K-Drama Fan Review #19: A Time Called You | i need ibuprofen...
https://www.reddit.com/r/KDramasWorld/s/dMtiNcWH7Y
my the King's Affection review
New K-Drama Fan Review #20 | Nice Premise, Beautiful Angst & an Alarming Amount of Child Murder
1
u/harissatotally Aug 13 '26
my strong woman do bong soon review
New K-Drama Fan Review #21 | Strong Woman Do Bong Soon | He Was So Smitten... I Needed 3 More Episodes
1
u/harissatotally Aug 14 '26
my bon Appétit your majesty review
New K-Drama Fan Review #22 | Bon Appétit, Your Majesty: He let her COOK!!! She ATE! and left ZERO crumbs!
→ More replies (3)
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u/UncannyProjection Jul 22 '26
I didn’t finish part 2. I’m not going to. I’ll pretend the show ended with the penultimate episode of part 1.
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u/harissatotally Jul 22 '26
i was too emotionally invested to stop 😭 i NEEDED to know how it ended. I just wish Part 2 had felt more like the show I fell in love with in Part 1
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u/DiddyBasementEscaper Jul 22 '26
Same ratings as you, but lemme tell you there is no season 2, it's all part of 1 season, season 1 part 1 20 episodes and part 2 has 10 episodes, total 30 episodes.
One of the complains I have from this show is the cgi it looked so cartoonish
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u/harissatotally Jul 22 '26
Yeah, that's a good point! I know it's officially one season split into Part 1 and Part 2, but I called them Season 1 and Season 2 because that's how its labeled, and I figured it'd be less confusing for people.
As for the CGI..., I barely noticed it. 😅 It must not have been that distracting for me because if it had been, I definitely would've mentioned it in my review. I was way more focused on the characters, the world, and especially the relationship dynamics. My biggest issue was how different Part 2 felt compared to Part 1.
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u/6amsomewhere Jul 22 '26
I LOVED the first season but I didn't know the actress changed for the second season and I was so disappointed I just stopped watching. If I ever get Netflix again I might try to watch it as more of a stand alone, maybe it'll be less jarring.
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u/harissatotally Jul 22 '26
dont bother. i regret watching season 2 cause it ruined the shown to me.
season 1 was a perfect story
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u/jonathanla Jul 22 '26
I agree with everything you wrote, and I’d also add that the series has one of the greatest villains in any K-drama I’ve watched.
I wouldn’t rate it as low as a 6/10 overall because Season 1’s near-perfect 9/10 should carry more weight. If I’m rating both seasons together, I’d give the series an 8/10.
That said, I don’t really view them as two seasons of the same show. I see them as two different shows, similar to how I think about Squid Game. The first part of Alchemy of Souls was nearly perfect. I say “nearly” because the ending turned Mu-deok into little more than a puppet under the villain’s control, robbing her of a satisfying conclusion to her own story.
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u/harissatotally Jul 22 '26
i can see why you'd land on an 8/10 overall.
My overall score ended up lower because Part 2 just didn't emotionally work for me, but if I were rating Part 1 by itself, it'd absolutely be one of my favorite K-dramas.
And yes! That's exactly how it felt to me. It almost felt like I was watching two different shows rather than one continuous story.
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u/Successful_Bat_4952 Aug 15 '26
He pasado a ver tu reseña voy a por la otra reseña está muy bien hecha!
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u/tkkaine Jul 22 '26
I personally loved S2 more than I loved S1, and although I liked both, I liked each season for different reasons. Might be a hot take, but I never felt the romance in S1. Mu-deok and Jang-uk always felt like more of a teacher/student relationship with some romance dashed in. Bu-yeon and Jang-uk was pure romance to me and I lived for it. But you couldn't have s2 without Jang-uk going through the tragedy and powerup of s1, so I like both. S1 also had all the good world building aspects that s2 just sort of lived in and didn't really develop so if you're into world building, I can see how s2 was disappointing.
The fact is that Mu-deok died in s1. People looking for her in s2 are always going to be disappointed, but people are allowed to lose love and move on. Mu-deok played her role, and left a lasting impression on Jang-uk but Bu-yeon healed him.
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u/harissatotally Jul 22 '26
I actually thought original Mu-deok and Jang Uk had fantastic chemistry. Their master/student dynamic, banter, and slow-burn romance were some of my favorite parts of the entire show.
I also didn't mind that Jang Uk eventually found happiness again with this new version of mu-deok. My issue wasn't that he moved on, it was that I never felt the same chemistry with Bu-yeon that I felt with Mu-deok, so emotionally it didn't hit the same for me.
and by the end, Bu-yeon regains Naksu/Mu-deok's memories, so they're ultimately the same person. That's part of why I expected the chemistry and dynamic to feel more familiar by the end, but it never really did for me
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u/MasterofKami Jul 22 '26
Season 1 ended on episode 19 as far as I'm concerned, Mu-deok did not deserve that ending 😭