Alchemy of Souls (Review)
Season 1 aired from June 18 to August 28 2022 (20 episodes), and Season 2 aired from December 10 2022 to January 8 2023 (10 episodes)
Korean series Alchemy of Souls is hard to qualify as it transcends genres. For Western viewers it would be definitely similar to Young Adults fantasy genre, as it has many ingredients of that category: a fantasy setting, romance, and young protagonists. Nevertheless, like many K-Dramas, it is built around a lighthearted romantic comedy plotline, especially prominent in Season 1, while its comedic aspect is a bit more diminished in Season 2 for the sake of more classic romance. It is also often classified as a “period drama,” perhaps because of the somewhat generic early Joseon setting (i.e., Korean Middle Ages), so often used by K-Dramas. But this time we’re not in Korea anymore, but in Daeho, a fictional country with magic and powerful mages/martial artists (who fight in a flashy style of Chinese wuxia).
The main protagonist is one of such powerful mages, a deadly assassin called Naksu (Jung So-min in Season 1, Go Youn-jung in Season 2). She seeks revenge for the death of her father from the hands of Daeho’s mages, although she is unaware of exact circumstances of this event, which will be revealed during Season 1. After one of her assassination attempts, she finds herself on the run and, when trapped, is forced to use a titular “Alchemy of Souls,” a forbidden magic which allows her to switch bodies. Somewhat accidentally she finds herself in the body of a simple village girl called Mu-deok (portrayed by Jung So-min in Season 1), but suffers a complete loss of her skills and powers. She has to conceal her true identity, posing as Mu-deok, before she can regain her powers and continue her revenge, but at the same time doesn’t realize who Mu-deok truly was before she took over her body.
In the course of the following episodes, she crosses paths with Jang Uk (Lee Jae-wook), a handsome but lazy student of magic at Songrim, a sort of general magic organization/school. Jang Uk was trained by multiple masters but was unable to master a single spell due to the curse cast on him by his absent father. His mother died in birth, so he was raised by maidservant Kim Yeon (Oh Na-ra), and their relationship is akin to relation between son and mother. In Season 1 we learn that Jang Uk also has a secret identity which was hidden from him by his father. Avid viewers of K-Dramas realize right away that Naksu and Jang Uk are destined for each other, and their romance is the main story arc throughout both seasons. Both characters are very likeable and charming from the very start, while their story causes heartbroken viewers to produce buckets of tears during both two seasons.
Jang Uk is a member of a group of colorful friends and allies, who are also students of martial arts and magic. These include: Seo Yul (Minhyun), also in love with Naksu in a sort of triangle (again, a typical K-Drama element); Park Dang-Gu (Yoo In-Soo), a nephew of Songrim leader Park Jin (Yu Jun-Sang); and Jin Cho-Yeon (Arin), a daughter of Jin Ho-Gyeong (Park Eun-Hye), a leader of Jinyowon, another magical organization. Jin Cho-Yeon and Park Dang-Gu, as well as Maidservant Kim and Park Jin have their own secondary romance arcs during both seasons of the show.
The villain of the series is insidious Jin Mu (Jo Jae-Yun), a leader of Cheonbugwan, yet another magical organization, this time serving the king. Crown prince Go Won (Shin Seung-Ho) serves a secondary antagonist, but in time he also garners sympathy of the viewers. Jin Mu practices a forbidden art of Alchemy of Souls and grants his followers new bodies to inhabit. Soul shifters have to consume souls of other people, as a sort of soul vampires, to prevent so-called “running wild” (i.e., going on crazy murder spree) and finally being petrified as a result. A large part of the plot revolves around those soul shifters, and a conspiracy they are involved in with Jin Mu in charge.
This long description of characters doesn’t even scratch the surface: the number of groups and organizations in this series is much larger and complex. This, in my opinion, is the biggest problem with a series: the overly complicated structure of Daeho’s magical world is hard to grasp and requires much effort from viewers to understand. Fortunately, this does not prevent us from understanding the basic plot, and from enjoying its comedic elements.
The story is well crafted overall, although, as usual in K-Dramas, often repeats itself. Viewers quickly sympathize with the characters, and root for Naksu and Jang Uk to find their happiness. Season 1 ends on a huge cliffhanger, essentially reversing most of the progress our heroes had made so far. In Season 2 Naksu is played by new actress Go Youn-jung, which is somewhat unsatisfyingly explained in the series. Nevertheless, it allowed Hong sisters, the writers of the series, to reset the plot and mostly start from scratch, using typical for K-Dramas time jump, making Season 2 essentially a prolonged 10-episode finale of the series.
Jung So-min as Mu-deok in Season 1 is a mistress of comedy and quips, and wins the hearts of the viewers right away. Her performance puts Lee Jae-wook as Jang Uk in a bit of her shadow. Perhaps aware of this dynamic, writers made Mu-deok Jang Uk’s master in Season 1, who helps him to overcome his magical block and become a master martial artist on his own. In Season 2, though, Go Youn-jung as Naksu is more serious, but also offers more calm and balanced performance than Jung So-min. Go Youn-jung doesn’t overshadow Lee Jae-wook though, and she is no longer his master, but partner and ally. Those changes of dynamic between the two main characters are very unique for Alchemy of Souls, rarely seen in other series, K-Dramas or not, which helps the series to establish a distinct personality.
Alchemy of Souls seems to have a relatively high budget as for K-Dramas, especially in the case of Season 1. The VFX of magical effects, while a bit cheesy, are not jarring, while wuxia fights are definitely spectacular, especially extended fight scenes and magical duels in crucial episodes. The second season seems to me a bit less flashy, more focused on character development, especially in case of Naksu, who really matures this season. Unfortunately, the plot of the Season 2 is a bit superfluous: while in Season 1 Jank Uk is still student and struggles with overcoming various obstacles, in Season 2 it is clear that antagonists are not a match for him and there are no real stakes there (Naksu still has a lot to lose this season though). So, in hindsight, this was a not a very fortunate decision by the writers: viewers definitely enjoy more watching characters struggling and overcoming overwhelming odds rather than achieving everything very easily.
Overall, Alchemy of Souls was a highlight K-Drama of 2022 for me. In terms of its lighthearted and heartwarming atmosphere Alchemy of Souls had no match this year, and the depiction of the unique fantasy world sets it apart from other Korean dramas.
Alchemy of Souls on Wikipedia and MyDramaList
