[Drama 2022] Alchemy Of Souls: Light and Shadow ✴ 반환

[Nomorelisa]

40 minutes ago, andy78 said:

So, Jin Bu Yeon was actually never existed. It was Jin Seol Ran who came back to life and finally left after fulfilling her duty...So in the end YEONG is LIKE  Master LEE is able to live in a dead body and kill nobody...great !!!

If JBY never existed and she was actually Jin Seol Ran, why then did JBY/JSR had amnesia and became Mu-Deok?  If the amnesia plot is accepted and MD does not know who she really is, when then did JBY/JSR/MD recovered her memories and realised she was Jin Seol Ran? If one body has 2 souls i.e. Jin Seol Ran/Yeong, does it mean there are 2 souls with amnesia?

[andy78]

8 minutes ago, Nomorelisa said:

BY/JSR/MD recovered her memories and realised she was Jin Seol Ran? If one body has 2 souls i.e. Jin Seol Ran/Yeong, does it mean there are 2 souls with amnesia?

they did not give us a clear answer ...i wish they did ...

[misspiggie]

13 hours ago, sherrrr said:

Why were her eyes blue at the ending

 

13 hours ago, andy78 said:

i noticed her eyes are still blue...i wonder why if BY /SEOL RAN left...why are blue?She was special from the start...the others like her had the  blue mark  on chest

 

It has always been JBY's body + JSR's soul + CY's soul.

 

CY is still a soul shifter occupying JBY's body -- blue mark in the eyes signifies that. Blue signifies water/moisture. Humans are 70% moisture. I'll bet Master Lee has those blue marks in his eyes too.

 

My guess is:  Blue mark on the clavicle is not the mark of a soul shifter, but that of the soul-ejector. JSR trapped CY's soul using her divine power, hence the soul-ejector (mark) will not appear on JBY's body ... even if Lady Healer drench JBY's body in that potion. 

 

[andy78]

They make it look that body was a just  vessel for a two hundred year old soul who had a mission to do, completed that mission  and left ...Yeong was her gift for the hero that helpped her save the world ...HE is the one that protects the world and she is the one that protects him ...

[Nomorelisa]

9 minutes ago, andy78 said:

they did not give us a clear answer ...i wish they did ...

The story was poorly written with much that had been glossed over and not properly fleshed out.  The King's role in the saga and that of the Unanimous Assembly members was neglected by the writers and they were placed there just for the sake of voting or protesting in support of Jin Mu.  World building is not the priority of the writers. instead the turtle was of greater importance.

[Learry]

Let us now begin the wedding ceremony of Jang Uk and Cho Yeong.

 

Yeong and Uk. Your name means “light”. And your name means “shadow”. Light and Shadow. It may be that you two were fated to meet from the start. 

 

_______

 

Concept wise, this has to be the most interesting drama the Hong sisters have written. The most ambitious one also as there is an actual world-building involved. I do think the magical system has been underutilized which is a shame because it’s literally the most unique part of this drama.

The romance was epic or at least it tried to be. I like the thought of it . Jang Uk and Cho Yeong/Naksu were destined to be together regardless of the many circumstances that tried to break them apart. Even with the changed faces, they still manage to fall in love again (which I personally didn’t think was believable, but I can dismiss it). 

[Ameera Ali]

I don’t know what writer intended 
But for sure dan & gang will not grow to be mathematician, their dad & his uncle still count using fingers 

 

 

 

[rocher22]

thats my fav scene...stunning..  

Uk - '' stay close to me''...   yep, so sexy...      

 

[andy78]

8 minutes ago, rocher22 said:

Uk - '' stay close to me''...   yep, so sexy...   

men usually want sons but he wants daughters ...so sweet...beeing Jin BUYEON to the world they will take  JIN name same as all the women in her familly...

[rocher22]

53 minutes ago, andy78 said:

men usually want sons but he wants daughters ...so sweet...beeing Jin BUYEON to the world they will take  JIN name same as all the women in her familly...

I want a spin-off for our gorgeous couple..

Their journey  looks exciting enough for a few more episodes...  

 

 

 

that was unexpected...  

Soi would surely be proud of her assistant...  

 

 

 

 

[maribella]

4 hours ago, andy78 said:

So, Jin Bu Yeon was actually never existed. It was Jin Seol Ran who came back to life and finally left after fulfilling her duty...So in the end YEONG is LIKE  Master LEE is able to live in a dead body and kill nobody...great !!!

But why did she appear as a child? JSR was an adult woman.

[ktcjdrama]

4 hours ago, Nomorelisa said:

4 hours ago, andy78 said:

 

If JBY never existed and she was actually Jin Seol Ran, why then did JBY/JSR had amnesia and became Mu-Deok?

JBY was pushed into the water and almost drowned, after the ice stone was forcefully snatched from her as she was trying to do something to it. Most probably her power was depleted then. The almost drowning may be the reason she got her amnesia, because when real MD’s grandma asked about her name, she couldn’t recall. Either that, or she’s been faking her amnesia since born, because it is not time yet to reveal who she is.
 

We are not shown much about JSR’s backstory throughout the series because it is supposed to be that twist at the end. But we’ve been told since the beginning that JBY was born blind and has divine power, just like JSR, so it’s not like this is an afterthought, or change in writing. 
 

57 minutes ago, maribella said:

But why did she appear as a child? JSR was an adult woman.

JBY=JSR, using a child to represent her, I think it’s because she ceased existing as JBY in that form. After that, she was known as MD. That’s my way to understand. I think we’ll be more confused if some new face appear. 
Or, go with the easy explanation. It’s much less expensive to use a child actress than any other actress, eg. JSM. 

[misspiggie]

4 hours ago, Nomorelisa said:

If JBY never existed and she was actually Jin Seol Ran, why then did JBY/JSR had amnesia and became Mu-Deok?  If the amnesia plot is accepted and MD does not know who she really is, when then did JBY/JSR/MD recovered her memories and realised she was Jin Seol Ran? If one body has 2 souls i.e. Jin Seol Ran/Yeong, does it mean there are 2 souls with amnesia?

 

I might have a theory about how they were trying to play the amnesia, JSR's mission and the related timeline. But now I have to go to work first...!!!

[Ameera Ali]

bad the Netflix didn’t have budget for crown prince wife 

 

how she interviewed his wife , come on say hi 

Potential candidate : 

 
Crown prince, hell no 

 

@partyon will approve this candidate 

[frozentundra]

Did it ever come out and say that Jin Seol Ran/Buyeon had amnesia? All I know for sure is that she never talked in front of people. I took that as a result of the trauma of being used to get the ice stone, and then nearly drowning. It's possible that she did (and maybe that limited her powers). But I think that's more of an interpretation than a direct point made in the drama. 

 

On the other hand, regaining her powers after the petrification was dependent on Naksu/Yeong regaining her memories. During part 2, JSR/BY for sure did not have amnesia.

[Yinye]

I don’t think JSR had amnesia - only Naksu/CY. They didn’t explain it well re the details

 

I don’t think this drama was the best from the Hong Sisters. Hotel Del Luna’s writing and lore was much more clear, stronger, and original - even with the bitter sweet ending. 

[partyon]

The drama is finally over.

 

Whilst I think it is no surprise to anyone here that I didn't particularly like this drama, I am still happy that it managed to get a happy ending. The writers have a way of butchering their drama endings, so it was a nice surprise to see all good guys get a happy or at least semi-happy ending (would have loved to see pure hearted Yul and Crown Prince find love too ).

 

The main issue for me was that I felt that the writing was all over the place and that the writers kept making up the story and changing the rules for the world they had built as the drama progressed. I still feel that the rules they set for the world were weak and we were left with a lot of questions in the end.

 

We were told by the network that season 2 would focus on the supporting characters, but by the end of season 1 it was clear that the writers had changed their minds and made season 2 an extension of the OTP's convoluted love story. I never felt chemistry between the leads in season 1 - though season 2 was a bit better, it still did not impress me.

Unfortunately, even more time was spent on the romance  in season 2 - something that I didn't particularly enjoy as I thought I had signed up for a proper wuxia type of drama. But of course very typical for the Hong sisters.

 

Whereas season 1 had some pretty good side stories of our supporting characters, season 2 resorted to showing us mostly how Park Jin doesn't know how to cook or how the Crown Prince adopts a turtle. I'm sorry, but that for me was a real wasted opportunity - I would have much preferred to get to know these interesting characters and give them more air time and justice for their stories.

 

Jin Mu actually survived for 29.5 episodes and when he finally met his demise, it was so underwhelming I almost burst out laughing. Wouldn't it have been pertinent for Naksu to take him down in the end? After all, he was the one who caused her so much pain.

 

And don't get me started on the fact that instead of giving us a strong FL with great fighting skills, we got more "damsel in distress" types of characters in both seasons. Even Cho Yeon who was described as a strong mage, barely got any fight scenes. Please writers, let's try to be a bit more adventurous and also allow women to shine in these types of dramas.

 

Except for Yul Idol Oppa, Crown Prince and Jang Gang Ahjussi Oppa, I didn't connect much with the characters.

 

I am still glad that I got through all 30 episodes of this drama - without even FFing - thanks @LeftCoastOppa dongsaeng for making the bet with me. Especially since you had to watch a Thai lakorn in return.

 

Despite that, the rewatch value for me is zero. Some of the episodes took me 6 hours to complete because I wasn't FFing, and I don't think I can go through that again

 

Peeps, see you on the next drama thread. 

[Nomorelisa]

3 hours ago, Yinye said:

I don’t think JSR had amnesia - only Naksu/CY. They didn’t explain it well re the details

 

I don’t think this drama was the best from the Hong Sisters. Hotel Del Luna’s writing and lore was much more clear, stronger, and original - even with the bitter sweet ending. 

Jin Seol Ran as Mu Deok could enter the chamber of sacred relics without knowing she could.  She was also in the scene when So Yi was asked to open the entrance to the room containing the sacred relics.  This proves she has amnesia and cannot remember her past.  Putting that aside and argue that at that time she existed as Naksu who did not realised Mu Deok's body belongs to the Jin family, thus enabling her to open the sealed door, then in Season 2 Naksu returned to life after 3 years and had amnesia.  How convenient that the Hong sisters uses the amnesia trope  on the same character twice.

 

I am done with this over-analysis for now. 

[frozentundra]

@partyon I applaud your good-faith effort to fully watch a drama that did not appeal to you and also for your sense of humor in pointing out things that didn't work for you. No drama is perfect and no single drama will appeal to 100% of the population. From the point of view of someone who loved it (flaws and all), I appreciate how you were able to express your concerns without it coming off as mere bashing. Thank you for that! It's been fun.  

[andy78]

 

seems she only have divine power now...she doesn't have that  skill anymore...she was great with sword...