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

[kwayteow_mama]

1 hour ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

I don't think we're ever going to see a development of the actual Bu Yeon character - not enough time left.  If the actress isn't involved in Part 2 then its safe to say Mu Deok/Bu Yeon isn't involved, which is why I'm hoping the Jang Uk/Naksu story ends at episode 20 - Let the rumors of Part 2 being spin offs be true

 

Yeah I'm with you we're probably not gonna see development of JBY character other than to be the deux ex machina to save the world or Jang Uk or to bring Naksu body back by end S1. By Jang Uk/Naksu story end, do you mean Naksu being in MD's body or the romance? While JSM may or may not be back, Uk/Naksu romance is gonna be back in S2 if not the central premise. They just released an article saying how Jang Uk and Cho Yeong's name means light and shadow respectively which foreshadow their inescapable destiny entanglement  with each other. For the record, I ship Uk/MD but all hints seemed to pointing towards Uk/Naksu. If my speculation is right, I'm just going to pretend S2 is a different drama from S1.

 

1 hour ago, maribella said:

If it had been burnt to cinders, we are going to get some corny body stealing or swapping. I can't take that.

Just tell me how JG brought the dead foetus to life and what happened after that. I'll be happy. 

 

LOL her burnt body will be brought back the way JG can bring a dead foetus back to life.

[LeftCoastOppa]

48 minutes ago, kwayteow_mama said:

By Jang Uk/Naksu story end, do you mean Naksu being in MD's body or the romance? While JSM may or may not be back, Uk/Naksu romance is gonna be back in S2 if not the central premise.

 

I'm hoping the Jang Uk & Mu Deok/Bu Yeon/Naksu romance arc ends at the finale of Part 1.

 

Its taken them a minimum of 17 episodes to bring our leads together in a meaningful kiss ... and thats "IF" the preview is actually of episode 17. 

 

I don't mind at all that its taken as long as it has, I just cant see a credible way Naksu returns to her own body, and with all the other trials & tribulations that'll come with that, also enhances the relationship with Jang Uk.  All in only 10 additional episodes, when their pacing so far, can't make that schedule

 

Again, Jang Uk has never seen Naksu, he is love with Mu Deok Naksu - no matter how close they may be, a body shift is too jarring an issue to get over in 10 episodes. Nevermind the whole Yul mess, evil still to be fought, bad blood with the hanger ons in Songrim, etc etc etc.

 

Its easier for Mu Deok/Bu Yeon to merge with Naksu and remain that way with Jang Uk - the evil is vanquished, with minimal heartache, and Part 2 is about supporting character spinoffs

 

JMHO

[sadthe1st]

6 hours ago, maribella said:

Just tell me how JG brought the dead foetus to life and what happened after that.

hahahaha you can’t get over that 13month pregnant isn’t it?

 

 

hey there chingus, 2 days to weekend.. the longgggawaitedddd alchemy of souls!!!

 

[maribella]

29 minutes ago, sadthe1st said:

hahahaha you can’t get over that 13month pregnant isn’t

No, I cannot. Soul shifting or swapping is bad enough but sharing a body with a powerful female soul? 
I want to know who she is. 
 

And people want her merged with a criminal? 

[frozentundra]

7 hours ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

I don't mind at all that its taken as long as it has, I just cant see a credible way Naksu returns to her own body, and with all the other trials & tribulations that'll come with that, also enhances the relationship with Jang Uk.  All in only 10 additional episodes, when their pacing so far, can't make that schedule

 

Again, Jang Uk has never seen Naksu, he is love with Mu Deok Naksu - no matter how close they may be, a body shift is too jarring an issue to get over in 10 episodes.

I think it would be totally believable in a book, but part of an on-screen dramatization actually is the actors and the chemistry they have built with one another. From the story side of things (in print), I think you could pull it off, but from the viewer side, I think it would be nigh unto impossible to truly switch actresses at this point for that character, and still convince the viewers emotionally. 

 

Make a good choice, AOS team!

[LeftCoastOppa]

3 hours ago, maribella said:

And people want her merged with a criminal? 

 

Criminal?
 

Again, for the record, Bu Yeon chose Naksu, Bu Yeon drew Naksu's spirit into herself, and Naksu didn't choose to become a "criminal"  she was child who was cruelly manipulated into becoming one based on a lie

 

There we were, agreeing ... enjoying the flowers ... then you had to go and ruin the ride ... this feels more and more like a daily thread all the time

[maribella]

51 minutes ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

 

Criminal?
 

Again, for the record, Bu Yeon chose Naksu, Bu Yeon drew Naksu's spirit into herself, and Naksu didn't choose to become a "criminal"  she was child who was cruelly manipulated into becoming one based on a lie

 

There we were, agreeing ... enjoying the flowers ... then you had to go and ruin the ride ... this feels more and more like a daily thread all the time

 
Many people blamed their parents, racism, the weather, momentary insanity etc. etc.  Many were abused, but a crime had been committed, they were still sent to prison for their crime or even hanged. 
She was worse, an assasin who had assassinated many people. She was manipulated as a child but she grew up with a brain of her own. She is a criminal. .

 

You are still right about her being grabbed by BY/MD. Continue to enjoy the flowers. 

 

 

[LeftCoastOppa]

1 hour ago, maribella said:

Many people blamed their parents, racism, the weather, momentary insanity etc. etc.  Many were abused, but a crime had been committed, they were still sent to prison for their crime or even hanged. 
She was worse, an assasin who had assassinated many people. She was manipulated as a child but she grew up with a brain of her own. She is a criminal. .

 

As has been established clearly in the show - Naksu was USED by Jin Mu to kill wild running soulshifters to thereby cover his tracks

 

Are soulshifters killed by the "good" mages of Songrim?  Yes - Are they considered "criminals"  No

 

Sorry, your labeling of Naksu a criminal rings alittle hollow in this case 

[ferily]

Some more information about Alchemy of Souls..

 

 

looks like Jung So Min isn’t in the cast lineup for part 2. I feel like something is going to happen to Bu Yeon/Mu Deok in part 2, which is why we don’t see her on the cast list. However, I also think that they might be keeping hush hush about it and not denying nor confirming that Jung So Min will be in season 2 since it’ll lead to part 1 spoilers? Who knows…

 

Also part 2 is looking to air either end of this year or early next year? I figured it wouldn’t air till later since Little Women is the next drama in this time slot.

[maribella]

3 hours ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

 

As has been established clearly in the show - Naksu was USED by Jin Mu to kill wild running soulshifters to thereby cover his tracks

 

Are soulshifters killed by the "good" mages of Songrim?  Yes - Are they considered "criminals"  No

 

Sorry, your labeling of Naksu a criminal rings alittle hollow in this case 

I remember very clearly as if it was yesterday that you condemned poor Miss M for orchestrating the death of a man who cheated her mentally challenged mother and brother of their wealth etc. etc. 'Good people doing bad things are still wrong', you said.
 

Oh my goodness, I believe a pretty face gets away with murder with  some people.  No other explanation.
 

@LeftCoastOppa don't ever be a judge! 

 

[sadthe1st]

cr.: owner

 

Jin Mu and Park Jin bts are so loving.. hahaha is that even the correct term to use??

 

 

3 hours ago, maribella said:

I believe a pretty face gets away with murder with  some people

you forgot about @LeftCoastOppa chingu and his fave So-I

 

HAHAHAHA

 

 

[youactlikeicare]

I love this show and this wait sucks. 

 

Per the preview it looks like things are really going to be heating up in this next episode. I think more secrets will be revealed and I predict that Naksu will be outed by the end of this weekend's episodes. 

 

I don't really care about Bu Yeon at this point. They don't really have time to flesh her out in any meaningful way, and I don't see them making her a stand alone character with everything else they have to accomplish.

 

Maybe Bu Yeon will sacrifice herself to destroy the Ice Stone. She wasn't supposed to survive/live so maybe she will set things "right" by destroying the Ice Stone and the sorcery that brought her back to life. 

 

I am really worried about Jung So Min possibly not being in part two. This only works for me if they throw the whole Jang Uk/Naksu romance plot away and put them with other people. I think if they try to make the relationship work with a new actress, they better be 100% sure that the chemistry matches or is better. If not, they are just setting up the actress and couple to fail.

[frozentundra]

3 hours ago, youactlikeicare said:

I don't really care about Bu Yeon at this point. They don't really have time to flesh her out in any meaningful way, and I don't see them making her a stand alone character with everything else they have to accomplish.

I think as a plot point she's important, but as a character we are supposed to care about, I think by ep 17 it's too late. I think the reason people want there to be something important about her is because of Jung So Min. There was that leak way back when about her possibly not being signed on for season 2 (whereas Original Naksu's actress IS signed on) that made people think Naksu would go back to her original body. (Which was burned on screen. But hey, sometimes dramas defy logic...) The fact is, JSM personally as an actress has created some really excellent chemistry with the rest of the cast. So even though it's Naksu's soul that Jang Uk knows and is in love with (he doesn't know Buyeon at ALL)--people want to keep JSM's lovely chemistry in there, to the point that they are willing to ask Buyeon to step up and be important. (I don't think this can work, though--she has had no personality on screen for 16 episodes, and Uk doesn't even know her.) I really, REALLY hope the writers and director know what they are doing here. Asking the audience to believe in a completely different actress as Naksu *while at the height of the love arc* is asking a lot (probably too much). Asking the audience to believe in the same actress but suddenly with an entirely different character who doesn't even know Jang Uk *at the height of the love arc* is likewise asking too much. Dramas do not always satisfy at the end, it's true. I just hope they find a way to make it emotionally believable.

 

3 hours ago, youactlikeicare said:

Maybe Bu Yeon will sacrifice herself to destroy the Ice Stone. She wasn't supposed to survive/live so maybe she will set things "right" by destroying the Ice Stone and the sorcery that brought her back to life. 

 

Yes, this would be my preference, too. If they mess around with the ice stone to the point that it eliminates Buyeon's soul inside that body, it would free Naksu's powers and leave her with Mudeok's body--thus allowing JSM to continue to play that character. 

 

3 hours ago, youactlikeicare said:

I am really worried about Jung So Min possibly not being in part two. This only works for me if they throw the whole Jang Uk/Naksu romance plot away and put them with other people. I think if they try to make the relationship work with a new actress, they better be 100% sure that the chemistry matches or is better. If not, they are just setting up the actress and couple to fail.

100% agree with you here.

[10192123sangre]

I think Jung So Min wil still be in season 2. The actress playing the role of Naksu will be in season 2 but only in flashbacks. 

 

Mu Deok is Bu Yeon.

As Bu Yeon/Mu Deok's body still lives, the questions are: 

(1) Did Bu Yeon's soul actually transfer to Naksu's body? Or is it still inside Mu Deok/Bu Yeon' s and is just asleep and wakes up only when needed. Naksu's body was cremated. Even if it was not cremated/burned and switched with another body which was the one burned, her body already died and that will surely have begun to decompose. There is no way they can retrieve that body and Naksu being able to go back to it even if they get their hands on the ice stone.

(2) When the soul shifting occured as Naksu's body was dying, Naksu's soul shifted to the blind girl's body (Mu Deok later on revealed to be the missing Bu Yoen) instead  of the girl Naksu initially chose.

(3) When Jin Bu Yeon was in her mother's womb, she was already overstaying in it and the possibility that the baby is dead or dying is very high. Her mother went to  Jang Kang for help and the latter used the 'alchemy of souls' to help the child be born without a hitch;

(4) The ice stone is believed to be in the palace and in the hands of the soul shifter queen (shaman choi resides in the body of the queen). And yet it has never been shown to be in her custody.

(5) In a flashback Bu yeon is shown handling the ice stone in a body of water and supposedly dies from drowning. What really happened here? Did Jin Mu get the ice stone? the writers still need to explain what happened and how it is believed she died, obviously her body was never found. How did she survive? Does she have amnesia? Who adopted/raised her after they found her almost dead??? or did she live on the streets? 

(6) Jang Kang taught Jin Mu how to use the 'alchemy of souls'? How come Jin Mu needs the soul ejectors? Naksu did not need a soul ejector to soul shift! or did she?

(7) Mu Deok/Bu Yeon evidently has stron powers. When they were testing whether the fake Bu Yeon was really Bu Yeon, Mu Deok/Bu Yeon opened the doors of the Jinyowon from far away without touching the doors or beng near it.

(8) Where is the ice stone? Is it inside Mu Deok/Bu Yeon? When Naksu used the 'alchemy of souls' to soul shift, did it awaken the ice stone inside of Mu Deok/Bu yeon and the blue mark hid in her eyes enabling her to see.

(9) The ice stone is supposed to be able to stop Mu Deok/Bu Yeon/Naksu from going wild and petrifying. However, if the ice stone or a fragment of it is inside Bu Yeon/Mu Deok/Naksu then she will never go wild nor become petrified.

What did Jang KAng actually do to the baby (Bu yeon) when she was still in the womb?

(10) what exactly is the 'alchemy of souls'? Is it a magic spell? Naksu is believed to have mastered soul shifting so how did she do it without a soul ejector? Jang Kang seems to be able to do it too so many questions.... can the drama show how and what it really is? [or are we just lost in the translation of the story from korean to english language?]

(11) Mu  Deok's body is weak, she should be training her body alongside with Jang Uk to make it stronger. Being physically weak will not help her fight though she is smart and uses her brains most of the time to outwit the others. 

(12) What is Jang Kang's problem? why put himself on exile? Leaving Jin Mu to use the 'alchemy of souls' to forward his agenda? in cahoots with the shaman.

(13) If Jin Mu discovers that Mu Deok is the real Bu Yeon, Mu Deok will be in danger. Will Mu Deok/Bu Yeon regain her position as the eldest daughter and future leader of Jinyowon? 

 

 

[LeftCoastOppa]

7 hours ago, maribella said:

I remember very clearly as if it was yesterday that you condemned poor Miss M for orchestrating the death of a man who cheated her mentally challenged mother and brother of their wealth etc. etc. 'Good people doing bad things are still wrong', you said.
 

Oh my goodness, I believe a pretty face gets away with murder with  some people.  No other explanation.

 

Oh there are a few other explanations ... you comparing apples to oranges comes to mind, although truth be told its more like apples to hubcaps ...

 

Lets review ...

 

Spoiler

Miss M was an adult when she launched into her plans of revenge - her original 3 targets were her 2 bff's that tried to kill her, and her ex fiance who she erroneously believed betrayed her.  The man she helped in murdering wasn't on her original hit list, he was the father of 1 of her bff's.  

 

Was the man corrupt? - Yes, Was the man a thief? - Yes, Was the man responsible for swindling Miss M's mother and little brother? - Yes  ... All that said, was this man responsible, or in anyway part of her attempted murder? - NO, was this man responsible, or in anyway part of her fathers death by deliberate inaction of her 2 bff's - NO. 

 

Now with all the above, Miss M had already set in motion for this mans financial demise - she had arranged for him to lose all his wealth, and property - she would have her revenge, and her mother and brother would be compensated for their loss ... yet she conspired with another (the doctor, or doctor to be) to kill the man ... WHY? So she could take revenge on the bff by making her watch her own father die in front of her - thats pure fricken evil - and what happened after?  The doctor immediately turned himself in for being a part, and later when confronted by Uni Oppa she straight up admitted to murdering him. 

 

No one tricked her into revenge like Naksu was (and don't try to mention rich ahjumma either, she gave Miss M NUMEROUS opportunities to walk away especially concerning Uni Oppa, even after Miss M found out that rich ahjumma was using her revenge to help her own plans, Miss M carried on)  - she was an adult not a child like Naksu was - she was continuously pleaded with by friends to stop, (#Bo Mi ) and that she was losing the good person in herself that she was, did she? - No

 

... and lets not forget how Miss M ended ... with police sirens in the background coming to get her. 

 

Now Naksu - at the start she swore to kill the 4 seasons ... has she? No.  In point of fact, she's become friends with almost all of them ... except Park Jin.   She came in with the intent to kill but has been dissuaded, be cause it wasn't who she really was

 

Naksu was tricked into an early life of vengeance - Miss M made a conscious choice AS AN ADULT to commit murder against a man that while slimy to be sure, did not merit death, all to torture another ... they are not the same

 

 

 

 

8 hours ago, maribella said:

@LeftCoastOppa don't ever be a judge! 

 

Physician Heal Thy Self 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, sadthe1st said:

you forgot about @LeftCoastOppa chingu and his fave So-I

 

... Hush troublemaker

[frozentundra]

49 minutes ago, 10192123sangre said:

What exactly is the 'alchemy of souls'? Is it a magic spell? Naksu is believed to have mastered soul shifting so how did she do it without a soul ejector?

I was confused about this and went back to watch this scene in ep 1 again. Naksu had a soul ejector on her and used that. (I presume she got it from Jin Mu.)

 

Your other points are well laid out and ask good questions.

[maribella]

1 hour ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

Oh there are a few other explanations ... you comparing apples to oranges comes to mind, although truth be told its more like apples to hubcaps ...

Spoiler

You don't think the man deserved to die? Anyone who tricked my mother and brother, living on her money with his murderous daughter for 5 years ( may be more) while they live in penury surely deserved a slow death. Furthermore, the mother and brother were handicapped and he had been hitting on her. I would have pushed father & daughter off a train platform. Ms M did the right thing. For the ex bff to watch her father die, that was a bonus. 

Now Naksu, I can't think of anything good about assassins.

Although she was smart enough not to make overt enemies of the four families. She could not afford it. If she were still Naksu and in Naksu body, she would have assasinated them even the puppy.

 

You know @LeftCoastOppa I think the Hong sisters will agree with me and get rid of BY/MD/Naksu by tonight.  She's just not hero material.  Use a completely new character befitting Kdrama FLs. We haven't got amnesia yet.

[LeftCoastOppa]

6 minutes ago, maribella said:

You know @LeftCoastOppa I think the Hong sisters will agree with me and get rid of BY/MD/Naksu by tonight.  She's just not hero material. 

 

(sigh) ...

 

Spoiler

Do I think the man deserved to die? No - not when she was already set to deliver upon him what he sowed - he was set to lose his money and all his property ... she killed him to torture the daughter ... who if we're gonna play "deserves-to-die" she definitely did ... unlike her father she actually tried to KILL Miss M (and did kill her unborn child)... but Miss M let her live.

 

You want the father to lose everything & become penniless, I'm right there with you - but the man had NO hand in her attempted murder, her fathers murder, nor did he even know what his daughter did until years later. 

 

Send him to prison all day long, but her killing him to torture the daughter was EVIL.

 

As to what the Hong sisters do to this drama remains to be seen - as for BY/MD/Naksu's fate specifically  ...

 

Suffice it to say - I disagree

 

As for her not being "hero" material ...

 

 

 

One thing is certain - 1 of us is about to be proven VERY wrong ... and I don't think its me

[SleepyKitty]

BTS clip from some of the action scenes

I have to say, they did quite well, considering some of them are rookies in this genre.

[Dramafreak]

Well what I read was that Season 2 might just be out in December but not on a Saturday and Sunday plot!

 

Oh they will throw us off the cliff and expect us to wait patiently! 

 

Yay... Saturday is so near and yet so far!

 

(let me read what has been happening beyond the bickering between @maribella and @LeftCoastOppa  Fun stuff guys! )