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

[Yinye]

Episode 1 was solid. I especially liked the actress that played Naksu. I like that she is a ice cold assassin character focused on revenge. Finally - a different kind of FL - wait - she reminds me of Hotel del Luna’s Man-Wol lol. I will continue to watch and pray that this one ends up as solid as Hotel del Luna, the only Hong sis drama that I really liked. 

 

Spoiler

The plot seems interesting and both leads are doing well. It isn’t as bad as I was fearing based off the strange toned trailers and too TMOPB styling. Re the styling, I don’t like it - a bit too unpolished - anime style. I do think the special effects are nicely done. 
 

I also wonder if the Emperor and mage switched back in time and who really is the ML’s father. They could throw us off track to make us think that Uk is the Emperor’s son but watch that Uk is actually the mage’s son. 

 

Episode 2 - why is the ML making it so obvious that MD is NK at the beginning of the episode when they were in the chamber where Naksu’s body was kept. It is annoying because it makes the other characters a bit dumb, especially re the second ML if he was very closed to Naksu before - he can’t see the hints? Also of all places to have THE discussion - they do it in enemy HQ instead of going home first and then talk lol. I do like their chemistry. Their deal makes sense and I liked that both leads now know the truth.

 

I agree that ep 2’s writing isn’t as solid. Some really ? scenes - like after MD came out of the lake, Uk found her at the sea? (it was beautifully shot) and then she just passes out?! Than MD poisons Uk and they just let her live but tortures her. I get why she is doing it - to help open his chi/energy block. A big gamble indeed.

 

I def think the Hong Sis were inspired by Wuxia dramas, where the leads usually goes on a cultivation or ‘level up’ training and quest etc. 

 

What I did like was that we get a female lead ‘Shifu’ Master lol. I have been waiting for it! 
 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2022 by Yinye

[maribella]

17 hours ago, TheQueenReturns said:

I'm still in the meh category with drama. Like someone already mentioned, it has a lot of potholes already. I'm not particularly sold on the male lead . He's going to have to up his game if he is to be the leader of this drama because of his dry acting. With a lot of Veteran actors thay can actually Act. It sounds the light on his lack of skills. The character itself is spoiled, immature and petty and not in the type of way were you rooting for him to overcome. Actually, I thought it will be in easier to get rid of him in the first two episodes and that's not a good thing . This is shaping up to be a ridiculous fantasy drama in the end 

I am sort of half-half. I enjoyed much of ep 1, a rotting sly king who managed to fool a powerful sorceror into swapping bodies. I had a good laugh there. All skills and no brain. Surely he would have known what the king was like and to risk his wife/woman in the swap? Ok they need to move the story.  When Nak Su was foiled many times by her new body esp when the geisha thought she could dance, that was funny. 
 

But then we have the four seasons stereotype characters, like the privileged Boys Over Flowers kind. Of course one of them has a history with the assasin. So we will have a love triangle later. It's a make up country and a fantasy story, so anything goes. But a murderer for an FL - assasin in essence - is too much. If they showed later that she had only killed evil mages, then I could swallow the story, but otherwise, no fairytale ending to me. 

[4evrkdrama]

ALERT :

The post is quite long

 

 

**Quoting everyone at same time is risky while posting from phone so chingudeuls & Eonnideuls allow me to mention and copy paste what you have said.**

 

Eonni @partyon said :

《 What's up with the hairstyles of the males in this sageuk though? They have short hair - one even has blonde hair?
Also, some of the wigs....are questionable..》

▪︎Even I had the same thoughts Eonni.

Blonde hair (where the hair makes it obvious that its dyed) is a meh for me during historical era (regardless of how fictional it is ! )

But still its a fictional country and I will just let it slide.

And honestly lee jae wook's hairstyle is quite shabby.

 

Leaving all those hairstyle aside,

What's wrong with Mudeok's hairstyling ?

****rolling eyes***

Seriously

How could someone have so much hair from the tip of head ?

And that too 2 braided tails from that tip... waaahh 

Spoiler

Couldn't find any better pic than this

 

 

 

They make it so obvious that its a wig 

Its really weird and I feel very uneasy seeing that hairstyle.

As if some hair tail streching out

(every others hair styles are atleast bearable ) 

 

@partyon said : :

《Question is then where the king is hiding? My thought is that he's doing something evil..》

▪︎After watching just 2 eps (i know its too ealry to assume but still)

My little theory :

Since its certain that Jang Gang's soul has managed to come back to his own body, I guess since he got to know the true color of the king (and betraying him by having a child with his beloved wife/lover),

Once he came back to his old body he assassinated the then soul switcher - King with his mage power. 

Is there any possibility for this theory ?

 

@sadthe1stsaid :
《and the hooded guy that groomed Nak Soo to be a skilled assassin, i suspect he is the king who is living off human energy.. but why on a mission to kill off mages》

▪︎ I don't think so sis. Since the king isn't a mage, neither does he know the skills (alchemy) of switching souls, there is only a thin chance for it. 

I rather think he is assassinated and turned into stone by Jang Gang.

 

"Why on a mission to kill off mages ?"

▪︎▪︎

Have you noticed that Jang Gang was present when Naksu family was killed and burnt and it was seen later that this shadow leader lend his hands towards the mourning child Naksu infront of the burning bodies.

From which we can conclude that

It's not jang gang's soul embodied in him neither is he the king (since king lacks the knowledge of alchemy of souls - so how would he be capable of becoming a trainer in the first place)

So my little theory states :

The shadow leader - has his own unique story and he isn't the king or jang gang but jang gang's disciple with "ulterior motives".

 

@rocat said :
《and that the head mage did not seem to have the soul of the king when the baby was born; if Uk isn’t the mage’s son, how is Uk a mage? Stopping him from wizarding seemed a good way to hide his identity.》

▪︎ Bravo - That was a brilliant thought !

This point has itself a lot of questions tangled up - since its too early to bring any conclusion regarding this , I will just patiently wait for the story to unfold. 

But still....

I wanna know but there is nothing as base to build up a theory yet !

 

~like many of you said the plot has its own loop holes 

Somebody please answer to this question :

▪︎Why was Ae Hyang (the one who stole the spirit plaque) killed ?

Did they of killing her assuming she was Naksu -

If that's the case didn't they feel suspicious and odd when the body didn't turn rock ?

 

Sis @agenth said :  

《the funny thing is only Uk noticed her: because she was "new" and he looked closer - he knew she was Naksu then. Everybody else however seems to have blinders on their eyes》

▪︎So far, amongst people who know about "Alchemy of souls" and spirit energy only Uk was that close to her eyes and it do make sense that only he noticed it.

 

Sis @agenth said :

《•The funniest thing was when it was amber alert due to "Naksu" / the dark mages attacking the compound, but Uk's friends don't even blink to see a new face in their "secret room". As if it's normal to bring your maid into a secret room lol.》

▪︎ Even I wondered the same. It was too odd. 

~Anyone else who thought that the punishment for Jang Uk destroying the precious family inherited hierloom was too light ?!

I felt it so. 

 

Like @aria26 said,
The eps were too plot driven
which gives me worrisome about how they would keep the momentum same throughout the whole 20/30 eps.

Hope they won't stretch it like a rubber band.

 

Sis @sadthe1st said :

《the vast energy force in the lake, was it cos of all the soul shifted bodies they abandoned there, or it's actually Jang Gang's hideout.》

▪︎ As the voice narrates during the 1st ep -

"The energy of the sky rules the wind,clouds and rain. This energy reached the ground and created a huge form of energy.

A country was built around lake Gyeongcheondaeho, a lake that 'embodied' that energy."

 

@Yinye said:

《why is the ML making it so obvious that MD is NK at the beginning of the episode when they were in the chamber where Naksu’s body was kept. It is annoying because it makes the other characters a bit dumb, especially re the second ML if he was very closed to Naksu before - he can’t see the hints? Also of all places to have THE discussion - they do it in enemy HQ instead of going home first and then talk lol. I do like their chemistry. Their deal makes sense and I liked that both leads now know the truth.》

▪︎ Did you just came out of my mind ?Couldn't agree with you anymore on this. Thats exactly what was running on my mind as I was watching it.

 

~~~

Thanks for bearing with me reading everything. 

I will watch the drama until I have this heat in me to watch it.

Let's see how the story unfolds.

There are many  "let's let it slide for now" events but regardless,

Am enjoying the drama so far or else I wouldn't be writing this long post in the first place.

 

For anyone who need the highlight teaser of the drama :

 

 

[sadthe1st]

i think its going to be a super messy story coming up since the whole lot of assassins under Jin Mu abandoned their original bodies mass soul swapped and staged a massacre..

 

is Songrim like a nation or mage sect?

 

i think they need to replicate a lot of gwigu to hunt down everyone who has soul swapped..

 

 

@4evrkdrama chingu, yups the identity of the hooded man has been revealed in ep2, at least it saves us from more speculations lol

[LeftCoastOppa]

So just finished episodes 1&2 ...

 

Just a few thoughts on what we've seen so far -

 

- as campy as it seems, I like the 4 seasons aspect of the would-be family heirs

 

- in the other 3 seasons Jang Uk has - a BFF - a love rival - and an ex gf  ....  pretty straight forward.

 

- I do like the ex gf vibe, the love rival, not so much

 

- Kinda obvious Jang Uk is not the son of the evil King, thats why his power gate was locked as a child

 

- Really liking the special effects

 

- Not quite sure what to think of Mu-Deok/Naksu - I'd like to think of her as a bad girl who is really a good girl, but no matter what back story we get for all the people she killed, even if they turn out to be evil mages, at the end of the day there is already an elephant-in-the-room that no one is talking about, and the story has seemingly passed over ... the REAL Mu-Deok.

 

Even if Naksu's actions turn out to be justified, and she and Jang Uk fall in love, and save the entire nation ... what about the poor weak blind girl that was lost in the soul swap?  As good as Naksu might become, the implied death of an innocent blind girl kinda taints happy ever after ... for me at least.  JMHO

[sadthe1st]

2 hours ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

what about the poor weak blind girl that was lost in the soul swap?

oops.. i totally forgot about her lol

 

 

that's why soul swap is classified as a dark magic.. it grants the caster almost invincibility (unless didn't swap properly, or petrified) and they get to run away with crimes or sins committed..

 

the flaws of soul swap reminds me of apparition in harry potter, and medusa/basilisk with the petrification into stones.

 

[maribella]

4 hours ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

Even if Naksu's actions turn out to be justified, and she and Jang Uk fall in love, and save the entire nation ... what about the poor weak blind girl that was lost in the soul swap?  As good as Naksu might become, the implied death of an innocent blind girl kinda taints happy ever after ... for me at least.  JMHO

Hiyaa @LeftCoastOppa we haven't been watching the same show lately. This one is not a daily so not much haranguing expected. The ML is also not the lame type which I thought you like. . 
He's very focused in acquiring a master that he has no scruples in saving a killer or smashing a priceless heirloom that holds the 'dog'. An antihero. 

 

Yes, agree,  I think making a killer the FL is too much. Maybe it was for avenging her family? We have had leads who killed bad people but it was usually in clashes not cold blooded assassinations.  Another antihero?
 

 

[rocher22]

I hope Jang Gang did it to protect the baby. Although it is strange that he revealed 

to everyone that Janguk wasnt his son.  

 

Dohwa and Janguk are innocent in the whole story.

 

 

 

 

The marriage proposal   

Jang Uk- '' If you dont want to be my master, you could be my wife..''...  

 

[partyon]

6 hours ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

- Kinda obvious Jang Uk is not the son of the evil King, thats why his power gate was locked as a child

 

Well biologically he is the son of Jang Gang. Even if the evil King was in Jang Gang's body during the conception of Uk.

 

And yes, I think Jang Gang locked Uk's power gate as to prevent him from becoming a powerful Mage. It looks like Jang Gang exhibits more powers than the rest of the mages, so it would make sense Uk inherited those too.

I feel like Jang Gang may have done that to prevent future development of alchemy. Just a thought.

 

That or the fact that he's protecting Uk from something bad happening if he gains power. Not sure if the King being in Jang Gang's body when Uk was conceived could cause something to happen cosmically.
The fact that Uk's mother died at birth - does he think that the boy's birth caused that somehow? Could the King's evil spirit be activated somehow inside Uk if he gains power?

 

Many different options at this point.

[Yinye]

@LeftCoastOppa I also wonder about original MD - what happened to her soul? But I forgot to add it to my post because the cold medicine kicked in and fuzzy brain.  I hope the writer explained a bit re this point too. 

 

@4evrkdrama lol I was really annoyed at those ep 2 scenes and it shows the inconsistency in writing when compared ep 1 and 2 

 

I actually dislike the 4 seasons usage - it’s very cliche re traditional Asian season symbolism and def their version of the F4 lol - very Hong Sis type of humor. It would have been cool if they used other symbolism from Asian folklore instead.  
 

I understand everyone’s thoughts re Naksu being an assassin and having killed many people. I think we’ll def get more explanations even if it doesn’t resolve her of the moral accountabilities but I find it nice for a change we have a very flawed FL 

Edited June 21, 2022 by Yinye

[partyon]

Has anyone read up on k-netz comments regarding this drama?

 

I was wondering if there would be any talk about the fact that this is similar to wuxia c-dramas?

[LeftCoastOppa]

8 hours ago, partyon said:

Well biologically he is the son of Jang Gang. Even if the evil King was in Jang Gang's body during the conception of Uk.

 

I'm actually going on the assumption that Dohwa was already pregnant when the evil king raped her - Jang Uk is Jang Gang's real son even though he may not realize it (no evil king taint)

[partyon]

39 minutes ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

I'm actually going on the assumption that Dohwa was already pregnant when the evil king raped her - Jang

Also a possibility I thought about as well. But not sure how he would find out about the truth since she’s dead.

But anything is possible 

 

I have a feeling this story is gonna get real convoluted because they need to still fill up at least 18 more episodes.

[Vega Lyra]

After episode 2 I'm still liking this a lot.  The drama is by no means perfect and there are some edition cuts that make it seem like they are rushing and cutting relevant scenes. But I'm enjoying it a lot. It's quite atmospheric and immersive, with the magical country set up. And I like the leads and how they are so flawed. Even if Naksu is a cold blooded assassin, the drama is still interesting to watch... I can understand her torment and support her quest for revenge. Although, since she's a killer and technically a villain, I'm not expecting a traditional happy ending. Plus, her real body was already burned and I guess it's a matter of time that she starts having problems with the borrowed one. She has no body to come back to. I'm bracing myself because they make a cute couple and I'm sure I'll root for them when they fall for each other...

[maribella]

13 hours ago, partyon said:

Also a possibility I thought about as well. But not sure how he would find out about the truth since she’s dead.

But anything is possible 

 

I have a feeling this story is gonna get real convoluted because they need to still fill up at least 18 more episodes.

Kdramas like to use inherited talents. If the mother is a shoe designer par excellence, so will the birth daughter. Likewise chef mother, talented cook daughter. So UK is going to be a super mages which the king wouldn't pass to him. Then don't forget the allergy similarity, I am guessing seafood.
 

Don't think they had peanuts which I think is indigenous to the Americas.

 

or a birthmark in the shape of his father's name. 

[UnniSarah]

On 6/20/2022 at 11:50 PM, LeftCoastOppa said:

Even if Naksu's actions turn out to be justified, and she and Jang Uk fall in love, and save the entire nation ... what about the poor weak blind girl that was lost in the soul swap?  As good as Naksu might become, the implied death of an innocent blind girl kinda taints happy ever after ... for me at least.  JMHO

As always chingu , you and I always have the same feeling @LeftCoastOppa . It put a bad taste in my mouth for the blind girl to die for no reason. She was innocent. 
 

So true @partyon  and I was really hoping it would be a Perfect  10.0 until I saw there was 20 episodes. 

[rocher22]

0:29...2:42...they both looked at each other differently than before..  

 

I didnt expect Yul to kill the soul shifter guy.

But Yul seems to be quite skilled and powerful.

 

 

 

 

 

[rocher22]

 

It was a smart move when Uk broke the heirloom  

 

 

 

 

Yul and his soft voice  - ''Im sorry to have startled you''   

 

 

 

[lila21]

This fantasy drama is really good, I wonder how Mudeol now Naksu was related Seo Yul when they were younger and what happened between them as now she seems to be angry with him? Am curious to see how Jang Uk will convince her to be his teacher? And how does Jang Uk think that Naksu is more than what she seems?

[morganian]

On 6/21/2022 at 8:41 PM, partyon said:

Could the King's evil spirit be activated somehow inside Uk if he gains power?

 

Many different options at this point.

One possibility is that Jang Gang returned to his own body but because the king's body died, the king could not return to his own body? So Jang Gang's body could contain two souls that are in constant conflict. Sometimes Jang Gang has control over himself and is able to do things like seal his son from magic, but sometimes not, so he's exiled himself from court to figure things out.

 

The King's soul is probably waiting to take over Uk's body?