Alchemy of Souls: A Focused Show without Any Frills
Rarely will you find such a balanced mix of action, suspense, fantasy, romance, comedy, and fantastic music like that of the Alchemy of Souls that just pulls you in with an engaging storyline. The 10-episode second season of the South Korean television series is a tightly scripted drama and, so far, the most ambitious project from the Hong sisters with a great reputation for building fantastic worlds with intrinsic heart-beating human elements. The show is more engaging than the previous ones as it sheds the flab of lingering sequences and dives straightway into the devastating but mysterious aftermath of the first season. The gripping storyline is so impressive that it does not need gimmicks and fascinating CGI to impress viewers, although these are plenty.
Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadows – The plot
The story is set three years after the closing incidents of the previous season that ended with Jang-uk’s resurrection, who becomes the bearer of ice-stone and unknown parties extricating Nak Su from the depths of Lake Gyeongcheondaeho. Wielding the sword that Nak Su stabbed him with, Jang-Uk is now a formidable hunter of soul-shifters with extraordinary supernatural powers. The intriguing Alchemy of Souls drama is full of twists and turns as Jang-Uk whiles away his time while drinking heavily throughout the nights until a chance encounter with a soul-shifter leads him to Jin Bu-Yeon, who is none other than Nak Su.
However, Jin Bu –Yeon has no memories of the preceding three years of her life. She remains confined within the quarters in Jinyowon that prohibits the entry of outsiders since the events of the first season. However, Jin Bu-Yeon is dead to the world while the slightest hopes of her freedom from imprisonment are smothered by Jin Ho-geong, who announces she is destined to stay engaged with him in the quarters. Bu-Yeon sees an opportunity to escape when Jang-Uk knocks at her door, and she begs him to marry her. At first, Jang-Uk is a bit reluctant to accept the marriage proposal, but realizing that he could use Bu- Yeon’s divine powers to search for Nak-Su, he helps Bu-Yeon escape with him on the night of their wedding.
The Cast
Lee Jae-Wook leads the cast of the Alchemy of Souls, season 2, essaying the protagonist Jang-Uk. Jung So-min plays the villain Nak-su, and Go Yoon-Jung is Jin-Bu-Yeon. Hwang Min-Hyun and Yoo Jun-sang are seen in the characters Seo Yul and Park Dang-gu. The other members are Shin Seung-ho as Go Won, Oh Na-ra as Kim Doju, and Jo Jae-Yoon as Jin Mu.
The Hong sisters save time by taking viewers directly into the drama that takes off right from where the first ended without too many recaps. Even when drawing parallels to the first season, the execution could be more clever and neat, which never allows any room for slackness in the storyline.
Alchemy of Souls, season 2, is a focused show without any frills. So you should watch it for all the right reasons.