Main Cast: Jung So-min, Lee Jae-wook, Hwang Min-hyun, Yoo In-soo

Summary

Alchemy of Souls is a South Korean hit drama set in a fictional country, Daeho, and follows the life and growth of young mages as they continue to enhance their sword-fighting and spell-casting abilities. After experiencing centuries of peace, Daeho is on the brink of chaos as “alchemy of souls”, forbidden sorcery that allows souls to switch bodies, reappears. 

The drama begins with the story of Naksu, an elite warrior and notorious assassin. As Naksu is pursued by her adversaries, her soul accidentally becomes trapped in the weak body of Mu-deok (played by Jung So-min). Despite being originally blind, once Naksu possesses Mu-deok’s body she is able to see clearly however she realizes that she lost all of her powers. As Mu-deok runs away, she encounters Jang-Uk (played by Lee Jae-wook), a young mage from a prestigious family, and eventually becomes his servant. 

As Mu-deok continues to serve Jang-Uk, she learns more about his unfortunate and mysterious past. Despite coming from a powerful and noble family, Jang-Uk is unable to practice magic since his father locked his energy gate shortly after he was born. As a result, Jang-Uk is treated as a normal human and has to watch his friends harness their skills and powers. However while meeting Mu-deok, Jang-Uk notices the distinct blue mark left by soul shifters in Mu-deok’s eyes. He quickly realizes that Naksu switched her soul into Mu-deok’s body and asks her to be his master and unlock his energy gate. With the hopes of being able to regain her powers Mu-deok agrees to teach Jang-Uk, however the two become inseparable and grow closer as they begin to unearth the secrets and nefarious intentions of those wielding the alchemy of souls.

Thoughts

Although the concept of switching souls and magic/sorcery was initially a bit difficult to wrap my head around at first, overall this drama had a well executed plot and the characters all had a great chemistry with one another. Some of my favorite scenes of the drama were whenever Jang-Uk hung out with his friends Seo-Yul (played by Hwang Min-hyun) and Park Dang-Gu (played by Yoo In-Soo). It was really cute and entertaining to see how loyal they were to one another as well as the mischief they would cause. Also the side “romance” between Park Jin, one of the leaders of the noble families, and the woman who raised Jang-Uk is so frustratingly funny; their little side quibbles and interactions definitely add some much needed comedic relief.

The series also did a really great job at creating a complex plot. By using multiple side-stories and going back in time to reveal greater detail, the series created a dynamic plot that made me curious and kept drawing me back for more. It was really cool and different to see how every single character’s past was woven into the final ending. 

After the dramatic 20th episode of the first season, Alchemy of Souls quickly began filming and creating the second season. The newest episodes were released late last week and follows Jang-Uk, Seo-Yul, and Dang-Gu navigating life in Daeho. I am looking forward to seeing how the rest of the story unfolds!