What is up with everyone's hair?!

I decided to go with my gut instinct and just avoid this in end.
Have fun everyone~!

I found the opener a combination of Harry Potter, Hong Kong martial arts and Naruto. There was a lot of information thrown at us but without much context (a writer’s trap of knowing but not expressing the meaning of many things). Will the high budget special effects overcome the weakest part of the story so far: the soul shifters? The start is the typical MA revenge so soul swapping does not add much drama.

This was definitely much better than I expected in terms of storyline, dialogue, and special effects *whew* Finally, Jung Somin gets a drama where she can showcase all aspects of her spectacular acting. I love the witty/dry humor thrown in & the unexpected twists at every corner. The 60+ minutes just flew. I'm cautiously optimistic, but this is THE fun summer drama that I've been waiting for!!

I really had fun with the first 2 episodes. Gives us a fairly interesting world, and a decent setup, though the bit with the body swapping the king and mage would probably have more weight if we cared about either character. The CG was pretty solid, and I enjoyed some of those set pieces (though I'd like more interesting fight choreography).

I'm here for our leads, and luckily they both seem pretty great. Tragic backstories ahoy! Jung So-min is getting to play up the snark and side eyes, and Lee Jae-wook has a fairly chipper disposition considering his "father" sealed away his energy (for some reason?).

Watched it on Netflix and it said the episode count is going to be 30?! Is that correct? Seems super long by modern kdrama standards. I'm in for at least another week though!

I wish the Four Seasons children had powers related to their seasons: spring rain (or flower petals), summer sun, fall wind, and winter ice. So mages are not born with powers à la Harry Potter, but learn magic? Since Wook is the king's son, I wondered if his father cast the spell on him because Kang knew Wook couldn't practice magic.

Did Kang even switch bodies back in a week? Since the king was weak and near-death, how could he have performed the spell? They better not have slut-shamed Do-hwa for having an affair with her own husband.

I don't believe Naksu's soul is the reason why Mu-deok can see. I suspect Mu-deok has her own secret in pretending to be blind. I'm rooting for Naksu to get revenge on the mages for killing her family, but she may waver over her first love Yul before eventually falling for Wook.

Thanks a bunch for weecapping, @alathe!

Decided to give ep 1 a try, and surprisingly I’m charmed enough to want to stay on for a couple more eps, at least to see how it pans out! The 2 leads have been convincing enough so far; am not really a big fan of Jung So Min, but I forgot that she can do comedy well, and it works for the body-switch scenario. I do have to say the original Naksu is way more of a scene stealer tho! I’m so glad to see Go Yoon Jung back, she won me over in Law School, and I had/have high hopes for her, if she can get good roles 😍 The older supporting cast are pretty big names in their own right, n always reliable. The main letdown for me is the younger supporting cast, eg the rest of the “4 seasons” - did the show run out of budget after spending too much on the CGI, so they could only afford to cast such young n inexperienced idol actors/actresses…?!? Sighhhh. They just always look so blank on screen n cannot emote, I mean of course everyone has to start “somewhere”, but to cast [too many of] them in such assumedly key roles is just pushing it I feel, n wld really be a pity if they become the Achilles heel of such a grand sweeping fantasy tale. Sigh, we shall see…

I originally became interested in the show because of Jung So Min but when I first looked into it I hesitated because historical kdrama not my thing. Plus, lots of criticism of the Hong sisters. But after the heavy promotion this last week - character and family descriptions, the gorgeous visuals and finally the 5 minute "preview", I got up early in Sat morning to watch Ep. 1 and I am hooked for the long haul. Jung So Min didn't disappoint and the show's director (and the script writers) knows what they are doing to promote this synergistic partnership/pairing. Lots of other stories and relationships that will be explored as well. And the visuals! Just stunning. Did I say I was hooked?

STUNNING. This show is a stunning feast for the eyes - I rewatched the 4 seasons introduction sequence at least one million times because it was so damn pretty ❤️ An hour episode turned into two because was too busy staring at all the pretty that I couldn't focus on subtitles, and while the CGI and green screening might not be Marvel quality all the time, I think it's very, very nicely done given the budget it's likely on - the effects for the mage powers in particular are so beautiful

The plot (or at least what we know of it) seems like it'll be typical high fantasy, that's not a complaint at all because HIGH FANTASY 😍Characters are all starting to build their homes in my heart (yes despite what little we've learnt about them, go figure - I guess that's how excited I am) and especially intrigued by our anti-hero (?) FML. Plus, while I was already excited for LJW and JSM (and they delivered thus far) I hadn't read up on anything else too much prior, so you bet my sad Nu'est heart was given the biggest jump start when Minhyun appeared on screen 😍

I do have a billion questions about the lore etc. and the plot points that have been set up so far but granted it's only episode one I'll hold off any further judgement till later. Suffice to say I love what I saw - even if the plot goes haywire and becomes straight garbage fire after this point, I will happily watch till the end of 20 episodes for the visuals alone.

First episode - For me it's better than Bulgasal. I understand this show better. Minus the King's act.

I'm aware of the special effect while they were fighting, but somehow the director made it look so beautiful that I don't fast forward the fighting scenes! This show is fun & dark but not too dark (yet)

Looks like this month this show will be one of my favorite along with Link!

The last Hong Sisters fantasy drama that I could sit through was My Gf is a Gumiho. Which actually turned out to be quite a breezy watch. This one was way too confusing even in the 20 mins that I lasted for.

It’s a no for me.

For a tv show, great CGI so far. Love the cinematography and overall color display. Also I didn't know this was a Studio Dragon production until I watched the show.
As for the show itself, the premise had my curiosity from the beginning when it was announced and the first episode definitely tickled me. Obviously watched the second episode too and though at times some sequences felt rushed, I like it. The cast is doing well and I believe it's only going to get better.
Oh and of course, JSM and LJW are doing amazing. And hey, let's hear it for JWookie's first leading role. 👏 👏👏

I'm not much of a fantasy person and found most of it pretty cheesy. The first Naksu was compelling. I was sad to lose her, but then I'm not much of a Jung So Min fan. I think she's better in contemplative roles than in comedy.

The costumes were .... interesting. They really overdid the makeup on the men. LJW is a manly dude but with all the makeup and that hairdo, he looked rather matronly.

They are obviously wanting to tell a sprawling take, which is cool, but I don't trust the Hong Sisters to keep it tight and tell it.

LOL! "Charmingly homicidal" I am definitely charmed every time Mu-deok mentally sentences people to her "to kill when I get my power back!" list. I love how the music changes when she monologues dangerously.

I loved the first week! I was really skeptical from the previews since the previews just emphasized the ML bossing the FL around. When it finally aired, I was impressed by how large-scale the setting is. Even though there was a lot of CGI in the lake battle, I loved it, and it was beautiful and thrilling to see one young female mage/assassin battle it out with a dozen dudes. I loved how the drama really leaned in to the fantasy world. The actress who played OG Naksu was charismatic, and i hope to see her lead a future drama. Jung So-min and LJW are also killing it and have great chemistry. The older actors - Joo Sang Wook and Yoo Jun Sang- are also looking amazing.

It's the sort of fantasy storytelling you don't see a lot in kdramas. You see it in cdramas and probably in video games and manhwa. I think the last time I got a similar historical fantasy thrill from a kdrama was Tae wang sa shin gi, which had things like mythical guardians and powers.

Even if this drama goes downhill, I am impressed by what it is trying to do and bring to the kdrama landscape.

Love Jung Uk and Mu Deok's chemistry ❤ I hope they don't go the Hotel Del Luna route and give us more squeals! The Hong Sisters have quirky humour sense and not an all in comedy, so I want Jung So Min to throw a bit more of herself into the comic scenes as I feel her awkward in some scenes, but with the theme of soul switching the awkwardness feels reasonable and intentional. The story is interesting thus far and and an hour flew by quickly.

I loved episode one. A lot went on and I may do a rewatch to get the basics down of this fantasy word. Lee Jae-wook and Jung So-min are terrific together.

There were some interesting parts.

I'm not convinced by the 4 seasons' acting yet. But their description looked good, poor Fall, he just cut wheat (why when Fall is the period to sow...). They looked a little too modern with their haircut.

Naksu wants to revenge her parents death, I wonder how it's connected with the 4 families. She was funny in Mu-Deok's body.

Wook is the son of the King? How the King thought to put him on the throne if everybody thinks he's the Mage's son?

I have only seen one drama by de Hong Sister: Hotel del Luna, which I stopped after a few episodes.

But the first impression is quite good. The story and the world created are so interesting that I felt well entertained. The visuals are also very appealing.

And when the two main characters are constantly bickering, as they do here, then I'm happy to watch this show.

I liked this premier and I think/hope it's going to be a fun watch

I decided to watch the first couple of episodes of this show since it was on Netflix and easy to access. So far it's been pretty good, and I think I'll continue to watch it.

What I like most in a Hong sisters drama is their quirky sense of humour, A Korean Odyssey, another one of their fantasies, has so much of it. What happened, where is it all gone? The humour here is so disappointingly lame and cheesy and I do not blame the actors.

The cast is the nicest bit so far. I like the combination of seasoned and very rookie actors and I am a particular fan of Lee Jae-wook and Jung So-min. For their sake I hope that the drama will improve.

Too much CGI for my liking, even if it is well done, and a lot of necessary explanations of the rules for this fantasy world. I do not watch many fantasies of this kind and had to concentrate quite hard to understand. I like the 4 season mages and Mu-deok having to work without the powers she used to have.

Not all bad, but not as good as I hoped.

Like others I found the beginning of our story a bit shaky, the interaction between the king and the mage felt like it should have been high stakes but with zero context it was just confusing. With 20 or more episodes I fell like they could have dedicated a larger chunk of time establishing their characters and motivations.

That aside, I'm much happier with the present storytelling.

A miffed cat is the perfect way to describe Jung So-Min's Naksu and I'm enjoying her thoroughly - her entire bridge scene was just hilarious and her more serious scenes in episode 2 were strong.

The leads have surprising chemistry as bumbling as it is at the moment which is promising - I can watch a trash fire plot until its hot mess conclusion so long as I'm still enjoying the characters.

Im so sold. Jung Somin is hilarious as the badass assassin stuck in a weak body, I almost feel bad for her 😂. This is a nice change from all the dark/heavy dramas going on now the show is really beautiful to watch and the story not too complex to understand. its a yes from me.

Jang Wook's character is loosely inspired by Bihyung-rang, I think. Bihyung-rang was a Silla man who was born from the union between King Jinji and a lady named Dohwanyeo (Jang Wook's mother is also named Dohwa). Dohwa was the most beautiful woman of the kingdom, and King Jinji wanted to have her. Yet Dohwa was already married, and she refused to have two husbands (which was unexpected of her because I read that married people in Silla could have lovers). So the king asked if she would serve him if her husband died, and she said yes. A few years later, King Jinji died after being dethroned for his licentiousness, and Dohwa became a widow. It is assumed that the ghost of King Jinji could not forget Dohwa's promise, so he went to her house and Dohwa slept with him because he was the king. He spent one week with her, just like the King of Daeho asked Jang Wook. King Jinji sired Bihyung-rang during his affair with Dohwa, subsequently Bihyung-rang was considered to have a ghost father. Jinji's successor, Jinpyeong, was very fascinated about the boy, thus he got him to be raised in the palace and gave him a royal post when he came of age.

In terms of personality, Bihyung-rang was considered to be crafty and could talk to ghosts and command them. I was thinking that the former trait is also present in Jang Wook in the way he quickly pieced up Naksu's identity and how he tracked her down.

The comedic transition here gets me off guard. Not noticing when they've gone into that genre...well done.

The CGI here is really good, especially with the magic. But I hope they limit it during the sword scenes, it seems animatic and branching into chinese wuxia elements.

There's no way I'm not coming back for more. The comedy, the story at the point it is now, is really interesting.

Well, that was waaaaaay more entertaining and less silly than I thought it would be. The fantasy elements are not fully fleshed out, but I'm not usually too fussy about the world building as long as it looks pretty and makes some sense. The show is gorgeous to look at, the leads are fun together, and although I can easily see the story falling apart (I loved both Korean Odyssey and Hotel Luna a LOT for the first the several episodes and then started to get distracted and frustrated), I'll enjoy it while I can. All I really wanted from this one is for it to be fun and not boring, and so far, so good.

I enjoyed these episodes despite the weaknesses described already by other beanies, including the confusing king/mage soul swap, and patchy acting by the non lead four seasons characters. I'm loving MD/Naksus ever growing kill list as well as the chemistry between the leads. I sincerely hope the 30 episode rumour is untrue, 20 might even be stretching it...

Alchemy of Souls reminds me so much of an wuxia and i’m loving it!

Also i loved the original Naksu!

We loved the first two episodes. I wanted to watch it for Jung So-min and she did not disappoint but our ML also delivered. The cinematography is great and the costumes are even well done- and not the "Joseon standard" styles either- making the setting in a mythical land that much more believable.

These episodes were well put together. I hope that the rest of the drama can match it.

The good – Jung So min and Lee Jae Wook
The bad – hairstyles, idol and inexperienced actors, wooden acting from second lead, jarring transition to slapstick comedy
The ugly – The rape
On the fence – world building and fantasy elements
Verdict – Continue watching for now…
Prediction for the ending – 90% chance of going horribly wrong

So hero is now both prince (by the king's declaration and will) and magician (by virtue of biology and the body being the chief mage's)...and of course, there are two others (crown prince and assistant gwangu) whom he really outranks, if truth be known. I'm loving this. I see battles and machinations ahead...But ya know...heroes gotta prove themselves.

Heroine is so meta and sardonic. She's sure of herself and her cockiness matches Wook's. I;m hooked.

I like it but did keep giggling that the 4 Seasons are like F4 (ok, w/one girl) complete with Lee Jae Wook’s Jun Pyo-like poodle hair 😂

Also, is it my tv or is there an amazing amount of jade/seafoam/mint/celadon green being used? It’s everywhere to the point of being distracting but then again I’m just like that 🤓

I didnt really expect to enjoy AOS this much. Its such a culture shock for me as I am so used to the usual serious tone when it comes to fantasy dramas hence I get so thrown off when there's a serious discussion going on and LJW just throws in a joke all of a sudden, its really enjoyable!

For the beginning, I was really taken aback and disturbed with the sexual factors (also ladies, would you fall for a "you are so beautiful" line??? I mean that was how it was translated for me on Netflix but I'm not sure for other sites) between the soul swapper and the woman as we had just begun and I was not expecting that at all. What is this ongoing theme with kdramas recently??

Also did anyone else find that Yul looked like a discount Cha Eun Woo? I had to do a double take to make sure it wasnt actually him.

Nevertheless, I'm hoping the show carries on well and doesnt divert tremendously, seeing that we have a decent cast here.

I wanted to see of anyone else noticed the Arthurian parallels, and many have. We have our Uther, Merlin and Arthur expys; which makes Naksu Morgana le Fay? she certainly is a poweful magician. If she is the former King's daughter does it count as I incest if you're not biologically related but are siblings by soul swapped parents.

Not going to lie - I have never live-watched a drama before. I usually wait until the drama ends, read a fairly non-spoilery review, and then decide whether to spend time on it or not. I just want to make sure they stick the landing, you know? But then I joined this community, and realized what fun it can be to talk about it as it's going on - even if the drama ends up being a total train wreck. So here I am, tentatively dipping my toes into the live-watching pool, with a drama that might be amazing or might be terrible, but seems unlikely to be somewhere in between. Should be a good ride either way!

And all that to say: I really liked the first episode! I don't have a problem with the costumes/hairstyles like some other folks did, I'm honestly relieved that they made them adjacent to historical Korean garments/styles without copying them exactly - inventing your own culture can be amazing, but can also quickly go off the rails and turn into cultural appropriation or an unintentional parody of something, so it's nice that they seem to be avoiding that here.

I, like so many others, was totally charmed by the interactions of our leads, and I'm excited to see how their relationship plays out! I did find the king/mage body swap a little confusing - I thought that the mage would take more convincing than that, and to do it with his own body seems incredibly risky. I was also not clear if they eventually switched back, but I guess they must have, if the mage has been rejecting his son his whole life? Hopefully we get some clarity about that soon.

The only Hong sisters drama I've watched before this is Hotel del Luna, which I really liked (but I know is pretty divisive), so I'm hopeful going forward!

Well so far the cgi is better than it was at the end of Hwayugi😅

I’ll watch episode 2 and see how we go; I’m not that good at sticking to costume dramas even if I like them.

Everything aside, I'm blown away by Go Youn Jung's visuals 🤩
Call me as shallow as you want, now I understand when they say you want to watch a drama just to see one particular actor 😛

I watched AoS season 1 once most of the episodes were out, so missed following along on here. Going back through the old recaps to live in the world (while the ending is still unknown) and because they're so enjoyable to read

'Instead, she’s MU-DEOK (Jung So-min), a once-blind girl with all the strength of a wet noodle' just LOL

Love Jung So Min!
First episode for me was so-so. Liked the CGI but the storyline is mixed, king using a woman on one side and strong bad ass woman on the other.
@alathe thanks for the chuckles! Some of my favorites:

Let me switch bodies/souls with you for one week. This seems not at all suspicious...

once-blind girl with all the strength of a wet noodle

Mu-deok threatens Wook with the first weapon that comes to hand: a crab leg. Wook, remarkably unperturbed for a guy about to be impaled by a crustacean...