My time to apologize now! I was away for about two weeks and so couldn’t respond to your message before!
Oh AoS!
They made us wait and wait some more. I am so looking forward to the reviews and asking questions.
Anyway, now we all know the Naksu lead is back and shooting began in July and they are saying that we might get the rest of the ten episodes by December (yet one never knows! Ice stone effects can cause more delays 😀 )
I am wondering what end will they put to JSM character or will we see glimpses of her similar to Medicine Master’s grand-daughter? Btw I keep asking this of anyone who can tell me, why is she there in this series? Did we really need her?
Hope you aren’t snowed under and are getting some time to enjoy some sunshine and rain (depending upon where on the earth you might be).
@noone There is no need to apologize! I’ve actually been feeling under the weather and thus, MIA. Thank you so much for checking in, it really does mean the world. 💖Sorry for taking long to respond.
After that finale, I am still recovering from the ice-stone effects. Not sure how Naksu and Uk do it! 😜
Honestly I don’t know the point of Master Yeom’s grand-daughter either, maybe to showcase Uk’s faithfulness to Mu Deok? Otherwise, she doesn’t add much to the story. Have you watched the finale? If so, what are your thoughts?
There is lots of sunshine where I am. I hope you’re keeping happy and healthy wherever you are! 😊
Tell me about it! I can’t watch that scene in the forest as it breaks my heart. So I don’t even know if I can say that I have seen this full season or not. I guess, I am weak-hearted. Her killing him… no!!
She had said in episode 2 that even if we are near, I will spare you. Isn’t that supposed to hold true with or without evil bells ringing! I just hope there is no memory loss. I wish they had the capacity to show some inner journey of the two as both have suffered trauma.
I have been wondering about Naksu/MD’s mental health after being killed thrice and Uk’s after being killed once and that too by someone he obviously loved to death!
In my mind divine justice will only be met if and only if Naksu does some chasing in season 2. Uk needs to be loved. Naksu needs to do some self-reflection and also be scared of how anyone can use her!
With the kind of changes in people and relationships that they have hinted for season 2, even I think 10 episodes won’t be enough. I just hope they focus!
To answer to your last to paragraphs: I didn’t watch episode 19 as I wanted answers to episode 18, which they didn’t show. I am here for the OTP but the drama doesn’t understand this. after entering Songrim the two don’t get enough space until episode 18! Even then all good scenes are restricted to the last 10-15 minutes.
I didn’t plan to see 20 either but then I saw spoilers and I thought let us just watch it but I can’t get through Naksu/MD’s fight sequence without avoiding the heartbreaking sequence.
I was wondering why is Jin dad still alive and why is no one questioning him. In this drama they use magic adhoc and without explanation, they stretch reveals and take the fun out of them (they could have shown the bells earlier in the day such that we would have been scared but no… suddenly pull out that trick); and they let the bad guys go (and bad guys are just not well developed!)
Poor CY, her dad saved the same fate except that her dad was stabbed while she tried suicide at the lake!
Scenes with Master Yeom’s grand-daughter just add unnecessary detail: episode 9 when she appears at the infirmary, why did we need that fanfare for her welcome? I think she will be Yul’s love interest or she will turn evil… we will see.
Finale was a bomb. But in my brain it felt that it was a bomb because the characters didn’t prepare for it or the creators didn’t want the characters to prepare… the connects at times are weak — characters don’t analyse or think about the consequences of their action. Uk for the first time tried to explore a library in episode 19.
@noone You’re not weak hearted! The way Uk was dispatched so heartlessly in the forest broke my heart, too. It was almost worse that Mu Deok was so unaware of what was happening, I am fed up of her being manipulated and puppeteered by Jin Mu. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing him again, but that’s pretty much a given, now with his miraculous twisting of the narrative.
My big gripe was that Bu Yeon was absolutely powerless, MIA and, benched. I was expecting a Deus Ex Machina with her inexplicably saving the day and Mu Deok dying as consequence of her sacrifice, but to see Bu Yeon muted during such dire scenes left me at a loss for words.
I think we’re in the era of Dark Uk and this whole upcoming season will be a complete 180 in terms of what we’ve come to expect from the characters as a whole. No one looks happy and I’m relieved that the darkness and onslaught of episode 20 won’t be magically erased.
With that, I hope the show will do a better job at answering questions and filling holes. There were some things that just didn’t fit, like the Jin father coming back only to die…what was the point? He could have just stayed dead 🙄 The Bells of Doom also came out of nowhere, probably just to remind us that Jin Mu can do whatever he wants, whenever he feels like it.
Our expectations were raised only to have them plummet with no satisfying resolution. I needed more.
Hola @mewcrazy
Sorry, was just too busy rewatching clips and trying to think how I would have improved AoS.
My takes:
Episode 20 is good on its own in so many ways. But I still think that the story meandered and lots of subplots that were added didn’t deliver their full blow!
So I- her attaching the ice stone and then the entire transfusion bit and then disappearing until in 20 we have some odd showings.
Jin Dad— don’t even get me started. I mean what kind of justice system does Daeho have that the shaman and her brother are considered convicts but because he is married to Jin family, he gets special treatment at the infirmary and his daughter doesn’t really know the full extent of his crimes?
She doesn’t know that her dad caused her sister’s murder!
The entire bubble gum like stretch of BY mystery is too much. A part of me thinks, BY is similar to the fly in Hotel Del Luna. Except that they hyped BY up and now I am not sure if they can take the hype. This is almost like they JG hype.
Like what was the JG bit all about?
The more I rewatch clips and think about it, the more annoyed I become. The series had a great premise. They could have kept it tighter, removed some of the lose subplots, concentrated on the main characters+their strengths. I really think HS don’t do thrill or suspense that well. They are good at emotional buildups and dialogues/bickering.
Anyway, at this point I have decided I will not care about the ice stone or anyone. I am watching S2 for a dark Uk and How UK would recognize Naksu. The reuinion, I don’t know. I am curious about their take but am also scared… they can just introduce anything and in the name of fantasy ask me accept 🙁
It is like we all knew there was more to Mage Cho’s death and they only revealed in ep20. But isn’t the timeline for it weird? JM did not have access to the ice stone or soul ejectors for 10 years while CHo was used before JG went off on exile!
@noone A huge apology for going radio silent, this has been a full month, but we thank God! Sorry for the wait. I hope you and your family are keeping safe and doing well. 💖
With regards to Cho Yeon, I don’t know if she was unaware of her father’s crimes, or if she just didn’t care. The Jin family are elitists and probably think that because the dad is tied to their name, he gets an automatic get-out-of-jail free card. Had he lived, I am convinced his punishment would not have been severe.
I almost wish they hadn’t hyped up Bu Yeon as much as they did since she definitely didn’t deliver. I agree with your assessment of the Hong Sisters! They shine in rom-coms with banter, i.e. Master’s Sun, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and even Greatest Love. I didn’t watch Hwayugi, and can’t really comment, but they lost the plot with Alchemy of Souls. I look forward to season 2 since hopefully they’ll get it together.
I wonder what Jang Uk will do with all of his rage since Jin Mu got off scot-free. I hope it isn’t all bluster and broody long shots next season lol.
My sincere wishes for Alchemy of Souls Season 2:
🎀The tying up of loose ends, please either leave Bu Yeon in Season 1, or round up the lore surrounding her powers in a believable way.
🎀Better chemistry between the leads. I said it! The chemistry with the original Mu Deok and Uk is great when they banter, but not really my cup of tea with the romance. I need more compelling chemistry between the main leads.
🎀Jin Mu punished for his evil deeds. No fade to black or vague ending for this baddy, they could burn him at the stake for all I care, but this man needs a whooping.
🎀Vindication for Cho Young and her father. I don’t want them to be known as criminals, please let the truth be fully revealed.
🎀An explanation on where the fake queen went. I doubt one will come, but a girl can hope, especially since she seemed knocked out at best when we last saw her.
🎀Yul needs to be healed and alright, he just does. Also please, please no pairing him with So-I. I don’t want that, jebal Writers-nim.
Finally, how are you? Have you watched any good dramas lately? I saw 20th Century Girl and bawled like a baby 😭🥺 Now I’m watching Love is for Suckers and it gets better after the 3rd/4th episode. Recommendations are warmly welcomed. Have a wonderful day, chingu!
Hello @mewcrazy time for some apologies from my side. I read your post earlier and thought I would respond and then life happened!
AoS part 2 has begun and your thoughts? I wonder if it is just me or other people feel this way too but something is missing. We are going fast and slowly. Something is making me frustrated — the weird editing? The storytelling choices?
The new FL is cute, their explanation for Naksu’s body is flimsy and for some reason they’re not showing UK’s process is just ticking me off. One moment he is civil and can be silly but another he is supposed to be holding the world at bay! I was looking forward to some angst but I am getting a typical romance between a brooding hero who isn’t exactly pushing the lady away and an innocent poor heroine.I can’t understand where are they taking me and I feel like abandoning Ukie and that to me feels like betrayal. 🙁
My dear @mewcrazy
How are you? I have been watching May I help you and enjoying it. It makes me cry, I don’t wait too eagerly for it but it warms up my heart in a melancholic way. I also want to pick the Forbidden Marriage and Summer Strike but last month has been a bit busy. Also, coz am invested in AoS so somehow I can’t invest my heart in too many things. I did want to watch curtain call but I didn’t. I plan to see Silence (the jdrama) and Someday or one day (the Taiwanese version).
And now back to AoS:
– chemistry: in part 1 the two kept a covid distance between them. I liked their bantering. The love buildup was weak but there were parts that I wanted to rewatch.
Part 2: the two actors are sooo good looking. But I can’t buy their love story either. Problem is that we know a lot while the creators want us to be patient as they join the dots. So with the knowledge I have, I don’t understand UK’s hot and cold behaviour. I am coming from a place where I know that he is mourning but I don’t understand… why the current innocent version of his love moves him. There is no showcasing of his inner journey.
– I think the creators don’t have a lot in terms of plot but lots of emotional scenes that they want to put together to attract viewers.
– they are deliberately keeping part 2 light. Ukie can emote but they have given him a confused stance. He is the cold hero of a mills and boon or a romantic story, so let him act that way. He is very soft towards the heroine in a graft way but we don’t know why? He feels an affinity to her? Why couldn’t they show it? I was so frustrated yesterday… I am disappointed. I feel like I am abandoning Uk and his life if I drop the show now but I don’t understand what should I feel? Sometimes it feels like it is a typical romance and sometimes it is just comedy. She is innocent and nice despite mom Jin’s nurturing? She is suddenly too empathetic and she feels cute like a fairy tale princess but too different. Ukie is more kinder and less stand-of fish that I thought he would be. I was prepared for dark but they cheated me. They have literally gone for a route that doesn’t speak to me.
Am I being too unfaithful?
Dear @mewcrazy !
Happy New Year 🙂
We readily should find a more spacey comments section to continue this else I end up liking my comments (yes! I just did that without realizing that it was my comment and not yours :D)
I don’t know what kind of busy December was but it was. It is not letting up, lots of pending and roll over tasks that will need to be finished in the next five days! Am so dead.
I can hear the love in your comments and I see where you are coming from. Now that the 7th episode is over we know that Yul to die was a red herring. So-I was always supposed to save him. Now we should bet on how this will end and who will die! Somehow I still think it will be a happy end with the lead couple being together. They are trying to raise the stakes by saying that Naksu’s soul is in danger but I don’t buy it.
I think their last 10 episodes are a bit clunky in terms of direction and writing.
Good part is I am still tuning in to see where are they leading us but sometimes I really wish they would treat last 10!episodes with as much love as the first 20!
@noone Hi Chingu! I’m doing well, Merry Christmas in advance! I hope things have been the good kind of busy on your end and that all is well. How are you celebrating Christmas? I have seen The Forbidden Romance around and it’s tempting, but I recently watched Love and Redemption (C-drama) and Love between Fairy and Devil (C-drama) which were epic and I need something good to follow them. Alchemy of Souls is doing the job for my weekend viewing, but let me know if there’s anything you absolutely recommend.
Ironically, I don’t think you’re being unfaithful! If anything, perhaps your faithfulness to the original material is what keeps you from jumping wholeheartedly on board with this new direction. I personally take it as a sense of familiarity that draws Ukkie to Bu Yeon. Like that line from Sleeping Beauty, “Once Upon a Dream” where she feels like someone that he has met before. In this case, she’s really Mu Deok who he loved dearly and still mourns, but he doesn’t know that. Hence, the push and pull where he’s drawn to her, but feels torn between his allegiance to Mu Deok and the obvious attraction to Bu Yeon. My hope is that this tension doesn’t become the main focus of our brief season because there are too many baddies to deal with. I foresee a situation where there is an extension of 2-4 episodes given the high ratings, but that makes me nervous since more episodes = more chances of messing things up.
Speaking of giant messes, I’m so sick of Jin Mu, at this point I’m just imagining random objects falling on top of him every time he’s on the screen. Oh, there goes the piano…and the table… and that very pointy sword. Seriously though, I’m done with it! How did he make it out of season one with ZERO repercussions? He’s still there, plotting and living his best Frosty Tips life.
I find it interesting that there are so many ambiguous characters this season. For instance, what is Master Lee’s endgame? Why is he playing everyone like pieces on a chest board and what does he stand to gain from all of this? Also on the grey side is the Crown Prince. At first I thought he was playing the long con and trying to trip up Jin Mu, but part of me thinks that he believes the lies at times. I wish he’d execute the devious advisor, but no, nothing has happened as of yet.
On another note, I find myself struck by how pretty Bu Yeon is? She and Ukkie are quite the pair and I love how she glides through the scene, very visually appealing. I do think the romantic chemistry is turned up a notch with her casting, *ahem* *swoon* My wife is sleeping. Stop calling. *ahem* *swoon* and I am all in.🤠 My apprehension comes from whether they’ll be able to make the reconciliation believable and tie up loose ends with a fitting ending for everyone.
@noone …There are contrived instances, like Bu Yeon being part Naksu and also Mu Deok, but the science alchemy not being explained. It reminds me of math class and getting into trouble for not showing my work as I solved problems. This feels like the writer’s way of making her blend in undetected, while being familiar enough to give the right characters pause. I love that Naksu is alive, but how and why? In my opinion, there was no point in bringing her back just to kill her off again, which could happen. Although, Yul is the character that I foresee not making it out alive. If not Yul, So-I will surely die after taking the worm back to save him and Dang Gu might perish as an unpredictable casualty. That’s all for now! Which characters do you love/loathe? I’d love to know. Have a great day, talk to you soon. 😊😘
@noone Happy New Year!! Wishing you great health, prosperity and love. May you have much to be thankful for in 2023. Good job for working so hard, the effort will pay off!
As for the show, I can’t wait to check back in later this week and see where everything lands; I am so looking forward to your thoughts. I do wonder why they released pt 2 with so little resolution to the mystery and few answers to questions. It’s great for the chemistry and romance, but not much else? I just hope they can nail the landing. I never thought Yul would die from the parasite, he is far too beloved by fans, but Naksu is the one I’m not certain about since she’s literally vying for space with Bu Yeon who wants her body back. Maybe that sneaky ice stone can help? See you soon. 😊
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sailorgirl
August 8, 2022 at 3:28 PM
Jang Uk: “Jang Gang?”
Jang Gang: “Gang, Gang.” 😎
Ruckus Likes Drama
August 21, 2022 at 3:23 PM
Hello my dear!
My time to apologize now! I was away for about two weeks and so couldn’t respond to your message before!
Oh AoS!
They made us wait and wait some more. I am so looking forward to the reviews and asking questions.
Anyway, now we all know the Naksu lead is back and shooting began in July and they are saying that we might get the rest of the ten episodes by December (yet one never knows! Ice stone effects can cause more delays 😀 )
I am wondering what end will they put to JSM character or will we see glimpses of her similar to Medicine Master’s grand-daughter? Btw I keep asking this of anyone who can tell me, why is she there in this series? Did we really need her?
Hope you aren’t snowed under and are getting some time to enjoy some sunshine and rain (depending upon where on the earth you might be).
sailorgirl
August 29, 2022 at 4:06 PM
@noone There is no need to apologize! I’ve actually been feeling under the weather and thus, MIA. Thank you so much for checking in, it really does mean the world. 💖Sorry for taking long to respond.
After that finale, I am still recovering from the ice-stone effects. Not sure how Naksu and Uk do it! 😜
Honestly I don’t know the point of Master Yeom’s grand-daughter either, maybe to showcase Uk’s faithfulness to Mu Deok? Otherwise, she doesn’t add much to the story. Have you watched the finale? If so, what are your thoughts?
There is lots of sunshine where I am. I hope you’re keeping happy and healthy wherever you are! 😊
Ruckus Likes Drama
August 31, 2022 at 1:22 PM
Tell me about it! I can’t watch that scene in the forest as it breaks my heart. So I don’t even know if I can say that I have seen this full season or not. I guess, I am weak-hearted. Her killing him… no!!
She had said in episode 2 that even if we are near, I will spare you. Isn’t that supposed to hold true with or without evil bells ringing! I just hope there is no memory loss. I wish they had the capacity to show some inner journey of the two as both have suffered trauma.
I have been wondering about Naksu/MD’s mental health after being killed thrice and Uk’s after being killed once and that too by someone he obviously loved to death!
In my mind divine justice will only be met if and only if Naksu does some chasing in season 2. Uk needs to be loved. Naksu needs to do some self-reflection and also be scared of how anyone can use her!
With the kind of changes in people and relationships that they have hinted for season 2, even I think 10 episodes won’t be enough. I just hope they focus!
To answer to your last to paragraphs: I didn’t watch episode 19 as I wanted answers to episode 18, which they didn’t show. I am here for the OTP but the drama doesn’t understand this. after entering Songrim the two don’t get enough space until episode 18! Even then all good scenes are restricted to the last 10-15 minutes.
I didn’t plan to see 20 either but then I saw spoilers and I thought let us just watch it but I can’t get through Naksu/MD’s fight sequence without avoiding the heartbreaking sequence.
I was wondering why is Jin dad still alive and why is no one questioning him. In this drama they use magic adhoc and without explanation, they stretch reveals and take the fun out of them (they could have shown the bells earlier in the day such that we would have been scared but no… suddenly pull out that trick); and they let the bad guys go (and bad guys are just not well developed!)
Poor CY, her dad saved the same fate except that her dad was stabbed while she tried suicide at the lake!
Scenes with Master Yeom’s grand-daughter just add unnecessary detail: episode 9 when she appears at the infirmary, why did we need that fanfare for her welcome? I think she will be Yul’s love interest or she will turn evil… we will see.
Finale was a bomb. But in my brain it felt that it was a bomb because the characters didn’t prepare for it or the creators didn’t want the characters to prepare… the connects at times are weak — characters don’t analyse or think about the consequences of their action. Uk for the first time tried to explore a library in episode 19.
More tomorrow, too sleepy now 😀
sailorgirl
September 7, 2022 at 10:31 AM
@noone You’re not weak hearted! The way Uk was dispatched so heartlessly in the forest broke my heart, too. It was almost worse that Mu Deok was so unaware of what was happening, I am fed up of her being manipulated and puppeteered by Jin Mu. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing him again, but that’s pretty much a given, now with his miraculous twisting of the narrative.
My big gripe was that Bu Yeon was absolutely powerless, MIA and, benched. I was expecting a Deus Ex Machina with her inexplicably saving the day and Mu Deok dying as consequence of her sacrifice, but to see Bu Yeon muted during such dire scenes left me at a loss for words.
I think we’re in the era of Dark Uk and this whole upcoming season will be a complete 180 in terms of what we’ve come to expect from the characters as a whole. No one looks happy and I’m relieved that the darkness and onslaught of episode 20 won’t be magically erased.
With that, I hope the show will do a better job at answering questions and filling holes. There were some things that just didn’t fit, like the Jin father coming back only to die…what was the point? He could have just stayed dead 🙄 The Bells of Doom also came out of nowhere, probably just to remind us that Jin Mu can do whatever he wants, whenever he feels like it.
Our expectations were raised only to have them plummet with no satisfying resolution. I needed more.
Ruckus Likes Drama
September 25, 2022 at 5:15 AM
Hola @mewcrazy
Sorry, was just too busy rewatching clips and trying to think how I would have improved AoS.
My takes:
Episode 20 is good on its own in so many ways. But I still think that the story meandered and lots of subplots that were added didn’t deliver their full blow!
So I- her attaching the ice stone and then the entire transfusion bit and then disappearing until in 20 we have some odd showings.
Jin Dad— don’t even get me started. I mean what kind of justice system does Daeho have that the shaman and her brother are considered convicts but because he is married to Jin family, he gets special treatment at the infirmary and his daughter doesn’t really know the full extent of his crimes?
She doesn’t know that her dad caused her sister’s murder!
The entire bubble gum like stretch of BY mystery is too much. A part of me thinks, BY is similar to the fly in Hotel Del Luna. Except that they hyped BY up and now I am not sure if they can take the hype. This is almost like they JG hype.
Like what was the JG bit all about?
The more I rewatch clips and think about it, the more annoyed I become. The series had a great premise. They could have kept it tighter, removed some of the lose subplots, concentrated on the main characters+their strengths. I really think HS don’t do thrill or suspense that well. They are good at emotional buildups and dialogues/bickering.
Anyway, at this point I have decided I will not care about the ice stone or anyone. I am watching S2 for a dark Uk and How UK would recognize Naksu. The reuinion, I don’t know. I am curious about their take but am also scared… they can just introduce anything and in the name of fantasy ask me accept 🙁
It is like we all knew there was more to Mage Cho’s death and they only revealed in ep20. But isn’t the timeline for it weird? JM did not have access to the ice stone or soul ejectors for 10 years while CHo was used before JG went off on exile!
sailorgirl
October 29, 2022 at 11:51 PM
@noone A huge apology for going radio silent, this has been a full month, but we thank God! Sorry for the wait. I hope you and your family are keeping safe and doing well. 💖
With regards to Cho Yeon, I don’t know if she was unaware of her father’s crimes, or if she just didn’t care. The Jin family are elitists and probably think that because the dad is tied to their name, he gets an automatic get-out-of-jail free card. Had he lived, I am convinced his punishment would not have been severe.
I almost wish they hadn’t hyped up Bu Yeon as much as they did since she definitely didn’t deliver. I agree with your assessment of the Hong Sisters! They shine in rom-coms with banter, i.e. Master’s Sun, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and even Greatest Love. I didn’t watch Hwayugi, and can’t really comment, but they lost the plot with Alchemy of Souls. I look forward to season 2 since hopefully they’ll get it together.
I wonder what Jang Uk will do with all of his rage since Jin Mu got off scot-free. I hope it isn’t all bluster and broody long shots next season lol.
My sincere wishes for Alchemy of Souls Season 2:
🎀The tying up of loose ends, please either leave Bu Yeon in Season 1, or round up the lore surrounding her powers in a believable way.
🎀Better chemistry between the leads.
I said it!The chemistry with the original Mu Deok and Uk is great when they banter, but not really my cup of tea with the romance. I need more compelling chemistry between the main leads.🎀Jin Mu punished for his evil deeds. No fade to black or vague ending for this baddy, they could burn him at the stake for all I care, but this man needs a whooping.
🎀Vindication for Cho Young and her father. I don’t want them to be known as criminals, please let the truth be fully revealed.
🎀An explanation on where the fake queen went. I doubt one will come, but a girl can hope, especially since she seemed knocked out at best when we last saw her.
🎀Yul needs to be healed and alright, he just does. Also please, please no pairing him with So-I. I don’t want that, jebal Writers-nim.
Finally, how are you? Have you watched any good dramas lately? I saw 20th Century Girl and bawled like a baby 😭🥺 Now I’m watching Love is for Suckers and it gets better after the 3rd/4th episode. Recommendations are warmly welcomed. Have a wonderful day, chingu!
Ruckus Likes Drama
December 18, 2022 at 10:50 AM
Hello @mewcrazy time for some apologies from my side. I read your post earlier and thought I would respond and then life happened!
AoS part 2 has begun and your thoughts? I wonder if it is just me or other people feel this way too but something is missing. We are going fast and slowly. Something is making me frustrated — the weird editing? The storytelling choices?
The new FL is cute, their explanation for Naksu’s body is flimsy and for some reason they’re not showing UK’s process is just ticking me off. One moment he is civil and can be silly but another he is supposed to be holding the world at bay! I was looking forward to some angst but I am getting a typical romance between a brooding hero who isn’t exactly pushing the lady away and an innocent poor heroine.I can’t understand where are they taking me and I feel like abandoning Ukie and that to me feels like betrayal. 🙁
Ruckus Likes Drama
December 18, 2022 at 8:36 PM
My dear @mewcrazy
How are you? I have been watching May I help you and enjoying it. It makes me cry, I don’t wait too eagerly for it but it warms up my heart in a melancholic way. I also want to pick the Forbidden Marriage and Summer Strike but last month has been a bit busy. Also, coz am invested in AoS so somehow I can’t invest my heart in too many things. I did want to watch curtain call but I didn’t. I plan to see Silence (the jdrama) and Someday or one day (the Taiwanese version).
And now back to AoS:
– chemistry: in part 1 the two kept a covid distance between them. I liked their bantering. The love buildup was weak but there were parts that I wanted to rewatch.
Part 2: the two actors are sooo good looking. But I can’t buy their love story either. Problem is that we know a lot while the creators want us to be patient as they join the dots. So with the knowledge I have, I don’t understand UK’s hot and cold behaviour. I am coming from a place where I know that he is mourning but I don’t understand… why the current innocent version of his love moves him. There is no showcasing of his inner journey.
– I think the creators don’t have a lot in terms of plot but lots of emotional scenes that they want to put together to attract viewers.
– they are deliberately keeping part 2 light. Ukie can emote but they have given him a confused stance. He is the cold hero of a mills and boon or a romantic story, so let him act that way. He is very soft towards the heroine in a graft way but we don’t know why? He feels an affinity to her? Why couldn’t they show it? I was so frustrated yesterday… I am disappointed. I feel like I am abandoning Uk and his life if I drop the show now but I don’t understand what should I feel? Sometimes it feels like it is a typical romance and sometimes it is just comedy. She is innocent and nice despite mom Jin’s nurturing? She is suddenly too empathetic and she feels cute like a fairy tale princess but too different. Ukie is more kinder and less stand-of fish that I thought he would be. I was prepared for dark but they cheated me. They have literally gone for a route that doesn’t speak to me.
Am I being too unfaithful?
Ruckus Likes Drama
December 31, 2022 at 9:03 PM
Dear @mewcrazy !
Happy New Year 🙂
We readily should find a more spacey comments section to continue this else I end up liking my comments (yes! I just did that without realizing that it was my comment and not yours :D)
I don’t know what kind of busy December was but it was. It is not letting up, lots of pending and roll over tasks that will need to be finished in the next five days! Am so dead.
I can hear the love in your comments and I see where you are coming from. Now that the 7th episode is over we know that Yul to die was a red herring. So-I was always supposed to save him. Now we should bet on how this will end and who will die! Somehow I still think it will be a happy end with the lead couple being together. They are trying to raise the stakes by saying that Naksu’s soul is in danger but I don’t buy it.
I think their last 10 episodes are a bit clunky in terms of direction and writing.
Good part is I am still tuning in to see where are they leading us but sometimes I really wish they would treat last 10!episodes with as much love as the first 20!
sailorgirl
December 19, 2022 at 7:47 PM
@noone Hi Chingu! I’m doing well, Merry Christmas in advance! I hope things have been the good kind of busy on your end and that all is well. How are you celebrating Christmas? I have seen The Forbidden Romance around and it’s tempting, but I recently watched Love and Redemption (C-drama) and Love between Fairy and Devil (C-drama) which were epic and I need something good to follow them. Alchemy of Souls is doing the job for my weekend viewing, but let me know if there’s anything you absolutely recommend.
Ironically, I don’t think you’re being unfaithful! If anything, perhaps your faithfulness to the original material is what keeps you from jumping wholeheartedly on board with this new direction. I personally take it as a sense of familiarity that draws Ukkie to Bu Yeon. Like that line from Sleeping Beauty, “Once Upon a Dream” where she feels like someone that he has met before. In this case, she’s really Mu Deok who he loved dearly and still mourns, but he doesn’t know that. Hence, the push and pull where he’s drawn to her, but feels torn between his allegiance to Mu Deok and the obvious attraction to Bu Yeon. My hope is that this tension doesn’t become the main focus of our brief season because there are too many baddies to deal with. I foresee a situation where there is an extension of 2-4 episodes given the high ratings, but that makes me nervous since more episodes = more chances of messing things up.
Speaking of giant messes, I’m so sick of Jin Mu, at this point I’m just imagining random objects falling on top of him every time he’s on the screen. Oh, there goes the piano…and the table… and that very pointy sword. Seriously though, I’m done with it! How did he make it out of season one with ZERO repercussions? He’s still there, plotting and living his best Frosty Tips life.
I find it interesting that there are so many ambiguous characters this season. For instance, what is Master Lee’s endgame? Why is he playing everyone like pieces on a chest board and what does he stand to gain from all of this? Also on the grey side is the Crown Prince. At first I thought he was playing the long con and trying to trip up Jin Mu, but part of me thinks that he believes the lies at times. I wish he’d execute the devious advisor, but no, nothing has happened as of yet.
On another note, I find myself struck by how pretty Bu Yeon is? She and Ukkie are quite the pair and I love how she glides through the scene, very visually appealing. I do think the romantic chemistry is turned up a notch with her casting, *ahem* *swoon* My wife is sleeping. Stop calling. *ahem* *swoon* and I am all in.🤠 My apprehension comes from whether they’ll be able to make the reconciliation believable and tie up loose ends with a fitting ending for everyone.
sailorgirl
December 19, 2022 at 7:49 PM
@noone …There are contrived instances, like Bu Yeon being part Naksu and also Mu Deok, but the science
alchemynot being explained. It reminds me of math class and getting into trouble for not showing my work as I solved problems. This feels like the writer’s way of making her blend in undetected, while being familiar enough to give the right characters pause. I love that Naksu is alive, but how and why? In my opinion, there was no point in bringing her back just to kill her off again, which could happen. Although, Yul is the character that I foresee not making it out alive. If not Yul, So-I will surely die after taking the worm back to save him and Dang Gu might perish as an unpredictable casualty. That’s all for now! Which characters do you love/loathe? I’d love to know. Have a great day, talk to you soon. 😊😘sailorgirl
January 2, 2023 at 7:28 PM
@noone Happy New Year!! Wishing you great health, prosperity and love. May you have much to be thankful for in 2023. Good job for working so hard, the effort will pay off!
As for the show, I can’t wait to check back in later this week and see where everything lands; I am so looking forward to your thoughts. I do wonder why they released pt 2 with so little resolution to the mystery and few answers to questions. It’s great for the chemistry and romance, but not much else? I just hope they can nail the landing. I never thought Yul would die from the parasite, he is far too beloved by fans, but Naksu is the one I’m not certain about since she’s literally vying for space with Bu Yeon who wants her body back. Maybe that sneaky ice stone can help? See you soon. 😊