Alchemy of Souls, Netflix and tVN’s high fantasy-meets-historical K-drama, recently finished its first season. It is set in a compelling and highly creative world of its own, but with concerns much like the real world we inhabit. Written by the Hong sisters (Hotel Del Luna, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho), from assassins to royals, this K-drama has it all.

Plot Pot

Alchemy of Souls is set in the fictional Korean town of Daeho. Besides the royal family, the other powerful sect of the city comprises the mages or magic-users. At the beginning of the drama, however, they are having to tackle Nak-su (Go Yoon-jung), a powerful practitioner of water magic and an assassin of mages. No one knows of her origins or where she is from or why she is after the mages but her power is immense and concerning. Nevertheless, Nak-su gets cornered in the battle and to escape, performs the forbidden art of soul shifting, leading her soul to inhabit the body of Mu-deok (Jung So-min).

Although it helps her survive, Nak-su does not appreciate her shift from her powerful body to that of the frail Mu-deok. What is worse, she cannot access any of her previous powers due to the weakness of her current body. Eventually, she runs into Jang Uk (Lee Jae-wook), the eldest son of the Jang family, one of the four powerful mage families in Daeho, as his personal maid. Jang Uk is mostly useless, and has his magical powers locked away by his own father (leading to his massive daddy issues, for one) but is sharp and keen to learn magic. He soon realises that Mu-deok is actually Nak-su and strikes up a deal with her; she can help her wield his powers and in turn, she can regain her powers using his energy. Although reluctant, Nak-su eventually agrees.

Alchemy of Souls is a visual extravaganza to watch with stunning costumes and sharp CGI. None of it looks awkward or out of place but rather, can be a delight to watch. The world-building, although long-winding, helps to establish the fictional universe quite well. And although it is fictional, the concerns of the world remain pertinent with political coups, groomed assassins, forbidden skills and more.

And then there are the more emotional subplots. Although Nak-su tries to stay cold and indifferent in Mu-deok’s body, the alchemy of both their souls cannot help but fall for Jang Uk who shares the same sentiment. In the meantime, Seo Yul (Hwang Min-hyun, formerly of NU’EST) of the Seo family of Daeho (there are four main families with the surnames, Seo, Jang, Jin and Park), whose first love had been a young Nak-su, starts to realise that his long-lost love might be present in Mudeok.

Although the show can be a slow watch sometimes, especially as it runs for 20 episodes, it can be a worthwhile watch due to its stunning aesthetics and the many questions present at every corner. A second season of the show has also been announced, so hold on to any of the doubts that you have had from the end of season one which aired last week.

Genre: Fantasy, magic realism, history

Where to Watch: Netflix

You Will Love It If You Love:

• Historical k-dramas
• Fantasy
• Hidden identities
• Intricate fictional worlds
• Multiple subplots

The Telegraph rating: 3.5/5

Characters We Treasure

Lee Jae-wook as Jang Uk: Although he might seem like a good-for-nothing and lazy fellow, Jang Uk is actually quite sharp and takes a keen interest in anything he puts his mind to. He also is a keen observer and determined to wield his powers to the best of everyone’s interests.

We also loved him in: Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol, Search: WWW

Jung So-min as Mu-deok: When Nak-su, the fearful assassin, turns into the weak Mu-deok, it is understandably a difficult transition. However, as she slowly adapts to the world around, we start to see her getting invested in it. It is interesting to see her transformation and how she deals with her inner conflict.

We also loved her in: Because This is My First Life, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes

Hwang Min-hyun as Seo Yul: The charming and stoic Seo Yul is the perfect second lead. He is not only admired by his fellow practitioners but revered by everyone. Nevertheless, we also often see him get flustered around Mu-deok/Nak-su, which is pretty cute for the otherwise cold mage.

We also loved him in: Live On

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