The K-drama Hwanhon or Alchemy Of Souls is ongoing since the first episode premiered on 18th June 2022. The two-part series is currently airing first part. It is a fantasy period drama along with some bits of action and romance. The series releases two episodes each week on Saturdays and Sundays at 9:10 pm KST. Alchemy Of Souls is still ongoing on tvN and available to stream from Netflix and TVING as well.
Alchemy of Souls is directed by Park Joon Hwa, the one who also directed Because This Is My First Life (2017) and Touch Your Heart (2019), and screenwriting is done by Hong Jung Eun and Hong Mi Ran. The series reflects on the guru-devotee relationship, magical powers, and assassinations and is full of spiritual elements. The component of spirituality overpowers everything else. The story unfolds in Daeho, a fictional country where the young mages live. The young mages are faced with many difficulties that they overcome with the help of magic spells. With Lee Jae-Wook, Jung So-Min, and Hwang Min-Hyun as the lead characters, the series has been able to reach its true potential.
The Hong sisters, Hong Jung-Eun and Hong Mi-Ran, were big fans of fairy tales, which inspired them to write the script. The sisters informed that the mirror they added in the script was a reference to Snow White. Filming was started in August 2021, almost a year before the series dropped.
Also read: Alchemy of Souls Kdrama Episode Schedule
Alchemy Of Souls Season 1 Review
Alchemy of Souls is all fantasy and will completely take care of your fantasy cravings. The series is so dedicated to its genre that it opens in the fictional country of Daeho. It primarily deals with the story of the shadow assassin Naksu whose soul is captured in Mu Deok’s body. On the other hand, it also talks about the mages and how they fell prey to a swindling fate. Eventually, they were able to escape from the prison of fate with the help of a magic potion, “alchemy of souls”. This magic potion lets souls switch bodies.
It opens with an eerie image of rain gushing down the streets of a village with a woman walking in between, desperate to feed her only son. The scene reminds us of the Korean historical setting. The opening scene creates so many questions and keeps the viewers hooked throughout. Why is the woman walking in the rain? What happened to her son? The questions are not answered right away, but with patience, they might. Initially, the plot may seem like there’s a lot to digest, but it is not a complicated watch at all.
Of all the magical abilities in the show, the soul-shifting power caught the most people’s attention. But in the world of Daeho, soul-shifting is blasphemous and definitely a threatening practice. Because soul-feeders are birthed if the host body clashes with its soul. The amount of fantasy elements in the show is impossible without CGI. Unlike other shows that were ruined by CGI, Alchemy Of Souls was in luck. In fact, fans have said that the CGI work in this series is one of the best works done in K-Drama. In terms of the other elements of romance and comedy, it resembles most of the other K-Dramas. In addition to the storyline, the chemistry between cast members has further elevated the likability of the series.
Fan Reviews And Trigger Warning
Alchemy Of Souls is ongoing on tvN as well as TVING and Netflix. Watching the series, it becomes clear that the scriptwriters have spent a lot of time researching the historical setting, fighting scenes, and magical elements. More good news for the fans of Alchemy of Souls, after part 1 ends on 28th August 2022, part 2 is suiting up for its premiere in December 2022. On the one hand, fans are rejoicing, but there are also rumors that some of the characters might not make a return. So far, till the 18th episode, fans seem to enjoy the character’s chemistry, the female lead’s characterization, and how Naksu’s character has developed throughout the show.
IMDb has rated Alchemy Of Souls 8.6 out of 10, and Rotten Tomatoes have given it 4.2 out of 5. However, Common Sense Media seems to have more of a lower rating of 2 out of 5. This series is more suitable for older teens with an age rating of 14 to 15+. While watching the series, you might want to look out for the trigger warnings of misogyny, mention of murder, and slight violence.
