All those what the heck is this discussions will be laid to rest this coming Saturday as tvN fantasy sageuk Alchemy of Souls will finally meet viewers. Taking over the time slot from critically acclaimed and highly rated Our Blues, the bar is set high to begin with and so much more can go wrong with Alchemy thanks to a young central cast some of whom don’t have strong track records and a story that no one yet knows is really about. Toss in some visually incongruous modern looks and we have a drama poised to be WTF or WOW. The latest drama poster focuses on leads Lee Jae Wook and Jung So Min in near embrace and lots of eye-sex with the requisite lip pouts. Unfortunately the previews have the two bickering up a storm so I don’t feel the romance (yet) just staring at the poster. The new stills of the veteran supporting cast work much better off the bat, a lot of gravitas and foreboding delivering serious sageuk vibes.
Sorry not sorry – not feeling any chemistry. So much noona dongsaeng vibes.
FL originally written for younger actress. SIA a better choice.
The outfits and hairstyles are just weird. I know kdramas haven’t delved much into different worlds/realities, so I think it being such a drastic change from the usual sageuk styles makes it feel weird. It’s like they didn’t want to pay for makeup and hair so they kept it simple and messy and it’s like they didn’t want to pay for clothes either and took in hand-me-downs and cosplay outfits and mixed and match. Yay for saving money and being green, I guess. They better have some solid, immersive world-building or this isn’t going to work and will look like some variety segment.
Still, I’m much looking forward to this as I like the lead actors. And I like how the Hong sisters are willing to try something new even if it doesn’t always work out.
Ngl this drama seems silly as hell on top of cheap looking, although I’d be happy to be proven wrong
chinese ancient costume even tho the theme is fiction fantasy u can easily accept and recognise the set was in an ancient chinese era. bcoz they used the right hair styling and outfit. but for this one.. it’s so confusing. is it modern or ancient or mixed? coz it doesn’t have the sageuk vibe for me at all. correct me if I’m wrong, i know this one is set in fiction dynasty, but is korean people in the past really have the same hair styling? it feels like they totally lost the vibe of true korean ancient era. in my opinion, they should stick with the right ancient style even tho it’s a fiction. After all, they’re showing their cultures towards the world.
i really wish they’d stuck with the original female lead. i find jung somin nearly unwatchable.
Hi mimimi,
Is that how good you are? How rude are you. You know more than the director? For your info, in case you don’t know, JungSoMin is a director’s choice. There fore she is a good actress. She is popular internationally and maybe you are not so adept in kdrama and you don’t know about the dramas and movies of #JungSoMin. You haven’t watched her “BecauseThisMyFirstLife
“TheSmileHasLeftYourEyes
“MonthlyMagazineHome
#MyFatherIsStrange
and more. Don’t say negative words against an actress for you don’t know so much about her. Little knowledge is dangerous.
I feel like this new kdrama is either gonna do really well with the ratings or flop badly based on the trailers and posters that I’ve seen so far. But then its too early to judge. Also, why are the costumes and hairstyles in this fantasy fictional drama so off and weird like it doesn’t even fit the historical genre. At least in chinese historical fictional dramas they manage to suit the theme with the traditional hairstyles & costumes that makes it more appealing.
My goodness some Netizens are so picky. You need to keep an open mind. I am looking forward to this.
The clothes are a horrendous mixture. If you didn’t tell me, I would have thought it’s a live-action movie based on some anime.