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Alchemy of Souls
2022 South Korean television series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Alchemy of Souls (Korean: 환혼) is a South Korean television series starring Lee Jae-wook, Jung So-min, Go Youn-jung, and Hwang Min-hyun.[10] Written by the Hong sisters, it depicts the stories of young mages dealing with heaven and earth.[11][12] It aired on tvN from June 18, 2022, to January 8, 2023, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:10 (KST) for 30 episodes.[13] It is also available for streaming on TVING and Netflix in selected regions.[14]
The series was divided into two parts: Part 1 aired from June 18 to August 28, 2022, for 20 episodes,[4][15] while Part 2 (Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow)[a] aired from December 10, 2022, to January 8, 2023, for 10 episodes.[16][17]
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Series overview
Synopsis
Part 1
Set in a fictional country called Daeho, the series is about the love and growth of young mages as they overcome their twisted fates due to a forbidden magic spell known as the "Alchemy of Souls", which allows souls to switch bodies.[11][18][19]
It follows the story of an elite warrior named Nak-su whose soul is accidentally trapped inside the weak body of Mu-deok. She becomes entangled with Jang Uk, who is from a noble family, becomes his servant and master, and teaches Jang Uk her skills as they both fall in love with each other.[3][14][19]
Part 2
Three years after a tragedy, engineered by Jin Mu, that led Mu-deok to run wild and kill innocent people, Jang Uk, who returned from the dead as a result of the powerful Ice Stone inside his body, becomes a ruthless hunter of soul shifters and becomes increasingly isolated due to his heartbreak over the death of his love—Mu-deok. He then meets the mysterious heiress of Jinyowon, Jin Bu-yeon, whose words frequently echo those of Nak-su.[20]
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Cast
Main
- Lee Jae-wook as Jang Uk[10]
- Park Sang-hoon as young Jang Uk[21]
- Jung So-min as Mu-deok / Nak-su (after alchemy of souls) / Jin Bu-yeon (Mu-deok's birth name)[15][22]
- Go Youn-jung as Naksu (before alchemy of souls)[13] / Cho Yeong (real name)[23] / Jin Bu-yeon (in part 2)[24]
- Gu Yoo-jung as young Nak-su[25]
- Hwang Min-hyun as Seo Yul[26]
- Moon Seong-hyun as young Seo Yul[27]
Supporting
Jang family
Seo family
- Do Sang-woo as Seo Yun-oh[31]
Songrim
- Yoo Jun-sang as Park Jin[32]
- Yoo In-soo as Park Dang-gu[33]
- Lee Ha-yool as Sang-ho[34]
Sejukwon
Cheonbugwan
- Jo Jae-yoon as Jin Mu[10]
- Choi Ji-ho as Gil-ju[38]
- Cha Yong-hak as Yeom-su[39]
- Lee Ji-hoo as Cha Beom[40]
- Lee Bong-jun as Gu Hyo[41]
- Joo Min-soo as Han Yeol[42]
Jin family (Jinyowon)
Royal family
- Shin Seung-ho as Go Won[44]
- Choi Kwang-il as Go Soon[45]
- Kang Kyung-hun / Shim So-young as Seo Ha-sun[46][47]
- Park Byung-eun as Go Seong[29]
- Lee Ki-seop as Eunuch Oh[48]
- Jeong Ji-sun as Eunuch Kim[49]
Chwiseollu
- Park So-jin as Joo-wol[50]
Others
- Im Chul-soo as Lee Cheol (Master Lee)[35]
- Seo Hye-won as So-yi[51]
- as Yong-pil
- Woo Hyun as Monk Ho-yeon[52]
Extended
- Jeon Hye-won as Ae-hyang[53]
- Yoon Seo-hyun as Cho Chung[54]
- Shim Jae-hyun as a thug[55]
- Kim Cheol-yoon as Byeong-gu[56]
Special appearances
- Yeom Hye-ran as a mysterious middle-aged woman[29]
- Yegyul Band[57]
- Kim Hyun-sook as Maidservant Park[58][59]
- Jang Sung-beom as Master Kang[60]
- Lee Jun-hyeok as a merchant[61]
- Kim Dae-gon as a merchant[62]
- Lee Chae-min as a merchant[63]
Production
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Development
Preparations for the series, as well as program discussion with tvN, started in 2019 under the working title Can This Person Be Translated (이 사람 통역이 되나요; I saram tongyeogi doenayo).[64][65]
Casting
In January 2021, Park Hye-su's agency revealed that the actress auditioned for Alchemy of Souls. In June, it was announced that actor Joo Sang-wook was offered a role in the series.[66][67]
The female lead role was first confirmed to be played by Park Hye-eun. However, in July 2021, she decided to leave the series after a mutual agreement with the production team. It was stated that although Park is a rookie actress, she prepared hard for the series, but felt a lot of pressure about playing the main character of a big project.[68][69] The role was then offered to actress Jung So-min. Jung and director Park Joon-hwa previously worked together in 2017 TV series Because This Is My First Life.[70]
Line-up for the lead stars consisting of Lee Jae-wook, Jung So-min, Hwang Min-hyun, Shin Seung-ho, Yoo Jun-sang, Oh Na-ra and Jo Jae-yoon was officially announced by tvN on March 3, 2022.[71] On March 21, Yoo In-soo, Arin, Park Eun-hye, Lee Do-kyung and Im Chul-soo were announced to have joined the cast.[33][35]
After the end of part 1 in August 2022, the female lead actress Jung So-min was replaced by Go Youn-jung for part 2, after she previously portrayed the original identity for Jung's character in a cameo in part 1.[16][72]
Filming
In August 2021, production companies Studio Dragon and High Quality signed an agreement with Mungyeong to build a filming site in Maseong-myeon worth ₩5 billion for the production of Alchemy of Souls.[7]
Filming locations include Nongwoljeong Pavilion in Hwarim-dong Valley, Hamyang County,[73] Goseokjeong Pavilion in Cheorwon County,[74] and CJ ENM Studio Center in Paju.[75] The tree shown in the fictional place called Danhyanggok is located on the lower reaches of the Geumgang River in Garimseong Fortress, Buyeo County.[76] Post-production began as filming began in the summer of 2021.[77]
On October 6, 2021, it was announced that filming of the series was canceled for that week after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 on the morning of the 5th. All production crew members subsequently underwent PCR tests. Some staff members who were classified as close contacts went into self-quarantine, even though they tested negative for the contagion.[12][78]
It was reported that filming for the second part of the series had started by July 2022, and was completed on October 6.[79][80]
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Original soundtrack
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Part 1
Original soundtrack for Part 1
The album peaked at number 18 on weekly Circle Album Chart and as of September 2022, 8,906 copies have been sold.[81]
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
- Part 4
- Part 5
- Part 6
- Part 7
Part 2
Original soundtrack for Part 2
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
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Viewership
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Alchemy of Souls ranked second, tied with Our Blues, in streaming for Netflix Korea TV show category from January to December 22, 2022.[102]
Alchemy of Souls : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.[103]
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Awards and nominations
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Notes
References
External links
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