Soul Switch
Episode 1 of Alchemy of Souls begins with a woman dressed in a thin veil dodging a rabble of guards as she walks through town. The rain hammers down in the streets, adding an ominous feel to the scene. ..
The woman slips into a deep depression after her victory, as she realizes that the man she was fighting against was actually her best friend’s brother.
It’s been a long time since we last saw this creature. It’s been lost in the depths of the ocean for years, and now it’s back. The woman begs Jang Gang to bring her son back, but he can’t do anything. Jang eventually plunges this wild soul into the watery depths below, and it turns into rock after losing its power.
The King summons Jang to the Royal Palace to discuss his recent bad luck. The King is aware of Jang’s recent spell that allows one’s soul to be transported into another. The King wants to try this out on Jang for 7 days, just for fun. ..
Jang is wary of the King’s will, but agrees to do this because he knows it’s forbidden. He enacts the magic and they switch places.
The King’s target is Do-Hwa, Jang’s beloved. He intends to have her bear a child and hurries off to make love with her, unbeknownst to the poor woman that the real Jang Gang is stuck in the wrong body.
Jang Uk, now an adult, is working at the royal palace as a guard. One day, Nak-Su, a shadow assassin, comes to the palace and tries to escape. Jang Uk uses his watery powers to protect her and they become friends. ..
Nak-Su, a character in “The Revenant,” fights through a frozen lake to reach a nearby town. Despite taking an arrow through the chest and bleeding out, Nak-Su makes it into the town and remains determined to stay alive. ..
Nak-Su approaches a woman in the back of a bar and brings forth a strange orb. As smoke protrudes out from the roof, Nak-Su is found dead on the ground by the soldiers, who catch up to her. Nak-Su’s death is mysterious and unexplained, raising questions about what could have caused her death.
As we later find out, it is actually been transferred into a blind girl called Mu-Deok, who is currently receiving safe passage out of the area to another part of town. Only, she doesn’t seem to be blind but Nak-Su has also lost her powers as well.
Nak-Su is brought to the royal temple, where the royals examine the blue mark and wonder where her soul is. Nak-Su gets accustomed to becoming Mu-Deok. Those in the palace though, worry that the soul shifters have returned.
Jang Uk, the son of Jang Gang, is currently training in the mountains to be a soldier. He’s not afraid of anything and is determined to uphold his father’s values.
The student’s current teacher is angry with him and won’t teach him. Uk is determined to find someone else to teach him instead.
Mu-Deok, a young woman from the countryside, is thrust into a world of luxury and vice when she is sent to assassinate four Buddhist monks known as the Four Seasons of Daeho. She soon realizes that this life is not what she expected and must find a way to survive and return to her own people. ..
The daughter of Jin Family, Jin Cho-Yeon, is the heir to the Park family, and she’s a genius. The daughter of Seo Family, Seo Yul, is also a genius. Jang Uk is the successor to the Jang family. They all have their own unique talents and abilities that will clash in this story.
Mu-Deok, a young woman from the rural South Korean town of Jangsu, is motivated to learn more about the people who killed her family when she was a child. She plans to seek revenge for the deaths of her loved ones. ..
Uk is the one who spots Mu-Deok wandering through the royal palace and being able to see, no less. It’s not long before he realizes that she’s up to something.
The pair wind up together, with Mu-Deok threatening him with a crab leg. Uk doesn’t take it seriously and points out how beautiful Mu-Deok’s eyes are. She’s caught completely off-guard.
After Mu-Deok leaves, Uk deliberates over the girl’s fighting style, realizing it is very similar to that of Nak-Su, the assassin the Royal Palace are obviously after. ..
Although Mu-Deok gets away, her superiors – the ones who trained her and have sent her on her mission – deliberate over what’s happened. They know she’s in hiding but for now, settle on bringing Nak-Su’s body back. They’re concerned her soul could clash with this new body.
Jang-Uk brings Mu-Deok back to the palace where she’s overly cheerful with him and apologizes for threatening him with a crab leg the previous day.
Uk is always trying to be too picky with everything she does, from making the bed to running a bath. Mu-Deok promises to kill him first once she has regained her power. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have her water powers right now. But hey, that doesn’t stop a girl from dreaming!
Interestingly, Mu-Deok notices something intriguing on Uk’s possession while bringing him his clothes, coming in the form of a spirit emblem; that shiny blue necklace we saw beforehand. It would seem this could hold the source of her power.
Anyway, Mu-Deok was not successful and even worse, she was spotted by Uk hiding in his bed. She managed to talk her way out of this situation, but it was definitely touch and go for a while. ..
As the assassins seem to be losing, Mu-Deok decides to take them on himself. He charges at them, sword in hand, and slays them all.
In the middle of all this, Uk catches up with Mu-Deok and notices her eyes in the moonlight. As he sees them glisten, he tells her that she’s destined to be his master.
The Episode Review
The Alchemy of Souls series starts out intriguing and has some definite C-drama vibes going on. There are a lot of characters introduced in a short space of time, although the series does do a pretty good job of establishing the tone and pace from the beginning.
The Bulgasal series is playing with deep-rooted myths and legends, while the characters are engaging and with light wisps of humour to level out some of the more serious parts.
The whole fight across the frozen lake was pretty cool, as was the cat and mouse chase afterwards.
This new fantasy-based movie looks to be a hit with audiences, blending romance and drama with a great fantasy setting. So far, it seems like this could be a weekend hit.
