#what the fuck does jin mu even want like that's never explained properly

[navarice]

Continuing my thoughts because I need to get through this drama, I've invested too much time not to:

It's true season 1 was much more enjoyable than season 1 due to the fantasy and mystery aspect. I'm a huge fan of xianxia so it hit the perfect spot since sometimes cdrama xianxia can get really tedious and in over their head. kdrama has a way of keeping things rooted to the ground (mostly anyway). the acting was top notch in the first season, save for the awkward kdrama pauses but i chalk that up to the kdrama charm. however, i do enjoy the romance more in season 2. I think the chemistry between the two leads is perfect, and I love how they kept the original boldness of naksu. it is her after all. I think the actress is doing wonderfully considering the lore and what she remembers. amnesia plots aren't bad if they're done right, and in 10 episodes they did well enough.

my issue as always was with how many loose threads they kept on introducing, along with contradictions and plot holes. it didn't help that jin mu was practically invincible, since everyone and their mother in season 1 knew he was involved with alchemy of souls. not to mention the whole naksu/bu yeon dichotomy that honestly could've been cleared up with one conversation in season 1. also the firebird plot for season 2 was way too weak considering how strong the whole alchemy of souls thing was. there was no reason to bring back so-i only to torture seo-yul with half-assed what-if romance. jin cho-yeon moved too fast considering she was willing to kill naksu in the end of season 1 when naksu went wild and killed her father. i don't remember the medicine lady ever being that annoying and invasive. jung-uk, surprisingly, moved on from this three-year grief and love for Mu-deok quite easily. all in all, so much character suicide everywhere. but it's okay because i enjoy trashy romance and narrative patterns. ugh.

honestly, the show is very good. credit where credit is due. i was very excited and hooked all the way up to the end. the only reason why i started to watch it was because of the season 2 screencaps. I just didn't expect the ending of season 1 to be so deeply unsatisfying to ruin most of season 2. that felt unfair to me as a viewer and someone who wanted to respect the actors and actresses for their efforts.

i do want them to do a season 3 with a new cast and plot though. i would watch it simply because the world, magic, and action was so fun and interesting. i just hope they get better writers this time lol.