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10 Korean shows like Alchemy of Souls; Hotel Del Luna, Goblin, and more
Alchemy of Souls is one of the best K-dramas ever made. So, below we have provided a list of shows like Alchemy of Souls, that you can binge watch on.
Alchemy of Souls is dubbed in a nutshell as the best combination of history, romance, and fantasy. The show first aired on June 18, 2022, through tvN, and the second season wrapped up on January 8, 2023. With it garnering wild success among K-drama watchers who love fantasy tales, the search began for similar shows like Alchemy of Souls.
Plot synopsis of Alchemy of Souls
Starring Lee Jae Wook, Jung So Min, Go Yoon Jung, and Hwang Min Hyun in lead roles, the compelling narrative explores a gripping chronicle of young mages set in a fictional region called Daeho. When a powerful sorceress confined in a blind young woman’s body comes across a young man from an elite family, she is approached to help him change his fate.
Through picturesque frames, the series brilliantly depicts the perilous expedition of the mages against a twisted destiny stemming from a forbidden magic spell named ‘alchemy of souls’, which is used to switch bodies.
List of 10 best Korean shows like Alchemy of Souls
Below, we have created a comprehensive list of shows like Alchemy of Souls for you to explore the genre in a broad prospect.
1. Hotel Del Luna
- Cast: IU, Yeo Jin Goo, Lee Do Hyun, Sulli
- Director: Oh Chung Hwan
- Runtime: 70 minutes average (per episode)
- Release Date: July 13, 2019
Created by the renowned Hong Sisters, Hotel Del Luna features IU and Yeo Jin Goo in the lead roles. This highly-rated K-drama unfolds an exhilarating tale mixed with history, fantasy, and tear-jerking romance. Revolving around a magical hotel that serves as the intersection between living and dead, the narrative features IU as the mysterious and capricious owner, who bears a secret and has been alive for 1300 years.
Yeo Jin Goo joins the hotel as the manager and together they join forces with a grip reaper to help dead souls cross over the bridge of light. In addition to a gripping story, the high-quality production of Hotel Del Luna is guaranteed to deliver an amazing watching experience to the viewers.
2. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God
- Cast: Gong Yoo, Lee Dong Wook, Kim Go Eun, Yoo In Na, Yook Sung Jae
- Director: Lee Eung Bok, Kwon Hyuk Chan, Yoon Jong Ho
- Runtime: 82 minutes average (per episode)
- Release Date: December 2, 2016
Guardian: The Lonely Great God, mostly known as Goblin is one of the best fantasy dramas to ever come out from the Korean TV industry. A strong military general (played by Gong Yoo) in the Goreyo dynasty faces betrayal by the kind he served. On his deathbed after a mighty battle, instead of dying with honor, God turns him into a goblin, who bears his immortality hundreds of years later in modern South Korea.
As he urges death after all these painful years, he looks for the ‘goblin’s bride’, the only woman who can help in ending his life. When he comes across a young woman (played by Kim Go Eun), he approaches her, thinking she might be the one.
On the other hand, the goblin’s roommate turns out to be his sworn enemy, a grip reaper (Lee Dong Wook). As friendship and romance brew parallel, the show delves deeper into unraveling the mystery.
3. Tale of the Nine-Tailed
- Cast: Lee Dong Wook, Jo Bo Ah, Kim Bum, Kim Yong Ji
- Director: Kang Shin Hyo
- Runtime: 70 minutes average (per episode)
- Release Date: October 7, 2020
Another great Korean fantasy show starring Lee Dong Wook in the lead role, Tale of the Nine-Tailed delivers a thrilling saga of the legendary creature that fills folklore books, a nine-tailed fox.
A woman (played by Jo Bo Ah) who believes in the mystical creature’s existence in the modern age, pursues a hunt to discover them. While searching, she meets an incredibly handsome man with irresistible charm (played by Lee Dong Wook), who lives the best life anyone can imagine. But doubts emerge in the woman’s mind as she thinks of him as more than just a successful man.
Through well-put-together twists and turns, the fantasy series brilliantly unfolds a thrilling tale of two age-old nine-tailed fox brothers (Lee Dong Wook and Kim Bum), whose life is shrouded with many mysteries.
4. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
- Cast: IU, Lee Joon Gi, Kang Ha Neul
- Director: Kim Kyu Tae
- Runtime: 60 minutes average (per episode)
- Release Date: August 29, 2016
This time-slip period drama unfolds a tale of a woman named Go Ha Jin (played by IU), who magically transports back to the Goreyo era from the 21st century after a sudden eclipse occurs at the sea she was swimming in to save a drawing child.
In the Goreyo, she is forced to conceal her identity and lives as the cousin of the 8th crown prince. What follows is her fate getting entangled in the crossfire of conflicts. With nuanced storytelling, this historical drama is one of the best out there.
5. Mirror of the Witch
- Cast: Yoon Shi Yoon, Kim Sae Ron, Lee Sung Jae
- Director: Jo Hyun Tak
- Runtime: 70 minutes average (per episode)
- Release Date: May 13, 2016
Mirror of the Witch, known as Scarlet Healer is a novel-based fantasy drama that unravels the saga of an infertile princess (Kim Sae Ron). Desperate to change her fate, she turns up to a shaman (Yoon Shi Yoon) for help and asks him to get rid of the curse she has been put under.
6. Arthadal Chronicles
- Cast: Song Joong Ki, Kim Ji Won
- Director: Kim Won Suk
- Runtime: 80 minutes average (per episode)
- Release Date: June 1, 2019
Known as the first Korean series about the ancient period, Arthadal Chronicles aired two successful episodes set in the difficult bronze age and loosely inspired by the story of the first Kingdom in Korea named Gojoseon, and its founder.
The epic fantasy drama tells a tale of Arth, a mystical land, where the inhabitants and mythical heroes delve into many warfares, power struggles, love, and unity, all to mold a new community.
7. The Moon Embracing the Sun
- Cast: Kim Soo Hyun, Han Ga In
- Director: Lee Sung Joon
- Runtime: 63 minutes average (per episode)
- Release Date: January 4, 2012
Set against the dynamic background of the Joseon dynasty, this historical drama stars Kim Soo Hyun as a young prince who finds himself crazily in love with a female shaman named Heo Yeon Woo (portrayed by Han Ga In). As his poignant love gradually intensifies, the duo gets embroiled in many political warfare and conspiracies that endanger their brewing romance.
8. Lovers of the Red Sky
- Cast: Ahn Hyo Seop, Kim Yoo Jung
- Director: Jang Tae Yoo
- Runtime: 70 minutes average (per episode)
- Release Date: August 30, 2021
Lovers of the Red Sky is one of the best K-dramas like Alchemy of Souls, as it molds a perfect plot combined with history, romance, and fantasy in the backdrop of the fictional Dan dynasty. When a fierce young woman rises as the only woman painter in the era, her fate changes as she stumbles upon an astrologer with a talent for reading stars.
9. Bulgasal: Immortal Souls
- Cast: Lee Jin Wook, Kwon Nara
- Director: Jang Young Woo
- Runtime: 75 minutes average (per episode)
- Release Date: December 18, 2021
Again a brilliantly penned series with a fantasy element, that undoubtedly claims a seat among dramas like Alchemy of Souls. Bulgasal explores the fantasy concept of ‘immortality’ with a fresh take, with two main characters. A revenge-driven man named Dan Hwal who has been alive since 600 years old and a woman named Min Sang Un, who lost her immortality in a tragic event and ended up reincarnating as a human with a set life span. The show follows the unprecedented events that occur when the duo meet each other.
10. The King: Eternal Monarch
- Cast: Lee Min Ho, Kim Go Eun, Woo Do Hwan
- Director: Baek Sang Hoon
- Runtime: 70 minutes average (per episode)
- Release Date: April 17, 2020
The King: Eternal Monarch gifts viewers with a well-written plot and star-studded cast, exhibiting similarities with Alchemy of Souls. When a modern-day emperor from Korea unexpectedly passes through a portal opened by demons, he ends up in a parallel world and continues his investigation as a police detective.
If You like the brilliance of the Lee Jae Wook-Jung So Min starrer drama, these are the top 10 shows like Alchemy of Souls, that will leave a lasting impression on your mind. So why wait? Tune in and binge-watch.
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