An elite group of mage study spells and powers together at the Jeongjingak Training School, as they protect the land from the evil of sorcery and the illegal use of the “alchemy of souls”.  Four young friends, each from one of the most influential families of the kingdom, lead the skilled mages in their fight against the forces of black magic.  But unknown to them, “soul shifters” are living among them in a secret society called the Unanimous Assembly, just waiting for the chance to seize power away from these brave protectors and usher in a world led by greed and abuse of power.  

Jung So Min as Mu Deok

Mu Deok was a blind orphan before Naksu sent her soul into Mu Deok’s body.   After the shift, Mu Deok is no longer blind, but her eyes bear the blue “bruising” that comes from soul shifting.  It is the blue in her eyes that tips Jang Uk to the fact that she carries the soul of the great assassin, Naksu.  Jang Uk swears his allegiance to her as his master, but in the presence of others, she is his servant, which creates some fun, comical moments.  Together, Jang Uk and Mu Deok train in the arts of magic, and both regain at least some of their strength together.  But evil lurks in those around them.  And Mu Deok’s true identity is discovered and used to end her life and threaten Jang Uk. Season One ends with her tragic death, breaking Jang Ok’s heart and spirit.  

Shin Seung Ho as Go Won

Go Won is the Crown Prince.  As the royal family, his relationship with the mages is complicated.  Go Won has been trained by Jin Mu in the magic arts, but he doesn’t know anything about the secret society of soul shifters Jin Mu has created.  After losing a duel against Jang Uk, the two begin a grudging friendship that neither wants to admit to.  Go Won falls in love with both Mu Deok and Bu Yeon, but neither return his feelings.  

 ♥ Romance Lines

I really like that this drama had so many potential romance lines. Obviously Jang Uk was always going to end up with Naksu in whatever form.  But it was fun that she had multiple “second leads” to interact with.  They also kept us guessing with some of the secondary characters, instead of the usual obvious pairings that often happen for non-leads.  The web of relationships in this series was just more complex and therefore more interesting, in my opinion.  

♥ Park Jin

Park Jin was such a fun character.  The comic elements that he brought to this drama were often understated but always well done.  His father-like relationship with Jang Uk was at once heartbreaking and touching, and his push and pull romance with Maidservant Kim was one of the best relationships of the series.  You never quite knew what his character would do next and his balance between the gruff school master and the mentor/father figure to his mages was well done. 

Inconsistent Seasons

The differences between the two seasons of this drama left many fans frustrated.  From the obviously things like number of episodes and lead female actress to the more subtle things like story arc, division of plot lines, and major themes, it all felt slightly uneven and imbalanced.  Season 2 lacked much of the humor, strong story development, and romantic chemistry that made the first season such a success.  This may be because they hadn’t finished writing Season Two when they began airing the first, but the series would have felt stronger if the seasons had been more equally paced.  

Naksu

Naksu’s presence as a fierce, tough assassin made her such a compelling lead character.  But Bu Yeon’s character never seems to get to the place where she possesses that kind of powerful role.  When all is said and done, the new Naksu feels like a mere “shadow” of her former self.  A newer actress like Go Youn Jung just doesn’t have the same commanding presence that a seasoned actress like Jung So Min has, which made it hard to see Naksu as a tie between the two of them. It just felt like in Bu Yeon, we never actually got the real Naksu back.  

Though fans had their doubts about this one, the Hong sisters delivered a happy ending for all of our main characters with only the villains dead.  Although there were a few fake deaths to scare us along the way.  Jang Uk is able to defeat the fire bird once and for all and kill all of the Unanimous Assembly, including Jin Mu and the King and Queen. But with the destruction of Jinyowon, the relics stored there have all been set free to create havoc in the world. Jumping forward a year, we find Jin and Maidservant Kim happily married and discovering they will be having a baby soon.  They spend their time babysitting the twin boys of Dang Gu and Cho Yeon, who are doing well, and just waiting to please Cho Yeon’s mom by having a girl to pass the family lineage to.  Won is King, now that his parents are both gone.  And Yul is in charge of finding new mage pupils for Jeongjingak, which is now accepting all students who are qualified, regardless of their family name.  Our leads are now living as a happily married couple who spend their time together hunting down the remaining relics from Jinyowon, with the perfect balance of light and shadow that made them destined from the start.