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A Nice Adrenaline Rush to Break the Typical K-Drama Lull
Naturally, I hopped on this drama for Song Joong Ki. I mean, honestly, that should be it. Because I refuse to input spoilers, I'll keep it simple.Story: The story had some major plot holes, yes, so why did I rate it so high? In all my K-Drama watching career, I can confidently predict the ending and 9/10 get it right. I was so far off on my ending prediction, I spent the last hour of E16 with my jaw to the floor. I'm not sure why everyone hated the ending. I tipped my hat to it. It was creative, not what was expected and the ending still played to the protagonists favor.
Each episode is an adrenaline rush of, "will he get revenge"? I definitely spent a few late nights convincing myself one more episode would satiate all of the twists and turns. Instead, I convinced myself I needed one more episode.
The characters, I will say, were a but much. I understand that the focus is on this family, but they would bring in a family member, peak interest on how this family member ties into things, and then toss them aside like they didn't exist. Dragging them out only when they needed them to appear again with no explanation of where they were or how they really tie to anything. This goes for the female lead. They spoke so highly of her, but whenever she had a scene it was lackluster and short-lived.
The acting was beautiful. The exaggeration of the rich family members to the hurt and deceit of the poor side characters. Everyone did beautifully. They truly made you either love their character or hate their character accordingly.
The soundtrack was great and tied into everything beautifully. I absolutely LOVED the flashbacks and getting a taste of the 90s and early 00s nostalgia.
This drama would definitely go in my pocket as a "safe show" playback. For those of you that don't know, it's a show that you just feel comfortable watching when you can't quite decide what you want to watch next and you're not ready to committ to a brand new show.
Overall, I enjoyed the drama. I did have my moments where I felt bored, and it took me about two weeks to finish the last two episodes, but the ending made it worth it for me.
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A truly vile conglomerate family!
Loved the acting, actors and characters. Really a great cast. I also thought this an original take on the usual underhanded, vulgar and megalomaniacal super rich corporate dramas that get churned out. The switch in time, very intelligent protagonist and the clever, manipulative ways in which he exacted revenge were all very watchable.I couldn't give a 10 because, for me, it was just too much high-powered, super rich wheeling and dealing. There was no let up at all, which I found a struggle at times.
I got that Do-Joon/Hyun-woo's primary goal was obtaining Soonyang, but some kind of breather from the constant business, corporate scheming and jargon, would have made it more enjoyable for me.
Definitely worth watching though and besides my few gripes, the pace suited the story and I thought the ending was excellent.
Shout out for the great young actor, Kim Kang-hoon, who I think we'll be watching for a long time. He's played many diverse kid characters in some great dramas.
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Lee Sung Min!
t took me almost a week after I finished the drama to start writing my review because there was so much I had to think about and unpack. The ML, in his first life, is killed and is “reborn” as the youngest grandson of a ruthless and cunning founder of a conglomerate. The native title translates to “The House of Chaebol’s Youngest Son.” I think the title is more descriptive and in line with the drama as a whole. Yes, the ML is reborn into this family, however, the story centers around succession rights; they act as catalysts to all that happen in the story. As the youngest grandson and born to the youngest son (who also happens to be illegitimate), the ML really has no chance of inheriting his grandfather’s business empire. Understanding this and the fact that his grandfather believes in the right of primogeniture, the ML uses his knowledge of his former life and the future to acquire the family empire through hostile takeover. Along the way of achieving his goal, he becomes closer to his grandfather and starts to understand the man behind the myth. My absolute favorite part of this drama is really not the revenge part and seeing the bad people get their comeuppance, but the relationship between the ML and his grandfather. The actor, Lee Sung Min, who plays the grandfather is absolutely fantastic in this drama. Yes, Song Joong Ki, is the ML and protagonist, but Lee Sung Min as Jin Yang Cheol gives the drama its beating heart. I like that each episode in which there’s something to overcome, the issue isn’t dragged out but resolved and tied into the overall story well. The ending to me is a double edged sword, tasting of both bitterness and sweetness, a feeling of anger and regret, and then a sense of hope, renewal and a new beginning. I guess if a drama makes me feel all these emotions, then I cannot but give it anything less than ten stars.Was this review helpful to you?
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Great drama with a possibility of an alternative ending
Well yeah! To begin with, no one knows the real appearance of Jin Do Jun as Jin Do Jun. We only know Hyun Woo as Jin Do Jun.The best part of this drama is the relationship between Jin Do Jun and the grandfather. However, the worst part is the ending. I am really disappointed with the ending. This is supposed to be a great drama, but the ending ruins everything. Everything that happens from epi. 2 to epi. 15 was like a dream of Hyun Woo, but this makes the 14 episodes meaningless. The writers invest too much on the life of Do Jun and the power struggle in the Jin family. To deliver the message like repentance, the writers should have given more priority to Hyun Woo, the person who suffers a feeling of guilt over leaving the injured Do Jun behind.
Based on episodes 2-15, the drama may be regarded as a fantasy drama with the element of time travel. Jin Do Jun is possessed by the spirit of Hyun Woo who is from the future. Therefore, this makes Do Jun and Hyun Woo from the future the same person; Do Jun is the body while Hyun Woo from the future is the spirit. Episodes 2-15 also suggest the fact that there is another Hyun Woo (himself as the poor person). In my opinion, between episodes 2-15, Hyun Woo as Jin Do Jun should have met Hyun Woo (another him) in person at some points in time, at least to help him, to warn him, and so on. Remember that Jin Do Jun has the spirit of Hyun Woo who is from the future. Hyun Woo from the future should have helped and guided himself in the past. Therefore, the life of Hyun Woo will change in some ways (e.g., getting higher education, getting a good job and preventing the accident at the cliff). Perhaps, Hyun Woo from the future believes that he passed aways at the cliff and became a new person; if he thought he travels to the past, that would have been great. He would not have focused solely on revenge; he would have focused on his life as Hyun Woo (the poor person) as well.
However, based on epi. 1 and epi. 16, this drama is not a fantasy drama. Jin Do Jun and Hyun Woo are different people. This means that Do Jun should be a common man who cannot predict the future like the popularity of Titanic, the Asian Financial Crisis, and so on. Therefore, he would not have become the favourite grandson of Jin Yang Cheol and created the Miracle Investment. Also, Hyun Woo has never possessed the body of Do Jun or travelled to the past. Everything that happens in episodes 2-15 is the dream of Hyun Woo when he is in the coma. This makes episodes 2-15 meaningless.
However again, in episodes 2-15, the motivation behind the Miracle Investment is to buy Soonyang (which is guided by the intention of Hyun Woo in the body of Do Jun). This then makes epi. 16 meaningless or irrelevant.
I hope the writer let us know the real appearance of Jin Do Jun as Jin Do Jun. Does he have the same face as Hyun Woo? Or is he a completely different person from Hyun Woo?
Actually, Do Jun with the spirit of Hyun Woo from the futurue is indeed a smart person. Based on his experience in the traffic accident planned by the grandmother, he should have been careful of his personal safety and security. He should have predicted about such accidents. He should have known that no one in the Jin family loves him. However, when he learned that he was about to become the chairman of Soonyang, he became optimistic; he believed that no one was about to harm him.
After finishing epi. 16, I feel that the point about being in a coma and possessing someone's body is similar to what depicts in Mr. Queen. However, in Mr. Queen, the main actor can change his future. But in Reborn Rich, the main actor cannot change the future or the key events in the future.
I am not waiting for season 2! However, if the concept of the drama is about time travel, and if the spirit of the "real" Jin Do Jun was reborn and trapped inside Hyun Woo in episode 16, Season 2 will be necessary. This should make Do Jun and Hyun Woo different people, but they exchange their spirits.
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Fun for MBA candidates
if you like to learn how you can do a corporate takeover plus secession theories this is a great drama for you. excellent acting fun premise It kind of remind me of the story of Henry Ford or Bill Gates someone who was taking over a large popular company.I love the concept and premise of being reborn. however I wish there was a bigger revenge factor. There was revenge but it was handled very lightly. I would have loved for more conflict. As a foreigner it was good to see and learn about significant historical points in time for South Korea.
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Really Good…Until it Wasn’t
Excellent show until the last episode. Watched it with my father, and we really enjoyed the dynamics within the family and were looking forward to seeing how Jin Do Jun triumphed over his scheming relatives.When it got to the the last episode, the storyline became very disjointed and plot holes arose that didn’t need to be there. My father and I were confused and disappointed. We even shook our heads at each other and shrugged after the show ended.
I didn’t know this was a web novel with a different ending, but now it makes sense why the the last episode seemed so bad to us. When a story is written with the plot and events geared toward a specific ending, changing that ending screws up everything that came before it and creates holes in the plot. Source material exists for a reason, and writers should honor it — changing the established story just to create shock value or keep viewers guessing rarely results in an improvement.
It was still a good show, but the ending seriously took away from what could have been great.
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The best thing about this drama is the cast and characters. Every single person owned their role. No matter what character was on screen, I was interested. That’s not something I can say about many dramas.
I also like the historical aspects of it. Getting to see historical events unfold in the drama, and how the MC used those pivotal points to further his plan to take over Soonyang.
What I think could have been better is the revenge itself. It was lacking some oomph. In the first half, it was like the MC was playing the revenge game on easy mode. Things were fairly easy for him, since he knew the future. Without the other side being able to give him some obstacles, it makes the revenge less interesting. By the time they do get back at him, it felt like such a huge cop out. Like that’s it? After all the MC did over the years, and that was all they had to do to take him down? It felt cheap.
And then the ending story arc. I feel like it could have been better, if they had started it a couple of episodes earlier instead of leaving it for the last episode. It felt sudden and somewhat out of place given how important it was and yet given so little time to evolve.
Lastly, him not really spending any time with his real family. I thought that was odd. His dad and brother had so little screen time.
Overall, I think this is an ok watch. If I had known everything that I know about it now, I’d still watch it. The characters really are well written here, and I enjoyed watching how the MC used his knowledge of historical events. Watching the Soonyang family implode on themselves was quite satisfying, too.
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Fell in love Until...
I was so amazed with this drama. I also learned a lot of things. Even if SJK was not the ML I would still watch this probably just + points in advertising this drama in his name. Only negative thing I can say is the plot. From start until the ep before the finale they built up the 'Reborn' character of Jin Do Jun and made the watchers empathize and cheer for him to take over the Soonyang Group and when it's already in his hands they took it away like a taking away a candy from a child. The watchers will be pissed including me.Excluding the final ep, this is still a masterpiece. I love the mind games!
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This was so close to being a 9.5
To make this review more fun: drink every time I say disappoint. LOLI honestly was going to give this show a high rating up until episode 16. I'm just so disappointed in the ending. I loooveed the concept of him being able to go back in time and change the future. So for him to jump back into his first life at the end was the worst.
I don't even know how to properly express how disappointed I am from how the writers decided to end the show. Everything was coming to a close and he was right at the precipice of taking over Soonyang and officially becoming chairman. Only for him to wake up in a hospital after being shot in the head and none of it was real. This is not a plot twist that is going to grab your viewers or please your audience. This was just disappointing overall.
What I did like was that he ended up building up Miracle Investment again when he wakes up and trying to go back to living the life he was before. But yeah.... I would recommend watching this up until when he calls his gf to meet up and hops in the car. (make up your own ending because I promise you if you keep watching, you'll feel the same amount of disappointment that I'm feeling now.)
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Revenge of the chaebol's youngest grandson
Wow, this drama is really recommended!
The story idea for the Korean drama Reborn Rich is very telling, which is about the Samsung chaebol which is certainly closely related to the lives of Korean people.
It was San Kyeong who caught the idea and arranged it into a riveting story through the web novel "Chaeboljib Maknaeadeul” published from February 20, 2017 to January 11, 2018 via Kakao. Then visualized it coherently to present the Korean drama Reborn Rich which was able to hypnotize the audience.
Although there are some hollow scenes anyway. Like the accident that happened to Jin Yang-Cheol. Can a chaebol go on a business trip without an escort? He controls the Korean economy you know. His death could shake up the Korean stock market.
The incidental scene is also quite disturbing. One of them was when Jin Do-Jun was tugging at the Soonyang Card company's offer with Jin Dong-Ki, uncle number 2.
Then, when you called uncle number 2, how come it was so fitting for Jin Do-Jun to visit uncle number 1? So that Jin Do-Jun can go around and get high selling points for the Soonyang Card.
But that's it, right? It's also a drama. It takes a coincidence factor to create an exciting story. Because Lee Sung-Min's acting as the owner of Soonyang, can cover all the shortcomings of the Korean drama Reborn Rich.
Yup, Lee Sung-Min became the star of the Korean drama Reborn Rich! His acting as the overlord of the Soonyang empire is to be admired. Starting from acting angry, sad, laughing happily, and proud to see the success of his grandson.
The epic scene is Lee Sung-Min's angry and embarrassed face when he is in the elevator and unconsciously pees in his pants due to his illness. Like losing a war after saying:
Managing a company is like an endless war
The place he had to kill first
To survive
Really hoping that Lee Sung-Min will get the 2023 Baeksang Arts Awards, completing his award winnings in previous years such as the 2019 Baeksang Arts Awards, 2018 Daejong Film Awards, and many more.
What about Song Joong Ki? Mmmm…..I'm still not comfortable with the thickness of the makeup to the point where I want to let go because it's like a second skin. Hahaha….??
The love story of Jin Do-Jun (Song Joong-Ki) and Seo Min-Yeong (Shin Hyun-Bin) is also disturbing. Similar to a piece of the story attached to the entire Korean drama Reborn Rich. It doesn't matter. It's not effective, and the chemistry is really weak.
However, apart from the love story that should sweeten the Korean drama Reborn Rich, this drama is really recommended. Its strength lies precisely in the ability of the aging actor, Lee Sung-Min to translate the character of the owner of the Soonyang kingdom.
As well as the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren that melts the heart.
Further reviews can be read at: https://www.maria-g-soemitro.com/2023/02/reborn-rich-review-drama-korea.html
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Yejibros we were edged by this Kdrama.
Yejibros we think that the story was good for the first 15 episodes. The build up was nice and the plot was intricate enough for us to be invested in it. The acting from the cast was top notch as well, especially for the grandfather. We also think that the OST was good. However, our main gripe with this drama is that it is just an edge session where the show writer needlessly wrapped it up for some unknown reason. It should have been done into a two-part series or a two season show. It defeats the whole premise and title of the show by having that atrocious ending.Yejibros, we got edged and we did not like it.
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