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2022 AND ITS ENDING CURSED
Don't know what's up with 2022 and the drama endings ... i mean things are going very well but 16 episode and all in the bucket .This drama was in my top list drama .... the story.. the acting... the cast.. the music everything was very well made up to top notch but the ending was very unexpected although it made sense, was a logical way to end the drama but it did not satisfied me at all .
The drama could have been one of the best for me but ending left with me an unsatisfied desire although some will find it a LOGICAL due to the repentance way of writer but still i wanted to see the completed revenge arc.
But still it's an top rating drama with a top notch story ,cast and production so give it a try.
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Rushed Story and Time Wasted on Unimportant Characters
What a step down this second season was.The first 1 -3 and a half episodes are stella. They're really good! It was great to get back into the nitty-gritty of a game or two.
But then episodes 4 to 6 were a conbination of montaging and rushing through multiple games and wasting time showing random one episode characters' backstories (they weren't even backstories for our three to four main characters who're actually interesting??!!).
They wasted so much time when we could've been getting more build up of our main characters' backstories and developments such as more about Arisu's relationship with his dad, or Chishiya's backstory - he is LITERALLY the best and most mysterious part of season one and the writers BARELY had him in this season. He has nowhere near enough screentime! Where was our Chishiya time and development?!?!?.
Episodes 7 and 8 is similar to episodes 1 tp 3 and definitely improves on sticking to the story and actually spending time on the people we actually care about in this show but...
At 1hr05mins in man. What a stupid reveal. If your show is 99% absolutely BONKERS, please don't give it a realistic reveal. I wanted an absolute BONKERS reveal (my own theory is similar to what is explained about 15 mins into episode 8).
Luckily the very very very final shot somewhat redeems it, but not by much.
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While more Galileo live action adaptations are always welcomed, I do have some mixed feelings about it. It's quite obvious, of course since the reason was plain clear; I wished Utsumi was in this. I have nothing against Makimura to be honest, but the moment the character appear on screen I could tell that most of her characterism was based on Utsumi's template. Which was another reason why I wish it'd be possible to read the novel in English.
The case itself this time was still interesting. But unfortunately for Yukawa, this case also ended up having deep connection with him as one of his precious student was a possible suspect in a crime. Such thing had always been a sore wound to him ever since Ishigami, and obviously knowing his stance about how science should be use to enrich humanity he wouldn't like to see someone misuse it to harm others. And of course conflict will happen between him and Kusanagi due to their different opinions.
It was nice to be able to see Kuribayashi-san again, it was pretty amusing to see the old lab assistant fumble around to help Yukawa since we don't get to see him in Silent Parade. Overall, the SP was kinda neat. But I still wished that Utsumi was in this instead of Makimura (though I may understand why Shibasaki-san can't reprise her role as Utsumi in this SP)
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1"But there must be a reason behind it all"
"Do you want me to teach you how to be good at work? Don't ask yourself: Why?''. I think this whole show was a commentary on how we stay in the well known patterns, even if they are not productive, simply because things have always been this way or they bring us monetary gratification. But why do we even care so much about money? Because this is what society tells us is important. A vicious circle of bullshit.Trying to suggest change is scary, and since everyone accepts the current state, it means it's working so why would anyone even try to challenge it? Everyone cannot be wrong, it's more likely I don't understand why it's like that. Stuff like the Milgram experiment or Asch Conformity Experiment explain it well. Both good examples how awful people are at going against:
1. Authority
2. Groups of people.
And if you add actual reward (money) for the conformity, people will do a great type of mental gymnastics to justify the current state.
Like drawing the circles, then erasing them and doing the same with x, just because the boss said you have to do it. I'm sure many of us did things we knew were pointless, but they were orders we just had to do. You can think you are not part of the problem, but you most likely are. Not to the same extent as the characters in the show, since everything was over exaggerated, but as long as we participate in the society, we do stupid things for the sake of some kind of benefit - money, popularity, recognition from strangers. But why do we care?
Each episode presents us with different takes on what one can sacrifice for money: pride, self-esteem, time, family, morality. It also shows what we truly want - connection, love, freedom, a feeling of belonging, self-worth.
The show opens with the best episode, so keep that in mind. On one hand it sets up the story well, but it also makes the remaining episode have less impact. Each short story is connected to each other, even though they changed the main character. Personally, my favorite episodes were “Dancing on the sand” and “Family Vacation”. Both had strong messages that resonated with me and my experience.
The production and the acting were phenomenal. Truly would not change a detail. The short duration of the episodes (most were a bit over 20 minutes) made the show more digestible and left some room for interpretation and reflection for the viewers. I feel like depending on your own life experience, perspective and expectations, you will see something else in each and every story.
Overall, great watch, but not for everyone. It’s weird and symbolic. While on the surface the overall message is easy to understand, there is far more than “what people will do for money” if you start digging deeper. It’s also an impactful watch if you are willing to reflect on how the messages fit into how you are handling your life.
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Great moments, but moments only.
Who likes a healing show about a timid female lead who moves away from the toxic environment to end up in another toxic environment and receive close to no character development? Not me.Like many other slice of life shows, this one also has little to no plot, which is completely fine. These are not supposed to give you thrills and excitement, they are supposed to be relaxing and warm. When I go into slice of life, I’m getting ready for a little bit of life lessons and characters I want to befriend, ones that make me want to root for them. Did this show deliver any of these? Not really.
Starting from Lee Yeo Reum - doormat, timid, no self love nor self respect. No issue with that. I wanted to go on that self improvement and self discovery journey with her. But damn this girl got on a merry-go-round and ended up in the same circle of self pity. The moment I thought she learned her lessons, she went back to the old ways - ready to blame herself, ready to take a step back, ready to run away. Trying to fix it all in the last episodes is not the way to go.
While An Dae Beom was better and for sure a stronger character, he also got easily manipulated by others, mostly by Ji Young. At some point I started to question myself - am I liking the character or am I just completely biased towards Yim Si Wan and I will just buy anything he sells?
Then we have all the other characters who either: started well and ended annoying, started annoying and miraculously became nice in between scenes, started annoying and ended annoying. There was honestly barely anyone to root for… Which is a true nightmare for a character driven slice of life drama.
To be perfectly honest though, I can deal with annoying characters, but I cannot stand conflicting messages. Yeo Reum tells herself to only think about what she wants and feels and not care for others, but also tells Bom to put her grandma and her family before her own emotions and well being. Protecting an alcoholic and abusive father is fine, but protecting your son with developmental issues makes you the top enemy. I am sorry, but what am I supposed to learn from this show? What is the message? What does the writer want to present and tell me? For me, it all made no sense.
Yes, the ending message was great - appreciate what you have, find happiness in little things, you don’t have to excel in everything, just being happy is enough of a reason to be alive and enjoy the moments. IT’s all great, but why did they fail so badly with all the other issues they talked about?
And I know how some people will scream “realism” as an excuse for some of the topics. Sorry, but you cannot explain some awful takes with it, while also ignoring the complete lack of realism in other aspects. You can’t have both.
Last, but not least plot wise - the “mystery”. When the characters have to explain EVERYTHING to me through the dialogues and flashbacks, it means the writer completely failed to set it up. I should be watching and connecting the dots myself, not get everything served with a narration.
From the acting and production side, it was great. Kim Seol Hyun improved greatly since her debut, and everyone knows Yim Si Wan is one of the best idol turned actors. The teens did an amazing job too, I especially liked a.mond’s performance - cheerful and hyped, but with hints of sadness and tons of loneliness.
Visually, Summer Strike is beautiful, I cannot deny it. They used the environment they were filming in to its full potential. What’s the point though, if the story is not on the same good level of execution? This year we had a holy trinity of dramas with amazing and beautiful moments, but also poorly executed overall plot and character’s development, and laughable villains - Today’s Webtoon, Cheer Up and Summer Strike.
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Pretty...
Sometimes a person just needs some mindless drama, with pretty cloths, evil characters, and the promise of the results of peoples hard work on chiselling abs and back muscles. Overwhelming throbbing masculinity that forces itself upon some helpless femininity... Watching a man take charge....in a firework display of lies, power and deceit...And this is indeed a place to see that, at least the first few episodes the amount of times the male lead removes his upper clothing flexes his muscles and forces himself upon the female lead in a guilty pleasure kind of way is indeed almost overwhelming. Later on we also see the big difference in hot and sexy use of ones body to overtake another person in a less evil way and the forcing ones self upon another person in an evil not so sexy way. It is all in the way the lipstick is smeared and the hair.
But the male lead does seem to keep his shirt on more and more the more what would seem like plot unfolds.
The male lead is indeed fluent in writ grab, throw over the shoulder and hiding stuff. But has indeed done his ab work and besides the whole forcing himself upon the female lead seems kind of nice, besides the forcing was done for a good cause, since women who have been forced upon are deemed taken and therefore can only marry the man who did the deed... Showing us how lovely it was to be a woman in the past.
The female lead changes sides more than a tennis ball at Wimbledon, and it is indeed a miracle that she survives past the first episode.
Then there is a voice of reason or more the voice of the viewers among the characters who won my heart... There is also a bunch of more or less evil, cleaver and annoying characters among the cast.
So if you choose to watch this shut off your brain and enjoy the view, just know that the frequency of the power demonstrations by removing clothing become less and less frequent as the episodes pass by.
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Episode 1 to 15 is rated 10/10 but Episode 16 is 1/10
This drama is great. Very exciting and compelling from episode 1 to 15 you will get hooked until the last episode that ruin everything. They should have made the Hyun Woo suffer the consequence in the end. That Do Joo, what a poor guy. He did nothing wrong but still die in the end, while Hyun Woo run free, without consequence. And why they are look alike, not explained properly.I was planning to rewatch it after last episode but after watching the last episode, ahh nevermind. there are other upcoming and ongoing dramas that is good also. I just have to ask, why why why is the ending like that. I felt rob on my time and effort watching this. Well at least I had to commend the acting and music which are all great, 10/10 infact. And as I said its 10/10 from episode 1 to 15. I will never forget this drama because of the ending LOL
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Good drama, still waiting for season 2 !
The only thing I didn't like is the rushed ending and the utterly short confrontation between his dad Tang Hao and the chief of Martial Soul Hall, Bi Bi Dong. It would've been better if they had shown a bit of showdown between the two most powerful Grand Soul Land Masters. that could explain how they got away instead of immediately showing the last scene of Xiao Wu's farewell to Tang San. As for the ending, it was a damn cliffhanger. I wish they could have made Tang San wake up, recover from his injuries and allowed some of them to have a chat about what Xiao Wu needs to do and why she needs to leave temporarily. That would've been the perfect finale towards season 2.Well apart from those things I mentioned above, this was a good drama to watch. I liked the character development and their adventures. This is the kind of story that I'm fond of in terms of how a hero progresses with his extraordinary skills and how his friends mature along the way. I loved how Tang San was totally protective and devoted to Xiao Wu that he would be in a towering rage whenever she gets hurt or in danger. The loyalty and passion is there. Tang San's master, Xiao Gang was a fine character too. He had noble characteristics, despite having two soul rings only. He had served as Tang San's father figure, guiding him along the way and helped other students understand their true potential and value teamwork. Truly a good teacher.
Not sure if there will really be a season 2 for this, as Xiao Zhan's schedule for drama projects is fully booked. I saw in MyDramaList a season 2 teaser poster, but the female lead is no longer Betty Wu. No other casts are shown. I hope they do consider doing the 2nd season.
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Logic is non-existent, let's be real, everyone is only watching it for Song Joong Ki
Reborn Rich, a drama based on a web novel, is yet another story that uses the "born again" concept. It introduced the main character of Yoon Hyeon Woo, who, despite his stellar results in high school, had to give up going to university because his family could not afford his tertiary education. In an era where full scholarships and bank study loans probably had not been established in South Korea, Hyeon Woo joined the mega-corporation Soonyang after leaving school and soon climbed the ranks to become a senior finance manager in rank, but super-manservant in practice. In spite of his hard work, he was betrayed and discarded by the very people he served, and subsequently found himself reliving the life of a young boy, Jin Do Jun, the youngest son of the youngest son of the founder of Soonyang.Most of the above was already given to us in the synopsis, and from what I have seen, Song Joong Ki performed far better in his role as Hyeon Woo than in his role as Jin Do Jun. As Hyeon Woo, Joong Ki's expressions were more real - in moments of servitude, he was spontaneous, relenting, and in times of panic, his fear more raw, the helplessness he was supposed to feel more convincing. The reborn Do Jun, who had lived through all of the 2000s before, knowing what would happen when it comes to government politics, monetary policies, and global catastrophes, was the character in focus for much of the story, but even so, I couldn't feel the impact of this character the same way Joong Ki delivered Hyeon Woo.
The second time skip happened when Do Jun grew up, but we can assume he didn't finish his law studies or sat for the bar, because by that time he didn't need to - he just had to get really rich. Did he commit insider trading through his ability? Yes, of course - coming from the future, he already had information on what happened in the past, and utilised that information to earn a lot of money. But because of the supernatural circumstances in how he obtained the information, no one can prove that insider trading happened. This is the secret of the bulk of his success for most of the drama. Nevertheless, the first few episodes had a decent start and a reasonable flow of congruency.
The basis for this drama is how the rich and powerful Jin family operates their business. Whether one finds the business principles interesting or otherwise, with the most basic understanding of the subject, following the drama would not be a challenge. However, even with the most basic understanding of the subject, this is also where the flow of logic started to break, and repetitions set in. Every one or two episodes, a "twist" happens for the sake of providing some "shock value" to the viewers, but provides no progress in plot development. The ongoing crisis is merely dropped and waved away while another new trouble is brewing. And every one or two episodes, someone's office will be raided; they will be investigated for committing a business crime, but no worries, the cheap contrivances in attempting to produce anxiety rush in viewers peters off like a whiny balloon out of air when the climax ends. And so, for 14 episodes, the focus were placed on business operations, and the phenomenon of time reversal and soul-switching were not at all touched during all that time. How was this explained in the end? It's "redemption".
I never expected solid logic from fiction, but I was still hoping for some level of cogency. Reborn Rich quickly became boring and ridiculous to me as the episodes went on, and by Episode 8, the drama was a chore to watch. The human relationships in this drama also leave much to be desired, as no one is honest with one another. The closest thing to honesty was seen in the grandfather-grandson bond between Do Jun and Yang Cheol, but even then, the two exercised a moderate degree of caution against each other. The romance between Do Jun and Shin Hyun Bin's character Min Young was initiated early, but it was marred with doubts, mistrust and misunderstandings. Seong Jun's wife, who initially had a crush on Do Jun, was introduced as a highly intelligent and ambitious woman who eventually resigned to her fate as a marriage pawn to a less capable heir. She became a character who seemed to have a lot of cards on her hands only to be relegated to appearing once in a while, having all purposes stripped from her.
The final two episodes would only be a surprise if the viewer has gotten used to Do Jun's rich and comfortable lifestyle, thinking all would just end with him becoming the CEO of the whole Soonyang Group, marrying his lovely girlfriend whom he doesn't understand and who doesn't understand him, chugging along with a fat ass account loaded with money for the rest of his newfound identity. So maybe getting killed in the first place wasn't that bad after all - but nah. Off pops the bubble, the rose-tinted glasses shatters, 16 hours of a lifetime watching this drama gone, and comes the cries of despair of the ones heavily invested. No, I lied. It really wasn't that devastating. But Hyeon Woo did become better off - by becoming a new partner of Miracle Investment. And the way it transpired? No explanations required. Doesn't matter that a person currently under criminal investigation is not allowed by law to work in any business or finance-related capacity. It's okay, no one will look for this detail. When this happened, there were approximately 20 minutes left on the final episode, so the writers probably thought, eh, whatever, let's just wing it.
And of course the final nail in the coffin was a recorded phone conversation, which is the same like, way too many dramas out there. This wouldn't be absurd with today's technology, but we are talking about 2004 when people were still using the most basic flip phones. A majority of people still alive today have lived through this era with a flip phone. Phone conversations do not automatically get recorded. The phones in that era did not even have a recording function, what more to say a convo-recording function. Yes, this drama is fiction, but the idea of writing fiction is skillfully imbibing and presenting theories that the audience could not refute. It's usually either because the theory itself is a fact, or it is unproven and vague. To say a flip phone in 2004 automatically records conversations as soon as a call is made or answered is like saying carbonara tastes like chocolate, which it doesn't.
I will add that with all the flaws and absurdity typical of a Korean drama with a vengeance-agaisnt-a-rich-family setting, this was somewhat 2% better than Vincenzo and not as bad as Eve - which is arguably the worst drama of the year. Reborn Rich obtaining an 8.8 rating is not a testament to how good the drama is. Like many MDL ratings, it's a reflection of how many people have watched it and how many people love it. Correlation does not imply causation, so if Song Joong Ki's face is all you need to preoccupy yourself for a weekend binge sans sense and logic, by all means, watch it. But this isn't a good script by any definition of the word.
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Well…
I Watched it 2 months ago and all I can say is, is that I truly think this is one of the most forgettable kdrama’s of this year. It’s slow, but not in the good type of slow. When the show gets interesting it then just brings your back interest down. Every woman that the killer hooks up with have no personality and all are just alike imo. The detectives are stupid. I don’t understand the ending at all…and sm other shit I can’t even put into words. I personally feel like the writers had many ideas they wanted to implement into the show without thinking how it would work yk.Was this review helpful to you?
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At the end, the fantasy element disappeared.
[Spoilers ahead] The drama started off well with a compelling story and amazing acting from the actors. A hardworking servant (ML) who simply follows conglomerate family orders without questioning them.In a turn of event, murder attempt was made against the ML who went to withdraw money from foreign account. that is when the fantasy kicked in and the same employee(ML) was born as the "Youngest Son of the Conglomerate".
In an attempt to take revenge for his death ML decided to take over("buy") the Sunyang Group and punish whoever tried to murder him.
The Story progressed well until the 15th episode. But in the Last episode everything changed. The Fantasy element vanished into thin air. ML wakes up as an same old, hardworking employee who blindly follows orders and decides to fight for justice.
A number of loopholes exist in the story.
1. The money was donated to the public before Do Jun died. Then why was the money still available for the ML to withdraw as an employee of Sonyoung?
2. Was ML just imagining being the youngest grandson of a conglomerate? So where is fantasy?
3. "Survivor of car accident" is more believable than "survivor of head shots and falling off cliffs to sea". (is that was the Fantasy? not sure 😊)
Pros:
+ Amazing cinematography and acting.
+ The drama reminds many of significant moments in history such as Korea's football victory, Y2K, the terrorist attack on the US, and the incident involving the IMF.
+ Except for the last episode, good story and execution.
+ Do Jun and His Grandfather Duo was Great.
+ Grandfather's acting was top notch and some scenes were emotional.
Cons
- The romance was not well suited to the storyline.
- FL was boring and sometimes annoying.
- The ending was not satisfactory.
- Title "Reborn Rich" didn't make any sense after completing drama.
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Refreshing, quick, and funny
I absolutely LOVED this drama. It was a super quick binge—only took about a day to finish all 12 episodes—and I wish there was a season two.The A couple was SOOOOOO cute. I loved them from the first moment they met, during their flirty moments, and in every encounter they had until the end. For those of you looking for a BL focused on a more mature couple, this is what you should watch. I personally felt like I could relate to each of the things that came up in their relationship.
I discovered this BL on Tiktok and honestly did not have super high expectations. It BLEW me away and I was pleasantly surprised! The humor is great and the cast is stellar. I will definitely rewatch this.
SPOILER: The only thing that would've made it better is more Alex/He Qing content. I loved this B couple and I would love it even more if I could see them grow.
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A refreshing series!
At first, I was worried cause I'm really not into fashion drama and also I have no knowledge about their line of work so I thought it's going to be a boring series for me, but I ended up loving it more than I expected! The runway shows/production was sooo cool. I love that every character have their own development, even the side characters' dynamics was so good and funny. It's not dragging and it's also not too much. They really fit in everything so well, like love, career, and friendship.Minho and Soobin's acting are so natural. Really proud of Minho and truly one of his best works. Also, impressed with Soobin's acting. She's so cool. Will definitely watch it again!
Park Heejung is so cool, I want to marry her.
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This drama is a disaster
Where do I start? Ok let's start with the story.... 36 episodes for what really? I guess it's a love office drama, sister drama with problems in between, long and short the writing was lazy.... I have watched many office dramas and even 4-5 sister dramas this year & creativity is never endless however this one creativity with the dialogue was non existent!... What's the end conclusion, just the wedding?.... Xu Lu catches the bouquet but she is single?....Acting.... Ok, I think honestly it stated off ok with the Two Female Leads but it struggled to get going with the Two Main Male Leads.... You will end up really disliking all 4 Mains by the end of the drama.... The support cast - actually I thought were ok, if I got through 36 episodes some of the cast must of keep me watching.... The support cast have potential....
Character development - main weakness of this drama, non really developed into better characters by the end of 36 episodes, they developed into worse characters.... Let's break down
Chen Duling - Seriously, I have never been a fan of her acting, she has never acted in anything good. She is a higher up manager in this drama & her character very unlikeable
Xu Lu - I have enjoyed your dramas in the past, liked you because you paired with Gao Zhi Ting in 'Stray Birds' however sorry Xu Lu it's over. Your character was suppose to want to be strong/independent.... Sorry didn't develop anything close to it!....
Male Leads 'Zhang Yu Jian & Dylan Kuo' - I will do both together, look neither won over anyone being the audience. There is potential for ZYJ with a better script & better FL.... DK I suppose other genres like police dramas might suit him perfectly.... However neither for me....
Zhou Da Wei.... THIS GUY is the only thing this show had going for it and they messed it up however the ending I think will actually benefit ed him not ending up with Xu Lu because frankly her character didn't deserve Zhou Da Wei's character.... This guy is fun & charismatic, seriously how did this production and writing team not utilise him to his potential?.... He showed positive development in his character, he answered Xu Lu challenge she gave him, go back to college, be responsible, he did that!.... Anyways I am happy for his character as he has potential and talking about future dramas as the Main Lead!.... His drama that will air hopefully early 2023 is "First Love Again"....
- Sporting basketball college drama
- The Female Lead is 'Huang Can Can'.... Seriously this girl can act! She reminds me of Zhou Yutong with her natural fun style!.... This production team knows what they are doing pairing her with Zhou Da Wei.... 'Xu Lu' loss is 'HCC' gain....
Conclusion, 36 episodes for a lazy script!
Please make sure to watch "First Love Again" when gets released 2023!
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