Reborn Rich

Better off as a non fantasy family makjang

Before saying I hated the reborn part -which technically should be reawaken cuz he was 10 :) - I'll mention the good parts

I love love love sungminie ahjussi's acting, and I loved his character. Maybe he looked like a villain, but he was just a business man starting from scratch and also a head of a kiss*ss family. The poor guy had to deal with new business ideas in a time it was thought crazy and risky while also having money hungry family that only wanted to please him for his inheritance.
But, lol that was a long introduction, but he once he found his "reawakened" grandson, he found his match, his partner in crazy ideas and that was the most beautiful part for me
Also sungminie ahjussi's acting was 100000000x on point
That elevator scene and his fully devastated face will hunt me forever ♡
From what I gathered, he didn't have dementia in the novel, and this is the 3rd time sungminie ahjussi does it, so I think they hit the jackpot cuz each time is different yet still heartbreaking


Another good thing for me was the 80s/90s business vibe, everyone looked great but also the theme and history really enhanced the story rather than say, him awaking as a 10 year old in 2000 and being becomong an adult in 2010s and fighting his family in 2020s


I also actually really loved Sung joon and hyun min's toxic angsty relationship and I'd have loved this more from their POV, a bit like Secret makjang which is one of my favs (tho don't make me watch it with 2020s eyes)



Anyway the bad. I hated the rebornness, cuz as I said it was more like being possessed, then made complicated by double songs cuz it didn't make sense unless both hyunwoo and dojoon switched places, which might've become even more like golden spoon


I also hated the flat romance. Cuz technically reawakened dude is 30+19(?) When they 1st met and so he's a 50/60 year old going after a 20/30 year old no matter their past connection. I actually hate going back to change the past romances for this reason

The ending.. "it was all a dream" is such a old time cliche, I always remember twilight breaking dawn saying the fight between the oldie vamps and collin family was filmed and my 1st thought was ofc it's all a vision..
It's basically a cheap bow out from cleaning up the mess one makes. Ie making two Songs and making one come after the other (which were said to not be in the novel) then not having the courage to continue...
One could say he projected himself trying to remember, analyze and amend. But would one really dream of 20 years of life, remember every single detail and basically playing SIMS with a stranger? Atleast they could've hinted it with weird time skips or foggy memories xD

So basically, a normal family makjang where he would've wanted revenge for how his grandparents disowned his parents would've been enough. Like sure we needed him to know certain time stamps and events but he could've still been like his grandpa good at and even bad at business and we could've had stronger bonds between them
Also this drama got real boring once grandpa died Y_T

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Seriously ???????

I can't leave without writing a review, it's the first time I've done it, but I'm so disappointed and angry that I really feel compelled to write this. the drama is about a person who after being killed by "the villains" reincarnates as a member of their family several years in advance (more than 20 years) with all the knowledge of the future, of his new family with whom he worked in his first life, he is reincarnated as a slightly marginalized child in his new family for one reason or another, but despite this he succeeds in the first episodes in investing the knowledge of his past to attract the attention of his grandfather, CEO of the biggest company in Korea, and made a lot of profit from it, he earned a lot of money and entered the best university in Korea and even created an investment company which will later help him a lot in his revenge plan. this is the beginning of the drama.

I was very enthusiastic and I said to myself that it is the perfect drama. until he started messing around in the middle of the show and I really started to wonder, do you deserve this chance the universe has given you??? why deserve such a miracle if you are not going to exploit it well. but that was a normal frustration coming from someone who loves drama, it didn't stop me from continuing to watch, despite the fact that none of the women in this show, including FL, was satisfactory in my opinion, I just closed my eyes to the fact that the aunts, the grandmother, the girlfriend .... were all either stupid or mean or weak and insignificant in the course of events.

But. the end, is the biggest disappointment I've ever had in Kdrama. I can't accept that the screenwriter decides to screw up the drama this way with such an end. I just feel like I wasted my time watching this series. I do not recommend, run away from this drama it's a big waste of time.

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well-acted soul-transmigration story with one of the worst finale to date

Before diving into this, I'd like to say first that this show is an adaptation. The original material is a fairly popular webnovel, which tells a story about a outrageously loyal employee of one of the biggest fictional company in South Korea, Soonyang, who found himself transmigrated into the youngest grandson of the very company he worked for, Jin Do-jun just shortly after his death.

I was plenty excited for this show because I've always loved stories with rebirth & transmigration in the center due to its satisfying face-slapping laced with revenge type of story and to some extent, Reborn Rich didn't disappoint. The show clearly was confident with its thrice-weekly airing time, the casting line-ups, and it was fascinating seeing the rating rose higher and higher the more we dive into the show. I was afraid the show wouldn't be able to intrigue but I was wrong. From episode 2 onwards, the story gradually layered itself with step-by-step of how Do-jun tries to slowly steal Soonyang under his grandpa's nose, and eventually announced himself that he'd buy the company to his grandpa himself.

Some episodes are fillers, but some episodes are pure fun & smart battle-of-wits, polished as familiar as it could have been with the history of business in South Korea that I couldn't seem to drop the show whenever those episodes were on. Basically, if we're talking about pace & story, the show was pretty unstable on maintaining its tension. And those broken tension were usually caused by the (highly) unnecessary loveline, which I still thought as the most useless part of the show. Why?Because it felt like a different show altogether when these 'lovely' scenes appeared. In a story where revenge and political intrigue played a pivotal role, a love-line, personally for me, only served as a distraction for the main character themselves. It was not helping that the writer didn't know how to make the romance work (didn't even give the depth for both Min-young & Do-jun, and then suddenly they're dating????PLS), and how the director didn't have the right style to present the heartfluttering bits amidst the intense power battle between these Soonyang people. In others episodes, sometimes the pace was too slow and sometimes it turned less interesting, which turned out to be the way it was simply because the writer wanted to the satisfying meat in the next episode.

Seeing these patterns played out a couple of times made me realize; ah, the writer wasn't able to control the story to be as equally engaging each episode, and what was more surprising is when I was gradually made aware that despite keeping the main story intact, there were many details & points from the original materials left out to make the show adaptable for the drama format. It was less obvious at first, but the more we got near to the ending the more I realized the wrongness of the story which eventually cultivated into that stupid-ass conclusion which COMPLETELY betrayed the essence of the entire story with that one episode alone. It's an understatement to say that I'm disappointed. And I couldn't even imagine what the webnovel readers would feel seeing that clusterfuck ending.

You know...when you write an adaptation, you must know the original material well enough to be able to make out a more engaging story out of it. You have to know what fits into the format, what to include and what to miss, and what to keep in mind. Reborn Rich is essentially a soul-transmigration story. A unbelievable story where a supporting character gets a chance of living a main character's life after their death, and with their knowledge of the future and all, makes the main character's life theirs by the end of the story. The pattern is obvious, what you'll get from the story is also obvious. And during the time I've read countless rebirth & transmigration story, there hasn't been ONE that has a mind-boggling conclusion like this one. Why?Because it betrayed the value, the fun, the very reason why people still flocking to these stories. Hyun-woo's supposed to live out his life as Jin Do-jun because that's what we're all invested for to read and watch, his journey to the top. His journey to seek the power and make all Soonyang people pay for his death and everything. But to get that, there's gotta be a real & heavy consequences; he's in the place where he could never wish for and will never get for even if he's working himself to death for years. And he was also, if we're talking about the same show, obviously died in the first episode. His death is the key to the beginning of the story. It's because he was dead that he transmigrated. It was because he's gone that he had a revenge. It was because he's dead that we watched the whole ass show.

And now you're telling me he wasn't dead?

Then what about those 17 years of him living his life as Jin Do-jun?

Was by the end of the story the biggest victim of all happen to be Do-jun who got brutally used as a plot device and abandoned just like that because Yoon Hyun-woo was simply dreaming about those years in a span of a week?Because his head is apparently more solid than a rock stone even being shot in the head doesn't make him die?????????

Because the show is so all smart that all they could do is to use truck-of-doom repetitively and escaped all the consequences?????

What the fuck is this.

And more of the reason to not like this conclusion is because it betrayed the entire story of what was supposed to be an adaptation. Because the webnovel is sure as hell isn't played out like this. Because the scriptwriter of this show got fucking greedy and crossed the damn line they shouldn't have; they disrespect the entire webnovel. They disrespect the original material just because they could and just because they think the whole story is theirs to write. BUT IT FUCKING IS NOT. THIS IS AN ADAPTATION. THERE'S A LINE AND LIMIT TO NOT BE CROSSED OVER AND THAT CONCLUSION??????THAT'S NOT IT.

I was able to overlook the writer's stupid ass decision to change the subplot here and there, adding the unnecessary romance, or making the grandpa's death lame as fuck despite him being one of the powerful characters in the show. I could forgive alllll that. Because they didn't change the flow of the story. But the finale did. In more ways than we all could imagine. Because it showed that the creator of this show didn't understand what must be done to deliver a transmigration story. They didn't understand the genre. The respect and love for these works, and why we came to love these superficial stories that weren't realistically possible but served as a satisfying read every single time. And to think I was excited when I first heard about the show...........and now I'm just angry. Disappointed but angrier at how they managed make a mess of a story that could have been turned out really good. If possibe, I'd highly recommend watching it only until episode 15 (minus the last few minutes of the ending). The last episode is entirely different story that shouldn't have been a part of this show. Period.

Even if I had complains here and there about the plot and the story, in terms of acting, the whole show is nothing less than perfect. Everyone in Soonyang were all so good I had nothing to nitpick; they also had personalities and some performances stood out than the other. It was also the reason why I stick so long for the show. Lee Sung-min was just............amazing. Flawless. Best acting performances I've seen this year. I wish we could see more of his chemistry with Song Joong-ki's character but nonetheless he was still such a huge blast to watch. Kim Shin-rok was absolutely killing her role too, and the tension between Kim Nam-hee and Park Ji-hyun in every single scene they're in are deliciously impeccable. I love nearly all the performances from Soonyang family members. They're all solid and know how to maintain that special intensity between the scenes. The music was just okay (sometimes I loved it, sometimes I don't), and well after seeing the ending, I didn't think I'd have a high rewatch value for the show.

Overall, Reborn Rich is a show that has its ups and downs throughout the story, delivery an intense power struggle between family members of one of the biggest fictional company in South Korea. The original material itself is very solid, and the way the story followed and reflected into past years of real business industry in South Korea was new and refreshing too. Featured strong and powerful performances, I don't think there's a reason you wouldn't want to watch the show. At least until episode 15.

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Ends with Frustration Beyond Measure.

I let the episodes stack up as the hype was going and was expecting that it'll be worthwhile. Well it kinda did atleast till Ep 15 and then all hell break loose & we're left with this hot piping mess of ending.

I haven't read the novel but the thing I like in these kinds of drama where MC is wronged and get second chance is that they come back as badass and Op and that is the whole allure of these kind of drama but if in end you'll see the man you have been cheering for and always expect to come out at top not getting what he deserves it hurts and frustrates you.

Conclusion: If you're here for some great time pass and engaging drama and okay with a not satisfactory ending this one's for you. But if you cannot handle frustration of things not getting your way, better let it pass.

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I Hope the Original Author Sued the Production Team.

Story: This drama starts from what I thought was a mainstream RPR (Regression, Possession, Reincarnation) drama that will focus on a justice-obsessed main character. I'm proven wrong, as Jin Do Jun will use any means necessary to further his revenge, even if it means besmirching his late Grandfather's reputation. The schemes, the backstabbing, and the battle of wits are epic. As far as the story goes, if the production team decided to just follow the original ending like in the novel, it would be a perfect drama. BUT NO! The production team decided on their own ending for the drama, which ruined its whole point. For the production team, I respectfully give you all of my available middle fingers. Just like what Yoon Hyun Woo said to his father in Episode 14, you just have to stay f*cking still to be a help, so why don't you? The rating for this part for me is 9 out of 10 before the finale. After that, it went downhill to just 1.

Acting & Music: I'm new to Korean drama and their culture, but even I could see that the dynamic between Do Jun and his Grandfather is gold. On the one hand, you have a clever, witty, and daredevil grandson; on the other, you have the most badass grandfather you could have in your entire life. The clash between the two is the most awaited scene for me. The music for this drama is beautifully done. 10 out of 10 for this part.

Rewatch Value: Yeah, no. This drama was supposed to be an adaptation of the webnovel so that the series could be more popular and widely known. But with this kind of ending, I doubt this drama has a rewatch value. Unless you just watch the first 15 episodes and make your own ending, Do Jun beat the bad guys and live happily after with his loved ones.

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Beautiful execution, yet a somewhat dissapointing conclusion

I honestly wasn't expecting to love this drama, since it is very much politically/business driven. Those plots tend to get old pretty fast, and yet, I couldn't help myself from clicking to watch the next episode. The characters are intriguing, every single one of them has something interesting about them.

Everyone loves an underdog story, so Do Jun's journey from a grandson with nothing to his name to a majority shareholder, almost the CEO of the company is so satisfying to see. Every person who underestimates him gets what they deserve, and I'm gonna be honest, seeing almost comically evil people eat shit just puts a smile on my face. The relationship between Do Jun and his grandfather, hostile at first, turns into one of the most endearing and tooth-rottingly sweet dynamics in the entire show. The acting from both of them is an absolute 10, every scene leaves you wanting for more. To be honest, this entire show would've been an 8 or a 9.

If only the ending didn't stumble onto itself.

I can't even explain why I feel disappointed. Is it all the character development going to waste? All my torn out hairs at the never realized love plot between Do Jun and Min Young that was there to take up time and never went anywhere? The fact that, in the end, the main character everyone was rooting for ends up with the most tragic and saddest conclusion? Episode 16 throws out everything, every aspiration, dream, all the development and the beautifully crafted revenge plot, and turns into a train-wreck that looks conclusive on paper, yet lacking in feeling like a real ending. What was the point in seeing Do Jun rise? Was it really time-travel, one soul living though 2 lives? I don't know, and the show doesn't seem to know either.

If you're going to watch this show, just watch 15 episodes and make up and ending that feels satisfying to you. Trust me, with the final episode you'll be left with more questions than answers, with an added bonus of the feeling of complete frustration.

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An Insult to The Author.

I have created an account for the purpose of writing a review for this series, I haven't a clue, how this sorry excuse of an adaptation has a rating above 8. It is my sincere request to each and every one of you to go and read the Web Novel or for an even better experience, the Webtoon adaptation of the Webnovel, the author of the series and the characters he has written deserve better and I will explain why.

1. The Plot : The problem with the plot is that, in the novel, the MC dies and goes back in time as the son on the Chairman's estranged but his own son he has with his wife. In the drama, since it would be difficult to view the character as someone else, it is made so that this particular grandson had the same face which is Song Joong-ki. The ending is even more disastrous, it is a thorough insult to the author of the Webnovel.

2. Characters: Lee Sung-min as Jin Yang-cheol was perfect, his acting skills had me in awe, but the entire characters, regardless of the casting were no where near as deep as the original work. Jin Yang-cheol is a complete sociopath, he is an indomitable wall, the wall that has defended Soonyang and the general that spear headed it's growth, he is not a vulnerable person and his ability to think rationally and stay calm is what makes him a truly scary character, the essence of Jin Yang-cheol who I would argue is more important to the series than the MC was lost, he was a broken old man in the series. Jin Yang-cheol is feared by his children because they know he would rather take Soonyang to his grave than give it to his children, he wants them to steal it from him, yes 'steal' is the right word and that is how much of a sociopath he is.

The MC is actually a lot smarter, he does not get out maneuvered, he is always steps ahead of his enemies, to make the series feel like a thriller, unnecessary twists and turns were added. The characters in the original work have a deeper story and better development, they don't want Soonyang just because they think "I should be the rightful heir", it gets a lot more complex than that. The original work also has romance, they removed a good portion of it.

I do not claim to be an expert on K-Dramas, but this series, is a complete bastardization of the original work, the author and his hard work has been insulted in my opinion, I could write a lot more, but the more I write the angrier I get. I have nothing but absolute pity and contempt for those who gave this pathetic adaptation anything above a 2 star rating. I implore my fellow audience to look beyond the cast while deciding to rate a series.

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Reborn or repent rich

What I thought would be a typical revenge story with a fantasy twist turned out much more - explaining in detail the complexity of human greed and how it can affect things for better or for worse.

The 1st episode explores the life of a loyal servant of the Soonyang corporation, by the name of Yoon Hyeon-woo, and up to what extent can he extend his loyalty to the corporation. This episode honestly did not made a "splash" for me, even its ending where he "transported" back in time as Jin Do-joon. In fact, there was this brewing bias inside me thinking this kdrama may be not for me, yet at the same time, I also thought "why not?" and just continued to watch the succeeding episodes just for fun.

Starting with episode 2 where in Do-joon (with the mind of Hyeon-woo) would now be able to revenge for his untimely death in the present timeline, it was already obvious how the plot would progress and where does it head to. All of the actions he has done to make the Soonyang empire crumble into pieces although with the expected setbacks but still would be successful due to his meticulous planning with the help of Mason Oh of Miracle Investment, were already predictable yet still thrilling to watch and made my heart pound for a bit. Honestly, I was confused on the financial games and chaebol schemes but was still entertaining to see that he was now slowly achieving his revenge. I thought this kdrama would plateau by episode 10 or 11, with his "inevitable" succession as the new chairman of Soonyang - and in that way, would now be able to achieve his revenge, but then again, I was wrong (and gladly).

It was episode 11 (especially its ending) and the next episodes (up to 15) where the epitome of this kdrama is. It was in this episode where Do-joon/Hyeon-woo's humanity really showed. His relationship with his grandfather, really is the highlight of this show. I would not be exploring details about their "duo" to make this review spoiler-less, but the tough love Do-joon's grandfather gave to him from the preceeding episodes could've made him more focused to do his revenge up to the genuine care Do-joon have for him especially in this part, showcased another side of Do-joon that even greed could not interfere. After all, it was not the grandfather who instigated Hyeon-woo's murder, one could say, yet it is important to know that the Jin Yang-cheol is Soonyang, and Soonyang is him, as what he strongly said even in the peak of his weakness.

Forward to the penultimate episode (its ending) was epic. The "truck of doom" trope of kdramas for this show was already plenty, but this show really leveled up this specific trope, in which I would like to upgrade it to "the sandwich truck of death". I actually gasped at the end of episode, anxiously waiting for the last episode.

After watching the last episode, I mumbled to myself "was that it?", feeling disbelief with what I just watched. I immediately looked for reviews and comments regarding the finale, and was not surprised to see many negative reviews about the ending, with some outright saying the overall show is bad. I actually agree with the comments for the most part, especially with its build-up but just culminating to the rushed hearing part, the unrealistic smoking gun evidence, and the mastermind facing no consequences with what he did (well, I now understand why Seong-joon became crazy) just for the sake of plot convenience.

But with the buzz going on regarding the finale and the show as a whole, I have come up with a different perspective with regard to this "messy" finale. Hyeon-woo, with him being reborn as the youngest heir of the company he spent 20 years being loyal to, now having the knowledge on what would happen in the future while he is on the past timeline, used his new identity to plan his revenge and eventually get said company away from those who instigated his murder from the present timeline, which he actually did. Also at the present timeline, he was now able to repent on his unjust deeds while working at Soonyang (although not properly executed and just plothole alert), and ultimately win at the end, but did he really repent? How about him being an accomplice to the crime that led to Do-joon's death? That's another topic that would deviate away from this review.

As a viewer, I know that the premise of this show is actually about Hyeon-woo and his revenge, thus being reborn as Do-joon. However, I was more invested with Do-joon and his relationship with his grandfather, Yang-cheol, which what was shown for the most part of this kdrama (episodes 2-15), and became its highlight. Him now coming back as Hyeon-woo, then repent(?) and would later get his revenge is the inevitable and logical solution to end a great kdrama, but with all the plot conveniences (the convenient recording from a flip phone in 2004 and evidences to implicit the corporate crimes) and messy execution just to arrive to the end, disappointment is an understatement.

P.S. Min-yeong (and the actress) was severely underutilized in this kdrama. Although I liked that the romance part was not much emphasized here, but her role as prosecutor could've been explored more. She was casted in a main role, but was instead given a supporting role.

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It was the perfect drama until it wasn't.

Let's be short the story on the 15 episodes wasn't a revolution but was good enough, the construction of the world, the revenge, how he accepted his new life, the bittersweet comparation between his past self and his new life, how he missed his old family, sometimes the characters were plain stupid just because, but they were evil so it was fine as we watched them fail and suffer.

The romance was not there just small moments but was fine until ep 15.

The best of the drama is the relationship between Jin Do Jun and his grandfather, is pure gold, it's just perfect and deserves a 10 just for it, the acting was on point even with the child actor was stunning. His family aka brother, mom and dad where wholesome too, as the family he never had.

But the ending ruin everything, they throw away all the development, the dreams, the hard pushed love line, the promise with the grandfather.
JDJ became by far the saddest character in the drama and overall the ending is disappointing, not satisfactory at all.

The first 15 episodes are a worth watching but the last one is plain wrong.

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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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Lazy Writing and Even Lazier Character Arcs

This is going to be a very short and very harsh review. Especially towards Song Joong Gi.

This, in essence, is extremely lazy overall. Everything except the production quality and most of the actors. The screenwriter basically just wrote a drama to give an excuse for the main character to be "cool, clever and smart" when in reality, he's not really none of the above.

Main male character wakes up in the body of the rich son of the rich family he used to work for before his "untimely death", with all the knowledge of what's to come in the future. It's not really difficult to "manipulate" events he already knows how it will play out. He knows the answers to the test. All the while, he's showing off this knowledge as if he's being wildly clever about it all. Boring. Lacks depth. And his only motivation throughout the entire drama is revenge for his own death for the choices he made himself that got him there in the first place. I mean, he worked for this God awful rich family for years and witnessed how ruthless and cold-hearted they can be. Did he really not see the backstabbing coming and thought that his dedicated and loyal years of service would make him any more special than any other "dedicated and loyal employee"? What made him think he was any more important than a disposable paper cup? And then when he dies, he wants revenge despite knowing they were double-crossing, greedy and lying people to begin with. Stupid. Dumb. Shaking my head while contemplating why I wasted hours watching this crap drama.

Sorry but I'm not impressed by Song Joong Gi's picks in dramas or his acting chops. His choices in acting roles are extremely boring and bland. He keeps going for the same "cool and collected" characters that are mega-macho-masculine with no real depth to their personality except to look cool while doing it all. Maybe he actually has some acting talent but he keeps picking the same roles over and over again so I can't tell until he picks more interesting roles. Now, whenever I see a drama with Song Joong Gi as the main, I immediately pass.

The only saving grace is Lee Sung Min who is a fantastic actor with versatile talent and picks interesting roles, unlike Song Joong Gi. Lee Sung Min was half the reason why I watched this drama. The other half was me naively thinking there would be some big cool mysterious twist but it played out exactly how I thought it would, except the ending. The way they tried to make sense of a doppelganger paradox does not make sense. Writer basically was hoping that the audience were all unintelligent dumbasses and accept their lazy-ass writing.

I will not apologize and am not sorry for this review. This drama was awful. Writing sucked balls. Song Joong Gi was extremely tedious to watch. And ending was.......well, just no words.

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Interesting story until.......

The story started nicely , not some incredible story but was well made , the character development , there is some bad writing regarding couple characters it appears they change their minds along the way and just did not bother to do anything interesting with them mainly Seo Min Young and her relationship with Jin Do Joon as well as Mo Hyun Min poor writing both characters but anyway the thing were quite interesting till the end of episode 15 , the last episode literally scraps all the events and story from episode 2 to 15 , i never seen that before , basically i have lost valuable time watching a story that never got anywhere, what a pile of trash.
I noticed that with many K-drama screenwriters the tend to mess up the final episode in many series .

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