Reborn Rich

One of a kind

I don't think I've watched a KDrama that's so heavily focused on economics, historical events and finance this good. There's never a boring moment throughout the drama. When it comes to succession dramas, often times, you'll see a lot of internal politics drama but this one is different. I'm not saying that there's no internal politics, but you get to see the thinking process behind business decisions and also good strategies. There are so many mentions of real historical events and how they have impacted businesses in Korea which is one of the highlights of the drama for me.

I read an article somewhere comparing the plot of this drama with the Samsung's succession drama as well. Long story short, the founder of Samsung, similar to Jin Yang Cheol in the drama, planned to let his eldest son become the successor but the son wasn't really business savvy so he changed his mind and led to a series of events surrounding power fight within the family. I always have a soft spot for dramas which have elements inspired by true events because you can help but think "so it does happen in real life".

Parts I really love:
1. The whole part of how Jin Do Joon took advantage of his knowledge of events to make investment decisions.
2. Jin Do Joon's relationship with Oh Se Hyun. It's really funny how they became such trusty partners after a donut incident in the US.
3. All the details put into business and investment strategies. Is it because Do Joon could see the future? He could confidently make decisions and at the same time make logical sense out of them.

The one part of the drama which I really dislike is Seo Min Young. Sometimes, I feel like the writers wrote her in just to give the actress something to do.

My opinion on the ending:
I see a lot of comments complaining how "ridiculous" the ending is. If you guys have been watching the drama from episode 1, you should know that historical events cannot be changed. Remember when Do Joon tried to save Hyun Woo's mother? He did all sorts of things to avoid her death but she died anyway. In actual fact, Do Joon didn't get to survive the accident. Isn't already expected that at some point, Do Joon will die? Probably because we have been too attached with Do Joon throughout the drama, it is quite upsetting that they have killed off our main character.

There are parts that don't quite make sense to me though. I couldn't for the life of me, figure out the age thing. 20 years had passed since Do Joon died and Hyun Woo still looked the same? How old was he then, when he survived the gunshot? How did he survive the gunshot to the head in the first place?

All in all, I highly recommend this drama. The only reason why I rated this 8.5 is only because other than Jin Do Joon and Jin Yang Cheol, other characters seem to be a little lacking.

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14 Filler episodes

So basically episode 2 - 15 is filler.

How did Do-Jun have knowledge of the future? Why didn't the future change? Why didn't he prepare for the death like he prepared for everything else? Why didn't Do-Jun help his poor family when he had enough money to do so? Surely after nearly dying with has Grand Father he would be smart enough to have better security. But also, how did Hyun-woo record the phone call in like 2005? Why didn't the manager just hang up the phone after talking to Hyun-woo?

Is it worth watching 15 good episodes just to be extremely disappointed and dissatisfied with a horrible ending? Maybe. But it will leave you questioning if it was worth it.

Many plot holes. Story should have gone the same way as the novel. It was still entertaining but it could have been A LOT better. Ending ruined it for me in my opinion.

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Gripping!!

Full of twists and turns....you think you've got the story figured out, you think it's predictable, then bam!....something unexpected changes with the storyline. This one kept me glued to the screen. Amazing writing, amazing cast, and well produced. You think you're watching a storyline about getting revenge, but it's so much deeper and more meaningful, only you won't realize it until you watch it to the very end. One of the best laid out and thought out plot lines I've seen in quite awhile. The kind of drama that has South Korean entertainment taking over the world. I highly recommend this series. Congrats to all the cast and crew on this one!!

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Some people don’t get time travel. Please let me break down this brilliant drama.

Here is my head talk and concluding comments from the excellent Korean drama YSOAG/Reborn Rich, as I watched the finale in Episode 16. Contains Spoilers.

Quote: Revenge is for those with power, and not for those who have been wronged.

I had to rewind the first six minutes of episode 16 three times before I noticed the name of the guy on the passport was not Conglomerate grandson Jin Do Jun. Jin Do Jun had reverted back to the future/present to Yoon Hyun-woo. It happened so quickly that I was dazed and confused.

Yoon Hyun-woo went back in time to right two wrongful deaths, his and that of Jin Do Jun. He was not able to save one.

Yoon Hyun-woo used the secrets of History and Business of the future to get ahead in business in the past, when he was reborn rich. Then Yoon Hyun-woo/Jin Do Jun used the secrets of the past to right the wrongs in the future/present for the sins of the past.

Yoon Hyun-woo was still in love with the Prosecutor Seo Min-young when he changed out from Jin Do Jun to Yoon Hyun-woo. The Prosecutor Seo Min-young saved him from jail in the past and saved him from jail in the future/present.

Yoon Hyun-woo/Jin Do Jun still turned to “donut man” Oh Se-hyeon/Mason Oh for help and business wisdom in the future/present.

The timeline connection broke at the death of Jin Do Jun. Therefore, it threw out a “time correction”, as the history met up with the future/present.

Song Joong Ki gave a great performance. There was incredible acting by most all of the cast. Great acting ran deep.

Wow! Yoon Hyun-woo was an unintentional accomplice in the murder of the Conglomerate grandson Jin Do Jun. He was dispensable from the start, when it came to the Conglomerates. After the death of Jin Do Jun, Yoon Hyun-woo was offered a job at Soonyang, even though he was not qualified. He got a high position at Soonyang with just a High School degree. Payoff. It becomes significant then that Yoon Hyun-woo always was that smart. He did well in the University while he was in the past as Jin Do Jun. If Yoon Hyun-woo could have stayed at the University in the future/present, he might have been great on his own. He left the University and his studies to support his family.

The Prosecutor saved Yoon Hyun-woo from death in the present. That was not fully explained how.

Yoon Hyun-woo was endearing to and fond of his two mothers (birth mother and adopted mother in the past), as if there were two people inhabiting his body.

The old company Jin Do Jun founded, Miracle Investments, did not change out his desk for over 20 years after his death. That blue computer on his desk looked like an E One. It was still there.


Getting down to business. . . . I am sorry that this drama is over.

A mainstay feature of the “Korean discount” is avoiding inheritance tax, due to Conglomerate Succession .

In the present day, Donut Man Oh Se-hyeon/Mason Oh tries to beat the Conglomerate system, getting around the Conglomerate Succession position by consolidating minority shareholders into a voting block. These shareholders are the ones who do not vote, because they think that their small vote is meaningless. However, together they tried to form a voting block through the shareholder’s solidarity conference.

Conglomerate owner’s can save billions in inheritance tax [at 38- minute episode 16. See article below]. The hope of Donut Man was to strip management of their rights through the voting block. The little guy against the big guy. The block gave the minority shareholders power over the Conglomerate, because of the huge power of the solidarity voting block. Famous last words of the Conglomerate, “Ignore David. We are Goliath”. Round one went to Goliath. Management secretly paid off the minority shareholders, who were easily swayed by gifted money. In round two, Donut Man went after bigger fish. Round one flushed out the one who was the owner of the slush fund and who killed the YSOAG.

The Conglomerate Firstborn Son planted evidence at the scene of Jin Do Jun’s murder/accident to make it look like his own son killed Jin Do Jun. Was it the father, who then bargained away his jail time and placed it on his son?

By being forced to live in the body of the one he helped kill, Yoon Hyun-woo developed empathy and compassion for Conglomerate grandson Jin Do Jun.

YSOAC WAS FIXATED ON CHANGING THE RULE OF CONGLOMERATE SECESSION. They believed that this rule really hurt business in the long run.

Quote: When I first met Do Jun seven years ago, the young man who was still in his teens said he’d buy Soonyang. I should tell you why I risked my whole career to move to Korea based on that absurd statement. On the New York Stock Exchange, if companies are at similar levels and one is Korean, it goes for a lower price, because of the Korean Discount rule. Then you must also know the reason why there is a Korea Discount. It is because of the Conglomerate succession rule. Business is conducted like selecting a national team of athletes based solely on whether the parents of the candidates were medal winner. Regardless of how competitive the candidates are. Management ability isn’t something that is genetically passed down in the family. We at at Miracle Investments want to show this reasoning to the Korean Market. (They believed that it was hurting Korean business in general).

Repartee between donut man and the second son at time 27-30 minutes in episode 15. In a nutshell, this appears to me to be the basis of this drama. A commentary on Conglomerate Success and how it can be detrimental to business and society.

Quote: It was not about possession or Time Travel. It was about repentance.

In the end, Yoon Hyun-woo did not get the girl, but inherited Jin Do Jun’s business and the sense of business. The Universe was righted.

€€€

Following the death of Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho last week, the inheritance tax his bereaved family will have to pay is in the spotlight, with estimates suggesting as much as 200 billion won ($175 million).

According to analysts, the lofty taxes could shrink the owner family’s stake. However, they also note that it is unlikely, reminding that the high inheritance tax rate is actually what drives the obsessive culture of family-monopolized management among conglomerates here.

[News Analysis] High inheritance tax fuels chaebol monopoly

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A Brilliant Story Ruined By Its Ending

The relationship between Do Jun and his grandfather was the soul of the drama. There was no need for a romance angle for the ML. Moreover, I did not feel the chemistry between the actors. The romance angle felt forced to me. I enjoyed the dynamics in the Korean Chaebol shown in the drama. The actors did a good job. The screenplay was nice and I loved the addition of showing real key historical events to mark the timeline in the drama. The ending felt like coming from another universe, as I at first did not understand where that episode came from. I, as a viewer, felt cheated by that horrible ending. But if I leave that last episode out, it was a brilliantly executed drama.

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Reborn Rich (2022) - it was an ease watching this drama since it just flows. I’m satisfied with the whole drama but I felt like the love story in the drama is just a filler, and nothing special, I didn’t feel any spark whatsoever between them. I like that the drama revolves around the main lead and his victories more compared to his failures. I’m satisfied with the ending since I could really use my imagination to understand how it all turned out. There are just a lot of characters in the drama but it's fine as long as you really follow through with the drama.

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Intrigante. Cast eccezionale

Storia ben costruita con tanti colpi di scena.
cast eccezionale soprattutto il protagonista e il nonno, veramente carismatici!
Non è proprio il mio genere, con la parte romantica sempre in disparte, ma in sé la storia incentrata su giochi di poteri è molto intrigante e tiene col fiato sospeso in ogni puntata.
interessante come nessuno dei protagonisti abbia tratti completamenti cattivi o completamente buoni. Basti pensare al nonno, certamente non giusto, avido e pronto a far di tutto per la sua societá, che per sua stessa ammissione è il figlio a cui tiene di piú... eppure non si riesce a non simpatizzare per lui.


SPOILER:


Il finale é sicuramente inaspettato: il giusto coronamento di un ciclo, un ricollegamento e una conclusione per entrambe le due vite del protagonista. Ció che lo rende sorprendente é che il drama di vendetta si trasformi in una storia di perdono verso se stessi, di espiazione.
Mi ha lasciato un po' l'amaro in bocca, pensare che la vita di Jin Do Joon sia finita cosí, ma la vita non ti permette mai una seconda possibilitá e il passato non si puó cambiare, bisogna solo accettare le nostre responsabilitá.

L'unico dubbio che persiste è come sia possibile che Jin Do Joon e Yoon Hyun Woo abbiano lo stesso volto e nessuno se ne renda conto...? o forse noi vediamo la sua anima?🤔

P.S. Come in molti altri drama coreani, la parte fantasy, non viene spiegata e viene lasciata a libera interpretazione del pubblico.
Ma, che sia una divinità o un dio, che opera con cognizione di causa , o un'entità o il tempo, che gioca con i nostri destini, alle volte, non fa bene all'anima sperare che qualcosa intervenga per riportare giustizia? Che ci venga permesso di riparare ai torti subiti e fare ammenda con noi stessi?

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A Riveting Rise Undone by Its Ending

Reborn Rich is an incredibly engaging and gripping drama that keeps you hooked from the very first episode. The highlight of the series is the powerful grandfather–grandson bond, which adds emotional depth and weight to the story. Their dynamic is intense, layered, and fascinating to watch, making every confrontation and quiet moment equally compelling.
The plot is smart, fast-paced, and addictive, with twists that make it hard to stop watching. However, the only disappointing part was the last two episodes, which felt weaker compared to the brilliance of the rest of the drama. The ending would have been far more satisfying if it had stayed true to the webtoon’s conclusion.
Despite that, Reborn Rich remains one of the best dramas overall,gripping, memorable, and absolutely worth watching.

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Worth a watch

LIKE

When Young Ki drinks his hot soup - I’m in tears.. it's an acknowledgment from Yang Cheol

How Hyun Woo "foresees" the future and plays around with it

When Dong Gi throws a tantrum when he was scammed - that scene was so childish and funny I love this Ahjusshi

DISLIKE

My first impression was why the Jin family members are all sooo old then I realised.. lolol

Though there was some plot twist to why Ha In Suk saved Do Jun but nothing was explained

MUSIC - personal fav

Gravity - Jong Ho
Mother - Shin Yong Jae
I Love You - Seo Da Hyun
Like a Star - Moon Sua
In the End - Kim Woo Jin

REWATCH VALUE

Five for now

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“I must live. I will survive no matter what and find the answer.” – Jin Do Jun.

to make this note short, the beginning and the middle part of the story seems very interesting. But the latter part of the story seems to be off guard. should I say it was kinda rushed? i think some would also say that. But what I liked is how the connection of the soonyang's former chairman, yang cheol and his youngest grandson who would be be the next chairman of soonyang, do joon. I think what it makes me get interest in watching this drama is because song joong ki was part of this drama. The plot was very promising, with time lamps or fantasy-like with politics. Some parts of the drama made me confused since I don't really get interested of watching political kdrama. I get to research terms for me to understand and know, and such.

For the cast, it seems that most of them were surprisingly good enough to portray the characters that they were assigned. Love the connection (again) with some of the main leads, but not interested by the endgame of do joon and min young 20 years before hyun woo incarnated as do joon in the 90's and deeply learned the overall family tree of soonyang motors with the embezzlements and illegal founds made by the grandson of the former chairman of the company. Even if some of the casts were unfamiliar, but few of them are so familiar since I watched them during their 2021 to this year's projects. Like Song Joong Ki, obviously. Including Jo Han Chul which I last saw him from Vincenzo, same as Song Jong Ki's former castmates, park hyuk kwon, park ji hyun, kang gi doong and jo hye hoo as she was known from some other web dramas.

Overall, this drama was pretty interesting from the beginning, except the last episode seems to be too rushed. There were times it was something that I get to learn from this drama.

Recommended, good for binge watch but expect to takes so much time since its pretty long for some episodes. Not beginner friendly I guess. Looking forward to the casts!!! Song Joong Ki, SARANGHAEYOOO!

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