Reborn: Saigo no Hero (2026)

"People can change completely depending upon the circumstances"

Takahashi Issei playing a dual role was all the motivation I needed to watch Reborn. The drama had an interesting premise but failed to capitalize on it for most of the episodes. While Issei was fascinating to watch as two different characters, much of the story failed to engage me.

Neo Kosei began working in relief organizations gaining a good reputation. He propelled that quickly into a corporation that capitalized on others' misfortunes. He comforted himself by saying that the sacrifice of a few gave greater gains to the many. (I kept hearing a quote regarding Ebenezer Scrooge going through my head during this drama. "I have seen your nobler aspirations fall off one by one, until the master passion, Gain, engrosses you," Belle from A Christmas Carol.) When Neo takes a tumble down a temple staircase, he awakens in the body of Nomoto Eito in 2012, who coincidentally looks just like Neo. Eito was supposed to have died in an accident and yet now Neo is walking around in his body and part of the Akari Shopping Street that Neo had destroyed in 2026. Eito/Neo finds himself competing against himself as he tries to save the Akari shopkeepers and gain his old life back. Despite Eito/Neo’s attempts to change the future, the alley and his own life seem on a collision course with the known future and terrible price to pay.

As I said, the premise is worthy of a drama. The problem was the implementation. Chiefly, the shopkeepers weren’t well written. There were three that were often in the shot but rarely called by name. Most came across as amiable but financially incompetent and worse kept electing Eito’s dad, the financially inept Eiji, as chairperson or president. He was maddeningly bad with money and relied on himself instead of Eito/Neo which repeatedly made the situations go from bad to worse. There was a reason the street was failing. Eito’s love interest was kept hanging for 14 years which stretched the bounds of credulity. To top it off, the ending was unsatisfying and left numerous questions unanswered. If not for Takahashi Issei I would have rated this lower but gave it a .5 bump for him. Watchable, but frustrating.

16 June 2026

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Perfect from Beginning to End

This series was very enjoyable and had a very refreshing take on the reborn storylines. It did a great job grabbed my attention. The script did an interestingly good job at setting up the key points of the storyline. It also did an incredible job connecting the events and characters from the two alternative timelines. All the storylines, including the romantic ones, had a nice even pace. I normally hate this type of story element, but this is a good example how and why you should use a time jump. It was also done in a very creative way. I have a minor beef with the very end of the series, but it made sense with all things considered. The whole cast did a phenomenal job bringing their characters to life. Kudos to Takahashi Issei for playing two different versions of one character. I would imagine it’s not easy play a character that was reborn as someone else and then pretend to be that person but still have to portray the other person’s personality. Another incredible element was the perfect editing, cinematography, and music.

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