Youngest Son of a Conglomerate (2022)

Impressive Cast, Addictive Story

As someone who loves Korean dramas and the HBO show Succession, Reborn Rich felt like a KDrama version of that show with a fantasy/reincarnation twist and I absolutely loved it!

This show did extremely well with viewers in South Korea and it's easy to see why, There is the chaebol revenge plot, the reincarnation/fantasy element, re-living recent Korean history with actual news clips from the time (allowing viewers to go "hey I remember that"), and of course a cast full of familiar faces all giving strong performances. I will say give this show until the end of episode 3 if you're on the fence as the first two episodes (while enjoyable for me) are not really indicative of what the rest of the drama is going to be.

There are a few elements of this drama where you need to not think too hard about what you're seeing on screen and just take what the show is giving you without question so you don't get annoyed or taken out of the story. Think actors playing the same characters over a 30 year span but with minimal changes to their appearance or a two year real life age difference between actors playing a father and son. These things can become distracting if you let them, but if you just accept the absurdity of it early on you'll be fine for the rest of the show.

I'm sure lots of people here will watch for Song Joong Ki, and he does quite well, but for the most part it's not really a juicy role for him (although when more emotional scenes are required he can certainly deliver). Lee Sung Min gets the meaty role as the patriarch of the family, Jin Yang Cheol, and absolutely steals every scene he's in. From his voice to his posture to the way he looks at others, it's amazing! He makes a character who is quite unlikeable the best part of the show. He also has excellent chemistry with Song Joong Ki and Kim Kang Hoon who plays the younger version of SJK's character.

The supporting case is excellent as well, all familiar faces if you watch kdramas and some in roles very different from what I've seen them in previously. A warning though, if you are looking for romance this is NOT the drama for you. There is minimal romance and the female lead's role is not as large as Shin Hyun Bin's high billing would suggest, but that didn't really annoy me as her role fit in nicely to the narrative.

When I watch shows like this I know I'm not going to understand all the business terms that they throw around but this show does a good job of helping you along so you at least always know who/what you're rooting for. These business and succession plans, while potentially boring to some people, for me, resulted in both moments of great tension and moments of great satisfaction. You'll know fairly early on if you'll find this engaging or boring.

I didn't mind the ending, although I can understand why people had a problem with it, I thought it fit the drama well, but be warned odds are you may not be as okay with it as I was. The area where I did have a complaint was when there would be a scene from Hyun Woo's life thrown in as a flashback; I thought the director didn't make it clear enough what the viewer was seeing. The few times this occurred I was so confused trying to figure out what was happening until I realized I was looking at Hyun Woo, not Do Joon.

Overall an excellent drama (with one of my favourite opening credit sequences) that kept me on my toes and entertained throughout its run. A great drama to end 2022 on!

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Amazing series, interesting ending.

First of all let me start by saying that I was waiting each week for new episodes and I don't really watch weekly shows, this show was gripping, tense and entertaining. This show answers the question to basically "If I had privilege and knew the future what would happen" in a realistic way.

Its smartly written, characters are interesting and it never derailed from the main story with romance or comedy. I loved it. It handles family relationships in a great way as well, I loved the relationship between the MC and the grandfather, it was such a journey. I think it has to be one of my favourite relationships in any kdrama.

I think the chairman grandfather Jin Yang-choel (played by Lee Sung-min) carries the show, yes Song Joong-ki is amazing and the MC but every scene that Lee was in I was amazed. I hope he gets a few awards for his performance cause he's the MVP of this show for me.

Last episode is interesting, I will not spoil it but its interesting. I'd say don't read any reviews that mentions anything that happens in the last episode, just skip it.

I'd recommend this series to easily anyone who enjoys serious shows.

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Absolutely trashy ending

The end of the show makes you disappointed , sad , cheated and complexly frustrated.
They just made the fool of the audience who invested time , money and most importantly their feelings with the show.
This show is a revenge story with a super amazing plots and twists and keeps you on the hook for 15 episodes, the excitement reaches to sky level on hoping how amazing the ending will be but the writers disappoint you so terribly that you just want to bang your head.
The show would be enough if you watch episode 1 and episode 16, the 14 episodes in between are total waste, have no significance what so ever in the journey .After watching the final episode you keep asking what is even the meaning of showing the awesome bonding between grand father and grand son. The ending totally killed and disqualified the whole process.
so many questions and so many leftovers , either the writer go lazy or it is the classic case of starting/thinking this amazing/intriguing plot but not knowing what to do or how to deal with it. The writers got buried under their own weight by not able to figure out answer of the question they created.

Yes, song jong ki is amazing , he always is , the guy playing grand father is excellent and all the other characters were also good , music nothing to talk about ,the love story was never in the forefront but the bland acting of female lead made it non existent .

final verdict - Watch only if you are fan of SJK.

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Very unique!

Finally finished the show. The first episode felt very convoluted to me and I skipped it, read the summary here, and moved to the 2nd episode. I am glad I skipped to the second episode because the pace & story from ep2 to 2p14 is brilliant. The plot is well made and very unique. (I did feel I was missing some information in the last 2 episodes due to missing ep1 though, but it wasn't significant.)

Acting: The actor Joong-ki is amazing. He plays an old guy so well, but he looks so young. It is jarring at times, truly! It feels real! Then other times he looks his age when he looks at his mom, amazing actor and direction. This was my first show of this actor and I have now watched Vincenzo. I have to say, Vincenzo walked so RebornRich could run. Lee SungMin is great as well. I also loved HyukKwon, JungNan, etc. They all did a great job.

Romance: HyunBin, I can't believe she is credited as "Main Role". There are very few scenes of her, and most of them are so dull, I skipped them. The "romance" is completely irrelevant to the plot. They have no chemistry here. The other female characters in the show are so well-made (Kim Hyun, JiHyun, etc.) I don't know why this character is so boring. I think romance wasn't required at all. The other male-female relationships fit the theme much better (everybody was selfish.) The only interesting scene of this character is in ep16. What was the point of this character?

Story & Pace: The pace is amazing from the second episode. I not only didn't speed it up- at times, I actually slowed down or rewatched to understand what happened. The twists are amazingly well thought. Most characters are grey and till the end, you won't be able to trust anybody. I could never guess what the next twist would be- because nobody is loyal here to anything but money. It really does remind me of corporate world, very real. The writers are very smart people. It is a 2022 masterpiece for sure. Must watch.

Ending: The episodes 15 and 16 scrambled my brain. Ep15 was a lot to take in, I was a little confused. But I guess that is what worked for this story. Once the "goal" was accomplished, they wrapped up stuff in the other timeline. I will say ep16 is better- I did feel a sort of melancholy for the character, which I felt he deserved. He loses family, friends, etc. So the suffering is worth it, in a way. So, I was satisfied by the end. I think the writers did a great job for such a fantastical storyline.

Definitely a must watch.

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This Drama is Fire

Loved this, at first I wasn't quite sure if this was the drama for me when I watched the first episode. It really picked up after the second episode when the storyline turns to the rebirth. While rich vs poor and rebirth themes aren't new or ground breaking, this drama takes these themes and runs with it. It excels in the plotting, acting, character analysis, and storyline development. It's also deeply satisfying to see a down and out underdog who was murdered come back as the grandson of a chaebol family. He plots his way to one up his rebirth family with his intelligence and knowledge of the future. Schemes abound, everyone is vying for the grandfather's favor and the keys to the throne. The dirty inner workings of chaebol families is exposed, the plays for dynastic wealth and power play out like Joseon royal family succession politics. It's appalling, vicious, juicy, and scandalous all at once. I like how the drama develops the relationship between the ML grandson and the grandfather, the grandfather initially views the grandson with curiosity, then suspicion but starts to recognize his talent and his abilities which by far outpaces his other potential heirs. It becomes a chess match between the grandson and grandfather, the suspense is not knowing who will checkmate who.

A round of applause for the actors and actresses of this drama and how engaging they were in their roles, the child actor who plays the grandson with the soul of murdered ML did a wonderful job. It was my first time watching the ML in a drama, he's super popular and he lives up to his acting reputation in this drama.

A very good watch.

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Reborn Rich explained

The title “Reborn Rich” was not about Yoon Hyun Woo being re-born as Jin Do Joon. It was about Jin Do Joon being reborn as Yoon Hyun Woo and becoming rich!

1. Yoon Hyun Woo did not die, he was in a coma for 1 week. He can not be reborn at all.

2. When Jin Do Joon died in the 2nd car crash, Jin Do Joon was reborn as Yoon Hyun Woo. Who later became rich.

3. The “Timeline 2” did not exist. As Yoon Hyun Woo said so himself that it was not time travel, nor possession. It was a repentance for both Jin Do Joon and Yoon Hyun Woo.

Everything else happened, other than the small changes (he was just recalling a previous life he should not be able to recall at all, that's why there were small changes), exactly the way it did.

“Reborn Rich” also meant being a new person, rich with values.

“Reborn Rich” also meant being reborn as a new person after his brush with death, and coming out of the coma (was “reborn”).

Re: Repentance
1. As Yoon Hyun Woo, this is his repentance because he chose money over reporting the murder.

2. As Jin Do Joon, it is his repentance because he did do things he shouldn't, he actually became his grandfather in the end.

When Jin Do Joon was reborn as Yoon Hyun Woo, it was his chance to repent as Jin Do Joon (previous life) and as Yoon Hyun Woo (present life).

In the end, Yoon Hyun Woo became part of Miracle, the company he founded in his previous life as Jin Do Joon.

That was one heck of a story twist. Totally unexpected.

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The best K drama of this genre ever seen

I mean what's not to like from casting to acting to the story it was so awesome I mean I seeing the main leads shows from decendents of the sun and he has knack of choosing so good scripts which are based on the personality of the character and can be perfect if a good actor is choosen I mean whenever the ML won something I also laughed evily with him I like these types where you have so much twist and turns that laugh in shock that how did it Changed like this 😂 in the most episodes i was laughing like that. But the ending was not satisfying as I expected I mean it did justice and solved all the mysteries there were but it's just cliche of me thinking as a typical k drama where the ML gets everything and his love 💕

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Great WWE between siblings of wealthy family

"Poor people fight for food and money; rich people fight for the throne and power."

1)Song Joong-ki is nearly 40 years old, and the creators are using CGI and VFX to make him appear to be 20. Does this mean a 40-year-old man will play a high school student if he can play a 20-year-old college student? What can I say about this?
2) is it really about righteous?? because he wants to buy Ajin motors because his dad works there, he want know about lab science coz mom from previous life loss money and committed suicide. Tbh actually he want to take revenge for his parents and why they killed him. meanwhile he is talking about righteous then he should have bought every other company to save the workers, he didn't care about Hando steel and their workers as well. But he is so selfish he didn't care about other company yet he believe in righteous

A mere guy with no background went on to become manager of a top company, but he doesn't get any respect despite his hard work. still do his work, from fixing toilets to managing a branch of the company. Nobody supports him when his peers disparage him. He discovered something one day and reported it to the new chairman, who sent him abroad on business. But he is murdered, and it is unclear why this could happen to a second- or third-generation member of the Soonyang family. Here comes the twist: this time he was born as the grandson of the founder of Soonyang Group. The times go way back. The real story now begins. Every member of the Soonyang family is suspect. This is only about the first episode; for the rest, you'll have to watch the series to find out what happens.

The story is the foundation of the film and series. In this case, the author has done an decent job even though this series have all elements, such as thriller, suspense, family war, inside stories of conglomerate families, power struggles, and many more still fucking twat is binded by selfishness about his parents only not about other millions public. I have seen brothers fighting for wealth from an ultra-rich family in court, but we never get the real story of wealthy families, and you can imagine this and enjoy it. This story provides a realistic view of a wealthy family. What is there to say about Song Joong Ki? He is a gem of Hallyu cinema. His dramas are always fucking good. Still, I didn't like the way they made him young. In terms of other aspects, this drama is good enough to watch. This drama takes me back to the 1980s, an era I'd rather be a part of than the current generation X.

My personal opinion about the story of this drama
I'm not sure why I think this drama is inspired by the Samsung Group. So many realities and characters are shared by members of the Samsung Group's family. We may not have the inside scoop, but we can use the disclaimer to create a series. Even though the founder of Samsung Group began his business with distribution, as depicted in the series, the founder of Soonyang Group began his business with trucking. One of the Samsung Group members was married to the well-known Korean actress Go Hyung Jung. Park Ji Hyun, an actress, appears to be the hotel's oldest daughter, or CEO, and the daughter of chairman Lee Kun-hee. Damn, I have a gut feeling that this series is an unofficial biography series based on the Samsung Group with a revenge twist.

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"I have three extra things in my heart... greed, suspicion and betrayal.”

Reborn Rich is a social satire of the upper class with a satisfying regression and makjang twist. It has quickly become one of the highest-rated dramas in South Korean cable history, alongside Sky Castle and The World of the Married.

PLOT & CHARACTERS:

Yoon Hyun Woon is a high school graduate who's forced to become the loyal dog that handles the dirty deeds for the Soonyang conglomerate to climb the corporate ladder. He's then murdered and reincarnated as the youngest grandson, Jin Do Joon, of the very same family that enslaved him. Rather than placating his newfound rich grandfather for a meager share of the inheritance, he holds the ambition of buying out Soonyang as revenge. What ensues is a thrilling and intense battle of wits as Doo Joon entraps his relatives by using their own insatiable greed and ulterior motives against them.

Through the ruthless succession conflicts, we not only see the degradation of society but also the salvaged shreds of humanity that are left. While Do Joon has to master the art of "greed, suspicion and betrayal" in his quest for vengeance, he still maintains a bottom line to protect the interests of those he cares about. He's not exactly the hero type, but he can get the job done in the most spectacular (and unconventional) way without resorting to illegal means. Each episode is filled with unexpected plot twists and crazy cliffhangers that keep you on the edge of your seat. It's interesting how there's no singular villain since every member of the Jin family is a culpable suspect.

However, my favourite part has to be Do Joon's relationship with his grandfather. Jin Yang Cheol is a complex character that's hard to love, or hate. He's a shrewd and cynical businessman who's built his empire upon draconian and often unethical practices. Yet he's hit with a dilemma, whether to pass his entire fortune to his oldest son's line or the one who resembles him and can make Soonyang grows the most. On the surface, Do Joon is his head-on rival. But at a much deeper level, Yang Cheol regards him as his favourite grandson, someone who genuinely cares about his welfare and business ideology.

CAST & PRODUCTION:

Behind every great show is a spectacular cast, and this is no different. Song Joong Ki is a surprising yet very fitting choice for the lead role. I love how he can quickly switch from the playful college student into the cut-throat gangster when he's about to 'negotiate' a deal. I guess it's a great balance between his character in Vincenzo and Descendants of the Sun. Plus, the turtleneck and baggy jeans definitely add to the Steve-Job entrepreneur vibe as well. I really like his chemistry with Shin Hyun Bin who plays the female lead. She certainly has a makeover from the sleep-deprived surgeon in Hospital Playlist into a feisty and stylish prosecutor.

Lee Sung Min is definitely a force to reckon with. As a veteran actor, he pulls off the mean and hard-to-please expression of Jin Yang Cheol extremely well. As the powerful head of the Soonyang Corporation and Jin family, he's supposed to be the most commanding presence in the room. It's not until the later episodes that we get to see glimpses of a softer and perhaps more vulnerable Jin Yang Cheol when he's with Do Joon, his favourite grandson. The rest of the Jin family is very well cast. They're each greedy, entitled and scandalous in their own way.

OVERALL:

While the plot and characters have been exaggerated for entertainment purposes, the drama still contains many real-life events that make it quite a nostalgic watch, especially for South Koreans. It's refreshing to see Do Joon walking us through the IMF Crisis, the South Korean team in the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals, Seo Taiji and Boys' disbandment, and the list goes on. There have also been suggestions that the drama also drew inspiration from the current political landscape in South Korea, with the omnipotent status of conglomerates and 'chaebols'.

Reborn Rich is a masterpiece in its own right. It's a perfect combination of fantasy, business, family and revenge themes that somehow has a duality to it. Dramatic and shocking yet still very humane.

FAVOURITE QUOTES:

“I guess I’m like you [his grandfather]. I have three extra things in [my heart]. They’re full of greed, suspicion, and betrayal.” Jin Do Joon

“When you bring up a servant, you mustn’t give him great housing and a full stomach... Because he’ll begin to think that he’s the master… Righteous management? To me, money is righteousness.” Jin Yang Cheol

“The day that he defies me, it won’t matter if he’s my family or not.” Jin Yang Cheol

“The two things a fighter has no use for are his appendix and compassion. Sympathy! You cannot afford to drag such useless emotions to war. It’ll only weigh you down. ” Jin Yang Cheol

“I know he wouldn’t hesitate to sell me if he could buy Soonyang. If he tramples all over me to go forward, there will be nothing he can’t do. Only then can he protect Soonyang.” Jin Yang Cheol

“Being born a servant was not my choice. But I could choose the owner to serve.” Jin Yang Cheol's secretary

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What a surprise that was!

Will start with the story
Very gripping and new to me (and I’m a filmoman!) - and surprisingly, it felt fresh and new. I didn’t see the twist with the second car crash coming. The way the story came together in ep15 was brilliant.
Slightly cheesy romantic end, but they made it very quick and lasted the only 5mins at the end of ep16, so easily digestible.
Acting -absolutely fabulous! Tight, on point and beautiful delivered. I’d have loved to see more behind the scenes and enjoy the process!
I hope all of them are paid well - some supporting actors played the same charecters I’ve seen them play before , but as the back line was so busy, this didn’t spoil the joy of watching.
If there is something that annoyed me, was the SJK outfits - I mean who was in charge of these??
Apart from that, concentrating on their faces, and you will be taken for a great ride!

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A sagacious revenge tale ruined by the ending

I don’t think anyone would be reading a review of this Show for a precis of the plot by this stage. I shall stick to some key observations and my conclusion.

1. This is the Goldilocks role for Song Joong-ki. The production has to use some serious filtering to make him look like a young man because of his real age. They did well but it did take me out of immersion a few times.

2. The whole soul swapping device is pure fantasy and the Show never bothered to explain its rationale. The Show went to town with the time travel motif as well and left no stone unturned. The ML loves to weaponize historical events as part of his various schemes. It can be entertaining and fun to spot the historical references.

3. The interactions between Do-jun and his grandfather are highlights for me. They are fighters who have a mutual love and respect for each other. The old man accepts the thrown gauntlet from his grandson with glee. We lost that spark when Jin Sr passed and the subterfuges become more grubby and less machiavellian.

4. The romance of our leads is ill conceived. They have little chemistry, and their progress felt laboured and frankly perplexing.
To be fair, the machinations in the early stages are both engaging and clever but it gets old after a while as it is the only game in town.

Like all good things . . . the end cometh for us all! Oh, how cruel are the drama gods!

While the Show’s ending works on a basic level and pulls most of the threads together it also opens up a Pandora's box of contrivances and inexplicable plot holes. Thus exposing some seriously questionable writing.

A) The ending basically undo what the ML has worked tirelessly towards for 17 years. He was at the cusp of claiming total victory and winning back the FL when he was murdered. Why, sweet Petunia, why? Most viewers would expect the show to just keep moving along that well plotted trajectory and use the last episode for some much-needed fan service.

B) How did Hyeon-Woo survives being shot by a hitman at point-blank range, falling down a high cliff and drowning in the pounding surf? Each event can and should be fatal and yet he survived all three. He spends one week in a coma and walks out of the hospital with barely a scar. Is he immortal?

C) Do-jun's timeline and Hyeon-Woo’s is separated by twenty years. Just before Do-jun was killed, both Jin brothers were being investigated for criminal acts. What happened to those investigations? What about Do-jun’s death? Is the FL that incompetent?

D) The aging and de-aging of the main characters are immersion breaking. For instance, by the end of the Show, the FL should be pushing 50 and yet she looks not a day older than when Do-jun was alive.

E) After all the damning revelations, dirty laundry lists and a public hearing at the National Assembly, the whole sorry saga is finally signed and sealed by one 20 years old phone recording. How and why did the young Hyeon-Woo record his call to Director Kim when he was supposed to be in a highly distressed and confused state. Even more incredulously, Kim forgot to hang up the phone and allow the most incriminating statement to be recorded. It is beyond contrived. The audacity is jaw dropping. This is the deal breaker for me.

In hindsight, I can see that they wanted to close the soul swapping loop and it becomes a redemption arc for Hyeon-Woo but what did that achieve? Hyeon-Woo’s family is happy that he is alive and he has his revenge. On the other hand, Do-jun would have achieved the same goal but the ramification of his death is so much worse. The FL became a lonely and bitter workaholic, Do-jun’s family is broken, and the worst part is the conglomerate carries on for another 20 YEARS! How is that a better outcome? I could go on, but you get the picture.

I freely acknowledge that some of the acting is superb. Some can be considered breakout roles. The bulk of the storyline is intricately crafted and engaging but . . .

Reborn Rich could have been one of the best dramas in 2022 which makes it even more baffling why they deviated from the webtoon ending and crash landed within sight of the runway.

One time watch for me. Peace out.

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Complicated with good moments and plotholes

I wish I could say I was enthralled with this series like so many others but something kept me from falling in love with it. One of the main reasons was not being able to understand every single business/political element to the story and there is plenty of it which is what adds to the thrill. So if you cannot completely comprehend some of those "wins", it gives a very dull effect. Something the writers should have considered and tried to explain or simplify. You can still enjoy the show. Just not to the full effect.

Best moments:
1. There are many shocking moments and revelations that you can't anticipate and were enjoyable.
2. The fantasy element that adds a twist and is a major part of the story.
3. The relationship between Do Jun and his grandfather were truly some of the best moments.
4. The way Do Jun makes his way through the hurdles armed with the knowledge of his past life.
5. Seeing the Jin family fail and fight amongst themselves was amusing.

Not so great moments:
1. No one noticing that Yoon Hyun Woo and Jin Do Jun look EXACTLY alike.
2. Not being able to understand some of the "lingo" fully.
3. Do Jin ignoring his family after his real mother's death even when he could have.
4. The romance is practically non-existent and although I would not care otherwise, it feels like they built up a story for no reason.
5. The conclusion. Part of it does not make sense. You are rooting for a character and in the end, everything feels a bit bland and unsatisfactory.

Up until the 14th episode my rating was 8.5 for this show. I'm changing that now to a 7.5 based on the last episode. I am not likely to rewatch this show but it's a decent show. There are plenty of good reasons to watch it.

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