“Reborn Rich” Episode 1 To 8 Review- Super Fun But I Have Some Reservations

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Reborn Rich” is already halfway finished, and a first-half review is in order, lets talk about it.

“Reborn Rich” has been a hot topic of discussion among kdrama fans as you’d expect. Aside from the star-studded cast, the story is quite interesting and its been doing immensely well in ratings, as expected. Lets talk about all the aspects of the drama and my thoughts on it thus far.

Note: this will be a spoiler review of the said episodes in the title. This is a subjective review.

The script

So…. First, I was not concerned but upon closer inspection, I found out that the screenwriter behind this drama also wrote “Beautiful Mind” in 2016, and we all know how that ended. She also wrote “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” but I’ve seen it such a long time ago I honestly can’t give an answer on how that watching experience was in terms of scriptwriting.

She has hits and misses and her discography is quite honestly very diverse in terms of what type of projects she took on. She does a lot of drama adaptations from novels too.

First things first, I sort of liked how little the screenwriter attempted to even clarify the time slip and reincarnation part and chose to focus on the revenge part instead.

Like I said in the premiere episodes review, I don’t think “Reborn Rich” as a drama makes much sense but I didn’t think that is so bad that it interferes with the watching experience. To some extent, this remains my opinion, but I do want to expand on this thought.

If you try to examine “Reborn Rich” up close and try to make sense of it, you will stumble upon a lot of blocks and it might lead to you not enjoying it as much anymore. If you’re looking to make sense of it, it won’t be fun.

If I want to, I can simply bring up some plot holes here and there but I don’t see why that would be necessary.

Striking that balance is not painless because you can easily tater to either side with one minor plot point. She managed to avoid that mostly with the way she wrote the script thus far.

However, I don’t know to what point will this remain the case because we’re now nearing the finale which means the revenge plot will be in full force, and more things about the past will come to life, this could unravel a lot of the work she’s done.

Aside from that, as a script, I don’t think “Reborn Rich” is the best I’ve seen this year because I have issues with some of its aspects, but like I said, its lots of fun. Honestly, one of the most fun kdramas of 2022.

For somebody as experienced as Screenwriter Kim Tae Hee, I expect better execution of certain plot points, but I sort of understand why it might not be easy to do. This is still a review of only half of the drama… I could change my mind depending on how it progresses.

Another point I have an issue with is the love plot line between Do Jun and Min Young which does not really fit anywhere in the script, if you want to get technical you could say it fits in 2022, but the way its been written, is still not the best. It could have been done much better with few tweaks including explaining properly how Do Jun just fell for her.

As a character, Min young is so far removed from the family feud and does not enter the picture until the late 2010s. We are still in the late 1990s and early 2000s. If inserting her was to build ‘trust’ between her and Do Jun, then it should have been handled differently or expanded on better to fit the script and overall vibe of the drama.

I also have a feeling we have 2 to 4 more episodes with the grandpa tops before we move onto the actual fight. I am interested in seeing whether he dies very soon or near the end of the drama. I would like for that not to be the case, but considering his age, I don’t think he has much time left to live.

The characters

My favorite character is definitely Jin Yang Cheol, such a complex well-written character. He’s also very intriguing. He’s not a ‘nice’ man per se, but he cares for his children/grand-children until they slight him in any way, then he’s unrecognizable.

Sometimes, I nearly forgot just how heartless he can be until I am reminded of it the moment he’s challenged in any way. This is brilliant character-building. He’s probably the best written character in the show, by far.

In regards to Do Jun, I have mixed feelings about him as a character. On one hand, I am invested in seeing how he does, and on the other, I don’t particularly like him either.

The screenwriter seems to brush it off, but in his previous life, he does all sorts of things [including illegal/immoral] actions simply because he’s told to, he breaks the law too as if its natural to him. He lies to prosecution, helps his boss evade taxes and so much more. In his 2nd life, he’s much more relaxed and the screenwriter seems to want to highlight he’s a good person. I don’t think he’s the devil reincarnate but I don’t quite gravitate towards his ‘nice’ character.

Do Jun’s actions towards his parents too were very odd. I mean, I’d assume he could have helped them much better if he actually wanted to. He seems to go out of his way for revenge more than his family despite the fact that he’s driven to revenge partially because of his mom.

He has so much money he can disguise it and give it to his parents one way or another. It seems his parents were used as ‘character props’ to drive plot rather than expanding on what and why exactly. Even when, in reality, they’re a good reason why he’s doing it.

He could have also offered his father a position at another company without showing himself. Yet, he decides to take a moral high ground in the oddest way possible taking a much longer route and morphing it into something that would help him eventually take down Soonyang. This seems rather self-serving to me.

He shows sympathy towards workers but to me, it fails to make much of an impact beyond surface level.

Joong Ki is a good actor, and he’s very charismatic and I think its why very few seem to question the true motives behind his character’s actions, but I look at actors very differently from their characters, which is something I am sure not many kdrama fans do because they can’t seem to differentiate between an actor and a fictional character. They seem to believe they’re the same.

Do Jun tells Min Young he ‘does not’ deserve her which hints at the fact that he knows he’s not good enough for her, but why? Is it merely written to distance the future couple or done because the screenwriter herself plans on turning him into another mode in future episodes?

We shall find out.

I also liked Hyun Min’s character and loved her chemistry with Do Jun. I would have much preferred if they married and it was a push-and-pull sort of fight between them, I think this would have made for a very interesting combo.

I also find Sung Joon interesting as a character, he seems to have so much anger underneath the surface thats slowly building up.

In regards to Min Young…. Its the character I feel the most bad for in terms of writing, as I feel she’s been neglected. This could well change in the future as we move towards revenge in action. Thus, I will not comment further until the 2nd half is done.

Performances

My favorite performance is by Lee Sung Min, such a brilliant actor, seriously, how can someone be this good? He’s so much fun to watch, just absolutely love his acting. He’s brilliant at whatever he does. That passion for his craft is something to be admired, and the accent, I am in awe.

Joong Ki does an amazing job per usual, he’s a great actor. You can always rely on him to be involved in a fun project.

I also found Kim Nam-Hee’s performance here very nice. I like the way he tackled his character, he puts so much depth into it and helps it appear deeper than the script would have you believe. He’s booked and busy in 2022 and we love to see it. I am so excited for his future projects too.

Park Ji Hyun is also lots of fun to watch, she surprised me with her sexy performance here. This is by far my favorite performance by her in a drama, and she’s only playing a supporting role. I would have loved if she shared more screentime with Joong Ki.

Kim Shin-Rok is also a very reliable amazing talent. I always love watching her performances, she’s always the highlight in whatever she’s in even when her role is minimal, we love to see it.

Shin Hyun-Bin does not get to shine here yet, the drama production had said her role will increase in the 2nd half, so we shall see. She’s a great actress so I am excited to see what she does opposite the rest of the crazy family.

There has been talks about Tiffany’s performance, she’s an idol from a group called SNSD, a group I am familiar with because many of its members also act. Some Korean viewers say they have trouble understanding her words, I can speak Korean too, but I am not Korean, also, I watch with subtitles because I prefer it that way. It could well be the case for them since there is no subtitles on JTBC for this drama when it airs. Her first scene was especially jarring as it felt she was being theatrical, I checked and it turns out she’s been cast in a famous theater play not too long ago, which explains her approach in the first scenes. However, she’s since improved, I felt as if she was a bit nervous at first, it happens, its ok. In this drama there are many standout performances that I feel for someone like her who is just starting out acting seriously, it would not be possible to be on the same standing. That could well change in the future, I see potential.

Conclusion

Overall, “Reborn Rich” has been one of the most fun kdramas of 2022, it might not be perfect, but it is soooooo much fun. The cast chemistry and synergy also plays a huge role in that.

The directing is also amazing. The performances are amazing. And I am so invested in their family drama, its as if I am personally fighting for that inheritance.

Jokes aside, I am excited to see how it progresses in the future.

Have you guys been watching the drama? what are your thoughts on it?

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One Comment

  1. Totally disagree
    This is a drama of revenge…..not to adjust the past, in fact, when he try to do it, doesn’t work (his mom)
    Sorry but you don’t understand the meaning of drama but, the most of all, you don”t understand the historical period that he treats…..
    This is a very beautiful drama….all over the top the others

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