Reborn Rich is about a man (Song Joong Ki) who was loyal to a large company and its family, but he was framed for embezzlement and murdered. He is then reborn as the youngest grandson of the family and sets out to take over as he plans his revenge.
Song Joong Ki plays Yoon Hyun Woo/Jin Do Joon. He is the devoted secretary to the rich and powerful Soonyang Group, but during a struggle for power between them, Hyun Woo is set up and murdered. But he then wakes up in the body of the youngest grandson of the Soonyang family which gives him the opportunity to get revenge.
Lee Sung Min is Jin Yang Cheol. He is the ruthless CEO of Soonyang Group and the head of the family. With plans to leave Soonyang to his eldest child, his curiosity is suddenly piqued by his youngest grandson’s intelligence.
Then we have Shin Hyun Bin as Seo Min Young. She is a passionate public prosecutor who sets out to expose corruption in Soonyang Group.
Reborn Rich was an excellent drama. It was very well written with an engaging plot that goes through many twists and turns. There are quite a lot of business politics in the show which is something I don’t really gravitate towards, but the story was so good that I really didn’t mind. The setting in the 1980s and 1990s is also really well created and was a fun world to be in.
Of course, Song Joong Ki delivers a memorable performance as our revenge-seeking secretary. His character is a bit more low-key in many ways, but he brings his classic boyish charm to the role.
It was great watching him maneuver everyone around him in his bid to take down Soonyang. I particularly liked him being able to incorporate his knowledge of the future in order to help him in his quest to become rich and successful in the past.
Lee Sang Min was truly incredible too. Yang Cheol is such a unique and complicated character. He really is a greedy man who is willing to do bad things to get ahead, but he does have people he really cares about, and that softer side occasionally shows through. Watching the many sides of this man was very fascinating. Lee Sang Min brought this character to life in every way.
The relationship between this grandfather and grandson was so complex. Both are distrusting of each other, yet they grow to have an admiration and respect for one another. They had different approaches and motivations in life, but they were quite similar in many ways. Scenes of them together were always very engaging.
We also get incredible performances from the entire cast. Many of the characters aren’t particularly likable, but the actors as well as the writing makes them fun to watch. A lot of them are varying shades of gray from full on villains to good guys doing bad things. It’s a fun cast of characters for sure and seeing them go at each other was entertaining.
There’s a little bit of romance between Hyun Woo and Hyun Bin. Mostly they have a complicated relationship with Hyun Bin being a prosecutor and frequently trying to bring to light the wrongdoings of Soonyang. They face quite a few difficulties in maintaining a good relationship, but we do see them grow closer as well as see the beginnings of a romance taking shape.
There are definitely some very convenient plot devices used and some story elements you kind of just have to go with (like Hyun Woo looking the same in both timelines and no one noticing). Many people didn’t care for the last episode or the ending, but I personally liked it. Bearing in mind the aforementioned convenient plot devices, I thought the story really brought things full circle in an interesting way and wrapped things up well.
I enjoyed Reborn Rich all the way through. It steadily built up its world with and engaging story, dynamic characters, and wonderful performances. It’s a revenge drama done well with nice twists and great pacing. I had a lot of fun with this one from start to finish.
My Rating: 8/10
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