As someone who has lived through of the global economic upheavals of the late 1980s to the 2000s, it’s been fascinating to have my horizons broadened with this South Korean perspective. Although superficially this show purports to be one of those family dramas where unworthy offspring battle over the succession of the family business, it is at its core a coming-of-age story. Song Joong-ki’s Jin Do-jun (formerly Yoon Hyeon-woo) might be an old soul but in his current persona, he has to re-navigate family dynamics in a different context and make sense of his own identity. He is no longer the oldest son of a struggling working class family, a former slave to the whims of the Jins owners of Soonyang Group. Instead he has regressively reincarnated as the youngest grandson of Soonyang’s founder, Jin Yang-cheol (Lee Sung-min). Until Episode 7, he suffers an internal tug-of-war about where his loyalties ultimately lie. Even while he’s presently a blood relative, he cannot presume to exist on equal terms with his uncles, aunt and oldest cousin with the same access to the family coffers. Especially as his father was born out of wedlock and then angered the old man when he insisted on marrying an actress. Hence he is still positioned as the outsider who has access to the inhouse bickering. Although he has all the memories of his previous self at his disposal, he is born into a new battleground with a new set of rules with a new identity that he has to develop afresh. Jin Do-jun grows up far too quickly and establishes himself as a shrewd and uncanny investor even as a child. He can lose no time in impressing the family patriarch, Jin Yang-cheol, and stake his claim on the family enterprise. Challenging the status quo is the first step in his larger revenge plan against this dysfunctional clan that was in all likelihood responsible for his untimely death, putting an abrupt end to his previous life.
Reborn Rich (2022) Episodes 1-8
Reborn Rich (2022) Episodes 1-8
Reborn Rich (2022) Episodes 1-8
As someone who has lived through of the global economic upheavals of the late 1980s to the 2000s, it’s been fascinating to have my horizons broadened with this South Korean perspective. Although superficially this show purports to be one of those family dramas where unworthy offspring battle over the succession of the family business, it is at its core a coming-of-age story. Song Joong-ki’s Jin Do-jun (formerly Yoon Hyeon-woo) might be an old soul but in his current persona, he has to re-navigate family dynamics in a different context and make sense of his own identity. He is no longer the oldest son of a struggling working class family, a former slave to the whims of the Jins owners of Soonyang Group. Instead he has regressively reincarnated as the youngest grandson of Soonyang’s founder, Jin Yang-cheol (Lee Sung-min). Until Episode 7, he suffers an internal tug-of-war about where his loyalties ultimately lie. Even while he’s presently a blood relative, he cannot presume to exist on equal terms with his uncles, aunt and oldest cousin with the same access to the family coffers. Especially as his father was born out of wedlock and then angered the old man when he insisted on marrying an actress. Hence he is still positioned as the outsider who has access to the inhouse bickering. Although he has all the memories of his previous self at his disposal, he is born into a new battleground with a new set of rules with a new identity that he has to develop afresh. Jin Do-jun grows up far too quickly and establishes himself as a shrewd and uncanny investor even as a child. He can lose no time in impressing the family patriarch, Jin Yang-cheol, and stake his claim on the family enterprise. Challenging the status quo is the first step in his larger revenge plan against this dysfunctional clan that was in all likelihood responsible for his untimely death, putting an abrupt end to his previous life.