So this is definitely history in the making, we may actually see a Korean cable drama break 30%. The World of the Married came close with its final episode at 28.371% and today’s episode 8 of Reborn Rich (The Chaebol’s Youngest Son) got another major ratings jump to 19.442% with still another 8-episodes left to air. And here I thought Vincenzo was a huge hit for Song Joong Ki as the tvN series got the highest cable ratings for that drama at 14.634% but Reborn Rich is resetting this man’s top limit. Nowadays we don’t even see prime time non-cable dramas breaking 20% today and RR is almost there. Ratings aside, episode 8 was AMAZING. Like a thrilling roller coaster of plotting, tension, reveals, one-upsmanship all around. The wedding dinner was this drama’s version of The Red Wedding but without any blood haha. I love that Do Joon knows world events to use to his advantage but still has to navigate the beast that is Grandpa and the rich and power of Soonyang Group. I love that all the family members are fleshed out because it makes the battle of wits and alliances/betrayals that keep changing all the more interesting. It’s a shame this drama didn’t get Netflix global distribution, it’s on Netflix only in South Korea, because it’s definitely one of the best dramas in recent memory.
Actually if you think about it, Grandpa is the real ultimate beast. He brought Soonyang Group up from scratch without any prior knowledge of world events unlike Do Joon.
Korea is one of the few countries that can actually broadcast dramas showing modern-world chaebol families hooking up with politicians and putting the government in a bad light. It is refreshing.
If this is C-Drama, so hopeless to see the light of the day, LoL! China basically banning everything that will put their government and their culture in bad light, wc I think, there is a positive and negative impact. Well, to each his own; it’s the same with the government in realted to drama and movie policies.
China doesn’t have chaebol families though, not those that can impact the country’s administration anyway.
I wish NRTA will be more open and work on a censorship rating system, so that adults can watch horror dramas. At least allow modern fantasy dramas and ghosts. The Chinese have such rich cultures and many legends, but now they are stuck with broadcasting watered-down versions like Xianxia dramas.
I don’t watch this yet but I like SJK and I’m waiting to finish all the episodes but I am a big fan of Game of Thrones and if that Ms.Koala is referring to the Red Wedding of GOT where Caatelyn and Robb Stark were killed then this really piques my interest, but just the same, I will wait for more eps. Reborn Rich Fighting!
TVN Under The Queen’s Umbrella ended with pretty good ratings too. It was really good show!
I need to watch the last 2 episodes of Reborn Rich. I like it except the love “story”.
Reborn rich doesnt hype international because this drama not romance like crash landing on you.It will going top no 2 all time hit rating.Surpass Cloy and sky castle.Lee seung min will win baeksang award for sure.But i am happy that song joong ki hitting big again after Dots. I Don’t think lee min ho,kim soo hyun,park seo joon, and gong yoo surpass this lol. Song joong ki all time Legend aka king of drama.People in korea already love him and forgive him after divorce scandal lol.
no there’s no hype bc it’s not on netflix. netflix streaming is almost a necessity for kdramas to hit big internationally. vincenzo, little women, under the queen’s umbrella and many other non-romance focused shows have been huge internationally bc they were simulcast on netflix.
It is so good. If you aren’t watching, you really really should. I almost never gush, can’t remember the last time I loved a drama so much but it’s a genuine masterpiece.
The acting performances alone are worth your time. There is maybe one so so role and it is mostly because she is surrounded by such amazing people that she is noticeable. But it’s a two bit role. The rest? Highest quality.
Yeah it’s a really good cast, the love line may feel a bit like an afterthought but the actress herself is good in the role and has some chemistry with SJK so I can’t criticise her performance.
And I know which part you mean is so so…. I honestly think she’s fine as long as she’s speaking Korean lol. For such a small role, it’s tolerable.
This drama is a battle royale of wits. Still waiting for SHB’s more screentime, tho
With the success of Reborn Rich, Song Jong Ki is now above Kim Soo Hyun and Lee Min Ho in terms of huge hit projects. I will not wonder if he will replace Kim Soo Hyun as the highest paid Korean actor. SSK, DOTS, Vincenzo and Reborn Rich are all huge hits!
My theory is that in future jin do joon was dead and when his mother came and said i have 2% shares soo it means somehow future is being written again or its all connected coz there are too many coincidences.
I’m loving this too. Joong ki chose well. Ep8 is da bomb.i didn’t even notice it was longer than usual
Wow! Glad I can watch this on Viki!
I love it, it’s got that rare quality in a kdrama ie it’s completely unpredictable so we’re all waiting with bated breath for the next episode haha
Song Joong-ki’s reputation was never built on just one smash hit project, he’s been an A list leading man for a decade now, before he even went to the military and before DOTS. Anyone trying to write him off because one drama in the whole 10 years didn’t do so well, is just going to look like a fool lol.
Song Joong Ki is set to be an A-List actor, even pre-military. The main reason why Kim Soo Hyun and Lee Min Ho got popular first is that Joong Ki is older than them. Thus the other two had a lot of time to boost their career pre-military while SJK had to go to the army when he just started getting lead role projects.
Waiting for this to end so I can binge it. I am happy it’s being received well by the audience.
I am puzzled by why for a drama with such big ratings, RR’s corresponding online activity has been kinda low. Usually you would get a tsunami of analyses, gifs, memes, videos to digest, and that’s part of the fun of live watching…
It’s
a) not on Netflix worldwide, viki and viu are still niche comparatively for English speaking audiences.
b) not a romance drama but marketed as a revenge/business story….that tends not to draw the crowd that think kdrama = either romcom or violent thriller. This is neither.
Doesn’t mean it’s not a huge hit though, I can see talk about it even on the kpop blogs.
Yes but I think the netflix factor play the large part
1.The drama is really too heavy in business so you need to be comfortable to talk about business relate.
2. While netflix playing abig part, but some viu original got a great receive like romantic dr 2 and disney+ big mouth got big hype in social media international platform. So I just don’t think it’s just because of netflix. In my country, the reaction is just middling, as expected.
international buzz between dramas that stream on netflix and other platforms are like day and night. it’s really the only decisive factor at this point. rdtk and big mouth were no where NEAR the hype that netflix dramas get. especially remarkable bc lee jong suk is obviously a big halluyu icon. big mouth had the potential to be as big as vincenzo if it had had the wide reach that netflix streaming offers.
Some romcom that played on Netflix failed to make an impact on the ratings.
The drama is doing tremendously well but the type of drama it is doesn’t lend itself to that kind of online popularity but you have to consider online popularity hype doesn’t always translate to high ratings and vice versa. “Our Beloved Summer” comes to mind as a recent example.
It’s about complex business and rich people’s revenge but it’s not a camp soap opera like Penthouse.
It’s not a romance. A strong romance plots and electric chemistry are what get the rabid fans, gifs and memes.
The cast is very grown-up. Good-looking but not exactly idol eye candy type. The youngest of the main cast is in their 30s and majority of the cast are late 40s and up. The star of the dram is Lee Sung Min and he is in his mid-50s!
The watching demographic skews older and they tend to talk about it in real life rather than online.
I now firmly believe SJK is living his reborn life. How else can we explain his Midas touch in selecting dramas?
Who knows if AC season 1 will be considered a cult classic after a few years? Then even that failure is scrubbed off his list.
Man imagine having 7 % rating a failure … it’s not a big hits, but a failure is abit much.
Artdhal chronicle big budget drama with 54b won only get 7% yeah its failure compare to hotel de luna and memories of alhambra at the time.But song joong ki comeback stronger dan ever now.
Hyun bin need 10 year to hit big after secret garden. His ex need 12 year after full house to hitting big.And sjk only need 6 year after hit dots.Don’t forget sjk getting hate because the battleship island considered flop.
@Sophia : 6.58 M admission is now consider failure? Man The media Must be the one who put battleship Island burden with so much expectation. How many movie right now who touch that number? regardless f the budget?
I think his drama / movie drama success will put him so much burden to drama success in the future. After all he is not the one who responsible to drama success. at times, luck and public reaction is playing a big part in it.
arthdal chronicles already has a cult following internationally. it’s one of the most recommended kdramas on reddit. i don’t see korean audience warming up to it in the future, but it’s definitely not a failure.
Addictive drama, good script , great cast , hope that it will go this good until the end . Lee Sung Min ‘s performance is just mesmerizing, hypnotic . The snake in Robin Hood ( disney ) should take lessons 😉
I wish Reborn Rich would break the 30% milestone, but I highly doubt it. The World of the Married already broke 20% at episode 8, while Reborn Rich was still at 19%. Unless viewership growth accelerates faster than that of TWOTM, it is likely that Reborn Rich won’t break its record or would barely exceed it.
Still, what an awesome feat. I thought the days of the 20% drama are finally over with the rise of streaming and the forcible reinstatement of the pre-pandemic normal (TWOTM aired during the start of stay-home measures), especially with even KBS2’s weekend soap opera Three Bold Siblings being a ratings disappointment.
Loving the drama! Though I feel like the female lead is kinda unnecessary at this point because she doesn’t appear much and even if she does, the scenes felt rather rather random. Wish we could see more about her and her back story because I don’t know how I’d feel if they were to suddenly amp up the romance without fleshing out her character. Aside from that ‘romance’ subplot, everything else is great and absolutely thrilling to watch.
Right its a great drama!
Wish they will just do away with the romance part.
The female lead is kind of boring or maybe its just her role.
On the other hand the actress playing eldest granddaughter-in-law is pretty charming.
I hope they don’t focus on the romance subplot going forward.
A down to earth humble person will go a long long way good luck SJK and more power to your career. Congratulation also for presenting an award in the American Emmy Award I’m impressed with your English
it’ll be interesting how far this drama can go (in terms of ratings) – it’s 8 episode to go, depending on the writing and plot development it can beat some heavy hitters – or go downhill (especially if Lee Sung Min’s character gets off the stage too early.
not too sure why the cousin-in-law character (Mo Hyun Min) is getting so much love/ attention – I find her a bit of a stereotypical femme fatale who looks older than any of her supposed contemporaries
I guess she is getting attention/love because of her acting, she played the role well and her older look as you mentioned doesn’t matter.