A completely hypnotic
and addictive reincarnation love story of two couples
who continually interconnect with one another through
various time periods in Korean history, Rebirth -
Next (2005) impresses everyone who watches it -
IF they possess a poetic, romantic soul. While I admit
I don't personally believe in reincarnation, I'd be
the first to recognize that it provides for compelling
storytelling arcs, and also provides actors
with a superb chance to play different types of
characters during the course of one television drama.
During the course of this series the four main actors
pictured above get a chance to play 5 different
characters each. Opportunities like this don't come
along for actors very often!
Who cares if this is from 2005, to me it's a classic
romantic tale with an exquisite looking cast
(especially the leading lady Jang Shin Young (Empire
Of Gold) who reminded me of a young,
gorgeous Song Hye Kyo), not to mention the music
soundtrack is out of this world beautiful. Every
romantic viewer will love it, and its melodies will
haunt you long after the drama is over (heck, I'm even
humming them as I type up this review!). If I had one
real criticism of this show, it's that I wish it were
longer than just 14 episodes! This is not a drama for
those who prefer realism: this is pure romantic
fantasy all the way!
The Absolutely Gorgeous Full OST
The two leading men are
frankly - hate to say the word because I sound like a
teenager - but ... HUNKS! ;) Ryu Soo
Young has been a favorite since I watched My
Princess years ago, and Lee Jong Soo (Yi
San) could easily be a male model. Both male
stars got to try out widely (and wildly!) different
looks in hairstyle, clothes, etc. during the course of
the show. They must have had fun with all those
changes when they filmed this drama. Second leading
lady Park
Ye Jin also starred with Ryu Soo Young in My
Princess, so it was fun to go back in time
and watch them appear opposite one another here in
this story when they were younger. In each different
time segment the leading ladies switched playing the
main beloved, with the other playing the jealous
rival. That was very interesting, to see them switch
roles like that, they must have relished it as
actresses.
The Modern
Love Story (The Foundation):
A lovely, soft-spoken young lady named Kang Jung
Hwa (Jang Shin Young), who is finishing up her
college degree in theater arts, works hard at
various waitress jobs to put herself through
school. She is also involved in performing the
lead role in the college play, which her nice
boyfriend Min Ki Soo (Lee Jong Soo) is partly
directing, as well as acting in. There seems to be
no trouble ahead ... until Jung Hwa meets a
surgeon named Min Ki Bum (Ryu Soo Young) in a most
unlikely way ... on the subway as she suddenly
experiences chest pains and he runs to her to
assist her medically.
We transfer to the hospital where she is examined
and fortunately there is nothing seriously wrong
except her drinking too much caffeine and
suffering from insomnia because of her hectic
schedule. (There was one funny scene between them
when he asks her how her menstrual flow is, larger
than normal? and she smiles and says "I don't know
how heavy other women's are, so I can't compare."
LOL!). Can you imagine that conversation on an
American television show? I can't.
Jung Hwa admits to suffering from chronic insomnia
and he gives her the name of a female psychiatrist
Lee Soo Hyun (Park Ye Jin) who might be able to
help her (but he conveniently doesn't tell her he
is tentatively engaged to Soo Hyun). It's obvious
immediately Jung Hwa has fallen in love at first
sight with this doctor, and while he tries to
maintain professionalism it's obvious he's
attracted to her, too. (Who wouldn't be, the woman
is gorgeous!). She gets herself a job at the
hospital coffee shop so she can see him during the
day, and of course he's wise enough to see through
her real reason for working there.
Soo Hyun the psychiatrist takes
an immediate liking to this young patient and even
goes to see her play at the school. When Jung Hwa
insists on wanting to be hypnotized because she
senses she might be having troubling dreams that
are keeping her awake at night, Soo Hyun against
her better judgment says she will do it.
Under hypnosis Jung Hwa vividly recalls having met
Soo Hyun before when they were little girls,
remembers they were friends. The doctor doesn't
have any memories of meeting her earlier in her
life. Only later does it become clear that Jung
Hwa is speaking about having lived before in the
Joseon era, and her accounts of living back then,
and being friends with her doctor, floor Soo Hyun,
and she discusses what to do next with her
"sunbae" (Senior) doctor (Ahn Suk Hwan) at work.
He says it sounds fascinating and to keep
hypnotizing her!
Meanwhile, the attraction heats up between Jung
Hwa and doctor Ki Soo and they end up spending the
night together, which of course makes him feel
guilty about being secretive toward Soo Hyun.
Every time Ki Soo sees Jung Hwa at the hospital
sparks fly. She feels he is her destiny and that
they have met before. Under hypnosis she discovers
she is correct ... and then discovers
even additional past lives she has lived before
when her paths have crossed her two friends' lives
and her lover's!
The First Joseon Era Flashback Love
Story: (my favorite because it was the most
romantic)
Geum Young (Jang Shin Young again) and Yeon Hwa (Park Ye Jin
again) were indeed the best of friends in the
Joseon era but tragedy separates them for ten
years. Geum Young's father, a teacher at a
prestigious school, was executed for being a
traitor to the crown, despite having many friends
and supporters who knew he wasn't guilty. This now
makes the teenage Geum Young a lowly serf, but
despite that she is graciously accepted into the
home of her childhood friend Yeon Hwa, who
welcomes her with open arms. Yeon Hwa's parents
want her to marry a handsome scholar named Yoon
Myung Jin (Ryu Soo Young again). However, while
everything is being arranged, the scholar becomes
intrigued with Geum Young instead of Yeon Hwa (a
repeat of what was happening in the modern story).
The secret love flourishes
between the serf and the scholar; they exchange
trinkets, poetry, books, and he buys her a small
gold mirror (this mirror shows up in each
flashback sequence, connecting the couples). But
then trouble arises in Myung Jin's school, as the
student body are organized to try and prove the
innocence of the late father of Geum Young. Myung
Jin loves Geum Young so much now that he is
willing to risk his life by defying the crown to
prove her father was wrongly executed. If he can
do so that will restore his beloved's good family
name.

Because of
the school controversy, Yeon Hwa's parents
call off the engagement, and now Myung Jin is
free to pursue his own heart, which is
steadfastly cleaving to Geum Young. The green eyed monster
claims Yeon Hwa and she tells her mother she
has heard that Geum Young is having an affair
with a silk peddler named Wan Bo (Lee Jong Soo
again). She also confiscates the love letters
Myung Jin has been sending to Geum Young.
Geum Young is banished from the house and made
a servant to a dying relative. Wan Bo is
smitten with her and helps her escape, but he
and Geum are discovered, brought back to the
house, and severely beaten. Geum
Young's only hope is in her scholar lover
Myung Jin, but then Wan Bo discovers he has
been executed, along with other student
protesters against the crown. What will Geum
Young do now? Settle for Wan Bo's love, go on
alone in life, or do herself in?
The Mongolian Invasion Flashback Segment:
When Mongolia has invaded Goryeo many people
try to flee to safety including a beautiful
former courtesan - musician named Ja Woon
Young (Park Ye Jin again) and
her elderly servant who cares for her toddler
brother. Woon Young is engaged to Goryeo General
Kim Woong Seo (Lee Jong Soo again) who is
fighting the Mongolian General Kaseru (Ryu Soo
Young again) and his hordes of invaders.
After a frightening first hand encounter with
the barbarian Kaseru (first time we see him he
is slicing off heads!) the patriotic Woon
Young secretly volunteers to pretend to be a
courtesan again for the barbarian so that she
can stab him to death while he sleeps. Her
fiance is at first against the idea but she is
determined to succeed, knowing that if the
Mongolians lost their most famous leader their
troops would be in disarray and the Goryeo
troops might be able to counter attack.
However, Kaseru is determined to make this
courtesan see him as a man worthy to be loved,
not as a rapist. It's a matter of his pride.
His soldiers warn him against her but, ever
the egotist, he feels he can succeed with her
using his own seductive methods. Although he
could take her if he wanted, he wants to make
her want him first. A very passionate cat and
mouse game ensues.
Eventually, the impossible happens and the two
actually fall in love, with Kaseru protecting
her life on several occasions. By secret
message Woon Young is told by her fiance that
she must cut Kaseru's throat in 3 days or the
Goryeo troops will invade and do it for her,
and then she will forever be seen as a traitor
to her nation because she couldn't go through
with it.
All along, watching her man falling for
another woman, is his former lover Ah Hae
(Jang Shin Young again) who vows to expose
Woon Young. Will she succeed? The green eyed monster can be a very determined
enemy.
Who will live and who
will die? Will the Mongolian troops succeed in
Goryeo
or retreat?
The Second Joseon Era Flashback Story:
For me this was the least interesting
flashback segment, because Korean dramas have
so often in the past used this plot device
where two people fall in love and then
discover they are actually siblings! In this
case, fraternal twins who were separated at
birth! Aigoo! Not again! If they hadn't
resorted to this old turkey for one of these
segments I would have given this show an A+
instead of an A. (Just go with the flow, the
Japanese occupation segment makes up for it!).
A noble woman gives birth to boy - girl twins,
but a sage / prophet claims they will end up
marrying incestuously and that the nation will
suffer divisions in power because of it (I
suppose this is to symbolize the division of
North and South Korea). The mother pays
married servants to take the daughter far away
and she raises her son alone.
The son grows up to be a warrior named Soo
Baek (Ryu Soo Young again) and of course he
meets a young woman who has also been trained
to be a fighter, named Yoo Ha (Jang Shin Young
again). It's love at first sight ... and first
sword. Even a beautiful female merchant named
Ga In (Park Ye Jin again) can't turn his
attention away from the lovely Yoo Ha.
However, these are indeed the separated
siblings the prophet warned about at their
births.
Since their parents' deaths, the younger
brother of Yoo Ha, named So Ho (Lee Jong Soo
again), has watched over his sister, taught
her fighting and weaponry skills, and tells
his sister that she should marry warrior
Soo Baek with the intent to disarm him and
kill him and his father for what he perceives
as their treachery to the nation state. She
refuses and a big fight ensues until she
finally, sadly, under duress, agrees.
Will there actually be a marriage and if so,
will both survive the tumult which will result
when the knowledge that they are siblings is
finally exposed?
The Japanese Invasion Era Flashback Story:
Jung Lim (Park Ye Jin again) is a nurse
working at a private doctors' clinic in Seoul
during the Japanese invasion period. She
inadvertently gets mixed up with an insurgent
publisher named Suk Ho (Ryu Soo Young again)
who is on the run from Japanese agents out to
get his hide for publishing a newspaper geared
toward getting the Japanese out of Korea.
After he is shot in the arm by one of these
agents, Tamura (Lee Jong Soo again), and
escapes, he seeks shelter in the clinic and
the nurse hides him in a spare cubicle
connected to her office. She takes care of his
wounds and fever, and then becomes friends
with him while bringing him literature to
read, since she's always loved books too. Then
of course it's obvious they are falling for
one another. The doctor she works with (Ahn
Suk Hwan again) catches on early that she is
hiding an insurgent but is sympathetic to the
cause and says nothing to authorities.

However,
insurgent Suk Ho happens to be married, to
a lovely, quiet and poorly educated girl
named Young Sook (Jang Shin Young again).
They've been married for ten years but
it's obvious she loves him deeply while he
is only fond of her. She is aware her
husband is in love with this nurse, but
tries to befriend her, and even asks her
to teach her how to read. She patiently
studies her Hangul alphabet and writes her
first love letter to her husband.
However, will he ever receive it? He is
being pursued by the Japanese agents again
and can no longer stay in the nurse's
office without putting her life at risk.
He wants her to come with him far away, so
they can live their lives in peace, but
she is legitimately torn, not wanting to
sin by running away with a married man.
One of her best friends is a nun, oh that
can't help matters of the heart! Will she
listen to her friend? What will happen to
the wife? For that matter what will happen
to Suk Ho the insurgent? Is there a bullet
aimed at his back this time instead of
just an arm?
The faces of two women who love the
same man
(my sympathies were completely with
THE WIFE!)
Back To The Future Segment:
Near the end of the series we return to
the present day and the decisions each
character has to make regarding their love
lives. Some of this is sad, some happy;
some forlorn, some matter of fact and
inevitable. Kang Jung Hwa, the college
aged actress who was being hypnotized,
seems to hold the key to their multiple
past lives and their future lives.
Unsure of what to do next she gets on a
bus to return to her mother's home for
awhile, and while on the bus she sees
the same prophet she has seen numerous
times in her past lives. She asks him
point blank if she will forever be
doomed to be re-incarnated. What do you
think he replies? You'll have to watch
this intriguing and romantic and
philosophical drama to find out. I loved
it and watched it twice in three months,
liking it even more the second time
around.
If you're a
romantic at heart, this one is for you!
RIP to the older actor, above, who died
in 2016.
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