Incarnation Of Money is indeed about money, its power and the consequence one faces for the greed for money. It is a well-executed drama with solid characters and there is never a dull moment here.

The story is about a man who loses everything, even his memory because of a person he trusted a lot. His misfortune is caused by not only that man, but it also involves three other people. Later, all these four baddies acquire respected positions in society and the story then unfolds with our hero bringing them to justice.

Incarnation Of Money spans over 15 years in 24 episodes. I loved the change in time shown occasionally, because it is apt with the story and the developments in life of each character is shown clearly. The main attraction of the show is the duel between the protagonist and the antagonist. They both match in intelligence and it’s fun to see how each outsmarts the other every time. I loved the contrast that the show was successful in showing between the two, right from the beginning.

I like shows where the people form teams and work. Here also, I liked the team that our hero forms, that is truly trustworthy. They scheme together and plan against the villains; marked with many squee-worthy moments whenever they succeed.

It is one of those rare shows where the awesomeness increased in direct proportion as the drama progressed. I admit that it took longer-than-needed time to establish and form the main story, but that helped in drawing proper pictures of the characters in our minds. Also, the segments that seemed unimportant had their own significance as the show went toward conclusion.

The drama has good character depth and each one of them is well-defined. Even smaller characters are well constructed. The show keeps  you on your toes for most of the time and there is never drag or room for boredom. It’s intense and intriguing, and has a heart as well, which makes us walk with our hero in every step of his journey. The stakes remain high throughout the series and the drama is adventurous that way.

The romance is more or less on the backseat here. In fact, I was slightly annoyed by our heroine for most of the part; but in later episodes there was marked improvement on her part which made me like her at the end. Unexpectedly, the show is laced with plenty of humor that prevents things to go too dark. The background score is also good.

Kang Ji Hwan again proves that he is excellent in showing a vast range of emotions, from being funny to intense, to romantic and yes, he looks so intelligent and smart at brains. He lends undeniable credence to his role.

Park Sang Min is terrific in his role of the main bad guy, who never became the stereotypical villain but made the viewers conflicted regarding the character, to hate him or to sympathize with him. He showed the nuances of his role brilliantly and has a very strong screen presence.

Among the ladies, Hwang Jung Eum did an okay job as I didn’t like her role for the first half of the series. But she did a decent acting all in all. Choi Yeo Jin was totally badass during the start, but her role turned a bit pale later on. But she has done a very good job here. Oh Yoon Ah is brilliant in her role of an antagonist, who managed to be a complete vamp as well as a vulnerable being. But it is Kim Soo Mi who steals the show in the role of bold and brave loan shark, who later suffers from Alzheimer’s. Park Soon Chun gives a graceful, restrained performance as our hero’s mother and  her scenes with him are the drama’s most heart-felt.

Yang Hyung Wook and Lee Ji Hyun give a competent performance as the support system to our hero who help him in every turn. A word also for Park Ji Bin who leaves a lasting impression as younger counterpart of Kang Ji Hwan.

All in all, It is a gripping tale with solid actors and is completely entertaining.

My Rating: 9 out of 10.