Start-Up (2020)

Despite reading a lot of negative reviews and criticisms about this drama, I chose to be true with my thoughts about it. Start-Up has the right amount of feel good moments, unrealistic, dreamy, but that's exactly what I wanted as of the time I started this. Honestly, I've never really had high expectations for this drama that's why I enjoyed watching it. That alone can make me overlook loopholes because I was just after the cute interactions of the characters. I didn't have second lead syndrome, which is new to me. Although Han Ji Pyeong was an okay partner for Seo Dal Mi, I was rooting for Nam Do San for her since the beginning because I think they're really cute. Overall, I didn't have major problem nor did I hate this drama with all my heart, though there were really those moments when I felt frustrated. If you're up for some light hearted drama, confident about not getting SLS, and overall just after the characters' moments, then this drama could be for you. Plus, there are some lessons about business too, which could be very useful for someone who would take that route.

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Promising at first, then disappointing.

I started this drama as soon as it aired because I loved the casting. Seon Ho, Suzy, Joo Hyuk and Kang Hanna made me excited to watch this drama. Immediately after tuning into this drama, I was hooked. The first episode was heartbreaking and so so beautiful. The cinematography and storyline was enticing. Seeing Dal Mi’s passion for pursing her own business, her being a strong female character was amazing to me. I knew for sure I would love this drama.

But then...

Start Up had great potential. The characters stories could have been so much better. At the end, they were all reduced to nothing but a plot for romance. As I kept watching the show, rather than business it became a disappointing love drama. I wished the characters had the chance to grow and flourish but atlas this turned out to be a typical kdrama. With many plot holes and confusing (dare I say: immature) themes I truly did not want to continue this drama.

Han Ji Pyeong is someone who is outwardly selfish but inwardly selfless. He made more money homeless with library wifi as a teenager and came up faster in his career at a younger age with less and more against him than SST boys and the show made the boys want to play the pity olympics in his presence. They genuinely talk to him and about him like he’s some rich man who’s never known struggle. Could never understand their “grind”. Never had to work to get to where he is. Like he’s just always had everything. They never addressed his past and it disappointed me so much. Ji Pyeong himself doesn’t bring it up because he doesn’t want to pity himself. He’s truly selfless. He helped SST from the start, saving them from getting scammed to teaching them how to operate their business.

I’d say Nam Do San is someone outwardly selfless but inwardly selfish. At the start, his character was so lovable and lively. And he definitely had his good points, creating Noongil was inspiring and for that I will always appreciate Do san. I could also understand why Dal Mi would fall for him.

I don’t know when exactly his toxic and insecure side came in but boy was it ugly....

When Yong San wanted Ji Pyeong to tell the harsh truth about the 2STO acquisition, Ji Pyeong (their mentor) did just that. And how did Do san respond? By punching Ji Pyeong. He couldn’t see Dal Mi being disappointed and took it out on Ji Pyeong while making it seem like it’s his fault for talking harshly. That was the most pathetic thing I saw from him. His obsession with Dal Mi was unhealthy. I never once saw him say the words “I like you” or “I love you”. It’s always been “What do you like about me?” To me that’s thinking only about yourself. It’s a relationship without proper communication. After the 3 year gap, he didn’t seem to have changed much. The gap was stagnant and didn’t impact the story at all.

Dal Mi, once a strong business driven women, to a girl who needed a man by her side to succeed. Seeing as how Dal Mi and Do San had only been together for a few months, it baffles me how they both couldn’t let go. At times it also seemed unhealthy. I would understand if they are truly such amazing characters but since most of their relationship at the beginning was made out of lies, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. It became a story about puppy love.

It surprises me that Dal Mi never once talked about the letters with Ji Pyeong, the beginning of the drama was based so much on those letters for it to be thrown away just like that. Like it meant absolutely nothing. We all know that the letters were Ji Pyeong’s true words. But that plot never made it in. Rather they made it seem like it was insignificant because Ji Pyeong didn’t go running behind Dal Mi for 15 years. Which is weird. Why would an orphan do that? He had to take care of himself first before doing anything else. It’s clear the writers did that to kill off any Jidal/Ji Pyeong stans.

Now onto to In Jae, my best girl. While it was EXTREMELY disappointing that we barely got to see this strong woman enough, her character still shone through and it was the best. From being Won In Jae to Seo In Jae again, we could see how family mattered for her too. The story did not do justice to her one bit. How had she not known about Halmeoni’s condition for three years?! Make it make sense. I can’t say much as we didn’t see enough of her but all I know is that I love her.

The story itself became a mess. The situation with the fandom is also a complete mess. It seems like stans just can’t handle criticism to their fav actors. Although no one attacked the actors, stans made it seem like they did and it’s really immature. Critiquing the writing of a drama isn’t hate speech to an actor. I hope these type of stans grow up. I’ve seen many Suzy and Joo Hyuk stans call Seon Ho stans monsters and what not just because they didn’t like the writing. They think we don’t like the show just because Jidal didn’t happen. Which isn’t true at all. We dislike it because Ji Pyeong wasn’t treated right. He wasn’t given anything even until the last episode. I hope these stans understand this and not trash on others simply because they didn’t like the story. It’s a different story if anyone attacked an actor though.

Also, Dodal and Jidal fights are useless. Because we all know Ji Pyeong deserves better anyway and as long as Dodal are happy together we should accept that. I want to keep on writing but I’m afraid it’ll be wayyy too long. So that’s all.

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When you sail off without a story, you end up drowning the whole drama.

To being with, this is my first review on MDL, i've been watching kdramas for over 6 years. But this is the second time i've felt like writing a review.(First was flower of evil).

This drama was highly disappointing, because i had high hopes. This was produced by Netflix and i liked two dramas i watched by Netflix this year. The only saving soul here is the second lead Kim Seon Ho(Han Ji Pyung). I've been watching kdramas for years now and trust me i've never felt so bad for the second lead. The whole drama is very poorly written, the characters somehow ed up in the same place every 3-4 episodes, there's hardly any progress. I get that this is a kdrama and there will obviously be a love angle apart from the start-up story line. But this was more of a Love story with very little start-up elements. And that too a very poorly written love story.
I'm not going to go into much details about the story and other reviews have mentioned it already.
Kim Seon Ho's acting stand's out for me. He was absolutely brilliant which whatever little he got. He nailed it, i've become a fan and i'm looking forward watching his two dramas that are releasing this year. Well done Sir!
Suzy is also pretty good, she was one of the reason's i started the drama to be honest, loved her in WYWS.
Nam Joo Hyuk is pretty bland, not to be harsh or anything but he has the same expression in almost 90 percent of the scenes. he's not very good at emotional scenes, (unlike the second like).

Overall i wouldn't recommend this drama unless you're a hardcore fan of the actors.

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make it make sense

I've been watching kdramas for like approximately 15 years now, this is the first time I've ever felt so robbed? maybe because what started out as a refreshing plot turned out to be the most cliché of all clichés? And on top of that, one should throw away logic and stop questioning everything while watching the show to follow the narrative the writer wanted the viewers to believe? it's like the first half of the drama as opposed to the second half was written by a completely different writer. The latter half can be a new kdrama altogether because it doesn't make sense anymore. The continuity of the narrative is failing miserably. If not out of loyalty, wouldn't have even finished this drama and dropped it at like ep 10? or even earlier at ep 7? oh well, one lesson here is i wouldn't want to watch anymore drama if it's written by PHR.

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they fucked up the plot

honestly, at first i thought this drama would be one of the best dramas in 2020, esp when u watch the 1st episode. It was great, the first few eps are daebak but, as it goes by, the plot was good, until it reaches the half of the drama. They fucked up. The plot fucked up until the end, like everything is very inconsistent including the characters and the plot. truthfully, this is the worst drama that PHR ever wrote. But still kudos to the actors and actresses, they did a great job. And the ost, chef’s kiss. It’s just that the plot and the inconsistent characters is very meh for me, they could’ve improved the characters and made the plot like how it was projected at the start, but no, they focused more on the love triangle and that sucks;/

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From 100 to 0

I was very excited with this drama, with the youth drama code, great actors, great writer and director, i thought this would be one of the best kdrama in 2020.. i was enjoying at the beginning, who knows it's turn in to the most dissapointed drama i've ever watched.. i tried to focus on the bussines story, but then i realized this drama isnt about "start up".. they make love triangle story as a center point of this drama.. i got a lot of "why" "how come" while watching this.. if you really want us to follow the triangle story, please make a good chemistry to the endgame couple.. for me there is no chemistry at all, i cant feel the pain when they're crying, cant feel the love when their kissing.. but thanks for the secondlead who bring all the emotions, i cant imagine this drama without him.. so in the end, i just threw this drama from my best kdrama list..

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A pleasant surprise. No over the top manipulative characters! So refreshing!

I went into this drama with low expectations because I thought I kept reading people upset with how the romance goes and with the ending. I personally loved the drama and couldn't stop watching it until I finished it! I always think I don't like business related dramas but this one kept the business aspect and romance aspect interesting. What I think I liekd overall was the relationships between the characters. Loved the bromance, Han Ji Pyung's relationship with the Grandma, and just all the relationships overall.

I found this drama really funny at times and love the parts after the credits every episode. It is always a little pleasant surprise.
The music was nice but nothing that stuck with me while not watching the drama.
While this drama was enjoyable and I couldn't stop watching it I don't see myself rewatching but sometimes I don't realize the rewatch value for a couple months after finishing something. Maybe the romance, bromance, or the comedy parts will bring me back to this drama in the future.


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I am so mad that I knew Nam Joo Hyuk was the male lead. I miss the days when I was new to dramas and was unaware of who was the lead and was taken by surprise by the romance. I am jealous of those who came into this drama thinking Han Ji Pyung was the lead. I love how the story started with him. I personally shipped Dal Mi with Do San but would also have been happy if she ended up with Han Ji Pyung. I feel Han Ji Pyung missed his connection. When the Grandma first asked for his help he should have just announced he was "Do San". Once Do San got involved I didn't really feel any romantic chemistry between HJP and SDM (but still would have routed for them if they ended up together). I may be in the minority but they never really knew each other. They were in love with the person in the letters from 15 years ago. They were in love with that moment in time and those memories. I wish the Grandma adopted HJP! He is by far one of my top favorite Second lead males. This character put his feeling aside most of the time to help the lead and not get in the way of their relationship which I found so respectful! I loved when he called to tell Dal Me that he might have caused a misunderstanding.

Nam Do San. I loved him because i love when it isn't the typical rich snobby chaebol who finds the lead annoying. I love how Seo Dal Mi isn't the poor ugly duckling. I like that NDS is a socially awkward isn't amused with things like blood type, horoscopes, etc. I really liked his personality and the bromance was fun too! I feel that NDS and SDM support and compliment each other really well and I enjoyed the chemistry. I get that yes he becomes a rich man in the end but he didn't start off rich and didn't do the typically rich tropey things like rent a whole restaurant, bring her shopping for clothes, no annoying rich unaccepting parents, no rich kid PTSD past. I found him refreshing and I loved it.

I constantly feared that In Jae was going to be crazy and manipulative and fall in love with one of the guys and be jealous and annoying. I was beyond happy that nothing like that happened. I loved how this drama didn't really have any annoying over the top characters. Even when they went into the brother revenge plot I cringed at first but it ended up being not over the top like I feared. I usually get annoyed with the "3 years later, separated, no contact for years" plots but I even felt that flowed and made sense in this drama.

I am so glad I decided to watch this drama! It was truly enjoyable!

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Right Girl, Wrong Guy

My first review in years! I had put off watching this for a couple of years as I thought this would be a drama of four separate stories of struggling entrepreneurs in the cutthroat business world. The story was far different from the synopsis on Drama List. The story started out promising until I could tell the 2nd ML had no chance in this bizarre love triangle (not really a love triangle as the 2nd ML was on the outside looking in).

I did not like the ML character and felt he took advantage of the situation, starting a relationship on a lie, and taking way too long to tell the FL the truth about the letters. After the lies were exposed and the first breakup, I was really disgusted by the ML’s endless crying and stalking of the FL. I was dismayed the FL forgave him so quickly and took him back.

After Episode 8, when the ML and FL starting becoming close, I started skipping. I felt so sorry for the 2nd ML as he had no chance of catching the girl (it was just him and his AI friend). Towards the end of the drama, when it appeared the ML and FL were getting back together, I skimmed through Episode 13, skipped Episodes 14 and 15. I watched the end of Episode 16 and yes, the wrong guy won the girl.

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May contain spoilers

Story - 10
I liked the plot, it's not something new, but I was very enthusiastic about the idea of Sand Box and the philosophy on which it was based. So for the concept of Sand Box alone I give them a full score. The pace is good (fast enough to not get me bored) and constant. (Actually the main reason I chose this series was because it has only 16 episodes. I don't like those dragging dramas demonstrating to us, again and again, some aspects. I mean how many episodes, dialogues and monologues does someone need to understand a character's depth and complexity? If the script is good and the actors are too, a scene or two are just enough. But if they are not so good, then, irrespective of the amount of time given on screen, they will not manage to convey the message meant to be conveyed. ) I also liked the fact that the love story and the business story were approximatively equally present and they were mixed together beautifully. I laughed, I cried, I had intense moments and relaxed moments; this series has them all and serves them appropriately in terms of time, quantity, quality and logic. I've read some harsh critics regarding the narrative of the plot (actually quite many), but I find them not very befitting. Probably their authors are not very observant of life or maybe they simply lack experience. During my life so far I have encountered every single aspect, situation, action and reaction presented in this series. Yes, they are real and they do occur in life. Just because I wouldn't necessarily act the same way as these characters here, it doesn't invalidate them. I would suggest: be open-minded. If I were to talk about an aspect with which I disagree, that would be someone denying their own feelings. For me it's just so hurtful and unjust. And illogic. But than again, I also saw this happen in my life so... yes, it's real. I myself have done it. I'm not proud, but I also don't regret it (not very much, just a little) because I like to think that I've learned from my mistakes. So whenever I see this cliche in Asian films my heart tightens because I've been there and I empathize quite strongly.
Acting/Cast - 10
Although I'm not a fan of any of them, I must say that the actors are good. They managed to express all sorts of feelings beautifully, especially the inner struggles related to young and inexperienced people trying to start their own business and prove themselves. The 3 boys from Sam San Tech were absolutely adorable. They made me laugh so hard that I woke up my neighbors in the middle of the night. I also liked their emotional side because it's only natural to cry when you feel defeated. I like super strong characters, but I also like those who are nearer to the average human behaviors. Yes, some people are stronger, but some are more sensitive. This doesn't make them less valuable. Of course, Kim Seon Ho outshines them all and he was the only cause of my suffering throughout the entire series. Nam Joo Hyuk/ Nam Do San is adorable but still I was thorn because I would have liked Kim Seon Ho/ Han Ji Pyung to end up happy. And that's only because his acting is so good that it made my heart ache for him so hard. And since I am of a certain age, :) my favorite character in this series was grandma Choi Won Deok/ Kim Hae Sook because she impersonates that ideal of goodness and selflessness which I'm striving to achieve in this life. :) (That was an unnecessary detail, sorry).
Music - 9
To my shame I must admit I was never interested in the soundtrack of any movie/ series. Generally the soundtracks are well matched to the works and very, very seldom was I annoyed or impressed with a soundtrack. So since the soundtrack in this series didn't make any impression on me, I suppose it was good. I scored it only 9 for this reason exactly.
Rewatch Value --
I had to score it 1 because otherwise I couldn't submit my review. Seems that's mandatory. But in reality I cannot score this one because I never rewatch a movie/ series irrespective of how much I liked it. I suppose it's something that has to do with my psychology or philosophy of life: since it's in the past, let it be in the past. Why dwell on it? However, I did rewatch 2 movies in this life of mine. :)))))) Hollywood movies.
Overall - 10
Yes, it's a good work and it's worth your time.

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I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS DRAMA AND NO ONE CAN CHANGE MY MIND.

This drama has a special hold on me. I've rewatched this for so many times and every time still feels like the first time. I know this drama gets a lot of hate and well, I guess it's really a hit or miss but it's definitely a hit for me. I do understand the negative sentiments but no other drama has spoken to me in such a personal and emotional level like this one. While watching this, I just felt like it knew me. It knew my struggles, it knew my pain. It put into words my emotions and feelings which I can't even begin to express. I felt understood. I felt seen. I felt valid. When a drama do all those things for you, you just know that you will forever hold it close to your heart.

Tackling the love elements, I did like Dalmi and Dosan together. Unpopular opinion but not for one second did I feel that she'd end up with Jipyeong. I loved Jipyeong's character as an individual character but it wasn't just written to be with Dalmi. They were so awkward, to be honest. They had good dynamics as mentor-mentee, but a romantic relationship just doesn't feel right. People were holding on to their history together but it's history. It's in the past. They grew up. It had potential to develop into something more but that didn't happen. It is what it is. Dosan and Dalmi were meant to find each other, in my opinion. They aren't perfect, especially in the beginning, but being together made them become better people and I loved seeing them grow and win together. Whereas Jipyeong always had doubts and second thoughts, Dosan always was sure of his feelings with Dalmi. Falling for each other inspired them to reach for their dreams and they did reach it together. I could go on and on but I know most people don't share the same opinions and it's definitely alright, but this was how it was for me.

I saw myself in Dosan. He's like a mirror and seeing him rising up against all his struggles were very inspiring to me. To others, it may seem inconsequential but for people like me who knew how it was to be someone others see as "special" but deep inside is just a broken soul full of doubts and fears and lacking confidence, it's so much more. I knew how it felt to feel the pressure of all the expectations and feeling like a fraud because you just can't live up to what people expects you to be.

The family and friendship in this were also top-tier. Jipyeong's relationship with Won Deok was so beautiful. Found family always touches my heart in all the right places.

The OSTs, too, were among my most favorite OSTs ever! Keeps playing on my mind even years after my first watch!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS DRAMA AND NO ONE CAN CHANGE MY MIND ?

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A Good Drama that with some flaws

Start-Up is a a really interest drama that across the board that plays well into the concept of start up tech companies and the different troubles and trials that they face, that special unique concept was enough for me to start up this drama. It starts off pretty well with the drama moving along the story pretty well at a good pace but quite a few issues arise in the middle of the drama which really hamper the overall story of the drama.

The very first episode does a great job in establishing the entire drama's main cast backstories like Dal Mi, In Jae, Do San, and Ji Pyung which allows you to get to know each character's personally. The following first few episodes do a great job in building upon those characters while introducing new characters. However the drama suffers from a really bad midseason slump where some episodes seem to drag on and some characters make some quite annoying decisions. However the show is able to regain its focus in the last two episodes which help put things back together which finish off the drama in a good way.

The two main characters, Dal Mi and Do San were portrayed perfectly by Suzy and Nam Joo Hyuk, with Nam Joo Hyuk putting on an absolutely fantastic performance, probably one of the best performances I have seen from a male lead ever. However Ji Pyung's character despite how much the drama tries to make the viewer sympathize with him, all the actions and the way he acts comes off completely sociopathic some times. Han Na plays a perfect ice cold business woman with her character In Jae, with her character growing immensely at the end, its a shame the drama didn't have more scenes with In Jae. The rest of the cast was great with the Samsan Tech crew all being portrayed perfectly. Also I very special mention for Kim Hae Sook, she did a perfect job with her portrayal of her character's disability, as someone who also has a grandmother who has lost a good portion of her eyesight, the portrayal was spot on.

The cinematography was great, the production did really fantastic job all around with the presentation of the drama. The locations were perfect and felt just right for the story. The soundtrack itself was great with the theme song being easily one of the best drama theme songs ever in my opinion. Future by Red Velvet was a fantastic song and the rest of the OST was great as well.

Overall, a good drama that I would recommend people to watch but warn about the midseason slump.

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