Start-Up (2020)

Likely won't be my favorite drama, but has aspects that I like

I feel like I am a bit in the minority here, but I am decently enjoying Start-Up. Let me list all the things I dislike first to get them out of the way, before I explain why I actually enjoy and look forward to watching this drama every week.

Yes, I think that the love triangle has been dragged on too long. There are other character that have so much potential to be explored, instead of the love triangle being the focus. (For example, I see Won Injae's story having much potential to be explored, as well as character development for Seo Dalmi's mom since it's gotten slightly annoying that she is always being presented as helpless, constantly sorry, and lowkey useless.) Yes, I also think that it is a bit unreasonable and unrealistic that Dalmi could forgive Nam Dosan (and Han Jipyeong) so easily when the letters were such a significant part of her life. At the end of the day, though, this is a kdrama after all so it's still within the bounds of an Unrealistic Kdrama World for me lol.

BUT, here is what I do like about the drama. While I can see why some people would call Dosan childish or annoying, I actually relate to him on many aspects. I relate to how Dosan tried so hard in the beginning and kept failing because sometimes, people won't make it no matter how passionate they are about something. It seemed to me that he was feeling something like imposter syndrome due to his glamorous achievements (being the youngest math olympiad winner and going to college so early). I totally understand what imposter syndrome feels like, so I don't think he was being whiny. I also both relate to and admire Dalmi. Dalmi was portrayed as someone who wasn't very competent in the beginning as she didn't have a long list of achievements nor a high rank in a large company. However, her determination and fire to succeed is clear from the beginning, which I feel is admirable so I like how strong her character is being portrayed. Lastly, I think that Dosan and Dalmi make a cute couple (although maybe I am biased since I liked Suzy and Nam Joohyuk before this drama haha).

Regarding the casting, it was unexpectedly good in my opinion. Honestly, I was not a huge fan of Suzy's acting (although I am a fan of her, as a person) before this, but I think she did an amazing job. I can't imagine Seo Dalmi as someone else other than Suzy. I liked Nam Joohyuk before I watched this drama since I've watched a few of his better dramas before (though he was far from being my favorite actor), but the quality of his acting here was also better than I expected. Kim Seonho was the only one who I had never watched a drama of before, although I have seen him in 1N2D before. I completely understand why people are falling for him haha.

The line-up for the OSTs were impressive. I was surprised at every name, since they are all big names in their own way and I was/am anticipating every release. I think that the OSTs were also well suited to the drama, like how Gaho's OST makes me want to go and start my own start-up (despite the fact that I am science student) or how Kim Feel's OST has me reflecting on old memories.

Final note regarding some other aspects of the drama: I think that it was shot beautifully as there were many scenes with pretty backgrounds and nice shot composition. There have also been moments that I laughed at and found funny, so it's enjoyable to watch. Suzy, Nam Joohyuk, and Kim Seonho also look good in every scene (even when they're crying), which is unsurprising but impressive :")

Overall, I can understand some of the criticisms towards the plot and the characters, but personally I think it had enough redeeming factors for me to rate it an 8 out of 10 (as of ep 13, at least). I started watching this drama because I was looking to relieve stress by watching something rather light hearted and romantic, which I think I've found in Start-Up, so I am decently satisfied.

Edit: I just finished the last episode and overall, Start Up was a drama I enjoyed! Less unnecessary romantic conflict and more sweet Seo Dalmi and Nam Dosan scenes would've been nice and there were some cliche scenes in the last few episodes that I wasn't the biggest fan of. However, all the story lines were wrapped up nicely and it was clear to me how each character grew so much, which was nice to see. The ending was honestly quite motivating, seeing how far Samsan Tech and Dalmi got. Some of my friends felt that the business/start up aspect was basically a subplot and wished there was more on those aspects. But as someone has no knowledge (nor deep interest :")) on businesses/start ups, I felt that the plot was quite sufficient in conveying the goals and passions of the characters, along with the various challenges they had to go through. Anyways, to finish up this overly long review, I'm glad I watched this drama as it ended up being quite sweet and motivating, and was something that got me through most of my semester at school haha

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your writing can KILL everyone

Y'all need to remember

everyone has their own type, hopefully all the bad reviews you write are not just carried away by the visuals of the characters, even though the visuals are actually your main attraction.
but for us viewers who have really been in their position in terms of storytelling, this drama is very meaningful to us, and I strongly disagree with your review which gives a value of 1.0 point,
remember if you have been carried away with this story and drama, means that the author has got 5-7 points for them.
I really understand where the story is going, episode by episode, the meaning of the meaning, the good message about the meaning of a truth family in this drama.

Besides the love affairs of the 3 people, other values ​​matter more, not just the love story of the 3 main players.

Please show your respect, and stop making the chances of someone getting killed. learn to be mature.

do not mess up other people's work, but start to tidy up ourselves, take the good and make the lessons that are not according to your expectations.

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Not as bad as they say! DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM

I'm actually very dumbfounded by the amount of low reviews on here. Though the show had its faults, i don't think the show warranted any 1/10 reviews. I would describe it as a perfect escapist drama, with no complicated storylines or characters- not much thought is required to watch this, something i personally appreciated. With loveable characters (HAN JI PYEONG), amazing cinematography and good storyline, you cannot go wrong. I would definitely recommend this.

However, there were times i was actually very much frustrated. With one entire episode dedicated to HAN JI PYEONG i was resolute that he'd be the main lead. He's charming, charismatic, smart, and self-less (i could go on), so imagine my dismay when he ends up as the second lead and given the short end of the stick - he certainly deserved better.

I know MANY viewers (including myself) wanted him to get the girl at end- and this is was probably what justified their 1* reviews, but after watching the finale, i've come to a realisation that HJP didn't truly love her. As you probably recall, he mentioned how he never searched for SDM in the 15 years of sending letters to each other, so after finally reuniting with her and granny, he was no longer alone. HJP was a somewhat hero to SDM, running to her aid anytime anything went wrong, he was finally wanted and needed and ¿maybe? latched onto that and confused it with love? In the finale, he understood that SDM can fight her own battles and he wasn't needed as a hero. And though he may not have gotten the girl at the end, he got a new family and friends, which is what he TRULY deserved.

If you're thinking of watching this drama, GO FOR IT. Don't let the bad reviews sway you. WATCH IT.

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I have a lot of things to say.

First of all, I did check some other reviews and I was not.. satisfied. So I'm here to give my somewhat unpopular thoughts. Please read until the end. I have two major points:

1. Some of y'all 'bout to be real mad at me but it must be said... HAN JI-PYEONG WASN'T THAT AMAZING, GUYS.
Don't cancel me, listen out. I'm not saying he was bad or anything, to me, he was just average. I never wanted him to end up with Dal-mi because there was no chemistry between them. I'm sorry, but letters written by teenagers aren't any proof of love. Leaving that aside, I never liked his attitude. This is just a personal preference, though. He developed in that aspect a little by the final episodes, but just a little. I don't feel anything for characters that treat everyone super poorly and then complain that no one actually cares deeply for them. Yes, he was being a good boss, I know. Still, no one has an obligation to ''love'' him when he doesn't show any emotion.
PS: This trope in dramas of waiting for your first love for years blah blah isn't doing it anymore. Ji-pyeong should have tried banging someone else instead of simping over the girl that has been in love with another guy FOR LIKE THREE YEARS. Lmao. This brings me to my next point:

2. DAL-MI DESERVED BETTER. Her character was overshadowed by this terrible ''love triangle''. It's not her fault that she doesn't like Ji-pyeong. She shouldn't be guilt-tripped into dating someone she's not interested in.
Her as an individual was ignored by most watchers just because they were angry that Ji-pyeong was not getting the girl. Dal-mi is a great character (leaving romance aside), her perseverance and ambition yet humbleness was amazing, everything she did was to help her grandmother live a better life [NoonGil] and to prevent others of going through what her father went through [Tarzan]. Even though at the beginning of the show she said that all she wanted was to be better than her sister, we know she changed her mind and actually tried to amend her relationship with the family members that basically abandoned her when she was a child. That is character development, period, no arguments against this.
I just wish people paid more attention to her character and not the relationships she pursued.

So those were my two biggest thoughts. Other things that I can say include..:

a) Do-san was cute. I loved/hated his character half of the show; but I knew him and Dal-mi would be perfect together, I'm glad to see they even got married and are now living their lives next to each other.
IT'S JUST COUPLE GOALS, Mr. and Ms. empowered CEOs.

b) Chul-san and Sa-ha are mad cute as well! Also, I love the fact that even though Sa-ha speaks English a couple times throughout the show, they didn't revolve her character around that. I've seen Stephanie Lee (the actress portraying Sa-ha) in other dramas and they always put her as the Korean-American girl that says cool quotes in English 24/7, it's just so weird lol.

c) What happened to the revenge plotline of Yong-san, tho.. maybe I didn't pay attention to this arc being resolved.

Overall, and enjoyable show that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
8.5/10

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IGNORE THE BASHERS, START-UP IS A GOOD ONE

I truly don't agree to those saying Start-Up is a bad kdrama. (Yes it may not be that perfect but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is a bad one either) From the fact that it is very inspiring and has realistic story, much to learn esp. for the Youth. Plus their fresh concept about Start up/Sandbox. Find it unfair that they are disliking start up just because they ship didn't sail (dalmi&jipyeong) gosh how bias so sad. When you rate a drama, you must be as objective as possible, you musn't rate it for the fact that your favorite actor is there alone. Though im not discrediting any of the characters, im just saying that sadly they failed to notice the message of start up just because they are too focused with the love triangle only sad.

Nevertheless, aside from its romance i think this kdrama is about dreams turning it into reality, from being a nobody into someone who is successful, lots of struggles making start up business/what their family/society is saying about them in the pursuit towards to their dreams, making mistakes and learning from it and technology in the world of todays/pros and cons of it in the society.

And one thing I really love in this drama is there's so much to learn not just about in career but also about in life. Truly one can apply those lines/lessons in life to be a better version of oneself, salute! As well the fact that Dalmi's cute family is so heartwarming!! Love their ost too!!

Suzy and Nam Joo Hyuk chemistry is overflowing! As for Jipyeong and Nam Dosan, i think they both have justifiable characters which makes more this drama loveable/confusing on who to ship with. But then, in earlier eps of start up i already thought/saw the hints why nam do san is the main lead/deserve for dalmi's love. Thus thanks to start up for finally taking different route in the Kdrama tropes (your childhood/1st love will be your last) because lots of kdrama had already done it so im tired with that trope. Again, thank you to all the casts and crew for making this kdrama inspire us in each and every possible way ❤❤❤

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Fuck them love triangles!

StartUp was supposedly my very first K-drama and not gonna lie I went in with very low expectations if none at all, so when I started tearing up within five minutes of the very first episode, not exaggerating, I was taken aback by acute surprise. The thing felt more like a tragic film rather than an opening for a series. Needless to say, I was hooked for more of this emotional depth the plot was trying to deliver. Be it the depressing family arc of the FL or the saddening, lonely, orphaned life of the ML.
Also the entire concept of Sandbox and incorporation of AI into the drama felt almost like cherry on the top. Everything was going perfect except for the fact that the ML (at least I assumed him to be so) wasn't exactly the ML but a SL? I was then informed that quite often in K-dramas the absolutely flawless, charming guys (for no fault of their own) end up only as pining, one sided lovers and nothing else. I hoped that this show won't befall this tragedy on my beloved Han Ji Pyeong (wasn't his life tragic enough already?!)
Turns out there's a terminology for it, so here I am petitioning for second lead syndrome to be included as a real psychological disorder cause boy, does that shit hurts!

While the series lost its grip on me after the tenth episode with its unnecessarily stretched love triangle, unwanted time leaps, unjustified fast paced character development of the "ML" and exploitation of supporting characters for the mere benefit of the leads, it was the hope of a happy ending for Han Ji Pyeong that kept me from dropping this drama altogether.

In conclusion, watch this one for Kim Seon Ho and his gorgeously heartbreaking chemistry with everyone on this show and well, that's about it.

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A refresing and beautiful story to watch

If you are looking for a heartwarming beautiful story About youth spirit, family, and friendship then this drama should be in your list to watch.

This drama absolutely wins for the cinematography and soundtrack. Almost all the scenes were shot beautifully. The writer really did a good research before making the storyline, every episode tells you about the terms in start-up business and reflects it implicitly in the story.

The casts surely serve you with good visual and great acting skills. They potrayed every character so well.
You should mature and objective enough to understand the value of the story and the story that every character try to deliver. Don't let fanwar ruin your experience of watching it.

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Life In a Nutshell

From the Name of the Drama itself, Start Up, it has shown how a people are in the real world.

5 Things About How Great The Title Start UP is:

1. The moment a person is born marks the START of a life. People grow UP to become children, youth, adults. The drama showed their childhood, their family, struggles of the youth, including adults who are in an area of advancement & technology.

2. People have dreams. For those dreams to become real, people need to START chasing and following them from the bottom going UP. That’s why in the drama, two people dreamt of having and founding a START UP company.

3. People may fail in life. It’s not always sunshines and nice blue skies. The only way to succeed is if people START again all the way UP to success. In the drama, they were young and didn’t know any better but they used the experience they gained to succeed.

4. People neglect things and people take people for granted. In the drama, many people left Dalmi either intentionally or unintentionally. But, towards the end, we saw how the SEO clan START again to build UP their family.

5. People establish relationships; whether friendship or the intimate one. For a relationship to blossom, two people START to know each other and take their relationship UP to the next level once they get to know each other well and once they know their dreams, how to express their love towards each other, etc.

START UP is what I consider a drama that is relevant and timely when it comes to tackling people, their dreams, their vulnerabilities, their flaws, their family and how they are in the modern times where technology is seemingly taking over.

If you love StartUp, please follow our IG account dedicated for our love and appreciation for it:
@startup_netflix.tvn

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Like Watching Kids Play "House."

You know when you’re watching a mediocre series when the first episode is better than all of those that follow it. By the time I’d reached the final three episodes, I nearly dropped the series completely. I was tired of watching these so-called “adults” acting like spoiled, immature brats, especially when they didn’t get what they wanted.

More often than not, less is more. In this case, had the series focused its energies on the business story rather than the romance, this series would have been much better, much more cohesive, and not felt like a story that an amateur writer put together piecemeal. Never mind the romance triangle (which doesn’t work at all in any case), but there are enough plot holes to drive a 18-wheeler truck through! The classic Korean series, “Misaeng” managed to keep its story focused on the four interns without needlessly deciding to add some silly romance angles.

The only relationship aspect of this series that held any interest for me was that between Mr. Han Ji Pyung and Choi Won Deok, the grandmother. There was a sweet tenderness between these two, especially as we discover that Mr. Han is resentful orphan who initially doesn’t want to be owing favors to anyone. Forget the fact that Mr. Han’s backstory is never revealed (and should have been) or why he ends up being the way he is. He’s a brilliant businessman who’s never afraid to offer true, honest criticism to anyone. He knows what happens to goldfish who decide to swim in the shark tank before they’re ready. And the story never really delves deeply into Mr. Han’s helping Grandma Choi write letters to Dal Mi, who ends up falling for more of an ideal than a real person.


The Sandbox is an intriguing place where up-and-coming inventors in the field of technology are able to showcase their abilities with the hopes of gaining funding and establishing a company. They are assigned a mentor as well as electing a CEO to lead each group. Nam Do San is a brilliant programmer, along with his two sidekicks (who do virtually nothing throughout the series but provide silly and unappealing comedy relief). It was interesting when he selected Dal Mi for his CEO rather than her sister, Won In Jae (a woman with much experience in the field). While Dal Mi ends up proving herself (with much help and assistance from Mr. Han), she later proves that she’s far more incompetent than she is being a true CEO. And her luck would have run out long ago had it not been for Mr. Han. She has no clue how to interact with those under her, and she always reacts emotionally to a situation rather than with a savvy business logic and rationale. A 50 question test does not a CEO make!

There are too many plot holes for me to list, but I will point out a few here. First, after Dal Mi finds out that Mr. Han wrote the letters and that her grandmother was the mastermind behind it, there is no conversation between Dal Mi and her grandmother about why she did it. Dal Mi is upset with Mr. Han and Nam Do San for deceiving her, but yet, no scene with her grandmother?! She would have been the first person I would have talked to!

Also, the ransomware perpetrated by the twins was so blatantly obvious that it killed any mystery regarding who was behind the act. That's never a good thing. Funny how neither of the sisters had any suspicions about them.

Sometimes, a three-year jump in the story does more harm than good, especially when the writer fails to take into consideration everything that transpires during that three-year gap. For instance, Dal Mi has an estranged relationship with her mother, who moves back in with her and her grandmother. And yet, there are no scenes showing how they’ve managed to reconcile things. There are also no scenes showing the process of reconciliation between Dal mi and her sister either! It’s like the writer was in too much of a hurry and skimmed over things. Perhaps if the silly romance had been thrown out (as it should have been!) then there would have been ample time for the more important aspects of the story.

Aside from the grandmother, we have a group of young and very immature children masquerading as adults. Dal Mi is so upset with her sister, that she feels she has to prove herself. Her sister wants to prove that she never needed her step-father’s money, and yet, she doesn’t seem to care at all about her late father or what he meant. Nam Do San is a little boy, pretending to be a “man,” crying at nearly every drop of a hat. His father is a tiger father who has Nam Do San’s life mapped out. Nam Do San is extremely immature and mistakenly puts Dal Mi at the center of his universe like a 16-year-old high school boy. What we end up with are two silly kids in a relationship that is about as appealing as watching kids in middle school.

Suzy Bae is a decent actress at best. Another big problem with the romantic angle is that Suzy Bae has absolutely no chemistry with either Nam Joo Hyuk (Nam Do San) or Kim Seon Ho (Mr. Han), and it was a headscratcher trying to figure out why a romance with either of them would work, let alone be even remotely appealing. Most of her expressions are very bland, and she certainly doesn’t have the range of many Korean actresses who are far superior in ability. I still can’t figure out why so many people are enamored with a woman who doesn’t seem to have much talent.

I can also say the same for Nam Joo Hyuk. A pretty face does not an actor make. Easily the weakest of the entire cast, Nam Joo Hyuk just looks lost half the time. Too often, he had that deer-in-the-headlights look on his face. He’d cry and then become a petty, jealous little boy in his scenes with Kim Seon Ho (a far superior actor). It felt like they picked the most popular boy and the most popular girl in high school and put them in a school play…just because they’re the most popular rather than because of any real talent.

Ultimately, this series ends up being a hot mess of contrived scenarios that would have been best left up to a fantasy writer. Not much was believable, let alone appealing, about this series. They should have hired the writer from “Misaeng” to handle this series rather than some clueless amateur. I ended up fast-forwarding through most of the final two episodes, but I was so sick of the story and the pathetic characters. Not a good sign that you’re watching a quality series. For me, “Start Up” didn’t take long to be finished, much like those groups in the first few episodes who were eliminated from the Sandbox. This series should have been eliminated from any kind of consideration as well.

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WATCH AND MAKE YOUR OWN OPINION

It is upsetting to see all these (1) ratings. This drama does not deserve that. There are so many setbacks in our every day life. Now, that I am older I can look back and say MAN now I know why my elders always repeated the same advice that I NEVER listened too. But I guess one must just experience things on their own to really learn. so many times i have broken down for not accomplishing things that I have wanted and for disappointing those that cheer me on on a daily but remember to always believe in your goals and eventually you are surely to get there as long as you put all your effort towards it. So many mistakes made by these characters, but in the end they all accomplished something that they could've only hoped for at a certain time in their life. As for the shippings I loved DS and I loved DM. I still don't see how people thought second lead was first lead but regardless... They made the second leads character(HJP) so perfect it was hard to not cry for and with him. I liked the way it ended and although i was happy for DS and DM. This love triangle kept me awake at night on a daily lol. Nevertheless, NJH and Suzy did an awesome job... but KSH has definitely stolen my heart can't wait to see him in his next drama!!!

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Unique storytelling, in a bad way.

This drama was just interesting enough to get me the whole way through, but realistically there’s so much about it that I disliked.

For a start, Jipyeong is set up to be the main love interest and he’s pretty much the male lead, since he’s the most fleshed-out character in the show. Because of this, I found myself really emotionally drawn to him, yet the real Nam Dosan suddenly gets wedged into the story and we are told he’s the main love interest! I wasn’t able to warm to Dosan’s character as his personality just didn’t click with me: sometimes he seemed too selfish + he had a weird temper etc.

I found myself bawling through most of the scenes between Jipyeong and Dalmi’s Grandma, yet the trouble they both through for Dalmi is confusing as I never came to feel like I knew her. She’s written in an incredibly one-dimensional way and becomes more so with time: the opposite of what should be happening. I couldn’t help but wonder why her Grandma would lie to her for so long as, while she may be hanging on to that childhood crush, she is a whole ass adult that I’m sure would get over it. The lack of development of Dalmi’s character also gets me questioning why either of the male leads are interested in her - she doesn’t even have any friends aside from Dosan’s friends so they really gave us nothing.

I also wonder why, when she finds out Jipyeong wrote the letters, she becomes so confused about who she loves. Up until then she treats Jipyeong with a significant distance and I feel like the combination of this and her association of Dosan with the letters would make this revelation seem very alien to her. Especially as the one characteristic she has is her decisiveness.

I’m not about to write an alternative but considering the plot began with her and her sister’s conflict, their story could’ve been much improved.

Another thing I hate is the short and ridiculous side plot of Yongsan’s brother. It really added nothing to the show and it was bizarrely sinister for such a momentary story.

On a side note, pretty much all the business scenes are boring af and I eventually found myself just skipping through them.

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Great Story with Great Cast

Don’t let haters fools you, this drama is great...from the beginning this is a story of youth struggling to find their dream and place in startUp world therefore it’s only fitting when the main lead has flaws and lacking in certain area which we can relate too...I am honestly tired with the same k-drama male lead need to be successful, rich, tsundere character which is overrated and overuse in k-drama

Nam Dosan coding genius that stumble a few obstacles during his journey toward his dream- he is kind hearted, selfless and most importantly value Dalmi so much that she become his dream...the subject of dream itself is very subjective, not everyone dream of being rich and successful...this character is very pure and like breath of fresh air , Nam Joo Hyuk delivered this character very2 well..same goes to Suzy, both shine brightly in this story

People that insisted for 30+ years old male who already successful and find his footing in the business industry- do you realize how unfitted HJP to be male lead in the youth Coding love story which is this drama main plot?

it’s sad that people are giving bad review just because they misunderstood the plot of this drama and insisted that they are absolutely right, now throwing tantrums by giving bad review because things doesn’t go their way...please be more grateful as this drama is the one that pushed your favorite oppa KSH into popularity in the first place

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