Start-Up (2020)

what a journey

Great up to episode 7.. and then fell drastically. The writers started to throw out good scenes and picked up scenes that don't really make sense. There were so many pointless bits in the plot, so much of the romance story felt forced and the business aspect was so unrealistic. A lot of the things in this drama are things we should not take for life.
If it weren't for Han Ji Pyeong, this drama would not have a backbone and it would not have been a drama. Yet, the writers had to make this character suffer up to the last episode and even the ending was near terrible. How could one be that selfless for that long? I thought the character was supposed to be smart. It didn't make sense.
The writer should have given Nam Joo Hyuk the character of Han Ji Pyeong...that would have made more sense. How could the writers make the second lead character seem so much like the main lead, only to force viewers to believe the main couple is meant to be (probably from the actors' popularity)?

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An inspirational watch that reminds you to dream big

The first episode set up the plot beautifully. The stunning cinematography and the poetic lines from Dal Mi's letters were very much heartfelt and gave you a good reason to root for her. What was even sweeter were the scenes between our good boy Ji-pyeong and the grandma. It was after their meeting when a simple favor turned into an eternal debt that brought all the characters together. I think what I learned in the pilot was that everyone needs somebody to lean on, even the strongest and surest of people. You have no idea what you can mean to a person, and that is what makes human connection special.

The first few episodes were pretty engaging, and you'll find yourself wanting everyone to find their path of success. I'm not a fan of the tired "withhold the truth from the protagonist to protect them" cliche, and I feel like this show stretched it out way too far. The minute Dal Mi figured out Ji-pyeong and Do San had the same handwriting, the truth should have been revealed. Also I'm not the biggest fan of Ji-pyeong but I do think he's the best actor out of the entire cast. My heart is owned by Nam Joo Hyuk's character. He really waltzed into the show like a dream and I'll always remember him that way. I love the way he's written. He's so cute and awkward and unsure but I find it realistic and endearing. He IS the smart guy everyone thinks he is, he just lacks confidence and doesn't trust himself to follow through. I think he relied on Ji-pyeong a little too much, and his character has flaws, of course, but he is a good character, at least to me. I'm rooting for Dal-Mi and Do San. Idk why but I just can't picture the FL with a good boy. The side characters are cute and add the lightheartedness the show needs at times.

Overall good show. There's nothing mind-blowing about this drama but it's a good watch if you're looking for something light-hearted and engaging enough to keep your interests. 9/10

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Awful.

Some of the most insufferable characters I have ever seen. There never seemed to be an consistency besides the stupidity that was the writing.

We are introduced to Seo Dalmi (Bae Suzy) as a headstrong and assertive character who has had many uphill battles to get to where she is right now. The audience is immediately drawn to her, not only because the story centers around her, but for her strength and determination. However, that demeanor quickly disappears as she meets the rest of the characters. Nam Dosan (Nam Joohyuk) is clueless yet [somewhat] driven. Though, again, vastly diminished as the story goes on.

The drama's only saving grace was Han Jipyeong (Kim Seonho) and even then, I couldn't stomach the rest of the show for him. There needed to be more nuance and depth, but alas...

Everyone, including the writers of the show, glossed over the lying. Choi Wondeok (Kim Haesook) is the heart and catalyst of Start Up, and while she had good intentions, she was wrong to do that to Dalmi. She had over 15 years to tell her the truth. As the story progressed [and the lie worsened], Dosan looked less and less like a good person. A beautiful girl dropped onto his lap, one of which thinks the world of him, and he saw nothing wrong with the situation. While Jipyeong's reasons for not wanting to tell Dalmi's the truth were sincere, Dosan's reasoning was astonishingly selfish.

"(to Jipyeong) You have everything and I just have this one thing. You can't let me have this one thing?" This one thing being that he has Dalmi wrapped around his finger simply because she thinks he's the one from the letters. Once she does find the truth (mind you, she finds out by herself because no one had the courage to tell her), the situation is almost immediately settled. Instead, we have Dalmi reasonably upset for less than half of an episode and seemingly forgives Dosan. What kind of message does that send to their audience? That it's okay if the person you like has been lying to you about who they are? It's okay that they don't respect your boundary and follow you around the city without being noticed?

Oh, but it's okay because he felt bad! He had a sad upbringing because he couldn't live up to his parent's expectation! It's okay that he lied because he also cheated on his Math Olympian exam where he won first place and he has felt guilty about it ever since! It's totally okay! Shut up, shut up, shut up. None of his backstory or his excuses or reasoning were redeemable. It did not paint him as a good character, if anything, it just made him worse — he's always been like this. And sure, there are far worse people out there, but it still doesn't make it okay.

It seemed that Dosan's friends/company only existed to assist Dosan as the main lead. Neither Lee Chulsan (Yoo Soobin) nor Kim Yongsan (Kim Dowan) managed to grasp the attention of anyone on their own. They were equally as selfish as Dosan was, especially when it came down to Dalmi and Jipyeong. Jipyeong, who was their own mentor, couldn't get a proper word in because of their bias.

While my favorite character was Jipyeong, I did not want him to end up with Dalmi. In fact, I kind of just wanted everyone to go their own separate ways, each of them brought out the worst in each other even if the drama didn't necessarily highlight that.

I wonder if the writer [of the show] is an only child though because what exactly is this sibling dynamic? Won Injae (Kang Hanna) abruptly ends their bond simply because she wants to live with her rich stepdad? Am I understanding that correctly? Their sibling storyline didn't necessarily make sense, and the show seemed to have forgotten how to develop it more properly once it stopped focusing on the [unnecessary] love triangle.

All in all, I have never been more pissed off watching a show. I understand that certain things have to happen in order for a kdrama (and this applies to any set of media) to move a story, but I hated it and just wished they didn't send a wrong message to their audience.

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Downhill

Initially this kdrama was so touching and the production was absolutely stunning, along with the OSTs. However, after the first few episodes it went downhill very very very quickly. Although it was fun to see others comment and discuss the complicated character of dosan, it was overall frustrating to watch and not satisfying whatsoever. If you want to feel angry every now and then, come to this drama. If you want something light-hearted or something that makes sense, please do skip this immediately. The main characters become very weak and dreamers who base their decisions too heavily on emotion. They make the realistic and self-made person (HJP) a villain by accusing him of murder and allsorts of terrible things. It truly makes the normal, regular, truthful person appear to be someone that people should despise. I honestly don't know what this kdrama was trying to teach us, but I'm glad many people realised that dosan is manipulative, has anger issues and needs therapy asap. Peace out

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DISAPPOINTING - You will hate yourself for watching this because of SML ending

-Honestly I have no clue what I just watched. Watching these episodes felt like a chore because they were trying to push DoDal down our throats. There was no chemistry between the characters!!!! Literally none at all! The relationship was built on lies and Nam Do San never stopped lying!! He just kept building up on them!

-Han Jipyeong was the only reason why I finished this show! His character made me feel so much and Kim SeonHo did an amazing job playing him. I felt all of his emotions and cried a lot because of him. His scenes were the only thing that was enjoyable in this drama! All we wanted was a happy ending for him but the writer did us dirty!! I MEAN WHAT EVEN WAS THAT AWKWARD HUG WITH HIM AND DO SAN?!

-Jipyeong and Dalmi had sooooo much chemistry!! It was crazy like a single scene made me fangirl more than any scene with Do San!

-The cast is so amazing and honestly I’m so sad that they did this with this show! The concept was good but they did all the characters I liked dirty so I hate it and will NEVER WATCH IT AGAIN!!

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Writers betrayed viewers

The problem with this series was an excellent pilot episode and episodes till 4., Where everything was perfect and pulled in many viewers as the story and characters of grandma and Han Ji Pyeong And his letters to Dalmi pull your heart strings.
It slowly went down hill towards episode 11 onwards and 13 and 14 episodes writer used as bait and click for Han Jipyeong and jidal shippers for ratings with scenes specially designed to attract shippers and in 15 make a mockery of those viewers by introducing the fall catch scene between salmi and HJP . Looks like they did dirt on HJP in 16!having portrayed him as someone who
Needed apologizing to dosan , it is other way round.

Dalmi in the beginning was a promising young entrepreneur at the end she became a damsel in distress who cannot succeed on her own without dosan , while standing next to her elder sister who succeeded twice without needing a man

15, 16 is Unwatchable As an HJP fans . Basically message an orphan kid who became a decent human being will be unacknowledged and ridiculed even after selflessly giving through the series. I just watched two scenes in 16 , grandma and HJP and Yongshil cameo and ended my series with the scenes of HJP smiling warmly with his office staff .

If the writer mocks users then that series should not derange recognition but just because she gave HJP , I will ask people to watch first few episodes and switch to YouTube to just snippets of KSH

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FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS.

This is not the same old drama you see every year. This has a different story. No one in real life doesn’t end up with their first love. At least not everyone. We grow up, we learn things, we find new partners, we learn from our mistakes, we wake up from our dreams and we actually start to follow our dreams. This is not for the people who only dream. This is for people who dream and work to make that dream into a reality. And this is not only about love. This drama teaches us so many things rather than love. If you are only focusing on love, you might miss those inspiring stories. Actually, I grew up with the drama, with their lives. I learned how to be someone from nothing. How to stand up for yourself, how to create a place for yourself in society, how you be your own version and, how to be unique. Most importantly how to be YOU. At the end, someone will love YOU for who YOU are. FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS NO MATTER WHAT. This is so inspiring for today’s youth. I can’t thank you enough to the entire cast and crew of this drama for giving us this wonderful drama.

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Spoilers. Why did they do this?¿?¿?¿?

Why that rating? Well...

First, the story of the drama begins with the Seo family showing how it is destroyed in a short time, leaving as a big problem that two sisters became separated. After that ONLY episode, they never gave importance to the family problem that existed, they only put very short scenes because what mattered most was the TRIANGLE OF LOVE.

Second, to focus too much on TRIANGLE OF LOVE because it was not only the problem to focus on that, but to sell in the first episodes that DM was firmly in love with the DS of the cards (JP), to show JP in the first episode as the protagonist, And after all that, DM throws it all away. For the people who complain about us that we "focus" on couples, I remind you that practically the series focused on the TRIANGLE OF LOVE not only in the first 10 episodes but they did it UNTIL THE END, so tell me why look at the couples, if it's the only thing they showed?

Third, the mismanagement of their characters, please, the only thing I knew about Injae was that she was DM's sister and that she had problems with her stepfather, they never showed their point of view (Maybe only 2 or 3 times?). Injae deserved more scenes and more character development, they literally put her aside when she should have had the same time as DM because after all the rivalry between the two was important ... or at least it was in 2 episodes. I will never forgive Injae for not seeing his grandmother in not just 15 years but 19 years, did I stay? ? ? Injae saw her when she was ALREADY BLIND.

Well, in the end it was all disgusting. JP didn't deserve that, I mean the story is so badly told that I think none of the other characters knew he was an orphan, they don't know how he got to DM's grandmother's house, in all the SST episodes I despise work . When JP practically WANTED TO SAVE THEM, DM doesn't fully know all the things he did for her. I think it's a waste that JP has done so much to get a PLANT and LETTERS (which DS wanted to keep) and all for somo STUPID HANDS. I'd rather have JP at some point become a villain than continue giving everything for others and not being valued.

I never insult the actors, I only criticize the story and the CHARACTERS, I know that the actors don't do this in one day, they all did a good job. But clearly the problem was the people who wrote and directed this.

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One of the best dramas for 2020

I really don't get all the negative reviews here. I personally think this is one of the best dramas this year. Before the show even started we already know it's a Nam Joo Hyuk and Bae Suzy lead. So it's clear from the start that the story would revolve around them. The plot will favor them and NOT THE SECOND LEAD. I like Ji Pyeong but not for Dalmi. Like duh he doesn't really need to get the girl. He's a typical Kdrama character who is rich, handsome, superior with a good and bad side. While Do San has low self esteem, started from the bottom and made his way up.. and he did. Do San and Dalmi found what they are lacking in one another. In other words they inspire and COMPLEMENT each other. As a long time Kdrama watcher it's a breath of fresh air that childhood friends don't end up together. I've seen too much dramas that always have childhood connection. I mean, seriously how could she fall inlove with a penpal she never even met? Meeting Do San,getting to know him and falling inlove with him is more realistic for me. If some fans put their emotions aside they'd realize that this is one amazing drama. Learned so much from this drama and the OST's are so good.

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FEMALE LEAD DESERVED BETTER

PHR, the female writer of story, sabotaged her female lead development. It is sad that a female lead role with so much potential was downgraded to a "trophy" between 2 ships.
First of all, love triangles always portrait the center person (in this case was Dalmi) as indecisive / unable to make up her mind over her own feelings for almost all the 16 episodes of the kdrama plot line. On top of that, she is also robbed Dalmi´s independence and proactivity, let me tell you why. The writers choice to uplift the second lead role was not only obvious but also very unfortunate for Dalmi.
The 2nd lead has 2 purposes: 1) His one side love for Dalmi due to some letters and about 15 years of never reaching out for HER & 2) His role of a mentor in the Start Up narrative. Since we all knew he was getting rejected cause an "end game" was never his faith in the series , now we only have the one job the 2nd lead had here.
In order to make HJP useful, the writer took her character development from Dalmi. She became dependant, always looking for the help of the "brilliant" mentor running to save the day of the young entrepreneurs, because, what happens when you make Dalmi smart and powerful? The mentor is no longer needed, basically leaving him out of the story.
And PHR not only attempted to make her female lead powerless in the business field but also added some forced - cringe worthy scenes for the girl to play such as "oppa opening a water bottle for me" "oppa having the most pathetic stumble but Dalmi must be catching him from behind" etc etc. And that lead us to ep, 16, it took 16 episodes for the writer to allow Dalmi to take control of the situation, showing an earlier scene of HJP running like the pseudo hero the writer created only to find out he was, as I mentioned before, a filler in Dalmi´s life.
Seems really bold from the writer to promise Suzy a strong female lead character that only became the hook for giving the 2nd lead actor his breakout role. Nowadays you´ll think you can put your trust by working with a female writer in a female centered drama only to be labeled as "the girl" your oppa "must get" because "good boy" deserves a "happy ending". Nonsense.

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