Start-Up (2020)

WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK

I rarely write review on mydramalist, but believe me, when I do so its either the drama is worth your time or it will drain your energy for nothing.
This time I write for later reason.


Start-Up started as a promising drama. I, at first, put such a high expectation after watching “Search:WWW”, believing that this drama would give us another thought-provoking storyline with decent dialogues and applaud-able cinematography.

But it turns out to be a drama with most illogical love-triangle and what worse is the script writer push the business-related scenes out of nowhere that you will be confused and wondering, am I watching “Startup” or “Lovers in Start-up?”

Since the “romance” is dominating this drama, so let me rant about it:

WE WOULD HAPPILY ACCEPT Dosan and Dalmi pairing IF ONLY
1. Script writer gives Dosan better character development (even Gu Jung Pyo`s is better). Let him fix his anger management issue, let the viewers know HOW he finally get succeed in silicon Valley. Tell him some basic science first, why he sitting on the yacht under sunny shine WEARING black tshirt why?? Didnt he feel hott?
2. Script writer gives BETTER storyline on how Dal Mi finally opens her heart for the real Do San and provide more logical explanation why Dal Mi find Do San more attractive despite she finally knew that imperfectly perfect HJP is the “Dosan from the letter”. Not jusst because Do San has big hand and he needs support (coz he thinks support from parents and friends are not enough). TELL US WHY Dalmi should be more than just Do San’s Business partner.
3. The reason why this heaviest SLS in human mankind is exist because scriptwriter did not give HJP enough opportunities to had one on one conversation with Dal Mi. Talking heart to heart about why HJP start to write the letter and how he actually feels about Dalmi from the start. Simply, Scriptwriter didnt give enough justice to HJP.

Sometimes I become very negative to think that director and scriptwriter already made a deal with respective management to make NJH and BS as the pairing no matter what. Even though during the halfway process of writing, the scriptwriter already now that it would be more logical to pair her with HJP?? Well thats my wild prediction.

I initially wanna put 2 in every scoring aspect but I will hold myself from doing so to respect KSH acting skill and his perfect potrayal of HJP.

NOTE:
I have seen the last 2 episodes and decided to put 1.0 to almost all aspect. Really not worth your time.
Please just use your time resource to watch Itaewon Class or Search WWW if you love business-themed drama.
I put 1.5 just to respect KSH`s magical acting.

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A good drama about finding success and finding love.

STORY:

1) The journey to success:
A group of people in their twenties enter the world of start ups. They use their talent, their personality, their friendship and commitment to fight battles that they win sometimes and loose the other times. It takes them through highs and lows, helps them form or improve personal and professional bounds between them. Mishandled situations by themselves and their mentor separate them but they will be reunited again to find success together.

This business oriented plotline is instilled and developed secondary to the romance plotline. Still it was nice and enjoyable despite the fact that the business ideas developed are no innovations. They already exists in reality. Also the mentoring part was not properly done. The idea of mentoring engineers and coding specialits and CEO like yelling at a dishwasher of a restaurant who slacked is just grotesque. But if we accept that, the story stands.

2) The journey of love and lies:
A grandma schemes a plan to lie to comfort her 12yo granddaughter who is left alone. Grandma and a 19yo highschooler play fake pen friend using the name and identity of another kid her age. It has been decided by Destiny. It will be the long journey of these two of a same age finding each other despite the lies and deception.

The love story turns into a toxic situation when adult Han Ji Pyeong the writer of the letters starts to take a liking for Dal Mi and he stops at no means to undermine Do San and tries to make himself look like the real fated lover of Dal Mi. Of course she doesn't care about it but the fake love triangle lasts until ep 15. I found it was too long. But for the main couple, the love story is very natural and realistic. They looked very good together.


CHARACTERS/ACTORS:
- Dal Mi / Bae Suzy: She is the common thread. The anchor point of most of the other characters. She is a nice girl but also outspoken, rebellious, down to earth, motivated and persevering. She is fighter and a leader. I liked her personality and I liked the fact that she faced all her challenges bluntly by believing in herself and in her choices. I have seen 5 dramas with Suzy. This is her best performance for me. She was convincing all the time when she had to be professional or very emotional.

- Nam Do San / Nam Joo Hyuk : He is a bit timid, not confident, not assertive enough but he is a very nice person. He cares for others and has a lot of empathy. Maybe too much. He is people oriented. People are what makes him give his best. His growth is real but not a twist. It is even more credible. First time seeing Nam Joo Hyuk in a lead role. I found him excellent with a range of emotions larger than common actors in Kdrama. His portrayal of an over sensitive Do San but caring of others was great.

- Han Ji Pyeong / Kim Seon Ho : An orphan full of flaws that he turned as his advantage to become a self made man. He is rude, cold, inconsiderate, nagging, bullying and scheming but also knowledgeable, good natured, sometimes goofy. He has a good heart deep inside and a lot of emotions but he doesn't show it. It is his loss.

- Won In Jae / Kang Han Na: A cold older sister but a resolute an ambitious woman who will stick at her choices and prove herself by all means even if it hurts people around her. She has family values deep inside and it will help her slow path to reconciliation. First time seeing Kang Han Na. She was pretty good in that role.

- Grandmother / Kim Hae Sook : A good hearted and caring grandmother who tries her best to help and comfort her granddaughter and young Ji Pyeong but she does not always uses the best mean. Lying is not a good way. Anyway she did her best and it turned out to be effective. She is a warm and loving person. I was sad about how things turned for her with her health but she was always a positive person. Kim Hae Sook great like most usual suspects in Kdrama.

- Yong San and Chul San : The two others of the Three Stooges of the beginning. They are nerds but they have great interactions to bring fun to the drama. I liked Yong San personal story which was no big deal in the drama but contributed to a key moment of the story. Chul San was super annoying at times but ended quite a good guy.

- Sa Ha: Perfect woman with the perfect face and perfect body and perfect education and high standards and a prickly appearance but in fact she is just a nice girl with a romantic side. Did not know that actress Stephanie Lee before but I will be glad to see her again in another drama.

Others Characters brought their share of fun to this drama:

- Do San parents : great comic relief. They really love their kid but also are too demanding especially the father. I liked the mom and her predictions a lot.
- The cousin : Most epic moment in the drama thanks to him.
- Yoon Seon Hak CEO SH Venture Capital : Liked her 15 years earlier as a fair and professional boss and 15 years after, looking for the girl on the swing.
- Dal Mi' s mom: Super annoying at first but life teaches her a lesson. She will finally make good deeds. I liked her evolution.
- Park Dong Chun (Ji Pyung's junior): always bounced here and there by his boss but he was fun despite little screen time.
- Alex Kwon : A very competent guy and professional with his own agenda. Not a good guy. Not a bad guy. But he does his job and gives you smiles.
- Jang Yeong Shil / Yeo Jin Goo : Funny AI which can't tell the weather properly but gives tips to humans about life.

MUSIC:
It enhanced greatly the sad moments, successful moments, the nostalgic moments.. Overall it was very good.

REWATCH VALUE:
I would rewatch it to look into the details see if I missed something. Find hidden Easter eggs maybe. Too recent for me to think about rewatching but after some time yes I think it is something I would gladly rewatch.

OVERALL: Not a perfect drama because the SML was too annoying and nagging and scheming for too long without having his own arc in the narration to beef him up so that people can adhere to him. Not only to his smile and dimples and as a sad orphan . But as a real good person deep inside and a competent team leader/director. Overall it is an enjoyable drama.


ADVICES IF YOU DECIDE TO WATCH THIS DRAMA:

- Do not fall for ep1 which makes you see the SML as the most adorable person and pitiful orphan and worthy of your sympathy and he must absolutely be the ML of the drama because destiny chose him. He is not. Destiny is going to play an ugly trick on him.
- Every episode, do not focus on one character or one couple. Put yourself in the shoes of every main characters. This drama is about people. Live things like you are at their place. Do not assume what they should understand or do because you as the viewer you know.
- Pay attention to the connexions and interactions between the people. They are as important as the people themselves.
- Pay attention to the details of what is showed. What people say their words but also what emotion their face expresses .

It is demanding but it will help you understand the real intentions and story of this drama.

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Why are people hating on this drama... y’all should stop.

Honestly I’ve watched this drama weekly since the day it aired, I've been completely hooked. This show has made me cry, laugh, curse out loud... it’s been a heck of a ride. The story for me was new and fresh. The cast was amazing, all great actors. I enjoyed watching this show a lot.
Even the soundtrack was spot on. For me it was a light hearted show where the leads faced some challenges but nothing too extreme that they couldn’t over come, there was this whole rivalry angle but everyone sorted it out without it getting out of hand. Yes there are some things I wish that would’ve happened for e g Dal mi and JP having more moments and chemistry on screen but I will not whine about it that much, I’ve just accepted Dal mi being better off with Do San.

So yes a great drama, would I rewatch it again? I probably would.

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The love story isn't the main point!

Great cinematography, literary technique, and a very tight character development script. If you're a literature nerd, you'll enjoy analyzing the foreshadowing, the throwbacks, and the parallel structure in many places.
You'll see major motifs getting called back from time to time to help you understand characters better or signify their development. The writing was also super consistent from start to finish, and loose ends were tied up really well. I love how the story started with mean questions at a talk, and ended with mean questions at another talk. This is the type of production I love to see.

Yes, just like everyone else I got the second male lead syndrome, but the love story isn't the main point here. The writer put so much more emphasis on the grandma x Ji-pyeong "fake family," the Seo sisters + family, the Ji-pyeong x Do-san bromance, etc. I'm especially a fan of grandma and Ji-pyeong... the human aspect of this drama is amazing. Makes me wish I had a grandma like that (cries a little

If you're a cameo-chasing nerd, you'll also enjoy the special easter eggs they threw in. Like the 2 Days 1 Night guy playing a security guard, or Lee Bo-young (female lead of the scriptwriter's previous drama I Can Hear Your Voice) at the bar, or Yeo Jin-goo's voice as Young-sil the AI...

To summarize: Watch it for the production value. Watch it for the family drama. Watch it for character development. You'll love the show.

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fun drama, not worth the fuss or the flak; basic comprehension skills required

Despite the premise, what this drama actually was is a modern take on the Cyrano story with a kdrama twist. The perfect role for a second lead went to, well, a second lead, and some people were Big Mad about it, to the point they envisioned a whole different drama in their heads, then were Big Mad again when it didn't become true, and chalked it all up to bad writing. It wasn't.

Not that this drama didn't have issues, mainly the pacing and muddled middle, but that seems to be a netflix-wide problem with their kdramas. I would've wanted more focus on the sister's relationship throughout the drama, as well as other side characters, but the overstretched love triangle, while annoying at times, wasn't in vain and fell in line with the themes the drama dealt with, about taking risks and getting used to failure.

I say this because, despite the absurd discourse that ensued, within the narrative it was always made perfectly clear why ultimately Dosan would get the girl (Dalmi), and why Jipyeong wouldn't. Jipyeong was always sure of his opinions and was extremely risk-averse, which in turn meant that despite numerous chances to get closer to Dalmi, he chose the safety of distance; Dosan saw those same chances and, despite his lack of confidence, seized them, taking the risks Jipyeong wouldn't. It follows, then, that Jipyeon's journey would be about taking the risk at last (too late) and accepting failure as part of the learning process, something that as late as episode 16 he couldn't accept. And that's what the story did, it lead him to accept his flaws and come to accept that he still has a lot to learn and that mistakes and falls will happen - such as the girl you love not loving you back.

If that's why Jipyeong would lose the girl, then Dosan would "get" her because his own journey was about finding his self esteem and learning where his ambitions were and how those two things came together. Dosan's ambitions at first were directed at other people - he chose to meet Dalmi to help her, he developed Noongi to help her grandma, he opened Sansam Tech to help out his friends. His ambitions weren't about what he wanted, but they were tied to how they made him feel. It took meeting Dalmi for him to realize that he was allowed to want things for himself and not for others, things that made him feel good and confident in himself. It turns out that his ambitions weren't outward but inward - he wanted to BE wanted, for who he was and what he offered, nothing else, to know that who he is was enough. Not fancy jobs or titles, and that never changed about him. That's why Dalmi was his dream, because in his case, wanting her meant choosing his own wants before others.

But what about Dalmi? What irks me about this whole discussion is how little people seem to care about what she wants. She's the center of the plot, the reason all those pieces are set in motion, and is kept blind for half the drama about it. And that's because, while Dalmi became Dosan's dream, so to speak, her journey was about giving him up as hers. The Dosan of her letters wasn't Dosan, and it wasn't Jipyeong either - it was a fiction she held onto for much longer than was healthy, a lifeline when she lost her father that became an anchor dragging her down as an adult. For all that she wanted to follow in her father's footstep, she was trapped in her comfort zone. It took meeting Dosan, the real Dosan, to turn her fantasy dreams into real, actionable dreams, because he stopped being someone who existed in her mind, to someone who was real and offered her the tools to achieve all that her father had wanted. It's not for nothing that his hands were a big motif in their relationship - hands do things, they're about action, and that's what Dosan offers Dalmi, the chance to try things and take risks, and they also catch you if you fall, and pull you back up.

I'm genuinely sorry for the people who suffered SLS, but for those convinced the story went downhill and nothing made sense anymore, maybe take a long hard look at your own interpretation of the story and how far it deviated from the real thing. A lot of us watching from the sidelines were horrified by the extent to which a subset of fans twisted the story to fit their vision, all the while knowing it would come crashing down on them. And it did.

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Perfect storyline, scenes, with super high rewatch value

I'm reviewing this show with a neutral stand on both male leads (i have seen so many bias and negative reviews because of the second male lead). I think both male leads and female leads portrayed their roles well and that is what made the show a success.

To be honest, i continued watching because i was intrigued by the storyline and how it wasn't a typical smooth sailing romcom like many kdramas. For this show, it took around 14-15 episodes to find out which ML the 1FL will end up with. And like how i shared to all my friends, i feel like every scene in the drama is shot to perfection. Super instagrammable backgrounds and the choice of accompanying music was perfect.

As an avid k-drama fan (i have watched countless kdramas and you can hold me to this), i guarantee that you'll love this show. Put aside your biases towards any actors in particular and you'll enjoy it. =) trust me.

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I came here to say for all the other bitter, poor reviews you might see scrolling through, let me summarize their major disappointment—it’s over a ship/pairing that was never intended to get anywhere between the MFL and SL (your typical second lead syndrome). If not throughout, then most certainly by the conclusion of the drama, you’ll Know exactly why that’s the case as well as how the overall story ties together with its characters growing from start to end. but. It’s a bit pointless to try to get across viewers who A) can’t bother finishing the drama mainly due to the indifferences of said ship, or most pathetically B) insisted on watching the show solely to skip scenes that were vital to the characters’ stories thus concluded there were “plot holes” and/or “inconsistencies”. Go figure, I suppose. There is also a whole other debacle debate as to whether the drama delivered good business models, and whether they’re applicable to the real world. What you have to keep in mind is paying close attention to the drama’s usage of its metaphors, because somehow it’s lost on the vast majority who fail to realize they can and have already applied them to the real world.
One perfect example I can give is the “Sailing off without a map” saying that’s referenced throughout. In short, it’s a metaphor mostly* for innovators, visionaries—people with idealistic views as opposed to investors who have realistic views. You either win big or lose big. And should you fail, you're one step closer to success as it is still a good experience to have, knowing or figuring out how to do better the next time. Failure is part of the process. It’s what makes innovation a step-by-step process. The quote is supposed to signify establishing maps for uncharted areas that allow businesses to continue to expand despite the risks—NOT that you don’t have the resources nor the variables planned to do so (which is the very thing a lot were misinterpreting on). Basically, don’t limit yourself to what you can exceed if you shouldn’t have to, and take the opportunities given.

The drama centers around a group of youthful entrepreneurs who have that similar journey of naivety and innocence, begrudging struggles, fleeting accomplishments, damning reality—you name it. They experience upon trail and error to get to their endgame. That’s really all what this drama is about.

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Had potential but disappointing ending

This drama started off great, the characters were amazing. The cast was one of the best. The way the drama played out wasn’t very good though. They made Nam Do San seem too shallow minded in my opinion. His character wasn’t the worst, he had his moments, but I feel like he didn’t have ML qualities, he was more of a SL. The decisions he made or how he executed them were not to my liking, he was a very weird ML, he had so many qualities that were unlikable as the ML.
Seo Dal Mi’s character I feel went downhill on the strong independent female aspect. She went from being a woman who could do everything on her own and be the best at it to not being able to make clear decisions and needing constant help from a man (from both HJP and NDS). It was sad seeing her strong image go down like that.
Han Ji Pyeong was such a likable character now he had ML qualities. They gave him the tragic background, the history with the FL, and the best personality but he was given the SL role. It was very disappointing and upsetting seeing such a great written character put to the side like that. I feel like a lot of the moments from the last episode were to make NDS seem like he was better or as ways to justify why NDS had to be the ML.
I feel like none of the supporting characters were given proper endings or closure that made sense only NDS and SDM had that closure. I know they are the main characters but they made the characters stories that you wanted to see them have good endings.
Overall the drama was alright maybe up to episode 13 the drama was good. I personally would not watch this drama again or strongly recommend to anyone.

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Worst Plot and Character Development

The drama started off really well, and I enjoyed the concept of this drama as it is relevant to current trends in technology. At first, the childhood love story between the main character and the second protagonist seemed perfect and I thought somehow the story would get the closure it needs. However, that didn't happen.

I wouldn't have minded the romance between the first lead and the main character if it only didn't give off very disingenuous. The first lead had such terrible character development from a timid guy who felt his purpose was to please his parents to a guy who treats the main character as if she was a prize. The interactions seemed so forced, and I get uncomfortable watching them together. There were many red flags in their relationship, and I was not really happy with how the drama wrapped up.

The first lead also threw the second lead under the bus at the climax of the drama, whereas the second guy didn't. I admit the second lead had a cocky personality and cold atmosphere surrounding him at the beginning, but it was for him to avoid getting close to people so he wouldn't get vulnerable and hurt by others. He ended up developing into a more open individual who actively tried to help the ones he cared about. Throughout the drama, he also ended up being the first lead's emotional punching bag (also physical at some point of the drama). Whenever the main girl got pissed at the first lead, the second lead always defended him and tried to convince her to give him another chance.

The main girl is a whole other story, I ended up liking her older sister more at the end of this drama and she ended up having the best redemption arc. Overall, the drama was very unrealistic, and there are just so many flaws to name.

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Great portrayal of Silicon Valley

I've seen a lot of reviews that pan the ambiance this show creates for startups. I'm writing here mostly to say, they nailed it! I lived in Silicon Valley (Mountain View and Sunnyvale) from the time that Google had one building, leased from Silicon Graphics, until just a couple of years ago. I had many friends who worked at Google. I attended focus groups and workshops there, and ate in the famous cafeterias. I knew people in other startups and used an incubator for a while with a group I worked with. I had a close associate working for a self-driving car start-up. Start-ups are regularly bought for big money just to grab the talented programmers for a couple of years, and everyone ends up wealthy. It happened to someone I know. The images created in this drama were so accurate that it was like being back there again. So when I say that they got the ambiance right, I know what I'm talking about.
That said, it's not much like that any more - the renown Google food has deteriorated, the people aren't having fun any more, and it's become largely tech rat-race.
AS for the story, it's ok. There were things that didn't go the way I had hoped, there were loose ends. Although I watch a lot of K-drama, I don't pay any attention to the fan wars or other stuff that surrounds them, so I'm blissfully ignorant about all that. I loved seeing Kim Hae Sook, one of my favorite actresses. I looked forward to every episode, and I was sorry it ended. There are plenty pf reviews out there that dissect the plot and everything else in painful detail, so read those if you want to know about that stuff. But if you want to visit the world of tech startups in the early days, this is a great place to do it. They got it right.

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A very heart-warming and inspiring drama

I know many people seems to have mixed or negative feelings toward this drama but I really enjoyed it. There were times I was really frustrated with how the plot was progressing but once I finished it I realised it all actually made perfect sense. When I first started watching this I actually didn't even watch the trailer and had no idea who the main leads were. And I had very high expectations after watching the first few episodes. It didn't exactly hold up to those expectations but it still was a really good story and the actors did a good job in portraying their characters. It did seem a bit cliche sometimes but I loved it nevertheless.

I really loved the growth of each character as the story went on. How each of them realised their mistakes and tried to better themselves was very nice to watch. And I love it especially when the characters apologize for their mistakes. One lesson this drama taught me is that it's okay to take risks sometimes. It could end up with us being hurt but it still would be a learning experience. It could help us to not make the same mistake again. Samsan tech's journey was really so heart-warming. They had to go through very tough situations but they still did overcome all those and that was very inspiring to watch. I loved how Dalmi handled every situation, and even if she did face troubles I love how she didn't let it hold her down but got back up and kept fighting. I think that shows how she really is the girl on the swing. Dosan's character is one that I could relate to on many levels, even though I'm not a genius like him. A person like him who lacks self-confidence and is a bit introverted and also doesn't know what his dream is, being able to succeed while still being true to himself was very nice to watch. And Han Jipyeong's growth from a very brutally honest CEO who would point out the flaws without caring for others feelings and who only cared about grandma and dalmi to a more understanding person who is ready to invest in a start-up helping people who's going through what he went through was very touching. Only thing I have a problem with is that Injae doesn't have much screentime. I really wanted to see more of her especially since she's the second female lead. Her character growth was also really good. The way she turned from a selfish and arrogant person to one who understands what she actually values and needs made me love her character a lot. Also I really loved how Injae and Dalmi's family was able to reconcile after everything that happened between them and seeing them together and happy at the end was something I really loved. And looking at all the changes Yongsan went through was also very heart-warming. I loved how he went from wanting to take revenge for his brother's death to understanding it's no one's fault and apologizing for his mistakes. The love triangle between Dosan, Dalmi and Jipyeong was not something I enjoyed tbh. I would've preferred the triangle to end sooner so that I could see more of Dosan and Jipyeong's scenes without fighting and jealousy. But when I look at the scene where Dosan tells Jipyeong why he didn't want to take Jipyeong's offer to invest at first and Jipyeong realising that it really doesn't have anything to do with him being jealous I feel like it was good after all. I also really liked Chulsan and Saha's relationship. They were really cute. One thing I really loved about these characters is how real they are. None of them are perfect and they all have issues that they need to fix by themselves and some things doesn't even need fixing since that's just who they are. They are all humans and humans have flaws and it's okay as long as they are not harming anyone.

All the actors did a phenomenal job here that made this drama even more enjoyable for me. Nam Joohyuk's acting as Dosan was definitely one of the best performances I've seen from him. I could actually feel what Dosan was feeling just from his body language. Suzy was also really great and the scene I loved the most was her presentation for hackathon. Nam Joohyuk and Suzy's chemistry was also on another level. I'd really love to watch them in another drama in the future. Hopefully without any love triangles. Kim Seonho really did an amazing job as Han Jipyeong and I don't think I even have to comment on that. The way everyone seems to love him just proves how great an actor he is. Kim Haesook/grandma's acting was also one of my favourites. Kang Hanna, even though I wish she had more scenes did a wonderful job during her scenes and she really made me hate and love Injae.

Another thing that I loved about this drama is it's OSTs. I was going insane waiting for my favourite OSTs to be released! Two of my favourite OSTs are Love Letter by BOL4 and Dream by Jamie. All the other OSTs were really good as well, especially Future by Red Velvet. I'm sure I'll be listening to these for a long time, especially Love Letter, which I've been listening to on repeat since it was released!

Overall this was a really great drama and I would recommend this to anyone who's not too bothered by love triangles.

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