mamichu
“Startup” is set in South Korea’s FICTIONAL Silicon Valley, called Sandbox
As the title states, this drama is set in SK's FICTIONAL Silicon Valley. If you are planning to watch this drama, keep the word "fictional" in mind all the time.
Q: Is this a business-focused drama?
This drama promises to show us a look into starting a business through a Start-Up program and it does just that. It shows us a "look." Now, if you are like me who is actually interested in seeing more of the start-up and business aspect of the drama, this might not be the drama for you. Yes, there would be some of it, but as someone who knows nothing about the whole Start-Up business, you might find yourself wanting to find out more about the details of the whole Start-Up program. Perhaps, you might want to look into other recommended dramas or some documentaries about Silicon Valley instead. I've found myself wondering too if some of the stuff shown in the drama were accurate or not. Again, keep in mind that this drama is fictional so there would really be no point in trying to compare it to real life.
Q: Then what is this drama about?
The drama description would introduce you to 4 individuals that were promised to be the main leads of the drama: Seo Dalmi, Nam Dosan, Han Jipyeong, and Won Injae. The drama would show you how each character relate to one another and how they would enter this fictional Silicon Valley in South Korea called "Sandbox." The included genres are business, comedy, romance, youth, and drama. So did the drama give us all that? The answer is yes. However, if you are looking for balance between all of those genres, you might find yourself a little disappointed. But if you do not mind the imbalance, that is perfectly fine! Do give this drama a try. And as for whether the drama would focus on each of the 4 individuals shown in the main posters and descriptions, the answer would unfortunately be no.
Q: What do you mean by "the 4 individuals in the posters and description wouldn't be equally focused on"?
If you look into the drama's tags, the first thing that you would see is "Love Triangle." There is also "Misunderstanding," "Nice Second Lead," and "First Love." If you have 4 characters and there is a love triangle, it might mean that one of the characters would be left out -- that is exactly what happened to Start-Up. And as mentioned earlier, there would be a look into the start-up and business aspects in this drama, but the main focus would actually be regarding the romantic story between the leads. Therefore, if you love romance dramas in a business setting, this drama is for you! On the other hand, if you find yourself tired of all the drama between two people who have feelings for the same person, this might not be the drama for you.
Q: Is this drama realistic? How realistic is it?
I would remind you again to keep the word "fictional" in your mind. If you are going to watch this drama to be inspired, by all means, have a go at it! This drama would be inspirational when it comes to achieving your dreams. However, if you are really looking for something more realistic, more relatable, and more reflective of real-life and its consequences, this drama might not be for you. If you try putting in the tag "Slice of Life" in the mydramalist search settings, you might find something more suitable for you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STORY: How is the actual story?
- The story is decent and something of a typical Korean drama. I don't think that anything new has been added to the formula to make Start-Up stand out from similar dramas -- except of course the fact that it is set in this fictional place "Sandbox." Considering that it had a lot of people waiting at the edge of their seats for the next episodes every week, I think that this drama has achieved that and I admit that the writer is smart for making that happen (considering that there is this particular issue in the drama that has been stretched out until the last remaining episodes). But... well, that's about it really. It's a romantic drama between 3 individuals involved in this so-called love triangle set in the fictional Silicon Valley, "Sandbox." This is how I would describe this drama.
CHARACTERS: How were the characters?
- As someone who was promised 4 main characters from the description, posters, and first two episodes of the drama, I would have to say that I am disappointed. Many others would agree that one of the supposed main characters has somewhat become an extended cameo character. There were many ways that this character's story could have been expanded on, but unfortunately, this character only appears when they need to show up. One might actually think that perhaps the writer has forgotten all about this character?
- The remaining three main characters are all flawed in their own ways, maybe some of them more than the others. But they were alright. I suppose that if you keep remembering that this is just a Kdrama and is fictional, then you really wouldn't mind how these characters would be like in this drama. You might just think, "Ah, well this is just a Kdrama so..." Again, this drama is not there to be realistic. Perhaps there would aspects of it that would be similar to real life, but not all of it should be taken as something that actually happens or is acceptable in real life -- just remember this. Plus, not to mention, the characters are all good-looking so there's that.
ACTING/CAST:
The actors did their parts well and some are admirable for what they have added in to their characters (in terms of depth and the ad-libs). So if you have never seen any of these actors before or you have already seen them before (and that is what makes you want to see this drama), you will appreciate watching them in Start-Up regardless of the characters that they play.
MUSIC/OST:
Beautiful OST and a whole lot of earworm that would stay with you for a while. The artists invited to sing were fantastic and did justice to the songs. The scores and other music that plays in the drama (that is not OST) were suitable as well. You would have no problems watching through Start-Up with regards to music choice.
RE-WATCH VALUE and RECOMMENDATION:
I am afraid that despite the great work that went in to this drama, I do not think I would be watching it again. Perhaps it might be because of my personal expectations that I have been let down, believing that there might be something different about Start-Up, but alas, it has become what it is now. Let me re-iterate this, it was a decent drama. I am not sure if I would recommend watching it based on my own feelings, but I hope that my review would be able to help you decide whether this drama might be for you. If not, well... there are plenty of other reviews out there and there is also the choice of giving it a go regardless of what others think about it.
Hopefully this was helpful c:
Q: Is this a business-focused drama?
This drama promises to show us a look into starting a business through a Start-Up program and it does just that. It shows us a "look." Now, if you are like me who is actually interested in seeing more of the start-up and business aspect of the drama, this might not be the drama for you. Yes, there would be some of it, but as someone who knows nothing about the whole Start-Up business, you might find yourself wanting to find out more about the details of the whole Start-Up program. Perhaps, you might want to look into other recommended dramas or some documentaries about Silicon Valley instead. I've found myself wondering too if some of the stuff shown in the drama were accurate or not. Again, keep in mind that this drama is fictional so there would really be no point in trying to compare it to real life.
Q: Then what is this drama about?
The drama description would introduce you to 4 individuals that were promised to be the main leads of the drama: Seo Dalmi, Nam Dosan, Han Jipyeong, and Won Injae. The drama would show you how each character relate to one another and how they would enter this fictional Silicon Valley in South Korea called "Sandbox." The included genres are business, comedy, romance, youth, and drama. So did the drama give us all that? The answer is yes. However, if you are looking for balance between all of those genres, you might find yourself a little disappointed. But if you do not mind the imbalance, that is perfectly fine! Do give this drama a try. And as for whether the drama would focus on each of the 4 individuals shown in the main posters and descriptions, the answer would unfortunately be no.
Q: What do you mean by "the 4 individuals in the posters and description wouldn't be equally focused on"?
If you look into the drama's tags, the first thing that you would see is "Love Triangle." There is also "Misunderstanding," "Nice Second Lead," and "First Love." If you have 4 characters and there is a love triangle, it might mean that one of the characters would be left out -- that is exactly what happened to Start-Up. And as mentioned earlier, there would be a look into the start-up and business aspects in this drama, but the main focus would actually be regarding the romantic story between the leads. Therefore, if you love romance dramas in a business setting, this drama is for you! On the other hand, if you find yourself tired of all the drama between two people who have feelings for the same person, this might not be the drama for you.
Q: Is this drama realistic? How realistic is it?
I would remind you again to keep the word "fictional" in your mind. If you are going to watch this drama to be inspired, by all means, have a go at it! This drama would be inspirational when it comes to achieving your dreams. However, if you are really looking for something more realistic, more relatable, and more reflective of real-life and its consequences, this drama might not be for you. If you try putting in the tag "Slice of Life" in the mydramalist search settings, you might find something more suitable for you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STORY: How is the actual story?
- The story is decent and something of a typical Korean drama. I don't think that anything new has been added to the formula to make Start-Up stand out from similar dramas -- except of course the fact that it is set in this fictional place "Sandbox." Considering that it had a lot of people waiting at the edge of their seats for the next episodes every week, I think that this drama has achieved that and I admit that the writer is smart for making that happen (considering that there is this particular issue in the drama that has been stretched out until the last remaining episodes). But... well, that's about it really. It's a romantic drama between 3 individuals involved in this so-called love triangle set in the fictional Silicon Valley, "Sandbox." This is how I would describe this drama.
CHARACTERS: How were the characters?
- As someone who was promised 4 main characters from the description, posters, and first two episodes of the drama, I would have to say that I am disappointed. Many others would agree that one of the supposed main characters has somewhat become an extended cameo character. There were many ways that this character's story could have been expanded on, but unfortunately, this character only appears when they need to show up. One might actually think that perhaps the writer has forgotten all about this character?
- The remaining three main characters are all flawed in their own ways, maybe some of them more than the others. But they were alright. I suppose that if you keep remembering that this is just a Kdrama and is fictional, then you really wouldn't mind how these characters would be like in this drama. You might just think, "Ah, well this is just a Kdrama so..." Again, this drama is not there to be realistic. Perhaps there would aspects of it that would be similar to real life, but not all of it should be taken as something that actually happens or is acceptable in real life -- just remember this. Plus, not to mention, the characters are all good-looking so there's that.
ACTING/CAST:
The actors did their parts well and some are admirable for what they have added in to their characters (in terms of depth and the ad-libs). So if you have never seen any of these actors before or you have already seen them before (and that is what makes you want to see this drama), you will appreciate watching them in Start-Up regardless of the characters that they play.
MUSIC/OST:
Beautiful OST and a whole lot of earworm that would stay with you for a while. The artists invited to sing were fantastic and did justice to the songs. The scores and other music that plays in the drama (that is not OST) were suitable as well. You would have no problems watching through Start-Up with regards to music choice.
RE-WATCH VALUE and RECOMMENDATION:
I am afraid that despite the great work that went in to this drama, I do not think I would be watching it again. Perhaps it might be because of my personal expectations that I have been let down, believing that there might be something different about Start-Up, but alas, it has become what it is now. Let me re-iterate this, it was a decent drama. I am not sure if I would recommend watching it based on my own feelings, but I hope that my review would be able to help you decide whether this drama might be for you. If not, well... there are plenty of other reviews out there and there is also the choice of giving it a go regardless of what others think about it.
Hopefully this was helpful c:
Was this review helpful to you?
