Start-Up

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

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

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

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

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make it make sense

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

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they fucked up the plot

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

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From 100 to 0

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

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Major SML Syndrome

Putting the romance aside, this was an excellent business drama that provided a fascinating inside look into start-ups, their complexities, and their potential. I admired the perseverance and smart decisions of the characters in their journey to run successful companies with a vision.

As for the romance, to be honest, I felt like I got played.

We start the story from Ji Pyung's perspective and then later see his and Dal Mi's beginnings, how they got to know each other when they were younger and ended up where they are now. Ji Pyung lost his family and, by chance, found a new one in Dal Mi's grandmother. She took him in and encouraged him. Then, starting with a lie by using Do San's name to write a letter to Dal Mi, he formed a connection with her that ended up meaning a lot to both of them. They became a comfort and bright spot in each other's lives.

From that point, he is woven throughout the narrative and, at times, given fundamental importance. He has a strong bond with Dal Mi's grandmother, Dal Mi looks to him for encouragement, and he works behind the the scenes to push Dal Mi forward as well as advises her. They have a natural chemistry together, and without meaning to, Ji Pyung's feelings for her grow. But what happens when Dal Mi finally learns the truth that Do San was not the one who wrote her the letters, and it was actually Ji Pyung? She avoids both Do San and Ji Pyung, which makes sense. But does she sit down and talk to Ji Pyung about their past and what it all means? How much the letters meant to her? Her feelings? No. No, they barely talk about it at all. Even his confession is only touched on and isn't treated as monumental.

And for a character like Dal Mi, who is driven, independent, highly sentimental, and empathetic, I can't buy that she would disregard their history and not care to get to know Ji Pyung more deeply. I can't.

And it truly felt cruel that Start-Up introduced such a compelling ML with a tragic beginning, built him up, and almost encouraged him to put himself out there (as though he had a chance with Dal Mi), only to sideline and discard him in the end. He's always left holding the bat, afraid to swing. Or, when he does make his feelings known, he steps aside for others. Why? Because they have to make room for the real love interest? What makes Do San a more fitting love interest?

I didn't believe a word of Ji Pyung's small speech saying he was not the boy from the letters. It felt like the writers, yet again, cruelly twisting his fate, making him say things he doesn't mean because he can't get the girl; he's not meant to.

I'm left feeling heartbroken for a man who deserved more when I should have been on cloud nine.

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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May contain spoilers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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A Good Drama that with some flaws

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

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

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

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

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

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So, who is going to create a start-up with me?

Start-up blew my mind!
I watched Start-up while it was airing, and I am still thinking about it. It was/is one of these dramas where you just need more of it.

STORY:
The Story evolves around Seo Dal-mi, a girl from a low-income family. Her father always dreamed about having his own company, which lead to major fights at home. Her parents divorced, and her mom took her older sister with her and married another man with loads of money. Dal-mi stayed with her grandmother and father. Her father dies after a car accident, and she remains with her grandmother. Because she is a lonely girl, her grandmother makes up a pen pal named Nam Do San (based on a proper person in Korea). A boy who lives in her grandmas shop helps her with that. He is an orphan and does not know where to go.
Fast-forward to the future. The orphan boy Han Ji Pyung is very successful and own some companies and works at sandbox. Her sister is also very popular because of her step-fathers social background. Dal-mi could not go to university because of money issues and works several part-time jobs.
In Seoul, there is this fictional space "sandbox". There, start-ups get the chance to find employees, resources and connections.
Every year, Sandbox offers a competition for young entrepreneurs to find within 48 hours a team and develop an idea and pitch for a start-up. The best 4 teams will get financial support, an office and employees for free for several months. When Dal-mi meets her sister, which has everything she ever dreamed about, she tells her that she and her pen pal Nam Do San will join Sandbox. Her sister will also participate in the competition. This leads to Dal-mi searching for the real Nam Do San.
Nam Do San is one of the smartest boys in Korea, and he works with his two best friends on their own start-ups. However, they never seem to work out and want to join Sandbox, too. Through these overlapping, all the main characters meet at sandbox, and Han Ji Pyung recognizes Dal-mi. He does not want her to know about him being the pen pal and makes a deal with Nam Do San to pretend like he was her pan pal the entire time.

CAST/ACTING:
The cast was outstanding, I believed everyone that they were the character that they portrayed. Notably, Suzy stepped up her game. She was brilliant, just like everyone else. I was drawn into the story by the great execution and screen writing. In my opinion, the cinematography was amazing, too. I wanted to join their team so bad.

MUSIC:
The soundtrack was on another level, Red Velvet and Ga-ho really carried the most significant scenes, but there were also other excellent songs.

EMOTIONS:
The show made me feel some type of way. I laughed, cried and got angry. Even now, I still feel the pain of some characters. The show managed to develop the characters in a good way and explains their previous behaviour.
I really want to watch it again soon. So thanks to everyone involved in this. You did an amazing job, and I am looking forward to your future works.
Also, the turns and twists did not bother me. I liked them very much.

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Why I liked Start Up

I watched the drama when it was first airing and I liked it alot, but I didn't feel I had enough enough of an option to write a review. Today I was listening to one of the OSTs and decided to write one.

Why Nam Do San and Seo Dal Mi worked. When I was watching many didn't like the pair. Personally I was fine with it, but I think why they work is because of two reasons. They started their journey together and second Nam Do San was a real person and the one from Seo Dal Mi's childhood wasn't. To elaborate on my second point, the Nam Do San in Seo Dal Mi's childhood was a collection of words on a paper who's intention was misinterpreted by her childlike imagination. I'm sure many if not all have imagined their crush or someone who they've taken an interest being their prince or their princess. We constantly expect the best in people we like, we like to be swept off our feet like in a fairy tale. But when I came down to it, that Nam Do San was all in her head. she had never actually interacted with him. Yet the Nam Do San she met later was someone real, with faults and insecurities just like her. He may not have been the knight in shining armor, but he was definitely someone Seo Dal Mi could actually touch and interact with. He was real, it wasn't her escapism. No matter how great a fantasy is, and no matter how ugly a reality is, one has to accept reality.

Why Han Ji Pyung letting Seo Dal Mi go was a good choice. Firstly Seo Dal Mi actually liked the real Nam Do San we can see her remembering him, and almost depending on him even after years pass. Seeing that dedication and love wouldn't any person realize that trying to force something was cruel not only to oneself, but to others as well? Secondly Han Ji Pyung almost antagonized Nam Do San, he was human and anyone would have done the same, but he did antagonize Nam Do San. Yes Nam Do San acted almost childish and it seemed unfair for Han Ji Pyung to be like a thrown orange skin. Yet Nam Do San wasn't really as Antagonistic back, he beat Han Ji Pyung up before because he hated his own weakness. He tried to separate from Han Ji Pyung because he didn't want to be a shadow. He never did something to actually directly hurt or do something to Han Ji Pyung if I remember right, it was just a lot of messed up context killing Nam Do San. Anyway later when Han Ji Pyung and Nam Do San have a drunk night and he wakes up and overhears how Nam Do San wanted to do something for him, he realized 'What is this guy doing? I'm his love rival, but here he is caring about me. Why is he so stupid? I wouldn't do that,' and that is fundamentally why Han Ji Pyung let Seo Dal Mi go, because he wasn't capable of being a normal person with her. He had turned from an adult into a child trying to push someone away into getting something he wanted. It show's his growth and his desire to reach his own happiness without Sacrificing what made him good.

The secondary characters had pretty interesting storylines aswell, except that guy who's brother died. It just seemed his growth was weird in my opinion.

Osts were bomb!

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