Start-Up (2020)

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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Promising but ended up disappointing

This could have been one of the best kdramas of the year. So many plotholes, scenes that didn't make sense, and no character development overall esp from the main leads.
The only saving factor for this drama si definitely Kim Seon Ho who by his acting outshined everyone in terms of the portrayal of his character.

The pilot was really amazing until episode 9-10 and everything from there went downhill and gives meaningless messages to the viewers.
Sail off without a map? Having to be someone else's trophy? Follow your dream = person ?!!!!

The second male lead has a strong backstory since episode 1 and by the time you end episode 1, you are rooting for him and wanting him to have the happiness he deserves (which he definitely didn't get in the end) - everything was forced (very cliche)- I have been watching kdramas since 2005 and this has been the only drama that really disappointed me story-wise. Never in my life have I tried to forward the scenes with the male and female lead.

Love triangle was dragged until the last scenes of the episode and even invalidated the letters (which is the core of the story for episode 1-10), the writers just dropped them and just did whatever it is to make the male lead (which they didnt give an ounce of likeable quality) get the girl in the end.

The other second female lead didn't have any screentime as well towards the end of the story. I was really excited for that sister rivalry but was brushed aside to make way for the love triangle that should have been cut/ended at least by episode 11 or 12.

Time skip didn't do any good, the male lead just became a hotshot and he is still insecure with the second lead.

I wont recommend to watch this if it wasn't for Ji Pyeng character and Kim Seon Ho's acting. He did justice to that character. This is the strongest second lead syndrome ever (yet).

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Make your own opinion and don't just trurst negative reviews

I Want to shine some light in these reviews as most people in this review section are quite negative and I want to talk about the positives. I'll be totally honest I nearly gave this a skip right before I started watching this due to the abundance of bad reviews but I thought let's just do it and am I glad I went with my gut to just watch it. I personally really enjoyed the concept they went with, basically, life as an entrepreneur with the romance mixed in as the main plot with also the budding relationships of friends and family.

I first heard of this Start-Up literally 10 months ago when it got announced since I am a vivid follower of Suzy so I watch all her drama's and keep up to date with her work so to say I nearly skipped this due to bad reviews after waiting 10 months would've been a disservice to myself.

First, of, I want to talk about Suzy's character, Seo Dal Mi. I actually really liked her character as she wasn't just so weak character who relied on the main male lead but she was actually in the limelight and the biggest reason why the company she was a CEO for was a success. I loved how hardworking she was and was trudging through life after basically being ditched by her mother and sister and stayed with her father and grandmother which in my opinion is a better choice than In Jae's in which she does eventually go back. Jea's choice consisted of being riched and having money with no real happy relationships while Dal Mi's choice was being poor but having strong relationships with the people around her especially her Grandmother. If there's any character I would like to be like in this drama it would be Dal Mi but I'm more like Do San which I'll talk about later. She really deserved the success she gained in the end which showed through her hard work. When she decided to let go of Do San by intentionally being harsh to her it was mature because she wanted him to succeed and not be held back but just like Do San I would've rather stayed behind and continue my relationships with the people around me already.

Nam Joo Hyuk portrayed Do Sans character really when and we know he played upbeat characters really well so Do San was a perfect match for him in my opinion. Nam Do San's character really hit home to me as I related to him quite a lot in his personality aspect. I can be loud and confident with the people I feel comfortable with but I can seem weak around people I feel inferior to and can sometimes have low self-esteem. Do San as a character was really fun to watch as they make you want to root for him. In the first episode, I thought he wasn't the main male lead as they didn't even show him but it was actually quite a smart move as we were interested who is this Nam Do San character that got mentioned and teases throughout the episode but they gave us the impression he was a big shot who was rich but that was far from the truth, he was a guy in his 20s trying to push his company forward and become successful. His journey throughout the show is an interesting one because he instantly has to let go of his pride by giving away the CEO position to Dal Mi and he faced multiple knockdowns which affected his self-esteem which was really sad to see since he always compared himself to Han Ji Pyung but eventually became confident in himself after going to LA and coming back but even after that he needs validation from Dal Mi so I wished from an outside view that he was more confident with himself but it did do the story well and added to his character development in the end.

The romance between Dal Mi and Do San was actually fun to watch as visually they were amazing and chemistry wise it was also amazing. There was something that confuses me but I don't quite understand when their 'day 1' was because in kdramas you can kinda see when it started, but in they literally held hands in episode 4 but they weren't dating but ill guess it was when they kissed onto of the roof when Do San smashed the CEO plaque of In Jae's father.

Han Ji Pyung character was actually well written after putting some thought into it. I swear drama screenwriters all have this idea that they will make the 3rd person in the love triangle which is usually a male gracefully give up on the main female which makes us respect and like the character. But to be honest I only ever disliked him in two events of this drama and for the rest, he was a really good character even though he was helping SamSan Tech just because Dal Mi was there but I do have a thought that an inkling inside really believed in the company rather than just wanting Dal Mi wanting to do good. You could say he had an unrequited love which was obvious to everyone but Dal Mi. He was a very critical character who always spoke the harsh truth without really thinking of the consequences but we know he just wanted to help and see the best for them. He made a good point to Dal Mi at the end of the show in which makes me think 'why didn't I think of that', but he said when he read the letters it took him 15 years to find him but when Do San read them it took him literally a day after to find her in which it might sound like an excuse to Dal Mi but it was a very true point which only shows his gracefulness in the end.

Seo In Jae character was also a character which was interesting because they make us dislike her but you also could not say she was wrong with any of the points he made as they were all true. I really like her development as she went from someone who didn't really care about Dal Mi and boasted her choice and became someone likeable to Dal Mi and us the viewer as we saw her become independent from her step-father and eventually took her Seo family name back.

The supporting cast in Start-Up was really good as it had a good set of characters. First off the SamSan Tech team were all a pleasure to watch and we saw a budding relationship between Sa Ha and Cheol San which we did not expect as they jokingly had Cheol San hit on her but she eventually like him. Seol Mi's grandmother was also a gem to watch as you could tell that she really cared for her grand-daughter.

The OST in Start-Up was actually really good. I love how when Suzy does dramas she always adds her own voice to the OST tracklist which just makes her more multi-talented even though she was a singer first. I loved the OST cast which concluded of; Red Velvet, Suzy, OhMyGirl, Cheeze, BOL4, Gaho and 10cm etc.

Overall I really enjoyed this drama and I would highly recommend you to watch this despite the bad review and make your own opinions rather than joining bandwagons. Also if you want to watch a drama about entrepreneurs and life with romance as well then I really recommend this drama as it also has a stellar cast that made this drama what it is.

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