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Start-Up korean drama review
Completed
Start-Up
9 people found this review helpful
by sonyi
Dec 7, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 5.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 1.5
This review may contain spoilers

If you are here for the plot, let met tell you something.

Disclaimer: my review solely based on my preference on the story-line.

You may have come to watch for Suzy, Nam Joohyuk, Kim Seonho, or Kang Hanna. Or even for the interesting premises that they've offered to us in the beginning. The story about Start-Up and how the four main leads are there to teach us how business was supposed to be doing. However, I must admit there are hints of why I come to dislike this.

From the start, we've been offered by a promising plot of friends, family, and business. The way how female lead, Seo Dalmi, being an independent woman whose life doesn't revolve around men. But then, the writer seems fond of a love triangle which was unnecessary and set aside the business aspect for quite too long. I almost dropped the show knowing that it'll keep going like that for more than 4 episodes but I wonder what's the twist of the show and how will the writer bring back the business aspect, so I continue.

But I'm afraid I couldn't bring up anything except how irritated I was for watching the love triangle arc that truly unnecessary. I was coming from the Start-Up theme and yet I've been offered with a hopeless romantic story that couldn't resonate with me. The way how reckless the team to decide without considering to consult on their mentor because some of them have problems with him is just doesn't sit right with me. I will accept if only they're still asking another mentor which I believe should've been there to help her, hence they were called Sandbox for a reason. And one thing that's so illogical is that until the last episode, there are no consequences of their wrongdoings. I thought there will be some tension about it and how they should deal with it and become a stronger individual and as a team.

Not enough disappointment, the writer still keeping the love triangle arc which I clearly don't understand why even until now when it's so crystal clear whom they favoured. There's no need to create a nonessential war between two men when on the pilot episodes, they seem to love each other as brother. And I can see how much would they come if it end up as bromance. How good it would become to see they help each other to grow. I would say it such a wasted potential of this drama could become.

I won't say much about the hopeless romantic things that going on which I believe some people may see it as an okay plot and some others were against it all. But to point out some flaws that led to a great fan war amongst the viewers is the inconsistency between the characters. Dalmi, Dosan, Jipyeong, Injae, and even SST had some inconsistencies that seem like a Disney movie that is utterly a candy floss. How could you not even considering to have a break for your heart after being lied for months and just brush it off like nothing happened as if it's okay to be lied to. I understand if the meaning of this is love could change throughout the years and ones that always first to come, will win. But something missing in Dosan and Dalmi relationship, which is tension and how the relationship builds up after the letters been revealed or after their break up. It could've been nicer if they fought while Dosan keeps giving Dalmi his endless love so Dalmi finally can see that his love is real. But it didn't happen.

It's not about who is made for a better choice, but how things normally happened after such a great lie threw to one individual. I wonder if there are people who'd be pleased to see people who lied to you. Hence I thought it'd be a moment where I can see Dalmi's growing to be a wonderful woman who doesn't need both men and keep doing her things to success, just like Injae. As a woman myself, I don't want to be a damsel in distress and how myself becoming someone else's dream or trophy. Even I would be ashamed of myself if I have a person as my dream. The main focus is the relationship has become lacklustre which nothing like this is normal in the real life. If only they add 'fantasy' or 'fairy tale' in their description, most people would understand.

Most people who come for good storytelling which close to reality that they can take the lesson to obviously would have rage upon how the drama had become. Inconsistency and boastful characterizations are clearly not a recommendation.
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