softmilkmoe
This review may contain spoilers
Maybe it's because I'm new to the whole kdrama scene so you might even say I don't know any better, but I believe that stories are made for someone, and I'm so happy to have been able to find the story that was for me.
Looking through the reviews, I was very surprised that there weren't a lot of pleased viewers. This drama had an interesting and "unique" concept that was actually well-written. Yes.
What makes this story so good is the writing. As a writer myself, here's my personal take on it:
I was in love with the way the plot was executed. The cinematography, the shots, the moments made, the script, and overall production. I'd say it's the best thing this series had to offer. It has the premise that will keep you at the edge of your seat wanting for more, at least that's how I felt and very rarely does a show do that to me. I found myself binging at night after not being able to help myself from finding out what's gonna happen. It has the right amount of suspense partnered with a few memorable OSTs. One of the my favorite experiences is being able to listen to a song or soundtrack that would remind me of particular scenes that I loved the most, and once again the show gratefully fulfilled that expectation for me.
PLOT TWISTS
The biggest thing that made me fall in love with this series (aside from the intriguing concept and superb execution) were the plot twists. The first episode was immediate and straight to the point; they laid out the first bang with charm and grace. The whole first episode was satisfying and entrancing. And they kept that suspense throughout the story until the end, with bigger, heart wrenching secrets. God, I fucking love plot twists that are done at the right time, right moment, and right people. I wasn't expecting any of it, and that's the shit I enjoy so much.
PLOT DEVICES (incoming spoiler)
There's something I noticed that the writers used quite skillfully with the execution. It was the use of parallels to show crucial moments of the past and present. The very big one that struck me was the funeral scene. We were shown that they met in the funeral as kids. Near the end they're shown on the same situation (At first I thought that someone's death was unnecessary, but they proved me wrong when they showed this scene), switching the scenes between the past and the present as it was happening, and showing a whole complete loop (in here, history repeated itself, masterfully). This scene was so beautiful that I just... I applause the writers for this fucking goddamn amazing writing, I can't praise this series enough. It deserves so much more oh my god.
THE FLAWS
Of course it isn't a plot without flaws. There are a few questions and motives that remained unanswered until the end, but to me I wasn't super bothered not knowing about it. It was the kind of plot holes that shouldn't really ruin your experience with the characters nor the story. One of the biggest one I could think of is: How did the female lead started dreaming in the first place? There was never an explanation, but even if we knew, what difference will it make to us? what else will that bring to the main story? Nothing. The explanation of how everyone else started dreaming was good enough, because that's where the main course started. It's kind of the same as a buffet. You only get what you want with the amount of how much you can eat; you don't need to put everything in the plate just because they serve it cause otherwise you'll just end up wasting food. There's also no good answer to the question, it will either ruin the whole concept or just drag the series longer. There are many others but they're so little and insignificant that I can't even remember them anymore. I'm just glad that things turned out the way it did. I wouldn't want it any other way.
CHARACTERS & RELATIONSHIPS
To be honest I didn't care much for the romance as much as I did with the mystery. I was satisfied with the suspense and the plot itself unfolding, so the relationships were just extra cherries on top. I actually skipped those unnecessarily long slow-mo of just staring at each other for a solid minute and every other sugar cringe moments they had. I wasn't there for the romance after all. But I do appreciate how well-written most of the characters are, from the main leads to the supporting cast. They don't shove any of those dramatic love triangles and instead had a wholesome second male lead syndrome going for us viewers. He didn't purposefully create any misunderstandings or quarrels/arguments and instead faced his unrequited love with maturity and a bittersweet smile. The antagonist was quite provoking and well-thought of, especially his actions and motives and character (the intense hand washing scene showed his internal conflicts so well that I almost feel bad for him). He was a sad guy who turned into a bad guy because he couldn't help himself at all. You will be angry at him and want him to pay for his actions, but for some crazy reason you will understand his actions and why he is a bad guy. He's not just evil for the sake of the plot needing a villain; he's evil because of his greed, mindset, and twisted personality. That is great writing.
CONCLUSION
I was actually watching Start-up before I looked into this series. It wasn't done at the time and wanted to busy myself with something else so I looked up the same directors/screenwriters and discovered this beauty. After I finished watching this show, I had tears in my eyes and a tiny hole in my heart. It left a beautiful void that I still try to fill up even now. After a few days I recommended it to my boyfriend and we watched it together. I'm usually careful with how I spend my time, I could've been watching a new series but instead I devoted another 16 hours to re-watch this show after finishing it. That was something new to me as I've never re-watched anything in my life (not a show nor anime), but it was then that I realized the re watch value was strong on this one. Even when I was re-watching, I was still getting the same emotional attachment as I did in the beginning with the plot and the characters. I still cried, again. I still laughed, again. I still felt broken, again.
I'm convinced that I didn't find this story. This story found me.
Looking through the reviews, I was very surprised that there weren't a lot of pleased viewers. This drama had an interesting and "unique" concept that was actually well-written. Yes.
What makes this story so good is the writing. As a writer myself, here's my personal take on it:
I was in love with the way the plot was executed. The cinematography, the shots, the moments made, the script, and overall production. I'd say it's the best thing this series had to offer. It has the premise that will keep you at the edge of your seat wanting for more, at least that's how I felt and very rarely does a show do that to me. I found myself binging at night after not being able to help myself from finding out what's gonna happen. It has the right amount of suspense partnered with a few memorable OSTs. One of the my favorite experiences is being able to listen to a song or soundtrack that would remind me of particular scenes that I loved the most, and once again the show gratefully fulfilled that expectation for me.
PLOT TWISTS
The biggest thing that made me fall in love with this series (aside from the intriguing concept and superb execution) were the plot twists. The first episode was immediate and straight to the point; they laid out the first bang with charm and grace. The whole first episode was satisfying and entrancing. And they kept that suspense throughout the story until the end, with bigger, heart wrenching secrets. God, I fucking love plot twists that are done at the right time, right moment, and right people. I wasn't expecting any of it, and that's the shit I enjoy so much.
PLOT DEVICES (incoming spoiler)
There's something I noticed that the writers used quite skillfully with the execution. It was the use of parallels to show crucial moments of the past and present. The very big one that struck me was the funeral scene. We were shown that they met in the funeral as kids. Near the end they're shown on the same situation (At first I thought that someone's death was unnecessary, but they proved me wrong when they showed this scene), switching the scenes between the past and the present as it was happening, and showing a whole complete loop (in here, history repeated itself, masterfully). This scene was so beautiful that I just... I applause the writers for this fucking goddamn amazing writing, I can't praise this series enough. It deserves so much more oh my god.
THE FLAWS
Of course it isn't a plot without flaws. There are a few questions and motives that remained unanswered until the end, but to me I wasn't super bothered not knowing about it. It was the kind of plot holes that shouldn't really ruin your experience with the characters nor the story. One of the biggest one I could think of is: How did the female lead started dreaming in the first place? There was never an explanation, but even if we knew, what difference will it make to us? what else will that bring to the main story? Nothing. The explanation of how everyone else started dreaming was good enough, because that's where the main course started. It's kind of the same as a buffet. You only get what you want with the amount of how much you can eat; you don't need to put everything in the plate just because they serve it cause otherwise you'll just end up wasting food. There's also no good answer to the question, it will either ruin the whole concept or just drag the series longer. There are many others but they're so little and insignificant that I can't even remember them anymore. I'm just glad that things turned out the way it did. I wouldn't want it any other way.
CHARACTERS & RELATIONSHIPS
To be honest I didn't care much for the romance as much as I did with the mystery. I was satisfied with the suspense and the plot itself unfolding, so the relationships were just extra cherries on top. I actually skipped those unnecessarily long slow-mo of just staring at each other for a solid minute and every other sugar cringe moments they had. I wasn't there for the romance after all. But I do appreciate how well-written most of the characters are, from the main leads to the supporting cast. They don't shove any of those dramatic love triangles and instead had a wholesome second male lead syndrome going for us viewers. He didn't purposefully create any misunderstandings or quarrels/arguments and instead faced his unrequited love with maturity and a bittersweet smile. The antagonist was quite provoking and well-thought of, especially his actions and motives and character (the intense hand washing scene showed his internal conflicts so well that I almost feel bad for him). He was a sad guy who turned into a bad guy because he couldn't help himself at all. You will be angry at him and want him to pay for his actions, but for some crazy reason you will understand his actions and why he is a bad guy. He's not just evil for the sake of the plot needing a villain; he's evil because of his greed, mindset, and twisted personality. That is great writing.
CONCLUSION
I was actually watching Start-up before I looked into this series. It wasn't done at the time and wanted to busy myself with something else so I looked up the same directors/screenwriters and discovered this beauty. After I finished watching this show, I had tears in my eyes and a tiny hole in my heart. It left a beautiful void that I still try to fill up even now. After a few days I recommended it to my boyfriend and we watched it together. I'm usually careful with how I spend my time, I could've been watching a new series but instead I devoted another 16 hours to re-watch this show after finishing it. That was something new to me as I've never re-watched anything in my life (not a show nor anime), but it was then that I realized the re watch value was strong on this one. Even when I was re-watching, I was still getting the same emotional attachment as I did in the beginning with the plot and the characters. I still cried, again. I still laughed, again. I still felt broken, again.
I'm convinced that I didn't find this story. This story found me.
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