Start Up - Guest Review

Almost 3 months since my last post! Oops! It's a new year, so maybe I'll be better? Who knows...whelps, here's the long-awaited review for Start Up (스타트업). It was created by Studio Dragon and distributed by tvN and Netflix.

Synopsis

This drama revolves around characters involved in the world of start up companies, featuring Seo Dalmi (Baek Suzy) and Nam Dosan (Nam Joo-hyuk). Dalmi is a college drop out, but is strong-willed and passionate in whatever she finds to do. Dosan is the founder of Samsan Tech, who was known as a math genius when he was young. Samsan Tech wasn't doing so hot, so his family soon became ashamed of him. After a misunderstanding with Dalmi, he becomes motivated to work his way up and become successful.

Manang Karen's Review

Let me start off by saying that 2020 has been a rollercoaster year in many ways. This also applies to our selection of dramas we watched since we started our club. Fortunately, Start-Up ended our year on a high note.

First off, storyline. I think right off the bat, the writers loaded the initial episodes with conflict and a mixture of emotions that pulled you in. I like how the series started off with the backstory to make it easier to understand the current setting. There were several mini-stories such as the strained relationship between Seo Dal-mi and her mother and Won In-jae and her stepfather. Of course there is the typical love triangle between Han Ji-pyeong, Nam Do-san and Dal-mi that was not so typical in a sense because it was not immediately clear which one was the male lead.
Speaking of leads, the cast for this series was great, and each one fit their characters perfectly. It was hard to love or hate some of them because their personalities evolved throughout the drama. There were several memorable moments for each actor/actress that will probably be forever imprinted in my mind (i.e. MONEY!!! and the tearful moments between Good Boy and the grandma).
Overall, Start-Up was a great series. OST was catchy and perfectly incorporated all throughout. There was some sort of closure for all the stories, and that made for a satisfying ending. We definitely recommend it, and I would personally like to see a spin-off focusing on what happened to Han Ji-pyeong. I would also like to taste some pine nut noodles if anyone would like to get me some.

Start-Up (16 episodes)
Rating: 9-9.5/10
Recommend: Yes

Sumorie - MINI SPOILERS AHEAD

I really enjoyed this drama. It really was a great way to end 2020. It was interesting and you can actually learn real things about the business world, specifically start ups, from this drama. From the very beginning, I wanted "Good Boy" Ji-pyeong to end up with Dalmi because I wanted him to be happy. He had such a tough life. He deserved happiness! So, I felt a bit of animosity towards Dosan from the beginning because he was messing up our sweet Ji-pyeong's happiness! But, I had to accept that Dosan was the main character and Ji-pyeong was just the 2nd male lead. The main actor almost always ends up with the main actress 😔 We need to change that! 

Halmoni (Grandma) was such a precious and loving character. She extended her loving hand out to Ji-pyeong and cared for him. Even years later, she still looked out for him and was sad that he couldn't end up with Dalmi. Their scenes together were the most heartfelt/heartbreaking moments ever! I really love their relationship. You just need to watch this clip and you'll feel the same way.

How would the story have played out if Ji-pyeong and Dalmi ended up together? I think they still would've been happy and Halmoni would be happy too. They would have lots of money (lol). But, I supposed the story would've ended. It would've been nice if Dalmi was a little bit more conflicted between which guy to choose. Jipyeong did all the work for Dosan though! Dalmi liked Ji-pyeong's Dosan from the beginning. If Dosan entered her life as not Dosan, she probably wouldn't even consider him...

Anyways, this is just a rant on my feelings for Han Ji-pyeong's character.

I'm glad the mother's relationship got restored with her daughter and that she began to take care of Halmoni. It wasn't right what she did in the beginning, but she made progress in her character, which was nice to see. In-jae also had her personality issues, but it's because of how they were raised. I think she had a lack of love, but it was good for her to start getting along with Dalmi. Lee Chulsan (Yoo Su-bin) was a great comedic break for this drama. His character both in CLOY and in Start Up are goofy guys who always bring laughter. I look forward to seeing more dramas with him in it. His relationship with Jeong Saha was a bit cute too. Kim Yongsan had a bit of a dark character from the beginning. His story was such a twist that nobody was expecting. He was a character I didn't feel much for. And Alex Kwon! He was a bad fox 😠 but it's okay, because he took Dosan away hehehe

Last thing to note, Pine Nut Noodles are on my to eat list! I'll post a picture on Instagram whenever that happens. Gapyeong, here I come!

Verdict

I recommend this drama. Overall, I enjoyed the plot. It flowed at a good speed, not too fast and not too slow. There weren't unnecessary side stories and all stories found a conclusion. There was a good proportion of happy, sad, and upsetting scenes. I never felt that I wasted my time on it (except the scenes were Dosan cried, which were surprisingly too many). One other thing I would change is that Dalmi ends up with Ji-pyeong instead. I don't think the story wouldn't have gotten so messed up if the writers went this route, but what do you think?

Sumorie Rating

4.9/5 (-0.1 because of Dosan)