Start-Up (2020) User Reviews

Writers Lost Their Way

[jasminn_tan · 8/10 · 8 December 2020]

I'll be real: this drama started out great and I thought that it had a lot of potential to become one of my favourite dramas of the year but in the second half of it, the plot holes became glaringly obvious and I thought that the direction of the drama went south.

Firstly, I think the cast was incredible and initially I was only excited to watch this because of Bae Suzy and Nam Joohyuk but unexpectedly, through this drama I found a gem that was Kim Seonho who played Han Jipyeong and suddenly I can't remember what my life had been like before him. Kim Seonho was the highlight of this show (his acting was 11/10) and I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said that many people continued watching this despite the plot holes just because of him. At least, I know I stayed because I wanted to see him have a happy ending.

Well, call me a clown because the writers did HJP so dirty and I was honestly very disappointed with the ending because he didn't get the girl (obviously) AND he still had to be the bigger person and continue working with her. HJP is probably one of the most well-written and developed characters that I've had the honour of witnessing in a kdrama and I felt that all his potential was being wasted because the writers wanted SDM to end up with NDS, as a poor attempt of breaking a well-used trope. It was so unfair!

One of the biggest things that frustrated me was that the letters were suddenly forgotten and insignificant, as if it wasn't the exact thing that started everything in the first place. SDM and HJP never got to talk about their feelings and what happened in the past. I'd rather if the writers never even came up with the ideas of the letters at all if they were going to end up meaningless. Another thing that really annoyed me was the lack of character growth/development in NDS. I thought that after 3 years, NDS would be more mature and be more like HJP but he was still the same person and every time NDS and HJP interacted, I kept thinking that NDS would suddenly throw a punch at HJP.

Anyway, there were other things I really liked about this drama such as the relationship between HJP and the grandmother, the brotherhood between the SST group and the soundtrack. Every time HJP cried, I couldn't help but cry as well or even if he didn't cry, his expressions would break my heart. I wish we got more scenes between HJP and the grandmother because they were so real and beautiful. And the SST group was actually so funny, especially Chul San.

I laughed and cried while watching this show and I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind falling in love with the Second Male Lead and having to go through all the episodes just for a disappointing ending.

HAN ji Pyeong deserves more. Great drama with interesting storyline.

[crmn-22961 · 7/10 · 18 December 2020]

Well I will start by saying this: I didn't read anything about the drama before watching it and I thought from the start that Han Ji Pyeong was the main lead and I was hooked from the first episodes. Of course, then it became quite clear where we are heading.. Triangle drama story.. but actually it didn't even feel like it, the story itself confused me. Han Ji Pyeong was not even given a chance for the love part, even after the 3 years passing, am I supposed to believe that he would not make a move at all and nothing would have happen between him and Dal-Mi? I think the writers could've done better in this sense, they build his carachter so lovely and everyone was rooting for him and in the end.. Nothing.(even when the story about the orphans was introduced in the last episode and HJP decided to personally invest in it, I was like ok, this is it! Writers are gonna introduce a cameo, a famous actress to make justice for our Good boy and he will be fiiiiine! RIP My idea.. ) Anyway, I must mention how very touched I was by the relationship between the grandma and Han Ji P, the storyline was beautiful. Other than HJP character's, I was really impressed by all the actors, the story with the tech part was really interesting and easy to follow, big thumbs up for this!

Follow your Dreams

[xeniamd-35210 · 9/10 · 6 December 2020]

START-UP (2020)

"Never let someone's opinion become your reality." --- Lee Brown.

Risk. Romance. Technology. Family. Sand Box.

There is hope in everything. Follow your dreams!

This drama has a beautiful screenplay. Aside from the Dad, my favourites are Ji-Pyeong and Halmeoni(Grandma). Their scenes are powerful and full of lessons that I always cry.

9/10 for me. I am #TeamGoodBoy.

#startup.

I don't ever post reviews, but I had to

[franklinsotolongo-50199 · 10/10 · 6 December 2020]

I don't usually post reviews on series, but I felt an obligation after finishing Start-Up. First, I think it was a very well-written script well character development, relatable, encouraging, music was significant, and the actors were amazing. I am not an expert in art and theater, so I can only speak for what it made me feel. I highly recommend watching it; it starts a bit slow as they need to set the proper foundation for developing the story. It has a highly positive message of perseverance and working hard toward your goals. I think it also opens the door to show how much of support system people with a dream need, and it allows us to see what's possible with the right desire and dream. I know it is not a real-life story, but I want to believe that things like this could happen. Thanks to the cast for the fantastic journey. I look forward to season two... All the best!

A great Start Up

[thepatx-37651 · 10/10 · 20 October 2020]

The first two episodes were very promising. The cinematography were very outstanding as well. What I love about this drama are the cast. I think Bae Suzy and Nam Joohyuk will be able to portray their characters well so I anticipate on that a lot. The OSTs in drama are superb, been playing Red Vevets "Future" non stop. I can't wait for the upcoming episodes.

Falling in love with Bae Suzy all over again

[sid920 · 10/10 · 18 October 2020]

If Crash Landing on You was the best of 2019, Start-up is set to be the best of 2020. Everything about this drama will make you feel happy from inside. Nam and Suzy are captivating. Start-ups fail 99/100 times and it isn't an easy world to live in. This is probably the most relatable drama after Itaewon Class I have seen.

Inspirational

[rxchristi-02941 · 10/10 · 8 December 2020]

This drama was really entertaining and fun to watch. Suzy and the cast were amazing. The scenes and love stories were beautiful. It was inspiring to watch a story about the growth of young people as they tried to follow their dreams.

best start to a series but fading fast

[backnblack-06123 · 6/10 · 18 October 2020]

One in and it was amazing just so much to take in and so touching, Suzy who is a good actress just doesnt get series that are any good at least not to my liking but this is a must watch. Park Hye-ryun is the writer of this series and look at her history she has not produced a solid series yet so my hopes are fleeing. after 10 episodes they have done a good job keeping it interesting but then it just stops. Episodes 11-14 been doing a lot of skipping just isn't anything left at this point you know who gets the prize so kind of a waste of time now. Korean writers are good for 8 -10 hours and that's about it. not the ending i wanted

One of the best kdramas of 2020

[lehoneylla · 10/10 · 8 December 2020]

People just focused too much to this triangle love story despite of the learning of business that can be learned from this drama

Unbiased review here

[jy_922 · 7/10 · 9 December 2020]

I came from recently binge-watching it on Netflix and honestly it is my second Korean drama, first is Crash Landing On You. The pilot episode of Start-Up was beautiful and it piqued my interest to the point that I wanted to immediately finish it. The sibling rivalry of Dal-Mi and In-Jae was something I've never seen before, given their unique backstory. I love the portrayal of women as powerful figures in the industry.

But there's something about the investor genius that made me want to root for him. I relate to him in many ways, and the relationship he shared with the grandma is something we could all just hope to have! Both acted well. I got so emotional when he cried.

I think the nerdy guy and Dal-Mi are supposed to be together, so I don't understand why they gave many romantic/sweet scenes to Mr. Han because it made me wish for his happiness instead. I even forgot about the business part of the drama for a hot minute because the story just seemed so absurd! Especially the weird time skip. I ended up dropping the drama because of too much romance. And plot-wise, it was getting too predictable, pretty much like a soap opera. I liked In-Jae's character the most. I will look forward to her works in the future.

Not just an ordinary KDrama

[ikarinayu · 10/10 · 8 December 2020]

Start Up is not just an ordinary Korean drama. The story is closely related to the present and young people who have big dreams, are careless, inexperienced. I saw the character that the main character played very well. They grew together thru times. That's why it's called Start Up

Average at best

[Eiram37 · 6/10 · 9 December 2020]

I don't know who is worse, the reviewers given this flawed series a 10 or the ones given it 1s when it wasn't that bad to get such rating.

The first 6 episodes were excellent. If the series ended at 6 I would give it a solid 9/10 but unfortunately, the last half of the series really did an injustice to the first half. The plot became silly and contrived towards the end. I personally didn't connect to dosan/dalmi romance but they were the leads so the outcome was expected. I wish I guess they spent more time cultivating the relationship to make it believable, but they didn't. More importantly, they spent too much time on a love triangle that didn't need to be, and less time on business life/running a start up or other characters- dalmi sister injae who looked like she was going to have a subplot, but somehow was relegated to cameo appearance. Confessions/revelations/lies which were made as crucial when hidden became irrelevant basically forgotten when revealed. The character jipyeong though was really a shining light on the series, he manage to have great chemistry with everyone. The relationship he had with dalmi grandmother was probably my favorite part of the show. The way they handled his story was terrible. I was fine with him not getting the main thing he wanted, but making him even more alone than he started after all he's done was cruel.

I've seen 3 of the writer's projects before. Start Up does not look like something she wrote at all (especially towards the end)- definitely the worst of her projects I've seen. However, the actors were great, the one who played jipyeong was superb. I would have given it a lower score if it were not for the actors doing a great job and for the earlier eps.

Terrible Second Half

[IPyaarCinema · 5/10 · 21 September 2021]

Review By Kamal K

They made a very strong second main lead much better than main lead and the first episode was full of the backstory of HJK so it kind of gave hopes to the HJP fans that there is still chance for him.

All I want to say is that they missed the opportunity to be one of the first dramas to end up with a second lead where more than 80% of viewers would actually be okay with. Like everything was setup so perfectly for that to happen, sadly the writers didn't grab that opportunity.

When I was watching the first episodes. I always told myself "This might be the first drama I watched where I can't really identify who the lead is" and that's what I actually liked. It's what got me hooked to watch until the end... But where it went wrong is they let Nam Do San shine a little bit too late. By the half of the series, most people have already chosen their bet for Dal Mi and I assume it was HJP.

The relation between HJP or I say Good boy and Grandmother was potraited beautifully it was the thing I liked most in the drama.

First Review on Imdb - It's a masterpiece of a Sitcom

[mkcpatnaik · 10/10 · 21 November 2020]

You rarely get to see such series! I literally wait for every weekend to come for new episodes on Netflix. You get almost everything you ask for in a Sitcom.

The sequence of events, background score, acting everything is perfect about this. Every episode has an interesting ending which forces you to wait/watch the next one. Not many series are so planned like this, the story has a very riviting turning point at the end of every episode. How good these Korean scripts have come up the curve over the time.

Hands down to the whole team! Thanks for making my weekends more interesting guys.

AN INSPIRING STORY

[mbclibre · 10/10 · 8 December 2020]

Start-Up is a inspiring K-drama. If you have ever dealt with the struggles that comes with growing up and following your dreams, and sometimes you have fallen and got up, over and over again to learn of your mistakes due to your inexperience, I am sure that you will relate perfectly with the story. I believe that we all have been through this and many are going through this right now. This drama is about the story of the leads Seo Dalmi and Nam Dosan, and their friends with their Start up SamSan Tech. Five friends who inspires us to keep going on, with hard work and hope till reach our goals, I loved this drama. Highly recommended.

Realistically Awesome !

[priyagoswami-94472 · 10/10 · 23 April 2021]

This showis a roller coaster ride of emotions, drama, romence, comedy.

It has everything to entertain us.

The most important thing is that the show has done complete justice with its name 'Start Up'.

This show make us the part of the life of starting entrepreneurs and the ups downs come in their way.

Awesome job by all the actors and I must sayits worth watching.

A Must watch!

[nanutimadalina · 10/10 · 29 November 2020]

Such a refreshing show! Plot is perfect and credible, great actors and good chemistry. Male lead embodies the role so well! Probably one of the best roles Nam Joo Hyuk ever played. Funny love triangle on top of all. To watch and rewatch!

Convinced the show switched writers halfway through

[shopmail-59169 · 6/10 · 30 November 2020]

Bruh what the heck? The show started off with such a bang. The characters all had so much potential and the storyline was enthralling. Then comes a massive jump leaving the show and characters undeveloped. The writers seemed like they were sacrificing all the other great elements from the beginning of the show to boost up the main male character, even though the second male lead is outstanding. Plus it's not like Boys Over Flowers, another show with two male leads, where you root for the main lead despite the second lead being the healthier and better choice. There's nothing so special about nam-do in this show despite his emotional turbulence towards the beginning of the show. But then he morphed into this unlikable character. Plus they completely drop some other characters' development towards episode 12-14. Eh this show has so much potential overall.

Good drama :)

[ptrarrum · 10/10 · 8 December 2020]

Recommend to watch. Don't to focused on love story because a lot of things can be learned here.

If only they did stick to the Start-Up theme

[blanceto · 6/10 · 3 May 2021]

It's not that bad. Actors, music, cinematography, even the pilot episodes were nice and great. But the unnecessary romance trope didn't do it justice. Almost made me drop the series but I stayed for its hinted scenes where maybe things could go differently and more tech aspects coming up to be discussed. And yet, maybe I should've not expect too much as it became like a teenage romance series where everything based on fate or any short of the things. It brought start-up theme which weren't a lot used in series and how it did introducing it with such an elegancy made me hooked up for it. But oh well, those awful fortunate things and dreamy life of the start-up team came into surface, and that's all my hope scattered into a stardust. I don't know if it's supposed to be a romance series from the start, but I wish it'd be focused on more things besides that. Lots of potential but wasted upon the tragic and terrible few last episodes.

My boyfriend asked me to call him Nam Dosan after the first episode

[nsedlazek · 10/10 · 13 November 2020]

It's very good. Not tech-nerdy like I thought. Very emotional story that reminds me a of Ghibli movie.

You're a cosmos flower

[alaningle7 · 6/10 · 29 November 2020]

A story about an entrepreneur taking after her deceased father in chasing success in business. She is supposedly loved by two men with links to her past, although the second lead has a weak storyline. The script is where it suffers as the story really goes nowhere and is not that gripping. The best reason to watch it is for the performance of Suzy Bae which is excellent.

How amazing this show could have been, biggest disappointment

[hanalisss · 5/10 · 18 January 2021]

How wonderful start of a show, loved the building of the backstory and the characters from the start, I was in awe of how emotional and sweet the beginning of the story was, it was a tragic start too but that made it so special. Then suddenly at one point in the show all of this is dropped and you can see clearly she is going to end up with the lead character which makes no sense whatsoever??? The relationship the second lead has with the grandma, the letters, all the things he wanted to do for them and all of this is cropped? There's no explanation or justification and it makes me so sad. I don't think there was a need of having Dosan as lead. It started to feel forced and there was no meaningful bond anymore. I was expecting so much of this show, with such high ratings, cant believe the disappointment. I had to forced myself to end it because I kept turning it off and watching other things...

good drama, lot of information, related, inpired

[amereditha · 10/10 · 12 November 2020]

This is trully a good drama, Suzy act so well and so the others.. the plot is good and related to the reality, you can also got many information you didn't know before, educative I will say . the only sad things is the second lead fans are too toxic and keep femanding the inpossible.. it's hard for the casual fans to keep up with therlir toxicity

A Must Watch

[sohil89 · 10/10 · 15 November 2020]

I write very few reviews on anything ... i am very choosy and pickey This drama is amazing man ... just watch it The ost... acting everything is remarkable

I dont have second lead syndrome i want namdo san to win this 😀