I wanted a drama for the new year, and this one was buzzing!
Granny Choi: "You're a cosmos flower. And it's still spring. Wait until fall, and you'll bloom beautifully. Be patient."
The Rundown
Behind the name: 스타트업
Country: South Korea, 2020
Genre: Rom-Com, Drama
Network: tvN
Production: Studio Dragon
Director: Oh Choong-hwan
Cast: Bae Suzy (as Seo Dal-mi), Nam Joo-hyuk (as Nam Do-san), Kim Seon-ho (as Han Ji-pyeong), Kang Han-na (as Won In-jae), Kim Hae-sook (as Choi Won-deok), Song Seon-mi (as Cha Ah-hyun)
Compare to: Itaewon Class
Hate it or Love it? Love it!
Synopsis in a Sentence: A girl starts a “pen pal” friendship with a guy she ends up falling for, and 15 years later, she sets out to find him... will she fall for her childhood crush or the new guy in the picture?
On Writing: The Plot
Shoutout to writer, Park Hye-Ryun for churning out this original, multi-layered, depth-filled series! There are so many plot lines and layers and nuances that it feels like a bunch of series in one. We get a bit of drama, a bit of comedy, a little romance, and of course, the love triangle that turns out to be not your typical rendition! So we laugh out loud a little, shed a tear or two, and see the innermost regrets, shames, and lessons that only life can really teach, all from the comfort of our homes!
The storyline captures nuanced, yet relatable perspectives from the struggles of the rich, the poor, and the in between, to young ambition, failure and success, to the struggles of the engineering world, and the entrepreneurial one as well. Despite the wonderful production and acting, the writing just might be the star of this one! A fabulous job!
(4.5/5)
Cheers to the cast and crew!
Seo Dal-mi, the lead role, is played by Bae Suzy and she is of course, charming, convincing, and credible! As expected, Suzy delivers the role with heart, relatability, and talent!
Nam Joo-hyuk plays Nam Do-san, the insecure geek, yet brilliant genius and he does so well delivering this character! A job well done!
Kim Seon-ho as Han Ji-Pyeong is the new love of the silver screen! This is perhaps his most popular role to date and we can’t wait to see what project he chooses next. For now, he’s back to his first love; the theatre!
Kim Hae-sook plays the lovable granny, Choi Won-deok and we can’t love her enough! She’s fierce and real and strong and cuddly and Mme. Kim does an excellent job of making us want her as a granny! Arguably the star of the entire series!
And then there’s Song Seon-mi, who plays money-loving mum, Cha Ah-hyun. And even though we want to judge her, Song makes this character so amiable and alluring that we just can’t!
All other actors do such a great job of this, that we believe every bit of it! It’s so true-to-life that we totally relate! A fab job to the visible cast, and invisible crew behind this great production!
(4.5/5)
On Production: The Creativity
Production is really very pretty and of course, well executed! The transitions are quite noteworthy and the overall picture is just gorgeous!
The epilogues are a wonderful addition that enrich the overall story! A well-done effort!
(4.5/5)
On Resolution: The Conclusion
The resolution is wonderfully woven together, although, given the unique tilt of the story, I’d hoped to have gotten a nice little twist to the love triangle, but… nevertheless, all other plot lines are amply resolved, so a good conclusion overall!
(4/5)
The Verdict: A fun, interesting, layered series that delivers depth and delight in equal measure! A great watch!
Overall Score = 17.5/20
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