Media Rants: Start Up

I don't have a picture of an iced vanilla latte but this hot chocolate will suffice

Looking back on my notes from when I was on around episode 6... boy am I laughing at the 'don't mind the second-lead syndrome' note, especially after I just finished bingeing a bunch of Kim Seon-ho's interview videos. 

The best way I can describe this drama is: confusing. The second-lead Han Ji-pyeong was given such an elaborate backstory and while yes it aided in providing a reason why the letters were written by him and not the real Nam Do-san, I believe the writers wasted its potential. Wasted the potential of such a deep and likeable character and as a result a plot. Another plot device that was wasted potential is the hackathon and specifically, the handwriting forgery service that the drama-leading team created. From the business plot of the drama there was a lot of build up because obviously it's a hackathon, you want them to win... but for the romance plot I think it could've aided in building up suspense and drama as Seol Dal-mi uses the service her team created to find out that the Nam Do-san in the letters is different to the one in real life. When my theories weren't correct I was really disappointed in the writing as Dal-mi's journey in finding the Nam Do-san in the letters would've been much more interesting and makes me question why that particular service. 

To be quite frank the characters were likeable, but not memorable except Han Ji-pyeong and the grandma. I particularly liked their acting as well as the relationship between the two characters and it was honestly more interesting than the romance plot due to the wasted potential of the plot devices I talked about. Like many of Start Up's viewers, I think we really enjoyed Han Ji-pyeong because he was the only character who was raw and showed the audience himself without all the walls and barriers he built. As a result we really got to see him as a person rather than a fictional character, providing him with a lot of depth which is also the reason why many audience members pined him over Nam Do-san.

Now that we've talked about the positives another negative. Similarly to the sentiments many people have voiced (on the subtle asian traits Facebook group) episode 13 and onwards was unnecessary. There was not really any personal or plot development (besides Han Ji-pyeong's) and it just screamed second-lead syndrome. I understand that the writers ultimately wanted Do-san and Dal-mi to get together however it could've been much more interesting as it felt like the writers were dragging on the plot whilst also condensing it so nothing really happened in the end. 

Focusing on the business plot, it was really eye-opening and yes it's a fictional drama but I did learn things from the drama although it was most likely exaggerated/altered for the plot's purpose. Something that maybe (?) western dramas can do more of is having the definition of jargon on the screen that way audiences are better able to understand the industry plot. The business plot also I think has a really strong message that success doesn't come on a silver platter... you have to make your own platter. Success comes from seeking and taking advantage of opportunities. 

As I'm moving into a new chapter in my career/education this is a really key take-away that can separate me from other potential candidates is seeking and taking advantage of opportunities to network, go into different industries and learn new skills will really aid me in the long-run when seeking full-time work. The drama does a good job at portraying and contrasting those who seek their success to those who wait for it to come to them. This lesson is also applicable in my personal life where healing and self-development will only be found/achieved if I take the time to work on it. As I said in my previous blog post, yes time does heal things but you need to put in the effort to make things change.

Overall this drama was to an extent enjoyable but had a lot of wasted potential. The only reason I would rewatch it (more like parts of it) is to see the interactions between Han Ji-pyeong and the grandma, and to watch Kim Seon-ho... please let me know I'm not the only one feeling this way :')