SCREENCRUNCH: With just half the series over, there has been so much already to look out for in this K-Drama
It’s been eight episodes since Start-Up launched back in October, and each episode has been filled with a good mix of drama, comedy, hidden gems, and so much more about opening startup companies in Korea. These make it definitely worth watching during your spare time.
Start-Up is a Korean drama starring Bae Suzy and Nam Joo Hyuk. It explores how young entrepreneurs in the world of startup companies pursue their dreams. Bae Suzy plays the role of Seo Dal-mi, a woman who aspires to be the future Steve Jobs of Korea, and Nam Joo Hyuk plays the role of Nam Do San, a math genius who founded Samsan Tech, a company that specializes in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
With the series half way through, here are four good reasons why you should watch it now.
Don’t worry, we won’t spoil the whole story just yet.
Powerhouse Cast
Nam Joo Hyuk has gained popularity in the Philippines back when his series Weightlifting Fairy was dubbed in Filipino and aired in a local channel back in 2017. Not only was he popular for his looks but for his acting skills, as well.
In this series, he gets paired with the ultimate femme fatale of Korea, Bae Suzy who we’ve seen in While You Were Sleeping, and a few thousand bottles of soju. You’ll see Suzy and Nam Joo Hyuk play roles quite different from what they’ve acted on before in this series, and it’s worth mentioning how the roles fit them perfectly, as they are both 26 years old in real life, and act to be the same age in the drama.
Not to mention, they’ve got great chemistry on screen.
The powerhouse cast doesn’t end there. Also in the series is Kang Hanna, who plays that annoying sister of Seo Dal-Mi. With just how great she acts will definitely make you hate her in the first few episodes but could that possibly change in the second half—or maybe not. Kim Sun Ho also plays a big role in the series, who gets tangled up with the TV romance between Nam Joo Hyuk and Suzy.
All the Tips and Tricks in Business
When we usually talk about starting a business, we think of Entrepreneurial Management courses, business for dummies books, and for some even feng shui experts. One thing about this drama is that it clearly has a ton of research involved in the creation of it that business terminologies and even tips on what to consider in building your dreams as an entrepreneur are embedded into the script, storyline, and even titles of each episode.
Whether you plan on building your own startup, holding a high position in our country’s biggest companies, or even just as a student deciding what path to take, there is a little key takeaway that you too might be able to use in the future. You’ll be able to catch how Sandbox Company (the company that funds Samsan Tech) reiterates the importance of burn-rates and capitals in business in multiple episodes, and how they stress even the smallest details in AI.
The Filipino Easter Eggs
South Korea has probably gotten word that a big chunk of people that view their content are Filipinos.
One of them is the ever-so popular “Hi, where’s the toilet” line of Filipinos. In one of the first few episodes, Suzy takes on the role of being a cashier attendant in a famous coffee joint in Korea, where she showcases how capable she is in understanding all different types of people. She spoke in English, Korean, Chinese, and responded to the silly requests and questions of the customers. One of the customers was represented by a Filipina with a thick Filipino accent asking “where is the toilet” a question usually asked only by Filipinos, as other nationalities use WC, washrooms, loo, ladies or men’s room.
Here’s a sneak peek of the scene itself.
This isn’t the first time Filipinos were referenced in a K-Drama. In the series Vagabond, a Ginebra San Miguel bottle was seen in front of Bae Suzy.
The Comedy
Other than the drama that will make you shed a couple of tears here and there in each episode, there’s always that comedic after-care that would surely get your gag on. First would be how Nam Joo Hyuk’s character Nam Do San is accompanied by his two best friends who are complete nerds Kim Yong San (played by Kim Do Wan) and Lee Chul San (played by Yoo Subin).
The trio of Do San, Yong San, and Chul San make up the company name Samsan. “Sam” coming from the Sino-Korean number system for “3,” which makes everyone else cringe every time they hear the explanation. They’re soon accompanied by lawyer Jung Sa-ha (played by Jessica Jung), the English speaking sassy lady who soon develops her love for Samsan Tech. With the high IQ and low EQ the boys have, it just makes everything in the company so funny just evident in the way they advertise themselves below. Again, another side of Nam Joo Hyuk’s acting skills we haven’t seen before.
With just half the series over, there has been so much already to look out for in this K-Drama. It currently sits at number 2 in the Top 10 shows in Netflix in the Philippines after Episodes 7 and 8 came out.
There’s so much more to see once you binge on this watch, and that’s why you should really get started on Start-Up on Netflix. New episodes come in every Saturday and Sunday, at 11 p.m. Philippine Time.
(All photos courtesy of Netflix)
Watch the trailer here: