Decent drama adaptation

> STORY
Given that the drama was set to have 10 episodes, I understand that there would be a lot to fit in if they were going to do an adaptation of a webtoon that has over 140 chapters. Still, I did hope that the changes they make would fit in such a way that the drama would make sense even for those who have not read the webtoon. In this case, well... Let's just say that the 'Sweet Home' drama adaptation is like a "longer movie adaptation" of the webtoon. I expected it to be very fast-paced all throughout, but I did find that there were times where it felt a bit slow.

The story, as they have changed it slightly, I felt was lacking and a bit all-over the place. Even when I knew that some bits were similar from the webtoon, I still couldn't help but feel a bit confused. First of all, why the hell are there so many surviving tenants in a 10 episode about humans being hunted by their desires? You would expect that with having too many characters to pay attention to that each of them has their own story to tell. But because of the episode limitation, a whole lot of the characters have not been to fleshed out -- even the supposed main characters themselves. If this was going to happen, I would much rather that they got rid of others quickly either by being consumed by their desires, killed by the other tenants, or eaten by the monsters. If this were a zombie movie where the bitten humans become zombies themselves right after, I wouldn't mind at all because we all know how that would go down.

My point is that the story is meant to be different in that the cause of the chaos in their world is psychological and emotional, which therefore means that having a deeper connection with the characters might weigh a lot more. (Because yes, we did get some background story and some struggle with some of the characters, but it still somewhat lacking in depth, in my opinion.) This is why I could not help but feel that the drama is a little confused about how it wants to be. Should it be like the other fast-paced zombie/monster pandemic stories? Or should it stay close to the webtoon's story? Or should it be like a mash of the two and a whole lot more? The addition of a new element in the story made it all the more confusing to me -- is the cause of this chaos biological? Psychological? Emotional? Evolutionary? Did someone plot this whole chaos? Was it an accident? Is this about weaponizations? Or what -- is this like COVID??? What is going?? In the end, they have chosen the option of having a possible second season to hopefully try and make sense of whatever happened this season.

> CAST (and MONSTERS)
The story aside, the actors did very well in portraying their roles. Even though the characterisation was lacking, it was still passable and the actors brought some life to their characters that would make you want to cheer for them. I actually thought that the makeup, special effects, and CGI weren't so bad for a drama that tries to bring life to monsters. Very good effort! If anyone is not a fan of horror, it would be best to skip those monster bits.

There was enough action in this 10-episode drama and while I was hoping for more monsters, what they have given us was enough. You wouldn't be disappointed in this aspect. I also liked the setting that they've chosen to be the Green Roof Apartments and the details that went into it; each apartment and their tenants have different stories after all. (This is why I was hoping that if they were to adapt this particular story that either 1. They spread it out in different seasons -- but given the costs for this to even be adapted, I highly doubt they'll go for this route. 2. They write it in such a way that makes sense for a 10-episode drama.)

> MUSIC
As for the music, I feel that they could have chosen better? I mean... I do not mind 'Warriors' by Imagine Dragons, but I just thought that they really had plenty of other songs to choose from? I don't know, I think it's just me. Other than that, the music sound effects and such were not too bad.

> Would I watch this again?
I wouldn't mind watching it again, it was a fun ride watching it the first time :)

> Would I recommend this drama to others?
Yes, especially if you like monsters and zombies films/dramas. Also the quality and acting in this drama is good! It would not disappoint you. (Unless of course, you are like me who is reading too much into trying to make sense of the story then... Well... It's up to you!)

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I’m going to start this off with the fact that right from the beginning, I wasn’t a huge fan of the story of this drama. All throughout the drama, I’ve been convincing myself that I should keep giving it chances to redeem itself and here we are now, after the very last episode. This drama could have been shortened to at most 10 or 12 episodes, but the writer decided that it was a good idea to extend this up until 16 episodes. There were plenty of scenes that this drama could have had without. Yes, I’m talking about the drama between Joo Hyuk’s bank colleagues. I think that it would have been alright to include those scenes if they would have some sort of impact to the main characters’ story, but there really wasn’t. I suppose that the stories about the other bank workers are a “break” from the main characters’ story or perhaps “comic relief," but there were just too much of it and it did very very little or nothing to progress the plot.

As for the main characters themselves, right off the bat, we are shown that both our male and female leads are flawed. Now that is fine, because we all love to see how their characters would develop and how they could possibly fix their past mistakes. But the writer was so good into turning the viewers’ feelings of “neutral” to “dislike” up until you’re seething with anger and hatred towards the characters that you’re supposed to sympathise with and like. Our precious main characters are quite the selfish people and their fated love prevails everything else to the point that they were cheating on their respective partners. I’ve never quite watched a drama where the writer romanticises cheating to follow one’s heart and not feeling guilt whatsoever for one’s wrongs. Anyway, since the point of the story seemed to be a better relationship between the main characters, the last few episodes would not disappoint you.

But despite such a mess of a drama, the actors did very well to portray the sort of characters that the writer had given them. I especially appreciate the acting from Park Hee Bon (Cha Joo Eun) and Oh Eui Sik (Oh Sang Sik) as I enjoyed their characters’ addition to the drama. Their portrayal of a married couple, I found, was more enjoyable than our main characters’ love story. If you are a fan of Han Jimin or Jisung, I’d say, you’ll appreciate their acting as always, but I hope that their characters here would not make you like them any less.

If there is anything that I loved from this drama, it’s the OST. The songs fit so well with the overall vibe and every time I hear the songs playing, it would sometimes make me forget that the drama has such a messy story. Even if you, who might be reading this now, was planning to watch this drama and decided that maybe you’re not going to watch it after all, at least give the OST a listen. I recommend Roy Kim’s “No Longer Mine.” Likewise, N.Flying’s “Let Me Show You” and SF9’s “Love Me Again” were good songs. Both groups did so well with the OST.

In the end, I wouldn’t recommend this drama and I would not watch it again. The drama has redeeming qualities here and there, but despite that, this story hasn’t completely won me over. I know that there are others who enjoyed this drama so don’t let all the negative things that I’ve mentioned here stop you if you really were keen to watch it. At the end of the day, this is just my opinion amongst many others and perhaps I’ve just failed to see all the positive things about the drama that could possibly outweigh the negatives.

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“Startup” is set in South Korea’s FICTIONAL Silicon Valley, called Sandbox

As the title states, this drama is set in SK's FICTIONAL Silicon Valley. If you are planning to watch this drama, keep the word "fictional" in mind all the time.

Q: Is this a business-focused drama?
This drama promises to show us a look into starting a business through a Start-Up program and it does just that. It shows us a "look." Now, if you are like me who is actually interested in seeing more of the start-up and business aspect of the drama, this might not be the drama for you. Yes, there would be some of it, but as someone who knows nothing about the whole Start-Up business, you might find yourself wanting to find out more about the details of the whole Start-Up program. Perhaps, you might want to look into other recommended dramas or some documentaries about Silicon Valley instead. I've found myself wondering too if some of the stuff shown in the drama were accurate or not. Again, keep in mind that this drama is fictional so there would really be no point in trying to compare it to real life.

Q: Then what is this drama about?
The drama description would introduce you to 4 individuals that were promised to be the main leads of the drama: Seo Dalmi, Nam Dosan, Han Jipyeong, and Won Injae. The drama would show you how each character relate to one another and how they would enter this fictional Silicon Valley in South Korea called "Sandbox." The included genres are business, comedy, romance, youth, and drama. So did the drama give us all that? The answer is yes. However, if you are looking for balance between all of those genres, you might find yourself a little disappointed. But if you do not mind the imbalance, that is perfectly fine! Do give this drama a try. And as for whether the drama would focus on each of the 4 individuals shown in the main posters and descriptions, the answer would unfortunately be no.

Q: What do you mean by "the 4 individuals in the posters and description wouldn't be equally focused on"?
If you look into the drama's tags, the first thing that you would see is "Love Triangle." There is also "Misunderstanding," "Nice Second Lead," and "First Love." If you have 4 characters and there is a love triangle, it might mean that one of the characters would be left out -- that is exactly what happened to Start-Up. And as mentioned earlier, there would be a look into the start-up and business aspects in this drama, but the main focus would actually be regarding the romantic story between the leads. Therefore, if you love romance dramas in a business setting, this drama is for you! On the other hand, if you find yourself tired of all the drama between two people who have feelings for the same person, this might not be the drama for you.

Q: Is this drama realistic? How realistic is it?
I would remind you again to keep the word "fictional" in your mind. If you are going to watch this drama to be inspired, by all means, have a go at it! This drama would be inspirational when it comes to achieving your dreams. However, if you are really looking for something more realistic, more relatable, and more reflective of real-life and its consequences, this drama might not be for you. If you try putting in the tag "Slice of Life" in the mydramalist search settings, you might find something more suitable for you.

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STORY: How is the actual story?
- The story is decent and something of a typical Korean drama. I don't think that anything new has been added to the formula to make Start-Up stand out from similar dramas -- except of course the fact that it is set in this fictional place "Sandbox." Considering that it had a lot of people waiting at the edge of their seats for the next episodes every week, I think that this drama has achieved that and I admit that the writer is smart for making that happen (considering that there is this particular issue in the drama that has been stretched out until the last remaining episodes). But... well, that's about it really. It's a romantic drama between 3 individuals involved in this so-called love triangle set in the fictional Silicon Valley, "Sandbox." This is how I would describe this drama.

CHARACTERS: How were the characters?
- As someone who was promised 4 main characters from the description, posters, and first two episodes of the drama, I would have to say that I am disappointed. Many others would agree that one of the supposed main characters has somewhat become an extended cameo character. There were many ways that this character's story could have been expanded on, but unfortunately, this character only appears when they need to show up. One might actually think that perhaps the writer has forgotten all about this character?
- The remaining three main characters are all flawed in their own ways, maybe some of them more than the others. But they were alright. I suppose that if you keep remembering that this is just a Kdrama and is fictional, then you really wouldn't mind how these characters would be like in this drama. You might just think, "Ah, well this is just a Kdrama so..." Again, this drama is not there to be realistic. Perhaps there would aspects of it that would be similar to real life, but not all of it should be taken as something that actually happens or is acceptable in real life -- just remember this. Plus, not to mention, the characters are all good-looking so there's that.

ACTING/CAST:
The actors did their parts well and some are admirable for what they have added in to their characters (in terms of depth and the ad-libs). So if you have never seen any of these actors before or you have already seen them before (and that is what makes you want to see this drama), you will appreciate watching them in Start-Up regardless of the characters that they play.

MUSIC/OST:
Beautiful OST and a whole lot of earworm that would stay with you for a while. The artists invited to sing were fantastic and did justice to the songs. The scores and other music that plays in the drama (that is not OST) were suitable as well. You would have no problems watching through Start-Up with regards to music choice.

RE-WATCH VALUE and RECOMMENDATION:
I am afraid that despite the great work that went in to this drama, I do not think I would be watching it again. Perhaps it might be because of my personal expectations that I have been let down, believing that there might be something different about Start-Up, but alas, it has become what it is now. Let me re-iterate this, it was a decent drama. I am not sure if I would recommend watching it based on my own feelings, but I hope that my review would be able to help you decide whether this drama might be for you. If not, well... there are plenty of other reviews out there and there is also the choice of giving it a go regardless of what others think about it.

Hopefully this was helpful c:

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This drama might as well be considered as a "longer web drama" as I felt that it had more qualities of a web drama than an actual typical Korean drama. The execution of the story itself was similar to how they would in web dramas — the plot was underdeveloped and was wrapped up quickly during the last episode. This drama had traded a good development in its mystery and romance for comedic scenes that I thought was more often that not unnecessary. (I am more appreciative of a good balance. But each to their own, you know? If you're a fan of these little funny parts in your dramas, then go for this one. The grandmother witches and the secretary were quite fun at times~) All I'm saying is that the writers wanted this drama to be lighthearted and they wanted things to be very simple. They showed us just that with this drama (hence why I said that there were plenty of things that were obviously underdeveloped).

Despite the somewhat quick romance (which I honestly was not a fan of as I'm still a bit confused about the romantic development), the romantic moments were adorable and heart fluttering. The kisses shared were very sweet. Though, it was understandable that the writers had to make haste with the romance as they only had 12 episodes to work with and they wanted to have quite a lot of fillers involving the side characters. Also, I found that not a lot of people were big fans of the male lead (I wasn't either. I wish they could have written him a little better?), but he was actually not that bad towards the end. Seriously, there had been worse out there.

The actors did an okay performance for this drama and I thought that their acting was fit for this kind of drama. The same goes for the chosen songs for the OST~

Overall, I think that I wouldn't recommend this drama to others unless they haven't got anything else to see and want something short and lighthearted to watch. I actually thought the drama seemed like a very short manhwa adaptation, but I think that I've read more developed manhwas than this drama. Honestly, in the end, I thought, "That was it?" It would leave you wanting more as like I kept on saying, it's not that written well in comparison to other dramas which has similar themes. There are 1hr~2hr movies that could manage to fit a good story and well-developed romance with added fantasy and mystery elements better than how the writers did for this 12 episode drama.

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There will be two parts to this review. The first part focuses on this season of Eulachacha Waikiki on its own and the second part compares both seasons 1 and 2.

1st part:
First of all, it is not necessary to watch the first season of Eulachacha Waikiki in order to start this season. It was briefly explained at the beginning of the first episode how things came about and why there's a new set of people (except for the character Lee Jun Ki (played by Lee Yi Kyung). The story pacing is sort of slow in terms of development, but also fast when it came to other things. It seems that the production team struggled with creating a story line that would be balanced enough that the audience wouldn't feel that things are progressing too slow or too fast. Particularly, I found that things were very rushed and crammed in the last 2 episodes (which I'm guessing left a lot of viewers like myself a little disappointed?)

In terms of acting, it was as you would expect from a sit-com drama and the actors did well portraying their respective characters. Particularly, I was fond of Jun Ki (from S1; but he is still the same for this season), Ki Bong, and Yu Ri. Their characters were the type that would draw you in and keep you enjoying each episode. There was also Jung Eun, Woo Shik, and Soo Yeon that have their own charms that are not really at your face, but you'll find yourself rooting for them and their dreams. Although I must admit that it was rather difficult to get invested with Jung Eun's character (played by Ahn So Hee) at first because you're not entirely sure what she's going to bring to the table, but towards the middle you'll start to see that the actress has grown relaxed with her character.

The OST and the use of music was alright and I am glad that they still used the same theme song from the first season.

Overall, I believe that Eulachacha Waikiki 2 is a good drama to watch. Many could relate to the characters, situations, and circumstances especially when it came to working for one's dreams. It would make you smile, laugh, and empathise with the characters' stories.

2nd part:
It would be difficult not to compare this season to the first season when the first one had set the bar up high (the series even got an extension because people loved it so much!) It cannot be helped that some actors could not return (due to different reasons) and therefore the favourite main characters that we know and love from the 1st season are just stories of the past in this season. I do admit that the way that they brushed aside the previous characters wasn't really the best...? I was especially upset about Seo Jin and Jun Ki's relationship ending the way it did when they made us fall for their story in the 1st season.

This season focused more about the characters' dreams/jobs and romantic relationships whereas the 1st season seemed to have a better balance and also included more involvement of the actual guesthouse into its plot. Where we could see the friendships and romantic relationships gradually developing and working out in the 1st season, the 2nd season seemed to feel more... rushed and forced (this is just my opinion)? It was obvious which characters would end up together because the writers were putting their characters in such a way that could hopefully(?) put them together. It also borrows some elements in terms of moving the (romantic) plot along from the 1st season and it just felt sort of a repetition. Also, as I have mentioned above, they have dragged some of the romantic progressions throughout the entire series that the last 2 episodes just went "They're together now!" only 'cause those 2 characters were made to interact more with each other than with the rest of the cast. And... the writers seemed to only know one method to make characters realise their romantic feelings ASAP — one word: jealousy. If there is any romantic storyline that could convince you to watch this season, it's Ki Bong and Yu Ri's. Their relationship progress seemed to naturally happen and their characters are loveable and cute.

Speaking of characters, Jun Ki was still Jun Ki in this season. I hoped more for him in terms of his career as an actor, but he still remained as an unpopular/unknown actor here too. Though I'm glad that they kept his car, Rebecca, because she was an important character from the 1st season! Woo Shik is more timid than Dong Goo. He is also more... at the back in terms of the entire plot? He is an aspiring singer and that is shown in the drama enough, but not as much as his feelings for Soo Yeon. It can be argued that Dong Goo's storyline in 1st season involved a lot of romantic feelings for Yoon Ah, but he was still present as brother for Seo Jin, as a friend for Jun Ki and Doo Shik, and the main caretaker of the guesthouse. Sure, Jun Ki, Ki Bong, and Woo Shik were written to be friends, but I believe that we could see more of this friendship aspect from the 1st season with Jun Ki, Doo Shik, and Dong Goo. As for Ki Bong, his character was such a nice addition because you just want to root for him so bad and you would want the best for him. I also hoped more from Jung Eun as the character who would hopefully fill in the shoes of Seo Jin, but I am sorry to say that the actress's "meh" portrayal (in the beginning at least) was... disconnecting, and the writers seemed to not have an idea how to do this. She is also an unknown actor like Jun Ki and they are best friends, but the writers focused on her feelings towards Jun Ki and forgetting to show that she is working hard to reach her goals too. Yu Ri's character was a nice touch to the series as she acts as everyone's older sister and looks after the younger ones and gives them advices or moral support. Her relationship with Woo Sik, her brother, was fun to watch. It's adorable how she calls him "brother." Lastly, there is Soo Yeon who I felt the most disconnected to. Unlike Soo Ah from the 1st season, the introduction of Soo Yeon seemed to be only for the romantic feelings of Woo Sik for her. She also had dreams and the drama has shown her working for that, but that also made it that she is distant with the other characters (with the exception of Woo Sik). They are shown to be interacting, but there are barely any that you could fully consider them as "close." At least, that's how it appeared when I watched the drama.

As a whole, the 1st season seemed to be written a lot better than the 2nd season. This is in terms of plot, romantic plot, development, and characters. Everything seemed to tie in together, their relationships and friendships were well connected. The 2nd season was enjoyable too, but probably not as quite enjoyable or relatable than the 1st season. It can be argued that the 1st season is better in this sense because of the extension, but that really is not a good reason to organise the plot of the 2nd season to fit 16 episodes. I really do think that the production team could have done a lot better. Hence my middle-ish rating for this title. Perhaps my expectations were too high? Or perhaps it really is just that they have failed to deliver a just as good writing for this season? I have no idea, but it doesn't take away that this drama was fun and entertaining to watch. I would still recommend that others watch it regardless of having seen the 1st season or not. It is still a good drama (if you just maybe overlook the ending like I did)!

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