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Premiere Watch: Search, Start-Up

You don’t have to Search for more dramas to Start-Up this week (heh, sorry) because we have two more premieres! One is an interesting military mystery starring the lovely Jang Dong-yoon, and the other is the latest (and hopefully greatest) from the writer of such dramas as I Can Hear Your Voice, Pinocchio, and While You Were Sleeping.

 

Search

Time slot: Saturday & Sunday
Broadcaster: OCN
Genre: Mystery, thriller
Episode count: 10

Reasons to watch: Sometimes a drama’s trailer grabs me so hard that I’m willing to forget things like it’s on my least favorite channel. And that’s exactly the case here, with OCN’s latest drama and military thriller, Search. The trailer was a total win for me, with its stylish, intriguing cinematography, that field of eerily moving grasses, and of course, the promise of a mysterious story of soldiers at the DMZ. Even if it’s not your cup of tea, though, there are some other reasons to check it out — Jang Dong-yoon doing a 180 from his last role, Krystal in a drama we’d never picture her in, and lots of dogs, since our hero has been serving in a K-9 unit. I convinced you to watch, right?

 

Start-Up

Time slot: Saturday & Sunday
Broadcaster: tvN
Genre: Romance
Episode count: 16

Reasons to watch: While the premise of Start-Up — young entrepreneurs navigating the world of business — might not perk your ears up immediately (nor mine), I am so excited for this drama! The writer was enough to get me on board, but my spidey sense is also kicking in big time: this has just the right amount of potential to become a drama that sounds like a shrug when you read about it on paper, but bursts with goodness when it comes to life on the screen. With Nam Joo-hyuk* and Suzy in the lead, and Kim Sun-ho (yay!) and Kang Hanna rounding out our cast, I’m really excited to see where we land. Until we have episodes to devour, I’ll be sitting here anticipating interesting partnerships, underdog struggles, and lots of heart.

*Now everyone’s current crush after his wonderful turn in The School Nurse Files

 
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Only Nam Joo Hyuk could make a limp look so sexy.

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Hah I snorted

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Ha!

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That limp was the only reason I watched...oh, wait, that limp on Nam Joo Hyuk was the only reason I watched.

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And the Haraboji clothes. I honestly thought I was the only one.

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Start-Up... I love this. My fave Nam Joo-hyuk was there.

I don't know if I'll interesting Search and I'm not familiar wilth military-related. Maybe I'll watch in the future.

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I think it's more supernatural than military.

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I didn’t even know Jang Dong Yoon was doing a drama after the success of Nokdu. Well now I need to tune in.

Is there anyone who sells time? I need some more hours.

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I didn't know Start-up was by the writer of all my fav Lee Jong Suk dramas! I was already invest because of Nam Joo Hyuk and Kim Sun Ho and am now even more so.
Search also looks really interesting. After Train, this might be my next addictive OCN thriller 🤞

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Search also has fantasy and creatures(let's see if zombies)

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I thought I saw Bigfoot, but since zombies are the "in" thing right now, that's more likely.

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Well,they did say creatures so might be some experiments ones and not really zombies ajjaj

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Ah, I like that line of reasoning. Looks like the big mystery will be what it is.

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I'm intrigued 👀

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Me too, I didnt know its from THAT writer, haha! definitely a U turn for me and will check it out. Definitely a must-see initially was Search now I had to check out Start up too 🙆‍♀️

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Search is interesting to see Jang Dong Yoon in more serious & mature role.

Can't wait for Suzy & Nam Joo Hyuk. Kim Sun Ho, I will give you another try after that disappointed ghost train drama.

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The female lead on that drama was a disappointment. Sunho's portrayal was the only good thing on that drama.

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For me is not about actors at all. The 2 main characters are really the type I cannot stand. The Female is selfish and the male is push over.

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“ the promise of a mysterious story of soldiers at the DMZ”
So... love triangle?

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This made me cackle. It is OCN so probably not.

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Nope,creatures jajaj this is also fantasy

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Start Up has potential to be really good. For me, its not whose starring in a show that makes or breaks it (Unless it's something serious) but the writer(s) and director attached to it. It'll be refreshing seeing a different world (tech) displayed in a drama as well, with a FL who works in it!

The writer of Start Up writers FL's with moxie/quirks (not the kind that makes their FL a klutz/idiotic), but ones that makes them more human/relatable. The director did YWCFTS, WYWS, & Hotel Del Luna which had solid ratings (critically/viewership) relative to its budget. All of these components state that this show has a solid base built on already, whether it'll deliver or not is the surprise.

My only hesitation is if they will forgo the FL's arc into making it as a tech entrepreneur, and instead of having romance as a compliment to the show's overarching message that the romance takes over most of the show's runtime. I wish more K-dramas would understand that romance can be a dressing of sorts (Topping) rather than make it solely about that. That was long lol, surprisedly lots to say on this 'serious' issue :D

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I agree but given that this show was classified as a romance genre, it would be difficult not to have it.😆 Besides, what a waste of eye candy not to ship with each other.

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Yeah the more I go down the rabbit hole, it seems that way :/ Also read that there's a love triangle between the 3 main characters minus Kang Han-na's character.

I'm iffy on that b/c I find love triangles in K-dramas are hit/miss, one's too contrived/awful, and the other is never giving the 2nd ML a chance/competition that makes it fun to see who ends up with who. Although, I'm personally rooting for Kim Sun-ho to win Suzy's heart here!

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Kim Sun Ho and those dimples! 😍

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I'm shocked that he's 34 (36 in Korean age)?! He doesn't feel like he's in his mid 30's. He has this youthful vibe & he's still fresh faced. I love his dimples. He's cute/hot!

Hope his role in Start Up is hefty/good amount of screen time. I'm only in for a love triangle if this = more screentime/swoony moments for KSH!

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Search has me really conflicted, because to me everything military is just soooooooo boring, but it is Jang Dong-yoon!!! (Who turned out to be the most gorgeous thing ever to grace a hanbok, and just makes me hyperventilate every time I see him onscreen, ever since the ep. 1 of Nokdu). I so do not know whether to watch or not!!!

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Haaha. I have the exact dilemma!

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I know the exact scene! It was on the beach right, after spear fishing?!

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Actually not one scene in particular (despite the aaabs in that one ;) ) - it was everything altogether, all the scenes!!! And I forgot to be more specific - I meant woman's hanbok :D

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I'll add Start-Up and Search to the six dramas I'm live-watching. Who needs sleep?

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Not us.😁

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These days it really feels like feast or famine, I swear.

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I, too, think that there are so many shows to watch these days. Apart from Kdramas (Alice, 3rd rewatch of Coffee Prince, 2nd rewatch of Weather, Do Do Sol), I'm also watching Anne with an 'E' on Netflix. I'm beginning to like the last one now.

If I add Start-up to it I won't have any time to sleep at all!

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It's more dangerous to binge because all 16 episodes are at your disposal, whereas with live, at least you're limited to 2 episodes a week. Unless you fall behind, then you're perpetually playing catch-up.

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You’re right. Now perhaps I should limit myself to only watch the maximum of 2 episodes per day, regardless of how many shows I intend to watch.

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Anne With an E is so good! I was disapointed they canceled it.

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Yes it’s so far so good. At first I was startled a little because of how much she spoke, but I kinda got used to it now and thought that was unique. Love the brother and sister to pieces.

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Anne with an E is such a blessing. I’ve been meaning to ask, did you watch Enola since the last time you asked if it’s watchable? I still didn’t. Netflix continues to show me that I’ve yet to finish that movie.

If you want more dramatics to add to, watch The Haunting Of Bly Manor. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. Now that’s what I call “careful and caring writing”. When the writer loves their characters that’s when the drama/movie/TV show is superior.

On other news, definitely gonna watch Start Up. That’s along with Nine Tailed, Brahms and DDSSLLS.

Phew. Sleep? What’s that?

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Well, I don't watch horror movies/series at all as I'm easily frightened. Do you still recommend watching that one? I am a bit reluctant because you said it was so good and I love the concept of 'careful and caring writing'. Have never thought of such phrase for a while.

About Enola yes I've watched it. I'd say it's watchable, but the attention seems to be paid to how the film was filmed more than about the story or the messages it intended to convey. I find meaningful lessons in it, but I'd have to say that the way it was delivered didn't make a strong impact on me. It's an okay and light watch especially for teens.

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Well it’s like the second season of The Haunting Of Hill House and that was one of the best horror TV shows I’ve ever watched. I don’t scare easy and so I did the ultimate mistake of watching Hill House at night. The first night believe me, I dragged my mom to the bathroom with me. So I took caution when I watched Bly Manor but it took me by surprise. It wasn’t as scary as Hill House but every character there was given careful thought.

I even felt for the villain here and I rarely do. I kept thinking that if that person chose a different path it would be entirely different. And if that person was understood it would’ve gone a different path too. That’s how amazing the characters are. Every character is well thought of. You need to give it a chance. I promise, it’s not scary as Hill House.

Also trivia, many characters of Hill House are in Bly Manor too. And it’s like a game, searching for the hidden ghosts, who’s deaths are all explained well, to my surprise.

Enola was not my cup of tea, I apologize. But I’m glad you enjoyed it.

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We had a big laugh about Enola at our house: specifically the fact that the mother was a terrorist, and was planning to bomb the Victorian equivalent to a shopping mall with shrapnel-filled bombs, and this was just glossed over and left hanging at the end. Good old mom, isn't it great that she has a cause she believes in!

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At this rate, we'll be zombies ourselves

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Guess who’s craving for brain (cells) now, lol.

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Search looks very intriguing. I like Jang Dong-Yoon and Yoon Park. For Krystal, it depends. Moon Jeong-Hee let me a great feeling after When the Weather is Fine. The set up in army is rare. CLOY was funny and think this one will be more serious.

For Start-Up, the writer always uses the FL as a tool to make the ML shining. I was so disapointed in While You Were Sleeping, they sold the FL as girl with power and at the end her power was a curse and only the ML could make changes... For the casting, I prefer the second leads. For the story, I already watch 2 dramas with young adults trying to success in their career, both are pretty depressing now, not sure about adding a third one.

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Ahh I'm so excited that Search and Start-Up are finally premiering, I've been excited for these two dramas since forever and now they're both finally right around the corner.

I've always had a soft spot for Nam Joo-hyuk and rooted for him to improve and he's come a long way. I love the cast for Start-Up and I'm glad they can be in a drama with a good writer and director. I'm really excited to see what quirks Park Hye-ryun has written for the FL this time!

Search will probably end up being my favourite OCN drama this year because I haven't really been that impressed by OCN dramas lately. Fingers crossed I'm right and Search ends up being really good. If not I'll just have to watch for JDY, Krystal, and Yoon Park

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Excited to see Jang Dong Yoon again after he won me over with his role in The Tale of Nokdu last year.

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Jang Dong-yoon! Please be good!!

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It probably will. JDY never disappoints.

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This is true. I'm very hopeful.

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I'm watching so many dramas already but plan to try both of these.

Start-up will undoubtedly be unrealistic and given the writer, idealistic, but Kim Sun Ho! Though if his character is supposed to be cold and slick, I might not buy it after watching Kim Sun Ho on 1N2D lol.

Excited for Search too. Jang Dong Yoon! OCN has been on a roll with their 10 episode dramas so hopefully this one is good too.

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Is it worth watching "Start Up" just for Kim Seon Ho? The storyline doesn't sound that interesting and I don't really care for either of the lead actors. I will probably just watch the first episode to see how big KSH's role is.

I'll try out "Search" too for Jang Dong Yoon. My two crushes from last year both have shows premiering on the same day. What are the odds?

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At least we get to see dimples in a drama 🤭

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What's the hate towards OCN for? Just curious, because I feel like they do have some good dramas on there occasionally.

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SEARCH is what what I have been waiting for and the good news is that is will be available on Viki.
On the ratings front I am wondering if Jang Dong-yoon’s SEARCH will best Go Soo’s MISSING’s episode 12-final rating of 4.811% which as of now is the highest rated episode for an OCN drama this year. My gut is telling me yes.
Also I see that Moon Jeong-hee is part of the cast. She recently gave a memorable performance in WEATHER.

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I've automatically skipped dramas that Suzy and Go Ara are in as a main lead, but I'll try Start-up.
I like Nam Joo-Hyuk but it's because of Kim Do-Wan (A Moment at Eighteen) and Yoo Su-Bin (Crash Landing on You).
They are definitely talented young actors that I keep an eye on.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGUH9L0JCzE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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Honestly start up sounds meh, which saddens me because I freaking love kim Sunho. I would have checked it out if Suzy wasn't the lead. I'll just check out Search

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Add me to the list of people rooting for Nam Joo Hyuk after The School Nurse Files! But I'm on the fence on Start-Up. I'm totally outside the target demographic, and the tech background might be a bit too close to reality. Maybe I'll wait until some episodes are on Netflix and watch it as my workout drama. :D

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outside the target demographics in terms of age, I mean :D

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Definitely looking forward to both especially Start-Up! I love all the previous dramas from this writer! I can't believe how much Nam Joo Hyuk has improved since his time in that Mermaid drama as "Big." He was fun in School Nurse Files.

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I like a good underdog's story... maybe I will watch start up.
Also: NHJ is one of my favs since WFKBK

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I meant WLFKBJ😅😅😅😅😅😅

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The Start Up poster seems a little weird to me. Why are they talking on their phones and using the voice calling feature? So used to people just texting in kdramas.

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I am all in for Start-Up. My favorite drama writer!

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Oh that's why Jang Dong Yoon was in Sense -- to promote this.

Kim Seon Ho 😍

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Nam Joo Hyuk is extremely goodlooking so even though I am out of the target demographic for Start Up I'll start-up ONLY for him lol He looks more mature now, doesn't he?
One of most goodlooking Asian actors ever (imo)!
Needed something to get over Record of Youth

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