Doona!

How to like this drama

Had I known about the ratings before starting this show, I probably never would have, but I am glad I watched this. Not because I particularily enjoyed this, but simply because I didn't hate it either. I was so indifferent with this that it was actually a nice relaxing watch in-between.

So, here's a guide on how to like it:
First, look for something calm, but not light-hearted. Not to say there was no message or strong emotions, but they are mostly implicit. In that regard, music, cinematography etc. all blend well into each other.
Second, look for a green flag (but young & inexperienced) ML.
Third, do not mind the FL to be a big red flag. This is not a pretty, beautiful romance story and never was supposed to be.
I really didn't feel the relationship at all and my only thought was "I hope he learns to run fast and far and she finally gets some therapy." Which stirs up the question whether someone is a green flag if they stay in a relationship with a red flag, a question I haven't found an answer to. The relationship does change in dynamics and, depending on your perspective, fosters character development, I just don't think I'd call it character "growth".

Fourth, don't expect the side characters to be more than NPCs, the focus is almost entirely on the progression of the relationship.

Fifth, expect backgrounds and backstories to be implicit, too. I have seen more than a handful of short series so far and some really impressed me with how much depth, understanding and context they were able to provide for several characters in a short amount of screentime. Here, the focus is almost entirely on the present with just small hints on what happened to get both characters where they are now. That also makes it really hard to gain "secure" insight into their motives and you need to use your own logic to connect the loose ends. Still, I wouldn't say the series needs a lot of brain cells, although the very open narration style does leave a lot of space to fill if you feel like it.

Sixth, you really like or really care about idol industry, their lives and the consequences it has to live like they do. The message there is clear, strong and probably all too real.

Last but not least, you don't expect a real "plot" as you are used to, but really just want to follow two people along their way of a relationship that probably never should have happend but takes place around the world on a daily basis.

Overall, this drama is probably very close to reality, although the execution might not appeal to everyone. For me, it just didn't manage to stir any interest, and I do like short and calm, slow dramas with lots of implications and a message. But as I don't care much about idols and have had my fair share of red flags already, it wasn't a message meant for me to hear.

Read More

Bitterly perfect~✨

✨9.5/10

So after much thought I think this drama is actually pretty great.It started of normal with pretty light hearted shades but midway through changed into a melodrama. I think I was too focused on the leads but the other love interests had their own stories too. I was afraid the world building would be unsatisfactory cause these short netflix dramas tend to focus solely on the main characters and doesn't bother expanding with different characters and relationships.but it was not the case here.Visualy it is stunning.the actors portrayed the characters well and got me rooting for them.

FL is a fallen star that collided with a university student. For once a character like her was believable.She found peace with him.

ML? He's a warm and caring guy. Though oblivious to what romance is about he was perfect.He actively tried to be there for her made her have a sense of belonging.

From cinematography,acting,story and the OSt everything wrepped up well in a bow. They really did well in showcasing the concept of bitterd romance.
This kept me worried and wanting to see how the plot progresses so it means it's a good drama.

My thoughts on the ending:

Well there seem to be a pretty heated argument about the open ending.
(I respect your opinion. here I'll state mine.)

So I thought it was going to be a pretty bad open ending but IMO it wasn't that bad.
Sure the leads are not dating but at least they still like each other? They like each other but decided to wait for the right time for love instead to focus on their dreams and careers.
That's what I interpreted from the ending.

(I think it's not that bad if they do decide to do a s2 that is. But the problem is that it is highly unlikely.)

In full honesty this drama was a drama that is completely out of my zone. A melodrama?I would never watch it. I was so frustrated during the last half of the drama but that frustration turned in to admiration in the end for how good the writers and actors did to sell us the concept of a bittersweet romance. Though I was emotionally exhausted at the end.

Anyways I'll post enough GIFS about this on feeds so it means I love it.lol

Read More

REFRESHING!!!

First of all, let's just say, I'm surprised!!! Why? Because I thought that this is going to be a typical fairy tale drama, but no, it isn't!!! Let me say one thing for those who want to watch this show, and they have huge expectations. FORGET THEM ALL! It's not a typical love drama, and it's not even a feelgood drama. IF you watched 'Crash Landing on You', you will have almost the same experience, and it's not a coincidence because both show made by the same director! This is not a fantasy where everything is good and there are rainbows and cute puppies.😅 This drama is REAL as it gets. If you hate one or more characters because of their decisions, I'm not surprised. BUT if you ever loved someone, especially when you were young, you will understand why this show is a fantastic representation of “young love” and young people in general. Sure, we could say, Doona sometimes willful, violent or just don't care about anyone else but herself. That's only the surface! This drama showed us how fame can ruin a person's life, and not everything is as it seems, and maybe you want to watch TV shows because you want to escape from reality. If you want to do that, DON'T WATCH THIS DRAMA! Like I said, this isn't a fairy tale!

The characters are real, Doona too. The whole Idol part of the show just scratched the surface, to be honest, because being a celebrity is way worse than we have seen in this show. So, I'm not that surprised that the ending wasn't a typical Disney fairy tale. BTW, the ending. If you want happy ending, you have to pay attention!!! Again, YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION, because the director purposefully blended every scene together perfectly, so you have to think twice or even more if you want to know what happened, especially in the second half of the season. He sprinkled a LOT of info and little scenes in the intro and in the episodes where you can find clues how the show really ended! Honestly, I bow down for the director because in my lifetime (36 years) I didn't witness a creative directing like this too many times!

My only problem with the show, is that it's too short, 9 episode nothing. I could watch 9 more. I hope there will be a second season, because if we don't count the minor issues and the short season, this show could've been perfect.

Read More

Phenomenal cast but…

I was extremely surprised when I started watching; I did know Bae Suzy and Yang Se Jong were starring in this drama (as a Temperature of Love fan, ecstatic), but when I saw Kim Do Wan? I was awestruck and then later on Park Se Wan.

This drama is filled with amazing actors and I saw many people comparing it to Nevertheless and granted, I know why. This drama is very different, but doesn’t stray far from the toxic couple trope, that ashamedly I have started to appreciate because some angst is needed in between all the romantic dramas.

I gave it a lower rating especially because of the length of it, I think it missed a lot of depth in the story, especially of secondary characters that were introduced with haste and basically never touched on again, other than existing for the main couple.

To be honest I think I might have given this drama a lower rating if I had not looked into the actual manhwa, after comparing the teo stories, I commend the choices made by the crew to change things like the original ending and the character Ira. I loved her character and her romance with Jeong hoon, it was very short but by far one of the two most interesting characters.

The decision to end it as it did also was kind of, lazy. I don’t really know, I like to believe that directors and writers have a plan to tell a story, and they tell it, and they end it. I believe too many seasons can hurt a good premise but this ending felt, rushed (maybe by the quantity of episodes) but it did feel like the story was told and that there really won’t be a second season (I don’t really think they even could milk anything worth a whole new season from the story).

To add to the rushed aspect, scenes felt short, like they were cut and things would be mentioned and never adressed again.

Overall, a good watch but I definetely don’t see myself tuning in for a rewatch any time in the future.

Read More

Netflix "realism" predominates.

Netflix has a definite style of youthful romance which may not be to everyone’s taste. The characters (not necessarily the plot) are more realistic and less “wholesome” or formal than the one’s coming out of Korean television. More willing to mess with the standard norms and to be concerned with the realities of things like depression. Less afraid to explore the uncertainties of youth, which make it more afraid of the finality of rejection than living with the denial of feelings or unfulfilled desires.

The production style here is more akin to “Nevertheless”, although the storyline is totally different. It has a greater emphasis on showing more realistic reactions and character traits, such as smoking, swearing or anxiety attacks. The characters are often much less sure of themselves and can display behaviour that is obvious red flags, such as a dangerous tendency to want to be violent, or being caught up in abusive relationships. The actual impact that these situations have on an individual is more honestly portrayed. Often K-dramas gloss over the effects of trauma and create miraculous and timely recoveries so that the sense of a moral correctness, or fairytale happy-ever-after can be preserved. Whereas this story takes place amongst the uncertainties and messiness of life.

The director, Lee Jeong Hyo, has a string of hits in the last 5 years, including “Crash Landing on You” and “Romance is a Bonus Book”. Here he has adopted a less predictable style. He likes to observe the reactions on the actors faces and Bae Suzy is well worth looking at as she successfully conveys her inner emotions. Yang Se Jong is less convincing, but his character is lacking light and shade in the writing and it is very much a cypher and a foil for Doona. For me, the ML character is too young to be believable and as a result is played more mature. In general, his circumstances and themes were under-explored. At this length, the drama could easily have opted to focus only on the leads and gone deeper. There was plenty of material, particularly on Doona’s side to do so.

Instead, they chose to introduce secondary characters and subplots that did not hold up particularly well. There was an air of plot convenience about them with insufficient integration between their characters and the lead story. The script for these subplots, particularly between Lee Won Jun (Yang Se Jong) and his old flame, disappointingly often slipped into the banal and trite.

One annoying detail was that the continuity was bad. The weather and costumes were very mixed up. People wearing summer outfits in early spring and full tree foliage with snow. I’m prepared to overlook bright sunshine and rain, as that is often unavoidable due to a shooting schedule. But deciding on the season and dressing appropriately is something that should be unified.

There were some deliberate attempts at stylistic cinematography - especially towards the end. The breaking up the images into multiple rectangles (there’ll be a technical term for this, sorry not really my speciality). The use of a lot of close up reaction shots. It had a modern feel. Slightly smokey images, with the edge taken off by using less saturated colour, and moody lighting, nicely played into the slightly sombre tone of the piece. Greys, blues and browns predominate. The spare use of music carries emotional weight because it is unusual to have no background sounds.

Overall, for me, there was a lot to like about this production regarding the central characters and storyline, but the subplots and details let it down. It was an emotional 8, but a rational 7.5.

Read More

mid and disappointing

as a bae suzy fan who has been waiting for this drama for a loooong time, i expected way more. ML character lacked development. total waste consdering yang se jeong and suzy have a top tier chemistry. it was a boring kdrama, even though it had potential. i thought it'd be just as good as crash landing on you (as it's from the same director) but definitely not even close. some characters were bland and added nothing to the show. as a brazilian the brazil references were too much and definitely unnecessary and useless. kim jin ju is not likeable and her character could be wayyy better - i liked her friendship with doo na though. premise was good but executed poorly it's a shame.

not a bad kdrama but not the best either. wouldn't have watched it if suzy wasnt the fl

Read More

A flame that burns twice as bright makes everything else seems dull

Doona is my definition of a Traffic Show. Bae Suzy has the titular role and all the marketing is focused on her. It is to be expected if you need to generate as much traffic as possible. This it succeeded, but it also sabotage itself.

Doona is a difficult person to deal with because she has little life experience. She has questionable interpersonal skills and has no filters. Knowing the idol industry, the bulk of her young life would be consumed by training and “being” an idol. This exerts a heavy toll on her health, both mental and physical. It is no surprise that she feels like she is drowning just before her breakdown.

Instead of giving her help and guidance, her manager dumped her in a share house full of college students. This is particularly heartless because he knew she has a crush on him. Is this tough love or punishment, you be the judge.

The start of the show sees our ML moving into the same share house. The ML is stoic and studious. Dull to be honest but he is just the rock Doona needs to anchor herself at this point in time. The start of their relationship is certainly tremulous. Doona holds all the cards. Teased and played him mercilessly. However, over time, she accepts his presence and let her guards down bit by bit. It took a while, but they sort out their confused feelings eventually.

All is well until the manager re-enters the scene. This is not a total surprise because the show hinted strongly that Doona needs to perform to feel alive. She has been channelling her energy into her love life but it is obvious that she can't be a housewife nor hold down a desk job.

I must admit I was worried about the manager’s role as she still has a crush on him and his influence on her is overwhelming. This was confirmed by the scene at the grandmother’s house. I understand why the writer-nim wrote it that way but I do wonder if it can be done better. I'm glad that Doona soon realised that the manager was only using her and ended her crush. However, more storm clouds are gathering.

For a nine episodes run, you would think that there is no shortage of plot materials but the A-plot is so focused on Doona that everything else seems to pale by comparison.

For instance, the ML has 3 separate romantic entanglements in three different stages of his life. The show managed to get all 3 girls to live in the same share house at the same time. You would think that there will be fireworks, but it is quite the contrary.

Both SFL’s have their backstories but they have very little impact on the A-plot. His high school crush should play a key role but by the time we find out about her troubled upbringing and her eventual confession to the ML, it was all too late. She just can’t compete with Doona. Ditto, the other housemates did little more than move the plot along when needed.

That is a shame because Doona is not as captivating as the show would've liked. Yes, Bae Suzy owns the role but her performance can be a bit stilted at times. She has her moments and some scenes are artsy and beautiful, but I won't call it a breakout role.

The same goes for the ML. He is laser focused on his studies and entering the coveted public service. He loves on cue and cries on cue. He plays the noble idiot card and made both of them suffer for years. He even acknowledged that. It is not a strong role. His delivery can feel flat at times. More than once I was willing him to do more, anything.

Now we arrive at the tricky part, the ending. There has been some chatter about whether the OTP reconciled or are they estranged? The show did not give us a definitive answer. However, the following is my take and I’ll die on that hill. ;)

Before I watch the last few minutes of the finale, I would've said that they are done. Both are in pain, but they are getting on with their lives. HOWEVER, after watching the emotionally charged scene in his room my view changed. He apologized without hesitation. He said everything she wanted to hear and more. They both knew that their love each other hasn’t changed. They hugged it out like desperate people clinging to a life preserver. You can't tell me that they walked away as strangers after that.

Yes, of course, anything is possible, but I would prefer to believe that they have learnt their lesson and reconciled. I'm not sure if it is all hush-hush but they can pursue their own goals and live parallel lives like some celebrities and their SO's. They love each other dearly and they will make it work.

BTW, the last scene is ambiguous but it is literally a chance meeting. She looked back because she knew he will be in Japan (as couples do). It wasn't a wistful look. The nonchalance could signal a deliberate separation of their public and private life. It is a "I see you" moment and that’s enough.

I have no doubt it will be the trending show for a while, the hype around Bae Suzy will guarantee that. It is watchable but not amazing. The swoon worthy moments are worth the price of admission. Peace out.

Read More

Conflicting watch

When you start this you kind of try to understand the background of the characters and as the story progresses you start making sense of behaviours and decisions. Won Jun was extremely tolerant and understanding of Doona's situation even when she left him alone in the middle of nowhere. The end was bittersweet, they both matured and overcame their obstacles (specially Doona) and just when the final confrontation happens and you get a glimpse of what the future might hold we are left with an interpretative ending.
I understand this was maybe done to keep fans engaged and asking for a second season but for a 9 episode show they could have carried on with the story.
I'm just a sucker for happy endings and this ome was not what I expected. Still I enjoyed the watch and did it in one sit so it kept me pretty engaged.
Overall good, with good performances.

Read More

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME !!

Audience reviews
Filter by
All

Llaryz
a day ago
This is my take on the drama I’ve got a lot to say about it, just to be clear this is my own opinion and I understand everyone won’t agree and have different opinions especially since I know others have attempted to watch this drama and found it boring and sure I get it but for me I absolutely loved it. The cinematography was my kind of aesthetic and the songs were giving melancholy but it also gave the feeling of peace at the same time. Ever since the first episode I was hooked and I never found it boring in fact I found it intriguing. To me it felt so organic and real mainly because of the main character/s and their story. I’ve read on a reddit post someone said it felt more like a character study than a K-Drama and I agree. To me it felt so different from the K-Dramas I watch that it felt like a breath of fresh air apart from the several love interests introduced in the drama for the male lead and some cliches. The reason why I agree that this drama is more of a character study is because it mostly centres around Doona (of course it’s the name of the series) and who she is, it shows her past, her struggles, the problems she faces and how it has affected her negatively. However that’s not the main reason why I was so intrigued in the first place. I was interested because the drama tackles mental health issues and mentions the abuse Korean Idols go through within the industry, it shows awareness and it’s one of the reasons why the actress of Doona (played by Bae Suzy, I love her) picked up the role because she related to the character. Now aside from all that I enjoyed and deeply loved Doona and Won-Jun’s (Yang Se-Jong) love story, there was amazing chemistry between the main leads in my opinion and they did a fantastic job portraying their characters. I love their relationship dynamic in the show where they come from two different worlds, a soft hearted, innocent and serious boy in university meets a famous Korean idol who puts on a tough exterior but is actually broken and struggles with mental health. He fell for who she is and didn’t try to “fix” her, he was always there for her and became her safe place and she needed someone that just loved her for who she was. Whilst Doona fell for how genuinely good and sincere he was, he was different to the people she met in her life and Won-Jun needed someone who was bold and got him to loosen up, they were a perfect fit. For me this show really hit the spot and it’s definitely my favourite K-Drama in 2023, it’s definitely high on my list. Regardless of the ending which for me was a good ending and quite realistic, at first I wasn’t sure what to feel all I know is everyone should take it easy on idols, with media nowadays they aren’t given the freedom they deserve as human beings and aren’t even given the right to date the person they like without a camera in their face or being judged and hated for it.

Anyways I should probably stop I still have a lot to say but I’ll just say this, if you think this is your type of show to watch based on what I’ve mentioned then of course I highly recommend you to watch it but if it’s not, then don’t waste your time.

Read More

Started so strong then fell flat

Honestly, I only watched doona for bae suzy as she is a goddess and was as beautiful as always in the drama, at first I really enjoyed the drama ex kpop idol and random civilian but then it just fell flat. Better to have the show focused on the side characters then some dumbass mc that couldn't make up his mind. In fact I would rather have that fat dude be the mc as he was entertaining won jun was fucking terrible. How at the end you wanna be a cuck and listen to korean diddy then act sad after you broke up with doona straight dumbass. Don't get me wrong doona was a redflag but she got better won jun on the other hand I couldn't take him seriously with his dumb no face expression during the last episode not saying jack shit to doona. Overall terrible after they were made into a couple to just not end up being together.

Read More