Doona! (2023)

Redflags, done well!

I wasn’t gonna write a review because i thought msnotes’ one was perfect already! And captured most of how i felt! But i wanted to rate it?

here is what i can add:

-you will find many reviews calling for toxic relationship, redflags etc… and first episodes the mess is quite crazy and a bit overdone , but along the episodes i came to realize it was well done!! How ? What i mean is doona’s character and actions slowly reveal her fears & vulnerability behind her mess.

-both ML & FL go through their weaknesses and both evolve. (FL maybe more?)

-the ML character us so genuine, he really made me reflect on how kindness can be perceived as flirting, lol

-i loved the dialogues, the said & unsaid , the questions that echo a lot of imagery and deep conclusions about fame, ambition, loneliness, abandonment and love


- i dunno if it was binging the episodes that made it look so overdramatic at times, but towards the end i got that feel.

- i wish it was a longer show! The pace was nice, i rooted for the characters and i think their evolution/story was not yet complete

-Doona’s character suited suzy soooo well! I think this kind of drama makes her shine so much!

-the secondary stories were really a bore ( i dont know why ! They felt so disconnected… ) but i looooved their evolution.

Its a show that reveals itself slowly and keeps getting better n better w each episode. A highlight of 2023 so far for me!

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Started off great but wth happened towards the end

This series started well with a lot of potential but I didn't know why I suddenly felt disappointed.

The casts are so cute together. It's not the best chemistry out there but there's definitely a chemistry among this group. The character development is a bit off putting though. During the first half, I kept being intrigued about Doona, who she is and why she ended up where she's at but then as her story unfolds, it didn't make sense at all.

Overall, there's 2 types of ending for me. 1) the ending that is so satisfying or mind boggling that I have to search more for it; 2) the ending that makes me go 'what the hell' and despite explanation, it still don't make sense. Unfortunately, this series falls on the latter.

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Clever casting transcends a great show into a masterpiece.

Doona is something special. Not just among K-Dramas but among all love stories.

The plot line of a celebrity falling for someone remarkably normal is nothing new. Cue: Notting Hill and the Hannah Montana Movie. Doona, however, is something entirely different. Washed-up, abandoned, and functioning on a half-hearted nicotine addiction, we find this particular "Star" dimmed and burnt out. Inexplicably enigmatic - even without recognising who she is, Wonjun is pulled toward Doona. Her attitude and her body language imply she is both rude and defeatist, but there is something in her eyes that say otherwise. Behind the scorn and the evasion, something in Doona's eyes calls out to anyone who looks at them long enough; an ardent plea; "save me from myself". Wonjun can't help but do just that.

There is a lot to be said for the directorial style and the overall character development in this drama, but undeniably it's greatest testament is the performances. Whoever cast Suzy in this role was a visionary. Who better than an idol in a disbanded group to portray the ugliest sides of their industry. At times, based on Suzy's own experiences with Miss A, it was hard not to wonder how much of the acting was drawn from past experiences - particularly after a revealing cosmopolitan interview on that very subject - but I'll leave the speculation to rest. The key here is to say that Suzy's acting in this drama always feels raw and authentic, so much so that whenever she's on the screen, you can't tear your eyes away from hers. Like Wonjun, we are entirely consumed trying to work out exactly what pain it is that Donna isn't able to overcome. In the end, the answer isn't so simple.

As for Wonjun, although I feel that the Drama rather conveniently skipped over a few important plot points toward the end of the show, I am at least glad that they made sure to provide clarity and finality to the two leads in one particular aspect. We know that for Wonjun, he isn't a person who can cope well with things that are uncertain and precarious. He takes a gamble on Doona, but in the end he sees that she is still broken and dangerous; he doesn't have the courage to stay with her. Meanwhile, Doona is overly reliant on others. When she was confronted with the prospect of what her life would be like without her career, and, by extension, her fans - she spiralled. The anxiety became so bad that she ended up losing another pillar in her manager, and by this point, she was a shell of her former-self. Although it never becomes clear how she ends up becoming a woman who no longer needs to rely on men, by the end of the show she is independent and able to cope with life on her own.

Without Doona overcoming that flaw, the 'open ending' can't be a happy one. Although its mention is only brief, we know that Wonjun is altruistic. He moves into the room at Doona's house in order to escape the dire reality of his situation at home, having spent his first years of university commuting in order to take care of his ill sister. He mentions the relief he felt when the responsibility of looking after her was taken away from him, yet jumps right into another person dependent on him in Doona. Wonjun doesn't necessarily see it as his job to fix Doona. By contrast, her presence alone has been enough to calm him and comfort him through difficult moments. Yet, the fact remains that Doona is overly reliant on Wonjun, regardless of whether or not she's helping him.

This is the crucial point in the show's climax - while Wonjun is at military service, Doona must become a person who no longer practices over-dependency on others, just as Wonjun must learn to to so easily let others be overly dependent on him at the expense of his own happiness. This is, in my opinion, a factor which hugely contributes to his decision to break up with Doona when she returns to fame. It's too hard, it's too precarious, and there's a large chance he'll get hurt if they stay together. However this is also an example of Wonjun's hypocrisy. Jin-ju explains to Doona from the moment she first suspects that she likes Wonjun that he's not a person who can cope which a personality like hers in the long-run. Whether or not it came from a place of jealousy was irrelevant, because it was true. Although at first Wonjun believes that he doesn't mind what Doona does or how she feels about him he eventually realises that he doesn't like her to an extent that he can ignore his own jealousy and hurt. Even after admitting this to her, he does the same thing when he swears he won't mind if she returns to the spotlight. Doona, too, at first thinks that her newfound happiness with Wonjun is enough to fill the void left by her early retirement, however she harbours a deep need to be loved, and Wonjun's love alone was never going to be enough to satiate her. Neither one seems to truly understand their emotions, except for the fact that they truly love each other.

As for my sprinkle of negativity, even though this show managed to escape practically every K-Drama cliché of a celebrity falling for a normal person, it failed with it's side characters a little more than miserably. A seemingly random arsenal of side characters (save for an albeit-underdeveloped Jin-ju) served only as lacklustre comic relief or as devices to further the plot through causing jealousy or misunderstandings. Although the side stories and supporting characters aren't the worst I've encountered, compared with the addictive story of the two lead characters they are inevitably mundane. Doona's mother, too, although perhaps the most interesting of the parental “figures” seems to be entirely written off as someone who uses her daughter for money. Sometimes in life it really is that simple, yet with this character it feels more like two-dimensional writing than a purposeful choice. The same goes for Ira. She is no more than a device to make Doona jealous.

Despite its flaws, Doona succeeds in something that most shows cannot. Deceptively simple, its story engages you without ever throwing its quirks and messages in your face. Often in Dramas a character’s true feelings and thoughts are spelled out to the audience, but in Doona, when Wonjun looks behind Doona’s eyes and can’t figure out what really lies behind them, the audience find themselves doing the same. Even when he asks her to tell him she’s sorry, we are just as surprised as Wonjun when she tells him she loves him instead. These twists aren’t shocking, but they aren’t predictable either, which demonstrates perfectly the complexity and depth of the two lead characters, even if those same dimensions are lacking elsewhere in the show.

In the end, you can’t help but root for Doona and Wonjun. The same goes for the show. It’s perhaps one of the only shows I genuinely think has benefit in a second watch. Knowing from the beginning what we know from the end, it must be an entirely different experience, and an experience well worth it.

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Hermoso y realista.

Excelente reparto.

Excelente interpretación de Suzy, realmente ves que su personaje se siente sola y vacía.

Sinceramente no me gustó esas partes donde se decian: dime si te gusto, dime si me amas, pideme perdon, creo que el mensaje principal del drama es el amor propio y al decir estas cosas se siente lo contrario, hacen ver que son dependientes de lo que la otra persona diga y sienta!

Buenos personajes secundarios, me gusta que no pongan a una tercer persona como la siempre odiosa que hace hasta lo impensable para separar y hacer la vida imposible a los personajes principales. Eso se agradece!

Buena trama, original. No es el típico drama romcom, te hace ver situaciones difíciles del dia a dia que sufren los idols, y las personas "comunes".

Me gustó el final, quedan bien pero no juntos, lo que lo hace muy realista, no todo se puede tener, así mismo lo dice Doona en una parte del drama.

Y los últimos 3 episodios se sienten muy apresurados, el drama es corto y hacen eso al final, queda raro y a la carrera!

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What is behind K-pop

Such a great game with the audience. Doona's memory scraps heighten the viewer's curiosity to know more. It differs from classic k-dramas as we know them in terms of plot, visualization, and script. Suzy Bae was a surprise to me that she embarked on something more serious, more psychologically demanding. Yang Se-Jong was perfect. The last time I saw him was in 30 but 17, where he was fine, but here he exceeded my expectations. He can be funny, but also incredibly sensitive in serious scenes. That relationship / friendship and funny scenes are pleasantly entertaining, but it is Suzy Bae's character that hides secrets and a story. And it is here that you have to pay attention and watch why she lives the way she does and thus look into her past as a member of a K-pop group. And here we get to secret places that the common human cannot see. Anyone who knows a little about how K-pop groups are formed and trained is not surprised. And the fact that because of her small "misstep," she was actually put to the house where she was hidden and lonely, where no one knew about her, is also not new in the K-pop world. If you don't know anything about K-pop, I recommend that you find something out first so that you know that their life is no joke. And music industry agencies have everything in their hands. Most episodes in the series went slowly but smoothly. Only the last two had a rapid turn, so the viewer has to focus more on the plot because each shot can mean a jump in time. In the finale, we see a pair of ordinary people who have formed a normal couple and live together vs. the central couple, which ended indeterminately... the end is basically up to the viewer... what makes me anxious with such endings... so if there was at least some shot that after x years when her contract ends, what would it be... The series has an atypical 9 episodes. The creators didn't unnecessarily drag out the story, even though I wouldn't be against it. Finally, the best soundtrack songs for me are Daylight from BIG Naughty and Ordinary Day from Suzy. I wish I could see her singing this song live.

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I was disappointed at the ending but..wait that’s not it!

After finished episode 9, I was disappointed at the ending. Then I realized something more into it and that make this series is even cooler. The beginning of every episodes, I saw everyone went out at the beach and they look happy. Doona met Wong jun at the pink field. He was smiling and he wore the same outfit in the ending when they walked opposite way. So I assume that they are in some kind of relationship. It is a happy ending. I would not believe it if he keeps waiting without hearing anything from her nor they come back to be together and she announce their relationship. This is a realistic ending.

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Beautifully bittersweet "Summer Love" with stunning visuals

"Summer Love" that's what came to my mind while watching the relationship between Doo-na and Won Joon. They were from different worlds with different destinations who crossed each other's path momentarily by coincidence and created a lifetime of memories.
The drama's ending is sad by itself. But there's a real ending hidden in plain sight for the viewers to find. That's what made me give this drama a 10/10.

*Spoiler ahead*
It's mostly me nerding out about the ending ahead, so tread carefully if you still haven't watched the drama.
In the end we see Won Joon and Doo-na seemingly reconciling with each other but right after we see that they are going their separate ways, each to their own goals. From this it seems like that the final hug was a closure. But there are small clips at the beginning of each episode, right after the opening song where we can find the actual ending of the drama. The most important ones are in episode 1, 2, 6,7,8 and 9. It's a scene of both of them standing across each other at a rail crossing in japan (which can be confirmed by the Japanese letters in the signboards). In the clip of episode 9 the two of them can be seen standing in field of flowers with the mount Fuji behind them and they are slightly smiling at each other. In episode 2, 6 and 7 Won Joon is wearing the same outfit. In the clip in episode 8 and 9 he is wearing the same outfit he was wearing at the end of the drama. From this we can see that their meeting in Japan wasn't actually once but at least twice. But the final clue is actually in the video of the opening song where we can see Doo-na walking on a beach with Won Joon, wearing the same outfit she was wearing while standing in the rail crossing. And at the end of the video we can see them standing on the beach looking at the sunset wearing, you guessed it, the same outfit. From all this it leads us to a conclusion. They are still dating secretly. The drama ending makes us believe that they broke up. This represents them deceiving the people around them including us into believing that was the end. But the hidden clues all across the drama shows us their real situation. Because they can't openly date in Korea because of Doo-na's fame they continued their romance in japan, far from the prying eyes. Also the last big piece of clue is actually also in the opening music video. The whole friend group along with Won Joon's brother Kook Su jin playing around in the same beach. Which makes it clear that they are finally hanging out together again and Doo-na got the friends she always desired and she's not lonely anymore.

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Mixed feelings

Like many others, I wish there was a "happy" ending but then realistically, how many relationships nowadays we would consider a "happy" ending relationship?

This drama went to the realistic direction, which is... there's no fairytale in our distracted, high-tech, arrogant , spoiled-young adults WORLD...

How can we really picture a famous rising singer would settle with someone like him? I did enjoy the ending where the ML understood that there was no way he could be in "her" world no matter how much "she" said that "it's doable." It would be TOO exhausting for this couple to believe that they "can" make effort and FIT into each other worlds. Eventually, one of them would find ways to disrespect the other person using ANY kinds of excuses to be bitter toward the other person. The ML wanted to save the BEST memories he had with her and let go while things are not bitter and exhausting yet.

This short drama will show you how easy it is to start a relatioship even though the FL is a superstar. But, to really keep a serious long-term relationship will be a torture when either one of them is going off-path/too fast in their careers. The ML lead needs the space to grow personally and professionally away from her because her world is too unrealistic for him.

While I LOVE the story and truly have enjoyed watching it from beginning to end, the acting and the shooting did not make me tear up. I guess it's not deep enough for me to feel the pain they are going through? When the ML cried, I felt something but then the camera was shooting from behind and not showing his crying scene. If you want to know what really got me crying like a baby, you should try watching "The Beauty Inside." Every single time I picture the ML (Lee Min Ki) crying scene gives me goosebumps and my heart gets this weak, cold feeling. Now, that would be a 10/10 rating.

Therefore, it's an 8/10. Definitely, the story is good for young adults. My favorite type of romance usually the leads are older (like early to mid 30s). Enjoy the show. It sweet and easy-going!!

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ABOUT IT

First, if you're not into slice of life genre, you won't love this drama. I love slice of life genres so I enjoyed it. The cast was beautiful and Bae Suzy gave it her best AGAIN. She acted so well. The ending made me sad tho. but oh well, it's life. Plus, this reminded me so much of ANNA (K-drama), I loved the romance, friendships, sadness, happiness and everything about this drama. I highly recommend They said my review must be 500 character but I don't know what else to talk about so I'll talk about the OST. It was nice and I sang along too but not too nice if you get what I mean. The reason why my re-watch value is rated 5.0 is because I find it hard to re-watch dramas sometimes so, don't get me wrong. It's a good drama to watch.

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A stunningly mature and realistic drama

Doona! grabbed my attention from the first episode, the gorgeous visuals, beautiful characters and setting made me immediately intrigued. This is not your typical K-Drama, for me it felt more similar to western shows which I personally really liked. They especially gave us an deep insight into these characters making them more three-dimensional than most K-Dramas I have seen. Which also made their flourishing relationship so realistic and interesting to me. There was no cringy over-acting or big romantic gestures, it was just real and I could feel their love and yearning for each other through the screen.

I read that the director used the series "Normal People" as a reference and I totally got that vibe, especially in that (very hot) scene in ep 6. It was shot and performed in a way that should be the new standard for Korean make-out scenes because it was so intimate and passionate. And it's really because of Suzy and Sejong, their chemistry and acting should not be overlooked here. Every scene between them just takes you into their world, they deserve all the awards!

Overall I am truly in love with this drama, I love seeing people making up theories about the ending (especially the one about the intros). I liked that it was open but not sad, there are so many possibilities, just like in real life. If you're still in doubt just watch it and you will surely get swept away.

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