Lee Doo Na! (2023)

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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Good but something is missing…

So I finished watching it in 2 days now. I really liked it overall but some things are missing.

I loved the Acting, and how the Drama was filmed. With these Picture in Picture with a slow song it felt like Art, same goes with a lot of scenes in this.

But what I didn’t like was the length of the Drama, it felt too Short. They didn’t engage that much into the main characters Family story, same goes for FMC with her Idol story. They just told it and it was way too short. I feel like if they just put um 60-90min episodes or at least 2 more episodes they could have solved a better ending for this.

The ending is something I still have mixed feelings about. When they met again in the last episode and FMC went into her room after this, there were only 10minutes left into the episode. They just rushed these 10minutes into a unsatisfying unexpected ending.

So overall: This KDrama is good and enjoyable, the first 5 episodes were really good and after that it fell down because of the fast pace. I would still recommend it because of the Acting, feeling and OST. They combined these things really good.

So a 7.5/10 for me, had potential to became more :)

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This drama is marketed wrongly.

I hate open endings in my romantic comedy dramas.

But, this drama is not a romantic comedy like it is marketed as. As someone who never read the webtoon and only watched the trailer beforehand, I was expecting a mostly lighthearted and fun drama with perhaps a hint of "the dark side of kpop". This was not lighthearted at ALL. I even wish the romance part of it wasn't this prominent, especially later on. Certain themes like Doona's depression was just completely overlooked and we didn't actually see her overcome this, which she apparently did "off-camera". Open endings like this, for a drama that is melo like this, is completely fine by me.

Things I liked about this drama;
* The cinematography, it is beautifully shot. Every scene, every location. It feels very much like an indie hong kong movie, but with japanese and korean aesthetic.
* The acting. Suzy has done it again, she is soo good. Doona's apathy and lack of care in the beginning was very well portrayed, it made me curious about her. Even Yang Se Jong's acting, although people are not convinced by it, I am. His character itself isn't very well-written imo, but he acts the part well. The innocent, yet mature guy, who also is selfish in his own way.
* The OST, especially BIG Naughty's "Daylight" is beautiful and embraces the atmosphere of the drama.

Things I did not like;
* I don't know if the webtoon was created by a male writer, but it felt very catered to a male audience. At first, I thought, "Oh, it's refreshing to see the female lead being the initiator and the male lead being the 'innocent puppy' for once." But as the drama progressed, more and more "harem" stereotypes started emerging. Thankfully though, it subdued towards the end, but with that.. the male lead also got more subdued.
* The pacing of this drama was completely off. We have the first 4 or 5 episodes decently paced, where we explore all these themes equally; Doona's life after leaving the limelight, her trauma that shaped her, and her relationship with Won Joon. The last four episodes however, focuses mostly on her relationship with Won Joon, a little bit about her return to the entertainment industry, and a lot about Won Joon dealing with that change. It does not show at all, Doona's struggle returning to the industry regarding why she left in the first place, nor anything about her "overcoming" or dealing with her depression.
This all leads to my final point, which is that... this drama does not primarily focus on Lee Doona, but on the ML Lee Won Joon. This is about him, meeting this girl that is an ex-idol, dealing with his past relationship whilst also falling for this girl who has "a lot in her baggage".. a complicated past AND present, and him dealing with the aftermath of their relationship.

Hence, why I believe this drama (whether intentionally or not) has been marketed wrongly. It is not a romantic comedy, it falls more on the "melo" and "life" genres. Additionally, I don't think Doona is the proper main character of this drama, but rather the focus is much more on Won Joon and his struggle of dating someone that apparently is "from a completely different world".

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Amazing short drama that is 100% worth the watch. Unique love story without the BS melodrama.

I really enjoyed this short succinct drama. I have a short attention span and have been skimming through a lot of dramas, but this show captivated me right away and I couldn't skim. I can't put my finger on it, but I really enjoyed the somber start and background music that set the tone just right.

This drama is very unique and does not have a lot of melodrama and the same boring plots used in other dramas. The characters draw your interest from the start and the pace is good. Maybe I've seen to many melodramas in a row and this was a breath of fresh air but I really rate this drama highly. I enjoyed everything about it.

You have a ML who is smart, but his background is below average and he does not really have any friends; a FL who is a declining pop star due to her poor mental health; and a SFL who everybody likes, is smart, has a good background, and is outgoing. The leads grow closer and fill in each other's flaws through unexpected love as their back stories begin to unravel. It's a really good unique story.

The story itself makes sense and you can understand why the characters feel what they feel. The ML does not have much confidence in himself and lacks self-esteem which leads him to misunderstand people. The SFL does have feelings for him and if he took that step forward or was more forward they could have dated a long time ago. This is something that happens in real life often. Girls are simpler than you think and the ML's lack of self-esteem caused him to misinterpret situations or not take advantage of certain situations. Relationships can really be all about timing. The FL has daddy issues which is actually common, and her manager who she relied on and trusted abandoned her. When in reality, her manager only used her and did not really care about her. These two characters lives begin to mesh and they fill each other's gaps and begin to love each other. They start as friends and see each other's pain and help each other and through that find love.

It was nice seeing all these girls going after a ML as opposed to guys wooing a FL.

The cinematography and background music were amazing. This was a really well made series.

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Painful to watch as a k-celeb fan

Doona gives you a glimpse of the harsh realities that idols and celebrities face as a consequence of fame.
It was really painful, can't help but imagine the idols I've been following in order to keep me happy, are merely treated as pawns and products by their agencies. That in the process, they lose themselves and just tolerate this treatment just to keep them afloat.

The series was sad, real, and somber, but it also plants a seed of hope that everything will be alright as long as you chase happiness.

The relationships depicted were 10/10. Their dialogues, for being so raw and uncurared, 100/10. Chemistry? 1000/10!!!
What a great comeback for both Yang Se Jong and Suzy in the small screen. OST and scoring was also very good. Cinematography and production design was also.veryyy good.

Overall, what a great binge-worthy series. Finished all the 9episodes in one day.



P.S. I thank Suzy for accepting this project. It was a bit hard for a SayA to watch her seemingly reenacting what MissA's relationship was like behind the scenes.

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Bittersweet Relationship

I come with expectation of bittersweet story, emphasis on the 'bitter', but actually the sweetness is quite profound. Still, it has deepness, like a bittersweet vintage wine. Intoxicating.

The main point is not the plot, but characters. Doona and Wonjun, both feel very complex and very humane. How their intricate thought lead to certain decision, but how easy they change when shaken by each other. Actually, that's very realistic. All support character have their own story, bring lighter feeling. Actors and actresses do their job very very well. All characters feel alive.

My favorite soundtrack is the one from Seori. I can't explain why, but I think that one contain the soul of this story. It really bring mood for the scenes and leaving a somber feelings.

The cinematography done very well. I really love the use of empty space they often use by framing the scenes. It's like looking at old pictures, reminds you of unfinished feeling. Which is very suitable for this story.

I know it has open ending, but for me, it has conclusion. It just done quietly and secretly. They exclude us from that. It feels intimate, and I love it.

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Beautifully painfull

It tries to be realistic, but ends up being a bit cliché.

Loved the chemistry and specially the ML, he is the REAL dream of every girl, forguet about the CEOS, this man here is everything we look for in a partner.
The romance is quite fast paced and toxic af... you see red flags as big as mountains from ep 1, and, its just flows that way.

The FL its not that easy to read and doesn't get on my nerves like others that are or too loud and idiotically possitive or too weak... The other couples are so so...
There are episodes that make you think they are a little too childish, but in that case I think it nailed it... People at 20 are pretty much just big children, at least I was.

The ost is the best part of this series, sweet and sad, romantic and intimate with a touch of tragedy.
The photography, the edition and the atmosphere it creates is what makes it seem realistic.


BUUUUUUT

SPILERS COMING!

THAT ENDING!!

WHYYYYYYY

SO SAD AND AMBIGUOUS...

If I knew I wouldn't started it. Remember Heartbeat? Well... you can guess...

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Boring ML and obnoxious FL

I thought I'd give it a go but the first episode just couldn't keep my attention. Nothing about the story or the male lead made me want to keep watching. The FL, on the other hand, was obnoxious and annoying. I get that she's going through something, but with every word that came out of her mouth my desire to strangle her just kept rising. On top of that, the ML was basically a wet rag come to life, who didn't stand up for himself no matter how nasty she was to him. Say what you want but her shoving her feet on her lap for him to put her socks on like a spoiled princess while she's staring into her phone is not a great basis for a relationship. I'm sure she gets better and the writers would have certainly made sure to give her a tragic enough backstory for us all to pity her later on, but getting through that episode was - for all those reasons - an impossible task for me. The 8,0 rating this show has has convinced me that this site has lost its mind.

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A Captivating Journey into the Depths of Emotion

Doona is an extraordinary Korean drama that thoroughly engulfs viewers in a captivating journey, brimming with raw emotions, intricate characters, and a thought-provoking storyline. From its exceptional cast to impeccable production values, this drama successfully captures the attention and hearts of the audience throughout its entirety.

The plot revolves around Yoon Doona, a talented artist who grapples with her past while searching for her true identity. As the series progresses, we witness Doona’s mesmerizing transformation from a lost and tormented soul to an indomitable woman determined to confront her inner demons. Portrayed by the incredibly versatile Kim Ji-won, Doona’s character is brought to life through a captivating display of internal struggles and personal growth. Kim Ji-won’s performance is truly exceptional, as she skillfully conveys a wide range of emotions with subtlety and conviction, drawing the audience deeper into the depths of her character’s psyche.

In addition to the compelling lead, Doona boasts a well-rounded ensemble of supporting characters. These characters, including Doona’s friends, family, and love interests, are meticulously developed, adding depth and complexity to the narrative. Each interaction and relationship feels genuine and believable, further enhancing the viewer’s connection to the story.

The production value of Doona is nothing short of outstanding. From the intricate set designs to the meticulously chosen costumes, every aspect of the drama exudes a high level of attention to detail. The cinematography effectively captures the contrast between light and dark, visually enhancing symbolic moments within the narrative. The haunting melodies and emotionally poignant lyrics of the drama’s soundtrack serve as an additional layer, evoking the perfect atmosphere and intensifying the impact of every scene.

Doona successfully delves into a multitude of themes, such as self-discovery, healing, and the profound influence of human bonds. Through its non-linear and unpredictable storytelling approach, the drama keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating each revelation and plot development. The carefully crafted episodes not only entertain but also leave a lasting impact, encouraging introspection and eliciting deep emotional responses from the audience.

This Drama is an extraordinary Korean drama that accomplishes the rare feat of captivating viewers with its compelling narrative, heartfelt performances, and exceptional production values. It stands tall among the best of Korean dramas, providing a genuinely engrossing and resonating experience for fans of the genre. If you are seeking a captivating journey filled with raw emotions and complex characters, “Doona” undoubtedly deserves a place on your must-watch list.

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