Doona!

This is an artistic series, not a crowd pleaser. The characters are very well defined, however, the most impressive part is the psychology of the K-pop idol. The series tries to make everyone understand what the difficulties of being a k-pop (or k-drama actor/actress, whatsoever) star in plenty of cases really are. I loved the miniseries to bits. It fits perfectly to my idea of romanticism as well as the idea of realism. To be a star, in all languages and on all meridians doesn't mean necessarily happiness. It may; but it may not. I am from Canada, but I really appreciate k-dramas. However, watching the weddings of some k-stars (Jang Na-Ra, Kang So-Ra, for example) and the fact that the non-celebrity spouse's face is hidden, most of them cannot really have girlfriends/boyfriends while young and working in this business, made me think a lot about the traumatizing life of idols. The movie is nice, but also realistic, doesn't matter what the others say. Plenty of people will complain about the ending :)) There is no other real possible ending! I strongly recommend it! It's beautiful, romantic and realistic.

"Be careful when you're alone in a crowd. It's obvious."

"What do you mean? What's obvious?"

"Your loneliness."

Doona! Wasn't what I expected it to be, instead, it was much better. It was somber, mature, and it featured realistic dialogues.

"Your desperation to be loved, to try to compensate for never having it. You're afraid of losing people's interest."

I think Suzy did a good job portraying a female character as complex as Doona; a compulsive, miserable, and highly irresistible washed-up popstar desperate for love and attention driven by her abandonment issues.

"I wanna know what goes on in that mind of yours."

If you're looking for the usual fluffy Korean drama with feel good romance, skip this one. But if you want a more subtle and slow burn story with heartfelt confrontation scenes, go watch Doona.

Doona (Bae Suzy) is the front icon of an idol group, when she has a breakdown and drops out. She moves into a small rental complex where the other tenants are college students. Lee Won-joon (Yang Se-jong) also moves into the house.

Doona is a seeker, an insecure soul, self-destructive, unreliable and driven by impulse. Won-joon is cautious, controlled, and tied down. They are each other's opposites, but coincidences cause them to develop a fragile friendship and a mutual dependence on each other.

The plot is subordinate in this fine-tuned little gem where the actors get to excel in low-key portraits of two people who meet and become each other's lifeblood but also their greatest weakness, who challenge the other's self-image and shake up what they thought they knew about themselves, their life choices and their dreams.

Anyone looking for an easy-to-digest k-drama will be disappointed. It's low key, serious, slow and wistful. It is real and painful. The photography is fantastic, the soundtrack well chosen. The interaction is exquisite between Bae Suzy, who gives her (in my opinion) best performance, and the absolutely magnificent Yang Se-jong, who's performance goes straight to the heart.

This is the best I've seen this year. Possibly it could have benefited from a few more episodes, to deepen the characters' backstories somewhat, but that's just a small note in the margin. The ending is unexpected and can be interpreted in several ways, which is quite unusual in Korean series I've seen.

If you enjoyed My Liberation Notes, Our Blues and Nevertheless, this series is for you. I give it 9.5 out of 10 wistful hearts.

Jung Hyo Lee's previous series, "Crash landing on You" is the best series I've ever seen.

Sorry. Make that, "Was the best series I've ever seen". Simply put, Doona! Is a masterpiece.

Mr Jung's work on Crash Landing on You was pitch perfect but here he spreads his creative wings and the result is both breathtaking and heart breaking, whilst still exhibiting his ability to engage you so wholly with the characters that you feel every bump along their various roads. And, trust me, Doona! Is a bumpy ride like a rollercoaster on a gravel road. Steel yourself...

The cinematography is courageous and beautiful. The editing is superb. Sorry to (and for) those who like things to rocket along at video game speed but the pacing here is slow and with a purpose, gradually gripping your heart with each passing minute until you struggle for breath. For instance, the scenes when Won Joon visits his family are almost silent and seemingly without drama of any kind yet make you feel like a weight is being slowly lowered onto your chest.

Bae Suzy turns in a performance for the ages as the dehumanised ex-pop idol, Lee Doona. Repeatedly used and discarded by those for whom she is but chattel, Doona has been driven to the depths of humanity, showing signs of bipolar disorder and brought back from the brink by an unlikely relationship with Lee Won Joon, her opposite in almost every way and played with studious seriousness by Yang Se-Jong.

Ms Bae's ability to walk the line between joy and depression, hope and desperation, selfless love and narcissism is almost unfathomable and perhaps the reason so many reviewers have given up the series within an episode or two, pointing the finger squarely at a main character they feel is one dimensional. Nothing could be further from the truth. Some people lack the patience or emotional maturity to stay the course as the character is revealed, layer upon layer.

No spoilers here; Doona's story is tragic, regardless of how the ending plays out. A week on and I'm still woken by flashbacks, whether it be mid-series moments or the final frame. Part of me wants to watch this over and over again, while part of me lies balled up and rocking but, despite the gut-wrenching heartache I feel now, I want to go again.

The series itself is good, with interesting characters and a great story line...but the male protagonist's decision making in the last episode killed me. I can't recommend this unless you like unfulfilled hopes and expectations.

I am seriously confused and disheartened by the ending and the male protagonist's choice to become a worker drone. I am giving it a 5/10 because it is interesting and well done, and the female leads (all three of them) do an amazing job.

Another reviewer remarked that the director and writers apparently wrote this for the elites, and not normal folks looking for an escape. I couldn't agree more.

Also, I just couldn't understand all the smoking, what was that all about? It was really overdone and really detracted from some of the scene enjoyment at times. It also seemed kind of pointless and really didn't advance the story.

Give this a shot if you like, but you WILL be left with the could've been, should've beens with this series.