agmtw logo
search
Doona!

Doona!

TV-MA

netflix

Bae Suzy returns to her idol roots through this coming-of-age romance Netflix K-drama

7.2

TV Show

South Korea
Korean
Comedy, Drama
2023
Bae Suzy, Ha Young, Kim Do-wan

TLDR

I’m honestly more into its coming-of-age aspects, more than the idol drama, but solid characterization and the excellent Bae Suzy makes the show still quite watchable.

What it's about

Moving to Seoul for university, college student Lee Won-jun bumps into a beautiful but distant girl outside his dorm. It turns out that his neighbor happens to be former idol Lee Doo-na, who recently announced her retirement from the girl group Dream Sweet.

The take

With a former girl group idol and ordinary college student as the main couple, Doona! naturally plays into the fantasy of becoming close with a K-pop star. Based on a South Korean webcomic, and the related Chinese animated series, the show has the highs and lows of other romance dramas, but it also has the coming-of-age anxieties everyone has in pursuing their dreams, and a grounded perspective on the K-pop idol machinery. With care crafted in its characters, and a perfectly matched female lead in former girl group idol Bae Suzy, Doona! presents a compelling story all about dreams and aspirations.

What stands out

Doona has an inherently interesting premise, as the show naturally plays into the fantasy of becoming close with a K-pop star, or even just someone famous. But the series takes a more personal approach, as the show takes its time to flesh out backstories for the two lovers, starting out with a friendly dynamic, albeit one where Doona actively pushes Won-jun’s buttons to pursue his high school crush. The backstory of Doona in particular feels really grounded in reality. Unlike Notting Hill’s Anna Scott, Doona’s fame isn’t just a quirk to overcome, but it’s debilitating. It causes intense, but understandable, anxiety over being photographed without consent, of being trapped, and of meeting strangers, and it isolates her. Crafting this characterization helps make Won-jun’s ordinary freely given kindness shine. And, with Bae Suzy having gone through the idol machine, this characterization adds a meta dimension to the interesting premise.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Ethos

A level of attention to aesthetics usually reserved for the most elaborate films, mixed with a complex and relevant story, make this series from Turkey unmatched in its quality

9.9

Caliphate

A psychological thriller that provides insight on what drove so many young people to ISIS.

8.9

Pretend it’s a City

A wildly entertaining series of interviews with a New York legend

9.2

Occupied

Norway's most expensive show ever is a timely thrill ride with a grim geopolitical premise.

8.7

Escape at Dannemora

Based on a true prison escape story, this slow-burn suspense thriller features once-in-a-lifetime performances by a star-studded cast

9.3

Unorthodox

A well-acted fact-based thriller about untangling the grip of a close-knit community

8.5

Wild Wild Country

Almost too outrageous to be true – this captivating true crime docuseries tells the unlikely story of an Indian cult in America

9.8

The Looming Tower

A well-written thriller miniseries about the rivalry between the CIA and the FBI and how they failed to prevent 9/11.

8.1

The Good Fight

Like Suits or The Good Wife, but sharper

9.1

Unbelievable

Critics lauded the angle and feminist edge of this grim true crime miniseries.

8.8

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.