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.

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.