Tag: Acting

Series review: Doona!

Posted on by Han_A

One of my most recent K drama watches is the Netflix show, Doona!

Shows that have actors you know and like in them are usually the easiest to sell. In your mind you know the greatness they’re capable of so you consume their new content ready to (hopefully) be blown away again.

This drama has two Korean leads  – one I’m familiar with, Bae Suzy (a great actress who I last watched in the fab K-dramas, Whilst You Were Sleeping and StartUps) and Yang Se-jong.

What is it about?

Main couple: Doo-na and Won-jun

Doona! If I was forced to categorise it falls more into the romance space. I wouldn’t call it a romcom per se, since the main characters are quite broody and intense. However, there is some comedic relief in the form of Won-Jun’s childhood nemesis, Choi I-ra, and his university flatmates.

The series is nine episodes long, which is an appealing number to me, I can’t complain too much about that. I think, if written well, a lot can be covered in that space of time given.

The main characters are Won-jun – a hardworking university student and Doo-na, a young former idol (girl band member) who left that world for mysterious reasons explored as the drama develops. Both of these characters fall in love despite coming from different backgrounds and contrasting quite heavily personality-wise. I’m not sure but I think there’s also a slight age gap between these two characters, with the Doo-na being older.

My thoughts

This is one of those shows that started off quite slow and slow burner content, whether it be books, shows, etc., always leaves me in a bit of a dilemma – do I persevere or give up? Sometimes sticking with it can pay off, but other times you may just be left feeling cheated of your time. Luckily for this show, I did eventually get quite invested in the characters and found it rewarding to witness some slight character development in the main and supporting cast.

With my TV show hat on, Doo-na as a character seemed like she would become what is fondly known as a ‘Manic Pixie fairy’ – a woman that comes into a male protagonist’s life with no story of their own but with the sole purpose of helping the male lead ‘discover themselves’. However, (and luckily) she was written more layered than that, so I was grateful. I won’t lie though and say she was quite annoying and clearly very bored in the first few episodes.

Interestingly, though, she is actually part of a new host of cliché defying characters, in the sense that she starts pursuing Won-jun first. Although it’s not initially reciprocated interest and we’re not entirely sure if she’s just teasing him/leading him on.

My main frustrations:

  • Why Doo-na left the girl group she was a part of felt very unclear. We’re forced as viewers to piece together mysterious flashbacks and vague comments she makes about her past to get an answer. And to me, that wasn’t enough so I got a bit annoyed. She repeatedly kept saying she suddenly ‘couldn’t sing’ anymore, which didn’t make much sense. Was this due to a physical condition? A mental block or lack of will? Who knows. I personally think that there was potential and a missed opportunity to delve deeper here.
  • In a similar vein, it didn’t feel entirely clear to me what the nature of the relationship was between Doo-na and her manager. It’s implied that it was possibly more than professional but it could have rather been unrequited feelings from Doo-na’s end (which is hinted at some point.)
  • Apart from Won-Jun working hard (he takes on 101 jobs whilst studying for his degree, bless him), I don’t think his character was strongly written. I think when he was asked by his love interest, Doo-na what his ambitions are he reply was something along the lines of, he longs to live normally. We do get mention of his family, and see maybe two scenes where he’s caring for his sick sister but no dialogue is featured, which is a shame since this could have been a defining character development moment.

Although I’m tempted to add the ending to that list of frustrations I won’t. I think it can be commendable when writers steer away from simply giving fans what they want and instead stay true to the storyline. The ending was indeed bittersweet but the most realistic ending for those characters and their love story.

Overall, I would give this drama a solid 7.5/10. It’s shot beautifully and every character has a degree of likability which is what, like me, will likely fuel your investment in the drama too, if you decide to watch it.

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In the mood for some other K drama reviews? Check out some of my past ones here and here.

Image source: https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/the-cast-of-doona-your-guide/

These are my obsessions: K-dramas

Posted on by Han_A

 

Interesting-Facts-About-South-Korea-Flag-republic-of-korea

My addiction/ love of K-dramas came after watching my first good one. I say this because the first actual one I watched (Jealousy Incarnate) didn’t really grab my interest so I thought nothing much of it. With each episode in that series being over an hour long and barely keeping up with the subtitle pace, it definitely wasn’t love at first sight. That changed when I sat down with my uni housemates one night to watch the drama ‘Cheese in The Trap’. Thinking back to then, it wasn’t the greatest drama I’ve watched but I was firstly, amused by the name and secondly, as I continued to watch the drama in love with the protagonist’s relatable awkwardness.

It escalated pretty fast after that. I mainly watch crime and romance shows and although I feel South Korea does them best I have watched a few from China and Taiwan. For me one thing I do love about K-drama’s is they are free from most of the Western clichés you see (particularly in American dramas). However, they still have clichés of their own. Basic things I have observed:

  • Fate, loyalty and friendship are big themes you will find in some shape or form in each drama. For instance, in a few romance dramas the main characters have unknowingly met in their past as if to imply they were destined to be together. Exhibit A: the show Cinderella and Four Knights.
  • K-dramas can be a bit more conservative when it comes to romance; this probably partly because TV is more closely censored than film (which is another ball game- you only need to watch one to realise.)
  • Female characters can be marmite. My likability for show does strongly depend on the depictions of females within it. Females that are always damsels in distress or highly emotional slowly annoy you; although I’ll make an exception for The K2.
  • No-one is ever as they seem in a good K-drama. Even the ones you come to hate/love have a backstory or change sides due to events within the drama. This adds a layer of realism to the dramas as they seek to portray the complexity of individuals; humans are complicated things after all.

 

A lot of K-pop singers dabble in acting also but this is something you’re unlikely to realise unless you research the dramas and actors like me. (I’m weird like that.) I also like watching behind the scenes footage and cast interviews since they can be pretty funny. For those that want to test run a series; I will be posting some of my recommendations up soon 😉 I also have another obsession I will be revealing in a part (2).

Have a good weekend.

La La Land-an honest review

Posted on by Han_A

la-la-land

This film swept the floor at the Critic’s Choice Movie Awards, Golden Globes AND the Academy Awards (Oscars). Naturally, I therefore had high expectations. For those yet to see it, I’ve decided to do an honest breakdown of what I thought.

La La Land stars Ryan Gosling (Sebastian) and Emma Stone (Mia), who have in the past starred together in the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid Love. The banter between these two characters made me smile throughout. Although, I’ve only really seen Gosling play reserved characters, Stone seemed in her zone with her character Mia who is goofy, passionate and dreamy. The scene where she is dancing to the music Gosling’s jazz ensemble is playing, was a great highlight.

Of course, this is a musical so it wouldn’t make sense for me to review it w/o mentioning how I felt about the vocals and soundtrack. Emma and Ryan don’t have the most exceptional voices in the world but I felt this made it sincere and translated the emotion much better. For soundtracks buffs I would recommend ‘City of Stars’ by Gosling and Stone and ‘The Fools who dream’ by Stone.

Throughout the film bright vivid colours flood the senses, mixed with nice American scenery. This gives a fantasy element to it all- a feeling sealed by the repeated scene of the two main characters dancing along a star studded background. This is certainly a film built for aesthetics and that ‘feel good’ factor- there (to me) isn’t any hidden or embedded meaning we should be looking for. I state this specifically because before watching the film I did read a review talking about the White erasure of Jazz’s black history. Watching it now, I disagree simply because I take La La Land to be a surface level film. It wasn’t trying to enact history and therefore does not need to carry the burden of historical accuracy.

Personally, I saw the film as a fight between reality and dreams, with Mia and Sebastian’s relationship on the border of the two. Mia tries throughout the film to reconcile her dreams with reality in terms of her relationship with Sebastian and her theatrical dreams. In contrast, Sebastian puts his dreams on hold when reality calls.

Overall, this film certainly makes an enjoyable watch; I would say 4.8/5. My only criticism would be that there could have been a clearer direction for the film in terms of plot. I can’t even say the plot’s quality is sacrificed for character development because I didn’t see huge character transformation (of even Mia or Seb) within the film. I mean, yes, their circumstances definitely do change by the end but whether they themselves do is not really known. Nevertheless, despite the deliberate uncertainty at the end you can leave the cinema feeling satisfied; which is all that matters in the end, right?

*Picture from: http://www.empirecinemas.co.uk/synopsis/la_la_land/f5293 *