Romantic Comedy Kdrama Review: Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020)

This one just came out on Netflix, peeps. I was watching for the release and jumped on it as soon as it became available.

Synopsis

Goo Ra Ra is a naive rich girl, who dreams of being a great pianist with her father's love guiding her. But her path becomes rocky when her father passes away, and she finds herself going bankrupt. Being scammed of a home and needing an escape, she goes on a ride where she encounters an accident trying to avoid Sun Woo Joon, a diligent worker trying to meet ends. Being hospitalized with a broken arm and no place to go, guilty Sun Woo Joon decides to take responsibility and take care of her. With Go Ra Ra’s naive personality, she slowly begins creeping into Sun Woo Joon's heart, while trying to deal with the challenges of living an adult life.

Review

I fully admit that I was watching this rom com purely for the warm fuzzies and because I've been shipping Lee Jae Wook, who is a relatively new actor, since his role in Extraordinary You in 2019.

This is a really pretty visually, light hearted series following a classic trope of former rich girl with zero life skills landing in a very small town and trying to survive, while a mass of people around her help her solely because she is cute and kind and can play piano really well. *snorts*

Joon steals the limelight here with his judge-me-by-my-actions-not-my-words routine. I was also delighted that he played a younger character than the heroine, which I don't see often in romantic dramas. So many cute moments, peeps. Supporting cast was damn good too, fully fleshed out and sweet. How the music connected everyone and made some of them rediscover joy in life was very touching too. It certainly made me nostalgic for playing the piano, which I haven't touched since I was 17.

It's a feel good drama through and through to the first 12 episodes, folks. I would definitely give it 8/10 until then. Last 4 episodes was a disappointment, especially the second half of episode 16. You've been warned, and reading anything after would be a spoiler.

Now, let me rant a little bit. So, the screenwriter must have felt the age conflict was not good enough for this drama, so they introduced a freaking leukemia for poor Joon and forced him to keep it secret from his love interest, try to break up with her and pretend to go abroad while he was getting treatment.

Pretty shitty, right? 

It gets worse. After a heartwarming Christmas concert in Ra Ra piano's academy, which Joon can't attend, his mom comes to see Ra Ra and tells her about his illness and makes us all believe that he died. Okay, this threw me and made me gulp tears. Wow, the screenwriter has the gall to kill the main character of a rom com! Very brave, but also understandable, because cancer.

Fast forward 5 years, and we see everyone getting over their grief and being positive and moving on with their lives. Until in the last 10 mins Joon walks into Ra Ra's doors like nothing happened.

Guess what? He had to wait 5 freaking years to make sure he is completely healed before coming back to life! What kind of stupid comeback is this?!! For all he knows, she could have married and had kids in that time. Expecting a woman who grieved for you and overcame that grief to stay loyal to her love for you is very cruel and sends a bad message. And what's worse, she accept it with no fuss at all. So, if you are okay with this cluster f*ck of the last episode, you are a better person than me. I was fuming!

Overall rating is 6.5/10. Great first 12 episodes with a letdown of last four. Proceed with caution.