What I see in this drama is Responsibility, Hope, True Love, Greed, Revenge and Forgiveness.
The story made me wants to keep watching and keep follow the progress of the story.
The chemistry between the lead actor and actress was superb. Great match!
Do watch to find out what happened!
Was this review helpful to you?
Well...
Story-wise, it's actually good in the first half, but the rest, just boring. Also some plot holes, duh. Apart from being 'plastic surgery is the key', the fundament idea of the story is steady and interesting, but too many unnecessary scenes. it's a too digressive and useless push and pulls. The cast, I think it is just okay, but Han YeSeul definitely suited the role. My favorite characters definitely are Lee KangJoon and Gyo ChaeYeon. They have distinct uniqueness. The music just so-so but the one that sang by Jonghyun sounds good. Some BGM was too dramatic and not suitable. I am re-watching it several times but just some of them like ep 2-8.Overall, it is an interesting story of complicated revenge, some episodes are bland and they should've made it exactly 16 episodes.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
"Birth of A Beauty" tells the story of Sa Geum Ran, a chubby housewife who is mistreated by her husband and his family, living basically as a maid. One day she discovers that her husband is cheating on her and he wants to divorce her so he can marry the other woman, but since Geum Ran doesn't want to divorce, Kang Joon tries to kill her. Geum Ran then decides to make an extreme visual change, becoming a new person: Sa Ra.The big problem is that after the surgery, Sa Ra loses her memories as Sa Geum Ran and doesn't remember everything her husband did, even thinking about winning his heart again now that she is a perfect woman. When she finally remembers, Sa Ra begins her plan of revenge against Kang Joon and Chae Yoon, the two people who caused her death as Sa Geum Ran and made her become someone else. She does this with the help of Tae Hee, someone she initially thinks is the doctor who performed her surgery, but is actually someone else who also wants revenge against someone who destroyed her life. The two join forces and fall in love in the process.
The romance between Tae Hee and Sa Ra is cute, the two complement each other, it's really fun to see them fighting and then reconciling minutes later, but at the same time it's not a couple that leaves a lasting impression on you.
I liked that they had the consideration to show that Tae Hee's feelings also existed for the Sa Geum Ran from before, not just for the perfect Sa Ra, this showed that he liked her as a person, not because of her looks.
Chae Yoon really is an easy villain to hate, she didn't even mind stealing Geum Ran's husband and then dumped Kang Joon as quickly as possible when she found out that Tae Hee was rich, she went for the person who would benefit her the most.
Was this review helpful to you?
The main topic of Birth of a Beauty is one I struggle to enjoy in films and dramas, as it promotes plastic surgery for the sake of vanity. But this drama did try to emphasise inner beauty. It didn't do a fantastic job of that, it seemed to send out a strong message that life gets easier if you're beautiful. That being said, it still gets points for trying.
This drama wasn't overly surprising, a bit predictable, and could have been a couple of episodes shorter. But it was still enjoyable. Birth of a Beauty has good actors, well thought out charcters and clear character and story development. A little cliche but that's not always a bad thing with a Kdrama.
Was this review helpful to you?
Long and overcomplicate
Too, too long and exaggeratedly complicated (but why, what was the point!?)The initial cue is really excellent in addition to the criticism about a country that is at the very first places for plastic surgery, but then everything begins to crumble and disperse into heavy delays, unnecessary subplots and all those moments between the couple at home with him that keeps repeating ahjumma ahjumma (but enough!).
It almost seems that they wanted to take all the possible clichés of Korean drama -the ridiculous family of him, gigantic offices where the protagonists do nothing except sit in an armchair for revenge and conspiracies, restaurants open without a why, a surgeon who doesn’t work and doesn’t even recognize his patient, just to say - and they pushed them to the paroxysm, with a sense of the ridiculous that peeps around the corner.
The Count of Monte Cristo, quoted and badly served, is in itself the most glaring example of construction of melodrama - machination, revenge, shame, class relations, final twist - but, thanks God, there is really better around...
Han Ye-seul is a really brilliant actress, excellent dowry for such a beautiful woman, but it must be said, here, apart from the very first episodes with the spy-story situation to hook the ex, has never been particularly valued
6,5/10 ...
Was this review helpful to you?
A Shallow Take on Transformation and Revenge
I did watch this drama completely and I really found it hard to finish. Maybe this drama would have been a hit at that time, but watching it in 2024 made this feel cringe. The story follows a woman who has spent her life serving her husband, only for him to betray her and attempt to kill her. She escapes, undergoes extensive cosmetic surgery to become "beautiful," and sets out for revenge. Along the way, a man helps her with the transformation, and she, in turn, starts catering to him—just like she did with her husband—simply because he made her "pretty."While I understand the desire to change one's appearance, the drama sends the problematic message that transformation is necessary to achieve success or love. The revenge plot felt unconvincing, and the show glossed over the real consequences of extreme beauty treatments. Instead, it turned everything into a love story but it didn't give a spark from the love angle. This drama was a major miss for me.
Was this review helpful to you?
That's it. She's fat. Point and laugh at her because apparently that means she doesn't even deserves to live.
Like Cinderella she has mother-in-law with two daughters who's whole reason for existing at all is to make her life miserable and treat her like a slave.
Via plastic surgery she transforms herself into a beauty and decides to get revenge on those that have wronged her.
The first 4 episodes try to hammer in the cinderella story. Thankfully they go easy on the fat shaming after the very episode but it's still there making it almost childish at some point... after that however it tries to be a Count de monte cristo tale but the plot's tone is a bit muddled going back and forth between the previous childish tone and the super serious Drama tone.
The actors carry this through and the music score is perfection saving it. I did feel it was padding itself to reach 21 episodes when we had a perfect ending at episode 12 or 13. It didn't need to be this long so although I did enjoy it and got invested in the characters I won't be re-watching this again any time soon.
Was this review helpful to you?
A good drama
This was really a drama I appreciated, firstly because I absolutely love revenge's story but also because the story is well written and we want to know how it'll finish thanks to the plentiful unforeseen developements which keep us in suspence during all the drama. I also loved the evolution of the characters which was really interesting. Han Tae Hee and Sa Ra were definitely made to meet themselves, they both lived complicated lives, they were so adorable on the screen !!! Gyo Chae Yeon and Lee Kang Joon were both as detestable as possible and they even made me feel pity for them around the end although I was very happy of the way they were punished in the end. The main actors and secondary actors were playing very well, they were good in their respective roles. Big firm favourite for Lee Kang Joon's dad who is a character who touched me a lot.To conclude, this is a drama to watch, there is a good scenario, very endearing characters (kind & nasty) and a little touch of humour :)
Was this review helpful to you?
Not too impressed
Whilst the theme of the drama is very positive and how it tackles issue on body-shaming, there were just many aspects of the movie that was not done quite well-balanced or right.When the female protagonist had a complete makeover, it is understood that she'd look the part. However, I don't think it's realistic to participate in a cooking competition in high heels. Even the scene where she made the rice ball, how can you carry a large cauldron and balance your own weight wearing heeled shoes. Also, the fashion shoot was poorly done. For a supposedly well-known conglomerate, you would think that there's an entourage for the model to make her look good. There was nothing done with her hair, it looked a bit tacky...yet the finished layout of the ad (Pop Up stand) had a different hairstyle.
Also I found the story to be a drag. From episode 14, the development of the plot slowed comparatively. I am not sure if highlighting the conflicts | revenge, which took 1/3 of the story, is a factor.
Was this review helpful to you?
FUNNY!
HONESTLY, for a drama that's a decade old - NOT BAD at all!Loved the dynamic of the main leads - absolutely outgoing of both characters and just a lot of fun!
The antagonists were great too - and had unique chemistry between all the family members.
Definitely had a dark side to this drama as well - but overall the concept of revenge, justice, and romance was great!
Definitely felt a little draggy since they had 21 episodes~ but was entertaining and humorous in each episode!
Overall a not bad watch - but wouldn't spend the time to rewatch!
Was this review helpful to you?
