True Beauty

A delightful romantic comedy with an endearing heroine.

The story begins with our heroine who’s had to live her whole life with her community's overwhelming opinion that she is ugly, culminating in a horrific bullying incident that induced her to almost taking her own life. After pulling herself back from the depths of despair, she sought help from an online beauty guru and when a chance to transfer schools arrives, she remodels herself through the magical powers of makeup. As she navigates the new high school while hiding her “ugly” past, making friends and grappling with all the newfound attention from boys (especially two in particular), she learns to face her fears and reveal her true self.

First of all, I must say that I very much enjoyed this show largely due to how charming Moon Ga Young was in portraying Ju Kyung. She was so endearingly funny and genuinely cute that it was hard to dislike her, even when she made questionable choices. What is with this director who is able to capture the charm of the actress through their character (hey there, Extraordinary You's Kim Hye Yoon)?

Ju Kyung is sweet and kind. But her reluctance to speak up for herself, her tendency to run away rather than fight back; these behaviors will certainly create frustrations for the viewers, as I also felt the same. From the lens of an adult, the problems of teenagers bordered on trivial. And yet, you cannot deny the reality of it; because as much as I wanted to pull her aside and tell her that looks aren't everything, that there will be more to life than what happens in high school, I also understood her insecurities completely and the choices she made as a result, because they were universal. I sympathized with her sentiments, especially after watching Moon Ga Young portrayed Ju Kyung with such heartrendingly realistic despair. I was appalled at how cruel her peers could be. So when she was able to make a fresh start and simply be happy because she was able to make friends, I was happy for Ju Kyung too. Yes, the new friends flock to her because she is pretty but it is also clear that they genuinely like her. The teachers foster a warm environment as well, especially one kind, emasculate teacher who has a funny love line with Ju Kyung's beautiful, confident sister. One of her new friends includes a girl named Soo Jin (Park Yoo Na), whom I thought was super cool for a good portion of the drama, then felt nothing but disappointment in when the writer took a lazy turn by making her character a typical, conniving second lead in the end. Or maybe that was the point; because of how strong and righteous she was, protecting her friends like a guardian angel, her betrayal at the end cut deep. I was also a bit disappointed in how long it took for Ju Kyung to confront her bullies, though I rooted for her all the same. It was sweet that the courage to face her fears came from her kind heart; wanting to protect her friends was ultimately what gave her the strength to stand up to the bullies. It was a fist pump moment but I wish there was more to see of the positive changes in Ju Kyung than what was shown. And there was much left to be desired in the bullies meeting their comeuppance.

Anyhow, the majority of the drama was certainly a fun ride and a mood lifter. This was in every respect a romantic comedy because the romance had me laughing and feeling the butterflies all at the same time. It had one of the most interesting love triangles I've ever seen (and I typically hate love triangles); I felt Ju Kyung’s chemistry with both boys. But not in the way you think, in that, it's clear who the heroine likes and who she will end up with (deserving and more on that later). Instead, it's simply that the second lead, Seo Jun (Hwang In Yeop), contributed to the story in a way that was wonderfully interwoven into the main plot; he wasn't just there to spur the story for the leads. Ju Kyung and Seo Jun's interactions were just as interesting and uniquely comical. Also, why is it that when your parents are friends, you instantly become friends? Any gap would close so quickly whenever you're thrust into such a situation that you don't even know what hit you. And this is exactly what happens to the two of them, as their moms turned out to be friends. Ju Kyung went from feeling intimidated by this bad boy from school she barely knew to comfortably teasing him that she'd tell on him to his mom, ha. And then this delinquent, of course, develops a huge crush on her; it was an absolute delight to watch (roar!). And I’ve gotta say, if you can rock a mullet, that’s an achievement in and of itself. The man is HOT. But then he had to go and completely capture us with his heart of gold too. I recalled spotting Hwang In Yeop for the first time in Nokdu Flower as a quiet assassin and thinking he was intriguing then. Well, he is simply amazing here. I look forward to more roles from him. And that voice!

Having said all that though, and I may be in the minority here but, I am team Su Ho (Cha Eun Woo) all the way. And I say this not as a fan of Cha Eun Woo. This was actually my first drama in which he stars in, and I am well aware of the fact that he is famous for his looks just as much as his lack of talent. But, honestly, I thought he was decent here as an actor. Of course, comparatively, Moon Ga Young and Hwang In Yeop were a step ahead, but overall, there wasn’t much to complain about. As bland as he may have been, there was no denying his attractiveness in a conventional way. Su Ho was a complete jerk (actually, all the boys were) in the beginning but then he falls for Ju Kyung first, in all her pimply glory. It's really cute. In one instance, he says that he doesn't see a difference between Ju Kyung with makeup and without makeup. He said it without much fanfare, as if it was a matter of fact; it made it all the more convincing and sincere. As much as I like Seo Jun, I was a solid team Su Ho in that respect. Ju Kyung was at her worse, or her truest self, when she was with him and that's whom he fell for. He is there for her from beginning to end (except for that short noble idiocy right before the end, which I chose to forget because I liked the drama too much to be so critical about it). He is the only one who had seen her barefaced, feeds her food when hungry, shares hobbies like their mutual interest in horror comic books, tries to make her feel better when upset, protects her, etc. It's all super adorable and he's pretty swoony while doing all of it. It was even better once he confessed; he was understanding, patient, attentive, devoted. In short, he was the perfect boyfriend. They managed to do what a good number of dramas could not, and that was, to keep their relationship compelling, even after they started dating. They were simply adorable together. Ju Kyung was such a klutz around him. Second-hand embarrassment is strong here but it was so funny that in the end, I found myself thinking her bumbling adorable more than anything else. There were many scenes where I had to pause, squealing and screaming at her to just STOP because in that split second you figured out exactly what she was about to do that was bound to be uber mortifying, like when she told Su Ho to LET GO, thinking he had stopped her from leaving when it was just her shirt caught in the door. Or that time she sat on his shoulder. Omg, I busted my gut laughing. This girl, I'm telling you.

Admittedly, the comedy bordered on over the top at times, filled with antics and slapstick humor. But the truly funny, literally laugh-out-loud parts significantly outweighed the exaggerations, so I tolerated it. And even then, it didn't make me want to skip scenes.

This was certainly not a perfect drama. It started out refreshingly different but ended up predictable. Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. So much happened in each episode that words would not do justice to convey how entertaining this show was. You'll miss out on all the fun if you're merely reading about it so just go watch it.

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Cringy but worth it

This is my first time writing a review so if I make any mistake I'm sorry!

I've read the webtoon and watched the kdrama and I gotta say It's different but both are amazing to watch!
True beauty was a fun kdrama! I never got bored of it which is such a good thing!! It has so many cringy scenes but sometimes I enjoyed it! I hate how Seojun and jukyung didn't get that much scenes which I didn't like :/ But I love the bromance with Suho and Seojun ! My favorite scenes is when they both clipped eachother toenails! I really like Suho and Jukyung Scenes! They were enjoyable to watch.

The actors was great and I hope to see more of them! The characters development with each characters are amazing.
Jukyung character development was SOOO AMAZING !!! I loved every characters ! My favorite characters was Juyoung and Gowoon, They was so cute ! People say Cha Eun Woo didn't do a great job at acting but I think he did amazing! All the actors fit with the characters.

This drama isn't my favorite but overall I really liked it and I hope many people enjoyed it too!
Please don't hate on any of the characters ! expect for the bullies but don't hate on them irl. ANYWAYSSS IM ON TEAM SUHO HOW ABOUT YALL!!?

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Inhyeop carried!

Why does female lead always fall oh my gosh. All wattpad y/n clichés are here, but were not in a way that get you hooked. It was indeed funny but the chemistry between the leads was so meh.

People were lying when they said the female lead should have chosen Seojun because Seojun actually deserved better! The break-up between her and Suho felt so unecessary and I would have wished that she made it at least hard for him before they get back together but noooo, she forgave him easily like he didn't leave her hanging.

Also, why did they have to ruin soojin's character?! For a guy?! Her development of feelings for Suho was so quick and random so her sudden betrayal to the female lead (yes, I don't remember her name) was so out of the blue and was only done for the plot.

The only thing I liked about this was Inhyeop's acting (he carried) and Jukyung ?? being able to stand up for herself after being bullied like it was actually kind of satisfying.

Overall, if you want a quick watch with a frustrating love triangle and bullying, this is meant for you. Had a good laugh, still.

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A good one for youths to watch on a boring weekend

This is a lighthearted drama that makes easy watching for all. It is a story that revolves around school life, how one chooses to be with someone or not and how much one cares about fitting in.

I am not sure about the need for the sad background (bullying) to make a good ending. However, many dramas are often made of such.

What I like about the show? There are a few..
Ju-kyung is a realistic character of someone who decides very quickly that she needs to be pretty and becomes desperate trying to make it happen. On the other hand, she maintains a consistent side of optimism towards developing friendship with her peers.

It is great to see Su-ho not caring about looks but I am not sure whether the dialogues between the two were anything much to make of that which to build a relationship.

Seo-jun is a genuine portrayal of one who is brash and impulsive, and who seemingly doesn't seem to care much about Ju-kyung. When he realises that he does, i was drawn by the extent of initiatives that he takes to win her over and also how gracious he was when he gave her up. I especially like the scenes when Ju kyung turns up playfully and how a happy person as her could impress Seo-jun to want to do more.

There were many great acting in the show. It was an enjoyable watch indeed.

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Good escapism!

Spoilers after my general thoughts section!!

tw: suicide/self-harm. I haven't seen it mentioned enough so just to warn anyone who hasn't seen it that True Beauty mentions suicide and bullying a lot. Please look after yourself if this is a trigger for you <3

Ok, so I'm just gonna do a list of points on how I feel because I'm lazy and a combination of lockdown x uni has ruined my ability to write properly. None of this is in any proper order I'm just rambling after episode 16 finished.

General thoughts:
- I loved this drama!! The writing and characterisation were all over the place but it just came at the right time for me.
- It echoed noughties highschool kdramas, full of classic tropes - the love triangle, time skip, and some slightly problematic themes for us tired 2021 folk (ok it just made me think of boys over flowers a lot)
- A lot of people have said it was cringey but I live for all of that
- If you follow the webtoon you'll recognise certain scenes but it's a much more condensed/altered story
- The show did deliver with its comedic scenes. I found myself laughing a fair amount because some lines/plots were just so silly
- Its themes seemed to live up to the title more than webtoon but still didn't really deliver
- There are a few angsty/serious parts but for the most part, it's a wholesome story of a girl learning to rebuild her self-esteem after severe bullying
- The love triangle took up too much of the story but I did enjoy the romance for the most part
- It was cute and quite frankly I needed some fluffy relief and impatiently waited for each episode every week

Love line:
- I feel like I've been watching kdramas for so long I just don't get second lead syndrome anymore.
- I understood the hype for both Suho and Seojun but I can't be disappointed because I never allowed myself to have expectations
- Thank you to the ship wars for not being as toxic as Start-Up. Gosh, that was a rough couple of weeks.
- Seojun deserved better and we didn't need to see him pining for that long
- I also adored Seojun but I wanted him for me, not Jugyeong lol
- That gal was blind to anyone who wasn't Suho and that was obvious.
- I kept going back and forth with who I liked more between the male leads. I am a fickle woman.
- They made Suho too stalkery and possessive in episode 15 and it's just so not a cute or redeemable feature why do so many dramas do this
- I'll just say as a society we have moved past the need for love triangles. It's exciting for all of 5 seconds but when the toxic jealousy comes in it's just like let's stop and all be friends, please
- Also, the we-met-as-children storyline is so overdone. It can work sometimes but felt wholly irrelevant in this story!!
- It was a pipe dream but we all know Soojin x Jugyeong (in the first half) and Suho x Seojun would have been more powerful than anything.

Random plot points that I can remember and need to discuss:
- I know kdrama magic is a thing but it stressed me out how quickly they healed after the car accident. All those piggybacks after those broken limbs made my heart race.
- Also that car accident scene of Suho flying in the air? Just wow. Classic scene. Was crying of laughter. I'm sorry it was just so silly. And adds to my concern about the injuries. The boy's back should've been broken!
- Was a bit annoying to see how overdramatic people were about acne?? Like come on, it's perfectly natural, especially in teenagers. To all my fellow people with facial skin conditions - we're beautiful with or without makeup!!
- I am glad they showed Jugyeong happily wearing her bare face in the end though she was glowing!!
- I needed the suicide attempt to be discussed more?? I mean it's a kdrama and I had low expectations but it felt so negligent to not explore mental health when it was so important to understand the actions of the main characters
- These mains ALL need therapy T_T
- The time skip/break-up just felt pointless to me. Make Suho work harder to earn your love back please, Jugyeon. It just added to Seojun's pain :(
- The ending of them holding a book called the ending sksksks um how deep

Characters:
- How beautiful was this entire cast? A visual treat!!
- Jugyeong was the cutest and I wanted the whole world for her. So happy she was succeeding in the end
- They did Soojin dirty and we all know it. Yes, I've read the webtoon so I knew she was bad in that but gosh these writers made her so good at the beginning!! Happy she was redeemed-ish in the end but it wasn't anything huge
- I'd do anything for Heekyung?? What a woman. Her relationship with the teacher was adorable.
- Juyoung and Gowoon were cute
- Sooah was tiny and so cute too. I just say cute a lot but yeah many a cute character in this series.
- Seojun was the superior character. Great son and brother, respects women and mental health, can sing, is in a band, and looks like that?? I need a sequel just to see him succeed in life and get a juicy story where he's loved back
- The writers just did not know what to do with Suho's character. But thank you for letting us see how much Eun-Woo's acting has improved
- Hot take: Drama Suho was worse than webtoon Suho but webtoon Seojun was better than drama Seojun.
I mean, Seojun was so fantastic in the drama too but we're given so much more in the webtoon. Why steal half of Seojun's scenes and give them to Suho?? A lot of people say Suho was so bland in the webtoon but the boy was very clearly depressed and needs some love!!
- I loved the bromances in the show!!

Music:
- I'm in the moooooddddd for dancin... why did this song disappear so soon this rendition was so cute
- Did we ever get a full version of that how do you do song because I need it??
- I really loved that missing youuu song
- Seojun for the rookie band of the year

To conclude: Well written? Nope. A bit of tropey fun with a little bit of angst that helps you escape for a while from these hellish times? yes yes yes :)

I feel like this is usually like an 8 or an 8.5 for me but I'm feeling generous and looking forward to this every week has made this lockdown a little better.

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Absolutely a delight, amazing cast and characters but they failed one character

Absolutely loved this series. Amazing leads, from both FL and ML1 and ML2.
FL lead is super charming and likeable and very funny at times. It's funny she was called ugly in beginning of the show even her ugly makeup, she was still a very cute girl.
It is predicable though but it is expected with these type of kdramas.
I've enjoy everyone from the cast, seems like everyone really had great chemistry. Honestly, I would have been fine if she ended up with either ML
Since she had chemistry with both. That's usually hard to pull off. I'm guessing the actress is likey so much fun to work with.
I've had issue with one Female character I liked in the beginning but as the show progressed, they turned her into a villain and she became so easy to root against and hated.
She was such a bad ass character. She ruined all her image and almost her life for a guy who clearly said many times he didn't like her, he has a girlfriend and only saw her as a friend.
She decided to ruin her friendship with the FL, ended being the worst pos ever put on TV.
Worst part, it took her like 3 years to apologize.
When they decided to bring her back to the show. I just didn't care one bit.
Which is a shame since I do love cool and bad ass female characters from dramas
But anyway, I think this show is definitely my third favorite show after a business proposal and it's OK to not be OK.
When you have amazing set of characters it is very easy for your show to be so loved and successful
Oh almost forgot about the best friendzone character in the show.
ML2. He did everything he could to get the girl and even waited for 3 years
He could have turned into a scambag at the end but he knew he really didn't have a chance or never had any. So he decided to work on himself and try to move on.
Oh, lastly one crazy relationship was the FL older sister and the teacher.
She was the most forward woman I've ever seen in my life lol
I'm not sure if he was scared of her and decided to say yes to everything or was he really in love with her.
That relationship was something lol
Anyway review way too long.
I definitely would watch this again just because how amazing Everyone are.
Earned its 9.5

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Making use of tropes and following conventions the right way.

Yes, one of the main criticisms of this drama is its overuse of tropes and conventions, which even I must agree with. I have not watched enough korean dramas to be aware of all of them, but even from the few I have watched I can see this. However, this is a rare case where these tropes and conventions are utilised in a good way for the majority of the time.

I will keep this short and spoiler free. Where other dramas will use tropes and conventions to create cringey and awkward situations, True Beauty actually creates many comedic and engaging scenes through these same methods.

The story of the drama is very solid, focusing on the FL learning to be comfortable in her own skin, and with the main trio all having great character development.

The soundtrack is what stands out the most, with both the ML's contributing and not a single song disappointing.

The casting was done very well. I have not read the webtoon, however in terms of aesthetic likeness to the characters, the drama's casting crew nailed it.

Overall this was a very enjoyable watch, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys (mainly) lighthearted rom-coms, with a few slighly darker sub-plots.

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