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THERE'S ONLY ONE REASON I'M HERE. FOR MR INSURMOUNTABLE OMNIPOTENT AESTHETIC KING. AKA CHA EUN WOO.
So this was trashy. Like very very trashy. I only came here for Cha Eun Woo. He's literally the only reason I watched this drama. After hearing he would star in this, I was excited to see how much he's evolved since Gangnam Beauty. And let's just say... Wow, you can see the improvements. This had so much hype... so so much disappointment was to be expected.No, I have not read the comic. Yes, I've heard many things about it. And taking what I've heard... I'm glad the drama decided to skip the Joo Gyung and Seo Jun dating part. I hate actual love triangles. Like, when the one person in the middle can't choose. Nope, those are no-goes to me. I'm big into loyalty.
Why do people feel bad for Seo Jun? He kept putting himself into situations that he knew would hurt him. He kept fighting and clawing himself into Joo Gyung's life even though he knew that she liked/was dating Su Ho. You reap what you sow. Seo Jun always set himself up for heartache. What bothers me about him, is that he was so extra with Joo Gyung when he saw Su Ho.
Example: the bus on the school trip. When Seo Jun saw Su Ho saw that he was on the bus with Joo Gyung, he intentionally put her head on his shoulder. To what? Provoke Su Ho? Hm.
Second example: the hug in front of the comic book store. As soon as Seo Jun notices Su Ho sees him hugging Joo Gyung, he suddenly pulls her in tighter.
I don't recall Su Ho ever tried to rub in the fact that he was with Joo Gyung.
Why do people prefer Seo Jun? In addition to the examples above, Seo Jun was the type to forget boundaries. I put myself in the shoes of Joo Gyung and think "What if a guy friend I had no feelings for tied a thing on my wrist while I was asleep?" or "What if a guy friend caressed my hair as I slept while he knew I had a boyfriend and that I had no feelings for him?" Seo Jun constantly pushed on his boundary as a "friend". I always understood why Su Ho was uncomfortable with Seo Jun being around Joo Gyung. Hell, if I was Joo Gyung, I would try to keep my distance! Why was Su Ho in the wrong when he was upset that Joo Gyung took those pictures with Seo Jun? Well, he's not. He had the right to be upset. Like, a warning would've been nice, Joo Gyung. Joo Gyung was very inconsiderate in that regard to Su Ho. Honestly, it must fucking suck ass tits to have everyone think that your girlfriend is dating someone else (and have everyone support them for it).
Joo Gyung's character/personality was... kinda yikes, to be honest. I hate the type that keeps things because they don't "have the nerve" to tell. Yes, for the sake of drama, whatever, but fuck is it annoying. I didn't like her. I get that the clueless female lead is like the new wave (it's been the new wave for the last ten thousand waves) but honestly, Seo Jun was so fucking obvious... like??
This drama I'd give 5.5-6 stars. BUT I think that Cha Eun Woo kinda carried this on his back a bit, so I'll give it a 6.5. It was still entertaining. Some subtle moments make me choke out of laughter. Back to Eun Woo, I hope he didn't break his back trying to carry this drama. Maybe it's not even Eun Woo; maybe it's Su Ho. Su Ho has always been the right choice. There's literally zero question about it. It's clear no matter how you look at it. I think the people that like Seo Jun only like him because of Hwang In Yeop. Like Seo Jun had two years to shoot his fucking shot—Su Ho literally tossed Joo Gyung on a silver platter for Seo Jun, and still—nothing. Why do people ship Joo Gyung with a guy she has no feelings for? That, I don't get. A guy who fucks with you when you're unconscious. Someone who constantly makes you the topic of gossip and rumours—and who doesn't refute them until you tell them to. Su Ho wasn't perfect either (the whole blackmail thing), but Seo Jun was taking every chance of "jokingly" (but he really wasn't joking) telling Joo Gyung to break up with Su Ho. Seo Jun did come in clutch sometimes as a good friend; I'll give him that much. ie. he told Joo Gyung that Su Ho was going back to the US because he knew Joo Gyung would run to him.
Way to ruin a good female friendship over a guy. You shouldn't have to choose between love and friendship. Whatever argument you can make about how love comes and goes, well so do friendships. Bros before hoes or chicks before dicks bullshit is not welcome here. If your friend doesn't respect your relationship, fuck them. If your partner doesn't respect your friendships, fuck them. Su Ho never told Joo Gyung to stay away from Seo Jun by telling her that Seo Jun was basically in love with her; he only voiced his concerns over him without telling her why. Soo Jin, on the other hand, provoked and manipulated Joo Gyung regarding Su Ho. Clearly, I hope you can tell that love > friendship in this case.
That friendship between Su Ho and Seo Jun was kinda like the fucking best. You can say a lot of shit about this drama (and trust me, I have a lot of bullshit to say), but the fact that the friendship scenes between these two were one of the best scenes you'd ever watch. They're funny, sweet, painful, and healing.
People were right about the last two episodes being unnecessary. It really didn't need to happen. But I think it just hammers in the point that Seo Jun would never be chosen. Even if Su Ho was pretty much out of the picture, Joo Gyung would still choose the ghost of Divine Su Ho over Seo Jun. But not because Seo Jun doesn't deserve it... no. But because you can't force yourself to have romantic feelings for someone. It happens or it doesn't. Stop. Shipping. People. With. Someone. They. Clearly. 100%. Do. Not. Like. Like if Joo Gyung showed at least even a tiny bit of romantic attraction to Seo Jun, go for it! Ship away! But come on? She literally worships Su Ho. Even if her heart was the size of the Earth, it would still have no room for anyone else. Su Ho is like five Earths crammed into an one-Earth space.
Would I recommend this? Well... if you're a thirst watcher, yes, Eun Woo is in this. But if you want substance? A not so frustrating storyline? Look somewhere else.
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STR8 TO THE POINT!
1. Lim Joo Gyung- learned how to love herself, how to be more confident, how to overcome her bad memories, and found a boyfriend and a future husband that loves her for who she truly is.2. Lee Su Ho- even though he grew up without a mom and his dad not being around him all the time because of his career, he still grew up with a heart full of love and warmth. He has so much love and understanding for Joo Gyung. Honestly, he is just amazing.
3. Han Seo Jun- such a sweet person in general. He is rocking that bad boy image, but he is so soft. A person with understanding and someone that will always be right by your side. We all need one Seo Jun in our lives.
4. King Soo Jin- Was living under so much pressure from her dad that she kinda lost her way of living. Happy to see her finally free and be the person she needs to be.
The support characters were amazing, from the family to the school friends. I'm honestly happy that this ended the way it should end. ( For those who wished that Gyung and Seo Jun should've ended up together, y'all wrong. Even if they did, she wouldn't love him as much as she loved Su Ho. That relationship would've ended pretty soon.)
Gyung and Su Ho complement each other and they fill up their gaps.
Moral of the story: Love yourself first before you can love someone else.
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Could have been better
honestly I was not a big fan of this show. the main character is so clueless and kind of annoying at times and the man love interest is kinda of a red flag. I think she shouldhave ended up with the 2nd male lead. the story also got a little repetitive and boring at times.
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Cute drama!
I've never read the webtoon so I can't compare how accurate it is.But as a stand-alone drama, I thought it was really cute! Amazing lead characters (the 2 male leads are such heartthrobs omg), cute side couples, great comedy... Definitely go for it if you like rom coms.
You have your typical warm second male lead and evil second female lead, but the two main leads are decently smart and mature in handling their obstacles such that the plot doesn't get unnecessarily draggy and misunderstandings don't take like 1/3 of the drama to resolve.
If you watched Extraordinary You, you'll recognize the same school as well as some major cameos by the previous actors... Keep your eyes out for those! The Kim Hye-yoon + Lee Jae-wook one was especially fun XD
I'd also like to make the point that Chani plays a falsely-accused, very misunderstood character again...
This is his 3rd time? Signal, Sky Castle, now True Beauty. Sosad...
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amazing!
i loved this drama wayy better than the webtoons! it was less complicated and had a happy ending! i hope to see inyeop in more dramas and eunwoo's acting was much better than gangnam beauty! he showed more emotions and i really loved it. what i didn't like about it was seojun being heartbroken. they didn't do anything for seojun, poor boy tried so hard to win jukyung, but the writers left him heartbroken. soojin was so much different from the webtoons, she had some evil moments, but after all she learned from her mistakes! definitely would recommend this drama, loved it even more from reading the webtoons! :)Was this review helpful to you?
Comfort Food
I know people like to call romance-oriented dramas "guilty pleasures," but I prefer to think of True Beauty as comfort food. It has all the familiar tropes of older kdramas, but it always knows how to put a fun new spin on them in order to keep viewers engaged and interested.Lim Jugyeong is a wonderful female lead, brought to life perfectly by Moon Gayoung, and her growth over the course of 16 episodes is believable and rootable. Cha Eunwoo, aside from being eye candy, gives his all to Lee Suho and really makes you feel pain and his love for Jugyeong.
Hwang Inyeop and Park Yoona may be treated very differently by the narrative in their respective second lead positions, but they are delightful and help round out a perfect cast.
In fact, every major character is memorable and exciting, with some twist or extra infusion to make them stand out from the high school drama pack. There are also fun dream sequences, bliss-tastic OST choices, and plenty of "restaurant ending" scene moments to go around.
If you love romance and kdramas, you cannot go wrong with True Beauty - as long as you don't get too invested in picking a team and instead let Jugyeong's feelings guide yours.
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Perfect balance of comedy and seriousness - I want to rewatch it right now!
Another title that I was skeptical about - was the hype real and would I like it.Short answer - I LOVED IT! So much so in fact that having finished it 3 hours ago - I want to rewatch it right away.
Don't get me wrong - this is not going to change the world in terms of cinematography or the uniqueness of its story.
Where it wins you over are the characters and their relationships - be they good or bad. It deals with bullying, the pressures of social media, abuse, and suicide - and it does all this with an element of truth and honestly - some of the bullying scenes are heart-wrenching for example.
It was the jokes though that took this drama to the next level - they were genuinely hilarious - brilliantly timed and delivered. The emotional scenes do what they need to - there was one episode where I found my bottom lip quivering before the tears came!
It's one of those rare occasions where you route for both parties equally as both are really decent guys. Who will get the girl? You'll just have to watch it to find out.
Negatives - as with most kdramas, the ending is a little rushed with a lot of story arcs being wrapped up but never the less it doesn't detract from the overall charm of this drama.
Go watch it now :). Should I rewatch it now? 😂
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Second-lead sydrome hit DIFFERENTLY on this drama
FINALLY FINISHED IT!I feel numb and my heartache, but regardless of this pain from this drama I am proud of the cast, crew, directors, makeup artist, and screenwriters. They did a wonderful job making this drama possible even during this pandemic.
The way the story goes was good but I feel like it will be better if they change things around - it is indeed different from the webtoon. If you finished this, I recommend reading the webtoon as it's still ongoing, so more heartbreak and fangirling. HEhe.
Anyways, I love their acting especially my HWANG IN YEOP (Sejeon)!! He attracted me the first time I saw him!!! Since Cha Eun Woo ( Lee Suho) acted similarly to the plot of the drama-I did not really fangirl a lot with him, of course, you can't avoid him but SEJEON caught my attention from the start. Cha Eun Woo did a similar project which is 'My ID is a Gangnam Beauty'. They are very similar, but this one focuses more on makeup than plastic surgery.
Moon Ga-young though!! She was AMAZING! I first saw her on 'Tempted' with Woo dO Hwan. She was the bitchy girl who always get what she wants, and here she acted differently and she portraits it perfectly. Her crying, feeling hopeless, and powerless was surreal.
It may be a basic Korean drama to others but nonetheless, I am happy with the story and ending. Sometimes, you can't live without the old-style/fashion or korean drama you know? hahaha
Moving on is the hardest part!!! It really hurt!! I hope to see them soon in their upcoming dramas.
The SUPPORTING ACTORS AND ACTRESSES THOUGH!! I LOVED THEM!! I began to notice that some are getting their recognition from IG! THEY DESERVE IT!! ESPECIALLY MY HWANG IN YEOP!
His future IS GETTING BIGGER! I AM PROUD OF HIM!! He has an upcoming drama with JI CHA WOOK!! YAY! I AM EXCITED FOR THAT!
Overall, Really recommend this! IF YOu want something clingy, high-school romance story with a SECOND-LEAD SYNDROME. I recommend this. It may be painful too much, but every drama has that. So, if you are interested GO WATCH IT! You don't need to watch for it anymore as most people did! hahaha
2/5/21 1:30AM
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thoughts on the cast and story
I love Hwang InYeop and i can’t take that Cha Eun Woo ended up with the FL so i dropped it. He’s literally so bland!!! I hate Moon Ga Young in that series too she’s so dumb and fOR WHAT??? urghhh i need a new hwang in yeop series where he gets the justice he deserves. I love the cliché story plot going on in the drama but its just not right for me lool i hate cha eun woos acting here i only watched for heang in yeop fr but i cant finish it bc itwas so ???? I love cliché story lines only if it was entertaining i hate this stuff but i loved it bc of in yeop ;((((Was this review helpful to you?
very cliché but well produced high school love story
the story was nothing amazing, it's the usual love triangle, evil friend, bullying scenario. but that wouldn't be such a problem if the strong message about self love and acceptance they strived to spread was conveyed in the right way !i think true beauty completely missed the mark on that. the subplot about jukyung's journey to accepting herself and her appearance, as well as getting empowered was totally hidden by the love triangle and futile fights. i wish they empasized this a lot more,, the arguments that were supposed to show jukyung's path to having a good self esteem were not compelling enough, kind of sloppy and misleading. moreover, the sad second lead trope was pushed too far, making seojun feel very miserable. and do not let me start on the lousy last episodes,,,
but true beauty also has good sides, it's really well produced, the sets and colors were very pleasing to the eye, the actors did a great job. the supporting actors were adorable too. i really enjoyed the side loveline which was extremely refreshing !
if you want a sweet, cliché, high school love triangle (bad boy + intelligent leads), this will be perfect for you! but do not expect a lot of depth and strong messages!
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Another heartbreak
The story starting was good. The former episodes were interesting and holded me for the next episodes. But after the camping episodes it all came to one more cliche story and known ending. At one point I thought they are going to change the ending but that was not the case :(This story was not different, contained no new content and more of a cliche. The lead characters were not that good and looked dumb. I don't know why creators always go with first love. Like in the same situation girl will accept a person who ignored her for years and acted like a creep on first meeting after that. It felt unrealistic, the main lead characters were not shown mature and practical.
In the last episodes main lead love story felt dragged and forced. Like creators just want them to be together. Did not felt any sparks in their love story. Last episode was really boring for me.
For me SJ was the saving grace of the show. His character was mature and handled every situation like that. I just felt bad for him for not having his love. But he got his music and career, happy for that. Not going to forget his dance on okey dokey. He stealed this show for sure. Even other side characters were good.
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