True Beauty

an okay kdrama

final review: so i decided to finish this drama and i can say that it's just fine. nothing new and nothing fresh. personally, the ending could have been better. the second lead guy should have been more happier after respecting the lead's relationship. the resolution of soojin's character with other characters were abrupt. she disappeared then return and that's it. this kdrama would have been better if the last episode is more polished or a little more episodes were aired to develop the ending that they want. overall, this drama is okay. the ending was a little bit dissapointing.

initial review: 5/10, 6 episodes seen
"going to be a disappointment if the story continues to go around in circles"

the preview for the episode 7 proves how this drama is going around in circles. basically the plot is the guy and girl like each other but every single chance they have will be ruined by an annoying thing that will separate them apart. seriously, they keep on dragging this for a few episodes already, and when it looks like the leads are patching things up in ep 6, that ep 7 preview showed up and it looks everything will go back to the start where they will misunderstood each other and separate AGAIN. it's especially frustrating and disappointing since you have to wait every week for almost the same thing you already saw the previous week. like wtf, give us something new. and boy, cha eun woo needs some acting lessons when crying. it looks half assed. it seems he is confused of either crying completely or just doing that poker face while crying. well i guess, i'm not surprised with everything that i've said since many people have already said that the webtoon itself is cliche and goes around in circles. it's hard to make something good out of a mediocre/ bad source material. if they want to redeem this drama, they better hire a new writer/ go a different writing direction.

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My heart!

I dont really care about the main leads as everyone knew who she would end up with, but why would u hurt seojun so much, it doesnt really make sense to me as he stayed with her for three years, he graduated with her, celebrated her birthdays, took care of her while suho wasnt there, they didnt even date for that long but seojun was the one who had to give up on his love. suho decided to breakup because "it would he hard on her" i mean this point itself is not understandable for me. Fine that she ended up with suho but they could have given seojun a better ending! he wasnt even at the wedding! I loved the show, the cast for the best, no one could have done it better, but the ending really ruined the whole show for me.

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DON'T BOTHER WASTING YOUR TIME — HORRIBLE PLOT, ACTING & INSUFFERABLE CHARACTERS

"IT'S SOOOOO BAD I WANT TO GIVE YOU A ZERO. BUT THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE SO I GIVE YOU A ONE."

I hate this drama and doubt I'll ever watch it again. I was irritated to death by the FL. I despise the plot and everything else about it. The entire premise of her being bullied, then relocating to another school and learning to do makeup so that she is suddenly liked, popular, and attractive sends the wrong message. The flashbacks of her allowing her ex-classmates to harass her in this way and without fighting back or trying to defend herself made it much worse. The whole plot of bullying someone just because of their appearance enraged me even more. When the FL then attempted to commit suicide because she was bullied for being ugly just made my head hurt. The point is that she isn't even ugly. The fact that the writers deemed an ugly person to be someone who clips up their hair, has acne, wears glasses, and has rosacea infuriated me even more. Overall the whole transformation of female lead -- her watching videos and learning how to put on makeup in order to be beautiful when she was already perfectly fine left a bad taste in my mouth. Ugh next. I'm sick of these boring, insipid female leads... didn't we leave this behind in the past? Then having the most popular guy at school ignore / dislike her when she is "beautiful" and treat her nicely / appear as if he likes her more when she is "ugly" makes absolutely no sense. Not to mention that the male lead is bland and dry as hell, and he CANNOT act! I don't care if you people like him because you think he's gorgeous that you ignore his horrible / emotionless acting because I WON'T.

Idk what else to say other than I dropped this show and I see it as a complete and utter waste of time. I legit cant even fathom why my friend recommended this garbage to me.

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Nothing ever happens except for male eye candy

Story: This drama should have been 6 episodes long and I'm generous. A pretty girl hides her acne under a heavy make up and spends 14 episodes out of 16 in fear that someone will see her bare face, although the most beautiful boy in the world (played by the most beautiful actor in the world) loves her for who she is. That's literally the story and it's stretched beyond any reason by having the characters repeat the same beats (she's scared, he cares, rinse repeat) over and over and doing some heavy padding with side stories involving her comic relief parents, her younger brother's crush on another acne girl, her unni's romance with the teacher, scheming BFF, her boyfriend's music past, his rivalry with his former BFF-turned-romantic rival. Everything ends just as you predicted after watching episode 1. You only had to wait for 16 to see it play out exactly like you knew it would.

Acting: Solid all around though FL (Moon Ga-young)'s OTT comical reaction to everything (including not-so-comical things) starts to grate early on and never evolves from that repetitive shtick. It is also annoying that ML and SML care for FL much more than she does for either of them which makes it hard to root for her to end up with either. Her slapstick reaction to everything makes her seem fickle and not as emotionally invested as her male counterparts who, while play their roles with some levity, are not comedians. And they are really easy on eyes. Cha Eun-woo is probably the most beautiful man in the world and while his acting started off stiff, he warmed up into the role and we saw both character progression and an acting one. But true standout is Hwan In-yeop whose his charm, charisma nd impeccable comic timing left a long lasting impression. Supporting cast is good I guess but I had no patience for exaggerated comedy of FL's parents and romance between FL's unni and teacher so I skipped those parts.

Music: sugary sounds, nothing memorable except the same song that played in Crash Landing On You (I'm missing you, waiting for you yadda yadda) so I remembered it from there.

Rewatch Value: No thanks. Way too long for so little content. Barely anything happens and that's all massively predictable. The ending does not stick the landing.

Overall: Poor Man's My ID Is Gangnam Beauty, a show that knew how to pace itself and deliver a satisfying ending. True Beauty wrote itself into a corner when the leads became a couple and then spent the next 8 episodes or so building SML as a worthy suitor who just might be the endgame for FL...except that would be unpredictable and out of character for this rote show. No wonder ending soured many fans.

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Good but very meh

This drama starts at nowhere and ends at nowhere there is no interesting plot and how the main 2 guys were treated like they are so special different than all the other characters in the school made me cringe a lot and the way it was forced every episode was tiring i often can't take those kind of drama seriously and quite them midway but i pulled through, I don't mind a main character being special if they had character development before or afterward but this drama ends with almost non existent character development to those 2 guys disappointing i think the actors did so well and got a fan in me but the drama was meh.

Han Seo Jun ahh Seo Jun so they wanted the story to end with some painful moments where we the viewers would have emotional moments watching Seo Jun lose his loved one Lim Joo Gyung but it was all to be expected from episode 1 and the last 2 episodes were just drowning Seo Jun into deeper meaningless sorrow it was pointless i've seen 100 triangle drama's end it in a better way.

What actually made me tear up with joy was Lim Hee Gyung and Han Jun Woo the last 2 episodes they saved those 2 episodes with the other support characters.

Are you bored and got nothing to watch? just know that there would be other Drama's that would stimulate your brain better......

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Doesn't deserve the hype.

I enjoyed watching the first 3-4 episodes, but as i kept watching i kept losing interest.
I dropped this drama after about 11 episodes because of a few reasons:
1. The female lead started getting really annoying.
2. I hated it when her friend (i don't remember her name) suddenly switched up and started acting mean because of jealousy. I expected her to be a supportive and mature friend but i was disappointed.
3. I HATE love triangles.
4. The plot is boring and predictable
5. This entire drama is just dumb in general. (That sounds really mean but it's how i feel)

I guess if you're a person who likes clichè and fluff high school romance with not much to the plot then you might like it, but this drama is not my cup of tea and i don't see myself ever giving it another chance.

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Sweet, but tired

How many times have I seen high school dramas exactly like this? A love triangle exactly like this? Even the female lead, who initially seemed somewhat interesting, has become flat and lifeless as she's tugged around between these two men. I'm frustrated by her apparent lack of development in her self-image issues. I'm also exhausted by the manufactured chemistry between the leads and cliched romantic tropes. The acting isn't that great either. There are sweet moments and some unique and emotional themes, but overall it's just not fresh or interesting enough for me to continue watching.

Greatest weakness: unimaginative use of tropes
Greatest strength: the comedic scenes between the male leads

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Teen Masterpiece

I started watching with very low expectations because I had just finished a lot of heavier dramas and wanted something silly and coming-of-age.

What I didn't expect was a character study disguised as a cheesy teen romantic dramedy.

For me, this was also the first love triangle that made sense psychologically, not simply because of fate, pheromones, plot armor, or "the script says so."

First there were three friends. Then there were two estranged people. Then somehow they became three again. The triangle felt deeply tied to grief, guilt, abandonment, friendship, and reconciliation.

What I find interesting about Seo-jun's feelings is that I don't think they can be reduced to "first love" or "not being able to get over someone because you never confessed." I believe that, just as he initially coped with his pain by blaming Soo-ho, he also coped by holding on to this connection. This isn't meant to undermine his feelings at all. They're clearly real. We watch him grow tremendously throughout the show, especially after Soo-ho leaves. I just think both things can be true at the same time.

I understand why so many people preferred Seo-jun. He was generally less flawed and easier to love because he wasn't carrying the same amount of emotional baggage as Soo-ho. But the aspects of Seo-jun that make him so attractive to the general public are of no concern to her. Actually now that I think about it, after her heartbreak with Hyun Bin (the cafeteria worker guy from first school) I could see her at least subconsciously developing an ick to cool guys.

Soo-ho and Ju-kyung's relationship felt purer to me.

Yes, Soo-ho made questionable choices. But most of them were completely understandable for someone who had experienced that level of abandonment and who had spent years pouring himself into everything except intimate relationships. What mattered more to me was his willingness to grow.

I can understand why some viewers feel Seo-jun never got the chance he deserved. Honestly, if I were Ju-kyung I probably would have given him a chance too lol. But I'm neither Ju-kyung nor monogamous, so looking at it through the lens of the characters themselves, I found the strength of Soo-ho and Ju-kyung's connection very believable.

She was the first person to truly enter his secluded world, while he was the first person to read the book "regardless" of the cover.

Seo-jun, meanwhile, is presented as someone who is more experienced and emotionally sheltered. He has a loving mother, a bigger support network, loyal friends, and eventually a clear path toward success. I never got the feeling that Ju-kyung felt as needed in Seo-jun's world as she did in Soo-ho's.

The abandoned child and the middle child whose mother later grieved not having raised as a princess but almost as an adopted child. Their wounds reflected and complemented each other.

In less words: Soo-ho's abandonment wound mirrors Ju-kyung's need to be needed.

I also loved how the show visualizes this. Ju-kyung's house is full of people, color, texture, noise, and life. Soo-ho's house is empty, cold, flat, and sterile. Her keepsakes often need close-ups because affection is already overflowing in her environment. His keepsakes stand out immediately because there is so little emotional warmth surrounding them.

The locked music room is probably the best example. To me, it's a visual representation of Soo-ho's heart. We only really discover that room through Ju-kyung entering his life, and by opening that room, she is effectively opening him.

One thing I rarely see mentioned is how much support Ju-kyung actually had throughout the series. Sure, she was bullied, but later she also recognizes that she often kept her pain to herself instead of seeking support, opening up, or fighting back. Her mother was awful at first, but she grows and repents once she knows about the bullying. Even that dynamic is an interesting gender-role reversal, since the harsh breadwinner parent is often the father in these stories.

As someone who had to deal with the death of a parent in a foreign country with almost no family and very few friends, I deeply related to Soo-ho's actions after his father became ill. He was stuck. He was exhausted. As heartbreaking as it was for Ju-kyung, I'm convinced it was even worse for him as both a grieving child and a caretaker. The fact that he never changed her contact name says everything.

Because of that, I never felt Seo-jun was the one who got "done dirty." If anything, I felt that Soo-ho was simply incredibly unlucky.

You can survive heartbreak.

Heartbreak combined with the looming death of the only parent you were finally beginning to reconnect with can push someone to the edge.

In the end, I think Ju-kyung's decision comes down to something very simple.

She didn't want Soo-ho to live with regrets.

The same way she didn't want to live with her own.

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Starts off good, gets a tad boring later on

Now don't get me wrong, I love a good romcom. But this one just kind of fell flat by the end. (Keep in mind I have never read the webtoon while reading this review)

The first few episodes provide a good backdrop. It introduces us to the main character and her issues and trauma regarding her looks. This is of course where the title comes from, and I was expecting a drama centering around this issue of finding beauty inside yourself when people around you seem shallow. And it was that....for like 5 episodes.

Listen, I love Eunwoo and his acting was fine for what he was given, but good lord Suho's characterization is so dry. Besides a few scenes regarding his past trauma and fighting with Seo Jun, his whole personality is either nothing or simply Ju Gyeong.

They did my man Seo Jun so dirty. Like yeah he got to debut but is that really considered a happy ending for him? She strung him along (albeit unconsciously) for years and in the end he got friendzoned and ended up with nobody. Speaking of characters done dirty, I don't know how Su Jin's character is in the webtoon, but she had so much more potential that they wasted on making her the intentionally evil person just to move the drama along. Her backstory and her emotions were well portrayed and I caught myself feeling so bad for her, until they just threw that all away to make her pure evil and then she disappeared until the last episode and suddenly all was forgiven? nah

Unfortunately I found myself skipping through a lot of Su Ho and Ju Gyeong's more intimate scenes. I thought at least the entirety of the drama might delve deeper into their relationship and expand on them slowly coming to realize their feelings for each other, but nope they get together in like episode 5 and then all the magic is kind of gone. i found myself saying 'yeah yeah get on with it' anytime they were acting all lovey dovey in the later episodes, especially because i knew that Seo Jun was still getting the short end of the stick.

Overall, the side characters and their relationships were a lot more interesting and they held my attention more often than the main couple. The music was cute and I enjoyed listening to it. The show as a whole is okay, but I don't see myself ever rewatching it.

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Good approach and then nothing really

Okie so, I have read the webtoon upto 80 chapters (I think) then I dropped it because the story was literally becoming so dumb. Always stretching the same scenarios and then back to square one! (I WAS FRUSTRATED)

I became sucha big fan when I first started it and now to go back there I think it was mainly because of the art style? Because the drawings were really attractive (still are) and I'm sure, many people got involved because of that. However right now, if I were to read it again from the start I would probably die out of cringe.

With that being said, I was still excited for this adaptation- Moon Ga-Young is one of the actresses I enjoy watching. Honestly, never expected much from Cha Eun-Woo's side. I've seen mostly all the pieces he have acted in and yes, he doesn't have many expressions.

His crying scenes were really bad!! No emotion whatsoever in his eyes. It's the same damn gaze always- hurt, jealousy, joy, anger..it is all the same? As compared to him, Hwang In-Yeop did a better job atleast. I haven't watched him in anything before but needless to say, he is with no doubt better and definately adds the flavours in the drama.

As for the storyline, it's okay-ish type when you're bored--looking for a light rom-com watch but right now while this drama is ongoing- it's especially really annoying at points and the events...where's the progress ugh?!

I found the scene of Su-Ho pushing Ju-Kyeong away, labelling helping and comforting her out of pity SO SO ridiculous? I mean wtf? And then, the next day you're already chasing her back and she's okay with all that?? Like fuck off--atleast explain that please iidbxkdk

Damn anyways, I still stay up around 2am to watch this drama (that's around the time when the new ep gets subbed usually), and I really really enjoy some of the situations. It's a good laugh I'd say but if you were to dig deep, it's nothing special.

The music though is a MOOD. 10/10

Edit: Update since I've watched 10 episodes now and um, what was that scene in the end where Suho was stuck in nowhere when him and Seojun got hit by the car?? T-T

Also, they're doing Seojun so dirty jxbsjc like he doesn't even seem like a second lead anymore when a large amount of audience is watching because of him *heartbreak* It's already 10 episodes and I dont think Jugyeong's going to like Seojun romantically anywhere now,, whatever man ughh

Alright, new EDIT: I am dropping this title! It IS surely better than the webtoon but not the best with all the cringe still there so ye, maybe will pick it up again when I am down sometime but for now I dont think I can indulge myself into watching something I genuinely dont feel interested in even if it's breaking records *sighs* byebye!!

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Average to its core, True Beauty aims more for Kpop fandom than following its own early magic.

In the beginning....

Is becoming a true curse of my Kdrama journey. The first translated words of the Bible, are famous for their ubiquitous and straight forward approach to storytelling, yet over and over again are becoming a warning, that many times what starts strong has nowhere left to go.

It rings true yet again with True Beauty. At its start there is a certain magic to this take on the age old "ugly duckling" story. The female lead (Moon Ga Young) is cute and winning with a decent set of comic chops. Liking her is shockingly easy. When the male lead shows up (Cha Eun Woo) he is very dreamy and grade A South Korean boy beef, even though his character is locked behind the now oh so boring trope of cold stand-off aloof guy. He comes in as a hero, saving our FL from attempted suicide. (Korea is 4th in the world for suicide and their Kdramas have now made it a blase everyday plot occurrence, its chilling to watch as a westerner. This is a show directed towards a younger crowd and yet here it is. They must laugh at how upset the west was over 13 Reason Why) But once the actual saving is done, he retreats into being a standoffish jerk.

Why girls love this type of character, and why Asian dramas are obsessed with using this trope, is beyond me. I genuinely don't understand why anyone would want these guys except for their superficial beauty. The pretty asshole, is what gets you a pretty shitty real world life. Yet here, Che Eun Woo's Su Ho is quickly given enough backstory and home-drama to warrant his angst and keep him from being maligned into dirt-bag territory. In truth, his warmth is very much on display from the get go.

When the second male lead (Hwang In Yeop) shows up in episode 2, the rivalry between the two is fun to watch. They actually bring out charisma in each other, and both are at their best when the show is focusing on their frenemy bromance. But, of course this isn't why we are watching and thus the meaty scenes are far and few between.

Our FL's family has a larger role in the story and is a mixed bag. The older sister and father of the bunch are fun and delightful characters to watch and spend time with. The older sister arguably one of the best characters in the drama with her reverse gendered role love story a true treat. However the mother, and younger brother are as toxic as they come. The mother, arguably the worst villain of the show. If you want a step by step guide on how NOT to be a mother, watch this drama. The younger brother is just a ridiculous human being and not realistic, but has a somewhat redeemable story arc.

As for the rest of the cast, they are mostly the student population that surrounds our FL and her two rivaling MLs. Most of these characters are throw away, with a few exceptions. The most important, and one who ends up with some heavy lifting storytelling, is Park Yoo Na's Kang Soo Jin. You will love and hate her, I promise. Though almost all of the cast has a tragic home-life, hers is arguably the worst.

For the first few episodes to halfway through the series you will find yourself having a great time as you meet these characters and discover the world of the story. Again, there is an electricity, a spark, some type of magic that will keep you hitting play.

But then, the newness wears off, the story turns on its autopilot, and the mundane sets in. It is just another ugly duckling tale. Our main heroine quickly changes her face, but not her personality, and thus she just keeps repeating the same mistakes over and over again. The same situations arise over and over again. And like all ugly duckling tales, she just can't believe the male lead likes HER! HER of all people!!!

And one begins to yawn while watching.

By the end, the whole subplot KPOP suicide (yep someone does actually make the fateful jump with a 2nd suicide plot-line) story takes center stage. The romance (which stalls for multiple episodes straight) takes a back seat as the ML family drama and bromance come to a boil. The love triangle, (Though I am tired of this term as it is inaccurate. A true love triangle would mean one of the boys falls for the other boy who falls for the girl who falls for the original boy. Three points interlocked in a triangle wanting what they can't have. This is just a love line or plane with three points. The girl at the center with a boy on each side. But whatever, everyone keeps calling them triangles) is really a non-starter. The second male lead is never given a chance at any point at ever being a true option for our FL. She never once looks at him with any resemblance of wanting. It kinda just dissolves. And just when everything seems to be resolved, you find you still have 4 episodes left, and BAM!!! Enter outside plot devices to reek havoc.

This, is where everything just falls apart. The second warning side and curse of my K Drama journey. THE TIME JUMP!

Listing all the dramas that take this approach would be fruitless. Most being only one season with the creators diluting and stretching the story as much as they can to fill the episode count needed. The stories in play want to, or need to, move beyond the constructs of their premise. To solve this, and not need a whole new season worth of content, the powers that be just throw in a time jump. Is it needed? Of course not. Does it add anything to the story? Nope. It is just tacked on additional episodes because they hadn't meet their slotted quota, and also establish a false sense of closure to the story. Everything ends up in the same place after the jump as it was before. You as a viewer just find yourself repeating the same plot points in a shorter time-span to get back to where you already were.

By the time the show is done, there is a feeling of relief. You can now find something better to watch. It wasn't bad, it had some life lessons, there was drama, and by God are there some hunky leads, but whatever magic lured you in the beginning had fully dissipated. Ultimately you found yourself finishing it just because you'd already come this far! Oh well, we will try again with the next show!

6.5 C+, 3 1/4th star just above average outing. Not mad I watched it, but would never really recommend others to sit through it either.

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