Great drama
Now at first I had pretty low expectations for this considering I’m not into high school rom com genre and I wasn’t gonna watch this at first but after seeing it everywhere I decided to watch it to see what everyone was so excited about. Honestly after the second episode I found myself really into this series and wanting to watch more. I literally spent a whole night catching up to the series. Ngl tho I prefer the drama over the webtoon, I just like the character interactions, lovable characters and the overall story better. Reading the webtoon and watching the drama we’re two different experiences for sure. But yeah this definitely exceeded my expectations as a fun lighthearted rom com.Was this review helpful to you?
Hilarious, Interesting, Light & Less Frustrating, Cliché story
I will start off with saying that not everyone will like this drama. If you're looking for a unique story with major plot twists, then this drama isn't it. It also isn't for you if you can't watch a high school story / drama and want something mature.This drama is based off a webtoon and the drama's story is a lot similar to teen / young adult romance stories or manga.
I did search online about the webtoon and will have to say I'm glad they altered the drama and didn't follow the webtoon completely.
There may be love triangles, but it's very obvious and not like the webtoon where there's uncertainty and could lean to either side. But what I do dislike about the drama is how they left you with an aching heart for one of the characters in an unrequited love.
I also loved a lot of the characters in this drama and the variety of characters they showed.
Ju Kyung's family are fun to watch. Her sister, Hee Kyung's reversed role relationship. I loved seeing her act in a way that most men are expected to behave in relationships and overall.
The story may be cliché , but I still had a great time watching it and was laughing through a good portion of the entire drama. All of the bromance scenes they showed were pretty fun to watch as well.
As for the story's message and how it was handled, there's not much to expect. But I do know that most dramas really don't emphasize much about the message and often stray away from it to not seem like it's a lecture. But I do wish they at least show consequences of bullying instead of a slap on the wrist like most dramas show.
Acting- I've seen a lot of bias hate towards idol actors like Cha Eun Woo and have to say that CEW did a decent job with his character. I've seen him in MIGB and his character from there is somewhat similar to Suho's. But in this drama, I could see that he's improved more than before. For me, Hwang In Yeop stole the show. He was just enjoyable to watch.
I would re-watch it only for my favorite scenes. I don't think I would watch the entire drama all over again.
As for the OSTs, I have to say they were wonderful, especially Chani's "Starlight".
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This review may contain spoilers
a pointless review that no one asked for
story:as literally everyone knows, this drama does not follow the webtoon. which on one hand i am happy with, considering the drama needs a development before it can end (jukyung realising beauty is skin deep) and well the webtoon is on going so we aint gotten it yet. so for that, i loved it. i was so happy when the thing she feared and would later empower her happened cause not only did it show character development, which many wanted, but also strength. it taught a good message too.
lets also be real, all the side couples. they were all adorable, especially jukyungs sister and teacher. i loved them.
parts of the story which i wish didnt happen, seojun being unable to move on. look imma be real. for her, suho was the one. i knew. you knew (or if you didnt you do now), everyone knew. it was so obvious, so since it was so obvious i wish scenes where anyone could tell that seojun loved her didnt happen or scenes that had maybe hinted at a something in the future, like that whistle flower scene that had a deeper meaning. it was unnecessarily painful lol. or basically the whole last 2 episodes. im happy shes happy but i cant be happy when seojun is crying alone and shes out their having seggsy time. lmao i know she didnt love him and im not telling her to, im just mad that they made him still love her till the very end cos lets be honest he didnt cry out all his feelings if hes still looking at her like how he did when she put lipstick on for him. ok this is really turning into a rant. lmao. seojun stans amirite.
also in terms of the characters, i wish they werent changed so much. seojun was never that mean. yh he was mad a suho and blamed him, but never called him a murderer which was excessive, and suho wasnt that bland. he had more character.
but the story in general, the change is something needed and so i liked it, i jut wished peoples scenes had stayed theirs (cough suho stealing webtoon seojuns scenes cough)
acting/cast:
moon ga young. absolutely amazing. as she had said in an interview about having to understand jukyung, she did a good job. she really did well considering how mad i was at jukyung at times lmao.
cha eun woo: im mad at people saying he cant act. he can! yh him as suho wasnt as expressive as seojun, but if you think about it, its really cos of the character. suho is pretty plain stoic and cold. hes a lot different than in the webtoon which is a little upsetting but cha eun woo, considering what he is like irl, did a good job acting completely different.
hwang in yeop: i love this man. for someone not having acted for long, the emotions, his eyes. he did an amazing job. the reason i fell for seojun was because in yeop acted so amazingly. heart and soul. i really cannot wait for his future dramas.
park yoo na: from being most loved to most hated to kinda understood, park yoo na is incredible. i cant describe her any better. i really am waiting for the day she plays a charcter that isnt hated at some point, preferably as first female lead.
the rest: the supporting cast, everyone really did do a good job. they all had something about them that just makes you love them. the chemistry between Im Se Mi and Oh Eui Shik. they were literally what i had to finish the drama for. also Kim Min Ki i love him (subscribe to his youtube channel lol)
music:
the OSTs *chefs kiss*
hwang in yeops voice *triple thousand chef kisses*
thats it.
rewatch value:
lmao my rewatch value is 5 because the pain of being a seojun stan is unbearable. i dont ever wanna watch this again because if i was hurt enough so cry on the phone to my friend, and then in front of my parents and brother and sister in law as someone who HATES crying infront of people, then nope! i will however be watching the sad edits of seojun when i need a few couple thousand tears to shed.
overall:
honestly, think basic kdrama with cheesy plot lines and a heart breaking love triangle which isnt even a triangle but is, then youll get this.
although i regret having watched this, i dont regret it at the same time. the message was beautiful, and although everyone but seojun was happy, it was an alright ending. it just really sucked when they threw away seojuns character like that. but watch this as a suho stan and you shall be happy.
*cheering in the background*
thank you, thank you
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Nothing new and yet I watched it from start to finish.
As of today, True Beauty is the only drama from this season that I've finished despite many others finishing earlier on in the season. Other than Mr. Queen, it's the only one I consistently kept up with. This is despite the fact that it had the weakest, most basic story of every other drama that I was watching. And that isn't to say the others were bad - there were plenty of unique, fun dramas that grabbed my attention more. And yet here I am. Let me explain.I went into True Beauty without the intention of liking it. I only wanted to try it out because I tend to give most dramas a one episode trial before deciding if I should watch them, and to my shock and horror, I kinda sorta enjoyed the first two episodes. It was that turn-your-brain-off kind of show that I need every now and then when work gets hard or life gets stressful. While the pandemic and 3-month-and-continuing lockdown messing with my mental health, this drama was so far from reality that it allowed me to forget for 2 1/2 hours of the week everything that was going on outside my door. And so I kept watching it. When other dramas started to lose their humour in favour of telling a story, when plots grew bland and lost what I was enjoying in the earlier episodes, and whenever I needed a pick-me-up, True Beauty came around midweek and gave me that happy moment that I couldn't find anywhere else.
True Beauty is nothing new. The plot is small and shallow and, having read about half of what's out of the webcomic previously, they changed a lot of aspects of the original story. And I mean a lot. I understand how upsetting that can be to fans of the source material because there were points that I, myself, went "wait, but that shouldn't happen, he was like THIS in the comic--" It's easy to get frustrated by that, but it's also easy to see why that was done. The story that needed to be told had to fit entirely within a 16 episode window. Webcomics aren't really known for their well-contained stories, and to keep it clean and simple changes are always made. After the first few weeks, I didn't really mind the changes. It's important to separate the webcomic and the drama going into either one of them. You can enjoy them on their own, but comparing them might leave you frustrated.
The plot is simple and basic but it stays fun and engaging throughout. Coming from the director that worked on Extraordinary You, it maintains that fun, silly atmosphere that makes both shows a treat to watch, even when nothing is happening and we're just watching characters go throughout their days. It doesn't take itself seriously, and that makes it easy to like. When watching it, I honestly felt like the characters were living in the world of a webtoon just as they were in Extraordinary You, and suddenly all the silly comments and over-the-top gestures made a lot of sense. The characters, while different from the source material, were charming. Whether it's the romance between her older sister and teacher who play role-reversal with typical kdrama stereotypes right up until the bitter end, Seo Jun and Su Ho whose friendship is one of the most easygoing and likeable I've ever seen between rivals in a love triangle, or any one of the students who are shown throughout, it was hard to dislike anyone. Even if they were cringy and hard to watch at times. I think the characters are one of the drama's strengths. They may not be too deep and their stories are ones we've seen before, but even as paper-thin as they are we see character development and changes throughout their stories. And can I just say props to Seo Jun for being one of the least petty SML I've seen in a long time.
Let's be honest, it's not for everybody. It's not a melodramatic love thriller. It's not a serious high school romance. There's no fantasy, even if it feels like the characters are living in a webtoon. The issues brought up are only lightly touched on and aren't delved into too deeply. If you're looking for something that will move you emotionally, you're not going to find it here. But if what you want is something stupid, silly and fun to take you away from the sorry state of the world in a time where we're spending our days staring at the same four walls, I think this is the perfect fit.
It's a story that does cliches well, that has a lot of heart and just a little plot, and I loved every minute of it.
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Not good, but not bad
This is my 1st review so please excuse my messy writing skills hahaThe ratings are way too high and biased with this one, in my opinion...
The last 2 eps were rushed, I felt like I was watching it solely for Seojun and the family to be completely honest. High school dramas aren't my cup of tea as they tend to be very cliche. Nonetheless, I liked the whole message behind the drama even though it was cliche. I didn't get to read the whole webtoon so I don't know how that went on.
I loved the side characters especially Heekyung and Junwoo, they were hilarious and stole the show for me. What can I say about Hwang In yeop? I adore him, so ready for whatever he has coming. I love Eunwoo but I just can't get into his acting yet, he sure did improve from his previous dramas though. However, he has a lot of room for improvement so I'm looking forward to his future roles.
The OST wasn't memorable.
Rewatch value: I can't see myself watching it again.
All in all, it was an enjoyable and chill watch. If you're looking for a drama that has plenty of fluffy and funny moments, this is the one.
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This review may contain spoilers
No overreaction..... Just reality check
Those who have not seen this drama, please read the writings at your own risk. Spoiler Alert !!.
The story is not that good. There are many more dramas on such stories. But that's not the bad story. This is a little more drama than average. However, people are overtaking the drama by doing so-and-so. I would say you are better than "My id is gangnam beauty" see. A drama of almost the same plot.
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The first seven or eight episodes of this drama were quite good. Then the rest has made a mess.
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The hero likes the heroine and the heroine also likes the hero. There is love between them. But again it becomes a breakup. Meanwhile, the hero's friend also likes the heroine. The heroine thinks of him as a friend again. Like eight or ten dramas, at the end the hero-heroine match again.
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Everyone on the online platform is frustrated with the story of the second lead. But why they are doing is not coming to my mind. I think everyone has overreacted a little too much. The drama is over for this over react. Better dramas are lost in the crowd of these over react drama.
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The hero, heroine and second lead have performed well in the drama. But am I a bit confused first lead or second lead? Who is more troubled? It seems to me that the life of the first lead was dark. Then the heroine becomes the light in her life and enlightens. Unrest of the hero's family, friends misunderstand him. All in all, he got only love from the heroine. As a result, he helped the heroine from afar and always gave priority to her choice. On the other hand, the heroine had to endure criticism in school and society for her bad looks. And if we talk about the second lead, then he has also performed well. Helped the heroine in need. In the end his dream has come true. And the heroine has helped him to fulfill this dream.
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This review may contain spoilers
HUUUUGE SECOND LEAD SYNDROME (long review read at your own risk lol)
I thought this drama was pretty good, it had an amazing casting and was overall an okay drama. I didn't like a lot of things about it though, in my opinion, they completely wasted many opportunities to give us depth about the second lead characters such as Han Seojun and Kang Soojin, and make the overall show more enjoyable. The female mc (Lim Ju Gyeong) didn't really have the type of character development I would remember because it happened in an instant. This concept seemed overused and became more dragging like the webtoon, but I will say I absolutely loved the OST for this show. My favorites were definitely "Fall in You' and "It Starts Today", they had many great tracks that I occasionally listen to.The moral story was lacking for me and rather than a feel-good confidence drama it ended up like any other romance cliche, which isn't bad, but considering the casting, I would've expected more from the plot as well. In all honestly, I wouldn't have continued to watch the show if it hadn't been for the second leads and side characters, their small moments in the show compensated for it, but the person who really stole it for me was Han Seojun. I really learned a lot from him watching the show and as a die-hard team Seojun, I was incredibly disappointed with the ending. The ending closed as many holes as possible in the vaguest and unsatisfying way possible which was really sad because it had so much potential. The female lead was also a basic pushover who was oblivious to everything and not very interesting personally.
This show followed so many cliches, it isn't the type of drama that gets you on the edge of your seat wondering what's going to happen next or who she is going to end up with, instead, they make it painfully obvious who she's going to end up with. This show was advertised as a "love triangle" when in reality that wasn't it at all, it was just Suho and Jugyeongs love story with Seojun being the sweetest guy ever and getting absolutely nothing in return, he got the worst ending out of all of them. Would not recommend it as a classic "love triangle" drama when the female lead showed absolutely no interest, as no interest, nothing towards the second lead. Just once I would've liked to see that first love isn't final love because that trope is so overused in my opinion.
Hwang In Yeop and Moon Ga Young had the type of chemistry that I would expect from the main couple, seriously every scene of them together made my heart skip several beats and I was blushing like crazy. HIY just continued to surprise me with his acting skillset throughout the series, I remember the amount of hate he was getting when he was first announced in the casting because he was 30 at the time and a rookie actor, but what I saw from him in the drama was a whole new level. I wouldn't write this review if I said I didn't know my way around kdramas, I've watched several of them and when I'm telling you his acting stole the whole show I mean it. This man is the true definition of 18 again and his acting was so incredible it seemed like he has been doing it for years. Quite embarrassing to admit but going into this I thought I was going to be in team Suho because of how much I love Eunwoo but ended up making a whole fan account of Hwang In Yeop instead because of his visuals and talent.
Would I recommend this show to anyone? Not really, unless of course, you're a sucker for cold rich boys with daddy issues, a diehard Eunwoo fan, or someone who loves cliche romances.
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cliche, nothing special but enjoyable
As a rom-com lover, watching so many dramas of the same old plot and love triangles gets me so tired and this was one of the many dramas that i enjoyed because I love rom-coms but also loathed to watch because of the cringe characters and the boring-same-school-romance-as-every-other-55-kdramas-out-there type of plot. Jukyung is so dense and cringe (not hating on moon ga young tho because her character is supposed it be like this) and I get annoyed so much by her that I just wished none of the two guys ended up with her. On the other hand, Seojun (played by Hwang In Yeop) totally stole the show for me and it was the hope of seeing him happy with Jukyung (although i dislike her) that motivated to continue watching because seojun best boy. Overall 6/10 for plot which is actually quite generous tbh.Rated it a 8/10 overall which is quite good because despite the cringe and cliche plot, I found myself looking forward to watch the first 12 episodes. I liked Seojun and the stories of the side characters like Jukyung's brother and sister really brought up the comedic genre of the series which made me put aside the cliche plot and continue watching. Would recommend this drama for people for want to jump in the bandwagon/ hype, its not super bad aside from the annoying characters and basic plot and I guess it doesn't hurt to watch a typical kdrama. Oh and they have really good OSTs too.
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Funny, sweet & touching Webtoon adaptation
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this drama! I was excited for every new episode each week and the writers like to keep you on the edge of your seat with the new promos.I read the webtoon and although the overall story is quite consistent, there are many changes to the plot but I found them refreshing. The characters in the drama version are very well written and had plenty of character growth throughout the drama! The love triangle, although it was tedious especially near the end, is the main focus of the show from the first half.
I found that the relationship of the main couple blossomed very naturally and all their scenes together were super sweet. Some people are disappointed because she doesn’t end up with who they wanted, but both male leads were terrific and both worthy of being chosen. I just preferred the main lead because the story focused a lot more on their relationship and it wouldn’t make sense for her to end up with SL (unlike in the webtoon where the SL has more of a relationship with JK). The main lead helped her grow as a person and loved her for her true self which deepened their relationship. Although I appreciate SL’s character as he is super sweet, I just preferred their relationship to be best friends. Too many viewers invalidated Jugyeong’s feelings and cared more about the fact that she didn’t choose the guy they liked. I don’t understand how people don’t see how great the main lead was as well- he is cold at first but he shows his softer side and he cares for and treats JK so well. He overcomes so much trauma and became a better person by meeting JK and vice versa. That is why I love them together-their relationship helped both of them become better versions of themselves.
Let’s talk about something other than the love story! The high school friends and family of the leads were all super fun and well incorporated to the story. The majority of this drama is very light-hearted and fun, but you’ll see they add a perfect mix of deeper scenes that touch on bullying, self-confidence and overall mental health.
Thanks to the writers and staff who made a wonderful drama that made me laugh, cry and enjoy every second of it! I would recommend this drama to everyone who enjoys romcoms (and despite the fact that it looks and starts off really cheesy, it gets sooo good and I don’t usually like cheesy dramas)!
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This review may contain spoilers
So much good stuff!
This was an amazing show and I'll tell you what I liked and leave anything negative (which I felt there was) for the end.STORY LINE: though not necessarily totally original, was very well-done. The old story of being bullied because of not being "pretty enough" was pretty hard-core in this one and, for me, those scenes were very difficult to watch. This is one of those shows that speaks to a serious topic, but you are enjoying the ride for the lessons learned along the way. There was always a lot going on. I'm not patient for shows that have a lot of "dead time" in their stories, where you could skim a lot and still not miss anything. This was not one of those shows. It actually took me longer than normal to get through, because I kept going back and re-watching episodes. There were many, many laugh out loud moments (Moon Ga Young is excellent at physical comedy), and yes, some very touching scenes. I absolutely loved the way they had the main lead know her secret early on and the things he did to protect her. This show made me question, as so many other have - do Korean women really fawn all over handsome men and talk about how handsome they are right in front of them? That always seems so strange to me. The story delves into the lengths we are willing to go to be accepted by others, the criteria for friendships, an interesting family dynamics. There are multiple families shown here, and a couple of them I thought I would have to disown myself from that family! I felt, at times, that the female lead was too weak and was upset that she never stood up for herself, but I'm speaking as an adult. I know that as a teen you look at things differently. She wanted to be accepted.
MUSIC: It seemed to me that there were just a couple of stand-out songs, but they fit perfectly in the show. As the second male lead was a singer, this got to be highlighted.
ACTING: Moon Ga Young as Lim Joo Gyung was excellent! As the "ugly duckling" (I hate to even say that, because she wasn't ugly even without makeup. But those ridiculous eyebrows!!), you really felt her loneliness and need to belong someplace. The bullying was extreme and hard to watch. She's a good crier and did a lot of it. She was good at the physical comedy aspects, especially the scene where she went home and just laid, dejected in the doorway. I loved how, through everything that she went through, she was so positive and sweet.
Cha Eun Woo as Lee Su Ho - he started out extremely cold (which I never could totally figure out the reasoning for it) and as he got to know Joo Gyung and other people at school, he warmed up. He portrayed an almost perfect man/boyfriend. He was sweet and caring and always watching out for the girl he liked. And can I just say he has the deepest voice I think I've ever heard?
Hwang In Yeop as Han Seo Jun - he started out with a chip on his shoulder, he was hard and kind of gangster-ish. But when he started liking Joo Gyung, things really changed. I have to say that I suffered from second lead syndrome. It was under control pretty much until the last two episodes (addressed later in this review) when I was re-thinking who she should end up with. In the last episode when he is on stage and the camera goes up close on his face, oh my!
Park Yoo Na as Kang Soo Jin. Joo Gyung's first friend at her new high school. Yoo Na played this part excellently. She had a big shift in her behavior and I have to say there were some scene where she actually gave me the creeps.
Jang Hye Jin as Joo Gyung's mother. I love this actress. I first saw her in CLOY and loved her in that. Here, she's kind of an overbearing and bossy wife/mom (though some of it is understandable), but when she finally discovers what has been happening to Joo Gyung, her protective instincts kick in and she becomes a total mama bear. The scene when she apologizes to Joo Gyung had me sobbing.
RELATIONSHIPS/CHEMISTRY - Joo Gyung and Seo Jun were totally cute together. He opened up and she could be herself. As their feelings developed and when they held hands, etc. it was lovely to watch. Their kisses were kind of hit and miss, and it's really unfortunate when the last kiss you see of theirs is totally without chemistry and obviously fake.
Joo Gyung and Seo Jun - this was another darling relationship and I would have to say that their chemistry was amazing, since they were only friends. I loved seeing the exact moment that he realized he liked her. I loved that she was so clueless to his feelings. I loved that they usually bickered like brother and sister. I loved that he was always looking out for her, going to her when he thought she was in trouble, and defending her when it was needed. I also loved that he usually didn't know why he was behaving the way he was. Upon writing this, apparently this was the relationship I liked the best.
Su Ho and Soo Jin - they used to be friends, became enemies and, once secrets were revealed, developed a bromance that was fun to watch.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE/THAT IRRITATED THE HECK OUT OF ME: At episode 13/14, everything was wrapped up nicely. The writers felt that they needed to add a couple of episodes. My problem with this is that all throughout the show, the male lead had been there for the female lead, caring for her and supporting her. Episodes 15/16 brought about a STUPID two-year time jump which had the male lead behaving in a preposterous way. He just left the country and broke up with her?!?! Though episodes 15/16 worked to bring him back to Korea, etc., my problem is, he's been gone for two years without contact at all and comes back and expects to pick up where they left off. Add to that, she's had two years with the yummy second lead, who is obviously interested in her (she was clueless, however). They do have a conversation about how they should have stayed together and had a long-distance relationship, but if he realized that while in the US, why didn't he call her?!?! I felt that he was totally in love with her up until he left and it derailed at that point for me and I was angry. The last two episodes show what happened with everyone else, which was nice, but I just lost respect for the male lead.
That being said, I'm SO glad I watched this, and perhaps when I watch it again, I'll just watch it without the last two episodes.
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Will go down in history as amazing!
This is a drama to stay up until 3am to watch! I love the whole story from beginning to end. The main characters chemistry and love triangles felt authentic and original. This should go on everyone’s must watch list and go down in history as a must watch for kdrama beginners! And veterans!The sisters love story didn’t feel like a time filler but part of the actual story. I usually don’t care for the secondary characters but all of the couples and peoples storyline’s felt important. The dynamics were non traditional and modern. The mental health message throughout the show is good for young people to watch.
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