True Beauty (2020)

Can beauty of "True Beauty" go beyond fan service?

If you are a fan of either the original webtoon or any of the cast member, this drama is a delightful treat. But if you are like me who didn't find the original webtoon with substantial content and good plot progression, then this will definitely satisfy you, even exceeding your expectations. But what if you are a general audience who is unfamiliar with both webtoon and the cast, is this for you?

At the start, it was difficult to get into the show. I was subconsciously comparing it with My ID is Gangnam beauty and how good it was. The thought that this is about a teen girl and her musings makes this feel very innocent and childlike in front of MIGB broke me free of comparison.

School dramas can be difficult to satisfy. There is bullying. Then, there is innocence in romance. There is unnecessary misunderstandings and overthinking typical of that age. True beauty has all of these. Yet, it continues to entertain, unlike classic school kdramas, be it Playful kiss, Heirs, Boys over Flowers with lighter characters. I was surprised that the characters convincingly look like and act like school going teens.

What sets this apart from the other school dramas is its perfect amount of interweaving of comedy and seriousness. I was tempted to drop if the whole "letting out the truth" would be very dramatic and teary but it didn't. Last four to two episodes had heavy plot progression. Especially the last 2 episodes felt like events were happening faster; so many, many things were happening. But luckily, there were enough comical moments like the secondary couple to make the mood light. Whatever issues happened were dealt with in the same episode or in the very next episode. Bonus, There is sismance, there is bromance. And there is The HSJ-LSH© level bromance.

Additionally, nobody is a jerk here. There is one or two but you can't hate that person and they get their bitter medicine as well. But what was best is the character transformation of MC coming out strong and bold. Of course, both the male leads were interesting. I'm gonna glide over the entire love triangle because talking about it means dealing with spoilers. LSH has more amount of screen time as a love interest with LJK, as opposed to HSJ, so for me, it seemed like an unfair love triangle for HSJ. Again, it's a kdrama. I am neither team HSJ or team SH because both are good. Let the timing do the work. Let the lady choose.

When I heard there was a production for this webtoon, I wondered how well it was going to be produced. I was surprised money went to all right places, hiring a good screenwriter to write a solid and tight plot, good imaginative scenes to give the webtoon-ish feel, experimenting different episodic narration styles, and good music. I think I love all the OSTs with top 3- I'm in the mood for dancing, Call me maybe, and I'm missing you.

And the best part is how true the casting is true to the webtoon. CEW's acting of subtler expressions is getting better. MGY is gorgeous as ever. I don't think I would rewatch it again except maybe comedy scenes.

Undeniably, True Beauty will become a game-changer by heightening expectations for future school kdramas. Yes, the story is nothing new but it keeps entertaining being light-hearted and hilarious.

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Sensational drama that has stolen the hearts of millions

Get ready to be captivated by the sensational drama that has stolen the hearts of millions: "True Beauty." As a newcomer to webtoons, I stumbled upon this extraordinary story, and its unique plot and stunning art instantly won me over. Little did I know that this webtoon would be adapted into a drama, filling me with an immeasurable amount of joy and anticipation.

"True Beauty" boasts a cast that is nothing short of perfection. With each episode, I found myself completely engrossed, unable to miss a single moment. The characters are all so lovable and relatable, bringing an extra layer of depth and charm to the story. The comedic talents of the female lead injected laughter into every scene, making her a delight to watch.

The romantic aspect of the drama is simply irresistible. The chemistry between the female lead and Suho, with his cold demeanor and yet sweet gestures, had me swooning. And let's not forget about Han Seo Jun, whose boldness, patience, and sacrifices made him an absolute standout.

The drama is not without its fair share of emotional moments. The twists and turns of the plot kept me on the edge of my seat, experiencing a whirlwind of emotions. But in the end, the drama delivered a satisfying conclusion that left me feeling content and fulfilled

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Cliché & Cringe

As a fan of the webtoon this was such a horrible adaptation. I will admit I’m biased towards SJ. This drama started to annoy me when they gave SH a bunch of SJ’s scenes. His personality is so dry. Their chemistry is so dry. Their chemistry doesn’t even compare to SJ & JK. That’s why they had to give SH scenes from SJ and also create this childhood backstory. Even with the scenes that didn’t belong to him their relationship was so flat, boring, & cliché.

He leaves for 2 years while SJ is there for her and he comes back & gets the girl back almost instantly. Barf. SJ who did more for her than SH ever did gets left broken hearted. While SH the wet blanket gets the girl with barely any effort after breaking her heart. This drama was so cliché & predictable. As soon as the childhood scenes & stolen scenes it was so clear who she gonna end up with. It’s like they didn’t even try. They could if at least given SJ his real part and made it really unpredictable as to who she was going to end up with. Even if she had ended up with SH after all that I would of given this a much better rating bc at least SJ got his fair chance like in the webtoon. I only finished it because I started it with my sis- in law & she made me finish it with her. If it wasn’t for her I was fine with never watching the super cliché & predictable final episodes of this drama.

The only good thing about the drama was the cast. I think they picked perfect actors that really portrayed the characters great. Too bad the writers / director really dropped the ball with the story. I’m so sad how this drama destroyed SJ amazing character. I’m so confused as to why everyone loves SH so much. Even in the webtoon he’s such a weird, awkward, & boring guy. His pretty face is the only thing he has. SJ has a pretty face and a bomb personality. #TeamSeoJun ALWAYS!

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A fun drama to watch !

True beauty was just a fun drama to watch during your downtime or if you need a break from any action pack dramas. I think this is a show that is not for everyone. True beauty is a fun and endearing show, also really tropey but it was really silly, But I would recommend this if you just need a calm drama with not that much thinking.

Okay for that acting I enjoyed their acting it was not the best but it was still amazing.
Ju Kyung is a bit ditzy and clumsy, she grew a bit better as a character which was great. Moon Ga Young did a great job at portraying this character and made you feel sympathy towards Ju Kyung. I defiantly wanted her to have a better future.
Soo Ho was one of the love interests of Ju Kyung, he was like the tsundere type coming off as cold at first and then slowly you get to know him more. Cha Eun Woo did a great job at playing Soo Ho since he did play a similar character in My ID is Gangnam Beauty so I believe he took some elements from that character due to similarities.
Ju Kyung and Soo Ho relationship were super cute and just fun to watch. One of my favorite things about this couple is that Soo Ho falls in love with Ju Kyung first.
Seo Joon !! I loved him !! Seo Joon grew on me during the show and I was kinda rooting for him a bit at the end. He was a bad boy and Hwang In Yeop played him so well probably one of my newest favorite actors.
For Seo Joon and Ju Kyung's relationship, I found it so cute. They had a playful and tease relationship which I'm a sucker for Lol.
Soo Ho and Seo Joon's relationship were honestly one of the most heartbreaking things to watch in this show, there was just a lot of misunderstanding between them. I just wanted them to just sit and talk and when they finally did it was so heartwarming seeing their friendship come back. I love this bromance

OST not one of my favorites but did enjoy all the songs. My favorites were "Love So Fine" by Cha Eunwoo and "How Do You Do?" by Chani

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it's not bad, but it depends on your taste.

I am an avid True Beaty webtoon reader, and although I must admit that I am not a big fan of the webtoon, but I think this drama is pesonally... alright?

This drama is honestly, in my opinion, better than the webtoon. They made the characters more relatable and lovable, and it was quite different compared to the webtoon. The pairings were pretty interesting, and there were many funny and cute moments.

I think the casting and acting was great because they really portrayed the characters well! But the story... was really cliché and predictable. I found myself cringing a lot while watching. Not to mention the fact that there were so many stereotypical characters.

Overall, I didn't enjoy it very much, but it depends on your taste. If you love sappy and cliché dramas, go try this out! (my sister quite enjoyed it, so you might too, if you have the same taste as her)

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At first, I really liked it BUT too much changed from the original story, things were handled messily, the end felt incomplete, and it lost its meaning. It was altogether disappointing because it had so much potential that was wasted and overtime some main characters began to annoy me.

- Seojun was treated like a side/therapy character with one-sided love who never got anything in return
- Suho never got the help he needed and became some toxic-possessive-stalker but it was played off as being "okay" since he was the girl's destiny
- Jugyeong was overly dense and made into a character that needs a man's validation

The whole thing was just so unrealistic and sloppy, especially the rushed ending due to them dragging things out. So many scenes were taken and given to different characters and the whole plot was practically changed. It felt as if the writers just took the idea of True Beauty and re-wrote it into something completely different when they could have made the drama far more fair. It definitely didn't feel like an adaptation. There are just so many things that were wrong with it I'd practically be writing an essay, but I hit some main points. (If you want to know some things I may have not hit, @hiycatboy made an "everything wrong with true beauty" thread on Twitter) Overall, the drama was a disappointment for me, especially if you've read the webtoon.

Now, you may like this drama if 1) You enjoy cliche's 2) You're fine with predictable endings 3) You enjoy cringy love moments 4) You're part of a younger age demographic.

One thing I must admit that they did right: choosing the cast. They were all so loveable and amazingly talented, but I honestly don't believe this drama deserves the hype or views. However, if you are what I listed above or just want to waste your time then go for it lol

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I was super invested but was it worth it?

Is this concept new or fresh? Is the storyline free of cliches? Well it’s a no to both those questions. However they do it right- balancing humour and romance with a tinge of melodrama carried by a talented actress in the leading front.

The main romance is not my personal favourite part as I do not feel the chemistry and also suffer from SLS but many may enjoy it, and if they do there’s a fair share of love dose of the two so you’ll be satisfied. The best chemistry on this entire show is still between the 2 boys in all honesty.

One of the best things in this show apart from Han Seojun (honestly Hwang In Yeop NAILED IT) is JG’s family dynamics and her badass sister and her love story. Their ending was also the most satisfying for me.

The story is very predictable and honestly it is very clear from the get go who the girl will end up with as JG’s heart never wavers. Still the writers do a very good job of instilling hope to all those in favour of the second lead by dragging the love triangle right till the last episode. We as viewers know we are being bated but to watch the true beauty that is Han Seojun was enough for me.

Everything was going fine till episode 13- our main girl JG even musters up the courage to accept her appearance and face her bullies which is the most important part. Suho and her are happily dating too. Ofcourse in the very next episode due to his father’s illness our main boy Suho has to leave. Owing to the great ‘struggles‘ of their long distance relationship, Noble Idiocy takes form in the name of Lee Su-Ho as he decides to break up with JG- this entire drama would make sense if there were repercussions of their distance and break up in the relationship when he returned. All it takes is a day after he returns for them to get together and act like they did in high school when the dated for a brief period. Don’t get me wrong- I knew they would end up together, but is this the best way to bring last minute drama into the show? Completely unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the drama. They even make Seojun cry in pain during the finale as he gets rejected- They do make up for it by making him debut as an idol as he sing 2 songs while looking flawless and being beautiful as he is.

However, I simply can’t deny how invested I was in the show. If you like high school dramas, typical tropes, love triangles and slapstick humour you will definitely enjoy this show. I was totally in the mood for something that satisfies the criteria above and thus I enjoyed it for the most part. If you’re looking for something more serious, deep or different this is not your pick.

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Started out good but ended up cliche and unrealistic

So this drama is okay I guess. But in terms of story wise the female lead is stuck between two leads (apparently blind to Seojun) and the writers really push Suho and Jukyung so much that Seojun is just click bait at this point despite being literally the best character in this drama. Soojin also was given no closure or redemption arc which sucked big time. I’ve read the WEBTOON and the importance of Seojun is forgotten in the drama. If you like cliche boring romances with the chemistry of the main leads so dry and boring then I guess you will like this. Major Second lead syndrome and it’s for a good reason... Seojun chemistry with Jukyung is so good they washed the potential. Also many of Seojun’s scenes are given to Suho from the WEBTOON so that speaks by itself. Have fun if you’re gonna watch this, you’re in for a sappy cliche high school story with unnecessary drama. It is funny though.

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Steaming hot pile of cliche!

Bad acting, bad direction, bad story line - sorry non-existent story line; if all that is not enough, there is bad romance to boot.

I hated what they did to Park Yoo Na'a character. Poor Kang Soo Jin . They left her character suspended in middle of mental breakdown. Surrounded by selfish classmates and brainless bimbos, Soo Jin looks like a moon fairy captured by a curse and left trapped in a place she doesn't belong.

There is no proper conclusion to any relationship except the main one. The show survives on very standard school comedy and disparaging remarks made by family members against each other. Excitement lasts till episode 4-5. It is all repetitive from there.

The sob story about dead friend had no use whatsoever except for creating a nonsensical hostility among characters. Sister-Teacher romance was pure cringe and not at all funny. I would not advise anybody to watch it. Pretty pointless and you don't even feel satisfied at the end.

It's a stupid drama with no justification to its title "True Beauty". Maybe they should've read Keats:

A thing of beauty is a joy forever
Its loveliness increases, it will never
Pass into nothingness;

Or George MacDonald:

“For essential beauty is infinite, and, as the soul of Nature needs an endless succession of varied forms to embody her loveliness, countless faces of beauty springing forth, not any two the same, at every one of her heart-throbs, so the individual form needs an infinite change of its environments, to enable it to uncover all the phases of its loveliness.”
― Phantastes

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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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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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