This review may contain spoilers
Enjoyable drama with a disappointing message
This drama is a feel good drama and always wants you to continue watching. I have to mention that this drama has everything that you would want in a drama. The misunderstandings, the rich, handsome male lead, the second male lead, the friendship and the family.Personally, I have to say that even though I have already watched multiple dramas I still cannot get enough of the rise in tension when the episode is about to end. You do know the outcome sometimes but it just constantly keeps you on your toes.
All three leads in this drama did a good job of portraying their character. Lim Ju Kyeong played by Moon Ga Young shocked me at first because I only knew her from her other drama "Tempted". The range this woman has is amazing! Cha Eun Woo who played Lee Su Ho was a perfect fit for the cold jerk since he has that mysterious, arrogant vibe about him. Lastly, Han Seo Jun played by Hwang In Yeop did an excellent job. I was fascinated by his acting skills. I noticed that he really tried to act naturally and based on what a real person would do, especially with his facial expressions.
The other actors did a wonderful job as well but I have to say that those three stole the show, hihi.
However, the story in itself worries me. The basis of the entire story is that the female lead is "ugly". The only thing that they did to make her "ugly" is make her have red skin, some pimples and she has to wear glasses. This is what made me angry. Why exactly is a little bit of discoloration of the skin considered ugly? We are human beings and not puppets. Additionally, everybody has pimples. Especially, when you are a teenager. Why is that still considered "ugly"? Lastly, when exactly have glasses become a sign of "ugliness"? They are such a cool accessory and can make your face look different in a good way. Why exactly is a visual impairment considered such an "ugly" thing in society? Furthermore, when she is younger it is clearly visible that they made her eyebrows darker and thicker in an unrealistic way. Dark, thick eyebrows can be really cool and beautiful as well. In general, I just did not like this aspect of her being portrayed as ugly even though other people might struggle with the exact same issues but are beautiful.
(Spoilers from now on)
Later on in the series they seem to just accept everything quite easily only because she was bullied for it. However, we never got to the fact that she has been called ugly by everybody around her, even her own family, which should also be considered bullying. I am not saying you should go out and tell everybody they are beautiful if you do not think they are but just let people be if you do perceive them as ugly. Everybody has their own opinion and you know that if you force your own opinion on somebody else, they will be hurt if it is a negative thing. In general, I would have wanted this issue to be covered more in depth and it would have also been great to know why exactly the bullies had a problem with her other than her being ugly. A backstory for the bullies would have added addiitonal understanding of the problems that people have to face in society.
Further, the relationship between Lim Ju Kyeong and Lee Su Ho was not healthy. They even showed that they were not able to tell each other everything in that one scene where Lee Su Ho has so many things on his mind but only ends up saying that he loves her instead of talking about his issues. This is probably also the reason why I wanted to see her with Han Seo Jun since those two actually talked together about their feelings and what was on their minds. Regarding this, I would have wanted a portrayal of a healthier relationship between the two main leads. I believe it would have also made people pine less for Han Seo Jun but still enough that the story would not have been tainted.
Lastly, the fact that so many things involved physical fights without any major consequences made me worry. There were so many times that they got into a fight without any major consequences. This does not really set a good example for the younger audience. However, I do know that this is common in these kinds of dramas and somehow a part of what people want to see. I just think that the main message again that they told us is that you have to physically fight your bullies in order for them to leave you alone since that is the last scene we see of the bullies with Lim Ju Kyeong. It would have been nice to have a realistic way of dealing with the bullies instead of a fist fight to make the main character even stronger.
All in all, I enjoyed watching it because it had some funny scenes and the love triangle really put me on the edge of my seat this time around. For further dramas, I wish that they could add in a better message to the viewers. I enjoyed it because I knew that the things they did in this drama were very common for dramas but it should definitely be watched knowing that this is not how the world and society should be.
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SO MANY INTERESTING PART TO REPEAT
First of all let me say how can han so jun become my crush until today 2025. As for now Han So jun is my favourite second lead. I'm lazy to write too long but the plot and acting is so good. I laugh, I cry and I melt because the drama complete what I really want in that drama. Because of that drama I bought the cosmetic Cologram. Tbh, I hope they will make S2. Seriously if someone challenge me to watch the whole series again I would. I read the webtoon then only watch the kdrama. Hwang In Yeop really make the character of Han seo Jun alive. Eventho cha eun woo character also nice. But If you watch the drama you will surely choose Han seo jun because he is your typical bad boy with soft heart. I love the part where joo kyung fell down and han seo jun hold her.Please watch cause you will not regret it.
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Just a melodrama and a romcom.
From beginning to the very end there was nothing special to say, just a common drama with common features and a common concept. There were some incidents really mixed with romance as well as comedy and that should be appreciated. Because there are thousands of romcoms in the world but most of them don't seem to know how to mix the romance and comedy. It was not hard to finish watching the drama because there was some joy but there were some scenes at the end that cannot occur any laugh and that we have to think it as a comedy scene because the acting group and writer have tried very hard to make a laugh. If you are a romcom person you can watch this there is no offense, but I must say there are a lot of more and way better than this.Was this review helpful to you?
TEAM TRUE BEAUTY
This drama is so good. As of right now, there are only 2 episodes out, but I loved every moment of them. The actors and actresses are so talented, and I love how they truly bring out the personalities of the Webtoon's original characters. There's also so much chemistry between them. There were so many moments where I laughed out loud because a scene was just too funny, and so many others where I squealed endlessly because of Suho and Seojun. I love Cha Eunwoo as Suho, and how he can be both hot and cold towards Jugyeong. I also love Seojun, and how he comes off as badass and tough, but also a bit playful. I love Moon Ga-young's performance as Jugyeong; she's so perfect for the role. I love how she wonderfully portrays the awkward yet also funny and comical girl from the Webtoon. I'm so excited to continue the series. I LITERALLY CANNOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT EPISODE.Summary of the drama (May contain slight spoilers)The M/C, Jugyeong, is thought of as "ugly" based on society's standards, and she is not very confident with her looks. However, she becomes an expert on applying makeup and is deemed as the most pretty girl in her grade at her new high school. The only person from her class who has ever seen her bare face (without makeup) is a quiet, brooding, and a slightly cold boy named Suho, who harbours secrets of his own. As you can already tell, I'm obsessed with this drama (mostly since I'm a huge fan of the Webtoon), and I really hope it continues being so interesting and fun. Okay but literally though this drama is the only thing keeping me sane as of right now.
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This review may contain spoilers
First of all, I'm going to repeat myself once again and say that I rate based on overall enjoyment of a show.No, it's not the deepest story. Yes, some moments are cringy. It overuses many plotlines that we've already seen in many other dramas. Still, I can't rate True Beauty lower than 10: the drama was addictive. I haven't watched one that caught my attention as much as this one since Crash Landing on You, one year ago.
I laughed out loud a lot of times watching this show. I emphatized with the characters, I understood and felt their struggles. I loved the friendships above anything else. I enjoyed the family dynamics, even though the environment wasn't perfect at first.
My favorite character has to be HeeKyung. We need more characters like her in K-dramas, she felt so.. human. Like an actual person outside of a TV screen. Her relationship with Mr. Han has to be one of the best side characters' romance story I've seen.
I really liked JuKyung x SooAh x SooJin friendship, even though things happened and SooJin fucked up really big. I was relieved to see that she was able to understand why she was wrong and apologized properly to her by the final episode.
I actually couldn't decide if I liked JuKyung with SuHo or SeoJun. Even though SeoJun's love for JuKyung was not reciprocal, he was mature enough to understand it, move on and kept being friends with her.
Even the very secondary/extra characters had their own interesting stories; the classmates were all so funny and loyal to their group, Mr. Prince was such an awkwardly funny character, JuYoung and GoWoon were so cute and future couple material... I actually don't hate HATE any character. Of course, except the bullies. I'm happy they just got rid of them and never showed their faces again.
If you like school drama and comedy, this show is for you. I'm not sure why I'm saying this when I marked this as spoiler-ish. Like everyone who's reading this probably watched the whole show. If you agree or disagree with me, don't hesitate in commenting and giving your point of views! I love reading other people's opinions.
10/10
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Team Su Ho or Team Seo Jun?
I am an occasional k-drama watcher, but this drama really hit the jackpot for me. I have watched a lot of youth/school dramas and I can honestly say this one made to my all time favorites list because it was a beautiful storyline from beginning to the end with great production, cast, BGM/OSTs. It was just the perfect balance of romance, comedy, and friendship.The main storyline revolves around Joo Gyung, our female lead who is born with an “ugly” face. As a result, she is portrayed as a weak girl who often gets bullied in her high school. With an incident that causes the Joo Gyung to move to another school/neighborhood, she regains her confidence and gradually becomes a brand new person with the magic of makeup! (Actually, her personality has always been the same, just because of her “looks,” she has just always been isolated from people.) Now having a face of a k-pop idol thanks to the power of makeup, our female lead starts to shine bright in her new school by making new friends, and gets caught up in a love triangle between our male leads, Su Ho and Seo Jun. Who will see true beauty of Joo Gyung? Who will win her heart? Who will win your heart? I guess you will just have to find out!
When it comes to our leads, personally, from Episode 1, I’ve been rooting for the one and only Su Ho. I cannot say I’ve had the second lead syndrome because Su Ho just outdid Seo Jun in almost every possible way! Su Ho’s character being cold on the outside, but soft on the inside, but mainly, his knight and shining armor vibe will make you root for him. His character is sweet, romantic, dorky, loyal, and just perfect! Just a tip ladies, when he gets emotional, have your napkins ready! Same goes to our female lead! My girl did a great job portraying her character. Seeing her character develop from weak to badass/confident was another gem in the story. Not only that, after the high school period of life, the story goes on until she fights for her dream job.
Last but not least, we have our heart throb, Seo Jun! As much as I wanted to root for him, Su Ho just did not let that happen! This is because Joo Gyung and Su Ho just had an everlasting, beautiful love story together, and their chemistry was on fire!
Don’t get me wrong, Seo Jun’s character was awesome and male lead worthy, I loved how bad-ass he was on the outside, and just like Su Ho, he is also has a soft spot deep inside. I do wish we get like a Season 2, that way our Seo Jun gets a happier ending too (love life wise).
Aside from the main storyline, friendship is another major theme within this drama as it deals with coping from loss of a friend from suicide. It teaches you the value of friendship, second chances, forgiveness, and so on.
Side characters are so much fun and their storylines are entertaining as well. It’s full of comedic moments! One thing I really liked was that the drama itself focused more on the our lovely leads and fun side characters than the “evil” ones.
Trust me guys, this drama will be an easy and a memorable watch. It’s not too melodramatic and not too fluffy, so let’s just say it’s the perfect balance of both. The production, background music and OSTs added so much flavor, I loved the whole vibe! The cast was fantastic! Everyone did a great job portraying their characters (especially our 3 leads).
Overall, I am giving this an 11 out of 10! If you have any recommendations with the same vibe, please do hit me up!
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A story of being yourself and having courage.
I loved this drama, did I say love 10+++++ The cast did an amazing job. They couldn't have been play and better. This storyline is so true in this world today with bullying those that aren't pretty, Handsome rich, strong, popular and sexuallity. We are all created differently so why can't we just get along with other. Maybe we should all where mask and maybe bullying will stop. How many kids have committed suicide because of this, and all the bully say it wasn't me or they weren't strong enough or more one week and ugly person gone. These people should look in a mirror and see how ugly they really are. Most do it because of family pressure, trying to look cool, jeousley or looking tuff. So sad that she was horribly being tormented and Noone to rescue her at school or home. So she transferred to a different school and transformed herself. At first it seems that the kids aren't bullied here at all until.. Kang soojin who having her own problem at home and being jeousle that lee su ho only see her as a friend. Knowing im joo gyung has acne under her makeup she decides to show everyone her true look and hoping suho will dump her. It's sad that her so called friends got mad at her for disguising herself into a beautiful girl.. Did oone see the abuse she suffered in the video.. No they only saw her face and deception except su ho and seojun that stay by her side. Wow the excitement begins as joo gyung starts to get mad and gets the courage to fight back with the girls in school and also from the old school. She makes up with soo ah and then they get into a fight with soojin to apologize, but she refuse to. So someone put up on site that soojin exposed the video, she runs out and Joogyung runs after but she still won't apologise and can't be friends. Her mom see the video and is so sorry that she didn't realize that her dtr. was being bullied. So she agree to let her go to cosmetology school and she passes the test. So suho and her go to beach for the day/night and had fun until seo jun shows up and tells him his father collapse and is having surgery in the usa. So he board planes and when ready to come home his father has a relapse and goes into surgery again. He now has to stay in USA and so he breaks up with I'm joo gyung and they both are heart broken and she get closer to seo jun as he Finally got the guts to tell her he likes her. He asked for 3 dates to see if he could finally get her heart they go on 2 dated and it's start to snow so she goes to namsen park and runs into su ho after 2yrs. Then he tryes to get her back knowing that seojun finally asked her out. Now you need to watch the end and see who gets her heart. There is so much more to watch from beginning to end. EnjoyWas this review helpful to you?
sls ran me over so i'm a blobby mess now and i hate love triangles as usual!!
(If you don't know who the main character ends up with, yes, there are spoilers below for that)I've never read the webtoon, so I'm not sure how well they stick to it or whether the characters are on point or not, but still, I pretty much loved this drama.
I found this drama pretty sweet and very, very hilarious, I couldn't stop laughing, which sold me on this drama because I love to laugh. It brought up a lot of important messages on bullying, mental health, empathy, and inner beauty and explored great family, friendship, and romance relationships. I loved Ju Kyung, especially when her bare face gets revealed. At first, she was just a super funny, kind girl who had gone through a lot in the past because of her "ugly" face, but she developed into a (still) funny and extremely strong person. I loved how we got to see her transform from a girl who believed she was nothing just due to the fact that she wasn't pretty or smart into a confident girl who knew what she wanted to do.
Fair warning, you WILL get second lead syndrome. Maybe you think you're prepared because you've heard a lot of other people, but I'm here to tell you YOU ARE NOT PREPARED. Seo Jun's bad boy with a heart of gold vibes will literally capture your heart. He's not even that much of a bad boy (although at first he kind of seems like it), he's literally the sweetest and most selfless person ever. This is the first time I've ever gotten SLS (in a love triangle, specifically), and I was not read for it, it broke my heart ;-;. I was not fond of the ending they gave him, just because I'd like to see his life after spending three years of it liking ju kyung.
The story is pretty cliche, but I did like the way the actors carried it out. The characters in this drama are so lovable. Ju Kyung's older sister is so badass, I love her and the power she radiates. Honestly, her whole family is a mess but hilariously lovable, and I love how she and her mother's relationship develops later in the drama. Everyone is amazing is their own right––Ju Kyung's family, her friends, her classmates. The seo jun and su ho bromance is quality, literally forget team su ho or team seo jun, I'm team sujun/seoho/whatever.
As for the main couple, I got a bit bored and irritated by them from episodes 12 to 15, but they were pretty cute in the finale. I think after I thought, "hey, su ho and ju kyung are pretty cute," long enough I was just questioning why I was being shown some of their scenes. Ju Kyung, while still cute and very sweet, loses some of her spunk when she's with su ho. Still, their relationship was supportive and understanding and the related to each other nicely, which I liked. I think I might just be a little sick of this cold male lead trope, but su ho also has his own cute points.
The synopsis may seem a little shallow as it's all about beauty, but honestly, the drama isn't shallow at all. Again, I loved Ju Kyung's strength, and the bullying she went through isn't a joke or any small matter. It's serious and I really think it shows how strong she is that she was always smiling and continued to be happy. Se yeon's (seo jun and su ho's best friend) storyline was another important story and it made me cry so, so much. It might be a matter of preference or age––maybe this drama might seem immature to some people, but I really enjoyed it.
Least favorite part of the drama was hands-down the love triangle. First of all, it was barely a love triangle. Second, it dragged on for way too long. I understand that one of the main plot points of this drama was the love triangle, but I honestly didn't see any reason to draw the love triangle out past episode 11 or so. I just got bored of it, and then frustrated at the fact that the writers wouldn't let Seo Jun move on (I love Seo Jun, okay, just let him be happy ;-;). It began to get unnecessary, especially considering the fact that again, it was BARELY a love triangle.
The cast: Loved Moon Ga Young in this, she made me fall in love with Ju Kyung's character and nailed all of her emotions, personality, and humor. I obviously love Hwang In Yeop for his amazing portrayal of Seo Jun. His charm is amazing and he portrays seo jun's charismatic, hilarious character perfectly. Eun woo also brought su ho to life very well. I liked the way he integrated su ho's adorable awkwardness in with his cold exterior. The casting of Ju Kyung's parents is just PERFECTION. I have zero complaints about this cast.
The humor is on point––a little slapstick-y, but not to the point where it makes you cringe. I found it hilarious. Love triangles suck, but this drama is something you should definitely try! It takes an episode to really get into it, but I'm glad I stuck around. (Seo Jun deserved better, 2k21 ;-;)
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WELL DONE!!! TWO THUMBS UP !!!
First off, I'm a huge fan of the Webtoon, started reading it when it came out in English ...Was super excited to see what they would do with the adaptation, it was really good, I enjoyed every episode.
The writers did one hell of a job!! All the characters were great, but that is obviously mainly due to great actors, even the younger ones were top notch.
I already liked Moon Ga Young, but now I totally love her...Cha Eun Woo, well he was awesome ...he was the only one for this part and he killed it!
What I did not expect (because Cha Eun Woo is ..well...perfect...in every way) was to have such a bad case of SECOND MALE LEAD SYNDROME ...at first I was... WOW...this dude is like Seo Jun in 3D ... every scene had me like ...wowing all the time... BEST CASTING CHOICE EVER...I did not know the actor (sure gonna be correcting that) ...hahaha...
If you read the Webtoon like me...don't expect anything...just let your mind and your heart enjoy it for the fun and heart wrenching moments the drama brings you... the drama caught the essence of the Webtoon and made it work...
It's a total 10 on the rewatch ..it's so worth it... It's been ages since I watched a Korean drama (of this genre) that had me this excited...and happy...
Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!!
XOXO
Uni
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Beautiful Story
this was my first KDrama and I'm really glad i watched it. I felt like the acting was on point. I relate in different ways to the main character and it brought a lot of tears to my eyes in some of the scenes. I really enjoyed the story line and the acting, never having read about it or seeing the webtoon. It's made me a huge fan of Cha Eunwoo and Hwang In-Yeop. I definitely plan to watch more dramas that star those two. They had great acting chemistry and each twist and turn my heart want to reach out to both characters. This was an excellent casting choice and I absolutely loved it.Was this review helpful to you?
The messages that the writer wanted to show us
I started True beauty without any expectations. However, this drama has left a deep impression on me and here is why:1) the insecurities and hardships that teenagers have to deal with;
2) how the teenagers are responding to their insecurities and their hardships;
3) what the definition of true beauty really is and the acceptance of it;
4) what the value of true friendship should look like;
5) how to be logical and when to let go if you cannot be with the one you want; and at last but not least
6) how to be confident and not to let go if you are certain about things.
The story is well written and the actors managed to convey all of the above messages. The focus points of this drama was never about the love triangle, but about how to deal with your own insecurities, hardships, value of true friendships and being logical.
Overall: I would say that the story is a 10/10 and the acting is 10/10 as each actor has portrayed their roles really well. The OST's are also a 10/10 and the rewatch value is 10/10.
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