True Beauty

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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Lovely rom-com

True Beauty
Best episode: No favorite - rated most of them with 9 stars /16
Watched it: 16/5 - 17/6 (2026)
Why I liked it: True Beauty is a very funny and good drama. It is perfect for binge-watching with its enjoyable plot and plenty of moments bringing butterflies to viewers all around the world.

The male lead Lee Soo Ho, seemed like a jerk in my eyes from the beginning, but later on he got better and then I was on his team, even though I feel bad for Han Seo Jun.

It was really nice to see a drama pretty focused on relationships in families, Lim Ju Kyeong’s family seemed so nice and funny to be around.

The OST was also really good, a lot of songs and nice instrumentals too. It was really lovely to witness Lee Hee Kyung (what a passionate lover) and Han Jun Ho fall in love and marry each other. Shou-out to Lim Ju Yeong, he seemed to be so nice and caring. Hope he and Han Go Un continue seeing each other.

Could have been better: It was sad to see how Kang Su Jin changed because of the toxic environment she grew up in, but it was really nice seeing her apologize and become friends with Lim Ju Kyeong and the others again. Unrelated but she looked so good in this series but especially in the last episode.

Otherwise I don’t really have that much negative to say, maybe sometimes there was a bit too much drama but that’s also partly what made the show interesting.

Favorite Character: Lim Ju Yeong

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Another drama that suffers the being-too-long curse

Don’t get me wrong; I think this drama is really entertaining. Mun Ka Young delivers an amazing performance, and Cha Eun Woo and Hwang In Youp are absolute treasures to watch. However, I feel that this drama is a bit too long.


It begins nicely, conveying important messages about bullying, beauty bias, and the impact of words on one’s mindset. The high school scenes are somewhat realistic, the family dynamics moved me in various ways, and the friendships throughout the drama brought me a lot of joy. I also loved the relationship between Hui Gyeong and Prof Han. Not only did they break the rules surrounding gender roles, but they also provided some of the best support in the drama – both as a secondary couple and as individual characters interacting with the main leads. They were definitely two of my favourite characters.


So, overall, I believe that for the genre of high school romantic-comedy drama, this show performed well, and I can understand the hype surrounding it.


But I must be honest – the plot loses momentum when the main leads admit their feelings for each other, followed by a time skip and a breakup that extends a storyline that should have been resolved already. And while I appreciated Seo Jun’s character, and ultimately wanted him to get the girl, it felt somewhat cruel to continue his struggles, especially since his role was clearly meant to be that of a secondary male lead. Their trial-dating didn’t seem to add anything substantial to the plot.


In the end, I found myself dragging my feet through the last few episodes because I genuinely wanted to see how the drama would conclude. I was simultaneously disappointed and delighted.

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Good if you like Cha Eunwoo

I was team Seojun. I had to watch him sit in the cuck chair all show and then jestermaxx in his last scene in front of the winning couple. There were a little too many storylines that were gonna shoved to the side, which bummed me out. Juyeong and Gowoon were such a fun and cute dynamic, only for the writers to just about completely disregard them in the final episodes. Ga-young, Eun-woo, and In-yeop are all fantastic and their performances really enhance the show a lot, except Gayoung is way too pretty bare-faced so the illusion that she’s supposed to be ugly is crazy. Still a solid show though, but there are better in the same genre.

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I can't believe this drama is made in 2020

I guess people were so bored during the pandemic that they made this drama. This is a 2012 type of Korean show. I can give you a lot of old kdramas that have exactly the same flow and plot. Yes, it has its own twists, but not exactly new either. 
 
The only thing worth watching in this show is the relationship of the older sister of Im Jukyung, which is Im Heekyung and Han Joonwoo. I like the character of Heekyung here, a strong and cool woman (I'm trying to be like her fr). And my baby Kang Soojin (Park Yoona) also did great. This is also the first drama of Kim Minki (who plays the younger brother of the female lead, Im Juyoung) where I saw him, and he did not disappoint.
 
I only give this a 5.5/10. Let's be real here: if the two male leads are not handsome, people won't love this drama that much.

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na época era boa

Eu acompanhei esse dorama desde a prévia, lançou em 2020, nessa época ninguém ligava para uma história surpreendente, um bom casting ou ost, atualmente há milhares de doramas muito melhores que essa bomba.
Creio que oque carregou este kdrama foram os atores, a história é chata, ultrapassada, clichê demais da conta, cansativa, os episódios podem até serem bons e avançarem de uma forma boa, mas o final parece que volta para o começo, não tem um enredo legal, não tem um significado, os episódios parecem que não tem caminho, e simplesmente avançam para o óbvio, o menino bonito fica com a menina que sofre bullying, ou que se acha feia, tudo acontece de um jeito tão tedioso.

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What "my ID is Gangnam Beauty" tried to accomplish, True Beauty succeeded

The first half of this drama felt like one of those guilty pleasure dramas that don't necessarily have the best story, are usually cliché, but they still make you giggle incessantly. Somewhere around the middle mark is when it hits you that the story really is just about a girl wearing makeup, and her having to constantly get out of a situation that could show her real face. Drama which could all be avoided if she just put on makeup before she left the house.

I am not saying this is a bad drama. What I mean to say is that it's very one-dimensional, but that that's what actually makes it good! That is until the episodes go by, and you're nearing the end, and you realize they NEED to add some drama because there hasn't been that "big" problem yet which needs to be solved. And as predicted they added the most unnecessary drama, and also decided to push the love triangle that should have been solved long ago.

Besides that, the acting was good. Ga Young was brilliant. The way she carried herself differently with makeup and bare-face was really amazing. It almost felt like 2 different characters, and I think that was an intentional choice. She is stiff and nervous in makeup because that is not her. Then, when she removes the makeup she is relaxed and outgoing.
Cha EunWoo.... uhh. How do I put this nicely? If you took his character from my ID is Gangnam Beauty and related it with this, there would be absolutely no change to the story. They are the same person. I dont know if this was intentional, but it made for unavoidable comparisons throughout the whole series. The character was painfully boring. I began referring to him as "white bread" after just a few episodes. He has a pretty face. That's it, that's the character.
In Yeop. Oh boy. It is really rare that I get "second-lead syndrome", and I had it BAD. I won't go into detail, but if SuHo is white bread, Seojun is tiramisu.

In conclusion, do I recommend? Yes, if you enjoy cliché drama that would almost never happen in real life (and I do). Would I watch it again? Maybe, but I would skip the last couple episodes.

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Uma adaptação gostosinha de assistir

Na época em que o dorama foi lançado, eu estava no meio da leitura do Webtoon. Estava super empolgada, principalmente porque o elenco é muito bom, mas acabei abandonando na metade. Agora que faz tempo desde que li o Webtoon e consegui ver o dorama sem me influenciar demais pelo que eu já sabia da história, foi uma experiência muito gostosinha.

A história tem suas inconsistências, o Seo-jun não tem chance alguma nessa adaptação e isso talvez faça até mais sentido por se tratar de um dorama e a possibilidade de se apaixonar por ambos os leads ser muito nula, algo que só pôde existir no Webtoon. Até hoje não entendo porque a possibilidade de ir a um dermatologista não é explorada na história, já que a questão toda da Jugyeong é a acne, mas gostei de ver como nos últimos episódios ela começa a tratar a maquiagem de maneira menos obsessiva, usando-a quando deseja. Achei infantil a maneira como os colegas de classe reagiram de início ao saber que ela era tão diferente sem maquiagem (o que é risível porque ela realmente não é tão diferente assim sem maquiagem), mas que bom que o dorama seguiu uma abordagem mais "tudo vai dar certo no fim" e acabamos por não odiar nem culpar nenhum personagem, pois todos demonstram uma certa evolução do começo até o fim da história.

Gostei muito da atuação do Eunwoo aqui, sei que muita gente não gosta tanto do seu trabalho como ator por achar ele inexpressivo, até eu mesma já pensei assim, mas sinto que pelo que o personagem Lee Suho exigia, ele foi excelente.

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True Beauty Review - ZyKuu

"Makeup cannot conceal your character" - The story is amazing and does a great job at illustrating the relationships and realistic scenarios a highschool teenager can face. From topics such as career choice, true friendships, and self-confidence, this drama does a fantastic job at labelling these topics and teaching the viewers a valuable lesson. Bullying was a big plot point this drama harped on, and I admired the way the story unfolded whilst solving these problems. Do not be a bully, instead be kind! The cast was beyond incredible. I loved the main leads Ju-gyeong and Su-ho, but surprisingly my favourite character throughout this dramas entirety was Seo-jun. I loved his character and morals regardless of any situation. Su-ho and Seo-jun had a bromance throughout the series which was heartwarming to watch. I was really a fan of Ju-gyeongs family especially her siblings. Both siblings served as a comedic relief and had adorable relationships of their own which were unique. Ju-gyeongs friends were also amazing and they were perfect pieces placed around her whilst she was attending school. The OST is incredible! Overall, this was a beautiful drama that I will dearly miss, and I highly recommend you give it a try!

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It's a so-so drama.

Personally I think this drama is quite consistent till episode 9. As an individual who's been watching dramas since 2018, especially romance dramas with portions of drama and family I could already predict what would happen in these mainstream romance dramas. Honestly this drama had me very intrigued for most parts and the cliff hangers left me persistent and longing for the next episode. It's a very heart-warming and enjoyable drama, the drama is suited to the mood of casual enjoyment. It's very cute , love the camera work, outfits, setting and cast. OK so HONESTLY, it's quite funny, like at numerous scenes I was laughing in the dark in my room, trying to not burst into high volume laughter in case of waking anyone up. I recommend this drama to anyone who wants a some-what steady paced drama and anyone who is a beginner will really enjoy this.

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Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?

I watched True Beauty with no context of the webtoon. I followed Cha Eun-woo here from Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung. This drama is somehow extremely cliche, but also incredibly stress inducing!! There is way too much back and forth in the plot in an attempt to keep viewers hanging. It was like a slow, emotional torture. I was rooting for Cha Eun-woo, but I was still driven crazy by the back and forth of it all, though I knew she would likely end up with him.

They will not let you be happy or relaxed for a single episode of this show. And yes, I mean that in a bad way. It isn’t that you can’t figure out what will likely happen…just think of the thing that will make you cringe/you don’t want to happen, and that is EXACTLY what will happen. Some of the mean girl stuff, not just the blatant bullying, but the betrayal of her friend gave me major anxiety. It was disappointing and stressful.

I thought they did a good job adding humor. The acting overall was really great. I am new to Cha Eun-woo, so I am confused by anyone who thinks he can’t act?! His character, demeanor, EVERYTHING was SO different from Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung. Hwang In-youp did a great job and was one of the most lovable second male leads I have experienced.

I agree with some comments about them not properly fleshing out some big points like: inner beauty, self-confidence, suicide, mental health, etc. I don’t think that the FL was as helpless as some reviewers believed…she did some things I wouldn’t have, but I think that it could’ve been landed better. In a country known for TOXIC beauty standards, NO girl has Cha Eun-woo holding her hand through the school day or running all over Seoul to console her. I wish they had a better message surrounding this.

Overall, I watched this to spend time with Cha Eun-woo, and while he served some major ~looks~ in this show, I didn’t get to enjoy it as much as I hoped. I liked his Mr. Darcy vibe, but there was too much imbalance of stress vs happy moments in this show. I felt like I only got 3 good smiles—boo!! Every time something good happened, I was filled with dread of a bad thing to off set it. If you have anxiety, depression, etc., you may find the juice here to not be worth the squeeze. If not, you may find this okay to watch, as long as you don’t fall for Hwang In-youp, which is also a challenge! Fighting!

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