Kanojo wa Kirei datta (2021)

What do you mean this isn't the original?!?

Like many of the other reviews left, I also initially dropped the Korean version of She Was Pretty because of the length, draggy plot, and annoying acting - pitfalls that this drama manages to avoid because of its shorter length and excellent acting choices.

As usual, Nakajima Kento really suits the role of male leads who are stand off-ish and initially mean to the female lead. He can be a slightly mean boss in the early episodes, but never in a bully-like way that makes you think it would have been office harassment in real life. The mean person also gets stripped less than halfway into the drama and he becomes super lovely and nice from then on.

The way the show also handled the concept of being 'ugly' was maturely done. Sato Ai is never naturally ugly, she's just never really taken time to invest in herself - physically and otherwise. Multiple times in the show, it is reiterated that everyone (not just Ai's character!) has the potential to be beautiful when they are given time and support to explore their interests and develop themselves. I also liked how the transformation wasn't a fix-all but just a step to show how Ai had started to step up and really decide to live a life she wanted that was beyond mere survival. The cute romance is just the cherry on top of it all.

Second leads were also realistic - bordering on annoying at times - but while they weren't perfect characters, they had more to their characters aside from being an obstacle towards the romance of our two leads and were characters that I was at least mildly invested in as well.

As many have said, weak points of this drama would be the rushed final episode (so many things happen!) and a reveal about some support characters that weren't fully fleshed out. However, this one 'weak' episode isn't really any worse than your standard romcom drama episode, and overall this still remains a sweet + non-annoying romance drama if you need a quick pick-me-up.

On a less important note - I can't be the only one with Natsu no Hydrangea stuck in my head after hearing that song for over 15 times in a 10 episode drama, right? 😂

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Appreciating & Loving the Beauty within Yourself + Strong 2nd Male Lead Syndrome <3

Let me just leave one of the best line in this drama.

"Don't say bad words about yourself, because doing that is equivalent to saying bad words to us (parents) as we raised you" - Sato Ai's Father

A story that truly deserves a loud round of applause!

This drama kept on breaking my premeditated rating as it progresses that I was left without any choice by the time it ended. Like, how am I supposed to give it a rating lower than 10 when It has been nothing but an absolute perfection all throughout?

Honestly, I planned beforehand to give this drama a rating of either 9.0 or 9.5 but how can I do that when it kept on improving each episode and has been exceeding my hopes and expectations as it moves forward?

I never really hate anything about this drama. It's just that I felt bad and disappointed that such strong 2nd ML was treated like that and I felt like he deserves better compared to what the writers has in-stored for him. Well, as a big fan of Akaso Eiji, I guess I should never watch him doing any supporting roles from now on. Hahaha~!!

Aside from that I actually got no other complaints over this drama. Instead, I wanna commend it for having such solid and well-created plot and story progression that never failed me till the very end.

In addition, I really find it smart that they've decided to give us timeskips to better present the outcome of the characters decisions of pursuing their dreams. It was a brilliant idea cause it all goes back to the real ideal and meaning of this drama which is "Loving and accepting the beauty within yourself and use it as an inspiration to achieve your dreams."

No other words needed! This drama maybe an adaptation but the whole production just made it different on its own creative and unique ways.

Story - 10, Brilliant and beyond satisfaction. This story could've setlled for something less but they didn't stop there and was able to give us a better ending by making the last episode of the drama a plot device to finally achieve the purpose and ideals of this show.

Acting/Cast - 10, The stars of this drama delivered their lines and executed their characters in the most enthusiastic and earnest way without any reservations.

Music - 10, Memorable, the intro of the main BGM just left a significant impression to me. Whenever I hear the word "Hydrangea" I would imediately start humming the tune of the song even when I don't know the lyrics.

Rewatch Value - 10, Highly recommended. Specially if you feel so down and low about yourself. This show can certainly help you get the motivation and appreciation you need to look at yourself in a brighter and more beautiful way.

Overall - 10, The entire production shall never settle for anything less. I feel like this drama adaptation even became more significant and unique because it was able to present its true concept and ideals to its viewers without having to ruin or overly do things.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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Better version of all!

I have watched 3 versions of the same story- Korean, Chinese and Japanese. And J version seems to be the best of 3 because they have removed all the unpleasant things from the other 2 versions which will generally bother you namely the amount of rudeness the ML shows the FL for no apparent reason! Here the ML is more sensible and therefore more likeable of all 3 versions of the ML. And since it is only 10 episodes there are no unnecessary fillers which is a huge plus!

Acting wise : In Korean version, the FL's acting was over the top, ML was good, in Chinese version, the FL is good actor, the ML has no expressions at all! In this version FL is good and ML is OK but needs to improve a bit. I have watched him in anime based movies where exaggerated reactions are necessary but here he should have toned in down in certain scenes but overall this version has both leads who act well.

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Enjoy your life

I didn't watch the korean verdion so I can't compare. I'm going through a drama slump so I'm not in a mood for long dramas, and prefering japanese dramas which are shorter, I binge watched the first episodes liking it then it got a little boring but it mostly due to the fact that I didn't like ML's acting, when he showed his kind side, it was not credible for me, it was overplayed. The friendship between the two girls is beautiful, the messages on the first part of the drama, don't look down on yourself, nice, then I missed the strong Risa but we're all human beings, and indeed a place where you belong and which makes you shine is one of the most valuable treasures.

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I have not watched the original Korean drama yet, but I'm glad I watched this version first. If I had watched the original first and loved it, I probably would have been disappointed by this version. This version is nothing more than a middling remake with very little to really recommend itself. As such, I feel pretty secure in the knowledge that I will most likely like the Korean version much better.

This version felt a lot like the Jdrama, Oh! My Boss!, which came out earlier this year. With the same setting of a fashion magazine and the same major sublot of needing to save said magazine from being shut down, it was kind of a redux of what Boss! had already done. And while I don't think Boss! is a particularly great drama, it did this premise better. On the same note, while I ended up not being all that interested in the romance in Boss!, at least it's couple experiences some real level of relationship development. The couple here feels like they're just jumping from story beat to story beat without anything meaningful happening in-between.

It was when the male lead fainted at the end of ep 8 that I was out. It was such strange timing to me, clearly thrown in for a little drama, and I just didn't care. I didn't care about the character's health, I didn't care about the fashion magazine, and my care for the romantic pairing was meager at that point. If I had thought the drama would do something a little creative and let the magazine be shut down, maybe I would watched the last two eps, but I highly doubted that would happen.

If you want to watch a recent Jdrama with the same Fashion Magazine Trying to Survive storyline and don't need it to be something spectacular, watch Oh! My Boss! instead. Or better yet, you could just watch a drama like Pretty Proofreader (Jimi ni Sugoi!) that both features fashion heavily And is stellar drama. A win-win, in my opinion.

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Koshiba Fuka does it again

I've had this Drama on my PTW for ages because I wanted to compare it to the Korean original. Then recently I watched Yuganda Hamon and was stunned by Koshiba Fuka's performance in it, so moved this up the list. She did not let me down. Her performance here, in a role that could not have been more different from the restrained, downbeat introvert of Yuganda Hamon, proved that she is a very good actor.

It was her performance, and that of Sakuma Yui as her BFF, that ended up getting this Drama 7.5/10 from me, versus the 4.5/10 I gave the original. The storyline is VERY problematic, but the portrayal of the relationship between the two friends in this Drama really shone. Both actors sold their roles well, and their interactions made this a pleasure to watch. The ending scenes were cute too, and a nod to what I really WISH they had done with Ms Koshiba's character at the end.

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Can't compare with Korean drama though stories are same

I already watched korean version so story is same but the difference is korean drama is lengthy and this drama is short .It depends on viewer choice which one has to watch . Those live to see more romance and like lengthy drama can go for korean version but those doesn't like lengthy one can go for this . I liked the story so that's why choose to watch it.
I given 9 for the story because second last episode was bored and last episode finished in a hurry .Atlest they should show their marriage and their life after marriage ,so I think they can add one more episode to give perfect ending.

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Leads have such a good chemistry!!!!!!!!!!

I really really love the drama
Actually i never watched she was pretty kdrama so this was new to me.
Leads have such a good chemistry
ML is soooo attractive and such a good acting. He was acting through his eyes! I really felt his emotions. I think his charachter development was pretty fast.
FL is so cute and adorable. She was clumsy but she always worked hard for her goals and never gave up, I really like that spirit.
All side characters were amazing!
2nd ML is such a good and kind character.
Felt bad for him but I didn't feel the chemistry between him and fl.

Overall Love it. I will definitely re watch it!

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Sweet Japanese adaptation

This was a cute adaptation of She Was Pretty. There were a few minuses for me, but overall, I enjoyed it.

Male lead wasn't nearly as awful in this version. The first few episodes, yes, but then even when he was being a little mean to her, it was because of her work, plus I think he was trying to come to terms with his feelings for her. I really liked that he liked her before her transformation.

In every version of this show, I've had a problem with the friend and what she did. I mean, true friends don't do that. In this version, it bothered me even more, because she just let it get out of hand. And then when she was running away to avoid talking to her friend, that was just too childish.

I didn't have SLS in this version at all, he was just too immature.

One thing about Japanese shows, they spend a LOT of time apologizing to each other. It seemed especially prevalent in this show.

As with most other Asian dramas, there was the obligatory time jump, which I hate. It's always, "I love you and can't live without you, but I'm leaving for a couple of years. See ya!" It was a cute ending, but very rushed.

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