True Beauty (2020)

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.

Read More

The best

This is my favorite life drama of 21 that I've watched so far. In True Beauty, you have all possible emotions. You laugh, you cry, you are angry, you are angry, you are happy, you are apprehensive, you are shocked. Everything.
I love Jukyung's overcoming story with her looks and the standard of beauty imposed by society. I love that Suho loved Jukyung because she is who she is and not what she looks like. This couple's story is completely perfect. Only those who watched know that their story was fate.

The grapefruit couple, more hilarious impossible.

Hee Gyung, an empowered woman who does what she wants and not what they say.

If Yeon, Suho and Seojun: a perfect friendship, of pure companionship that unfortunately ended in tragedy. But it was amazing to see what this friendship with Se Yeon was like before the fatality happened.

Everything was perfect. Only point to be desired was that I thought they could have shown an out-of-date Seojun with a girlfriend with reciprocal feelings.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

for its genre, it's a really good drama

I feel like a lot of people dislike TB because they consider that it's cliché and that's it's been done before. Honestly I don't disagree, but that's just the thing: it's a high school drama about an insecure FL and a ML who helps her gain confidence...
I agree, it's been done before.
But frankly I feel like describing the drama this way doesn't really give credit to the execution.

I loved the main love story. My heart broke for Seojun, like everyone else's did, but I frankly didn't want him to end up with Jookyung. I agree that he practically carried the entire drama on his back and he's the reason why it became this popular, but I didn't mind him as the second lead, I just wish they had worked a little harder for him to have a happy ending. I feel like they used his pain to make the drama more interesting but I mean.. isn't this what writers are supposed to do? Make the story more dramatic? The ending hit hard because it made me wanna sob. That's the whole point.

So back to the main couple, i really loved them. I think they had chemistry and that their entire love story was well-written. At first I was scared they would drag out the whole "he doesn't know it's her" plot line but turns out he finds out rather quickly. People hate on Suho because they love Seojun but i just don't agree i think both characters deserves Jukyung just as much. Suho and her were just meant to be I guess. Suho went through so much and i didn't see him make one decision that was rude or out of line. I also feel like the pure, 100% love he had for Jukyung was exactly what she needed, whereas Seojun teased her too much. Although it's something, as viewers, we love, it might not be as fun for her who literally hates how she looks.

HOWEVER I loved Seojun's character so much that I really hope they write a character like him again as a main lead. Cause i agree, he's amazing. His earrings and hair and personality and naturally smokey eyes are what made this drama what it is!!!!I'm tired of seeing similar ML, although I loved Suho.

I loved Soojin's character, because it allowed a female second lead to pick herself up. I feel like male second leads are always like seojun: jealous of the main couple but still supportive at the end. Whereas the female second lead is always so toxic and manipulative. And sure soojin is all of those things but there's much more than just her jealousy behind it. You can really feel the build-up of her anger and pain because of the abuse she goes through at home. Her acting was great too.

Oh and finally the OST?? chef's kiss. Whether it's how do you do, Missing you, starlight, or even those 1:30 mins of Seojun singing flower pot? I finished the drama a few weeks ago and i still listen to all of these all the time.

Overall, I feel like you need to remember this is a high school drama, okay? It's mostly about the vibe, the outfits, the OST, the love story. Yeah it's basic but i feel like the execution is great, and I rewatched the scenes a billion times. Watch iiit and keep and open mind.

Read More

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!

Read More

yupp

immmuuibvhjkhhggghhhjijfdzvjvvnjj hi hsbsbsbsjwjsnsbnsjebebdjsnsbsjsnsbsjejsnsnsnsnsnsnsnnsnsnsnsnsndndnsnsnenenebebbenenenejenenennsnsnsnsnsbsvejwnsbshsnsnnsnsnsnsnsnsnsnenebevevehejsg늚딹䆀횞輦먞令먞먞輦먞䃌횞戀먞༁늚쉠딹龍먞㘀캑☀ૈ먟Ш嘄዁ᔱ
bdbdbdbdb

Read More

From a webtoon to a drama, a really good adaptation

*SPOILERS ALERT*

Having read the webtoon first, I was curious at how they would handle all the drama with Su Ho moving away in the States and Joo Gyung/Seo Jun relationship in only 16 episodes. I think they handled it pretty well even though it dosen't follow the original story. It's maybe for the better considering that Su Ho continues to talk to her when in the US, at least at the beginning before the break up (I still think his reason for breaking up in the drama is pretty weak but it was inevitable).

I saw a few comments here saying that Joo Gyung is weak and cowardly for far too long. Well, I can't say she isn't but considering her past and trauma, I don't see this as a real problem. The journey to love oneself is long and tortuous so how could we have such a character overcome her trauma and insecurities in just a few episodes ? Even she admits that she is cowardly and tries to do better. I could totally relate to her and I was overall happy with her character development.
The one thing I was disappointed in was the horrible reaction of her class after discovering her "real face" and her being bullied at her old school. Even Joo Gyung's so called bestfriend flee the scene and later tries to guilt trip her into thinking that she was the one in the wrong for not telling her friends everything about her past. I don't think a friendship like that is worth having honestly, especially after having Soo Jin betray her first in such a cruel way. At the very least you can try to reach out when you see that your bestfriend is absent from school the next days but no she doesn't even do that (we can only say thank you to Su Ho and Seo Jun for showing a little humanity *irony*).

Concerning the love triangle, I can't say that I'm not happy with this ending but my heart was torn between the 2 male leads during the whole show ^^' why can't they shoot an alternative ending/special episode in which Seo Jun gets the girl ?? I admit that if the roles were reversed and it was actually Seo Jun from the start, I would have been sad for Su Ho so yeah it was a difficult choice... It just proves that the actors did an amazing job in playing their characters!! The casting was indeed top notch. And the OST was amazing too!

Read More

All Hail Hee-Kyung Eonni

If you're thinking of starting this drama, you should definitely consider watching Extraordinary You first. Trust me, it'll make watching True Beauty all the more fun.

This drama would be worth watching for the eye candy and fun references to other k-dramas alone, but it had so much more to offer!

The first few episodes were totally chaotic, extra and over the top. Kinda crazy, but a lot of fun! Then a few more serious topics like low self-esteem, bullying and psychological trauma were brought up. Honestly, the show struck a good balance between kooky and serious. It was funny and lighthearted, but also emotional and deep in certain aspects. It succeeded in making me laugh, swoon and pulling at my heartstrings.

And the casting! The 3 main actors look like the webtoon characters come to life. Which is insane. And they delivered solid performances all around. But I have to admit the older sister completely stole the show. All of her scenes were hilarious.

I absolutely loved this show and would recommend everyone who loves romance dramas watch it.

Read More

Swoony but bittersweet love triangle

I had somehow missed the hype around this drama and didn't have much expectations. At first, I was more than a bit concerned about the premise, a makeover of an "ugly" girl, but the drama handled it quite well.

True beauty was enjoyable, often funny and swoony drama with great chemistry between the female and male lead as well as the female lead and second male lead (and between both male leads, too). Lots of old tropes were recycled, but they were mostly used skillfully, except at the tail end of the series.

I couldn't avoid the second lead syndrome, so the ending was bittersweet.

Read More

Average.

Honestly, I knew what I was getting from seeing the poster, and name of the show.
A girl who to society is "ugly" and gets bullied for that, therefore. She hates her looks. Then discovers the power of makeup! And now she's not getting bullied all that jazz you get me.

The story isn't that original, I say it's kind of bland to a lot of "ugly" to "pretty" stories. Although I did like this show for some twists that they did.
The acting was good! Nothing was bad but it's not SO amazing to the point where I'm crying at every emotional scene. I personally only watched for Cha Eun Woo but y'know, he didn't make the whole show sparkle. Same for Moon as well as I did come for her from tempted.
The music? Honestly I can't remember ANY of them. I only remembered the intro and these two tracks I loved but forgot the names. My fault since I haven't watched this in some months.
Re watch value is low for me, I can only watch for the main couples cute moments but that's all. Maybe for the sister's side romance?
Overall, the show's not that overhyped as some people say, the full ratings for this show is actually the way I want it to be, if it was higher than a 9 then I would've called it overrated. But y'know, some people are into these cute light predictable and unoriginal dramas. Not me though, well once in a while.
The show's good! Just don't expect anything extreme and it'll be predictable than you think. Great high school drama though!

Read More