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To the Beautiful You korean drama review
Completed
To the Beautiful You
5 people found this review helpful
by manicmuse
Mar 27, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This was a very basic, paint by numbers, teen romance KDrama. I can't compare it to the Manga, or Hana Kimi (which I never completed), but on it's own, it is everything that I've already seen a million times in KDramaland. It also requires a lot of suspension of belief to go along with the storyline. I gave the story a 4 because the premise is completely ridiculous (even for KDrama). The fact that an obsessed fan girl can transfer to a school in a foreign country, and change her gender, without her family being aware, is already hard to believe. What makes it worse is that at no point does she ever look, or act, like a boy. She basically gets a hair cut, and that's it. No one ever seriously questions her, even though at some points it looked like she was wearing lipstick. Then, to top it off, everyone who finds out helps this obsessed stalker, so she doesn't deal with much consequence for any of her actions. The story plays things extremely safe, which ends up being very predictable, and sometimes boring. I had no problem accepting the girl convincing people she is a guy premise in You're Beautiful, Sungkyunkwan Scandal, or Coffee Prince. I loved all 3. Perhaps Sulli is not a strong enough actress to play a convincing guy, but it's like she didn't even bother to try. I know korean flower boys can appear feminine, but not THAT feminine, Geez! I thought the overall acting in this was ok, but not great. The characters were cute, but there was no real depth in any of the performances. Sulli & Minho looked cute together as a couple, but didn't necessarily have great chemistry. Lee Hyun-woo was by far my favorite. I cared more about him than the two main leads combined. His smile made up for some of the dull moments. I can't see myself rewatching this because there weren't any memorable, or stand out moments. As far as romance goes, it was sweet, but a little too juvenile for my taste. The mood of the drama is lighthearted throughout, even during the sadder moments, so I had no real emotional reaction to anything. I was never really excited for the next episode, because I pretty much knew what was going to happen next (even without knowing the Manga/previous versions). The end felt rushed, but it was all so obvious that it almost didn't matter. This is definitely catered to a young, KPop fangirl audience, and so is the soundtrack. I would also recommend it to any fan of romance who just wants to watch something light, and cute. This show definitely recycles what has worked in other shows, in a way that does work. I was not particularly impressed with To The Beautiful You, but I admit I was still entertained.
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