What’s this?
©Zhenmei Animation Co., Ltd.
In middle school, otaku Lim Ju-kyung was the target of bullying because of her ugly appearance. When her mother refused to let her have plastic surgery, she took matters into her own hands: She studied, watching hours of YouTube tutorials. Now, in high school, no one knows her true face, and everyone treats her like a beauty. Everyone except freshman Lee Sui-ho, who is cold to her at school but nice to her at the bookstore, where she goes naked to buy comics. What kind of business is this guy in?
true beauty is based on Yaongyiof comics. Korean animated series are currently on the air crunchy Every Wednesday.
How was the first episode?
©Zhenmei Animation Co., Ltd.
Rebecca Silverman
grade:
This episode was tiring. I think this mainly comes down to two things: the choppy feel of the narrative progression and Joo-kyung’s voice and constant narration. The latter is at least more honest in the following respects: comics;At least in the first few volumes, the story follows her very closely as she attempts to transform from an “ugly” girl who was bullied into a more conventional pretty girl. It’s hard to blame her – Joo-kyung was treated shabbily at her first school, and she quickly escalated from a relatively unnoticed shy loner to the target of two popular girls in the school. You know the type: they’re not actually popular, but they’re pretty and confident enough that everyone pretends to like them, and once they set their sights on Joo-kyung, it’s all over for her. She’s teased and bullied online and online until she loses it, which is understandable… and then she has to be the one to transfer because popular girls never do that.
If the story leans more towards this, then it could be Keiko Suenobu’s work Life. But it also helps make the plot more grounded than what we’re seeing now, as Joo-kyung learns makeup during the school holidays and then makes her debut at a new school with a brand new face, a time jump. Makeup, eyelid glue, carefully crafted curls, you name it—she won’t be victimized by her appearance anymore. But now she has to worry about her new friends discovering her true self, the “ugly” girl who loves heavy metal and horror comics… So naturally, one of the hottest boys in school, Suho Lee, finds out.
I have to admit, I never cared for stories where the goal was to be conventionally beautiful, whether or not that was ultimately the point. true beauty To make matters worse, we are not given anything about the heroine other than her desire for beauty. Does she wish she didn’t have to do this? Why is it wrong for her to be pretty if she likes what she likes? Or like something she likes and looks like herself? It seems like Suho doesn’t care about how she looks, so things could easily move in the direction of self-acceptance, which the source webtoon volume 4 seems to be moving towards if I remember correctly. But what we’re looking at now is nineteen minutes of Joo-kyung’s breathless screams, and the plot just moves forward without much depth. I love the art style and the catchy K-pop theme song, but I think you’d be better off just reading comics instead.
How was the first episode?
©Zhenmei Animation Co., Ltd.
nicholas dupre
grade:
I don’t pay much attention to Korean media. The most I can tell you is that “Super Shy” by NewJeans is a hit song. So, maybe part of my problem with this episode is that I’m not used to the storytelling style of this media environment. I certainly had to adapt to the show because it’s rare comics The adaptation was released internationally with original Korean performances rather than Japanese dubs. Maybe if I were more familiar with the show’s origins, I wouldn’t be distracted by the shocking editing, rushed dialogue pacing, or weird sound mixing that made certain segments of the premiere so jarring on my senses attack.
Alas, I’m not, so all I can say is that this premiere feels like a mess with only the skeleton of a story to hold it up. Our heroine Ju-kyung is a nobody who feels like she should be likable considering how much abuse she receives at the beginning of the story, but is written so blandly that it feels uncomfortable. She’s more like a trembling orphan puppy who is constantly splashed by rain puddles and kicked by psychotic teenagers to gain sympathy from the audience. Her ascension to the perfect campus goddess is equally incredible, with multiple scenes where everyone around her stops to gawk, take photos, and talk loudly about her stunning beauty. I admit that most of these shows are aimed at teenagers and they don’t even blink at these over-the-top depictions, but they also have to feel like they were written by teenagers?
The real killer is the aforementioned editor. The entire plot feels like it’s fast forwarding, sprinting through each scene like its life depends on it. The soundtrack suddenly cuts in and out, adding random cartoon sound effects or stock music, making it feel even more disconnected. The frequent shifts in visual style threaten to exacerbate Ju-kyung’s underdeveloped double life, but it’s used so haphazardly that it prevents the episode from having any visual identity. At times, it feels closer to an ambitious fan animation than an official adaptation, which all adds to this weird disconnect that makes the episode feel never-ending despite being three minutes shorter than the average anime episode.
