Jugyeong Lim is a high school student with problems that are all too familiar, especially body image anxiety and bullies. When she finally lashes out at one bully, the other girl complains about her, and Jugyeong is forced to change schools. Life doesn’t seem fair! Over the winter break that precedes her entrance into her new institution, however, she stumbles across a video series on using makeup. Is this perhaps a way to change her life? By the time spring rolls around, Jugyeong looks like a completely different person. Or does she? And is she? The students at her new school certainly think so, welcoming her with open arms and many “oohs” and “aahs.” At first, Jugyeong is pleased, but then she begins to wonder: Is this really her authentic self, or is she deceiving her new friends? As we all do when faced with such concerns, Jugyeong retreats into one of her favorite hobbies—horror stories! (Okay, maybe that’s not quite what most of us do.) After removing her makeup and swapping out her contacts and stylish dress for glasses and a jogging outfit, she goes to the bookstore to pick out a new horror manhwa volume. But the book she wants to buy gets snatched by an obnoxious—yet handsome—young man. Much to Jugyeong’s real life horror, he seems to recognize later on when she’s her “beautiful” self! And while this is unfolding, Jugyeong is also nominated without her permission as a candidate for the school’s annual “Goddess” competition! What’s a girl to do?
True Beauty is based on the hit manhwa of the same name—and I do mean “hit,” with over 6 million subscribers to the English translation alone (including yours truly!), a live action adaptation, actual print books in my local Barnes & Noble, and now a Korean animated adaptation. It’s easy to see why, as author Yaongyi weaves relatable themes (What constitutes true beauty? Does it matter how we look on the outside?) and gorgeous artwork. The animated version does a good job of capturing the spirit of Yaongyi’s illustrations, and this first episode succeeds in laying out the main themes the series will focus on. Also, both the opening and the ending so much fun! Korean animation conventions may take a little getting used to if you’re not familiar with them: Korean audio instead of Japanese or English (of course), a fast pace through scenes and scene transitions, the upbeat pop music that pops up (he he) regularly throughout the episode, and the 20-minute runtime, to name a few. There are also a few (fortunately rare) infelicities in the subtitles. But that’s not enough to detract from the setup for the modern epic story that is about to begin. Seriously, there were so many screenshots I wanted to take for this review! And I know I’ll be listening to the music on repeat until the next episode comes out, at least. So yes, I’ll be following this story—again!
True Beauty is streaming on Crunchyroll.
Ooo, I’ve heard so many good things about this manhwa, and I can’t wait to see the anime! I’ve already put it on my CrunchyRoll playlist. Have you read the manhwa Make-Up Remover? I wonder how the two series compare?
I have not! Where does it stream?
It’s also on Webtoon and is by the author of Surviving Romance! (The zombie one)
Thanks, I’ll check it out!