English Dub Review: True Beauty “A Goddess descends?!”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Jugyeong, who is bullied for being ugly, sees a new opportunity when she changes schools.  With the help of makeup, she creates a new identity, but a new student seems to know her secret…

Our Take:

We always believe in the familiar sayings regarding people’s physical appearances, such as “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” or “Looks don’t matter”.  These words of wisdom help empower people, especially women, fostering a sense of confidence and self-assurance from within and radiating outward.  Unfortunately, some people are too dull-headed to take these words to heart, leading to them harassing those based on their appearances instead of their talents.  Isn’t society great?

The show’s protagonist, Lim Jugyeong, sadly got the short end of the stick, as the harassment from other classmates forced her to her breaking point.  However, if the bullies had simply left her alone, she wouldn’t have unintentionally fought back, resulting in her expulsion.  Fortunately, her opportunity to restart her life arose when she caught word of a beauty school, leading her to use makeup to transform herself into the hottest girl in the school.  But, even though she became popular immediately, it wasn’t without some drawbacks that could risk her new life.  One of them is the transfer student, Lee Su-ho, who eventually discovers Jugyeong’s identity through her earphone piece.

From a viewer’s perspective, I don’t think Jugyeong is that ugly without her makeup.  The only people who deserve to be called “ugly” are the ungrateful assholes bullying her, but I digress.  As a reviewer, based on the episode alone, True Beauty seems like another run-of-the-mill rom-com with a potential enemies-to-lovers relationship between Jugyeong and Su-ho.  While its punk-rock vibe was pretty enticing regarding its animation, the quick pacing didn’t allow the show to breathe between its wacky and dramatic scenarios.  I’ll see where it goes from here, but until then, I’m not feeling this gorgeous vibe yet.