English Dub Review: True Beauty “I’m totally screwed!”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Things are not going well for Jugyeong.  In order to keep her secret, Suho makes her his personal assistant and errand girl.  And if that wasn’t enough, she also runs into her old bullies…

Our Take:

Everything was going well for Jugyeong, thanks to her new makeup.  That is until a specific transfer student puts all the pieces together to decipher her true identity.  After encountering Suho in the show’s first episode, I already guessed that he and Jugyeong would have that “enemies-to-lovers” scenario like the other romance anime.  That’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable, as some with similar concepts worked more than others.  Besides, we’re only one episode in, meaning True Beauty has plenty of time to improve its enjoyability before all is said and done.

This episode continues the early stage of this formula, with Jugyeong in a tight situation after Suho discovers her identity.  In exchange for keeping her secret, Suho agrees to Jugyeong’s condition of becoming his errand girl.  Unsurprisingly, this doesn’t bode well for Jugyeong as she believes he’s taking advantage of her like the bullies from her old school.  By the way, those stuck-up bitches returned in the episode, and unsurprisingly, they made me wish they got struck by a bus.  If the show weren’t overstuffed with cartoony visuals, True Beauty would’ve been a compelling and emotional depiction of how bullying and lookism can affect someone’s self-confidence.  The beginning of the episode was a suitable example of Jugyeong’s depression almost taking its toll, even if she doesn’t contemplate ending her life.

That scene was the only highlight of the episode that helped True Beauty improve a bit amid its rom-com slice-of-life formula and tonal shifts.  But, of course, that doesn’t stop there, as she confronts another student from her new school, Han Seo-jun, who’s not on good terms with Suho.  Before you ask, Seo-jun is depicted as the “bad boy” student, and yes, he’s another boy who may have recognized Jugyeong’s identity.  The title of this episode sure wasn’t kidding regarding what occurred here.