True Beauty is a drama that highlights one of the most sensitive topics of society, which is the typical beauty standard. This drama beautifully presents a lesson to the audience that beauty always is not appearance, and we should not judge people by how they look. In this article True Beauty full review, I will try to convince you to give this drama a try, of course after having a complete idea about this drama. So here is a full review of True Beauty that will help you to justify whether it’s your type of drama or not.
Plot Summary:
Im Ju Kyung is a simple girl living with her family. From her childhood, Ju Kyung was compared to her elder sister who is very beautiful in her appearance and also smarter than Ju Kyung. When she went to school everyone deliberately bullied her just because of how she looked. When she was so insulted and humiliated one day she tried to kill herself. But that night she met a guy who saved her, but she didn’t see her face because her glasses broke. Later her family moved to another city and to save herself from being bullied Ju Kyung started putting makeup on. Now with makeup, she is the prettiest girl in her school. She makes new friends who love her. She also gets involved with two boys called Lee Suho and Han Seo Jun and this love triangle became one of the most celebrated love triangles in Kdrama history.
Here Im Ju Kyung finds a past connection with one of those boys who always loved her no matter how she looked and how silly she was.
Themes and Messages:
This drama is highly loved and praised because of the themes of this drama and how beautifully they pass a message to the fans.
True Beauty deals with various themes like inner beauty vs outer beauty, bullying and its impacts, friendship and support, power of love, social expectations, redemption and forgiveness.
When the drama highlights a point which is beauty is not captivated in between face and appearance. Sometimes inner beauty is more important than how a person looks. As for the character Im Ju Kyung, she has some flow in her facial appearance which is why she puts on makeup and becomes artificial beauty but her truest beauty lies in her kindness, calmness and courage to tell the truth. When she was in her previous school she was brutally humiliated and bullied by her classmates and as a result, she failed to see herself in the mirror and lost her self-esteem and ultimately she decided to take her own life.
Those bullies haunted her so much that she can’t even dare to face them even when they can’t even recognize her. But in her new school, she makes new friends like Suho, Seo Jun, Choi Su A, Yoo Tae Hun and others who support her no matter what. They never judged her on her appearance and protected her in all her difficult times. Among all her friends Suho and Seo Jun loved her more than friends. But Ju Kyung falls in love with Suho and in her relationship she finds her real self in the eyes of her lover Suho. Suho always loved her as she is, and he helps her to admire her real self. Her only barrier was the cruel society to her happiness. From the very beginning of her life, they looked down on her because of her look. They made her believe that she was not beautiful and she needed to change her face. The last theme is redemption and forgiveness that we witness between Ju Kyung and Soo Jin. Soo Jin is one of those friends of Im Ju Kyung who became her friend when she came to her new school. At first, Soo Jin was so kind to her but for some reason, she did the meanest thing to Ju Kyung. But at the end of the drama we see Soo Jin is able to acknowledge her fault and Ju Kyung forgets everything Soo Jin did to her and forgives her, which is so beautiful to see.
This drama delivers some sweet yet realistic messages to the audience such as; Everyone is beautiful as they are, no one needs to put artificial beauty products on their faces because they are just enough as they are, and we all should embrace our true selves as no one on this earth is flawless. One thing the makers emphasize on is outer beauty can fade away but inner values last forever. As we can see Im Ju Kyung, she might not be pretty in her appearance but she is the kindest and very much loveable for her nature. Another thing you will notice if you watch this drama is that no matter how bad and painful your life is, if you get support from the close people in your life then you can stand again. It is very true that love, friendship and family support have the power to heal any emotional wounds in one’s life.
Character Development:
In this section let’s talk about the most prominent characters of the dramas, the main leads and both the male and female second leads how they grew throughout the drama.
Im Ju-kyung (Moon Ga-young)
Im Ju Kyung is our female protagonist who is actually the center of the drama. As the drama starts we see her being humiliated by everyone around her. She is a shy girl who is also insecure about her looks. To hide her flaws she puts on a lot of makeup and becomes a so-called beauty when she moves to a new city and transfers to a new school which gives her a kind of confidence. After that, her life was somewhere going smoothly and somewhere difficult. Her school days were going nice but she had some hassle maintaining her dual personality. On her journey, she made some friends and also found her true love. And at the end of the drama she is able to accept her real self.
Lee Su-ho (played by Cha Eun-woo)
In this drama, the character Su-ho appears as a cold and aloof character who carries some emotional baggage from his past. So many years back he lost one of his dearest friends and somehow it caused an ill relationship with his own father. Suho is a boy who is always so calm and quiet and never opens up with someone. But as he falls in love with Im Ju Kyung he changes himself, Im Ju Kyung’s love changes Suho completely. Im Ji Kyung became his comfort. He learns to forgive and is now able to heal from his painful past. At the end of the drama, we see a completely different Suho who is more empathetic and caring both as a friend and a romantic partner.
Han Seo-jun (played by Hwang In-yeop)
Han Seo Jun is introduced as a Bad boy in this drama who is quite rebellious and never listens to anybody. He hates Suho because he thinks Suho is the reason why his friend died. The friend is the same one for whom Suho became emotionally broken. But he becomes friends with Im JU Kyung, who makes him smile again. They pull each other’s legs like besties and care for each other too. Soon he realizes he has a strong feeling of love for Ju Kyung. But she never loved him back the way he did, she always loved him like a friend. Later on, Seo Jun acknowledges everything and reconciles with Suho and stays as Ju Kyung’s one sided lover forever and lets her go for the sake of her happiness. Throughout the drama, we notice an immense growth in Seo Jun’s character. Who stays as a supportive and selfless person for his friends.
Kang Soo-jin (played by Park Yoo-na)
Kang Soo Jin is one of those friends of Im Ju Kyung who embraced her as a close friend in her new school. Soo Jin is so smart and intelligent that Ju Kyung admires her a lot, Soo Jin also loved her. But as a result of toxic parenting she became jealous of her surroundings and to get Suho she betrays Ju Kyng out of jealousy. But later at the end of the drama we see Soo Jin accepts her mistake and asks for forgiveness from Ju Kyung.
OST and Soundtrack:
In every drama, soundtracks work as one of the most significant factors because they absolutely have the power to make a drama memorable to the fans in many ways. In this drama, there are a total of 10 official OSTs that enhance the beauty of this drama. I will give you a short list of the OSTs and as a bonus, I will add the best one, the most popular, the fan favorite and the masterpiece among the tracks.
A Shortlist:
- Call Me Maybe by SAya
- Happy Ending by Car, the Garden
- I’m in the Mood for Dancing by Yuju (Gfriend)
- I’m Missing You by Sunjae
- Starlight by Chani (SF9)
- Fall in You by Ha Sung Woon
- How Do You Do by Chani (SF9)
- Before Today is Over by Hyojin (ONF)
- Love So Fine by Cha Eun Woo (Astro)
- It Starts Today by Hwang In Yoep
All the songs are very fine and worth listening to; you can find all the songs on any streaming platform.
The Best One
Love So Fine by Cha Eun Woo is a cheerful as well as a romantic song that represents the lovely love between Im Ju Kyung and Lee Suho. This song gives an upbeat vibe that makes it loveable and the sweet voice of Cha Eun Woo makes the song sweeter than candy.
Most Popular One
Starlight by Chani is the most popular song on the list. The main reason for its popularity is its soothing melody and emotional depth. The fans can deeply resonate with the song as the song connects the key moments of the drama in Chani’s voice.
Fan-Favorite OST
It Starts Today is a beautiful song that is considered to be the fan’s favorite among all the songs of the drama. Fans give the song a special emphasis as it is sung by their beloved second lead Han Seo Jun aka Hwang In Yeop. This fact of Hwang In Yeop singing a song that represents his own character and its emotions adds a personal touch to his character’s arc.
Masterpiece OST
Happy Ending sung by Car and the Garden is the masterpiece of the drama. This drama is actually a haunting beauty with meaningful lyrics in soulful vocals. This song is so engaging that you will remember the song even after the drama ends.
True Beauty is not just a story of love rather it’s a heartfelt exploration of self-love, personal growth, and acceptance. The drama is also engaging because of its relatable characters, the powerful messages that it delivers, and a mesmerizing OST lineup. With some sparkling points, the drama leaves an everlasting impression on the viewers.
And now let me tell you a fun fact, the fans of the drama are divided into two groups. One ships the drama’s real lead lovers Im Ju Kyung and Lee Suho and the other group ships Im Ju Kyung with Han Seo Jun. The fan battle is still on, one thinks Suho is perfect for Im Ju Kyung and the other thinks Han Seo Jun deserves more than he got. So watch this drama and decide whether you will choose Team Suho or Team Seojun.
Happy watching.