Season 1 |
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Episode Guide
Episode 1: A goddess descends?! -|Review Score – 2/5
Episode 2: I’m totally screwed! -|Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 3: The Jerk and the Troublemaker -|Review Score – 3/5
Episode 4: Danger Never Sleeps -|Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 5: I thought becoming pretty would make a difference -|Review Score – 2/5
Episode 6: This Too Shall Pass Away -|Review Score – 2/5
Episode 7: So what if I like her? -|Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 8: Stop Lying To Yourself -|Review Score – 3/5
Episode 9: Game of Truth -|Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 10: I Will Confess -|Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 11: Goddess Livestream -|Review Score – 3/5
Episode 12: Goddess Livestream 2 -|Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 13: Our First Love -|Review Score – 2.5/5
Occasionally, some anime shows air around the midway point of certain seasons. Some fans argue shows released this way may not be worth watching. In rare cases, these anime fall within the usual “best for last” category. True Beauty is an anime that sadly falls in the former category.
Based on the webtoon created by Yaongyi, our story follows a bullied girl named Jugyeong. At Jugyeong’s former school, girls picked on her because of her appearance. After getting kicked out of school, Jugyeong returns home and watches a make-up tutorial. This encourages Jugyeong to change her appearance to see how everyone responds at her new school.
Jugyeong receives praise from many folks. She also gets the attention of attractive boys like Suho and Seojun. Jugyeong also clashes with Sujin, the Sebom Goddess competition’s recurring victor. Therefore, we follow Jugyeong’s journey to discover what it means to be beautiful.
The story features fine comedy and drama. This anime offers humor in the form of exaggerated reactions to deadpan remarks. From Jugyeong’s embarrassing actions to Suho’s subtle jabs at Jugyeong, viewers may laugh at the anime’s amusing scenarios.
True Beauty’s drama is average but has some highlights. The Sebom Goddess Competition’s various missions are interesting and keep Jugyeong on her feet. Some challenges include dancing, hosting live streams, etc. Not making this a one-and-done shindig was a brilliant move on Yaongyi’s part. It forces Jugeyong to create different solutions for each mission. This entices viewers to speculate on what said solutions would be.
The tension doesn’t stop there. The series also gives Jugyeong romance, beauty, and identity troubles to resolve. She has to assist girls with beauty problems and navigate a love triangle. Jugyeong also has to defeat someone who tried tainting her public persona.
Lastly, the story tackles concepts like courage, bullying, and friendship in ways people may like. Seeing Jugyeong stand up to bullies like Sujin is inspiring. Having Sua and Chaerin accept Jugyeong’s true identity was mildly touching too.
Although True Beauty has everything going in its favor, it falls short in many ways. First and foremost, True Beauty’s pacing is atrocious. It feels like the showrunners are fast-forwarding through the story’s events. Many important points feel rushed, like Seojun and Suho’s rivalry. Jugyeong, Sua, and Chaerin’s friendship suffer from this too.
In another season, the showrunners should draw out significant plot points like this more. This would allow them to attack these aspects effectively and meaningfully. The story structure issn’t fantastic either. There are instances where episodes start with meaningless flashbacks.
Some flashbacks should’ve been implemented next to the show’s occasional reveals, not in the episode afterward. Moreover, the showrunners could’ve scrapped the pointless flashbacks to develop the show’s important subplots. The matter between Seyeon, Suho, and Seojun comes to mind.
What could’ve been a meaningful take on cyberbullying, spiraled into a lackluster attempt to make viewers care for this trio. Other relationships weren’t handled exceptionally either. The resolutions to some of Jugyeong’s issues don’t resolve authentically.
Much like its plot, the characters aren’t well-written. However, Jugyeong, her friends, and her naysayers have fine personalities and backgrounds. Jugyeong is a kind but anxious girl. Her unfortunate altercations with bullies will convince specific audiences to root for her.
Additionally, Jugyeong occasionally helps people out of the kindness of her heart. At the same time, Jugyeong’s character can be intolerable, especially when she’s ranting. Jugyeong’s outbursts may annoy potential viewers, even those familiar with the source material.
Suho and Seojun are bland and forgettable. Seojun moreso than Suho. Suho starts cold and expressionless. Through Suho’s connection with Jugyeong, he learns to open up more and helps Jugyeong immensely during the Sebom Goddess Competition. Besides the minimal intel we receive of Suho’s life and quarrels, he’s not well-rounded.
Seojun’s character is underwhelming. He isn’t a fantastic rival, love interest, or individual. Many will appreciate the small things Seojun does for Jugyeong and his musical talent. Besides that, Seojun isn’t that likable. He’s discourteous and lacks growth.
The story doesn’t do Seojun any favors. Sujin is a fine antagonist. She’s deceitful, rude, and unlikable. Sujin’s harsh experiences with her mother are a bold attempt to get fans to sympathize with her. However, that falls flat after it is introduced. This is due to what Sujin does afterward.
While another season can develop our cast further, don’t expect much from them in season 1. The animation and visuals aren’t great. They’re average at best. From its lackluster dancing segments to its strange walking animations, fans may mistake this “anime” adaptation for a “visual novel” based on how matters proceed here.
The soundtrack could use some work too. Besides the opening theme song, nothing about the music was striking, catchy, or outstanding. It all sounds generic. Sometimes the music interferes with the storytelling, too. The voice acting is rough, especially in episode one. Certain fans may want to turn the volume down at given points.
True Beauty’s anime adaptation may only appeal to a small audience. It tackles some gut-punching ideas and features semi-relatable content fans may like. Yet, with its countless issues, it may be best to watch the K-Drama or read the webtoon it’s based on instead.
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Verdict - - 5/10
5/10