Synopsis: Kang Mi Rae, an insecure middle-schooler, decides to get plastic surgery after being constantly bullied for her looks. When she joins university, she struggles to adjust to her new-found beauty and this is only made more difficult with Do Kyung Seok, her old middle school classmate. Mi Rae’s insecurities dominate the way she looks at others and the way she thinks of herself and this drama is her beautiful journey to finding inner beauty.
Click “Read More” to see my review! ***Potential Spoilers!***
Review: This drama was so heart warming and touching!! I absolutely fell in love with the characters and the journey Kang Mi Rae goes on. This drama is honestly a huge life lesson and I’m so happy I finished it. Though it wasn’t a perfect drama, it made me really happy and I think I would watch it again. Let’s start with the negatives…
Like almost all kdramas, I think this drama also has issues with its pacing, mostly with the reveals/dramatic aspects or plot points. Hyun Soo Ah’s [the second female lead] background was revealed in the last 2 episodes and I thought it put a lot of pressure on the audience to connect the dots. It also made it difficult for me to sympathetic for her when I saw her tragic background only an hour before the show was going to end.
Originally posted by thatkdramatho
The dramatic climax could also have been paced better and I think putting it in the last hour of the drama was a mistake. A slow reveal of Soo Ah’s background and a build up to Kang Mi Rae’s climactic monologue could have lead to a better ending. I also think this drama’s ending left way too many strings untied. I don’t mean that the open endings were bad, but some endings weren’t even shown. For example, what happened to the relationship between the Do siblings? And the relationship between Kyung Seok and his mom? And the relationship between Woo Yeong [second male lead] and Mi Rae’s friend? There were just so many aspects that weren’t shown in the end, which made it difficult to digest that the drama had actually ended. Also what on Earth was the point of showing Hyun Jun’s interest in rapping??? That plot point ended in 1 episode and was such a pointless filler.
Originally posted by forursmiles
The biggest negative for me is the lack of screen time of the relationship between Kyung Seok and his mother. We get to see it in the beginning/middle of the drama and then she sort of takes the sidelines and that relationship never fully develops. The relationship between them could have been such a beautiful side-plot and I think the producers really missed out on a good opportunity. You don’t even see the mother and son together in the last episode! It’s so frustrating and I really wish I could have seen more of their relationship blossom.
Originally posted by valeriemperez
I think the styling/casting of the female lead was also kind of odd. Don’t get me wrong, I love Im Soo Hyang and I think she’s a fantastic actress. She’s so funny and down-to-earth, but also confident and her skills shone through in this drama. But she looked too old to be a college student. I understand that maybe that was the vibe they were going for since she is supposed to “look” like she got plastic surgery, but I think her hairstyle and the way they did her makeup just made her look artificially old. If they were going for the “mature” look, I think they nailed it with some of the side characters, but Mi Rae looked unnaturally old. I think it’s the hairstyle tbh, cuz she looks so young in other dramas/shows!
Now on to the positives!!
THE ROMANCE!!!! Ahhhhh the romance gave me sooo many feels. I literally felt my heart drop everytime I saw the 2 main leads interact. I definitely did not have Second Lead Syndrome with this drama because the main leads had so much chemistry and such beautiful interactions. Do Kyung Seok only sees people’s inner beauty and Kang Mi Rae can’t help herself from judging/feeling judged for outer beauty. The growth and love between these characters made the scenes so cute and sweet to watch. I honestly fell in love with both of them and was definitely sad I didn’t have my own Do Kyung Seok. The OST [Something in your eyes] made me swoon every single time and I can feel myself blush whenever I hear it.
Originally posted by valeriemperez
Originally posted by liveasbutterflies
I don’t think my heart can take any more romance…
The Actors. I tried not to be biased with my review of the actors and I feel like I’m pretty unbiased tbh. I know Eun Woo is a part of ASTRO, but I don’t really stan/listen to their music/follow them so I feel like I can be unbiased. I honestly loved all the actors. I think Soo Hyang was so beautiful and portrayed her role so well. I got annoyed with her character sometimes because of how insecure she was, but this was honestly the most realistic portrayal of insecurities and growth. Eun Woo was fantastic! His cold facade was done so well that I still felt affectionate for him when he was cold. Maybe because he was never really cold to Mi Rae? The transition from a cold, arrogant-type boy to a sweet, loving boy was honestly pretty smooth. I couldn’t even tell that Kyung Seok was acting differently because Eun Woo transitioned in that role so well. It didn’t help that all the actors were gorgeous and so entertaining! Cha Eun Woo’s smile makes my heart stop. I guess if I had to pick one actor that didn’t really make me feel anything it would be Kwak Dong Yeon [Woo Young]. Maybe it wasn’t the actor’s fault and it was the producers, writers, or directors, but I just didn’t feel any interest or chemistry in his romance with Soo Hyang. I could snicker at his comedy scenes but I never felt touched with his emotional ones, even the sad ones.
Originally posted by valeriemperez
The Morals. This was probably my favorite part of the drama. I felt so touched by the morals in this drama…Suicide prevention, depression, therapy, love, inner beauty, friendship. I mean this was literally the most heart touching drama I’ve watched, which is why the negatives don’t matter as much to me. Romance aside, I think Kang Mi Rae had beautiful character development and I’m so proud of her and happy that she became a confident and happy person. Her dramatic monologue at the climax just made me feel so motivated and inspired to stop thinking of my looks all the time and stop unnecessarily judging others’ looks.
Overall thoughts: This drama was honestly one of the best. It has its flaws, but I feel like they pale in comparison to the romance, the entertainment, and the learning value of the drama. This is how a good drama should be written and produced. The romance, the chemistry, the acting, the comedy, the lessons were so valuable and so touching. Honestly, this drama reminds me of an early 2000s drama without the cringe-fest. I would 100% watch it again [mainly for the romance scenes…]
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