My ID is Gangnam Beauty (2018)

For a person who isn't into romantic K-Drama, I was honestly really impressed by this show, and I'm so glad I chose to watch it! It really made me go through all of the emotional stages episode by episode, I was honestly so hooked that sometimes I was unable to sleep because of it! It's that addicting!
At first, in the first and second episodes especially, I wasn't in the 'love' stage, as I felt some of the story and acting was a little sloppy, but the performances in the episodes after that truly made up for the first two episodes.
I have seen a recurring theme that most K-Drama only have on season and sixteen episodes, considering its now 2020, I don't think there will be another season, but I still strongly suggest to anyone who likes romance to watch this!

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an entertaining watch overall

This drama is worth the watch for a certain audience. This is the first drama that I’ve wanted to watch all the way through in a long time and I do not regret it. It portrays the dark side of beauty standards really well and traversed darker areas that I wasn’t expecting the show to go in, which I do appreciate. The only downside I had while watching this drama is that it could be quite frustrating by feeling drawn out , alongside some minor frustrations with how they portrayed the main character. However, there is much to be learned by this show and it is worth the watch if you want to support a show that talked about difficult subjects. Overall 7/10 - not the best I’ve seen but certainly not the worst.

Pros:
- good cinematography
-portrays real world issues well
-wasn’t afraid to talk about uncomfortable subjects
-the romance is cute

Cons:
-main character can be frustrating at times
-feels slow at certain points
-acting can be awkward in a few places
-chemistry is eh

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Guys I really like this drama not just because of the cast, I honestly thought it had a really good message to send to everyone. Being pretty or good-looking isnt everything or the key to having a better life. They showed differing views on how people see and define what appearance is like to them and how exactly they go about acting based on their belief in front of others. The drama talks from the view of someone who got plastic surgery and how they have to tackle unexpected attention, rude comments and how self-conscious they are. I thought the cast and crew made an awesome drama to display many personalities revolving around the idea of someone’s looks and the thought process behind it. Each character portayed really different personalities and taught us when someone’s acting in a certain way there’s definitely a reason behind that action. They show us that even thought you are having or had a tough time in the past you still have a chance of being happy. Expect the unexpected. You’ll find someone who’ll support you for you not because of how you look. I wish this drama didn’t end so soon. Awesome awesome drama!

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Cute, light, and relaxing genre

Very nice if you wanted a title to watch just to relax. No hard antagonist, everyone was justified. Watch this if you do not want to hate on any character. Or watch this if you're not looking for a story to dwell on.
Surprise, surprise. The story isn't bad at all! I was hesitant to watch this while it was airing because first, I'm not so fund of idol actors, second, there are a lot of comments saying it only glorifies plastic surgery. There are actually several societal issues taken up, mostly on the beauty standards imposed by the society.
But I'm surprised I find the couple cute! There are some times that I would just fast forward because the run seems slow (I think the story could well be done for 12 eps), but it's okay. Nice story to watch especially after a long, busy, mind-recking day, you could just quite relax while watching the series.
Most favorite character: Eun
Most relatable character: Mi Rae
Man of the hour: Woo Young
Best best person: Hyun Jung

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The concept for this drama was excellent. However, there were a couple of things that really detracted from it. First, the male lead (Cha eun wook?) Is super stiff in this movie. I really didn't see any acting talent displayed by him in this series. He basically has like two or three facial expressions throughout the whole series. Also, they built him up as like the best looking guy in the department, but I think his looks are pretty average, and I don't think he would have been popular with the personality he has.

2) I didn't like the main song they played throughout the series. It felt...not suited to the situation. I didn't like it.

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You'll enjoy and learn a thing or two

I'll be honest. I watched this bec of Cha Eun Woo bec I recently just discovered him and my oh my, I'm in love. Lol. I mean his face in itself is an aphrodisiac, it's so hard not to stare at him, he's too damn beautiful *sigh*

Ok now back to the review, at first I found it hard to relate to her since I've never had plastic surgery, not that there is nothing I wouldn't want to change on my face. But as I continued to watch, she is what we, females, are. We're all insecure at one point and always want to change something in ourselves, whether we want to lose weight, whiten our skin, etc. And this drama addresses those issues and how society puts too much importance on looks that it influences a lot of our actions, thoughts and decisions. I was expecting a romcom but I also got a drama that made me take a look at how I perceive those who had gone under the knife, how I'd judged them when really it's none of my business. And that's why I like this drama bec it made me want to be less superficial.

As for the acting, the actors did well. This role suited Eun Woo because he was able to deliver the cold/distant personality well and the scenes where he was jealous eas just hilarious. I love watching his reactions on scenes when they'd be alone at home, lol.

As for the onscreen chemistry, i'll give it a 7. I think its obvious that the fl is much older, its just not believable that she is 20.

I'd definitely watch this again.

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Great message overall and feel good drama with no angst.

Having said that, the last 2 episodes frustrated me at some parts. I had absolutely zero emotional stake in SooAh or that creepy sunbae from the beginning. I regret that we had to sit through such waste of valuable screen time to watch the redemption of SooAh (really?) and feel a bit robbed of more cute moments with the lead couple or KS’s time with sister or mom. MiRae's family (especially dad) I would have liked to see a lot more of.
Hyun Jung was also in my opinion not developed enough, she's the friend that always stood by MiRae, old or new face. I think she deserved a lot more screen than SooAh for example.

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Interesting show brought down by horrible acting

This was my first Kdrama but I was never able to finish it. I knew the show would be kinda shallow because the plot is about a girl who wasn't born beautiful who was tormented at a young age was able to get plastic surgery and change the way people perceived her.

While I liked how this drama brought to light South Korean society's obsession with outer beauty i couldn't stand the two main leads. I understand the FL was traumatised by how she was treated pre plastic surgery so i kind of understand her lack of assertiveness but it was still frustrating to watch. The ML is very handsome indeed but his acting and character is so boring, I'd rather just stare at a poster of him.

Soo Ah was my favourite character, sure she wasnt likable but her storyline and acting were better than the 2 leads.

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Great plot idea, badly executed.

When i first read about this drama i was very interested, because the plot seemed good. The plot revolving around the beauty standards set for girls was a great idea, and i feel like this show had potential. However, i was very dissapointed after watching this show.

First of all; you would think they would try to get the message of whats on the inside is the most important, but youre wrong. Throughout the drama the FL only gets attention because of her looks and not personality. You would think someone who had been ugly her whole life would at least have a good personality, but no. Her personality is literally non-existing. And the fact that the ML fell for her just because she did a weird dance with her feet ONCE is just weird. maybe it made her "not like other girls" that one time, but she never did anything different from the other girls after. she was just as basic and boring.

second of all; the drama just drags on. The plot at the beginning was so interesting. I was excited on where it would go, but it literally wanished after the third episode. After that there was no plot and the drama became predictable. I knew the ML and FL would start dating. And i knew the second FL would become the bad guy.

Third of all; the cast i- The fact that a 30 year old lady is playing a shy 18 year old is just so weird and unfitting. she literally looks so much older than everyone else. Eun woo's character was alright. the only thing i liked about him was his toxic personality lol. i didnt however undertsand the second ML. like okay he liked the FL because of her looks, but why did that make him so passionate about her?

To conclude, i do not recommend watching this drama. It is nothing special, so dont waste 16 hours of your life. i do however recommend checking out one of the songs in this drama called "something"! this song was the only good thing about the drama (:

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Quando Gangnam Beauty foi anunciado, ainda no início do ano, juntamente com o elenco protagonista, me animei visivelmente por ter o Cha Eun Woo no elenco. Até então só conhecia e admirava o moço como cantor no ASTRO, meu boy group ultimate, mas já sabia de sua carreira como ator por causa de The Best Hit - que no auge do momento em que escrevo essa review, estou assistindo. Só que eu devo ter entendido errado, pensado que seria um web drama curtinho - vai entender porquê - e deixei-o de lado, só voltando a me atentar a ele quando o drama estreou e eu fui assistir o primeiro episódio. Não demorou muito até eu gostar e ver, finalmente, a que veio a história de Mirae.

Então um dos pontos que mais me prendeu no drama, já começo dizendo o quão real e certeira é a mensagem do drama sobre a opressão de uma aparência perfeita, tanto na Coréia do Sul quanto mesmo fora dela, e conhecer brevemente a Mirae antes da cirurgia foi um ponto muito bacana. Em poucos minutos, eu consegui simpatizar com a moça que, mais do que ser bonita, só queria ser aceita, mas no meio escolar em que vivia, fora ridicularizada por não se encaixar no padrão "ideal". A grande sacada do drama, porém, é ir além disso e mostrar que, afinal, uma cirurgia plástica não era o final feliz da protagonista, mas uma nova jornada para ela própria construir a autoestima e amor próprio que ela nunca teve, bem como, mais ainda, aprender a aceitar a si mesmo, não apenas no exterior quanto no interior, sobre quem ela era, e que ela não precisava mudar para se encaixar no mundo.

É fato que ela é uma protagonista muito gentil e boazinha, o que às vezes rendia certa irritação por ela não se tocar de coisas óbvias quanto à uma pessoa ou outra ao redor dela - sim, Soo Ah, estou falando de você -, mas ao mesmo tempo isso era compreensível porque, se ela achava que ficar bonita ia resolver toda a vida dela, era agora que ela teria de aprender que não é bem assim, e acompanhar esse crescimento dela com o passar do drama foi lindo.

A seguir nós tivemos um dos que, humildemente, considero como sendo um dos melhores mocinhos que os dramas coreanos já tiveram, Do Kyung Suk - nosso então Eunwoo <3 No primeiro momento dele na telinha eu já suspirei internamente, mas tive certo receio da personalidade fechada do rapaz logo de cara. Sabe, o velho medo de ser mais um bad boy caladão, mas no fim das contas ele só era introvertido por motivos que posteriormente o drama nos mostra um pouco, mas, principalmente: ele é sincero. O resultado disso se reflete no modo gentil e atencioso com que ele logo se dirige à Mi Rae, da mesma forma que também não hesita em dar bons toques à moça para acordar pra a realidade que até então ela não enxerga com a clareza que deveria. Ele tanto pode vir a agradar ao espectador logo de cara como pode irritá-lo; felizmente, meu caso foi o primeiro, e eu me sentia representada por ele ao dizer sempre o que era necessário ou o que era apenas a verdade em alguma situação muito séria. Eu não podia ter amado mais esse personagem, e conforme o romance teve vez, eu só amei-o mais ainda! Desde a relação tranquila como amigo da Mirae, até eles começarem a se envolver e as cenas deles se encherem de um amor tão meigo e bonito, bem como de respeito e atenção que muito me cativaram! As cenas deles mais pareciam ser reais de tão naturais, e já parabenizo os atores por tamanha dedicação aos papéis, o resultado não poderia ter sido melhor - e a química maior, convenhamos!

No mais, o drama teve destaques ótimos como os personagens secundários, muitos deles que se destacaram além de secundários, como a Eun, colega de curso da Mirae, que começou como se fosse só mais uma no elenco, mas tanto acrescentou à história e deu suporte aos personagens, sendo uma das mais centradas da universidade. Depois dela destaco a mãe do Kyung Suk e os pais da Mirae, uns amores que me faziam querer apertar a tela de abraços e agradecimentos por eles existirem e darem tanto suporte e amor à Mirae! Hyun Jung e Wooyoung da mesma forma, ela por ser a melhor amiga sempre presente e disposta a puxar a orelha da Mirae para uma coisa ou outra, e ele por ser o sunbae/professor mais dedicado e atencioso da universidade, sempre ali por seus alunos.

Mas, claro, nem só de personagens legais é feito um drama, apesar de que Gangnam Beauty já parece ter exagerado na dose de uma antagonista que mesmo quando tem chance de se redimir, ainda não o faz 100%. Desde o primeiro momento eu logo percebi que Soo Ah não seria boa peça, mas não imaginava que ela aprontaria tanto; felizmente Kyung Suk, sempre atento, não caiu nos jogos da moça e até tentou pará-la, mas os roteiristas estavam convencidos de que nada era suficiente para ela, sempre tinha que haver mais. No entanto, (bem) pouco a pouco vamos descobrindo um pouco mais de seu passado e o que a levou a ser do jeito que é. Não que nada do que ela passou justificasse o que ela fez com todos, principalmente com a Mirae que ela claramente odiava, mas eu senti real pena dela nos dois últimos episódios. Sua história era triste, mas pela pressa com que foi explicada não dá muito tempo ao público para digeri-la. Digo isso porque vi muita gente reagindo negativamente à ela no final, e ainda que eu mesma não me inclua nesse grupo e tenha ficado um pouco (só um pouco) satisfeita com o desfecho dela, ainda deveria ter mais ao menos para nos fazer diminuir o desgosto pela moça, mas, né, nada é perfeito mesmo.

No fim das contas, eu tinha expectativas para o drama, mas elas foram superadas e eu me vi adicionando mais um drama de 2018 à minha lista de favoritos da vida, em especial pelo casal que muito me ganhou e mostrou, dentro da simplicidade, um pouco até de inocência, e muito respeito e cumplicidade, um amor lindo e gentil, tão natural também, que só me faz querer rever o drama completo para ver tudo de novo de DoRae! <3 Casal mais amor, drama de mensagem ainda mais forte sobre os padrões de beleza e uma indicação mais que 100% para todo mundo vê-lo também!

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Main characters have ZERO chemistry

Watching the main characters interact is so awkward. ML is expressionless, FL makes the same suprised/dopey expression after everything ML says. It's not just the bad acting and direction. But the script doesn't make you invested in the outcome of their relationship at all. Every time they interact they are socially awkward around eachother yet they fall for eachother somehow. There is no scenes showing them becoming friends or having fun. Just long drawn out awkard scenes and the same facial expressions.

The supporting characters are pretty boring too. And pretty much all the men besides the ML are sexist and superficial.

There is also a bulimic character in the show. And they have product placements for the diet pills she takes. And several characters are shown drinking diet drinks. It's pretty disturbing that they would use a character with a debilitating eating disorder to shill diet pills.

I watched True Beauty a awhile ago it stars the same ML. It has a kinda similar concept except the FL in that show becomes popular after she becomes good at makeup. I think it's also based off a webtoon. Don't bother with this show. If the concept sounds interesting to you, go watch True Beauty instead. It's actually one of my favourite k-dramas. I have no idea how this show has nearly as high of a rating as True Beauty.

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