True Beauty, Vol. 1
- Downloads：8675
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-11-12 07:19:45
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Yaongyi
- ISBN：1990259758
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
True Beauty， a smash hit webcomic from Korea…
Jugyeong Lim has been treated unfairly by her family and bullied by her enemies due to being perceived as ugly。 She learns how to use makeup by binge-watching Youtube tutorials。 As she slowly masters the art of makeovers， her dramatic transformation leads to her overwhelming popularity and fame。
Armed with her newfound beauty， Jugyeong is in a love triangle with two of the most handsome boys at school: Suho， the stoic mystery man who knows her secret and Seojun， the "bad boy。" But will her elite status be short-lived？ How long can she keep her true appearance a secret？
Living in a society where people are judged based on their physical appearance， Jugyeong navigates both high school and her college life， while her self-esteem， romantic life and career are constantly in flux。
Jugyeong Lim has been treated unfairly by her family and bullied by her enemies due to being perceived as ugly。 She learns how to use makeup by binge-watching Youtube tutorials。 As she slowly masters the art of makeovers， her dramatic transformation leads to her overwhelming popularity and fame。
Armed with her newfound beauty， Jugyeong is in a love triangle with two of the most handsome boys at school: Suho， the stoic mystery man who knows her secret and Seojun， the "bad boy。" But will her elite status be short-lived？ How long can she keep her true appearance a secret？
Living in a society where people are judged based on their physical appearance， Jugyeong navigates both high school and her college life， while her self-esteem， romantic life and career are constantly in flux。
Reviews
Kacey
，
I've been waiting to dive back into and restart this series。 Webtoon just announced the series finale this week so I figured it was a good time to start it back up！ I hope someday to order a physical copy now that they've hit shelves and add it to my own collection at home！ I've been waiting to dive back into and restart this series。 Webtoon just announced the series finale this week so I figured it was a good time to start it back up！ I hope someday to order a physical copy now that they've hit shelves and add it to my own collection at home！ 。。。more
Lisa Marie
，
I read this when it originally came out on a weekly basis and I am loving this in a volume format。 I really appreciate the chapters are done in larger chunks and how much cleaner the type looks。 I would consider adding these volumes to our high school library in our comics section。 =
Vaishnavi
，
The ugly art is so much like real life than the beautiful persona's and that is what I love about this graphic novel。After watching the kdrama true beauty， I was very curious about this graphic novel and was glad to have this on my shelf。 I liked how the adaptation on screen was full of justice to the web novel。 I am definitely going to read the rest of the episodes on webtoon because it was that hooking and entrapping。The characters and art is flawlessly cliche yet beautiful in its own way and The ugly art is so much like real life than the beautiful persona's and that is what I love about this graphic novel。After watching the kdrama true beauty， I was very curious about this graphic novel and was glad to have this on my shelf。 I liked how the adaptation on screen was full of justice to the web novel。 I am definitely going to read the rest of the episodes on webtoon because it was that hooking and entrapping。The characters and art is flawlessly cliche yet beautiful in its own way and that is what I love the most about this graphic novel。 All those who are a fan of cliche yet fun romances can pick this volume up。 Thank you @netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Celia Añó
，
★2'5★Abandonado en el capítulo 105 del Webtoon。 Porque veo que todavía faltan cien más y ya me ha quedado claro que esta historia no es para mí。Quise darle una oportunidad porque me gustaba que la protagonista fuese una friki a la que le encanta el terror， pero ese rasgo de su personalidad se ha ido diluyendo。 Al final se ha convertido en una protagonista sin nada que la haga única y después de cien capítulos con 0 desarrollo， he acabado un poquito harta de ella。 También me gustaba que hubiera u ★2'5★Abandonado en el capítulo 105 del Webtoon。 Porque veo que todavía faltan cien más y ya me ha quedado claro que esta historia no es para mí。Quise darle una oportunidad porque me gustaba que la protagonista fuese una friki a la que le encanta el terror， pero ese rasgo de su personalidad se ha ido diluyendo。 Al final se ha convertido en una protagonista sin nada que la haga única y después de cien capítulos con 0 desarrollo， he acabado un poquito harta de ella。 También me gustaba que hubiera un triángulo romántico sin toxicidad entre los intereses amorosos hasta que han aparecido los celos y las posesividades， y yo de este carro prefiero bajarme。Creo que tenía potencial para ser una historia entretenida， pero el romance se come la trama de una forma un poco irritante。 Hay indicios de cosas que van a suceder pero que no ocurren， todos los malentendidos se basan en la falta de comunicación entre los protagonistas， no sucede nada emocionante， las subtramas se resuelven rapidísimo como los pocos problemas de los personajes。。。Si buscas un buen Webtoon sobre autoestima， maquillaje y la toxicidad en el mundo de la belleza os recomiendo The Makeup Remover。****************************************************Dropped in Webtoon chapter 105。 Because there are still a hundred more chapters and this story is not for me。I wanted to give it a chance because I liked that the protagonist was a nerd who loves horror， but that trait of her personality has been diluted。 In the end she has become a protagonist with nothing that makes her unique and after a hundred chapters with 0 character development， I ended up tired with her。 I also liked that there was a romantic triangle without toxicity between the love interests until jealousy and possessiveness have appeared， so。。。 no thanks。I think it had the potential to be an entertaining story， but the romance eats up the plot and it's quite irritating。 There are hints of things that are going to happen but don't happen， all the misunderstandings are based on the lack of communication between the protagonists， nothing exciting happens， the subplots are resolved very quickly as the few problems of the characters。。。If you are looking for a good Webtoon about self-esteem issues， makeup， and toxicity in the world of beauty， I recommend you The Makeup Remover。 。。。more
Julie
，
Came for the artwork， stayed for the character arcs。 I'm gonna miss Jugyeong， Suho and Seojun！ Came for the artwork， stayed for the character arcs。 I'm gonna miss Jugyeong， Suho and Seojun！ 。。。more
Christy
，
5 stars for this colorfully-illustrated， fun and quirky graphic novel~After being bullied on her appearance， the main character decides to give herself an extreme makeover。 She starts using makeup and learning more via tutorials online， and soon enough she has amazing makeup skills。 With the power of makeup， she transforms herself into an unrecognizable version of herself and gains instant popularity。 The graphic novel follows the main character through school， social interactions， relationships 5 stars for this colorfully-illustrated， fun and quirky graphic novel~After being bullied on her appearance， the main character decides to give herself an extreme makeover。 She starts using makeup and learning more via tutorials online， and soon enough she has amazing makeup skills。 With the power of makeup， she transforms herself into an unrecognizable version of herself and gains instant popularity。 The graphic novel follows the main character through school， social interactions， relationships， and everyday life with a quirky and funny tone throughout。 She may have changed her looks on the outside， but deep down she's still a nerdy and witty character。 I really enjoyed it。 Thanks to NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group， WEBTOON Unscrolled for the digital ARC！ 。。。more
Ari
，
nice and funny at the beginning got bored now and tbh I didn’t even like the k drama 😟
Laurel
，
It's been a ride。 I started reading this webtoon back in 2018。 Today， I read the series finale。 The art is definitely stunning。 I loved how the characters were drawn in both the main story and the comedic parts。 The plot was good too。 I just felt that there were moments where it could've been developed better。 Overall， it was a good read。 It's been a ride。 I started reading this webtoon back in 2018。 Today， I read the series finale。 The art is definitely stunning。 I loved how the characters were drawn in both the main story and the comedic parts。 The plot was good too。 I just felt that there were moments where it could've been developed better。 Overall， it was a good read。 。。。more
MaguiWorld
，
Gracias NetGalley y Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group por permitirme leerlo。Leí el webtoon en webtoon y saber que se encuentra siendo publicado es una alegría inmensa。 También he visto la serie y me encantó aunque siento que el comic tiene mucha mas profundidad en ciertos temas， como suele pasar。una historia atrapante， que uno sabe que no va a poder soltar una vez que lo comienza porque conoce cuando una historia es de esas que te deja a cada capitulo esperando más y más。 Espero se sigan publicando y d Gracias NetGalley y Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group por permitirme leerlo。Leí el webtoon en webtoon y saber que se encuentra siendo publicado es una alegría inmensa。 También he visto la serie y me encantó aunque siento que el comic tiene mucha mas profundidad en ciertos temas， como suele pasar。una historia atrapante， que uno sabe que no va a poder soltar una vez que lo comienza porque conoce cuando una historia es de esas que te deja a cada capitulo esperando más y más。 Espero se sigan publicando y difundiendo para que más personas lo conozcan。 Y ojala comencemos a tomar conciencia que las apariencias fisicas d elas personas no es lo más importante， que podemos sentirnos bien como somos， simplemente mirandonos al espejo y gustandonos， y no cambiar por lo que la sociedad quiere que seamos。A veces este mensaje no se lográ ver claramente en el webtoon， pero con un poco de reflexión se logra。Más reseñas y recomendaciones 👉 https://www。instagram。com/magui。world/ 。。。more
ANN✿
，
OH MY GOSH ITS DONE？？ FINALLYonly reasoning behind the rating is that I got attached after following the webtoon for so many years。
সুমাইয়া সুমি
，
What am I supposed to say about this？ I am feeling so emotional right now。 Finally toady the series has it’s finale so gracefully。 I started to read this when I was waiting for the 3rd episode of the ongoing Kdrama true beauty in 2020。 This is the first series which let me in into the world of webtoon。I enjoyed every bit of it。 How the every single character have their own struggle and overcome their complexes。 It’s a full package。 The family bonding， friendship， love everything portrayed so nic What am I supposed to say about this？ I am feeling so emotional right now。 Finally toady the series has it’s finale so gracefully。 I started to read this when I was waiting for the 3rd episode of the ongoing Kdrama true beauty in 2020。 This is the first series which let me in into the world of webtoon。I enjoyed every bit of it。 How the every single character have their own struggle and overcome their complexes。 It’s a full package。 The family bonding， friendship， love everything portrayed so nicely that you can't stop falling in love with all of them。Aah such a wonderful journey。 I am gona miss it for sure。 🤍 。。。more
Katie
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Putting my thoughts about the entire series here since I read it on Webtoon。Honestly， my first thought is that I can't believe it's finally finished。True Beauty suffered from the common plague of going on for too long and loosing it's focus。 Though， now that the series is over I'm already feeling a bit nostalgic about it （I was going into my sophomore year of college when it started which is crazy to think about）。 I like the initial concept of the series but I feel like it dissipated and was los Putting my thoughts about the entire series here since I read it on Webtoon。Honestly， my first thought is that I can't believe it's finally finished。True Beauty suffered from the common plague of going on for too long and loosing it's focus。 Though， now that the series is over I'm already feeling a bit nostalgic about it （I was going into my sophomore year of college when it started which is crazy to think about）。 I like the initial concept of the series but I feel like it dissipated and was lost as the series when on。 Shorter series like Spirit Fingers， Cursed Princess Club， and The Makeup Remover have all addressed similar ideas much more efficiently。The problem is that the parts of True Beauty that drag aren't even especially entertaining。 They're just slow and make me dislike Jugyeong because it feels like her character is regressing。That being said， I think the beginning was strong and there were several arcs later on that I especially enjoyed （specifically Sujin and Mr。 H）。 As a whole this is an entertaining webtoon， I just think that better pacing would improve so many things， including the likability of the characters。At least the art is pretty。。。 。。。more
Dione Basseri
，
Jugyeong isn't hideous to start。 She's just plain in a manhwa world of gorgeous people， with a pretty unsupportive family （or at least a nasty little brother）。 But she suddenly changes， not with the tried-and-true comic method of "go to sleep plain wake up pretty，" but with learning the art of makeup！I appreciate that this book portrays applying make up as a skill。 Jugyeong's first attempts make her look like a clown， and it takes a summer of YouTube （or the comic off-brand） tutorials and practi Jugyeong isn't hideous to start。 She's just plain in a manhwa world of gorgeous people， with a pretty unsupportive family （or at least a nasty little brother）。 But she suddenly changes， not with the tried-and-true comic method of "go to sleep plain wake up pretty，" but with learning the art of makeup！I appreciate that this book portrays applying make up as a skill。 Jugyeong's first attempts make her look like a clown， and it takes a summer of YouTube （or the comic off-brand） tutorials and practice to get it right。 The artist even teaches a bit about makeup techniques as part of the story。The majority of the book is about Jugyeong hiding the secret of her transformation （and I have to wonder if the rest of her school ALSO practices these ancient and arcane makeup arts， and EVERYONE is hiding it）， but there's also the beginning of a romance plot between her and the only observant person in the entire school: Lee Su-ho， a particularly pretty boy， who makes the connection between Jugyeong's beautiful school face and the plain girl he's connected with at the local comic shop。This first volume ends with a little twist and a harsh plotline， and I am tempted to continue。 I'm not 100% yet， but I'd definitely recommend this first volume as a trial run。 You might find your new favorite series！ 。。。more
Rebecca
，
I'm glad I took a chance on this one。 I feared the lead was going to be too superficial and passive， but she was actually pretty hilarious， and the art played into the humor really well。 There are clearly going to be two romantic interests， and I much prefer the first one who sees her true self， but there's so much story left that I'm definitely open to other possibilities。 I'm glad I took a chance on this one。 I feared the lead was going to be too superficial and passive， but she was actually pretty hilarious， and the art played into the humor really well。 There are clearly going to be two romantic interests， and I much prefer the first one who sees her true self， but there's so much story left that I'm definitely open to other possibilities。 。。。more
Ray
，
Thanks to WEBTOON and NetGalley for this ARC！I remember first reading True Beauty when it was first released on WEBTOON， and now that it finally has a physical release， I was thrilled to re-read it。 The artwork is stunning， and I felt nostalgic when reading it again。 True Beauty follows Jugyeong Lim， who struggles with inner and outer beauty。 She was bullied in middle school for liking "weird" things such as metal music， horror movies， and manga。 However， determined to change herself and her ima Thanks to WEBTOON and NetGalley for this ARC！I remember first reading True Beauty when it was first released on WEBTOON， and now that it finally has a physical release， I was thrilled to re-read it。 The artwork is stunning， and I felt nostalgic when reading it again。 True Beauty follows Jugyeong Lim， who struggles with inner and outer beauty。 She was bullied in middle school for liking "weird" things such as metal music， horror movies， and manga。 However， determined to change herself and her image for high school， she discovers the world of makeup and fashion。 Soon enough finds a new love for makeup and starts to become popular。 Then suddenly， she finds herself between Suho， a stoic boy who figures out the secret of her true appearance， and Seojun， the school's bad boy。This story was as funny as I remembered it to be， and I loved the meme-worthy panels。 I thought Jugyeong was very relatable regarding self-image， as most girls her age， even myself， were very self-conscious about their outer appearances。 I also found this surprisingly informational and honest when re-reading about Jugyeong's journey with makeup。 The mess up's， the long tutorials， and applying makeup over and over again until it came out the way she wanted were my own makeup experience。 Heck， I still can't do half of what Jugyeong does but reading the webtoon taught me a lot about K-Beauty。Knowing where this story goes in the future， I'm not super excited about the future volumes， but I'm hoping that re-reading the series will provide a new outlook。 。。。more
Psycho Candy
，
On November 7th， 2022， read the ARC！ And it truly lived up to the hype I gave it years ago。 Thank you for providing the advance reading copy， netgalley 。It would feel wonderful to hold a paperback！
pilarreadsalot
，
I was truly amazed by how much I actually enjoyed true beaty than I originally thought。 This is definitely one of my ew favorite comfy reads。 I'd heard a lot of amazing things from friends and such about this story but never took the time to read it but then it appeared on my netgally and now I don't particularly believe in faith but I still thought to myself "okay Pilar I think it's finally time to read true beauty" and so I requested it and was truly plesantly surprised by how enjoyable it is！ I was truly amazed by how much I actually enjoyed true beaty than I originally thought。 This is definitely one of my ew favorite comfy reads。 I'd heard a lot of amazing things from friends and such about this story but never took the time to read it but then it appeared on my netgally and now I don't particularly believe in faith but I still thought to myself "okay Pilar I think it's finally time to read true beauty" and so I requested it and was truly plesantly surprised by how enjoyable it is！I had a great time reading， and now I don't consider myself a person that is particularly someone that "giggles" but I did giggle a lot， I think my brother truly believed I was insane。 But if you are like me and never really had any interest in reading true beaty I encourage you to do so because I truly had a wondeful time。 yours truely，Pilar 。。。more
Alex Pippenger
，
This was cute， lol。 I've been reading the webtoon since like 2018 （I think？）， but it's always fun to get a physical version of something you love！ This was cute， lol。 I've been reading the webtoon since like 2018 （I think？）， but it's always fun to get a physical version of something you love！ 。。。more
Cam ❤️
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 ead the webtoon halfway because i hated it-> everything bad about it:- hated who she choose to fall in love with - the miscommunication （hate miscommunication）- the real message behind it sucks， like yeah i get that your allowed to wear makeup to feel pretty， but it over does it:like you can also look beautiful without makeup， and the webtoon makes it feel like u have to wear makeup to be pretty。 - i also just hated the female lead a lot
Blake Herondale
，
Después de años de este webtoon en emisión， ha terminado hace poco y tengo sentimientos encontrados: me ha gustado mucho， pero tampoco tanto。Algunos temas están super bien tratados pero otros， sin embargo， me da la sensación de que son irrelevantes。 Me gustó mucho el final， como por FIN consigue pensar así de ella misma， y es que comprendo por que le llevo tanto tiempo， aceptarse no es algo que se haga en un día
Ghala （Taylor version）
，
Ew🤢
very little book nerd
，
"True Beauty" is a pretty good comic， which - above all - gives food for thought。 This seemingly simple story about a girl who is ridiculed for her appearance - although she looks perfectly normal - shows the reader how awful it is to live in a society where what matters most is how you look， not what kind of person you are。The comic is easy to read， and the line is pleasing to the eye - especially if you like the manga style。 It is true that some scenes were very strange， but the author clearly "True Beauty" is a pretty good comic， which - above all - gives food for thought。 This seemingly simple story about a girl who is ridiculed for her appearance - although she looks perfectly normal - shows the reader how awful it is to live in a society where what matters most is how you look， not what kind of person you are。The comic is easy to read， and the line is pleasing to the eye - especially if you like the manga style。 It is true that some scenes were very strange， but the author clearly likes memes and sometimes she could not help but reproduce a certain faces from popular memes on the faces of her characters。The plot is not complicated， but it is addictive。 It's impossible not to like Jugyeong， I personally supported her a lot and I understood her （in part）。 I am curious to see how her story will unfold。 。。。more
Josalyn Li
，
It's a romance and self-development novel， I may say， as we can figure out from the synopsis。 The beginning part really drives us to be obessed with the art style， the mc's positiveness to change herself， and her sweet relationship with Suho。But the plot got a little worse or undirected when Suho left and mc fell for another guy。 Actually， I love the two male characters， who both love her in a certain touching way and also got changed better in the process of dating with her。 However， later stor It's a romance and self-development novel， I may say， as we can figure out from the synopsis。 The beginning part really drives us to be obessed with the art style， the mc's positiveness to change herself， and her sweet relationship with Suho。But the plot got a little worse or undirected when Suho left and mc fell for another guy。 Actually， I love the two male characters， who both love her in a certain touching way and also got changed better in the process of dating with her。 However， later stories didn't focus much on the girl's original heart， and even divert to the opposite direction。 She began to despise those who look ugly with her makeup on。 This change is a realistic reveaing of reality， harsh but true。 The novel recalls every scene we may encounter in the past， be it when we're good-looking or when we're looked down upon for our sluttery。 Also， I like her bravery to eventually show her true appearance before whom she love and care about。 I hope the author could shape her character more obvious from others。 Till now， I like it and will follow the ensuing updates。 。。。more
Christy Broderick
，
4。75 ⭐️I followed this web series for close to a year （after watching the K-drama under the same name） and I couldn’t wait to read the new episodes once they came out！ I only deducted 。25 of a star rating because I was rooting for our MC to give herself more self-confidence in certain episodes and when I didn’t see much of a change in attitude， it was a little less enjoyable at times。 I will say with 100% certainty， however， that I enjoyed reading this all the way through and plan on catching up 4。75 ⭐️I followed this web series for close to a year （after watching the K-drama under the same name） and I couldn’t wait to read the new episodes once they came out！ I only deducted 。25 of a star rating because I was rooting for our MC to give herself more self-confidence in certain episodes and when I didn’t see much of a change in attitude， it was a little less enjoyable at times。 I will say with 100% certainty， however， that I enjoyed reading this all the way through and plan on catching up on the spin-off episodes that release in the following weeks。 I also plan on purchasing the physical books to add to my forever collection， along with re-watching the series this holiday season ❤️ 。。。more
Azura Chan
，
"Stop doubting yourself and don't let what others say get to you。 Just live your life the way you want。 Your youth won't last forever。 So enjoy it while you can。" - Yaongyi， True Beauty。。🖤 After binge-watching beauty videos online， a shy comic book fan masters the art of makeup and sees her social standing skyrocket as she becomes her school’s prettiest pretty girl overnight。 But will her elite status be short-lived？ How long can she keep her real self a secret？ And what about that cute boy who "Stop doubting yourself and don't let what others say get to you。 Just live your life the way you want。 Your youth won't last forever。 So enjoy it while you can。" - Yaongyi， True Beauty。。🖤 After binge-watching beauty videos online， a shy comic book fan masters the art of makeup and sees her social standing skyrocket as she becomes her school’s prettiest pretty girl overnight。 But will her elite status be short-lived？ How long can she keep her real self a secret？ And what about that cute boy who knows her secret？。。🖤 Finally Jugyeong bid a final goodbye to her loyal fans， which is including me。 I've been following this webtoon since 2018， from the year it started。 What an amazing ride。 The ships， the laughter。。。 the tears。 Thank you @meow91__ for making such a beautiful piece of work。 。。🖤 I know it's hard to say goodbye since this is one of the webtoon that I've been craving to read every week。 But I'm glad it ended well。 Yeah， it's so obvious that I'm a Team Suho since the beginning。 😘🤪 I hope to see the wedding scene perhaps a cameo in her new webtoon series。 Perhaps a spin-off series for Seojoon。 。。。more
Debbie
，
I enjoyed this。 It was cutesy and funny
Betty Hernandez
，
Have followed this series for years on webtoon glad it finally got published physically。
Olive
，
The True Beauty WEBTOON hasn’t officially wrapped up 100%， but the main series has （now we’ll get spin off content， which I may review here in a later update/edit）， but overall， from me， True Beauty gets 3。3 stars。 Now， don’t get me wrong - the overarching theme is wholesome， the plot is often sweet and fun， and I genuinely enjoy a lot of the characters！ The art is beautiful as well， and the subtle journey of self-acceptance weaved into how Jugyeong’s bare face is drawn was a nice touch， to be s The True Beauty WEBTOON hasn’t officially wrapped up 100%， but the main series has （now we’ll get spin off content， which I may review here in a later update/edit）， but overall， from me， True Beauty gets 3。3 stars。 Now， don’t get me wrong - the overarching theme is wholesome， the plot is often sweet and fun， and I genuinely enjoy a lot of the characters！ The art is beautiful as well， and the subtle journey of self-acceptance weaved into how Jugyeong’s bare face is drawn was a nice touch， to be sure。 In fact， there’s a lot to love when it comes to True Beauty - there is， after all， a reason why I have continued to read it despite my dislike for it’s story structure - and I believe that there is a beautiful story inside this comic。 That being said， however， the plot of True Beauty is often drowning。The best way I can describe it is that True Beauty is a masterclass in failing to let go。 The main story of True Beauty is really quite simple， especially once we do away with the love triangle， and yet it fails on many occasions to naturally conclude itself before it milks itself dry。 From the beginning of the story up until the time skip （episode 1 - 59）， the plot and vision of True Beauty is well-paced and concise。 There was vision for how True Beauty was going to progress， early on。 Even throughout the early episodes immediately following the time skip， there seemed to be direction and purpose to each episode and arc - plots fleshed out the characters， taught valuable lessons， and gave more dimension to the relationships present。 There was undoubtedly a bit of wavering， but it wasn’t so glaring that it detracted from the quality of the story being told。 However， once the episodes started to climb into the 120s， it seemed that True Beauty really lost direction and， in the last 75 or so episodes， had no desire to move forward as， once that happened， the story would be over。 Truth be told， the latter part of the narrative drags its feet and embarrassed， shuffles across the finish line。 While the final message is sweet， it is overpowered by the ferocity of my banging my head into the wall， begging to know when Jugyeong is going to grow and develop as a character。 If I had to put it simply， True Beauty is a long WEBTOON that cannot justify its length， as it suffers from cheifly two phenomena: too small a cast， and too little character development。 Comparing True Beauty to other WEBTOONs I’ve read， the comic has a relatively small supporting and recurring cast。 Beyond our Vital Trio （Jugyeong， Suho， and Seojun）， I can probably count on one hand the number of important， recurring cast。 Characters like Heegyeong， Sujin， Jooheon， and later Seungho （among a few others） are all examples of important， recurring cast in that they are relevant beyond specific arcs and genuinely affect the overarching story in notable ways。 While these characters are great， might have compelling backstories， and off screen and/or marginal character growth， they are vastly overshadowed by the Vital Trio and represent the ONLY characters who consistently matter to the story。In True Beauty， there are far too many characters who are relevant for a 4-5 episode arc， and are never mentioned again。 There are also far too many named characters who are mentioned off hand as being important in Jugyeong’s life， and yet fail to appear that way。 While this makes some sense， given the semi-realism of people moving in and out of our lives， it makes for a difficult narrative structure wherein it’s difficult to become invested in and draw parallels between arcs that feel incoherent and separate。 Compared to other long-form WEBTOONs like Lookism （which， admittedly， I am only on episode 200 of）， the lack of a strong supporting cast makes True Beauty feel weaker， as it puts too much focus and expectation on three characters who most often have slow arcs （like Jugyeong’s self-acceptance）。 There is not enough traction with main character development to justify having such a small cast， and this stagnation leads to boredom as， week after week， there is no change to the status quo。As for too little character development， this is likely no surprise to you when I say that Lim Jugyeong’s character development is abysmally slow。 As is realistic with the bolstering self esteem， Jugyeong takes her sweet time coming to terms with the fact that her bare face is beautiful and worthy of love and the road to that place is lamentably recursive， winding， and confusing。 Jugyeong learns the same lesson over and over again and seems to absorb it for one （1） episode before the development is lost again so the cycle can repeat itself。 Furthermore， there are times when Jugyeong can herself be a very shallow character - judging others on their looks and not giving them the time of day because they aren’t attractive。 While this makes for a somewhat realistic personality， it makes for a complicated character that clearly needs space to breathe in her own narrative - breathe on her own， so we readers don’t grow tired of her narration。Furthermore， beyond Jugyeong’s character development， there are few other characters with long， in-depth， growth related arcs。 Seojun is perhaps the only other character in True Beauty who gets his due diligence， with characters like Suho， Sujin， and others getting drive-by backstories wherein， for a few weeks， we get an info dump of their ~tragic backstory~ only to have it ill reflected in the rest of their screen time。 Often， it feels as though these backstories are created after the fact， to give the illusion of history where there was none， prior to。The problem of having few other compelling character arcs to scaffold Jugyeong’s narrative only exacerbates the problems inherent in her slow burn development。 As the main plotline of the WEBTOON is Jugyeong’s journey of self confidence， and there is no other long-term， externally driven plotline to support it， the plot wavers alongside Jugyeong’s resolve in herself， and at times the guiding force of the story feels absent for episodes on end。 The slow character development informs the slowness of the plot， and it leaves the story wanting， in the end。 And， if I haven’t already exhausted your attention span， I want to briefly say that characters are often unceremoniously dropped from the story， their development alongside it， and it really leaves True Beauty feeling unsteady as a whole。That is to say， there is a good story and plenty of strong themes within True Beauty。 There are lessons of kindness， of self-acceptance， of overcoming obstacles while also understanding our limitations， of rekindling friendships and finding common ground， and so much more。 There is a compelling story within True Beauty。 There’s a story of cultural and societal significance。 There’s something wholesome and human to love。 If only such a story wasn’t lost in the quagmire of a poorly structured second half （where， truly， the themes attempt to develop the most）。 If only True Beauty didn’t cling so harshly to itself and let the story naturally begin to conclude much sooner: months and months - dozens of episodes upon dozens of episodes - earlier。 。。。more
Gabriela Pop
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I already loved the k-drama adaptation of this， so I knew the source material couldn't be very far off， and boy was I right （thoughe the drama does remain superior in my eyes in many ways）。 While this maintains some of the Big conversations around beauty， perception and social capital （and dare I say the dislocation of the self）， it is， ultimately， so fun！！ so light！！ so delightful！！ Got me giggling and twirling my hair I already loved the k-drama adaptation of this， so I knew the source material couldn't be very far off， and boy was I right （thoughe the drama does remain superior in my eyes in many ways）。 While this maintains some of the Big conversations around beauty， perception and social capital （and dare I say the dislocation of the self）， it is， ultimately， so fun！！ so light！！ so delightful！！ Got me giggling and twirling my hair 。。。more
Khansa
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True Beauty follows Jugyeong who in high school learnt how to do makeup and overnight became the prettiest girl in her school。 Now she has to face new problems， like love and friendship whilst maintaining her good looks because after she takes off her makeup she looks like a completely different person！ And no one can know or else she'll be ostracized in school。Jugyeong is a relatable character。 She puts on makeup to be 'ordinary' and to fit in with people in her class。 Because when she didn't p True Beauty follows Jugyeong who in high school learnt how to do makeup and overnight became the prettiest girl in her school。 Now she has to face new problems， like love and friendship whilst maintaining her good looks because after she takes off her makeup she looks like a completely different person！ And no one can know or else she'll be ostracized in school。Jugyeong is a relatable character。 She puts on makeup to be 'ordinary' and to fit in with people in her class。 Because when she didn't put on makeup she was treated with contempt and faced bullying from her fellow peers。 Which really highlights the bullying 'ugly' people get subjected to and 'pretty privilege'。 However， Jugyeong with makeup and without makeup are 2 different people too。 Jugyeong hides who she is at school， and is only a people pleaser。 And she hides her real interests because she's afraid of her friends reaction， and if they'll hate and leave her for it。 So I do wish Jugyeong is able to merge her personalities and not have to hide what she likes to the people shes close to。 But I do understand she does this to fit in。 After spending years being bullied she doesn't want to risk anything after she just started fitting in。 Anyways， I think the art is gorgeous and I am excited for the next volume to see how Jugyeong progresses。Thanks to Netgalley and Wattpad Webtoon Book Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=True Beauty, Vol. 1
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=True Beauty, Vol. 1&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,True Beauty, Vol. 1&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0