And it makes their eventual relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend so much more healthy and fulfilling to watch in the end. I love that the drama made a point, just like in the webcomic, to establish them as friends before it ever took a romantic turn. Mi Rae and Kyung Seok’s developing relationship is just so lovely to watch play out, especially with their shared history as a driving force behind it. The phrase “heart-fluttering” is often thrown around by netizens in the context of K-Drama romance and usually makes me cirnge, but I’ll admit I was feeling some palpitations. Gangnam Beauty does a great job of balancing the more poignant message of self-love with the pure fluff that is Mi Rae and Kyung Seok’s love story. Mi Rae’s growth is fundamental to the progression of the story, and the difference in how passive she is from the drama’s beginning to its final episode is a testament to that. And while the drama version also uses the festival as a way for the couple to grow closer, it’s primarily an opportunity for Mi Rae to speak up for herself against harassment – and she certainly does. In the webcomic, the cultural festival was used more as a facilitator for a chivalrous Kyung Seok to step in for Mi Rae during her shift and save her from the uncomfortable situation of serving in her skimpy waitress outfit. It was a completely new scene for the drama version, and a welcome addition. There’s a great moment at the cultural festival where Mi Rae stands up for herself against a former middle-school classmate who shunned and mocked her in the past. It also forced her to come to terms with the permanence of her changed appearance, and acknowledge that a being considered beautiful wasn’t the be-all-end-all solution to her own internal struggles of self-worth. Watching Mi Rae mend her relationship with her father after her surgery felt like a natural and much-needed turn of events. I like that the writers acknowledged how parents may struggle to see their own child feel pressured into plastic surgery, even after a lifetime of love and unconditional support. Mi Rae’s family plays a much larger role here, and for the most part I really enjoyed that. The story of Gangnam Beauty follows the general events of the webcomic closely, but expands on some of the more plot elements by introducing side characters and their respective conflicts. And while most actually work beautifully for the narrative, I do feel that a few actually diminish some aspects of it. As such, comparisons are inevitable, especially because the drama version of Gangnam Beauty makes some rather noticeable changes. Or, at least, a reader of up to Chapter 72 of the webcomic, which is as far as I can find translated for the series and very near to the conclusion of the story. I’m coming into this review with the perspective of a reader of the webcomic. But as Mi Rae learns more about Kyung Seok she realizes her is not the handsome, judgmental boy of her memory and may actually be her greatest ally against the two-faced friendships of her classmates, particularly resident “Chemistry Department Goddess” Hyun Soo Ah. However, the appearance of a former middle-school classmate Do Kyung Seok may jeopardize Mi Rae’s reputation, if the obviousness of her plastic surgery does not. Armed with a new face and ready for a fresh start, Mi Rae is determined to make friends and leave her traumatic past behind her as she begins her studies in the Chemistry department and pursues her career as a perfumer. Kwak Dong Yeon as Yeon Woo Young S ynopsis:Īfter having been tormented and ostracized by her peers all her life for her unattractive appearance, Kang Mi Rae makes the decision to undergo extreme plastic surgery on her face before she begins her first year at university. NOT Recommended For: Fast-paced action and adventure thrill seekers Starring: Recommended For: Those looking for a romance and coming-of-age-story that address conflicts like self-love and body issues Having now both watched the drama in its entirety and read the webcomic alongside it, I can say the televised version delivers all the right notes the story needed to hit, but with more than a few altercations. Thus, when a drama adaptation of the webcomic “My ID is Gangnam Beauty” was announced I was intrigued to see how the televised version would handle the comic’s portrayal of a protagonist so traumatized by being bullied for her appearance she undergoes plastic surgery that leaves her virtually unrecognizable. The stigma attached to plastic surgery makes it touchy subject to address, even in a country like South Korea with the highest number of surgeries performed per capita.
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