Nae Aidineun Gangnammiin

A strong EIGHT stars if this is meant to be a satire, lampooning life in Korea.

• A scathing satire of alcohol consumption - A scathing satire of beauty infatuation - A scathing satire of predatory dating - A scathing satire of politics before family - A scathing satire of weight concerns - A scathing satire of...well...just about everything.

It works, because it is obviously poking fun at ridiculous behaviors and how easily common situations could end up vastly different (usually better, much much better) if the characters behaved in a rational manner. You'll laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of it all.

HOWEVER...

If this was NOT meant to be a satire, but a serious and believable romantic dramedy, it FAILS MISERABLY. The continued self-loathing and insecurities FAR beyond what even a mentally ill person would experience, if not meant to be satirical, is just grating to the nerves. Other reviewers give great reviews because of the "Heavy Message". But that's the problem. It is not realistic. It is artificially heavy in a cartoon-like sort of way, that again, ONLY works if this is meant to be a satire and not a believable underdog story.

Then, in typical KDrama fashion, the last two episodes come off like they were directed by someone entirely different. They are a collage of small short-attention-span set pieces that transition jarringly and never really mesh into a coherent flow. The last 30 minutes of episode 16 are the worst. This is typical of Korean shows and their infatuation with epilogues once the main threat has been resolved. But it is far more conspicuous here and so overly emotional in one direction or the other, that you don't have time to digest any of it.

Last gripe: The continued KDrama reliance on a stalker/creep (usually male) to deflect some of the blame from a wholly unlikeable female character, and to excuse some of her past behaviors. It doesn't matter that she ruins relationships and causes chaos in her wake, she has to be seen in a pitying light because of her backstory and the fact that she drew unwanted attention to herself. Well, I'd like to tell the writers: Everyone has a sob story in their past. It doesn't make present day behaviors anymore excusable. So, as usually, no accountability for damages caused.

8 stars as a Satire. 4 stars if not. So, an average of 6 stars.

It's funny how the lead actress and actor both look like human versions of cartoon characters. Their facial expressions too. She looks older than him.

The story is meaningful about the ways people judge others on their looks and feel about themselves. The relationship with the parents is quite touching. The sweet smiling but jealous friend is quite real. The obstacles take a long time to overcome. Maybe a few episodes too long.

I never thought I was going to like this Kdrama. But I actually did. I have watched a lot of other Kdramas but this one really made me felt young again and at the same time, so angry with the antagonist. It is actually well written but I think it was too short since a lot of plot areas can be explored.

The romance made my heart tingle. And the way the antagonist manipulates people is just amazing.

I felt so sad that the number of episodes where too short.

I hope this gets a Season 2.

Damn, this series made me feel like a teenager.

This is deeper than what I had expected. If young people really bully and ostracize ugly peers as depicted in this drama, parents can't be faulted for encouraging beauty-challenged offsprings to undergo plastic surgery.

Aside from the life change the female lead experiences after being prettified, this drama shows that life is not a bed of roses for pretty people either. It also shows that when it comes to lasting relationships like love, inner beauty trumps external beauty.

Cha Eun Woo shines as "face genius" Do Kyung Seok whose not-so-perfect family life made him shun society. Im Soo-hyang's depiction of Kang Mi Rae is less impressive. Her short shorts and other provocative clothes are inconsistent with her sensible and self-effacing character. And what's with the cutesy, babyish way of talking? It's a good thing Cha Eun Woo has enough charisma to make up for the flaws of other cast members.

This show was so good. Just reading a review and the synopsis of it made me want to watch it. It's mostly about inner beauty which is the most important thing. It doesn't matter how beautiful you look on the outside, it's whats inside that counts and that's the moral of this show. It teaches us lessons that we can use in life especially in this day and age. I highly recommend it, only plight was two annoying characters that try to cause trouble for our main leads. Other than that it's really enjoyable and if you enjoy dramas this is worth watching.