Birth of a Beauty (2014–2015) User Reviews

An odd little drama

[hjalsayegh · 7/10 · 9 December 2018]

The very first episode starts you off on the wrong foot. Our leading lady is fat. Point and laugh at her everyone, she's fat!

Laughing yet? Well the show is. Every single person she meets is repulsed by her, her in-laws treat her like garbage and they keep having her fall, break the chair she's sitting on or sweat so much her armpits are literally see-through.

Because how dare she be fat.... laughing yet?

As repulsive as the first episode is the show finds it's footing after that. I thought it would be a simple Rom-com with her getting everything back after becoming beautiful... which was the intention of the first 5 episodes.

Then the plot become overly convoluted and twisted. It was trying to be Cinderella + pretty woman, then decided to be Count of Monte Cristo but ended up with something closer to a Jekyll / Hyde story with way too many character reveals and filler. What happened to the light hearted fluff I was watching?

I started off hating this show for all the fat shaming and cruelty that board lined on childish. More so because "fat" Sa Geum Ran was really cute as is. The plastic surgery thin = beautiful wasn't needed.

The show kept me interested once that part was over and we move pass it. I ended up loving AND hating everyone which just shows how good the actors are. The plot however is the weak causing the actors to work even harder to sell it.

I'm glad I watched it. However this is not something I'd watch again or easily recommend to others. It's an oddity, take it or leave it.

Is plastic surgeon an ultimate solution?

[madbird-61243 · 7/10 · 7 April 2019]

This is not the only drama that put plastic surgeon as a solution to life problem. I do not think this is a good means myself.

But in regards to the plot and actors, I have no special complaint.

The makeover of a Korean Woman

[jgardiner-871-726729 · 6/10 · 6 January 2022]

Title sounds and looks frivolous but I'm in the mood for a bit of frivolity but some good actors in it so Im going to watch it.

Starts off with with so much fat shaming that its painful. You can tell which actors do Martial Art for real by the size and shape of their knuckles. They look hard and tough even the they have been smoothed by the computer. Their hands are not that perfect.

This drama is so funny and sad at the same time. I think, it's called dark humour.

Korean dramas have a bad history of abuse and ill-treatment of women and especially older women. Their civil rights in the dramas are constantly violated. Us women in New Zealand feel offended by these kind of strategies. It is time for Korean men to clean up their act and stop hurting women like this.

It just slipped into my thoughts" I hate those forehead kisses. That is what out culture does with babies and children for adults we kiss on the lips for close relationships, wife, husband, mother, father, own children, close aunties and close uncles, other people on the cheek, big hugs and kiss on cheek. People we don't know or church friends we shake hands. This kissing on the forehead is so foreign. The spouses if the main actors. Han Ye Seul/Sa Ra / Sa Geum Ran and Joo Sang Wook/Han Tae Hee will be so happy because these two only shared one real kiss and that was pretty chaste. The two main leads had great chemistry and worked together to solve their problems. Surely they could have kissed more than once. Wish! The two antagonists though, they quickly went from loving each other to basically hating each other. Not long after the honeymoon they were at each others throats.

I do like the way Koreans get in bed with their loved ones in hospital.

I've got a love hate relationship with this villain, on one hand his a cad, a bounder, a lout Jung Gyu Woon/Lee Kang Jun but then he's so handsome and smart and can act, you have to give him kudos for that.

I like the story a lot. I must have because I stayed up all nigh watching it. Nice filming picture were clear and well focussed. Setting and scenery were pretty. Room and office decorations were detailed and well organised.

Totally engaging story

[Shy-Glitter-Harry · 10/10 · 30 December 2014]

I fallen head over heels for this drama. Needless to say about the lead actors - Joo Sang Wook did an outstanding role in this drama and Han Ye Seul complemented him with her role unimaginably distinctive.

This drama is best example of "Rom-Com" Genre. Very interesting story plot and screenplay. There is twist after every couple of episodes. This drama totally captivated me. Joo Sang Wook is phenomenal in this drama. It is definitely worth watching for him.

The plot keeps you engaging and the chemistry between the lead pair is top notch. The script is very unpredictable and the screenplay have interesting classy elements that makes the show unique and worth watching.

It's a Worth Watch

[nehaasposhy · 10/10 · 4 January 2015]

Actually the story seemed boring in the starting episodes as we already know the plot clearly,but after watching a few episodes it seemed very interesting and Joo sang yook was amazing..Loved him and he seemed very manly when compared to many korean actors.I really recommend korean drama lovers if you really like Romedy Genre.

Viewers who love fairy tale drama's would love this.It's a girlish drama.The Director must be expanding it a bit.I was completely obsessed about this drama after Han tae Hee and Sara breaks up and Han min hyeok keeps on increasing distance between them.Interestingly from 19th episode they will be back together in the last 2 mins.Watch it!Fall in love with Joo sang yook

what an awful series

[chilligrrl · 1/10 · 25 February 2023]

I honestly couldn't get through the first episode. The fat shaming was INCREDIBLY awful. The bus scene was awful. The unrealistic fawning over the beautiful woman was awful. The family abuse was awful. Her husband was awful. The husbands girlfriend was awful. I'm assuming this will go down the usual horrendous story line of "you must make yourself unhealthily skinny, get to total plastic surgery and then you'll magically be happy" that tv studios force onto our screens. Well life doesn't work like that. Even making a series that is probably meant to justify the surgery etc is an awful idea. Women in the whole world can't all be supermodels. There is nothing wrong with the way we are and while looking after yourself is important, getting fish lips and eyebrows pulled up to your hairline fools no one. I'm sorry this was even made and even sorrier if this is the way Koreans treat each other, and then joke about it in a tv series.

Dont judge a book by its cover

[hello_sue12345 · 10/10 · 25 February 2022]

I see negative reviews, but I seriously believe those people who gave negative feedback didn't even understand the story or watched it till the end.

Yes plastic surgery is bad, yes its not good to look down on people who are fat. But don't assume this drama is basically promoting the idea that its good. It isn't, and you have to watch till the end to see the full picture, full story.

By judging the drama from the beginning without watching the story is no difference from people who judge someone by their looks. This drama has a story and its very interesting, everything about it tell's a story.

Could have been done in 12 episodes

[miaharpr · 4/10 · 9 September 2020]

Wow, that was a tremendously long and cumbersome drama to sit through. It tormented me to watch it from beginning to end, and I can't believe I stuck with it, but I invested so much already, that I felt I needed to finish it. The plot is quite different, actually. It had so much potential to be something bigger with all the scheming and twists they were introducing. The biggest flaw for me was the pacing and sequencing of events. For instance, the female lead's life was already in danger, yet they still had time to be romantic in between these tense scenes. Too many lovey-dovey scenes that are misplaced or wrongly timed. I appreciated the lead actor-very handsome and funny. I had no major problems with the lead actress, either. I just couldn't find myself to root for their love story. I wasn't feeling their chemistry. If the series were shorter I think my rating would have been higher, but there were too many flashbacks and unnecessary scenes. It would have benefitted from some heavy editing.

Just wow!!

[himanijune · 9/10 · 3 October 2021]

Amazing chemistry between Sara and Han tee... Binge watch worthy series!! Wish to see its second season.

Watch it for Joo Sang-wook

[SaachiP · 9/10 · 29 July 2015]

The series has a very predictable story, but the makers have kept it fast paced. Joo Sang-wook in the lead role is superb and has done an excellent job. With his good looks and excellent acting, all the girls will surely fall in love with him! Do watch it if you are a die hard rom-com fan! The story begins with a fat woman being on cheated on by her husband, and being unhappy. She goes on to have plastic surgery, with the help of doctor Hae Tan hee(Jo Sang-wook), and plots to seek revenge. There is a new twist to the story every 5 episodes, which is guaranteed to keep you glued. All the actors have done a good job.The actors playing Chae Yeon and Lee Kang Joon have given good performances, and you will end up hating their characters.

Not good

[marshmallow_kitten · 2/10 · 1 December 2019]

The story dragged and it implies that with plastic surgery and looking pretty alone is the solution to all your problems. I think that you have to be confident and love yourself even when you are trying to get better and you should do it for yourself, not to please people.

Delightful funny laugh out loud feel good comedy

[phd_travel · 10/10 · 18 September 2022]

Most of this series is very funny and laugh out loud. It has a makjang plot with attempted murder and plastic surgery and revenge but with a comic tone that keeps things moving along. Just a bit of frustration towards the latter third with the usual frustrating obstacle but that doesn't last long. Things are funny from ep 1 with the fat thin jokes well handled throughout. Han Ye Seul is a good comic actress and more expressive than many and she does a great job. Joo Sang Wook does a comic role here pretty well. The villains deserve special mention. Wang Ji Hye, Jung Gyu Woon, Han Sang Jin are just perfectly written, as are the mother and sister in laws. In fact just love Han Sang Jin Min Hyeok. It is delightful when they start turning on each other. 21 episodes don't drag because there are so many feel good moments and this is one of my top 10 series.

Pain for the good guys ? yes, it's expected. Torture ? No !

[lyntonadam · 3/10 · 23 June 2019]

The key to my main problem with this show is simple : balance.

It's not the cast. Han Ye Seul is typically luminous as the beauty of the title and Joo Sang Uk is also good as the "doctor" who organises the plastic surgery and inevitably falls in love, though he has a tendency to laugh a bit too often as a full-stop to his lines. Even the villains ( and there's a few ) are effectively nasty.

So back to balance, and to me, there is a fatal absence of it here.

Not that I expect the good guys in any K Drama ( usually the lead couple ) to have an easy ride all the way through, though that would certainly make for an interesting change ! Yes, of course I expect them to endure a range of setbacks/tragedies but I think the fans also expect the couple we've grown to love to triumph in the end. Preferably around two thirds of the way through so that we can SAVOUR the victory and enjoy it with them. Bask in the sunshine of that happy ending, because we've suffered the bad stuff with them so we deserve it, by god !

What I do NOT want to see is a lovely, kind-hearted heroine continually being bullied and manipulated by a regiment of horrible people for 95 % of the running time, then finally see her prosper for the last episode or 2. Especially when that run time has been extended to 20 hours instead of the 16 hour norm ! Aargh !!

It'd be slightly more tolerable if the baddies were more interesting. They do a lot of arguing and yelling and glowering and fuming, but that's normal for evil schemers. There's no personality on display, yet it's not that hard to do. For instance, the main villain's nasty girlfriend ( Wang Ji Hye ) is beautiful and always immaculately dressed, so let's get her accidentally dirty sometimes or have her hair constantly messed up. Have some fun with them ! The heroine's father, though not a full-on villain, has potential with his periodic tantrums, but much more needed doing. Maybe have him throw various things at others when his blood boils ?

A lesser source of annoyance is the crucial plastic surgery which turns someone fat and frumpy into the slim and gorgeous heroine. Virtually no time at all is spent on the process or the operation, and I think it deserved more screen time. I did, however, enjoy the intro of Han Ye Seul happily strolling through city streets while men gape and drool and swoon as they do because they're so shallow. Not sure if the scene is intentionally ironic but it works better that way.

The best K drama's know how to handle balance, with my Gold Standard being "While You Were Sleeping" and "Thirty But Seventeen". Please check them out if you haven't already, but not back to back unless you have a LOT of tissues ready ! Oh, and if you want to see the lovely HYS in action with a great script, do try "Twentieth Century Boy And Girl".

Too many episodes

[karenwmc · 5/10 · 1 July 2020]

I watched this series because Joo Sang Wook was the male lead and I enjoyed his performance in Single Cunning Lady. The story was ok but I was getting rather impatient to finish the series as I felt there were too many unnecessary scenes. I liked the happy ending nevertheless.

A sad premise

[sonia-95111 · 3/10 · 20 June 2021]

Is this really what makes life better? Complete plastic surgery from top to tail? It's such a poor idea. My worst KDRAMA I've seen and I've watched over 40 this past year. Very disappointing.

It ended up beeing too long

[martin-683-192101 · 5/10 · 10 November 2023]

I liked the show in the beginning and had a lot of laughs, but later on the show sadly did the same thing I have seen in so many other korean shows - it just got too much.

One of the first mistakes was that the villains are just too evil - but I have come to expect that from Korean shows, so I can live with that. I also know Korean show is famous for their love triangles, but this show took that to a whole new level with tree guys fighting for the same women. And of course two of the are just super bad. But then it also have two women fighting for the love for the same guy. And the way Sara behave toward her love interested is just too much.

So many problems in Korean show could be avoided, if they JUST talk to each other, but no. They always have to try and solve it alone or sacrifice them self for their other half.

And Han Tee have told the story about his family (at least as I understood it) and still Sara fall into a trap.

If they have finished in 12 episodes, I most likely would have enjoyed it more, but around episode 15, I just wanted it to end...

And why go from a love comedy to a love drama half way through the show?

As mention it just got too much in the end.

Ok it is comedy but...

[jeanettehedman · 1/10 · 10 July 2023]

I watched a lot of K-dramas, comedy, romantik, thrillers... But this was so far the worst, made for stupid People. It is hard to laugh when so many details seems wrong.

Like what, how can she get surgery and look like that, and be ready to rock revenge after just 2-3 months?

And why do everyone think TAE HEE is charmig? He is shallow. He want to get revenge, but seem to ignore what a b*tch his ex is. And seriously, would the righthiousi father inlaw be so ignorant that he do not catch how horribel his wife, daughter and don treats his inlaw daughter FOR TEN YEARS.?!

Why do she put on a FRENCH MADE COSTUME while clean ing the house?! I totally lost it at that point, that is not funny. It is not romantic, It is... Just a strange sexy fantasy.

JUSTto stupid show. I love quirky dwtails in korean shows but this one was just a lame exscuse to roll on fat People and promote plastic surgery and fake Happiness.