Should You Watch Win Metawin's, Beauty Newbie?

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The brand new Thai drama adaptation of popular Korean webtoon "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" has finally been released.

Starring Thai superstars Win Metawin (2gether, F4 Thailand: Boys over Flowers) and Baifern Pimchanok (Friend Zone), the drama already came with strong pre-buzz.

In addition, the campus romance webtoon has previously been adapted into a 2018 Korean drama starring Cha Eun Woo, adding to anticipation if the Thai version could put its own spin to the beloved story.

Review & Thoughts

So, should you watch Beauty Newbie? Well, if the first few episodes are anything to go by, this one is shaping up to be quite an exciting watch. It's got the beautiful cast, sparkling chemistry between the leads, and really pretty cinematography.

Beauty Newbie follows Liu (Pimchanok), a university freshman who underwent full-face plastic surgery due to severe bullying in school.

Now looking gorgeous (hard not to be when she's played by Baifern), she wishes to start anew in a campus where nobody recognizes her. Liu quickly gains attention due to her beauty, leading to a friendship with another campus beauty Faye (Jane Ramida).

But she is constantly shadowed by her secret, made more complicated when she realizes one of her university peers, the rude and dismissive Guy (Metawin), knew her from school.

First impression of the drama is how pretty it looks. It is clearly one of the more high budgeted Thai idol dramas. The camerawork is lavish, capturing every frame with a dreamy freshness worthy of a youth romance.

It's got such pretty color schemes: bright, pastel-tinged, and romantic. There are noticeable efforts put on the wardrobe, makeup and set design to give the drama a well-made feel - not always the case when you've watched enough Thai dramas.

But no matter how gorgeous it looks, it'll always come down to story and characters. Already, the drama has us invested in the lead character's journey.

Liu is someone whose primary goal is to become a parfumeur, hence why the drama is set in a chemistry faculty. Right off the bat, we see how much she loves perfumery and what it means to her.

The drama does a great job intertwining the perfumery setting with the themes of the story. Coupled with Liu's trauma being bullied for her look, the beauty theme of the drama becomes more pronounced and easily makes you root for her to overcome it all.

As always, Baifern embodies her character with panache, flawlessly conveying Liu's timidness as someone still struggling with insecurity despite her outward transformation, as well as her determination to chase her dream.

Win is still not given much in the two episodes that have aired so far. If the original is to go by, Guy is pretty much the token hot love interest (remember, the role was originated by Cha Eun Woo, the stiffest Greek statue of all time).

It is easy for the role to devolve into lazy tropes and relies solely on Win's good look.

Thankfully, Guy has this antagonistic dynamic with Liu early on, where she completely distrusts him due to her school day trauma (he wasn't her bullies, but also never defended her outright) and as a result, disregards Guy's warning against some bad-intentioned people in her life.

Who doesn't love a good enemies-to-lovers trope, right? To his credit, Win already plays Guy much better than Eun Woo ever did; with his warm vibe and emotive facial expressions, the 25-year-old actor convincingly sells Guy's silent protectiveness for Liu.

Cinematically pleasing, beautifully acted and surprisingly tender, Beauty Newbie is one Thai drama you should totally give a try. Fans of the original, the K-drama, the lead actors, or general audiences shall find much to enjoy from this frothy youth romcom.