Lookism (2022– ) User Reviews

Better than expected!

[sirandrei-44548 · 9/10 · 10 December 2022]

This was my first introduction to Lookism both as an animated series and as a manhwa, and I must say it was a lot better than I expected! A LOT BETTER. At first I thought it was gonna be your average freaky-friday/bullied-becomes-chad/corny-overexagerrated-coming-of-age-story - while it certainly had elements of it (especially at the beginning) - it treated a lot of the topics a lot better and more skillfully compared to the other genre flicks I just stated.

Where this show gets dragged down though its with its rocky start especially from episodes 1-3. From the start we get introduced to unlikable characters (even the protagonist) which will certainly turnoff a lot of new viewers coming in (I guess this is where most of the 1 star reviews come from) But trust me, they do get better, the characters become more lovable. I do believe the start could've been handled better, but I also believe the unlikable aspects those characters had (especially the protagonist) was needed in order to establish the character arcs they had later on (and also to further drive home the message of the show) Past those episodes the series really takes off, and we get a fantastic bingable show, with surprisingly human characters.

Would recommend, just know that the start may turn some people off, so keep an openmind that the show gets A LOT better.

A diamond in the Rough

[killerpad · 9/10 · 15 December 2022]

Although I don't believe the themes of this anime will resonate with everyone, it certainly is a moving animation. The Anime is centered around the concept of how visual appeal directly effects one's life with an intense focus on extreme bullying and hazing that would push most over the edge in just a short while. I could imagine this type of violence might be traumatic to some viewers. I could certainly sense a palpable sense of realism, as though the writer may have drawn some inspiration from truth. It definitely dredged up some memories for me as well. But looking past that, into the myriad of ways this story explores this type of societal norm from both sides through eyes of the main character is a refreshing perspective. I would like to say that, although the surrounding characters lack depth, and mostly act as plot mechanisms for this sort-of pseudo-Cinderella tale, the story and the plot certainly do not and thicken with each episode, drawing the viewer in with tension. It's the first time I've really seen an anime like this one. It's heartbreaking and heartwarming to watch. I can't wait for another season.

Koreans stand out again, and they do so with something outside of regular Japanese anime.

[IBlackI · 9/10 · 11 December 2022]

This is very well done, it is true that they skip several things that the manhwa, but as the anime does not seek to be a monogatari because it will not bore you with large amounts of text and therefore seeks to be very subtle, and succeeds. He achieves it to such an extent that the manhwa becomes very respected in all chapters is simply impressive how they can transmit the charisma of the protagonists of the printed to the screen.

In short, the beginning of the story is not the most captivating, if not, the development of it is passing the chapters of the Manhwa, it is impressive how the MIR studio can encourage such good and fluid fights, I am very surprised by the quality of the environments, the characters, the emphasis on important things, and the dubbing in Japanese leaves nothing to be desired is simply good, I hope it is the same quality with the animation of Solo Leveling because if the Koreans continue like this, they will conquer.

Spot on with the WEBTOON!

[lahariramesh · 10/10 · 8 December 2022]

I love this! I had started reading the WEBTOON long back but lost track of it along the way(it's got a lot of episodes!) I was surprised to see this on Netflix and immediately clicked on it. 3rd episode down and I absolutely adore this series and how it deals with real issues and the superficiality of people. The songs and the characters are well made and have great backstories. I'm looking forward to see how they continue the series as the WEBTOON has about 400 plus episodes and is still ongoing

Bullying is definitely not an easy topic to discuss and showcase in a series. So I'm glad that the essence of the WEBTOON is adapted so well here.

As a fan of the original webtoon... I love it!

[NinjaNotToday · 10/10 · 8 December 2022]

Lookism manages to tackle difficult social situations with a lovable array of characters. It follows the concept of "Lookism" (The judgment of others based on looks alone), and everything that surrounds the term. I loved the webtoon, and held high hopes for the animation. I'm happy to report that I absolutely adore Lookism in this format! It's like it was made to be animated! The OST is fantastic, and it helped bring a lot of the scenes I loved to life. I've been telling everyone I know to watch it, since it needs to get a season 2! Please everyone give a lot of love to this show, I promise it deserves it!

Beauty is innocent, but the excessive pursuit of the appearance of beauty, reflects the emptiness of the heart and the impetuous times.

[b-84861 · 6/10 · 12 December 2022]

Everyone should think calmly, what is the real beauty? What kind of beauty do we really need? If you care too much about the evaluation of others, internal cultivation did not improve, such a "cosmetic", not worth mentioning. After all, plastic surgery is a kind of physical surgery. People yearn for beauty, must they walk into the beauty salon with their heads held high and go under the knife? Of course not. Moreover, any operation has risks, once the operation is not successful, cosmetic disfigurement, want to remedy, it is too late. In fact, when people meet, know, know each other, the first impression is important, but it is still a person's inner charm that plays a decisive role. If you only focus on plastic surgery and beauty without focusing on improving your inner qualities, it is likely to be a "bamboo basket for water", whether in love or job hunting. Looks are given to you by your parents. Beauty is in your genes. All you can do is let nature run its course and let it blossom. Based on the workplace, life struggle, rely on the real ability, down-to-earth, show true me. In the long run of life, the winners will be those with good culture, integrity, talent and knowledge.

An adaptation that gets you in the feels

[dhwster · 10/10 · 9 December 2022]

When I first started reading Lookism, I couldn't believe I liked it. It was so childish. But it's not the content of what the story is about. It's the characters and their lives that make you want to find out what happens.

Lookism is a kind of redefining of male bonding and it's really good too. Characters care about each other, the "losers" aren't set aside as side characters and everyone's story has meaning.

Lookism can be a little dark at times but it's a story that is heartwarming and redemptive in almost all situations.

Life can be hard to navigate and the characters struggle honestly to find their identity and care about each other in ways that are meaningful.

Plus this story just has everything. Love, fights, music, family, intense moments and silly moments. It will make you laugh and may even make you cry.

Underrated Gem

[sweng-65447 · 10/10 · 12 December 2022]

With its incredible source material (written by PTJ), opening K-pop track (ATEEZ), and stunning animation (Studio Mir-same studio responsible for Korra), Lookism has easily become one of my favorite winter anime series. It has a unique balance of lighthearted slice of life moments, drama from misunderstandings and betrayals, and action-packed street fighting scenes. At times, you may feel uncomfortable with second-hand embarrassment from the extreme bullying scenes. However, don't let your first impressions fool you. PTJ has a plan for each and every character including the MC's bullies. From the bratty MC who yells at his mom for being embarrassing to the superficial classmate who shamelessly flirts with MC, main and side characters alike in the Lookism universe are all blessed with a compelling storyline. Some of these backstories will be comedic, while others will absolutely crush you and break your heart. This is the charm and beauty of PTJ's Lookism. It's a story that goes beyond just badass street fighting and delves deeper into the complex relationships between its characters.

It's frustrating to see so many low ratings from people who don't want to give a Korean manhwa a fair chance. If you can't handle the grittiness of a quality series like Lookism, then please go rewatch Sword Art Online and simp after those one dimensional Mary Sue waifus and Gary Stu husbandos. Lookism isn't meant for the simpleminded and weak-willed.

Great story and OST so far!

[belligulden · 10/10 · 8 December 2022]

I don't understand the 1 star ratings - have you even watched the series? It just came out lol Regardless, I really enjoyed it - animation is well done, voice acting and singing was also really good.

Bullying is not an easy theme to narrate, although I believe Lookism did a good job. One may think it's a bit exaggerated, but it is like that... especially when you are targeted due to your looks.

The "twist" is also quite interesting, without spoiling anything... I'm curious about how they are going to explain it. Perhaps reading the webtoon will respond to these questions... Hopefully a second season will be released!

Bad message served

[bidsouravbest · 1/10 · 8 March 2023]

A series out of the box, started with a good plot, couldn't continue to be good and ending was bad. I still don't get it what was the purpose of this series, it sometimes delivers a message, next moment some other message, so on.

In short, the series said:- if you are UGLY (as per society standards), then you must have an extraordinary quality (like singing, sports, etc) to be recognised, or else you would be beaten, disrespected, etc. The series failed to deliver the spark that it created in the starting plot.

No matter what, you're beautiful, ugly, handicapped, zero quality, or etc, you must be treated with respect, the series completely denied that, it's a very bad series for childrens.

Good Start

[meariri-74462 · 10/10 · 9 December 2022]

Ngl I dropped this manhwa halfway on the 400 chapters. I know many people were bothered with how the characters looked in the adaptation but The art style doesn't bother me that much and the animation is actually really good. The soundtracks are also great. It's all well produced. The plot is the same as the manhwa and they didnt change much. Hoping for the next season. I'm hoping to see the development of the characters and to see the mc grow. I'm a bit disappointed it doesn't have a lot of episodes but it's all good and this is a great start. Overall this is a good adaptation kudos to everyone .

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH

[deisyamandaputri · 10/10 · 11 December 2022]

The animation is so cool, and the storyline is so fun to watch, i like the comedy and the sad part, it has a lot of good meanings for us as a human to always doing good to each other especially for the victims of bullying. I learn a lot good things from this series. Please do a season 2, i love this so much, i also read the webtoon, keep it up and fighting, i know a lot of people love this series too, we want another season of this series so badly, I will always support this series cause i love this series so much, i hope bullies will never bully any other people anymore, and always doing good.

an amazing introduction to someone who haven't watch it.

[haitsamrafid · 10/10 · 9 December 2022]

I'm a big fan of this manhwa, so when i heard that they're going to make anime about it, i was shock. Like... wow.

But yeah, i put my expectation to 0. Ofc. But, WOW. This is very accurate to the early episode of the manhwa, how the character is design really similar to how they USED to look like in the early episode. (but not all of em, there's a bit changes around here and there.)

the story.. it's accurate. No big changes. Just pure bringing those manhwa pages comes to live. And i loved it. Well yes, its only 8 episode, and we haven't really go to anywhere with the story(since the manhwa already have 400+ chapters and very very big, giant world in it). We should just wait for the next season.

The animation. Hm.. for me. FOR. ME. It was great. Enjoyabble. The fight scene's are great. The cg is nice. Not to bad not too good. It serves it's purpose.

Yeah overall. For a starting point. This is great. Go watch it if you haven't watch it. Be sure give its a thumbs up on netflix so we get a second season. And so on. Cuz there's where the fun begin.

Reminder : u dont need to read the manhwa first. Just watch it. BUT. Don't miss ur chance. Read it while u still can.

Amazing series

[ashishsinha-61453 · 10/10 · 13 December 2022]

This series hit me differently and resonated with me in lot of ways. As a fat kid myself I was bullied as well. This series tells me it does not matter how good you look because at the end it does not cost you anything to be nice to other people. We have one life and we should respect and treat every other human being with the same respect and love that we want to be treated with. Amazing, I cant wait for next season. I am going to rewatch it again!! I see that this was webtoon, now i am going to search for it and look at those series as well because I have never heard of it. I have never watched Korean series like this before but Korean series be it drama or cartoon they are really good.

It's beyond words

[Joey_w7 · 10/10 · 25 December 2022]

I expected a dull depiction of a fat short kid who becomes skinny and attractive and starts going out with attractive girls, has everyone falling for him while some people grow suspicious of his behavior and investigate and now he has to untangle himself from the mess to save his social life and maintain his new identity. Very cliché bs.

But instead, i found a very touching realistic authentic genuine developed and original storyline. It really makes you appreciate goodness and kindness in people and see the ugliness of cruelty and experience the temperature of the world depending on what cards you were dealt.

It was very emotional from start to finish all the way through. It's easily my favorite anime and is a must watch if you haven't already. It's a beautiful journey.

It keeps you hoping it gets better.

[axoktl · 5/10 · 11 December 2022]

First off, let me disclose that I have not read the webcomic, so I am judging this show for its own qualities and not for how well it adapts the comic.

Conceptually speaking, the show has a lot of potential. Bullying is an amazing topic to make a show about. At points, the show really convinces me, that it has what is needed to explore it, but at other points I am just let down.

This show shines when it comes to the characterization of the bullied characters. Time and time again, it gives them amazing characterization with a lot of heart to it. You sympathize with them, their interactions makes sense, and their feelings are realistic to those of bullied teens.

I absolutely hate how the general public and every teen is characterized in this show.

Women in the background will constantly talk about how weird it is that a handsome guy talks with ugly losers or actively agree with people that bully and beat up those 'losers'. I understand that this has roots in reality, but there literally are scenes that show the public actively cheering on the beating up of a fat child and bullying that child on the internet. It's crazy how cruel everyone is shown to be.

I kept hoping that at some point, this would change. That more than an incredibly rare few people would develop empathy. Perhaps that the series shows us how change in that regard is possible.

Instead, people don't change and I think this is incredibly disappointing.

Picking up on that point, it's horrible to watch how bad the main character is at defusing situations. He will barely be able to say 3 word sentences in shock before a fight ensues. At some point it just feels like the show forcing it.

I think the show has a lot of potential, but it keeps falling flat again and again. Hopefully some of those issues might be resolved in season 2 with the writing of the webtoon creator/netflix writers improving too.

AMAZING IT WAS SURREAL

[sebastianphantomhive · 10/10 · 27 December 2022]

Unlike alot of anime where the mc is so strong or so good at everything we are introduced to a "loser" then he gets a mysterious new perfect body we can see the life of a loser and a popular person I felt the plot so much I'm expecting a new season and the fight scenes are just absolute gold the art style is actually good and unique. I love where it isnt just a consumable product but it's actually something you can learn its entertaining to watch and an absolute masterpiece I hope that they can fully capture every exciting moment from the manhwa because it is something that I hold deeply in my heart.

A Good Show!

[abdullahnaeem-61396 · 8/10 · 13 December 2022]

Here is the review of Netflix series Lookism the way series continue without making you bore is Fantastic. In fact I watched the whole season in a bit it's also a positive thing that it's not very lengthy or have many episode it's make it interesting but in the end the twist got Me and I cannot wait for the second season.

The little thing I personally just expecting a little of adult show vibe but there is not much adult thing and it keep it kid friendly tone. As a adult I love to watch adult vibe show I don't like childish or cute shows. That's the negative part of this series for me but that's OK I will rate 8/10.

Amazing soundtrack, gave me goosebumps!

[vimsebesta · 10/10 · 13 December 2022]

This show is super good.

Show kept me hooked until the end, and the last episode went out with a bang. I was super nervous for the main characters on the last episode. Really looking forward to the next season.

I really don't know how i haven't heard of this show's source material before, because i love reading webtoons. I will definitely give it a go! There are many characters who changes and develops over time, and keeps things interesting.

Why do people spam 1/10 on this? Extremely surprised of the low ratings on most of the episodes! I will seriously fight you! ...in my separate good looking self with insane strength and reflexes of course.

The only negative i can think of this show is that it was too short! But hey! Quality was good, animation was polished, soundtrack amazing.

I give my boy Hyeong-Seok a 10/10.

Best Netflix Original Anime Ever

[aerick-75242 · 10/10 · 14 December 2022]

Just 8 episodes, but what a great ride. I am an anime lover and this is the first one I've ever watched that I liked so much, I had to write a review. I've never experienced the webtoon, but the 8 episodes I just watched blew me away and left me wanting more! There are some very thematically mature moments, and I wouldn't recommend this anime for anyone younger than 16, but the way they explore them in the story and leave you rooting for the good guys is awesome! Seriously, never felt so compelled to write a review in my life. Netflix gets a lot wrong with some of their dumb agendas... but this anime, they totally got right! Keep it coming!

Fly Up won me over

[JRoUKnoShoes · 8/10 · 8 December 2022]

Decent story, difficult subject to tackle. Thought there was too much of the characters' misunderstanding and/or preconceptions that slowed the story down. Never read the webtoon it's based off of ... But once the song "Fly Up" was introduced they had me ... both versions. Art was of the caliber that should be standard of this style of anime. Hoping like most there will be a season 2, just so the MC can vocalize his appreciation of his mother (good mothers should be reminded how loved they are for the love and sacrifice they chose to give). I would have originally given it a 6 but That song bumped it up (even though I have no idea what the lyrics are). First The God of High School (when is series 2 coming) and now this, looking forward to what the Korean anime studios have to offer.

It's just a few hours of cruelty.

[dan_da_man-60288 · 1/10 · 11 December 2022]

It goes absolutely nowhere. There's no morals, no progression, just the constant blunt message of "people are awful to ugly people."

The same fat character get beaten up 6 times in the same alley in the same way for the same petty reasons. Even when the ugly characters do great things, everyone pushes them aside and look past them to the main character in his new, hot body.

Like 1-2 bullies stop bullying some characters, but they aren't nice to them, they don't talk to them or act friendly, they just start pitying them and step in to help ONLY when hot MC already has.

Really the only people in the series who are genuinely nice to ugly people are the other ugly people, or an ugly person who got a hot alternate body.

Honestly it sets itself up as a heartfelt series that will show how people grow to accept people on more than their looks, then just spends 3-4 hours dunking on ugly characters mercilessly.

Amazing!

[vinnun · 10/10 · 20 November 2023]

This anime is actually amazing. I am actually into shonen action type anime. I just saw it casually out of boredom, but I got occupied by its story and direction. It is not going to get you bored. It has shown exactly how a person would feel after they get bullied. And also, it has shown some character changes brilliantly, like how a person, who has never experienced a beating in public, would experience the pain of it and changes his attitude. It tried to show all kinds of characters in the anime. Waiting for Season 2 and this time, please make more episodes in a single season instead of just 8 episodes.....

Never read the manhwa

[fluffset · 8/10 · 13 December 2022]

Usually my rating for anime adaptation is a bit low because I have read the source material and did not like the adaptation. But this one is good, at first episode I think this is a bit cliche about over-bullying stuff and protagonist rise up to fight back. But I guess this is just slice of life of everyday protagonist life in a new body. Looks like if you are not good looking, you must be good at something to be appreciated. Good looking person have naturally take granted for all the praise they can have. That is the message from the whole story, for case that is really happen in this world. Good looking person always have the privilege, that is the way our world is.

Blown expectations

[drobi-52570 · 10/10 · 26 November 2023]

I was cute scared that Netflix might ruin this but they actually did a really good job starting from the soundtrack and portraitig all the charaacter like the webtoon. Overall its a really good watch with only 8 episodes it can be finished in one day and the possibilitys for a second season are rally high since the webtoon is still continueing and the anime covered only 27 out of 450+ chapters so theres plenty of untoched material to be shown and some really badass scenes are still yet to be animated. I highly suggest you watch this show even with your parents cause it gives a really powerfull message about todays world that focuses only on looks.