Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
1beam
Balancing a deep social message with high-energy martial arts, the anime "Lookism" was well-adapted from the manhwa in my opinion. One of its strongest features is the inclusion of distinct fighting styles like Taekwondo instead of generic combat moves. Although the main character is an alright protagonist, he often benefits from significant plot armor, particularly in his match against Vasco where he wins based on instinct alone (it just doesn't sit right with me, lol). The art style is good enough, I guess, and the characters are very well-written. This series represents the real world in some places and the cruelty of some people.
The series is a great entry point for both manhwa fans and newcomers. (PLEASE MAKE A SEASON 2! 🙏)
Read at the sourceRussianPolyglot
Lookism — English Dub
The opening episode of Lookism left a strong first impression, immediately capturing my attention and setting a tone that made me genuinely eager to see where the series would go. I was particularly impressed by how confidently the show executes its core ideas, balancing social commentary with character-driven storytelling in a way that feels deliberate rather than heavy-handed. One of the most compelling aspects of the narrative is watching the protagonist gradually become a point of concern and interest for those around him—not because of superficial change alone, but because people begin to recognize and respond to his authentic self beneath the surface.
Character writing stands out as one of the series’ greatest strengths. Boscow has quickly become my favorite…
Read at the sourceBelugaboye
An unrefined, self-indulgent daydream, like Solo Levelling but without the world building, character progression, animation quality, vocal performances, soundtrack or skilfully crafted underdog setups and payoffs that made Solo Levelling such a joyride.
We're plunged into a cartoonishly simple, shallow version of society, consisting of bullies, victims and saints, where psychopathic violence against unattractive people is either tolerated or straight up celebrated.
The narrative barely challenges the superficiality of this world beyond a simple "be nice to uggos" message, but instead accepts and uses it to provide the equally superficial fantasy of gaining status in such a world by magically acquiring looks, strength, perceived wealth and talent. The plot doesn't really go anywhere, or d…
Read at the sourcel1f3l
I feel like the positive reviews are imagining a story that just didn't happen? This isnt a deep story! Theres no interesting commentary at all, let alone commentary that makes sense! What are you people smoking!!
Yknow what woulda been interesting? If mc gets the new hot body, but acts the exact same way as he did in the og body; like a self centered, angry and bitter little dog that has no idea how to act in society, doesnt know how to care for himself nor has any self discipline. Because that's what the extreme bullying (and poverty) turned him into. Its fine to have a shitty mc, but make it COUNT FOR SOMETHING. And make him grow and heal from his trauma, realise his looks were never a problem that needed to be solved (his bullies were just pieces of shit), come to terms with the inar…
Read at the sourceFEgelmot
I am more so disappointed by this manhwa because I have been told for so much time about how great the manhwa is and I decided to wait for the adaptation. I also read quite a bit of the manhwa after finishing the anime so my point later still stands.
Lookism is a bad piece of media. It tries to have a moral message, but fails in every way imaginable.
The main message is that the world is vain and treats you differently based on how you look. This is presented by showing us how the MC is bullied in school, before he gets a new body and suddenly becomes popular.
Now first of all, what is this message supposed to be?? That it is alright to be ugly? I don't get it.
Throughout the series we are supposed to think that behavior is more important than looks and that it is unfair for people…
Read at the sourceThaRudy
8/10 anime, If the animation was actually good this would of been 9/10 for me, but in the end, in this anime they show both sides on how bad it can be even if you are popular or when you aren't, I think the characters showed emotions very well, storyline was very good too, idk how to put it, it was just a good watch... enjoyed every episode!
But yeah like I said about the animation, I kind of wish some big studio would of picked this anime, I don't like the cgi work so much in animations, but for example in Chamsaw man they did it very well, and the animation was still super good, hopefully 2nd season will have some more improvement if they do happen to publish one ofc 😂
Read at the sourceAeroGunz
“Lookism” is what happens when You take the idea of the halo effect and turn up the absurd to 11.
Ever heard of the halo effect?
In short (and in simplification) it’s a psychological phenomenon where You attribute positive qualities to someone just because You find them attractive. Yeap. That’s the premise of the show. Well not entirely but I’ll get to that.
Look… there is no other way for me to say it so I’ll just get this over with. This show uses cheap tricks to induce emotions and make You think it’s deeper than it is. It’s full of slow moments with slow music, over acted scenes of cheap bullying, inner monologues that pretend to be deep but in reality, when You stop and really think about them they are deep as a puddle and the MC acting like a shy saint. It’s so bad it’s not even…
Read at the sourceminkaS
Chrome hearts mentioned ?!?! Instant 10!!!
Thought the show was mid asf like first 6 eps but mashallah its act pre good. Characters are stupid low iq but thered no action if they were normal so ig its fine. Cgi iffy but expected from something from netflix ig. Some change or hearts nd that kinda make no sense but if ur here to have a fun watch this for u. Liked the way they were creative with how mc utilises his thing, kept it from getting too predictable. Height diff between good looking characters and the losers were insane, like theres no way im supposed to believe theyre in the same grade.
Read at the sourceHalcyon13
Netflix's adaptation of popular manhwa Lookism couldn't be a worse display of indifferent effort, although admittedly, it doesn't benefit from the source material either, and there's only so much one could do to improve a story lacking fundamentals. The baseline premise is that of a hybrid self-insert drama and power fantasy, not always mutually inclusive considering the central direction rarely settles definitively, instead opting for redundant instances of bullying and the occasional showboating from a character that's clearly a caricature of malice, merely waiting to dominated by our lead. There's a stark difference between using the school hierarchy to initiate conflicts and that being the dramatic device itself, in which the latter is severely restricted by the need to retcon expositi…
Read at the sourceKillyChides
A charming adaptation full of heart but constricted by the lack of budget and awful character designs.
Lookism is my favourite manhwa; it works on a very simple premise and takes the reader on a spectacular journey that they wouldn't see coming. Not to mention the writing and character work put into it, which is unlike anything I've ever experienced. The storylines and character development lead to some of the most wholesome and gut-wrenching moments that text on screen could give you. I admire Park Tae-jun for how far he came as an author just writing Lookism, as it went from a simple story to some of the most memorable moments I've experienced as a reader.
So of course, I was waiting for years for Lookism to get an animated adaptation because I was sure it would take the world by storm…
Read at the sourceNubia03
Very very good anime. Characters were very relatable and the song in the last episode was amazing, very catchy and heartfelt. A unique anime.
I think you can only properly relate to some of these characters if you've actually been through something similar. But the way it is written really helps to sympathise with the characters and understand their point of view.
But I thought it was really good. The art style was great, characters seemed realistic enough for an anime and reactions were spot on. I think others should like this anime if your into "redemption-like" stories.
Netflix did well with this series, I hope there is a 2nd Season.
Read at the sourcePixelB
Lookism is something I hold close to my heart because it was the first Korean manhwa/Webtoon that I read. And this animation does a great adaptation of the manhwa.
What I enjoy the most about Lookism is the theme of the story. It's coming of age, and yet it's not edgy, and it's not full of drama. It's the story of a kid who constantly got bullied because he was ugly that got catapulted towards success due to his unique second body who looks like a supermodel. Yet, as he relinquishes in the glory that he gets from other people, he realizes that he became just as shallow as the others. Even when he was ugly, he lashed out at his mom for the stress he got from bullied. When he's handsome, he also judges people based on their appearances. He makes friends with other bullies, and the story is…
Read at the sourceAyveh
I picked up the manhwa because I loved this anime so much, however it is a bit different from the manhwa, there are some major differences like for example the MC in the anime is MUCH more likable and then becomes a lovable character along with 1 other character. I loved that this anime focused on making friends and him getting confidence after having no confidence whatsoever due to being bullied. It's bingeable and the graphics aren't bad although in the last episode it does become VERY noticeable that they used CGI which I wasn't a fan of but since it was just for the concert scene it wasn't bad. The ending leaves you wanting more! Loved the focus of friendship.
Read at the sourceZora-kidd
Spoiler-Free Review (no story or anything).
So, I watched 'Lookism' in one go, and it's okay. I mean, it's worth the time. The main topic is bullying and "looks", and it really gets you close to the main character. First, let's talk about the graphics. The visuals are really impressive, with high-quality graphics. Next is the animation. If you watch the first episode, you'll notice that the background characters are not animated, even though they talk, while the main characters are highlighted and moving. It can be a bit confusing, but not overly so. The CGI is mostly unnoticeable and well-done, except for the last episode. All in all, it's definitely worth the time. Also, it's just eight episodes.
Read at the sourceJustUrBoi
Lookism is a very interesting show, I'll give it that.
First of all, the story and the characters played out way different than I was expecting after watching the first episode, and frankly, it was a pleasant surprise.
Story: 7/10
Lookism has many deep themes (more on this later), mainly centering around bullying and self confidence, as well as societal issues present in South Korea. The bullying is overly extreme and feels very unrealistic, however, and most of the time felt forced into the story for the sake of stirring up drama and conflict, and for no other reason. Dark for the sake of dark, basically. The story at first felt quite shallow - a self insert main character power fantasy - and to be honest, that's pretty much what this is. However, as things progress, it begins to show…
Read at the sourcegunshot_bride
Hilariously bad. Fat bullied nerd gets a second body that's super hot and strong and fast and perfect and his life is awesome now and he beats everyone up. The End.
There's no real downsides to his situation and he has no real conflicts or even any stakes. This new "lookism" world isn't explained by the show, or really even established. Just that ugly people get ultra-bullied, I guess? The themes of the show aren't even explored. Characters aren't even worth getting into.
Half this show just is a fat nerd getting beat up and the other half is girls going oh my god this guy is so hot. Lazy, stupid, paper-thin, awful, fun to laugh at. The 3D animation at the end was maybe the worst garbage I have ever seen. Awesome.
Read at the sourceAshhh__
honestly, the anime is only good in the last two episodes because the rest is pretty bad, the only really good thing is the opening sung by ateez.
the art is very beautiful, especially the settings, the characters are very boring, men are always strong or weak and ugly who suffer Bullying, women are only bitches of men and beautiful
the episodes are very bland and make you want to not continue, the idea of swapping bodies is cool, but I don't think they used it the right way
literally ALL skinny and standard characters will hit and treat the chubby one like trash, women will treat him like a pervert, that's really bad
I didn't know about the webtoon before this anime was released, but I don't think it's good
Read at the sourceanimedoost
Hello(^^) Please read my opinion if you have doubts, well, my English is not very good, anyway I want to say that I liked this anime, unlike many people who had harsh criticisms. Please give this anime a chance!
I have read almost 200 manhwa chapters of it, and I tell you guys, I enjoyed this anime! I suggest you to watch it, I know the quality is not very high, And many weaknesses but...)
please pay attention that cultures are different, I've never been to South Korea, but I've heard from some friends that looking or wearing branded clothes is very important to people there. (But is it really necessary for our clothes to be a brand? Well, in my opinion, if the quality is good, it doesn't have to be a famous brand)
My philosophy of watching anime is to learn life lessons or to be ente…
Read at the sourcetrashpandalila
Many of the characters are very shallow. If you are fat you get beat up and if you are pretty you're beloved. There is hardly any character development. Just when you think things will get better they dont. It is like running in circles. Super unrealistic, especially how the students are constantly beating eachother up with no intervention from teachers. Only once was a fight broken up by a teacher. Otherwise there is no reprocutions for the constant assults. Every one is always trying to fight each other, makes no sense. Over all very boring and disappointing. Only reason it is not 0 is because of Jae Yeol. He's cool. Wish the anime about him instead.
Read at the sourcetcandy19
The middle episodes (3-6 or 7) were quite interesting, I liked the hierarchy bit and the fight scenes. The concept (body switching) was alright, they couldve made it a lot more interesting or even explained it? The MC is a total ass in the beginning but has some random character development. It got so fucking boring when the whole singing thing started (the last two episodes). I guess I’ll go try the manhwa. Just skip this boring shit anime. The voice acting is cringey, the animation is stiff, the pacing overall is god awful. I truly hope the source material isnt this bad, because if it is then I dont know why its so popular.
Read at the source
