February Favorites: Joint Entry

It’s important to appreciate every holiday, big or small, as it is a great reason to celebrate during these times. Today, we are celebrating Valentine’s Day by writing a joint entry about Webtoons! The two comics featured in this entry are The Cursed Princess Club by LambCat, and The Makeup Remover by Lee Yeon.

The Cursed Princess Club by LambCat

(Review by Raven)

Inner beauty, growth, support, adventure, comedy, and so much more are pieces of Princess Gwendolyn’s journey in this tale. If you feel insecure about yourself and want to develop self-love, this is a great comic to read. Now let’s head right into the review!

In the beginning, Gwendolyn feels insecure about her appearance and unworthy of her title. It’s not until she encounters a group of young women and one man cast out for their differences, does she heal. Why doesn’t she love herself in the first place? It’s because a prince harshly criticizes her looks, that too a prince she was to marry. She flees the castle feeling ugly and undeserving of love. With the help of the Cursed Princess Club, she realizes that she’s more than just her face. She is a compassionate, selfless, and creative being who’s truly deserving of love.

Initially, I assumed that this story would be about princesses being affected by a terrible curse as mentioned in the title. Now, I perceive the curses as symbols of imperfections that are judged by our society. (ironically enough, society is composed of people with imperfections) To explain further, this comic shows that our worth comes from inner beauty, not other people’s opinions of our looks. There are, after all, so many people in this world who look beautiful but not all of them are beautiful on the inside.

Overall, I really enjoyed this comic because it is empowering and heart-warming. There is even comedy to balance off the darker parts of this story. Since today is Valentine's Day, I encourage you to send a sweet message to your Cursed Princess Club. (the people who love you unconditionally) Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Credits: LambCat is the author of The Cursed Princess Club. It's available to read on Webtoon.

The Makeup Remover by Lee Yeon

(Review by Dash)

Altruism. Responsibilities. Work. College. Imagine a life with only these four priorities circling you. You would be constantly pressured by your parents to study 24/7 at a cram school to go to that elite college that “successful” people have gone to. You would have to sacrifice your own interests for your peers and parents’ satisfaction. You would have to take on a job you never agreed to in the first place. Is that really what life is about?

Well, in the Makeup Remover by Lee Yeon, Yesul, a young college student, has been forced to study her whole life. When Yesul reaches college, she feels confused about college-life. She never dedicated anytime to make up, and she starts to lose self-confidence over her appearance. To her eyes, she sees herself as an unbeautiful person who can’t find a perfect soulmate. All Yesul wants to be like is Heewon Ju, a popular social media star known for her good looks. To become more like Ju, Yeseul goes to the salon to change her appearance. After a whole dilemma at the salon, she ends up contesting in a Cinderella show-off with the help of a famous make-up artist called Yuseong. In this contest, Yesuel starts to understand the role of make-up in society and goes through some interesting development with her composure and aplomb!

Initially, I assumed that The Makeup Remover would be more inclined towards only makeup and stereotypical beauty styles, however, I soon learned that it also had a great character development. In fact, the main character goes through many changes throughout the comic and learns to grow off her past. She also learns more about the fundamentals of makeup, as well as its effects on the way people perceive others.

As of right now, the comic is still ongoing, but each episode brings a new, interesting find about the portrayal of makeup and its influence on the people. I definitely recommend this Webtoon comic for anyone who wants to improve upon the way they perceive themselves in the terms of their looks or just want to read an interesting comic to pass the time!

Credits: Lee Yeon is the author of The Makeup Remover. It's available on Webtoon to read.