Jan 14, 2025
I have a strange urge to white-knight this manhwa after seeing its MAL rating. I'm not here to say that Girl Under Trial is a masterpiece, nor will I say it's dogshit. But hear me out.
This has slight? spoilers but honestly if you're on the fence about reading this I don't think it'll ruin it for you.
Gaeul is a protagonist that I relate too very well. A glasses-wearing nobody in high school, overshadowed by pretty girls who wear makeup and kiss boys. I'm a college graduate now, but man that hit close to home. It's a hard life being called ugly and longing after pretty
...
people. I understood Gaeul's sadness and desire to climb the ranks of her class. One thing I could not relate to, however, was her overt manipulation of and desire to use other people to her advantage.
I will admit, the main character's traits alone were a turn-off for me. I nearly dropped it because she was very gross and creepy in the beginning. But I believe this was intentional. I don't think we were supposed to like Gaeul - she had too much development to undertake, and too many lessons to learn. Her behaviors were abysmal, which at the very least led to interesting circumstances and events.
To start, the murder-blackmail plot was really entertaining, in my opinion. It leaves room for characters to go off the deep end or do drastic things. In that aspect, the psychological nature of the story was captivating. These characters really do love to blackmail each other, I mean it happens like three entire times? (Yuhyeon, Gaeul, and Yunhye blackmailing each other... a blackmail triangle?) I fully admit, it does get a bit ridiculous and tiresome near the end (by the time Yunhye is doing her thing, I'm burnt lmao).
Speaking of triangles, the romance in this story is wild. I'm not even gonna lie, if Hyomin Kang didn't exist this story would be in the trenches. He is literally puppy-dog adorable and I loved every moment he was around. He was honestly the center of everything and he was a very consistent(ly indecisive) character. I feel sad about the introduction of Taeseok, because I don't think he deserved to be left in the dust. He didn't get any happy ending in the main story, and while I don't think it's fully Gaeul's fault what happened I wasn't a fan of her behavior. Taeseok felt like a filler-drama character but became more fleshed out than I feel the author intended. Hyomin was too wishy-washy with Gaeul for it to be her fault, I feel, yet Taeseok's effort to be kinder and better himself shouldn't go unnoticed. Yuhyeon is literally just a psycho, and I can't believe after what that boy did to her Gaeul still defended his ass. I think their relationship arc ended decently though.
I saw someone criticizing the fact that the MC is supposed to be ugly but has boys coming after her, but this is not the case. If you'll remember, Jang Hanna herself said to Yuhyeon something along the lines of 'this girl is not as ugly as you think'. What she meant by this, I've gathered, is that Gaeul put minimum effort into her appearance on the daily. She did not wear makeup like everyone else nor contacts. A normal person next to a room full of girls wearing makeup will look ugly any day. But she wasn't ugly - she was average. I emphasize this because as someone who is 24 and just now starting to wear makeup, I have realized this is exactly why I never stood out in school. Average will always be ugly compared to those who put in effort.
Yuhyeon and Jang Hanna's conflict was very real and very sad. Groomers are in fact out there, and the fact it was a woman doing it to a boy is another reason Yuhyeon could not have sought help. Even his father shamed him when he found out. I was on the verge of calling this story a victim of the high school setting, but in this case the characters' ages were important. The grooming, Gaeul being stuck at home with her father, and the childish bullying that started Gaeul's insecurities. All were important factors at play.
I feel like I've lost the plot on this review, so I'll close it in real quick. Girl Under Trial is very entertaining. The drama is fun, the characters are memorable and interesting, and not one moment was I bored. The story got a bit overwhelming with the introduction of Min Sera, but overall it was pleasantly chaotic. The artwork wavered sometimes, but I honestly enjoyed the style and thought it fit the story quite well. I think judging this against some masterpiece manga like Berserk or something sure, it won't stand out. But for a webcomic and romance-drama, it's really fun. I wouldn't skip it.
8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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