She Was Pretty(2021)

She Was Pretty is a Japanese romantic comedy series following two childhood acquaintances whose lives have taken opposite turns. Hasebe Sosuke, now a sharp and successful deputy editor-in-chief at an international fashion magazine, was once an overweight boy bullied at school. He's returned to Japan determined to reconnect with his first love. Sato Ai, once a beautiful honor student, has fallen on harder times—unemployed and struggling after her company collapsed. When the two unexpectedly cross paths again, Ai recognizes Sosuke but fears revealing who she is, ashamed of how much she's changed. As Sosuke pursues his idealized memory of his first love, Ai must navigate her feelings while hiding her true identity, setting up a tender exploration of how people change, how first impressions deceive, and what it means to truly know someone.