ISWAK vs. Playful Kiss
Okay, now that I have fully seen the Korean version of It Started With a Kiss, I felt the need to review it a little. Mostly for my own sake just to be able to look back on how I felt. Let's start with the main character, Xiang Xin/Ha Ni. I haven't read but two chapters of the manga so I can't incorporate the original story into my thoughts on the matter so I'll go with what I know. I saw the Taiwanese version of the live action when I first started getting into asian drama and music. I fell in love with Ariel Lin at first sight. I don't know what it is, despite her weird nose I find her absolutely beautiful. Like a painting or something. Xiang Xin was really very believable as a girl who wasn't the brightest crayon in the box and got by on pure will and a great personality. She was persistent but only on the borderline of annoying. The thing I liked best about Ariel as this character was the way she cried, there was just something so heartbreaking and real about it. It also helped for me that the attraction of Ariel's character to that of Joe Cheng's was felt as well as seen. Jung So Min in the Korean version was a fresh face to me. I had not seen her debut drama Bad Boy or anything else with her in it. It was nice to see they had filled the role with someone who wasn't just a famous face. As far as her acting of the role went, she hit the innocent, cute, quirky, a little dumb and determined thing spot on. My trouble was that it seemed at times the attitude was forced or they played to much on her cute factor and as far as the attraction between her and Hyun Joong goes, there was absolutely, positively no attraction what so ever between them. I don't know if it was So Min's fault or Hyun Joong or the directors or what but there was nothing there. I just couldn't see the two leads together! It was kind of strange seeing as I knew the story well. Though I think i could feel So Min trying.
Now on to Zhi Shu/Seung Jo. I absolutely adore this character. A very smart guy who is just too smart to enjoy life. He's kind of mean, kind of too grown up for his own good yet hes probably even more childish than the girl. Again I start with the Taiwanese, Joe Cheng. Now Joe Chang being one of my biases (probably because of his portrayal of Zhi Shu, but Kui in The Rose sealed the deal LOL) probably will denote this a little, but I LOVED his performance. I just believed the character so much. I believed he could be the guy sitting next to me on the bus or in line in front of me for coffee at Starbucks. He just seemed so normal although character in dramas are always exaggerated. He really, really got the idea of the childishness right. Its hard to play such a contradictory and not very open character. I know, I've tried. Hyun Joong, sigh, I hate to be mean cause I love him and all but I just don't like his acting. It always feels all about him. Since the character is a calculating and smart guy, he got that pretty good. But it seemed like they focused too much on the smart and not enough on the character's insecurities or weaknesses. He just seemed too well balanced and not as uncertain as he should have been. I think he was just way too grown up and this could either be the directors or the actors fault but the characterization was a lot like his on BOF so I'm going to assume it was all Hyun Joong. I also think the whole attraction thing was his fault too. He just did not at all seem interested in So Min. It was like she was just some object he had to kiss in the end to make money. It felt weird.
Ah Jin/Joong Gu. I'm trying so hard to throw aside my Jiro Wang bias for this one. He's one of my top three asian bias' and the only one that isn't Korean so...lol. Okay....I LOVE THIS CHARACTER! Just everything about this character. Jiro Wang as always, did excellent playing a quirky and dumbish character. He's so good at those I don't care that that's pretty much all he plays. And wow, he's so cute. I was really surprised by the Korean actor, Lee Tae Sung. He is gorgeous and that Busan accent was priceless. It really fits the character so much. And him being big and goon-like, I was digging it. The hair was the best like, total T-birds greaser sort of thing. I was laughing so hard. His smile was gorgeous too. I couldn't stop staring. What I didn't like was that in he attacked Ha Ni whereas in the Tawianese version he goes in for the kiss and sees that Xiang Xin was so not into it and doesn't do it. I think it made the character more likable in the end. I don't know what happened in the manga, but I sure hope he didn't attack her lol. I like the roughness overall that wasn't really there with Jiro. I'm also going to say that Korea did the foreigner better. She was the most adorable thing since I don't know what. I loved her.
Eh okay since I really don't remember Zi Yu/Hae Ra character in either enough to review her I'm just going to pass over her. Though what I do remember is their humanity in the end. I always liked that you don't hate her the whole time. In the end you actually kind of like her, especially in the Korean version. AND the sunbae. This is going to be short too. I liked him in both. Kind of nervous, kind of cute, a little weird. What I liked best about Korean sunbae was that he looked like he was way older and that added to the hilarity of him only being a year older and fawning over Zi Yu/Hae Ra whereas Taiwanese sunbae looked more like a goonish 20 some year old rather than some professor in his 40s. I like both of them though.
The supporting cast in both were lovely. Since the mother was my favorite in ISWAK....she was the cutest thing I had ever seen. Really Cyndi Chaw can be my mother any day. I'd just bake cookies and laugh with her. Having that over the top mother was just excellent. I do have to say though, the chemistry between the mother and the Xiang Xin/Ha Ni character was much much better in the Korean version. I don't know if they got more screen time together or what but I just loved them. The mom in Korean version was actually a bit less over the top and more like this loving mother who just loves her kids to pieces. Which is weird, Korea does a lot of things over the top that I don't like. The bother, I LOVED THE KOREAN BROTHER! I honestly don't even remember the Tawianese brother. I don't know. The Korean brother may have got more screen time or had a better actor but I just liked him more. Xiang Xin/Ha Ni's friends were more memorable in the Korean version as well. On a side note, I love the actress for Min Ah, she was so adorable.
My pet peeve about the Korean version. THE FIRST KISS spoiler alert!!!! okay the first kiss in the Taiwanese version was completely vindictive, mind-blowing, making everyone all confused and annoyed. I love that they were yelling at each other and then he just kissed her. Best part though was that he literally sticks his tongue out at her and walks away. IT WAS AWESOME! Korean version, It didn't feel so....playful. I don't know. Hyun Joong was all -suave cool guy; manipulates- and he could have saved it by sticking out his tongue like a child but no, what does he do....and says the sound? I guess there is a word for the sound of sticking out your tongue in Korea? And when he did that I wanted to cry. Where was the childish innocence? It felt like he had been planning it all day or something. I hated it. I think thats why I hated Hyun Joong's portrayal! He didn't seem like he was doing things that he wouldn't normally do, he seemed too cool and suave throughout the whole thing as if he had his idol image to keep or something. I don't know.
Overall, I enjoyed Playful Kiss. There were some things that were better but its never going to replace my undying love for ISWAK or my bias for Ariel and Joe together. Actually, I'd rather not see So Min and Hyun Joong together ever again. It just seems wrong. ><
Now on to Zhi Shu/Seung Jo. I absolutely adore this character. A very smart guy who is just too smart to enjoy life. He's kind of mean, kind of too grown up for his own good yet hes probably even more childish than the girl. Again I start with the Taiwanese, Joe Cheng. Now Joe Chang being one of my biases (probably because of his portrayal of Zhi Shu, but Kui in The Rose sealed the deal LOL) probably will denote this a little, but I LOVED his performance. I just believed the character so much. I believed he could be the guy sitting next to me on the bus or in line in front of me for coffee at Starbucks. He just seemed so normal although character in dramas are always exaggerated. He really, really got the idea of the childishness right. Its hard to play such a contradictory and not very open character. I know, I've tried. Hyun Joong, sigh, I hate to be mean cause I love him and all but I just don't like his acting. It always feels all about him. Since the character is a calculating and smart guy, he got that pretty good. But it seemed like they focused too much on the smart and not enough on the character's insecurities or weaknesses. He just seemed too well balanced and not as uncertain as he should have been. I think he was just way too grown up and this could either be the directors or the actors fault but the characterization was a lot like his on BOF so I'm going to assume it was all Hyun Joong. I also think the whole attraction thing was his fault too. He just did not at all seem interested in So Min. It was like she was just some object he had to kiss in the end to make money. It felt weird.
Ah Jin/Joong Gu. I'm trying so hard to throw aside my Jiro Wang bias for this one. He's one of my top three asian bias' and the only one that isn't Korean so...lol. Okay....I LOVE THIS CHARACTER! Just everything about this character. Jiro Wang as always, did excellent playing a quirky and dumbish character. He's so good at those I don't care that that's pretty much all he plays. And wow, he's so cute. I was really surprised by the Korean actor, Lee Tae Sung. He is gorgeous and that Busan accent was priceless. It really fits the character so much. And him being big and goon-like, I was digging it. The hair was the best like, total T-birds greaser sort of thing. I was laughing so hard. His smile was gorgeous too. I couldn't stop staring. What I didn't like was that in he attacked Ha Ni whereas in the Tawianese version he goes in for the kiss and sees that Xiang Xin was so not into it and doesn't do it. I think it made the character more likable in the end. I don't know what happened in the manga, but I sure hope he didn't attack her lol. I like the roughness overall that wasn't really there with Jiro. I'm also going to say that Korea did the foreigner better. She was the most adorable thing since I don't know what. I loved her.
Eh okay since I really don't remember Zi Yu/Hae Ra character in either enough to review her I'm just going to pass over her. Though what I do remember is their humanity in the end. I always liked that you don't hate her the whole time. In the end you actually kind of like her, especially in the Korean version. AND the sunbae. This is going to be short too. I liked him in both. Kind of nervous, kind of cute, a little weird. What I liked best about Korean sunbae was that he looked like he was way older and that added to the hilarity of him only being a year older and fawning over Zi Yu/Hae Ra whereas Taiwanese sunbae looked more like a goonish 20 some year old rather than some professor in his 40s. I like both of them though.
The supporting cast in both were lovely. Since the mother was my favorite in ISWAK....she was the cutest thing I had ever seen. Really Cyndi Chaw can be my mother any day. I'd just bake cookies and laugh with her. Having that over the top mother was just excellent. I do have to say though, the chemistry between the mother and the Xiang Xin/Ha Ni character was much much better in the Korean version. I don't know if they got more screen time together or what but I just loved them. The mom in Korean version was actually a bit less over the top and more like this loving mother who just loves her kids to pieces. Which is weird, Korea does a lot of things over the top that I don't like. The bother, I LOVED THE KOREAN BROTHER! I honestly don't even remember the Tawianese brother. I don't know. The Korean brother may have got more screen time or had a better actor but I just liked him more. Xiang Xin/Ha Ni's friends were more memorable in the Korean version as well. On a side note, I love the actress for Min Ah, she was so adorable.
My pet peeve about the Korean version. THE FIRST KISS spoiler alert!!!! okay the first kiss in the Taiwanese version was completely vindictive, mind-blowing, making everyone all confused and annoyed. I love that they were yelling at each other and then he just kissed her. Best part though was that he literally sticks his tongue out at her and walks away. IT WAS AWESOME! Korean version, It didn't feel so....playful. I don't know. Hyun Joong was all -suave cool guy; manipulates- and he could have saved it by sticking out his tongue like a child but no, what does he do....and says the sound? I guess there is a word for the sound of sticking out your tongue in Korea? And when he did that I wanted to cry. Where was the childish innocence? It felt like he had been planning it all day or something. I hated it. I think thats why I hated Hyun Joong's portrayal! He didn't seem like he was doing things that he wouldn't normally do, he seemed too cool and suave throughout the whole thing as if he had his idol image to keep or something. I don't know.
Overall, I enjoyed Playful Kiss. There were some things that were better but its never going to replace my undying love for ISWAK or my bias for Ariel and Joe together. Actually, I'd rather not see So Min and Hyun Joong together ever again. It just seems wrong. ><