Thursday, February 28, 2013

KDrama Review: Playful Kiss


*Available on US Netflix Streaming*
The Gist: High school student Oh Ha Ni (Jung So Min) is mesmerized by classmate Baek Seung Jo (Kim Hyun Joong), the smartest and most handsome guy in school. When she finally confesses via love letter, Seung Jo shames her by exposing the letter and correcting all of her grammar and spelling mistakes. Embarrassed, Oh Ha Ni decides to stop loving Seung Jo, a declaration that doesn’t last long when an earthquake knocks down her house and her father’s old friend, Seung Jo’s dad, asks them to stay at their place. Now living under the same roof, seeing Baek Seung Jo every day, Ha Ni finds it impossible to give up on him, no matter how coldly he treats her.
Love:
1.Baek Seung Jo and Oh Ha Ni
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Naturally a drama called Playful Kiss could only be about romance and this classic story is based off of bestselling manga Itazura Na Kiss. This romance works on so many levels it’s hard to identify them all, but here’s a few. It’s obvious why the characters should be together as they bring out the best in each other – Seung Jo drives Ha Ni to work harder and study more and Ha Ni lets Seung Jo relax and have fun. It’s a perfect fit. With a character so stoic, it’s easy to tell when Seung Jo’s enjoying himself, softening towards Ha Ni, even as he is confused and perplexed by her.  So Min and Hyun Joong play off each other well and they seem like they’re enjoying themselves acting with each other. It’s just lovely.
2.Baek Seung Jo’s Family
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Picture credit:dramacrazy.net
 
Oh Ha Ni is without a mother and Seung Jo’s mom is without a daughter, so the bond between them is almost instantaneous. Their characters are also very similar and it’s so like a mother to know her son’s heart better than him. I love Jung Hye Young in this role – she is fantastic. I also love little Eun Jo (Choi Won Hong) as Seung Jo’s brother. He’s like a mini Seung Jo, copying him exactly, and just like his brother, he takes his time warming to Oh Ha Ni. The episode where Ha Ni takes care of him when he’s sick shows how much like family they become.
3.The Scope of the Show
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Having watched the anime before I watched this live action version, one of the things I loved about the story is how much ground we cover. It’s not just a year in high school, but high school, college, and if you watch the shorts (which, why would you not?), some of their career life. The story goes on quite a bit longer in the Taiwanese version, which I also enjoyed, but the quality of this version is better.
4. Um… Can I go to school there … and live there?
Seriously though, the high school, college, house, and even the pasta restaurant are beautiful. I want to go there!
Meh:
1.Bong Joon Gu
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lee Tae Sung plays Oh Ha Ni’s desperate admirer. More on her level, Joon Gu doesn’t do well at studying and ends up working in her dad’s shop as a genius cook. I feel conflicted about this character. On the negative, his voice is ridiculously overdramatic; actually he is just ridiculously overdramatic. He seems like a cartoon character, more than a person. On the positive, we actually get some mature moments from him when the show progresses. I think as he realizes that Oh Ha Ni and him really can’t be together, it makes him a stronger character.
2.Kyung Soo

 
 
 
 
Picture credit:dramabeans.com
 
Played by Choi Sung Gook, Kyung Soo is a sunbae and tennis coach at Ha Ni’s college. He’s obsessed with Hae Ra, who’s obsessed with Seung Jo, so Ha Ni and him often team up to thwart their relationship. As genuine as he is about Hae Ra, Kyung Soo is kind of an obnoxious character. You feel bad for him because his efforts with Hae Ra are even more unsuccessful than Ha Ni’s with Seung Jo, but he’s still a bizarre person. I think at the end of it though, I do like Kyung Soo’s part in this story, so we’ll lean him towards the positive side of things.
Hate:
1.The Cycles
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As much as I love this story Oh Ha Ni proclaims that she’s giving up on Baek Seung Jo like five times in the show. She tries to be very serious about it every time and it’s impossible to even kind of believe her because she changes her mind so quickly. There is one time where she makes a good genuine effort and that’s the time it matters – so good for her! However, the million times she cries and says she’ll stop loving him just gets old. At least it’s realistic, people are totally like that.
So:
So…this show is easily in my top five. The story is concise, but still gives you what you want out of it. The leads are likeable and the supporting cast really adds to the story. If anything, I would have hoped for a little more physical intimacy between the characters, but it’s an innocent show, so it plays just right. It’s a perfect romance, with the right amount of build up to a rewarding ending.
Final Grade: A+

12 comments:

  1. I wish you could categorize the dramas according to the grade... Please do that

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    1. I did a post just for you yesterday! Check it out, it has all my reviewed shows sorted by grade :)

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  2. wow!! grade A+?? seriously, i dont get it what it's mean by the title "playing kiss" ?? i can count how many times with my finger (3 r 4 times if i'm not wrong) they kiss each other.... hmm...

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  3. Have you seen the Taiwanese version 'It started with a kiss?" A comparative will be nice

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    1. I have! You can read the review for it here: http://dramaqueenreview.blogspot.com/2013/03/tdrama-review-it-started-with-kiss.html from March of last year. I also just watched the Japanese remake, it's my most recent post. Enjoy!

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  4. A Taiwanese version and a Japanese remake? I'm sure the male protagonist can't be handsome than Kim Hyun Joong. I'm looking for the epilogue of playful kiss. can anyone help me?
    Post: Freeads

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  5. I think the Taiwanese version is way better. Even though the quality of that one is crappy (it's old ), the chemistry between Lin Yi Chen and Zheng Yuan Chang is notable and I find them very cute together, contrary to the chemistry between the main characters in Playful kiss, which is nearly invisible. Just my opinion :)

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  6. The Korean version definitely reconciled me with the story (see my comment on ISWAK).
    I really enjoyed the drama, the romance is better, the characters are better, the chemistry is good (even though intimacy is always better in TW versions), and the pacing is 100x better.

    As you said, here we can see why the two leads like each other and why they are good together (which was the main issue, in my opinion, with ISWAK). Oh Ha Ni is not my favorite kind of heroine either, but she is WAY more likable than Ariel Lin's character. It was my main concern when starting Playful Kiss, but I was relieved to see that she was not so deprived of self-respect as her taiwanese counterpart. This has to do with the 16 episodes format as well - condensing the story meant that Seung Jo would accept and love Ha Ni sooner, so we wouldn't suffer for too long watching her being rejected all the time.

    I also really loved Seung Jo's mother, she's the best character! And her relationship with Ha Ni is so touching. You can really feel the maternal love and care. She's always intruding and embarassing her son, but she is just so fun to watch.

    However, as you point out, they still couldn't avoid the annoying cycles. I wish they would have balanced out the relationship sooner, and develop the afer-marriage part more. I just watched the Youtube special episodes, and they were just so cute! It's a shame they didn't make it longer and included it in the first season. I honestly thought the webisodes are better. They have the sweet and funny moments we missed for most of the real season. Glad they made them though, the chemistry is even better.

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    1. Thanks for more commenting! I am a bit surprised that the Taiwanese version let you down so much, but it is definitely long. I really do love this version of this show. I'm not sure if you've read my comments on the Japanese version (Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo), but after finishing up the second season recently, which goes into their marriage, I think I like that iteration best of all. I love the casting in the Korean version, but I think the Japanese actors nailed it. If you're not sick to death of this story, I think that's a really solid story, although it's not much shorter. There's 16 45 min eps in the 1st and 2nd season. And we definitely can't agree all the time. I'll let it go.

      I definitely started my love for this show with the old school anime, which has just sprouted out from there. I have a minor obsession!

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    2. I don't mind long at all, when the story is well developed.

      I saw your review of the Japanese version (well, I saw the grade and the overall opinion - I never read reviews of drama that I haven't already watched, to avoid spoilers and to make my own opinion without influence)
      So I've already decided to give it a chance. I'll definitely let you know my thoughts after seeing it :)

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    3. Please do! If you're not crazy about it, let me know. But honestly I was pretty much floored by the time I finished the second season. Adorable! :D

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  7. It’s really hard to move on from this drama ^^. The story is sooo bitter-sweet, and that makes this Playfull kiss drama not easy to forget. Min-Joong acted so well, they exprressed and delivered the emotion perfectly. A must watch drama, Love it!

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