Playful Kiss 장난스런 키스
★★★★
The 2010 Korean MBC drama, based on the Japanese manga "Itazura Na Kiss", starring Jung So-Min as Oh Ha-Ni and Kim Hyun-Joong as Baek Seung-Jo.
Brief summary: Oh Ha-Ni has had a crush on the handsome and smart Baek Seung-Jo for years, but he is hardly aware that she exists! Summing up her courage, she confesses her feelings to him in a letter, but he only grades it as a teacher would! He turns her down, telling her that there's no way he could ever be interested in a girl as stupid as her. When an earthquake destroys Oh Ha-Ni and her father's new house, they both move in with one of her father's old friends, but a certain unexpected someone is living there too! A war starts between Baek Seung-Jo and Oh Ha-Ni, and Oh Ha-Ni is committed to proving to the wet-blanket Baek Seung-Jo that she can be good enough for him!
This one was cute! While it was airing, it drew quite a bit of attention for casting Kim Hyun-Joong as the first leading male. Just a year previous, he had broken our hearts as the second leading male in the still-very-famous "Boys Over Flowers," so a drama starring him as the lead was definitely popular! I liked seeing that because Kim Hyun-Joong really is a talented actor, but the development was really admirable.
The drama has a romantic-comedy theme, without any serious thought-provoking concepts. It's a good pick if you're in the mood for a light, cheery story!
My favorite character is undoubtedly Baek Seung-Jo's mom! It's probably because I identify with her the most. This woman is definitely not the stereotypical "evil witch" of a mother like in other popular Korean dramas! She built her "ship" and defended it in the faces of those who wished to sink it! Throughout the story, Baek Seung-Jo's mother is so convinced that he and Oh Ha-Ni are meant to be that she even blogs about their progress. When Bong Joon-Gu made a statement of love for Oh Ha-Ni at the high school graduation ceremony, she totally threatened to take him down. When Baek Seung-Jo tried to introduce Yoon Hae-Ra to his parents, his mom was cold and even a little rude just because of the threat Hae-Ra posed to that ship of hers!
Baek Seung-Jo truly is an annoyingly stoic leading male, but we come to like him by the end. If you're expecting to see him wrestle with his feelings, though, you might be disappointed in that regard. It seems that his is not the typical development in which they find things in common and then decide they can't live without each other. Rather, he seems comparable to the "My Fair Lady" character Professor Higgins, who has never even hinted at being attracted to Eliza but admits that he's grown accustomed to her face and nearly everything about her. I think Seung-Jo eventually accepts Oh Ha-Ni because of just that- he's gotten used to her and doesn't want her to leave.
Can't help but admire Oh Ha-Ni for her persistence!
I loved Bong Joon-Gu's character. I've seen Lee Tae-Sung act in other dramas, and this one gave me a peak into his earlier roles. It's typical that the second leading male in other dramas will stay aloof- he doesn't get the girl in the end because he's not aggressive enough (too perfect instead<3). That's not Bong Joon-Gu's style. The young man could not be any more obvious and outgoing about his feelings! In truth, he and Oh Ha-Ni might have gotten along really well (relationships between friends have a higher success rate), were it not for Seung-Jo.
"Playful Kiss" is cute! I don't know that it's a personal favorite, but I enjoyed watching it for sure! I think it could have been better with some more plot (PLOT, not characters) development and ending it with the wedding. The story is about the relationship between Oh Ha-Ni and Baek Seung-Jo, so I do think there were some elements that could have been done away with, such as Gi-Tae, and Seung-Jo's father's company matters. All in all, however, it was still good. Worth all four stars!
★★★★
The 2010 Korean MBC drama, based on the Japanese manga "Itazura Na Kiss", starring Jung So-Min as Oh Ha-Ni and Kim Hyun-Joong as Baek Seung-Jo.
Brief summary: Oh Ha-Ni has had a crush on the handsome and smart Baek Seung-Jo for years, but he is hardly aware that she exists! Summing up her courage, she confesses her feelings to him in a letter, but he only grades it as a teacher would! He turns her down, telling her that there's no way he could ever be interested in a girl as stupid as her. When an earthquake destroys Oh Ha-Ni and her father's new house, they both move in with one of her father's old friends, but a certain unexpected someone is living there too! A war starts between Baek Seung-Jo and Oh Ha-Ni, and Oh Ha-Ni is committed to proving to the wet-blanket Baek Seung-Jo that she can be good enough for him!
This one was cute! While it was airing, it drew quite a bit of attention for casting Kim Hyun-Joong as the first leading male. Just a year previous, he had broken our hearts as the second leading male in the still-very-famous "Boys Over Flowers," so a drama starring him as the lead was definitely popular! I liked seeing that because Kim Hyun-Joong really is a talented actor, but the development was really admirable.
The drama has a romantic-comedy theme, without any serious thought-provoking concepts. It's a good pick if you're in the mood for a light, cheery story!
My favorite character is undoubtedly Baek Seung-Jo's mom! It's probably because I identify with her the most. This woman is definitely not the stereotypical "evil witch" of a mother like in other popular Korean dramas! She built her "ship" and defended it in the faces of those who wished to sink it! Throughout the story, Baek Seung-Jo's mother is so convinced that he and Oh Ha-Ni are meant to be that she even blogs about their progress. When Bong Joon-Gu made a statement of love for Oh Ha-Ni at the high school graduation ceremony, she totally threatened to take him down. When Baek Seung-Jo tried to introduce Yoon Hae-Ra to his parents, his mom was cold and even a little rude just because of the threat Hae-Ra posed to that ship of hers!
Baek Seung-Jo truly is an annoyingly stoic leading male, but we come to like him by the end. If you're expecting to see him wrestle with his feelings, though, you might be disappointed in that regard. It seems that his is not the typical development in which they find things in common and then decide they can't live without each other. Rather, he seems comparable to the "My Fair Lady" character Professor Higgins, who has never even hinted at being attracted to Eliza but admits that he's grown accustomed to her face and nearly everything about her. I think Seung-Jo eventually accepts Oh Ha-Ni because of just that- he's gotten used to her and doesn't want her to leave.
Can't help but admire Oh Ha-Ni for her persistence!
I loved Bong Joon-Gu's character. I've seen Lee Tae-Sung act in other dramas, and this one gave me a peak into his earlier roles. It's typical that the second leading male in other dramas will stay aloof- he doesn't get the girl in the end because he's not aggressive enough (too perfect instead<3). That's not Bong Joon-Gu's style. The young man could not be any more obvious and outgoing about his feelings! In truth, he and Oh Ha-Ni might have gotten along really well (relationships between friends have a higher success rate), were it not for Seung-Jo.
"Playful Kiss" is cute! I don't know that it's a personal favorite, but I enjoyed watching it for sure! I think it could have been better with some more plot (PLOT, not characters) development and ending it with the wedding. The story is about the relationship between Oh Ha-Ni and Baek Seung-Jo, so I do think there were some elements that could have been done away with, such as Gi-Tae, and Seung-Jo's father's company matters. All in all, however, it was still good. Worth all four stars!
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