This story is cliche and we all know how it ends. Many people actually hate this story because the female MC is treated so poorly by the male MC, but I just can't help but love it. I don't really feel that the male MC treated her in mean ways, I just don't think he was receptive to her advances. His behavior toward her and tenderness eventually show through in positive ways. And that's good enough for me.
If you wanna talk about mean dudes, please watch She Was Pretty and then we can chat. I couldn't stomach how mean the male MC (in She Was Pretty) was toward the female MC, knowing that they would inevitably fall in love in the end, because he was just THAT mean to her. My heart would hurt for her and I just would not be happy for her when they got together in the end. If he could treat her that badly before he likes her, but then changes his attitude toward her so severely after they get together, it's just wrong. Especially if you think about how he treats others in that manner.
For me, the male MC in Playful Kiss isn't anywhere near this severe in his treatment toward the female MC and so I'm not bothered or hurt and I'm actually happy for them in the end.
I think Playful Kiss and the story of Itazura Na Kiss is something to take with a grain of salt and recognize that you might not be looking for a relationship like their's, but you can still appreciate their story.
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Seung Jo is shown as a perfectionist excelling in everything he touches. It came to a point, that the viewers were led to believe that perhaps our male lead is God himself. Showing no flaw except for his mood swings made the character a bit unrealistic
-Cooking ?
-Swimming ?
-Topping academics without ever studying ?
-IQ 200?
-Tennis champion?
-Handling a business that you have no clue about?
While Ha Ni is as stupid as she is cringey. Following or stalking a dude that has rejected her far more times than she could count. I personally dislike characters who have no ambitious callings or have their whole life naively rotating around people who don't seem to replicate any of that devotion back.
Eung Jo is extremely rude to Ha Ni belittling her while Ha Ni's SO seems to give zero shits.
The whole relation of those two is solely led by Seung Jo. He announces marriage without consulting Ha Ni, kisses her in challenge that she will not forget him even if she wishes too and then cutting contacts with her.
However, this drama is under my recommendation if you come home extremely tired from work and need a mindless drama in which you don't have to process anything.
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This review may contain spoilers
This show gave me so many emotions!
While watching this show, I went through so many emotions at one time. I was angry, sobbing, and then kicking my feet. Even though so much happened and there were many unexpected clips, I feel like I could watch this show over and over without getting tired of it. Something I REALLLYY disliked about this show though, it was the the way the ML just kept on pushing the FL away. That did irritate me a little, but I don't think it every lasted for TOO long. But, my favorite person in this entire show was the mother of the ML. She was so supportive, and so helpful to the FL. That really touched me.Was this review helpful to you?
HATE THIS DRAMA
I started this thinking that what could be wrong with a girl chasing. It might be like she fell first but he fell harder, but literally it was shit. The FL always tried hard for his attention and was literally begging for scraps, and the ML never ever showed any type of affection towards her, even in the last episodes. I thought them marrying would be better and that we would finally get some cute moments, but before the wedding he told her that he knows why couples break up and that he regrets the decision of marrying. He did not want to see dresses with her and called wedding rings “shackles,” like wtf. At the honeymoon, he was so uninterested and kept roaming around with a random woman, and Hani was jealous.Literally, her guy friend was sooo in love with her, the same way she was with Seong Jo, and the guy friend was the greenest flag ever. Like, if somebody gets someone like him, they’ll be happy for life. He was so caring and protective, and he was all in for supporting her wrongs and rights. He was the epitome of perfection and would have gone to pluck stars for Hani, but obviously she was a naive dumbass who literally got disrespected by the ML even after the marriage.
Please don’t start this drama. I did, thinking what’s going to happen, and it’s the worst K-drama I have ever watched, and I mean it. After watching all the newest K-dramas from 2019–2025, I thought maybe the older ones are good, and I literally found Secret Love (2013) to be the only good one, and even that because it was a melodrama. Hate everyone here, literally EVERYONE, except the guy friend Bong Joon.
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After beating around the bush for a good amount of 1 year, I finally decided to give this show a go. What started off as a good experience, left me agitated for having to waste 16 precious hours of my life I probably won't ever get back.
What I disliked about this was the fact that there was whatsoever NO character development for the main leads, especially Jung So Min's character. The woman remained a spoiled child to the very end. Every character went through a good transformation and even signs of positive transformation were seen for Kim Hyun Joong's character. But they just probably forgot that the actress needs to mature with age so as a compensation added her career dream in the last second episode.
I hated how she had next to none self respect. The fact that she relentlessly pursued the lead with no ounce of dignity was annoying to a murderous rage. Despite the cold treatment by Baek Seung Jo and after crying for like 15 seconds, she went back to being a rug for the main lead.
I have never seen such a weak female lead in any show and it enrages me that she was shown as a support to the male lead's career aspirations.
I could have easily given it a miss had I known the show continued her childishness to the very end.
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A very toxic relationship
I don't know exactly why I decided to watch this. I remember watching some clips on youtube and gave it a shot. I later found out that this adapted from a Japanese manga called Itazura na Kiss. I have never read it or watched the Japanese version or any other version, so I can't compare it to the original source material or any other adaptation.This was seriously hard for me to get through. The female lead in this story does not have an ounce of self-respect. She stubbornly pursues the male lead even though he rejects and treats her badly at every turn. I know that this is meant to be funny and exaggerated, perhaps I don't fully understand the shoujo genre, but to me, this sends an awful message. A message that says that as a woman you should remain true to your feelings to the point of obsession, no matter how severely mistreated you are, because all your whining will wear him down and you'll eventually get your way. And as a man, you don't really have to show emotion, or decency, or empathy because she will be there for you regardless of much you bully her.
I think I could even stomach this, if they started out as two flawed people and as the drama and their relationship progressed there would be visible growth on both sides, but it was not so. If you're a fan of the manga, you might want to watch this adaptation, if not, then you can skip this.
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Playfull
This Drama was really at the best of times extremely annoying in the sense that the way she carried out herself was really pitiful and not how a person needs to be treated, although i did see the sense of that later in the show and understand why he treated the way he did, was a motivation tool.The music was really god and the supporting crew i enjoyed as well.
I found the Mom of the hero, way too extreme and often really stupid, even though it would be nice to have a mother in law like her,
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The story is good but could be better in some parts. I loved the main couple, so cute and fiesty, a bit childish tho on both parts but they do grow nicely together in the relationship, in finding their own love as the story progresses.
I absolutely adore the actors that played the parents on both sides, they are awesome and so funny to watch, omg i wish i had parents just like them!
I know that a lot of people look down on this drama mainly because of how they portrayed oh ha ni because people only choose to see the weak parts of her.
I understand that she is shown as a very childish, insecure, weak and dependent person, it's true but she grows as the story goes on and that for me is super positive! She becomes strong and witted and that's how she gets far on her life and she never quits on her dreams, no matter how many times she fails before getting there.
Her male co star also grows as a guy because he starts off as a cool guy who at first sight seems to be handsome, cool, happy and to have everything a teenage can ask for but the truth is far from it. In reality is has even more issues than oh ha ni, even tho he is dearly loved by his family. He is very lonely, anti social, closed up and someone who doesn't easily trusts on others or feel the least confortable in sharing his mind or even opening up to have real close friends. he feels like the wight of the world was dropped upon his shoulders and he thinks that no one will ever trully understand him. Until he meets her.
It's cliché but it also works like magic.
I liked it very much and will definately watch it again when i miss it in my heart :D
Was the second drama i watched after boys over flowers and it has also a special place in my heart since then :)
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Well liked - I found the way the FL acted cringe worthy (stalker level)
7/10 is my rating. This is the Korean version of a drama that was originally a manga Itazura Na Kiss by Tada Kaoru and has been adapted multiple times once as a Taiwanese drama entitled “It Started with a Kiss” (2005) that had a sequel “They Kiss Again” (2007) and there is also a Japanese version I heard. The main story is this South Korean version was told over 16 episodes in 2010. There is some follow up episodes which I recommend if you like the characters which are published on you tube as Playful Kiss 2 (about 7 short episodes). The story is about an unlikely pair Oh Ha-Ni (Jung So-Min) who is popular among the unpopular so to speak and Baek Seung-jo (Kim Hyun-joong) who is genius level intelligent and one of the campus idols. He is cold, arrogant, and conceited about his intelligence. Oh Ha-Ni struggles academically primarily because it is a lot of work for her to succeed academically and she does not see the point. Oh Ha-Ni is drawn to the very “other” nature of Baek Seung-jo and is his “stalker” constantly there and watching him despite repeated rejections. As fate would have it their parents are best friends and when disaster strikes for Oh Ha-Ni which destroys their house she and her father move in to Baek Seung-jo’s house.Spoiler 🚨 I really liked this story in the beginning. Found it very entertaining to see the dramatic difference between the two in the high school environment. The story moved on to college and I had a harder time with that. I really felt like she just wouldn’t leave the poor guy alone. She would follow him all the time when I thought it would be better to give him some space. My daughter pointed out that because of the restrictions on male/female interactions in that culture it is not uncommon for people to admire from afar – different than stalking. But I had a hard time getting past my own pride and thinking what I would have done in that situation. So that part was hard for me. I liked it again later though and, for me, it became like “I Love Lucy” in terms of some of the things she did and his response. Especially the episodes posted on you tube (which is where Playful Kiss 2 was officially "published").
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