I do think Joe Cheng has some room to improve, acting wise. I know the character is supposed to be cold and taciturn, but sometimes when he was supposed to be cold & taciturn while still showing some other kind of emotion, he failed. You could tell that something was supposed to be there, but his face just wasn't expressing it well enough.
But apart from that, he did a good job. When he needed to be loving and cute and protective, he could do that fine. The rest of the main cast was mostly fine (Tiffany Hsu is beautiful, although maybe add her to the Needs Improvement list too), and I do find Ariel Lin impossibly adorable.
30 episodes is always a bit long for a TV series. As someone who watches far more Korean and Japanese dramas than Taiwanese, by the 30th episode, i'm generally pretty happy for it to be over, no matter how much I've enjoyed it. But with this, while I was still happy for it to end, I'm still looking forward to watching the sequel. I like these characters, and i want to see them through their marriage.
Definitely worth watching.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Let me start with quickly summarizing the plot: (I may have made minor mistakes with the numbers here, but the ballpark is correct)⌲ep1-3: The leads meet and them plus their families start living together.
⌲ep4-25: Nothing happens. (Lighthearted comedy with about as much romantic progress as about 3 normal kdrama episodes would have today in 2024.)
⌲ep26-28: Makjang, SUDDENLY everyone wants to marry someone else. (this is like what the plot of ep10 to 15 of a 2005 era kdrama would be like, but fast tracked)
⌲ep29-30: Happy ending.
So basically anyone who is fine with enjoying an aimless & progress-less and a bit lukewarm comedy for more than 20 episodes straight will enjoy this and this mostly applies to me as well. Though I have been rather annoyed by the final conflicts & how suddenly things devolved into THAT.
This is based on Itazura na Kiss, which I have consumed either in Anime or Manga form almost 20 years ago, I'm not even sure anymore.. Anyway the point is that while I'm not sure how accurately this resembles the original work, I can certainly recognize the plot "progression" of a nineties manga/anime from this. The nostalgia has helped alleviating the feeling of boredom for me, but I somewhat doubt a young person that never experienced that era of j-culture would feel the same way..
Oh I almost forgot, the mom in this drama is an extremely adorable character, at this moment I cannot even think of a cuter mom that I've encountered in a modern Asian drama, it's almost worth watching this just for her shenanigans.
Was this review helpful to you?
The ML was too cold. It went beyond what was necessary for the trope. For example, FL kept finding herself being harassed by creeps, and ML would watch on, sometimes laughing with them. He also bullied her, which again was part of the trope, but the way the FL continued swooning and obsessing over him, even stalking him at times despite how cruel he was to her rubbed me the wrong way. She literally had no life outside of stalking this guy for years.
Pass
Was this review helpful to you?
joe chen and ariel line really good actor.
even tough there is so many version/remake for this drama
i think the taiwan version is the best.
i thought that you all already familiar with the story and know how its end.
But ISWAK is more detailed in every scene
and their acting really perfect. Ariel lin's acting suit the fool xiang qin who pursue Zhi Shu!!!
this drama so funny with Ariel Lin as Qiang Qin. And the foolishness of xiangqin is really something, you must watch it yourself.
i've rewatch this drama for hundred times whenever i get bored with those new drama.
i think this drama is the best for you who crave a really fun romance comedy !!!
i am really in love with this drama
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Prefer They Kiss Again more
I actually watched the sequel first before watching this so I think it actually affect the ratings I put onto this first series. The main reason why I ranked this lower is because I find 30 eps too lengthy and there is barely any character development with the FL. Perhaps there is minute changes to ML as he is more accepting of FL and even accepted her as his wife but I just find the development arc is not as strong as compared to the sequel where I can clearly see the growth in the characters.But nonetheless, if you want a good laugh, ISWAK still manages to do its job as the director and Ariel Lin does nail the comedic moments. I love especially the younger brother and FL chemistry a little more than her with ML. Probably because Joseph's acting tend to be quite flat throughout. He definitely stands out way more in the sequel.
Was this review helpful to you?
is it worth it?
so i have only watched two adaptation Playful Kiss and this one. i grow up watching Asian dramas ( Cdrama Thai drama filipin drama Taiwanese drama Indian drama Hong Kong drama Jdrama..) so i'm not new to how each country act and their different culture and norm.First dont get me wrong i love the Korean version too and i have rewatched that many times already.
And yes i like this version way more than the Korean one for similar reason as the others is that you can feel the ML more and it is quite realistic and main leads interaction and emotion just flow so well and if you watch the second season it is even more natural.
And of course they have more skinship than the Korean one for a common reason of cultural differences between the two countries so the interaction went to different degree to be relatable to the audiences of each country.
and yes WATCH IT just watch it dont question this if you like this classic story Itazura na kiss. i would watch other adaptation too but this one i would come back anytime.
Was this review helpful to you?
that being said, the family moments genuinely made me feel like i was there. it's an old drama, feels raw and just... natural. chemistry? funny. genuinely my kind of drama to watch and i really loved it. yes. even jiang zhi shu.
Was this review helpful to you?
Ariel Lin was such a cute actress that really make xiang Ching ooze with adorableness. It's also the first time I noticed her as an actress. Joe's character of Zi so was the aloof silent type. A great departure from when I saw him in The rose. But the best thing was our two leads have great chemistry so much that people start shipping them in real life (although she's married now)
The story follows closely to original Manga which perhaps reduce my enjoyment of the drama. Because all the comedy side is really over the top. And sometimes the actors have to do alot of exaggeration to fit into Manga theme. So this makes its less realistic. I find I only enjoy when scene are quieter and more mellow to connect emotionally.
Was this review helpful to you?
The acting is good, but I just loved the Joe Cheng/Ariel Lin pairing. Delighted they came back for a sequel, and I'm egging myself to watch it right now! :D Their first kiss, in this drama, is my most favourite kiss I've watched in any asian drama. Not the one in the rain. The one that came out of the blue :P
After that scorcher, I was a little bemused to find they don't kiss each other again, till 2 years later (the drama lapses over a period of time.) I didn't even realize it was 2 years!
By all rights, I should hate this drama. Xiang Qin is the female embodiment of a woman, who lives to please her "husband." Her career choice, her life ambitions, revolves entirely around a guy, which will make any feminist turn in her grave.
But Ariel Lin's charisma...her sweetness and naivety...only this girl can pull it off. Eventually I realised being a feminist, is about giving females THE CHOICE, not begrudging them if they want to do something opposite to you^^
The plotline is a little absurd...but it works. And I have such a soft spot for this drama, and recommend it to all. I admit. I did skip scenes throughout, just here and there. But c'mon! It had 30 episodes. For the sake of my sanity, I fastforwaded to the "juicy" bits when my patience ran thin.
Lots of LOL moments. I'm no longer a teenager (but I was, like, when I initally watched it 2 years ago before taking a hiatus) and the rush of giddiness, almost made me feel 14 again. Golly. What a scary thought!
(Kidding, any 14 year olds out there.)
Joe Cheng has mentioned a 10th year reunion of ISWAK in 2015, so I'm itching for that time to come.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Quién diría que la adaptación más fiel, no iba a ser del origen de la obra.
La vi dos veces, completa, y cada vez la encuentro mejor. Seguramente tiene que ver con mi amor por lo dramático. Es verdad, que a quien no le guste mucho el melodrama, probablemente se horrorice de la cantidad de veces que las cosas avanzan para luego retroceder. Pero a quienes nos enganchamos con telenovelas de latinoamérica, nos encanta.Lo que vuelve tan especial a esta serie en particular, es la construcción de su protagonista masculino. Zhi Shu comienza siendo un chico desagradable, engreído y egoísta, para poco a poco convertirse en un hombre atento y amable. Lo que cambia entre el primer y el último capítulo es descomunal, y lo que más se disfruta es que cambia a través de Xiang Qin. Si bien ella soporta cosas que ninguna debería en la vida real, lo que nos hace conectar con ella es que su amor es tan puro como platónico, y en la adolescencia, la mayoría hemos experimentado algo similar (de nuevo, no es sano en esos niveles, pero se le perdona por ser ficción). Por otro lado, sigue siendo la adaptación más fiel a la obra de Tada Kaoru y la química entre Ariel y Joe no tiene rival aún hoy en día.
Was this review helpful to you?
