Mischievous Kiss

*This post has been way deferred because I forgot to post it.


Playful Kiss is based on a manga titled Itazura na Kiss by Kaoru Tada. It is also known as Naughty Kiss/Mischievous Kiss/장난스런 키스 / Jangnanseureon Kiss. Several versions of television drama have been made based on this manga prior to the release of the Korean version Playful Kiss in 2010. The most recent predecessor is It Started With A Kiss.





Synopsis

Oh Ha Ni the daydreamer is a clumsy, unpopular girl with below average grades, and an outcast in Parang high school. She has a crush on the school heart throb and top student, Baek Seung Jo, a good looking, egoistic, arrogant perfectionist and all rounder. Unable to contain her feelings, Ha Ni confesses her crush in a letter to Seung Jo but was publicly rejected by him.





One day, a mild earthquake caused Ha Ni’s house to collapse. Their predicament was aired on the news as their house was the only house that collapsed in the earthquake. After learning about their predicament from the news, both Ha Ni and her father were then invited to stay with an old friend of his. It turns out that this friend of her dad is Seung Jo’s father. It was like a dream come true for Ha Ni to be living under the same roof as her crush. However, things are far from fairytale as she soon realizes the guy whom she adores is sarcastic, cold and overbearing. The story unfolds with how they cope with living together in the same house. From strangers to friends to lovers, see how opposites attract.




Scene from Seung Jo's Apartment.



Cast



L-R: Kim Hyun Joong, Jung So Min


The drama stars Korean heart throb Kim Hyun Joong as Baek Seung Jo and newcomer Jung So Min as Oh Ha Ni, for the male and female lead roles respectively. The cast for the show are

• Kim Hyun Joong as Baek Seung Jo
• Jung So Min as Oh Ha Ni
• Lee Tae Sung as Bong Joon Gu
• Lee Si Young as Yoon He Ra
• Jung Hye Young as Hwang Geum Hee (Seung Jo's mother)
• Oh Kyung Soo as Baek Soo Chang (Seung Jo's father)
• Choi Won Hong as Baek Eun Jo (Seung Jo's brother)
• Kang Nam Gil as Oh Ki Dong (Ha Ni's father)
• Hong Yoon Hwa as Jung Joo Ri (Ha Ni's friend)
• Yoon Seung Ah as Dok Go Min Ah (Ha Ni's friend)
• Choi Sung Joon as Kim Gi Tae
• Jang Ah Young as Hong Jang Mi
• Bye Bye Sea as Bong Joon Gu's followers
• Hwang Hyo Eun as Song Kang Yi (Ha Ni's homeroom teacher)
• Song Yong Shik as Song Ji Oh
• Moon Hoe Won as Head Teacher Hwang
• Choi Sung Gook (최성국) as Wang Kyung Soo
• Yoon Bo Hyun (윤보현)
• Abigail Alderete as Chris






L-R: Yoon Seung Ah, Jung So Min, Hong Yoon Hwa




Bong Joon Gu and gang




Baek Seung Jo's family. L-R: Oh Kyung Soo, Kim Hyun Joong, Jung Hye Young, Choi Won Hong


In my opinion, the actress that portrays Seung Jo’s mother is a little too young to be his mum. Besides that, I wonder why most female characters in Korean shows tend to follow the male characters around like their shadow? Or perhaps this how the character is like in the manga. That I don’t know as I did not read the manga. At certain points in the show, I really dislike the egoistic character that Seung Jo possesses. But then again, that is the way most Korean male leads are portrayed anyway. It is really baffling that someone as overconfident as Seung Jo does not have the courage to admit the fact that he has fallen for the person who was initially a pain in the rear to him. Apart from that, I certainly did want to see some pride in Ha Ni. That is because she tirelessly follows Seung Jo around, making an utter fool of herself.


As this story was originally written by a woman, it should have reflected more girl power but instead it belittles the females making them appear like dimwits. Perhaps it was written in a time where females play a less important role in society or to reflect the culture whereby woman are to respect and obey men like their master (The author is a female Japanese after all).


This is one of the funniest Korean dramas that I have watched. Somehow I don’t understand why Koreans always portray their female leads as clowns. Though some parts of the show are funny, the Special Edition Episodes that were released on Youtube are funnier. Certain scenes in the special episodes remind me of scenarios that I’ve been through, namely the episode where Ha Ni got her drivers’ license. She insisted on driving Seung Jo to work and he ended up freaked out by her driving. It brings back memories of how my parents always freak out when I drove them around after getting my license. I have to point out though the difference is that I got my license in one attempt and not like her (Ha Ni only passed on her 8th attempt).




Driving scene from Special Edition Episode. Initially I didn't really like the Mini. But after seeing Kim Hyun Joong drive it in Boys Over Flowers and Playful Kiss, makes me wanna get one too. Ish.


Overall the show is worth watching. Although Playful Kiss received lukewarm response when launched in Korea, it was a hit in other countries, namely South East Asia. A good attempt at comedy. Really addictive soundtrack to go with the show.


OST

01 KissKissKiss Pink Toniq
02 One More Time 김현중
03 키스해줄래 지나 G.NA
04 널 부른다 런
05 Try Again Pink Toniq
06 혼잣말 이태성
07 사랑한다 말할까 소유
08 Overture For 장난스런키스 V.A
09 I Love You (Main Theme) V.A
10 고백 V.A
11 Oh! Chef V.A
12 Run, Run, Run V.A
13 Marriage V.A
14 Love Theme V.A
15 With Friends V.A
16 Love Waltz V.A
17 Campus Life V.A
18 Love & Sorrow V.A
19 그림자 V.A
20 그리워할수록 V.A
21 설레임 V.A







Playful Kiss Promo.