Miss in Kiss (2016)

As a fan of It Started with a Kiss, They Kiss Again, Kiss Me, Playful Kiss, Mischievous Kiss as well as the manga series, I can honestly say Miss in Kiss wasn't really the best version of Itazura na Kiss.

Wu Esther was quite adorable and I actually really liked Gong Yi Teng he's adorable but Lee Dino was completely emotionless. Towards the start of the series I thought Dino might actually have something special about him but sadly, he became more and more robotic as the series continued. It was very sad and almost cringe worthy to watch his interactions with Esther. Of course, his character is supposed to be like that but compared to the way other actors portrayed Irie-kun, Dino's version was by far the worst and most disappointing.

Would I watch a series 2? Absolutely, because I have hopes that Dino will bring more to the role. But as a remake I expected much, much more from this version of Itazura na Kiss especially considering how legendary the original was. You'd think they would want to do better in honor of the original series and the fans who loved it.

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Don't waste your time

I think the only reason I watch these various remakes is because I want to see how different the stories are from each other. It can't be because I enjoy them. I honestly don't. For the life of me, I will never understand how people find this particular story, in any of its incarnations, cute or endearing. A girl with pitiful self-esteem falls in love with a guy who treats her indifferently, at best. His little brother dumps all over her, too, and the parents don't seem to mind how he treats her, even though the mom is obsessed with having her as a daughter-in-law. Her male friend is a borderline stalker who thinks he is owed her love, regardless of what she tells him. The only character that seems to be worthwhile is her dad.

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Miss in Kiss is frustrating but fun

This is my first review, so bear with me here lol

Miss in Kiss is an adaptation of Itazura na Kiss. However, I didn't know that until I was ~1/3 of the way through. So this review is from the perspective of someone who went into this completely blind, just expecting it to be like any other drama.

Basic plot --> our main character, Yueqin, is a Taiwanese high school girl. Her mother is dead, so her family consists of just her and her father. She has 2 female friends (who really aren't that important to the story) and a male friend named Ahjin, who is in love with Yueqin. Yueqin and her friends are in the dumb class essentially. The number 1 smartest student in the school is Zhishu, who Yueqin has been in love with since the beginning of high school. Zhishu is known for being rich, smart and handsome, and so girls are always fawning over him throughout the course of the series. For a reason that's honestly nonsensical, Yueqin and her father's new house is totally destroyed. But, as it just so happens, Yueqin's father was best friends with Zhishu's father back in the day; and so Yueqin and her father go and live with Zhishu and his family (mother, father, younger brother). There's a semi love triangle (more on this in a moment) in the series with Ahjin, Yueqin and Zhishu.

Cast & acting --> I think this series was very well casted. I especially loved the 2 actresses who played Yueqin and Zhishu's mother. Yueqin's behavior is kinda cringey, but I think the actress did well with it nonetheless. Dino Lee is the actor who played Zhishu. I felt like a lot of times Zhishu was very confusing between what he says, does and his facial expressions. However, I think this was a story issue more than an acting issue. Zhishu is supposed to be a tsundere type, and so since we almost never know what his thoughts are, he seems super inconsistent. Despite being aware of that, I personally found it to be annoying. I think Dino Lee did a good job with the character though with all things considered.

The semi love triangle --> Miss in Kiss is one of those dramas where the end couple is already told to you from the beginning. It's never a question of who Yueqin would end up with. Sure, there are a few moments where the audience is teased with the prospect of Yueqin being with the other guy, but you already know that that isn't how the series will turn out. I now know that Itazura na Kiss is pretty well known, but I think that while this series is definitely a fun watch, it would have been more interesting if they didn't straight up tell you from the very beginning who Yueqin ends up with.

How I feel about the ending --> Personally, I think Yueqin ended up with the wrong guy. As I said in the last section, it's very clear who Yueqin will end up with; so if you're anything like me, then while watching you'll constantly be like "omg no! Not him!" and you'll be super crazy frustrated. Yueqin has been chasing after the same guy for literal years, despite him not only being obviously not interested, but also mean and borderline cruel to her. So while there were definitely moment where I liked him initially, the games he plays get old very fast. He's quite sadistic towards Yueqin, in my opinion. As for the other guy, he's quite likable. There are definitely moments where he embarrasses Yueqin; but throughout the series, he cares for Yueqin greatly and wants for her to be happy, and it's 100% obvious. I kept finding myself wishing that the show would just suddenly do a 180 so that Yueqin could end up with him instead. As much as the main guy is a jerk, this guy is a sweetheart.

Conclusion --> Despite my all my issues with the main love interest, I finished and enjoyed Miss in Kiss. As I said in the beginning, I didn't know about Itazura na Kiss until this series; but, I definitely plan on watching more Itazura na Kiss adaptations. It's weirdly an addicting story. I think a huge reason why is because the characters were so fun and unique from each other (namely Yueqin, Zhishu, Ahjin, Zhishu's mom, and towards the end of the series, Ziyu). So while the romance part of the series is quite frustrating, I recommend watching Miss in Kiss simply because it's fun.

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Don't bother if you don't like self-centred females who act like childish, whiny, toddlers!

Having watched the Korean version, I had high hopes for this one. Zhi Shu was cold and aloof, although he did have moments of normality - he was exactly as he should have been. Ah Jin, the second male lead was lovable, also expected, and in my opinion more handsome than our lead, although a little childish at time. Mama was stupidly, crazy, also as expected, bordering on the ridiculous at times and the fathers were not much better. Most of this I could accept, but not our 'heroine'. To say she was annoying is a massive understatement. What is it about Asian females that makes them think that just because they like someone, he absolutely must love her back? I could have put up with her annoying, out of the box, possessive and obsessive behaviour... if she didn't constantly act and sound so bloody childish. That stupid little whiny voice and childish behaviour really got on my nerves. Sorry but it totally spoiled it for me. I've seen 3 year olds who act more mature. I guess Chinese audiences must think this type of character is cute, but every time she opened her mouth I just cringed. I really hated this type of character with her 'I love him, therefore he's mine' attitude. When it looked like she'd 'lost' him and was crying buckets because she'd liked him since high school, did she even consider that that was exactly how poor Ah Jin must be feeling? Of course not, but it's always about her and what she wants. I definitely won't watch again.

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Review from someone whos seen a lot of the other versions

Short summary of my review: if you’ve seen other versions, this isn’t so bad. If you havent seen any other versions, this show isn’t for you. Personally, i prefer the other versions over this one.

How this differs from other versions: characters from this version have much more realistic personalities. If you’ve seen other versions, this will play a big part on why you will like or dislike this version.

Detailed review:
I watched this at Netflix. I have seen almost all versions of this show except for the thai and korean one (i’ll get to that soon). I know there are problematic aspects to the story but nonetheless i have enjoyed all the versions so far from the unfinished manga, the anime, the live action dramas and all the movie versions. Each version is slightly different from each other tho not by much. It’s unfortunate that, personally, this is my least liked version.

Why it’s bad:
1. There are 39!!! episodes. I honestly think they couldve shortened this. I’m used to watching chinese dramas with long episodes but since this has a similar story with other versions with significantly less episodes, if i wanted to watch something with a similar plot, this would def not be high on my list. The latest taiwanese version managed to compress the entire story in ONE movie (I recommend that one btw, I love wang talu :))

2. The female lead (FL) yue qin. ItaKiss is a story with a dumb annoying yet lovable female lead. Somehow in this version she’s a little less hyper and a little less over-the-top than the other versions. In this way some of the supposedly funny scenes just become awkward to watch. Some things are better off exaggerated. It’s a matter of preference i guess but in this version I don’t see what sets her apart from other people. I found FL cute with a good heart in other versions so much so that i was able to ignore how ridiculous she could be. Not in this version. The actress did a good job acting, esp in scenes where she cries but like i said, she was more annoying than cute. I don’t understand at all why male lead (ML) loved her. If he wanted a troublesome character I’m sure there a lot of other girls out there. I did not feel at all like FL was special unlike in the other versions.

3. I don’t understand how why when ML fell for FL. Aside from FL not being that likeable, the main thing why i didn’t like this version much is because they don’t give much attention as to why ML liked FL. The only reason i was able to sit and complete all 39 episodes is because i know from other versions why ML acts a certain way. The progress of the romance is extremely slow. They have minimum interaction and there is not much indication where you actually feel like ML likes her. Only around ep 11 (yes ep 11!!) when the first kiss happened do you get to think, oh maybe he likes her. The first kiss is anticlimactic and the reason is not explained well enough. I dont know if it was poor translation or what but in other versions, it was clear he kissed her because he knew that if he kissed FL, she would not be able to move on. In this version, after he kisses her he just says “just wait... dummy.” This just didnt have the same effect as the other version’s first kiss. It seemed more like he kissed her just to shut her up, not to mock her attempt at moving on.
Other examples: During the sports fest, ML tries hard to win mostly because he was annoyed FL did not think he could whereas in other version it was because he was jealous of male 2nd lead (M2L). Also, when he kissed her for the second time secretly, it was out of nowhere. Unlike in the other versions where we sort of get that he was thankful to her for taking care of her brother, seeing her vulnerable whatnot, having some sort of moment prior where he seems to be reflecting/thinking of FL, the kiss just happens randomly. Disappointing.

4. This is just minor but i didn’t feel the solid friendship between FL and her two friends.

Why it’s not so bad:
1. The second leads (M2L and F2L). Ah-jin is really good looking for me (haha) and is a great second lead. He genuinely cares for FL and loves her deeply. But this is also a problem. In other versions his love is a bit superficial. In other versions, though he cares for her and frequently declares his love, when M2L really really thinks about it, he only loves the thought of loving FL, not FL per se. This is why it was easy to pair him with another character or why i still like ML over him for FL. In this version he doesn’t end up with anyone. We have Lina the foreigner female who appears in a few episodes but is somehow forgotten by the show eventually.
Zi-yu, the F2L is likeable and they actually gave her more significance. I just really liked her overall.
The fiance-to-be female (she seemed super familiar to me when i was watching and i now know it’s because she’s tao minmin from our times hahahhaa) is likeable and i like that they kept her as a good girl. Her saying she fell in love with ML at the elevator was sus tho. It didnt seem like it when the elevator scene played out. I thought she would say she liked ML even before (considering the scene where ML cuts her off as she was about to say shes liked him since —)

2. The soundtrack. I highly enjoyed the music in this show, the bg music (the song with goodmorning in it haha) and how they gave importance to a specific music piece (Moonlight Sonata).

3. ML’s family. I’ve always liked his family in all the versions and this one is no different. ML’s father in particular is different from other versions in that he is really supportive of ML’s dream and FL (ML just dumb for not wanting to tell his father immediately). ML’s mom is still cute tho her accentricities are toned down.

4. Other characters like ya-jun and zhong chuan. I like that they gave ML a friend he actually seems to like, ya-jun. Bonus points that he’s good looking. Idk if it’s just me but i thought there would be more hate-friendship relationship between ya jun and M2L, the start seemed to hint at it. Eventually tho, it seems the show also forgot about him. I dont think i saw him present at the wedding?
Zhong chuan was a fresh character and i liked his addition to the show. He’s really good looking too (hahaha)

5. New scenes not in other versions. (Similar to #4) I also liked the art/concept of putting animation in certain scenes.

I’m 50-50 about the ML because on one hand he was different from all other versions in that he was more realistic, smiles more and def more approachable and that’s not how his character is supposed to be but on the other hand it was a new portrayal of the character and it still somehow fit. But it also didnt seem like people would find him hard to love and that FL was meant for him because only she could truly understand him.

Overall, i don’t regret watching it. I’m a fan of the ItaKiss plot so it’s not that bad considering i watched all 39 eps of it. However, i really dont think others who have not seen other versions would like this. There are a lot of better shows with the cold male lead/dumb female lead theme.

I love discussing opinions about shows/stories i like so this turned out quite long haha but i hope this was an interesting read to others who also liked the other versions.

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I did like the story a lot as well as the acting. The only thing I had a problem with was the over dramatizing of the comedic scenes. I thought that took away from the down to earth feel the rest of the scenes gave. I also think that they made the lead female role to be too much of an air head. Over all it was really cute and I enjoyed watching the two grow together. Light hearted and family friendly this is a great watch. I would recommend this for anyone who likes a rocky love story.
What does one do when they find out that a kiss was stolen from them not once but twice? Or was it three times?
I guess you would have to watch it to find out.

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I really like how the director and the screenwriter still follow the real storyline while still making some changes to the story, such as when the location of yueqin's confession, their first kiss, and 3rd kiss are all the same. I like how they put a story where the tree brings couple together, etc. the most differ is that the main lead here is not that stern and strict, as he smile more than the original version. He also shows more feeling towards yueqin. I feel like this is a brighter version of irie naoki, and it is not bad of a version. I like how he ran when yueqin's besties said that yueqin was going to reply ajin's proposal. However, I don't like the songs that the team put during the kissing scenes, and some pretty sweet scenes, because it doesn't really suit the scenes. overall, this version is also a very good version and I feel like I can definitely rewatch this again. If there will be a second season of this story, I'll definitely watch it with a high expectation for their own version of itazura na kiss. 9/10 congratsss.

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I've watched all the "Kiss" dramas from the 1996 drama and including the anime. In every drama I've watched (Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese, Thailand, etc), the male lead has always been pleasing to the eyes. I don't find the male lead in this drama as handsome--I found the actor playing Ah Jin to be more handsome and a better actor. I also found the female lead in this drama extremely irritating; she was beyond stupid most of the time and her acting was very childlike.

The writers did try to change the story up some from the ones before it, but most of the time it was silly and didn't make much sense. This drama had no real meat to it. This one doesn't come close to "It Started With A Kiss."

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I've watched "It started with a kiss" (older TW ver), "playful kiss" (KR ver) and planning to watch the Thai ver one soon too. I do not wish to compare between the different versions but since it's a remake, it's also hard for people not to compare between each version. Ariel Lin and Joe Cheng version was the most memorable version for my up to now. If you ask me about the Korean version, I couldn't even remember a scene other than the cast (why?) because there isn't much difference that made me impressed. So my comparison will be based on the two Taiwan versions

Story: Basically storyline doesn't have any much difference but I like it how this version has the comical like graphics to express some emotions. It makes the scenes cuter and hilarious.

Music: Have never doubted any member from 势在必行, all their song have never made me disappointed.

Acting/Cast:
Esther Wu - At first I really didn't want to watch this version the moment I saw that Esther Wu is the main role of the drama. She isn't the type of actress I would prefer and I believed that her acting skill will not be to my expectation esp when she will be compared to goddess Ariel Lin. But for Dino Lee, I decided to give it a go after 3 years. I was right, she indeed will be the reason if I want to drop this drama. I wouldn't say it's her acting that is bad, it's already better than what I expected but I just can't stand that she is forever pouting. Her hairstyle, her smile and the way she behaves, it just makes me feel that this 27 y/o girl is still living in 2009. Even if the drama needs her to look cute and pity, always pouting isn't the way to express it. I believed that without pouting, she still can easily pull it off with just expressing through her eyes. Pouting doesn't make it natural at all, look at ariel lin, which makes her legendary.

Dino Lee - As compared to other versions of Jiang Zhi Shu, Dino Lee gives off more warm and soft ver which I love it more because other versions of Jiang Zhi Shu is too hard to read even for viewers. Hence making this version a more romantic vibe as compared to other versions.

Gong Yi Teng/ Qiu Shi Lun - At first I was confused why there were two listings of him in the list of cast, then I realised that its because he changed his name. First exposure to his projects and was quite impressed by his looks and acting skills. But acting as Ah Jin, he could be better. He can improve more to the way he speaks cause I still feel that he is too soft to be in the character of Ah Jin. Probably his actual character doesn't act on impulse but Ah Jin is a character who acts on impulse and doesn't even think a bit.

Overall still okay. Will continue to watch the rest of the drama.

[updated]Sorry, after I watch till episode 15, I decided to drop the drama... I rather spend my time rewatching the old Taiwan version than this one. Really can't stand the way Esther wu speaks and act.

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