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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