Drama Versions: Itazura Na Kiss

Hello everyone! I have decided to start a mini series for my drama reviews. For the last couple of years, a lot of manga/anime have been turned into a live-action drama by many Asian countries and they have been so popular to fans all over the world. There are also famous dramas recreated/adapted by other SEA countries. 

There are actually 3 major South East Asian countries that creates the most popular versions: Japan, Taiwan and South Korea..Asian Drama fans were always on the look out for the next drama to be out every season from these 3 because majority of the time they are really good! 

I am gonna start this series with the manga Itazura Na Kiss by Kaoru Tada because it was the last drama I have reviewed. This is definitely one of the most famous manga ever because aside from having an anime version, it have also been created into a drama 4x already since 1996! I guess the story of an ordinary girl falling in love with a rich handsome bad boy and getting loved in return really attracts a huge audience :)

DISCLAIMER: 
Now, I haven't watched the first live action created by Japan in 1996 so I didn't include that in this comparison review. I have also not read the manga because I'm not fond of the drawing style. BUT I have watched the anime multiple times and since that is very true to the manga, I will base my opinions on the anime rather than the manga.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have first watched the Taiwanese versions IT STARTED WITH A KISS (ISWAK) and its second season THEY KISS AGAIN (TKA) consecutively in 2007. I have watched this because of curiosity...Whenever I search for "best drama" online, the search results always include ISWAK in the top 10. After watching ISWAK, I fell in love with the love story of Zhi Shu and Qiang Xin right after the 2nd episode because Joe Cheng and Ariel Lin are superb actors and they really portrayed their role very well. I got lucky that after I have finished watching ISWAK, TKA begun airing a couple of months after. 

I really believe that this is still the best version out of the 3 I have watched. Since it is made in Taiwan, the romantic scenes were not toned down. You can see the development in the characters from being high schoolers to becoming adults. Even the intensity of the scenes developed from being innocent to more serious and mature. No one would believe that a 20-something year old couple will still kiss like they were still teens right? haha well, I wouldn't even consider a simple meeting of lips a kiss which is so common in Korean dramas.  So yeah, if you are looking for some real love story, this is definitely the version to watch. 

I especially love the fact that the Taiwanese versions consisted of 50 episodes in total (ISWAK 30 + TKA 20) so they were able to showcase a lot of the scenes and the story felt complete and not rushed after the 2 seasons ended. The first one focused on their high school life until their marriage, while Season 2 tackled about their married life. I really think that having 2 lead actors with great on/off screen chemistry is the driving force behind the success of this drama. Fans can really fantasize about these two because they are really close friends and as a fan of the drama you can't help but ship them.

The only gripe I have with this version is the ending of Season 2 wherein Qiang Xin got a terminal eye disease which created a big ? to the viewers on how their story will end. That is so not in the story line because in the anime version, the lead female Kotoko only had pregnancy hypertension and it got resolved too. Also, the manga is actually not finished because the author died so the anime was given the ending that the author wanted so that's why the anime have an ending. I just hope TKA didn't made it more dramatic than necessary.

OVER ALL RATING: 4.5/5 - This is still one of the classics. Everyone should watch this version because all the other versions are so not there yet when it comes to the acting department.

The second version I have watched was the Korean version titled PLAYFUL KISS/MISCHIEVOUS KISS (PK) that aired in 2010. I have reviewed this version here so if you want to read my thoughts on it after I have finished the series 3 years ago, click here.

This Korean version only have 16 episodes and 7 Youtube specials. The drama focused more on their student life and have ended with the early period of their married life. The company then created 7 specials that were released through Youtube to show some events in their married life like the mistaken pregnancy and the difficulties of Oh Hani as a nursing student. Although this drama did not get a high rating in Korea, it did have a lot of international fans and so the company decided to just focused on their international viewers thus the creation of the Youtube channel. I don't have a problem with that and I'm glad for those special episodes. I also loved the Baek Seung Jo Diary part because it showed the emotions and thoughts of Seung Jo throughout the drama. That special touch is what made this version so special.

On the acting, I liked Oh Hani compared to Qiang Xin because she is not too dumb in this version. Jung So Min were able to portray the role of idiot-innocent Oh Hani without becoming irritating which sometimes happens to ISWAK.
My problem lies with Kim Hyun Joong, actually. I love him but his acting here is kinda lacking. He can't really portray the role properly, in my opinion, because I did not feel any of the emotion needed on his dialogues and expressions. Example, the rain kiss is supposed to be the highlight of the whole drama and the timing was so off during the dialogue delivery. Just watch Episode 13 and you'll know what I mean. BUT its is not too bad that it was unbearable and I was still able to enjoy the drama and I can still watch it over and over just because Jung So Min were able to carry him with her great acting.

Saying all that, I still want to give credit to Hyun Joong and Jung So Min because theirs was still a real kiss and it made the whole love story believable. Their rain kiss and the honeymoon scenes were so sweet that you will still feel giddy after watching it.

OVER ALL RATING: 4/5 - This drama gave a more subdued and innocent kind of feel to the story. This is best watched by teens because event he kisses here are mild and sweet. I guess they are really aiming to show the innocence of a first love. The added Baek Seung Jo Diary for all the episodes is what really made this whole drama a must see for Itazura Na Kiss fans :)

And lastly and the most latest version of Itazura Na Kiss is the 2013 Japanese version Misschievous Kiss: Love In Tokyo. I have just reviewed this so if you want to read my detailed review of this drama, just click here.

My main comment to this one is that Love In Tokyo is definitely the most true to the anime among all 3 versions I have watched. The whole thing is really like watching a live action of the anime because even the emotions portrayed are the same and that's not counting the similarities in dialogue. If you have watched the anime, you will definitely agree with me.

I also liked the fact that they were able to make this drama really concise and smooth flowing without making it feel incomplete. Even though they did not include all the conflicts in the story, the director was still able to create a good live action with just 16 episodes. And by ending this with the wedding ceremony, it gave a good opening for a second season or an OVA to show their married life in the future (which I hope they do have a plan haha).

I also think Furukawa was able to portray Naoki's character perfectly and that Kotoko here is the best among the 3 versions. Their rain kiss is perfect and I really really love the towel scene right after. I hope I can find a clip for that scene to show you. It was so romantic.
 

The only disadvantage I guess is that in real life Furukawa and Miki have a 10 year difference in age so fans can't really ship the two that much. And since Miki is only 16 y/o, they can't really have a heavier kiss or dialogue. Maybe that's the reason why they haven't done the marriage life yet because she is still underage hehe.

OVERALL RATING: 5/5 - I so love this version! True adaptation from the anime and I really hope they will create a season 2 and end it the same way.

And for all the fans of the 3 drama, I really recommend you all watch ITAZURA NA KISS anime version if you haven't already. You will know the real story from the moment they met to the time where they already have a child. No need to imagine what their life would be like anymore because they really wrapped the story up very nicely by following what the author has planned before she died.
Once you've watched this, you will see that Love in Tokyo is the nearest live action version :)  


GALE AWARDS this based on my opinion and preference

STAYING TRUE TO THE STORY
Love In Tokyo

MOST MEMORABLE VERSION
It Started With A Kiss/ They Kiss Again

MOST ROMANTIC VERSION
It Started With A Kiss/ They Kiss Again

BEST IN ACTING 
Naoki: Joe Cheng (It Started With A Kiss/They Kiss Again)
Kotoko: Ariel Lin  (It Started With A Kiss/They Kiss Again)

BEST IN ON-SCREEN CHEMISTRY
Joe Cheng and Ariel Lin 

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE of Characters that I think matched the drawing
Naoki: Yuki Furukawa (Love In Tokyo)
Kotoko: Jung So Min (Playful Kiss)




That's it! Watch out for more Drama Versions post in the future. 


Thank you for dropping by my blog :)

 

Drama Review: To The Beautiful You

Happy Friday everyone! So, one of the dramas that I've been watching lately, To The Beautiful You, just finished yesterday. And I wanted to post the review now while it is still fresh in my mind :)

TITLE: To The Beautiful You
GENRE: live action, comedy, gender-bender
EPISODES: 16
BROADCASTING NETWORK: SBS

AIR TIME: Wednesday- Thursday
AIRING PERIOD: August 16 - October 4, 2012 

SYNOPSIS:
It is based on the Japanese shōjo manga series, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (For You in Full Blossom), written by Hisaya Nakajo. The Korean series is the fourth television adaptation of the manga following the Taiwanese Hana Kimi, the Japanese Hanazakari no Kimitachi e and its remake Hanazakari no Kimitachi e 2011.

It is a story about a Japanese girl (living in the US) named Ashiya Mizuki who went to Japan by herself and entered an all-boys school to see and encourage Sano Izumi, a popular high-jumper, to compete again.

CASTS:
Choi Sulli of F(x) as Goo Jae Hee /Ashiya Mizuki
Choi Minho of SHINee as Kang tae Joon / Sano Izumi
Lee Hyun Woo as Cha Eun Gyeol / Shuichi Nakatsu
Kim Ji Won as Seol Ha Na
Seo Joon Young as Ha Seungri / Nanba Minami
Hwang Kwang Hee as  Song jong Min / Senri Nakao
Kang Ha Neul as Min Hyeon Jae / Makoto Kaguraza

Watch the English subbed videos at MyKimchiDrama. Just click here to go to the page.


MY THOUGHTS:

As I've said before, Hana Kimi is one of my favorite manga and this had been translated into live actions by Japan and Taiwan simultaneously years ago. Both live action adaptations garnered a huge fan base and the Japanese version (the original...I hate the remake) is my favorite because it is really fun to watch and and the way it was directed made it look like a live anime. I believe I watched that drama at least a dozen times already and I still enjoyed it. In short, I really have a very high emotional attachment with this story and I don't want to get disappointed. 

I was actually skeptical to watch this Korean adaptation, To The Beautiful You, at first when I heard Minho of SHINee and Sulli of F(x) will be the main cast. Hyunwoo is a great actor so I know he will do well for his role as "Nakatsu" but I had doubts for Minho and Sulli because this is their first time acting and Sulli is too girly to pass as a boy. I just told myself to give it a chance and watch the first 2 episodes... If I don't like it, I'll just pass this up like what I did with the remake Japan made last year. Luckily, I liked how Sulli turned out so I followed this drama every week. 

The last episode was aired yesterday and the English subbed version got released today so I was able to watch it already. All I can say is, this is really a good drama. It did not disappoint and I liked how the director wrapped everything up. Everyone has a happy ending and I am glad they didn't copied anything from the Japan and Taiwan versions. The Korean version created their own adaptation based on the manga itself so it gave To The Beautiful You a uniqueness of its own and it became a must watch live action for fans of Hana Kimi.

This version focused on the friendship between Goo Jae Hee - Kang Tae Joon - Cha Eun Gyeol and also the rivalry between Tae Joon and Hyeon Jae. There's no excessive competitions like in the Japanese version...they just used the important ones like the Miss Genie competition and also the high jump events. Dorm 1 and 3 are also not as important as with the Japanese version because TTBY were more focused on the Dorm 2 activities and characters.

I think I prefer this version of Sano Izumi portrayed by MinHo because he really became playful and caring and full of life once he accepted that he likes Goo Jae Hee as a girl and not as his roommate. I also prefer the ending because it had closure to everything :)


I'll stop my review here so that I won't give out spoilers. Do check this drama out if you liked Hana Kimi, Coffee Prince and You're Beautiful.


OVER ALL RATING: 5/5

 Definitely a must watch! I really don't get it why this got a low rating in Korea. The acting is great and has a very light storyline so everyone in the family can watch this. Although it did not garnered a lot of local support, this definitely received a lot of love from international fans like me. I hope SM Entertainment decides to create a Youtube Special for this just like what they did with Playful Kiss who also had the same fate hehe :)

Faith is still ongoing (1 more month to go) and the subbing for When Love Walked In is still not done (only until Episode 15 as of October 4) so I'll probably watch The Panda and The Hedgehog (where Donghae of Super Juinor is the lead actor) every Wednesday and Thursday to replace To the Beautiful You timeslot hehe.  

What about you? What's the current drama you are watching?

Thanks for dropping by!

Drama Review: Skip Beat!

Happy Friday! I can't believe it's already another weekend tomorrow. I'm so excited! Anyway, I mentioned before that I love weekends because I watch some dramas, right? Well, I decided to introduce you to one of the drama that I follow right now, it's called Skip Beat or Extravagant Challenge.

Skip Beat is an on-going Japanese shojo (Shojo means it's a story about a young girl's life) manga written by Yoshiki Nakamura that was first released in 2002. The story revolves around a 16-year-old girl named Kyoko Mogami and how she developed into a great actress as a result of a broken heart. The story started when Kyoko discovered that the only reason her childhood sweetheart, Sho Fuwa, brought her with him in the city is for her to become a personal maid and to provide money for food and rent while he climbs the ladder of becoming a singer. Heartbroken, she vowed to become a great star herself so that she can overshadow Sho in the entertainment industry as a form of her revenge.

I don't know when it will end but I love following the story of Kyoko and I specifically love the way the characters are drawn. It's very pleasing to the eye and perfect for my type of anime drawing. It is similar with Fushigi Yuugi. I love the angles they create =)

For those who also wanted to read the manga but can’t understand Japanese, you can read an English translated scanned version on websites like Ten Manga for free. 

See how gorgeous the drawing is? ^_^

Also, due to its popularity, they decided to create an anime adaptation and it was aired on October 5, 2008 and it run for 25 episodes. I have watched this too and the whole Season 1 of Skip Beat anime covered Volume1 to 11 of the manga ending with the story of Kyoko and Tsuruga Ren (the black haired one) filming for Dark Moon. Fans like me are still waiting whether there will be Season 2 or not. I hope there will be ^_^

So, what started me with reading the manga and watching the anime is this:

I am a fan of Super Junior and when I found out that Choi Siwon and Lee Donghae are gonna act together in a live action drama I was hooked. Siwon is gonna act as Tsuruga Ren and Donghae will do Sho Fuwa. Now, I also got curious because Skip Beat is gonna be aired in Taiwan and those two are Koreans so I didn't have a clue how they will go about it so I decided to watch.

The first episode is kind of a disorienting experience for me. Halfway through, I noticed that they are Mandarin dubbed! The voices are different and I wondered if I was hallucinating haha but yeah, since they are not good in Mandarin, they are acting with Korean script and then some other people are hired to dub them over. I think this is what made me sad and also caused the mixed reviews from viewers coz they have some difficulty in expressing the emotions of the characters since the one acting and the one doing the voice over are different people.

But aside from that, I love this drama! Ivy Chen is great. This is the first time I saw her and I am glad that I am not disappointed. She was able to potray Gong Xi (Kyoko Mogami) flawlessly. Her expressions are spot on and her actions are funny like in the anime so I love watching her especially if she's having those weird self talk voodoo thingy haha ^_^

This drama is currently airing every Sunday so I just wait for 1-2 days for the English subbed episodes at Kimchidramas  DramaCrazy. Fan-made subtitles are my first choice whenever I am looking for English subs because they tend to be a lot more grammatically correct than those you find on pirated dvds you can find on the streets. It lessens the headache caused by incorrect spellings and jumbled words that you'll get from face cds hehe.

Now, I am just waiting whether this drama will end with the same thing as the anime or they will push through and end somewhere else in the manga. They are still on episode 13 and I'm not sure whether this drama will be 16 episodes or more but I'm crossing my fingers that it would be like Meteor Garden which consisted of 30 episodes..I guess it would all depend on the viewer ratings but I'm still hoping ^_^

Even though I already know what will happen next because I am reading the manga, I still love watching the live action one because they follow the anime very truthfully and that means a lot to me. I really hate those drama producers that create a new story based on a book but they just get the title and names of the characters and nothing else... so yeah I am happy with GTV right now because they really followed the story in the manga.

P.S. since the manga is still being updated, I don't have a clue who Kyoko will end up with but I am hoping Ren would be the one ^_^

If you were able to reach this point, thank you so much for reading my very long post. I hope I can have some comments here that also love to watch Korean and Taiwanese dramas like me hehe. Till next time, bye! ^_^