Who am I? I am a screwed-up blogger and an active blog reader since 2007. A soulful dreamer who believes that passion is life and a person who is looking for meaning, just like any other human being in this world. A super girl wannabe who is currently taking chances and chasing pavements, while keeping up with time and living life in general. This is me, and this blog is the outlet of my random thoughts. (^___^)
Most of the posts in this blog revolve around Asian dramas, movies and pop culture, so please proceed at your own risk. Don't say I didn't warn you. Haha! Have a wonderful and blessed day! :)
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Most of the images and the videos in this blog are not mine unless otherwise stated. No copyright infringement intended. All rights belong to their respective owners. The rules of this blog are simple: no spamming and stealing. x
There was a boy and a girl. She had a major crush on him for four long years since she was a freshman. He was everything a girl could ever wish for in a guy - charming, rich and intelligent. Well, it might actually be an understatement to say that he is just charming because he's considered the most good-looking boy in school that any schoolmate on the right mind would never refuse to go out with, academically consistent in hitting straight A's and on top of everyone else be it in co-curricular and extra curricular activities, and a son of an online gaming company CEO. With an amazing IQ of 200, he is capable of doing basically anything that there is. He was the best of both worlds. On the other hand, she was just a typical high school student. In fact, there was nothing really special about her. She does not possess any skill or talent. And she isn't capable of doing anything good to herself or to others. She was actually a klutz and accident-prone individual who always ended up messing things at the end of the day. If he was the smartest student who's seen as someone who is so great in school, at the end of the continuum, there she was standing as a silly, imprudent and reckless walking disaster who is one of the dumbest students in the lowermost section of scholastic hierarchy. They were at the extremes of everything. He was too good for her; She was the worst match for him. Their existence was a paradox. Two completely different people without anything in common. A complete and total irony in itself! But just when fate starts to kick in, their lives are intertwined. That's how the epic story of a genius and a snail started.
The story sounds familiar, doesn't it? It's a famous TV series that has been remade into different versions in different Asian countries. It is actually based on a Japanese manga and the first version "Itazura Na Kiss" was way back in 1996. The second one that was in Taiwan took a longer time to come into fruition, but it was I believe the most successful version of the series which may be familiar to most people as "It Started With A Kiss" starring Joe Cheng and Ariel Lin because it was aired in the Philippines. And the last adaptation of the manga took place this year in Korea, where the franchise was titled "Playful/Mischievous Kiss". Years have passed, and three versions have been created. I don't have any paricular favorite version because I refuse to choose between the three. Each of them have their own strengths and weaknesses. There are things that I like about the Taiwanese version that I didn't like in the Korean counterpart. In the same light, there are also things which are missing in the Taiwanese version that the Korean version has. But since this post is all about the Korean adaptation, please allow me to spazz on it for this one.
Group Eight, the production team who brought "Goong (Princess Hours)" and "Boys Over Flowers" into the limelight as two of the most successful and popular Korean dramas of all time while riding on the fame of the Korean or the Hallyu Wave, spearheaded this project and it was finally realized on the later half of 2010. The series has already finished airing in Korea, and I admit that I am quite late for a review. However, since I wanted to make one so badly no matter how late, I am writing this now. After a long while, I am finally back in another post. It feels good to be writing again for months. (Laughs...) I have been on a hiatus since November 2010 because I had a very important examination last December, so I decided to take a break for a while to concentrate on it. The whole month of January was a time for me to really rest and to plan for the future. After much thought, I realized I couldn't give up blogging so I will continue to write for as long as I can.
The Plot...
Playful Kiss is about a popular and genius male student named Baek Seung Jo (Kim Hyun Joong) who excels in everything that there is, be it academics and sports. He is the top student in his level and he detests everything mediocre, as he does things perfectly or at least close to perfection. He is the equal opposite of Oh Hani (Jung Soo Min) who is a female student in the same level from the lowest section, and is also one of the students who consistently places at the very bottom in their school's academic ranking. He is the eldest son of a gaming company where his father is the CEO, while she is the only daughter of a widowed father who runs a noodle restaurant. One day, an earthquake destroys her home. Little did they know, the fathers of both parties were the best of friends in High School they end up moving into the house of his family. Another guy Gu Bong Joon (Lee Tae Sung) however professes his love for her, who also belongs to the lowest section. Though he is not as brilliant as her crush, he cheers on her and he makes her happy and smile. The three of them later on bumps into Yoon He Ra (Lee Si Young), the girl who has everything who eventually falls for Seung Jo, making Hani's life more miserable than it already is. Although she kept this boy in her heart for as long as she can remember, she has never received any assurances that her love will be reciprocated. Fun ensues as they interact and rub off on each other. And the story never ends.
My take on the Plot and the Characters...
Since this is a manga adaptation for the third time, the plot is not something new anymore. Avid manga fans are too familiar of it, and even those who have watched the earlier drama versions have preconceived biases on it like "Ah! The Taiwanese version is still the best!" or "I like the leads of the Taiwanese version better" and so on and so forth. The downside is mainly the overused storyline. When everyone knows it, it's like you know what follows, this and that will happen to this character, It's not that interesting anymore. But then, I gave the Korean version a chance. Especially so, because the lead is SS501 leader Kim Hyun Joong. Not that I am obsessed with him though, it's just that I want to see him act in another drama after "Boys Over Flowers". He played the nice guy in there, so I wanted to see other sides of him. Like if he can pull off the arrogant and mean male role, which is slightly different than his ever gentle and protective character in BOF. Then there was Jung Soo Min. She's a relatively new actress who made a debut through "Bad Guy", a series during the first half of 2010. I was curious on how she would play the female protagonist's part in the series. I for one, have always loved Ariel Lin in that role. So I wanted to see someone reprise it again if it would be at par of her predecessors.
The plot followed the manga, but it also altered some parts to shorten the broadcast period. It was also because the some of the cast members were so busy, so they had the target of completing the entire filming for just a couple of months. It can also be attributed to the low ratings that the series incurred during it's broadcast period. Unlike Group Eight's previous works, this project suffered quite a big blow in the ratings department, so it ended exactly at 16 episodes. However, the ratings are not the sole determinant of a drama's success. There are also other factors. Group Eight did not really call this project a failure because it sold the most in terms of broadcasting rights in 13 different countries all over the world, and that includes the Philippines. In fact, the highest bids was reported to have come from the aforementioned country and Thailand. As to what network probably got it, that we'll have to look forward in the future. The online download percentages for this series was also reported to be high. This caused the production company to partner with youtube to distribute a "special youtube edition" of the series which is somewhat like a part two, where Seung Jo and Hani's story is further shown after the ending of the series broadcast on TV, totally breaking off from the manga. This special edition was translated into different languages through the help and efforts of the Viki subbing community all over the world so drama fans of different nationalities all over the world can watch it through youtube.
To be honest, this version wasn't the best one. Storyline wise, I prefer the Taiwanese version. In terms of acting, still, I would have to give it to the Taiwanese version again, but the Korean version comes close. The latter's flaw can be the too condensed storyline because they were in a hurry so some parts in the manga were skipped or altered. I would have wanted to see that, but they failed to show more of that. However, the Korean version gave a new light to the story. It gave the fans of the manga and the previous versions something different to look forward to each episode. The over-all feel was also different. It was lighter in a way. The story didn't seem to be as dragging as I actually imagined it would be. In this version, I like that Jung Soo Min wasn't as dumb as Ariel Lin was portrayed in the Taiwanese version. Looking back at "It Started With A Kiss" (ISWAK), I was dreading her every move because she would always cause trouble afterwards. Kim Hyun Joong on the other hand, continued to show that he was indeed all kinds of charming that I thought he was. Rich, cold, arrogant and flower boy characters fit him well, so he was able to go all the way with it. It is one of his biggest strengths, so I hope he plays a below poverty line role next time.
I honestly wish for once that Asian dramas would stop treating women as mere second class citizens. If there's something I want to change, I want to pass the resolution to show a better image of women in movies and dramas in the near future. Not that I am siding with the feminists, but I feel that future dramas and movies should show women characters as empowered, strong-willed and smart individuals who are capable of making sound judgments and wise decisions. Enough with the dumb, incapable and indecisive female leads - I've have too much of them. I'm sure there are people who share the same sentiments too. Gone are the days when society was overly patriarchal. Though it is still male dominated these days, I'd like to think men and women have more or less equal chances in succeeding in life - regardless of the path we choose. It's quite upsetting to know that Asia in general still thinks of women that way - even in movies and dramas. Why does the boy character have to be the more capable and wise than the girl? And why do female characters end up playing the dumb and silly roles? Gender discrimination never ends. I hope that future dramas will raise the morale of women.
Main Characters
Kim Hyun Joong as Baek Seung Jo
Jung Soo Min as Oh Hani
Lee Tae Sung as Gu Bong Joon
Lee Si Young as Yoon He Ra
Other Cast
Jung Hye Young as Hwang Geum Hee
Oh Kyung Soo as Baek Soo Chang
Jang Ah Young as Hong Jang Mi Choi Won Hong as Baek Eun Jo Song Yong Shik as Song Ji Oh Kang Nam Gil as Oh Ki Dong Hong Yoon Hwa as Jung Joo Ri Yoon Seung Ah as Go Min Ah
Hwang Hyo Eun as Song Kang Yi
Moon Hoe Won as Head Teacher Hwang
Bye Bye Sea as Bong Joon Gu's idols
As crazy as it is, I can say that even if this manga gets remaked more than 10 times, I would still watch it. Why? Because it's crazy and it's fun. And the storyline, though everybody knows it, is still worthwhile. According to my some of my friends who love the series, it gives every girl hope that maybe, just maybe, a fairytale ending is just somewhere out there. That it is not as impossible as it seems. Imagine an almost perfect guy, falling for you. Wouldn't that be dream come true for every ordinary girl out there who is looking for her happy ever after? I don't know with the others on what their reasons are, but whether it is a happy or a sad ending, every end is always a new beginning. And if you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.
Here are the some of the OSTs that I love from this series:
KISS ME by GINA CHOI
SHOULD I CONFESS by SOYU of SISTAR
NOTE: If you want to see the whole series with english subtitles, as well as the special youtube edition of the drama (subbed in various languages), you can leave a comment at in this post or anywhere in this blog, in my multiply, or in my tumblr blog. You can also DM me in twitter @iamsuper_eray. That's it! Have a good day! :)
Not a lot of people know (or would even understand), but I am also a victim of drama obsession. I've been camping in dramalandia since I was 13 years old, and that's where you will most likely find me when I have nothing to do.
One of the symptoms of this disease is daydreaming about dramas everywhere whether you are at work, walking down the stairs, sleeping, even as you are walking...creepy isn't it? Hahaha!
I am also a big Asian music fan and I think Asian music rocks! I go back and forth from Cpop to Kpop and Jpop, so I may be different (and strange) compared to other people that you can find around. I am an elder sister , a dreamer , a believer , a gamer , wanderer , blogger , an optimist , an ultimate foodie and a, hands down, fangirl . I love reading books , writing , music , photography and traveling.
I am a nurse by profession who is also a copy editor and a freelance writer . I enjoy learning how to play musical instruments and learning various languages . I am crazy, loud, spontaneous, free-spirited and most of the time, a klutz.
Eren Asentista a.k.a. Eray, 23, female, from Dumaguete City, Philippines. My personality...it's complicated. :D Believe me, you wouldn't want to know who I am. Hahaha! XD
I am currently watching...
In the coming days, I plan to watch...
In Asian Entertainment, I fancy...
(This is still lacking, but this is more or less it. LOL! I will most likely be updating this in the future to accommodate my growing list of biases but check em out!)
The things that I want to do before I die are the following:
An Asian cruise. Templestay in Korea. An African safari adventure. Backpacking to Europe. Traveling through the European railways.
There was a boy and a girl. She had a major crush on him for four long years since she was a freshman. He was everything a girl could ever wish for in a guy - charming, rich and intelligent. Well, it might actually be an understatement to say that he is just charming because he's considered the most good-looking boy in school that any schoolmate on the right mind would never refuse to go out with, academically consistent in hitting straight A's and on top of everyone else be it in co-curricular and extra curricular activities, and a son of an online gaming company CEO. With an amazing IQ of 200, he is capable of doing basically anything that there is. He was the best of both worlds. On the other hand, she was just a typical high school student. In fact, there was nothing really special about her. She does not possess any skill or talent. And she isn't capable of doing anything good to herself or to others. She was actually a klutz and accident-prone individual who always ended up messing things at the end of the day. If he was the smartest student who's seen as someone who is so great in school, at the end of the continuum, there she was standing as a silly, imprudent and reckless walking disaster who is one of the dumbest students in the lowermost section of scholastic hierarchy. They were at the extremes of everything. He was too good for her; She was the worst match for him. Their existence was a paradox. Two completely different people without anything in common. A complete and total irony in itself! But just when fate starts to kick in, their lives are intertwined. That's how the epic story of a genius and a snail started.
The story sounds familiar, doesn't it? It's a famous TV series that has been remade into different versions in different Asian countries. It is actually based on a Japanese manga and the first version "Itazura Na Kiss" was way back in 1996. The second one that was in Taiwan took a longer time to come into fruition, but it was I believe the most successful version of the series which may be familiar to most people as "It Started With A Kiss" starring Joe Cheng and Ariel Lin because it was aired in the Philippines. And the last adaptation of the manga took place this year in Korea, where the franchise was titled "Playful/Mischievous Kiss". Years have passed, and three versions have been created. I don't have any paricular favorite version because I refuse to choose between the three. Each of them have their own strengths and weaknesses. There are things that I like about the Taiwanese version that I didn't like in the Korean counterpart. In the same light, there are also things which are missing in the Taiwanese version that the Korean version has. But since this post is all about the Korean adaptation, please allow me to spazz on it for this one.
Group Eight, the production team who brought "Goong (Princess Hours)" and "Boys Over Flowers" into the limelight as two of the most successful and popular Korean dramas of all time while riding on the fame of the Korean or the Hallyu Wave, spearheaded this project and it was finally realized on the later half of 2010. The series has already finished airing in Korea, and I admit that I am quite late for a review. However, since I wanted to make one so badly no matter how late, I am writing this now. After a long while, I am finally back in another post. It feels good to be writing again for months. (Laughs...) I have been on a hiatus since November 2010 because I had a very important examination last December, so I decided to take a break for a while to concentrate on it. The whole month of January was a time for me to really rest and to plan for the future. After much thought, I realized I couldn't give up blogging so I will continue to write for as long as I can.
The Plot...
Playful Kiss is about a popular and genius male student named Baek Seung Jo (Kim Hyun Joong) who excels in everything that there is, be it academics and sports. He is the top student in his level and he detests everything mediocre, as he does things perfectly or at least close to perfection. He is the equal opposite of Oh Hani (Jung Soo Min) who is a female student in the same level from the lowest section, and is also one of the students who consistently places at the very bottom in their school's academic ranking. He is the eldest son of a gaming company where his father is the CEO, while she is the only daughter of a widowed father who runs a noodle restaurant. One day, an earthquake destroys her home. Little did they know, the fathers of both parties were the best of friends in High School they end up moving into the house of his family. Another guy Gu Bong Joon (Lee Tae Sung) however professes his love for her, who also belongs to the lowest section. Though he is not as brilliant as her crush, he cheers on her and he makes her happy and smile. The three of them later on bumps into Yoon He Ra (Lee Si Young), the girl who has everything who eventually falls for Seung Jo, making Hani's life more miserable than it already is. Although she kept this boy in her heart for as long as she can remember, she has never received any assurances that her love will be reciprocated. Fun ensues as they interact and rub off on each other. And the story never ends.
My take on the Plot and the Characters...
Since this is a manga adaptation for the third time, the plot is not something new anymore. Avid manga fans are too familiar of it, and even those who have watched the earlier drama versions have preconceived biases on it like "Ah! The Taiwanese version is still the best!" or "I like the leads of the Taiwanese version better" and so on and so forth. The downside is mainly the overused storyline. When everyone knows it, it's like you know what follows, this and that will happen to this character, It's not that interesting anymore. But then, I gave the Korean version a chance. Especially so, because the lead is SS501 leader Kim Hyun Joong. Not that I am obsessed with him though, it's just that I want to see him act in another drama after "Boys Over Flowers". He played the nice guy in there, so I wanted to see other sides of him. Like if he can pull off the arrogant and mean male role, which is slightly different than his ever gentle and protective character in BOF. Then there was Jung Soo Min. She's a relatively new actress who made a debut through "Bad Guy", a series during the first half of 2010. I was curious on how she would play the female protagonist's part in the series. I for one, have always loved Ariel Lin in that role. So I wanted to see someone reprise it again if it would be at par of her predecessors.
The plot followed the manga, but it also altered some parts to shorten the broadcast period. It was also because the some of the cast members were so busy, so they had the target of completing the entire filming for just a couple of months. It can also be attributed to the low ratings that the series incurred during it's broadcast period. Unlike Group Eight's previous works, this project suffered quite a big blow in the ratings department, so it ended exactly at 16 episodes. However, the ratings are not the sole determinant of a drama's success. There are also other factors. Group Eight did not really call this project a failure because it sold the most in terms of broadcasting rights in 13 different countries all over the world, and that includes the Philippines. In fact, the highest bids was reported to have come from the aforementioned country and Thailand. As to what network probably got it, that we'll have to look forward in the future. The online download percentages for this series was also reported to be high. This caused the production company to partner with youtube to distribute a "special youtube edition" of the series which is somewhat like a part two, where Seung Jo and Hani's story is further shown after the ending of the series broadcast on TV, totally breaking off from the manga. This special edition was translated into different languages through the help and efforts of the Viki subbing community all over the world so drama fans of different nationalities all over the world can watch it through youtube.
To be honest, this version wasn't the best one. Storyline wise, I prefer the Taiwanese version. In terms of acting, still, I would have to give it to the Taiwanese version again, but the Korean version comes close. The latter's flaw can be the too condensed storyline because they were in a hurry so some parts in the manga were skipped or altered. I would have wanted to see that, but they failed to show more of that. However, the Korean version gave a new light to the story. It gave the fans of the manga and the previous versions something different to look forward to each episode. The over-all feel was also different. It was lighter in a way. The story didn't seem to be as dragging as I actually imagined it would be. In this version, I like that Jung Soo Min wasn't as dumb as Ariel Lin was portrayed in the Taiwanese version. Looking back at "It Started With A Kiss" (ISWAK), I was dreading her every move because she would always cause trouble afterwards. Kim Hyun Joong on the other hand, continued to show that he was indeed all kinds of charming that I thought he was. Rich, cold, arrogant and flower boy characters fit him well, so he was able to go all the way with it. It is one of his biggest strengths, so I hope he plays a below poverty line role next time.
I honestly wish for once that Asian dramas would stop treating women as mere second class citizens. If there's something I want to change, I want to pass the resolution to show a better image of women in movies and dramas in the near future. Not that I am siding with the feminists, but I feel that future dramas and movies should show women characters as empowered, strong-willed and smart individuals who are capable of making sound judgments and wise decisions. Enough with the dumb, incapable and indecisive female leads - I've have too much of them. I'm sure there are people who share the same sentiments too. Gone are the days when society was overly patriarchal. Though it is still male dominated these days, I'd like to think men and women have more or less equal chances in succeeding in life - regardless of the path we choose. It's quite upsetting to know that Asia in general still thinks of women that way - even in movies and dramas. Why does the boy character have to be the more capable and wise than the girl? And why do female characters end up playing the dumb and silly roles? Gender discrimination never ends. I hope that future dramas will raise the morale of women.
Main Characters
Kim Hyun Joong as Baek Seung Jo
Jung Soo Min as Oh Hani
Lee Tae Sung as Gu Bong Joon
Lee Si Young as Yoon He Ra
Other Cast
Jung Hye Young as Hwang Geum Hee
Oh Kyung Soo as Baek Soo Chang
Jang Ah Young as Hong Jang Mi Choi Won Hong as Baek Eun Jo Song Yong Shik as Song Ji Oh Kang Nam Gil as Oh Ki Dong Hong Yoon Hwa as Jung Joo Ri Yoon Seung Ah as Go Min Ah
Hwang Hyo Eun as Song Kang Yi
Moon Hoe Won as Head Teacher Hwang
Bye Bye Sea as Bong Joon Gu's idols
As crazy as it is, I can say that even if this manga gets remaked more than 10 times, I would still watch it. Why? Because it's crazy and it's fun. And the storyline, though everybody knows it, is still worthwhile. According to my some of my friends who love the series, it gives every girl hope that maybe, just maybe, a fairytale ending is just somewhere out there. That it is not as impossible as it seems. Imagine an almost perfect guy, falling for you. Wouldn't that be dream come true for every ordinary girl out there who is looking for her happy ever after? I don't know with the others on what their reasons are, but whether it is a happy or a sad ending, every end is always a new beginning. And if you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.
Here are the some of the OSTs that I love from this series:
KISS ME by GINA CHOI
SHOULD I CONFESS by SOYU of SISTAR
NOTE: If you want to see the whole series with english subtitles, as well as the special youtube edition of the drama (subbed in various languages), you can leave a comment at in this post or anywhere in this blog, in my multiply, or in my tumblr blog. You can also DM me in twitter @iamsuper_eray. That's it! Have a good day! :)
Who am I? I am a screwed-up blogger and an active blog reader since 2007. A soulful dreamer who believes that passion is life and a person who is looking for meaning, just like any other human being in this world. A super girl wannabe who is currently taking chances and chasing pavements, while keeping up with time and living life in general. This is me, and this blog is the outlet of my random thoughts. (^___^)
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Layout: Nicole, Dirah.
The Plot...
I've been camping in dramalandia since I was 13 years old, and that's where you will most likely find me when I have nothing to do.
I am an elder sister 
, a dreamer 
, a believer 
, a gamer 
, wanderer 
, blogger 
, an optimist 
, an ultimate foodie 
and a, hands down, fangirl 
. I love reading books 
, writing 
, music 
, photography and traveling.
who is also a copy editor 
and a freelance writer 
. I enjoy learning how to play musical instruments 
and learning various languages 
. I am crazy, loud, spontaneous, free-spirited and most of the time, a klutz.
An Asian cruise.
