Okay so my belief that Taiwanese are on top of their game when it comes to making the real life adaptions of Japanese shōjo manga, I wasn't lying. The manga Itazura Na Kiss by Tada Kaoru is an awesome love story that I had believed to have been first adapted into a Taiwanese version then a Korean version and now finally a Japanese version. (Boy boy did I think the Japanese were late on this one, but I later found out that there was a 1996 short live-action drama going on in Japan that lasted 9 episodes. But for me that wasn't nearly as satisfying as the Taiwanese version wish came out years later.) Now I just need a Chinese version and my dream would have come true, and as simple as my dream for there to be a version in all of the leading Asian drama making countries, it shouldn't be too farfetched. So let's make it happen people!!!!!!!
The manga is basically: about a high school senior, Aihara Kotoko, who has had a crush on Irie Naoki since freshman year. But she's been discouraged from confessing to him by a few things: 1) he's a member of "Class A," the top ranking class in school, whereas she's in "Class F"; 2) he gets the top score on every exam; and 3) he's so smart, popular, and handsome that he's been class president every year. When Kotoko finally musters up the courage to present him with a love letter, though, Naoki outright refuses it, telling her point blank--with a look of disgust and boredom--that he doesn't like "stupid girls." Poor Kotoko's worst nightmare! Her heart is broken, but then a change in circumstance forces Naoki and Kotoko to be together every day...!?
Itazura na Kiss is a gem to the shoujo demographic, as it is the mother of a lot of cliches found in today's shōjo series. Despite the fact that it is like 2 decades old, it still stands out as unique for it has the series follow the main characters well into their life, over a span of 10 years. It was so popular it inspired popular series like Marmalade Boy and Fruits Basket.
However, the author had an accident while she was moving homes with her son and husband, and passed away a few months later, leaving her popular manga forever uncompleted. It was adapted into a popular Taiwanese drama under the title "It Started With a Kiss", and it even earned sequel. It was also adapted as a short Japanese drama in 1996, and an anime series in 2008, with the anime portraying the author's planned ending.
Here are the many different versions and links to them.
First Japanese Short Live-Action Drama: Itazura Na Kiss
Synopsis: Late for a meeting, Kotoko (Sato) was running along the corridor in school and bumped into Naoki (Kashiwabara), their lips meeting. Naoki showed his disgust, but Kotoko started to idolise him, who was good at everything from studies to sports. When Kotoko's house was burnt, her father's good friend Machiko invited them to move in with her family. It was then that Kotoko realised Naoki was the elder son of Machiko, who took up the role of a fairy-godmother to bring the two together...despite the fact that Naoki was disgusted. Not discouraged, the clumsy and not-so-bright Kotoko started to do everything that would change her impression on him. Gradually, the icy-cold Naoki who disliked girls started to feel for Kotoko...
Itazura Na Kiss on gooddrama.net
Taiwanese: It Started With A Kiss & It Started With A Kiss 2
Synopsis 1: After an earthquake destroyed Xiang Qin's house, she and her father moved in with the family of her father's college buddy, Uncle Ah Li. To her surprise, the kind and amicable aunt and uncle are the parents of her cold and distant schoolmate Jiang Zhi Shu, a genius with an IQ of 200 whom not too long ago rejected her endless crush on him. Will the close proximity give her a second chance to win Zhi Shu's heart? Or, will her love for him end under his cold words? What happens when there is competition for his heart?
It Started With A Kiss on gooddrama.net
Synopsis 2: The sequel of It Started With A Kiss begins with Xiang Qin and Zhi Shu's wedding and honeymoon. Even after marriage, they experience problems and interferences within their marriage such as mistaken pregnancy, misunderstandings, and a run-in with a girl from Zhi Shu's past. Xiang Qin and Zhi Shu switch to medical school to become nurse and doctor. During that time, Zhi Shu meets new rivals who wish to outdo him and Xiang Qin makes four new friends, and one of them likes her and wishes to replace Zhi Shu. How will their lives turn out to be?
It Started With A Kiss 2 on gooddrama.net
Korean: Playful Kiss
Synopsis: An adaptation of classic manga Itazura No Kiss, Playful Kiss is a warm, bubbly drama about falling in love and growing up along the way. Oh Ha Ni, nicknamed "Noah's snail" by her father and friends for her ability to keep trying even though she isn't the brightest in the bunch, has one goal in mind: to capture the heart of school genius, Baek Seung Jo. After harboring an all-consuming crush for years, she finally gets up the courage to give him a letter confessing her feelings. Seung Jo, an icy perfectionist, coldly rejects her. When Ha Ni's house is destroyed by an earthquake, she and her father move in with an old family friend—none other than Seung Jo's father. Now, Ha Ni and Seung Jo must deal with the awkwardness of living under the same roof. Can one determined, warm-hearted high school girl melt the heart of this closed-off genius?
Playful Kiss on gooddrama.net
Playful Kiss on dramafever.com
Japanese: Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo
Synopsis: When it comes to academics, Kotoko isn't very bright, but she falls in love at first sight with the handsome, intelligent Naoki at their high school entrance ceremony. As a third-year student, she writes him a love letter, works up the courage to give it to him... and is flat-out rejected by Naoki. But then one day, Kotoko's newly-constructed house is destroyed by a falling meteor. During the period of reconstruction, she and her father are invited to stay with one of his old friends. However, as it turns out, that old friend is one Mr. Irie, father of Naoki. Despite living together, Naoki is as disdainful as ever. But Kotoko presses on with the battle to win him over. Amid twists and turns in the tale, the day that Kotoko has wished for finally comes to pass!
Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo on dramafever.com
<3 I hope you get the chance to watch all and read my comparisons of them all! <3
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