After talking with some of my lovely Twitter friends this week, I’ve decided that I need to go back to my K-drama roots and dig up some of the first dramas I ever watched, just to reminisce a little about how this whole Hallyu craze of mine began. So join me as I travel down memory lane a bit and recommend, for your weekend drama marathon, the second drama I ever watched and the one that sealed my K-Drama addiction, Playful Kiss.
Being a HUGE fan of Itazura na Kiss, it only makes sense that the second drama I ever watched would be the Korean adaptation of one of my all-time favorite stories. I can still remember scrolling through Netflix one night, not long after I had finished watching My Princess, and coming across a description of a story that sounded too much like Itazura na Kiss to be just coincidence. You can imagine my elation as I started watching Playful Kiss and immediately realized that this was no coincidence but an actual dream come true, as my beloved Itazura na Kiss had just come to life on my TV screen! Yes, there may have been a dance of joy…
For those of you who may not have a clue as to what I’ve been rambling on about, let me stop my fangirling for a moment and explain. Airing on MBC from September 1 – October 21, 2010, Playful Kiss is the Korean adaptation of Tada Kaoru’s manga, Itazura na Kiss. The story follows Oh Ha Ni (Jung So Min), a sweet but bumbling high school girl who happens to have a crush on the most popular, intelligent and gorgeous boy in school, Baek Seung Jo (Kim Hyun Joong). When Oh
Ha Ni confesses her feelings to Baek Seung Jo, he immediately turns her down, telling her that he hates stupid girls more than anything. In true manga fashion, this first encounter sets the tone for the entire drama, which is only made worse as, through a series of unfortunate events, Oh Ha Ni and her father end up moving in with the Baek family. (Surprise! Papa Oh and Papa Baek have been friends for years!) What follows is a fairly humorous story of one girl’s persistence in attempting to win the heart of the boy she loves. Of course there are a couple of love-rivals thrown in for good measure but as with any good rom-com, they don’t stand a chance against our OTP.
Honestly, I don’t know how anyone could go without watching Playful Kiss as it’s been out for forever and it seems to be almost as classic as Boys Over Flowers (another fantastic manga adaptation). I know it had pretty rotten ratings in Korea when it aired but it’s still one of my favorites. Of course there are many who would argue that It Started With A Kiss (the Taiwanese adaptation of this story) was better and still others who would argue that Mischievous Kiss: Love In Tokyo 
(the most recent Japanese adaptation of this story) was better but to me, they’re all equally wonderful and I really can’t choose between them. (And yes, that would be the fangirl talking again. Sorry. I just really love this story… *coughandalsoKimHyunJoong*)
If, for some reason, you’ve yet to watch Playful Kiss I’d say now is the perfect time to start it and if you’ve already watched it (perhaps multiple times, like myself) I’d love to hear what you think of it. Did you enjoy it as much as I did? Do you prefer one of the other adaptations to this one and if you do, why? I’m always eager to talk about dramas so be sure to leave me a comment below!
I loved Playful Kiss (I loved Kim Hyun Joong & Jung So Min’s chemistry), but I’d have to say that It Started With A Kiss is above it. I really loved the second season, They Kiss Again. Plus the Taiwanese & Japanese versions stayed closer to the manga than the Korean version did, so I prefer the ones that attempted to stick closer to the original. But PK is still a top drama for me.
I’d actually have to agree with you when it comes to the versions that stick closer to the original story, I especially liked Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo but Playful Kiss still has its merits and it was fun to watch, in its own way. Being the drama that kinda “sealed the deal” for me (in terms of my K-Drama addiction) it’s a particularly special drama to me, plus it has one of the better kiss scenes in Dramaland history (the rain kiss is one of my favorites) so that pretty much solidifies it as one of my all-time favorites.