Recommended Drama – It Started With a Kiss

I haven’t been updating this blog for days since I was a little busy — watching we got married! ahahaha 😀 Anyway I felt an urge to add another one of the dramas that I would recommend. It’s another Taiwanese dramas called It Started With a Kiss, or more commonly, to a person who watches lots of Taiwanese dramas, ISWAK. The first time I saw this was way back in college. I think it was in my 4th year (2006) when it was first shown in one of the local networks. It was shown on a Saturday. Normally, I don’t wake up early — at that time I would wake up at 12 noon. But this drama has me awoke at 9:30 AM. I remember that it was in this drama that I fell in love with Ginny and Michael (local networks usually change the names of the characters to a name Filipinos are more familiar with).

This drama is the Taiwanese adaptation of the Japanese manga, Itazura na Kiss. There are 2 seasons for this drama, the second of which is called They Kiss Again. The story of the drama is about a Girl who is not that bright but because of her courage, the man of her dreams falls in love with her.

Synopsis: It Started With a Kiss (first season)

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? (dramawiki)

Synopsis: (They Kiss Again / It Started With a Kiss 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. (dramawiki)

** Yes, they ended up marrying with each other in the first season (sorry for the spoiler) as the second season tells about their married life. However, I recommend you watch the last part of the first season to know what happened to the wedding :D)

The drama stars Ariel Lin (Tokyo Juliet, Love Contract) as Xiang Qin (Ginny) and Joe Cheng (Summer x Summer, taiwanese Honey and Clover). Jiro Wang, one of the members from Fahrenheit (though if you’re a fan of their I bet you know he belongs to that boy band), also plays the Ah Jin, the guy who is in love with Xiang Qin. In the second season, there are several additional characters whom you will meet. Two of those characters are played by Danson Tang and Figaro Zheng.

Why I liked it?

I love the story! Ahahaha.. I’m sorry I’m just a hopeless romantice and I am a sucker for love stories!!! In this particular story, the not so smart girl falls in love with a boy genius.  The boy finds the girl irritating. But because of the determination of the girl (and with a little help from Zhi Shu’s mom), the boy’s heart opened up to the girl, seeing that she is the only one who could make him happy. Though the guy could not express his feelings that much to the girl, he love her none the less. Romantic isn’t it! But I do have one slight thing that I don’t get.. Xiang Qin’s character is super dumb sometimes! I would sometimes ask myself could someone be that like that? But without her character I think the story would be boring.

There is no other person that could probably play the character better than Ariel Lin did it. She looks very natural playing this character. This was the first drama that I saw which she starred in. I watched Love Contract (which she did with Mike He) last year and her character was a bit different there — she was really strong and she was intelligent, the excat opposite of what Xiang Qin is. I would have to give her a applause for her interpretation of Xiang Qin’s charater. She is a versatile actress. It was also fun watching Joe Cheng play the unfeeling Zhi Shu. Their chemistry is quite good on screen. So good that after ISWAK and ISWAK 2 they had another drama called Love or Bread.

And as you have notice I usually comment on how good the soundtrack of the drama is. For this drama its still the same, though I like the OST of the first season compared to that of the second season. For someone who likes Joe Cheng, you would be pleased to know that he sang a song for the second season (if you’ve watched the drama its the song that has the lyrics “I love what I Love, I hate what I hate..”). Cyndi Chaw (she plays Zhi Shu’s mom) also sang The Secret Hidden in the Smile.

This drama is one of those dramas that I love to watch over and over. I do hope you would fall in love with Xiang Qin and Zhi Shu as I have!

To watch this drama online you may visit this site.

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