I love two types of dramas the most. The first kind is a well written, well developed, and well thought out plot with complex characters and a unique storyline. The second kind of drama that I love happens to be almost the exact opposite. A cheesy script with typical actions, and universal story tropes. This drama happens to be the latter. The story isn't that unique, and the female and male lead are both stereotypical, but I love it. I love being able to watch a pure drama with an attractive cast and predictable storylines.
I first watched the Koren version of Playful kiss, and I love that drama so much I've probably seen it four or five times. I knew there was a Japanese version of the drama because it used to be n drama fever, but before I became the chance to watch it, the service was canceled. So, you can imagine my joy when it showed up on Viki. So I watched the whole first season of the drama in one day, and I have no regrets. It was amazing all around. I loved the cast and the Japanese variation on one of my favorite dramas. So which one was better? Well, I have been thinking about that.
Male Lead
Okay, so this may be my bias flooding through, but I think the male lead in playful kiss was way more interesting than the male lead in mischievous kiss. This is mainly because my generals opinion about Irie-Nokie, and everyone else, has been negatively impacted by season two. Baek Seung Jo developers true sincere feelings for Oh Hani, and by the end of the show, he proves that in the way he acts. He's kind to her while still keeping his original personality, and he values her in a way that only Baek Seung Jo can.
With that said, I still really liked the male lead from the Japanese Version a lot. I know his character somewhat deteriorates in season two, but if I only think about season one, I can appreciate his character. The male lead's goal is to be cold but still charming at the same time. There have to be plenty of "WTF, are you serious" moments mixed in with "aww, he's so adorable," and a little bit of "oh yeah, he's so right." Both versions successfully pulled off all of these sides of the male lead, so in this category again, I feel both versions are a tie even with the season two failures.
Female Lead
Oh Ha Ni is pretty amazing. She's just the right amount of stupid. Not enough to make the viewers frustrated 24/7, but just enough to make me continuously laugh at her crazy and spontaneous actions. I found myself empathizing with Oh Ha Ni and even wishing that I had a friend like her. She knows her abilities and doesn't try to hide the fact that she's not as smart as others. Her honesty is very refreshing, and I adore how much work she puts into doing everything.
Kotoko is lovely as well. I love her cuteness and often overexaggerated reactions to all situations. In season one, Kotoko goes from having a one-sided love/obsession with Irie-Naoki to being someone who is pretty useless overall. She gets in the way of most situations and usually comes out looking unbearably stupid. Weaker female characters don't bother me at all, I obviously loved Oh Ha Ni, but useless characters do bother be. I don't particularly appreciate when people continuously get in the way of things and cause other characters stress. Kotoko ends up doing this a lot in season two. She's an incompetent nurse (which I fully expected), but her incompetence goes beyond the expected parameters.
The most important part about this female lead is that she is still loveable even if she remains stupid and obsessive at times. Both versions were able to accomplish that successfully, so I see no significant differences that would make me choose one over the other. That is, if we're only comparing the first seasons. If I were to include the second season as well, then the Japanese version was inferior to the Korean one simply because of the constant character backtracking.
Second Male Lead
I like the second male lead in the Korean version way more. He was sweet, cute, and goofy. I could definitely tell he loved Oh Ha Ni, even if it means he could not be with her. In the Japanese version, I wanted to skip every scene the second male lead was in. I found him awkward and extremely embarrassing at most times. That is, until the second season started. That's when I began to miss him because the replacement second male lead was too strong of a character. He was way too aggressive for Kotoko, and although I didn't hate him, I found myself wishing that character was in a different drama.
The Side Plots
This has to be the worst part of the Japanese version. Honestly, I can't even describe how horrible they all were (in season two, that is). I especially hated the plot with Irie-Kun's cousin. Why on earth would she be a threat? I know that Japanese dramas tend to play with the incest plot often, but I just can't get used to it. Every time it comes up, a plot that I once loved becomes awkward and uncomfortable.
Something that wasn't the side plot that I felt took over the man plot was the medical aspect of the show. In the Korean version, this was just a natural progression in their lives that happened to be important to the whole story arch. The Japanese version, however, turned Mischievous kiss into a medical drama. Now don't get me wrong I happen to enjoy an occasional medical drama (especially An Incurable Case of Love), but this drama is not a medical drama. So I was kind of confused when the medical side plot turned into the whole story.
I could have tolerated this sudden change in the story if they had been at least slightly more realistic. In what situation would a supposed genius doctor start operating on a patient in the middle of the patient's room? I can understand doing immediate minimal care to a patient in a critical situation, but the whole surgery? The doctor and the nurses didn't even bother to sterilize themselves or anything else before getting started. This is just too unbelievable, and Kotoko is way too irresponsible to be a nurse. She makes mistakes that could cost people their lives, and somehow no one has sued her for malpractice.
Two Seasons vs. One Season
Oh my goodness, this is the part where I almost lost it with the Japanese version. So many things happened in the second season that just didn't work for me at all. Oddly enough, I feel like the characters all regressed in season two. All of the progress and character growth that was made by the end of season one was basically washed away and replaced with something completely inferior. Sometimes, it's even painful to tell that the male and female lead are married.
In season two, after Irie-Kun gets offered a job in Kobe Japan, he decided to take the position and leave his wife alone for a year. Later his reasoning becomes more apparent, but he's still quite selfish. Why couldn't he talk to her and explain his plan? Why can't the two of them act like an adult married couple and speak to each other for once? Why does every argument have to end with Kotoko saying, "Oh, I get it! It's because I love you more than you love me. You never loved me in the first place. I'm always the one giving love in this relationship."
Also, I'm not too fond of the repetitiveness of season two. I understand that Irie-Naoki is supposed to be a very handsome man that everyone loves, but does every new girl introduced to the plot have to be Kotoko's competition? Every girl that likes Kotoko knows that he's married, they usually meet his wife, and they still try to take him from Kotoko. I could tolerate it in season one, and I didn't mind it during the honeymoon in season two, but after that, I was over it. How many times can the same plot appear before it gets old?
The worst part of the second season, though, is not the repetitive plot, or the regressive character development, or Irie-Naoki's worsening personality, but the side characters. In season one of the Japanese version, the side characters were playful and relatively kind to Kotoko, but in season two, it seems like everyone's out to get her. Her two best friends from the first season become almost obsolete, and I hated this the most. If these girls were her best friends since forever, I can't understand how she would drop them because of medical school. In the Korean version, her friends move on with their own lives, fall in love, and get careers all while still being friends with Oh Han Ni. This conclusion makes much more sense and I wish the Japanese version had done this instead.
Final Verdict
If the Japanese version didn't have a second season, I would honestly like it more than the Korean version. The acting seemed to fit the characters more, and I also preferred the execution of the story over the Korean version. However, the second season does exist, and it's horrible, so for that reason, the Korean version has to be my favorite. I love this story, and I recently found out about the Taiwanese version and the Japanese movie version of the story, so I will be checking out those in the future. Hopefully, they're amazing as well!
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