Kdramas try out It Started With a Kiss. I remember BOF and shudder

[dangermousie]

Apparently the long-rumored Korean adaptation of It Started with a Kiss is going to proceed after all.

Hmmm. Very mixed feelings on that one. The iconic twdrama version was not only one of my all-time favorite dramas, it was one of my earliest ones. Even now, when I need cheering up, I fish it out and watch some bits of it.

It's a polarizing story (my flist is equally divided between intelligent, eloquent women who adore it and intelligent, eloquent women who can't stand it) and it really stands or falls not even as much on the script as it does on the cast. Twdrama version lucked out by casting Ariel Lin and Joe Cheng as the silly, cheerful girl and the icy brainy robot-type boy she is obsessed with. The two went on to not just fame but becoming one of the most beloved on-screen twdrama pairings ever. Ariel Lin was silly without being irritating, obsessed without being pathetic, and Joe Cheng's iciness was always moderated by the barely held in check amusement and a genuine puzzled lack of understanding of human feeling. Not to mention their chemistry burned.

So yes, the casting is crucial. Dramabeans barely posted the news a couple of hours ago and the thread is already full of people's suggestions, some of which make me cringe - Won Bin and Song Hye Kyo? They are at least 10 years too old - the leads in question are highschoolers - the whole story is about growing up and discovering what you want. Or Jang Geun Seok and Park Shin Hye - the day JGS does a convincing icy reserve on my screen would be something, Park Shin Hye's attempts at dim in YAB annoyed the heck out of me, plus JGS's insane fangirls traumatized me for life. Some I could see (Im Ju Hwan and Seo Woo) except for the fact that it would be a bit of Tamra rehash (kdramas aren't keen on reusing pairings) and also conflict with IJH's What's Up drama.

I honestly have no idea who they could cast. Maybe Jung Il Woo - he is gorgeous and can do icy, and Return of Iljimae proved he is a heck of an actor so he can pull off any role whatsoever. As for the female lead - no idea. Maybe Go Ara? If only Yoon Eun Hye was 5 years younger - she is the one Korean actress who most reminds me of Ariel Lin.

In conclusion, have this adorable ISWAK mv:

I really feel like rewatching both ISWAK and its sequel now.