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Don't underestimate Taiwan!

Warning: spoilers ahead!
Never thought I'd ever blog about a Taiwanese drama serial, ha ha.

It Started With a Kiss, starring Ariel Lin, Joe Cheng, Jiro Wang (from the boyband Farenheit) and many others. In summary, Ariel from the 'F' class has a crush on Joe, a genius (IQ 200) from the 'A' class. Her dad and Joe's parents are old friends so Joe's family takes them in when Ariel's home collapses in an earthquake. Jiro is also from the F class and has liked Ariel for a long time.

I think this show will do very well with a Singaporean audience so perhaps Channel 8 or U should bring it in. The school scenes brought back so many memories - the Principal hauling up the F class teacher for their poor grades, Ariel struggling with Maths, Ariel struggling with her holiday homework, the F class boys falling asleep during the Principal's speech, wanting to do well in the exams, hanging out with your best friends, etc. When I watched the part when they went on to college, I actually remembered my own Marticulation Day!

The 'family' and 'friend' themes are also very strong and not too mushy, and I think would go down very well with many people. Not forgetting the few times when some characters spouted their Hokkien lines!

Another reason why my friend A and I like the show is how it is rather unlike the K drama we have watched where the people are too 'perfect'. A pointed out that Joe has crooked teeth and Ariel, though pretty in her own way, doesn't look flawless.

Yet another reason to watch the show is this boy(L), who plays Joe's brother. He is definitely much better than all the younger brothers I've seen in K drama. This boy has such funny expressions and delivers his lines so professionally. The other funny guy (R) is this person dressed as dracula, their tennis club senior.

The comparison with K drama is inevitable because both A and I have watched more K than Taiwanese stuff and the storyline of ISWAK is similar to that of many K shows - naive, silly girl and rich, talented guy are thrown together by circumstances. Rich guy previously thought that everything was already mapped out for him but silly girl now turns his life upside down. One fine day, he will admit to her that she has driven him crazy and through her, he has found himself. Think: My Name is Kim Sam-soon (pic), Goong, My Girl, Capital Scandal, etc.

Then, there are scenes which are so similar that you wonder if anyone copied anyone. For example, Joe was able to cook up a delicious dinner spread just by following the recipes, like how Gong-chan could bake the cake in My Girl (pic), Joe and Ariel joined the tennis club in college and there is also a tennis theme in My Girl, and Joe running in the rain looking for Ariel and Jiro was reminiscient of Gong-chan looking for Yoo-rin at the airport.

Actually, I found many striking parallels between ISWAK and Goong (R), with the similar age group and high school setting, and the similar characters of Joe and Ariel and the Crown Prince and Princess. However, I have to say that Ariel is much sweeter and cuter and by far the better actress. She was good in her silly and funny parts, and also in her troubled state when she considered going out with Jiro, and especially impressive in the emotional scenes. One of her best scenes was when she had to take Joe's brother to hospital when he fell violently ill.

In fact, the whole hospital episode was one of my favourites, not only for how it 'advanced' Ariel's and Joe's relationship, but also because it made Joe's brother finally express his appreciation for Ariel, and it was also hilarious when Ariel and Jiro led the kids on a ghost hunt in the hopsital.

Another favourite part was when Ariel was molested on the bus and Joe came to 'save' her, while Jiro, also rushing to help, fell onto this lady who accused him of molesting her, and 'she' turned out to be a man dressed as a lady! Funny.

Finally, the main ideas from ISWAK for me would be, (1) don't underestimate yourself or anyone else, and (2) you will never know if you never try.

Wholesome, feel-good entertainment for everyone.

Let me end with this picture from ISWAK2. Yes, the show was so popular that there's a part 2, now airing in Taiwan. The start of filming (Ariel and Joe's wedding) was so characteristic of the show. It was such a 'loving family' kind of thing, and even Ariel's real-life mum turned up! This picture is here because A says there are many 'Hello Kitty moments' in ISWAK. I don't know how to explain 'Hello Kitty moments', but I think this picture gives an idea of what she means. And it's a good thing Joe cut his hair for part 2.

Picture sources: here, here and here.
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