Still the "standard" of all Itazura na Kiss adaptations

Still the "standard" of all Itazura na Kiss adaptations! Ariel Lin and Joe Cheng were perfectly casted and I'm not sure if I would have loved the series this much if it wasn't them as leads. They share such natural chemistry on-screen that would make you wonder why (and how) they didn't catch feelings with each other when they were filming this and Season 2 - They Kiss Again (but I guess they're both real professionals).

Ariel Lin was born to play this role. She played the ditzy yet very lovable Xiang Qin so well that no one in the other adaptations came close to her performance. And when she cries.. i feel for her immensely!

Joe Cheng! He's the perfect Zhi Shu! He delivered the perfect tsundere. What I love about him playing this role is that he's a complete opposite of Zhi Shu in real life. He's very expressive and laughs a lot behind the cameras. There were a few instances in the show where you can see he's breaking from the character. So cute!

Aside from the romantic relationship between Xiang Qin and Zhi Shu, I also love characters' dynamics with each other! The true MVP, Auntie Jiang! The friendship between the families, Yu Shu and his cute quarrels with Xiang Qin (but you know he genuinely likes and cares for her), Ah Jin and his genuine affection towards Xiang Qin, Xiang Qin's father and his words of wisdom! Everyone was perfectly casted! There's more to list!

Rewatch value is 100%! I have watched this is my teens and I still watch it until now. I would pick it up when I'm feeling down. It's like an escape from reality. And every time, I would feel sad to see it ending and having to let go again.

Some may be turned off with the series because it came out 16 years ago and has low video resolution and all, but this is a real gem that you are missing out on. Go watch and witness why this is the best among the adaptations out there!

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