This is the sequel to It Started with a Kiss (惡 作劇之吻) which is based on the shōjo manga Mischievous Kiss (イタズラなKiss) by Kaoru Tada (多田かおる). The manga author died before she could complete the manga, and as such, there is no ending. Although there were many rumors about a third drama in the series, none of those rumors were ever confirmed. It is unlikely that the directors will ever make a third drama. For more information about the first drama click here.
Plot
The sequel begins with Zhi Shu and Xiang Qin’s heading off to their honeymoon and starting their life as a married couple. Zhi Shu is still Taiwan’s brightest and most capable mind. As a med student, he has to deal with an extremely smart student (the second smartest med student at his college) trying to undo him. And in his personal life, he encounters a “love rival” who tries to steal Xiang Qin away from him.
Xiang Qin, after several wrong turns decides to go to nursing school, so she can be Zhi Shu’s assistant. Although considerably warmer and more affectionate, Zhi Shu still deals with things coldly and on his own terms. This causes Xiang Qin to feel insecure about their marriage and doubt Zhi Shu’s love and commitment for her.
There are several side plots that intangle Zhi Shu and Xiang Qin that revolve around the other (more minor) characters.
Main Characters
- Yuan Xiang Qin (袁湘琴) is the female lead. Her personality hasn’t changed. She’s still the same bubbly, daydreaming, naive person she was when she and Zhi Shu first met. She’s also still not smart at all. But for all that she lacks in intelligence, she makes up for it in enthusiasm and determination. Everytime she sets a goal she pursues it to the fullest, even if the result is a disaster. Her biggest goal is to be the perfect wife and a future mother. Played by Ariel Lin (林依晨).
- Jiang Zhi Shu (江直樹) is the male lead. He’s just as smart and as handsome as before. Although he’s still a bit cold and harsh, we see a lot more of his softer, attentive and romantic side now that he’s married. In addition to striving to be a very competent and successful doctor, he uses his own (very unique and sometimes not obvious) way of love to push Xiang Qin to reach her potential. Their marriage also forces him to explore emotions that he’s never experienced before. Played by Joe Cheng (鄭元暢).
Favorite Minor Characters
- There are a lot of cool characters and interesting subplots. For example, like I most of the subplots involving the nursing students. But my favorite is the one between Jin Yuan Feng (aka Ah Jin) (金元豐) who is played by Jiro Wang (汪東城) and Christine Robinson (克莉斯汀) who is played by Larisa (瑞莎). Ah Jin starts the drama still holding onto pretty strong feelings for Xiang Qin, hoping that she’ll give up on Zhi Shu. Then enters the goregous and bubbly English exchange student who falls in love with Ah Jin at first sight. She’s determined to win his heart, and you’ve got to respect how spunky she is throughout the drama!
Music (OST)
- Theme Songs: 幸福合作社 (Happiness Cooperative) - 范晓萱 (Mavis Fan), 你 (You) – 林依晨 (Ariel Lin)
Opening Song: 幸福合作社 (Happiness Cooperative) - 范晓萱 (Mavis Fan)
Closing Song: 你 (You) – 林依晨 (Ariel Lin)
- Other Featured Songs: 忠於原味 (Loyal to the Original Taste) – 鄭元暢 (Joe Cheng), Be Your Superman – 純表演 (Chun Biao Yan), 藏在微笑裡的秘密 (The Secret Hidden in the Smile) – 趙詠華 (Cindy Chao), 你曾經讓我心動 (You Have Made Me Palpitate) – a Chord, Heaven – 寒, 五熊 (Cai Han Cen and Cai Yi Zhen)
- Music Videos: The two MVs for this drama are not traditional music videos.
- Overall: Incredible soundtrack with great lyrics! What’s especially interesting on this OST is that three of the actors (two from each family) did the four main songs: Cindy Chao (趙詠華) who plays Zhi Shu’s mom and the two leading actors, Ariel Lin (林依晨), and Joe Cheng (鄭元暢). Of those four characters, only Ariel was known for singing when the drama came out. Excellent job by all of them! The lyrics were amazing and told a special story about the main characters’ attempt to adjust to being married. I think Cindy Chao’s song is extremely cute. But my favorite is the the song by Joe Cheng in which he (Zhi Shu) tries to reassure Xiang Qin that his love for her will never change.
Entertainment Review
I absolutely love this drama and I would list it as one of my favorites (especially after watching the first one). The storyline and the progression are wonderful. Most dramas that fall into the “romantic comedy ” category typically stop at the wedding. But here, we see the characters move from insecure high school students trying to fall in love in the first drama to a married couple trying to work out the kinks of married life.
There were a lot of subplots (and most of them were pretty interesting). If I had to pick, I would say that (from an entertainment standpoint) Episode 11 was my favorite of the entire series: great acting, funny lines, lots of emotion, and some great plot twists.
One blogger jokingly said that this sequel should have been called, “They Kiss Again, and Again, and Again” because there was pretty much a kiss in each episode. But notably, each time they kissed was for a different (and special) reason.
Definitely watch It Started With a Kiss first, because there is a lot of continuity (inside stories and jokes) that you’d only get if you were familiar with the first series.
Language
Level: Advanced
Topics: health, hospitals, nursing, marriage, children (pregnancy), family
Culture Note: There’s some really cute footage of the “wedding” at the beginning of the drama which shows a glimpse into traditional Taiwanese wedding traditions. Plus, Christine’s attempts to become the perfect girlfriend for Ah Jin show a few interesting things about culture (including food and fashion).