I like her... nice choice!

Base on the information about the characters, sounds like the Korean verison is going to be quite different to the original one... that is what I really dont like to see..... it is a very simple story and I dont see a need to make it so complicated...
:(

Some pretty good choices. So far i THINK this might be a pretty good drama, i hope i'm not wrong. I'm also hoping that either Kang Doo's role will be insignificant, or that his acting has noticably improved.

whyyyyy kim hyun-joong. his acting make me cringe. it was so difficult getting through bbf b/c of him.

hmm, pardon me for asking javabeans, but from the character description you wrote, are those from the official reports? cause it seems it's really quite deviated from the original storyline. you mentioned about the Mom's role. it's a pretty important role in the story - the matchmaker. also about the two leads as tennis players... well not really. the lead girl only joined cause lead guy is part of the club. dull, dim-witted lead girl is actually a BAD tennis amateur. heh.

so i'm just wondering if some of the character descriptions you've provided were taken from an official statement from the production, or speculations from your side perhaps?

okay, so i had given up on this drama. i feel like group 8 is trying to build up hype like it did for bof, and i just want to leave that alone. it was a year ago, let it rest.

the casting for this, eh....i think it's going to do well. but it's up against my girlfriend is a nine-tailed fox and Fugitive. these two are highly anticipated dramas. i think there is tough competition going. and playful kiss needs production to start.

but i got my fav! Choi Won-hong is such a cutieeeee! :)

Javabeans hasn't read the manga and she only said it APPEARED to be tennis players.. I can't remember whether or not Kinnosuke followed Kotoko to the tennis club or not.. I kind of remember something like that, but again, I could be wrong. So that could be it.

Anyway, I don't see how you can say it's off until you've watched it. I don't see how it's deviated a lot from the manga. Sounds pretty similar. ANY adaptation is going to be a little bit different from the original story. As long as they get the main points, it's okay to not show everything. Itazura na kiss is a really long manga. I doubt they could finish it all within the episode number.

ohhhhh it hurts me when many dramas i anticipe compite between each other because some of them will have lower ratings ,i want watch the 3 ,playful kiss ,fugitive and my girlfriend is a gumiho ,but i think some people will prefer watch fugitive and my girlfriend is a gumiho because they are news stories and playful kiss is not new ,but i hope the best for the 3 dramas

I think Lee Shi-young would be perfect for the role of the VP of the tennis club. I'm not familar with a lot of these actors/actresses though. ISWAK [Twainese version] is still my fav adaptation and one of my 5 favorite dramas of all time. So, I'm hoping this is really good. I doubt I'll ever like any version more than the one I already favor, but I hope to enjoy this. Can't wait!

The new casting is helping me slowly build anticipation for this drama! I'm still a little weary on the male lead, but I hope he can prove me wrong : )

It's gonna be a long wait to September! <3

@5,
Javabeans said that the two MALE leads are supposed to be in the tennis team (Kim Hyun Joong and Lee Tae Sung?). I'm not familiar with the original (manga or the other drama versions), but there you go.

is it me or they want another media frenzy like they did it with Boys Over Flowers... because we all can see the signs... I don't think that is another kdrama this year wich had so many talks about the casting when the shootings didn't even started properly

personally I preffer less media frenzy and low ratings but a stready and quality story (not ups and downs like in BBF-some orgas*ic episodes and some bleh eps)

now I kinda bet that we will enjoy the drama(10/10) but the story I hope we won't get a 2/10 score - even when the jap version was 8/10

and excepting manga we have the tw version with 2 seasons.... wich in Taiwan had pretty good ratings-not exeptional like Fated to love you but pretty good

I'm a little excited for this now.

"On the other hand, Kang Doo (Goong S, mehhhhh) takes the role of Seung-jo’s homeroom teacher."

LMAO! XD

This was my exact reaction when I saw his picture. Watching him in Goong S was not exactly thrilling.

Keeping an eye on this drama but I'm all geared up for My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. WHOOP WHOOP!

@melica:yeah ISWAK was a great show with superb casting and its hard to reach Joe Cheng's portrayal of Jiang Zhi Shu.
I am not sure abt KHJ. I liked him in WGM but I couldn't watch BOF bcoz of him and I tried several times.
So how can he reach JC's subtleness, I don't know.
I totally could see Jung il woo in this role though, wasn't he even considered?!!

@miki: I agree that Jin (Kinnosuke) in ISWAK was never a serious competitor, more of a comic relief (except at the very end), but there was also this guy that Xiang Qin (Kotoko) went out to make Zhi Shu (Naoki) jealous around 18th episode. She also had entire anime/manga club fantasizing about her. And let's not forget Qi Tai in TKA...
Zhi Shu also got jealous when he thought that she had something going with Hao Qian (president of the tennis club).
I guess it would be cooler to see many more guys chasing after Xiang Qin, but on the other hand that would mean reappearance of the "jealous Zhi Shu" which was pretty hartbreaking to watch the first time around (with Qi Tai).
Anyways, I wonder if korean version is going to follow the storyline of the entire manga, cos I really want to see them after they're married. 20 episodes is not that much if you consider the fact that taiwanese version (ISWAK and TKA) had twice as many episodes. I love both seasons, but They Kiss Again is IMHO better. After all, how many dramas show us, in a realistic way, what happens after a fairy tale wedding?

well, I'm really excited to know who will play the mother of the male lead, in the taiwanese version she is soo funny! Hope in the korean they choose a good actress or she will turn up in a really annoying role, that the actress from the TW version could handle very well and be very funny, not annoying at all! ^___^~

Ooooh! ^_____^

THIS is very NEAT! I hope this drama will keep sooo good looking and fun for these casts, hehe!

Bravo-Bravo.

Don't worry too much about Kang Doo, if he is playing a homeroom teacher. The high school stuff only lasts for the first half of the story, so he will hopefully not be around too long? When they get to university (when the tennis stuff starts), only Naoki joins the Tennis club, with Kotoko following him. This is where they encounter the beautiful Lee Shi-young character, and another guy, the president of the club. Kinnosuke doesn't join the tennis club; he doesn't attend university. Instead, he works there in the cafeteria, while training w/ Kotoko's dad. Jung Hye-young as the mom/matchmaker should have a decently-sized role, she plays a pretty important part in the development of the Naoki/Kotoko relationship (she is soooo awesome, lol :)

thanks for the clarification, JB. also, i didnt imply you were making up facts, just thinking that perhaps speculating a little since youre not so familiar with the manga[?] I got a bit taken aback when you're a little unsure whether lead guy's Mommy will have a significant role. if this adaptation put her to little use, then that's really a deviation. the Mom provides comic scenes but also the very bridge for the two to upstart a closer relationship [the tutoring session was her scheme!]

so that's what i meant in terms of the Mom's role. i'm glad JHY is partaking this role. the pics i saw of the shooting proved that she does play the part of the comical, scheming mom. heh.

i know the manga by heart and seen all adaptations so i'm open-minded enough that there will be differences. that was why i fell so in love with ISWAK/TKA because they stayed true. their additions as well flowed with the story. winnie was such a good director! [the dorama for me only exists because Kashiwabara Takashi was the living incarnate of Irie-kun. if not for him, i'd throw that dorama into oblivion!]

This is a drama I will have to watch. I have no faith what so ever in this thing.

@gala : Yes! Kashiwabara Takashi was perfect as Naoki, it was uncanny :) I also loved the actor who played Kinnosuke (though Jiro was great too). Not too fond of the screechy Kotoko with her short hair (-_-) But the mom in teh jpn version was excellent as well. I wish they would do a remake of the drama in Japan :)

I really wonder if this is going to be a bomb... I'm cracking up in anticipation! The story seen from the Taiwanese drama + dude from SS501 as main lead... I really don't know... ahhahahha!!!! I don't know what to expect. I'm anticipating a drama that is so bad, it's good. Or it can completely catch me by surprise. I really want to like the drama. I couldn't stand the characters and story line in the drama version, though the bits I read from the manga did feel much more tolerable. I'm very excited!... for the good and the bad!

The 2 homeroom teacher seems like they reverse, isnt it Naoki/Zhishu has the girl teacher and Kotoko/XiangQin has the guy teacher

[ She’ll play Ha-ni’s homeroom teacher. On the other hand, Kang Doo (Goong S, mehhhhh) takes the role of Seung-jo’s homeroom teacher. ]

Did they mention who will play the 2 bestfriends of Kotoko/XiangQin character? They also have important roles in the development of the 2 leads.

I haven't read the original book, but I have a feeling that Korean version sounds more like the Taiwanese version.

The thing about the Korean version of Itazura na Kiss that would be interesting is where and how they end it. The mangaka (manga aritist) who wrote it died before the manga really finished. The J-dorama version didn't ended at Naoki (the dude) going back to get the girl. The anime added onto the manga to a supposed ending. The Taiwanese drama (season I and II) ended the way the manga basically did, which is to say leaving us hanging, not that it matters since in a sense the story line was pretty much done. So you can say the Taiwanese version stayed pretty faithful to the manga, except for maybe the classmate who wanted to wear a nurses dress (basically, he was a crossdress?), I think they cut that out. Or did the anime add that in? Anyways, that's all I want to know.

Anyways, I love how everyone wanted to know if jb was making assumptions or getting her info from articles. It was funny because it was not at my expense. i can just feel Karma ready to turn around and bite me right now.

NOT KANG DOO!!!!!!

Oh GOD! Horrible memories of Goong S are resurfacing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Kang Nam Gil though.

Hmmmm, I wonder what they plan to do about the ending since it's based on an unfinished manga... Interesting casting choices, though.

Why do I have a feeling that this will be another Boys Over Flowers drama? You know, it will be popular but with no substance at all....aside from giving me eye candy in the form of Lee Min Ho and Kim Bum, for me BOF was such a waste of time.....and it seems that this will be another one of that except I don't like the male lead. I am interested in seeing the female lead though.....she is the only one who interest me right now.

So in anticipation for Playful Kiss, I decided to give ISWAK a try and so far I've watched up to ep 4. Granted it was my first ever t-drama, but honestly, I really don't see what people like about this drama. It was much more cringe-worthy than any k-drama I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot. I've read some posts complaining about how annoying, dim-witted they found the female character, and wow, it was truly an understatement. Perhaps it gets better as the drama progresses since so many people do praise the drama, but as of now, I don't think I have the heart to continue on.

I haven't read the manga and have no idea how the characters are portrayed in the original, but if the k-drama plans to stay true to the tone of the t-drama version, I can guarantee that it won't appeal to the mass Korean psyche.

Sorry for sounding so negative, or if I offended anyone.

i'm not feeling it...specially the casting..
i've seen iswak and it waz great
in the k-version their brining 4new characters that i have no idea about whatso ever..
and who's the mom.
the mom's one of my favorite characters...

All the buzz generated by Group Eight does give me the BoF vibe, sadly!

But, as an avow fan of ISWAK, I am ready to give it a try and pray KHJ will surprise us. ISWAK is the most politically incorrect romance around. In real life, you do want to slap this stupid girl who can be jumped on by the feminists of this world. Yet, it is one of the most endearing dramas to me which I love to pieces. What make the TW-version ISWAK endearing are its superb cast and the heart-and-soul directing of Director Winnie. Apart from the indisputable ArJoe chemistry, you can't help falling in love with her father (now played by Kang Nam-gil), his one-and-only matchmaker mother (the mother-in-law no girls can refuse now presumably played by Jung Hye-young), his hard-to-please younger brother (Zhi Zhu Mark II who gives our lead girl so much headache and also support), the various quirky characters around their lives from high school to university (and the tennis club segment is so enjoyable to watch). Looking back, it is all those little moments and side characters that add up to a very delightful and endearing drama journey that bring you back to high school again to go through those coming-of-age crushes and heartaches.

Having said that, the casting is important without doubt but if the director is not able to see through the spirit of this story, then there is no hope we can have a good k-version.

Lastly, it is true to say that this is a story with no real love rivals because the two of them have only eyes for each other, and no body else! I'd however love to know who will play Bianca Bai's character in the latter part of the story - a very fine female rival character with class who becomes the only real threat for practical reasons.

@37sallynally
ISWAK is a big series...u cant like/ not like it in just 4 episodes...U ll know why ppl like it when u ve seen it all.

YAY....Kam Nam Gil....he is damn funny...perfect for this role!

@christina tell me about it. his acting sucks i cant stand that he is the main guy but i guess i have to give him another try. doubt he improved much

Any connection to Park Shi Hoo is welcome! Wahahhahaha.... *obsessed* She looked like a doll in the MV... I always wondered what the actress did after that stint because I didn't hear about her till now...

Sorry for my bad English..

I'm curious how Group 8 make the Korean version. I haven't watching the Japanese version or Taiwan version, but I read the manga, even the summaries, and I also watched the anime as well. Based on my opinion, Itazura na Kiss is a interesting story (but sometimes I felt embarassed when watching the anime or reading the manga, because the female lead, Kotoko, is very dumb, but she has strong determination). The anime is a bit different with the manga, but the author's husband said, the anime's ending is the same with the author's plan to end the manga. So, I recommend you to watch the anime. But not all the story in the manga are in the anime. I hope they don't make it too different from the original story, I don't like many changes too much. And I wonder if Kim Hyun-joong will be a perfect Naoki, because Naoki is very cold person, I really want to see how he will be portraying that, I just can't imagine him becoming a person like Naoki.

Kinnosuke is not going to university, he has unrequited love for Kotoko since junior high, but later he will be paired up with American girl named Christine. Naoki become the tennis club member and Kotoko is indeed following him (just like 25 Emi said). The homeroom teacher don't make too many appearance in both anime and manga, so if they stay with the original story, they won't appear much in the drama. Kotoko have 2 best friends, Satomi and Jinko. Kotoko's mother is dead, so she won't appear in the drama (maybe a photo of her will do). Naoki's mother really want to have a daughter, so she go to be a matchmaker for Naoki and Kotoko. She even dressed Naoki as a girl when he was a little boy. When they enter university, Naoki will have a female classmate that likes him, but the tennis club's president (his name is Sodou) like her, her name in the anime is Yuuko. Naoki later will meet another girl who he supossed to be married with (in the manga called Shouko (in the manga she doesn't has many appearance) and in the anime called Christine, the one paired up with Kinnosuke), I'm not sure they will make this girl appear or not. That's all the information I can give you. Hope it help you to understand the characters :)

What is going here!!!!..like srly..group 8 is already changing the basic concepts of the characters already..wow!! and the drama hasn't even start filming.......I really hope this doesn't turn into another BOF....(Yes, I agree with most of u that production wants to turn this into BOF Mania)...but I hope they have better writters who can adapt the manga and make it work. (hoping they don't have the same BOF Writters)....caused really I mean how can they fit everything in a 20 episode drama from high school to college and marry life in 20 episodes!!!....
In the TWdrama version ISWAK have 30 episodes and TKA have 20.....this already is bothering me...but I hope the writers and producers make an effort to make this remake work.
The casting so far is looking OK not promising but Ok....I will have to watch the first episode to really give my opinion.....thx Javabeans for ur post....

JB,

I haven't read the manga yet, but watching the anime, (spoiler alerts) Naoki was never a tennis player but was a damn-right excellent player who had the tennis club to literally beg to join in the club.
Kin-chan (Kinnosuke) never went to college, as he failed in the one of the exams which would determine your fate if you'd go to college or not...He became his father's assistant in running their family's restaurant, and also became one with the cafeteria staff in both Kotoko and Naoki's college.

Meh, no casting yet for Kotoko's college friends (only one of them, and she's not even Kotoko's friend...and in the orig. it was Lee Shi-yeong's character (who I can't remember if she was the VP of the tennis club)'s sister who had a crush with Naoki...and I was wishing either of the sisters would be played by UEE), Choi Won-hong's character's friend (who suffers from a disease early as a child, then reappears later as a famous actor), & Chris Robbins? I'd be interested on whose gonna be cast as Moto-chan...~

Okay, this is just to give more info about the 2nd main guy, Kinnosuke, and some other stuff. So you all know that Kinnosuke is Kotoko's classmate who's devotedly in love with her, like how she has liked Naoki for two years. During their college years, which is later in the story, Kinnosuke doesn't go to a college, but instead works at the lunch cafeteria at Naoki's and Kotoko's college, so it's impossible for him to join any tennis club or whatsoever. He is also working at her dad's restaurant to get closer to her. His dream is to run a family restaurant with her.

Kinnosuke's character is pretty much like a boy version of Kotoko's character. They're both stupidly and adorably devoted to their loved one. They're also both very persistent and impatient. But they're also very dedicated to their VERY HUGE goals and are always thinking positive. Basically, they live in a life of fantasies. In my opinion, they would have made a great couple if Naoki wasn't in the picture.

Their characters are also the types that annoys Naoki the most. Naoki lives a calm life. He always know what to do, whether it's to figuring out a problem, or making someone feel like a fool. Later in the story, you can see that he's only cold because people see him differently and that he was a little traumatized by his "girl-dressing up" days. He has no goal and later sees Kotoko as a challenge because he always seemed to be troubled every time he's near her. But we all know that he'll fall stupidly in love with her too after seeing how adorable how she is, at everything she tries to do to make Naoki smile and find his future goal and self.

I'm really interested in how the Korean version will turn out like. I kind of hope for them not to continue the story afterlife of Kotoko and Naoki's marriage, after the Taiwanese sequel, They Kiss Again. It kind of spoiled the whole story. The Taiwanese version was better off with the first ending of Zhi Shu (main guy) being the "handsome bride" and Xiang Qin (main girl) as the "pretty groom" at their wedding. But if the Korean version do continue the story of the afterlife of Naoki's and Kotoko's marriage, then I hope they do a better job.

The manga and anime also had the continuation story of Naoki and Kotoko's afterlife after marriage. It was okay. I guess the afterlife was suppose to show how closer Naoki and Kotoko grew together as a couple. But that spoiled my little fangirl moment because aren't they suppose to trust and understand their love for each other before they got married? Maybe it's because they got married immediately after Naoki confessed to Kotoko, but it makes me feel like a little disappointed somehow. They should have dated a little more before marrying. But anyway, that doesn't matter; it's just my opinion.

I have to say though, the other actors and actresses picked out for the other characters were just right. The man who is suppose to play Seung Jo's dad looks almost like the original manga character! And the man for Ha Ni's dad is just right because he is a funny guy- just like how Kotoko's dad is suppose to be. I'm a bit surprised (good surprised) that they picked Hong Yoon-hwa as Ha Ni's other friend. In the manga, the friend was slightly chubby too. :] Just cant wait for the drama~

BOF is quite different from Meteor Garden except for the general plot. (Mega improvement in my opinion.) My guess is that Playful kiss will radiate quite differently than ISWAK also; in detail plot, cinematic artistry, and star quality of its actors.

There seems to be a lot of negative pre-judgement already on this show. Some even say Kim Hyun Joong was bad in BOF, so he must be hard to bear in this too. So when we see a toddler learning how to walk and even falls, should we say he should quite trying and he probably will never get better?? I think KHJ did a pretty good 1st job in BOF, and hence the lasting success. He could very well have matured & improved after almost 2 years now. That "toddler" could now run & swim sort of speak.

I want to watch PK through before I comment how good/bad that'd be. Playful Kiss could become the next favorite Romance Comedy of Asia.

I like the dynamics of the cast so far. It'll be fun to watch. I really like Kang Nam-gil in all of his comic roles. The two fathers look interesting; I really love their tight friendship in the story.

I wonder who will Seung-jo's beautiful mother will be? Will KHJ's biological mother try out for this role? Keke~ She is tall. She is the core source to Seung-jo's and Ha-ni's romance.

I think, kinnosuke won't be a part of the tennis club, since he'll pursue into cooking.. (from the ORIGINAL MANGA and from the Taiwanese Adaptation...)

anyway, looking forward to see this on September :)