It Started with a Kiss (2019)

another sweet remake of itazura na kiss

It's a good movie to watch when you're looking for some sweet, cringey, fluffy, and funny scenes about just one main couple. It's like any other Itazura Na Kiss story line, with different details but the ending is the same. Because it is a movie, I do feel that it was a bit rushed. The scene transitions were so abrupt. It felt like they were trying to fit everything into a 2 hour time limit without thinking much about the fluidity.

Initially, I was so close to dropping it because it's been a while since I've seen Itazura Na Kiss and I couldn't deal with the male lead, BUT it is the story line so I respect that. I think the reason why it has such high ratings is because the ending just warms your heart. I felt joy watching the scenes towards the ending. Just don't take it too seriously and enjoy the movie!

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So I just watched this last night and oh my gosh I loved it so much!!!! I just saw a clip on YouTube and glad I hopped right into it! So glad the movie was available somewhere in YouTube with English subs!

I believe this is even better than the drama/TV show remakes, although I still think the Thai remake was the best of all. I have watched each and every single remake out there because I just love this story so much!

I liked how the guy in this movie was not super mean in this one and the actors and actresses pulled their characters very well! Dylan Wang as the male lead was perfect, he’s super handsome!!! And Lin Yun was so pretty!!!! I also liked how the movie entirely revolved around these two, and there were very little “side stories” unlike what we saw in the drama remakes.

I found this super fluffy and it gave me butterflies on my stomach haha

They just removed some of the iconic scenes and it honestly didn’t bother me at all. They changed some stuff for sure, and it didn’t feel like the story was rushed - you know, this story was normally a drama with more than 10 episodes or so.

Please watch this! It’s well worth your time!!!❤️

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The way the drama started with the skiss that found by me interesting and it is perfectly match with the title,"Fall in love with the first kiss". As I watched Korean drama ,"playfully kiss" and chinese drama , "A love is beautiful" ,so I didn't find anything new in this drama ..Same story only plot is different ...Many thing I didn't get it the coincidence story that she is suddenly become the relative of him ...Then I never found that what types of thing she did for him that changes his view ,what thing make him to fall for her .I think to complete the concept of the story they run the story in a fast mode ..I never seen the connection between both of them only few kisses were not much to show the connection because during those kisses I never seen the conversation between them . And what about the second lead who fall for her ,what his story ,he suddenly disappeared from the scene ...I think something is missing in some parts of the story ..Otherwise characters are good and they did their best to enhance the story .Those kissing scene ,yes they romantic as well as cute. They both are looking cute. One more thing as I watched this story with english subtitle so last 15 minutes part is not properly subtitle when she watched her mobile so what she found looking those pic and when he read her letter ,so what was wrote in the letter ..Because of this missing subtitle and I didn't get the concept completely .I love to watch this missing subtitle part when it is get subtitle in English .. I watched it on ondramanice website ..
Rest I can says only one time watch ....

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This movie was hands-down so perfectly great. Emotionally I've been wrecked by awesome feels! I loved it so much it followed a bunch of the good scenes, but it also deviated and was fantastic.

The acting was very well done. I felt a very good connection with our main leads. Jealousy and love being demonstrated in nice subtle ways. We really get to slowly see his affections grow. Second male lead isn't as crazily attached to her. They give us a bigger focus on their relationship. Additionally I like how she doesn't fully take the stuff that he dishes out like there's no other option. She was very brave in this version.

Something of note we didn't really get to see the familial relationships. We did, but nowhere near the lengths that all other versions show us. I mean I get really attached to main leads parent's every time. We hardly see his dad, or his brother. Again there is still a bigger focus on their growing relationship. Thus they made us get extremely attached to them, and not so much the supporting family and friends.

I loved this version. I'd be down for a second movie or even a drama version. This adaptation just worked really well in film. The pacing and character growth was all very well done.

I will be watching again and highly recommending to all my friends who go for romcoms. Ugh 11/10 JUST AMAZING.

Sara Rojas MAY 6 2019

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A story that felt inspired by ItaKiss, but was its own film (and a pretty good one!)

Wow, a not completely unfeeling Naoki! :0 To be honest, I was skeptical at first because I heard that the FL was annoying in other reviews, but she actually wasn’t bad at all in comparison to other FL renditions of Kotoko (ahem 2017 Japanese film version). She was just… forgettable, in the sense that if any other actress had replaced her, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Just to note - this film didn’t completely feel like Itazura na Kiss, and Darren Wang didn’t really feel like Naoki at all, and this makes sense given the fact that the director/writer(s) took liberties with the story. It didn’t feel as rushed as it could’ve been if they left everything the same and followed the manga scene by scene, which often leads to more vignettes of the story mashed up into one (which was mostly a criticism I felt I had for the Japanese ItaKiss trilogy). I thought the way they merged some scenes together and reinvented them was a good idea for the overall pacing of the film, but again it loses most of the original manga’s essence. I liked Darren’s portrayal of Irie as FINALLY we can see more of his side of the story and how he gradually came to love Kotoko in the first place. He was definitely a warmer Naoki than his Japanese and Korean counterparts, and overall felt more human and relatable (he also actually smiled more, which was shocking).

I felt like the casting for Naoki’s family was a bit off and didn’t get highlighted as much as they should have (i.e. the brother), and was surprised that Kin-chan didn’t have as many parts as I thought he would (he was mostly forgotten towards the second half of the film), but I didn’t mind it too much. Overall though, it was a cute adaptation that felt more like it was inspired by Itazura na Kiss but was its own story completely. I still enjoyed it and it’s a cute movie worth a watch!

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Overrated adaptation that failed to delivery the zing

I’ve watched ISWAK, TKA, Playful Kiss, and Mischievous Kiss and I must say that this movie version is the worst among the 4. Here’s my breakdown for the movie:

Story - As an adaptation, the plot of the 1st half is similar to the source material but the 2nd half doesn’t have the same impact as the other adaptations. There were also new scenes in the movie that tried to make the watching experience unique but failed to deliver the romantic tension. I also felt that the TKA med school arch was cramped in 15-20mins of the movie losing the effect it has on strengthening the relationship between Zhi Shu and Xiang Qin.

Acting/ Cast - I loved Darren Wang in Our Times but as Zhi Shu, he’s the sore thumb among all the Zhi Shu actors. It’s not that he can’t act, but the anime Zhi Shu is supposed to be the stoic, snobbish, cold genius, but Darren’s Zhi Shu came off as a cold, fierce, demon prince which I didn’t like. But in his defense his acting was better than Jelly Lin’s who I found was too tall, pretty, and trying hard to act cute, and die hard fan of Zhi Shu. It would have been believable if Jelly Lin played the Tiffany Wang’s character that also liked Zhi Shu. As I was watching the movie, I could never get on with the idea that Jelly would never have a chance with Zhi Shu because she’s too pretty and doesn’t give off the loser vibe. There were also some scenes where Jelly was trying to be quirky but her overzealous smile came off as very fake, even her scenes Where she cried while running was so over the top. Shi Zhu’s mom’s acting also came off OA like she was making a poor imitation of the ISWAK mom.

Music - is so so.

Rewatch Value - I’d rather rewatch ISWAK, TKA, and Playful Kiss than this. These 3 adaptations have more chemistry for their leads and their kisses are more realistic and passionate.

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Yuan Xiangqin's character played by Lin Yun was outstanding. I honestly liked how much more realistic she was in this movie. I mean there are definetly some pretty absurd actions by her, but she had her moments of keeping her cool even when in other verions she would be crying. I especially like how she was sad and mopey after thinking that Jiang Zhishu was spending the night with a girl, instead she later cooly told him what she saw and asked if it was true instead of being upset and fully believing what the situation looked like. I also like the fact that she kept her head while telling him off and acting like she was accepting the conclusion. She did cry terribly on her own while running, but she didn't let him see her upset. I truthfully think that it was very mature and I know I wrong for saying this but I'm glad he got a little more hurt from it than he already was

I also liked a lot of things about Jiang Zhishu played by Darren Wang, but someone already wrote the things I liked, so I didn't feel like restating it.

The only problem I had with the movie is that it seemed really rushed, like many others have said: I wish version with these actors could be remade into a drama that goes more into details like other versions, but keep the same coolness of what these characters had in this movie I would really love to watch it.

I also want to thank the person that put up the link of their wedding that wasn't included in the movie.

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Great movie version

This is a movie version to "Itazura na kiss", I've seen all but the Thai version, I'vealso seen the anime as well. I love the story so much. This movie Verizon is short, but it has all the important details in it.

The love letter for this one is the best from all the versions, i went online and saw the translation and trust me, after i read it i fell more in love with this version, who wouldn't fall in love with FL after reading that, it was truly the sweetest thing ever.
I also love how they show you at the end all the hidden emotions and feelings the ML had for the FL, when we thought he didn't care, he did care a lot and i loved that they did that for this version, makes the ML more likeable than other versions.

All in all, its short and though it does not have all the content like the other dramas, it was pretty good. I've seen it twice, and about to watch it right now again, its perfect for one of those 2am late night and you cannot sleep, but need a really short and sweet Asian movie to watch.

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I don't usually like to write reviews, I prefer to read them but this adaptation deserves to be appreciated.

Itazura na Kiss was my first anime so it is understandable (at least for me) that I/the child in me will be forever fond of the story. I loved all the other adaptations but none have of them moved me like the anime or like the movie "Fall in love at First Kiss" so do not hesitate and go to watch it now !!!!!!!!!!

Longer review below....
If you don't want the spoilers, STOP here....

















Story 10/10: It's kind of childish but I'm completely biased here ... it will always be a 10 for me even though it was changed quite a bit (after all this is an adaptation)
Acting 10/10: The movie has the best version of the characters... most importantly this version of Kotoko is not crazy annoying and this version of Irie is visibly falling in love with her, so the actors are a perfect fit for the story and for each other... attention - insane screen chemistry . Supporting cast was also better and not over the top like in the other adaptations or like in the anime.
Music 9/10: Good for the atmosphere in the movie but I won't listen to it on repeat any time soon
Rewatch Value 10/10: When I will need a pick me up I will definitely watch it again - I feel recharged and I'm full of good vibes after finishing the movie
Overall impression 9.5/10 – it’s not epic but very very good .... I rarely give 10/10 - I have only 3 dramas that I have rated with 10/10 (I've watched around 200)

I remember that I cried tears of happiness when I watched the anime, like 10 years ago, the first time being at the confession scene in the rain ...of course.... more specifically at "you don't need to count them anymore" line, referring at the number of kisses that Kotoko and Irie shared and the second time, at the end, the scene with their little girl when mother and daughter were "fighting" for Irie's love and attention.

The movie made me cry (probably because I’ve got overwhelmed by nostalgia … which is actually very good for the movie) at the last scene, the confession labeled as "the most important speech in my life" and the tears kept coming especially at the marriage proposal with the math paper thingy and the result 0 (which he calculated correctly this time because she didn’t initially) which meant that they were destined to get married.

The movie kept the overall idea, changed some of the most important scenes (no confession in the rain) but overcompensated with funny moments like the sheets design (one side awake and one side sleeping… you will know when you see it) and the interminable love letter (which I found adorable and awesome and brilliant … Zhi Shu didn’t stand a chance from that moment on … and who would????) and with of the charts fluffiness and chemistry between the leads so kudos to the entire staff for ingeniosity and for the actors that really have brought this story to life

The only bad thing - it was tooooo short so a little bit rushed ... I think everybody will want moooooore after watching it

For me at least this adaptation will be hard to surpass since I find it the best in terms of feelings so go and watch it, it's a gem!!!!

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Not the best iteration of the "Itazura na kiss" story but entertaining and nostalgic enough

This movie is a new adaptation of the well-know "Itazura na kiss" story. I have seen quite a few of those, the first one being the Taiwanese drama with its two seasons which will always probably the best to my eyes, for sentimental reasons. The story in itself might seem simple and cliché as it is centred around the one-sided crush of air-headed Yuan Xiang Qin toward cold genius Jiang Zhi Shu but there are a lot of elements being it. That is why despite the plot being very straightforward in itself, I must say that it seems like a daunting task to try to adapt this story into a movie, and it was done in a not too shabby way, it just cannot hold a candle to some of the other adaptations I have seen in my opinion.

There are just too much to say in not enough time. The story has very little time to be told given the movie format and therefore it feel a bit like if the film tries to tick a maximum of the box (comedy, romance, more emotional points...) but without having the time to build up really on any of it. There are a bit too much of slapstick and heavy comedy for me given the length of the film and the secondary characters are not exploited well enough. They do not have that much screen time and it felt a bit lacklustre (or ultra-irritating in the case of the role of Zhi Shu's Mother).

In terms of performance of the actors, I found that the male and female leads were both matching quite well the characters. I appreciated their acting in the more emotional and dramatic scenes where they did a suitable job but was less impressed by their comedic scenes. There was also not that much chemistry between them and the pace of their relationship is so fast that it makes it less believable. The secondary cast was mostly disappointing at best and really annoying at worst depending on the role played.

Despite those flaws, there a lot of the classical important moments of the romance that are present and provides some satisfactory moments overall (due possibly from my side to a strong nostalgy). There is just enough modernization of the plot and the set up to allow the story to fit better the current time and remain relevant as a teen rom-com. There is seemingly a lot of care that has been put in the filmmaking with a lot of vibrant colours, which make the overall vibe very rom-com colour-coded and charming.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a rom-com movie with a forced proximity trope between a genius, rich and cold male lead and an innocent, air-headed and clingy female lead. It is quite stereotypical and it has be done so many time, but it is still entertaining. If you have seen previous adaptations, you might find yourself disappointed like me as a lot was forsaken for the sake of brevity. If you are new to the story, you might no see as many flaws and be able to enjoy it for what it is: a cute and likely not that memorable romance.

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Slapstick but actually funny

The vibe of this movie was so weird when I first started watching; it felt like one of those Taiwanese or Japanese ads that are just purposely really weird and over-the-top. It was a little offputting at first, but once I got past this initial hump, I actually started to really appreciate how committed the movie was to that tone, and how it actually meant that scenes were genuinely funny, even though I was never a huge fan of slapstick humor.

All that aside, this movie doesn't introduce much new content than what is already in the original (for the record, I've only watched the k-drama adaption Playful Kiss). I enjoyed this movie a lot more than Playful Kiss actually — the main female lead felt a lot less pathetic even though I still didn't love the aspect of her continually chasing after the main male lead and having her life revolve around him.

Unsurprisingly, a movie isn't able to spend that much time with the development, and there were definitely parts that I thought were a little jumpy. I did, however, think this was actually better than Playful Kiss in that aspect as well.

There were definitely other characters and subplots that I wish the movie could have dedicated more time to, still. Although I think a full drama is unnecessary, I think maybe a mini series with five-ish episodes would have worked.

Great OST.

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[WARNING: the rating and review I give have the possibility to be subjective due to my preference for the genres, scenes or casts]

Light.
Cheesy.
Absurd.
But in the positive way (^_^)

I’ve watched the very first version for this title. It’s Japanese version Itazura na Kiss with Kashiwabara Takashi as Irie Naoki (Jiang Zhi Shu) and Sato Aiko as Aihara Kotoko (Xiang Qin). After that, I watched the Korean version but stop in the middle because to be honest, Korean male not really my cup of tea, so I’m a little bit bored watching it. But maybe, just maybe, I’ll start watch all the version for my comparison.

Back to this movie. As a plot, there’s no much difference with the first Japanese version, but maybe because this is a movie, there’s some things missing, just like how Xiang Qin get close to Zhi Shu’s little brother. The absurdness of Xiang Qin still in the tolerate degree for me, and that makes she look innocent. I love how Zhi Shu gradually have a feeling for Xiang Qin and how jealous he can be. The scene that really catch my attention and emotion is when Zhi Shu and Xiang Qin talk at the hospital. Stupid Zhi Shu (-__-)

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