They Kiss Again (2007)

La segunda parte, a la altura de la primera

Quizás una de las pocas veces en que podemos decir que la segunda es tan buena como la primera. Si bien sigue los lineamientos de la obra de Kaoru, y el final es el que ella había pensado, la impronta de la serie cambia completamente. Porque, si bien podría haber quedado en un "vivieron felices por siempre", se decide mostrar que el felices puede tener muchos intervalos de tristeza, dudas y miedos, lo cual hace que esta temporada sea mucho más realista y (hasta cierto punto) madura. Porque aunque vemos cómo las cosas cambian en la vida adulta de los personajes, también somos testigos de lo mucho que le cuesta a Xiang Qin "crecer". Y eso añade mucho al componente más melodramático, pero también infantil de la historia. Lo único que quizás le criticaría es que varios personajes que resultaban de peso en la primera parte quedan literalmente "pintados" en el fondo en esta segunda. Por otro lado, amé cada segundo que vemos a Zhi Shu ser amoroso, atento e incluso verlo (por primera vez) sufrir de verdad. Sonará morboso, pero creo que es una muestra de lo mucho que avanza el personaje entre una temporada y la otra. De nuevo, la química con Ariel es perfecta.

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I rarely watch dramas longer than 16 episodes by myself. Although I have watched several longer dramas, this is usually with friends who help keep me interested and engaged. However, I watched all 30 episodes of ISWAK and 20 episodes of They Kiss Again on my own, and have since re-watched them several times. I really only have one favorite drama in the different drama genres, and this show (both season) is my absolutely favorite sweet romance. Having watched Playful Kiss first, I was curious to see how this version told the story. I immediately fell in love with the characters in the first season, but I was still worried that the second season would not live up to my expectations. All too often, second seasons falter behind the amazing quality of their predecessors and I am frequently left disappointed. However, I was delighted to discover that this was not true with They Kiss Again. If anything, this story was actually better than the first. It Started With a Kiss gets the main characters together, but They Kiss Again shows them developing their relationship. This isn't the normal story where everyone is more or less perfect and the amazing guy marries that perfectly sweet girl who finally got prince charming. The charm of They Kiss Again is the fact that Zhi Shu and Xiang Qin are more than half of their own problems. Zhi Shu is emotionally stunted, and has to learn that there is beauty in Xiang Qin's simplicity. On the other hand, Xiang Qin has to learn to stand on her own two feet. They learn that they both have weaknesses and that marriage is about learning to love and accept those weaknesses. I have rarely seen such excellent story and character development, particularly in a second season for a show. This is beautifully written, and I freely admit that I still go back to my favorite parts (which I have bookmarked) whenever I need a pick-me-up. This is sweet, charming, intelligent, and well worth the time to watch. It's romance, but it is thoughtful romance. I truly love this show and I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first season

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