Playful Kiss or Mischievous Kiss is a Korean Series based on the Japanese manga, Itazura Na Kiss. It started in 2010 and ran for 16 episodes before ending in October of the same year. An example of Pragmatic Adaptation, the characters' names are changed and the order of events and outcomes are tweaked, but it doesn't differ too greatly from its source. It's the only Korean adaptation, and the newest, but there was a Japanese series and Taiwan televised its own series and a sequel.
Despite being in the bottom of her class, Oh Ha Ni has had a crush on the popular school genius Baek Seung Jo ever since she first saw him. Her senior year she finally gets up the nerve to write him a love letter, but Baek Seung Jo not only rejects her, but also degrades her by saying he would never like a stupid girl. To add to her misery, Ha Ni's family's new house gets destroyed in a minor earthquake. While another house is being built, they go to live with her father's childhood friend, who also happens to be Baek Seung Jo's father and thus begins Oh Ha Ni's quest to win Seung Jo's affection.
Examples:
- A-Cup Angst: Oh Ha Ni. In one episode she stuffs her shirt with socks in order to look more endowed.
- Beware the Nice Ones: If Kyung Soo picks up a tennis racket, run.
- Creator Thumbprint: Every episode ends with a still of teddy bears, doing something the character did in the episode—just like Goong. Hwang In Roe directed both series.
- Grammar Correction Gag: Seung Jo corrects the mistakes in Ha Ni's love letter, complete with a grade in red pen!
- Improbably High I.Q.: Seung Jo definitely. Even he acknowledges it after managing to get a perfect score on his college entrance exam despite being drugged up on cold medicine and only having fifteen minutes left to fill in the answers.
- Insult Backfire: Ha Ni tells Seung Jo, "Are you so awesome? So you have a high IQ? So you’re a good student? So you have a handsome face. And you’re tall!"
- Love at First Sight: Oh Ha Ni fell in love with Seung Jo when she saw him speak at high school orientation.
- Shipper on Deck: Seung Jo's mother ships him with Ha Ni
- Sleep Cute: Episode 2. Seung Jo's mother walks in on it and her immediate reaction is to find a camera.
- Strictly Formula: Ha Ni's Teacher Song and Seung Jo's Teacher Song are exactly like their respective students. Ha Ni's Teacher Song even has a crush on Seung Jo's Teacher Song.
- Too Dumb to Live: Seriously, Joon Gu, you're going to use a cigarette lighter to peek in and see if the gas tank is empty?
- Underdogs Never Lose: Subverted in episode 3 because the weaker team loses by Oh Ha Ni's blunder.
