‘Mischievous Kiss’ 1st episode received a very low 3.5% rating

I'm probably facing a major failure in my study for the first time and it feels surreal. But at least I'm a nobody and my failure, however major it is to me and mine, is not the subject of a worldwide broadcast. Villagewide, maybe.. if my relatives have their way.

Reading about such a low rating for the 1st ep of Mischievous Kiss and the harsh comments on hyung's acting made me sad. But you know, as Shah Rukh always likes to quip.. failure is never fatal. Hard work may not ensure success, but it's the only way you can live with yourself after everything is said and done.. so keep fighting, Hyun Joong-hyung! Most of the time, I think his fame is a double-edged sword: when they like him, he's Mr. Perfection himself.. but when they hate him, the heat he receives is just irrational.

I wish I could say.. it's just the 1st ep, it's gonna get much better later on!.. but after I've finished watching the anime and am now watching They Kiss Again, I have to honestly say that I hate Irie Naoki's type. (in the anime) How can he let his heavily pregnant wife go home by herself because he's busy finishing his dissertation?? I wanted to kill him after that ep. Even after he becomes a cute dad, I still can't forgive that image of him as a mean, tsumetai otoko.

Christine is right, Kotoko/Xianqing does have a bad taste in men. I'm now actually worried that if hyung plays this role very well, I'm gonna end up disliking him quite a bit by the end of the drama. But if he doesn't play his role very well, I'll end up disliking him too. Is that like.. a stupid dilema? I think so too. Doushiyo?!?!? ..what a conundrum.

A few stuff to load off my chest:

• Naoki Irie/Jiang Zhishu doesn't talk much at any point of the story until the end, kay. So please brace yourself for the disappointment of not having Kim Hyun Joong speak many lines as Baek Seung Jo. 
• Kotoko/Oh Hani IS the main character of the story, so having her carry the whole drama until the end is a natural course for the director to take, isn't it?
• Mischievous Kiss is NOT the 'Boys Over Flowers the Second' just coz it starts off in a high school setting. After the 6th ep, the kids will be graduating and going to college. By the end of ISWAK, they're getting married. By the end of Itazura na Kiss anime, they have a cute 5-ish year old child. This is not a spoiler if you bother to check out the original manga, anime, and the previous drama versions. So please modify your expectations to better suit the actual setting.
• Please don't compare the rating of a nearly ending drama (Baker King) to Mischievous Kiss. It smacks of pettiness. However, I do think it should have done better. At least a 7%-ish? Anyway...
• Don't be disappointed with the contrast between the great hype and the miserably low rating. Hyping a movie/drama is a marketing effort. The audience, and not the hype, will decide its true worth.

Having said all that, ratings have never affected my liking for a movie/drama/anime/etc. Twilight was such a highly-rated movie (in terms of audience approval) and I spent half the time being bored outta my skull watching it. I do have a great dislike for female characters obsessed with the male characters that their entire lives revolve around those guys.

Especially someone as cold as Irie Naoki. I can't like the guy, I just can't like him. Despite Joe Cheng looking absolutely yummy in short hair, I felt like whacking him every time Zhishu treats Xianqing as if she's not worthy of him. Unfeeling robot! *whack whack* ..and I ended up liking Jin and Qitai. Am I the only one who thinks Qitai looks like a cuter and younger version of Kimura Takuya?? Who is this guy? I have to surf the net a bit and find out.

Anyway, tonight is the 2nd episode of Mischievous Kiss. Happy watching! For us the unfortunate ones who have to wait until the subbed downloads are available.. I leave you with hyung's sweet voice singing the OST..