The important premise: I approached this drama well knowing the plot. I have watched the Korean version of this story and found it unbearably stupid. Therefore, I can only blame myself for treading on such a ground. Actually, I dropped the drama by episode 6, but then decided to pick it up again, since so many well trusted friends enjoyed it a lot. I wanted to know why. So please forgive me if I truly didn't get why. Why is this drama so popular? Why so many people find the misadventures of a brainless girl and her just as stupid entourage romantic? I could even accept this thing as a purely over the top comedic soap, but the pretense of romance fills every fiber of my being with indignation. Once again, I apologize a hundred times to the lovers of this super popular story if I offend them, but, really, how can a person sink so low in the name of love? A love with no dignity, no reasoning, no scope outside itself is not worth of this name: it's just a shallow obsession. Kotoko looks and acts like a ditz from the fifties. She has no ambitions whatsoever, no self-esteem, no curiosity of the world outside the Irie's house. She's cheerful and when challenged she can actually learn, so why don't emphasize these traits, let her grow stronger, and make use of what she's been compelled to learn? No, what really pisses me off is that she makes one step forward and then retreats behind the start line. We come to the end of this story, and all she dreams about is EXACTLY the same thing she dreamt about on episode 1: marry Naoki. And what's even worse, she proclaims her undying love 1 trillion times, but her love as well as her life is ruled by an incredibly narrow tunnel vision. She never takes Naoki's feelings into consideration: I love him, when will he love me back? I had hoped for this new version to give us a different heroine. They could have deviated from the original manga all they wanted; even Shakespeare has been revisited, for Pete's sake! In the beginning I had some hopes, she seemed a little more combative than her previous versions, but soon the fighting spirit turned into stalker spirit and her cuteness into overdone pantomime. Not to mention the whole set of medieval clichés with arranged marriages, meddling parents, cooking girls in aprons, walking 2 metres behind the guy, marrying at 19. Is this truly romantic? Do any of you really dream of this kind of "love", of completely cancel yourself for someone else? I can understand Naoki's allure. His character is cold and distant, but he's honest. If I had been pestered by such a persistent admirer myself, I think I'd have resorted to murder, so I applaud his Patience of Job. And while it's not my task to decide why so many love this drama, I can venture the guess that many female viewers have a crush on him. The actor pulls off this role very well, and - allow me - holds up the whole drama. His character's the only one with a true arc: he moves forward, grows up, learns, changes. Which is ironic to say the least, since he's the genius of the day. I know I'm not going to convince anyone not to watch this drama. I didn't write anything new, really, and as I premised, I was aware of the type of drama I was going to watch, so shame on me for hoping. But since I watched Playful Kiss and remained silent on the wreck it was, I had to get this one out of my chest. I can only hope most viewers won't take this girl as anything even remotely resembling a role model, or I'll lose all my faith in the evolution of the species.