Pleasantly Surprised Finally Delivers the Sizzle with Hot Kisses in Episode 12
The currently airing Friday night TW-drama Pleasantly Surprised (Love Myself or You) is one of those rare beasts that makes me feel conflicted as a drama viewer. On one hand I appreciate the low key sincerity, allowing all the characters to be fleshed out over importing extraneous conflict after another. But then the drama exists on a very placid state of being without the roller coaster emotional ups and downs we’re accustomed to with dramas. That changed with episode 12 when FINALLY the OTP make a major breakthrough. So far all of the steps towards each other have been tentative at best and at worst dreams of the male lead Ah Jie’s overactive imagination. SETTV actually had to assure viewers that the kisses (yes, more than one kiss) are both real and totally passionate. I believe them after seeing the stills (shared below) which show me open mouth and maybe some tongue, and then watching the actual kisses in the drama is even better.
Normally I would expect that of an SETTV drama but Ah Jie is one of the slowest moving male leads ever and female lead Kai Qi is about as warm as Greenland in the summertime. But I guess two slow snails can combust when there is too much pent up attraction inside and both are healthy, young, and good looking. Reportedly the kissing filming took hours to get right and a stickler for camera angles that is Puff Guo jokingly warned her kissing partner Liu Yi Hao that since he was taking the lead in the kissing he better make sure she doesn’t end up with a double chin onscreen. Poor Liu Yi Hao confessed he was under major pressure to deliver the passion the director wanted and the pretty that Puff wanted but the result turned out to be just perfect. The first kiss ended hilariously while the second one was pretty silly how they both got drenched in the matter of seconds but nothing else matters when an OTP can finally get together so sanely and devoid of unnecessary complications.
I do feel sorry for second male lead Hao Wei since a nerdy scruffy dude who carries a torch for ten years and uses One Piece to woo his girl is a rare treasure indeed. Nevertheless I’m totally onboard the OTP pairing and think once they admit liking each other there remains plenty of conflict left with Ah Jie dealing with a bitter manipulative older brother. I also worry that Kai Qi’s horrible no-good human trash of a dad will pop back out to cause more trouble for our emotionally burned Kai Qi who has just started to open herself up again.
Thanks for posting about this. I like this show, too. And I also feel sorry for Hao Wei who was goofy cute in the college scenes and now is goofy hot, if that is even possible. I think I like this show because I like so many people in it(except for the crazy, bitter older brother). I love how the second female lead is so up front about her feelings but also knows that Ah Jie to like her for herself. I like the fact that she stuck up for her brother and for Kai Qui when she thought her brother really wasn’t describing the Kai Qui she knows. The writers could so easily made her go down the crazy second lead road, but she is smart, nice, and pretty and a friend to her Ah Jie, Kai Qui, and her brother. I hope she (and Kai Qui’s hostess best friend, oh yeah and the ex-con cook–see, I do like everyone!) gets a good ending as well. [She also so pretty that I sometimes just pause at the pretty.] Even the snooty conceited head chef turns out a good guy (when he stops the mob guys from starting a ruckus at the restaurant). I can’t wait for the smoldering kisses, though. It will be three more days before I can see subs where I live, so the stills are a treat.
I feel the same i like this show for the same reason that i like so many people in it. The second lead girl is pretty awesome, she is upfront about her feelings, didnt push Ah Jie, she likes, knows Kai Qi is better the than one her brother described after their misunderstanding.
The passionate kissing in ep 12 was awesome because they have been slowy growing towards this. I truly enjoy this show because there is no crazy over the top makjang plot like the crapfest that is Fall in Love with me.
Awwwww finally! This is such a cute drama but it was moving sooo slowly that I think it started to test my patience a little bit (think I left off on episode 6). And then with all the good dramas airing now, it unintentionally got put on the backburner. I liked it a lot though so I hope I can catch up soon ^^
This is 100% off topic, but @okoala, best of luck for the KCON 2014 panels 🙂 I look forward to hopefully hearing about it.
On topic – Pleasantly Surprised has wooing with manga?! But it’s the second lead? Doesn’t matter, I will marathon this show 🙂
I am behind 3 episodes because of the fact that the storyline was moving slowly but since I know that some kissing is going to happen, I better catch up.
Look at that stills makes me yearn to go on that date. I need to find a carnival and quick..lol
hahaha.. i wanted to write a comment and then i found yours, LOLs.. i felt the same! and now i’m behind 3 episodes too..
FINALLY!! They were so sloooooooooooow that I was planning to jump to the second lead’s doomed ship just because at least there was some movement there. But apparently I can stay with OTP yesssss!!!!
Anyway, I love the show, imperfections and all.
Thanks for reporting on the kisss, I shall watch this asap
I’m still leaning toward Hao Wei but “First Girl/Guy Wins” is in effect here rather than “Unlucky Childhood Friend”
Hao Wei is too cheesy for my style and th way he tricked on getting dinner dates with Kai Qi was lame move. Even worse in ep 11 when he made sure she happened to win money to get a new motorcycle.
I don’t really like Hao Wei even though I admit he was cute during the college days. He is so nonconfrontmental which is why his misunderstanding with Kai Qi spanned for so long. Before making up with Kai Qi, he did all these things to get her attention and then go about silently suffering, getting upset and disappearing. Which I think is opposite from Ah Jie who is direct. This is why he gets the girl.
And Ah Jie’s smile lights up the world, I swear.
I heart Jasper Liu (his official English name is Jasper btw, it was Max in the past but after he heard that Max is usually a name for dogs, he changed it to Jasper, LOL).
What I really appreciate is that AJ didn’t go the noble idiocy route and instead he chose to confront his brother. The power of love gives him courage, so sweet.
Oh btw, lovers of this drama, join us for discussion in the soompi drama thread: http://forums.soompi.com/discussion/2023275/current-taiwanese-drama-2014-love-myself-or-you-pleasantly-surprised-%E5%96%9C%E6%AD%A1-%E4%B8%80%E5%80%8B%E4%BA%BA/p15
There’s a lot of pictures/updates/videos/discussion ongoing inside, I would love to see more discussion^^ (not trying to promote soompi, I hope Miss Koala wouldn’t mind this :p)
I actually have enjoyed this drama so much. I just love how the two main leads interact with each other. I love the pace because the characters develop and true love develops. They dont fall in love on a whim, their feelings truly develop from friendship to love and that makes perfect sense. Its a great break from all the other crazy and over the top and overrated dramas. I just sit back and fall in love with kai qi and fu zi jie’s relationship.
I want to see the bts of the kiss scenes. Puff’s pickiness combined with Jasper’s nervousness would be highly entertaining
the bts is very enjoyable to watch. In fact, Puff & Jasper did a good job being all natural, they seem to be enjoying the kiss as well. It was very cute.
anyone can translate what are they talking about before aj kissed kq?i cannot understand mandrin,..english sub for this episode plss
Go to viki for english sub or dramacool or drama.net
Translate the first kiss or the second ? The first Ah Jie was frustrated with her becoming so close to Hao Wei, accusing her to secretly dating him and not keeping the promise to meet him when he wanted to confess.
I saw this episode.. so cute and sweet… Need more moments like these. 🙂