Television series
Mischievous Kiss
- Romantic comedy
- Light-hearted
A Korean adaptation of a beloved manga about a cheerful, clumsy girl who falls hard for an impossibly perfect boy at her school. It's a giddy ride through stolen glances, comedic mishaps, and the sweet ache of unrequited love slowly becoming something real. Pure wish-fulfilment romance for anyone who's ever felt invisible to their crush.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy slow-building school-era romance where the push and pull between two classmates carries the comedy, and a light, teasing tone wins you over more than big dramatic set pieces.
Skip it if you want a tight, fast plot or a romance that moves quickly, since this one takes its time and leans on repeated bickering and gradual warming.
What it asks of you: Settle in for a long haul: roughly seventy-minute episodes of light, unhurried pacing that rarely rushes and asks for patience through its slower stretches.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Boys over Flowers2009
The spiritual predecessor to Mischievous Kiss—same sweet spot of high school romance, comedy, and the thrill of a girl breaking through a cold boy's walls. Addictively watchable and genuinely funny.
But The pacing drags in the middle seasons, and some plot contrivances strain credibility past the breaking point.
A Love So Beautiful2020
Chinese adaptation of the same manga that inspired Mischievous Kiss. Captures that specific joy of watching a shy girl's devotion gradually melt someone's defences. Clean production, strong chemistry.
But It follows the source material closely, so if you've seen Mischievous Kiss, you'll know exactly where this goes. Slower burn than you might expect.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo2016
Korean rom-com with real warmth and wit. A female athlete and a competitive swimmer navigate attraction, insecurity, and growing up together. The banter actually lands, and both leads feel like real people.
But The third act sags as it reaches for emotional depth it hasn't quite earned. Some viewers find the second lead syndrome more compelling than the main couple.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Mischievous Kiss
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Splash Splash Love2015
Both are fantasies of a girl breaking through a wall around a powerful man, but where Mischievous Kiss lets love unfold over a season, this distils it into its most crystalline form—high heat, no oxygen.
A girl falls through time and lands in the Joseon dynasty, where she meets a king. It's only two episodes, so it's compressed and pure—no filler, just the rush of impossible attraction and the bittersweet knowledge it can't last. Perfect miniature.
But Being a short format means everything is broad strokes; there's no room for character complexity or nuance. The time-travel mechanics are handwaved.
More like this (5)
Oh My Ghost2015
Playful supernatural romance about a reserved man and an enthusiastic woman who literally haunts him. It balances comedy and genuine tenderness with a cast that feels genuinely delighted to be there.
But The ghost gimmick is fun but also limiting; some episodes feel like they're spinning wheels. Tonal whiplash between silly and serious can be jarring.
Descendants of the Sun2016
Grander than Mischievous Kiss but with the same earnestness—a soldier and a surgeon fall in love in a war-torn country. Epic in scope, gorgeous to watch, and unexpectedly moving.
But The action sequences interrupt the romance, and if you're not invested in the geopolitical subplot, whole episodes feel like filler.
Touch Your Heart2019
Yeon Woo-jin and Lee Dong-wook have wonderful chemistry as an actress and a strict lawyer who must pose as a couple. Lighter and breezier than most K-dramas, with genuinely earned affection between leads.
But There's barely any plot beyond the romance itself. If you need stakes and tension, you'll find this slight.
Her Private Life2019
A woman balances being a devoted fan of a celebrity with a blossoming romance with her boss. Fun, sexy, and unashamed about desire. A little more adult than typical high school romance.
But The fan-favourite subplot dominates and some may find it cringey. The pacing in the back half relies on misunderstandings that feel manufactured.
Autumn in My Heart2000
Where Mischievous Kiss asks 'will he finally notice me?', Autumn in My Heart asks 'can love survive if the world is designed to tear us apart?' Same genre, opposite register—one is wish-fulfilment, the other is grief wearing a love story's face.
The grandmother of K-dramas: a boy and girl separated by class and circumstance who find each other again as adults. Gorgeously shot, melodramatic without apology, and genuinely tragic. It defines why people fell in love with Korean television.
But It's slow and deeply sad. If Mischievous Kiss is cotton candy, this is dark chocolate with bitters. Emotional devastation is the entire point.
People
Cast
Production
- Han HeeExecutive Producer
- Song Byung JoonProducer
Recommended by
Nodame Cantabile, Boys over Flowers, Heartstrings, Good Morning Call, Hana Kimi, Nobuta wo Produce, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e: Ikemen Paradise