I have now seen (though not completed) every version of this story minus the Thai version. The original is the first drama I ever watched and was 100% a crack drama for me, so despite its flaws, it holds a special place in my heart. It also has one of the two best female lead portrayals of the four versions I've seen. Chen Xin Yi gives a deeply affecting performance as our resident post-it girl, moving you with her smiles and her tears. When she cried, You cried. I watched the Korean version next and consider it the best version as well as my favorite. The writers toned down all of the over-the-top and nonsensical bits from the original, grounding the characters and the story, without losing any comedy, and the OTP is definitely a fav. I also immediately adored Jang Na Ra's character with all of her softness and tenderness and fabulous fashion sense and consider her a tie with Chen Xin Yi for best portrayal. Next, I watched the Japanese version which is much shorter, much quicker, and ends exactly in the middle of the story with no likelihood of another season to give the story a conclusion. This version admittedly has poor pacing and very little build up before some of the major events of the story, but I still enjoyed it and will be forever disappointed that we didn't get a season 2. It's the perfect drama for turning off your brain and enjoying the ride.

Now we come to this version, the C-drama. This is the only version I have not finished and barring a future viewing of the Thai version (which I imagine will be every bit as dramatic as the original with probably a LOT of abuse thrown the female leads way based on my impression of what Thai dramas seem to be like), this version (c-drama) is my least favorite.

This version attempts to tell the story straight without much in the way of comedy, which could have been an interesting angle to tell the story from, but the more I watched, the more I found myself wishing the drama had more of a sense of humor. While the comedy of the original was outlandish and over-the-top (even sometimes grating), it still served as a well-deserved break from all of the melodrama. This version certainly is not as melodramatic as the original, but it was maybe something worse. Bland. It took all of the pertinent characters and events of the original, arranged the pieces in a similar fashion, and then did very little of interest with them. There's not much done to flesh out the characters or create compelling motivations, little to make the male lead a little more likable or sympathetic, and there's only light comedy which mostly centers around a few side characters. There's just no real personality with this version, except maybe to be a little more depressing.

They do start to switch things up a bit at one point in the story with the male lead deciding to stay with the female lead and come clean to Anna only for the female lead to start expressing uncertainty and fear at this reversal. I was hopeful that they would really lean into the male lead recognizing his feelings and the female lead panicking and pushing him away. It would have been great to explore the female leads insecurity and create some meaningful backstory for her character. They make an attempt at this, but it's half-hearted at best and is quickly followed by the expected shenanigans with the second female lead and 'the incident,' which cancels out the writers' efforts and leaves you dissatisfied.

Many of the performances are forgettable as well. There are a handful of characters that are well acted, namely the male lead, both leads best friends (who have a far more interesting and enjoyable romance), and the female leads mother, but the story is so uninteresting that their performances are not very meaningful. (Apart from the mother, who seems to always be one of the best characters in this story, with exception to the J-drama.) The female lead is particularly uninspiring. First and foremost, they did very little to make her appear mousy and insecure, which goes a long way to believing a character. But she also had very little range when it came to her facial expressions and tone of voice. She always looked and sounded mildly sad and detached, which didn't benefit the story or her character..

Ultimately, all three other versions I've seen have had something unique to bring to the table, something to make you want to watch. The original is, well, the original, as well as a classic Taiwanese drama, and regardless of how over-the-top and dramatic it is, it has a female lead that pulls at your heartstrings. The Japanese version is weak in terms of pacing, and it ends in the middle of the story, so that's a bummer, but it's a quick and easy watch that won't make you tear your hair out. You can turn your brain off and enjoy it for what it is. And as I've already said, I think the Korean version is the best. It put meat on the bones of the story, elevating it and its characters to something more meaningful and resonant. Sadly, this version can offer nothing but blandness.

I imagine there are plenty of people who really like this version, even love it, and I'm not here to rain on their parade. I quit after episode 21, so maybe I missed where things got good. But from what I saw, I thought it was rather uninspired, and I didn't have any interest in finishing it.

Links to my reviews for the other versions:

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/review/22006

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/review/22004

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/reviews/75009