For those of you who have never watched 'Itazura na Kiss', I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum.
Despite being incomplete, the manga was so great there have been multiple drama adaptions aside from the 2008's animated one. To date, there are...
- 2 Japanese adaptations of the same name; 1996 and 2013/14 (2 seasons of Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo)
- 2 Taiwanese adaptations; It Started with a Kiss (2005) and it's sequel They Kiss Again (2007) and Miss in Kiss (2016)
- 1 Korean adaption; Playful Kiss (2010)
- 1 Thai adaption; Kiss Me (2015)
I've seen 2013/14 Japanese version and 2010 Korean's version of the drama. I'm not going to talk much about but it's pretty much more or less the same storyline. The acting was of different standards but still great.
Author: Tada Kaoru (RIP)
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama, Shoujo
English Name: Playful Kiss
Total episodes: 25 episodes (2008)
Total volumes: 23 volumes (1990 - 1999; incomplete due to unexpected death of the author)
SUMMARY
A high school girl named Aihara Kotoko works up the courage to confess her long-term crush to Irie Naoki since freshmen through a letter. Naoki, the smartest and handsome guy in the school rejects her without bothering to read the letter.
Heartbroken and shattered of her image of what a great guy he is, Kotoko decides to move on. However, on the same day, Kotoko's home was destroyed by a small earthquake. Her father's old classmate offered to let them stay with his family.
Moving into their new temporary home, Kotoko discovers her father's friend is actually Naoki's father.
Everything that follows from here is a lot of drama, romance and comedic relief.
Now let's get started.
PLOTLINE
The story follows the lives of Kotoko and Naoki as they learn to live with each other and battling their feelings for one another. I think it's safe to say that since this is a romantic comedy genre the guy obviously falls in love with her but his cool stoic facade prevents him from being honest majority of the time.
For a 25 episode run, the anime covers a lot of drama on the main couple's lives for over a span of 5-10 ten years?? I don't know. There was a lot of fast-tracking in this anime.
From episodes 1 - 7 it covers their senior year and graduation. Episodes 8 - 19 covers their university years and episodes 20 - 25 covers their adulthood and careers. It seemed like there was no end to their story even with the fast-tracking. It seemed like the author of the manga wanted to keep telling their story until they're old. But unfortunately, the manga was left incomplete because of the unexpected death of the author so we'll never know.
RIP Kaoru Tada
There's probably a lot more that happens in the manga and the producers just chose not to put them in the anime because they had to cram everything into 25 episodes. Probably impossible to cram the entire 23 volumes into 25 episodes because each episode is like 22 mins. I haven't read the manga so I wouldn't know.
'Itazura na Kiss' is an anime with a lot of melodramatic moments mixed with a lot of comedy. These dramatic moments happen mostly because of the lack of communication from both Kotoko and Naoki, well mostly Naoki. (I'll get into characters in a bit).
I felt the pacing of the anime was a little too fast because we see our characters move from high school life to university life to adulthood all too quickly. It was both good and bad at the same time.
Good because it doesn't just focus on their high school years where they can hardly do anything in the real world because they're highschoolers. And because it would be so boring to watch Kotoko trying to battle her 'I want to hate him' feeling for Naoki for a full 25 episodes. We also get to see them transition from fresh out of high school to individuals trying to build their careers through more study (lol).
Good because it doesn't just focus on their high school years where they can hardly do anything in the real world because they're highschoolers. And because it would be so boring to watch Kotoko trying to battle her 'I want to hate him' feeling for Naoki for a full 25 episodes. We also get to see them transition from fresh out of high school to individuals trying to build their careers through more study (lol).
Bad because it all seems way too fast in such a short period (This is because I watched this in just one day).
CHARACTERS
Where do I even begin with the characters?
Now, remember this is based on how I see the characters.
Now, remember this is based on how I see the characters.
The Kotoko and Naoki are ... how should I say this? They were pretty annoying and irritable each in their own individual way.
Kotoko: She's a ditzy and hopelessly stupid girl with underachieving grades who falls head-over-heels for a guy way out of her league. She basically falls in love with how everyone sees Naoki - the cool, smart and handsome guy - without bothering to know who he actually is as a person. She decides to write her feelings down on a piece of paper and gives it to him and hope that he returns the same feelings. I find that a really poor calculated move because, for one, he's never spoken to her let alone notice her and return her feelings. So it's no wonder he brutally turned her down.
Kotoko is one of those girls who just can't seem to take a hint that he's doesn't have any interest in her whatsoever because she's not his type. In saying that, Naoki has never mentioned what his type is but he did say 'I don't like dumb girls'. Clearly, she didn't fit his profile of an ideal girlfriend and yet still persist to make the guy hers. It was funny at first but then it just got to the point where you eye-roll every time she starts daydreaming about Naoki. Maybe if she'd stop daydream and actually focus on her studies she wouldn't be in Class F which is five ranks below Naoki in Class A.
I personally think Kotoko is kind of clingy and annoying how she keeps going back and forth about moving on from Naoki every time he rejects her but then jumps at every opportunity to be with him. HAVE SOME DIGNITY WOMAN! Throughout the entire course of the anime, Kotoko seemed to be very dependent on Naoki. She's always following him around and doing everything and anything that's related to him just so she can be near him at all the livelong day every day. Her clinginess is almost on the borderline of obsession. Strictly speaking, it's a major turn off for any guy.
Though I do applaud Kotoko's determination to fight for her love for Naoki but there's a limit.
I know, I know. Love has no limits but come on. There are always boundaries that people should respect. And I have to say; for a girl who finally got with the guy she's been head-over-heels for years she still hasn't changed from calling him by surname to his first name. Even by the end of the anime, she hasn't changed it. It's baffling really.
Naoki: He's your everyday cold, handsome and untouchable genius with an IQ of 200. His cold mannerism is one of his charming qualities but it's also one that stabs your heart in the wrong way. What do I mean? First; he rejects Kotoko's love letter coldly and says he despises dumb girls. He lacks the social mannerism of when to be sensitive to someone's feelings even if he has no interest in her. Second; he's not honest with his feelings. He the typical guy who hides his feelings and is mean to the girl he loves. Most of the drama that happens in this anime is caused by him for not being honest with his feelings. He could have saved himself and others a lot of trouble if he had just told her the GODDAMN TRUTH!
IDK. Maybe Naoki didn't want to admit that he's fallen in love with the dumb girl he hates and that's why he's not honest with himself. His cold attitude towards Kotoko for the most parts of the anime was heartbreaking because of how much she's put out for him and he still doesn't appreciate the things she's done for him. In retrospect, some of her actions are clingy and obsessive so it's understandable.
It's kind of hard to understand why Naoki falls in love with her in the first place and at times it's hard to believe he actually loves her from the way he treats her.
Even after he comes to terms with his feelings; he still treats her the same way uninterested way because of his lack of communication. You can't use the excuse 'I'm not very good at expressing my feelings' because you need to man up about it. Not everyone is smart enough (ahem Kotoko) to understand how you feel just by your subtle to no actions. He may be cool and handsome but in no way a romantic gentleman. He goes along with whatever the girls ask him to like he has no choice and does it in a half-hearted manner.
Naoki's not the best guy to fall in love with but it's understandable why he's so cold to Kotoko most of the time. He wants a peaceful life without anyone disrupting it and Kotoko is anything but peaceful with her clingy and annoying behaviour. This includes her annoying, gossipy friends.
Hiding underneath the cold facade and 'I have no interest in you' look, Naoki does care about the people around him, i.e. Kotoko and his family, even if they are annoying to him on a crazy level. His only flaw is his inability to be honest with himself and his sensitivity towards others.
Friends: It's kind of mean to say Naoki has no friends to talk about because we literally don't see much of Naoki's friends. He only has one high school friend who only appears a few times. Kotoko's friends, on the other hand, appears often.
Kotoko has two best female friends; Jinko and Satomi, both from Class F and like her, so stupid. They like to gossip and they definitely can't keep a secret. They find out by accident Kotoko is living with Naoki and she specifically told them to keep it a secret. Next day, the secret's no longer a secret. Seriously, they are the worst friends ever.
It's like you telling to your best friends you've finally had sex with your boyfriend and they start telling it to the whole country by advertising on the billboard. It amazes me how she continues to be friends with them. If it was me, I would have dumped them a long time ago.
Kotoko has two best female friends; Jinko and Satomi, both from Class F and like her, so stupid. They like to gossip and they definitely can't keep a secret. They find out by accident Kotoko is living with Naoki and she specifically told them to keep it a secret. Next day, the secret's no longer a secret. Seriously, they are the worst friends ever.
It's like you telling to your best friends you've finally had sex with your boyfriend and they start telling it to the whole country by advertising on the billboard. It amazes me how she continues to be friends with them. If it was me, I would have dumped them a long time ago.
Kotoko is also friends with Kinnosuke is her male friend who is crazy in love with her for a very long time. He's the male version Kotoko but way more obsessive and annoying and hot-headed. He's also not one to keep quiet about everything that going on in Kotoko's life. Anything that goes on in Kotoko's life, he displays it on a sign (an act that humiliates her and he's oblivious to it). Kotoko and Kinnosuke are probably better suited for each other because their obsessiveness, clinginess and annoying characteristics are perfect for each other. But I'm kind of glad Kotoko didn't choose Kinnosuke because he is a MAJOR turn off with his crazy, annoying obsession with her who can't seem to take the hint she's not into him that way.
Family: Kotoko only has her father, Shiego, after her mother died of unknown reasons (from what I recall) and he deeply cares about his daughter's happiness. I applaud him for giving her the talk about Naoki and that it's best for her to move on from him and moved out. Every father hates seeing their daughter unhappy. His appearance in the anime is limited but times when we do see him, he gives a deep talk to Kotoko and Naoki and how gives them advice.
Naoki has both parents and a younger brother, Yuuki, who's the only one who seems to age in this anime. Everyone else practically stays the same over the years, you'd think they are all vampires. But no.
Naoki's mother, Noriko, is hands down the best mom ever! She's so carefree and oddly enough obsessed with our main couple. She adores Kotoko because she's always wanted a daughter but comes out with two sons that look identical to each other. She loves Kotoko like her own and fully supports her pursuing her son. She oversees Kotoko's clingy habits because she wants to see the two of them date and eventually marry. She carries around her camera to capture every moment of the children's lives like she's some sort of paparazzi. It's funny but also weird that she has so much free time to stalk her kids.
Naoki's father, Shigeki, is a kind-hearted man who kindly offers his home to his old friend. He's kind but also whipped. He goes along with everything his wife tells him because she's obsessed with the idea of getting both kids together. Should he dare go against his wife, he'd be finding himself a new wife to whip him. Yuuki is probably the normal one out of the family because he minds his business, not wanting to get involved with adult matters because he's just a middle schooler when we first meet him. He's the typical younger brother who has no problem poking fun at Kotoko like his older brother. Despite his brattiness, he somewhat cares about the girl who slowly changed his brother.
Naoki's father, Shigeki, is a kind-hearted man who kindly offers his home to his old friend. He's kind but also whipped. He goes along with everything his wife tells him because she's obsessed with the idea of getting both kids together. Should he dare go against his wife, he'd be finding himself a new wife to whip him. Yuuki is probably the normal one out of the family because he minds his business, not wanting to get involved with adult matters because he's just a middle schooler when we first meet him. He's the typical younger brother who has no problem poking fun at Kotoko like his older brother. Despite his brattiness, he somewhat cares about the girl who slowly changed his brother.
TOTAL SCORE
Again, this is score is based on how I feel about the anime.
Storyline: ★★★☆☆
Characters: ★★☆☆☆
Comedy: ★★★★☆
Romance: ★★☆☆☆
Drama: ★★★★☆
Is it Enjoyable?:★★★☆☆
Overall score: ★★★☆☆
Overall, the anime is somewhat enjoyable if you can ignore the heavy flaws of each these characters. If you judge it on a comedy level then it hits the high scores but on a normal scale where you judge it realistically then it's somewhere on the low end. The storyline could have been a lot better if the characters weren't all so annoying, particularly if you have an annoying main girl like Kotoko and cold-hearted jerk like Naoki. I hate it when girls are passive but I especially hate it when girls are clingy. Seriously, Kotoko. You're not putting us girls in the best light with your clingy independence.
I scored romance two stars because it was definitely lacking in our characters. Naoki is in no way romantic at all towards Kotoko (I mean how can he when she's too much to handle). The romance was overshadowed by the comedy in my sense because to me it was more of a one-side crush on Kotoko's part and Naoki is just going along with what his mother wants. I couldn't see how this couple was in love with each other like average couples. I just couldn't see it.
I gave drama four stars because there was definitely a lot of drama that wouldn't have happened if Naoki could just be honest with himself. The multiple appearances of new characters definitely played a part in each hiccup of their relationship as they each try to get in between Kotoko and Naoki's relationship.
Usually, when I enjoy watching an anime, I would turn to read the manga because I want more of it but I can't say the same for 'Itazura na Kiss'.
I enjoyed watching it but it's not my favourite. I just get irritated watching Kotoko clingy onto Naoki like a leech. I can recommend you to watch it if you enjoy a little comedy here and there but I wouldn't say it's romantic when it clearly lacks in romance.
If it still intrigues you then, by all means, knock yourself out and tell me what you think of it. We're all entitled to our own opinions.
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