Teenagers (May contain bloody violence, bad language, nudity)
Vintage:
April 4, 2008
Status:
Completed
Summary:
In the romantic comedy story, a high school girl named Kotoko finally tells a fellow senior named Naoki that she has loved him from afar since she saw him on their first day of high school. However, Naoki, a haughty "super-ikemen" (handsome male) with smarts and sports talent, rejects her offhand. Fate intervenes when a mild earthquake ruins Kotoko's family house. While the house gets rebuilt, Kotoko and her dad stay at the home of her dad's childhood friend...whose son is Naoki.
I've always said if a show can evoke an emotional response, whether good (happiness) or bad (anger), then the show has succeeded... and Itazura na Kiss succeeds on several levels!
Before I hit the midway mark I was sure the series was written by a man because no female would write a male character like Naoki - but after looking up the wiki I discovered I was dead wrong! The level of frustration with his lack of emotion is infuriating! Thankfully toward the midway mark there was somewhat of a reprieve but then you're launched right back into his seemingly uncaring ways with hints of emotion here and there... if it wasn't for the naive cheerfulness and indomitable (never-give-up) spirit of Kotoko I might've thought a lot less of this series.
Another vital aspect that kept the series from drifting into a morase of angst and frustration was the clever use of humour in just about every episode... I must admit I laughed my way through this one in spite of Naoki's deadpan attitude.
One other positive mark for this series in my opinion was the timeline the story represented. It's not very often that I've seen an anime series that begins in high school and doesn't just end there. No, Itazura na Kiss takes you from high school, through college, into married life and beyond! That alone was great! A very unique touch I thought and highly enjoyable!
If you enjoy a healthy helping of romance with a dollop of frustration, liberally sprinkled with side-splitting comedy and a happy ending on top, then you're sure to like Itazura na Kiss!
