Alternative TitlesSynonyms: Naughty Kiss, Teasing Kiss, Mischievous Kiss, Itazurana Kiss, It Started With A Kiss Japanese: イタズラなKiss
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 25
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 4, 2008 to Sep 27, 2008
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.021 (scored by 10227 users)
Ranked: #3212
Popularity: #183
Members: 17,745
Favorites: 496 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
comedy drama romance shoujo |
SynopsisEver since she entered high school, Kotoko Aihara wanted to be in the same class as Naoki Irie. The only problem, Irie is the smartest student in school while Kotoko is one of the dumbest. Now in 3rd year high school, she still isn't there. One day, her home gets destroyed and the only place else to go was to Irie's home. Now that she lives close to him, will their relationship be the same, or will it become greater than it is. Based on the manga by Tada Kaoru. |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Itazura na Kiss
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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Skadi
65 of 86 people found this review helpful
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25 of 25 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
Shoujo romance can be a bit of an annoying genre for me. First it is dominated by bishounen love interests who often look more like girls and usually have aloof or abrasive personalities that make you wonder why the heroine fell in love with them in the first place. While at first glance, Itazura na Kiss may not seem to be any different (though with the relieving lack of bishies) it evolved before my very eyes into the most heartwarming romance I have seen to date.
The plot for Itazura na Kiss is no different than your standard shoujo romance. A plain and stupid, but cute girl Kotoko has fallen in love and secretly pined for school idol and uber smart Naoki Irie. She finally gathers to courage to write him a love confession letter but he flatly refuses to even accept or let alone read it stating that he doesn’t like "stupid" girls. Of course in a plot twist that can only happen in shoujo, Kotoko's house is destroyed due to faulty construction and she and her father are forced to move in with his old friend, who just happens to be Naoki's father! Hilarity and hijinks ensue.
Despite the fairly non groundbreaking premise the story remains quite funny. Kotoko tries desperately to get her feelings across despite Naoki being cold, uninterested, and mean to her. Though some of it walks to line of being unforgivable to my feminist brain, it never has some of the cruel or absolutely mean spirited feeling as I am accustomed to seeing in this genre. But what really sets Itazura's story apart is the eventual payoff to the romance. Yes I know this is going to be a shocking spoiler, but Kotoko and Naoki end up together! Omigosh really! Before some of you get upset at me for revealing that, honestly what did you expect!?
What we get in Itazura is something we almost never see in romance; the AFTER in they lived happily ever after. Most romances evolve over the space of at most a year or two where in Itazura the years pass as we see our couple evolve and move on to each new stage of their life. The formulaic romance plot evolves into a bit of a slice of life over the last half of the series. But what is truly beautiful is seeing the characters and even the supporting characters grow and fine love and happiness themselves. It’s quite refreshing to see the spurned love rivals actually can be happy and not spend their lives pining away for an unattainable love. My only real gripe with this is that the extra romances themselves play out too similarly to the main storyline. I mean come on everyone does not fall in love the same way you know!
Kotoko makes for a very satisfying shoujo heroine. She has all the attributes that one would expect. She is cute but not overly beautiful, ditzy and clumsy, and not very bright. What she lacks in intelligence she makes up for in determination, hard work, and a singular focus on getting her man. This is where Itazura differs from a lot of shoujo. Our ordinary girl is not surrounded by a harem of pretty boys and while others vie for her love, too her credit her feelings for Naoki never waver. However as loveable and likeable as Kotoko is, you can’t help but wonder what it is she sees in Naoki who is so cold and mean to her. This is my main gripe usually with shoujo as I think it sets a bit of a bad role model for girls who thinks is ok to put up with this kind of thing. Even though she succeeds and manages to get her well deserved reward, you have to wonder why she bothered with him in the first place. Additionally, despite her pursuit of her man there is little else of substance about her. You don’t feel like she has any real dreams of her own beyond her relationship with Naoki. It also annoyed me a bit that even after becoming intimate she still referred to him as Irie-kun. All that being said, seeing Kotoko grow up and experience all the joy and happiness life has to offer brought a smile to my face and a few tears.
Our stoic and cold hearted love interest Naoki certainly isn’t the kind of guy I would fall for, but he has all of the attributes that young girls dream about. He is handsome (yet thankfully not a bishie), smart, the son of a company president, and of course admired by women and men alike. His is cold and aloof to everyone and while they at times touch on why this is they sadly never develop this part of his personality very well. He does make a lot of growth in his character over the course of the series, though annoyingly he often reverts back to his old ways in the following episode. But by the end of the series you feel as though he has become an acceptable human being. And to think it only took Kotoko 10 years to get that out of him!
Any romance would not be complete without the supporting cast of "cockblockers". There always has to be girls and boys who spring out of the woodwork to try and derail our leads happy romance. Itazura is no different however thankfully we get a cast of supporting characters who break the mold a bit and never seem to outstay their welcome and know when to move on when they have been defeated. There are no real villains in the cast and you will end up liking every one of them and feel all the more happy when they find loves of their own.
Every heroine needs a cast of helpful supporters encourages her romantic struggle. The series has some good ones, the biggest cheerleader and most humorous being Naoki's own mother who actively supports Kotoko in wooing her son, scolds him when he is mean to her, and loves her as her own daughter. It is quite sweet. The cast gets quite large towards the end and sadly some favorites tend to fade away into obscurity but you don’t miss them too much because they all are so wonderful to watch.
The artwork and animation is quite good. As I mentioned most shoujo series seem to revolve around bishie male characters which we do not get in this series. All the guys look like men, at least the ones that are supposed to be manly. There is some inconsistency at times with the look overall, particularly Kotoko who sometimes looks a bit too childish. The art itself is a bit plain too, by design but the settings, backgrounds, color palette, and character designs are not going to really blow anyone away. The music score is outstanding however. I really loved the EN theme and the performance from Kotoko seiyuu Nana Mizuki who is a favorite of mine and is probably best known as the voice of Fate from Nanoha.
Itazuka na Kiss comes close to receiving a perfect score. From a pure enjoyment standpoint alone it surpasses it. This series rivals my love for series with developed post confession romances such as Clannad. While is has a few minor annoyances overall this is the best and most enjoyable romance series I have seen. If your love your romance that’s lite on the tragedy and gives you a heartwarming happy ending then this should be at the very top of your list.
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ichigopan
62 of 92 people found this review helpful
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11 of 25 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
Not in recent memory has an anime piqued my need to write a review. This one is a great adaptation of the manga. The setting has been updated to reflect current times. The flavor of the original story has stayed true with extra filler material cut out which paces the anime well. Keep in mind this manga began publishing in 1990. While the art may seem weird to some, this anime really does stay true to the original manga.
This version of Aihara Kotoko is prettier and while still not the sharpest tool in the shed is more tolerable than the manga version. Irie Naoki looks and acts just like he should. The best part about him is watching his gradual tenderness emerge. You can't help but like him more and more as the story progresses.
I'll be updating once I'm done with the series. The manga was never completed due to the tragic, sudden death of the mangaka. The mangaka's husband was consulted on production of this anime. The ending will be as the mangaka originally intended. I can't wait! read more
Recommendations
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They both struggle to confess their feelings to the guy their in love with .. mean while someone is struggling to tell her that he loves her ! The stories are really similar to each other and they both talk about confessing while going threw other conflicts .. ^^
Girl confessing her love to boy. Both have same kind of humour.
Girl loves boy, but boy doesnt love girl...
Itazura na Kiss constantly reminded me of Lovely Complex... Though not all the same, the shoujo-type art style is somewhat similar, and of course both anime are love comedies.
The art is the same. And both are about Highschool love and rough roads
Both are about Highschool love.
Both of these anime have the similar high school love comedy aspect to it. What makes both of these anime good is that one-on-one couple, girl chasing the guy aspect. It just focuses on that one relationship instead of a weird complicated love triangle. So if you're into simple, sweet, but dramatic romance i highly recommend you watch this :]
Since the first episode, i was constantly reminded of Lovecom. Think, silly girl wanting to confess her love and fails, the Romance and comedy is aspect is major in both and the girls in both ways are really amusing. It is also similar in ways to see how the male's feeling for the female develop and change.
Both series are the typical shoujo romance, with both sets of main characters not liking each other in the beginning.
Similar shoujo romance series that sets up from high school until graduation.
The both female characters are fighting for their love and they can't let go off anymore.
They have fighting spirits that help them overcome everything. Even if the first time they were "brushed off" by their love, they just continue to be around him and ask him for some things, so they can start liking each other.
And a bit and a bit the feelings are becoming love and the feelings are getting equal.
Sometimes there are truths which have to be overcame by the characters!
Both about girls that love their man no matter how much they get rejectedxD
Both males fail at showing their emotions.
Both females are less than perfect... both are clumsy and have big voices.
Both of these anime have heroines who try very hard to get the boy they like to return their feelings, no matter how many obstacles they come across. Additionally, both of these anime went beyond and delved further into the situations and problems that creep up as a couple (though Itazura na Kiss went on much further along in their relationship).
As is typical with most shoujo, there's a dose of drama along the way- though what these two anime have in common is the fact that these dramas aren't dragged out. They get resolved rather fast and there's a similar sense of warmth that both series give off. Both are light-hearted, with a nice balance between comedy, drama, and general sweetness in their romance.
Itazura na kiss reminded me Lovely Complex when I watched it. Also the kind of comedy is similar.
If you liked Itazura Na Kiss then it's impossible for you not to appreciate Lovely Complex, a realy good anime full of love and fun..you will surely enjoy every epiosode!
They are similar in plot (I wont give out information because it would just ruin it, *hint* when its confession time). Itazura has Comedy but compared to lovely complex it is more serious.
Both hilarious and crazy romantic comedy about students. Very similar in plot
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Characters and story are very similar; however, the mood and pace of the show is quite different, as well as the animation style. If you enjoy Special A, you will probably enjoy Itazura na Kiss.
They both have a girl who isnt in the top. Except that she's in F-Class and he's in A-Class.
They both have a girl who isnt in the top.
Both shows contain a male lead who are geniuses and can memorize things after seeing it once, they both contain a girl that are below them academically and both have a great mix of comedy and romance
Both of them have a main girl who isn't the best. They are quite similar, but in Special A the comedy is on a higher level unlike Itazura na Kiss. Although Itazura na kiss is not much of a comedy, it is the better romance. I recommend both of them
They are both really great anime's with the same kind of romance feel. Both female protagonists and both male protagonists resemble another a lot, and i just loved watching both of these. If you liked Special A you will deffinetly like Itazura na Kiss. !! I absolutley love both of them!
Itazura na Kiss and Special A both have the "cute-klutz" heroine in both the animes. Both are heart warming and very funny. Special A includes romance, but has much more comedy than Itazura na Kiss, and is therefore directed more towards younger audiences, whereas Itazura na Kiss is sweet, but is the "slice of life" style.
I recommend both, if you liked one, you are bound to like the other.
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Opening Theme"Kimi, Meguru, Boku (キミ、メグル、ボク)" by Motohiro Hata
Ending Theme#1: "Kataomoi Fighter (片思いファイター)" by GO!GO!7188 (eps 1-12)
#2: "Jikan yo Tomare" by AZU (eps 13-23)
#3: "Kimi, Meguru, Boku (キミ、メグル、ボク)" by Motohiro Hata (ep 24)
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