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Itazura na Kiss is, quite simply, a rather generic seeming comedic drama. The basic scenario of the plot has a rather basic structure that is, more or less, rather predictable. It's about a high school girl who is infatuated with a boy who doesn't seem to care for her whatsoever but by some mysterious twist of fate ends up living in his house due to unfortunate circumstances and the development of both the male and female protagonists. Nonetheless, Itazura na Kiss was still rather gripping and kept me peeled to the screen (I marathon-ed through it >___>) until the end.


Story: 7

As mentioned above, the story plot-line was, for the most part rather predictable and seemed to have a lot of reoccurring instances (the most noticeable being Irie's popularity and other men chasing Kotoko). There were also a few lulls in the series and then a number of rushed scenes which left more to be desired on the part of the director. It was still enjoyable and it worked rather well for the most part in forcing character development and the like.


Art: 6

Now, I've never been a fan of the shoujo used in Itakiss but it is fair enough. However, being a recently aired anime, I expected a little more.


Sound: 6

Didn't think of it as anything remarkable but it worked well enough.


Characters: 8

One of the things I loved most about Itakiss is its wide variety of characters ranging from Kin to Kotoko to Irie, there is a very big spectrum of personalities that make this anime rather special and even more hilarious. As far as character development goes, it felt somewhat rushed but it worked overall.


Enjoyment: 8

I thought it was very entertaining and hilarious. read more

I'm not quite sure how I should write this. More or less, this series had the potential to be either a grand slam or a game ending triple play. In fact, the first time I watched it I thought it was pretty bad. I dropped it after watching half of the second episode. However, I picked it back up on a whim and boy was I surprised. This epic drama is probably the perfection of Greek drama on top of the romantic expectations in this day and age. But here is a warning, ef - a tale of memories demands more of the viewer than the average drama does.

In most dramas, you can predict a lot of the things happening. There will be "X" love triangle, there will be "Y" incident, etc. In a sense, one of the two stores in ef -a tale of memories does that (the one reloving around Hirono). However, it is the other strand (the one revolving around Renji and Chihiro) that makes this drama. The complexity of their story will probably move you to tears (or close enough). Though it is an extraordinary situation, it hits home hard. Without Renji and Chihiro's quest, I doubt this anime would be any different than the scores of romances and dramas out there. It was their relationship that had me glued to the computer screen watching all of ef - a tale of memories. Of course, saying any more would reveal this wonderful plot.

The story line was great. Though it is confusing to start, once the story begins to reveal itself, it absorbs you and you want more and more of it. Some of it is predictable, some of it is a surprise, and some of it is predictable but still delivers the same blow as a surprise turn in the plot would.

The character art could leave a bit to be desired but overall, the creators used color transitions, black/white, different drawing styles, color overlays, etc. in a beautiful manner. I couldn't really ask more from a show than this.

Now the soundtrack wasn't the greatest in the world. It wasn't bad, it was good, but I felt that it had its ups and downs. There were times when it was right on cue and enhanced the scene. There were times when I thought that it worked but something different would have been much more effective.

The characters all start a bit confusing but their development is fun to watch and it is their development that enhances the story. They aren't a bunch of static or stereotypical characters. Each one fits his or her role perfectly and work amazingly with the plot.

I enjoyed ef - a tale of memories a lot. In fact, it is probably one of the best dramas I have ever seen. So I think its worth a try whether you are interested in this genre or were just looking for something to watch. read more