Honest, intelligent news and reviews for manga romantics
Itazura na Kiss, translated as Playful Kiss, was first published in Margaret magazine in 1991 and ran through 1999. Although left incomplete, the series has been an inspiration to many more recent mangaka, and has left its mark on readers worldwide. Itazura na Kiss presents the relationship of an unlikely couple that will have you cheering for the underdog, or yawning with boredom.
The Gist: Kotoko Aihara has had a crush on fellow classman Naoki Irie since the first day of high school. Now a third year, she decides to confess her feelings to Naoki, which he promptly rejects. Embarrassed, Kotoko returns home only to discover that her house is falling apart. Her father has arranged for he and Kotoko to live with an old friend of his from college. Coincidentally, that would be Irie-san, the father of Naoki, and Kotoko’s crush. Now living under the same roof, Kotoko and Naoki must see each other everyday. Will Kotoko ever accept Naoki’s cold resistance, or will Naoki eventually come around to Kotoko’s kind but forceful presence?
I’m sure there are readers out there who love this series, but I’m not one of them. The characters were annoying and I wasn’t impressed with the art. After five volumes there was little change in the main characters’ relationship. That’s a lot of pages with no progress. I think I’d rather be reading something else.
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