ITAZURA NA KISS is the beloved and classic shojo manga following two high school students, the air-headed Kotoko and the brilliant cold genius Naoki. When Kotoko finally musters the courage to confess her love to the haughty Naoki, his instant rejection shocks her and she decides to forget him forever. But when circumstances force her and her father to move in with her father's college classmate, she encounters an even bigger shock when she realizes her father's friend is Naoki's father, and they'll be living together from now on! Is it fate? A sign from heaven? Whatever it is, Kotoko's every attempt to impress the aloof Naoki seems to create chaos in Naoki's life, and the cracks in his cool, robot-like facade begin to show. Follow the journey of these two through life, love, and every chaotic, crazy moment in Kotoko's mission to make Naoki hers! With over 30 million units sold worldwide, Itazura Na Kiss is available for the first time in the US from Digital Manga Publishing!
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After sweet and klutzy Kotoko confesses her feelings to, and is publicly rejected by, the boy of her dreams, the brilliant and aloof Naoki, she is mortified to learn that she and her father will be moving in with the insensitive brute. Between the antics of their meddling families and classmates and Kotoko’s tendency to get in her own way, she may never have a chance to capture Naoki’s heart. With crack comic timing, this charming manga is perfect for younger teens and reminiscent of classic girl stories like Anne of Green Gables. Originally published to much acclaim and popularity in Japan in 1991, the book’s wispy art and spare backgrounds feel old-fashioned when compared to more recent manga releases, but the writing is strong, and it is easy to see the influence this had on many familiar tropes in shojo manga. Though the series remains unfinished because of the mangaka’s untimely death in 1999, DMP will release it in double-sized tomes that will bring the 23-volume series to a more manageable total of 12. Grades 7-10. --Eva Volin
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Playful Kiss Indeed,
This review is from: Itazura Na Kiss Volume 1 (Shojo) (Paperback)
First glance at this title, and I was fairly ready to dismiss this as yet another run of the mill slice of life teenaged romance title and it seemed to be one with rather old fashioned art too that seemed a bit dated. Now, old art doesn't necessarily put me off, as long as it is well executed (which admittedly the cover had me unjustly doubting), but the idea of sitting down to read yet another cliché story about a flighty teen aged girl with hearts in her eyes pursuing a disdainful intellectually gifted and athletically talented, not to mention exceptionally gorgeous, classmate filled me with dread. However, the proclamation that this series has sold a whopping 30 million copies worldwide BEFORE being translated into English and spawned not only three separate TV live action adaptations but a recent anime series, prompted me to cave into my curiosity and give it a chance.
Opening the book, I was unsurprised to see that the opening of the story seemed as traditional to these sorts of stories as one can get: girl tries to hand boy a confession, boy wants nothing to do with her, and is actually rude about it. But while this seemingly familiar scene is taking place with what may seem stock characters, I noticed a subtle difference. These people had a certain something about them, and the way the story was told was not quite run of the mill. I began to warm up to the cast, and see past the seemingly all too common elements. It was like viewing an original work of art, as opposed to seeing a piece worked by someone inspired by the original. Indeed, as it turns out, THIS is the work that set the framework in place for what became the conventions many a shoujo manga ever after followed. In comparison, most simply pale and seem trite rather than light hearted and earnest as this is, with the lighter feel of the retro artwork perfectly suiting the gentle romance of this slice of life story. Kotoko Aihara is someone most of us can identify with. She is not the smartest girl. In fact, she is in the F class, filled with all the students who may never achieve much past graduating high school, and even then might struggle to make a passing grade. She is so disorganised in her study skills that when asked by a primary school student for assistance with some very basic homework, she cannot answer the question. Labelled as stupid, she knows she is not academically gifted, though truthfully rather than stupid it would be best to say she is vacuous in a dippy blonde sort of way. But, on her very first day of high school, she looked up and saw the welcoming address being given by the star student for her year. One very handsome boy rumoured to be a genius, Naoki Irie. Being the sort of girl to sit about and fantasize rather than pay attention to what is going on, he grabs her attention. What he is saying probably doesn't register, as she is simply drinking him in and falling in love. She harbours this unrequited love for three years, despite fellow F classmate Kinnosuke Nakamura earnestly proclaiming his love for her on a daily basis. Nor does the common sense nay saying of her two best friends and fellow F classmates Jinko and Satomi make any headway. She knows they live in two different spheres of experience, but he is her prince. Knowing she only has one more year left of high school, she bites the bullet, pens a love letter, and hands it to him. Well, she tries to, and at the front gate of the school in front of everyone, which was not the best idea given that he would not accept her letter and tells her flat out, "I am not interested in stupid girls". You would think that would be the end of it, and Kotoko is not only shattered and her friends VERY angry with Naoki, but fate has a way of kicking a person when they are down. Going home that evening to her brand new traditionally styled Japanese house, she is enjoying a celebratory dinner of their moving in with her father and school friends when an earthquake hits. The house shudders, squeals, creaks, and begins to collapse. Luckily everyone gets out okay, but their house is the only one affected, thanks to Kotoko's dad Shigeo trying to go cheap on the building materials. Things seem to look up though when he tells her that it is okay, they have a place to go as his old classmate and best friend has said they can come stay with his family while their home is rebuilt. Fate seems to have the kicking shoes still on however, as arriving there she sees the nameplate reads Irie. She is as displeased to see him as he is to see her, but the families are having none of it and indeed, seem to be having little fantasies about the two getting along and joining the families in the future. When placed into such an uncomfortable situation, will Kotoko be able to maintain her pride, and does she REALLY hate Naoki now, or is it a golden opportunity to get him to see her for who she really is and make him fall in love? As for Naoki, does his coldness mask a hidden vulnerability? Is he really as disdainful of Kotoko as he appears? And what will everyone at school think if they find out that these two are living together under the same roof? With the slightly oddball characters and the fishbowl world of high school life, this certainly has its lighter moments, but at the same time manages to quite seriously look at Kotoko and her insecurities. While some of their actions may seemingly be played for laughs, none of the characters are two dimensional. Overall, the story carries a bit of substance and had me looking forward to more. Luckily, the second volume is already out with a promise of twenty-one more volumes to follow, so I am certain that Kotoko and Naoki's story is far from over. I look forward to watching the pair of them dance about each other and graduate not only from high school, but into emotional adulthood. This book is rated for persons 13 years older and up, which given that it is free of mature content is very suitable. I'd like to thank Digital Manga Publishing for providing me with a review copy.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great shoujo romance,
This review is from: Itazura Na Kiss Volume 1 (Shojo) (Paperback)
When I first heard of Itazura na Kiss I really didn't think I'd like it, because I hate stupid doormat heroines and Kotoko seemed like she'd be one from the story description. I was really surprised to find out she wasn't like that at all. True, she's stupid when it comes to schooling, but her heart and will are so strong, and her smarts about life grow so much that by the end of the series she's wiser than many of the characters. The hero Naoki is so very unlikeable at first. But he too grows, with Kotoko's help.
And that's what I love most about this series: it's a true love story, a meeting of two people who couldn't be more different, but whose strengths and weaknesses compliment each other such that they are the perfect couple. Not perfect in that it's sunshine and roses, but in that they grow because of their differences, and can reach their bests because of that. A couple of people have mentioned that the series is unfinished. I think it's only fair to add that while this is true, please don't think that the romance is unresolved. It is completely resolved, and the story cuts off later on after that. But if anyone yearns to see the ending as the author wanted it, it's possible to see it in the anime. Before she died, the author had told her husband how she wished the series to end, and he gave the ending to the makers of the anime so her whole story would be told as intended. It's worth looking up, as is this manga if you're someone who loves romance.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reading the Classics Has Never Been So Much Fun!,
By
This review is from: Itazura Na Kiss Volume 1 (Shojo) (Paperback)
Senior year is not ending well for one girl! Kotoko finally gets up the courage to give a love letter to her crush, Naoki, but he brutally rejects her. Then an earthquake destroys her new house and she and her father have to move in with his old high school friend. Unfortunately, that friend happens to be Naoki's father. Now Kotoko and Naoki have to try to ignore each other, which is hard to do when their parents have decided that they should get married! To make it even worse, Kotoko's friends are suspicious about her new living arrangements, she's trying to pass her exams, and Naoki's younger brother hates her guts. Can an airhead and a genius ever see eye-to-eye long enough to get along, much less fall in love? If the plot summary for Itazura Na Kiss sounds like a lot of other shojo manga titles, there's a good reason for it. Tada's series, started in 1990, is so popular that it's sold over 30 million copies worldwide. There are live-action dramas based on it and even an anime version. Unfortunately, Tada died, leaving her 23-volume series unfinished, but that's no reason to skip over Itazura Na Kiss.
Kotoko and Naoki's story starts off slowly but soon builds to laugh-out-loud funny. Tada's characters are quirky, her plots are silly, and her storytelling and art are perfect complements to each other. Kotoko is the every-girl who is so common in shojo manga. She's not a genius; in fact, she's in Class F, the class for kids who probably won't be going on to college. Their teacher tells them, "Entering society one step ahead of everyone else and learning the ropes of employment is simply another path in life," but Class F knows a snow job when they hear one. After being rejected by Naoki, who is a genius in the elite Class A, Kotoko is determined to show that Class F is as good as anyone else, even if Naoki has to help her do it. Her plucky attitude has inspired generations of shojo heroines and it is fun to get to see where they got their spunk from. Naoki, on the other hand, is the smart, sullen shojo leading man. He's, quite frankly, a jerk, so readers are as appalled as Kotoko when she realizes that she loves him anyway. By the end of this first volume, though, he's starting to lighten up. The final section is about him trying to take his college entrance exams while hindered by a good-luck charm that is anything but. It is extremely funny and will leave readers begging for volume two. The other characters are as well-drawn as the leads. The meddling parents, the crazy friends, the annoying sibling, they're all a part of shojo manga and Tada has them down to an art. And, when it comes to art, Tada's isn't as dated as it should be at 20+ years old. Naoki still looks like an old-school shojo character and a few of the outfits are obviously early '90s, but beyond that, nothing strikes the eye wrong. Tada's lines are thin and loose, so everything has a scratchy, floppy feel. It's perfect for the wacky humor of the story. Characters are extremely easy to tell apart, settings are given just enough detail to set the stage without overloading the page, and action is clear and easy to follow. DMP has done a terrific job with its release. Itazura Na Kiss was released in Japan in 12 omnibus editions and that is what DMP is bringing to the United States. The binding is sturdy enough to hold the large number of pages without being so tight that it can't be read easily and the book opens without breaking the spine, important for multiple reads. At $16.95 a book, this is a great value for the money. Reading the classics has never been so much fun! -- Snow Wildsmith
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