is a Japanese ''
shōjo''
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series written and illustrated by
Kaoru Tada
, (September 25, 1960 – March 11, 1999) was a Japanese manga artist.
Biography
Tada made her debut in 1977, when still a high school student, on Shueisha's "Deluxe Margaret" magazine. Tada's stories belong to the shōjo genre of manga and fea ...
. ''Itazura na Kiss'' was first serialized and published in 1990 by
Shueisha
(lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
through ''
Bessatsu Margaret
, or for short, is a shōjo manga magazine published monthly in Japan by Shueisha since 1964.
Serializations
Current
*''Fujishiro-san Kei'' – Yuki Nojin
*'' Ima Koi: Now I'm in Love'' – Ayuko Hatta
*''My Special One'' – Momoko Kōda
*'' ...
'' magazine. It became successful very quickly and became the manga series that Tada became known for in Japan. The manga became so popular that three live TV series have been made so far in 1996, 2005, and 2010, with a sequel of the 2005 drama in late 2007. In 2013, a remake of the Japanese live TV series, called ''Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo'', was made. Despite its success, the manga was never completed due to the unexpected death of the author in a house accident while she was moving to another house with her husband and son. However, the manga series continues to be published with the permission of the artist's widower.
A drama CD series was released in 2005–2006 and a 25-episode
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
adaptation aired in 2008. In an interview, the author's widower, Shigeru Nishikawa, revealed that the manga's intended finale was to be conceptualized in the anime for the first time. Scripts regarding the plot of the anime closely followed the author's planned ending.
On January 27, 2009, Digital Manga Publishing issued a press release announcing the acquisition of the license to publish ''Itazura na Kiss'' in English. They published the series in 12
omnibus edition
An omnibus edition or omnibus is a creative work containing one or more works by the same or, more rarely, different authors. Commonly two or more components have been previously published as books but a collection of shorter works, or shorter wor ...
s; the first two were scheduled for November 2009 and March 2010, respectively.
The last two volumes were available in their Akadot Retail store. The manga is also available through
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Kindle is a series of e-readers designed and marketed by Amazon. Amazon Kindle devices enable users to browse, buy, download, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines and other digital media via wireless networking to the Kindle Store. ...
and
BookWalker
, stylized as Book☆Walker, is a Japanese e-book store that sells manga, light novels, and magazines from various publishers, as well as a few published by themselves. It is based in Chiyoda, Tokyo and was created by Kadokawa Corporation. The c ...
.
The series was recently adapted into three
live-action
Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...
films.
Plot
In this romantic comedy story, a dim witted high school girl named Kotoko Aihara finally confesses her romantic feelings to a fellow senior named Naoki that she has been infatuated with from afar since she saw him on their first day of high school. However, Naoki, a hottie "super-''
ikemen
The term is a portmanteau neologism derived from the Japanese words (いける) or and (メンズ). and mean "cool", "good" and "exciting", while is the Japanization of "men". This term has been
used to reference good looking men feature ...
''" (handsome male) who is smart and good at sports, rejects her offhand. Fate intervenes when a mild earthquake ruins Kotoko's family house. While the house is rebuilt, Kotoko and her father stay at the home of her father's childhood best friend, whose son is revealed to be Naoki. Naoki eventually falls for Kotoko despite her clingy ways and childish behavior and starts to have romantic, protective feelings for her.
Characters
Main
* (; Portrayed by:
Aiko Sato,
Honoka Miki
, formerly known as Honoka Miki, is a Japanese actress, fashion model and voice actress. Yahagi is best known for her role as Kotoko Aihara in '' Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo'' and its sequel ''Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in Okinawa'' as Kotoko I ...
in the 2013 remake, Reina Visa in the 2016 film) is a high school girl who has been in love with the handsome and intelligent Naoki Irie since their first year in high school after hearing his speech at the opening ceremony. She is a bit ditzy and a below-average student, being placed in the lowest-ranking class F in her year. During her third year, at the start of the series, she writes a
love letter
A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings.
History
One of the oldest references to a lo ...
to Naoki, but is rejected right away. On the same day as her confession, Kotoko's newly constructed house is destroyed in a mild earthquake; and she discovers that she and her father would be living in the house of her father's close friend, but that the father's son is Naoki. She still feels bullied and disparaged by Naoki, but when she sees he is warming up to her, she gets feelings of love for him again. Naoki later realizes that he is in love with Kotoko and confesses to her, and the couple marry in their second year of college (the third year in the manga version). Kotoko is known as Kotoko Irie onwards. After coming back from her honeymoon with Naoki, Kotoko decides to become a nurse, so that she could be a wife fit for Naoki. After several years of marriage, Kotoko has a daughter with Naoki named Kotomi.
* (; Portrayed by: Takashi Kashiwabara,
Yuki Furukawa
is a Japanese actor, supermodel, guitarist and break dancer. He gained popularity as Naoki Irie in the 2013 television series '' Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo'' and its sequel, ''Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in Okinawa''.
Personal life
Furukawa wa ...
in the 2013 remake,
Kanta Sato in the 2016 film) is the smartest and most handsome guy in his high school. He is rumored to have an IQ of 200, and is praised by his peers as being perfect all around. He receives a love letter from Kotoko, but rejects her before she finishes confessing, explaining that he despises "dumb girls." When Kotoko and her father move in with Naoki and his father, he gives Kotoko many hardships and maintains a rather cold attitude towards her, although he gradually warms up to her, because he believed that the trouble she caused made his mundane life more interesting. Though Naoki's grades allow for him to attend any university of his choosing, he eventually decides to attend the same college as Kotoko. After his wedding to Kotoko, Naoki becomes a doctor.
Family members
* (, Portrayed by: Takashi Naitou,
Yoji Tanaka in the 2013 remake) is Kotoko's widowed father. He is the chef and owner of a restaurant. When Shigeo and Kotoko's house collapses from an earthquake, his close friend Shigeki immediately invites them to live at his home. Shigeo later makes Kinosuke his apprentice.
* () is the father of Naoki and Yuuki, and the close friend of Shigeo. He is the president of a gaming company, thus enabling his family to have a wealthy lifestyle. Shigeki originally pressured Naoki to become his successor, but relents after seeing Naoki's passion for medicine. Yuuki later offers to become his successor.
* () is Naoki and Yuuki's mother, and eventually Kotoko's mother-in-law. She loves Kotoko very much, and was the first person to suggest that Naoki and Kotoko date.
* (, Portrayed by: Ryotaro Akashi, Yuga Aizawa in the 2013 remake) is the brother of Naoki. He really looks up to his older especially because of his strong composure during situations and the fact that he can do anything. In the beginning he openly hated Kotoko, but as she spent more time with his family he grew used to her but openly insults. At first he never believed his brother would ever fall for Kotoko until he saw his brother kiss Kotoko secretly while she was sleeping and promised not to tell anyone. But when Naoki almost married Sahoko (in the anime adaptation Chris is engaged to Naoki instead), he questioned him about whether he really wants to marry her and let Kotoko go.
* () is Naoki and Kotoko's daughter. She constantly fights for Naoki's affection with Kotoko much to her mother's dismay, in which Naoki favors Kotomi over his wife. Kotomi has a father complex and tells Naoki that she wants to marry him when she grows up. However, Naoki replies that he cannot because he already belongs to her mother.
* is Naoki's and Yuuki's cousin. She moved to America five years ago. When she comes back, she tries to break Naoki and Kotoko apart but eventually fails when Kotoko declare she would never gone to America and that Rika would never able love Naoki as much as she does and Naoki choose Kotoko over Rika because of Kotoko's presistance and love for him. She also turns out to be Naoki's first kiss, but it was against his wishes. She appeared in the Korean adaptation's special in
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
Classmates
* (, Portrayed by: Sakura Uehara, Nanami Fujimoto in the 2013 remake, Atsuki Tomori) is one of Kotoko's best friends, who belonged in the F-class with Kotoko. She eventually attends the same university as Kotoko as well.
* (, Portrayed by Tomomi Miyauchi,
Kasumi Yamaya
is a Japanese actress and model who is affiliated with Avex Vanguard. She played the role of List of Shuriken Sentai Ninninger characters#Kasumi Momochi, Kasumi Momochi (Momo Ninger) in the 2015 Super Sentai TV series, ''Shuriken Sentai Ninning ...
in the 2013 remake,
Nonoka Yamaguchi
Nonoka Yamaguchi (山口乃々華, ''Yamaguchi Nonoka'', born March 8, 1998) is a Japanese dancer, actress and model. She is a former member of J-Pop group E-girls and represented with LDH.
Early life
Yamaguchi was born on March 8, 1998 in Sai ...
) is one of Kotoko's best friends. She gets married after she gets pregnant and has a daughter named Kiseki, who seems to be very attached to Yuuki.
* (, Portrayed by: Shinsuke Aoki,
Yuki Yamada in the 2013 remake, Shimon Okura) nicknamed Kin, is the guy who has liked Kotoko ever since high school and did not give up until Naoki confessed that he was emotionally involved with her as well. After a year, he meets Christine and marries her, thus ending his devotion to Kotoko. However, he and Kotoko retain their friendship.
* () is Kotoko and Naoki's
senpai in college and the school's tennis captain. He has liked Reiko since meeting her, but has not been successful in winning her heart. In the anime, however, he is shown to have married her in Episode 24. Kotoko describes him as someone who has a
dual personality. He is very kind when he is not holding the tennis racquet, but once he holds it, he becomes vicious and competitive (most especially to Naoki, but he always loses to him).
* is one of Kotoko's few admirers. He met her in college and tried to date her, but eventually fell for Ayako, Reiko's little sister.
* ( in the anime) (; Portrayed by: Maju Ozawa and
Kanna Mori
is a Japanese actress. She is best known as Natsumi Hikari, the female lead in the ''Kamen Rider Decade'' television series and films.
She worked under the stage name from June 2017 to June 2021.
Personal life
On July 1, 2021, Mori announced h ...
in the 2013 remake) is one of Naoki's many love trials. She has been interested in him since before college, but decides to give up after Kotoko and Naoki get married. After graduation, she starts to work for a computer company.
* shares the same personality as Kotoko; both are as naïve and caring. She has liked Yuuki since junior high, but he refused to be her friend. After a while, Yuuki has a change of heart.
* is one of Kotoko's classmates in nursing school. He is very passionate about nursing and can therefore be very fierce if things do not go right. Naoki was jealous because of Keita and Kotoko's relationship. Keita liked Kotoko once, but after he realized how much Kotoko and Naoki loved each other, he gave up. Finally, he met the handicapped Akiko during training and fell for her.
* is Kotoko's classmate in nursing school. He is born a boy, but prefers to be a girl. Of all the guys that Kotoko knows, he is the most girly one. He is the president of Naoki's fan club.
* is Kotoko's classmate in nursing school. She is sweet and kind and gentle like an angel, but is also crazy about seeing blood, which makes her somewhat scary.
* is Kotoko's classmate in nursing school. She went to study nursing to marry a doctor. Eventually, she becomes involved with Funetsu, although she keeps trying to get close to other guys.
* is Naoki's rival in medical school. He always tried to beat him, but never succeeded once as Naoki was always the smarter one. He claimed that he did not like to date, but eventually fell in love with Kotoko's classmate, Marina.
Other characters
* () is a foreign exchange student from the United Kingdom who has gone to Japan to find a Japanese boyfriend. She falls for Kin, and manages to win his heart and marries him. She is then known as Christine Ikezawa and has several children with Kin after their marriage. In the anime adaptation, she is the daughter of the bank involved with Naoki's father's company. Sahoko does not appear and Chris is the one Naoki casually dates.
* () is the little sister of Reiko. She liked Naoki at first, but eventually fell for Kotoko's admirer; Takendo.
* is the granddaughter of an old CEO of a successful company. She was arranged to marry Naoki to help fix his father's company's problems. But when she understood that he was in love with Kotoko, she gave up. In the anime adaptation, she does not appear at all and Chris is the one who dates Naoki.
* () is a handicapped patient that Keita was assigned to take care of when he went on an internship. During that time, the two of them fell for each other. Because she lost faith in herself, she stopped trying to walk. However, after an unexpected fright from Kotoko, she walks again.
* is an 80-year-old lady which is picky and gives nurses problems especially towards Kotoko. She was looked after by Kotoko, and eventually realises that Kotoko is a hard worker and gives her less of a hard time.
* is Satomi's rich boyfriend and later husband. Because he is a very obedient boy, he had a hard time defying his mother who was against his marriage with Satomi, but after a little support from Kotoko, decides to follow his heart.
* became Yuuki's friend when he went to the hospital. This boy has a kidney problem and was unable to live with his parents. Years later, he reappears as a young and famous actor. His parents have divorced, both remarried. He moved out after his father had a baby with his new wife. He appears to have given up on life, until Kotoko and Naoki give him hope again. Kotoko offers him hope and he turns into a kinder person.
Adaptations
TV dramas
In 1996, ''Itazura na Kiss'' was first adapted into a
Japanese television drama
, also called , are television programs that are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, jidaigeki, thriller ...
of the same title, which ran from October 14 to December 16, 1996, for 9 episodes every Monday at 20:00 until 21:00
JST. This version did not cover Kotoko's and Naoki's married life.
In 2005, it was adapted into two Taiwanese dramas, ''
It Started with a Kiss'' and its sequel ''
They Kiss Again
''They Kiss Again'' () is a 2007 Taiwanese television series starring Joe Cheng, Ariel Lin, Jiro Wang and Danson Tang. It is the sequel to '' It Started with a Kiss'' which is based on the Japanese manga series ''Itazura na Kiss'' (イタズラ ...
'', both starring
Ariel Lin
Ariel Lin Yi-chen (; born 29 October 1982) is a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese actress and singer. She rose to fame for her role as Yuan Xiangqin in the Taiwanese drama ''It Started with a Kiss (TV series), It Started with a Kiss'' (2005) and the Chi ...
as not-so-bright Yuan Xiang-qin and
Joe Cheng
Joseph Cheng, () (born 19 June 1982) is a Taiwanese model, actor and singer. Although he started his career as a model, Cheng is well known for his role as Jiang Zhishu in Taiwanese drama serial version of Japanese manga ''Itazura Na Kiss'', '' ...
as the genius Jiang Zhi-shu.
In 2010, it was adapted into a South Korean drama series, ''
Playful Kiss
''Playful Kiss'' (; (also known as ''Mischievous Kiss'' or ''Naughty Kiss'') is a 2010 South Korean romantic-comedy television series, starring Jung So-min and Kim Hyun-joong. It aired on MBC from September 1 to October 21, 2010 on Wednesdays ...
'', starring
Kim Hyun-joong
Kim Hyun-joong (; born June 6, 1986) is a South Korean actor, singer and songwriter. He is a member of the boy band SS501 and played roles in the Korean dramas '' Boys Over Flowers'' and ''Playful Kiss''.
After debuting with SS501 in 2005, K ...
of
SS501
SS501 is a South Korean boy band consisting of five members: Kim Hyun-joong, Heo Young-saeng, Kim Kyu-jong, Park Jung-min and Kim Hyung-jun. They debuted in 2005 with the EP ''Warning'', which included their first number one song, "Never Again ...
as the perfectionist Baek Seung-jo and
Jung So-min
Jung So-min (; born Kim Yoon-ji on March 16, 1989) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 2010 with a supporting role in the television series ''Bad Guy''. She is known for her leading role in her 2010 TV series ''Playful Kiss'', ...
as the clumsy Oh Ha-ni. The series consisted of 16 TV episodes and 7
webisode
A webisode (portmanteau of "web" and "episode") is an episode of a series that is distributed as part of a web series or on streaming television. It is available as either for download or in streaming, as opposed to first airing on broadcast or c ...
s.
In 2013, a second Japanese live-action adaptation aired on
Fuji TV
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...
under the title ''
Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo''. It starred
Miki Honoka
, formerly known as Honoka Miki, is a Japanese actress, fashion model and voice actress. Yahagi is best known for her role as Kotoko Aihara in '' Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo'' and its sequel ''Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in Okinawa'' as Kotoko I ...
as Kotoko Aihara and
Yuki Furukawa
is a Japanese actor, supermodel, guitarist and break dancer. He gained popularity as Naoki Irie in the 2013 television series '' Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo'' and its sequel, ''Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in Okinawa''.
Personal life
Furukawa wa ...
as Naoki Irie.
At the end of 2014, the sequel ''Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in Okinawa'' was aired, with both lead actors reprising their roles. The second season ended in March 2015.
In 2015, it was adapted into a Thai drama series, ''Kiss Me'' (รักล้นใจนายแกล้งจุ๊บ). It starred
Pirath Nitipaisankul and
Sushar Manaying
Sushar Manaying ( th, สุชาร์ มานะยิ่ง; ; ; born January 9, 1988) is a Thai actress and singer.
Sushar achieved widespread fame in Asia, especially China, for her leading role in the 2010 movie ''Yes or No''.
Names
...
, and it aired on
True4U
True4U is a Thai digital terrestrial television channel owned by True4U Station Company Limited, a subsidiary of True Corporation. It was broadcasting news, entertainment and sport programs. True4U is broadcasting on Thailand digital television pl ...
.
In 2016, it was adapted into a second Taiwanese drama, ''Miss in Kiss'', starring Esther Wu as Xiang Yue-qin and
Dino Lee
Dino Lee (born Lee Yu-hsi () on 31 March 1993), also known as Lee Yuk-Sai, is a Taiwanese singer, composer, musician and actor. He is known for his role as Ouyang Feifan in the 2015 film ''Our Times
''Our Times'' (, literally "The Time of My M ...
as Jiang Zhi-shu. 39 episodes (20–30 minutes each) were broadcast from December 8, 2016 to March 24, 2017. The Japanese-dubbed version of the drama was released in mid-2017.
Anime
''Itazura na Kiss'' was adapted into a 25 episode
Japanese animated TV series by
TMS Entertainment
, formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946.
TMS is one of the oldest and most famous anime studios in Japan, best known for numerous anime franchises such as ''Lupin the Third'', ...
and shown on
TBS from April 4, 2008 to September 25, 2008. The opening theme was "Kimi, Meguru, Boku" by
Motohiro Hata
is a Japanese singer-songwriter. He debuted under the major label BMG Japan in 2006 with the single .
Early life and career
Hata is the youngest of three brothers. He moved to Yokohama when he was 2. He began playing the guitar at age 3, a ...
, and the primary ending themes were "Kataomoi Fighter" by
GO!GO!7188
GO!GO!7188 (Go Go Nana Ichi Hachi Hachi), also known simply as Gogo, was a Japanese rock band with influences spanning from surf rock to punk rock to enka.
History
In June 1998, Yumi Nakashima (nicknamed Yuu) and Akiko Hamada (nicknamed Akko ...
and "Jikan yo Tomare (Stop Time)" by
Azu featuring
Seamo
is a Japanese hip hop recording artist better known by his stage name Seamo (シーモ ''Shīmo''). He made his debut in 2004 using the alias , but later changed his name to Seamo. He made his solo debut in 2005 with the Japanese record label ...
.
Discotek Media
Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retro titles fr ...
licensed the animated series for Northern America and released it out on DVD in late 2014.
Films
*''Mischievous Kiss the Movie: High School'' (2016)
*''Mischievous Kiss the Movie 2: Campus'' (2017)
*''Mischievous Kiss the Movie 3: Propose'' (2017)
*''
Fall in Love at First Kiss
''Fall in Love at First Kiss'' () is a 2019 Chinese–Taiwanese romantic comedy film directed by Frankie Chen. It is based on the manga series ''Itazura na Kiss'' and stars Lin Yun as Yuan Xiangqin, a regular schoolgirl from the F class, and Darr ...
'' (2019), a Taiwanese film adaptation starring
Lin Yun
Lin Yun (, born April 16, 1996), also known by her English name Jelly Lin, is a Chinese actress. She is known for her role as the female lead in the 2016 film '' The Mermaid''.
Biography
Lin was born Fei Xia () in Huzhou, Zhejiang, on April 16, 1 ...
as Yuan Xiangqin and
Darren Wang
Darren Wang Talu (; born May 29, 1991) is a Taiwanese actor. He is best known for his breakout role as Hsu Tai-yu in the coming-of-age film, '' Our Times''.
Career
Wang made his debut in the 2008 drama series ''Mysterious Incredible Terminator' ...
as Jiang Zhishu. The OST features Liu Renyu's "Proof of Heartbeat".
References
External links
Official ''Itazura na Kiss'' (TV anime) website
*
*
*
*
{{TMS Entertainment
1996 Japanese television series debuts
Anime series based on manga
Digital Manga Publishing titles
Discotek Media
Japanese drama television series
Live-action films based on manga
Manga adapted into films
Manga adapted into television series
Marriage in anime and manga
Romance anime and manga
School life in anime and manga
Shōjo manga
Shueisha franchises
Shueisha manga
TMS Entertainment
TBS Television (Japan) original programming
TV Asahi original programming