Itazura na Kiss
Encyclopedia
is a popular shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Kaoru Tada
. Itazura na Kiss began to be serialized and published in 1991 by Shueisha
through Margaret 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. 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 late artist's husband.
A drama CD series was released in 2005–2006 and a 25 episode anime adaptation aired in 2008. In an interview, the late author's husband, 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 late 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 will be publishing the series in 12 omnibus editions; the first two are scheduled for November 2009 and March 2010, respectively.
In 2005, it was adapted into two Taiwanese dramas, It Started With a Kiss
and its sequel They Kiss Again, both starring Ariel Lin
as not-so-bright Yuan Xiang Qin and Joe Cheng
as the genius Jiang Zhi Shu.
In 2010, it was adapted into a South Korean series, Playful Kiss
starring Kim Hyun Joong
of SS501 as perfectionist Baek Seung Jo and Jung So Min
as clumsy Oh Ha Ni.
Philippines will be making their own version of this manga which will be released by ABS-CBN
. The Lead stars of the said remake will be Fretzie Bercede and Paolo Avelino.
from April 4, 2008 to September 25, 2008. The opening theme was "Kimi, Meguru, Boku" by Motohiro Hata
, and the primary ending themes were "Kataomoi Fighter" by GO!GO!7188 and "Jikan yo Tomare (Stop Time)" by Azu
featuring Seamo
.
Kaoru Tada
, 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 feature love stories centred around young female characters and their love interests...
. Itazura na Kiss began to be serialized and published in 1991 by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
through Margaret Magazine
Margaret (magazine)
is a biweekly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha, primarily for girls from 11 to 15 years old, although some stories are read by adult women. It was first released as a weekly magazine in 1963. In 2009, the circulation was 154,584...
. 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. 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 late artist's husband.
A drama CD series was released in 2005–2006 and a 25 episode anime adaptation aired in 2008. In an interview, the late author's husband, 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 late 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 will be publishing the series in 12 omnibus editions; the first two are scheduled for November 2009 and March 2010, respectively.
Plot
In the romantic comedy story, a high school girl named Kotoko finally tells a fellow senior named Naoki that she has loved him from afar since she saw him on their first day of high school. However, Naoki, a hottie "super-ikemen" (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 gets rebuilt, Kotoko and her dad stay at the home of her dad's childhood friend...whose son is Naoki. Naoki eventually falls for Kotoko and started to have romantic, protective feelings for her.Main
- Kotoko Aihara (相原 琴子 Aihara Kotoko; Seiyū in drama CD and anime: Nana MizukiNana Mizukiis a popular Japanese singer-songwriter and voice actress. She was born and raised in Niihama, Ehime, Japan, Mizuki was trained as an enka singer. She made her debut as a voice actress in 1998; however, she released her debut single "Omoi", under the King Records label on December 6, 2000...
; Actress in TV Drama: Aiko SatoAiko Satois a female Japanese judoka. She won the gold medal in the lightweight division at the 2011 World Judo Championships.-External links:* at the judoinside.com....
) - The female lead. She 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. After their new poorly constructed house was destroyed in a mild earthquake, she and her father moved into the Irie household, her father being a very close school friend of Naoki's father. It is eventually revealed that Naoki has also been in love with her. Kotoko is not very smart, having been in Class F all through high school (Class F is the lowest) and a low status department at her university. She is however very spirited. She usually ends up in trouble and Naoki always saves her. After coming back from her honeymoon with Naoki, Kotoko decides to become a nurse, so that she could work alongside him.
- Naoki Irie (入江 直樹 Irie Naoki; Seiyū in drama CD: Daisuke NamikawaDaisuke Namikawais a Japanese voice actor who is affiliated with Across Entertainment.He started acting in 1984. He is sometimes mistaken for fellow voice actor Daisuke Hirakawa, as their names only differ by one character when written in kanji. Despite his wide range of voice casting, he is usually cast as young,...
; Seiyū in anime: Daisuke HirakawaDaisuke Hirakawais a Japanese voice actor. He is sometimes mistaken for fellow voice actor Daisuke Namikawa, as their names only differ by one character when written in kanji. He is the official Japanese voice actor for Orlando Bloom. For some roles, he is also known as Hirai Tatsuya.- Career :At first, as he...
; Actor In TV Drama: Takashi Kashiwabara) - The male lead, and the eventual husband of Kotoko. He had no goal in his life. But later, because of Kotoko's encouragement and advice, he decides to become a doctor. He is considered very cold, having an IQ of 200 and always being number 1 in all exams. He is also a very good cook and an excellent tennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player. It was revealed that he has also been in love with Kotoko, showing this by kissing her.
The Family
- Kotomi Irie (Seiyū in anime: Tomoko KanedaTomoko Kanedais a Japanese voice actress, J-Pop singer, and radio personality who was born in Yokohama, Japan. She had worked at Aoni Production for 11 years, and had worked at freelance since April 2011, and it was announced to belong to Across Entertainment in August 2011. She graduated from Department of...
) is Naoki and Kotoko's daughter. She was born in episode 24 of the anime, and does not appear in the manga. She inherits Naoki's intelligence, but Kotoko's looks and personality. She tends to compete with Kotoko for her father's attention (winning most of the time), and has a strong father complexFather complexFather complex in psychology is a complex - a group of unconscious associations, or a strong unconscious impulses - which specifically pertains to the image or archetype of the father...
. - Yuuki Irie (入江 裕樹 Irie Yuki; Seiyū in drama CD: Mayumi TanakaMayumi Tanakais a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo currently affiliated with Aoni Production.She is best known for the roles of Ryuunosuke Fujinami in Urusei Yatsura, Pazu in Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece, Krillin, Yajirobe and Uranai Baba in Dragon Ball...
; Seiyū in anime: Romi Park; Actor in TV Drama: Ryotaro Akashi) - Naoki's younger brother. He didn't like Kotoko at first, but eventually learns to accept her for who she is. Although he hides his acceptance by continuing to bully her. Yuuki was the first person to figure out Naoki was in love with Kotoko, after seeing him kiss her while she was asleep. He starts to go out with Konomi, a girl with a similar personality to Kotoko, when he is in middle school. His goal is to inherit his father's company. - Machiko Irie (入江 紀子 Noriko in anime) (Irie Machiko; Seiyū in anime: Naoko MatsuiNaoko Matsuiis a Japanese voice actress from Hakodate. Matsui was a member of Production Baobab for 20 years before becoming a freelancer. She is also a voice acting instructor....
; Actress in TV Drama: Miyoko AsadaMiyoko Asadais a Japanese actress. She is a former pop idol.-Singles:-Filmography:*Ai no Rukeichi *Red Whale, White Snake *Otoshimono *Tsuribaka Nisshi 17 *Saga no Gabai-baachan *Tsuribaka Nisshi 16 *Gin no enzeru...
) is Naoki's super-controlling and naïve mother. She often makes plans that only she thinks are good for her children, including finding love for them. She uses various disguises during the anime to spy on her children. She believed that she was a 'matchmaker' for Naoki and Kotoko.She has always taken pictures of Irie's and Kotoko's dates often ruining the mood between the two. - Shigeki Irie (Masaki in TV Drama) (入江 重樹 Irie Shigeki; Seiyū in anime: Takashi NagasakoTakashi Nagasakois a Japanese voice actor from Wakayama Prefecture who works at Arts Vision.- Anime :* Mobile Suit Gundam: The Movie Trilogy , Mayer* Fencer of Minerva , Teo* New Cutey Honey , Caeser , Leader...
; Actor in TV Drama: Yuu Tokui) is Naoki's father, he manages a toy company. He once had a heart attack after hearing that Naoki did not want to inherit his company, but in the end he accepted the fact Naoki wanted to become a doctor. - Shigeo Aihara (相原重雄 Aihara Shigeo; Seiyū in anime: Bin ShimadaBin Shimadais a Japanese voice actor. He is currently affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production.-References:* Nakagami, Yoshikatsu et al. "You're Under Arrest: Full Throttle". Newtype USA. pp. 48–49.-External links:...
; Actor in TV Drama: Takashi Naitou) is Kotoko's father. He owns a restaurant and has been Kinnosuke's teacher and boss for years. He raised Kotoko alone since his wife died many years ago. - Chibi (Tiny) (小小) is the family's dog. In the manga, Chibi was given to Yuki as a gift from his classmate. However, in the anime Chibi belongs to Sudou-senpai and is a watchdog for his villa.
Female
- Jinko Komori (小森 じん子) is one of Kotoko's best friends. She is a tomboyTomboyA tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
, and dates a musician. - Satomi Ishikawa (石川 理美) 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.
- Reiko Matsumoto (Yuuko in the anime) (松本 裕子 Matsumoto Reiko; Seiyū in drama CD: Akiko KimuraAkiko Kimurais a Japanese voice actress.-Anime:*Basara *Ceres, The Celestial Legend*Corrector Yui *Get Backers *Happy Lesson *Hunter × Hunter ...
; Actress in TV Drama: Maju Ozawa) 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. - Ayako Matsumoto (松本 綾子 Matsumoto Ayako; Seiyū in drama CD: Yu AsakawaYu Asakawa, is a popular Japanese voice actress from Tokyo. She is also a singer, both solo and with the Hinata Girls. She also provides the voice samples for the Crypton Future Media's third Vocaloid 2 era Vocaloid, Megurine Luka. Asakawa is currently affiliated with Arts Vision...
) is the little sister of Reiko. She liked Naoki at first, but eventually fell for Kotoko's admirer; Takendo. - Konomi (好美) 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.
- Sasuiko 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.
- Tomoko Ogura (小倉 智子) 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.
- Marina Shinagawa (品川 真理奈) 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.
- Christine "Chris" Robbins is a foreign exchange student from the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
who has gone to Japan to find a Japanese boyfriend. She falls for Kinnosuke, and after a long dedication finally wins his heart. In the anime adaptation, she is the daughter of the bank involved with Naoki's father's company. Sasuiko does not appear and Chris is the one Naoki casually dates. She is voiced by Yūko GotōYuko Gotois a Japanese voice actress who works for Production Baobab. In direct contrast to her cute-and-vulnerable moé typecasting, Yūko in real life is a devotee of biker culture who dresses and acts as such when not working, right down to her motorcycle... - Rika 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. 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 YOUTUBEYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. - Akiko (秋子) 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.
- Yoshida-san is an 80 year-old lady which is picky and gives nurses problems especially towards Kotoko. She was looked after by Kotoko and Yoshida-san loves Naoki. She eventually realises that Kotoko is a hard worker and gives her less of a hard time.
Male
- Kinnosuke Ikezawa (池澤 金之助 Ikezawa Kinnosuke; Seiyū in anime: Shuuhei Sakaguchi; Actor in TV Drama: Shinsuke Aoki) is the guy who has liked Kotoko ever since high school and didn't 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.
- Sudou (須藤; Seiyū in drama CD: Mitsuo IwataMitsuo IwataMitsuo Iwata is a seiyū who was born in Tokorozawa, Saitama. He is married to fellow seiyū Rikako Aikawa. Mania.com praised him as "truly one of the greatest seiyū". Otakunews.com complimented him for the role of Tetsuya from Outlanders...
) has liked Reiko since college, but hasn't been successful in winning her heart in the Manga.In the Anime he is shown to have married Matsumoto in Episode 24. Kotoko describes him as someone who has a dual personality. He is very kind when he's not holding the tennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
racquet, but once he holds it, he becomes vicious and competitive (most especially to Naoki, but he always loses to him). - Takendo Nakagawa (中川 武人) 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.
- Ryo Takamiya (高宮 良) 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.
- Keita Kamogari (鴨狩 啓太) is one of Kotoko's classmates in nursing school. He is very passionate about nursing and can therefore be very fierce if things don't go right. Naoki was jealous because of Keita's 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.
- Kikyou Motoki (桔梗 幹) (Motoki in the anime) 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.
- Funetsu (船津) is Naoki's rival in medical school. He tried to beat him since ever, but never once succeeded as Naoki was always the smarter one. He claimed that he didn't like to date, but eventually fell in love with Kotoko's classmate, Marina.
- Nobuhiro Kimura (阿諾 Non-chan in anime) 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 singer known as Nobuhiro. 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.
TV dramas
In 1996, Itazura na Kiss was first adapted into a Japanese live-action TV drama, also titled Itazura na Kiss, which ran from October to December 1996 for 9 episodes. 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
It Started with a Kiss (TV series)
It Started with a Kiss is a Taiwanese drama starring Joe Cheng, Ariel Lin and Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit. It was based on the first 10 volumes of the Japanese manga series Itazura na Kiss written by Kaoru Tada...
and its sequel They Kiss Again, both starring Ariel Lin
Ariel Lin
Ariel Lin |Hakka]]: Lim2 Yi3 Sen2) was born 29 October 1982. She is a Taiwanese actress and singer, who won Best Leading Actress in a Television Series at the 43rd Golden Bell Awards...
as not-so-bright Yuan Xiang Qin and Joe Cheng
Joe Cheng
Joseph Cheng, also known as Joe Cheng, was born on 19 June 1982. He 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, It Started with a Kiss...
as the genius Jiang Zhi Shu.
In 2010, it was adapted into a South Korean series, Playful Kiss
Playful Kiss
Playful Kiss is a South Korean drama that is based on the popular Japanese manga Itazura Na Kiss by Tada Kaoru. The show stars Jung So Min as Oh Ha Ni and Kim Hyun Joong as Baek Seung Jo. It aired from September 1, 2010 till October 21, 2010 and had a total of 16 episodes. On November 2, 2010, a 7...
starring Kim Hyun Joong
Kim Hyun Joong
Kim Hyun Joong was born on 6 June 1986. He is a South Korean entertainer and the leader of boyband SS501. Kim is well-known for his role as Yoon Ji Hoo in the 2009 Korean drama Boys Over Flowers, winning Best Actor Award at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2009 and Popularity Award at the 45th...
of SS501 as perfectionist Baek Seung Jo and Jung So Min
Jung So Min
Jung So Min, born Kim Yoon Ji, is a South Korean actress who is known for starring in the role of Hong Mo-nae on the SBS drama Bad Guy. She is the leading lady of the MBC drama Playful Kiss, alongside with Kim Hyun Joong....
as clumsy Oh Ha Ni.
Philippines will be making their own version of this manga which will be released by ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN
ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
. The Lead stars of the said remake will be Fretzie Bercede and Paolo Avelino.
Anime
Itazura na Kiss was adapted into a 25 episode anime by TMS Entertainment and shown on TBSTokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
from April 4, 2008 to September 25, 2008. The opening theme was "Kimi, Meguru, Boku" by Motohiro Hata
Motohiro Hata
is a Japanese singer-songwriter. He debuted under the major label BMG Japan in 2006 with the single .- Biography :Hata is the youngest of three brothers. He moved to Yokohama when he was 2. He began playing guitar at 3, after his eldest brother got 3,000 yen from a friend...
, and the primary ending themes were "Kataomoi Fighter" by GO!GO!7188 and "Jikan yo Tomare (Stop Time)" by Azu
Azu
Azu is a Japanese R&B singer. She is well known for her collaborations with rapper Seamo, such as her first major release, the leading track from Seamo's second album Live Goes On, "Kokoro no Koe."-Biography:...
featuring Seamo
SEAMO
is a Japanese rapper and hip-hop artist better known under his alias Seamo . 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 BMG Japan with the single...
.