Anime
How to Not Enjoy Itazura na Kiss
Months after my very first fangirl rave-filled ItaKiss post, and I rise from the depths of the grave with my now burning hatred for this show.
Apologies in advance to those who will be offended by this post. I know I’m taking this too seriously for my own good, but I just can’t help it. Incoherent ranting ahead!
Why you ask? Coz she’s obviously “in love”~
You know Kotoko, you should’ve asked that wayyyyy back when Naoki proposed to you.
My gripe with ItaKiss throughout the 19 episodes I watched, is nothing else but Kotoko, the only character in the show with less than 0 development, IMO. I watched more than 2/3 of the series, and still she remains as stupid, and as hopelessly and blindly in love with Naoki~ Well yes she realized how foolish she was for holding on to her one-sided love thanks to Keita’s blunt words, but DUH, that was something she should’ve asked herself wayyyy before the marriage. “Just being able to look at him (Naoki) is enough~”, is what Kotoko had in mind before and after marrying Naoki, and what do we call this again? TRUE LOVE? Total bullcrap, I say.
Can you blame Naoki for becoming THIS confident?
Most people agree that Naoki is an ass, that’s a fact. But one of the very reasons why Naoki continues to act as tsuntsun and as asshole as he is, is because Kotoko tolerates it. Right from the start, after the outright rejection of Kotoko’s confession, till the time she moved into the Irie household, Naoki never lost his hold on baka Kotoko. That’s why he’s so confident that no matter what he does, no matter how he treats Kotoko, she’ll stay with him. He had her swaying right in the palm on his hand, right where he wants her, providing him entertainment with her hopelessly-in-love antics, or her Naoki-hate act which he can so easily see through. No one else would be as foolish as Kotoko to persevere through everything Naoki’s doing, without giving him the constant slap he needs for his character development.
Keita’s arrival in the scene shook Naoki’s confidence, for once he had a formidable rival! But, Kotoko never changed a bit.
Kotoko just gets what she deserves.
My Kotoko hate started with episode 9, if I remember correctly. I hated how she joined the tennis club, just for the shallow reason of wanting to stalk Naoki, spend time with him, and all that~ She’s disillusioned, and that episode clearly shows that.
Uh-huh. And still you went along with the unbelievable dream and agreed to the marriage without thinking of the consequences. Yeah right.
zomgz kisses galore! *sarcasm*
But more than that, I honestly can’t find any substance in Kotoko’s “love” for Naoki. Right from the start, her love was but shallow. Why did she like Naoki? Because he’s the “perfect man”, the envy of every woman. He’s got the looks and the brains, it just so happens that his character is spoiled rotten. Perhaps Kotoko wanted to prove the world that even a stupid normal girl like her can end up with someone like Naoki, who’s supposedly out of her reach. But has her love for him grew? She’s too blinded to even see the gradual change happening in the Tsunderella, and continues to hold on to her love based solely on superficial criteria. In Kotoko’s narrow mind, she is THE MAN. Who cares if he treats her like crap, that doesn’t matter! One kiss is all it takes to reaffirm his love for her, and make her forget how much of an ass Naoki is~ how romantic. NOT.
If it wasn’t for Kin-chan, Naoki wouldn’t have realized that he’s jealous orz.
Silly drama. I really have no sympathy for Kotoko anymore =.=’
On the bright side this actually shows how good-natured Kotoko is, because she’s not holding any grudge against Naoki despite EVERYTHING. But then this also means that she’s really stupid to let go of what Naoki has done to her throughout the years and treat it as nothing. Have you no respect for yourself, woman?! I would’ve liked it if Kotoko actually got to know Naoki better the more he becomes tsuntsun, like understand that the reason why he’s such a jerk is because he doesn’t know how to express himself well. But as episode 19 shows, Kin-chan has come to know Naoki way better than Kotoko.
I know I’m breaking many taboos here by juxtaposing this fictional romance comedy with RL love stuff, but I’ll go on anyways.
Oh gee, you think so, Kotoko???
People often say that being in love in unexplainable; it makes you lose sense of rationality. Ah the euphoria of love~ But you know what I think, love founded with reason, not just the pure emotional high “in love” state, is what will make a relationship stay solid and strong. I’ve often emphasized in my love rant posts that friendship is a strong pillar for romantic relationships, and I know I’m asking too much by wanting to see that kind of bond between Kotoko and Naoki. But at least, it would’ve been great to see them foster something close to that kind of relationship. It’s for this very reason that I can’t be happy for these two, even if they’re now expecting a baby or whatnot, it’s all just meh to me.
To push things further and all the more show how no fun I am, I’m gonna quote this from the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman:
Our most basic emotional need is not to fall in love but to be genuinely loved by another, to know that a love grows out of reason and choice, not instinct. I need to be loved by someone who chooses to love me, who sees in me something worth loving.
That kind of love requires effort and discipline. It is the choice to expand energy in an effort to benefit the other person, knowing that if his or her life is enriched by your effort, you too will find a sense of satisfaction – the satisfaction of having genuinely loved another. It does not require the euphoria of the “in love” experience. In fact, true love can not begin until the “in love” experience has run its course.
Unfortunately, Kotoko has yet to learn what having faith really means.
The anime is ending, but I don’t think Kotoko ever snapped out of her “in-love” state. She’s still immature as ever and gets all jealous when she sees Irie with another woman (I took a peek at episode 23). Sigh. She got married to a guy who’s constantly being flocked by women, she should’ve known that right from the start, and worked on her confidence so as to not be affected by the ‘rivals’ she perceive =.=; She still haven’t learned to have faith in Irie, up until this point. At this rate, I think it’s highly possible that Kotoko will even get jealous of her very own baby, especially if Naoki pampers him/her. Then she’ll start thinking, “How come Irie-kun isn’t that kind to me~” *boohoo* Ugh.
Call me no fun, but I think I’ve outgrown this kind of enjoyable-but-without-much-substance shoujo stuff. T__T; I partially blame my brother 
Phew, rant over. Now I can finally… rest. Comments, flames, negative reactions… are more than welcome >:)
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35 comments for “How to Not Enjoy Itazura na Kiss”
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You know as much as I love Itazura na Kiss, you are absolutely right about Kotoko. She’s annoyed me a lot too when I think about her after watching the episode (while watching it, I turn off my overactive thinking so I can just enjoy it).
If one thing bothers me about Itazura na Kiss it’s Kotoko being “in love” with Naoki. No real development there at all. The whole series was about Kotoko getting Naoki and their relationship after. It was just, “Kotoko loves Naoki” and that was that, even though the reasons were shallow.
Luckily, I’m able to ignore it and just let the anime make me feel whatever they want me to. It’s good that way.
hahaha… we’re on opposite routes. i couldn’t stand both naoki and kotoko at the first couple of episodes for the same reasons you hate it now. i seem to be so uptight about the whole thing. then i was like, “accept the fact that the flimsiest stuff will happen for the most weh reasons so just sit back and enjoy it.” only after episode 14 did i start enjoying the anime. suspension of disbelief.
There’s a part of me that agrees with you on Kotoko, that she is in essence, quite a weak character in terms of development and actually understanding her relationship with Irie.
There’s the other side of me though, that reluctantly has to relate to this poor wreck of a girl (who through the contrivances of shoujo magic does get what she wants, not that RL is ever that convenient) as much as I’d rather relate to someone with more strength of character (or develops such strength from a low point).
Kotoko has her shining moments (usually in the form of her bluntness), but they’re mixed in with a lot of the forehead-slap-inducing that makes her Kotoko, which would understandably irritate anyone. Sad to say, the reason I probably tolerate all that is because I’m very much a Kotoko in RL – when emotions take over, out goes reason out the window (that and a startlingly low maturity level).
Perhaps one day when I build the confidence to escape this sad state, I’ll learn to despise every bit of weakness I see reflected in Kotoko. But till then, I’m chanting “Zettai Happy ni Naru yo!”, partly to support a character I can’t bring myself to hate, and partly to cheer myself on as well =P
I love the show, but Kotoko is somewhat annoying. Even after having a kid with Naoki she never called him by his first name?
I know she’s supposed to be simple, sweet and loving but there is a limit to what I can take. I think never calling him by his first name shows she never ever grew up. She is still in that blind love phase. Naoki on the other hand went from complete bastard to loving husband and father. They did show how they changed each other, but really how much did he change her? Other then inspire her to follow him into medicine. She’s still the same 10+ years later. Though most would disagree with me that she was the weak link in the show.
I think part of the anime suffers from huge parts of the manga being cut out. After their huge fight they were back to fighting again in the anime, not so in the manga. It was a few years/months later that happened.
I try not to think too hard about the origin of Kotoko’s romance with Naoki, as it tends to irk me a bit as well. She’s taken with him because he’s handsome and smart, not that she actually connects with him on any level. Then even after they’re married the only thing she has to show for ‘real understanding’ of him is that he’s psychologically abusive on a regular basis. Pft.
I guess I do sort of turn off my mind when I watch this, it’s still interesting to watch our scrappy heroine rush headlong into the obstinate and romantically inept block that is Naoki.
Despite Kotoko’s annoying tendencies, the thing I give her props for is her determination. If I were her, I would never have lasted that long holding on to her feelings for Naoki. Character development is little, but I suppose the progress of the story is alright. Honestly, I just wanna know the ending. If it weren’t for the lots of lolz I have in watching this, I probably would’ve dropped it too. I do have my shallow moments, you know I enjoy lol’ing over SA too. xDD
in a way, I envy you guys for not being jaded like I am lol. Now I ruined the whole ItaKiss experience for me.
@FuyuMaiden: yeah, that’s good, makes you enjoy the show despite everything
@bianks: suspension of disbelief is the capability stripped away from me as I watch this show lol, and this is the result
@issa: nuuuuuu, I’m sure you’re much wiser than Kotoko D: You’re looking down on yourself too much
And I’m just a coldhearted bunny, so I managed to bash Kotoko like this x__x;
@anne: hmm, interesting bits you mention about the manga. Now I wonder if my hatred for Kotoko would’ve been less if I read it =O
@Nagato: that’s the problem with me, I think too much of the source of love… orz.
@hazy: I hate to admit it but I do get to lulz when watching. I just give in to my dark side more lol.
OMG THIS IS IT STARTED WITH A KISS THE TAIWANESE DRAMAR 0_0 I agree I hate the girl in the drama but omg ok you guys have to watch that drama here on mysoju.com Im serious I mean you have its different than what the manga is about
Yeah, there’s a lot cut out from the manga, but it’s really hard to read it because the art is so crappy.
Ironically Kotoko does show a bit of maturity in episode 24 when she has the baby. During labor Yuuko is rushed in and needs emergency surgery (I don’t know what for, I can’t follow Japanese medical jargon), and Naoki is the only doctor there who can do it (a WTF moment if ever). Rather than cry about Naoki not being there and whining that he should stay with her, she sucks it up and tells Naoki to do his best in the surgery, and she’ll do her best giving birth. It was a “finally!” moment, where Kotoko did what she needed to do.
OMG they married? I stopped watching when she left his house during college… then read something about him wanting to be a doctor. Mind spoiling me to what has happened since she left his house?
Although I do enjoy watching this show, it’s best not to think to deeply about it. Nothing is realistic, but i didn’t expect it to be. So i’ll let things “pass” even if it happened in real life I’d be raging
Nice angle on why Naoki’s a freaking iceman. Kotoko tolerates his coldness and still manages to love him with some ridiculous tunnel-vision, that’s why he has no reason to change.
My problem with this anime aside from Naoki is that it moves too fast. I’m not a fan of timeskips and sudden developments (instant wedding FTL) especially when you don’t flesh out characters and stories. 25 episodes covering 23 volumes of manga… this is lightning pace.
Ahh…
I agree with you and to FuyuMaiden’s comment.
Man~
I swear even if I like this anime coz it can be totally heart fluttering with all that romance and crap…
These two characters can be
quiteREALLY annoying. >_>Geez~
But, I learned that there’s nothing I can do to make myself feel better about how it’s going and all so I’m just letting it go and just enjoy the series the way it is. -shrugs-
It won’t kill me anyway. I won’t say this is a really great romance series, but it has some good in it, I suppose. =’o
I’m such a sucker for romance stories so, yea, I just keep on turning off my “common sense switch” when I watch this anime so as to not to get irritated by it. Hahaha~
InK is really one of series that you should just sit down and enjoy and avoid thinking too much about. My only irk with this series is how it seems like Kotoko is living a school girl fantasy through out her whole life. Everything just happens so ideally.
In an ideal setting, relationships would have worked out like the one you described in your editorial. An anime with this genre however will only work when characters perform irrational acts, just as Kotoko is with her blind love towards Naoki, and Naoki with his horrible behavior towards Kotoko.
And as much as actions stemming from love would like to be rational, it is at most times for many people irrational (probably a biological need, but I’m not really sure). This anime exploits these irrational actions throughout its run as a form of conflict–and tugs viewers heartstrings. We already know that these two people, as irrational as they are will be together in the end.
Like all the other commenters, I guess we can try to see the anime for what it is and not for what it should be. This is not by any means an anime that you can refer to for “relationship management”, but maybe an anime that you will laugh along to Kotoko’s or the other supporting characters’ mishaps, or cry along when Kotoko experiences heartbreak after heartbreak.
Just like what you said in one of your TS articles, anime are fiction, and meant to depict a world unlike our reality.
@Sunako-chan: but the drama is too long @__@ and yeah I don’t like the girl orz. I’d rather spend my time on other dramas, really… not ItaKiss >.>
@L-chan: ohh, that’s good to hear =O They should’ve shown more of that maturity from Kotoko, like way way back
@Pasta: actually, she ended up going back not too long, because Irie proposes to her orz. Then Kotoko decides to be a nurse to ‘help’ Naoki, she meets more interesting buddies, and a guy who falls for her. Naoki is thrown in a pinch because he never he’ll have a rival! Pretty much that…
@shikoryuu: Having a mother-in-law who supports Kotoko is already beyond disbelief lol. I just have serious issues with the development… that’s something I get easily ticked off with, major flaws in the love development area.
@bluemist: I don’t see any problems with making the anime really fast paced, so long as they still develop it well. As it stands, the anime proved to be good for laughs, but not much else =/ I’d rather be both entertained and feel warm and fuzzy with a properly-developed love story.
@Wija-chan: It has the sweet moments, but I think too much of what led to the moment and I become all meh x__x;
@Jayers: Kotoko didn’t grow, and that really irks me to bits. I’m just jaded lol.
@Georgina: hehe, I’m well aware that I’m on the dark side of ItaKiss, the opposite of where I stand in the ToshoSen issue. But it’s got something to do with my bias against these twisted realities in romance development… makes me unforgiving when a love story isn’t developed well. And I just hate girls who don’t have respect for themselves or immature brats who don’t grow throughout the series =/
Feh, whatever maturity Kotoko displayed when she had the baby was erased with her inexplicable jealousy towards her daughter for Naoki’s attention (though it was hilarious hearing Kotomi say “Zaman miro!” when Naoki half-jokingly said she loved Kotomi more than his wife)
@ItAintEazy: lol, well that’s soo Kotoko-like
I think I’ve found it enjoyable seeing Kotoko in her misery… that’s what she get for being immature. Zama miro! indeed.
I guess I did right in dropping this, huh? The only reason why I stuck with it as long as I did was in the hope of some character development. Unfortunately, when you become disappointed in a show’s only redeeming feature (Kotoko in this case) there isn’t much cause to carry on.
It’s precisely this blind ‘love’ and complete lack of self-respect that drags her down. In fact, I daresay she isn’t even in love with him at all. From what you’ve said here, there’s no understanding or even a sense that they know each other’s personalities intimately.
To be genuinely in love with someone I think you should be able to accept and forgive each other’s faults and weaknesses, which means you have to be aware of them in the first place! Sticking with someone because they fit an ideal may *look* more romantic but I’d rather see them argue, find out things that they don’t like but work around them. “just to see him is enough” really isn’t mature love – it’s infatuation and hardly a basis for a decent romance story.
I guess I was hoping for something more than immaturity and cheap gags…at least I have the Kare Kano manga to finish, and Tokyo Marble Chocolate to re-watch. Those are two romances that I can properly ‘get into’ emotionally, mainly because the characters are well-developed and encounter realistic problems and issues.
I think the problem you are having is you have to kinda step back and be like “lol Naoki’s a fag” and “lol Kotoko’s an idiot” and suddenly everything is funny and the show is awesome!
@Martin: it’s good for the laughs, not for those looking for a good romance story with great developments =/ You have to turn off many senses while watching this to be able to enjoy it, as the other commentators have also said.
Seriously though, it’s just as you said. Kotoko’s in love with the notion of being in-love. Later on in the series Kotoko’s feelings for Naoki “grows”, in the “just looking at him is no longer enough, I want him to love me back” sense, but it’s still shallow x__x
@Hinano: hahaha, I fail for letting Kotoko and Naoki get on my nerves!! Though I actually liked Naoki’s ‘development’ throughout the series, despite how little that is and how jerk he remains to be
Ok I get it now. I didn’t drop InK at the 2nd episode because of the ugly character design… well, not solely anyway. I’ve never thought about it until I read your post, Usagijen, but yes, this is the reason for my apathy for the anime. I couldn’t stand the whole ditzy-but-good-hearted girl after the cold-and-arrogant boy thing, especially when the relationship was so blatantly unfair, and the characters — both characters — being so unappealing.
And this makes me glad that I didn’t continue the series, which I’ve briefly contemplated, because I don’t think I can stand a relationship that shallow and characters that consistently irritating, either.
So thanks for the review, Usagijen. You’ve saved many hours of my life.
Hello,
I read your post, and I have to admit that, in terms of low self-esteem, Kotoko beats them all. Yes, her husband is a jerk, but how she tolerates him continuing his mean, over-confident attitude, I have no clue. She’s definitely not getting any character development over time and Noaki is not getting more affectionate either (the occasional kiss here and there is not SUPPOSED to be amazing: he’s her husband!! it’s his JOB/DUTY/CALLING to do that!) They sleep in the same bed and he NEVER turns to say anything to her. he’s a jerk and for the oddest reason that completely escapes the world, she loves him and we just will never get it…
take home message: why do women stay with jerks who mistreat them? Ask Kotoko: you just wait for that one kiss and it’s all good again…
I think you are right on in your assessment of Kotoko and Naoki’s relationship, but it is important to remember that although the anime has more modern trappings, the series was originally released almost 20 years ago and the storyline is steeped in the culture of the time.
The author was born in 1960, and grew up in a time with less gender equality and different expectations for women (and keep in mind gender equality in Japan has been at a slower pace than many western nations).
So, I agree that by today’s standards our heroine is lacking in many areas that the audience of today consider important, but when you keep in mind the time period in which it was originally produced, the pieces fit together a bit better.
Is it a great story with great character growth? Not really — but at the time it was originally releasing, it was noteable and quite popular, which says a lot about the audience of the time.
I went into it knowing what to expect and was able to enjoy it largely because I knew the source material was very dated.
@briar: You’ve seen through it right from the start! Well it’s something my brother has been telling me since ages (way back when he watched the taiwan drama), but it only occurred to me after watching a few episodes of the anime… then I continued on watching just so I can validate my complaints.
@Kethy Doll: sadly, some women are too blinded in love to become rational. Then again, we’re taking this show too feministly serious for its own good. So long as people see the negative traits Kotoko has, and make her a role model of “what not to be like”, it’s all good
@Zoya: Hm, I find it a bit sad though, that this anime actually became popular than it should’ve been way back then. Well perhaps the people back then weren’t really feminists, like me… it’s just sad to think that people were influenced by this anime back then, in negative ways more than positive =/
I’m just happy to see that you guys understand where where this anime falls short, and still enjoy it despite that.
Just as I thought, the anime sucks
@kindsoul: yeah it does, especially if you’re the type who’s looking for a solid romance show. It’s just good for the laughs, and nothing else. Though I personally didn’t find the show funny anymore after the twisted ‘unrealism’ it presents T__T
YAYYYYYYYYYYY I’M SO GLAD SOMEBODY ELSE HATED THIS SHOW TOO! THAT CHICK “BAKA-ISM” WAS TRULY ASTOUNDING!
I can only agree with Crazyanimegyrl. If this is supposed to be a romantic comedy, someone must have forgotten to add romance and comedy. There’s none. Well, a grain of humour maybe but it’s repeated ad nauseum and gets old before you have time to realize it. Other than that it might be a pleasure for cynics and an endless source of sarcasm but I doubt that was the intented formula.
However, it irritates me quite a bit that there are so many positive comments about this – excuse me, no don’t – garbage. Best romantic comedy ever? Yes? Compared to what? Alien III? Silent of the Lambs? Just because the manga is a bit older, doesn’t mean it’s the mother of all RomComs. There are too many to mention and virtually all of them are better than this. They are either more romantic, more realistic, or funnier or all of it. The 1990s aren’t pre-historic for that matter. It’s not like the concept of “romance” has changed all that much or that people couldn’t enjoy old-school comedy. ItaKiss is old and crap, like the dust behind my closet. It’s not wine but feel free to take a whole bucket of it.
The character development is virtually zilch, nada, zero, non-existent. You need an electro-microscope to notice the minor improvement of some characters. Still for so many years in such relationships it’s ridiculously minor and not justified by comedy value or anything else. It’s not just Naoki who’s an arse. All characters are degenerated beyond belief (mostly the females) or unlikeable bastards. Oh wait, there’s a bit of character development. Kin turns from twin in mind of Naoki into a respectable guy albeit there’s no hint of love in his relation either but he’s just a side-character.
If at all this serves as an educational series, showing what happens if you marry the wrong person – without ever realizing it. Admittedly, if we knew what kind of drugs they abuse, it could be explainable. After all both work at a hospital…Wow, it starts to make sense.
Anyway, congrats for being pretty much dead on with your prediction regarding the child.
Exactly Kurisu… you said a mouthful! I could’nt believe it myself as I read quite a few threads that Itazuka na Kiss was hail as best comedy.
For the episodes that I hung in there for, or at least tried to, I wanted to snatch my ears off to keep from hearing the name… “Irie-kun.” Kyaaaaaaaaaa!
Glad it’s a wrap. The most irritating series next to Crystal Blaze with that whiny, terrified of guns but wannabe heroine [ 
] red-haired girl. 
I can’t blame the people who proclaim this show as the best comedy of the year. I mean, the show itself is a living joke! It also requires quite some suspension of disbelief and whatever principles you hold on to (especially as a women), which, ItaKiss haters like most of us can’t really find funny. Ugh.
[2] I make ur words mine!
”
The serie starts with her in high school but even when she is trying to be a nurse you can see that kotoko is the same! (emotionally) the characters stay pract the same, and yes, i could not belive what i saw but she was fighting with her doughter for attention~
i can not understand how people say “Best
i’ve been reading ur posts and u rock
:*