is the popular, unfinished Shōjo
mangaManga consist of comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century...
series by
mangakais the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
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
Shueishais 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 Magazineis 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 became successful very quickly and became the manga series that Tada became known for in Japan. The manga became so popular that two live TV series have been made so far in 1996 and 2005, with a sequel of the 2005 drama set to be aired 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.
is the popular, unfinished Shōjo
mangaManga consist of comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century...
series by
mangakais the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
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
Shueishais 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 Magazineis 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 became successful very quickly and became the manga series that Tada became known for in Japan. The manga became so popular that two live TV series have been made so far in 1996 and 2005, with a sequel of the 2005 drama set to be aired 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 haughty "super-ikemen" (handsome male) with smarts and sports talent, 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.
Main
- Kotoko Aihara (相原 琴子 Aihara Kotoko; Seiyū in drama CD and anime: Nana Mizuki
, born , is a singer and voice actress in Japan.-Life and career:Born in Niihama, Ehime, Japan, she began to train enka when she was five years old. In 1993, she released Compact Cassette single as "Nana Kondo". However, she eventually became a popular seiyū singer.Her debut single as Nana...
; Actress in TV Drama: Aiko Sato) - The female lead. She has been in love with the handsome and clever 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 always 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 Namikawa
is a seiyū who is affiliated with Across Entertainment. His blood type is B. He is 173 centimeters tall and weighs 60 kilograms ....
; Seiyū in anime: Daisuke Hirakawais a Japanese seiyuu, born on 4 June, 1973 in Niigata Prefecture. His bloodtype is A. His height is 167 cm, and he weighs 52 kg. He is sometimes mistaken for fellow seiyuu Daisuke Namikawa, as their names only differ by one character when written in kanji.- Career :At first, as he enjoyed...
; 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 tennisTennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court....
player. It was revealed that he has always been in love with Kotoko, showing it with a kiss to her.
The Family
- Kotomi Irie (Seiyū in anime: Tomoko Kaneda
Tomoko Kaneda is a seiyū who was born in Yokohama, Japan. She currently works at Aoni Production. Kaneda graduated from Department of Architecture, Kanto Gakuin University....
) 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 looks and intelligence, but Kotoko's personality. She tends to compete with Kotoko for her father's attention (winning most of the time), and has a strong father complex. She, like her father, is also very smart.
- Yuuki Irie (入江 裕樹 Irie Yuki; Seiyū in drama CD: Mayumi Tanaka
is a seiyū from Tokyo currently affiliated with Aoni Production. Her birth name is Mayumi Abe .She is best known for the roles of Monkey D...
; 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. Alhough 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.
- Machiko Irie (入江 紀子 Noriko in anime) (Irie Machiko; Seiyū in anime: Naoko Matsui
is a prolific Japanese voice actress from Hakodate. Matsui was a member of Production Baobab for 20 years before becoming a freelancer...
; Actress in TV Drama: Miyoko Asadais a Japanese actress. A former pop idol.-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.
- Shigeki Irie (Masaki in TV Drama) (入江 重樹 Irie Shigeki; Seiyū in anime: Takashi Nagasako
is 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 Shimada
is a seiyū born on November 20, 1954 in Niigata, Niigata, Japan. He is currently employed by the talent management firm Aoni Production.
-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 passed away 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 (小森 純子) is one of Kotoko's best friends. She is a tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits some characteristics of the gender role of a boy.This social phenomenon typically manifests itself through some of these characteristics:*The wearing of typically masculine-oriented types of clothes....
, and dates a musician.
- Satomi (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 Kimura
Akiko Kimura is a seiyū whose birthday is June 28, 1971 in Fukui.-Notable voice roles:*Basara *Ceres, The Celestial Legend *Corrector Yui *Get Backers...
; 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 Asakawa
, is a popular Japanese seiyū from Tokyo. She is also a singer, both solo and with the Hinata Girls. She also provides the voice samples for the third 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.
- Ogura Tomoko (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.
- Shinagawa Marina (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 (克莉斯) is a foreign exchange student from the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
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.
- 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 does not appear in any of the other adaptations.
- 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. 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 Nakamura (池澤 金之助 Nakamura 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 Iwata
Mitsuo Iwata is a seiyū who was born in Tokorozawa, Saitama. He is married to fellow seiyū Rikako Aikawa. His blood type is A. 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. Kotoko describes him as someone who has a dual personality. He is very kind when he's not holding the tennisTennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court....
racquet, but once he holds it, he becomes vicious and competitive (most especially to Naoki, but he always loses to him).
- Takendo (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 (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.
- Kamogari Keita (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.
- Kimura Nobuhiro (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, his parents are divorced and he reappears as a young and famous singer known as Nobu, but has given up on life... until Kotoko and Naoki give him hope again. He is Yuuki's best friend while he is in the hospital. Kotoko offers him hope and he turns into a kinder person.
TV Dramas
Itazura na Kiss was first adapted into a live-action TV drama in Japan in 1996. It was later made into two shows in Taiwan,
It Started With a KissIt Started with a Kiss was a popular Taiwanese drama that aired on China Television and Gala Television from September 25, 2005, to February 12, 2006. It was based on the first 10 volumes of the Japanese manga series Itazura na Kiss by Kaoru Tada and starred Taiwanese idols Joe Cheng and Ariel...
and its sequel They Kiss Again.
Anime
Itazura na Kiss was adapted into a 25 episode anime by TMS Entertainment and shown on
TBSor TBS Holdings, Inc., 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, and the primary ending themes were "Kataomoi Fighter" by GO!GO!7188 and "Jikan yo Tomare (Stop Time)" by AZU featuring SEAMO.
See also
- It Started With a Kiss (TV series)
It Started with a Kiss was a popular Taiwanese drama that aired on China Television and Gala Television from September 25, 2005, to February 12, 2006. It was based on the first 10 volumes of the Japanese manga series Itazura na Kiss by Kaoru Tada and starred Taiwanese idols Joe Cheng and Ariel...
: Taiwanese dramaTaiwanese drama refers to televised dramas, similar to Western miniseries, of extended stories usually dramatizing relationships through the general range of ten to forty one-hour episodes. They are produced in Taiwan and have gained increasing popularity in the Mando community internationally...
adaptation of the manga.
- They Kiss Again: Sequel to the first Taiwanese drama
Taiwanese drama refers to televised dramas, similar to Western miniseries, of extended stories usually dramatizing relationships through the general range of ten to forty one-hour episodes. They are produced in Taiwan and have gained increasing popularity in the Mando community internationally...
adaptation.
- Official "Itazura na Kiss" (TV anime) website