At first I was skeptical about this one: usual plot, usual characters, etc. (and don't get me started about the art, it is definitely not to the taste of people these days)... but don't let any of that fool you! It is funny + romantic, has great characters, and just makes you want to re-read it over and over again. It truly deserves the title of a romantic comedy! Plus, this one is so good that I looked for the raws for this for about 7 hours before rejoicing when I found it.
I know that Kotoko is probably the dumbest girl in manga history, but I think it sort of gives her this cute charm and is also a great way to create some hillarious comedy. Naoki is just... oh man, AWESOME ha ha Although he can be a huge jerk, you'll love him to bits once you get to understand him + he gets to know Kotoko better 🙂 You can't expect characters to grow in just a few chapters or volumes like in most shoujos, so don't be frustrated when the characters are a bit...overwhelmingly either dumb or arrogant. Kotoko doesn't stay stupid and Naoki doesn't stay a pompous prick. It takes some time for people to grow/develop like in real life!
And where else are you going to find a shoujo where it doesn't end after they get married? It brings you along on their journey through the ups and downs of their marriage. And the romantic scenes are so...ah, they make me squeal each and every time! So, there may not be a lot of them, but they're worth it! Plus, it makes it so that the two main characters are not all over each other every chance they get like some mangas out there.
If you're worried about how it never finished because of the author's death, the anime ended with some of the notes she left behind and closed all the loose ends 🙂 There's also a Japanese (Itazura na Kiss), Taiwanese (It Started With a Kiss, They Kiss Again), AND Korean (Mischievous/Playful Kiss) drama available! X)
Seriously....just read it!
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