Itazura na Kiss – 14

Naoki and Kotoko sitting in a tree… w-e-d-d-i-n-g!

I’m at the disadvantage having not read the manga, but at least according to the Wiki, the Naoki’s proposal happened around volume 10 (not sure about the actual wedding though). Regardless of the pacing this version is going at, I am still enjoying it a lot.

Where episode 14 ends is pretty much where most romantic comedies end entirely. And while it may be anticlimactic for some people, I am actually looking forward to this half of the story much more. Most romance anime should be called “courting” series instead because more times that not, the story is about falling in love and achieving/obtaining love, instead about being in love and maintaining that relationship. Itazura na Kiss is giving us both sides.

“Hi, I am Kotoko Irie desu~”

Looking back on a couple of my favorite romance stories, both Love Hina and I”s really got interesting once the main couple got together. The cat and mouse aspect is out of the way and you can really get into the characters. It’s less situational and less focused on “I wonder what is going to happen at this moment.” There are times when I can get burned out on series focused built on harems with Girl A going up against Girl B and Girl C. Sure there are plenty of series like this that are great series (i.e., Kanon), but they remain formulaic with a handful of episodes devoted to a certain character and then another handful for another, ultimately ending with some sort of conflict that leads a certain girl to the finish line.. It becomes more about rooting for certain characters and not really about a relationship developing. There can be plot twists in there (motorcycle accidents, comas, boxcutters, childhood rivals, etc), but it’s ultimately the same deal. There are time when I would prefer seeing a relationship develop and grow instead of it coming into being. Maison Ikkoku is a good example of this. True, it did take 14 volumes (or about 90 episodes) for Yusaku and Kyoko to officially become a couple, watching their relationship flourish during that time was what made them two extraordinarily memorable characters. Even though we had to wait to find out the actual outcome, I don’t think anyone questioned how it would end, but instead enjoyed getting to that end. And that’s where stories like Maison Ikkoku, Love Hina, and Itazura na Kiss stand apart from other more recent romantic stories like a Shuffle, a Da Capo, or a Kimikiss. It’s less about what the end will be, but more about what happens until then.

I am actually looking forward to watching this half of Itazura na Kiss more than I did the first half. This time, hopefully there will be more of a balance between Naoki and Kotoko. With the exception of episode 14, the first half was incredibly Kotoko-centric. Although it was implied that Naoki had feelings for her and he showed his affection a few time, it was fairly ambiguous until recent episodes. We all assumed he did, but it was rarely shown, so hopefully with the second half there is more of a balance. With 12 episodes remaining, there is little else I can ask for from Itazura na Kiss. It has remained pleasantly entertaining and remarkably relaxing. Getting to witness how the remainder of the story unfolds and seeing the originally intended ending animated sure will be a treat.