Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Itazura na Kiss ~ Love in Tokyo (JDrama) * * * * *

I wanted to watch a cute, funny and romantic drama, and that is just what I got. I do remember watching the previous version of Itazura na Kiss, but I don't remember much of it. It didn't seem to have much of an impact, and that version was only 9 episodes, while this one is 16.

The story is a love triangle, sort of. From the start we know that Kotoko is in love with Irie-kun. It's also not hard to deduct that Kin-chan is in love with Kotoko. Irie-kun doesn't even seem to know that Kotoko exists, until she presents him with a love letter that of course, no surprise, he turns down. What happens after that is years and years of Kotoko being hopelessly devoted. Yes, this drama takes place over 3-4 years.
Kotoko is in class F at the beginning, and Irie is in A. Fs, people who are perhaps not that book smart, and As, who are seem to be a world apart. Can two people so different find each other? Can it work? At one point Irie confesses that he had no troubles until Kotoko entered into his life. Everything was easy for him, he never meet any challenges. The obstacles in his life, and overcoming them showed him that he can be strong. Only someone from class F could have done that for him.
The story is complex, and full of ups and downs. It reminded me of Hana Yori Dango in that, which is my favourite drama of all time. I often found it hard to believe that Kotoko could still go on, but I think she is such a positive person, she couldn't give up.

Kotoko is played by the lovely Honoka Miki. She has the obligatory big ears, but other than that, she's beautiful. Half the time I was staring at her, and couldn't understand how Irie-kun could resist her. Miki does a great job. She hadn't worked in many dramas yet, but she's very young. She's the youngest of the trio, and completely steals every scene. I hope to see a lot more of her in the future.
Irie-kun is played by Furukawa Yuki. The actor grew up in Canada, and hasn't been in many dramas either. He has to speak English in a few scenes, and there is one very funny one, where he has to repeat what he said in a strong Japanese accent for Kotoko to understand it. He is very cold, and hardly ever smiles, but that's in his role. I don't know how he could bear not laughing at Kotoko all the time.
Kinnosuke Ikezawa, aka. Kin-chan is played by Yamada Yuki. His character dresses a bit like someone from the early 90s, which is strange and out of place. He is lovable though in the way he dots on Kotoko, and I did find myself wishing that she gave up on Irie. His cooking always made me hungry.
A supporting character I really loved was Irie's mother, Machiko, played by Nishimura Tomomi. She was a bit silly, kind of a comic relief, but really sweet in her love for Kotoko. I felt that the two found each other. She needed a daughter, and Kotoko a mother. I was almost more concerned for their relationship than Kotoko and Irie's.

Overall, this is a very good drama. I recommend it to all women, because I'm sure you'll enjoy this a lot. This may just be my second favourite drama.

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