Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo

We get to find out in this enjoyable Japanese TV series. Mr. High IQ (Naoki) appears to have been infected by Love (Kotoko) when he offers her his first kiss, almost as a token to keep her engaged in the chase. But after that, and with more gentle persistence by Kotoko, we get to watch to see if she's the only one captivated.

Some might think Naoki is just a high IQ abuser of others not as intelligent as himself, and that might be true if his behavior did not change over time. But what happens is totally fun to watch (even though I had to read sub-text, being English-Irish American). "Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo" (Season 1 & 2 on Netflix) is an absolutely wonderful TV series for those who enjoy romantic comedies.

Although you would need subtitles, unless you understand Japanese, it is well worth watching. This is one of my all time favourite shows. The comedy and romance is timeless, even if you watch it over and over like I have. Every time I watch this show it always feels like the first time and gets me all emotional. I would highly recommend if you love romantic comedies as much as I do.

I'll admit I started watching this just cos I wanted something fun and light, and didn't expect to like it un-ironically. But I got hooked on it pretty quickly. The actors all play their roles very well, and the characters are likable (even cold Naoki grows a bit). I love the over-the-top comedy acting and silly, clean humour of the show. The romance is played well, and the characters grow a little as the show goes on, so that you really get into their lives and wonder how things will turn out for them. It's just put together quite well, and is a really enjoyable show to watch.

Actors *** Romance ***** Sidekicks *** Nagging Parents ***** Comedy *****

Kotoko (Honoka Miki) is a very average girl with very bad grades. On the first day of school, she sees Naoki (Yuki Furukawa), the most handsome and smartest boy in school, and falls in love with him.

But when her family home is destroyed by lightning she is forced to move into the same house of her crush. Kotoko's father and Naoki's are childhood friends.

With the help of Naoki's mother, who adores Kotoko, she tries to win Naoki's heart and not be the "nuisance" he thinks she is. Together they come up with the funniest way to get Naoki and Kotoko together.

I had read some of the manga that this show was based upon and this show more than any I can think of evokes the exact feeling of the comic. This is mostly brought about by the fact that the actors are exceptionally capable at reflecting this. It is like Kotoko has transformed out of the manga to be a real person and the same for Naoki. Kotoko is not a natural beauty, but she is cute and when she sets her mind to it she is, as Naoki says, quite literally a "force of nature". Her determination, positivity, and heartwarming personality make you want to root for her continuously, and Naoki definitely represents something perfectly unattainable that is a natural target for her puissance. A story universal in its appeal, where it is made clear that who you grow into is much more important than how you start off, and that you should never compromise on your dreams if you are prepared to work hard enough to attain them. Incidentally, I watched the Taiwanese version of this and found that even though I speak Chinese far better, I didn't enjoy it as much because the warmth of the characters just wasn't there; the Taiwanese girl was prettier, but she was not Kotoko and didn't have her spirit. Production values are, just like any Japanese TV show, very strong and show some interesting and lesser known parts of Tokyo. Fantastic show.