Author / Artist:
Kaoru Tada
Publisher:
Digital Manga Publishing
ITAZURA NA KISS is the beloved and classic shojo manga following two high school students, the air-headed Kotoko and the brilliant cold genius Naoki. When Kotoko finally musters the courage to confess her love to the haughty Naoki, his instant rejection shocks her and she decides to forget him forever. But when circumstances force her and her father to move in with her father's college classmate, she encounters an even bigger shock when she realizes her father's friend is Naoki's father, and they'll be living together from now on! Is it fate? A sign from heaven? Whatever it is, Kotoko's every attempt to impress the aloof Naoki seems to create chaos in Naoki's life, and the cracks in his cool, robot-like facade begin to show. Follow the journey of these two through life, love, and every chaotic, crazy moment in Kotoko's mission to make Naoki hers! With over 30 million units sold worldwide, Itazura Na Kiss is available for the first time in the US from Digital Manga Publishing!
Fri, 01/01/2010 - 23:25 — Anonymous
Pull Quote:
It would be easy to dismiss Itazura na Kiss for being similar to other shojo manga stories, until you realize that this early 1990's series preceded and influenced those other stories. This is a bit of a brain-twister for US manga fans who have read Marmalade Boy and Sand Chronicles years before encountering this first volume of Itazura na Kiss. However, without Itazura na Kiss, many of the contemporary shojo stories we enjoy today might be very different indeed.
Fri, 01/01/2010 - 23:27 — Anonymous
Pull Quote:
It is always refreshing when a publisher thinks outside of the box and licenses a title that is different and a little risky. Itazura na Kiss is an older, classic shoujo title, and many potential readers might be brought up short by the older style of art. I have to admit that the illustrations are a bit old-fashioned, but it is so expressive and has a lot of charm, so it isn’t a deal breaker. It is also very easy to follow along with each and every one of Kotoko’s exaggerated emotions as she stumbles through the slapstick misadventure that is her life.
Fri, 01/01/2010 - 23:28 — Anonymous
Pull Quote:
While there are some things about Itazura Na Kiss that would be called cliché today—the klutzy underachiever protagonist, the two leads forced to live together—the series gets a pass since it began its serialization in 1991.
Fri, 01/01/2010 - 23:30 — Anonymous
Pull Quote:
Digital Manga is promoting this new series, released in chunky (300+ pages) volumes, as a classic shojo manga, trumpeting how it has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. But will English speakers take to it?
Fri, 01/01/2010 - 23:32 — Anonymous
Pull Quote:
Reading Itazura Na Kiss, it’s easy to see why the series proved so influential. Tada makes opposites-attract comedy seem effortless — just throw your leads under the same roof and presto! hilarity and romance ensue.
Sat, 01/02/2010 - 00:36 — Anna
Pull Quote:
Kotoko Aihara’s school sorts people into classes by academic ability. She’s in the lowest category, Class F. While she doesn’t care much about academics, she has the misfortune of falling in love with a boy from the academically gifted Class A. Naoki Irie is a genius with a photographic memory and an acidic personality. When Kotoko tries to give Naoki a letter that confesses her feelings he refuses to read it! He comments that he doesn’t like “stupid women,” ensuring that Kotoko has the sympathy of her entire class.
