Itazura na Kiss. (spoiler alert)


"Each girl was born to meet her own destined one."
Cringe-worthy start to an anime of 25 episodes.
What was even more frightening? The next minute or so was of the female lead character fantasizing herself married to Irie Naoki, someone we later learn she has never yet spoken to.
Let's just say that Aihara Kotoko might need to meet Elsa and Kristoff for some counseling. ^^

So... 17 episodes in, I'm really surprised at myself. For a plot that promises that everything that can go wrong will go wrong (unbeknownst to the characters, but perfectly predictable for the audience)...
Well. I actually have to give it to them. There are actually some really good elements.

1. Despite being thoroughly infatuated with Irie-kun, Kotoko doesn't stand for any of the condescending nonsense, or his thoroughly stuck up side. 

While being cringe-worthy at times, for as fate will have it, Kotoko always ends up needing Irie-kun's help sooner rather than later, I genuinely think that it helped to keep his character in check, and possibly one of the things that caused him to be fond of her. Whether it is more because she challenges him or whether it is more that she forces him to be conscious of the effect of his behaviour (and how thoroughly unacceptable it is) I can't tell.

It is nevertheless really good to watch her:

• slap the money away when he condescended to donate money to rebuild her house to shut Kinnosuke up.
• reject Irie-kun's infuriating statement: "Don't bring me down to your level. There's no way I would use my full strength for something like that"... with her epic chastisement- "Enough with your overconfidence! That's just a sore loser's excuse!". Any proper spirited sportsperson would have wanted to hit him for not taking their opponent seriously.
• slap Irie-kun when he recited the contents of her letter of admiration to his whole family.
• embarrass Irie-kun back when he made Kotoko's confession to him a joke for his class, and hers too. I don't generally approve of the 'an eye for an eye' thing but she's standing up for herself at least.

2. How the relationship is actually one whereby both learn from each other- perhaps in a sense even one of equals.

Irie Naoki had been established from the first episode as the most intelligent in school or even in the entire Japan. On top of that, class A and top of the cohort on every test, brilliant at tennis, athletic, looks handsome, lives in a huge mansion, has girls flock to him, solves a physics question in 2 seconds flat....

And we have Aihara Kotoko, class F whose new house was toppled by an earthquake of magnitude 2, has been established as unintelligent and can't cook to save her life.

For everything that Kotoko struggles at, Irie-kun does with ease. In a typical fairytale (or Twilight), it ends there. For this anime... It doesn't, and it shows how Irie-kun struggles with that- being supposedly able to do anyhing and everything. How he lacks drive because he doesn't have to exert any effort to get what he wants, and how he lacks a life goal- and how Kotoko having that which he doesn't and constantly being a burden livens up his life. To be quite honest Kotoko almost never manages to do things correctly, but she has some huge (unrealistic) goals that defies common sense and tries to reach it, and manages to help Irie-kun to uncover what he wants in life.

Irie-kun becomes better for it. He could have tried to say no, but was still coerced into being the saviour for class F, most of whom would not have made the cut to enter the affliated college if not for him taking on the role of their tutor. And he's appreciated for it. A win win situation, for what would someone do with brains if no one hung around to appreciate it?

But a more direct influence from Kotoko would probably be how he was firm on his decision to take medicine because he wanted to cure people, when his father wanted him to take over the company. Skipping the Tokyo University entrance exams when he would definitely get accepted, in favour of the affliated college Kotoko would be entering.. From the person whom everyone had high expectations and whose life almost revolved around his academic prowess, I'd say that it's admirable that he finally looked past it.

3. The emotions.

Maybe it's just me, but there were scenes that actually sent me to tears.

How it would feel! To feel like you have ever always only been one-sidedly loving someone in so many ways out of your reach. To treasure that one kiss, that one rare expression, those unexpectedly kind words... To doubt it happened every time he was being rude and ignored you. To question whether it was a just a joke to him when he embarrasses you in front of others. To wonder if it was merely a game for him, when he goes out instead with someone so much more suited to him, one whom you feel you'll never compare.

To live under the same roof and see him every single day, and yet feel leagues apart. To have the feelings grow from admiration and infatuation to something stronger and more lasting... And to hear from his own lips how he was marrying another girl, one who was just perfect in every sense of the word, so kind that you couldn't bear to be jealous or fight anymore.

To feel all this, and know that you're inflicting the same emotions onto another who's clearly and openly loved you for five years. Just as you have tried to change and become a more worthy person to the one you loved, he went out of his way to try to show himself worthy a candidate for your love. Someone more constant in his behaviour, one who never behaves like a jerk to you. To receive his proposal, and know that you could save his pain by accepting- and by accepting allow your father a successor to the restaurant he owns. A successor who actually shares his passion for preparing food.

Yet you stall for the faint glimmer of hope that the one you love will return your feelings- keep stalling, only to see with greater conviction the fact that you've lost completely.

It's easier to feel for Kotoko, but what makes this better is what Irie-kun's motivations were, denied and disguised under it all.

It's hard to feel for Irie when he doesn't feel for himself, but it becomes clear soon that he tried to decide for himself what would be best for his father and the company. Despite making the cut to transfer to medicine, he put aside his decided calling of doctor in favour of succeeding the company from the guilt of feeling himself responsible for his father's stress induced heart attack. He jumped into an arranged marriage that would keep the company afloat, trying to ignore his love for Kotoko...  And finally faced up to his feelings upon knowing that Kinnosuke had already proposed to Kotoko.

It is not something that everyone would approve of, and in some sense it would appear that he would not have realised how important she was if not for the clock set ticking as a result of Kinnosuke's proposal. It really would suggest that he was taking her presence for granted or was seriously oblivious to how significant his feelings... And to be fair this would easily have led to a situation that benefited no one. He wrongly assumed that the sacrifice would only be on his part. Yet I can't help but give him credit for trying just that- to sacrifice what he wanted for what was necessary, or what he felt others wanted.

4. The little noteworthy things.

Quotes, which, off the top of my head, included:

• Kinnosuke saying: "The grades at school are not the only things that define the value of a man."
• Kotoko saying something like how being class F didn't make them any less human.
• Aihara-san saying that a woman needs to know when to give up... (men should too though)

And other little things, like how:

• Irie-kun kept the train door open for her after she had chastised him for not doing so... Just implying that he heard and acknowledged her existence.
• Yuuki was clearly emulating his big brother! Extremely cute to contemplate.
• It seemed annoying to everyone how Irie-kun's mum kept videotaping everything, taking photos like paparazzi and doing elaborate planning from cheering at the sports meet to the wedding... and yet despite the initial shock her efforts would really be appreciated years later, for capturing those little moments forever in film.
• Kotoko made sure to collapse after getting out of sight of Irie-kun so that he wouldn't miss his entrance exam... not that it mattered in the end.
• Class F's teacher actually was proud of his class and stood up for them when class A's teacher was gloating, instead of bemoaning his sad fate.
•  Yuuki had prepared a jacket in advance in Romantic Village and lent it to Kotoko when they got lost and it became chilly.
• Yuuki made Kotoko go behind him when the wolf advanced, even though she was a college student and he a mere elementary school student.
• When it came down to it, Irie-kun's parents did not want Irie-kun to give up on his dreams or Kotoko for them, instead taking it upon themselves to rectify issues caused when Irie-kun took it upon himself to seek the 'ideal' solution.
• Kinnosuke tried to avoid hearing it from Kotoko, but when Irie-kun informed him that he was taking Kotoko, Kinnosuke was a man about it and aptly reminded Irie-kun how he should hold on tight to Kotoko.

 5. The LOL moments.

 The most epic of which I would imagine would be Kotoko failing to read the kanji (dolphin, blowfish, squid and snail) properly, instead telling Yuuki it was "sea pig", "river pig", "bird thief" and "pot cow". The animations... ^^

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