Comments on: Itazura Na Kiss Book 1

By: Itazura Na Kiss Book 2 » Manga Worth Reading

Itazura Na Kiss Book 2 » Manga Worth Reading — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:04:37 +0000

[...] the first book, we were introduced to dumb but well-meaning Kotoko and her crush, super-smart Naoki. The two wound [...]

By: Johanna

Johanna — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:28:44 +0000

Stupid wasn’t cool, but being too smart meant geeky, and that wasn’t cool either.

By: Sara K.

Sara K. — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:18:14 +0000

So being stupid was cool at your high school? I find that odd.

Grades did not really determine popularity, but smart and ambitious people were admired, and smart and ambitious people tend to have good grades.

My high school experience definitely revolved a lot less around romance than almost all high school fiction (from America, Japan, or anywhere else) I’ve ever read. In fact, I don’t even expect high school fiction to look like my experience. But I still enjoy the good stuff, and look forward to seeing what the fuss about Itazura na Kiss is all about.

By: Ailuv

Ailuv — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:38:10 +0000

It’s funny how one’s high school experiences can affect one’s manga reading. I went to an all-girls parochial school with a strict uniform policy, so seeing kids in uniform brings me back (our skirts were longer, though)! I hung out with a group of competitive scholastic overachievers, so I can relate to that aspect in manga, too. The obssesion with boys eludes me a bit, b/c most of my overachieving friends were too busy w/schoolwork to get boycrazy (I was too shy and goody-goody).
This looks like a fun read. The formula of girl-moves-in-with-crush has been copied many times, makes me want to read the original! Thanks for the review!

By: Johanna

Johanna — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:17:31 +0000

In my timeframe and area, it was not cool to be smart. If kids are valuing intelligence more, than I think that is a good thing, even though it might not have been all that fun for the specific guy involved in your case.

By: Sara K.

Sara K. — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:38:21 +0000

I don’t know if it was so cool from his point of view. He had to say ‘no’ a lot, often to the same girls, and he did not look like he enjoyed the situation.

America is such a diverse place that I’m sure one place’s high schools are quite different from another. I’m curious what about your experience made you think that Americans would find it strange that a girl would fall in love with the top achiever?

By: Johanna

Johanna — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:12:10 +0000

Oh, that’s interesting to hear. Very different from my experience, but maybe times have changed. That would be pretty cool.

By: Sara K.

Sara K. — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:40:09 +0000

“Some of this will seem unusual to American readers. The idea of falling in love with the top achiever of the class, for example, or the way Kotoko thinks she’s in love with him because she liked the way he gave the class address to the school.”

I’m an American reader, and I don’t find this particularly strange. I remember the top student in my high school class (grades-wise, he was only no. 3, but no. 1 and 2 were in a committed relationship, he was class president, and he’s the one who eventually went to Harvard) was frequently running away from girls who were pressing their attentions on him. Much of it was not serious, but there might have been someone who was serious.

By: Manga death watch begins « MangaBlog

Manga death watch begins « MangaBlog — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:01:06 +0000

[...] vol. 5 of Eagle: The Making of an Asian-American President (Manga Xanadu) Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Itazura Na Kiss (Comics Worth Reading) Julie on vol. 19 of Kekkaishi (Manga Maniac Cafe) Lorena Nava Ruggero on [...]

By: Upcoming 12/09/2009 « Precocious Curmudgeon

Upcoming 12/09/2009 « Precocious Curmudgeon — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:59:37 +0000

[...] by Kaoru Tada. The book has already received warm welcomes from the likes of Danielle Leigh, Johanna Draper Carlson and Kate Dacey, which is a very promising sign [...]