#Irie naoki

[bluefilms14]

📼: mischievous kiss: love in tokyo

[marionettedupaincheng]

no romance anime makes me more viscerally angry than itazura na kiss. like i need to someone to rant about this romance anime too because i genuinely hate irie naoki so much that i want to punt him into the next dimension.

kotoko didn’t understand boundaries but he didn’t need to treat her like garbage half the time. she’s smart!! she’s clearly smart enough to be a nurse 😭

everyone shits on her so much. AND SHE STILL GOES BACK TO HIM

[mabel-piness]

For all the Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo enjoyers

I made an edit after 10 ish years? Wild

[televisionquoteseverywhere]

Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in Tokyo

Irie Kotoko & Irie Naoki

[naokiscoffee]

What makes Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo so special?

This is probably my twelfth thousand re-watch of this drama, but this is not like all the other rewatches. I have decided to make this one special by using it to analyse the drama in more depth, and attempt to uncover why I love it as much as I do, despite all it’s flaws. I am writing this as I watch the episodes, so it might be considered somewhat of a commentary.

Season 01 Episode 01

Starting off with the first episode, the opening scene is fantastic in my opinion. I love how we are getting introduced to Kotoko in the comfort of her own room, and getting a peek into her hearts deepest wish. I honestly think that this might be what made me like this version of Kotoko from the get go.

However, technically, the actual first scene of the story is the iconic confession scene (if you would even call it that). I am going to go on a tangent here and just say that I am an absolute fan of her letter, but I will get back to that in a later episode.

The way she is nervous and excited before confessing and the way he flat out rejects her before she even has the chance to confess always makes me feel crushed for her, and is the reason why I initially disliked him. But now that I am actually analysing it, it is less harsh than how I’ve always perceived it (or this might just be me trying to explain it away).

Hear me out, consider the implication that he has a whole queue of girls that like him, drool over him and confess to him in school, his reaction/rejection is really not that surprising. Imagine receiving confessions from a bunch of girls, when you just want to live your life in peace … that must get old and tiresome fairly quickly. Additionally, the fact that the whole entire school is talking about the rejection might explain why he didn't accept her letter; had he accepted it (even if he rejected her afterwards), the whole school would probably assume that they were dating. On the other hand it makes me think, why would the whole school be interested in someone confessing? are we back in kindergarten?

We see later on that she still has that card with her. I think that for her, getting rid of it would feel like getting rid of her feelings for him, which is why she holds on to it.

Anyways, I find it quite ironic when Kotoko’s friends tell her “you and Irie are from different worlds” . Their worlds are literally going to forcibly merge under one roof very very soon.

Another random thought I got, like a lot of my thoughts are, was why did Kotoko like Naoki, and not like Kinnouske? I mean he might not be handsome, he might not be smart, he might not be rich, but he is hardworking, talented and most importantly, he liked Kotoko, and was always nice towards her. This version’s Kinnouske has always been my favourite one. I think this version does a good job at portraying him as a three dimensional person, rather than a comic relief kind of personality *cough* Itazura Na Kiss 1996 *cough*.

When I started to pay more attention, I realised that although I do love Kinnouske, I do find him to often do things based on his own feelings, and does not consider what Kotoko wants. For example, I cant help but feel that he is a bit insensitive for being happy when Kotoko is sad after deciding to ‘give up’ on Naoki. This is a small detail, and perhaps I am reading too much into it, but I do feel that Itazura Na Kiss is all about the details. He sort of redeems himself for it by asking his friends to come and help her move, but soon it goes to shit again, which I will come to later on.

I really like — at this point, everything really, but anyways — the reoccurring mentioning of “less possible than getting hit by a shooting star”, which is a kind of teaser to what is to come later on in the show. Although I’ve always thought that the reason for their house being destroyed in this version to be a bit dumb, I admit, I do like the thought and metaphor behind it, so I will turn I blind eye to it. I also find it hilarious how it ended up all over the news.

Kotoko’s extremely optimistic outlook despite everything that happened is perhaps her most charming personality trait. It makes me feel that her optimism is somehow what everything work out for her in the end.

Now, to one of the scenes I dislike most in this story. I am always tempted to skip the first episode altogether to avoid it. And that’s the scene where Kinnouske is collecting donations for Kotoko. Here we see Kin-chan’s good intentions having not so good results. I get the feeling that he does what he thinks is helpful for her, and never once stops to consider her feelings or ask her opinion on it, and the way she gets annoyed with him tells me that she’s not that fond of this either, despite what his intentions were.

Back to Naoki. Looking at the size of that entrance, he could have 100% just walked around Kotoko and Kinnouske and gone in. Heck, following the little pattern we have so far, wouldn’t he purposefully avoid them to maintain a quiet and peaceful life? Now, he did just the contrary and approached them. Considering the fact that by the end of the episode he already knows about the arrangement (of her going to his home to stay there with her father), it would be safe to assume that at this moment in time, he already knows that she would stay in his house. This is supported by his response to her “preferring to die over taking his money”; “are you sure you want to tell me that?”. Therefore I assume that he approaches her out of curiosity.

If you pay close attention to this interaction, you will notice that Naoki did not say one thing that was wrong or out of line. Naoki giving Kotoko the money was not very nice. But more than anything, it was quite confusing. He told her “If I donate this money, you won’t argue with me anymore”. Now, Kinnouske was the one arguing with Naoki, so why would Naoki tell Kotoko that? Is it because he sees her as the most reasonable one, or rather, is it because they’re ‘her’ friends (thus making her responsible for them)?

Kotoko was the one with an explosive reaction in this situation [although she was in the wrong, I like how she stood by her friend eventhough they were fighting a few moments ago (if she realised the previously mentioned point that is).], and was more than a bit mean when saying “do you even have friends?”. Here we see just how much of an opposite to her he is. Instead of having an explosive reaction like Kotoko had, Naoki just finds her reaction amusing and leaves calmly.

Now to when she goes with her father to the Irie household. Naoki’s mother’s (Noriko’s) comment of “you and I seem like we were meant to meet” and the fact that she knows that she’s in the same school as Naoki tells me that he told her about Kotoko; which in turn makes me think that she left a memorable impression on him. Kotoko’s reaction to seeing Naoki is Hilarious, especially te part where she’s too shocked, and is not shy to say “I’m just do surprised … because Iri-chan-san and Irie-kun don’t look alike at all” (I really am starting to realise and understand why Naoki finds her amusing).

Another one of those small details; the way her father scoots away right off the bat when he saw Yuki asking her a question about a kanji character, and pretending to look at a random décor piece kills me (It’s nice to keep in mind; despite how similar Kotoko might sometimes be to her dad, he still has more awareness of his own ‘stupidness’ than her).

I recently watched one of @Machitsuki2 ‘s analysis videos, and like she pointed out, I did in fact notice how Kotoko was going straight to the food and cakes, while Naoki was mainly only sipping coffee (even during breakfast). This will become really important later on.

Lastly, I love the interaction between Noriko and Kotoko when she takes her up to show her her room; Kotoko found a mother she never had, and Noriko found the daughter she never had. They are the first puzzle pieces that fit into each other perfectly.

When Naoki comes in and tells Kotoko that she took Yuki’s room, I get the feeling that rather than an insult it served to make Kotoko understand why Yuki disliked her so much. I might be a bit delulu, but I kind of feel that Naoki did this on purpose? anyone?

When Noriko asks Kotoko “do you like(suki) Sukiyaki?” and Kotoko looks at her (in Naoki’s direction) and confidently answers “I like it! (suki-desu!)” almost feels directed at Naoki. It is in fact the first time he hears her say it. This next part I had to go back and watch once more; Naoki only starts being mean to her when she pulled the bag from him (not wanting his help) and he saw the letter she wrote him drop out of it. I do wonder if he is mean to her because of that letter, or maybe because he thought she was rude towards him?

To be continued…(maybe)

[revelied]

parents 🫶

[oldladythatlovesanime]

Kotoko and Naoki

[m00nbunny1]

So, uh, I have been watching Itakiss lately, and it's fucking insane.

Heart attacks, appendicitis, tennis, FUCKING ARRANGED MARRIAGES!?!?

[mejoresfrasesyescenasdelcineytv]

Escena de la serie Itazura na kiss  🥰 🥰 🥰

[victors-only-dummy]

After Hours

Pairing: Irie Naoki x Kotoko ( Me / You )

"Irie," Kotoko whispers, one night when they're laying in bed. He sighs when she rolls over to him, snuggling closer. Her body is so warm against his, but her hands are moving up towards his neck, scratching underneath his hair, dangerously approaching underneath his earlobes.

He's ticklish there, surprisingly, and she knows. Irie sits up abruptly, facing her. "Don't tickle me at night!"

Irie's got this amazing talent — he's able to yell while whispering. He's so loud, but so quiet at the same time.

Kotoko giggles. "I just had a question," she says, still laughing. Her hair is tousled against the pillow, and when she finally places her arms down by her sides, Irie returns to his sleeping position. He's reluctant to do so, however, watching her suspiciously before allowing himself to relax.

"What's your question?" He asks, turning to face her.

"Oh, my question! It's — I've been thinking about this for a while, you see," she starts and Irie almost turns back around right then and there. Her eyes widen in alarm when he sighs.

"It's a good question!" She hisses, and he rolls his eyes. "Anyways. I was wondering…I was wondering what you thought when you first kissed me, back in high school."

Irie stares at her. "This is what keeps you up at night?"

"Just answer it!"

Irie furrows his eyebrows. "That was a long time ago," he says, just to get a reaction out of her. "I'm not sure I even remember."

Her mouth drops open, and Irie laughs, watching her flip over so that she's facing the wall now, instead of facing him. She's so dramatic.

She tugs on the blanket, and he tugs back, frowning for real now. "Kotoko," he says when he feels the cool night air on his feet.

She ignores him, yanks the blanket completely off of him.

He's laying on the end of the bed now, arms crossed, feet bare, and no blanket on his body.

Kotoko fake-snores.

"Stop being like this!" He whisper-screams, reaching over and pulling the blanket off of her. Kotoko scrambles, yelps, holding fistfuls of the blanket tight in her hands. She kicks his thigh, and when he shoves her back in retaliation, she almost falls off the large bed, her fingers clawing at the very edge.

He almost cries, that's how hard he's laughing.

"You are the worst!" Kotoko's face is red, and she curls herself onto the corner of the bed, her knees tucked in close to her chest. Irie glances at her, pouting in the fetal position, and he's completely helpless, unable to curb his laughter.

He manages to stop, but not before his stomach starts to twinge in pain from the exertion. He looks around as he rubs away the wetness in his eyes with his hand. The blanket is a crumpled mess now, forgotten about during their mini tussle.

Irie reaches over, drapes over Kotoko first, and then gets in himself.

"Lay down the right way," he tells her, pulling her closer. He's happy when she obliges, slowly leaning into him. She listens to his heartbeat, a little erratic, but it is steady and it is soothing.

A couple of quiet minutes pass, and then Irie glances down at her, checking to see that she's not actually asleep. She's awake.

"So you want to hear about high school," he says, not whispering anymore. Kotoko looks up, sees a small, amused smile on his face.

She nods, pulling away from him slightly. "Tell me about our high school days," she whispers, waiting for his response.

Irie frowns slightly, but then his face returns to normal, just as quickly. Kotoko wonders why he's angry, all of sudden.

"I'll only tell you about our kiss," Irie says, looking past her. "Nothing else."

"Why not?"

"I thought that's what you wanted to hear," Irie starts, glancing back at her, "but if you don't then I guess — "

"Just the kiss! Just the kiss!"

Irie is quiet. He looks down at Kokoto, smooths back her hair. "There's really nothing to tell," he admits, and she pauses.

"Did you think I was pretty back then?" She asks, watching his face.

"Would I kiss you if I thought you were ugly?"

"No, but…"

"Then that's it," Irie says, closing his eyes.

"Was I a good kisser?"

Irie pauses. "I was your first, wasn't I?"

"Yes, but…"

Irie sighs. "It wasn't bad," he tells her, because he knows that's what she wants to hear.

"Why did you kiss me?" She asks, blinking at him.

He is quiet.

"Was I irresistible?" Kotoko asks, poking him. She laughs at her own joke, and Irie smiles, despite himself.

"I kissed you because I wanted to," he tells her, gauging her reaction.

"That's obvious," she replies, frowning.

"Obvious? What do you mean obvious?" He's irked. Here is he, giving her good answers, and she's indifferent, uncaring.

"You're supposed to say something romantic — like I was a magnet to your beauty," Kotoko tells him, off in her own dream world.

He laughs briefly, despite himself. "Your beauty was magnetic," he corrects, forcing himself to be stern.

She pauses, turning to him. "R — Really?"

"That's the correct saying!"

"Oh."

Irie yawns. "You wanna know the real reason why I kissed you?" He asks, laying his arm around her.

She nods.

"I wanted you to only love me," he tells her, sleepily. From this distance, he can see the exact moment her eyes widen and her lips part, ever so slightly.

Kotoko is quiet. She snuggles closer to him, and he welcomes her warmth. "I love you," she whispers into his chest, and he holds her, a little tighter.

He can't fall asleep with her like this, so close, so warm, so lovely.

"What did you think of our high school kiss?" He teases, speaking into her hair. She smells like vanilla. A comforting, simple scent. It's so like her. He loves it.

She laughs. Irie finds it hard to let go of her when she shuffles slightly, trying to look up at him.

He releases her, eventually.

"I thought you hated me," she admits, looking into his eyes.

Irie pauses.

"I really thought you hated me," she repeats, a certain sadness in her eyes.

He's about to say something, when she suddenly jumps in his arms, sputtering an explanation.

"Not because you kissed me, that would be weird! No, I didn't think you hated me because you kissed me, haha!"

Irie is quiet.

"I — I thought you hated me because of the way you acted afterwards," she continues, trailing off.

Irie doesn't know what to say. He is still quiet, and still blinking at her. Kotoko snuggles in his arms, wrapping her own around his side.

"It's okay," she tells him, just the faintest of whispers. "I know you don't hate me anymore."

"I never hated you," he replies, not whispering. "I never hated you at all," he admits, his eyes following her as she pulls herself up.

"But you said, you said you hated stupid girls, " Kotoko says, even quieter than before, stumbling on her own words. He can't even see her that well, in the darkness of their room, but the hurt from that day is still palpable, clearly written all over her face and saturated in her voice.

He is surprised she remembers that, even more surprised that he remembers the exact day. He supposes hate is much stronger for her than it is for him.

She pauses when he sits up, her eyes sweeping over his moon traced silhouette.

"I was wrong," he says, eventually, and that's all he can say. Irie feels a strange choking sensation erupt in his chest, tightening his face and his chest, and he doesn't want to confront it, so he lets it be.

Kotoko understands. She takes his hand in hers, interlocking their fingers. Her hands are small, her fingers are thin, but they are warm and solid and grounding.

"I hated you then," she admits, smiling, and he turns his attention back to her.

What?

She giggles at his expression. "I think you're the worst sometimes," she tells him, leaning up to kiss him. He's too stunned to move, to do anything, so he just lets himself be kissed.

"Sometimes I do hate you," Kotoko tells him, breaking the kiss. "But I'll always love you."

He holds her, pulling her tight against him. It's only when she pats his back, that he lets go.

Irie kisses her, a chaste press of his lips against hers. He lets his fingers linger on the sides of her face, and he searches her eyes.

"I'll always love you, too," he whispers, brushing away the tears that fall from her eyes.

He lays back down on the pillow, holding her close to him. It's difficult to pull the blanket back on, even harder when Kotoko refuses to stop clinging onto him, but he manages.

He stays awake for a portion of the night, stroking her hair long after she's fallen asleep, thinking back to previous years with a certain disdain for his younger self.

[ishizizzle]

NAH THE MISCHIEVOUS KISS ANIME IS CRAZY IRIE HAVING TOO MUCH FUN BY EPISODE 8 😭

[oik-tooru]

i have an unhealthy obsession with hiroki ino

[emily-mooon]

She is right you know…

[mxellaneousfandoms]

Kotoko and Naoki Irie!

[pinkprettycure]

I was having trouble picking a VA for Y!Liam bc I liked too many n couldnt decide on a sound anymore but I was like bro... I need to go back to my roots.... Gotta rewatch ItaKiss anime to remember what Irie Naoki's little brother sounded like bc I know damn well that's what I was imagining when I drew y!liam lmfao

[naokiscoffee]

What makes Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo so special?

Season 01 Episode 02

We’re once again starting the episode strong. Kotoko’s strongest personality points are shining as brightly as ever.

“I can’t forgive Naoki, that’s why I’m serious this time, I will beat Naoki on these final exams”

Her determination, seriousness, and optimism are taking the wheel. Unfortunately, this also highlights how unsupportive her friends are. Truth be told if someone who’s in the lowest grades class says she will beat the student who’s first place in studying is hard to take that seriously.

When faced with this, Kotoko quickly settles for being on the bulletin board; or basically having her name written on the same paper as Naoki. Now this is a more realistic goal that I can get by. Her friends though think differently.

This here is very important. This is exactly what sets Kotoko apart from the rest of the people around her. Her friends limit themselves by saying “No way! We’re in Class F you know”, yet she doesn’t let herself be held down by such restricting thoughts or preconceptions. This is a very healthy and admirable way of thinking.

Also, I absolutely love how she’s doing all of this just to get back on Naoki for saying “I don't like girls without a brain”.

Something I hadn’t realised last re-watch is just how much of a pivoting moment this is for Kotoko. Naoki’s changes have always been obvious to me, but I never realised how Kotoko had also changed. I cannot picture Kotoko aiming for the top 100th place under any other circumstances.

I always really enjoy the dinner scenes in this version, they make everything so much more cosy and domestic. Another subtle detail that can easily be overlooked is how Naoki’s eyes follow Kotoko for a split second as she makes her way upstairs to study. He’s already showing interest in her.

Noriko is living her dream; she’s making midnight snacks, and she even has someone to vent to about how Naoki. She also feels close enough to Kotoko to speak to her about her worries and fears, and she even shows her pictures of Naoki as a child, which she would have probably never shown anyone else.

When Noriko speaks about how she misses taking pictures, my brain immediately jumps to when Kotoko becomes the reason why she gets back into the hobby later on (Kotoko has awakened the photographing beast in Noriko lol). This is also when Noriko first gets the feeling that Kotoko might like her son.

“Irie was already handsome even when he was little”

(I can already see Noriko’s brain going: so you think my son is handsome?!!)

Unfortunately, despite her seemingly innocent intentions, Noriko has seriously scarred Naoki by having him cross-dress as a child. This also helps us understand why he is so afraid of being wrapped up in a scandal at school (think back to the confession scene in the last episode).

Kotoko’s friends are beginning to notice the change I mentioned earlier, and don’t know what to make out of it. Just then, Naoki just pops up out of thin air. I really like the camerawork in this drama, and how the camera work conceals him so that his arrival is a surprise for us as well.

This is also an iconic moment, we’re learning more about Naoki; he would rather break his own rule and talk to her at school than take out a girl's bento box (and to potentially have people figure out that they are living together) (the trauma and fear are still there).

“if your nosy classmates see this it would cause a commotion”

Bro, you have already caused a commotion.

This scene here is a gold mine. For the first time ever, we are seeing Naoki get extremely worked up. Up till this point, nothing anyone has said or done has affected his stoic attitude, yet Kotoko has managed to do it, and I am eating it up. I know, they’re not a couple yet, he doesn’t like her yet, and they’re basically fighting, but nonetheless, I find this scene to be terribly cute.

Our girl is not only positive and hardworking, she’s also generous; she offers the picture back as long as he tutors her for a week, to get into the top 100. That’s a reasonable offer if you ask me.

“in other words, it’s a waste of time to challenge the impossible” Kotoko has proven this statement wrong, time after time.

“Mom, could you make snacks for two? and bring them to Kotoko’s room please?”

Naoki is finally beginning to have an outward sign of the change that’s taking place and is very nonchalant about it. By saying this he is also … everyone that he’s helping her study. This shift is clearly very shocking for all of the family.

Also, a few small details that are easily missed; Naoki has enough tact to get Kotoko’s permission before entering her room, but he doesn’t have enough sense to keep the door to her room open, while Kotoko leaves it open a few moments earlier. I haven’t decided yet if this is just Naoki having a lower EQ, or if it’s him knowing his family’s ways better.

All the bickering that has been happening this far makes this interaction feel warm and domestic. You can also see the two of them symbolically start to blend together; she’s studying (which is his thing), and he’s using her ridiculous pen; he organised and printed out a neat table, yet he uses her cute flowery washi tape to tape it together, and she crosses out the days with stickers. We’ve already seen them influence each other personality-wise, and now we have a physical representation of it.

Naoki is already beginning to not only adjust to Kotoko but to even accommodate her, we see him accommodating her as he’s helping her practice her vocab at school; “on purpose” “What?” “On papasu”.  Our man troubled himself with going ahead and writing down a whole exam for Kotoko, and is even patiently and calmly explaining the equation to her. 10 points in his favour!

Another point that requires close observation; when Naoki and Kotoko fall asleep, neither has a blanket on, but in the morning, when Naoki wakes up, he has a blanket around him. Now if you look in Kotoko’s spot and all around the room, you’ll see that there’s no other blanket in sight. I think it’s safe to conclude that Kotoko was the one who put the blanket over him after having woken up first.

This, this is Kotoko as seen through Naoki’s eyes. As he makes his way into the kitchen he does a double take, and this is what he sees. I am sorry to say this, but this boy is already smitten.

Even though Kotoko can’t cook to save her life, she can obviously make a heck of a good coffee, which, as @Machitsuki2 mentioned in one of her videos, is basically the only thing he actually likes.

Now it’s exam day, and as Naoki makes his way down, he slows down a bit, perhaps in hesitation. Here, again, we see them adapting to each other; Kotoko is not outright speaking to him, and is thus somewhat abiding by his rules; and Naoki actually speaks to her willingly.

We’re transported to three days later; exams are over, and Kotoko runs around the school with Kinnouske’s arm around her. Watanabe, who is perhaps Naoki’s only friend (who is often overlooked, but is an amazing character), is also perhaps Naoki’s only source of emotional reason. He’s already poking Naoki towards being jealous since Kotoko has already “moved on to another boy”.

“it’s none of my business,” he says, as his eyes keep following her. My man, that is not something someone who doesn’t care would say or do. Another big change, Naoki is actually beginning to socialise with his classmates, something that even shocks Watanabe.

“you have never done anything like this in all three years here”

Think back to episode one when Kinnouske was gathering donations for Kotoko. What did Kotoko tell him in a fit of rage…?

If your answer was “Do you even have friends?” Then you are correct!! I’ll leave the rest to you.

The more I see Kotoko, the more I love her; she goes straight to the first place to make sure that Naoki is not affected by helping her. Naoki follows in her footsteps and only looks at her results. He also breaks his only rule, and actually talks to her at school, and has the audacity to then say “I told you this many times already, don’t talk to me at school”.

When Kotoko goes over the quote that Naoki mentioned earlier, he even smiles at her.

Now, unfortunately here’s where all hell breaks loose. We were making great progress, but this next part is an absolute setback. Ironically, a rumour comes out once again, also technically caused by Noriko, with the additional help of Kotoko’s friends. Regardless of the outcome, the picture was in fact a sweet gesture from Noriko.

In spite of everything, I feel terrible for Kotoko; her friends not only undermined her efforts on the exam when they learned that Naoki tutored her, they even broke the promise of not telling anyone about them living together, on top of that, Naoki is (understandably) very mad at her.

“since you wrote a love letter to me, perhaps you don't mind the rumour. but it really bothers me. Don’t screw up my life anymore”

This statement just proves that rumour is what bothers him and what holds him back, and Kotoko is there to fix that.

One minor omission from the Manga that I feel would have been a great addition/introspective is this scene.

We see Naoki leave before Kotoko begins to cry. In the Manga, Naoki sees Kotoko crying before She storms off. now this is a very minor difference, but it would serve as a good explanation for a few later events.

Bonus:

It’s all in the details; Kinnouske wiping down the table after picturing Kotoko as a servant is top-tier comedy.