Originally posted here at Anime Radius.

There is something about Itazura Na Kiss that always draws me back to the series with eager anticipation for the next volume. Perhaps it's the lovely clashes and moments between our heroine, the ditzy but strong-willed and determined Kotoko and the cooly aloof but secretly sweet Naoki - a true romance of contrasts. Or maybe it's the non-stop antics and crazy humor that Tada injects into every scene, humor that is overly abundant in this volume - see such scenes as Naoki and Yuko's failed date, the arrival of Kotoko's new romantic rival, and Kin-chan's attempts to 'rescue' Kotoko from Naoki while running through a terrible blizzard as just a few examples. No, it's all that and more - this is a shoujo series with heart. It draws you in with an unlikely pairing and slowly unfolds the two of them drawing closer to each other through their own efforts as well as the invisible hand that controls the circumstances of all shoujo manga. If you're not hooked at this point, volume three will be the volume to do it.

In this volume of Itazura Na Kiss, there's tons of things for Kotoko/Naoki fans to look forward to. Even as events seem to be gradually pulling them apart, they always seem to end up together in the end, whether it is at the school festival or during a blizzard that leaves the both of them snowed in at Naoki's new home. For the Kin-chan fans (there's gotta be some out there!) there are plenty of scenes of the strange Kin-chan doing his best to try and catch Kotoko's eye in any way possible. And then there is the university's anime club who have adopted Kotoko as their tennis superstar for their new animated project - a project that ends up being a wonderful homage to the sports and mahou shoujo genre anime from the seventies. It's a volume full of major events for everyone involved and contains stories both humorous and sweet. If you have been loving the slowly-advancing romance between Kotoko and Naoki like I have, you will certainly love this latest volume of INK - and be wondering when the next one is coming out! As Tada slowly advances the relationship between the two of them with both difficult scenarios and moments of good fortune, readers will be constantly looking forward to the day Naoki realizes his own feelings for Kotoko and tells her - although knowing Naoki, it probably won't be unless Kotoko can average above a 60 on her exams!
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