Since I'm watching all the Itazura na Kiss adaptations, I guess I'll review them all as well. Note: I've read part of the manga and seen the anime, so they are the only thing I can compare this drama too. Another note: my favorite part of this drama was probably the ending theme, which paid homage to the manga (so adorable!).

I didn't hate this drama, only it left me disappointed at certain points that I felt the manga/anime did better. For some reason, Kotoko never annoyed me as in the manga/anime as much as she did in this drama. No offense to Sato Aiko, who was a bit screechy at times. I think it was mostly a writing issue. There is never a moment when Kotoko becomes just fed up with Naoki (God, I really wanted this moment). It's incredibly frustrating. On the other hand, I rather liked Kashiwabara Takashi as Naoki. I felt more sympathetic to him than Kotoko tbh. She really seemed like an "ordeal" to him and I kept telepathically telling him to run away.

As for the rest of the cast, I thought Asada Miyoko and Akashi Ryotaro were perfect as Naoki's mom and Yuki. I really enjoyed his voice-overs in the episodes. The majority of the other characters were good/okay but no stand-outs. I was disappointed in Kinnosuke's character. Though Aoki Shinsuke resembles him really well, they reduced his character to pure comic relief and he becomes a lot more annoying because of it. And lastly, I thoroughly disliked Ozawa Maju as Reiko (Yuko in the manga/anime). She was portrayed so evil in this drama with absolutely no sympathy at all. Ugh I really hated it.

The ending of this drama left me with mixed feelings, which I still cannot put my finger on. I've given it a rating of 7, only because I didn't absolutely hate it. If I was a professional reviewer, I would likely give it a 5 or 6. I think only die-hard fans should watch this (and even then y'all might not like it). Casual fans should beware, unless you're the type to skip scenes (alas, I'm not). Well, on from this meh adaptation to the next.