First, I just want to say I’m a fan of every live action of Itazura na Kiss (except the 1996 version because I haven’t watched it) . So I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be biased, but it seems impossible not to compare hahaha x) Storyline: I have no problem with any other adaptations because I love the storyline so muchhh! Even if there are hundreds more remakes, I would watch them just because of the storyline. The story itself is already 23 years old but it never gets old. Salute to Tada Kaoru. Usually I won’t have high hope for Japanese romance dramas or movies. There are some that I like, but most of the couples have zero chemistry. But this drama is an absolute exception- I fell in love with the pair at the first sight, and I’m not at all disappointed :) I saw people were complaining during the airing of episode 11-14, they said the series got draggy. But since I watched this right away after it finished airing, and completed it in just two days (I had lots of work, if not, I could just finish it in one sitting! xD), I didn’t really feel the same. It is nicely paced for me, especially how it illustrates Irie gradually discovering his feelings towards Kotoko- it was very well done. One of my favourite scenes is the rain confession. It was my first time weeping over a love confession lol. Acting: All of the casts are unfamiliar to me (I’ve watched Furukawa Yuki in High School Debut & Asuko March! but he was just a minor character. I didn’t notice him that much); some are mediocre and some manage to pull off their characters quite well. But, it is kind of awkward, that most of the times they tend to act so anime-like. I didn’t really mind that, but when I showed some tidbits of the drama to my friends, some of them were completely turned off. Well, exception has to be given to Furukawa Yuki though. HE IS JUST THE BEST! Even though I didn’t read the manga and just took a little peek into the anime version, I’m very sure that among all of the actors that had played Irie Naoki, he is the best portrayal ever. Korean Irie is forever monotonous, Chinese Irie is too caring, and lastly, the Taiwanese Irie is sort of a tease (but I like him lol! At least I can clearly see his love). Compared to the previous leads, Furukawa is able to retain the perfect nuance of Irie Naoki, without crossing over the line of being too indifferent or too passionate. Despite his baby face, he flawlessly emotes a cold expression which usually won’t fit someone with a face like his. He is basically an ideal image of an ice prince. That unconcerned and slightly jaded look of his is definitely not a turn-off. Every word he couldn't say, Furukawa manages to relay them perfectly through his charming quiet eyes. It is just that the girl is too dumb to realise that hahaa. Anyway I had fun observing his eye gestures and trying to figure out what he is thinking about her :D Many says Honoka Miki is the best portrayal of Kotoko but since I like other Kotoko(s) too, I don’t have much to say about her. But I really appreciate the fact that the director chooses her; I just can’t imagine the drama with someone else as Kotoko! Honoka evokes a very sweet and lovely image. She might exaggerate at times, but, from the way I feel, she represents many girls’ inner self. I’m sure that every of us would react the same when it comes to our crush, it just that we don’t do that openly ;) And I like that how her character is little bit toned down compared to the previous ones, so it’s very acceptable. Moreover, Honoka expresses the character naturally and it suits the personality of a Japanese girl. I can’t deny it when people that she is the most likable Kotoko so far :) Music: Average. But I vividly remember the instrument played during the rain confession scene; the scene itself is already very beautiful but the instrumental makes it hundreds times more beautiful and successfully convey the right emotion to the viewers. The opening song is cute and fluffy, it suits Kotoko so much. I like the ending song too.. it’s just that I can’t really relate it to the drama. Maybe I’ll check the lyric translation later. But I have to say that the Korean and Taiwanese’s OSTs are more memorable. Rewatch: I’m not a rewatcher, but rewatching this is a must! hehe (wheu, what a long review. This just proves how much I love this remake! Hahaa)