Excellent acting. (Weird cameraman though). Lovely story. Catchy music but not memorable. Rewatch value of over and over again. I put off watching this for 2 years. I'm glad I did. I was traumatized by Playful Kiss and needed time to get over that. It took me from 2009 until now lol. I loved the manga, loved loved loved it and up till now, I still believe the manga is the only one that truly shows Irie's feelings. When I read it, I didn't hate him. I loved him actually. Playful Kiss was horrible because I hated both the lead characters (not the actors) and the story adaptation was rubbish. I watched ISWAK and TKA years ago and from what I remember (not too much admittedly) Love in Tokyo and Love In Tokyo 2 were much much mucho better. In TKA Naoki was more expressive and I admit, I liked that version of Irie-kun the most, but I think this version really hit the essence of Irie's block-of-wood-with-Kotoko-inspired-feelings perfectly. Which brings me to this one. I think this is the only adaptation that truly captures the essence of Kotoko. She's silly, yes, but she's not brainless. She does weird things, yes, but they all have their purpose and they all have their charm. There is nothing she does for no reason and her reasons are usually common sense. She may not go about it as reasonably as you or I, but her reactions are all ours. She's just more dramatic for drama sake and because her character is one of those more expressive types. I assure, you, those epressive types are out there and they're good friends because they can never hide what they feel. They share themselves with the world. That's why I love this version of Kotoko and adored every single one of her quirks and her moments. (And her silliness and the circumstances she creates). Honoka Miki was absolutely the best thing to watch on this show. She's so pretty, expressive, and her acting is above par for so young a person. I'd love watching her in more lead roles. She is absolutely talented. The only thing about Kotoko I had a problem with was her absolute devotion to Irie Naoki. However, that is negligible because that is the original character that the manga creator devised and that is actually the entire plot of the original story. I honestly didn't want her to be with Naoki, wanted her to forget him and build a life with someone who would adore her rather than someone who wanted to be adored. I had fantasies (just like Kotoko) while watching this that Kotoko should lose her memory and wake up not knowing anything about Naoki, then he'd miss her and start to chase her a little. *sigh* My complaints about this aspect aside, I'm satisfied with the show. Extremely satisfied. Next up: Irie Naoki. Except for the manga (and even a little bit there too), I hated every version of him I've seen. Some more than others. This one is no different. I personally watched for Kotoko's character. This is not the actor's fault at all. I think he had great acting and I loved watching him with Honoka Miki. Their height difference (as well as age, I'll confess) made this enjoyable for me. The character's attitude towards Kotoko, his selfishness to lead her on, not allowing her to forget him and move on, yet never commit to her, drove me crazy. Kotoko is such a beautiful character with a beautiful, kind, selfless soul that charms everyone around her. She deserved to be loved unconditionally but instead she's hung up over a guy who doesn't know or care that he may have feelings for her. The actor, however, if you look closely, is very expressive in telling the audience what Irie-kun feels. He distances himself, but he keeps watching her with longing. He always knows when she's near and there are these little smiles he gives when he teases her or is happy that she's around. I liked this Naoki... to an extent. He still didn't treat my precious Kotoko with the love she deserved. I kept wanting her to get into an accident or something so he'd realise what he could lose and would be confronted by his feelings. Dramatic, I know... *eye roll*. However, this version made me understand Naoki better and even like him - just a little. He shared with Kotoko and tried to express himself in the end. It was worth it to watch. The actor was lovely for my eyes too lol. Kin-chan... my adorable baby. I was on your ship in this one. All the other Kin-chans irritated me. This one was so genuinely sweet and nice and loving that I wanted there to be a plot twist and she marries him. In no adaptation of INK would that happen though. Ever. Poor Kin-chan. He loved Kotoko unconditionally, but she loved Naoki unconditionally. They were both selfless in their love. Watching him and Kotoko made me realise how hard the friend-zone is and that it's kind of wrong to put your est guy-friend there. It also made me understand better when my guy-friends crib about girls overlooking nice guys and going after douchbags. Kotoko was one of those and it pained me to see her like that. The parents... all three of them were lovely. Some people said these parents were too fantastic to be real but I disagree. In my opinion, they are closer to reality than most that I've seen in dramaland. Think about it. Most parents want the best for their children and sacrifice to make it happen. They let their children's attitudes, wants and needs rule the roost because their children are their lives. I'm not talking about drama parents who think the company is the be all and end all of the universe. I'm speaking of your every-day average (responsible) parent. Those are the kinds I'm exposed to, but I do know there are worst parents out there. Watching this show made me thankful for the kind of people my parents are. Now, that's not to say Naoki's mom is the usual... she's over the top in a good (sometimes not) way. I love how she loved Kotoko, but I also understood that it wasn't actually about loving Kotoko. It was about her love for Naoki and on top of Kotoko's very special personality, it was about the better, more open, person Naoki became when in the presence of Kotoko. He was entirely different in Kotoko's presence than when he wasn't. The details were subtle, but it was there. He was a human because of her and a block of ice without her. Mama saw that and fell in love with Kotoko because she made her son a better person. Don't deny it, we all wish for a mother-in-law like that. I do, *sigh. The 2 friends... honestly, sometimes I wondered if they were frenemies lol. But they were great and stuck up for Kotoko when needed. I liked them a lot. This show was a blast for me. I thought I'd just try it out and maybe drop it, but it was too interesting to drop. It's a simple story, beautiful characters, and even more beautiful portrayals of those characters but the acting cast was fantabulous. Loved it. :)