I’’s

STORY

Ichitaka Seto, the main character, falls in love with Iori Yoshizuki at first sight.
Iori aspires to becoming an actress with belonging to drama club.
With her good looking face, she is always very popular at school.
On the other hand, due to the fact that Ichitaka has experienced to be dumped by a girl whom Ichitaka used to love, he thinks he would rather be single than confessing his true feeling.
But, it begins to close each other that they both become a member of planning committee of a school event.
Meanwhile, Itsuki Akiba, who is an Ichitaka’s childhood friend and likes Ichitaka, comes back from US, and then a strange triangle relation appears among the three.
Between Itsuki who is innocent and lovely, and Iori who is modest and pure, Ichitaka’s feeling volatiles.
As moving up class and school, Ichitaka meets more charming newcomers, and new triangle relations begin there.
Focusing on Ichitaka and Iori, a real love story is played in this cartoon .

(Masakazu Katsura/1997-2000/15 books/Shueisha)

COMMENT by Shun

There is always a love comedy space in Shonen Jump that is definitely the No.1 weekly cartoon magazine in Japan.
Historically, those are xx, xx, xx and xx, xx, xx when I was kid and nowadays respectively.
The common point among them is ‘a little bit of sexy shots’.
The shots revealing underwear or boobs of cute girls by happenings are always important factors to attract the main readers; those are boys!
Of course, I, Dr. Ito, also have a special feeling to Katsura’s cartoons and I would say they are obviously No.1 love comedy in 80’s and 90’s by his overwhelming drawing techniques.
Nevertheless, pointing on I’s, I can barely find such ‘a little bit of sexy shots.’
I’s is rather a pure love story than a love comedy, and this case is very rare in the Jump.
Personally I prefer such love story cartoon that has sharp SF factors, and that is Katsura’s strong style.
Regardless that, this cartoon had been published for the longest period in Katsura’s cartoons ever.
After I’s finished and Katsura left the Jump, the Jump newly started two different love comedy cartoons, and that was a historical event!
However, that is another story and I will talk about this later… someday.

Shun's Score 5