Italic script is one of the basic calligraphic hands; the fact that it's cursive (joined) and oblique (slanted) are key to its identity. But I would imagine it

Italic script is one of the basic calligraphic hands; the fact that it's cursive (joined) and oblique (slanted) are key to its identity. But I would imagine it evolved into type the same way that other script styles did, so to say that italic type "should" look like handwriting seems questionable.