I think almost everybody who is familiar with this story knows that there are several adaptations for it. It all started with the manga, then the anime, then the 1995 movie and then 4 drama adaptions from China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. This version, the JDrama one is my favorite. Reasons? Here I go.
Story:
The story isn't your typical Cinderella. Yes, there's a poor girl and a rich guy and yes, he falls in love with her, but this Cinderella definitely doesn't want the charming prince to return her glass slipper. For me this story is a master piece not because of the love story, but because of its crudeness. It deals bluntly with heavy issues (even more forbidden in Japan) like bullying, rape, tolerance, corruption, class differences and the general injustice that is high school. I think this a story that every teenage girl should know of, because it says that you don't have to be anything to please a guy.Instead, you should worry about the things surrounding you and how you can make a change.
The love story is pretty good and addictive too. You have a strong female character who deals with a LOT of things throughout the story. She isn't searching for love, she has her hands already full with school and her family. She isn't pretty OR nice. Neither is she elegant or flirty. BUT, she is loyal to her friends and always defends people against injustice. She is honourable and honest, she always speaks her mind, even if it will get her in huge trouble afterwards. She's also fearless and does what most people are afraid to. Watching this now, I realize that Makino has been my role model throughout my teenage years and has helped me morph into the person I am today. I am still very far from being like her, but she's a truly inspirational character who makes me always push myself harder.
Then there's Domyouji, who is far from your perfect prince charming. To put it mildly, he's a total jerk and a bully. He's used to getting his way and everybody is afraid of him. He's a really rotten human being, if that can even be called human. But, when Makino confronts him instead of running away from him, he falls instantly in love with her. For me one of the greatest thing about HYD is seeing Domyouji slowly changing from being the monster that he was at first to a truly beautiful human being. His love for Makino makes him grow as a person, become someone kind and adorable, and he learns a little more about life, and accepts that he can't always have his way.
Acting:
All the cast does a perfect job. They made the characters from the manga come alive completely, instead of changing them. The chemistry between Inoue Mao and Matsumoto Jun is so real that I often wish they were a couple in real life while watching them, and the chemistry between the F4 is great too. They really came together as a group of friends who always have their back for each other.
The thing about this story is that you don't say: wow this person is a great actor/actress. It is the kind of awesome acting that makes you forget they're acting. It's simply natural and perfect.
Music:
The OST is really good. It's not mad good, but it's the kind of music that gets stucked in your head for several days in a row. It has been on my iPod for several years, and I sometimes use it as a ringtone from my phone.
Rewatch:
I've watched this several times and I will keep rewatching it, because I learn something new about it every time I watch it.
Overall:
This is one of those dramas that for ME, is really a must. If you haven't watched it, I recommend it greatly. I don't know if you'll think of it as high as I do, but I seriously think you'll like it, what are you waiting for? :)
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Story: So if you've read the manga, watched the anime, or have seen either the Korean/ Japanese version you already know the story. For others the story may seem a bit weird but it has a lot of heart and it totally grabs your attention. Its a romantic comedy so its a story based around love.
Acting: Ahh soo much better than the Korean version, much much much better. Though the cast wasn't as pretty as the Korean version they were excellent actors. I already liked Matsumoto Jun from Kimi Wa Petto but this story made me fall in love with him. The main female Inou Mao is SOOO SOOO SOO much better than Goo Hye Sun and her horrible acting. I love the cast, and I thought the girl who played Shisuka was GORGEOUS! She was so pretty.
Music: I really liked the music it was cute and catchy. But I got annoyed after they played it over and over again.
Rewatch: Definitely will watch again when I'm in the mood for a good romance drama.
Forget the Korean version of the drama, why wasn't this my drama. Why did the Korean version have to be my first drama and ruin Kdramas for me for a while. If you want pretty sets and pretty actors go to the Korean version, but if you want awesome acting and true feelings this version is THE BEST!! LOVE LOVE LOVEEEEEE
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Anyway, the story is known and as everyone agree it's a nice story with great events that will make you anticipate more.
The music: It was good.
What I truly blame on this season that it's too short. What I truly like is Domyouji's foolishness; Matsumoto Jun did his role perfectly no mistakes at all, I fell in love with his character in this drama: so cute, so funny and most of all so childish.
I believe that this drama is one of the greatest jdramas that i've ever seen, I enjoyed it so much.
I wonder if there's someone who haven't watched it and if there's such person I would highly recommend this.
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Initially I like this drama. I liked the lead female,Makino Tsukushi, as a strong female role because she would't succumb to the arrogant F4(especially from the lead male Domyouji Tsukasa). It was cliche, but I've come to expect that in any japanese teen drama. Some reactions and plot devices were unrealistic, but I can ignore that. What turned me off was the complete 180 the drama took from reality involving Domyouji. Let's get this straight, Domyouji is a narcissistic, obnoxious, arrogant creep. Nothing leads me to feel empathy for his character. Domyouji does awful, terrible, things to harass Makino; even going as far as hiring people to sexually assault her. The 'excuses' for his behavior (his background story) are not at all valid for being such an awful human being and I feel no empathy for the character.
I had to quit watching after I searched for the ending. I couldn't make myself sit through the entire drama only to be enraged at the end.
The only semi saving grace for this show was the acting. Oguri Shun is a brilliant actor, and Jun Matsumoto portrays his character well (as does Mao Inoue). So I guess if you are a fan of the manga you will like it (???). For me, two thumbs way way down.
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My first thought when I watched the first episode of Hana Yori Dango was that Matsumoto Jun was so physically wrong for the part. But by the end of the first episode, he had captured the essential nature of Domyoji Tsukasa like nobody before or since; from the utter bad-boy prep school hauteur, to the barely hidden sociopathic tendencies springing from a need for love that he had never received whilst growing up. Is there anything sexier than a bad-boy that can be tamed by his one true love?
And speaking of that one true love, we now come to our lady protagonist, Inoue Mao as Makino Tsukushi. She IS Makino on every level, from her uncanny resemblance to the Manga character created way back in 1992 by Kamio Youko.
Special mention to Oguri Shun as Hanazawa Rui, a member of F4, and Domyoji's main rival for Makino's heart. His Rui is sexy and strong and he takes matters into his own hands when he begins to protect Makino.. Bravo for a job well done.
In comparison to Kkotboda Namja, the production values of Hana Yori Dango are clearly superior. Whilst the interiors of the various mansions in Boys over Flowers are clearly cheap sets, most of the interiors in Hana Yori Dango are filmed in actual palatial mansions, and the difference is obvious.
From the opening episode to the miraculous final shot of season 1, with Makino and Domyoji filmed in cameo against a setting sun as they embrace and Makino finally admits to Domyoji how she feels, this drama is special and remains to this day in my top 3 dramas of all time.
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Either it's been too long for anyone to remember what happened in this drama to write a review or people think this drama is way too good to need a review (which isn't a bad argument).
Anyway, here I am to write a review with all I can remember!
First point to make: Personally, I suggest you watch this drama no matter what I have to say.
This is the ultimate drama in my opinion. Why?
Well, this was my very first asian drama, ever. I was introduced to the asian drama world by friends. Back when I watched it in 2005, I was enchanted. This drama has a special place in my heart. This drama, in my opinion, is a classic. You will fall in love with it.
Now some deeper explanation for my scoring:
Story: This drama is based on the manga. I watched the drama and tried to read the manga, but it didn't work out. I couldn't get past the artwork and the fact that I already knew everything >__>; However, great story and wonderful script writing. There are moments you will get mad, want to cry, and blush and say "awww".
Acting/Cast: Wonderful. People argue that the cast from the Korean version Boys Before Flowers are more beautiful, and I slightly agree so I deducted .5. However, this cast will always and forever be the "original" cast for me. I am also looking back and thinking that the acting wasn't super, so I deducted .5.
However, there is so much to why acting/cast gets a 9 rather than a 1. This cast KNOWS how to reel you in. You WILL feel for them! Inoue Mao gives a wonderful intro in the beginning about her life at Eitoku. You'll know exactly what's going on. Everyone's situation will be well shown, and a big round of applause goes to the cast for that. I must also say that I fell for the guys who play the F4 because they're very good looking ;] Matsuda Shota!
Music: This drama got me into J-Pop. At that point I had only been into anime music because I used to only watch anime. With Arashi's WISH opening and Otsuka Ai's Planetarium song, I fell in love with J-Pop. Wonderful songs.
Rewatch value: Although I haven't rewatched HYD, I must say that it wouldn't be a bad idea to. I honestly believe this drama isn't easy to become bored of.
Overall: Like I said, this is the ultimate, classic asian Japanese drama. There is no other score than a 10/10.
If you still haven't been convinced to watch this drama, please talk to the many other dramawatchers out there who I am sure will claim that HYD is one of the best out there and even if not the best, will always and forever be a classic to all of us.
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Akira and Okami are cute, and I like that Akira has a larger part than Song Woo Bin.
Domyoji is much better than Gu Jun Pyo, for me. He is more respectful of Makino and her bounderies, and doesn't force her to be with him like Jun Pyo does. Even when he calls her his girlfriend, he later told her that he only said that to get Rui off his back, and that he was aware she hadn't given him a reply yet. He is also more mature than Jun Pyo. Jun Pyo always seemed a little ridiculous adn over the top to me, and I never loved him as a character; I was more interested in his dynamic with Jan Di. But I like Domyoji as a character, as well as his dynamic with Makino. As for Rui, I like him more than Ji Hoo. He is more supportive of Makino and Domyoji's relationship and Makino's crush on him didn't last long so there isn't too much of a love triangle. Also, the Saturn necklace is better than the moon and star because the moon and star always seemed a bit rude to me like, yeah you can't leave me. Like, um, a little intimidating there. But the saturn necklace is gorgeous and more meaningful, they're both from Saturn. Also, I like Makino's declaration of love much more.
So Hana Yori Dango?
I'm loving it.
(Boys Over Flowers fans: This is my personal opinion! Feel free to prefer BOF! Everyone has their own taste and both shows are good and valid! :) )
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This review may contain spoilers
Another popular drama that is unworthy of the hype.
This review has mild spoilers but nothing that will ruin the drama for you if you haven’t watched it already. :) I have not read or watched any other media adaptations of Hana Yori Dango and my review is based solely on this version.First of all, I want to say that I am pretty new to dramas in general and jdramas in particular. Jdramas generally have a very positive reception from me and this is the first jdrama which I’ve rated so low.
Hana Yori Dango was a painful watch. The only reason why I watched it was because it was one of the “popular” Japanese dramas according to the MDL database and with over 40,000 viewers on MDL alone, HYD is no doubt popular. It has a rating of 8.3 which is higher than some of the masterfully written jdramas like “Karamazov no Kyodai.”
With these facts in mind, and because I wanted to watch something popular, I tried Hana Yori Dango.
As described in the synopsis, Hana Yori Dango follows the story of Makino Tsukushi who is the only student at Eitoku who comes from a poor family. Eitoku is attended by children of rich families and its despot is a group of four high-school students who go by the title of “Four Flowers,” abbreviated as F4—Domyoji Tsukasa, the leader of F4 and the heir to the Domyoji World Finance Group; Hanazawa Rui, the introverted son of a large company; Nishikado Sojiro and Mimasaka Akira.
Tsukushi always maintains a low profile at Eitoku but when she stands up for her friend and new transfer student Sakurako, she becomes the subject of ridicule and bullying because the F4 have issued the Red Notice for her.
Following this, Tsukushi is defended on several occassions by Hanazawa Rui and she develops a crush on him but Domyouji falls for her and thus begins the tussle between the two friends.
These are my primary problems with Hana Yori Dango:
1. Badly written Female lead.
Tsukushi is actually quite a nice female lead. She is atypical in the sense that she isn’t beautiful according to societal standards, her manners aren’t polished like other female leads are expected to be and she can throw a mean punch.
But Tsukushi is a bad attempt at writing a strong female lead, so much so that it doesn’t justify the “Strong Female Lead” tag on MDL. Yes, she stands up for her best friend Yuki and also protects Sakurako, but at the most crucial moments luke when Domyouji sends a gang of boys after her to rape her (more on that in a bit) or when a knife was held to her throat, she completely became dependant on Hanazawa Rui or Domyouji to save her.
Tsukushi is a typical example of a femae lead who is strong in a “cute way,” but doesn’t stand up for herself at serious moments like when she is about to get raped.
2. Atrocious Male Lead.
Lets get this clear. Domyouji is an asshole. No, he is.
He is the leader of the F4 and actively causes other students to get bullied and he does so even if he someone mistakenly dirties his shirt. He goes so far as to inhumanely treat Tsukushi by asking her to lick sauce off his shoes. He also bullies three boys by dunking their heads under water, to make them rape Tsukushi and drive her out of the school.
The worst part is that Domyouji had nearly no character development and whatever minor character development he did have, was abrupt and sudden.
3. Romance.
By the end of Hana Yori Dango, each of the F4 members have found their perfect good girl pairings. They don’t have anger issues anymore and are not womanizers. The concluding pairs don't sit well with me at all because the only pair I was truly rooting for were Hanazawa Ruu and his crush.
Even in terms of Domyouji and Tsukushi, their development of feelings was abrupt and the realization of mutual feelings happened only after several cliched dramatic events. Long story short, the development of romance has a lot to make up for.
4. The ending. (Major spoiler)
Hana Yori Dango could have had a great ending in my opinion, with Domyouji’s mother understanding that Domyouji and Tsukushi’s feelings were real. But no, they decided to drag thus story into a second season with a boring ending involving a teary farewell.
It was almost as if a part of the ending had been cut out as a sudden decision.
The final takeaway:
I think the best part about Hana Yori Dango is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It is full of cliches and tropes and it could have been a fun watch but it was just too problematic and I have to draw a line.
A handsome 3.5 for HYD. This was a waste of my time. Rewatch value is the lowest I vould offer on the given scale. I do not plan to watch other adaptations of HYD except maybe the upcoming Thai adaptation because I like GMMTV dramas and I hope they change up the story to reduce these aspects which ruined HYD for me.
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To put it simply, Hana Yori Dango will take you on an emotional roller coaster. First you laugh, then you cry and then you congratulate yourself for having watched the best drama ever. Enjoy the ride!
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Why HANA YORI DANGO will always be THE SUPERIOR/BEST VERSION a.k.a THE GOLDEN STANDARD!
HANA YORI DANGO is the ONE AND ONLY VERSION that GOT TO PLUCKED MY HEARTSTRINGS, FREAKIN' PLAYED WITH MY EMOTIONS & MADE ME FEEL ALL SORT OF THINGS!!! The way HanaDan was made was SO COMPELLING, FULL OF ANGST & HEARTWARMING, that's why, it will ALWAYS BE THE SUPERIOR VERSION a.k.a THE GOLDEN STANDARD!!!!!!! ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★Just watch HANA YORI DANGO is you want to see:
• A properly tailored flow of the scenes/plot. QUALITY MORE THAN QUANTITY!
• The version that stood the test of time a.k.a. REWATCH VALUE.
• Well-written characters that's why you can understand why they're acting the way they were.
• Polished arcs of the characters, most especially to Domyouji’s redemption, with his arc in S2!
(It was the heaviest compared to his other counterparts.)
• The STRONGER THAN THE WHOLE PERIODIC TABLE CHEMISTRY of Inoue Mao (Makino Tsukushi) and Jun Matsumoto (Domyouji Tsukasa), and how their chemistry really worked like magic which also launched thousands of shippers until this day on! Their chemistry was so believable that you could actually feel their scenes whether it be love, confusion, pain and longing!
• The solid & genuine friendship of F4 and how it extended up to Makino.
• The version that gave justice & “more than meets the eye” element to Makino and Domyouji’s character sketches and against all odds love story; whereas, Inoue Mao and Jun Matsumoto perfectly etched a convincing, endearing, full of angst, in-depth and emotional rawness to their portrayals which really stood out above the rest. They have this amazing control over the audience that makes you super-emotionally invested and attached to their characters and how they affect each other!
• The ICONIC OSTs (Wish, Love So Sweet, One Love, Planetarium, Flavor of Life & Kiss Hug) and the very beautiful music scoring (composed by Kousuke Yamashita) used that made the emotional scenes of HanaDan even more poignant & heart wrenching!
• THE CONSISTENCY OF THE ITEMS THAT SYMBOLIZES MAKINO & DOMYOUJI’S ROMANCE as they're constantly there and really plays “plot” in the show too! They were able to deeply showcase the important roles of those intricate items, not just some random pretty decorations.
1.) SATURN NECKLACE - According to the horoscope, Makino & Domyouji are “people of saturn” meant to share and experience all the fun and difficult times together. You can also see that Makino in this version really treasured the necklace compared to her other counterparts!
2.) THE FLAVOR OF LOVE – As Domyouji said, the flavor of love (bittersweetness) tastes like the lousy cookies Makino made for him. The only Domyouji counterpart that made an impactful statement about Makino’s cookies!
3.) EBISU GARDEN PLACE – a.k.a. their sacred place (I just loved the fact that this is where Makino & Domyouji held their marriage as a nod to their first date!)
• THE CONSISTENCY OF THE NARRATIVE PARALLELS
1.) MAKINO’S EYES – From S1, S2 and Final movie, you will notice that the exposition scenes always start with the close up shot of Makino’s eyes and her multiple “why’s” as it meant that this is her story and journey with F4! She is the main lead character after all and I loved how they highlighted it!
2.) DOMYOUJI'S GALAXY PUZZLES (In Season 1) - You can notice that when Domyouji was starting to show his inner self (behind his tiger mask) and applying what his older sister suggested ("Patience is a Virtue / "You have to love in order to be loved!") to Makino, he also began to happily arrange his galaxy puzzles one at a time. And at the near end of S1, he was able to finally put the last piece of the puzzle before leaving for New York! As a deep viewer who understood this important symbolism, I do believe that Domyouji finally completing the picture of the galaxy puzzle means that his relationship-building with Makino (from "Hate to Love") has already been completely and strongly established! For Domyouji, arranging his galaxy puzzles is like whenever he sees Makino's presence or when he's with Makino━he truly feels happy and genuinely at peace.
3.) “GIRL I APPROVE OF” & “PARTNERSHIP OF DESTINY/ MEANT TO BE/ CHOSEN BY DESTINY” – It’s really endearing when Domyouji was so consistent in saying and initiatively stressing these words to Makino!
• The one and only version that highlighted the importance of Eternal/Everlasting Love on Makino and Domyouji where love is more than just a feeling but a commitment, and the essence of including the person you love in your dreams and priorities in life.
• HanaDan out of all the versions has the BEST PROPOSAL, BEST WEDDING SCENE & BEST SATISFYINGLY PERFECT HAPPY ENDING!
In retrospect, Hana Yori Dango Japanese drama is a classic rom-com done right & its execution was definitely more than just a formulaic statement. it delivered flawed characters that actually had a chance to redeem themselves and perfectly balanced the humor, angst, heart wrenching and romantic moments between the characters! Thus, it will always have a REWATCH VALUE even after so many years have passed or will still pass! ♥♥♥
So if you haven't watched this yet, I BET YOU SHOULD! ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
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Hana Yori Dango is the best adaptation of the Boys Over Flowers manga even though it wasn't the first that I saw. I watched Meteor Garden sporadically since it came out in 2001 and then the Korean Boys Over Flowers. I was halfway through BOF when I decided, out of curiosity, to watch the Japanese dorama. At first, I must admit, I didn't find anything remotely impressive because let's face it, the guys are not really that good-looking (and as a rule, the F4 bullies are supposed to be hot, drop dead gorgeous or something). Matsumoto Jun, Oguri Shun and the others just seemed so ordinary, you know? But as I continued watching the dorama (and abandoned the Korean one without regrets), I became enamored by Matsujun's acting. Seriously, can this guy get even more adorable? He was hilarious, I could imagine Domyouji Tsukasa in the manga coming to life! But he could also be fierce, violent and downright irrational with serious anger management issues. We all know Lee Min Ho is very good-looking and a pretty decent actor but strangely though, Matsujun's performance alone eclipsed Min Ho and eventually, I couldn't imagine anybody else play Domyouji except the latter despite his "imperfections". Matsujun really endeared himself to me. Moreover, his chemistry with Inoue Mao was amazing. You know how in other versions, you'd rather root for the Makino-Rui pairing because Domyouji's character seemed too crazy? In this drama, I was for Makino and Domyouji all the way! They looked lovely together that I tended to overlook his unreasonableness and fiery temper simply because the guy portraying him was so good at it! Inoue Mao was also perfect for the role. She was steely and determined. Her strength was apparent yet there was still that naivete and delicate feminine quality to her that made her loveable as well. And whenever they interacted together onscreen, this amazing connection forms and you get pulled right in. Their chemistry made HYD a huge hit despite the fact that the original storyline was utterly ludicrous, cliche and soap opera-like. The limited number of episodes was an advantage too because it prevented the story from becoming too draggy, unlike its Taiwanese and Korean counterparts. The bromance in this version was also very convincing and you can tell that even if they were shallow spoiled brats, they still treated each other like brothers. The guys could count on each other through thick and thin.
Hana Yori Dango definitely had been my guilty pleasure in the past. Out of the 3 versions I've seen, this is the only one that made me a bit obsessed XD (blame it on Matsujun and Inoue's chemistry!). I won't recommend it anymore because I'm sure most if not all watched it already. Rewatch value? A resounding 10 of course because I enjoyed re-watching it myself back then. Their silly banter and sweet, toe-curling moments (even if some were cheesy) brought out all those warm fuzzy feelings and well, who wouldn't want that? LOL.
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