[Discussion] Hanazakari no Kimitachi e [2007]

Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 6:09 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

i know why the SP isn't as good.. somehow I don't get enough of nakatsu.. heh heh.. he is one reason that made me love the drama. somehow I don't get the same effect in the SP.. hmmmm...

Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 11:35 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

I've watched and it is so adorable!
I love it! Big Smile

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 9:26 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

I love Hanakimi SP .. and i want more NAKATSU !!!

This drama must have the sequel .. or movie like Hanadan .. oh, i really hope so .. please , please ..

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:08 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

I am happy with them not to do a wedding special, unless they come up with an awesome story line, I don't see it being very exciting. I enjoyed the special but it needed more Nakatsu.

Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 2:06 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Two words to comment on this Dorama. Well Done!!! KAMPAI!!!

Well, i said it was well done because it was the silliest type of DOrama i have to expect. First and foremost, I didn't know it was a manga based series, AGAIN, and it was rather have the type of story which makes me wanting to see more. =))

Well seemingly, the actual character that i like the most from the dorama is...drumroll...you've guest it, yes it is NAKATSU, clap clap.I don't know if it was the actor, the talking to myself thingy or the script, well the character just blew my expectation away.

The actress playing Mizuki, well not much do discuss, she's just fit the character, and seems to do well playing cute, sassy character. The out-going war between the Doc and the Photographer seems typical for this type of dorama, but it works and is hilarious.

The storyline is sport-oriented, not traditionally my kind of theme, but the first episode just kept me going to the SP. Overall, i give Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, a must-see dorama, hilarious throughout the series, and a mix of romance, gender-bender love, and sportsmanship. Seriously, a must watch.

Anybody still has the file of this drama, could you please provide some seed ^^
Want to watch so deadly (sniff sniff..)

Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 1:59 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 3:58 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

I found this link in one discussion forum about hana kimi. I've seen what's on the second link (002) and it is that bowling variety-game show where the hana kimi cast did a guest spot. The one I saw however wasn't the hana kimi cast's turn but they were sitting in the background so it's definitely one of these files. They are not subbed and as of posting, I wasn't able to make the first one work.

001 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CT39CZ22 (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CT39CZ22)
002 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZKGRWEUL (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZKGRWEUL)
003 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FONA0LC0 (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FONA0LC0)
004 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5TO3UCII (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5TO3UCII)
005 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=97MKZUOS (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=97MKZUOS)
006 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6F17009T (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6F17009T)

As for interviews and the like, try youtube. There's an interesting one where Shun and Toma go to a public bath together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxpx3rprt3k&feature=related

Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 3:11 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

After watching Hana Kimi, I have since reached the following conclusions:

1) The more convinced I am that--with the exception of a very few gems such as Nobuta wo Produce and Stand Up!--high school-based dramas in general are nothing but one big, contiguous farce-o-rama where people are one-dimensional buffoons and situational plausibility gets pimped out for cheap laughs.

2) Oguri Shun is Love. Wub

Repeat after me: Oguri Shun is L-O-V-E. Love. I didn't find him handsome at first, having first seen him in Hana Dan and Stand Up! (and I still don't; not classically handsome, that is), but there's something about good acting that makes the character (and the actor) so… compelling. cheers

Towering over everyone else, Shun may look a bit too mature to be playing a high school student, but but BUT I never would've found this drama watchable without him in it. Yep, without him as Sano, I would've chucked my DVD out the window right after Episode One. Amid the crazy, meandering stupidity of this drama, Shun brings a certain--stillness, a gravitas, and a core of believability to the story. I've seen him in good productions (HanaDan, Stand Up!) as well as pretty awful ones (the unfortunate Yuuki, and now, Hana Kimi), but I was blown away by his performance in each one. He really seems to understand, as in really understand what each character is about, and has that gift (yeah, the one so few actors have, lol) of inhabiting a character and making it his own, despite crappy writing or mediocre co-stars. Shun can make whatever character he's playing feel like a real person, whether the material is hardcore comedy, or more serious fare. salut

It also helps that his character in Hana Kimi is the most well fleshed-out of the lot: the whole character arc of Sano is developed--his internal conflict, his motivation, his worries and insecurities, his family baggage--and you really witness the transformation that gradually takes place throughout the drama. But then this is Shun, so even with the character of Sano being the best-written in the entire story, a lesser actor may have messed it all up just the same, lol. And yeah, I'd totally believe his character was this record-breaking track star--with that super athletic body of his? *wolf-whistles, lol* Baby baby baby. You can (high)jump me anytime, lolz. (PLUS, sporting that jet-black hair, and walking around in those to-die-for Nike track suits, Shun certainly looks his cutest among all the dramas I've seen him in. Oooh-la-la!!!) Alcoholic

Ikuta Toma: I thought his "dark" (lol) turn in Hana Dan was rather laughable, but he surprised me in Hana Kimi. He does good comedy here--typically J-com, but never completely over the top. And I like that he doesn't seem to balk at making fun of himself, and is remarkably unselfconscious despite all the outrageous situations his character has to deal with. (I haven't seen Maou, but here's to hoping that Toma… doesn't disappoint. I mean, Uhm Tae-woong left such a MARK on the same character in the K-drama version, Mawang, a feat that Toma will be hard-pressed to duplicate, much less surpass.)

Horikita Maki: Oh dear. The weakest link of the three. I was HOPING to see a Girl acting like a Boy (same kind of role that Amanda Bynes NAILED!!! in the 2006 film She's the Man--aka Shakespeare's Twelfth Night for the MTV Generation, heh), but it was sooooo frustrating to watch Maki Not. Even. Trying. What we have instead is a Girl who still acts like a Girl but has everyone thinking she's a Boy because: 1) the boys in Osaka High are THAT dumb, and 2) the writing decreed that nobody find her out until the last episode. Durrr. Maki doesn't even lower her voice, or wear fake eyebrows or sideburns (or something), or adopt other mannish mannerisms--things Amanda Bynes did in She's the Man, with delightfully hilarious results. She's the Man was so entertaining (despite being--yessss, another high school rom-com) because Bynes attacked her role with an almost gleeful gusto, and wasn't afraid her Disney/Nickelodeon-weaned image would take a beating by being in such a gender-bending project, or by deglamorizing herself to the point of being unrecognizable. The whole film is really about the comedy of errors that ensues as Viola (Amanda Bynes) tries her darnedest to fit in the all-boys school, despite getting into a lot of hairy near-scrapes, compounded even more by the maddening proximity of her super-stud of a roommate, Duke Orsino (Channing Tatum).

What made me want to tear my hair out was watching this insipid, half-a$$ed effort from Horikita Maki, that would've been pleasantly watchable if--her character hadn't pretended to be a guy from the start. She's SUCH a girl here, and what astounds me even more is how the writing loves to make her character dress up in ladies' formal wear (e.g. the pageant, then later the dance contest), then later makes a big deal of her being outed as a girl, when everything about the drama (the writing, Maki's unconvincing acting) somehow conveniently forgets how bloody important it is for Mizuki to act as boyishly as possible, and not give even the barest hint that she's actually a girl!!! Argh!!! *self-destructs* Cussing

Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 4:19 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 5:32 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

I agree with your adulation of Oguri Shun. His portrayal of Sano Izumi showcases how “less” could be “more” reminiscent of great western actors like Pacino and Hanks. He has very limited dialogue and had to rely more on body language to portray the character. Nevertheless, he was able to make his presence noticeable even in big chaotic ensemble scenes. Even then, his acting was not really pronounced but more like the very personification of the word ‘enigma’. I consider this a great feat of acting for him because in real life he seems to be a very extroverted person but as Sano Izumi he was so masterful in controlling himself as an athlete and even as a lover. It also helps that even with that much control emotions betray him when they just leak out irrepressibly.

I agree too that although he may not be considered aesthetically handsome, he has made himself really “dreamy” as Sano Izumi. It’s what old folk here call “simpatico” which roughly translates as effortlessly charming. I guess it was due to how he expressed his inner struggles while displaying the strength of a lone wolf.

I have seen him in Hana Yori Dango and Stand UP but, contrary to popular opinion, he didn’t come off as memorable to me. Have you seen him in Binbo Danshi? He doesn’t play silly well. Maybe it’s the way the character was written but it was just so preposterous I’ve lost interest in the inanity of it all after three episodes.

Ikuta Toma is hilarious as Nakatsu. He made me really feel for him because he always wore his heart on his sleeve. When he fell to his knees under the arch bridge after saying, “In five seconds I’m going to cry – five, four, three, two, one,” that was easily the most heart-wrenching moment I’ve seen on jdrama. Everyone knows how it feels to be so sad you can’t even cry and in that scene Toma hit out of the ballpark. I’ve never seen him in anything worth watching since Hana Kimi (my apologies to Honey and Clover and Maou fans).

As for Maki, I commend her for not sinking into oblivion around all those over-the-top characters in the series. I don’t think she did badly at all portraying a very unrealistic character. The production failed her in the make up department plus it could also be attributed to her other commitments (endorsements and stuff) that she wasn’t able to get a really butch haircut like Ella Chen in the Taiwan version. And after all, Japanese boys do prefer gender ambiguity in their style so much so they tend to look like girls. But all in all, Maki made Ashiya float despite the odds against her. I’ve seen other gender-bender movies like She’s the Man (I love Amanda Bynes especially the “chew like you have a secret” scene). Have you seen Young Americans? It’s pretty much like Hana Kimi but the guy/girl character is so good you’d be crunching on him even after you find out she was a girl. The character’s name is Jake portrayed by Katherine Moennig later made famous by her other gender-bending performance as Shane in The L Word.

In so far as the story goes, I guess it really boils down to a matter of taste. There are those who are into slice-of-life, closer-to-reality depiction of the coming-of-age theme. As for me, if I want to see reality, I’ll just look into my extraordinarily boring life so buffoonery and farcical re-imagining of youth floats my boat.

Actually, I consider it luck on our (the viewer’s) part that the production did not keep true to the manga. Sano in the manga was a bit more talkative (albeit in his thought bubbles) and the Ashiya character was so much flakier. The dressing Ashiya up in girl’s clothes has much to do with the mangaka’s choice of storylines and the Japanese bishojo/bishonen fetish. Ashiya’s reasoning in the live action was more ‘believable’ – wanting to get Sano back into the sport that he loved after getting hurt saving her life almost at the expense of his own. In the manga, Ashiya just had a super-whopper of a crush on Sano – talk about stalking!

Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:29 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

@Ender's girl
I agree with everything you said about maki and her character in Hanakimi.
i was really impressed with her in NwP.
and because of Shun being in there too, i decided to give hana kimi a try. but unfortunately her character frustrated and angered me more than amuse, so i turned my attention completely on Shun and my newly discovered eye candy, Hiro.
as for maki, after giving her one last chance with inoocent love and finding nothing but bigger disappointment, i stopped watching her alltogether.

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:25 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

@ Hae Jin: (Lol, so it had to take Hana Kimi to draw you out of Lurkerdom, ehh? Mr. Green

) "Comparisons are odious," as the saying goes. But they ARE inevitable. And cultural differences aside, the only valid point for comparison between Maki's turn in Hana Kimi and other gender-bender roles would lie in the believability of the performance: did the actress play a girl playing a guy to a convincing degree? Maki = not in my book. Neutral

Granted, Japan is crawling with bishounen types, so mannishness (even in men) may not be as idealized as in other cultures. But Maki didn't even play androgynous convincingly, IMO. Roll Eyes

@ tunix_2008: Yeah, I remember Katherine Moennig from Young Americans (hahaha t'was so long ago! *wipes away tear*)--now THAT was one heckuva girl-as-guy portrayal. Her character was definitely straight (fell in love with that dude from Lost, right?), but she had so many layers that I just didn't see in Maki. Too bad for Maki; I had such high hopes for her after watching NwP. I thought she was perfect for Nobuta.

As for the TW version of Hana Kimi... yeah, maybe I should give it a try. Not a fan of TW dramas, but it would be interesting to see Ella Chen's take on the same role.

@ Issy: Innocent Love, eh? sweating

Nope, haven't seen that one. (I just checked out Maki's DramaWiki page, and boy is she one busy little bee!) But I did get to watch Kurosagi the Movie, and she was such a nonentity there. Well, the movie was just frickin' awwful, lolz. I was

all the way to the end credits.

Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:26 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

I think Maki had a good grasp of her character. The manga Mizuki was just as unconvincing and girly even as a boy. She's just trying to be in Mizuki's shoes and learning to be a boy without too much success. Although she tries to pick up some 'guy habits' along the way (and she does adapt to some), in the end, she can't rid her girlish ways. Changes doesn't always come so easily and the fact that in Asian cultures, it wouldn't take much for a girl to be mistaken as a boy probably made Mizuki less paranoid on keeping up with the act constantly.

There's this new kdrama, You're Beautiful, that just came out with another gender-bender theme. Her portrayal is similar to Maki's aka a girl trying to be a guy (in a male idol group) without much success in convincing the audience that she's a guy. She acts like a girl, sounds like a girl and looks like a girl but is it really the actress at fault for not being convincing or because that's how her character is?

I think if you really want to see Maki acting like a convincing boy (I thought she was quite good), you can try Tokyo Shounen where her character has split personality. Her other personality is a boy and even with her longer hair, from her behavior, body language and eyes, you can see she's a different person, specifically, a boy...just in a girl's body. I think this role would be more accurate in judging her on 'girl acting as a boy' portrayal.