[Discussion] Hanazakari no Kimitachi e [2007]

crabbyrat · Post by **crabbyrat** » Oct 12th, '08, 16:38

I found the SP streaming on fourlc:

http://fourlc.com/channel1/8/20081012_2557.html
http://fourlc.com/channel1/8/20081012_2558.html

I'm glad Nakatsu's mom is in this--she is awesome

Nomanymore · Post by **Nomanymore** » Oct 12th, '08, 16:42

Hana Kimi SP is the best ever

I laughed my ass off lol oh la laaa I love everyone in Ohsaka Gakuen

Can't wait for torrent to come out!

silentblvd · Post by **silentblvd** » Oct 12th, '08, 18:11

I can't get the first part of the streaming links to work.

oh, torrent. WHERE ARE YOU?

kyara86 · Post by **kyara86** » Oct 12th, '08, 18:22

Today's SP was so hilarious...I missed Nakatsu so much!!

I want moreeeeee!!!

TsubasaDragon · Post by **TsubasaDragon** » Oct 12th, '08, 18:25

Was okay i suppose. did anyone notice that Hiro did the Kamen rider pose and said ore sanjo?

lucky_kiss · Post by **lucky_kiss** » Oct 12th, '08, 19:57

If someone have a CB link to share it..

Nomanymore · Post by **Nomanymore** » Oct 12th, '08, 20:39

More streaming links (google video)
http://nomanymore.livejournal.com/69497.html

^o^ Can't wait for the torrent!

drama-queen · Post by **drama-queen** » Oct 13th, '08, 10:30

Can't believe I missed that one. I was home, watching TV... Just not ふじてれび.

Any idea if this is going to be shown again anytime soon?

chi0000 · Post by **chi0000** » Oct 13th, '08, 10:36

Can't see any indication of it at the moment.

But there'll be plenty of downloads available soon.

And the repeat of the last Oshareism with Toma is on tv right now. Yay!

gertrudisoguri · Post by **gertrudisoguri** » Oct 13th, '08, 12:44

i love it, thanks for the links. I watched it yesterday... and i want more!!!!!!!!! shun is great!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love him!

Mrs.Blue_Eyes · Post by **Mrs.Blue_Eyes** » Oct 13th, '08, 18:23

kya!! °^O^°
don't watch it online
can't wait for the torrent!!

marienella_m · Post by **marienella_m** » Oct 14th, '08, 00:38

18.8% 21:00-23:15 CX* 花ざかりの君たちへ～イケメン♂パラダイス～卒業式&7と1/2話スペシャル

fleng · Post by **fleng** » Oct 14th, '08, 03:26

mmm where is the torrent :[

khmai_kandi22 · Post by **khmai_kandi22** » Oct 14th, '08, 03:52

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e SP has been uploaded to this clubbox:

http://clubbox.co.kr/kangjegu

It's on the 2nd page labeled as:
[Drama SP] 081012 Hanazakari no Kimidachi e Ikemen Paradise SP [HDTV 1280x720].avi

The filesize is roughly 3.2GB if anybody wants it, lol. Or you can always wait for the 704x396 version

oceanblue-jm · Post by **oceanblue-jm** » Oct 14th, '08, 09:43

Khmai ! I can't understand the page !

Oh ya! I'm sorry but i have to say this !
I'ved watch the link! But They Are not going to Calafornia to find her???? Mizuki is still in the school!!
I can't understand anything they are saying!! wahahh!! I'm going nuts!!

hahas! yojiro junior!! hahaahs!

...afterawhile......edit post .....

Okay i get it! its a flash back! I see!! aww wanna see them go calafornai!!!!
hahah! the sano Thoughts Very funny! He started Singing! WTH!!!!!!!!!!!

spiderio · Post by **spiderio** » Oct 14th, '08, 10:12

btw how is the story of hana kimi SP
is good??

kuir · Post by **kuir** » Oct 14th, '08, 10:13

khmai_kandi22 wrote:Hanazakari no Kimitachi e SP has been uploaded to this clubbox:

http://clubbox.co.kr/kangjegu

It's on the 2nd page labeled as:
[Drama SP] 081012 Hanazakari no Kimidachi e Ikemen Paradise SP [HDTV 1280x720].avi

The filesize is roughly 3.2GB if anybody wants it, lol. Or you can always wait for the 704x396 version

Thanks a lot !

Download in progress...

oceanblue-jm · Post by **oceanblue-jm** » Oct 14th, '08, 11:12

spiderio ! It was quite funny! but i thought they would find her in america! Sigh! Sano change his hairstyle! Look weird!

OrangePeach · Post by **OrangePeach** » Oct 14th, '08, 14:07

I really envy you guys.
I don't understand Jap, I can't wait for the sub!
I am tempted to watch it without the sub but I am afraid I can't get it!
Omg, if anyone know where can I get the sub version, pls link it here!
I don't mind chinese sub...

khmai_kandi22 · Post by **khmai_kandi22** » Oct 14th, '08, 18:49

Looks like another 1280x720 version is uploaded onto kangjegu's clubbox. It's roughly 5.5GB... I still haven't seen the 704x396 version yet

(TV) [ドラマ] 花ざかりの君たちへ～イケメン♂パラダイス～卒業式＆7と1／2話スペシャル (1280x720 DivX684).avi

I think I'll download that one too

kuir · Post by **kuir** » Oct 14th, '08, 21:30

khmai_kandi22 wrote:I think I'll download that one too

I think I'll download that one too

Thanks again !

OrangePeach · Post by **OrangePeach** » Oct 15th, '08, 01:15

I found the chinese subtitle version.
They are bravo to release in such a short time.
I am still downloading it, shld be able to watch in another 5 hrs time!

GoddessCarlie · Post by **GoddessCarlie** » Oct 15th, '08, 06:57

Ok, I've seen it (without subs)

OMG loved it. I'm really sad now, though, that its really over. I will miss you Hana Kimi!!!

cuatro · Post by **cuatro** » Oct 16th, '08, 02:25

when will the subs be out?

spiderio · Post by **spiderio** » Oct 16th, '08, 02:28

oceanblue-jm wrote:spiderio ! It was quite funny! but i thought they would find her in america! Sigh! Sano change his hairstyle! Look weird!

woow... your reply makes me really want to see it...

too bad that Indonesian bandwidth is too small to download file that big
hiks

SaKuRaKu · Post by **SaKuRaKu** » Oct 16th, '08, 04:20

oh !! ..
just finished watching right now ..
and it's simply ..

AWESOME

i laughed alone late night

even so, i feel kinda sad for some reason ..

i need more .. more SPs not only one
if they'd make 10 Sps more , I 'll never get tired watchin'em

oceanblue-jm · Post by **oceanblue-jm** » Oct 16th, '08, 07:25

SAKURAKU!! I agree with you!!! HI-FIVE!! I want More SP!!!!!!!!! BUt i think we should give the actors a break!! Peace! Give No stress!!!! hahah!! but 1 Sp is not enough!! How about season two!! hahahas!

cuatro · Post by **cuatro** » Oct 16th, '08, 08:45

i've finished downloading it just waiting for the subs to come out so i can watch it already so please give me my sub ( hu hu hu )

totally_0bsessed · Post by **totally_0bsessed** » Oct 16th, '08, 08:58

can't wait for the subs!

tunix_2008 · Post by **tunix_2008** » Oct 19th, '08, 15:51

spiderio wrote:woow... your reply makes me really want to see it...

too bad that Indonesian bandwidth is too small to download file that big
hiks

There's a 704x396 version here at d-addicts. It's only 1.2G. Torrent search it.

It's really hilarious. I don't understand a word of Japanese but I was literally ROFL. There's a scene with Sano and Kagurazaka that made me laugh so hard I was pulling my hair.

For those who haven't seen it --- there's a wedding scene. For those who have seen it LOL, right?!

And Love Me Tender?! LOL!! It's so Dirty-Old-Man cheesy!!! So funny!!!

As for another SP -- I'd like another one too -- preferably a California special -- let Sano make good on his promise to Ashiya at the airport "Next time I'll come to you."

Let's face it though, a show like this has a limited shelf-life. The actors are getting older by the minute. Except for Shun who seemed to have aged backwards maybe because he lost his tan, Toma, Maki and Hiro (Nanba) have all aged because they've become pudgier. You can kinda make out which scenes were shot first because they were all chubbier in those scenes. Hiro and Maki seemed to have shed the extra fat later in the shoot but Toma did not. After all, Toma was still shooting Maou when they did the SP.

Another SP would be good -- like Nodame has 2 SPs.

All in all, it was well worth the wait. It's worth watching too without the subs. That way your eyes could concentrate on the Ikemen and not on catching up on your reading. LOL!

marspeach · Post by **marspeach** » Oct 19th, '08, 16:23

Toma was pudgy? He was thin as a stick in Maou!

tunix_2008 · Post by **tunix_2008** » Oct 19th, '08, 17:46

marspeach wrote:Toma was pudgy? He was thin as a stick in Maou!

He was much thinner in the original HanaKimi. In the poster of Maou and in the Sp, he had a chubbier face and chin. And when you look at him from behind and sideways, his body is a bit "thicker" than when he pranced around during the original run of HanaKimi.
He's not fat -- fat but beefier. In the original series he looked like he's about 14 or 15 years old but in the SP he looked like he's in his 20s, which he really is. He takes his shirt off in the SP and he was not as thin as he was in the beach scene in the original run.
I don't have anything against gaining weight, I'm just saying that the actors have a few more pounds on them now than before. It's neither good nor bad, it's just real life catching up with them.

ryoko11 · Post by **ryoko11** » Oct 19th, '08, 18:07

He's not fat -- fat but beefier. In the original series he looked like he's about 14 or 15 years old but in the SP he looked like he's in his 20s, which he really is. He takes his shirt off in the SP and he was not as thin as he was in the beach scene in the original run.
I don't have anything against gaining weight, I'm just saying that the actors have a few more pounds on them now than before. It's neither good nor bad, it's just real life catching up with them.

LMAO I don't remember Toma EVER looking 14 or 15 in the original series. His character wasn't that young anyways. 19 maybe he could have passed for... maybe...

I found him too skinny in the original beach scene. Passable, but not as attractive as someone with a body like Shirota Yuu. Who on earth would want to ogle him if he really had the body of a 14 year old? That's disgusting! LOL

tunix_2008 · Post by **tunix_2008** » Oct 19th, '08, 18:20

ryoko11 wrote:I found him too skinny in the original beach scene. Passable, but not as attractive as someone with a body like Shirota Yu. Who on earth would want to ogle him if he really had the body of a 14 year old? That's disgusting! LOL

They're supposed to be teenagers, weren't they? I mean second year high school students in Japan? They shouldn't look like they're older than 18.

Shirota Yuu? AMEN to that!!!!! And a wonderfully GORGEOUS face to boot!!!! Of all of them that Shun kissed, I envied him when he got to kiss Shirota Yuu!!! His was the best looking lips of all, Maki included (sorry Maki fans).

ryoko11 · Post by **ryoko11** » Oct 19th, '08, 19:06

That's 16-17 rather than 14-15. Second year of highschool there is like junior year in the US. It's pretty rare that I find the guys cast in these shows to truly look like highschoolers (except when they really do cast a highschooler). The audience is generally teens and twenties (with a few 30s like myself), so by skewing the look of the guys up a few years they can make them appeal to a wider audience. (I think the really skinny bodies on most true highschool guys is one of the reasons we all drooled over the college guys instead in highschool.

)

Shirotu Yuu 's lips are indeed more beutiful than Maki's! Gorgeous, gorgeous man... *drool*

oceanblue-jm · Post by **oceanblue-jm** » Oct 20th, '08, 08:48

tunix_2008 wrote:
marspeach wrote:Toma was pudgy? He was thin as a stick in Maou!
He was much thinner in the original HanaKimi. In the poster of Maou and in the Sp, he had a chubbier face and chin. And when you look at him from behind and sideways, his body is a bit "thicker" than when he pranced around during the original run of HanaKimi.
He's not fat -- fat but beefier. In the original series he looked like he's about 14 or 15 years old but in the SP he looked like he's in his 20s, which he really is. He takes his shirt off in the SP and he was not as thin as he was in the beach scene in the original run.
I don't have anything against gaining weight, I'm just saying that the actors have a few more pounds on them now than before. It's neither good nor bad, it's just real life catching up with them.

really!! strange!! i didn't notice!!hahahs!! but it was just a year difference right?? woah!

garnet07 · Post by **garnet07** » Oct 20th, '08, 09:16

Highly anticipating for the subs to come out. Couldn't decide which version to download (there's 3 of them) so ahh just got first 2 hoping the subs will work for at least one of them. Need more hanakimi.

tunix_2008 · Post by **tunix_2008** » Oct 20th, '08, 14:09

ryoko11 wrote:That's 16-17 rather than 14-15. Second year of highschool there is like junior year in the US. It's pretty rare that I find the guys cast in these shows to truly look like highschoolers (except when they really do cast a highschooler). The audience is generally teens and twenties (with a few 30s like myself), so by skewing the look of the guys up a few years they can make them appeal to a wider audience.

Yeah -- I get that but Masao looks like he's old enough to be their dad. LOL. Casting him reminds me of when they cast Luke Perry and his receding hairline as a highschool student in the 90s show Beverly Hills 90210.

Back to the SP -- Ashiya was lucky she was the only one Sano remembered touching lips with. If Sano remembered kissing Kagurazaka, the whole story would've been in trouble.

Incidentally, soft subs are out! Just now!
Check out
http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/viewtopic_50354_0.htm

SSpiegel · Post by **SSpiegel** » Oct 20th, '08, 18:57

Ahhhhhh! Nakatsu and his mimed monologues are

The SP was totally ridiculous, just like the series. In a weird way I loved it.

Azin_JPN · Post by **Azin_JPN** » Oct 23rd, '08, 14:59

The sub is out and anybody please do me a little favor!

Does anyone know the titles of the three songs which were used in the SP?
First is the song which begins with "Oh my Julia..." and played when Nanpa-senpai meet Julia
Second is the children song that Ohsaka Gakusen students sing together on the field
The last one is the song they sing in the Graduation Ceremony

Thanks in advance!!!

limeade · Post by **limeade** » Oct 25th, '08, 04:09

Azin_JPN wrote:The sub is out and anybody please do me a little favor!

Does anyone know the titles of the three songs which were used in the SP?
First is the song which begins with "Oh my Julia..." and played when Nanpa-senpai meet Julia
Second is the children song that Ohsaka Gakusen students sing together on the field
The last one is the song they sing in the Graduation Ceremony

Thanks in advance!!!

I have not watch the SP yet, but I think the "Oh my Julia..." song is this one: ジュリアに傷心(Julia ni Heartbreak) by The Checkers
Uploaded it on mediafire: http://www.mediafire.com/?5nynmijejjz

okman · Post by **okman** » Oct 25th, '08, 06:30

limeade wrote:
Azin_JPN wrote:The sub is out and anybody please do me a little favor!

Does anyone know the titles of the three songs which were used in the SP?
First is the song which begins with "Oh my Julia..." and played when Nanpa-senpai meet Julia
Second is the children song that Ohsaka Gakusen students sing together on the field
The last one is the song they sing in the Graduation Ceremony

Thanks in advance!!!
I have not watch the SP yet, but I think the "Oh my Julia..." song is this one: ジュリアに傷心(Julia ni Heartbreak) by The Checkers
Uploaded it on mediafire: http://www.mediafire.com/?5nynmijejjz

The second song can be found here:

tunix_2008 · Post by **tunix_2008** » Oct 25th, '08, 06:49

I'm guessing that hard subs are out. Check it out here.

http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/torrents ... hanazakari

It's the one on top of the list.

Thanks SARS !!!!!! Thanks amrayu!!!!!!

noisia · Post by **noisia** » Oct 25th, '08, 09:24

So i take it we wait a little longer for the softsubs?

VerusMaya II · Post by **VerusMaya II** » Oct 25th, '08, 10:40

Soft subs have been out for a while now! I believe a link is posted on the previous page.

zeox · Post by **zeox** » Oct 26th, '08, 16:37

Just started watching the SP now. I had completely forgotten how much I loved this show

vrykyli · Post by **vrykyli** » Oct 27th, '08, 23:54

Oh crap.

Just finished watching Hana Kimi special, and this is how warm feelings dies - with thunderous applause. I have just witnessed perhaps greatest screw-up in history of mankind after eating that apple very very long time ago. Okay, maybe it's just me, but doesn't anyone else thinks that this SP shouldn't ever been made of? (especially after seeing this...)

Yes, Horikita Maki was as adorable as always and Toma Ikuta great with his over the edge acting, but all those sympathetic emotions, which made series feel so orginal, was all gone. Someway it felt like producers/writers had been wanted to include all those so precious and hilarious moments of series into this one special, like summarising whole series all at once. This culminated most obviously to the scene in football field after the game. And no, I don't wanna hear tubular bells ever again either... ;D

Overall I got the feeling that everyone in the crew/cast also tried too hard - hence the feeling and chemistry was totally missing: all events, characters and dialogue was there but it looked very superficial. Perhaps my expectations were too high, as I love the series so much but just couldn't force myself to like this, even after I tried so hard.

Just have to forget this SP when I'll star next rerun.

Yessy89 · Post by **Yessy89** » Oct 28th, '08, 00:14

OMG OMG!!!! Just downloaded the Hana Kimi SP!!!! IT'S UBER GOOD! Thanks SARS AND EVERYONE WHO HELPED!!!

rossie8785 · Post by **rossie8785** » Oct 28th, '08, 05:58

I'd just watched it too..

And to be honest, it's not within my expectation.. because the development between Sano and Mizuki's romance is almost nothing..

Why dont they just focus into what happened after mizuki went back to America, but go back into the 7 1/2 episode? it's not any different than the series then... no development at all for the stories itself.

But I also still can laugh watching this SP edition, and it'd be still in my favorite dramas list. And I do admire Toma, his acting as Nakatsu is superb, absolutely natural..
And I don't like Sano's new hairstyle.. LOL.. but he's still very very good looking

But anyway thanks to anyone who upload this and the subs too. .

Clicsa · Post by **Clicsa** » Oct 29th, '08, 05:18

hi I need your help I can not find the sub's SP please hepl me
thnks

gtsomething · Post by **gtsomething** » Oct 30th, '08, 01:06

its on the sars fansub site...Google it.

Cause I don't remember the link, even though it's just something like sars-fansubs.com or something like that. tehe.

Otherwise, I loved it. I didn't really like the story they used to make the special, but to me, it was just a 2 hour long hana kimi special, with hana kimi fantasy, hana kimi humour, and hana kimi emotion, I lurved it.

akiko-chico · Post by **akiko-chico** » Nov 1st, '08, 06:05

I agree with you, there should have been MORE interaction between Sano and Mizuki

Oh well but Sano is still HOT

rossie8785 wrote:I'd just watched it too..

And to be honest, it's not within my expectation.. because the development between Sano and Mizuki's romance is almost nothing..

Why dont they just focus into what happened after mizuki went back to America, but go back into the 7 1/2 episode? it's not any different than the series then... no development at all for the stories itself.

But I also still can laugh watching this SP edition, and it'd be still in my favorite dramas list. And I do admire Toma, his acting as Nakatsu is superb, absolutely natural..
And I don't like Sano's new hairstyle.. LOL.. but he's still very very good looking

But anyway thanks to anyone who upload this and the subs too. .

colorBLIND · Post by **colorBLIND** » Nov 1st, '08, 07:21

ehh guys just a question... is there an episode where the guys from HK went to America? and if there was where can i dl it?

hateytb · Post by **hateytb** » Nov 4th, '08, 04:37

i wasnt even able to finish the SP.....i got bored..heheh~~even Maki cant save it for me

_Ramsan_ · Post by **_Ramsan_** » Nov 14th, '08, 10:53

Over all I liked this special. It was nice to be able to look at a new hanakimi episode and se more randomness from Nakatsu.

At 1:24:44 when Nakatsu is talking to his mother you can se a girl in the bakround that quickly is peeking from behind the platform, Just to discover that they are filming and then se dissapears.

And around 1:41:00 When Mizkuki starts her speach it looks like the little girl behind the fotografer is poking her nose.
I thougth that was quite funny^^

noisia · Post by **noisia** » Nov 14th, '08, 12:27

hateytb wrote:i wasnt even able to finish the SP.....i got bored..heheh~~even Maki cant save it for me

Yeah same here. I watched the first half an hour and I couldn't stand it anymore. It's got everything HanaKimi apart from the story which in my opinion are the bare bones of why HanaKimi is so good. Without the story the SP just felt too silly and dry to be watchable.

Hirosakamoto · Post by **Hirosakamoto** » Nov 27th, '08, 11:49

I've just done watching Hanazaki no Kimitachi=)! It's soo good J-drama serie. Every episode is funny:D!
It's worth to watch Hanzaki no kimitachi many times because you will laught 24/7:D!

tunix_2008 · Post by **tunix_2008** » Jan 1st, '09, 18:45

rossie8785 wrote:Why dont they just focus into what happened after mizuki went back to America, but go back into the 7 1/2 episode? it's not any different than the series then... no development at all for the stories itself.

It was fun seeing when and how Sano fell for Mizuki or at least realized when he started having romantic feelings towards her, hence 7 1/2.

But I too agree that it would've been nice if they included some stuff about Mizuki's return to America because that would lead to the fulfillment of Sano's promise, "next time, I'll come to you." That line was big in the manga as well.

Another wish I had for the SP was a mirroring of the manga's conclusion where there's a wedding scene so everyone goes back to attend and, of course, Sano and Mizuki's version of "happily ever after".

biniBningPunkista · Post by **biniBningPunkista** » Jan 2nd, '09, 04:48

tunix_2008 wrote:Another wish I had for the SP was a mirroring of the manga's conclusion where there's a wedding scene so everyone goes back to attend and, of course, Sano and Mizuki's version of "happily ever after".

i thought that's what they where planning to do when the word SP came out in the net... then when i finally watched it, everything was almost just a flash back.

i was really disappointed because i wanted to see the wedding scene so badly. I want to see Mizuki in a really pretty dress and Sano being all formal. tsk tsk...

totemokakkoii · Post by **totemokakkoii** » Jan 2nd, '09, 07:09

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...

Shining_Moon · Post by **Shining_Moon** » Jan 3rd, '09, 00:35

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

im_amot · Post by **im_amot** » Feb 1st, '09, 10:26

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 ..

GoddessCarlie · Post by **GoddessCarlie** » Feb 1st, '09, 11:08

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.

BomBayei · Post by **BomBayei** » Feb 7th, '09, 15:06

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.

AtLuxembourg · Post by **AtLuxembourg** » Feb 10th, '09, 17:59

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

konayuki92 · Post by **konayuki92** » Oct 9th, '09, 14:59

seirin wrote:
naoise wrote:Thank you for the clips! I absolutely love it! Shun looks so good with his hairs tied like that, suge~ kakkoii!!!

I remember reading about a clip of the HanaKimi casts bowling together? I tried to find it in lakyniu clubbox but couldn't find it. Anybody remember which folder in lakyniu clubbox has it? Thanks
Do a search for the word "bowling" and it will display the files for you

i know this is like 2 yers later, but i was wondering if lakyniu's clubbox still exists, because i can't find it, and if the videos were moved else where??

also since you seem to know a lot about hana kimi, could you tell me the best place to find interviews and vtrs and such of the show, subbed or not?/

thanks

tunix_2008 · Post by **tunix_2008** » Oct 9th, '09, 16:58

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.

Ender's Girl · Post by **Ender's Girl** » Oct 16th, '09, 04:11

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.

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.

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.

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*

Hae_Jin · Post by **Hae_Jin** » Oct 16th, '09, 05:19

Ender's Girl wrote: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.

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! (nor do I still; not classically handsome, that is), but there's something about good acting that makes the character (and the actor) so… compelling. 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.

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!!!)

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--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*

I don't think it's fair to compare Horikita Maki with Amanda Bynes. She's the Man and Hanazakari no Kimitachi e do have similar plots about a girl pretending to be a boy, however, the setting and everything else is completely different. If you've read the HanaKimi manga, Maki's character is not super manly at all. In fact, her character in the drama is just like it is in the manga. And she doesn't need to put on fake eyebrows, sideburns, etc. Some guys in Japan don't have them. There's also the fact that both productions are from two different cultures. I think Maki did a fine job portraying the character.

tunix_2008 · Post by **tunix_2008** » Oct 16th, '09, 18:32

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!

Issy · Post by **Issy** » Oct 17th, '09, 00:29

@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.

Ender's Girl · Post by **Ender's Girl** » Oct 17th, '09, 01:25

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

) "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.

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.

@ 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?

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.

tunix_2008 wrote: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.

Really? Even as Rui?

Man, he was the best part about Hana Dan 2, lol. By Season 2 I was Team Rui all tha way!

And nope, I haven't watched Binbo Danshi. He played it silly in Stand Up!, but I had a blast watching that drama because all four boys still felt like real people despite the goofiness. And the coming-of-age story was... sweet.

But you're right: Oguri Shun = muy simpatico!

tunix_2008 wrote: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.

Oh, but haven't you seen Nobuta wo Produce? That drama was something special.

looniemoon · Post by **looniemoon** » Oct 17th, '09, 02:26

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.

tunix_2008 · Post by **tunix_2008** » Oct 17th, '09, 12:44

If you didn’t like the rendering of Hana Kimi Japan, let me save you hours of downloading time you'd never get back: stay away from the Taiwan version. The story line is much flimsier since it was truer to the manga. At least in the Japan version, Ashiya was found out that’s why she had to leave. In the Taiwan version, she just disappeared without so much of an explanation to the other characters. Plus their Ashiya didn’t really get a relationship going with the rest of the dorm mates. I’ll score that one for Maki because she was successful in making her Ashiya part of the group so much so their ‘we're going to miss you farewell’ is much warranted albeit their manifestation of it is a bit over the top but her Ashiya deserved it. Ella Chen’s – deserved to disintegrate into thin air! The only saving grace of the Taiwan endeavor is Wu Chun’s smile.

If you haven’t seen the Sp yet – stay away from that one too. There’s heaps more buffoonery only this time it’s just gratuitous and doesn’t add much to the story development. It even diminishes time from any actual story development – it’s just an hour and a half of "Let’s milk this thing for every last drop of advertisers’ money we can get. Screw the viewers". And our beloved Shun sports a lop-sided haircut and pasty, white skin so -- production's fault, not the actors. Needless to say, it’s a humongous let down after a year of much hype.

I have seen the first few minutes of NwP but I just don’t have the constitution to watch physical bullying on girls so after that first girl-on-girl smack down on Maki, I tuned off. I know it is part of life, even part of Asian culture (although some may take that as racism, I apologize in advance) but I really abhor 'corporal punishment' particularly against women perpetrated by men, that’s why I stay away from kdramas.

I know Shun was silly in Stand Up but that was adolescent silly – an affliction all people go through at that age. But Binbo Danshi is just so unbelievably idiotic. Case in point: Shun’s character is giving away free money that he loaned from a bank because he is too naïve to know people are taking advantage of him. The only premise where that naiveté will be acceptable is if he had some sort of social/mental developmental retardation – but he’s a college student so that premise is shot down a priori.

If you want to see a really good performance of Shun’s watch Kisaragi. It’s a movie about a bunch of fans getting together to remember their recently deceased idol who was a gravure model. You can easily imagine Shun doing great in a dialogue-driven one-act play with his performance in this movie. He is able to convey a whole range of emotions in one line of dialogue. It’s an acting tour-de-force for him. Plus, the movie is, I think, what the Japanese consider as dark comedy.

I just want to throw this in. Notice how Yujiro, the dog, is indifferent towards Sano and amiable towards Kagurazaka when the two first meet? I saw in Shirota Yuu’s blog a photo of him and the dog, which suggests he and the dog were playing before the shoot so when the director yelled ‘action’ the dog missed the cue.

And to those who haven't seen Young Americans -- please do. It's a master class on how to do the gender/bender theme properly even without the aid of make-up or fake sideburns or moustaches.

Ender's Girl · Post by **Ender's Girl** » Oct 19th, '09, 13:51

looniemoon wrote: 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.

Thanks for the recs.

Tokyo Shounen does have an interesting premise, and I'll keep an eye out for it once my current drama stash runs out. (I haven't been keeping tabs on K-dramas lately, but I've heard of You're Beautiful. Well, after having seen Park Shin-hye try to "act" opposite Lee Wan the Abnormal in the 2006 weeper Heaven's Tree--aka one of the most retarded dramas ever conceived by the human mind--I highly doubt that actress can do girl-as-guy convincingly, either.

The only K-drama gender-bender I actually enjoyed was Coffee Prince, and to think Yoon Eun-hye's character wasn't even masquerading as a HE, and wasn't a lesbian, either.)

But you raised an interesting point: the effectivity of a performance (or lack thereof) is really the net effect of the writing, the direction, and the actor's own interpretation of the character. Which is why it's SO important for actors (especially those serious about TEH CRAFT!) to view their portrayal of a role as a collaborative process. And this can only be achieved if the actor and director truly understand how the character was written and share in the same creative vision. But if all the lead star ever does is mouth her lines and hop when the director says "hop," and never really goes deep into her character, then that's another story altogether, heh.

Anyway, if the original Hana Kimi manga was as badly written as you say, then no wonder the drama turned out that way.

@ tunix_2008: Yiiikes, I didn't know the TW-version was even worse. Oh, I'm not downloading this for sure, but I'll prolly give the first episode a once-over at some streaming site. Re the Hana Kimi SP--never planned to touch it, not even for Shun (though the pasty skin and bad hairstyle as you said just added two nails to the coffin

). I never bought into this whole J-drama practice of SPs, anyway.

You're right, (with a few exceptions) they're little more than gratuitous, profit-driven exercises in fanservice. They seem to only succeed in diminishing the afterglow of the drama--as well as undermine the integrity of the original plot through lazy writing and inconsistent character development. J-dramas ought to be written to stand on their own, and not rely on SPs as a crutch.

Thanks for the Shun movie rec.

I'm very much actor-centric when choosing which J-dramas to watch (yep, I only picked up Hana Kimi for... you guessed it, Shun!), so I'll go look this up soon. The thing with Shun is that even in productions that I generally hated (Yuuki, Hana Kimi), I was still left in awe by his performance.

Also looking forward to getting my greedy little fingers on Crows Zero: he and Yamada Takayuki together should be--WOW!

tunix_2008 wrote:I have seen the first few minutes of NwP but I just don’t have the constitution to watch physical bullying on girls so after that first girl-on-girl smack down on Maki, I tuned off. I know it is part of life, even part of Asian culture (although some may take that as racism, I apologize in advance) but I really abhor 'corporal punishment' particularly against women perpetrated by men, that’s why I stay away from kdramas.

Oh, that's too bad.

True, the bullying is pretty vicious and gets even more... intense in succeeding episodes, but it's treated as part of the high school reality that the main characters--Nobuta most of all--have to contend with (and let's face it: teenagers can be such mean little sh*ts, ya know). But once you get over your distaste for the violence and intimidation, you'll come to appreciate NwP for what it's really all about: THE FRIENDSHIP. For me, NwP isn't just an outstanding high school drama. It's an outstanding drama, period. The direction and production values are top-notch, and the writing both warms and pierces you heart. I didn't even feel that this was an "Idol drama" in any way. All I saw were three regular high school kids (okay, so maybe only Kame's character could be labeled as "regular," lol) in a coming-of-age story--one that's funny and heartfelt and bittersweet at times, but always real. And this drama gets high school, as in it really GETS high school.

tunix_2008 wrote:And to those who haven't seen Young Americans -- please do. It's a master class on how to do the gender/bender theme properly even without the aid of make-up or fake sideburns or moustaches.

Lol, I doubt those little accoutrements of sham masculinity would've worked in a drama like Young Americans.

But they sure as heck worked in She's the Man (the sideburns and bushy eyebrows, at least), whose comedic treatment is tonally more akin to Hana Kimi than Young Americans ever was... Except that facial hair in J-dramas is practically nonexistent, which means the fake stuff wouldn't have worked in Hana Kimi, either.

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[Discussion] Hanazakari no Kimitachi e [2007]

need some seed for ep 2 ^^

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