The story of the drama was enjoyable. I have only read a few volumes of the manga so I can not compare it well to that, but the writing had a good mix of both funny and serious moments which kept me hooked to the end. Although I did find the ending slightly disappointing and nothing that has not been overused in Japanese dramas.
Overall the cast gave a good performance, especially Ikuta Toma as he shone in his role. Some of the reactions from the cast could be over the top, but as this added to the overall comedic feel of the show I felt this was alright. There was a good mix of characters so everyone should find someone that they like!
The soundtrack is brilliant and fits the moments of the drama well. I even find myself listening to the tracks from time to time, so the music was a job well done!
Overall I would recommend this drama to those who like more light hearted school based drama with cross dressing, romance and want to watch something that makes them smile. It is also a good first, or early, Japanese drama to watch for those who want to start!
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Nakatsuuuuuuu ♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡
I love Nakatsu sooo much in this dorama. Actually, this is the dorama that makes me fall for Ikuta Toma (o^ ^o)
For me, there's no flaw in this dorama. The story is good, they showed enough detail. The casts act are good, no overacting or whatsoever. I enjoy watching from the very first minute to the very last second, and for many times re-watched (^o^) The other legendary dorama for me (^_^)
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Pure camp joy
Hana Kimi is an absolute batsh1t crazy delight of a series. What this drama does so well is combine zany over-the-top comedy with beautifully sincere emotion. Disbelief? Suspended. Tears? Overflowing. And mind you, I rarely give out 10 star ratings.I've watched this series around half a dozen times and each time I get something new out of it. This is a massive credit to the writers who have deeply invested in their characters and have perfected the art of multi-level subtext. When I first watched this series in my early teens, I enjoyed it entirely at face value, rolling with the easy gags and appreciating the romance triangle.
Now, in my late 20s, I've been loving all the queer shenanigans going on just beneath the surface of Hana Kimi. Sure, there's heaps of queer stuff happening openly throughout the series, but it's really hard to describe just how camp this show is. And unapologetically so too. Sure, there's some queerphobic tropes at play – certainly a product of the time – but these are smothered with the overwhelmingly camp energy of the production.
I don't think you could make a series like this now. I think it would be condemned for being too "cringe" among the younger Gen Z crowd. I also think it would struggle to emerge from what is currently a big cinematic pile of Literalism. Which is a shame because, as my username suggests, I appreciate TV that is just a little bit unhinged.
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This review may contain spoilers
saw it was on netflix and went into it blind. i keep watching this trope which is "girl disguised as boy" and as repetitive as it gets, i don't mind watching it over and over againother than that, it had some great comedic moments, there's always a laugh in each ep, and i also can't leave out the fact that the romance felt awkward in the best way possible. room to grow for ashiya and sano and it didn't feel forced in a way
i would say the only thing that bothered me was that i got teased until the end for their kiss... i love them so much...
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You'll die laughing!
This is my third time rewatching this and I'm definitely not a rewatcher. This has become like my comfort drama to escape from all the stress and get into a good mood. If you like comedy, I mean high-standard comedy, you shouldn't miss this. This is not your typical girl dressing up as a boy and entering a boys' school trope. Great acting from the cast. Specially Nakatsu, Nanba, and Oscar. Disclaimer this is meant to be funny, not a show to reason with. So if you are in for a good laugh definitely watch this.Was this review helpful to you?
The story is based on a manga so the show is not 100% original, but it is very good and was (in my opinion) very well done. While the Korean version focuses more on the sports and love triangle aspects, the Japanese story had more aspects to it, even with less episodes. While sports and romance are a part of this show, there is also an incredible emphasis put on friendship and growing up. I found this to be much more enjoyable. The show also utilizes the "extra characters" much more, showing how each person interacts. Of course, seeing as this is manga based there were over the top and exaggerated moments, but that added to its charm. There are the moments of heartbreak, disappointment and angst that seemed to fill the To the Beautiful You (Korean) and parts of the manga, but Hana Kimi highlighted more of the shenanigans and trouble high school boys and friends get into. I felt more of a draw to continue watching Hana Kimi and liked it more than its Korean counterpart.
The acting is what made this show a stand out for me. I found new favorite actors and was delighted with a couple of my well-known favorites that appeared too. Everyone played their parts so well and interacted with each other in the best manner possible. You can identify with struggles and with the passion they have. Each actor fills their role to the max and is on point completely. Not to mention there is not one ugly person in this show; it's eye-candy galore. No wonder they're known as the "hottie school".
For the amount of music in the show, it was not bad. The opening theme was a lot of fun and gets stuck in your head. I even downloaded it. However, I grew tired of the end theme fairly quick. The sound effects for the show were not bad at all, they were well-suited and did not draw unneeded attention. The few random shows throughout the episodes were fun as well, adding to the humor.
As for rewatching? I would totally rewatch this show and with it's length it wouldn't be hard to do so either. Rewatching would be a very good idea if you want to watch the performance of different actors/actresses each time, especially since it would be just as fun and enjoyable as the first watching.
Overall this was my favorite version of the show and I loved it for many reasons, the only thing that keeps it from having a perfect score is a little bit of a cliffhanger ending. That is supposedly addressed in the special though, so no big deal. I definitely think everyone should give this a show, especially if you have read the manga of seen one of the other versions. Nothing beats the original. :)
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PEACH
This is a nice, lighthearted rom com than I never really expected to have a high rating in the end when I finished watching it. So I suppose it met my expectations. It’s one of those really ridiculous shows that are mostly watched as a guilty pleasure (though I probably won’t rewatch this tbh). My only real problems with this drama are very personal to myself and may not bother others, but I just wasn’t all that interested in the side stories where the other classmates engaged in a bunch of different shenanigans together. Those parts got sped up usually but eh. My other real complaint is probably the ending and (without going into too much detail) I didn’t like it mostly because it felt a little incomplete and like it was supposed to have a sequel but it never did. It just felt open and not in a way that seemed like it was on purpose. I think my favorite part about this drama (and the most torturous imo) was the love triangle because I got the biggest sls for the second male lead ever and his little crush on the fl is what made a majority of the drama so enjoyable for me. Even until the very end I never quite jumped on the Sano-Mizuki bandwagon but I think partially it was because of how the drama ended. I think I’ve definitely outgrown school dramas at this point but I think Hana Kimi was an enjoyable enough watch that I’d recommend it to someone who likes silly gender benders and a slice-of-life type of drama.Was this review helpful to you?
Peak cinema
Absolutely peak. Super camp and so fun, was excited everyday looking forward to watching. The ending felt a little dragged out and disappointing, but that's okay, because if it had been as good as the best bits of this show, I think it would ruin the rest of my life knowing that I never had any more to watch. The visual direction was gorgeous for this era of dramas and the vfx are so charmingly awful and weirdly placed. The comedic timing of this show is so delightfully bizarre and had me on the verge of tears laughing multiple times. Will rewatch again in the near future. No clue why they remade perfection 3 years later but that is okay <3Was this review helpful to you?
Adorably hilarious
I've watched this twice and I've enjoyed watching it both the times. But I must confess, that the first time I watched it I was a little disappointed that the love life of the leads was not shown much. However rewatching it I really enjoyed watching Toma Ikuta's aka Nakatsu's scenes. They are too hilarious! This made Ikuta one of my favourite actors, also Shun Oguri as Sano is as charismatic as ever. The roles of Mizuki and other characters were also extremely well depicted and the OST by Orange Range always makes one go head banging. All in all I think it's a must watch for a good laugh and good feels.Was this review helpful to you?
