Hana Kimi Remake (2011)

I really feel like I should tell you how great this drama was because it got so many bad reviews. Personally, it felt more like another season of Hana Kimi than just another remake...

First of all the cast: okay, at first I was a little bit disappointed by Ashiya's obvious fail at acting like a guy. (Really.. come on that voice! o_O) but then you get gradually used to it so it sinks back into the background and well she's a girl so I suppose that's fine ^-^
then, I guess a lot of people criticized Miura Shohei's Nakatsu..? Well, I loooved him! Damn, that boy is good at acting! and he played Nakatsu's part so well! I know it should be damn hard to beat Ikuta Toma to his work, but Miura was just different and did an awesome job.
Then, Nakamura Aoi didn't quite fit Sano's character as well as I wanted it to be but that was mainly because of my biased opinion after seeing him in Beck, it just mixed up the characters for me and I kind of got lost *-*
Supporting roles were awesome too. Especially Kiriyama Renn as Nanba Minami (oh so handsome~), Saito Takumi as the school doctor (*-*), and
Tokuyama Hidenori as Oscar.

The music: I don't especially remember all of the music, but I was kind of surprised to hear pieces of the Spirited Away OST (if I am not mistaken...), it fitted in really well and I loved it :D

The rewatch value: to be honest I'm not really a person who rewatches dramas but here I'll certainly watch a random episode of this drama once in a while, just to get that atmosphere back, to see those characters again,... I think it's an excellent drama if you feel down and need to be cheered up :D

So, I would just say: Don't be too prejudiced, forget a little about the previous version(s) you know and just watch & enjoy this amazing drama!

Read More

For being a remake, I was really satisfied with this series. I was expecting quite the letdown, since I'm such an avid fan of the first one. However, I wasn't all that disappointed in this series like I thought I'd be. They did quite a few tweaks to the storyline, but if you pay close attention to the original, each of those new events in the new version are still mentioned via dialogue in the first one. In the remake, they just decided to focus on some of what was said, expanding it.. The only thing I kinda missed in this series compared to the original is the spontaneous and random bits of humor squeezed into each episode. Those moments that were so unexpected, unnecessary and just plain goofy, leaving you chuckling out of pure dombfoundedness and confusion in the original...that factor wasn't there nearly as much. The actors stayed true to the original characters' personalities. I wasn't disappointed in the least bit regarding the new Nakatsu, Ashiya, Sano or Nakao. But considering Sano is supposed to be quite the looker, I thought the actor's appearance was a little off. They did a great job nonetheless. From what I can recall, the music sounded pretty much like the original music, with a few tweaks and additions. I'd watch this again no questions asked. Overall, nothing can beat the original, but this wasn't a failure in the making. I think it was a success.

Read More

it took me awhile to finally get through the whole drama. the only good thing about this drama is that they had cast people that actually look like they would be in high school.

the plot for this version doesn't capture your heart like the 2007 version. but i guess that's not the plots fault after i think about it. its the actors not portraying these character with the same[or better] pizzazz as the cast before them. think of it this way, it's like these kids watched the 07 version, loved it and grabbed a camera and said lets do it again with the manga as their scripts and a 13 year old girl as the final script editor.

my final words on this drama, if your looking for a light drama to kill your time till you find something better. this might be your drama. also if you really want to enjoy this drama DON'T COMPARE IT TO THE 07 VERSION.

Read More

Like most others, I have watched ALL the versions of Hana Kimi, read the manga, and I have seen all the different variations on the story that are out there. I really think it was too early to remake Hana Kimi in Japanese, the first one wasn't old, and because the first one was so awesome, naturally I thought it would be hard to beat. I was right. The re-made version is really nice if you don't compare it to the original, but anytime you remake the exact same story if the acting isn't better there has to be something to wow the audience and say "I am glad they remade this!". I didn't like that the guys in this version were just not as hot as the guys in the 1st version. I did like that they used more special effects to jazz it up. I think the supporting characters had more of a role in this version, it wasn't all about the main 3 characters, so that was really cool to see. I didn't like that they used the same 20 boys as extras, and some of the story line just didn't make sense.

All in all I didn't care for it because it was poor in comparison to the first and just mediocre on its own.

It seems that they really got a lead actress that looked like Maki Horikita, making it almost impossible to not compare the two. Unfortunately Horikita would win this one. Nakamura Aoi didn't do so bad as Sano but I really loved Shun Oguri in that role and to top it all off I HATED Boys Este. Some of the other characters were pretty good, but none really captivating.

The story line was almost ridiculous, in all other versions they made some reference to Ashiya's parents or siblings or even how she was allowed to pretend to be a boy half way across the world with no contact from anyone at home. This version also make the school closing so dramatic that you wondered if it was a health hazard, and why no one was doing anything. P.s. kids falling through the floor is a hazard.



p.s.s- the ending is a joke, its quick and doesnt explain much.

Read More

Hana Kimi Remake wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...

Story- Very different from the original. It is more realistic but I found the plot to be just as interesting. The ending was perfect!

Acting/Cast- The played thier roles well but I just didnt connect with any of the characters. The leads didnt have any chemistry which kind of ruins my wanting them to be together.

Music- same music as original.

Rewatch- I wouldnt mind rewatching this if I actually liked the cast but because I didnt I'd probably just rewatch the original. Although because this story is pretty good, id say its rewatchable.

Read More

I love the manga Hana kimi so I watched all the drama adaptation.
If I had to put my opinion in a few words I would say : "Well this is a remake".
It is not a bad remake. If you don't know the 2007 version, watch it. In a way the plot is better.
" Hana kimi 2007" is more "crazy": The plot and the characters are caricaturals. But you really get to like the two main roles, whom are incarned by the great, amazing and perfect ( nop I am not head over hills for those two.... =P ) Horikita Maki and Oguri Shun.

The good points of Hanakimi 2011 compared to 2007:
-the plot rescpects more and shows other aspects of the manga than the previous one.
-The secondary characters are really a good point of this version. Even thought they are less comical, they all give a really natural feeling, which makes me watch this version until the end.
-Miura Shoei and Yanagishita Tomo are really amazing, they offer a really new version of "Nakatsu" and "Kayashima". The result is amazing.

Now the problems with this version: The Main couple Sano /Mizuki
-Those good secondary roles are also a huge challenge to this version because they are so likeable, and fun that the main couple is a bit forgotten (or moreover like completely frogotten).
-If you know the old version and if you like the two main character (Sano/ Mizuki ), don't watch this version : Compared to the 2007 version their acting skills seems PLAIN.
- In particular Nakamura Aoi (Sano), without even confronting him to Oguri, he is boring and is invisible in contrast to the shiny Miura Shoei (Nakatsu).



Well sorry for the grammar and syntax, I am not anglophone...

Read More

So the original manga for Hanazakari no Kimitachi e is one of my favorite graphic novels of all time, thus I have some pretty high expectations. It took me five years to get over my bias to even consider watching this remake. Though the original drama has a much more fantastical and comical tone, it starred a moody Oguri Shun and a memorable Ikuta Toma performance that honestly saved the show. The remake stays pretty true to the original work which I can appreciate ... I am not very familiar with the young cast, but they pulled off the high school drama pretty well. I particularly liked how they portrayed Sano's feelings. His growing love for Ashiya is made much more apparent than other Hana Kimi adaptions. This drama attempted to add another dimension by creating a school closing theme that flowed throughout the entire drama. To be honest, it was a little gimmicky to me and was a mild bother and detractor to the main storyline. If you have any interest in the story and have seen the other adaptions, I do think it's worth it to watch.

Read More

This remake of the hit Japanese series was good if not better than the original. My advice to people planning to watch this and have seen the original watch it! Stop trying to compare the two and watch it as if you have never seen the original. I am not going to compare the two shows, but simply state where people typically compare them. Now on to the review.
In the beginning you are introduced to a school falling apart with low morale after the news of it's closing down in 3 months. Then enters Mizuki a girl that admired a guy named Sano so much that she transferred into an all boys school to protect him and encourage him after he helped her when she was depressed.
This is where people typically start comparing the two series with the actors. Annchan in my opinion played Mizuki perfectly. She did not act girly or suspicious, but appearance wise it was obvious she was a girl. Sano which was played by Nakamura in the beginning left you with the impression that he was a tsundere(mean on the outside sweet in the inside). Their friendship/love relationship grew at a steady pace and never seemed fake. Shohei will never be as sexy as Toma, but he did play Nakatsu well. the pacing of this show is moderate and overall great acting. I enjoyed this show.

Read More