Hanazakari no Kimitachi e or simply known as Hana Kimi by fans is a remake of the original 2007 drama based on popular manga series of the same name. The show stars then AKB48 member Atsuko Maeda as the lead character Mizuki Ashiya. The question is will this drama just be a rehash of the 2007 drama?
Before reviewing the series, here's the plot of the series. Mizuki Ashiya (Maeda) transferred to an all-boys school called Osaka Academy just to meet Izumi Sano (played by Aoi Nakamura), a high jump athlete and dreams to see him jump. But there are three problems, the school is about to close after three months, Sano lost his drive to jump and lastly, Mizuki here is a girl. Can she give Sano the drive to jump again while trying her best to hide her identity as a girl studying in an all-boys school?
I watched a couple of episodes of the 2007 drama during the time it is airing on free TV. What's funny is that the Taiwanese version of the drama is also airing in the opposite channel. What's fun about it is that the station that is airing the 2007 drama promoted the show as "Newest and the Best", while the opposite channel promote the Taiwanese drama as "The Original". Obviously, I will try to watch the so-called "first" Hana Kimi drama, only to end up dropping it at the end because it is too serious. I tried watching the 2007 drama but also ended up dropping it because it looks like I am already in the middle of the series and I find it too ridiculous. So yeah, I ended up regretting up at the end.
Anyway, how is the 2011 drama, all I can say is, it has this proper balance of drama and comedy. When the show is serious, it's serious, when the show goes comedic, it is comedic. But what dominated the comedy or the drama? Not surprising, the drama aspect dominated. It makes sense for reasons that the 2007 drama is too ridiculous and you might even say, a bit over the top when it comes to comedy. If 2011 drama will follow the same route, fans will tend to compare the two! It's a good decision for the production staff to go on a serious route in this drama and just focus on the three plot elements of the series.
First is the plot about the school's closure, it is I guess the thing that keeps the characters of the series going or in simple terms, the plot device. Without this plot, Mizuki will not be determined to help Sano get his drive back. Without this plot, the three dorms will not be united just to prevent the school's closure and stop the attempts of the administration to demolish the school. Heck, there is one point in the series that the students lost all hope that they can save the school and let it die a natural death! This is when Mizuki comes in as her enthusiasm to save the school and to enjoy their school life influenced the students a lot that they were able to do things that even adults didn't expect them to do in the first place.
Second is about Sano's drive to jump, without Sano, Mizuki will not be inspired about life and ended up idolizing Sano. After learning that Sano got injured and lost his drive to jump after his injury healed, Mizuki becomes worried and did something risky, entering an all-boys school. Without Sano, this series will not exist in the first place. Mizuki is grateful to Sano and thus, she will do everything to repay him. This is how the love story aspect of the series comes in. Their love story is kinda cute. It's cute seeing Mizuki act like a boy even though Sano is aware that Mizuki is a girl after accidentally discovering it.
There are some instances that Mizuki is kinda nosy about Sano's life that it is sometimes irritating. But it is because of her concern that Sano slowly falls for her that he sort of lets her get involved about his family problems. The sub plot about Sano's family expanded his character a bit and how he wants to get out of his father's shadow. Another sub plot has something to do with his so-called "rival", which after episodes of build-up, it was resolved for like, 2-5 minutes and didn't leave much impact unlike the one with Sano's family.
Third is about Mizuki entering an all-boy's school, to be honest, unlike the actress of the 2007 drama, who really looks like those visual kei guys less the make-up or the actress in the Taiwanese drama that looks too manly, Acchan didn't convince me that she is actually a he. It is not because I watched her music videos and concerts during the time she is part of AKB48, but because of her voice. It is like she barely made any effort to sound like a guy. In addition, her short haircut doesn't look that convincing to be honest.
But because this is a drama, it is best to suspend disbelief that the students of this school are having a hard time discovering that Mizuki is a chick all this time. Anyway, only a handful of characters in this series are aware about her true gender and when her school mates discovered the truth, as expected, they feel betrayed about it. I mean, they are hanging out with someone who is not honest to them about her true gender! But thanks to one dorm B student who accidentally played the tape recording of Mizuki's conversation with the school doctor, they realized that whatever gender, Mizuki is still Mizuki. To put it simply, the lesson here folks that she is just being herself all this time and that they are just blinded about the fact that he is actually a she all this time.
At the end, they were able to accept Mizuki for what she is. Heck, they were able to give her one awesome send of party that saved their school! So what about the characters in this show? They are fine I guess, the Kayashima (played by Tomo Yanagishita), Nakatsu (played by Shohei Miura), Nakao (played by Yuikto Nishii) and Nanba (played by Renn Kiriyama) are probably, my favorites in the male cast. As for the other two heads, their actors did a good job when it comes to acting their character. Finally, the rest of the male cast, they are just there just for the girls to ogle upon and for the school to have students. The other female casts coming from St. Blossom are just there for us guys to ogle upon. I blame this drama for turning me into a Yukirin fan. She is so adorable in this drama and her determination to show how much she loves Sano is so cute!
The school administration who are facilitating the three schools in this show are siblings and to be honest, the head of Osaka Academy's rival school is really despicable. I mean, why the heck he is so determined to get the school closed? It didn't help that he is basically bullying the head of Osaka Academy even though he is basically older than him! Oh well, at least at the end, Osaka Academy stayed thanks to the students impressing the administration.
Overall, the 2011 Hana Kimi drama is quite entertaining, and this is coming from the guy who got into this drama because of the tokusatsu actors that are part in this drama! I mean, this drama features Kamen Rider Double/Kamen Rider Joker, Go-On Gold/Kamen Rider KickHopper, Red Buster, Kamen Rider Gatack, Chairman Gamou/Sagittarius Zodiarts, Narutaki and that chick from the Kyoto arc of Kamen Rider Fourze! If the 2007 drama has thought me something, is that aside from Gokusen and the Prince of Tennis musicals, Hana Kami is one of those shows that has this high rate of actors getting into tokusatsu.
Tokusatsu aside, like I said, this drama is quite serious compared to the 2007 drama. If you love the comedy of the 2007 drama, expect that you will either love or hate the seriousness of this drama as it takes the material in a different manner. Another thing that I like about this drama is the soundtrack less that annoying "Halleluiah" track that they use on scenes that this song doesn't fit in, like in cheer dancing. What's annoying is that they give this song a techno remix! Annoying "Halleluiah" track aside, the show's ending theme "Flying Get" by AKB48 is really darn catchy and much to my surprise, they have an instrumental track of the song for this drama. I think I now have an idea where AKB0048 got the idea of using instrumental piano versions of AKB48 songs.