Hana Yori Dango

[lesbiassparrow]

So I've just watched the first episode of the Japanese live action version of this, and it's love, love, love. It's the story of middle-class girl* in an elite school which is run by a gang of bullies called the F4 who torment her for various reasons (mainly because she has a spine). There's a Taiwanese version called Meteor Gardens, which is also excellent, but this is totally wonderful too.

I love the look on the heroine's face when she punches one of the F4 in the school cafeteria; she's been taking the bullying and trying to just survive and then one of them messes with her lunch box and then she just explodes and whales on him. And he just lies there on the ground with this dawning expression of respect and interest on his face, and she declares eternal war against him and his cronies right in front of the entire school. Yay! And there's a bit where she is stumbling around one of the F4's mansions in the second episode and she comes across their banqueting hall and she says 'Harry Potter?'

So good.

* Actually I am not sure what class she is, because I know nothing about Japanese culture. But she is an awful lot poorer than the people she goes to school with and her parents are skimping on the food. So maybe lower middle class?

Comments

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

OMG! YES.

I wasn't sure if you were going to like or not, because it has a bit over-the-top, off-kilterish feel, but I ended up loving this one (though the vibe is pretty different from MG).

The Harry Potter bit made me ROFL. But what I really want to know is how she got her dress back because she wandered out in that fancy dress and her uniform was God knows where at the time.

And I am always amused at the fact that Domyouji ended up falling for her because she wouldn't take any of his shit. And punched him in the face. Heeeeeeee. Though after seeing Jun who plays Domyouji here in Gokusen, I am still amazed at them actually spending ages making him look bad. Whyyyyyy?

The manga for this one is also very good (and I love the anime which si what started me on HYD kick, but it has some really odd artstyle so I wouldn't rec it to someone who isn't sold on anime in the first place).

Yeah, the Makino family is lower middle class. Wouldn't it be fun if Tsukushi transferred to the Tokyo Juliet school and beat on everyone?

Oh, and I am not annoyed or anything, but that's the only Domyouji icon I have and it cracks me the hell up, so I am using it.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

I feel I may well be up all night watching this. The lead actress is really wonderful and so cute and everything (I really want to see her in more things). Actually, I feel the acting in this is so much better (sorry) than in Meteor Gardens so I am more dragged along for the ride even more. And some of the touches - like the crazy boss lady of the heroine - are really inspired. (I love the crazy boss lady's stories of all the men she was in love with.)

The Harry Potter bit still is my favourite. Though I also like the mad sister of Domyouji and her love of punching him.

So much love.

I don't have any dorama icons, so I use this. Oranages are good.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh, the acting is definitely better here (I love MG but most of the acting there is...not). I do miss the fact that they had to cut out much more of the story than in MG (I have no idea how HYD would have come across to me if I didn't know the story really well from the manga and the anime and MG). But yeah, HYD jdorama=love.

I agree, the girl who plays Makino is adorable. I have no idea if she's been in anything else, but she (and the rest of the cast) are going to be in HYD 2 which is going to come out some time in 2007 due (apparently) to viewer demand.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Sorry the caps lock but - THERE ARE NO WORDS FOR HOW I LOVE THIS SHOW.

Right then. I want an icon of the heroine. She is so terribly cute and I love her and her mad family (and especially the little brother).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The HYD comm has a bunch of icon posts.

E.g. here: http://mimihyuuga.livejournal.com/3694.html
http://chochajin.livejournal.com/35178.html#cutid1
http://community.livejournal.com/hanayoridango/65757.html#cutid1

Just Makino: http://community.livejournal.com/bloomdesigns/4136.html

I think I am taking some of those for self :)

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Ooh..thanks for the links.