Aug 15, 2021
Wow, this was a doozy. I watched all 51 episodes that were 25+ minutes in length (plus ads!) in 3 days. So I have a lot to say about this show.
The name Hana Yori Dango or Boys Over Flowers might sound familiar. The manga it was based on is one of the most popular—or at least the most adapted—of all time. There’s the anime, a J-drama, a Taiwanese drama, another separate J-drama, a K-drama, a Chinese drama, and an upcoming Thai drama. And I’m still probably missing one. The adaptations never stop! This version wasn’t even the first one that I’ve ever seen. I’ve heard
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a lot about the K-Drama and watched a couple episodes of the Chinese drama (it goes by the name Meteor Garden).
The basic plot is always as follows: A poor girl is on scholarship to a super fancy, elite school but gets on the bad side of the F4 (or something similarly named)—the four most gorgeous, rich, popular boys at school. She is initially bullied by them, but a couple of them fall in love with her over time.
In this version, the main character is named Makino Tsukushi. She falls in love with Hanazawa Rui first because he is the only one of the boys to show her kindness. I say that very loosely. He’s not a knight in shining armor; he does the bare minimum by showing her some human decency. Her biggest tormentor is the richest boy and defacto leader of the group, Domyoji Tsukasa. Domyoji is a total monster, but he eventually falls for Makino and becomes the other main competitor for her heart. The other two guys serve more as lackeys than love interests. There’s nothing between them and Makino. There are some other significant characters that pop in and out of the story, but the primary focus of the plot is on this love triangle and its development over the course of these characters’ time in high school.
I’ll be frank, this is one of the most problematic anime I’ve ever seen. There is just no concept of consent. It’s honestly disgusting. If you watch the show you’ll immediately pick up on it. I’m not sure if things were written this way because it’s set in 1990s Japan or because the people committing heinous acts are so privileged that it’s seen as “not a big deal.” Probably a bit of both. Oh, and I do mean heinous. This isn’t one of those sweet “the main character finally gets a kiss in the last episode” shoujo stories. They talk about sex on this show. Like, a lot. And there are multiple attempted rapes. Makino is the victim of countless assaults, both sexual and physical. The amount of bullying she endures is actually insane. The show is supposed to be a rom-com, but I’d liken some of the events that transpire to those found in a horror or psychological show.
It definitely grew on me over time though. The length of the show allows you to get to know and become invested in the characters—no matter how horribly they started off. Once the major bullying subsides and we enter the more romance focused section of the show, it becomes much more tolerable. I actually started to ship some people in spite of their stomach churning history. Because of this character development and time investment, I almost rated this show an 8. Then… I reached the ending. I won’t spoil anything, but I was left thoroughly disappointed. We are given a resolution to the love triangle, but it felt rushed and I don’t think some characters' feelings were ever properly confessed. All the buildup was for naught.
To end my review on a positive note: The entire show did feel very nineties. It’s definitely interesting to watch now that the nineties are back in style. In this version and in many other adaptations (even though they often change the names), the equivalent of Domyoji’s character is easy to spot because of his naturally curly hair. He also has a very distinctive sense of style. His friends make fun of him for it, but his look would propel him to the height of e-boy popularity today. I still can’t get over it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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