I finished watching Hana Kimi just last weekend and wanted to write a review about it. It's only now that I found the time to do so. But unfortunately, my mind's not on it anymore. But before I tell you why, I will say what I think about it, first.
(By the way, there aren't too many explanations on the plot, so I guess you have to have an idea on what they're basically about to understand what I'm saying.)
Hana Kimi
I'm going to start off by saying that I'm not a big fan of the whole cross-dressing thing. Sure, it was fun when it was Shakespeare, but after a while it gets overused, and it becomes less and less funny, and therefore less interesting. So I really thought I wouldn't like any more variations of it. But then, almost magically, a copy of Hana Kimi fell into my lap. (I'm not kidding, my friends just gave me a copy. For no reason at all. Aren't they nice?!)
And I have to say, that when there's a good enough reason for it, I guess, them gender-bender plots aren't that bad after all.
What I really like about this drama is how it was able to justify everything that happened--why the lead character (Ashiya) ran away from home and disguised herself as a boy just to see the high-jumper Sano Izumi; why Nakatsu found himself falling deeper and deeper into love with Ashiya; it even justified the title: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e. For You in Full Blossom.
Fluffy goofy funny stuff aside, I honestly think that there's a deeper theme in this drama (which I think is explained by the title). It's not just about some girl with raging hormones who's desperate to see the guy she likes, but more about the craziness and complexities of youth. The character of Nakatsu, for one, has an internal struggle regarding his sexuality, which is something that I guess any student of an all-boys (or all-girls) high school would go through. And Sano Izumi, also has an internal struggle, of overcoming his fear of not being able to meet his father's (or his fans or his own) expectations, to be able to do the thing that he loves the most. As for Ashiya, running away from home to help a person she believes in, it's just like the whole "follow your dream" thing, which I guess, is what people usually say when they want you to enjoy your life to the fullest.
And at the ending [SPOILER ALERT: Please highlight to read], Sano's line was just perfect:
"Next time, I'll be the one to come to you."
Waaahh!!! <3 <3 <3 *kilig kilig* It was just the best thing that he could say to the girl who traveled across the world and disguised herself as a boy just to see him.
I actually think it was a bit ruined when right after that Ashiya said to him "I like you". I mean, in some dramas, there's a need to state that line, but in this one, there really wasn't. I mean hello, she already did so much, wasn't it already obvious that she liked him? So hehe, for me, that scene at the airport ended with Sano's perfect perfect line. *dreamy sigh*
I really had a great time watching this. And not just because of the crazy antics that comes with being in an all boys high school, but because of its ability to tackle so many of the things that teenagers go through -- angst towards parents, sexuality, sibling rivalry, succeeding in a chosen field (whether it's sports or academics), falling in love, making friends, etc. without being so blatant as to have some characters become drug addicts or pregnant or suicidal.
This is the part where I compare it to American teen dramas, and say how redundant all those American TV shows are. I mean, Gossip Girl, Friday Night Lights, The OC, One Tree Hill, Dawson's Creek, Popular and whatever else, are basically all about the jocks and the cheerleaders and the geeks and the rich and the poor. I'm sad to say that it's also probably due to these things that the local teen dramas are the same way -- about the popular rich kids and the poor (but smart) kids that they pick on. What the?! I know there are great writers out there, but somehow they choose to limit themselves to these redundant themes. In Hana Kimi, despite having the jocks and artsy-fartsy divided into different dormitories, and having a rift between them, it's clear that they're not fighting for popularity or social status, but completely different things, that may be as worldly as an LCD TV, or as deep as the school's respect for what they do and what they like. But enough angst and comparisons of the East and West. For some reason, all my reviews inevitably come to this, and if I continue, people might get sick of reading my blog. :P
So, instead, I'm going to tell you why despite my having been enamored by Hana Kimi, my excitement was suddenly extinguished because my friend returned to me my copy of
Proposal Daisakusen
And I realized how much I missed it! I really feel that my previous review (if you could call it that, considering how short it is), really didn't give it any justice. But it's mostly because I just can't find the words to describe how much I love this drama.
Honestly, it's just too good, I think that whatever I say won't be enough. It's really weird, because I usually have no problems expressing myself, but I guess once in a while, there are things like this that I just, yeah, proves that I'm a disappointment as a writer. Hehe. Well, I'm not a real writer anyway, but what the hell, let my try again.
Don't get me wrong. I love Hana Kimi to bits. And it's really hard to compare these two (or any other j-drama) because they're very different from each other. What I mean by saying this one distracted me from liking the other one too much is because I can relate to this one more. Other than the obvious fact that the characters in Hana Kimi are younger than I am now, and the characters in Proposal Daisakusen are pretty much in the same stage in their life as I am now (graduated from college and is new to the "working" status, and some friends are getting married), this drama is about coping with change, which, if you know me, you'll know is something that I really have a hard time with.
The problem of the lead character, Ken Iwase, isn't really just losing the girl of his dreams. But letting go of the things he's been used to his whole life, and accepting the inevitable changes that happen to people. Plus, there's the element of time-travel (which I have a big bias for), and the soundtrack is just fantastic.
I could probably go on and on with how nostalgic it makes me, even if I wasn't the manager of our high school's baseball team, and I didn't make friends with my professors, and didn't go to a dorm in college, or even have a childhood best friend whom I'm secretly in love with. But the emotions of the characters, their attitudes towards the things and events that happen, their keeping with their friends' traditions, and everything else...
I'm just so at a loss for words (haha, yeah, this is me being at a loss for words, I've written so much already! :P). Let's just say that I saw this drama a year ago, and saw several dramas after it (including Hana Kimi and part of Nodame), but until now, I'm still so dazed about it.
Wah, if only I could watch J-doramas all day...
