meganbmoore | tw Hana Kimi, ep 1

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twdrama: hana kimi

tw Hana Kimi, ep 1

Still not really watching anything...bits and pieces of Monk s5, but, like most mystery shows, I can either binge on Monk or watch it slowly(mysteries are really the only thing where my bingeing or not bingeing is no indication of my level of liking it...don't know why) What I WANT is to get engrossed in a big wuxia(yeah, I have some taigas in the backlog, but the best way to some up various dorama period pieces is that China does fantasy, Korea does epic and Japan does history, and I want wuxia squees) but since I don't have any on hand at the moment(2 are now on their way, though) I'm still just watching the first episodes of various dramas that will likely be in my next dorama order on crunchyroll(yes, I will shell out money to watch it on my TV when I can watch it for free on the computer...)

I wanted to watch Fantasy Couple, but it was taken down because it was licensed, so I started Delightful Girl Chun-Hyang, but it didn't hold my attention aside from the opening sequence(I think that's more due to mood that it is to like/dislike, so I saved it for later) and I moved on to the tw Hana Kimi.

I've only seen raws of the first episode of the j Hana Kimi, so I'm mostly comparing it to the manga. So far I quite like it. In fact, the only other tw drama I've liked this much this quickly is It Started With A Kiss(I think because both realize that with their set up and events, and they need to do is have the actors get to it for us to see the crack...no needs to keep making sure we realize how cute/cracky/funny/etc. it is.)

Jiro is absolutely perfect as Nakatsu(I'm calling them by their manga names because that's how I know them) He overacts like crazy in every scene he's in(ditto for his role in ISWAK) but that IS Nakatsu. Nakatsu is a cross between an emo drama queen and a big, lovable, slightly annoying mutt who smoothers you with affection and slobbers all over and nuzzles you no matter what you want yourself, and Jiro plays that perfectly. Ella is adorable as Mizuki, though, she kinda has the opposite problem from what Maki has. Maki is slightly too feminine looking to pass as a boy, while Ella passes a little TOO well as a boy...she doesn't look like a girl dressed as a boy as much as she does a 14 year old boy who hasn't lost his baby fat yet(not to say she's overweight, just that the haircut increases her "baby fat" look) With both actresses, you can kinda see their breasts at times(especially when running) but as binding them so that they'd be completely flat would liking result in fainting in the running and energetic scenes, I'm not about to complain about that. I'm not too sure about Sano yet...I like him so far, but he looks kind of...well..."soft," I guess...not like a wuss, but he doesn't really look like an athlete, either, unlike Oguri Shun.

Also? While neither Umeda or Nanba is a favorite of mine(though I love both) I'm kinda shallow in that they're the prettiest people in the manga and their jdrama versions didn't live up to that. These two, however, do, and the shallow side of me is quite pleased(but somewhat curious as to why Umeda's hair is so very, very long...it looks like the actor's regular hair is the same length as the manga, and then they added extensions to make it longer.)

The only complaint I have is that, in the manga, Mizuki had pure hero worship for Sano at first and crushing came later, but here she seems to be crushing almost immediately. However, it's a minor complaint as it's mixed with the hero worship, and (unlike Mars) doesn't seem to really change any of the early dynamics of the relationship.

Anyway, I think I've probably found what I'll watch after I get the wuxia bug out of my system.

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*cough cough* I beg to differ that Wu Chun as Sano is in fact athletic. Look at his bod *jaw drops* But his face is a different story. He has very pretty features (not to mention skin that's 1000x better than mine *sob*) but a hard mouth-watering six pack.

Yes, excuse my drooling :D

heh. i did look at his bod. While it is a nice bod and an in shape bod, it does not look like an athlete's bod. there's a difference between "athletic" and "athlete" Wu Zun looks like he'd be fine in a casual sports, running to the rescue, etc., but not at an athletic event.

I've seen guys aquire the look of an athlete after a month or two of toning up, so if they can make an actress gain or lose weight for a role, they can tell an actor to tone up.

Really, I think I've just spent way too much of my life around athletes to believe that he was a hig jumper just a year or two earlier.

*LOL* Okay I trust that you have more experience in athlete's bods :) The guy owns a gym in Brunei so yeah, perhaps his body shape is one of a casual sports. Who has an "athelete's" body then? ^^

Oguri Shun in the japanese version look like and athlete, as does jerry yan in MG and joe cheng in ISWAK...not a bit of softness to them, and very defined, but not bulked up, musclea...there are a lot of them, but they have a purpose beyond looking good. Granted, I'm basing this on my brother and about 80% of the guys I went to school with(have I ever mwntioned that I have no idea what to do around a guy who isn't a good 10+ inches taller than me?) as opposed to a professional opinion, but...

I hope you continue to enjoy tw-Hana Kimi. It does have its flawed moments, but it's very faithful to the manga and for that, I believe you will enjoy it. :)

I agree re: Ella's look as Mizuki. They should've not given her that haircut, the sideburns are way too boyish. But then again, given the lack of suspect coming from her classmates, it sort of makes sense. Plus her facial expressions soften as the show progresses. Eventually I was watching and just boggling that nobody had figured out she was a girl - the facial expressions were so girly they should've been a dead giveaway.

Wu Zun looks more like a basketball player - which I believe is a sport he actually plays IRL as a hobby - than a high jump athlete but whatever, he does good in the role.

except for a few scenes(when she was running and stretching and you could see her breasts...but, like i said: visible breasts vs fainting actress: i'll opt for visible breasts) i had to keep reminding myself that this really was a 20~ girl, not a 14 year old boy. Mizuki is supposed to look AND act kinda girly..just the girly reactions are wnough to warrant the initial ribbing, but there's nothing there to make Nakatsu's heart beat fast and make us think that he was responding to the girliness she can hide, because she's doing a good job of hiding the girliness.

Sano has the mas, and he looks like he'd usually come out the winner in casual basketball/football/races with friends and such, but I can't see him being a star in an actual competition...he doesn't have the tone(but then, I probably just spent too much of my life surrounded by athletes)

I still can't figure out why they made Umedas's hair so very, very long.

I still can't figure out why they made Umedas's hair so very, very long.
To bring out the gayness? IDK, it's very amusing to me, but in a very silly way. Ryan Tang owns the role, though, so I stopped minding the hair so much.

it's just odd to me because it looks like his normal hair is actually pretty much in umeda's length and style from the manga, and then they added 80s-ish extensions to it...it's not that it looks bad, it just that I look at it and think "but...without the extensions...he'd have the exact manga hair..."

Re: Mizuki. I showed a bit to Mr. Mousie, and his initial reaction was 'but she so looks like a girl!' So I do think to a guy she is quite girly even though I agree, I also thought she looked very much like a boy :)

Have no idea on whether Wu Zun looks believable as an athlete, but he looks good enough to eat him up, so I don't care :)

heh...i actually know a couple 14-15 year old boys she looks a lot like...

I don't know about "good enough to eat" (not my type...too pretty, though i have no objections to looking) but i have no problem with his looks in general, i just spent way too much of my life literally surrounded by athletes to not notice(though the factt hat oguri shun DID look like an athlete doesn't help any, though i think that's due to the gangster-type movie i hear he did in between)

Wu Zun may not see much of an athlete initially but according to his biography he was a national basketball player for Brunei. He was also a gym instructor as he manages a family-owned fitness center.

he really, really doesn't look it...at all. which is why its hard for me to see him as a famous high jumper.

I so totally agree with your comment on Jiro and Ella and Danson [who plays Nanba] and Ryan, and basically everything else. :nods furiously: It's always nice to see someone who is a [partial?] fan of Hua Yang. ^^bbbbb.

Umeda's/Mei Tian's hair was what kinda turned me off at first, but after 5 minutes, just- gosh. I love Rui Xi/Mei Tian [Taiwanese names] more than Mizuki/Umeda [obviously Japanese. xD]. Does that make sense? Lol. I dunno, Japanese!Umeda is just...too mean. And not gorgeous enough! Not to mention not ghei. I like Japanese!Nanba, I know he's not as ~*~cool~*~ as Taiwanese!Nanba, or Manga!Nanba, but he's nice. ^^

I can see the athleticismness in Oguri, but Wu Zun is calmer. As of right now [I've seen up to ep. 4 of Jap!HK so far], I like Qian and Saño [which is how my sister and I said it when referring to the manga. xD] more than Sano. :/

I think the person Sano would be Oguri's body, and everything else Wu Zun. >_>;; But that's just me. :coughscoughs:

Uhm. Yeah, sorry for the essay.

I'm a long time fan of the manga, but I've only seen one ep each of the dorama versions, both to see if I want to check them out on DVD.

Did they really make Umeda not gay in the japanese drama? That seems really weird...and like it'd add an uncomfortable vibe to his relationship w/ Mizuki.

Oh no, he is. I just meant 'not ghei enough'. xD Like with Taiwanese!Umeda, you see how he despises Taiwanese!Mizuki touching him and stuff, and he's always flipping his hair and crossing his legs and whatever. I guess not really 'ghei' qualities, but meh. It's better than the Japanese!Umeda. :/
I guess the whole Mizuki/Umeda friend/mentorship could develop, but the one in Taiwanese was funnier. :\ But I'm just being biased, 'cause I love the manga and Taiwanese version, and the Japanese is a little messed up. o_O

I've finished the TW Hana Kimi already, and I think you either love or hate the show based on the first episode. I was cringing through most of Ella's antics in the first episode but I had to watch more. Wu Zhun actually gets more convincing (in my opinion) as an athlete as the show progresses. I think they tended to focus less on his athletical abilities here though

I'm not sure I have a really solid opinion just from the first episode, really. I like it enough that I definately want to see more, but not to the point that I instantly wanted to mainline it.

LOL, I guess coming from my perspective where I knew nothing about the story (I've never read the manga or heard anything about it till my bro told me about the show), I really wanted to know what happened next. It does get better as it goes along though. Hope to hear more of how you feel if you go onto episode 2.

oh i will...the main reason i watched the first ep on tiny screen land(crunchyroll) was to decide whether or not i wanted to get the DVDs so I could watch it on my much larger TV screen(not a big screen, but better than crunchyroll) So it'll be in my backlog soon...not sure when I'll get to it, but I'll have it.

LOL, well I look forward to hearing more then.

I have to agree with you that Wu Zun just did not fit my idea of a high jumper. that's not to say that he didnt have a nice body that he worked hard for...it's just that he's not built for high jumping...dont they all tend to look rather gazelle or cheetah like??? he's too chunky!

I love love love nanba and umeda...i wasn't bothered by the long hair, cos i've never read the manga so i dont actually know what the manga umeda looks like!

the BOYFRIEND took one look at Ella and said, that's a girl, or maybe a very young lad! but the minute she opens her mouth, it's bleedin' obvious! then he launched into a whole explanation about how lads at 16-18 should look, blah, blah, blah! to me, i thought ella was quite good as a boy!

Thank you! There's nothing WRONG with his looks at all, he just doesn't look right for a high jumper.

You should definately read the manga. It's great.

And yeah, it's obvious as soon as she talks...but then, in RL, you'd NEVER expect a girl to cut off her hair like that and go to an allboys school, so I can see people just thinking she's a very girly boy.

lol, when i was 14-15, i cut my hair really really really short, so short, it makes ella's hair in hana kimi look long! while i went to an all girls school, i did, rather unfortunately favour male clothes out of school uniforms. and i remember walking into the little girls room at a mall, only to be chased out by the cleaning lady who was convinced that i was a bloke. offering to show her proof that i was female was met with offended screeching and more chasing! lol, memories...

but i digress! erm, borders where i live is rubbish! i will have to source the manga somewhere else!

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tw Hana Kimi, ep 1

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