tw Hana Kimi, through ep 8

[meganbmoore]

As I apparently am not going to finish the last Bifrost Guardians book tonight for various reasons(well, I may yet...but it's not ilkely as work things have me in a bad mood and make me want to go around singing "Why Can't We Be Friends?")  I shall go ahead and post a little on the TW Hana Kimi.  As I'm off tomorrow, I'll likely finish it then.

I apologize if I randomly switch between Japanese and Taiwanese names...I've been calling them by their original names for years, you know...

Randomly:

*How is it humanly possible to overact in EVERY SINGLE SCENE the way Jiro Wang does without being annoying?  I mean, his character can be annoying(not here as much as ISWAK) but he never is.  I swear, he must be the most immensely likable person in the world to get away with that.

*The S.H.E. song still wants to eat me alive...much like the show itself.

*I was bizarrely more weirded out by Rui Xi in the polka dot dress and the wig than I was by Xiu Yi in the nurses outfit, wig and pirate patch.  There's just something wrong with that.

*While I understand why some ship Rui Xi/Xiu YI//Mizuki/Nakatsu, this really emphasizes why it would be the worst thing ever...there's half a brain between the two and it actually is a sharing situation.

*Like so many popular dorama guys, Wu Xun apparently is just too pretty for me to be attracted to him (not that I object to looking in the least, just no attraction.)  However, as miss_dianhas pointed out, he does have nice arms.  They are, however, no comparison to Jerry Yan's arms.  For Jerry Yan's arms, much bad acting was forgiven in Meteor Garden.  Fortunately, the acting here doesn't really need forgiving.

*For a girl living in the same room as her crush, not to mention seeing him shirtless on a daily basis and spending hours watching him work out, Rui Xi has startlingly pure daydreams.  They make Xiang Qin's look downright lurid.

*Rui Xi's brother seemed to be kind of a jerk here, but never really came across that way to me in the manga...just too stiff and over protective.  I do, however, greatly admire a drama that gleefully acknowledges bad fashion.

*Rui Xi looked almost too much like a boy in the first couple of eps, but after that, I started wondering how anyone could be fooled.  Her legs and the way she holds her wrists seem to especially stand out to me.

*Wu Zun's tattoo throws me every time.  Doesn't suit the character at all.  Though it does emphasize the arms.

*Dorm competition and boarding house.  Best parts of the manga that I've seen, and best parts of the drama so far.

*In the manga, Sano, Mizuki and Nakatsu are pretty much my favorite characters.  Here, though, it seems to be Shen Le and Mei Tian.  Though Mei Tian's extension kinda freak me out(he looks like he was simultaneously filming a cheap wuxia or something.)  Kagurazaka I always loved in the manga, but somehow I love him more here.  I'm sure part of it is because, in the show at least, he looks kinda like a less adorable, slightly punkish Eddie Peng.  Then there's also this:



For those who have no idea what that is, he's dressed like ed from Full Metal Alchemist(sans hair) with a pic of Ed in the background.

*I MIGHT end up changing it from "ISWAK is the only TWdrama I love and adore, the rest I just like," to "ISWAK and Hana Kimi are the only TWdrama I love and adore, the rest I just like."  We shall see. 

*People do not die or angst for more than 5 minutes here.  For this, I am  eternally greatful.

Also, random pic I really like:



"I will protect the pretty girl from the rain or die trying.  And if I stand back here, maybe she won't notice my hair."

Comments

[fivil.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I think there's this goofy lovable quality to Jiro's character that makes him rather very un-annoying. I guess the over-acting keeps the character rather consistant and I always felt like the character was somehow very genuine. He's a total goof/dork/idiot, of course, but also caring and open and honest.

LOL, Zen Me Ban is suuuuuuch awesome crack. :D

There's just something wrong with that.
Dude, I hear ya. Ella's lack of girliness really worked against her in that outfit but then again I had a distinct feeling they weren't even trying to go for "hot". I mean, she was cosplaying Minnie Mouse! (Jiro was being the nurse with an eye-patch from
Kill Bill, btw.)

I agree with you on why the Rui Xi/Xiu Yi pairing doesn't really work in practise.. It's cute but yeah, no, Rui Xi really needs somebody like Quan.

*For a girl living in the same room as her crush, not to mention seeing him shirtless on a daily basis and spending hours watching him work out, Rui Xi has startlingly pure daydreams.
LOL, true! She does semi-fantasize about sex at some point, though.. It's hilarious.

Her legs and the way she holds her wrists seem to especially stand out to me.
Yeah, I thought of her as a boy for the first two or three episodes but as the drama progresses, everything about her appearance just becomes softer and her expressions and gestures very very girly.

Mei Tian looks freaky - though with excessive HK watching I get used to the look - but the actor really owns the role. I hated Shen Le at first but he becomes massively awesome in episode 6. I love it when he bickers with Rui Xi, and calls her hobbit and just, eee. Plus even with cornrows (something I thought Asian guys should NEVER have on their head), Ethan Ruan is hot.

My favourite parts of the drama are episodes 9-12 so I'm pretty sure you'll keep loving it.. And yes, God so agreed on appreciating the light funness and lack of angst.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Jiro, I suspect, is one of those actors who usually ends up playing himself, really.

Dude, I hear ya. Ella's lack of girliness really worked against her in that outfit but then again I had a distinct feeling they weren't even trying to go for "hot". I mean, she was cosplaying Minnie Mouse!

Ella actually strikes me as extremely feminine, but not "Girly." It seemed odd that they were going to have her compete in that outfit, though.

Yeah, I thought of her as a boy for the first two or three episodes but as the drama progresses, everything about her appearance just becomes softer and her expressions and gestures very very girly.

I don't think her appearance changes so much as she does the role so well you don't notice those things.

I hated Shen Le at first but he becomes massively awesome in episode 6. I love it when he bickers with Rui Xi, and calls her hobbit and just, eee. Plus even with cornrows (something I thought Asian guys should NEVER have on their head), Ethan Ruan is hot.

I've liked him from the start both here and in the manga. I think because you can tell he really isn't that much of a jerk, he's just really pissed that the only guy to really be his rival has sunk so low. He also clearly thinks Rui Xi is about the cutest little thing ever, regardless of gender(rather like a larger, mouthier version of his baby sister.) He and Eddie Peng are the only ones I've seen make the cornrows look work, really.

[fivil.livejournal.com]

Jiro in real life is more calm & cool. I'm not going to say he's an intellectual - in fact one of my flisters calls him "her favourite idiot" which I find occasionally very, very fitting - but he's not as over-the-top dumb as Xiu Yi or any of his other characters. His character is KO One is closest to his real life persona, IMO.

I don't think her appearance changes so much as she does the role so well you don't notice those things.
True, I think she grows into the role little by little.

Where did Eddie Peng work the cornrows? Just curious.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Well..I meant incredibly sweet and caring but rather dim...rather like I tend to think Tae is sweet and goofy, but I don't assume he's shallow like his characters often are.

Eddie Peng had the cornrows in Chinese Paladin. You can find evidence with my Chinese Paladin and Eddie Peng tags.

[ladysaotome.livejournal.com]

I think Fivil hit Jiro's quality on the head when she called his acting "genuine". No matter how rediculous he gets, you identify with the sincerity of his emotions & love him for it. (I always cry in ISWaK when he gets dumped at the end. So glad he gets a girl in the sequel.)

Wu Zun's tattoos don't fit the Sano character. But I think they tried to downplay the tattoo a bit - you pretty much only catch glimpses, right? But they could have just covered it up rather than tried to hide it.

Don't forget to tell us your thoughts on the ending once you finish it! How far have you seen so far? I died when she was sick in the woods.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

The tattoo is really obvious in some scenes. I'm mid ep 9...Jiro is gushing over a cookie.

[ladysaotome.livejournal.com]

Jiro is gushing over a cookie.

lol! I'm going to have to rewatch this now. So many hilarious moments.

(Oh, & was it odd that I found the nurses costume strangely good looking on him? If only he could have sat a little more ladylike instead of his legs sprawled all over the place. And when he climbed over the stall door to get out of the bathroom? Priceless!)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I was surprisingly unphased by the nurse's outfit.