more j-dorama rants and raves

Hana Kimi Japan (and Taiwan)


Hana Kimi (HK) is a series adapted from the manga, Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, which is about a young, japanese girl from the US who disguises herself as a boy and transfers to an all-boys high school in Japan to be with the high-jump athlete she idolizes. I’ve read forums comparing the Japanese and Taiwanese adaptations and having appreciated both, it’s kinda irritating to see HK Japan and HK Taiwan fans fight over which version is better and saying outright that this version sucks without even coming up with a valid reason. While it is true that they have the same theme or storyline whatever, the two series certainly have different approaches in portraying the story. I just don’t know which one is more faithful to the manga. This doesn’t matter to me though and I haven’t read the manga anyway. For me, they are almost like 2 different series like one version is not an imitation of the other. I like both versions. I find the Taiwan version mushier, it had more “kilig” factor and Ella Chan’s acting alone is already funny and outstanding. What made it more exciting is the emphasis given on the girl’s obstacles while disguised as a guy--not much in the jap version. The story strictly revolves around the main characters. The japanese adaptation however has a lot of side stories which is sometimes a bit dragging but sometimes made the story even more entertaining. In fact, the minor characters are more remarkable and not to mention good-looking on this one than on the taiwan version. And the series has that distinct anime humor which I love. You probably don’t know what I’m talking about. Anyway, i think the Japanese ended the series better. The ending was so heart-breaking. No wonder this series caught the Best Drama, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor awards in Japan. The Taiwanese ending sort of left me hanging but still, I enjoyed the series as a whole. HK fans, tell me what you think.

Bambino!

I’m so into j-doramas lately and this is the most recent one I have finished watching. This is an inspiring manga adaptation about an enthusiastic, young cook who comes to work at an Italian restaurant in Tokyo with a dream of becoming a chef. He was at first so full of himself until he discovers that his skills were incomparable to that of the very quick and efficient staff there and so he continually learns and proves himself to them. Although I’m not very fond of dramas, I like this series because I can somehow relate to the main character, I like the inspiring dialogues, i like Italian food and I love cooking shows! I don’t cook though. The main character is portrayed by Jun Matsumoto of Gokusen, Hana Yori Dango fame, who is now one of my favorite actors =D. I’ve seen at least 4 of his movies/series and he made me cry each time! He won a Best Actor award for Bambino by the way.