Hana Kimi (2006)

Ok... Don't freak out... and don't kill me... but i think... i think i like this version more than the 2007 Japanese one (I don't count the 2011 version... ever... so let's just pretend that it didn't happen, ok?). DON'T KILL ME! It's going to be ok! Everything is gonna be fine... Don't get me wrong, i LOVE the Japanese version... but to me Horikita Maki just couldn't pass as a dude... Ever... and that is not because i have a strange female crush on her (Ok it might be just a little bit, but you've gotta admit...she is ridiculously adorable). Ella on the other hand... if I didn't already know... i would've never guessed that she was a chick. I mean sure she has got some female features, but overall she is very boyish in this drama (and it works for her, because she is still pretty).

The story is actually very good, and very different to the Japanese version, which makes it easier to watch. You don't feel like you are watching the same drama at all, and that is nice because then it is easier not to compare the two. even though it is not a spoiler really i'm stil gonna write this SPOILER!!! SPOILER!!! The ending is shit. which bums it a bit in my book... I know that there was supposed to be like a seaon two or something but still...

The acting: Again, as i said, Ella was a really good choice for the role. A lot of people bash it for being too over exaggerated, and i can kinda see where they come from, but personally i don't mind it at all... i think it kinda adds to the charm of the whole show. and as for the guys acting... let me just get this out of the way... HotHotHotHotHotHotHot!!! oh and their acting is good too, but it's kinda hard to concentrate on... Did i mention that they are really hot??

Music:I LOVED the intro tune... but aside from that... can't remember any other songs... But the intro... So good!

Overall i really liked the show it was cute and funny and all that jazz, but it is very much a chick drama. And if you're like me and you love that sort of thing i would recommend you go check it out... In the very least it is a laugh.

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The main reason that I gave this drama an 8 is its unsatisfying ending since it made me feel so bad; it have been years since I watched it but I can't get over that ending.
Generally speaking, I liked the drama and the main lead actors but Ella's acting was a serious flaw since it can be overdone sometimes.
If you want to like this drama you have to stop comparing it to the 2007 japanese version; They may share the general story and characters but there are huge differences between them so watch this without previous expectations and you will love it; just feel the events like you've never watched the japanese version and you're going to fall for it.
However, the ending sucked: it's a warning for endings lovers, if you want to like this drama forget about its ending.

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I wasn't sure if I was going to like this version when I was deciding to watch it. After I started to watch it, I knew I was going to like it because I've read the manga and the drama flows really well with the events that happen in the manga. Also, I loved Ella as Rui Xi (Mizuki Ashiya), although she does look really boyish in the show, it's hard not to like her, especially later on in the series. And Wu Chun as Quan (Sano Izumi) was perfect for the part. You can really feel that those two have great chemistry in the series, and it was fun to watch. Jiro as Xiu Yi was absolutely funny! I loved his attempts at speaking English, and overall he was just hilarious! This show introduced me to Fahrenheit, I love their music (: Which, also, there's a song by them playing in the background in almost every episode (: I did find myself disappointed in the ending, because I felt they leave you hanging almost, but overall that was my only disappointment, the show was really cute and fun to watch (:

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So you're probably asking yourself whether or not you should watch this version of Hana Kimi or not. I would say go for it!

There are two things that bothered people the most. 1, the main female lead is a bit hard to get used to at first and isn't very appealing, and 2, the ending isn't what most people were expecting and they were a little disappointed...BUT it's not a horrible ending, it's just different from the other Hana Kimi endings. As for Rui Xi, you get used to her and realize she isn't all that bad, and she definitely pulled off being a guy VERY well.

What I liked the most about this version was the chemistry was amazing between not only the main roles, but everyone else as well. Quan(main male lead), was the BEST out of all versions. He didn't come off as a jerk, his acting was brilliant, and you could just feel his emotions throughout his role. Not only that, but he is definitely the best looking in my opinion. I started this mainly for Jiro Wang and for the story of Hana Kimi that I love, but I did not expect to fall head over heals for Quan aka Wu Chun.

This version was also the funniest for me as well and I caught myself with a permanent grin stuck on my face as I was watching this...which was pretty embarrassing, but that's just how good it was, it makes you smile!

I loved everything about this, sure it's cheesy, but you should already be expecting that going into Hana Kimi, it's supposed to be horribly cheesy, but that's what I like about it. Yea, I wish the ending would of went a little differently, but that doesn't stop me from recommending this to you guys, it's worth it.

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This was the first Asian drama I had ever watched. I LOVED it! The story was easy to follow and funny. I think this drama was actually great with the mediocre acting. Jiro definately played the best character, but the others were also good at playing their roles. Now I know there is a lot of debate about the female role and how she is not pretty. Well when you look at it from the view that SHE IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE A GUY, then it's better. This drama also goes well with the original manga, but the ending for me was a disappointment. It wasn't bad, but it made me feel a bit "out of the loop." Oh but not to forget the nurse, HE WAS HILARIOUS! So much much much better than in the Japanese version. But I won't go on comparing the two versions because frankly, they are almost two separate stories and are BOTH worth watching. Overall, I would recommend you watch this drama for an easy laugh.

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I'm not a fan of gender benders and I never thought of watching Hana Kimi despite the fact that I like the cast a lot. It was only until recently I saw a clip that showed a snippet of Hana Kimi and I thought, "woah, that looks cute, I should probably watch it" before deciding to watch this.

Another gender-bender, nothing really special. There were loopholes and slightly unbelievable plots but it's completely acceptable since it happens in the land of drama. The side stories are interesting, nothing too serious or heavy, and pretty comical and cute too. Great pick-me-up drama, I was just laughing myself silly watching this drama. There were some draggy-ish parts but those only took up 3-5 minutes each episode so it's fine. I was surprised at how easy this drama was marathoned. I planned to only watch 1 or 2 episodes the first night but I ended up all the way to episode 6 before I could force myself to go to bed.

The characters are well written too. I felt that there was a pretty large cast, with the classmates and whatnot but most of the roles were played well. However, I thought that the way that the characters thought were a bit off though. They seem to be a little too open for a typical asian high school. Nevertheless, I loved the characters. I like the fact that Zuo Yi Quan knew Rui Xi was a girl and established his feelings for her pretty early in the drama. I hate it when I wait and wait and wait and half the drama is over but nothing's established yet. Wu Zun was so cute in his cool/shy role. Ella is just plain comical and lovable. Her reactions are a bit exaggerated, but with this kind of 'impossible' storyline to begin with, I don't think it's surprising. Jiro as Xiu Yi was plain hilarious, the way he think, the way he acts.. Jiro pulled it off really well. The clique of friends were a great addition to the drama too, except for the fact that I missed how did they actually became close. Nevertheless, I could totally understand why Rui Xi did not want to leave Ying Kai (other than not wanting to leave Quan). The other school mates such as students from the other dorm also value added to the drama. They brought pleasant surprises (like how the Taekwando dorm wasn't actually all bullies and actually had good morals).

Supporting characters that I really liked were Ryan Tang (Mei Tian, the school doctor), Ethan Ruan (Shen Le) and Xie He Xian (Da Shu). Da Shu was a character I hoped they developed more. It was really fun looking at him trying to join the clique's conversations but end up scaring them instead. I absolutely love the 'bag' he carries (a cloth wrap thingy used way back in the past) and how he always lag behind the group and look upwards, waving and smiling to 'his friends', regardless of 'his friends' being mentioned in that scene or not. Mei Tian was a wonderful character! I think it's great that there is someone in the school that knows of Rui Xi's real identity and is able to be a pillar of strength for Ruixi, being there to help her or console her along the way. Even though he acts like he cannot be bothered, he is very concerned about RuiXi. Being an intelligent character, he has also helped to solve many of RuiXi's troubles without her knowing. When Shen Le first appeared, I thought, "oh dear, how I can like Ethan Ruan here knowing he's a bad guy". After a while, it is obvious that Shen Le wants to help Quan go back to high-jumping more than anyone else. He genuinely cares for Quan and Ruixi, even though he's not all mushy like Xiu Yi. Shen Le interactions with the main roles were all very entertaining and Shen Le's sister is a sweetheart. I love how Shen Le's sister and Xiu Yi became fast friends and was sad when they separated.

I delayed watching the last episode for two days cause I read all the complains about the ending but it turned out I wasn't too upset about the open ending because it kinds of represent what this whole drama is trying to show - that love can be of all kinds, you don't need to be a couple to be in love. Even though personally, I felt that it was cowardly of the characters for not daring to try because they were afraid. Still, people always say "the best part of love between 2 people is when everything is ambiguous". I thought that this open ending could mean a season 2 but since it's 8 years (woah! I didn't realise) since the drama aired, it's probably not going to happen.

What I do not like about the ending is that... they missed out showing me so many of the characters I grew to love! Also, towards the end, there wasn't much attention placed on Quan's high jumping. Shen Le and his sister never appeared after the summer holidays. I was hoping to see more of them.
My favourite Mei Tian also didn't appear in the last episode(?!), much less to say his sister, who was a dear to Rui Xi. Even Yangyang, who could be considered part of the clique, did not appear. That was pretty disappointing. I do like the fact that the drama gods at least matched Xiu Yi to someone. He's too cute and funny to be left alone crying over the fact that Rui Xi will never fall in love with him.

Overall, it's a cute drama that will bring you loads of laughter. Watch it when you need a pick-me-up! Also helps that it's a pretty short drama so there won't be much trouble trying to finish it.

TLDR: WATCH THIS DRAMA :-)

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Before you watch this just prepare yourself for one of the worst endings in dramas. I heard that before I started watching it and I thought, how bad can it be? It was bad.

On to the good points though, Quan (main lead) was a more approachable as a character in here then in the Japanese one if you're comparing, it was easier to see what he was thinking and I enjoyed his acting.

Ella overacted throughout the whole thing and I personally never took to her. The other characters were okay not very strong, very 2 dimensional.

I know you shouldn't compare but its inevitable, the Japanese one is definitely better...better actors, better characters, and better plot lines.

Watch it just for ...well the interesting middle episodes between like 2 and 7 before you realize the whole thing isn't really going anywhere.One good thing though is that Ella really looks like a boy, so her being in a boys school is pretty believable here.

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WHAT KIND OF AN ENDING IS THAT?
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I wasted my time watching this! i had to fast forward a lot of scenes especially during the later part of the show because i just kept on waiting and waiting until everything is revealed!
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When there are two version of one great story a comparison can't be left out. I read the manga before watching both dramas. I loved both versions while they were going on and hated both their endings (even tough the manga ending wasnt very satisfying either)

What I really liked about the taiwan version was how they portrayed the relationship between the two main characters. You can really feel the love growing between them, the emotional struggles they go through to protect each other and what they have and all that in a still comical way. Yes, the japanese version is funny. No, wait. Hilarious. a lot more even than this version here but I feel that they kinda forgot about the romantic parts and chemistry and I am glad I found them in this version. The best of two worlds, or something like that... ^.^



As for the acting/cast. They were pretty all good, even the female lead, even tough I took me a while to get used to her. (But at least she looked like a boy =) ) the looks and chemistry were also pretty good (I especially thought the male lead was hot... ^.^)



The music was pretty catchy and earned me weird looks of my family while trying to sing the tunes at the dinner table. ^.^

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I loved this drama. Going in I kept reminding myself not to compare this one with the japanese version. And luckily I didn't.
I loved that this version followed the manga a lot more. The casting was amazing, Plus the Music I love S.H.E and Fahrenheit!
Plus Lu Rui Xi many faces make you laugh so hard!!
They only thing I didn't like was the ending.
It was sweet but it left you feeling disappointed. Like there should have been a big defining moment and there just wasn't.
But other then that it was a great watch, I'd recommend anyone to watch this if only for the comical value.

Happy Watching!

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