Kimi no Hana ni Naru (2022)

YOUR BOYGROUP SELF-INSERT FANFICTION TURNED INTO DRAMA

I was ready to dismiss this drama because let's be real, the premise of this drama sounds like a thousand of self-insert wattpad stories, so i was not impressed. But apparently, Fumiya Takahashi went viral in my FYP and i decided to check his work a little, and found out tsubasa honda also played in this drama, so i gave it a try.

one thing i want to emphasize : DON'T HAVE HIGH HOPES. KEEP IT LOW. AS LOW AS YOU CAN. just. yeah, just make it seem like you only want to appreciate fumiya's beauty throughout the episodes.

Because the first half of the drama are weird as fuck... is it because i haven't watched jdrama with comedy as the genre? but i find a lot of details off-putting. but i ignored it solely due to the fact that i havent been around jdrama and weird things happened, so.

but after we got thru the character introductions and every "that shouldn't have happen, right?" or "what the actual fuck?" moment, i felt slightly impressed by the diversity and depth of the characters in the dorama were presentes. I originally thought it would be a one-man-band where fumiya is the only one who would get the spotlight, but it turned out everyone gets their own cake, and hey, i was pleasantly surprised! their backstory are relatable and heart-warming, it's making me want to know them better.

anyway, this self-insert is not that bad. fumiya's face was what sold this, but i stayed for the characters.

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Amazing POV of being in a male group in the entertainment industry.

Most people (who I know) that are into Korean POP bands don't dabble in Japanese POP bands or artists. They mostly listen to anime OSTs' and call it a day. More power to you; however, this series does explore what it is like to be in a male group, riding to the top in the entertainment industry. While the show seems romantic, and it can be. That isn't it's main focus. I appreciate the message the director, writers, and producers set out to make with this series.

Being in that industry is tough on anyone and I'm sure in Korea, BTS; Stray Kids; BIG BANG; and GOT7, things aren't too far off from being the same. The physical, mental, and emotional tolls these idols have to go through... While also showing sportsmanship in a way when supporting each other, hyping each other up. It's just, chef's kiss.

This series is actually REALLY good and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND watching it. I watched this on Netflix, but you could probably find it online on Dramacool or KissAsian.

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OST are amazing!

No i am not obsessed with this drama. I only watch it 10x in just 2 weeks.
Totally.not.obsessed. ?

I was quite skeptical at first to watch this drama because i read that it was highly criticize especially in japan. But thank God its on Netflix so it gives me a 'push' to watch this and im glad i did!

1. Before i started, i went through the comment section + twitter and saw a lot of critics on Tsubasa Honda acting so it affected me and i became a bit judgy and annoyed at her at the beginning. But surprisingly, after a few episode i don't think she is THAT bad. In fact, i like a lot of her scenes. Yes some of her smiles and laughs seems too forced and made her look silly, but i don't think its a bad acting, but that is just Asuka's character. Someone who laugh when they are nervous or when they are hurt. It may look silly to some people but that's just the way she cope and handle her emotions. So to me, she carried her character very well.

2. I dislike the last 2 episodes especially episode 9. I hate everyone's reaction to the 'scandal'. Its not like they were caught doing something improper. I love when Dan said "what do you mean apologize? She and I did nothing wrong" i hate when idols apologize for being on love

And i dont understand why they suddenly make naruse the 'bad guy'. If it shows from the beginning that naruse does like dan and doesnt like seeing dan with asuka, then i can understand why he acted that way. But he's been supporting dan/asuka 'relationship' even from the start. So i dont get his character change.

3. Another thing that i find annoying. How they keep saying 'you didn't give 8LOOM 100%' whenever one of them do something individually but never affect the group activities in any way. If the member starts slacking off or paying less attention to 8LOOM because of their other ‘dream’, or if Dan liking Asuka made him lost his focus to 8LOOM, then it understandable if they get upset. But like i said, Eiji who wanted to pursue his study, Dan's feeling for Asuka...it didn't affect the group at all.

Naruse: "Dan didn't give his 100% to bloom because he's in love with Asuka"
Also Naruse: want study film making ?

4. The ending wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. So the group went hiatus for 3 years because everyone is pursuing their 'other dream' except for Dan and Yuki? And Dan didn't contact Asuka in 3 years while being hiatus but went to find Asuka again when 8LOOM is finally active again?

I don't know.. I feel like they could've done a better plot for the ending..

*But despite all that i still love this drama. I can't believe they are just a fictional, temporary boyband because they are as good as a real one. Every one is really skilled in singing and dancing despite some of them actually have no background in sing/dance including the ML Takahashi Fumiya (i learned this from translating comments on yt and tt so my information might be wrong lol. Too bad no one is translating 8LOOM content on yt because I really want to know the story behind their auditioning/casting story etc. Yt auto translate doesn't help at all pfft)

And he also slayed this tsundere role ughh I NEED MORE TSUNDERE TAKAHASHI FUMIYA PLEASE. I actually dislike him at first because he talk harshly. But he quickly became my favorite. I love his acting and all his micro expressions and especially his CROOKED SMILE. I don't know if anybody notice this but he always does this thing when his smile crooked from left to right (eg Ep7, min 34:45) Cutest thing ever!!

I also saw a comment said that he resembles late Haruma Miura and I AGREE?! (I miss you Haruma❤️) I also think Fumi kinda reminds me Takeru Satoh too especially when he pouts when he talk or when he frowns.

AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE OST!!! All 5 OST are AMAZING I can't stop listening to them. Can't believe they made 5 original bops for this drama including choreography for each song?! And i love whenever they are performing in the drama, we can hear their live vocals instead lipsyncing to the ost. love love love it!!!

Yes this drama isn't perfect but overall its an enjoyment experience for me and i don't regret watching this at all ❤️❤️❤️

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Jealousy and Romance

So far, I have watched nine episodes of this ten episode drama and have enjoyed it very much so far. The plot is good, scenes flow smoothly and easily, and having a very pretty lad for our ML does tend to go down well. I understand why a big, strong strapping young fellow with arms like boulders would not go down well - all these young men are “soft” and “fragile “ - personally I prefer the former - but idols are put on a pedestal and are expected to stay there smiling!

I did not like the little orange haired …..lad, I found him to be wimpy, sulky and needy, but also selfish. He “likes” Dan in a romantic way, however Dan likes him as a friend, nothing more.
Along comes Asuka, with whom Dan has a connection.

He (Naruse) is jealous of the friendship, feelings between Dan and Asuka . When a photo of Dan and Asuka holding hands goes online, all hell erupts! The confusion is was it Naruse or someone else who shared the photo and then posted about it?

Asuka has left and is no longer their housemother, the band have lost their happy feel and Dan is miserable. He has found Asuka but not approached her. Sad, very sad. I so wanted these two to be together.

Episode ten brings the sunshine back. We move along another three years, Asuka is doing something, she becomes aware of someone near her, looks around and sees …Dan! Yes! He came back for her! Oh the sun is shining, my eyes glisten as I just know we are going to get our happy ending!

First comes the hand gold star ⭐️ then the hug!

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Inspiring.

Even though I've only watched a few couple of episodes, this drama became like a new ray of light that I've to enjoy every week.

8loom's underdog story is exciting, pitiful yet heartwarming at the same time. It's nice to see a group of people reaching for their dreams, no matter how hard it may be, with people supporting them from behind.

Sagami Dan is literally the epitome of the cutest tsundere I have ever seen. The way he acts cold towards the members but caves in to them eventually is just sooooo adorable.

Together with Asuka-san, I'll believe in their dreams too, until the end.

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this drama is a gem ✨

This review might sound biased or something just because i'm a boyband/boygroup stan in real life lol. I don't know about anyone else out there but tsubasa honda and fumiya takahashi's chemistry had me screaming, crying, throwing up from the very first episode. I was literally punching the wall, trying not to wake my neighbors with my scream because its 2 freaking am and i'm binge watching the whole drama. I finished the entire drama in a day. I was hooked from the very first ep, I couldn't stop watching it. I also loved how the other 8loom members portrayed their roles. I saw and felt how different their characters are compared to each other. I must admit that the acting was a bit off sometimes but I can't help but like all of them and be amazed by them especially because some of the 8loom members have to start from scratch, including Fumiya who played the main character in the drama because he's not an idol by profession in real life and to think that they even made actual music videos (you can find it on youtube), recorded the songs themselves which are available on spotify and other music streaming platforms and even performed in KCON Japan 2022 (currently watching their performances on repeat hehe) and they did so well, that's some serious hard work and dedication right there. I was really impressed by Fumiya and Tsubasa's acting, I saw Dan and Asuka in their eyes and I felt it in their actions. I also liked the songs by 8loom. The way the characters talked about dreams and goals in life felt way too relable. All in all, this is a good drama and i recommend it! especially if you're a fangirl like me hehe Its now one of my fave jdramas for sure <3

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Realistic in a way, heartbreaking and amazing

Okay hear me out I have to admit I am quite biased because of Fumiya. He is just everything and I will watch all of his other work! He is a great actor! I loved his facial expression, his body language. I loved the subtle development of the love line in this drama. I am usually a full on romance person but it made sense here considering all the circumstances. I liked how this wasn't overpowering - japanese dramas tend to be super bubbly and bold (a lot of those ive seen at least) but this was super emotional and heartbreaking and ngl I was rooting for 8loom, in parts of the drama I felt like proud Mom. It had me crying from Ep 2, I watched all 10 episodes in one go because I loved it so much. I don't like those basic storylines where from Ep 8 always everything collapses - ig Kdrama fans know what I mean. I like watching soft dramas instead with not a lot of ups and downs. This drama was perfect for me because struggles could be overcome without having me worry for too long.
The only thing that didn't make sense to me was the ending. I liked it, though it really didn't make any sense.

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I watched this while writing my thesis

This show had an easy-to-follow plot so if you have free time and do not want to watch something heavy give it a try!
For me, this show was 10/10. However, I know that I'm a bit generous when it comes to scoring. So, I guess it would be an 8/10 for most of the people.

I saw lots of conflicting comments about this show especially for the ending and I am not gonna lie I really don't understand why some people hated the ending and gave such a low rating. But I guess it may not be to everyone's taste. I agree that the romance parts were close to none which may have disappointed some viewers but it was not a problem for me.

What I really liked about this series is, it reflected the entertainment business really well. It was such a realistic portrayal of idols. As we know especially in South Korea and Japan there are some "fans" that can't live with the idea that their idols are also human and would like to try new and ordinary things such as getting a degree, having solo projects or dating.
And of course entertainment agencies are aware of these hostile fans and restrict the idols' lives a lot which can end up in either disbandment/hiatus or just accepting the fact that they can't live the life they want fully and just roll with the idol life for a while. I really liked the way this topic was handled in the series, could feel the struggle of the members.

However, I can't say that I really LOVED the OST but it wasn't bad, it was neutral for me. I didn't skip the songs but I wasn't too invested either. The acting and the chemistry of the cast were really good in my opinion. I started this series because of Takahashi Fumiya however I really liked all the 8LOOM members. I knew Honda Tsubasa from Radiation House and of course my dear Todoroki Yosuke (Maeda Goki) from the High & Low franchise. These 2 were older than the 8LOOM members (both in real and reel life) but I didn't feel any awkwardness at all.

I think I wouldn't rewatch it not because the show wasn't good but because of the completed storyline. I don't know how to explain it but it felt like this show was about representation (idol life, adolescence, LGBTQ etc.) and I am satisfied by watching it just once. I gave 8.5/10 for rewatch value because it is totally rewatchable but I would not prefer it.
By the way, I want to say that I really liked how they portrayed the LGBTQ community without excessive focus. The conversations occurred very smoothly throughout the series and it showed that these things are part of our world and totally normal. Because sometimes when you put too much focus on these topics you are unintentionally making it look like it is an anomaly (hope I explained it well :) I struggled while writing this sentence).

As a side note, sometimes I compare some European / American groups to K-pop/J-pop groups and can't help but feel sad for them. Most of the time members are very talented and working hard and still, they can't feel "free" and still trying to prove themselves by doing everything their agencies or fans ask for. It is going to be a drastic topic but the hater culture in these countries is so hardcore that I would be severely depressed in 2-3 months if I was an idol.
I rented too much, I guess this show hit a good spot and I was in the mood for it. In summary, I really wish every person in the entertainment business can live their lives fully without a need to "apologize" for ordinary things that their peers do.

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