Hana Yori Dango (Boys Over Flowers) Jdrama ep1
Posted by WilluknightWatching the drama left me rather disappointed actually. I’ve only read two volumes of the manga, but that’s enough to compare the first episode of the drama.
“16 Year old Makino Tsukushi is 16-year old girl, from a mid-class family, who, due to her brains, gets into an ultra high-class school called Eitoku Gakuen. One day she accidentally gets on the F4’s, bad side *they’re a gang at school*, and from then on she suffers from hazing. She fights them back however, something no one else has had the guts to do”
First the good things, the music is absolutely wonderful. There’s a piece in there that feels harry potter ish (hey, the movies may have sucked, but the soundtrack was awesome) and theres a few other great tunes as well. The OP is the best i’ve seen in drama, a great example of the technology of today, and i might well make a music video with that footage in it, its that good.
Now lets look at the story. We start well enough, introduced to all the characters and the situation at the school: the terror reign of the Fab Four.. I don’t really have a problem with any of the actors chosen for this, Tsukushi especially feels spot on, as does her family. The Fab four match up fairly well too.
After the introduction however, things start going downhill. In the manga, when Tsukushi’s friend gets attacked by the FF, Tsukushi doesn’t not put up with it! She steps in and tells them to cut that shit out! None of this “STOP-please..please forgive her, i be you” bullshit!
(At this point i’m screaming GET SOME SPINE)
Next, She gets a red notice, and then returns to the classroom, where she is bullied by the rest of the class and is generally pathetic.
MANGA: SHe takes the red note and sticks it on that asshole Rui’s face, then the next day the stuff happen in the class room.
At this point they don’t show you any footage of her resisting, she just keeps on turning up for more and more punishment like a pathetic punching doll.
MANGA> It is clear that while she is getting bullied, she is NOT giving up, and is still going to school as a way to proove that the FF’s power over her is limited
The meeting of Rui and Tsukusi is another important (though short) difference. In the drama she is a complete and total wuss, bowing in apology for disturbing his space and running away.
MANGA: She tells him off about the abuse, and then later runs away when he makes an arrogant comment.
This is significant, because it immediately establishes her as his inferior. Later, when he saves her from being raped, she is established as needing his help, a subtle, but significant difference from the manga where they are more equalized. It is the girl that needs rescuing, and Rui is the man to do it!
Another key difference is Sanjou ( the transfer student friend). In the manga, after she runs away from Tsukushi (when the red note is delivered), Sanjou redeems her earlier actions by going and retrieving Tsukushi’s chair from the garbage, and action that shows that Tsukushi has given confidence to someone else to stand up for themselves! I suspect this does not happen in the drama.
Finally, due the the end of the episode Tsukushi finally stands up for herself and gives Tsukasa what he’s been needing.
I’m really disappointed at all the times in the episode that Tsukushi DIDN’T stand up for herself, and how much it took for her to give some back. They mention her insurgent action of continuing to come to school, after she’s red carded, but this is not ever shown or gone into. The impression from this is more that she’s too stupid to learn, not that she’s standing up to her rights and isn’t going to let anyone stop her from going to school.
We never see her stand up for herself and her rights. Instead she just stands there and takes shit.
Watching Tsukushi crumble again and again under abuse is bloody pathetic. Sure, she sticks up for herself in the end, but geez… what took so pocking long? Do Japanese girls need that much pocking torment before they stand up for themselves ??
In the manga Tsukushi is on the ball from the first time she is attacked!
Another annoying point is Tsukasa’s mother. Here, we have a female authority figure, however she is portrayed as being a total uncaring bitch. The linkage between this bitch and Tsukushi is reinforced, when Tsukasa gets what’s coming to him, he remembers back to when his mother did the same to him! Apparently there’s no difference between a tormented girl standing up to her tormentors and a mother hitting her child 0_o. Perhaps what they’re trying to do here is show that this is supposedly what happens if you give woman power. A truly horrific message.
Overall I’m disappointed in the drama. it is an excellent production, but the plot points I’ve mentioned have highlighted the differences from the manga. In today’s day and age, Tsukushi should be even more feministic, not less for cripes sake!
In other news, go le French Revolution.
Subtitles available from Anime Suki’s series page
Categories: Drama, Preview.
November 29th, 2005 at 12:59 am
Tsukasa is remembering his sister, not his mother. His feelings toward Tsukushi stem from his only loving relationship to date, the one with his sister. Perhaps this will help shed new light on your viewing of this drama. I thought it was very well done, it would not have been realistic to translate the manga to live action verbatum, Tsukusho would have come off looking like a psychopath. I though the choices made in the adaptation were spot on with the flavor of the manga and the anime. I look forward to seeing what else this series will bring.
November 29th, 2005 at 1:04 am
Well i know i for one wished that Tsukusho has stood up for herself as much as she did in the manga… WOuld have made her character less of a gutless whimp at the start.
Thanks for the mention of the sister :).
December 7th, 2005 at 3:59 pm
I was really dissapointed at first…but then I kept watching and it occured to me that its impossible to cram the entire series into 9 episodes. And for attempting to do that I give the creators a big thumbs up. Also, thee ARE some points I wish they’d put in, like the classic “brand name girl” line waaaay in the beginning at Tsukasa’s house. But aside from the fact that many of the things that make HYD what it is are missing, the basic idea and many of the key events are still crammed in there. I think they did well for adapting a 36 volume manga into 9 episodes. (I really like the Tsukasa/Rui apple thing, that made me laugh)
—also I liked Meteor Garden better…it was less well made but there was something about it—
December 7th, 2005 at 7:18 pm
hmm maybe i should give it another shot and get the next episode.
I was really irritated with all the shit Tskusho took in the beginning though
December 9th, 2005 at 12:36 pm
dont worry, it gets better after episode one
Tsukushi is less…herself in this drama, she DOES take a lot more of the crap she gets dished and that sucks
I also don’t think that Tsukasa’s mom is done really well…I mean she IS done well but the woman doesn’t have the Kaede Domyouji look…she doesn’t seem quite as cruel just very very spiteful and evil
December 9th, 2005 at 4:43 pm
Spiteful and evil can cover for cruel i guess ;D
I should read more of the manga, before watching more of the drama, but i suspect if i read any more of the manga, my drama experiance would only worsen
February 19th, 2006 at 10:45 pm
In my opinion, the Jdrama was well done seeing as everything was crammed for 9 episodes. But I think it was more realistic than the manga. Anyway, anything can happen in a manga, not just in real life.
The characters are very well casted. They have the same vibe as the characters in the HYD manga. Anyway, I commend Matsumoto Jun because he is very Domyougi-ish. ^_^
Also the music is appropriate. Although I was quite bothered why the Harry Potter ringtone is included in the background music. I noticed because I have the same ringtone for my cellphone. Anyway, it suits the creepy moments =)
March 4th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
I was slightly confused by your opinion of the JDrama of HYD. I’m not trying to convince you that it’s good, but I do think you should give it more props. And I really don’t think you should be comparing two series when you haven’t even seen the whole thing. You said you read 2 manga volumes when I know there’s 36 volumes.
And I’m agreeing with a lot of the other posters on this site; For a nine episode drama, I believe that they did a very nice job. You can’t include everything. That’s just impossible. And the Japanese wanted this drama to be SOME WHAT realistic. Makino in the anime/manga can do whatever the hell she wants, because IT’S A MANGA. It’s not real.
Once people watch tv, however, suddenly things start becoming real. Japanese customs made it so that tv Makino was a lot more passive than manga Makino.
And your summary made no sense because you confused Hanazuawa Rui with Tsukasa Domiojui. Rui is the one who helped Makino, he wasn’t an ass to her. And in the manga, she stuck the tag to Tsukasa’s face, not Rui’s.
And about the mother thing, she’s the exact same in the anime too. I just think you’re reading too much into this.
March 4th, 2006 at 3:38 pm
hmm you could be right there
I know i should really watch more (and read the manga) of the series.
It’s just that all the abuse that the main character tolerated throughout most of the first episode really struck a nerve ~_~
I apologise for any factual errors in this artical ^^;;
April 23rd, 2006 at 7:46 am
i really liked th japanese version of boyover flowers but the taiwan version is good because it spands out past when he found out she loved him they show them going out and going on trips it’s called METEOR GARDEN. go to youtube you can watch it there.
May 2nd, 2006 at 1:06 am
i totally agree with nikki. i’ve read the manga (1-36) and wathced MG 1 and 2, still i like the japanese version better. too bad they didn’t put nishikado’s story in the dorama, i think that could be pretty interesting too. but yuuki’s character would be different, and i think i like her character in the dorama better than in the manga. she’s more cheerfull there.
May 8th, 2006 at 6:09 pm
i’m watching this drama right now, i’ve seen the 4th ep. i’ve also seen meteor garden 1 and i’m watching metor garden 2.
this cast’s acting is much better and the main actress is much cuter but the main actor can’t even hold a candle to the main actor of the tw version (haha)
this version isn’t as “slow” as the tw version, in this version things happens much faster.
i’m looking forward to continue seeing this ^____^
August 4th, 2006 at 9:42 pm
You obviously don’t know much about bullying in Japan and japanese culture :\
August 16th, 2006 at 3:43 am
I don’t really see how it’s possible to confuse Rui and Tsukasa? Seeing as they look and act completely different, not to mention, they’re the two MAIN male characters? Tsukushi is always flustered and wussy when she’s around Rui cuz she likes him, even in the manga. And Tsukasa remembers his sister’s punch, not his mother’s. He LIKES his sister. I mean, did that voice sound like an old woman’s voice? Come on. If you’re gonna criticize a drama, at least watch a little carefully and get your facts straight.
At least this version is way, way, way better than Meteor Garden. I couldn’t watch MG past episode 1, b/c the acting was sooooooo wooden in the TW version. I mean, gosh, a robot would be more genuine.
January 4th, 2007 at 1:21 am
toi xem phim nay rui! thay rat hay
ko the noi j hon la very good!!!!!!!1
January 13th, 2007 at 2:01 am
hello people…i love this movie very much…i think that this movie is the cutiest…the boys are cute and the girls are beautiful…i really love this movie…
January 17th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
I also think this movie is so cool, take it from someone who hardly watches anything. when I first watched it I hated that it had romance ( I prefer horror) but when I continued to watch more I started to like it it just makes you want to keep on going.
March 23rd, 2007 at 10:40 pm
i also think that this movie is nice! however i dont think the guys are that cute!
March 29th, 2007 at 4:41 am
Just now I seen this drama (article) and it is good and it could be seen more
April 13th, 2007 at 10:46 am
does anyone know when the second season of boys over flowers comes out?
April 13th, 2007 at 10:46 am
anime version =3
May 28th, 2007 at 3:00 am
so what’s tsukushi’s real name in person?
June 15th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Tsukusi is always the great girl, in this movie she always hold her principal as a strong woman!!!
To seen the movie, we dont have to see the actrees and the actor but we also see the character.
Two thumbs up!!!!!!!!!!!
June 8th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!I already finish that and I’m so giggled heheheh>^_^