Why? For the sanity of Koala, why? WHY? I can keep typing the same word over and over for the rest of the post. Seriously. Why? Doramas, you are officially on my shit list this Summer. Sometimes the lack of knowledge is a blessing, because I just discovered that Fuji TV is remaking its own blockbuster drama just four years out. Four years isn’t long enough for a fashion trend to die, much less have the need to remake a drama when the original is just as good, fresh, and neigh impossible to top.
This weekend will be the premiere of Hanazakari no Kimitachi e 2011 (otherwise known as HanaKimi), the remake of the the original girl-crossing-dressing-as-a-boy-and-living-in-a-dorm drama adapted from the manga of the same name. The original HanaKimi starred Horikita Maki (my favorite J-actress), Oguri Shun (intense oddball thespian), and Ikuta Toma (a Johnny who can act and my Pi’s BFF). Korea’s SM Entertainment bought the rights to remake this earlier this year, and some have correctly pointed out that You’re Beautiful had shades of HanaKimi.
The HanaKimi 2011 remake stars a bunch of relative newbies: AKB48’s Maeda Atsuko as Ashiya Mizuki, actor Nakamura Aoi as Sano Izumi, and Miura Shohei as Nakatsu Shuichi. Have a look at some pictures in comparison with the original. Below I’ve also linked to the trailer for the 2011 remake.
As much as the original HanaKimi is no masterpiece and might just be the wackiest thing I haz ever saw, it was addicting and cute and perfectly cast. Even if Maki looks as much like a boy as any NFL football player can pass for a girl. But the chemistry between the three leads was off-the-charts amazing.
Have a look at the hotness that was the original HanaKimi cast. Yeah, ‘nuff said.
Trailer for HanaKimi 2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShsxGxRsQn8
seriously, the original cast was just PERFECT, from the main trio down to the supporting. hiro, yusuke, masaki, kimura, i loved all of them. although i did think maki didn’t do much acting. compared to how wonderful i thought she was in nobuta, she seemed to be gliding through hanakimi.
I’m going to wait and hear the verdict in order to decide whether to watch or not, because I really liked the original and don’t want it ruined for me. Same goes for the Korean version too.. Maybe it’ll work out well though! I also don’t know if I can watch the story 2 more times (considering I watched the t-drama version too >.<)
I haven’t watched any HanaKimi because the manga annoys me (and I would never watch the tw version but Ella’s acting is a horror to me) but I LOVE some Shun…
*sigh*
What was I talking about?
Well i don’t know about the manga but the original Japanese one was lotsa fun
It had many colourful characters (as in distinctive) I really prefered the side stories than the main one but as a whole it was pure fun entertainment. Still don’t get the point of remaking it :S
I am slightly disappointed that they chose to remake this but I guess that I will give it a chance. The actors have big shoes to fill so it will be interesting to see how they match up to the originals.
Koala, when I first saw the news, I said the same thing. This is more of a vehicle to launch AKB48’s Maeda Atsuko’s acting carrer. Anyway, I’ll see it just to see if it measures up to the original.
Me too!!! When I saw a HanaKimi 2011 thingy on dramacrazy, I was all “what the heck?!?!?! What on earth…?” It just doesn’t make sense! O_O The original aired in 2007! I don’t get it XD They even imitated the poster…Nya, I don’t feel like watching it. It isn’t my favourite story, I watched it for the actors back then ^^
Though I’ve got to say, in the TW version, Ella really did a great job looking like a boy!! ^^
Yeah I completely agree. Why make a remake of a great show? I mean they haven’t remade Itazura na Kiss and that manga finally had the actual ending put into anime..
It upsets me so much… For Shun, Maki, Toma, Hiro… all the actors who worked so hard on the original. It’s almost a slap in the face. I am looking forward to the Korean version of this. However this remake.. is on the list of what NOT to watch this summer.
Ouran is the one I’m looking forward to.. not this remake crap.
~Reese
I’m with you Koala. This was one of the first j-dramas I watched and I think I only made it through because of Ikuta Toma. No offense to Maki and Shun, who I love, but definitely not their best performance. I expect this one to be just as awful, but maybe Maeda Atsuko and Nakamura Aoi will have more chemistry than Maki and Shun.
wa!!!!why!!!!!I mean I already knew about the remake, but still cant stop asking why!!!!who else can give justice to Nakatsu’s role???ONLY IKUTA TOMA!!!the first hana kimi is overflowing with HOT,HOT guys!!!!(still drooling on Mizushima Hiro)…and even the soundtrack is AWESOME!!!please dnt make me forget Nakatsu’s daydreaming tactics!!! hay….doramas will definetly overflowing my list right, and t think, all are in REVERSE HAREM!hahahahah..crazy:)
Just watched the trailer..hmmmmm…original cast are more good-looking…ehhehehe..i’m not watching this!!!it will only destroy my beautiful memory of HK!!!OURAN for this season!!!
looking forward to Ouran as well—“kiss-kiss-fall in love” hahahahah(LOL) :O
wow, ouran dorama????
definitely have to watch it!!! ^^
why mess with perfection????? “doshi te??? “oke,oke —let’s give it a shot i’ll watch you next week…. 🙁
I loved the Japanese Hana Kimi. The cast was amazing. Ikuto toma was awesome as Nakatsu! He was so hilarious and I loved his daydreams. I like Oguri Shun better as Rui in Hana Yori Dango. I hated Rui in the anime but after I watched the drama he made Rui just a lovable character that when I read the manga after I loved Rui. But I still liked him in Hana Kimi. MatsuJun is also another Johnny boy that has awesome acting talent. I loved Maki as Nobuta and Mizuki. I probably won’t watch the remake though because the original was good enough for me.
🙁 to be honest even tho the original is hardly a perfect drama, the cast were perfect.. This remake however, I cringe just from watching the trailer! (And I can’t stand that girl from AKB48 ruin Q10 for me even tho I love Sato Takeru T_T
Can someone please post the link to the trailer? PLEASE…. I can’t watch it directly through my phone unless i’ll be directed to the video in youtube’s page. T.T
Anyhow, I love the Japanese version more than the taiwanese and I agree with you that the version with Ikuta Toma is awesome. I’m yet to watch this new one to judge.. Until then i’ll keep my mouth shut. =)
I agreed with you Koala… why are they making the remake only 4 years later while the original one is pretty great.. the story is kind of silly but it’s without a doubt a fun drama to watch? I my opinion any remake should need at least 10 years gap… and only remake any drama that was good originally.
I have watched both Japanese and Taiwan version and I think they both good and are pretty similar… t version kind of toned down the craziness between each dorm.. which I found it better. I am actually waiting for the K version and see how it compare to the other 2. I think I will pass this one..
Hana Kimi was one of the strangest things to ever hit my consciousness. Some parts of it were unbearably silly and manic, bordering on unwatchable (certainly, un-RE watchable). Some parts if it were sublime, especially (as you note) when the three leads were milking their talent and chemistry, like the understated moments of connection between Maki and Oguri, and Toma’s hilarious crazy-making fantasies. It was one of the dumbest shows I have ever watched. It was also well-nigh unforgettable.
My Serendipity sis!
I missed you. HanaKimi was crack, of the stupid yet sublime type. Later Maki did Atashinchi no Danshi with Mukai Osamu and that totally reminded me of the HamaKimi brand of idiotic cuteness. Sigh, I know you’ve moved beyond this, but sometimes it’s sweet to remember getting hooked on something so silly.
Hee. Yeah, I think I’ve moved on from Hana Kimi and its ilk. But, man, was that trippy. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world! And in the midst of all the madness, there were odd moments that were strangely touching. Such a schizo animal!
I rooted for Nakatsu SOOOO much! He was a dork and while my love for Pi’s Akira will never wane, Toma’s Nakatsu came a close second.
Hana Kimi was silly. TBH I’m glad I watched it when I did because I’m not sure I’d enjoy it now, but hee, the wackiness was delicious. NGL, I actually liked the non-cracky bits better (Nakatsu’s epic scene when he convinced Ashiya to stay was awesome)
BTW, do you think anyone who has watched the original will watch the remake? Cos it looks like the remake will lift entire scenes, maybe even the whole thing without changing a iota. Which sounds dumb, if you ask me.
I lub Nakatsu tooo….i still giggle whenever I think of hi Homo Na Janai with panties on his head……*takes a minute to google that scene again*..I cant for the life of me picture anyone else doing Nakatsu as perfectly as Ikuta Toma
I still remember Nakatsu standing on the table with the panties on his head singing that he’s not gay. Hahah Nakatsu is awesome. BUT, my hubby–who doesnt normally take the lead roles–so deserved it. So I cant say I rooted for Nakatsu.
I completely agree…Hana Kimi was pure brainless fluff but soooo much fun…much like BBF for me…only w/o any of the crazy villains and makjang antics in the latter..and the cast were so wonderful…..I adore Ikuta Toma and Horakita Maki….sigh …I’d have much rather preferred a sequel but I understand that the original cast maybe too old for that now…but is still males no sense to remake a drama that only aired four years ago!..I wonder if they would do another one in 4 years….hehe….that said I am actually really excited about the K remake even though, this being a SME product means that its going to be infested with idols.
*of the latter
Noooooo…… i like the original cast!!!! the original is the best!!!!!!!
why oh why, they have to remake this????
I’m perfectly biased, so I won’t go near anything that has AKB inside – which is pretty much one out of five as of late. If it wasn’t for Oguri and Toma and Maki, I’d never have liked the original anyway.
Sorry I am gonna give it a pass. The cast for sure cant compare with the original cast in term of looks and the hotness… Acting wise, it is a question mark!!!
Surely Maki is a talented actress and she portrayed it so well. 🙂 I dont think the new remake would surpass the original 🙂
Have you read the Hana Kimi manga? I don’t think Maki was well cast…she was just too girly. and idk if it’s just me but i don’t think she’s a good actress. she’s kinda wooden. like when she’s trying to emote…i kinda want more from her.
and i didn’t watch much of the drama, but i did see the kiss between Maki and Oguri. It was like he was kissing a wall. wtf was that? no passion at all. so unlike the manga >:(
Unfortunately, most idol drama kisses are like that : ( Who on earth just stands there awkwardly pressing their lips together? XD
Hm, to see Maki’s range, you could watch episode 2 of season 1 of Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi, or so ^^ She might not seem very energetic, etc., but she is a good actress, in my opinion! In “Tokujo Kabachi!” she played a very grown-up role, which was awesome, too ^^
That saying comes to mind:
“If i aint broke, dont fix it” FujiTv how can you do this to hanakimi? Has it not seem enoguh horrible remake to soothe you yet? The Shun-Maki-Toma version was and still is the BEST! You cant beat the best. Just bask in it.
yes exactly… why? why? why? I have fallen for Oguri in the origianl Hana Kimi. Rooted for the oddball Nakatsu. And wanted to hug Horikita. But this newbees?!?!?!
The new cast pales in comparison to the hotness of the original! New girl isn’t a third as cute as Horikita Maki and the new Sano?? Ugh! Not even a tenth of Oguri Shun’s hotness! Why oh why do they have to remake it so soon? And if they really had to, couldn’t they have chosen someone more drool-worthy? If the eye candy was decent I may be enticed to watched. Sigh…
i wish they made the remake after 20 years… or at least once the original leads reached the age of 80’s or 70’s so it would seem like it was in commemoration of them… if i was part of the original cast, i’d be insulted…
I think it’s too soon to do the remake. They should have waited like five more years to let people forget how good the first version was. And seriously, the cast here is just…unattractive….and no one can replace my hot Namba sempai who is already taken in real life. > <.
I really hope they make it different since i don’t really want to watch the same thing again. The original j version was pretty good but this girl’s acting doesnt seem so good but I’ll try it out. I’m more interested in how the Korean version will happen since to me I feel that Japanese dramas over exaggerate while Koreans have a sense of reality in them so Im excited for the Korean version more.
I really don’t get why! I mean the original was more than perfect. Its really weird considering its only been a few years. Plus its not as if there’s a new plot … Its the SAME EXACT THING … absolutely pointless.
pourquoi
Wèishéme
Thảmị
kung bakit
Riyū o
WHY
I think I’ll Pass o.
NOoooooooooooooo way. I was looking forward to a possible Korean version, but a Japanese remake is kind of nuts.
I know it aired today but not really wanting to watch this. The cast with Horkita, Oguri and Ikuta were the best. I’ve already rewatched it so many times and still not disappointed.. but this one?? I really think its just fan service for all of the akb48 fans.. I have seen the two actors playing sano and nakatsu in this version in other dramas and both are great actors..and I have to say that I like Miura Shohei in his other dramas much better, but in this one not so sure about.
I dont think the chemistry will be so strong since neither of these 3 are good friends in real life or done a drama together before. (Ikuta and Oguri are friends in real life and Ikuta and Horikita has been a drama together) but sigh… I hope it services its purpose to their target market but not for me.. good thing because I will have one less drama to worry about.
Thanks for posting!
So making a recap of HanaKimi just 4 years after shouldn’t be such a big deal IF ONLY THEY CAST HOTTER PEOPLE!!
Seriously, all this would have been moot if this version had 1/8 of the original’s character hotness level.
Hence, I’m still holding out for the Korean version because at least I can look forward to some serious Korean eye candy (at least acting wouldn’t matter as much here, coz HanaKimi is not that a demanding a piece).
OMgOSH!!! no they didn’t!!!
i agree, original was wacky, but soooooo addicting, cute and cast was superb!
Isn’t there a K-drama version supposed to be out soon as well, in the form of yet another high school musical themed thingamajig? I suppose the Japanese writers have exhausted their imaginations and can’t be bothered anymore. I can’t stand many j-doramas but the original was one I was able to care what happened enough to watch the end.