Ro's Recz

Hana Yori Dango is a Japanese show that I had heard several of my friends mention, as well as a couple of blogs which mentioned the most popular Japanese shows. Hana Yori Dango is based on a manga, and the story is so popular that there are Korean, Taiwanese, and Chinese versions to go along with the Japanese version.

Hana Yori Dango came out in 2005, so it is a really old show (definitely not in HD). The story of Hana Yori Dango is about Makino Tsukushi (Mao Inoue), who is a girl from a poor family who gets into the most prestigious high school in Japan. While there, she encounters F4, who are the four richest boys who run the entire school. It is a pretty typical Japanese love story, but there are enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.

The leader of F4 is Tsukasa Domyoji, who is played by Jun Matsumoto. As I mentioned in my previous post about 99.9 Criminal Lawyer, Matsumoto is one of the 5 members of the music group Arashi. Hana Yori Dango was Matsumoto’s big acting debut, and it is what really put him on the map. Also, Arashi did the soundtrack for the show, so this also really propelled the group to new heights as well. In Arashi Diary Voyage, the group mentioned how they had really struggled for the first couple of years after they debuted; however, I think their popularity really surged because of Hana Yori Dango.

There is also a season 2 of Hana Yori Dango that came out in 2006, and I am currently in the process of watching it. Even though it is a bit old and predictable, there is a reason why Hana Yori Dango was such a popular drama (and why a lot of people recommend it), and I think it is worth a watch as well!