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Leaves drift in the wind, the air is quiet, and
a girl cries softly. Victim to the ever present humiliations of
high school society, she ponders what the future holds — eternal
exile or eventual acceptance? Setting
the stage early for what Japanese anime fans adore in high
school-based series, HANA YORI DANGO may seem like a typical
teenage romance comedy, but as it unfolds, the series manages to
break the mold that many popular precedssors have left behind.
The title of the show is "Boys Over Flowers," which is a pun on
the well-known Japanese saying "Sweets over Flowers" ("dango"
meaning "sweets" is replaced with a different set of characters,
also pronounced "dango," which mean boy.) The original idiom
emphasizes choosing practical things (food) over aesthetics
(flowers). Certainly, HANADAN contemplates the issue of the
title when it comes to high school romance; do we look at just
how a relationship looks to others or do we ignore that and see
it for what it truly is?
Based on the shoujo manga series by
Kamio Youko, HANADAN follows the exploits of Makino Tsukushi,
the seemingly typical high school student — well, typical for an
anime series. She shares secrets with her close
friend Makiko Yuki, longs for a boyfriend and generally wants to
be accepted at high school. Fate, or more appropriately the plot
device, will not allow either of these to occur, though.
F4, a gang of four regular-stock bishounen
guys who rule Etoto High School with a peer-pressure
iron fist, have a run-in with Tsukushi and, after the leader is
somewhat embarrassed (it is amazing what high school students
take seriously), Tsukushi is thus "red tagged" and subject to
the entire school's ridicule, taunting, and borderline hazing.
Any other girl would simply fold and then the series would be
over. But the producers and sponsors of HANADAN cannot have
that, can they? Tsukushi proves to be a strong-willed girl,
fighting back at both the students and F4, notably Domiyoji
Tsukasa, the leader. She marks her independence with a spirit
that proves refreshing in a genre of series that usually
showcase wishy-washy, two-dimensional lead female characters.
Eventually, Tsukushi develops an
admiration for Hanazawa Louis, the more introverted figure of
F4. The high school romance genre seems to have an
inherent fascination with the silent, sullen and cynical male
figure — standing out from a society which dictates uniformity,
such character exudes a sense of rebellion and excitement merely
with a look of half-closed eyelids and a sneer. Hanazawa Louis,
from head to toe, fits the bill. Like other sullen rebels, Louis
has his quirks. He sneaks off from the rest of F4 to play the
violin, filling the air of Etoto High with his graceful
performance. Also, he maintains a long distance relationship
with a half-French, half-Japanese model. These paradoxical
personality traits enhance Tsukushi's feelings for him.
The artwork of HANADAN displays a palette of pastel colors
and earth tones, being softer on the eye and exuding a different
feel for the series than what bright, cheery tones would offer —
a more sombre and emotional attitude. While much attention is
paid to the animation of the characters themselves, the
backgrounds are more ambigious, non-dimensional and just often
blurry or non-existant. The effect is much like theater or even
performance art; nothing's there, but something is supposed to
be there. The introduction sequence and its song play like a
dance segment from WEST SIDE STORY or FAME. But do not be
fooled. And comparisons, however
unfair, are bound to be made to other "teen angst romance" anime
shows. But once the superficial and expected elements are peeled
away, HANA YORI DANGO is a series worthy of support and perhaps
even admiration.
-Series Review from ex.org by Kenneth Jin-ho Cho
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