I have been avoiding this series for a while, but ultimately, the 54 million people who bought the manga were correct. I found season 1 to be fresh and full of spunk. Season 2 dragged a bit. After watching episode 1 of season 2 and seeing Makino and Doyouji mope around with their repressed feelings, I almost gave up on the series.
I enjoyed Shigeru’s character from season 2 the most. With her no-nonsense, spritely attitude, she made up for what Makino’s character lacked in season 2. She is perhaps the best character with personality traits similar to Domyouji and Makino. She is the only daughter of the Okawahara Corporation family with a “spoiled brat” upbringing, but unlike Domyouji, she possesses a sense of calm and compassion when needed.
With the ending of season 2, it seems Domyouji and Makino would have everything together, but the movie throws them into a whir of emotional turmoil again. Half way through the movie, I began to understand the intent of the turmoil. The passion of love is strong during the days of youth, but a marriage can only last if the individuals involved possess more than just youthful passion for each other.
After watching the series, and taking a glimpse at the manga, I can’t see anyone else portraying the Hana Yori Dango characters. Matusmoto Jun and Mao Inoue did such a great job with their character portrayals. I watched the first episode of the Korean adaptation, and the actor/actress for Domyouji and Makino was just not quite right.
View Hana Yori Dango at Silent Regrets.
Nippon Phile 