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Hana Yori Dango
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Design - 8.1 |
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Story - 8.9 |
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Character - 9.2 |
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Value - 8.7 |
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Enjoyment - 9.2 |
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Average - 8.8 |
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Design |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Out of all the manga i have read so far, i loved this manga the most. The charaters where all funny and you felt like you could see them in RL.
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Design |
6 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| *Review of v.1-11
Hana Yori Dango. It ran for 11 years, resulting in a whopping 36 volumes of manga. An anime series. Two series of Taiwanese drama. (see *Meteor Garden*) A japanese drama. Basically, it's been everything. It's one of those few shoujo that manage to infiltrate many media and be renown as a classic. (Others include Sailor Moon, Glass No Kamen, Goku-sen, Nana, Clamp stuff, Rose Of Versailles, more..)
It becames engaging quickly by virtue of a cool heroine. You'd think if your name meant "weed" that you'd feel pretty down and out most of the time. Not Makino Tsukushi (weed)! Don't forget that weeds are relentless, no matter how many times you try to pluck them, they keep popping back up. They're strong little buggers. So is Tsukushi. She's fun, she's smart, she's got guts. She'd better because she's about to have a -really- difficult highschool life.. that brings us to one of the great points of this series, that there are alot of hardships and heavy drama but there is also -very- funny comedy. A great balance of these two extremes (which seems impossible, but works in HYD) makes for a series that was instantly impressive for me.
It all starts when her unbearably unhelpful parents push her into a highschool for rich kids (in hopes that she'll find and marry their family into riches) Tsukushi comes from a poor family. As if that wouldn't alienate her from her peers enough, there is this group of four bishounen delinquents that refer to themselves as the F4. Basically they weed out kids that they feel are a threat to them. (Sorry for the pun ^^;) Anybody who criticizes them, anybody who's not up to their dumb standards, the guys are bullies and will pick on people unjustly when they feel like it. When a person becomes a major target of the F4, they will be "red-tagged". All the fellow classmates flock as far away from this person as possible. They have good reason to- the F4- especially the most aggressive leader of that gang- will stop at nothing and stoop as low as possible to do terrible things to said person until they are successfully driven out of the school.
Guess who is about to become the next target of the F4...? ^__^ But as I've already made clear, Tsukushi is not an ordinary girl. If they give her crap, she'll crap back in creative and headstrong ways. She's a breath of fresh air to this small group of yet unconquered tyrants. She's so different from everyone else that.. who knows.. she might even acquire their affection. Something she definately does not want or expect. But the years of highschool are whimsical, and the plot quickly twists and turns and for everything that can happen in life, there is just as much unpredictablity in this series.
While the F4 seems like the ultimate "boss" they actually aren't. Tsukushi's bigger struggles include a variety of people trying to bring her down. From jealous girls, hazing around all corners, to love triangles.. allies that are actually enemies and vice versa. For being a highschool drama, there sure are a variety of upsetting things going on. That is where the central fault of this series lies.
Now I can take angst. Even completely angst-driven overkills like Hot Gimmick. But HG had moments of peace and rationality.. at Hana Yori Dango's worst it can go so far off the deep end of "crap after crap happening to the heroine" that it's hard to believe, and hard to stomach as well. At some point I was just like "Enough! I know Tsukushi is strong. She's positively stubborn. She can brave any storm. But why do there always have to be storms?!" Eventually the moments of comedy were overshadowed by this.
One thing that is both a fault and a fine point are the characters. On one hand, they are often well developed. Even the ones that don't have too rigorous of character growth and personality are still at least somewhat vivid. This is impressive because in alot of series- especially those revolving around only a few characters at a time- the side characters blend so far into the background they are mere paper dolls. Now the bad- the majority of characters here are assholes. That brings us back to the central fault, Tsukushi's constant having to deal with crap from everybody. Some characters are good and nice, others are just plain evil or stupid, and a whole lot of them are whimsical jerks with the occasional spurt of humanity hinting that they could be listed under the "good guy" list after all (most of her love interests) I like villians just like the next person, but it can get over-the-top and make it hard to find a character amongst the vast cast that is consistently likable.
That doesn't change the fact that I was addicted though. I was addicted to a series that I felt was exaggerated, and had many (perhaps over a dozen) characters that I despised. I enjoyed reading it and flew through volumes joyfully pissed off. If there is any series that incites bi-polar, this could be one of them. It's both good and bad and ultimately impressive.
So in the end I recommend these first 11 volumes. The series didn't have a gigantic following for no reason. There is a good chance that you might get a good time from it. I loved v.1-7 at least, after that is when I started to take issue with some of the plot. But the series changed so quickly, I'm thinking it could change back again. I'm only less than 1/3 in after all! %_% Also I like Tsukushi.
One last thing worth noting.. this series first came out in 1992. The art has not aged very well. Alot of the characters are unpleasant to look at, with their overly round faces and under-detailed features. There are moments of beauty, but I assume that the art was decent at its time, and in this day and age takes some tolerance to consume, on the other hand if you're sick of cute bishounen and bishoujo than the realistic style of Hana Yori Dango could be something to look forward to. I bet its going to evolve as I go forward though.
*Review of volumes 12-36
Where I left off in my review was stating that "It's probably going to evolve as I go forward.." I was not just referring to the artwork (which is particularly stunning now) but also to the storyline itself. A series can't stay the same for 35 volumes, can it? In Hana Yori Dango's case, it doesn't stay the same. In fact so much stuff has gone on that I had to re-read my first review to remember what on earth sort of mood the first 11 volumes provided. #_# That's one of the reasons why I write these reviews. Once I get oh-so-far into something, I start to forget everything else. It's a troublesome habit.
Anyway, to my surprise the series hasn't changed that much. On one hand the characters and their adversity (or rather, Tsukushi and her adversity. No one else has to endure any crap in this series --;) remain constant. There is always a new thing to overcome. That's where the variety in this series comes in. We're basically following Tsukushi through the most eventful of her highschool years. When all of her emotions, love interests, foes and allies, trials of being a poor student, and whimsical fun of out-there vacations run wild. Her relationships with the main cast have steadily grown, and the goal now is clear-- to make it through a rough life of excitement!
In this case, it's Tsukushi's whimsical but grandiose first true love and all the great new experiences, friendships, and grand obstacles that come with it that take center stage. Across the span of 36 volumes.. across the span of in-story and real-time years.. her feelings for Tsukasa change drastically and there are many ups and downs. She makes alot of friends, alot of enemies, alot of enemies that turn into friends.. The angst that I complained about in the first 11 volumes becomes significantly less of an issue as the series progresses.. this is thanks to the amount of everchanging adventure. Tsukushi and Tsukasa's love story is an adventure in itself- complete with meddling parents, running around the world, explosive fights, and fish-out-of-water experiences considering the two come from different walks of life. There are a few mini-stories that involve the other side characters but that's just a drop in the bucket in the long run. This story is ultimately one about two people and the swinging emotions that challenge them. It's surprisingly not mushy though, because the two lovers can rarely get along. Their bond cannot be supressed, without one another the world is off balance, but with one another happiness is far from absolute. Kind of like my feelings for the series as a whole- I think it's a very good series, but I don't completely like it.
What?!
How do I know it's really good if I don't like it? And why don't I like it? The reason why is squarely the characters. While most will indefinately grow to love them (c'mon it's 36 volumes. You'll love anybody after 36 volumes) I was seldom able to give in and take a liking to alot of the cast. Or to be more direct-- Tsukasa!!
Tsukasa is one of the main characters. He basically IS the main character. Chances are you'll hate him at first like Tsukushi did, and like him later on and then love him even later later on. Evolving just as the series does. But I never managed to come through on that process. So how do I know it's a good series..? Because despite mainly disliking the characters, being a bit disinterested in the sum of parts, I was able to read all the way through with no problem. If it was not a good series I'd imagine going completely baka before then.. or doing the sensical thing and just GIVING UP when realizing it was not for me. But something kept me going. Maybe because even though I didn't like the main pairing and found many plot points ridiculous- the romance, drama, comedy, enormous obsticles- they all made for a series that was mostly great fun. Not moving, often over the top, but always readable and enjoyable.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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tzenni |
(2005-11-26 12:52:35) 2005-11-05 12:46:31 |
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| Average |
9.6 |
| Design |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| I didn't know that shoujo manga could be this attractive...With so many bad sides, it has so many good.
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kandy |
2005-07-29 13:57:51 |
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Design |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| this is the best manga I have ever read.it is really romantic and funny.I LOVE THIS MANGA.it would be great if there were second part.I'll be so happy.
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Animieke |
(2005-05-23 08:25:09) 2005-05-23 08:24:13 |
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Design |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| I loved reading this. You get sucked in due to the great characters, the art isn't anything special though. It also evoked a lot of emotions in yours truely, laughter, tears, but mostly yelling at characters for being so dense/untrue to their feelings. To bad it got repetitive in the end (volumes >30), the whole 'memory loss' storyline could have been left out, I felt as if the author was just stretching the story as long as she could. Frustrating. (Hence the 9 for story, or it got a 10) Nevertheless i was sorry it ended.And yes I cried. I might watch the anime, but i wonder if it could live up to the manga.
A classic i fully recommend!
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| Average |
9.6 |
| Design |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| I got really adicted to this tittle by seen the anime, of course theres a lot more going on in the manga (thats why I read it, doh!) that makes it better in some aspects. The principal thing that makes it diferent from its anime and the comon romance manga, is that the story also develops the (IM NOT GONNA TELL NAMES, BUT I THINK IS OBIUS) main characters relationship as a couple, their fights, how they get along and how they overcome toghether their obstacles, and is not the type of story that ends when they get togheter or they say "I LOVE U-END!".
I got very happy by the fact that the creator took the time to tell in detail why every character is the way it is, thing that made me understand their personality, Doumyoji Tsukasa know I Know why you are so irritable, but to tell u the truth, makes me what to be like u (a little part of me is...jeje).
I know the desing at first is a little crapy, but as the chapters fly by, the drawing skills of Kamio Youko gets on improving to the level of great skill in drawing (she explains part of it in the manga).
I really miss the music and the voices of the characters, but I simply play them in my mind with KKNJ music in the mp3 player, I tell u:best music for a romance manga.
GREAT STORY OVER ALL, some lines that Tsukasa used on Makino just plain "lady killers", and the way he grabs her and kisses her made me jelaus!, a lot!
I would love to have a girl friend like makino (reminds me of my ex...muuu)
I hope to read more manga of this tipe, no fantasy, or super powers just plain real life.
For last but not least, If i get mi hands on one, and I LIKE IT IM SURE TO REVIEW IT.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.6 |
| Design |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| It was an enjoyable read and it kept me hooked. The characters and the plot draws you in and keeps you reading until you finish.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.4 |
| Design |
7 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| A beautifully written story of elitism, snobbery and most importantly, love.
The story centres around a 17 year old girl named Tsukushi who comes from a working class family. She is forced to go to an Elite private school and her only wish is to survive the next 2 years without problems. Her hopes are dashed the day she has a fateful encounter with the F4, a group of 4 boys who basically run the school. She recieves the dreaded "red card" and from that moment on her life will no longer be the same!
The artwork for HYD is very simplistic and in some ways, a little ugly but as you get more engrossed in the story, you will come to realise that this adds to the charm of this wonderful story and does not spoil overall enjoyment of the manga
The characters brim over with life and personality and you'll be drawn in by the horrors, the humour and foremost the wonderful romances that ensue throughout the entire story. The best part of the story is the ending, it's totally unexpected and heart-warming.
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| Average |
6.8 |
| Design |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| hana yori dango was very interesting because of its story.
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| Average |
8.8 |
| Design |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| HYD is my favorite shojo manga. It's funny, romantic, cute, and even has action. Probably its oly flaw is that it's repetitive. Doumyoji and Tsukushi break up, she goes for Rui, they get back together, break up, she goes for Rui.... Over and over and over.
--Sidenote-- If any girls are interested in seeing some REAL live bishies, watch the Taiwanese adaptation of HYD called Meteor Garden and prepare to fall in love....
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Design |
7 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| A fun manga to read.
The artwork was pretty horrible in the beginning, but gets better as the series goes on.
The love life of tsukushi is complicated but addictive, and fun to read. But I really think it would have been better if it were shorter. Some parts would be better left out.
The main characters, tsukishi, tsukasa, and rui were very charming. The other characters wern't bad, but some of them could be improved.
But overall, very enjoyable.
Even the average japanese guys, who don't usually read shoujo, enjoyed it. ^^
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Kiseki |
(2004-12-08 21:11:56) 2004-12-08 21:10:47 |
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| Average |
9.6 |
| Design |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| What is there to say? This is currently my favourite manga series. Somehow, with it's cliche love triangles, it still lured me in. I believe it's the unique characters and the relatively unpredictable choice of love from the heroine. I love almost everything about Hana Yori Dango, each page I read with either amusement or tears in my eyes. This never failed to entertain me. It's like another soap opera, but without the witches or the silly: "your brother is the father of my baby!".
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Jamie |
2004-10-02 22:37:15 |
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| Average |
9.6 |
| Design |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Gotta love it! When I first saw "Boys Over Flowers" {The english version} it didn't really catch mt attention. The design wasn't what I really liked. Later, at volume 28 and up the designing changed.{the chinese version} I really loved the series, and it had a great amount of characters. The F4 rockz, and Tsubasa is awesome!
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.8 |
| Design |
5 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| The story is really good. Able to make my tears flow too.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Design |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| lo mejor en manga!
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Riyue |
2003-11-17 09:21:04 |
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| Average |
8.4 |
| Design |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| It's quite enjoyable to read and very... touching. Though the storyline moves at a slow pace, the character development is great... It can be quite irking at times though... (well, at least for me...) when a new chacter is introduced soley for the purpose of creating a new conflict. So if a new character shows up, you know it's bad news 'cause they almost always ends up causing some sort of trouble.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Design |
7 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| The heroine is a really strong will and yet likable girl.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Design |
7 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Hana Yori Dango is rather like crack in a manga format, or a really addictive soap opera. Actually, I don't think I've ever really seen a real soap opera, but there is little doubt in my mind that it would be something like this series.
If you've already read the little blurb on this info page, there is little reason for me to explain the story here. It's not incredibly groundbreaking really, but there are reasons I find it exceptionally alluring.
The main reason is the relationship between Tsukasa and Tsukushi. I've read a lot of shoujo manga, but very few couples have ever really engaged me as much as those two. Yes, part of it is the fun on and off bickering that goes on between those two, but a lot of it is the honest tenderness we get peeks of ever so rarely. Those unguarded moments are the ones that keep me coming back for more, and prove that Kamio-sensei has a gift for (mostly) understated sweet moments that hit you straight in the heart.
This is not to say the manga is without its faults. Someone mentioned that Tsukasa and Tsukushi get "reset" quite a bit. It might be because I'm so used to that--it happens do often with manga/anime couples--after all these years of reading manga that I find it not all that bad, but in any case, that's not what bothers me. I know it sounds a bit strange to say that "no progression" in a story doesn't get me frustrated, but that might just be because I DO see a progression. It's just insanely slow.
No, what bugs me are things a bit less obvious. One of these things are "plot device characters". Don't get me wrong, the main cast is great. In just a little under a week, Tsukasa has climbed up in my estimation until he has lodged himself as one of my all time favorite manga guys. Rather it is people like Amon, Kin, and others that get me irked. It is obvious their purpose is to impede the relationship between Tskasa and Tsukushi, but it seems instead of using the cast she already has, Kamio-sensei prefers to thow a new character into the mix for the sole purpose of livening things up.
Another problem is the actual plot. While the relationships and humor is nicely orchestrated, sometimes the plot can get unbearably goofy. (I just finished volumes 31 and 32 right before I typed this, so all you fans should know what I'm talking about) I honestly don't think I could ever get sick of watching Tsukasa and Tsukushi interact, but c'mon already! Give them a decent plot to follow along with their interaction!
Other than that, I have pretty much no complaint. There are very few shoujo manga I've enjoyed as much as this one, and I would recommend it to almost everyone that enjoys good characterization and fun reading.
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dorfl |
(2004-01-18 08:29:00) 2003-06-28 23:24:35 |
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| Average |
6.8 |
| Design |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| This was the first shoujo manga I ever read and from all appearances it is going to be the last. It’s not BAD, per se, although the feminine character designs took a lot of getting used to. However it drags on way, way, way too long and takes forever to get anywhere. Tsukushi and Doumyouji keep coming back to square one over and over and over again ad nauseam while the reader sits back and screams, “Get on with it!!� I enjoyed what I did read, though, up to volume 30 I think. The characters are quite pleasant to meet and to know, although even after 30 vols they still seem rather shallow to me. The melodramatic occurrences are apparently standard for shoujo manga and I’ve already mentioned the art so the less said about them the better.
The only thing that bothered me in a major way about this series was the fact that Makino, after all her protests against and problems with rich people, eventually becomes a sell-out, going over to their side in pursuit of love. One never gets the feeling that her brave stance in the beginning has given anyone a sense of respect for poor people or changed things for the better. Rather Makino almost completely forgets her miserable treatment and courageous fight in order to be with her tormentors and live the good life. While this is not totally unforgivable, it considerably reduces the punch and impact of the series and undermines the respect I had for Tsukushi as a protagonist. Lovers of interminable soap operas will have a ball with Hana Yori Dango. For everyone else, it’s only a matter of time before you get sick and tired of it.
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Design |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Maybe one of the best shoujo mangas out there.
Art isn't that good, but the story is! Maybe a little long and you can get tired or it'll make you want read more and more..yeah.
Great..just read!
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