Hana Yori Dango 2

If you thought that "Hana Yori Dango 1" was amazing, you will be blown away by "Hana Yori Dango 2".

The thing about sequels is that they seldom live up to the quality of their predecessors, so I approached Season Two with a bit of trepidation. By the end of the first episode, I was hooked. In the space of one single episode, the producers/scriptwriters managed to prove that the quality of HYD 1 had not been a fluke. In one episode, the quality of the drama (excellent pacing, clever soundtrack, big budget, improved acting) was demonstrated clearly. The first episode was even better than most episodes in Season One. I had to keep watching.

Basic Facts:

"Hana Yori Dango II" is the widely-anticipated sequel to the 2005 smash hit "Hana Yori Dango I". The entire original cast was retained, with additional characters making new appearances.

Release date: January – March 2007 in Japan

Length: 11 episodes

Cast: Matsumoto Jun as Doumyoji Tsukasa, Inoue Mao as Makino Tsukushi, Oguri Shun as Hanazawa Rui, Matsuda Shota as Nishikado Sojiro, Abe Tsuyoshi as Mimasaka Akira, Nishihara Aki as Matsuoka Yuuki

Songs: 'Flavor of Life' by Utada Hikaru, 'Love So Sweet' by Arashi

Brief Plot Synopsis:

Season One ended with Doumyoji leaving on a plane for New York City. At the beginning of the second season, a year has passed, in which Makino has not spoken to Doumyoji at all. F3 has also lost contact with Doumyoji. Despite pretending to be unconcerned, Makino is actually extremely worried, and misses Doumyoji. When her father wins a 3 day 2 night trip to New York City, Makino uses the ticket and flies over to the United States in the hopes of meeting Doumyoji again.

Lost in big, noisy and crowded NYC, Makino’s bag is stolen and she is confronted by a gang of hooligans. Thankfully, Hanazawa Rui saves her (using a toy gun). As she crosses the road, Makino looks up and sees a familiar figure before her. He turns around…and it is Doumyoji. For a long moment, they look at each other, and then he says brusquely, “What are you doing here?”

It appears that Doumyoji is no longer interested in Makino; he is also cold to the rest of F4. Hanazawa Rui mentions that something must have happened to have changed Doumyoji so much, but no one is able to find out why. Angered, Makino flies back to Japan and concentrates on her studies to become a lawyer. Doumyoji is also forced to return to Japan for an engagement with Ohkawahara Shigeru, the only daughter of the Ohkawahara Corporation, which is planning a merger with the Doumyoji Financial Group.

Of course, Doumyoji is still in love with Makino. But his year in New York City was a bitter one that made him resolved to concentrate only on helming the Doumyoji Group. The death of his friend and the unstable future of the Doumyoji Group have made him realize that he has duties to fulfill, even if these obligations entail that he no longer be with Makino.

Other obstacles lie in their way: a strange love-square of sorts develops when Hanazawa Rui confesses that he, too, is in love with Makino; Ohkawahara Shigeru herself is in love with Doumyoji. Doumyoji’s mother also tries unceasingly to separate her son and Makino. But beyond all this, there is the agonizing reality that their relationship will affect the lives of so many others, and that to be happy together might mean taking happiness away from someone else. Will Doumyoji and Makino be brave enough - or selfish enough, perhaps - to make this step?

And as the final straw, Doumyoji loses his memory in the penultimate episode and regains consciousness remembering everything….except Makino. It is now up to Makino to make him remember her again – or at least to fall in love with her again.

Cast

Matsumoto Jun as Doumyoji Tsukasa: Firstly, I must state that like many "Meteor Garden" fans, I was scandalized when he was cast as Doumyoji – Jun is short, thin and not conventionally good-looking, unlike Jerry Yen in the Taiwanese version. However, Jun’s sublime acting skills in HYD 1 proved that he was worthy of the role. In this sequel, his acting has improved even further. He adds a very human element to Doumyoji that was missing in Jerry Yen's portrayal. A central aspect of Doumyoji’s role in the sequel is his realization that there are family and societal obligations he has to carry out, even if he doesn’t want to. Jun portrays this inner struggle beautifully. Quick tip: watch his eyes. When he is speaking coldly to Makino, or when he shrugs nonchalantly in front of F3, or when he declares that he has responsibilities “as a man,” his eyes reveal his true unhappiness. In HYD 1 he excelled at bringing out Doumyoji’s hot-tempered nature, his childishness, and above all his great capacity for affection; in HYD 2 he keeps all this, but adds on a beautiful touch of weariness and sensitivity. Doumyoji has grown up, a little.

Inoue Mao as Makino Tsukushi: She has the most adorable expressions and exclamations, and her comic timing is fantastic. At moments when she has to be all silly and exaggerated, she excels. Or even when she has to look serious and troubled, she manages it all perfectly. Yet, the biggest flaw about Mao’s acting is that she just can’t cry. Many fans will disagree, perhaps. But this is the most disappointing part about Mao’s portrayal of Tsukushi: she flops at the most crucial acting scenes, be it the dramatic rain scene towards the end of the season, or the scene when she sits by the beach to cry. All she is capable of is squeezing out a few tears or scrunching up her face – sadly, you are not convinced that she is really upset about Doumyoji. The rain scene was disappointing because it was unbalanced: on one side there was Doumyoji, looking anguished and hurt, and on the other side, a Makino who was supposed to look composed BUT sad, but who failed miserably. Barbie Hsu in the Taiwanese version did a far superior interpretation in the rain scene.

Oguri Shun as Hanazawa Rui: So maybe he was a little out-of-character in Season One, when he laughed and talked a little too much for Hanazawa Rui. In Season Two, Shun is more subdued but a hundred times more charming than in the first season. He has perfected the quiet sideways glance, the thoughtful tilt of his head, the faraway dreamy gaze. He has also perfected the wistful smile, the cold snub, and the gentle laugh. Shun becomes the perfect Hanazawa Rui in the second season. He did almost all his scenes perfectly (when he snubbed Umi in episode 10, it was a perfect Hanazawa Rui moment!). The only scene when I felt he overacted was when he was arguing with Tsukasa over Makino – and he shouted. Somehow, I don’t think Hanazawa Rui would have shouted…

Matsuda Shota as Nishikado Sojiro: He gets more screen time in this season, and a sweet little side-story about first love. Matsuda Shota is a perfectly capable actor, able to be low-key and yet charismatic. He doesn’t steal the show away from Shun or Jun, but he holds his own against the other two in a very elegant, understated way. His side story was touching and sweet: at the end, when he cried on the rooftop, that was his killer scene. He handled the crying scene so perfectly that you could actually believe he was crying, and not just acting.

Abe Tsuyoshi as Mimasaka Akira: Unfortunately, Akira doesn’t get a side story of his own in the second season, though we are allowed a very brief glimpse into his odd family life. Abe Tsuyoshi is obviously meant to be the ‘funny guy’ and he does this admirably, making you laugh with him and not at him. He excels in doing his apologetic-and-harassed expression, which he has to do many times when the rest of F4 or Makino are having conflicts. And though the rest of F4 are great actors, Abe Tsuyoshi is never overshadowed by the rest of them.

Other Characters: Kato Natsuki did an excellent job as the wilful, irrepressible, but ultimately good-hearted Shigeru. She managed to look mischievous and flighty, but inwardly sad and brave, all at the same time. Hers was a character that could easily have come across as being irritating, but Kato made her come across as endearing instead. Tomiura Satoshi also excelled in the role of Makino Susumu - his acting is so good for a teenager (especially the crying scene in the park) that I'm sure he's well on his way to stardom!

General Comments:

This was a marvelous series. The plot was sound, the acting was good, the soundtrack was catchy enough, and all the other factors (location, wardrobe, supporting cast, pacing) were well taken care of. There was none of the excruciating draggy pace that many K-dramas suffer from, nor the overly-fluffy tendency of the Taiwanese dramas at the expense of plot. Here, the producers managed to keep most of the main story elements and compress them all into 11 episodes! Quite an amazing feat. What I found especially impressive was the clever way the director built up the tension leading up to the major scenes. The cutting and scene-editing was excellent in this respect – very swift and judicious. You really did feel a sense of impending doom, or perhaps the hand of fate/destiny in the love story of Doumyoji and Makino. There was a strong emphasis on the element of responsibility, and how their relationship would have consequences that would affect the lives of many others. Above all, the clear importance given to friendship above everything else (as evidenced when Hanazawa Rui gives up Makino because of his friendship with Doumyoji) was a particularly touching element.

Favorite Scenes:

-Whenever Doumyoji made a mistake in Japanese
-Doumyoji following Makino and Susumu to their new rundown apartment, and buying the entire complex just to move in next to them
-Doumyoji and Susumu in the park after Susumu had been rejected by his first love
-F3 giving Susumu a 'makeover'
-Doumyoji's shock when his credit card didn't work and Makino had to pay for his meal
-Doumyoji acting all nervous in front of Rui when he wanted to question Rui about Makino in the hospital, but couldn't bring himself to do so
-All the F4 bonding scenes, especially when Sojiro offered Doumyoji all his credit cards!
-Sojiro's side story and his crying scene on the rooftop
-Hanazawa Rui giving up Makino
-Meeting Akira's weird mother and twin sisters
-Doumyoji finding out that Ken hadn't died after all
-Makino saving the old man from jumping off the cliff
-The old man whom Makino saved turning out to be very influential
-Makino throwing a tantrum, kicking things, when she realized Doumyoji had absolutely no recollection of her
-Hanazawa Rui snubbing Umi
-Makino swinging the necklace over Doumyoji's head willing him to remember her
-Doumyoji throwing Umi's box of cookies on the floor
-Doumyoji rushing to save Makino in the snowstorm
And many, many more!

Things I Didn't Like:

The major scenes were a little anti-climactic, although the buildup to them was good. One odd thing about Japanese dramas is that because they are so light and quick, some sentimental scenes turn out to be rather flat. This was the case in the crucial rain scene (which was heartbreaking in the Taiwanese version). Here, it somehow did not turn out quite as heartwrenching as one would expect. The buildup to that scene was fantastic, but when they finally met in the rain at the gates, there was a sense of hollowness.

Additionally, there were not enough "happy" scenes between Doumyoji and Makino (something the first season suffered from as well) to justify their feelings for each other. I think they probably only had one proper date in the entire series. Doumyoji spent more time with the rest of F4, or with Shigeru, or by himself, than with Makino. With the lack of on-screen interaction, the producers should be thankful that Doumyoji's fine acting managed to bring across that he was in love with Makino! The prom scene in the final episode, while sweet, was also rather over-the-top, although in essence it was a very satisfying ending.

Conclusion

One sentence: a MUST-WATCH!

Official Site
http://www.tbs.co.jp/hanadan2/