Hana Yori Dango (TV series)

Hana Yori Dango
Hana Yori Dango
Also known as	Boys Over Flowers
	花より男子
Genre	Romance; Teen drama
Directed by	Yasuharu Ishii
Starring	Mao Inoue; Jun Matsumoto; Shun Oguri; Shota Matsuda; Tsuyoshi Abe
Theme music composer	Yamashita Kosuke
Opening theme	"Wish" by Arashi
Country of origin	Japan
Original language	Japanese
No. of episodes	9
Production
Producer	Katsuaki Setoguchi
Production location	Japan
Running time	Fridays at 22:00
Release
Original network	Tokyo Broadcasting System
Original release	21 October –; 16 December 2005
Chronology
Followed by	Hana Yori Dango Returns (2007) ; Hana Yori Dango Final (2008)
Related shows	Meteor Garden (2001, Taiwan) ; Boys Over Flowers (2009, South Korea) ; F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers (2021, Thailand) ;
External links
	[www.tbs.co.jp/hanayoridango/ Website]

Hana Yori Dango (花より男子, Boys Over Flowers) is a 2005 Japanese television drama series starring Mao Inoue, Jun Matsumoto of Arashi, Shun Oguri, Shota Matsuda, and Tsuyoshi Abe. It is based on Japanese shōjo manga series, Boys Over Flowers (花より男子, Hana Yori Dango), written by Yoko Kamio. A sequel entitled Hana Yori Dango Returns aired in 2007 and a movie adaptation, Hana Yori Dango Final, was released in 2008.

Plot Synopsis[]

Makino Tsukushi is a tough, hard-working, middle-class student at the prestigious escalator school Eitoku Gakuen. Initially, Makino wanted to attend Eitoku because her idol, an internationally renowned model named Todou Shizuka, was an alumna of the school. Not long after however, Makino discovers the superficial nature of her classmates. Their arrogance and her inability to relate to them because of her social status, limits her chances at making friends. Worse yet, the school is ruled by the F4 or Flower Four, composed of playboys Nishikado Soujiro and Mimasaka Akira, introverted and having both intelligence and beauty Hanazawa Rui and violent and bratty Domyouji Tsukasa. The F4, sons of Japan's wealthiest and most powerful tycoons, bully fellow students out of boredom or malevolence until they are expelled or quit.

Makino's only wish was to remain invisible in Eitoku to avoid getting into trouble. However, she is immersed into the lives of the four legendary bullies after her first and only friend at school, Sanjo Sakurako, accidentally spills juice on Domyouji's white shirt in the cafeteria and she defends her. The next day, she receives a red tag in her locker (an order from the F4 to bully the target student in whatever means possible) and as a result, the whole school turns against her. Despite the harassment, Tsukushi, the "tough weed", refuses to give in and quit. After Domyouji crushes the prawn her parents painstakingly cooked for her with his shoe, she finally snaps, knocks him out and declares war back on him. This unexpected retaliation catches him by surprise and causes him to fall in love with her. But Tsukushi is in love with Rui, who in turn harbors romantic feelings for his childhood friend Shizuka.

The courtship between Tsukasa and Tsukushi is the main theme throughout the series. Various challenges threaten their blossoming relationship including Tsukushi's wavering feelings for Rui, the envy of fellow Eitoku students, an obsessed childhood classmate, their differences in social class, Tsukasa's brash and possessive nature, and the animosity of Domyouji Kaede, Tsukasa's mother. The first season ends with Domyouji giving the saturn necklace to Makino and her confession of love right before he leaves for New York.

Episode Overview[]

#	Title

1	"Declaration of war! The thing which is absolutely more important than money"
Makino receives a red notice from F4. Her life is made a misery until she stands up to Domyoji and punches him.
2	"The worst first kiss!"
Makino attends a high society function to welcome home Rui's childhood love.
3	"Tears! Good-bye to the person I like"
Rui leaves for France to follow his childhood love.
4	"First time coming home in the morning"
Makino and Domyoji get stuck in an elevator overnight.
5	"Confession of life-threatening love"
Rui returns from France back to Japan.
6	"A love triangle of a roller-coaster ride hair-trigger crisis"
Makino and Domyoji go on a double date.
7	"Battle F4 dissolution!"
The F4 gets into a fight as Rui and Domyoji argue over Makino.
8	"Now the female high school student's "Top of Japan" decision war"
Makino enters the Teen of Japan competition to earn enough money to pay off her dad's debt.
9	"The greatest last present"
Makino comes second in the Teen of Japan tournament. Domyoji leaves to study Business Management in New York while the rest of the F4 spend Christmas in various ways.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Mao Inoue as Makino Tsukushi
Jun Matsumoto as Domyouji Tsukasa
Shun Oguri as Hanazawa Rui
Shota Matsuda as Nishikado Soujiro
Tsuyoshi Abe as Mimasaka Akira

Supporting Cast[]

as Matsuoka Yuki
Mayumi Sada as Shizuka Todo
as Asai Yuriko
as Ayuhara Erika
as Yamano Minako
David Ito as Nishida
Megumi Sato as Sakurako Sanjo
Nanako Matsushima as Tsubaki Domyoji
Mariko Kaga as Kaede Domyoji
Takako Katou as Sachiyo Sengoku (Okami-San)
as Haruo Makino
Mako Ishino as Chieko Makino
Satoshi Tomiura as Susumu Makino

Guests[]

Kazue Itoh as Yamanaka Minako
as Terada Junji (Class 2C)
as Morioka Mizuki
Tomohiro Kaku as Sawatari Shingo (Episode 1)
Kazuma Sano as Kimoto Takayuki (Episode 1)
(Episode 1)
Shunji Igarashi (Episode 1)
Kento Handa as Ryuji (Episode 4-5)
(Episode 4-5)
(Episode 4-9)
Shugo Oshinari as Nakatsuka (Episode 6-7)
Yoko Mitsuya as Nakatsuka's Other Girl (Episode 6-7)
Ayana Sakai as Kurimaki Ayano (Episode 8-9)
as TOJ's Emcee (Episode 8-9)
Momoko Shibuya as a TOJ Participant (Episode 8-9)
(Episode 9)

Production Credits[]

Original writing: Kamio Yoko
Screenwriters: Satake Mikio, Fujimoto Yuki, Natsuko Takahashi, Arai Shuuko
Producer: Setoguchi Katsuaki
Directors: Ishii Yasuharu, Yamamuro Daisuke, Katayama Osamu
Music: Yamashita Kosuke

Reception[]

Episode Ratings[]

Episode	Subtitle	Ratings (Kanto)	Ratings (Kansai)	Ratings (Nationwide)
01	Declaration of war! The thing which is absolutely more important than money	18.3	14.5	??.?
02	The worst first kiss!	19.3	19.6	??.?
03	Tears! Good-bye to the person I like	20.5	19.7	??.?
04	First time coming home in the morning	20.7	21.1	??.?
05	Confession of life-threatening love	19.0	19.7	??.?
06	A love triangle of a roller-coaster ride hair-trigger crisis	19.7	20.0	??.?
07	Battle F4 dissolution!	17.3	15.5	??.?
08	Now the female high school student's "Top of Japan" decision war	19.9	21.3	??.?
09	The greatest last present	22.4	22.5	??.?
Average	--	19.68	19.32	??.?

Source: Video Research, Ltd.

Recognitions[]

Year	Ceremony	Category/Recipient
2005	47th Television Drama Academy Awards	Best Actress (Mao Inoue)
2005	47th Television Drama Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actor (Jun Matsumoto)

International Broadcast[]

In the Philippines the drama aired on GMA-7.^[1]

Trivia[]

Actor Takuma Takayuki, which is also the screenwriter for this drama (credited as Satake Mikio), appears in Episode 4-9 as the men Okami-san (Kato Takako) loved. He portrayed characters such as John Lennon, Tora-san, similar to Tadano Hitoshi and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

External links[]

Official TV Drama Website from TBS (in Japanese)
Hana Yori Dango
(花より男子) at IMDb

References[]

^ Santiago, Erwin (5 July 2010). "Kantar Media/TNS National Household Ratings (July 2–4): Twist and Shout and M3 strengthen ABS-CBN weekend lineup". Pep.ph. Retrieved 11 February 2019.

[1] Santiago, Erwin (5 July 2010). "Kantar Media/TNS National Household Ratings (July 2–4): Twist and Shout and M3 strengthen ABS-CBN weekend lineup". Pep.ph. Retrieved 11 February 2019.

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