Takane to Hana (2019)

This is my first review so please be patient with me :)

I have to say I was hesitant going into this series cause I'm a huge fan of the manga and I didn't want to be disappointed by a poor adaptation and shitty acting as is the case with many live-action adaptations

However I was hooked from episode one because the actors chosen for Takane and Hana actually played their parts so well. Takasugi Mahiro-san completely captured the essence of SaiabaraTakane and was able to beautifully portray his character perfectly. He completely captured Takane's narcissism and his exaggerated way of speaking and acting. Apart from his height, which was a bit short compared to Takane but hey you can't have everything, he was the perfect choice to play Takane. He was really able to showcase Takane's unique traits and also why I found him loveable in the manga. I'm happy to say that I honestly felt like I saw the real Takane come to life

Takeuchi Aisa-san did a wonderful job playing Nonomura Hana. She acted out Hana exactly as her manga counterpart and I never found her acting lacking. She completely captured Hana's spirit, determination, strong will and strength alongside Hana's low-key savage personality which I loved. As with the case of Takasugi-san, Takeuchi-san really brought out the best Hana she could and it totally fit with the character in the manga. Her interactions and relationship with Takane, her family, Luciano and her friends were really well done.

The supporting characters were all played really well too however I wish they had more screen time. My favourite of the rest of the cast in the manga is Luciano and Ito Asahi-san really played him how I wished he was played, he really captured Luci's playboy ways and how he interacted with Hana and Takane.

I also loved Okamo Souma's character. He was really well played and I really could feel his one-sided love for Hana in his actions. I loved how he handled the circumstances and the interruption into his peaceful world. Hana's two friends Ogawa Mizuki (short-haired one) and Fujiwara Hikaruko (megane-chan) were also portrayed well but didn't get enough screen time as to what they deserved.

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Especially Mizuki's relationship with Luciano. In the manga they have a lot more interactions and she falls in love with him, especially after a certain incident that happens, however that was totally skipped over in the drama. They honestly had some really cute moments together, it's a pity we didn't get to see that here

Speaking of the drama skipping over things, well boy did it skip a lot. In fact the last two episodes completely condensed 6 whole volumes (7-12) into two short episodes. Souma's confession which happened end of episode 7 doesn't actually happen till much later. In fact after Takane get's stripped of everything and made to live in that shoddy apartment a lot more stuff happens and it's actually a while before he gives Hana the key. Also with the key the first time Hana uses it is when the whole gang (Luciano, Souma, Mizuki, Hirakuro and even Yukari [Hana's older sister]) decide to throw a housewarming party for Takane and just barge into his place.

Man I have so much more to say but I don't want to spoil even more, however I will say this: Souma confesses to Hana after a certain major event takes place that disrupts the lives of Takane and Hana and her family again. In fact that event is the catalyst for his confession. I'm kinda bummed that they rushed it forward.

Also in the manga Hana does have a love rival (although Takane has no interest in her at all) but she's not too bad of a person, and actually adds depth to the storyline too

What can I say? It was a good adaptation, I loved the characters and the choices of actors but it was still a little too fast-paced for me. If only they had slowed it down a little, or added more or longer episodes, or even made room for a season 2, then it'd be great. Still a solid performance by our actors so a round of applause and a pat on the back to them

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I will say this from the beginning, before writing a detailed review: I liked the drama.
Which is strange, because when I started watching it was like: OMG, why do they play so poorly? What is this with the dialogues and faces? But somewhere around episode 3 or 4 it really took me in. In the end I really enjoyed it and would love to see the continuation.
Maybe the actors needed some time to roll in as well. I liked the girl, who in the end sounded and looked really sincere, when talking to Takane, and I liked this superfluous way of speaking that Takane has. Though the drama is really short, you manage to understand the character of each of the 4 main leads. They are all different, and though due to lack of time in the series they are all quite schematic, you do see the difference. That is more, than many other dramas can boast, in which charachters often seem to be made by one sample.
Besides, do remember that Japanese have very peculiar sense of humour, which you should also be ready for while watching this drama. Hope you'll enjoy it too!

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