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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Takasugi Mahiro definitely expressed Saibara Takane well

The reason, I decided to write this review is because I saw some people keep saying Mahiro is awkward in Takane to Hana, now he improve in Konin Todoke.
Nope that statement is wrong. Yes he has improve in his recent drama, but to compare Yuito character with Takane is wrong.
Takane was supposed to be an awkward, immature and inexperienced guy especially in romance eventhough he is adult compared to Hana.
And in that sense he really bring out Saibara Takane well.
He was supposed to exaggerate a bit like that. Mahiro in general is such a good actor. People who criticize his acting in Takane To Hana probably doesn't know what Saibara Takane should be like. Mahiro himself was a bit inexperienced in acting romance genre, but he definitely wasn't that awkward.. it is because Takane character himself was an awkward person.

Well, but I had to agree he definitely a bit shorter than Saibara Takane that I imagine would be. But other than that, Both Mahiro and Aisa act their character well. They had chemistry and I just love their acting. This drama definitely a light hearted drama, good choice to watch if you are stress and tired of watching heavy drama. Cute and fluffy. I desperately wanted them to continue season 2, but it is impossible huhu

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Wow, what a nice sweet drama that I wish was longer tbh.
The premise is pretty cliche but I've never seen it done in such a light easy to watch drama without all the angst, and as I watched more episodes I realised the dialogues between all the characters are really well done and intelligent and both the leads have interesting perspectives on things, there were lots of little plot twists that I didn't expect as well where I expected it to do the typical trope and then it did something different. I also REALLY like how they handle the age gap, like it's not done weirdly. Anyway, recommend this drama to anyone who wants to watch something short and cute to pass the time also the ost is realllllly nice, japan always does well with emotion-evoking osts i feel. The female lead also has the best personality ever like seriously, you won't be annoyed with her and will actually really like her, the male lead too, you think he's gonna be another typical arrogant ceo then BAM, a complex character appears *gasp*

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A Well-Executed Rom Com Manga Adaptation with A Lesson to Learn

I have dropped several Japanese dramas adapted from Japanese mangas because they are not well-executed for drama viewers like me who are not manga lovers, but this one is an exception! I have read several reviews and comments before watching this, I think after they watch more manga live-actions they will change their mind. The actors/actresses acting and the script came out of manga but with good directing and editing it becomes a cute light romcom watchable for non-manga lovers.

LIKE:
(+) Just reinstated above: well-adapted Japanese manga, good directing, good editing
(+) A fast paced drama great for binge-watching: 8 episodes x 25 minutes, so about 3 1/2 hours.
(+) Although some conversation seems unimportant, but connect with next scenes or the development of the story as a whole. So no scene skipping necessary.
(+) As light as it is, this drama teaches you a great lesson
(+) If you never read the manga: a turn the table twist in the middle and a surprise in the last episode
(+) Cute doll-san!
(+) The actors and actresses are not newcomers here and had played in several dramas and films prior. Their acting here were good and just out of the manga.
(+) Great acting of both actor Takasugi Mahiro as the pricky and picky Takane and actress Takeuchi Aisa as the spunky Hana. Their chemistry is so cute and natural as a huge age-gap couple.
(+) What to say... Ito Asahi is an eye candy Luciano
(+) Funny grandpa! Actor Shinagawa Toru is 83 years old and still acting!

DISLIKE:
(-) Only one, not sure but it can be a positive for the drama. Actor Takasugi Mahiro was only 22 but played as a 26-year old man. Despite of his good acting, he looks too young for the Takane character. As I said, this can be good to narrow the age gap as this is a youth drama anyways.

As I read in the comment that the manga was still ongoing, I don't mind to watch a second season of this drama if the story is still cute and the adaptation is well executed. But I think the end is as good as it is.

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I quite enjoyed the initial turn of things the Strong female lead etc. but basically this is just the same old poor nice girl sort of humanises the rich arrogant bloke trope. It has a bit of difference to it and the relationship is quite fun and cute yet it's not different enough or intense enough to lift it above the basic cliche. Which is a shame because it had the chance to be much more. I skipped through the last couple of episodes just to see what happened yet found I didn't really care about what happened after all as I didn't really like him enough to want him to get the girl.

I was a little uncomfortable with the age gap as well though they managed to make me not notice it for a goodly portion of the time. 16-26 is a lot different from 20 to 30.

The acting though over the top in places was OK to good, I especially liked the FL. I did feel the ML owed a lot to Fated to Love You. The OST was nothing special. I wouldn't watch it again.

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NOT for under 35 years old (in the west!)

This was funny fluffy & cute and I want more!

The main couple in this drama is probably getting the extremely negative reaction in every western country (like mine!) under the rule of diversity, equality, feminism and cancellations. I can hear the voices screaming in outrage: grooming, trauma inducing, age gap! How dare they? Followed by collective cancellation campaign for the whole cast and crew!

I loved it! The story of Takane, a 26yr old heir to a conglomerate and Hana, a 16yr old highschoolgirl. Takane is brash, rude, arrogant while Hana is smart, insightful, strong and brave. The repeatedly clash and Takane is won over by her disdainful attitude towards his wealth. They bicker constantly and it is so much fun to watch. Takane's real personality comes out: kind, generous and sweet!

I do appreciate different, original and unorthodox stories: this one was more than I expected.

The only problem I had with it is the cinematography: everything is ugly here from the weather to the clothes to the sets.

The story seems to have a sequel: it is like they did not use all of the manga because even though it is a kind of a happy ending for the couple, there are many issues that have not been resolved and certain characters have been left hanging!

Thank you Japan for being still open minded, for breaking taboos, for not submitting to the present asepticized rules of engagement which rule the relationships in the West (i.e. Europe, UK, USA and Canada). These rules are ruining western entertainment: I can count on the fingers of ONE hand the western shows I have seen in the past 3 and a half years since I discovered asian dramas. The blandness and the extreme political correctness are disastrous.

That is why I would recommend this drama ONLY to people 35 and older, people who remember what entertainment industry in the west used to be!

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I really enjoyed it. If you watch any Japanese Manga-to-Live Action shows, you know what to expect. This had all of the "flaws" (imho) that they usually do, but it also had some BETTER qualities than most do as well.
♡The Good♡:
1. The main female lead. Adorable. Great actress. Written in a strong and commanding way. She didn't "shrink" away from every.little.thing like most FML's do in J-Dramas. She was smart, tough, and no shrinking violet. I LOVED her character.
2. The side characters. ALL of them were great. No idiots, no over-the-top characters. No backstabbing friends/Ex's. It was a nice change.
3. The pacing. A problem I have with these micro-dramas (20ish minutes each episode) is the pacing is usually always weird and WAY too fast/choppy. The pacing here was not perfect, but MUCH better.
♡The Could've-Been-Better♡:
1. The male lead. He was WAY too childish for his role. Not much romance experience? That's OK, but I believe in attempt to make him seem younger and her to seem more mature to shorten the age-gap issue, they wrote him a bit too immature.
2. The parents of the FML. NO way they wouldn't be somewhat concerned about their 16yo daughter and this 26yo man hanging out like they were. I don't care what country you live in!
3. The ending was cute but I am SO hoping for a season #2, 'cause it just felt like build up to not much of an ending.
♡SO, overall, I PERSONALLY think the "good" outweighs the "not-so-good" in this instance and it's a J-Drama I didn't roll my eyes at or want to fast forward. I really, rather, enjoyed it!♡

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High schooler + adult = weird but oddly not that icky

Short and weird.
A high schooler (freshman!) pretends to be her older sister at a arranged marriage meeting with the grandson of her dad’s boss’s boss. (Maybe more bosses)
he insults her she retaliated and he does the “no one ever treated me that way before” trope.
She apparently can’t call it off unless she says she loves him (like I said weird).
they end up being “friends” (no benefits but she does kiss him once) and there’s obvious feelings,
His grandad makes him poor (apparently granddad was supposed to think she was her sister)…she cooks dinner for him and studies in his apartment. and her parents are fine with it.
The secret of their relationship gets out caused by the villain & they both decide to sacrifice them selves for the other as well as canceling the agreement
But granddad basics said ya’ll make a good couple what happens next is up to you. And then says things will get interesting (he’s gonna go after the villain) and does several “is he quite sane” laughs.
They basically have bother confess they love each other but go back to teasing each other.
Normally with this type of age gap drama there’s a time skip until the young person is at least legal or out of HS. Not here.
It’s very weird especially the part about her parents being ok with her being alone with him at his apartment. It’s obvious that the society wouldn’t support such a relationship (she dreams he gets arrested for their relationship) but it persists.
It’s very weird but it’s not as icky as you might think cause he doesn’t show her much affection beyond older brother teasing. (She instigates the only kiss)
Would I recommend this to anyone? Absolutely not.
Would I rewatch again. Again nope.

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I am officially 0 / 2 after potentially making the move to expand my drama list by adding J-Dramas to my list. Maybe I made the mistake of picking two dramas that were based off manga, but I thought it would have helped since I grew up loving manga. But I have learned to realize that manga and dramas have two different vibes. Yes, they can translate well into anime or dramas, but this one seemed very incomplete. I am not sure if that is what the manga was like, as I did not read it, but it was basically a premise I have seen before (nothing new), but I felt like in those other stories, they seemed to feel a little more complete. Such as, in this drama, I felt like the characters jumped through a single hurdle which almost made them finally confess their feelings for one another, but that was it. When the grandfather was like, "you passed the first test," I was like...uhm...wait...there are no more episodes? The ending was fine, don't get me wrong. What they were both willing to do to take all the blame off of one another and all on themselves, was cute, but I wanted to see more of that cute aspect.

Nonomura Hana is a very strong character who stands up for what she believes in, no matter how hard the task, and also leaves room to tease Takane whenever she can. Saibara Takane was a complicated character. I definitely have seen his type of person in many other stories. One example that is coming to mind is Uehara Hisashi from Good Morning Call. Literally, the whole vacation to the springs episode was literally identical. Given, I would rather watch this drama than Good Morning Call any day, as Hisashi was way more stubborn that Takane, and Takane was hella stubborn. But, he was easily swayed by Hana and was actually pretty solid guy behind the scenes. I think the reason why I wasn't in love with his character as I could have been was because towards the middle when he has to learn how to live without his "trust fund," and even though Hana told him she basically liked him not because of his money, he still distanced himself from her because he thought that all that was likable about him was money. Which blew my mind. He was so confident in himself throughout the drama, as well as confident in his feelings for Hana, but the moment he became a lower middle class worker, he blew her off, with zero intention of ever seeing her again. Like damn dude. It hurt me because it was a double blow for Hana. The fact that he ghosted her after their cute af vacation and the fact that he thought that she was only attracted to him if he had money. But ultimately, I did give this drama a little higher or a score because I realized half way through that Takasugi Mahiro (Takane) played one of my favorite characters in my still #1 Jdrama, Kakegurui. I watch episode after episode until Takane opened up and we saw how extra and funny he was...and I realized that I had seen his extraness before.

Overall, I won't watch this again, but it was cute. Just predictable and nothing really new.

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