While I'm sure any Hana Kimi fan will enjoy this, it did fall behind my (and many others') expectations.

The end of the drama led us to believe that the special would take place in California. Sadly, that didn't happen. Budget problems? I don't know the reason. But it didn't happen.

That aside, the story was a bit disjointed and uninteresting. They just tried to fit too much in and it made it kind of a mess. I feel like they just tried to fit in everything that they didn't put in the drama but was in the manga/Taiwanese version. I don't think that was a good idea. It would have been much better to have a real, original story. Nevertheless, it was entertaining.

As I already said in my review for the drama, the cast was outstanding. This time I have to shout out to Shirota Yu. The scene in the cafeteria with Sano was just hilarious. Bages Minami also did a god job playing Julia.

The music was good, basically the same as the drama.

In the end, it was a bit of a disappointment. There were definitely things they could have done better plot-wise, but it still kept the spirit and tone of the drama.

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Wow. What a fantastic drama. I usually don't find myself going crazy over school-based dramas, but this is definitely an exception.

So far I've only seen this version and the Taiwanese version, and I have to say that this version is definitely the superior one.

The story itself isn't all that original. In fact, it's something that has been done many times over. However, that doesn't really spoil anything. The main charms of this drama are the characters. Whether it's the main characters, supporting characters, or even the guest characters, I found myself caring about every single one of them. In comparison to the Taiwanese version, they focused a LOT more on the supporting characters and yet never seemed like they neglected the leads and the story was very cohesive and together the entire time. They did very well with balancing the subplots with the main plot. I also loved how Hibari, the closest the show had for an "antagonist", was not a traditional villain. Excellent job to the writers for leaving out that stereotype.

The casting was simply outstanding. I honestly have no complaints. While Oguri Shun and Horikita Maki certainly did justice to their characters, out of the main 3 Ikuta Toma was definitely the stand-out. While in the Taiwanese version Nakatsu/Xiu Yi was a goofball and had very little "meat" to her character, the Nakatsu of this version made you laugh and cry, embrace him and strangle him. I felt his pain and wanted so badly for him to find happiness, even if it wasn't with Mizuki. His performance was simply amazing. I also have to give shout-outs to Iwasa Mayuko and Kyo Nobuo. They were both highly entertaining as Hibari and Himejima, a true joy to watch. This goes for practically the entire rest of the cast as well.

One of the things I think J-Dramas as the best at is fitting the music into the show. Not only the theme songs were excellent, but also the insert songs. The songs painted the mood of every scene so perfectly. I wasted no time with getting my hands on the OST.

Overall, the drama was fantastic and the only reason it didn't get a 10 was due to a slight lack of originality plot-wise as well as one thing I haven't mentioned: the chemistry between the two main characters. It was there, but not as strong as I hoped. That is probably the only thing the Taiwanese version did better.

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At the time of this review I am 6 episodes into the Japanese version, but I will try to refrain from comparing the two at all. This was the first version I watched and I am basing my rating on this fact.

Overall, this drama was a joy to watch. The "girl-disguises-as-boy-and-joins-all-boys-school" trope has been done many times before, and yet the story still managed to keep me interested and engaged. I felt like it could be a bit overly dramatic at parts--I mean, dramas tend to do that a lot, but I've noticed it in Taiwanese dramas more often, especially this one. I do admit that, although I was engaged for most of my viewing experience, there were times when it felt like a chore to watch the show. It may have been because I started it right as the school year began and thus was a bit overwhelmed and it took me a long time to get through. I feel like it some parts the story could have been tighter, but overall it was very good.

As for the casting... well, I wasn't expecting much to begin with. Ella really did overact a lot. The moments when she cried were especially overdone. However, it did add charm to her character. Wu Chun wasn't a bad actor, but he wasn't exactly great, either. His acting was very simple, nothing about it stuck out to me at all. Jiro, on the other hand, was absolutely hilarious. He fit his character so perfectly. He was ridiculous, but that was completely acceptable due to the nature of his character. I loved it. The chemistry between Ella and Wu Chun was also excellent.

Not much to comment on music-wise. I love S.H.E. and I love the opening theme. I think it reflects the mood of the drama quite well. The insert music was also good and reflected the mood of every scene well.

All in all, Hana Kimi is a captivating and charming drama that will have you smiling throughout the entire show. Cheesy? Yes. Definitely. But it works in its favor, even if it has its flaws.

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