[Dorama Rant] To The Beautiful You/Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (2011)

Hana Kimi 2011 Plot Synopsis

Mizuki Ashiya is a high school girl who dresses up like a boy so she can attend the all male boarding school Sakurazaki Academy. All of this to meet athlete Izumi Sano, a high jumper who quit the sport due to an injury...

Spoiler Alert!!



This dorama reminded me of Ouran High School Host Club! The girl that crossdressed as a boy and totally crazy boys that surround her? Yep, totally reminds me of that anime.

I love Nakatsu! Mizuki can go have Sano, I'll go with Nakatsu <3 He's just the perfect guy. Funny, sporty and handsome. And most important of all, he knows how to be himself. LOVE HIM! <3 Also, his roommate Kayashimi. Those two might be my favorite characters. My friend and I literally imagine Kayashimi as friendlier version of Nekozawa.

Oh and don't get me started on the the dorm leaders!
Dorm 1 Leader Tennoji: Deep voice and practices karate...with a little face and a sometimes cute personality xDDDD HAHAHAHA Totally a Mori-sempai in real life!

Dorm 3 Leader "Oscar": At first I thought he was Kim Hyun Joong xDD Thank goodness I was wrong! He's such a funny character. Always acting so princely and when someone called him by his real name "Masao"...Shazzam! He goes all furious and un-character like. Very very funny! He can be a very believable Tamaki too.

Dorm 2 Leader Nanba...he's the most normal of the three, yet he still has his funny characteristics too.

The level of comedy this dorama has can't even be explained in words. They even made a Hallelujah dance version techno!! Yep, no seriousness over here...

At least that was what I thought at first. As the series progresses there were many moments of serious talking  for example: whenever they mentioned the closure of the school or when they discovered Mizuki's true gender.

This was a quite lovable dorama because of all the genes it had, friendship and comedy being the principal ones. It had romance but there was only a bit of it, and yet those were the scenes I felt more awkward watching. Though Mizuki's little kiss she gave Sano on the cheek was so sweet <3

I really like the brotherhood between the guys, everyone watching this dorama can tell that it was true friendship between all those boys. I really liked watching those friendship scenes.

TTBY Plot Synopsis

Kang Tae-Joon is a gold medalist in the high jump, but he has been mired in a slump due to an injury. In order to help her idol, a girl named Koo Jae-Hee disguises herself as a boy and enrolls at the same all male high school.

Spoiler Alert!


Note: I watched this last year so I don't remember much...

I remember my friends and I watching this just because of Minho, Sulli and EXO. But EXO didn't even talk! They just appeared at a party but it was just the K counterpart. That made me really angry because WTF?? SM you are a troll! They kept saying EXO will appear, EXO will appear....e.e

My favorite one was Eungyeol! Really that guy was just hilarious xD

Minho might not be the best actor in the world but I think he did well for Taejoon's kind of personality. It was my first time watching a dorama with Sulli too, and she did it amazingly!

I don't remember anything specific so, I'll spot there.

Comparison:

Genere

TTBY focused more on Jaehee's and Minho's romantic relationship. The romantic moments of the Japanese version were too awkward and/or stiff for me. Though the dancing scene Mizuki and Sano had on their room was very cute and romantic <3

Hana Kimi 2011 focused more on the boy's friendship. Sano and Nakatsu were not just rivals but also friends in this version. I love the union between the three dorms. Yes, they compete frequently in the dorama but it's healthy competition and nothing behind it. The Korean version didn't have that type of connection between the dorms.

The Girl

In Hana Kimi 2011 Atsuko Maeda (Mizuki's actress) looked guy-er, I don't know if that's a compliment or not, but it made more believable for her to hide between guys.

In TTBY Sulli did a good job acting as a boy and all...but still I knew she was a girl from afar. In this version Jaehee did more athletic things than in the Japanese.

Etc.

The part where this guy that wanted to rape, or whatever, her, TTBY had more action and Taejoon really threw some punches. In Hana Kimi 2011 he was more like blocking him from Mizuki but I really felt sorry for her yet in the Korean version Jaehee was just injured.

St. Blossom/The all-girl school in Hana Kimi 2011 very funny to watch too. They were rich and elegant but they didn't brag or felt superior because of that as it was presented in TTBY. I liked when they visited the school they gave them food and they were all going crazy xDD Men and Food, best OTP!

I liked Hana Kimi 2011's school-closure plot way better than TTBY's Taejoon-needs-only-needs-to-jump-again-that's-all plot.

Hana Kimi 2011's final episode episode was WAY more emotive than TTBY's final episode.

                                                                       ***

Well, I will conclude with this:

Both versions are both watching since the both have a fair amount of differences from each other, and I really enjoyed watching the both versions. But! I will have to say if you really like doramas, you should watch the Japanese version. If you like good looking guys and clean and tidy places, you should go for the Korean version. 

I've always said it. Most Korean versions focus on the eye candy for viewers while Japanese look for the feeling the acting, mood and places give to a dorama. 

Again, both are great but this is only my opinion here.