A hazard of hearts - Justin Vulcan & Serena Staverley

I have to write this post to expose my adore of a romantic couple in A hazard of hearts. What should I say now. I have loved them since the first time I saw movie "A hazard of hearts" when I was a little child. In next few years, this movie was showed one time per year. Besides, I brought a copy of this novel and my love for them grow more and more.

Here some beautiful pictures of them and favourite quote from movie and the novel.

Justin Vulcan (played by Marcus Gilbert) *how handsome and charming he is !!!My heart was stopped when I saw him :x *

Justin Vulcan saw Serena Staverley in the first time. His confession in the end of movie (and novel) is " And I have loved you since the first time I saw you"

Justin Vulcan watched Serena through the window with love

Serena "I am in love with no one"

Justin Vulcan: "Even the man who you betroth?..... Shall I make you fall in love with me, Serena?"

Justin Vulcan: " Are you afraid of love or merely of me?"

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My confession is that I am really adore Marcus Gilber in Justin Vulcan role :x:x:x

Majo No Jouken

English title: Forbidden love
Episode: 11
Producer: TBS, Japan
Time: 1999-Apr-08 to 1999-Jun-17
Actors
Matsushima Nanako as Hirose Michi
Takizawa Hideaki as Kurosawa Hikaru
Bessho Tetsuya as Kitai Masaru (Michi's fiancee)
Kuroki Hitomi as Kurosawa Kyoko (Hikaru's mother)
Tsuji Kazunaga as Hirose Kenichi (Michi's father)
Download (English sub): torrent link (d-addict) (thiếu tập 5)
Online (English sub): on mysoju

The first impression of this dorama is the introduction in the beginning. A couple is sleeping very peaceful, hand in hand, in vaporous setting and their feet are bound by a chain. The introduction gives viewer a high curiosity and makes a lot of question, such as who are involved in the forbidden love? how does it happen? and how do they deal with society's judgement?is the forbidden love beautiful, romantic, paintful and unseparated like a tale? or is it really forbidden, unacceptable?

So, who are involved in the forbidden love?
The forbidden love happens between a female teacher and her male student. The main character is Hirose Michi (played by Matsushima Nanako). She is 26 years old, a beautiful, gentle high school math teacher who engaged with a bank worker. And Hikaru (played by Takizawa Hideaki, aka Takky), 17 years old high school student, was expelled from previous high school because of his bad behavior.

How does the forbidden love happen?
After transfering into Michi's class, Hikaru find out that nobody in class respects and listens to her. The more they interact, the more they understand each other. They relize that both of them have lost themselves to the pressures of those around them. All things of Michi were arranged by her father, her mistakes were covered and she cared too much about others's opions. Hikaru betrayed his friend in the past so he blamed himself, he couldn't make friend and smile. His father passed away when he was 7 and his mother cared about him but didn't understand his feeling. Whatever mistake he does, he's never been expelled because his mother had arrangment with school's head master. This common make them very close, and of course they fall in love, both of them want to reach a free world where they can to be themselves.

How do they deal with society's judgement?
The story continues to show how Michi and Hikaru face society's judgement for the forbidden love between teacher and studend. At the first, they keep it in secret but what is done by night appears by day, their love is quickly discovered and standed many snears and revilements by their schoolmates, colleagues and family. I'm not going to judge this love is right or wrong, because love is love. My concern is how they deal with society's judgement and how strong their love grow up. I love the way they look at each other and say "what did we do wrong?" and the way Michi stands in front of whole school, courageously, tell them that she loves Hikaru and she doesn't quit the school because if she does, it means they are wrong.They overcome many obstacles like society's snear, hunting by Michi's fiancee and Hikaru's mother, suicide of Hikaru's mother ...

The latter half of story is quite disapointed to me because all they want is escaping to live together without feasible plan for their future. Hikaru is just 17 years old and doesn't graduate from high school so what he can do for their own living, being washing-cars worker doesn't make any sense. After Hikaru leaves Japan to studying aboard in L.A, Michi finds out that she's pregant. I understand the reason why she leave her home to live by herself. But when everything become worse and worse: Hikaru leaves her to look after his mother, she has to work overtime, her health is very weak, she even must to choose between keeping her child and her life, she still refuses the help of her family. Michi say that she will do everything to keep and protect her child but look at her actions, I don't understand Michi.

Matsushima Nanako was very brave when she accepted Michi's role because this drama mentions a sensitive story. Nanako protrayed very good and made her character grows up, from a gentle,weak woman to independent one. Takky was at the same age of Hikaru when he protrayed this role. Hikaru's Takky looks very handsome, innocent, cute but his look doesn't fit bad student image. His acting is weak, immature so that his character doesn't change much from the begin to the end. His love isn't quite unpersuasive, sometime I feel sorry for Michi.

At the end, everybody understand their pure love but the continuation of their love story is open like a dream. The viewers have their own endding depend on their thought.

Hana Kimi: Japanese vs Taiwanese

Firstly I didn't plan to write this because I am not interested in Hana Kimi of Taiwan and I have watched only 3 episodes of that version (1,2 and 8) so writing a compared post between two drama maybe is unfair for Taiwanese version. But in order to practice my English writing skill, I must write essay regularly, so why not. If you wonder why Hana Kimi is again, the answer is simple. At this time, I haven't seen any movie or drama but Hana Kimi because I'm quite busy and although I finished it a month ago, it has been hot in my mind. so it's easy for me to write.
And now I will bring to you a "Hana Kimi" battle between Japanese and Taiwanese adaptation. In this post, I will call Japanese version as Hana Kimi and Taiwanese version as Hua Yang (because English title of Taiwanese version is Hua Yang Shao Nian Shao Nu)

Japanese Actor/Actress --- Casts --- Taiwanese Actor/Actress
Horikita Maki --- Ashiya Mizuki/Lu Rui Xi --- Ella Chen
Oguri Shun --- Sano Izumi/Zuo Yi Quan --- Wu Chun
Ikuta Toma --- Nakatsu Shuichi/Jin Xiu Yi --- Jiro Wang
Mizushima Hiro --- Nanba Minami/Liang Si Nan --- Tang Yu Zhe
Japanese version <--- ---="" for="" infor="" more=""> Taiwanese version

Now, let's start with storyline comparison.

The Storyline
Both versions are based on the Japanese shoujo manga "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e". I haven't read manga but according to what I read from internet, Hua Yang is more accurate than Hana Kimi. It follows exactly what happen in manga and focuses on the love story between 2 main characters. With some problems of copyright, Hua Yang has a weird ending which makes fans crazy and ask for the sequel. Hana Kimi doesn't follow the manga very much, its storyline changes and mixes the order of events, creates new events and focuses on friendship more than love. Love in Hana Kimi is just one part of student life in high school.Look at two posters above, you can see the difference between 2 adaptations. Hua Yang only focuses on three main roles but the Hana Kimi has three mains in the center and many supporting roles around.

Following exactly the orignal manga doesn't mean the storyline of Hua Yang is better than Hana Kimi. In my opinion, in manga and Hua Yang, Mizuki/Rui Xi comes back Japan and disguises herself as a boy to get into all-boy high school, in order to get closer with her idol and seek true love which is so stupid and unreal (he he, of course the manga is unreal too). And the way which Sano/Quan changes his mind, goes back to high jump because of an admiring of girl who sacrifice herself as boy to cheer him up, is so easy and unpersuasive.

Like I wrote in my review of Hana Kimi before, I love the changes in Japanese version. They create a new event that Sano rescued Mizuki from an attack in America (he didn't remember her because they just looked at each other for few seconds) and the gang makes his leg injured. Mizuki blames herself for giving up high jump of Sano, her idol. So she leaves her family, her friends to come back Japan alone. She determines to do her best to make Sano return to his dream . And I love the way Sano changes, too. Sano knew Mizuki's secret when he heard a quarrel between Mizuki and her brother by chance, after that, he even shoutes at Mizuki to make her come back America (both of them got hurt after this) but Mizuki doesn't change her mind. After knowing her sacrifice, Sano was affected deeply, he meets her brother and tell him the true reason why he gave up high jump and begs him for letting Mizuki stay. He promises that Mizuki would go home with smile as his repay.Sano in Hana Kimi is cooler than the character in original manga. The way Sano changes his feeling toward Mizuki is slow but stable. The love between Sano and Mizuki is sweet, cute but quite lacks of romantic because of limited time on screen.

Hana Kimi focuses on friendship more than love. There are many competitions among 3 dorms in funny and comic way. It definitely makes you laugh like a monkey when watching the drama. Beside three main characters, you must remember a lot of students in Osaka high school, how they enjoy their youth and how they bring a lot of fun to you. The ending is very touching with "face to face" farewell between Mizuki and her friends in Osaka Gakuen. The love story of Sano and Mizuki officially starts with the kiss and his promise that next time he'll come to her.

Hua Yang focuses on the love so it's full of romantic (I heard that). Many fans said that Hua Yang is really funny and cute but I don't think so. Maybe its funniness isn't my style, I find it quite ridiculous specially the main actress's acting, that's why I can't finish this drama. The manga atmosphere becomes foreced, unnatural and weird.

If you like Taiwanese idol drama, you will love Hua Yang for sure, but remember that the ending of Hua Yang is very disappointed because at the end nobody knows Rui Xi's secret except Quan and she even doesn't know that Quan discovered her secret. if you love the manga, you will be disappointed at Hana Kimi because it's different from manga and doesn't focus on love. But watching Hana Kimi with opened mind, you will find it more interesting, logical than original manga for sure. Hana Kimi brings the soul of manga to live which Hua Yang can not.

For storyline competition, I will give 1 - 1 score.

The Acting
* Horikita Maki (Ashiya Mizuki) VS Ella Chen (Lu Rui Xi)
The original Ashiya Mizuki in manga is described as a pretty boy or girly-boy.So takeing a look at Maki and Ella's appearance first
Ella, she is not beautiful but not ugly and looks exactly like a boy. Ella doesn't fit Mizuki role because of her boyish and her overacting is a big problem.In first scene in Hua Yang, Rui Xi cuts her hair by herself while talking to her friend with wide-open eyes. When saw the expression in her face, I uttered "oh my god, there is something wrong with her mind". In 3 episodes I watched, she always used wide-open, twisted eyes and pursed her lips to act the suprise and innocent.It made me totally annoyed. With overacting and ridiculous walk, Rui Xi becomes a weird-looking boy and reminds me of Mr Bean. Look at the boys around her, Quan and Liang Si Nan (the dorm head 2), they are even prettier and femininer than Rui Xi. I wonder why three hot boys fell in love with her.
About Maki, the first time when I saw her picture, I thought she was too beautiful and feminine to be a boy. After that, I saw her picture with short hair and school uniform, wow, she looks like a pretty boy which makes her as perfect Mizuki. In few first episodes, her boy hair looks quite weird. Her acting is quite good and natual, the more drama continues, the better her acting grow up but sometime she wasn't good in crying scene.

* Oguri Shun (Sano Izumi) VS Wu Chun (Zuo Yi Quan)
Definitely Shun. I don't talk about Shun's acting here because I talked too much in my Hana Kimi review in VietNamese. Comparing Shun's acting with Wu Chun is unnecessary. Chun's acting is immature and quite flat. To be honest, after 3 episodes I didn't remember how his character was. Let's make a small comparison. When Quan told Rui Xi about his true reason of giving up on high jump, his expression looked like he was talking about someone's problem not his, comparing with ashamed, embarrassed expression of Sano (by Shun), Chun had need to learn more. Wu Chun's body is better than Shun. Shun is quite thin but in athlete shape, Shun is suitable perfectly and much better than Chun.

* Ikuta Toma (Nakatsu Shuichi) VS Jiro Wang (Jin Xiu Yi)
Jin Xiu Yi played by Jiro Wang is the best among three main characters in Hua Yang and he is the one who makes me laugh but I love Toma better. I have just seen Xiu Yi's funny side because in all episodes I watched, his other sides aren't described so I cann't talk much about him.

For acting Hana Kim definitely win.

The Setting
Scenes in Hana Kimi was filmed very carefully and beautiful. The memory of Sano's jump is very wonderful and perfect, please see the animations below to compare

High Jump scene

Left: Sano Izumi (Oguri Shun). Right: Zuo Yi Quan (Wu Chun)

I don't like how they portray the character in Hua Yang.The director maybe worried that the audience didn't understand what the character was, so that they showed everything on screen. Everybody tell what they think, what they do. For example, when Quan knew Rui Xi is a girl, he avoided and didn't talk directly to her. When Rui Xi asked why, he turned around with frowned face and the voice of his thinking popped up "because I don't know how to deal with my roomate who suddenly change to a girl". At the same situation in Hana Kimi, Sano was taking his shirt off when Mizuki asked why he act strange and didn't answer her question directly. Sano gave her a glance, started pluzzed and couldn't take the shirt off in front of Mizuki. That's true attitude of quiet Sano.

For setting, Hana Kimi win too :D

So the final score is 3 - 1 and the winner is Hana Kimi Japanese version.

(I'm tired right now, writing in English makes me crazy. Reading the whole post, I can say "Đầu voi đuôi chuột" he he. And Miss Thu or anyone else, please check my mistakes if you have free time ! Thanks in advance)

Edited ! Thank you TT (arigatou gozaimasu TT :x)