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)
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
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)
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
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)
3 comments:
I agree on certain points, but the Taiwanese version is much, much funnier and Wu Chun is simply adorable.
That was very very insightful, thank you for breaking it down and comparing the two. I do agree with all your points except that I have a soft stop for Jiro,haha. But..Hana Kimi ftw!
Very good english writing.
I totally agree with everything you wrote, I just wished you wrote more about Nakatsu (Toma) I'm a big fan. Like you, I couldn't watch the Taiwan version though it's very popular; the acting totally pushed me off. Nakatsu's love for Ashiya is so funny, honestly it's the main reason I watched the Hana Kimi.
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