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My first Jdrama I ever watched was the 2007 Hana Kimi, and oh boy, did that set off a cascade effect! And when I heard about the 2011 version, of course I had to watch that too. And I've since rewatched them both several times. It's an insanely fun and silly drama that has you laughing, crying, and at the edge of your seat, sometimes all at once!
So of course, one of these days, I HAD to read the source material of where it all came from. Ashiya, a girl from the States, became enamored by Sano, a famous high-jumper from Japan. Being so moved and inspired by him, she stealthily joined as a classmate in his high school--and all boy school. Yup, it's one of those! (But to be fair, it's a classic!) Hijinks and emotions ensue as Ashiya tries to hide her secret (albeit, VERY poorly x'D the number of times Sano saves her ass in this is hilarious), all the while learning about the boys at the school, learning about herself, and inspiring those around her.
It's super interesting reading this after having seen the drama renditions of it, what they changed or kept the same. Both dramas seemed to have taken and altered different things, making all three of them unique. So if you're a Hana Kimi fan but haven't read the books, you'll have a chance to visit Osaka Gakuen once again in a slightly new way.
This first volume seems to focus a lot on Ashiya, rather than Ashiya + the boys + the school, which was a little disappointing, but it's still just the first volume, so plenty more time to explore. (And hopefully give my boy Nakatsu more screen time!!) There were loads of fun and colorful characters in the dramas, so I'm excited to see them come up in the manga. (As an aside, Kagurazaka is a huge dick in the book?? I loved him in the 2007 version, but he's just a creep here ;o; #sad)
This volume ends in a cliffhanger! Sano, Nakatsu, and Ashiya pick up a part-time job with their dorm leader's mom over the summer, but a suspicious fellow co-worker has his eyes set on Ashiya.
Was a fun read, looking forward to the next one :)
For Japanese Learners:
As with most manga, this sits around N4/N3 level. Due to the slangy-ness of how the kids speak, and that Nakatsu is apparently from Kansai (! that wasn't in the show lol), so he has a different dialect of speaking than what you'll often find in your studies (which is more like Tokyo-ben), I'd say this one is more tricky for N4/beginners. Though if you're a big fan of Hana Kimi, don't let that stop you, and just try understanding what you can. :)