Hanazakari no Kimitachie (HanaKimi), a Japanese drama which was shown in 2007 (2008 here in the Philippines), only got to me recently. it was only before May ended when i watched the said Jdorama. it's not because i have no time to watch it back then and i'm curious about the story, i just got bored and i don't have any idea on what to do one particular May day. however, i must admit that i liked it.
even though i haven't watched it before, i've already preferred it over the Taiwanese version. why? the actors and actresses who starred in the drama. even though i didn't watch HanaKimi before, i know what the story is about - a girl who entered an all-boys school pretending to be a boy to get to her idol. hence, the very essence of the story is the girl. when there's a new Asianovela going to be shown here in the Philippines, i always get hold of the lead actress - for me, she should be pretty or cute. i check out the leading man the second. thus, compared to the Taiwanese lead actress, the Japanese lead actress is much cuter, for me:p i also don't like super good looking guys - guys to the point that they're almost looking like a girl. i must admit though that i like guys who are pretty enough to almost be a girl but that's only the case if the guy is born with it - in other words, if that aspect comes out naturally from him. for me, the Taiwanese actors are so pretty to be real that it's almost disgusting. another aspect is the approach and the treatment that will be done on the drama. since i also know that HanaKimi is originally a
manga, i know that the drama should be filled with comedy and slapsticks and Japan is really good at that (see
Gokusen), hence, Japan would be able to naturally capture the stories essence - they should! it's theirs (despite the Taiwanese version being the first to be aired)!
anyway, i just watch the series out of sheer boredom but i didn't expect to actually like it. more also on taking a liking on its actors and actresses. i didn't know that the one of the lead actors was
Oguri Shun (Sano Izumi) - i didn't recognize him with his black hair and darker complexion. anyway, i like him better as
Uchiyama Haruhiko in Gokusen. i also have a liking towards
Mizushima Hiro (Nanba Minami), he's such a darling! i also think that the lead actress was really good. she kind of remind me of
Yoon Eun Hye in
Coffee Prince since they played the same type of character (the only difference is that Eun Hye's character in Coffee Prince,
Go Eun Chan, is a natural tomboy). i just really think that
Horikita Maki (Ashiya Mizuki) is very cute and funny all throughout the series. she just totally acted the part.
but the one who really blew me away was
Ikuta Toma (Nakatsu Shuichi). he's not the typical pretty boy but he has this appeal that can really make you like him. he may have played the funny, silly Nakatsu but his portrayal of the said character showed his talent as an actor. he has the capability to build a connection between him and his audience through the TV screen. i have so many favorite scenes of him:
1) His kissing scene with Oguri!XD
2) His
"Ore wa homo ja nai" chant with a bra and a panty (on his head):p
3) The whole of Episode 9:p
4) When Nakatsu finally told Ashiya his feelings towards him/her (it really melted my heart).
5) When he counted 5 to 1 and broke down after being dumped.
there were the five Toma scenes that i will always remember. i haven't watched any of his other dramas, but i'm planning to. i just watched the first 10 minutes of
Honey & Clover and
Akihabara@Deep, but since i don't have the luxury of time, i have to wait for the perfect time to watch them. i'm also planning to watch
Maou,
VOICE ~Inochi Naki Mono no Koe~ and
Majo Saiban -Witch Trial- where he have much mature and daring roles.
i also believe that he's one of Japan's most hardworking and persevering young actors. i learned that he is under
Johnny's Entertainment and was never really launched by the agency. hence, he has to work his way up to where he is right now. and hardwork really does pay off; i've read from an Ikuta Toma fan blog that he will finally get to star in his first movie! he'll play the lead character in
Ningen Shikkaku (No Longer Human), a 1948 novel written by
Dazai Osamu and is considered as one of the bestselling book in Japan. the movie is set to be shown in 2010 (i know i live in the Philippines and there's only a slight chance for me to watch it, but there's the internet and i'm sure nothing is impossible:p). this is a very huge role for him since the book is a very dark and heavy but is definitely a good opportunity to polish is talent as an actor.
[picture from Flickr]
[click picture to see video in Youtube] 
