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The Gist: Athlete Ashiya Mizuki (Horikita Maki) is very inspired
by high jump hopeful Sano Izumi (Oguri Shun) and therefore crushed when he
quits the sport after an accident. Going to extreme measures to help him,
Mizuki begins attending Sano’s school, even though it’s an all boys’ school.
Fairly androgynous looking, Mizuki passes without too much question and is even
able to room with Sano. Sano discovers Mizuki’s true identity without much
delay, but neither shares the truth with the other. Still, persuading Sano to
pick up the mantle again proves difficult, especially when Mizuki’s feelings
for him start growing beyond hero idolization.
Love:
1.The Talent
Picture credit: dramacrazy.net
No matter what you feel about the show, the cast is a pretty
impressive collection of characters. Maki makes for a cute and earnest main
character, probably best known for her totally different role as Nobuta in Nobuta
Wo Produce. While it’s not unusual for her to play someone so fired up, it’s definitely
surprising coming from someone so cute and compact. Opposite her is Oguri Shun,
whose resume is about as deep as Maki’s, recognizable (though with a different
hair color) as Hanazawa Rui from Hana Yori Dango. The whole show is peppered
with familiar faces, whose acting is top notch.
2.The Funny
Picture credit:dramacrazy.net
Anytime someone does the cross dressing bit, there’s always
a few good laughs that are guaranteed out of it. It reminded me of Amanda Bynes’
She’s The Man a bit, though I’m
pretty sure Hana Kimi came first. Ikuta Toma as Mizuki’s friend Shuichi is
hysterical as he clearly develops feelings for Mizuki without knowing her real
gender. His reaction is reminiscent of a similar storyline in KDrama You’re Beautiful, when Jeremy tries to
ignore blossoming feelings for a boy who’s actually a girl. The silliness of
the drama makes it enjoyable, easy watching.
Meh:
1.The Romance
Picture credit: dramacrazy.net
As much as I love the characters individually, I wasn’t
crazy about the romance of Hana Kimi, which surprised me for what a classic
tale and popular manga this story is. It’s difficult to get much development
when Mizuki isn’t being honest about being a girl and the chemistry between
them felt only so/so to me. There are some nice moments between them though,
such as when Sano realizes Mizuki is hurt during a race, but pushes through it
anyway to try to get him back on track. It could have used more, I think, since
the romance is the main feature of this drama.
2.The Sports
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This is totally a
personal preference and not a universal problem with the show. I get bored and
uninterested in sports based shows and this one was not an exception. I haven’t
quite figured out why that is as I like sports just fine, but I tend to avoid
sports shows altogether. Still, it gave Mizuki a goal to work towards, so I
understand it, I just didn’t care too much about it.
Hate:
1.Unrealistic
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While the silliness of this show is a strength, I think the
premise and execution veers so hard into completely unbelievable that it
weakens the story. I could not believe that anyone would go as far as Mizuki
did for Sano, when she doesn’t even know him. Who cares about a high school
high jumper that much, to concoct such a farfetched plan? The dorm and school
situations were also all over the place, with over the top charicatures (Minami’s
playboy, anyone?) of students that I feel like I lost a level of depth to the
show. A lot (read: all) of dramas are ridiculously unrealistic, but I think
this one kept me from really connecting with the characters.
So:
So…don’t expect to take this show too seriously. This is one
time when I feel like my opinion clashes pretty strongly with the public’s
general opinion. For how popular this show is, I didn’t love love it – it was
fine for what it was, but I wanted to be blown away. Once again, this is a
drama where I feel like I could get something similar but better with another show.
Final Grade: C
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