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Post by Saphira on Dec 22, 2003 17:04:32 GMT 10
Has anyone heard this anime?? It's kinda cool!!! You'll love it if you watch it! Here are some pics of the characters on H.Y.D that's all I can give!! Promise, i'll give more soon..
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Post by Sakura on Dec 23, 2003 2:05:21 GMT 10
lolz. I've never heard of it. But, it looks pretty awesome..
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Post by Saphira on Dec 23, 2003 16:22:25 GMT 10
Well, that's too bad! But it's cool... you know!!
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Post by Saphira on Dec 26, 2003 13:17:19 GMT 10
Title Info
seen: 1-6 of 51
type: TV
grade: watchable
genre: shoujo
made: unknown
The title translates as either "Dumplings before flowers" or "boys before flowers" depending on how it is written, which is probably a great pun in Japanese but loses something in translation (info. from series notes on the fansub). The story concerns a Japanese school-girl (16'ish) attending a prestigious school well above her social station. The school is dominated by four older boys, called the F4, who place a red card in the locker of the school pariah, who becomes an instant target for bullying. In standing up for a friend the lead manages to achieve this `honor', but being a bit tougher and more resilient than the average girl the result is not what they expect. At the same time she is drawn to the most reserved and introverted member of the F4, while the extroverted leader begins to find her intriguing, despite the fact that they have declared war on each other. The alternation between sociabilility and opposition on the part of the F4, and love and loathing on the part of the heroine, makes for some stressful scenes, but it never quite reaches the poison level of `brother, dear brother', possibly because there is so much happening. On the other hand those who have watched any `school pregnant doginess' anime will probably find this heroine a delight for her firey temper and bravery even when she is terrified of what she is doing. Of course the thing that hurts her the most is the strength of her love, which she realises is probably doomed to fail. The writing is not without flaws, some of the mood changes being a bit sudden, and the amount of activity reduces the atmosphere, but this is still an interesting piece. The animation is clean and minimal, in the expected shoujo manner. I very much look forward to watching the story unfold.
......HANA YORI DANGO.....
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Post by Sakura on Dec 27, 2003 5:50:07 GMT 10
it's *Dumplings before Flowers* right? There's a smiley so I couldn't see it...
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Post by Saphira on Dec 27, 2003 12:21:35 GMT 10
oh yeah... it's *dumplings before Flowers*
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Post by Saphira on Dec 27, 2003 12:25:15 GMT 10
Character: Makino Tsukushi Seiyuu: Mochida Maki Height: 160 cm Weight: 48kg Blood Type: B Home Town: Tokyo Birthday: December 28, 1977 Favorite Color: Blue Dislikes: Rich Guys Makino Tsukushi is the heroine of the series. She's 16 years old (she turns 17 later), and comes from a very poor family. Her mother is constantly arguing with people over the prices of everything. However despite her poverty (and thanks to her parents pouring all their money into her tuition,) Tsukushi attends Eitoku Gakuen, one of the most exclusive private schools in Japan. She is surrounded everyday by the richest of society's children. Tsukushi at first is quiet and unobtrusive, as she simply tries to make her way through the school without causing any ripples. However after witnessing the antics of the F4 one too many times, Tsukushi snaps, and her naturally agressive attitude surfaces. In middle school, Tsukushi had no problems standing up for herself. However, since transfering into the exclusive school, her behavior had changed. Now she has reverted back to her strong self. Tsukushi is brave and is a good fighter. She stands up to Doumyouji and the F4 despite her inner fears and nervousness. She refuses to take crap from anyone, no matter how rich they are. Not only is she good at protecting herself, she is also the protector of her friends Kazuya and Makiko-chan. Tsukushi's family wants Tsukushi to find some rich guy at Eitoku Gakuen to marry, so she can help them all out of their poor lifestyle. And Tsukushi is on her way to doing just that. She is at the center of a tug of war between two members of the F4, Doumyouji Tsukasa and Hanazawa Rui. As for Tsukushi's feelings, they seem to sway towards Hanazawa Rui. However there is also some sort of feeling towards Doumyouji as well, even though they argue most of the time.
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Post by Saphira on Dec 27, 2003 12:26:47 GMT 10
Character: Doumyouji Tsukasa Seiyuu: Miyashita Naoki Height: 183cm Weight: 67kg Blood Type: B Home Town: Tokyo Birthday: January 31, 1977 Likes: Caviar Specialty: Arguing Favorite Color: Red Doumyouji Tsukasa is the 17 year old leader of the F4 (he turns 18 during the series). He is the heir to the incredibly wealthy Doumyouji corporate empire. Doumyouji is tall, with black hair that curls close to his head. His funny hairstyle is commented on by just about everyone. However, it was only when Tsukushi twitted him about it that he made any attempt to straighten it. His hair only goes straight when it is wet. Otherwise, it takes several hours to straighten the mess out, and even then it usually does not stay in place. Doumyouji has a very strong personality. Because he has been raised in wealth, he is fairly spoiled, and his attitude is one of arrogance and superiority. He has a huge ego and uses his large size and substantial wealth to bully everyone around. Doumyouji has a quick temper that causes him to lash out angrily at anyone in his path. Because of this quick temper, everyone in Eitoku Gakuen is afraid of him. Doumyouji has been known to beat people up over trifles. Doumyouji has been living alone with the servants in his huge mansion for a very long time. His parents have been living in New York for the past two years, and his older sister has recently married and now lives in Beverly Hills with her husband. Thus Doumyouji is all alone in his big empty house, and can get quite lonely. He covers up his feelings with bullying and anger. Also, because of his wealth, Doumyouji is constantly the target for opportunists who try to use him to get at his wealth or to his father in the company. Doumyouji knows that most of the people around him are not interested in him as a person, but are only interested in his money. Doumyouji has a hard time expressing his feelings. His arrogance often gets in the way, as does his temper and his pride. He tends to not respect authority, considering himself to be above that sort of thing. Doumyouji gets jealous easily, which causes Tsukushi all sorts of problems. Of all of his family members, Doumyouji is closest to his sister, a strong woman in her own right, who is one of the few people Doumyouji can actually be afraid of. Tsukushi has many of the same qualities as Doumyouji's sister. Doumyouji is very possessive about things he cares about. He may often be a rude brute towards Tsukushi, but if anyone or anything else harms her, he is the first one to try to protect her. He is willing to sacrifice his own health to save her. Through the course of the story, Doumyouji changes a lot. He gradually learns to see things through the eyes of others, and his temper calms down. Tsukushi has a good influence on him And while he may be clumsy at expressing gentler feelings, he does, at least, not doubt his feelings, and believes in himself right away, unlike Tsukushi, who is always in a sea of self-doubt.
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Post by Saphira on Dec 27, 2003 12:28:38 GMT 10
Character: Hanazawa Rui Seiyuu: Yamamoto Kouji Height: 181cm Weight: 65kg Blood Type: AB Birthday: March 30, 1977 Hometown: Tokyo Favorite Color: Black Hanazawa Rui is the quiet, sensitive guy in the F4. He is 18 years old, and is next in line to inherit his father's company. Because he is the heir, Rui's father was always very strict with him as a child, grooming him for his future position. This has left Rui an introvert who expresses his emotions through the beautiful music he plays on his violin. Quiet and secretive, Rui spends most of his days out of classes, and sitting on a school staircase, staring off into space, lost in his own thoughts. One of his favorite hobbies is sleeping. Rui is the most calm and serious of the F4. He also seems to be the most compassionate of the guys as well, helping Tsukushi out of trouble several times. While Doumyouji always tends to get Tsukushi into trouble, it is Rui who is like the knight in shining armor who appears to aid her. Hanazawa Rui is the object of Tsukushi's affections, however Rui's feelings for her are hard to discern. His introverted nature makes him difficult to talk to sometimes. Tsukushi has a hard time reading what he is feeling. Sometimes it seems Rui is interested in Tsukushi, while at others it appears that she is merely a source of mild amusement. Rui seems to be in love with a girl from his youth, Toudou Shizuka, an incedibly beautiful and famous idol girl. She is two years older than Rui, but they grew up together, and a special bond formed between them. Rui's exact feelings towards Shizuka are somewhat hard to fathom as well. At some points he seems utterly infatuated with her, while at others he seems interested in Tsukushi. It takes something highly amusing to crack Rui's solemn expression. Tsukushi feels very comfortable with Rui, despite his strange, introverted personality. While she always feels anxiety with Doumyouji, Rui is like her strong rock she can lean on when she needs support. Their relationship becomes very close, even though at one point Rui calls Tsukushi his 'pet.' ^_^;; His feelings for Tsukushi are deep and complicated.
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Post by Saphira on Dec 27, 2003 12:30:41 GMT 10
Character: Mimasaka Akira Seiyuu: Mochizuki Youta Height: 179cm Weight: 67kg Blood Type: Akira has always seemed in my mind to be "that long-haired one". He's the 4th member of the F4, and as far as I can tell, he has the least differentiated personality. The one thing I can say about him is that he is somewhat of a playboy like Nishikado is. However, unlike Nishikado who likes to have several girlfriends, Akira tends to only have one, but he prefers older women Akira always hangs out with Nishikado. The two of them team up a lot to tease Rui and Doumyouji, and are currently trying to get Tsukushi and Doumyouji together whether they want to be together or not Akira has the long wavy hair which he wears loose, or occasionally tied back into a ponytail. Akira is 18 years old.
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Post by Saphira on Dec 27, 2003 12:32:14 GMT 10
Character: Nishikado Soujirou Seiyuu: Akaida Yoshihiko Height: 5'9" (180cm) Weight: 149 pounds (68kg) Blood Type: O Nishikado Soujirou is the playboy of the F4. He's rich is rich and good-looking, and he knows it. He grew up as a playmate with Doumyouji, Rui, and Akira. Nishikado is playful, and likes to hit on all the pretty girls he sees. He is quick to hit on Yuki, Tsukushi's friend from work. He has said that he never forgets a pretty face. Nishikado also likes to tease Tsukushi by calling her 'virgin girl'. This is in reference to something that happens in episode 2. In general, Hana Yori Dango tends to focus on Tsukushi, Rui, and Doumyouji. The other 2 F4 guys, Soujirou and Nishikado, are not really in the spotlight as much. Soujirou stays by Doumyouji when there are in-fights between the F4, but his loyalties are really for all of the F4 as a whole. Yuki falls for Soujirou, and while he could easily hurt her, he is nice enough to be kind to her and not abuse her feelings. This stems mainly from his past. One of the reasons for his playboy behavior is his past relationship with a girl he grew up with. He broke a promise to her and he lost her. He realized his feelings too late, and always dwells on the lost opportunity. (It's kind of tragic ;_; poor Soujirou...) He does seem to like Yuki, but not love her.
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Post by Saphira on Dec 27, 2003 12:35:18 GMT 10
METER GARDEN Meteor Garden, or Liu Xing Hua Yuan, is a live action version of the Hana Yori Dango story that was made into a TV series in Taiwan. (Shoujo manga --> live action seems to be popular there, as there are also live-action dramas of the manga Peach Girl and Marmalade Boy as well.) Over there, the manga is called Meteor Garden, so the TV series took that name as well. Meteor Garden totals 2 TV series, and set of side-story specials called Meteor Rain. The show has been incredibly popular and influential all over Asia, and the guys who were cast to play the F4 have become huge idols. They even record music as a singing group, also under the name of F4. The popularity of the series has even resulted in the show being banned in China (for fear of it promoting negative feelings between the classes, if I remember correctly). Meteor Garden follows the HYD Anime and Manga very closely. Some slight changes were made (for example, all the characters attend Ying De University, not high school) but so many other things follow the original closely in the first seriesI was amazed! The second series strays a bit. The Cast: HYD Name/Meteor Garden Name : Actor Name Makino Tsukushi/Shan Chai : Barbie Xu Doumyouji Tsukasa/Dao Ming Si : Jerry Yan Hanazawa Rui/Hua Zhe Lei : Vic Zhou Mimasaka Akira/Mei Zuo : Vanness Wu Nishikado Soujirou/Xi Men : Ken Zhu Aoike Kazuya/Qing He: Edward Au Matsuoka Yuuki/Xiao You: Rainie Yeuang I say, Meteor Garden is really awsome!!! You'll love it!!! ^_^
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Post by Saphira on Dec 27, 2003 12:36:54 GMT 10
Character: Matsuoka Yuki Seiyuu: Tobimatsu Kanako Yuki is Tsukushi's friend from elementary and junior high school. They have been friends for a long time and also work together at a dango shop. Yuki goes to a different high school than Tsukushi, so she is not around to see Tsukushi's struggles with the F4. However Yuki supports Tsukushi by giving her the first mass marketable toy of the series, the decision-maker/question anwserer thing. Yuki is loyal to Tsukushi. She has a very flamboyant older sister who wears flashy clothes and is determined to dress Yuki and Tsukushi in a similar fashion. (though we only see the sister once) Yuki is the object of Nishikado's attentions occasionally. (But then again, every girl is the subject of Nishikado's attentions However in the manga, Yuki falls in love with Soujirou, but she faces fierce competition from the memory of Soujirou's first love. It is Yuki that Tsukushi invites to go with her places as a sort of 'ally' to help her deal with the weirdness at her school.
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Post by Saphira on Dec 27, 2003 12:41:00 GMT 10
Hana Yori Dango is the story of Makino Tsukushi, a 16 year old girl from the wrong side of the tracks who is a new student at Eitoku Gakuen, a very exclusive school that is attended by the richest of society's children. Tsukushi, shy at first, already feels uncomfortable and out of place amongst the rich, snobby kids at her school and she cannot wait until the time, two years later, when she will graduate. However despite finding a new friend to talk to at school, Tsukushi's problems at Eitoku take a sudden turn for the worse when she crosses the path of the F4. The F4 are the 4 richest guys at Eitoku Gakuen, and for all intents and purposes, they rule the school. They wander around the campus unchallenged by teacher or student, they flaunt the school dress code by not wearing their uniforms, and never seem to go to class. The F4 are: Hanazawa Rui, 18, scruffy reddish-brown hair. Nishikado Soujirou, 18, short, straight black hair. Mimasaka Akira, 18, long wavy brown hair. Doumyouji Tsukasa, 17, short dark hair curly on top Doumyouji Tsukasa is the leader of the F4, and the one with the shortest temper. He rules the school by intimidation. The entire student body is either afraid of him or in awe of him. Doumyouji has been known to terrorize any poor student is who is unfortunate enough to fall in his path. What he does (with the support of the F4) is place a red tag in the locker of the intended victim. The red tag is a sign to the rest of the school that the victim has somehow offended the F4 and is now a target for their abuse. The whole school unites to make the victim's life hell. Just such a thing happens to Tsukushi Tsukushi stands up to Doumyouji while defending her friend Makiko, who had fallen down some stairs and had landed on the angry Doumyouji. Doumyouji decides to red tag Tsukushi's locker, and this prompts the entire school to heap abuse on her. At first, Tsukushi is afraid of Doumyouji and is intimidated by the F4. She runs away from her attackers. However when she is confronted by Doumyouji, her fighting spirit comes to life, and she decides to do the unthinkable: Challenge the F4! Tsukushi declares that she will not take any crap from the F4 and the rest of the school, and vows to fight back. She declares war on the F4 with a red tag of her own. Tsukushi is a strong girl, not given to backing down from a challenge! Tsukushi's unexpected resistance piques Doumyouji's interest. Her strength proves to be attractive to him, and he ends up having a crush on her, even though they are 'at war' with each other. Tsukushi, on the other hand, does not seem to be that impressed with the rich, arrogant Doumyouji, and instead finds herself attracted to another member of the F4, the quiet, sensitive violin player, Hanazawa Rui. This sets up an explosive triangle of love and hate relationships, as Tsukushi finds herself in the middle of a tug of war between Rui and Doumyouji. Tsukushi has to face the pressure of the school's rapidly shifting opinion of her, her status as a poor girl in a rich school, and her attraction to a cool but mysterious guy (Rui) while at the same time dealing with the advances of Doumyouji. I think this is a great series! It is funny, dramatic, and romantic. The mood can be slow and gentle, or intense and frightening. The characters are interesting (well, most of them and the music is great! The series is much like a teen soap opera. The voice acting is interesting, and the character designs are unusual. The color scheme of HYD is unusual as well. The colors are very muted and soft. There are lots of pale yellows, cream, grays, blue-gray, and browns. I think this lends the series a greater sense of reality. Anyway, if you should come across this series, I highly recommend checking it out!
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Post by Saphira on Dec 27, 2003 12:56:04 GMT 10
....hmm, maybe people who don't know Hana yori Dango yet can get informations about it, right? or no?? just tell me, i could give more!!!
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