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    Almael
    Member
    Hanazakari no Kimitachi e ~Ikemen Paradise~ (2011)

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    Type: drama

    Genre: comedy

    Year: 2011-Jul-10 to 2011-Sep-18

    Summary:

    Same as Hanazakari no Kimitachi e ~Ikemen Paradise~ (2007) with different side stories.

    Critique:

    This show is a remake and a near carbon copy of Hanazakari no Kimitachi e ~Ikemen Paradise~ (2007). I appreciate the different film location, schools and even the different image of schools but the rest is just bad.

    The show features Maeda Atsuko (Acchan) as Ashiya Mizuki and Kashiwagi Yuki (Yukirin) as Kishinosato Juri, both are from AKB48. They are one of a few highlights of the show.

    Acchan’s acting is her usual self but the boy part is out of order. Her display of boy poses is just too exaggerated, and cranky (not forced). She spreads her legs too much for a sturdy boy pose and her arm movements are too robotic and wide. She is far from matching Horikita Maki’s performance.

    Yukirin’s role virtually is a second(!) Hibari from the original. Her mysterious graceful aura is an improvement to the original Hibari as well as her more serious acting. However, she still doesn’t get much screen time to make a larger impact.

    Basically the show addresses and tries to fix all my complains about Hanazakari no Kimitachi e ~Ikemen Paradise~ (2007) but totally fails due to trying to copy the old cast. Because of this the rest of the cast appears to be misfits and sad copies of the originals.

    They do get to show their own strength but the old character images are just too large to fill. Nakamura Aoi plays a more emotional Sano Izumi, a major improvement, but he’s bad at switching modes. Izumi is no longer the cool, closed and mysterious guy which kind of sucks.

    Even the class room & dormitory rooms were fashioned to resemble the original despite architecturally completely out of place. The show does make an effort to change scenes & stories for the better but they don’t have an impact on the show or its perception to get rid of the bad taste.

    Iwasa Mayuko reprises her role as Hanayashiki Hibari but at a later time, though. This time she’s not as cliche as before and more serious but sadly the script leaves her out on the sideline.

    The show is watchable and maybe even good but if you have seen any of the other versions of Hanazakari no Kimitachi e first you will be in for some disappointments.

    Verdict: 6.7

    Cast 7

    Cast performance 7

    Script/Directing: 6