Hana Yori Dango

Plot synopsis

Tsukushi Makino is a tough, hard-working, lower-middle-class student at the prestigious escalator school Eitoku Gakuen. Initially, Makino wanted to attend Eitoku because her idol, an internationally renowned model named Shizuka Todou, was an alumna of the school. Not long after however, Makino discovers the superficial nature of her classmates. Their arrogance and her inability to relate to them because of her social status limit her chances to make friends. Worse yet, the school is ruled by the F4 or Flower Four, composed of playboys Soujiro Nishikado and Akira Mimasaka, introverted but intelligent and handsome Hanazawa Rui and violent and bratty Domyouji Tsukasa. The F4, sons of Japan's wealthiest and most powerful tycoons, bully fellow students out of boredom or malevolence until they are expelled or quit.

Makino's only wish is to remain invisible in Eitoku to avoid getting into trouble. However, she is immersed into the lives of the four legendary bullies after her first and only friend at school, Sakurako Sanjo, accidentally spills juice on Domyouji's white shirt in the cafeteria and she defends her. The next day, she receives a red tag in her locker (an order from the F4 to bully the target student by whatever means possible) and as a result, the whole school turns against her. Despite the harassment, Tsukushi, the "tough weed", refuses to give in or quit. After Domyouji treads all over the lobster her parents painstakingly cooked for her, she finally snaps, knocks him out and declares war on him. This unexpected retaliation catches him by surprise and causes him to fall in love with her. But Tsukushi has fallen in love with Rui, who in turn harbors romantic feelings for his childhood friend Shizuka.

The courtship between Tsukasa and Tsukushi is the main theme throughout the series. Various challenges threaten their blossoming relationship, including Tsukushi's wavering feelings for Rui, the envy of fellow Eitoku students, an obsessed childhood classmate, their differences in social class, Tsukasa's brash and possessive nature, and the animosity of Kaede Domyouji, Tsukasa's mother. The first season ends with Domyouji giving the saturn necklace to Makino and her confession of love right before he leaves for New York.

Cast

Info

Main cast

Mao Inoue as Tsukushi Makino

Jun Matsumoto as Tsukasa Domyouji

Shun Oguri as Rui Hanazawa

Shota Matsuda as Soujiro Nishikado

Tsuyoshi Abe as Akira Mimasaka

Supporting cast

Aki Nishihara as Yuki Matsuoka

Mayumi Sada as Todo Shizuka

Seto Saki as Yuriko Asai

Fukada Aki as Erika Ayuhara

Matsuoka Emiko as Minako Yamano

David Ito as Nishida

Megumi Sato as Sakurako Sanjo

Nanako Matsushima as Tsubaki Domyoji

Mariko Kaga as Kaede Domyoji

Takako Katou as Sachiyo Sengoku (Okami-San)

Susumu Kobayashi as Haruo Makino

Mako Ishino as Chieko Makino

Satoshi Tomiura as Susumu Makino

Guests

Kazue Itoh as Minako Yamanaka

Masei Nakayama as Junji Terada (Class 2C)

Kaori Ikeda as Mizuki Morioka

Tomohiro Kaku as Shingo Sawatari (Episode 1)

Kazuma Sano as Takayuki Kimoto (Episode 1)

Tomoharu Hasegawa (Episode 1)

Shunji Igarashi (Episode 1)

Kento Handa as Ryuji (Episode 4-5)

Tatsuya Gashuin (Episode 4-5)

Takayuki Takuma (Episode 4-9)

Shugo Oshinari as Nakatsuka (Episode 6-7)

Yoko Mitsuya as Nakatsuka's Other Girl (Episode 6-7)

Ayana Sakai as Ayano Kurimaki (Episode 8-9)

Kazuaki Hankai as TOJ's Emcee (Episode 8-9)

Momoko Shibuya as a TOJ Participant (Episode 8-9)

Sotaro Suzuki (Episode 9)

Production credits

Based on the Boys Over Flowers Comics by: Yoko Kamio

Screenwriters: Mikio Satake, Yuki Fujimoto, Natsuko Takahashi, Shūko Arai

Producer: Katsuaki Setoguchi

Directors: Yasuharu Ishii, Daisuke Yamamuro, Osamu Katayama

Music: Kosuke Yamashita

Reception

Ratings

Source: Video Research, Ltd.

International broadcast

In the Philippines, the series aired on GMA-7 from April 23 to May 25, 2007.

In Vietnam, the series aired on VTV3 every 10:30pm every Monday to Friday, start on 17 October 2013 (with all 2 seasons).