Hanazakarino Kimitachihe (traditional Chinese: 花樣少年少女; simplified Chinese: 花样少年少女; pinyin: Huāyàng Shàonián Shàonǚ; lit. 'The tricks of boys and girls') is a 2006 Taiwanese drama starring Ella Chen of S.H.E, Wu Chun and Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, and Danson Tang. It was based on Japanese shōjo manga series Hana-Kimi by Hisaya Nakajo.
The series was first broadcast in Taiwan on free-to-air Chinese Television System (CTS) (華視) from November 19, 2006, to March 4, 2007, every Sunday at 21:30 and cable TV Gala Television (GTV) Variety Show/CH 28 (八大綜合台) on November 25, 2006, every Saturday at 21:00.
Hanazakarino Kimitachihe was nominated for Best Marketing Programme of the Year at the 42nd Golden Bell Awards in 2007.
Contents
Synopsis
Lu Ruixi (Ella Chen), a Taiwanese girl living in the United States, watches a documentary on Taiwanese high jumper Zuo Yiquan (Wu Chun). Inspired by his jumps, she transfers to Ying Kai University in Taiwan. However, it is an all-boys school and thus, Ruixi cuts her hair short and dresses up as a boy to attend it. She befriends Jin Xiuyi (Jiro Wang). When Ruixi gets knocked unconscious during a soccer match, Yiquan aids by taking her to the school's doctor, Meitian. Being gay, Meitian realizes that Ruixi is a girl. He keeps her identity a secret from everyone, including Ruixi. Unbeknownst to Ruixi, Yiquan had given up high jumping after a road accident while trying to save his high school classmate from being run over. Their relationship begins to blossom when Ruixi convinces Quan to return to high jumping.
Cast
Main
Ella Chen as Lu Ruixi/Mizuki Ashiya, the female protagonist who disugises as a man to attend Quan's school.
Wu Chun as Zuo Yi Quan/Izumi Sano, the quiet male high jumper who defends those he cares about. Yiquan has given up high jumping at the beginning of the series, but was persuaded to return by Ruixi.
Jiro Wang as Jin Xiuyi/Shuichi Nakatsu, a soccer star with doubts of his sexuality when Ruixi arrives.
Supporting
Tang Zhiping as Meitian/Hokuto Umeda, the gay doctor who keeps Ruixi's secret. She often comes to him for advice and support.
Danson Tang as Liang Si-nan/Minami Nanba, the flirtatuous leader of the No. 2 dormitory. He is Mei Yinghua's son and Meitian's nephew. Yangyang has a crush on him.
Chen Wenxiang as Jiang Yeshen/Noe Shinji, a student who is often together with Guan Rihui and is frequently seen preening his hair.
Xie Zhenghao as Guan Rihui/Kyōgo Sekine, Ruixi's classmate is often seen together with Jiang Yeshen.
Hsie He-hsian as Dashu/Taiki Kayashima, Xiuyi's roommate who is an amateur spirit-chaser.
Nissa Marion as Julia, Ruixi's best friend from the United States.
Yujiro as Yu Chilang, Yiquan's dog whom he rescued from being taken away by the local animal control. Because the people who attempted to take him away were men, Yu Chi Lang has a particular dislike for male humans, except Quan.
Ethan Juan as Shenle/Makoto Kagurazaka, Yiquan's rival who has superficial altercation with him.
JJ Lin as Lu Jingxi/Shizuki Ashiya, Ruixi's older half-brother who is a Harvard graduate specializing in cardiology. He is possessive of his sister and was originally unaware that she had transferred into an all-boys school.
Guo Chinchun as Mei Yinghua/Io Nanba, Meitian's sister and Liang Sinan's mother. She owns an inn where Ruixi, Yiquan, and Xiuyi stay and work at during first summer.
Zhang Haoming as Wang Tiansi/Megumi Tennōji, leader of the No.1 dormitory
Reception
Viewership
The pilot episode of Hanazakarino Kimitachie started off strong, posting a rating of 3.05 The series encountered little competition until the premiere broadcast of Corner With Love starring Show Lo and Barbie Hsu. Before the latter's pilot episode aired, Hsu bet that its highest rating would hover around 2.9, while Chai Zhiping bet on ratings of around 3.3. Corner would end up posting a final average of 2.81, with a peak at around 3.25, but it did not match for Hanazakari no Kimitachie's average rating of 3.91 that week. The Corner With Love threat was held off for yet another episode, as Hanazakari no Kimitachie's eighth episode posted ratings of 3.88, compared to Corner With Love's 3.17 - a difference of nearly 150,000 viewers per minute.
As both series fought for viewership, Hanazakarino Kimitachie never rose its weekly ratings. By the 12th episode, the series was rated 5.0. The final episode achieved a rating of 5.98. The ratings for Hanazakari no Kimitachie were high that television channels in Japan and South Korea dished out over 30,000,000 NTD for the rights to broadcast the drama. The drama's ratings performance resulted in a nomination at the 2007 Seoul International Drama Awards in the Best Juvenile Drama category.
Gala Television had originally placed Hanazakari no Kimitachie in the Best Drama Series category, alongside Beijing dramas Tang Dynasty and The Great Revival, but changed their mind at the last minute. Following the drama's 15-episode run, media sources speculated that Chen, Wu, Wang all signed on to star in the sequel of Hanazakari no Kimitachie. In September 2007, Producer Huang Wangbo officially denied this claim.
Special episode: 5.98%