Hanazakari no Kimitachi e

It has come to my fourth time re-reading this fulfilling gender-bender. Hanazakari no Kimi-tachi e (or Hana Kimi for short) has a way of sticking to heart in places of love, anguish, and humour.

My first impression after reading the summary was to completely avoid this manga, not even wanting to start it. The premise of a girl foolishly dressing a boy just to chase the boy of her dreams, was a eye roll in the direction of "because every girl would do such a thing for love" and a sarcastic "how romantic". Yet, upon reading I found that was not the case. Whilst romance is a main genre, it is hardly a thought until Mizuki Ashiya starts to develop a friendship for Sano. In short, first impressions are only that: impressions.

Typical to many long running shoujo manga there is a main plot, of Mizuki Ashiya cross-dressing to get to into the same school as her idol, Izumi Sano, mixed in with chapters of comedy, heartbreak and just the general life of a cross-dresser living in the dorms of boys. At times the whole dynamic between Mizuki and Sano is dragged out at times but then it would be a short manga if not. Yet, I still found myself (and even now re-reading) wanting more and when I thought I was done, more was given and greed for this manga had me.

Whilst the fact Mizuki is cross-dressing and it being the main reason for plot is carried throughout the story, like her it's often more based on her own character rather than her own focus on gender. By her getting used to her new environment, it is not merely just avoiding the baths but avoiding her friends and importantly, herself. An issue I thought was tackled slowly but realistically.

Even during the mild chapters where nothing seemed to be jumping out plot-wise the many and diverse characters kept me hooked. With the main character of Mizuki being strong and a female I could relate in her attitudes towards friends and school. A twenty-five volumed manga is of course going to be hosting a variety of characters, and so it rings true. It is also that the quantity of characters matches the quality. It's clear that once new characters are brought in they are established in appearance, personality and interactions. Although at the beginning there are a few inconsistencies with the relationships of characters they are soon smoothed and given the edges that make each an individual. I found myself happy to see old characters that were once side characters appear once again in another subplot or to have the main characters get their development. However, it soon that you found yourself in developments of the supporting cast with a well panned out cast of characters. To be said with the characters is the ratio of male:female being small, but with the setting of Ohsaka Academy: school for boys there is hardly an explanation needed. That is to say the females are not lacking in their depth.

Of course, where would shoujo romance be without the love triangle? Certainly Hana Kimi is not free from the classic element. Although that in itself is confusing, well at least it is for Shuichi Nakatsu another make going through the rollercoaster of puberty and questioning himself. Whilst I won't sugarcoat the fact his 'homosexuality' is more than a few portrayed as a comedy gag of inner turmoil, it is still however slipped into the serious note. Similarly, there are many dashes of shounen-ai as with to do living in the all boys dorm. Maybe a little peak at the school nurse in the baths...

Light-hearted romance and hilarious comedy are recurring genres for Hana Kimi, however, that is not to say it does not tackle seriousness. Whilst parts are a little dramatic, Hana Kimi delivers on the ability to blur my vision from weakness. The ups and downs are to be taken with care.

Now my taste in art styles varies, yet what more could I ask for than the smooth shoujo artwork to the humorous chibis flailing around. It must be taken into account that Hana Kimi was first released way back in the 90s and so the art style in terms of shoujo is quite popular. Nothing I find is rather lacking or stands out in either beauty nor disgust. In fact it isn't a major concern. If anything this would be the only thing not boosting it to a full mark rating.

Avoid the obvious lengthy Autumn season that seems to run over five volumes as if to prolong the life style Mizuki and the rest of the boys are in, then the reality hits. The ending was hardly rushed yet for reaction timing it was abrupt in that sense. However the tying of loose ends was not needed to be done as I felt Hisayo Nakajo was fitting the final pieces way before the ending had become explicit.

It is the enjoyment of things combined that make this a true favourite, and to other lovers of shoujo, comedy or just a light read Hana Kimi is a must read.

If you’re looking for a High School drama filled with yearning romance, hilarious situations, quite pretty art and boys who are (or think they are) gay, then this is the manga for you! There are photo shoots, bullying, beaches, treasure hunts, sports, with a little bit of alcohol and cross-dressing on the side. Great fun!

Story: For the story, I give it an 8. It was a good tale, if a little on the stale side with some of the plotlines. But only some! The overall ‘Girl likes Guy in High School’ plot is mixed up a bit with the main character (Mizuki) pretending to be a boy, with just the right amount of Drama and Angst to keep a reader interested. And the best thing about the story? It’s complete!

Art: I must give it a 9! Beautiful artwork. The boys all look very pretty, but don’t expect much from the backgrounds. I mean, they're not bad, but they are not the main focus. The focus in this manga is mostly on the characters – which are gorgeous I must say again. There are some SD parts when the characters are flipping out, but they don’t dominate the story, and the silliness of the artwork at those times adds to the humour. Very nice overall!

Character: Ahhh, the characters... Definitely a 10! I think the characters were the reason I was able to finish this manga so fast! I absolutely love dramatic interactions between the people in the stories I read, and this has it all! There are relationships that range from romantic to fanatic and back again. Great stuff.

Enjoyment: 9! I loved this manga so much, that when I found out that there was a real-life TV show of it in Japan, I watched as many episodes I could find online at the time... Oh dear me, I’m surprised that the shininess and the cheesiness didn’t kill me. But yes, I really enjoyed it. :D

Overall, I give this manga a 9. I thought it was a great manga, and well worth a casual read if you’re ever in the mood for a humour/romance shoujo manga.

I hope this was helpful! :D

When i first started reading Hana-Kimi I immediatly fell inlove with the manga. Hana-Kimi grabs your from the first chapter because of its fun attitude, Amazing art, Gripping romance but probley the thing that grabbed me the most was the halarious comedy. I couldent get enough of this manga and somtimes i would go back and read a part just because it was so romantic and funny. I think Hana-Kimi is a great manga that is light you know? Its not full of drama and it dosent have that annoying girl who tries to get in the way of the main characters relationship (We all know that type of girl) And instead of focasing on drama it focases on the endless love between two people who have secrets but that they except eachother because they love eachother. Anything is possible and this manga showed that fantasticaly. I reccomend this manga to any Manga/anime fan that is thirsting for somthing new,fun and absoutly amazing. 9/10

Hana Kimi was my first manga, and it holds a very special place in my heart. I had never really been into manga or anime, but my friend was. She was sitting in class one day completally absorbed in it, and I got interested in what it was about. I love romantic comedy type of movies, so my friend told me that I would probably like Hana Kimi. I had once read a manga at the library when I was in middle school so I already knew how to read manga. I started reading it and fell in love with it! I related to Mizuki so much, and before long Hana Kimi became my way to escape- if I was mad/ sad/ excited/ or just wanted to get away from it all, I'd read Hana Kimi and just let go of all my worries and problems. I became so imerrsed in it actally that my grades started dropping drastically (haha). When I finished the series I cried for a good ten minutes. I had never read such a good book series... I had actually felt like I knew the characters from the series, like they where my friends. After the series was over my heart felt warm, like I had filled in a missing piece. I know this might sound crazy- even like I"m just some obsessed fan- but Hana Kimi is definatally a part of me now. It's the best manga I"ve ever read and I'm afraid to read it again because I know the emotions won't be the same the second time.... Anyway, Hana Kimi is very good in my opinion and is definatlaly my favorite manga. I have never read a manga as good as it since (you can tell I'm picky about my manga lol)... I recomend it to everyone! :)

Story (5/10)
After watching a track-and-field competition, Ashiya Mizuki begins to admire Sano Izumi, a high jump competitor, for his beautiful form. She decides to secretly enroll into Osaka Gakeun which Izumi is in. However, Osaka Gakeun is an all-boys' school, which means that Mizuki has to disguise herself as a boy!

+
; The comedy in this manga is golden, and it's probably its best point. It's a delight to read the manga because I know it can always bring out laughter of me.
; It is easy for the readers to follow the story because every volume has a clear focus and at the end of the day, the readers won't go (???) over what they have just read.

-
; The flow is a little sketchy. Hana Kimi has around 140 chapters (excluding the special chapters) and the story spends half of the time making no progress. It almost feels like the middle portion of the manga is just fillers (most which are good fillers though, because at least we get character development which is pretty much the main selling point of the manga). That being said, the actual climax comes off as sudden, and the ending itself is also sudden, so the page distribution here is a little uneven.



Characters (9/10)
The manga, of course, focuses a lot on Mizuki and Izumi, but it does spend much of its time on the other side characters (to name a few, Nakatsu, Minami, Hokuto are some examples). Hana Kimi is largely centered around characters' arcs or school events, and how the main characters (primarily Mizuki) deal with the situations.

+
; Most characters are distinctive and have their own perks and sense of humour, so it's fairly easy to fall for them.
; CHEMISTRY. Hana Kimi just nails it when it comes to the chemistry from the romance aspect to the friendship aspect.
; We get to learn a lot about the characters' backstories and how they shape the way the characters think and act, so all of that really ups how relatable the characters are. We get to see other characters' reactions towards certain events as well, and that really allows us to have a better idea of who they are as people.

-
; ...Seems like it's a common thing in anime/manga in general, but really, TOO MUCH DENSENESS. It's pretty much why the manga has dragged on for so long. Moderate denseness is fine, but when the characters are oblivious about terribly obvious things, it gets very frustrating.
; Too many side characters. Of course, I love side characters, but I feel like there are too many irrelevant ones who don't add to the significance of the plot. Sometimes, cutting down is better than adding more. It allows the readers to focus more on the more important characters.

Mizuki
One word: Dense. Seriously. Okay, actually Mizuki isn't all about denseness, and although I really really hate dense protagonists, I feel that Mizuki is pretty likable in her own way. Maybe it's just the way how she has extremely strong beliefs and is very willing to stand up for what she believes for. She also really cherishes the people around her, and that is of course an admirable trait!

I feel like she's the least developed out of all the characters, though. She starts off as a happy, dense Mizuki and ends off as a happy, dense Mizuki. Her memories in the school don't allow her to grow in any way (or even if she had some realisations, her growth isn't really shown in the manga).

Izumi
One word: Tsundere. And he denies that he isn't one >.> He's not all that bad of a tsundere, though. He's actually quite a cool guy, but of course, he is really dense (even if he doesn't seem like it). It may sound weird, but I think he's more clingy than Mizuki is. Unlike Mizuki who seems to be able to talk to anyone, Izumi has a very limited number of friends. This makes this dynamic very interesting to watch.

Others
I'm not going to go through everyone but I sure love the side characters (we even have one that can see ghosts... maybe he can be the main protagonist for a supernatural story hoho). There are some which are forgettable but most of them are really memorable, and that's quite a feat because Hana Kimi has a huge cast of side characters. By the way, Hana Kimi isn't really a reverse harem (although we do have one certain guy who crushes on Mizuki and other side characters who have some unique relationships with her... but considering the huge cast involved I won't consider that as a harem)

Relationships
Although I'll say that Izumi does pamper Mizuki a lot, I feel that their relationship is a fairly balanced one because we also see Mizuki taking care of Izumi a lot, and it's just adorable :) Their denseness does get out of hand, but even as friends, they're still endearing to watch. I think the friendship aspect is the best part though, and it's great to see how Mizuki just meshes so well with the other students in Osaka Gakeun and it feels like they're genuinely friends.


Art (9/10)
The art is adorable and comical when it needs to be, but when it comes down to the more serious/beautiful parts, it nails the atmosphere just as it should be as well. It gives off a more sketchy(?) feeling which suits Hana Kimi's mood very well.



Enjoyment (8/10)
I've enjoyed the manga while it has lasted, but I do feel like the romance can be sped up a lot. Other than that, I really have no major complaints. The manga is funny, has amazing characters with amazing chemistry; what more can I really ask for?



Overall (8/10)

Recommended for:
; Chemistry (not the Science one, but the relationships one ^^'')
; Developed characters
; Golden jokes
; A storyline which is easy to follow

Not recommended for:
; ...Too much denseness
; Flow/pacing issues. Too much fillers in the middle, and abrupt turn at the end.
; Predictability. Don't expect a groundbreaking story of originality because this story is largely about its characters and relationships.

I think I would actually recommend this manga to pretty much anyone who likes SOL + romcom (especially the comedy part) and people who like genderbender stories too. But if you want a serious or adventure kind of manga, then yeah, this may not be the manga for you!

This series is absolutely amazing!!! It defiantly makes the top 5 in my list. It shows beautiful relationships between the characters and give a "real life" feeling to it. Almost as if I could actually live Mizuki's life at Osaka High. And I just love the way she handles problems like near the end. Ugh. I feel depressed that it ended. It's very sweet. Although the mangaka said nothing about Shin in the end.... But overall I LOVED this manga series.

Sadly I watched the drama before reading the manga, the manga is funnier, sweeter and has more romance!

I'm in love with any gender bender concept, the idea of a girl getting to a school of all boys is just amazing to me and has all the good elements to be just amazing!

the ending is sweet, and I really can't get a single flaw in the drawing (can't do that with any manga anyway) and the events have some fillers but they go on smoothly, of course there are many things that weren't shown in the drama!

It's hard to put 144 chapter into 12 episodes (the same goes for every manga/anime or drama interpretations)

A girl idolized a male athlete for his beauty and passion for his sport and decides to risk it all just to get chance to watch him. but shortly after arriving she finds that an accident had happened that had lead to him giving up his dream. at first shes discouraged but having thrown away so much and risked so much to get where she is she cant give up here. the story continues to take you through his recovery and her falling deeply in love with him. Not being the brightest person ever she runs into obstetrical and humorous again and again.

A very interesting love story and comedy very much so worth reading

As a guy i got to say some of its just silly no guy would complain about having a chick in an all guys school in fact i bet they would wish for it

but that aside i enjoyed this story very much taking the better part of 4 days to read it the story flows rather nicely.

Story 8
it flowed very nicely from flash backs, sport events, comedy, and romance.

Art 8
lots of fan service very detailed. wide verity of people (some1 for every1 )

Characters 8
very detailed history very interesting personality and nicely mixed

Enjoyment 9
cant think of any part i disliked full of excitement and energy plenty of issues and good resolutions


im not the best review writer and my grammar/spelling is weak but i believe this was a great manga and i should toss in my say i laughed allot and nearly cried a few times wither for joy of the character or for empathy it was very enjoyable

If I were to describe Hana-Kimi in one word it would have to be: HILARIOUS. This manga is 75% of the time comedy filled. I guarantee, especially for those looking for a romantic high school drama, that Hana-Kimi will give you a run for your money.

Now, how many people will crossdress and secretly attend an all boys just to meet their idol? Not very many, although there might be those select few of you out there (How you pull that off is beyond me. n_n;; But good luck to you). Anyway... Miizuki Ashiya does just that. This somewhat simple gesture turns her world, also those of her male classmates upside down--even going as far as making one of them believe that he is gay! It's a giggle-fest all the way and it is just too irresistable.

Hana Kimi was overall a good manga! There were parts throughout the series where you'd laugh out loud and think "awww" and other times when you want to shout "stupid!".

However, i felt that there were a few chapters that were quite annoying.. and mostly like fillers~ overall, the story line is quite simple - the protagonist just keeps having different challenges thrown at her.

Furthermore, there are a little ecchi parts ;) but they are more sweet than perverted which gives the manga a good rating!

For those who like this manga i would recommend Koukou Debut - you'd love it =D

enjoy! ^^