Title: Hana Yori Dango 2
Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Ishii Yasuharu, Tsuboi Toshio, Takei Atsushi
Format: 11 episodes
Dates: 5 Jan 2007 - 16 Mar 2007

Synopsis: After Tsukasa’s departure to New York, Tsukushi is still waiting for Tsukasa after a year of separation with no contact. When chance gives her a ticket to New York, she flies overseas to visit Tsukasa. However, she finds him to be greatly changed when she does meet him, and she leaves America in confusion. Shortly thereafter, he returns to Japan, but it is announced that he is engaged. Has Tsukasa’s love for Tsukushi died?

The Highlights
Character growth: Impressive for some characters… regressive for others.
Plot: One romantic conflict cliche after another.
Pacing: Dwells ad nauseaum on the most frustrating plot points.

The first season of Hana Yori Dango was - and is still - one of the most entertaining J-drama series I’ve seen. With its combination of rapid pacing, exciting character conflict, high production value, and brilliant acting, it’s the rare drama that doesn’t come across as melodramatic, and all of that is accomplished in only nine episodes.

Due perhaps to the first season’s popularity, Hana Yori Dango 2 was given two more episodes, and unfortunately those two episodes feel like two more than are needed. The tight pacing of the first season is lost in this season, and the most frustrating plot points seem to dwell longer than necessary. The plot is full of soap opera-worthy escapades and false romances designed to put viewers on the edge of their seats. Instead, it’s almost tedious to watch some of this show, in particular the last two episodes, which is a mini-arc that uses one of the oldest romantic cliches in the book with a resolution that feels almost like deus ex machina.

The characters are both the most thrilling and the most disappointing aspects of this season. Several characters grow and mature from the last season, specifically Tsukasa. It was wonderful to see Tsukasa develop from the arrogant boy of the first season into a more mature and stronger young man in the second. His transformation was believably portrayed by Matsumoto Jun, who continues to win me over in all the series I’ve seen him in despite my rather irrational determination to dislike him.

Many side characters are also fleshed out with enjoyable stories of their own. We get to see more about Soujiroh’s love life, and we get the chance to cheer as Tsukushi’s little brother embarks on his own adventure. We also get a disturbing - and downright hilarious - glimpse of Akira’s home life.

However, several other key characters take an enormous step backwards in their emotional development in this season. Tsukushi in particular regresses so far that I’d dare to say she’s not even as strong a character as she was at the beginning of the first season. This is extremely disappointing to watch, especially since her strange inability to stand up for herself causes half of the most frustrating plot points. It was a shame to watch such a strong character be reduced to a damsel-in-distress mentality in which she can’t do anything to change her situation or buck the manipulation of certain characters around her.

My review is coming across as very negative, but overall this series was enjoyable enough to watch, with the same high production values, excellent background music, and wonderful acting. It wasn’t nearly as enjoyable or satisfying as the first season, though, simply because that, while I could cheer for Tsukasa, I just couldn’t cheer for Tsukushi’s weakened role in this season. In the first season, she is a firm and strong protagonist. In this season, she merely reacts to what happens… and usually her reaction is a defeatist “it can’t be helped” comment. It’s a disappointing change for a character I really wanted to cheer for, and that as well as the heavily cliched plot detracts some huge points.

The Rating: 5

Reviewed by: dheu