2.
Makino Tsukushi eats near expiration goodies where she works…it’s both cute and amusing! XD
3.
Inoue Mao has some of the best facial expressions that I’ve ever seen. ^-^
4.
Tsukushi’s somewhat eccentric family is both aloof and the best ever! ♥
5.
Tsukushi’s seemingly timid and naive “best” friend is actually a she-devil in disguise! :O So good it’s creepy!
6.
Domyoji’s house looks more like an embassy, fortress, castle…actually I’m not sure what it is. :O
7.
Inoue Mao sometimes reminds me of Manoeri. 🙂
8.
Hana yori dango’s version of the 3 witches is deliciously evil…still I wonder why Tsukushi didn’t knock all three of them out at some point and I think every viewer wanted to do the same.
9.
The storyline is extremely engaging with the highs & lows, ups & downs, euphoria & sadness…and just about every emotion in between to give the viewer exactly what you’d expect from only the finest of dramas. Wonderfully offbeat writing abound and through it all this drama rocks!
10.
Domyoji’s sister is played by the incomparable Matsushima Nanako! Can simblings be any prettier than this?!
11.
It’s incredibly amusing trying to count how many times Tsukushi says “haaah???!!!” in the entire drama series……I lost count half way through! XD She has the best puzzled reactions! XD
12.
Never before in the history of cinema has asking for a date been so awkward, angry and amusing at the same time! I love when Domyoji briskly walks around the table where Tsukushi is sitting puzzled as he “sets” the time and place for their “date”… O__o
That expression says it all! XD
13.
“Tsukushi” may be the oddest name for a girl that I’ve ever heard! XD
14.
The leader of F4, Domyoji get to sit in luxury while the hazing like beatings ensue before him. :O
15.
And all it takes to set him off is a single drop of fruit juice accidentally getting in his eye! ^-^
16.
LOL reason 16. A splash of juice on Domyoji’s shirt put there by accident is where all the troubles and tribulations of Tsukushi’s life stem directly from.
17.
Tsukasa’s mother is actually Cruella DeVil in disguise. 🙂
Now isn’t that the look of love! 😛 Domyoji is such an awesome character filled with inner conflict and pain. It was so amusing watching him fall in love with Tsukushi only to not be able to express his feelings to her in a proper manner…talk about self torment!
18.
Has a single red sheet of paper ever been so dangerous to one’s life and sheesh it really instantaneously can turn it upside down! :O I love how it’s written as “from”, like it’s some sort of gift. ^-^
19.
Did I mention just how adorable Inoue Mao is!!!
20.
Hanazawa Rui. I think that’s reason enough…he’s such a cool character! And he always seems to save Tsukushi at the most difficult moments making him the show’s most heroic and charismatic.
21.
F4…just the premise of their extreme wealth being able to buy the “town”, the school and just about everyone in it makes for great writing here! Seriously, pure genius!
22.
The entire musical score is tuning in a Tim Burton feature which could only mean that Danny Elfman must be nearby!
23.
Makino Tsukushi’s character embodies a vulnerableness protected by a hard outer shell. She’s truly one of the best written main characters that I’ve seen in a drama in years.
24.
Rich people have dinner like this!…hehe it’s so wonderfully wacky! Could that “dinner” table be any longer?!!! 🙂
25.
Never has the beating up of bad boys been so cute!!! (^o^)/ Tsukushi is the ultimate role model in dealing with bullies. Here shown through different stages in her life. That’s gotta hurt!!! ^-^………………..
…………….that’s gotta hurt!!! ^-^………………
……………..that’s gotta hurt!!! ^-^ Yep Tsukushi standing up for the weaker ones!!! =) Gotta ♥ her! Adorable, strong and unafraid to make a difference! ^-^
26.
Mom and Dad make Tsukushi the most loving of bentos!! And well that leads to the final and biggest reason why I ♥ Hana yori dango.
Reason #27.
Hana yori dango includes one of the best moments in drama history! After cruely tossing Tsukushi’s awesome bento to the ground the most unexpected thing occurs. Really how could anyone have known? And from this point on you’re definitely hooked on to this drama for good!!
At first there’s sadness and……
…..disbelief……………..
…………Tsukushi now pondering Tsukasa’s arrogance………..
…………his arrogance now being pondered as his stupidity………….
……………………..pondering now turning to anger………….
……………”Hrm yes…anger leads to the dark side.”…
……..#!*@##!!!%#!!!!!!!!!…………..
………..Now that’s the Tsukushichan we were waiting for!
And Domyoji doesn’t even see it coming….clueless to whom he’s dealing with this time! XD
Ah the look of love….no I mean hate!
Now here’s the beautiful part. The stance. Followed by well timed kangaroo hops. ♥
Tsukushi is about to deal out a beat down! ♥
I loved how Domyoji was still in a daze here…probably thinking: “What is this crazy girl doing?” O__o Arrogance gets the best of him here as Tsukushichan socks him one! ^-^
Priceless! ^o^
And a final stare down. :O Okay so all hell breaks loose after Tsukushi’s actions here but it was sooooo worth it don’t you think! =D
モーニングBerryz48...the morning after..... "Always wear protection before reading…(^q^)." 
wonderful! i don't know what to say….anybody who reads this will definitely watch HYD…
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Ashley I'm so late to the HYD party but I'm enjoying it so much!! I'm watching the second part right now and then I'm going to watch the special and then hopefully the new movie. This first series was so well written and you can't help but fall in love with all of the characters for different reasons. Tsukushi, Tsukasa and Rui are my favorites. And with Arashi performing the theme songs it just can't get any better! ^-^
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What was the name of that model that Rui liked…Mayumi Sada
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LOL oh I better not tell you what M thought of her…. :O I thought she was very beautiful but she compared her to someone in "Yamada taro monogatari" and I was like EHHH?!! Amazing seeing his transformation as an actor from "Summer Snow." ^-^
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Thats right, he was the little brother with the speech impediment! I forgot he was in that! He's really a different actor nowadays, huh!
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I couldn't believe how cool he looked!!!! M dubbed him sensational and I have to agree! So versatile as an actor and they really handed him the likeable role. 🙂 Ah no not Tabe Mikako……………….Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh I probably shouldn't tell you it's much too disturbing!!! This is how I felt: O__o EHH?!! Watch talkin' about Willis? 😛
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Ok I have not read a single word you have wrote because I'm halfway through watching the first season so I dont wanna read any spoilers!I'm totally in love with it though … LOVE IT!!!Also Inoue Mao makes me cry tears of blood because she is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo pretty and special A TOUGH WEED!!!I would let her be my girlfriend I think.
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Ah Shirow you're watching HYD!! The first series is definitely the better of the two although I'm not done with the second one just yet but the first series is pure ♥. Sorry so many spoilers here……close your eyes!!!! But you can read the other two recent posts here on the adorable Inoue Mao! ^-^ I recently found an old idol DVD of hers and went through with some screencaps and thoughts. She's really the cutest! And tell me isn't the Arashi song the best?!! Okay I don't know if you're a fan of theirs but "Wish" matches the show so well and after episode after episode it's sure to make it's way into your conscience. 🙂 So well written…love HYD! I'm actually sending it to Paul at Hello!Blog once another copy arrives and it'll be his very first Japanese drama! I hope he loves it too and I think Inoue Mao alone will take care of that instantly from the very first episode! ^-^Inoue Mao made me cry too with all that she went through…oh and by the way love your new avatar!…question mark head just didn't suit you very well. :)After you're done watching the first series promise you'll come back and let me know what you thought of it. ^-^
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I'll come back here and give you some feedback 🙂 I'll probably do a mini blog about it also ^^Its so enjoyable to watch, although its predictable and simple its got such a charm! I wish I was a member of F4 :(I really think Inoue looks like Kamei eri ^_^ Im gonna try and hunt down her dvd and/or photobook! they would be so much fun to have !And the theme tune makes me happy … its good to see them all together beings friends!…. Im such a girl at times ^^( I guess I know how you feel 😛 )
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I can't wait to hear your thoughts!! So many aspects to love about this drama and hmm…you would be great as a member of F4! ^-^ Be like Hanazawa Rui! Ah I was thinking she looked like Manoeri…wait a minute…..are you one of the voters that said that I need glasses or contacts?! 😛 LOL it may just be in some scenes though like when she's at work with all of the goodies with her hair tied into a pony tail on one side and I was thinking she looks like Manoeri here! :)Her pb was quite pricey from some Amazon Japan affiliates but I found her DVD okay…she's so cute in it! Check her out in baseball gear as it's one of the screencaps I chose…she has that wonderfully pissed off look that I'm sure you're familiar with from HYD! :)The opening credits alone make me smile…so much fun with them all! LOL! You're so funny!!
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I cant wait to see the rest of the series and film, although I know I'll be really sad when its all over D:I might get myself a bottle of wine and watch a few episodes ^^afterwards we can have girly fanboy chat! :3
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You're right there was a bittersweet feeling after I was finished watching the last episode…almost like you just lost a best friend that's been keeping you company. LOL I'll be waiting! 'Wine'…merlot please! ^-^But afterwards you can rejoin the cast for the second series and two movies! But cherish this first series…it's definitely something special and unique in dramas. ^-^ Maybe you could spread out your viewing so that it'll last longer. 🙂
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Again thanks for sharing this with me, such a great drama! I really wasn't too sure what to expect when you sent it over, but I have to say that I love the series and of course Inoue Mao. I was actually surprised with the amount of violence in there and I love the way Makino starts to jump just before she punches someone, so cute! Her family is also amazingly humorous, are people really like that? I laughed so much when they started to chant "marry in to money" (i think that's what they were saying, lol).The thing that really got me with this was how it made me feel….even from the first episode I felt for the characters and almost every episode had me rubbing my eyes and making up excuses as to why i was all teary eyed! And the ending! Happy and sad at the same time, I so need to give the 2nd series a watch. I think I'm going to rewatch it all over the weekend!Have you had a chance to watch The Mighty Boosh? I'm really curious to know what you thought about it…it's a bit random, lol. Personally I love every series, but the 2nd and 3rd really do it for me with Naboo and Bollo becoming more central characters and with the introduction of the other shamens. The music still gets me everytime, so funny!
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You have no idea of how happy this makes me~!!! o(*´∀｀)o♪♪ This being your very first Japanese drama meant a bit of pressure on me to choose just the right one as first impressions mean everything! I'm so relieved too that you enjoyed it so much! =) Ahh her kangaroo hops were priceless and so adorable although she was angry at those times. ^ ^ LOL oh her eccentric family probably only exists in drama land! But surely they'd be the best family ever in real life! That scene was so funny too…..her brother father and mother all so endearing in a sort of offbeat wacky sense♥!Oh you so have to watch the second series next!! I know I keep saying this but I'm really serious as I'll send it to you if you'd like. I could call it your early birthday present although that would mean that you'd have to wait to watch it…..hmmmm….okay maybe I'll just call it hmmmmm a gift that I forgot to send you. ^ ^ It's okay for guys to cry too…..hmmm was your girlfriend stunned though? Aw I'm just kidding! Sorry! :PYou know at first I was sort of like…..Eh???! but I was totally wrong as it's really an engaging series! When I finish all of the discs I'll send you more complete thoughts as I think there's still some development in which I haven't come across yet. =) Hmm..please don't think me strange but I do find those skull buttons to be really cute! Thank you so much~~! ^ ^
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Oh and I forgot to mention that there are a few things that have me a bit puzzled though….maybe it's English humor or maybe I'm just too aloof to get it. 😛 I may have questions later. 🙂
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I have to say you made an excellent choice, I never thought that I would get that into it but literally from the episode I was hooked. Lol, I don't usually get all teary eyed when watching programs but with this I really don't know what it was about it. Unfortunately me and my girlfriend broke up a little while ago, which is a shame as she would have loved this. I was tempted at one point to take it around with me when I go and see Chris, he keeps complaining that he's missing Japanese TV so this would be a perfect fix, lol but the thought of both of us sitting there watching it with a box of tissues between us, although sounds highly amusing would probably make for one of them awkward moments "are you crying?", "im not crying, i've got something in my eye…are you crying?"I think that's the impression everybody gets when they first watch it. I can remember coming home one evening after a few drinks, turning on the TV and watching my first episode (it was the 'Milky joe' episode) and I think my exact thought throughout the whole episode was "Eh?!". Well I'm glad you're sticking with it, as most of the later episodes are my faves. And the skull buttons are really cool aren't they I looked at them and thought to myself "maybe mai will start drawing skulls like this?". I was wondering if certain bits of it were a little to English in humour, any questions ask away.
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I'm so happy that you enjoyed HYD!! I can't wait to send you the second series because the first one well…..sort of leaves things a bit unsettled as you've discovered. Paul I'm am so sorry to hear this….really I apologize for mentioning it. I hope you are okay. ^ ^ The whole premise of the drama is so out there with the overwhelming power of F4 and how them practically run everything at will. But you're right, the first episode is so key in this series as they just pulled me in from the moment Makino let's Domyouji have it! ^o^ My jaw may have dropped to the ground but at the same time I was so like Wow~! This drama is going to be great!! ＼(^o^)／☆ Awwwww….that would be so sweet and well…hmmmm…yes odd though I imagine! 😛 I hope you do share if with Chris too……just be sure he has plenty of Kleenix on hand before you go over….lol I'm sorry I just couldn't resist! :PAh I never made that connection! Maimai does have a fascination with skull art as well. ^ ^ Okay I'm now asking away!!!…..click here? ^ ^
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