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This article is about the 1995 film. For other uses, see Hana Yori Dango/Boys Over Flowers.

Hana Yori Dango (花より男子 (はなよりだんご) ) is a 1995 Japanese film based on Yoko Kamio's manga of the same name. It was the first live-action adaptation of the series. The film was directed by Yasuyuki Kusuda and written by Mika Umeda. It stars Yuki Uchida as Tsukushi Makino, Shosuke Tanihara as Tsukasa Domyoji, and Naohito Fujiki as Rui Hanazawa.[2]

The film premiered in theaters on August 19, 1995.[3] It was released on VHS in 1997,[4] followed by a DVD release in 2001.[5] Uchida performed the film's theme song "Baby's Growing Up".[6] TRF's single "Overnight Sensation" was also featured in the final scene of Hana Yori Dango. Satoru Nakajima composed the film's score.

The F4's leader Tsukasa (Tanihara) has his classmates at the posh Eitoku University bully Tsukushi (Uchida), after she publicly insults him. He later starts to fall in love with her and makes clumsy attempts to win her over. Tsukushi, however, likes his best friend, the mysterious Rui (Fujiki) whom is already pining for his childhood friend.

Plot[]

First-year Tsukushi Makino (Yuki Uchida) gets ready for her first day at Eitoku Gakuen University. She meets another first-year Sakurako Sanjo (Kaori Sakagami), who is surprised that she does not know the F4. Tsukushi refuses to join their fan club, annoyed by the exorbitant fees. The F4's leader, Tsukasa Domyoji (Shosuke Tanihara) is offended by her refusal and asks her name. When he laughs about her being named after a "weed," Tsukushi slaps him. He subsequently gives her a red notice, leading to several days of unrelenting bullying from him and the student body. Tsukushi finds some solace in yelling insults on the school's roof, where she first sees Rui Hanazawa (Naohito Fujiki), another F4 member.

At work, Tsukushi talks to her best friend Yuki Matsuoka (Ai Sasamine) about the F4. She asks if she likes one of them and Tsukushi thinks of Rui. Later, Sojiro Nishikado (Kensaku Saeki) and Akira Mimasaka (Koichi Hashizume) tease Tsukasa about Tsukushi being similar to his sister. He vows to "drive her off." The next day, a group of boys attempt to assault Tsukushi. Rui stops them, despite their protests that Tsukasa ordered them. She thanks him, but he tells her "Don't misunderstand." Later, Tsukasa is annoyed at the guys, saying he never said to assault her. At that moment, Tsukushi confronts him by kicking him in the chest and placing a red notice on his forehand. Tsukasa is reminded of his sister.

Sakurako and her two friends, Minako Yamano (Norika Fujiwara) and Yuriko Asai (Akari Tonegawa), drag Tsukushi into the library. Pretending to be friendly, they invite her to a party at Sakurako's house. There the girls make fun of Tsukushi for dressing casually to the party. Tsukasa swoops in to protect Tsukushi, much to her chagrin. The next day, Sojiro and Akira tell Tsukushi about Rui's first love, Shizuka Todo (Marie Eguro). That night, she sees Rui kissing a poster of Shizuka, who arrives the next day. She witnesses the other students bullying Tsukushi and kindly helps clean her up. Sojiro and Akira tease Tsukasa about Tsukushi at dinner, and Shizuka urges him to invite Tsukushi to her party.

Kidnapping Tsukushi, Tsukasa gives her a full make-over and salon treatment, before finally informing her of the party. There Shizuka notifies her guests that she is moving to New York to forge her own path in life. Rui is shocked by the news and leaves. Worried, Tsukushi drinks too much and becomes drunk. She and Tsukasa proceed to have a loud fight. She attempts to slap him, but her lips fall onto his instead. A picture of the "kiss" spreads around school, leading everyone to believe they are dating. Tsukasa does not deny the rumor and invites Tsukushi on a date. It does not go exactly well, but the two reach an understanding. Tsukushi then agrees to go to a summer party with him.

When Shizuka visits her at work, Tsukushi begs her to stay in Japan for Rui's sake. She apologizes once Shizuka explains her reasons for going. The next day, Shizuka leaves for America and Rui does not show up to say goodbye. At school, Tsukushi comforts Rui. Tsukasa catches them talking. Sakurako then shows up and tells him that Tsukushi likes Rui. Tsukushi later meets Rui at a club. He suddenly grabs her and begins dancing closely, which Tsukasa sees. Feeling betrayed, he starts to bully the other students again. When Tsukushi stops him, he gets angry and calls her a "traitor." He then wrestles her to the ground and lightly kisses her. Tsukasa stops when she begins crying, promising not to do it again.

On a beach trip, Tsukushi and Tsukasa's relationship seems to be back to normal. They laugh and talk together like usual. Tsukushi cannot stop thinking of Rui, whom is always surrounded by girls. That night, Tsukushi goes for a walk along the beach, where she meets Rui. She confesses that she cannot stop thinking about him. He then kisses her. Tsukasa sees it and goes into a rage, punching Rui. Telling Tsukushi she has "trampled" on his feelings, he declares "We're over." Back at school, Tsukasa kicks Rui out of the F4, saying "You're no longer a childhood friend. You're nobody." Tsukushi apologizes to Rui, but he tells her that she is not the one to blame. He then asks Tsukushi out on a date.

That Sunday, Rui and Tsukushi go to the aquarium. The date is somewhat awkward, though the two make plans to go to the summer party together. At work, Yuki questions whether Tsukasa is the person Tsukushi wants to be with. Tsukasa then enters the store to inform her that he has another date for the party. Thinking everything over, Tsukushi informs Rui that she is not the person he should be with. Arriving at the party, Rui shows her an airline ticket, revealing that he is going after Shizuka. Tsukushi then walks inside, wearing jeans and a simple white blouse. She walks up to Tsukasa and they embrace, confirming their feelings for each other. Everyone then dances to trf's performance of "Overnight Sensation".

Cast and characters[]

Starring

Costarring

Minor roles[2]

  • Chikako Kobayashi
  • Maiko Minami (teacher)
  • Michiko Shimizu (boutique manager)
  • trf (cameo)

Staff[]

  • Original work: Boys Over Flowers by Yoko Kamio
  • Director: Yasuyuki Kusuda
  • Screenplay: Mika Umeda
  • Shooting: Kenji Hoshiya, Mitsuo Sato
  • Art: Shozo Uemura
  • Recording: Eiichi Matsunaga
  • Lighting: Tomohiro Wada, Toshiaki Homma
  • Assistant directors: Satoru Nakajima, Shinichi Iijima, Taisuke Kawamura
  • Scripter: Hiroko Tateno
  • Stills: Isao Mizutani
  • Action coordinator: Shuhei Sasaki
  • Technical cooperation: Imagica
  • Art cooperation: Fuji Art
  • Decoration: Telefit, Keihan Shokai
  • Music cooperation: NSL
  • Music selection / sound effects: Soundship
  • Post-production: Tokyo Television Center, Kyodo Television
  • Executive producers: Chiaki Matsushita, Yuzo Abe
  • Planning: Hajime Shigemura, Toshikazu Horiguchi
  • Production: Koichi Murakami, Suo Ikuo
  • Producers: Akifumi Takuma, Jiro Komaki, Yumiko Shigeoka, Tadashi Shibasaki
  • Planning cooperation: Burning Production
  • Production cooperation: Avec Company

Production[]

Naohito-Shosuke-interview

An interview of Naohito Fujiki and Shosuke Tanihara for the film

F4-promo

Promo photo for the F4

Fuji TV produced Hana Yori Dango and Yasuyuki Kusuda directed it.[7] Idol Yuki Uchida was cast as Tsukushi Makino, marking her film debut as well as her first starring role in a film.[8] It was also the debut of the male actors, including Naohito Fujiki who was chosen due to his popularity from a commercial at the time. Kensaku Saeki won his role after auditioning with 10,000 other hopefuls.[7] Hana Yori Dango was produced alongside Shiratori Reiko de Gozaimasu!,[9] the first two entries in the "Our film series" (ぼくたちの映画シリーズ () ).[10]

Hana Yori Dango was filmed in high-definition, which was rare at the time. It was converted to 35 mm film for the release in theaters. The film's staff had mostly worked in television and had little experience in filmmaking.[11][12] Series' creator Yoko Kamio had little to no involvement. The Margaret editorial staff handled the production with Fuji TV on her behalf. During filming, Kamio visited the set with her editor at a club, called Belle Faire, in Roppongi. They were taping the dance scene at the end of the film. Kamio also had the opportunity to talk to the film's stars.[13]

Release[]

Hana Yori Dango was released in theaters on August 19, 1995.[1] It was simultaneously released with Shiratori Reiko de Gozaimasu!.[14] As of January 2021, the film is available in Japan on various streaming services, including Amazon Prime[15] and Rakuten TV.[16]

Home media[]

The film received a video cassette (VHS) release released on February 21, 1997.[4] It was followed by a DVD release on September 19, 2001 by King Records.[5] Hana Yori Dango was featured on a box set with the five other manga adaptations from the "Our film series." The films were Tokimeki Tonight, Deborah ga Rival, Tomoko no Baai, That's Cunning! Shijo Saidai no Sakusen?, and Shiratori Reiko de Gozaimasu!. It was released on September 19, 2001 by Pony Canyon.[17]

Music[]

Baby's-Growing-Up

"Baby's Growing Up"

Main article: Hana Yori Dango (film)/Music

Uchida's "Baby's Growing Up" served as the theme song for Hana Yori Dango.[6] The song was first released on August 19, 1995 and reached #5 on the Oricon charts in Japan.[18] It is first played during an opening sequence. An instrumental and a slow version are also featured in the film. trf has a cameo performing "Overnight Sensation" during the closing credits.

Reception[]

Box office[]

The combined production costs for Hana Yori Dango and Shiratori Reiko de Gozaimasu! was around 400 million yen, including advertising costs. Earning 420 million yen in distribution, the two films were considered successful for the production company.[19][20]

Accolades[]

Recipient Category Result
5th Japan Film Professional Awards
Yuki Uchida Best Actress Won

Gallery[]

Boys Over Flowers Wiki has a collection of images on this topic. (view gallery)
Boys Over Flowers Wiki has a collection of screenshots on this topic. (view category)

Videos[]

Notes[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Boys Over Flowers volume 10, side-columns
  2. 2.0 2.1 http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=152613 (Japanese)
  3. http://natalie.mu/eiga/film/114123 (Japanese)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00005F9Y4/ (Japanese)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00005MIC9/ (Japanese)
  6. 6.0 6.1 https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/243102/products/143899/1/ (Japanese)
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Yuki Uchida Movie Debut Hana Yori Dango Production Announcement" (「内田有紀映画デビュー 『花より男子』製作発表」 () ), AV Journal, May 1995, page 47
  8. https://lp.p.pia.jp/shared/cnt-s/cnt-s-11-02_1_359319d0-452d-11e8-8286-fbb52deff1d6.html (Japanese)
  9. "Two high-definition movies from Fuji TV are doing well" (フジテレビのハイビジョン映画2本立好調」 () ), AV Journal, July 1995 issue, page 6
  10. http://db.eiren.org/cgi-bin/keywords.cgi?select=8_0&search_key=「ぼくたちの映画」シリーズ (Japanese)
  11. 興行価値―商品としての映画論, Hiroo Otaka, 1995, 9784846301422, page 364
  12. 日本映画への戦略, Hiroo Otaka, 2000, 9784795260894, pages 201-208
  13. Boys Over Flowers volume 11, side-columns
  14. Hana Yori Dango trailer
  15. https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B08LSMKR7P/ (Japanese)
  16. https://tv.rakuten.co.jp/content/359436/ (Japanese)
  17. 17.0 17.1 http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00005NJQI/ (Japanese)
  18. http://www.generasia.com/wiki/Baby's_Growing_Up
  19. "フジテレビのハイビジョン映画2本立好調", AV Journal, July 1995, page 6
  20. "1995年度邦画3社番組/興収", AV Journal, January 1996, page 59
  21. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-03-20/1995-rui-actor-to-star-in-new-boys-over-flowers-film

See also[]


Hana Yori Dango (1995)
Music

"Baby's Growing Up" | "Overnight Sensation"

Related pages

Filming locations | Gallery


Boys Over Flowers adaptations
Television series

Boys Over Flowers (1996-1997) | Meteor Garden (2001) | Meteor Rain (2001) | Meteor Garden II (2002)
Hana Yori Dango (2005) | Hana Yori Dango Returns (2007) | Boys Over Flowers (2009) | Meteor Garden (2018)
F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers (2021-2022)

Films

Hana Yori Dango (1995) | Hana Yori Dango: The Movie (1997) | Hana Yori Dango Final (2008)

Musicals

Hana Yori Dango: The Musical (2016) | Boys Over Flowers: The Musical (2017) | Hana Yori Dango (2019)

Audio drama

Hana Yori Dango (1993-1994)

See also

Hana Nochi Hare: Hanadan Next Season (2018)

External links[]

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