Hanazakari no Kimitachi e

I must say, this is a truly exceptional manga. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.

The artwork improves with each chapter, which is quite impressive.

The romance development is outstanding, the characters are uniquely crafted, and the comedy had me laughing out loud. XD

There's also a good balance of drama, enhancing the overall narrative, along with well-executed character development.

This manga is genuinely excellent, and I highly recommend giving it a read. You won't be disappointed.

I don’t often write reviews, but with the recent announcement of the Hana-kimi anime, I felt compelled to share my thoughts. Having picked up the manga after hearing about the anime without any prior knowledge of the series, I wanted to give others a sense of what to expect.

Hana-Kimi is unequivocally a well-crafted shoujo manga. It’s easy to see why so many fans were excited about the anime adaptation. The story is engaging, the romance between the main characters is heartwarming, and the art, though decidedly 90s/early 2000s in style (think "Dorito chins" on some characters), is still beautiful. The characters are hilarious, especially the iconic school nurse who frequently questions his sexuality due to his crush on the cross-dressing female lead, unaware she's actually a girl. This series definitely has that old-school rom-com vibe and humor.

As someone who enjoys older shoujo, I found myself drawn into Hana-Kimi after just a few volumes. The plot was captivating, and the characters’ antics kept me entertained. I was particularly invested in Mizuki Ashiya’s journey and her romantic entanglement with Izumi Sano. It’s rare these days to find a manga where the female protagonist disguises herself as a boy to attend an all-boys school just to meet her idol. The premise reminded me of the crossdressing/body-switching movies popular in the US during the early 2000s, making it both nostalgic and refreshing.

My main criticisms revolve around the pacing and occasional outdated language. The ending felt rushed and abrupt, with some filler content that seemed out of place or unnecessary. Certain parts of the story also felt disjointed or hurried. Additionally, given that the series was created in the 90s and early 2000s, there are some terms and slurs used that might be offensive by today’s standards. While I understand this was acceptable back then, it’s worth mentioning for those who might be sensitive to such language.

In summary, if you’re a fan of shoujo manga, enjoy good comedy and romance, and appreciate well-developed characters, Hana-Kimi is definitely worth checking out. Looking forward to the anime adaptation, which I hope will capture the essence of the original manga.

Just a quick note: I really want more of the two one-shots - Cage of Summer and Thirsty Moon. They had me hooked, and I adore the characters. I'd love to see additional stories like these. It's somewhat disappointing that the "info" page for each is essentially just detailed information about Hana-Kimi, as they stood out uniquely on their own.

Since I'm here, let's talk about Hana-Kimi. I genuinely love all the characters in this series. The "bad guys", the supporting cast, everyone. They're all charming and entertaining. Choosing or rooting for a single favorite is honestly challenging. That speaks volumes, based on my experience, because it's rare for me to feel this way about an entire cast.

I should also mention that I didn't enjoy the ending at all. It felt rushed, abrupt, and utterly unsatisfying. It almost detracted from the enjoyment of the whole series for me. There was so much buildup, so much development, and then suddenly, it was over. Just like that.

Unfortunately, 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 attending an all-boys school is just amazing to me and includes all the right elements to make it fantastic!

The ending is sweet, and I really can't find a single flaw in the artwork (which is true for any manga anyway). The events include some filler content, but they flow smoothly. Of course, there are many things that weren't shown in the drama!

It's challenging to condense 144 chapters into 12 episodes (the same applies to every manga/anime or drama adaptation).