Hana Yori Dango

Details

 * Title: 花より男子
 * Title (romaji): Hana Yori Dango
 * Also known as: Boys Before Flowers / Boys Over Flowers
 * Format: Renzoku, across two seasons
 * Genre: Romance
 * Broadcast network: TBS
 * Air time: Friday 22:00
 * Related dramas: Meteor Garden (CTS, 2001), Boys Over Flowers (KBS2, 2009), Meteor Shower (Hunan TV, 2009), Hana Nochi Hare (TBS, 2018)

Season 1

 * Episodes: 9
 * Viewership rating: 19.68 (Kanto), 19.32 (Kansai)
 * Broadcast period: 2005-Oct-21 to 2005-Dec-16
 * Theme song: WISH by Arashi
 * Insert song: Planetarium by Otsuka Ai

Synopsis
Makino Tsukushi is the only poor student at Eitoku Gakuen, the school of the ridiculously rich and privileged that is ruled by Flower 4 or F4, a group of four boys who come from extremely powerful families: Domyoji Tsukasa, the leader and heir of the Domyoji World Finance Group; Hanazawa Rui, the introverted son of a large company; Nishikado Sojiro, a player who is the heir of a tea ceremony school; and Mimasaka Akira, a madam killer with ties to the underground. If a student gets on the F4's bad side, he/she gets a red notice and is bullied and driven out of school.

Makino hopes to pass her days quietly-- without drawing any attention to herself-- but one day, she stands up to Domyoji in defense of her friend. The next day, Makino gets the dreaded red notice. Even though she is harassed, Makino decides to keep going to school because she is a "tough weed". She declares war right back on the F4. Her resolve gets the attention of her crush Hanazawa Rui and oddly enough, rouses romantic feelings in her worst enemy, Domyoji Tsukasa.

The series is based on the Japanese shoujo manga "Hana Yori Dango" (Boys Before Flowers) by Kamio Yoko.

Cast

 * Inoue Mao as Makino Tsukushi
 * Matsumoto Jun as Domyoji Tsukasa
 * Oguri Shun as Hanazawa Rui
 * Matsuda Shota as Nishikado Sojiro
 * Abe Tsuyoshi as Mimasaka Akira
 * Sato Megumi as Sanjo Sakurako
 * Nishihara Aki as Matsuoka Yuki
 * Seto Saki as Asai Yuriko
 * Fukada Aki as Ayuhara Erika
 * Matsuoka Emiko as Yamano Minako
 * David Ito as Nishida
 * Sada Mayumi as Todo Shizuka
 * Kato Takako as Sengoku Sachiyo
 * Tomiura Satoshi as Makino Susumu (brother of Tsukushi)
 * Kobayashi Susumu as Makino Haruo (father of Tsukushi)
 * Ishino Mako as Makino Chieko (mother of Tsukushi)
 * Matsushima Nanako as Domyoji Tsubaki (sister of Tsukasa)
 * Kaga Mariko as Domyoji Kaede (mother of Tsukasa)

Guests

 * Ito Kazue as Yamanaka Minako
 * Nakayama Masei as Terada Junji (Class 2C)
 * Ikeda Kaori as Morioka Mizuki
 * Kaku Tomohiro as Sawatari Shingo (ep1)
 * Sano Kazuma as Kimoto Takayuki (ep1)
 * Hasegawa Tomoharu (ep1)
 * Igarashi Shunji (ep1)
 * Handa Kento as Ryuji (ep4-5)
 * Gashuin Tatsuya (ep4-5)
 * Takuma Takayuki (ep4-9)
 * Oshinari Shugo as Nakatsuka (ep6-7)
 * Mitsuya Yoko as Nakatsuka's other girl (ep6-7)
 * Sakai Ayana as Kurimaki Ayano (ep8-9)
 * Hankai Kazuaki as TOJ's emcee (ep8-9)
 * Shibuya Momoko as a TOJ participant (ep8-9)
 * Suzuki Sotaro (ep9)

Production Credits

 * Original writing: Kamio Yoko
 * Screenwriter: Satake Mikio, Fujimoto Yuki, Takahashi Natsuko, Arai Shuuko
 * Producer: Setoguchi Katsuaki
 * Director: Ishii Yasuharu, Yamamuro Daisuke, Katayama Osamu
 * Music: Yamashita Kosuke

Episode Information
Source: Video Research, Ltd.

Trivia

 * Actor Takuma Takayuki, who is also the screenwriter for this drama (credited as Satake Mikio), appears in ep 4-9 as the men Okami-san (Kato Takako) loved. He portrayed characters such as John Lennon, Tora-san, similar to Tadano Hitoshi and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Awards

 * 47th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actress (Inoue Mao)
 * 47th Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Matsumoto Jun)

Season 2

 * Episodes: 11
 * Viewership rating: 21.7 (Kanto), 21.0 (Kansai)
 * Broadcast period: 2007-Jan-05 to 2007-Mar-16
 * Theme song: Love So Sweet by Arashi
 * Insert song: Flavor of Life by Utada Hikaru

Synopsis
This second season of Hana Yori Dango picks up right after Domyoji leaves for New York. After confessing to Domyoji, Makino has not spoken to him for a year. Rui and the other members of F4 try and help Makino meet Domyoji again by going to New York for the christmas holidays. Though F4 and Makino meet Domyoji again, he has become a completely different person, and so they leave for Japan.

Some time later, Domyoji's mother annouces that they will be returning to Japan. There, they hold a giant super-rich and classy birthday party for Domyoji and announce something very important. Domyoji, like in the first season, is engaged to a rich girl and heir, Shigeru. The only difference is that they are to be wed soon. What will Makino do?

On the side, Rui begins to fall in love with Makino... will this become a love... square?

Cast

 * Inoue Mao as Makino Tsukushi
 * Matsumoto Jun as Domyoji Tsukasa
 * Oguri Shun as Hanazawa Rui
 * Matsuda Shota as Nishikado Sojiro
 * Abe Tsuyoshi as Mimasaka Akira
 * Nishihara Aki as Matsuoka Yuuki
 * Kato Natsuki as Okawahara Shigeru
 * Seto Saki as Asai Yuriko
 * Fukada Aki as Ayuhara Erika
 * Matsuoka Emiko as Yamano Minako
 * Sato Megumi as Sanjou Sakurako
 * Sada Mayumi as Toudou Shizuka
 * David Ito as Nishida
 * Kato Takako as Sengoku Sachiyo
 * Tomiura Satoshi as Makino Susumu (brother of Tsukushi)
 * Kobayashi Susumu as Makino Haruo (father of Tsukushi)
 * Ishino Mako as Makino Chieko (mother of Tsukushi)
 * Matsushima Nanako as Domyoji Tsubaki (sister of Tsukasa)
 * Kaga Mariko as Domyoji Kaede (mother of Tsukasa)
 * Sato Yuuichi

Guests

 * Ikuta Toma as Oribe Junpei (ep1)
 * Yanagisawa Takahiko as Junpei's older brother (ep1)
 * Nakae Daiki as Oribe Shingo (ep1)
 * Kaku Tomohiro as Sawatari Shingo, the bully student (ep1)
 * Fujisaki Yurie as Maeda Miki (ep1)
 * Hagiwara Kazuki (ep1)
 * Oomasa Aya as student of class 3-C
 * Saito Michi as student of class 3-C
 * Tsurumi Shingo as Uchida Ken (Domyoji Group employee, ep1-10)
 * Suigetsu Mai (水月舞) as Uchida Ken's wife (ep1-6)
 * Hashida Honoka (橋田歩果) as Uchida Ken's child (ep1-6)
 * Miyazaki Midori (宮崎翠) as Uchida Ken's child (ep1-6)
 * Asaoka Satoshi (朝岡聡) (ep1,2)
 * Nishimura Tomomi as Akira's mother (ep3)
 * Kitayama Imari (北山伊万里) as Akira's sister (ep3)
 * Kitayama Himawari (北山向日葵) as Akira's sister (ep3)
 * Kanjiya Shihori as Hinata Sara (ep3-7)
 * Sasaki Katsuhiko as Shigeru's father (ep3,8)
 * Mitani Yumi (三谷侑未) as Shigeru's mother (ep3,8)
 * Misuzawa Nako as Miyuki (ep5)
 * Sasaki Sumie as Tama (ep6,9)
 * Asanuma Shinpei (浅沼晋平) as the principal of Hidenori Gakuen (ep6)
 * Yatsu Isao (ep6)
 * Yasuda Yoko (安田洋子) (ep6)
 * Saito Yukino (斉藤幸乃) as a friend of F4 (ep6)
 * Morita Konomi (森田このみ) as a friend of F4 (ep6,7)
 * Tanaka Kei as Hinata Sara's fiance (ep7)
 * Yakura Akira (矢倉亮) as the husband of Tama (ep8)
 * Tanaka Natsuko (田中夏子) as young Tama (ep8)
 * Okayama Hajime as Yuuki's father (ep9)
 * Hiki Rie as Yuuki's mother (ep9)
 * Yamamoto Kei (ep10)
 * Toda Erika as Nakashima Umi (ep10-11)
 * Higashino Kouji as a member of the rescue team (ep11)
 * Komoriya Toru (小森谷徹) as the reporter (ep11)
 * Matsumoto Tamaki

Production Credits

 * Original writing: Kamio Yoko
 * Screenwriter: Satake Mikio
 * Producer: Setoguchi Katsuaki, Mishiro Shinichi
 * Director: Ishii Yasuharu, Tsuboi Toshio, Takei Atsushi
 * Music: Yamashita Kosuke

Episode Information
Source: Video Research, Ltd.

Trivia

 * Makino's apartment is the same location setting for the dormitory scenes for the movie Honey & Clover (ハチミツとクローバー).

Awards

 * 52nd Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Drama
 * 2007 Annual Drama Grand Prix Awards: Best Supporting Actor - Oguri Shun
 * 16th Hashida Awards: Rookie of the Year - Oguri Shun for 'Hana Yori Dango 2'
 * 16th Hashida Awards: Rookie of the Year - Inoue Mao for 'Hana Yori Dango 2'
 * 10th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Jan-Mar 07): Best Drama
 * 10th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Jan-Mar 07): Best Actress - Inoue Mao
 * 10th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Jan-Mar 07): Best Supporting Actor - Matsumoto Jun

Specials

 * 2008-Jun-27 花より男子・特別編, 22:00 to 22:54 (17.9)