HANAKIMI

 HANA KIMI (JAPANESE VERSION)

Rating: 6/10 (all thanks to Nakatsu 🤍)
Themes: Gender-Bending Chaos, Old-School Rom-Com, Found Family, High School Antics

Oh Hana Kimi — the nostalgic chaos of it all. Let’s get one thing out of the way: this drama has aged. Poorly, in some parts. We’re talking toxic gender stereotypes, overt homophobia played for laughs, and a lot of “wait, did they just say that?” moments. It's a relic of its time, for better or worse.

That said... Nakatsu. My sweet himbo, my lovable golden retriever energy, the saving grace of this drama. His inner monologues? Iconic. His existential crisis over liking someone he thinks is a boy? Comedy gold — problematic, yes, but he sold it with so much heart you can’t help but root for him. Shun Oguri as Sano brooded through it all, but it was Nakatsu who really made me stay.

The setting — an all-boys school with a female lead cross-dressing to get close to her crush — was meant to be comedic and light, and while the execution was questionable at best, there was still a sense of warm camaraderie and classic school drama charm that was hard to resist.

If you're up for a retro, chaotic ride and can stomach the outdated elements, it's worth watching just for Nakatsu.