Tonight, I inexplicably began watching the Japanese live-action adapation of Hanazakari no Kimitachi e. A few years ago, I came across this manga, not altogether that remarkable because of its similarities to other gender-bending series coming out at roughly the same time (there are plenty — Power!! (aka Girl Got Game), W Juliet, etc.) Nevertheless, Hana Kimi is unique in the spunk that it brings to the table, both through the characters and through the atmosphere it creates. While there are the inevitable crutches when the series employs the requisite awkward moments, a lot of the humor actually has very little to do with the heroine’s gender, and a lot more to do with the strange and bizarre cast that really lights up the scene in an amusing but wholly engrossing escapist take on high school life. There is a distinct lack, in particular, of any classwork or indeed professors of any sort – it’s just competitions, parties, and sports – and it’s better off for it.
Ashiya Mizuki, the main character, is a rather complex person. In some ways, her native “form” seems to be rather cutesy and feminine. However, she isn’t the type that ever needs to be protected or pampered, or even who might need to have a close confidante. Whereas other series might try to portray the “strong heroine,” especially of the cross-dressing variety, as either someone who is distinctly testosterone-driven or as someone who needs constant attention in spite of herself, Hana Kimi avoids this by having Ashiya’s strength transcend gender boundaries. She has courage and devotion, but it is not “manly” courage and devotion – it is just a strength that arises out of her, and a strength that would probably propel her to act, whether or not she was a girl.
Izumi Sano, the hard-to-catch guy with the trademark angsty past, can really be annoying and harsh (apparently the way shoujo manga-readers seem to like their bishounen). But to his credit, Ashiya really can be a pain at times. Despite his rather antisocial attitude towards his post-accident life, he’s still an easy one with whom to relate. He represents that little piece of all of us that we dropped somewhere along the way, finding some half-hearted justification for why we could no longer invest in it, or why it was no longer worth it. A childhood dream, maybe, or a talent or hobby; parents talked us out of it, or money convinced us not to pursue it, or it turned out to be too hard or too much work. We choose to give up things, and sometimes, like Izumi, we don’t want to own up to what we’ve done. Some factor or other is what made us stop, not ourselves. Izumi’s eventual feelings for Ashiya represent the resurrection of abandoned dreams in our hearts, and that may be what makes him more sympathetic than he otherwise would be.
For a shoujo manga that shamelessly exploits its pretty boys for plenty of girl-oriented fanservice, it is surprisingly balanced in its presentation, and I feel that Ashiya is just as attractive and sympathetic as the other members of the cast, in perhaps a similar fashion to Ouran High School Host Club.
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