Older Children (May contain mild bad language, bloodless violence)
Vintage:
September 8, 1996
Status:
Completed
Summary:
Tsukushi Makino is a middle-class girl attending Eitoku Academy: a school dominated by the haughty progeny of wealthy families. While she doesn't fit in, she refuses to be looked down upon, especially by F4: a group of rich male upperclassmen who run the school by bullying. Despite Makino's stubborn personality, she winds up falling for a member of F4 and over the course of time develops new feelings and a better understanding of the actions of others.
First, a word to the wise: immediately set it to Japanese with English subs. The dub voices are awful on the Dual Audio files.
Now then: this is one of the most adorable stories I've seen in a while. Once you get past the almost comical 90's animation (hard to believe we used to dress like that) Hana Yori Dango proves to be an outstanding anime.
It's a very classic story, and I have no doubt that it's been inspiration for a lot of more modern teen romance movies, etc. There's a nice element of comedy, though the soundtrack in particular can get a little overly dramatic. It starts out in the guise of a high school soap opera, but becomes so much more than that. This is a story of reconciliation and new beginnings. Hope you all enjoy!
As per another user's recommendation, I plan to read the manga now. Just based on this sweet story, I'm betting it's a fantastic read.