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Summary:
Not only has Tsukushi’s father been laid off, the family is also 5 million yen in debt. In order to find work, Tsukushi takes a leave of absence from school, which alerts the F4 that she’s in trouble. Looking for work one day, she’s approached by a man offering 100,000 to photograph her in her uniform. Of course, Tsukushi finds out too late that it’s a scheme to get her to do a pornographic film, but fortunately, Rui finds her and saves her. Rui later suggests that it might be the Domyoji matron who’s responsible for their financial troubles. Returning home, she learns that her parents have had no luck searching for jobs, and it seems clear to Tsukushi that something else is at work here.
When confronted, Tsukasa’s mother openly admits to being behind everything, all because she doesn’t want Tsukushi to be with her son. Tsukushi storms out after telling her off, though Tsukasa himself chases and catches up to her not long after she leaves. After promising to always protect her, he suggests they get married. Fortunately for Tsukushi, Tsubaki offers a better alternative: the Teen of Japan (TOJ) competition where the prize is exactly the five million yen that her family needs. It’s a test of all the qualities of that an upper class lady needs, including English, music, etiquette, etc. And just to add a little more pressure, Tsukushi learns that both Shizuka and Tsubaki are past champions.
With the resources of the F4 backing her, Tsukushi goes into a crash course on everything she needs to know to win the competition. Each task is tough for her, and she eventually breaks down from failure. To compound her problems, she finds that the people around her, including her family and the owner of the confection store where she works are now being affected. When she returns to Tsukasa, she tells him that she wants to quit. Tsukasa provokes her into hitting him to show her that she’s still strong, and she ends up crying on his shoulder after hearing his reassuring words. He tells her that the rest of the F4 are helping her family and Okami-san, and that he believes in her.
At the competition, Tsukushi seems prepared and ready, but there’s one last surprise in store for everyone. Tsukasa’s mother has called in Kurimaki Ayano, who’s Tsukasa’s fiancé, to also enter the competition. Visibly shaken and feeling out of place, Tsukushi gets ready to go on stage. As she walks out through the curtains, unbeknownst to her, Tsukasa has been knocked out and kidnapped.
I enjoyed this episode, by itself, even with its share of corny and endearing moments, but in perspective of it as the next to last episode, I worry about everything that’s left to resolve. That includes the competition, Tsukasa’s mother accepting Tsukushi, and Tsukushi and Tsukasa officially hooking up. It’s all very doable in the extended time period next week, but I’m more afraid that they’ll take a semi-predictable route to finish the series. Something like Tsukushi wins, Tsukasa’s mother sees how much her son loves Tsukushi, etc etc. Hopefully they’ll prove me wrong and throw some interesting curve balls into the story while not making the pacing feel rushed.
Along those same lines, it seems to me that Ayano’s appearance onto the scene is coming rather late in the game. Basically, it’s hard to see her as a true rival when she’s introduced at the end of the next to last episode. I just hope they don’t make her evil and instead keep the qualities she had in the manga (refined, ready to challenge Tsukushi). Again, the relative short length of the series could make this a problem.
I still find it hard to believe that next week is the final episode, but a lot’s riding on how it turns out, so I’m excitedly waiting to see it.
Wow, one more episode left. And it’s going to be 15 minutes longer which practically means it will be an one hour show!
I don’t know what to comment on this episode. There’s been just so much cliched friendship things that I can’t find any appropriate words to describe it ~_~
BTW Ayano-chan is cute ^_^
BTW Ayano-chan is cute ^_^
She’s pretty, but her buckteeth scare the crap out of me.
So HDY have 9 episode only..I can’t wait to watch it..
Aaa…. I can’t wait to watch it…
mine still D/L-ing, But I can’t never wait for it… so i have to read about it in this site!! Great Site… A place for my curiousity!! 😀
This episode lsounds funny to me… And I still can’t believe dat HYD is only up to episode 9… WHY??? I want it longer… more of F4 and tsukushi!!
Newayz thanx for the story! ^_^
neat… I’ve actually never read the manga (not possible for me to get it where I live)
I’m not sure whether to call it luck or not that I haven’t read the manga….. coz, it seems (from the other viewrs) that this drama had cut lots of characters… and some seems piss off about it..
but as far as it goes… I think this is a nice drama.. of course there are a few place I wish they’ve deveolope it more… but hey.. we are talking about a 9 episodes drama… something seem more important then other….
but.. I’m looking forward the the last episode,,,, weeeeee
lol…Ayano’s buckteeth scares me too….it was the first thing that made me jump from my seat..lol. I agree tho…that its hard to see how they wud just end it so soon….esp with so many new crisis rising. o.O…..maybe it’s not gonna end..and there’s gonna be season 2? …otherway….i really wanna see tsukushi and tsusuka have a second kiss…i mean…(honestly…they barely had much scenes with them together where something stupid doesn’t happen) *Go Go Tsukushi!*
I think the buckteeth result from her unnatural smile. It happens to lots of pretty girls who try to smile when they don’t even want to (look for this symptom when you suspect that a pretty girl is in fact listening to what you have to say and pretend that it’s interesting because she’s just nice).
I can’t believe it is just 9 episodes…Anyway it is just 1 more epi and there is no hana yori dango drama anymore.
Although kurimaki ayano is beautifull than Makino tsukushi, but at the end of this story Domyouji is still with Makino.. Because they fall in love together…
I want to say again how much I like the writing in this series. To distill 36 vols. into 9 episodes is mind boggling, even with so many repeat plots in the manga. The best part is, they kept enough to make it seem familiar but changed the bits so much that I still don’t know how it’s going to end or who snatched Tsukasa!! Damn, these guys are good!!
I AM going to be sad when it ends, tho. I think the writers could have made the series end better than the manga did.
They didn’t really compress 36 volumes into 9 episodes. The Teen of Japan competition stuff occurs in Volumes 10 through 12, and I’d be surprised if they covered more than a three volumes worth of material in the final episode. I’d say a rough estimate would be they mixed and matched about 12-14 volumes of the manga.
there’s one thing i don’t understand, why doesn’t Tsukasa call Tsukushi directly on her OWN phone? instead of chasing her around..another thing i didn’t really get was what did Nishida tell Tsukasa outside of his mother’s office? (sorry i can’t wait for the subs =P my japanese got me as far as Makino has left, it’s the same as the time with Tsubaki…)hehe thanks!
finally, so far, i don’t feel Tsukushi like Tsukasa THAT much to have to take everything Tsukasa’s mother is doing to her family – am i missing something??
Tsukasa chased Tsukushi instead of phone probably becuase he’s a rash person who doesn’t think before he acts.
God this series has the most cliche plot ever but it’s a fun watch and I have been smiling since I start watching.
^_^; I don’t think I have ever seen a live series with more pretty boys than this (I mean come on Tsukasa was wearing a pink flowery shirt in one of the episodes).
they should at least have a special…i think
Your movie is nice… It’s very funny and enjoyable…
Hopefully you’re going to release more of your movies…
All of the casts are very good actors and actresses….
of my the f4 is so vvery handsome but if i see in personal i have the happiest person in the world
Gosh, rui looks extremely hawt. (:
btw, what was that song tsukasa played so much better while makino was trying to learn? (:
Gosh, so awesome. ;D