Hana Yori Dango Contrasts Rich and Poor on UTB

The title of this television program poses a problem for anyone seeking to translate it. Simply put, hana yori dango is a proverb in Japanese which means rather than a flower (hana) a dumpling (dango) is desirable. Or “fine words butter no parsnips.” In the Obunsha dictionary the phrase is translated as “pudding rather than praise.” However, in the title of this television show, “dango” is formed by different Chinese characters from the traditional ones. In the title, the word “dango” means “boys.” It refers to a group of four boys who make up a clique that calls itself the F4, the Flower 4.

Hana Yori Dango, broadcast Sunday evenings at 9:00 pm on KSCI, Channel 18, subtitled in English, is the newest television melodrama being presented by United Television Broadcasting (UTB). It tells the story of Makino Tsukushi (played by Inoue Mao), a poor young girl attending a famous school for the wealthy. She comes into conflict with the F4 and lands into all sorts of trouble. But Makino is by nature an optimistic person and has a strong personality. All in all it makes for a stirring love story between young people.

Actually, this story was originally a comic book, selling more than 48 million copies in Japan. In 1995, it was made into a movie and after that, an animated series on television. It also has become a story that transcends national boundaries, not just a phenomenon in Japan. In 2001, it was made into a dramatic television series in Taiwan under the name, “Meteor Garden.” At the present time, it has garnered high ratings in 13 countries around the world.

Domyoji Tsukasa (Matsumoto Jun) is the leader of a group of four students that includes Hanazawa Rui (Oguri Shun), Nishikado Sojiro (Matsuda Shota) and Misaku Akira (Abe Tsuyoshi). They are sons of nobles attending Eitoku Gakuen, a high class high school. Eitoku Gakuen was established as a school system starting in kindergarten and continuing through college. The majority of students entered in kindergarten and have been in the school system ever since. Because of that, it is understandable that only the wealthy can afford the high fees charged from even the kindergarten stage. Although this drama is naturally fiction, in contemporary Japan such educational institutions such as Keio Gijuku, Aoyama Gakuin, Gakushuin and others operate in much the same way, assembling students from middle school and high school to join the course that many other rich kids take. Practically all of the students of Eitoku Gakuen live in mansions and have chauffeurs who drop them off at school in a Mercedes Benz or other luxury cars.

Into this Eitoku Gakuen High School, filled with the scions of the wealthy and the well-connected, comes an ordinary person, Makino Tsukushi, for whom some inscrutable destiny has led her to the place. In the school, the clique that calls itself the F4, the Flower 4, a group of four young men who fashion themselves trend setters, is led by Domyoji Tsukasa. In their world, the F4 are celebrities. There is not a single person who dares to stand up to them. One day, in order to protect a friend, Tsukushi draws a knife on the F4 and that makes her marked with a red “X,” becoming a target for tormenting by her classmates.

However, Tsukushi has a strong sense of justice and meets the challenge with the attitude that, “Do it to me and I’ll do it right back to you. That is my policy!” Domyoji Tsukasa finds himself smitten by Makino Tsukushi and from that time on, he takes her side in every situation. For her part, Tsukushi, who has endured continuous abuse, finds herself starting to change due to the influence of the F4. This story is about how the wretchedly poor Makono Tsukushi and the fabulously wealthy F4 are polar opposites and yet find an irresistible attraction in this unique love story.

The above summary is essentially to be found as is on the UTBHollywood.com website, although one has to be able to read Japanese to make sense of it. Also given is an episode by episode summary of the action. The first episode establishes the facts given above. Makino Tsukushi is introduced as someone who throughout her middle school years was motivated by feeling of what is right in social relations, but in order to live a more calm life, has repressed those emotions. She now cultivates a subdued persona.

Domyoji Tsukasa is undisciplined and arrogant. The Gakuen revolves around the F4, with the bullying rampant, but Tsukushi pretends that she doesn’t see. However, Tsukushi’s life is about to radically change.

In the past, Japanese melodramas strived to titillate, with overtly sexual situations explored in a frank manner. But these days the trend seems to be to present the dilemmas of young people as they find their place in society. Perhaps this is reading more into the situation than justified, but it is as if all of Japanese society is trying to find a firm footing along with young people as they grapple with their problems. At the very least, a humble approach is called for and nothing could be more welcome.


Hana Yori Dango, Sundays at 9:00 pm on KSCI, Channel 18, subtitled in English


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