Recap: Hana Kimi 2011 Remake {Episode 2}

If you haven’t watched the first episode, you might be a little confused. This drama has gotten a lot of criticism and the rating have suffered (6.0% for episode 2) but it’s not horrendous. If you’ve watched the original your more likely to dislike this drama. Like me. But I’m determined to find something that I like about this drama. So here we go~

The episode opens with Mizuki taking a shower. Sano enters, I’m assuming he was doing laundry, and hears the water running. He stops for a second and has a flashback about how he saw Mizuki’s undershirt the previous day. As he puts the facts together he approaches the shower to do something but he suddenly interrupted when two guys interrupt him saying , “It’s a girl!”

They further explain by saying some cute girl has come to visit him. Sano looks surprised for some reason but nonetheless leaves to go see her. Mizuki stops the water (probably because she herself was eavesdropping) and the scene cuts to Sano talking to some girl. Mizuki and a few other guys (I really should learn the cast.) eavesdrop and are all shocked that Sano was talking to a girl.

Sano seems to be breaking up with her because as he leaves she grabs his shoulder but he gently moves it away. He walks away from the girl but she calls out ,” I don’t want this!” and he still doesn’t seem phased and walks away. Mizuki on the other hand has a hard time wrapping her head around the fact of him having a girlfriend.

New scene opens with Nanba and Dorm 1 leader talking about how they will win some competition. Masao comes down the stairs with his group and argues he’s going to win. (I love this guy.) The three and their groups walk through the school each declaring their own victory. Turns out the competition is the school festival.

Nanba explains that the cancellation of all events have been lifted and gives an inspirational speech to his group.

I can’t help but add this part when Nanba’s “admirer” vows to follow him for eternity. Total LOL. After that everyone cheers in their soon to be victory when Mizuki asks a question about the whereabouts of this festival and the wonderful Nakatsu explains. Kayashima adds that the main even is MissCon and Mizuki will be their weapon.

This triggers a “huh?” moment for Nakatsu which ends in a nosebleed. But Mizuki shocks everyone when she says she doesn’t want to do it. (I wonder why…) The whole group objects and names the reasons why she would be perfect for it. Mizuki fires back saying it’s a complex she has. They decide to settle it with rock paper scissors which Mizuki loses…by a lot.

Later on they begin to set up the for the competition and Nakatsu asks for Mizuki’s help on something. As she’s holding down the board for him, he can’t help but notice how good she smells and goes into one of his monologues. When he snaps out of it by the sound of Mizuki’s voice,  he reaches over her to get a tool and freezes up then goes into another monologue.

Later, out of nowhere someone drops something over Mizuki’s head. Nanba rushes to clean her up while Sano catches the attention of Nakatsu. They have a brief conversation about his devotion to Yuujiro before he walks the dog. On his walk he sees the girl he was shown to be talking to early and immediately turns the other direction and walks away. He comes back to where the group is and throws the task of walking Yuujiro on Mizuki.

She complies and goes to walk Yuujiro. No surprise, she sees the same girl from before. They introduce themself and the girl asks for Mizuki to call Sano for her. (Does anyone else notice the weird posture she has if you watched it?) Mizuki pulls her aside and was about to ask if the girl was Sano’s girlfriend but stops short. Rika (the girl) explains she was Sano’s track manager is middle school and explains he was a high jumper. Mizuki then fills in the rest of the details about his track career.

Rika asks if Mizuki talks about high jump with Sano and she answers no. Mizuki asks whether Rika knows the reason why Sano quit and the girl answers yes. Rika reveals that it was her fault. A flashback is shown with Rika and Sano walking and she is about to pull something out of her purse when her glove flies off her hand and into the street. She immediately runs to get it when suddenly a car comes down the road. Sano runs after her and pushes her out the way thus injuring his leg. Despite all of this, Rika still wants to see Sano jump again. She gives her number to Mizuki and asks for her to give it to Sano.

Later that night Sano shifts uncomfortably in bed. He looks up at Mizuki staring at something. Mizuki gets up as if to give it to him and they both begin to talk at the same time saying, “You know..” They continue this “speaking at the same time and saying the same words” for a short time before Sano questions Mizuki about leaving home. She tells him the same thing she’s been saying, it’s because of his high jump, but he doesn’t believe her. He points out that she’s like a girl and she gets defensive but then asks her what she wanted to say. Just as she was about to say his girlfriend he sneezes. (Which I find hilarious for some reason.) He apologizes and asks again what she was saying but Mizuki says nothing and shoves the card in her pocket.

After the light goes out in their room, the camera shifts to Nakatsu’s room. He lies in bed pondering about just how he likes Mizuki. He gets too into one of his monologues and his towel falls off his hips. That’s enough information there.

The next day the final preparations for the festival are set up and the event finally begins. The St. Blossom girls immediately decide to go to Dorm 2 because of surprise surprise: Sano. But then others suggest going to the other dorms so they split up. Dorm 2 decides to do a cafe like theme. (Kind of reminds me of a manga.)  Soon after they call for the Miss Osaka competition to start and Mizuki rushes to get ready.

While she’s picking out her outfit, you see someone from Dorm 1 staring through their dressing room. Something (again) is thrown at Mizuki and gets on the clothes she was about to put on. She looks back at Dorm 1′s dressing room in wonder.

The camera cuts to Tokyo Gakuen coming to see the competition. They don’t seem too impressed. On the way there they see Sano walking outside and Kagurazaka focuses on him. Kagurazaka follows Sano and tries to talk to him but Sano doesn’t want to talk. He asks Sano when he plans on returning to track and Sano says he has no intentions to. Kagurazaka’s real motive behind the question was he became number one just because Sano wasn’t jumping anymore and everyone still doesn’t see Kagurazaka as number one but still as second to Sano. He proposes for Sano to jump again, just once, so he can finally get the recognition he feels he has deserved. Sano doesn’t say anything and Kagurazaka drops the famous line,”If you don’t, I’ll never forgive you.”

Meanwhile Mizuki has gotten her clothes washed but they are still wet. She takes them and rushes out of the building but not before stopping to hear Sano’s voice. He is finally talking with Rika again. Sano tells Rika he isn’t going to jump again and he is tired of her acting like his manager all the time. He tells her he doesn’t want to see her so she shouldn’t come anymore and he walks away.

Rika is still there after he left and Mizuki goes to talk to her. She apologizes about losing the number (lie) and encourages Rika to have patience with Sano. Rika interrupts her stating nothing will change even if she does. Little do they both know, Sano is listening behind a wall. Rika further explains that this is not the Sano she knows. Mizuki counters her by saying jumping is not everything and Sano is still Sano. Rika gets upset and scolds Mizuki for acting like she knows and understands him.

Mizuki argues back that Rika doesn’t really know Sano and Rika slaps Mizuki. Rika starts saying, “Someone like you….” and then runs away before she finishes. Sano and Mizuki meet in the cafeteria and Mizuki immediately begins telling Sano how the cares a lot about him. Sano calls her out for speaking for him and Mizuki apologizes but goes back to the girl. Sano then tells her she doesn’t know his feeling and Mizuki argues he never let’s people know how he feels. Nakatsu stands in the hallway but the two are unaware. (I don’t know how since Mizuki is sitting across from the hall.) Sano suddenly confuses that the reason he stopped high jumping is because he lost to the pressure. Even though his injury healed he was afraid of returning or going against Kagurazaka.

He states that it’s not that he doesn’t want to jump anymore, he can’t. He leaves after saying that those were his feelings and totally passes by Nakatsu. He tosses and turns in bed while Mizuki thinks in a bathroom. But while she questions herself someone pours water over her head. (Someone is really out to get her!)

Nakatsu contemplates going into Sano’s room but in the ends goes into the room. He goes in and rambles until he suddenly jumps on Sano but Sano pushes him off with ease. He returns to his seat and rambles some more then leaves. As he closes the door and picture frame falls and knocks over a mug of water thus making it spill on the table. Sano goes to clean it when he drops Mizuki’s passport and looks inside of it. He notices that her gender say F and reassurances himself that she is a girl.

Mizuki has dried herself off and the nurse comes to greet her. He mentions this is a good time for a secret confession. Instead of saying what he wants to hear she goes off saying she has hurt someone without knowing and that person has formed a grudge against her, explaining the mishaps happening to her. She then goes into the story of meeting Sano, her hard time in high school, and all the information she knows about Sano through flashbacks. Mizuki decides not to get down on herself and instead vows to give Sano the power to believe in himself again. Umeda  (the nurse) agrees to play along with not knowing anything and Mizuki kisses him as a gratitude of thanks. He pulls away shocked and says he doesn’t like contact with woman. It takes her a while to figure out he’s gay.

She leaves then suddenly she realizes that she’s not sure how she plans on carrying out her plans. Nanba interrupts her and asks why she’s still dressed as a guy. She rushes to the competition. After Mizuki runs to the stage, Dorm 1 is still plotting against her ( I’m assuming). As she walks out, they throw a blanket over her and “kidnap” her.

Nakatsu runs around looking for Mizuki once he learns she has not arrived. Kayashima uses his powers to feel the presence in the room and all eyes turn to Nakao (I think that’s him). Nakatsu interrogates him and he finally confesses that it was him all along messing with Mizuki. He wanted revenge against Mizuki for her wanting Nanba’s feelings. (which we all know is false.)

Kadoma (I have no idea who this is but he is a contestant. He is from Dorm 1 though.) looks on sorrowful when someone calls him. Nanba comes in and Nakao begs Nakatsu not to tell what he has done to Mizuki.  His begging is interrupted when Kadoma walks in and apologizes.

Nakatsu tells Sano that Mizuki has been kidnapped and they both run to go look for her. As they run down the road Sano spots her and she says she’s been looking for him. Nakatsu runs back and is ecstatic to see Ashiya. The rest of the group comes along with Kadoma and he’s surprised. He says he mistaked someone else as Mizuki and Mizuki comes to the conclusion that they got Rika and not her. They all run to go get her.

They have to fight some of Dorm 1 (hilarious scene) before they can open the door and save Rika. Dorm 1 apologizes to their leader but say they wanted to give him victory. In the end all of Dorm 1 apologizes Rika. And then Nakao apologizes to Mizuki and states arrogantly he won’t let her take Nanba away. The  dovey scene ends quickly when the announcer announces Osaka’s turn next. Nanba and his flirty self tries to get with Rika as they walk towards the competition.

The apologizing feast doesn’t end. Mizuki apologizes to Sano for what she said and Sano does likewise. Nakatsu questions the cloth she has in her hand and she replies it something she wanted to do for Sano, to be his motivation. Nakatsu then reminds them that they’ve got somewhere to be and the trio rushes off.

When Mizuki turn does come, Nakatsu freaks out in the audience. It turns out to be a big shocker when it is not Mizuki up on stage, but Sano instead! The cloth Mizuki was holding earlier was a dress for Sano. Nakatsu shakes his head in disbelief but cheers his friend on, bringing the crowd into it. Mizuki then comes on stage with Yuujiro and brings more hype. And no surprise, Nakatsu joins the fun. And the rest of Dorm 2. Rika acknowledges to herself in the audience that Sano does have good friends and that he is happy.

A party is held room after the competition. Food is the theme. Nanba brings the results and sadly, Dorm 2 came in last. Nanba gives a pep talk about winning the athletic competition and they all yell in joy. Mizuki throws her arm around Nakatsu’s shoulder in celebration and he freaks.

Mizuki goes to get some more juice and leaves hers on the table. Nakatsu stares at it and tries to control his urge to drink it. (This scene so reminded me of the way Ikuta Toma played Nakatsu.) He thinks about it being an indirect kiss and bring it to his lips when….Kayashima forces his own drink on Nakatsu lips and says indirect kiss for him.

The group then freaks out about all the sake lees being finished and the culprit is none other than Sano. He gags and Nanba orders him to go outside if he is going to puke and he crawls over people to make his way to the door. He walks out stumbling and no one bothers to help him.

On Mizuki way back, she notices Sano knocked out over a table. Mizuki asks what he’s doing and he replies in his drunken state. He struggles to get out the chair and Mizuki rushes to help him. She helps him from falling but he grabs her forearm and leans in for a kiss. Mizuki tries to pull aways but Sano….kisses her. Yuujiro looks on.

COMMENTS:

Wow. Recapping is hard. This no joke took me like four hours. But I learned how to make my own screencaps I’m learning to look at the drama without comparing it to the original. It’s not a terrible drama but it doesn’t live up to the original. The acting actually is average. I’m starting to see Ikuta Toma sometimes when Miura Shohei acts, especially this episode. Maeda’s acting is too bad. Nakamura…he makes an interesting Sano. This Sano is much more…nicer. He’s more open with his feelings and not so cold-hearted. I love Renn’s acting. I swear I always see Hiro when he comes on-screen. I think I can make it through this drama. I doubt it’ll make the best drama of the year but it’s not the worst I’ve seen. I still hate the ending and theme song. It’s killing me. I never listened to AKB48 and don’t plan on listening to them after this.

Any thoughts?

Episode 3 Recap

Episode 4 Recap

Episode 5 Recap

~ta ta ^.^