VIEWERS will once again witness the pretty complicated love triangle between Mizuka Ashiya, Izumi Sano, and Shuichi Nakatsu on their screens.
This, as the hit teen romantic-comedy series “Hana Kimi” finally gained an anime adaptation!
Anime brand Crunchyroll dropped a teaser trailer for the long-awaited anime adaptation, featuring its three lead characters and their dynamics. Kukunosuke Toya will voice Nakatsu, Taku Yashiro for Sano, and Aya Yamane for Ashiya.
“Finally, after 20 years, Hana-Kimi is becoming an anime!” it said.
“Hana Kimi” is based on the Japanese shoujo manga series “Hanazakari no Kimitachi e” by late manga artist Hisaya Nakajo which ran from 1996 to 2004.
It follows Ashiya, a cheerful young woman who disguises herself as a boy to enter the all-boys Osaka Academy.
There, she meets Nakatsu, a member of the school’s soccer team, and Sano, a high jump athlete who stopped competing due to an injury he sustained from an accident. Nakatsu and Sano later develop romantic feelings for Ashiya.
The release date for the anime adaptation is yet to be announced, but will be streamed on Crunchyroll.
Live-action adaptations
“Hana Kimi” was adapted into a live-action series in Taiwan and Japan in 2006 and 2007, respectively.
The Taiwanese drama starred Ella Chen, Wu Chun, and Jiro Wang. The Japanese drama, on the other hand, featured Maki Horikita, Shun Oguri, and Toma Ikuta.
It also got a live-action drama in South Korea, titled “To The Beautiful You,” starring Korean singers Lee Hyun-woo, Shinee’s Choi Min-ho, and late actress and former f(x) member Sulli.
The Taiwanese and Korean adaptations aired on Philippine television in the 2000s, capturing the hearts of millennials and early Gen Zs.
Fans feel nostalgia
For many ‘90s and ‘2000s kids, the “Hana Kimi” teaser trailer brought back memories of when they first read the manga and how it became their favorite.
“This was the first manga I ever bent over backwards to collect from start to finish and I still have them all,” one netizen said on X (formerly Twitter).
“13-year-old me has been waiting for this. I’m ready for some gender swapping shenanigans!” another fan wrote.
“Nakakaiyak huhu mizuki x sano forevs,” a Filipino internet user said.
Other fans said there is no way they won’t watch the anime adaptation, especially since they have already seen the three live-action series.
