scottishlass | Dorama watching ... intro to Himitsu no Hanazono

Haven't written much about my dorama watching as I'm watching two doramas that are still on air in Japan and I watch the series with one or two week's delay.
Karei-naru Ichizoku and Himitsu no Hanazono (no Hanadan, sorry)

While I have to watch Karei-naru in its entirety before I want to review it (though all I can say at this point I'm in awe of Kimura's and the entire cast's performance) I want to introduce Himitsu no Hanazono (Secret of Hanazono) today.

Himitsu no Hanazono tells the story about a young fashion magazine editor, Tsukiyama Kayo (Shaku Yumiko), who gets re-assigned to the manga department and put in charge of a shoujo manga writer called Hanazono Yuriko. Throwing herself into the first day on the job, her birthday, she gets treated like a maid by a bunch of guys who she thinks are Hanazono Yuriko's assistants.

While running errands for them and all in all experiencing her own private hell, she finds out that Hanazono Yuriko doesn't exist and that her assistants are in fact Hanazono.
They kept their identity secret as shoujo mangas are only read by girls and they expect that they are also written by a girl and not a bunch of weird guys.
The four are actually brothers who live in a huge apartment building with heavy security and this building is their own ivory tower. Apart from Satoshi (the third eldest brother who also functions as manager) they don't get out too much and live and breathe their mangas.

Kataoka Wataru 32 (played by Sakai Masato)

He is the oldest brother and probably the most talented considering his
skills as a classical painter. He gave up his education at the local Arts Academy in order to set up business with his brothers. He seems to harbour another secret apart from the true identity of Hanazono. He is very protective of his family.

Kataoka Osamu 30 (played by Ikeda Tetsuhiro)

He is the otaku of the four brothers. A very talented manga artist, he is the creative head of the four brothers concerning the drawing. He is an oddball, a typical geek and he also dresses like it. He is weird and has a humour of his own. He also likes to test and taunt new editors working for the four brothers.

Kataoka Satoshi 27 (played by Kaname Jun)

He is the manager of the four brothers. He is very good-looking and a ladies' man. He also takes care of his brothers while doing the housework and the cooking.

Kataoka Hinata 18 (played by Hongo Kanata)

He is the youngest and also the plot writer of the four. He is also a very perceptive young man who seems to know more than normally meets the eye. He tries to keep apart from the world and most often also from his brothers who are all much older than him. He is wise and yet innocent and inexperienced, with a good heart.

The plot continues as Kayo changes the every day routine of the four brothers as she becomes their editor. She learns the robes from another editor, Tanaka from another publishing house, and slowly she gets to know the brothers. Kayo falls for Wataru and even though he seems to have feelings for her, too, he puts the blame on her when one after the other their secrets are made public, the biggest of them all being that Hanazono Yuriko is a guy, four in fact.

I'm now up to ep 8 and three more eps to go. I like the drama very much even though it doesn't have big stars and is not flashy in the least. It is a inconspicuous drama, quiet without the woe is me, I'm frelled kind of drama. Additionally, it has lovable main and sub characters who are either goofy, serious or just downright adorable.
It has its funny moments and its sad moments with a bit of romance thrown in. I like that very much.
Hopefully my OTP (Wataru & Kayo) will survive this week's ep - he told her that all their problems started when she turned up (which is true) and that he wants her to leave (quit). *sigh* He is such a whiny bitch sometimes and he starts to get me annoyed. I hope my OTP survives but if it doesn't and Kayo ends up with Satoshi (who is her age and also likes her) then I'm okay with it.

As in other news ... if you like fan fiction that isn't really fan fiction but a huge epic which has hot bodies, angels and fallen ones, please go read GENESIS.
It is a story of epic proportions, well written (if you ignore the occasional typo) and has the hottest archangels this side of Heaven :) The accompanying graphics and tribute videos are also very well done and once that fan fic is finished, I think it will be a great novel-like read with lots of twists and turns. Additionally, a lot of Korean and Japanese hotties were taken as the likenesses of the Archangels and Fallen Ones (Lee Jun-ki both is Michael and Lucifer - read it if you want to find out why!!) with Won Bin, Takki, Kimura Takuya, Kang Don-won and others as Archangels or Fallen Ones.

Lucifer - Bringer of Light