Hana Yori Dango [lit. Dango {Preferred} Over Flowers/ Boys Over Flower] (Japanese Drama)

Genre: Romance

Episodes Total: Season 1: 9

                        Season 2: 11

                     

Main Cast:

Inoue Mao as Makino Tsukushi

Matsumoto Jun as Domyoji Tsukasa

Oguri Shun as Hanazawa Rui

Matsuda Shota as Nishikado Sojiro

Abe Tsuyoshi as Mimasaka Akira'

Synopsis: 

Season 1:

Makino Tsukushi is the only poor student at Eitoku Gakuen, the school of the ridiculously rich and privileged that is ruled by Flower 4 or F4, a group of four boys who come from extremely powerful families: Domyoji Tsukasa, the leader and heir of the Domyoji World Finance Group; Hanazawa Rui, the introverted son of a large company; Nishikado Sojiro, a player who is the heir of a tea ceremony school; and Mimasaka Akira, a madam killer with ties to the underground. If a student gets on the F4's bad side, he/she gets a red notice and is bullied and driven out of school.

Makino hopes to pass her days quietly-- without drawing any attention to herself-- but one day, she stands up to Domyoji in defense of her friend. The next day, Makino gets the dreaded red notice. Even though she is harassed, Makino decides to keep going to school because she is a "tough weed". She declares war right back on the F4. Her resolve gets the attention of her crush Hanazawa Rui and oddly enough, rouses romantic feelings in her worst enemy, Domyoji Tsukasa.

Season 2:

This second season of Hana Yori Dango picks up right after Domyoji leaves for New York. After confessing to Domyoji, Makino has not spoken to him for a year. Rui and the other members of F4 try and help Makino meet Domyoji again by going to New York for the christmas holidays. Though F4 and Makino meet Domyoji again, he has become a completely different person, and so they leave for Japan.

Some time later, Domyoji's mother annouces that they will be returning to Japan. There, they hold a giant super-rich and classy birthday party for Domyoji and announce something very important. Domyoji, like in the first season, is engaged to a rich girl and heir, Shigeru. The only difference is that they are to be wed soon. What will Makino do?

On the side, Rui begins to fall in love with Makino... will this become a love... square?

Thoughts:

The series that led to the birth of Boys Over Flowers(Korean) and Meteor Garden(Taiwanese). If it led to that, so I assure anyone interested that this is a super great drama. Believe me even if I am a stranger to you.