Khalida

At first I wasn't sure how the second season of HYD would turn out. Since they already had included Ayano as the first fiancee, I wasn't sure whether they would still have Ookawahara Shigeru or not. I was hoping they wouldn't because she reallllly bugged me in the anime. But now, I'm really glad they still included her.

Kato Natsuki was the prefect Shigure, and I ended up liking her a lot more than I did during the anime. I'm sure they meant for everyone to hate Umi though, and they were pretty darn successful. Though the amnesia was an overload of cliches, it added nice touch for the near ending of the series.

I'm really glad they went into Soujiroh (I still have no idea what the proper spelling of his name is xD) and Akira's personal lives. I always felt they were under appreciated in the manga. And no offense, but Yuuki kind of annoyed me... a lot.

The proposal was VERY expected and cheesy, but still nice. The dance with the F4 was a great classic touch. It's seen everywhere in anime, but it always seems to make a great ending. As always, the actors were fantastic, and they acting was real and impressive. The music was great, and the insert song always seems to come in at the right moment.

Oh! And PS. Did anyone else CRINGE when Tsukasa ate Tsukushi's year-old cookie? I mean, it was touching and all... but the thing was a year old, probably hard as a rock, and possibly rotten. Fresh, homemade cookies don't have as many preservatives to keep them alive as store-bought ones do. I was surprised he didn't get sick after that, cookies can't last forever you know?

The first drama I watched; after seeing the anime first. Yes, sometimes unbearably cliche (Numerous fiancees, etc.), but the actors do a great job at portraying the characters.

Inoue Mao was a great Tsukushi, and Mastumoto Jun made a much quirkier and interesting Doumyouji than the one in the manga and anime. I probably enjoyed his portrayal the most, as a very serious and dedicated romantic, but a stupid, silly guy as well. I loved to hate the evil Eitoku girl gang in the drama a lot more than the anime.

The romance is cliche, cheesy, and sitcky sweet, but still nice and touching to watch. Be ready for a lot of extreme drama. It was nice to see a reluctant girl and a guy that was head over heels end up together instead of the classic, girl who is hopelessly in love with random hot guy at school, and poof! The guy falls for her back. While this did happen in HYD with Rui, it didn't end up too predictable-like, which I was glad for.

All in all, a great classic romance kind of drama. If you can't STAND some cliches, then steer clear of this drama. But if you can deal with a few predictables and still go along with the story, then I'd highly recommend it. Anyways, cliches can be great if they're played out correctly. And unlike many, this cliche was done fabulously.