This is one of my favorites! Just a warning to all you new readers, don't let the art at the beginning turn you off (it eventually gets better, trust me!). Actually, I think I'm one of the few people who like the art from beginning to end (since I got used to the style in the 90's) and besides, it provides a funnier vibe. Then again, the plot is too engaging that you won't mind the art much anymore. If you think this is a cliche shoujo, think again. This is a CLASSIC. This manga is probably one of the biggest inspirations of all the cliches you're reading in the latest shoujo titles now.

Tsukushi Makino is one of the strongest female leads I've ever seen. True, she doesn't have the physical strength of super man. But she is VERY emotionally strong, spunky, independent, stubborn, stands up for what she believes is right and despite her tough persona, she has a warm/forgiving heart. She also has her moments of weakness but that just makes her more human. I consider her a very inspirational heroine.

What impressed me more in this manga is the character growth and the couple development. You get to love and hate the characters at the same time. It shows how fleshed out they are cause you get to see both their good and bad traits. Perhaps I am really more drawn to the characters rather than the plot itself (cause there are arcs that are too unrealistic it's funny. lol).

If you have seen the anime/drama versions, don't skip this manga! It has its own charm and differences. I actually laughed and cried more while reading this manga than the adaptations.

... Last updated on September 8th, 2012, 6:24pm

It's too long, but it's saved by really good pacing.
Too much stupid twists.
The ending itself is very lazy and stupid... But I'm used to this already.
Overall it's a good manga unless you have allergies to some of its components. Like all that social inequality crap with strict parents and arranged marriages. Adds to the drama at first, but gets old really fast. Even in one manga.
Another annoying factor was that I misspredicted pairing and expected another outcome. Which never came.

Its just amazing! First of the characters are just so interesting and unique and the really does a good job of showing their good sides and bad sides, explaining their lifestyle and why they act the way they do. All characters make some type of character growth, especially the 2 main characters. Then the plot is just interesting and its hard to tell whats going to happen next. It just a typical shoujo manga where they fall in love unbelievably fast. It takes time for them to realize their feelings for each and more time for them to love each other so much they can't stand the idea of being away from each other. I highly recommend it: great plot, nice classic art, interesting characters. Trust me, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll get mad, and you'll defiantly fall in love with this manga ^_^

I read this with high hopes but those came crashing down.
If you came to read about a girl who's mentally strong... you're gonna have to deal with the major flaws. Yes she has a strong mentality but she's also reeeeaaallly annoying.
it's damn annoying.
this goes on for most of the story.
and the morals are pretty screwed up too.
if you're rich you can do anything you like and get away with it.


to be honest, i don't understand all the hype about this!

I've watched the 3 live actions, movie & anime of this manga and I love the Taiwanese version more! Jerry yan portrayed tsukasa the best.

Anyway I have to agree with some comments that this manga had a lot of ups and downs and its painful to read some chapters. However the author was able to redeem the quality of HYD as the story progresses. The plot becomes more interesting and the romance gets a lot deeper. I would say that this manga is original but bcoz it has been created earlier some mangakas copied its storyline to make their work interesting which makes this manga cliche for young readers who've just read other mediocre mangas before this.

The only problem I have with this manga is the ending, however the HYD movie compensates for it. And its not a fanfiction coz according to wikipedia the mangaka helped the screenwriter with the movie plot.

I will definitely recommend this manga to readers who love deep storyline, character growth and romance.

... Last updated on May 17th, 2012, 10:00pm

What the heck is wrong with Makino? At first, she was really strong, very brave and she can speak out whatever she has on her mind which is exactly the fact why I love her in the first place! But as the storyline gets deeper, and I can see her "degrading" and getting more and more annoying, especially when she's acting like a weak character. Why can't she be honest with Tsukasa about her love for him? Just because she's afraid that Tsukasa's mother will do something to her friends, she tends to pull back? Where on earth is the strong Makino that shouted and called Tsukasa's mother names?! OMG. It was so...horrible. I do enjoy reading the storyline, no doubt! But the character development! That's the real problem!

Not to forget that she can just kiss with whomever she "trusts". How on earth can she trust someone so easily, and when she found out that they betrayed her, got mad but then, forgives again and gets fooled again?! Not logic. I'm seriously disappointed. Where did the strong Makino went? I have to say, I prefer Tsukasa way much more than Makino after seeing her becoming weaker and weaker. Yes, Tsukasa might be childish but at least he's better than Makino. At least he's honest. I feel sorry for him when Makino keeps stepping crushing his feelings like that. I have no comments for the other 3 F4 members. They have a very strong friendship bonding, especially Akira and Nishikado. Omg. This two have been trying to pull the group together when it began to break. They even tried to pull Tsukasa and Makino together and make sure that their relationship progresses. It's really nice to see that Tsukasa and Rui have friends like that, although they're playboys. Rui is...quite okay. He's not exactly the best character but he develops very well throughout the manga. I love the part where he splashes water and call the 3 girls who likes to bully Makino "murderers" when they tricked her to go out to the snow blizzard. He was friggin' awesome.

And I really don't want to complain about this since I'm downloading, but the scanlation was so poor from volume...I dunno 9 or 10. I was so disappointed to the group that scanned and translated those few volumes. It's like they did a half-ass job and the one thing that pissed me off the most is the empty bubbles!!! Why?! Why is it empty?! OMG. I wouldn't mind if they inserted a sentence that doesn't make sense than to leave it empty! I don't want to critic them to be honest! But I was so pissed! Why would they want to translate this work when they're not putting their best on to it?!

... Last updated on May 9th, 2012, 6:34am

This manga is painfully realistic at portraying how cruel (rich) people can be, and accurate shows how people can act. It shows human behavior in a sometimes a bit extreme/dramatic way, but even so it definitely manages to evoke some emotions. It shows the ugly without holding back. Sometimes it's just plain painful to read. But the main character endures.. and the manga goes on, usually with a turn for the better.

It's a pretty unique manga if you look further than the shoujo setting. There's ballsy moments that make you chuckle out loud, but since it is shoujo, there's also silly "I loved that guy but I went out with that guy but I now realize the other guy loved me more" moments. At times this felt like Twilight:super soap opera edition.
Then again, I read Twilight. Kill me.

All in all it's a pretty unique manga mixed with ballsy, dark and sweet moments. Now and then there was a disappointing volume (amnesia volume sucked), but this was a worthwhile read none the less.

... Last updated on February 28th, 2012, 10:32am

This is the first manga I ever read. At the time I didn't know what I was reading (didn't even remember the name XD) I just read Volume 18. I didn't know what I read so I described it to my friend later and she knew exactly what I was talking about. I didn't find out the Japanese name until later on so I started reading Lovely Complex (which I still love) and then started on Hana Yori Dango again.
I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite mangas of all time! It may seem long, but it needs to be that long for all of the character development. Because there is A LOT of it. Which I love
I especially love the character development with Domyoji. The changes he makes are insane, but nessesary for him to become a normal human being.
And I have to say that Tsukushi is a female lead that I completely 100% like. Even when she does make stupid choices.

... Last updated on January 29th, 2012, 6:57pm

I was certain, as I have watched the Kdrama about 3 times, that I would hate this manga, but I was proven wrong on so many levels. The plot is very shoujo, but so incredibly romantic and over the top, but in a good way. Such a classic for so many reasons. I loved all of the characters and the concept. Amazing! worth the 2 days of non stop reading that I put into finishing off all 241 chapters. Wow, such a great manga!!!!!
Also, in addition, just watched the J-drama. If you loved the manga, watch it!

... Last updated on August 28th, 2012, 3:54pm

I already watched the anime, the japanese dorama: Hana Yori Dango, Hana Yori Dango 2, Hana Yori Dango Final (movie), and the korean dorama Boys Over Flowers, at last I've finished within a week the manga, it didn't leave the same feeling as the anime, but the manga got so much power that I couldn't stop myself from reading the next chapter. That's the power masterpiece mangas got, they fully capture your soul.