Hanazakari no kimitači e: ikemen paradaisu 2011

The first episode left me a bit conflicted. Then it got better. It borrowed a lot from the manga; if you've read it you might enjoy it more. Anyway, it's not as cheery and comedic as the 2007 series. Maybe even the boy squad isn't as handsome, but I guess those with Y chromosomes don't really care, huh? There's such a somber tone running through the whole series (it's about the closing of the school, which everyone fights against every now and then). It's nice to see a few people from 2007 show up here; Hibari even has a bigger role in this one, and he fits in perfectly with the current Masao, I mean Oscar :-D He's probably the best thing here (as with the 2007 version, Nakatsu is quite the comic relief). Some of the characters are better fleshed out here, but it's just not as relaxing or as laugh-out-loud funny as 2007. Ashiya is okay, after all there can only be one Maki, but even so, Maeda Atsuko does a decent job. Sano isn't as much of a cold fish here as he was in 2007. I guess it's like this: it has its good scenes, you won't have as much fun, it's not even necessarily a must-see. If you've got a lot of free time and nothing else to watch, I could recommend it without reservations. (10/10/2011)