Title: ヒミツの花園 Himitsu no Hanazono
English Title:
- Hanazono's Secret
- The Secret Garden
Language: Japanese
Year: 2007
Episode: 11
Cast:
- 釈由美子 Shaku Yumiko
- 堺雅人 Sakai Masato
- 池田鉄洋 Ikeda Tetsuhiro
- 要潤 Kaname Jun
- 本郷奏多 Hongo Kanata
- 真矢みき Maya Miki
- 寺島進 Terajima Susumu
- 滝沢沙織 Takizawa Saori
SYNOPSIS
安室奈美恵 Amuro Namie - Baby Don't CryTsukiyama Kayo works as an editor at a fashion magazine and she gets to do the unglamorous menial tasks. However, the magazine Kayo is working on will cease publication and she is transferred to the editorial staff of shōjo manga or comic books especially targeted at young girls.
One day, she is assigned to handle Hanazono Yuriko, a popular writer and cartoonist. When she arrives at Yuriko's luxurious apartment to pick up Yuriko's latest manuscript, she meets four men who she thought were Yuriko's assistants.
These men order her around to do some tedious tasks and Kayo had no choice but to do as she is told. After a long and tiring day of doing countless errands, Kayo demands that the four men introduce her to Hanazono Yuriko.
The men, who are actually brothers, tell her that they are Hanazono Yuriko. Kataoka Wataru is the eldest and works as the background artist. Osamu is the main artist, Satoshi acts as the manager, and the youngest Hinata is the story writer.
Kayo is shocked and the brothers tell her that Hanazono Yuriko's real identity has to remain a secret.
REVIEW
Himitsu no Hanazono is about four brothers with vastly different personalities as the creators of the most popular shōjo manga in Japan. Although everyone wants to know more about the most successful writer and artist, these brothers had to lie low because the public cannot know the real identity (or rather, identities) of the writer and artist.
I'm amazed at how four people are actually behind the production of the comic novel and I wonder how they settle the creative direction should there be any conflict whatsoever. Since one of the brothers is actually the manager, he is one step removed from the creative process but three people sharing the work is still too many.
I don't understand why the brothers cannot reveal themselves as the people behind their comic novel. Why is it not acceptable for men to write about women and teenagers? I admit that women are more emotional and are more in tune to the complicated women's psyche so it makes sense that they have an advantage when it comes to novels specifically targeted to women but they don't have a monopoly on said occupation. If there are guys that can actually produce a creative work that touches women's hearts, I think it is necessary to celebrate these individuals and give them the recognition due to them.
The brotherhood of the four brothers is quite impressive and touching. Although they have different personalities, they relate to each other quite well. Personally, I think it is really difficult to have family members as co-workers primarily because in these cases, it is sometimes difficult to separate personal matters from professional matters. I think I would also feel suffocated by the small circle I move in because the people I live with (and relate with in my private life) are the same people I work with (and relate with in my professional life).
I'm not particularly happy with Shaku Yumiko's portrayal of her character, mainly because she seemed to only have one facial expression for different emotions. To be fair, perhaps it's also because I'm not happy with Tsukiyama Kayo as a character. It's strange that she's a junior editor but as part of her job, she has to do household chores and go on personal errands for the four brothers. I wonder, are these tasks really part of the job description of editors and managers in charge of writers and artists?! It seems like it is a really difficult occupation if that's the case.
I also didn't like the romantic plot lines in the drama mainly because the two people who ended up together didn't really have much interaction throughout the drama which shows their romantic development. It seemed that all of a sudden, Wataru and Kayo are together in the end. It was difficult to get behind them because I didn't see them get attracted to each other and fall in love with each other. Honestly though, perhaps I didn't see anything romantic between Wataru and Kayo because I was rooting for Kayo to end up with Satoshi, Wataru's younger brother.
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ヒミツの花園 Himitsu no Hanazono
