My thoughts after re-watching this series are...that I'm not entirely sure I should have re-watched it. A part of me wishes that I had let it remain as a pure memory full of admiration and love.

And to be perfectly honest, I DO still adore this show. Also, this review is based purely on my re-watch of the first season as I have not gotten to the second season or movie yet.

Hana Yori Dango has a special place in my heart for two reasons:

1. It was the first Japanese drama I ever watched (along with "Nobuta wo Produce" as they were airing at the same time) and

2. I watched this while I was studying abroad in Japan, as it was airing.

Since then, I have re-watched the series a few times but it's been years now since my last re-watch and I definitely notice some glaringly poorly executed qualities.

To explain--I have had this idea for a while now that Japanese dramas are not what they used to be. I always refer back to Hana Yori Dango as kind-of being the headliner for the "golden" days of J-Dramas. They were SO good...and then they were not. And I could never really put my finger on why.

After re-watching HYD, I have come to the realization that it's not necessarily the fact that Japanese dramas have changed for the worst so much as I have just out-grown them. This is because many of the issues that I have when watching Japanese dramas nowadays (inconsistent story, silly and unrealistic characters, over-done humor) are all present in HYD, and I think at the time I initially watched it, I just didn't care...or know any better.

So, because of nostalgia, HYD still makes me "EEK" like a silly fangirl. It's still epic in my heart. However, if I were to watch it now without the memories and attachment I have associated with it I think I would not have enjoyed it nearly as much.