Hanasakeru Seishounen Review

It's kind of ironic that my first real review here covers a shoujo anime series. Don't think I usually go in for shoujo or, if I do, I prefer parodies like Ouran High School Host Club. Something about the obsessively narrow focus on sticky-sweet romance with perfectly unbelievable plot twists that makes me cringe. Again, unless it makes fun of itself, like OHSHC. In the case of Hanasakeru, I came across it while browsing for something new on Crunchyroll and for some reason found myself tearing through the episodes. Some reason probably being the start of the new semester.

The story follows young heiress Kajika Burnsworth as she enters into a husband-hunting game at her father's instigation. Told that she has a heavy destiny awaiting her and that she'll only hear what that destiny is once she has her future husband at her side, Kajika must choose from amongst three men her father has preselected for her. The catch being that she has no idea who these men are or when she might encounter them. It doesn't take long for the suitors to turn up, however, and it soon becomes clear that there is a larger political drama about to unfold.

As is probably obvious by the synopsis, the story is completely predictable shoujo, hardly (if at all) swerving from formula. All of the main characters are “major players” in the sense of their wealth, leadership brilliance, physical beauty, etc. And yes, at least one is also a “major player” in that other sense. The plot twists are geared toward heightening romantic drama, as are the supposedly touching moments of emotional revelation peppered throughout the series. I'm thinking specifically of a scene in which Love Interest #3 reveals the background of his psychological trauma, moving to pose melodramatically in front of the window so we can all enjoy a nice profile view of his fine figure. Many of the more minor characters are obvious foils planted to highlight the supreme magnificence of the main characters. Kajika's school friend Yui, introduced in the first episode, is a good example. Her painful self-consciousness constrasts Kajika's proud confidence, just as her overly enthusiastic appreciation of Kajika's mansion home and love interests reveal how easily Kajika takes for granted her expensive lifestyle.

There must be something redeeming about the series though, since I pretty easily made it through all 39 episodes. I found myself torn between being charmed by Kajika and wanting to shake her. She is a much stronger personality than I have seen in most female anime characters, stubborn about getting her way, determined to make her own decisions, but always concerned about those around her. The fact that she isn't really able to do much without the help of her father's money, her friends' political influence, or the guys' rescue ability doesn't detract from her independence as much as I'd have thought, since it is ultimately her spirit and ability to bring people together that make her friends so willingly to put themselves out for her. In other words, she might not do any of the actual kicking butt, but she sure knows how to stir everyone else up to the point where they're willing to do it for her.

Not sure yet of the proper lingo for classifying anime art, but Hanasakeru's seems to me to be a form of pretty-boy realism. By realism I mean the characters all have noses, which seems fairly uncommon in the anime I've been watching recently. There are a few scenes in which noses are discarded or shading is dramatically reduced, usually as a way to highlight the comic relief of character's emotional responses. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Left, indignant Kajika watching Love Interest #1 sweet talk the maid; Right, Lee Leng when... Well, I won't spoil it.

The pretty-boy half of the descriptor should be obvious. The show definitely caters to Japanese fascination with Anglo coloring. Eugene, Love Interest #1 (in order of appearance, not preference), is the height of French aristocratic fashion, plus he's got the platinum head and unusual eyes to satisfy any Asian's need for non-Asian exotic:

Fear not, Westerners for whom blonde hair is no longer all that stunning! For us fair-haired lasses there is still plenty of exotic. Rumaty, Love Interest #2, combines Asian appeal with the draw receding genes:

Overall, I thought this anime was satisfying when in need of some good fluff, but it isn't a particularly remarkable shoujo. Since I'm not really up on shoujo in general (Who knows, maybe this is highly original in the genre?) I tried to read a few other reviews. No one contradicted me by singing Hanasakeru Seishounen high praises, but I did find some fun descriptors that I thought it'd be fun to end with. One gal called it “hopelessly sparkly” and “homoerotic.” A second reviewer pulled the “reverse harem” label, and a third confirmed that the series is most definitely “bishie-filled.” That last one stumped me until I looked up bishounen on good ol' Wikipedia, which describes it as a predominantly Asian aesthetic of “a young man whose beauty (and sexual appeal) transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation.” If his beauty transcends gender, why couldn't the term be applied to women as well?