Nakatsu's Thoughts Special: Nakatsu's development throughout Hana Kimi
I want to call this my "Nakatsu's Thoughts Special", which is basically a look back into the character of Nakatsu and how he has developed, grown, and influenced the others around him throughout the entire Hanazakari no Kimitachi e series. I also will talk about my history as a Nakatsu fan and my personal development through getting to know and appreciate Nakatsu. This may be long and VERY wordy, so I just wanted to warn you all about that ;) Thanks to everybody who has encouraged me to write this and has read and commented on my posts in the past. This is for you!!
WARNING: The first few paragraphs talk about how I came to love Nakatsu. I'll clearly mark when I start talking about Toma's portrayal of Nakatsu and how the character developed throughout the Japanese drama adaptation, so you could skip over this part if you wish :)
I first discovered Hana Kimi through my younger sister in 2004. We were on vacation and she told me about this manga she was reading. I wasn't into reading mangas at the time so I just told her "that's nice" and didn't really pay attention. Then she told me that I HAD to read it and that she thought that I'd like it, since I love to read. I started the first few pages and I got HOOKED. Whenever we came back into our room when we came back from a vacation excursion, I would rush to the computer to read some more. At that point the manga was ALMOST done, but not quite. I was upset since I couldn't read what the ending was, but got caught up in other things and forgot about it. When I did read it, however, I knew at once that Nakatsu was my favorite character. He was so lively, kind, and thoughtful, and I knew he was special, that there was nobody else quite like him. Everybody else saw him as silly but I saw much deeper than that. My little sister is a Sano fan so I kept telling her how awesome I thought Nakatsu was and how sad it was that Mizuki didn't like him ;) But I didn't hate Sano so I couldn't say that she deserved better or anything. But in my heart I knew Nakatsu was the best.
Later on a Taiwanese drama for Hana Kimi aired. I initially couldn't get through the first episode, but came back to it much later and actually enjoyed it. However, the Nakatsu in that drama was just some silly guy with no depth to me. And that was not how I understood Nakatsu to be. I also finally finished the end of the manga and re-read it by this time. So when I found out that Hana Kimi was being adapted to a Japanese drama, I had a bright smile on my face for DAYS. I didn't think about that manga for a while, but seeing that familiar manga, my first manga, one of my favorite mangas, with my all-time favorite manga character, warm feelings just washed over me. And my first thought was-- maybe people will come to appreciate and love Nakatsu like I did. And I wasn't expecting it (I was being quite cynical), but I was hoping beyond hope that he'd be portrayed with depth and complexity, and that there will be many Nakatsu fans. Because when I was a manga Nakatsu fan and looking up for any fan information on him, there was none. And there were fanmade music videos for only Sano or Sano and Mizuki. No Nakatsu. So my next wish was to see Nakatsu fan videos up during/after the drama aired ;)
And who better for Nakatsu than Toma. I remember the initial surprise and excitement at Toma being cast as Nakatsu-- because who honestly would have thought that he'd be allowed a main role in such a high profile drama at the time? For Toma at that point all of the fansites were outdated (all were about Toma as a Junior pre-2003). There were a few sites that were updated, but mostly what was being talked about was Cat in Red Boots, and a bit of Akihabara@DEEP, which was exciting of course, but not allowing such close following and intense updates as something like a major drama would do. There were also some clips of Toma that involved Yamashita his best friend since Yamashita was popular, but not too much on the man himself. There were also rumors of Tomapi singing the theme song for Hana Kimi and of Toma's debut, but of course that was wrong >_<;; But Toma's personality is so close to my true understanding of Nakatsu that I had no fears anymore of how Nakatsu would be portrayed. I put complete faith in him. Which is difficult for a manga adaptation and a character that lies so close to your heart, ne? At least I figured it would be that way for me. But I trusted him completely. By the way
yamapink, I don't know if you read this, but your blogs (LJ and TomaPi~Keep Walkin') were two of my main sources on Toma information and updates before I even joined LJ or any communities;) Same with the
ikuta_toma LJ community :)
*And Hanazakari no Kimitachi e: Ikemen Paradise begins!*
The first episode portrayed Toma in a much more serious light, which I deeply enjoyed. Nakatsu's background and his situation was tweaked around a bit, but in a way that improved Nakatsu as a character for me. He was much more serious (rather than in the manga, where he was portrayed just as the silly and funny guy until much later on), but also displayed a true love for soccer and for leading the classroom in building up the energy and teasing newcomers (aka Mizuki). When I visited Ikemen Paradise fan communities in the beginning I understand that people were disappointed with Toma and said that he was "mean" for kicking the soccerball to Mizuki and leading in the "initiation ritual". Others were saying that they didn't like how he looked and he was not suited for Nakatsu. However, the key moment that made me decide that Toma was perfect for me was when Nakatsu talked about his grandmother. He competed for his grandmother and was going to win the race against Mizuki and the others for her. He confided in Kayashima and seemed selfish on the outside for wanting to win, but had a much deeper purpose. When I saw that, I realized that he portrayed the Nakatsu that I knew, understood, and appreciated PERFECTLY. I mean, it was as if I was directing the show and told Toma how to act. It was amazing! My heart positively swelled XD And when he decided to stop racing and help Mizuki, feeling bad for her, learning to be unselfish, just made me so proud. I have told some of you that I feel like Nakatsu/Toma's mom sometimes, right? I honestly felt like a proud mama then ;)
In the second and third episodes Nakatsu shined. He started to realize his feelings for Mizuki, sparking the "homo ja nai?" moments. It also began his hilarious inner monologues, or "inner mind theatre", ala Tamaki from Ouran Koukou Host Club. Fans started to warm up to Nakatsu as a character and we see his more hilarious moments. Toma had perfect comedic timing, and his facial expressions were hilarious, making Nakatsu the funny, lovable character that makes him so endearing. Nakatsu testing the lie detector and Dorm 2 discovering that Nakatsu had a crush on someone in Dorm 2, taking a HUGE step back... Nakatsu getting excited over seeing a bra on the floor, doing his little "homo ja nai" dance... Nakatsu kissing Sano when Sano was in his drunken stupor, trying to protect Mizuki's lips... Nakatsu with his "pink aura"... and so on and so forth. Needless to say, Toma has officially won over the Hana Kimi fans at this point ;) And when I saw fans start to say that he was awesome, I just nodded my head and smiled. So NOW people know what I'm talking about!! I felt alone as a Nakatsu fan for far too long ;)
At the fourth episode I decided to start writing Nakatsu's Thoughts and contribute to the Hana Kimi community in the only way I felt I could (I can't upload and I have no good graphic software). I wanted to write something Nakatsu-centric to let others know how I felt about him and understood him to be to help new fans who haven't read the manga yet or old fans who never truly understood Nakatsu to read what I thought. At first I cut out practically everything else and only focused on Nakatsu moments, but I figured that I couldn't do that in the end ;) Here is my first Nakatsu's Thoughts entry on episode 4. Nakatsu begrudgingly goes to the joint party with St. Blossom's, but we see that his focus is just on Mizuki, even though Komari is starting to try to get his attention. One vivid image would be of Nakatsu blowing bubbles in his drink jealously as he watched Sano and Mizuki joke interact with each other. At this point I wrote that I felt that Nakatsu understood what was going on between them. In the manga and later in the drama Nakatsu said that he knew Sano and Mizuki loved each other, so Nakatsu wasn't completely dense as to his surroundings. I feel like he was in denial, feigning ignorance. One big step for Nakatsu was in this episode saying my favorite quote of his this entire series, translated into English: "If it is painful, just shout it out! If you want to cry, just let it out!" It epitomizes Nakatsu and why he is so amazing. He is straightforward and helps Sano realize that he needs to get his feelings out there, otherwise there will be miscommunication and consequently a fight. We also see that even though he may be in a fight with Sano, Nakatsu wants what's best for him. Another vivid image would be Nakatsu spotting Sano starting to train again, and the three of them laughing on the grass at the end of the episode. Cheesy, but cute ;)
Episode 5 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here) didn't have as many Nakatsu moments. There was cute Nakatsu/Kayashima interaction when Kayashima placed his hands on Nakatsu's shoulders in a comforting gesture and when Nakatsu cried into Kayashima's arms when someone said that his trunks were smelly/dirty. Kayashima notices Nakatsu's affections towards Mizuki, and Nakatsu begins to feel lonely without Mizuki nearby, constantly asking where she is. Komari begins to be on the heavy offense towards Nakatsu, and Nakatsu/Mizuki have a cute moment when Nakatsu places his hard hat on Mizuki's head.
Nakatsu goes on a date with Komari for the first time (which Mizuki sees) in episode 6 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here). We can also see the beginnings of Nakatsu pushing his personal feelings aside in order to help Sano and Mizuki to work things out together. Nakatsu tries to resolve the miscommunication between the two by setting them up to meet up together alone to talk, but instead they cutely squabble and then comes up the "eyeball father" reference. In this episode is one of my favorite scenes where there is a split screen and Nakatsu and Mizuki talk on the phone to each other. He seems to be more serious and gentler when he talks to Mizuki, and is constantly looking out for her, trying to help resolve her issues with Sano so she doesn't become sad. Nakatsu I feel values his friendships with people above anything else, and says in this episode that he wanted to help out two friends in need. I've mentioned before that this jdrama focuses on friendships between the main characters more than the Sano/Mizuki relationship, and Nakatsu is one amazing friend. I think he's a major component of the friendships theme of the series. The unrequited love concept comes to a head when Nakatsu sees Sano and Mizuki in an embrace at the end of this episode. And my heart sinks, because I know what is to come ;_;
In episode 7 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here) Nakatsu sees more Mizuki/Sano interaction when Sano is sick and Mizuki takes care of him. Nakatsu's heartbreaking facial expressions start coming into play here. Nakatsu also tells Mizuki that he's dating Komari, but Mizuki's happy for him rather than jealous. Nakatsu gets angry at Mizuki and storms off. He comes back to her dorm room to apologize only to see her sleeping in Sano's arms. He walks outside and crumples to the ground. Mizuki tells him later that she's going back to America, and Nakatsu tries at all costs to get her to stay, but to no avail. We then see a different side of Nakatsu as Kayashima reveals that Nakatsu protected Kayashima when Kayashima was being bullied for having his special abilities when they first moved in. This is another example of how Nakatsu is a great friend and doesn't even think twice of standing up for Kayashima, reasoning that Kayashima's his friend, so of course he'd help him. And Kayashima feels indebted to Nakatsu for his kindness, and helps Nakatsu by showing his kindness in return. The Delay Star Festival then happens and Nakatsu ends up dumping Komari because he realized that he can't pretend to like Komari and not listen to his true feelings for Mizuki any longer. Nakatsu confronts Sano again, yelling at him, getting him to care and run after Mizuki to keep her from going. Sano was about to stay and not do anything, but because of Nakatsu he went after Mizuki later. Nakatsu begs Mizuki, telling her "I need you", but she still doesn't listen. It's only when Sano tells her to stay that she decides to stay. Poor Nakatsu-- this was also very heartbreaking!! Nakatsu follows his true feelings only to be overlooked for Sano. I think at this point Nakatsu starts to feel like he's "losing" to Sano like he mentioned in the last episode, so realizes that he must take action in order for anything to happen.
...and here's when I start to take screencaps for this series, in episode 8 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here)! Mizuki tells Nakatsu that he's a great friend and nothing more. Here's one of the many aspects of Nakatsu that I noticed in the manga but never saw in the Taiwanese drama personally, and that's when Nakatsu is clearly down, shocked, or serious for a brief moment, but then quickly covers his temporary vulnerability by joking around. Toma's amazing at portraying that ;) Nakatsu starts getting touchy with Mizuki, putting his arm around her shoulders and flirting with her, taking more action. Sano starts getting jealous. Nanba, Sano, Mizuki, and Nakatsu are all chosen for Akiha's photoshoot. Nakatsu is genuinely excited to see Sano participate in something, which is great, because the drama hints that they used to be best friends in the past and had a falling out, and Mizuki helped them come back together again. And even though Sano's doing it for Mizuki, Nakatsu's happy :) This episode also has Nakatsu's cute pictures with Mizuki in front of the bright yellow background. Nakatsu also sees Mizuki muttering "kakkoii" when she saw Sano in his photoshoot. We see another sad Nakatsu look :( Nakatsu tries to ascertain Sano's true feelings for Mizuki, by boldly asking him straight out if he likes men. Sano avoids him, but it's cool that Nakatsu's not afraid of saying things straight out. Nakatsu also confronts Sano about not helping to raise funds for the possible closure of the school, saying what everyone else is afraid to say, letting Sano know clearly that it's not cool, and that Sano's making Mizuki pick up all of the slack for him. Nakatsu and Sano reconcile when Sano shows up for the group picture and Nakatsu simply smiles at him. I love how Toma's great at communicating through his body language how he feels and what he needs to say. Nakatsu tells Sano that he loves Mizuki, challenging him officially ;)
Nakatsu's pivotal turning point in this series for me is in episode 9 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here). He's used as a scapegoat by Kitahama sensei, and tries to deal with it on his own. Nakatsu makes a statement earlier to Sano that they need to rely on each other and help each other out since they are friends. Nakatsu learns to practice what he preaches, so to speak. This episode held some of the most heartbreaking and emotional moments as Nakatsu silently suffers, but pretends to be happy and upbeat. Kayashima tries to make him feel better and so does Mizuki, but it is only Sano who can get him to truly open up to him. Soccer holds a very special part in Nakatsu's heart-- it is his weakness and his strength simultaneously. Much like how Mizuki must be to him. Kitahama pulls on both of these weaknesses to attempt to kick him out and bring him down so Kitahama doesn't see these young people go down the same path his younger brother did. Nakatsu grew in the fact that I feel like he has learned that he has some awesome friends at Osaka Gakuen who will support him no matter what. He helps Sano in being the first person who Sano really fought for-- Sano was a big factor in Nakatsu getting let off. What really amazed me (I mentioned it in my entry back then too) was how Nakatsu could still be such a good sport about it and promised to Kitahama that they won't go down the wrong path, and continued with the live in good spirits. He holds no grudges against him, and really took a mature perspective throughout this episode. He suffered so much but proved to us how strong physically, emotionally, and mentally he is, and how he is much more than just a funny guy. I REALLY appreciated this episode :) And in the end of this episode, Nakatsu discovers that Mizuki is a woman...!!!!
Ahh, episode 10. The ball (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here). This was where I screencapped like crazy! Nakatsu's freaking out on this discovery that Mizuki's a girl. This is vastly different from the manga where Nakatsu finds out at the VERY end that Mizuki's a girl. Imagine the scene in the last episode when Mizuki fell from the ladder not with Nakao unbuttoning her shirt, but Nakatsu doing that. And he found out, but was very understanding about that and helped Mizuki out whenever he can. The ball scene is also different, because Mizuki was partners with Nakatsu, but he passed out with a nosebleed when he first saw her in a dress, and Sano ended up dancing with her, the two winning Best Couple. And of course the legend that all of the couples who have won Best Couple in the past (including Umeda's parents) stay together forever. There are also more heartbreaking Nakatsu moments, like Mizuki running after Sano when she was in the midst of practicing for the ball with Nakatsu, and at the end, when he is left alone, while Mizuki watches Sano talk with his dad. That moment was difficult to see, Nakatsu all alone accepting the Best Couple prize, and of course pretending to act happy, masking his true sadness deep inside. Nakatsu even ends up going to Umeda for advice (!) because he doesn't know what to do. Kayashima was a great support to Nakatsu, as usual. I think at this point Nakatsu realizes that Sano is "winning" against him and he has to take drastic measures to let Mizuki know how he feels and to get her to feel the same way. Nakatsu embraces her and confesses to her, convinced that Sano is not right for her because they argued earlier and he made her cry.
It is now post-confession. Mizuki doesn't know what to do and Nakatsu reflects on what he did in episode 11 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here). Things get really awkward between the two of them and Nakatsu tries to make things all right, by pretending that everything was okay. Nakatsu's really good at elevating the mood and making people feel more comfortable around him. As he gets more and more attached to Mizuki, the less he wants her to suffer, and the more he wants to protect her. And I think he felt at this point that he was the best person for that job, not Sano. Nakatsu directly challenges Sano again. And then the silly contests Sano and Nakatsu competed against each other. Nakatsu is serious and will not back down. And Mizuki has no idea what's going on. One big barrier for Nakatsu is how oblivious she is even though he's so obvious. She says and does things that hurt Nakatsu, but she has no idea that she is because she didn't know his true feelings. Well, now she does ;) Of course Nakatsu is still a very good friend and supports Sano in his high jump even though Sano is his love rival. Nakatsu sees for certain at this point how much Sano and Mizuki mean to each other through the high jump event. Nakatsu sees that Mizuki will support Sano no matter what in his high jump, and Sano is high jumping for Mizuki. Nakatsu tells Mizuki that Sano can jump because she is there watching. Nakatsu wants to rise to the challenge and fight Sano for Mizuki, but it gets more and more difficult as he witnesses firsthand the budding romance between the two. At the end of the episode, Nakatsu sees Hibari talking to the dorm heads about a girl being at Osaka Gakuen.
Episode 12 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entries Part I and Part II) wraps up our journey with Nakatsu and the other Hanazakari no Kimitachi e characters. Nakatsu I feel has developed a lot-- from this hotheaded soccer player who lives to compete and who has difficulties showing his vulnerable sides has been able to relying on his fantastic set of friends and encouraging and supporting them all as they go on their respective journeys. Nakatsu tries to protect Mizuki at all costs by keeping Hibari from revealing the name of the girl masquerading as a boy at Osaka Gakuen and also by pulling out the power supply of the girl detector machine as the boys were searching for her. Nakatsu also is willing to fight for her against the boys who were starting to turn against her and encourages Sano to communicate his feelings with Mizuki even though he's been rejected. Ahh, the rejection. What all Nakatsu fans have been preparing ourselves for and were simultaneously frightened of. Mizuki decides to tell Nakatsu her response to his confession and her response is that she only likes him as a friend. Nakatsu realizes that he's lost against Sano and that only Sano can give Mizuki what she wants and what she needs. Nakatsu even worked together with Sano to keep others from knowing at first!! When the dorm heads confronted Mizuki, Nakatsu ran first over to the Student Council office, ready to stand up for her. Nakatsu is not hesitant about his choices and his feelings like Sano is, and lays it all out on the table. I don't know how Nakatsu was able to handle his rejection and still support Mizuki during her tough times, especially coupled with the fact that she's deciding to leave! Nakatsu and Kayashima have a great moment together as Kayashima reveals that he knew beforehand that Mizuki was a girl just from her aura. He also understands Nakatsu without speaking, realizing that Nakatsu was dumped. Kayashima just needed to put a comforting hand on Nakatsu's shoulder to reassure him and help him deal with this situation. Nakatsu hypes up the group for the festival and still is kind to Mizuki post-rejection, which I still marvel at. He realizes that her being his best friend is the most important of all, above any romantic feelings he may have felt for her. One great moment in this episode is when Sano said that he must treat Mizuki like a boy since she still uses "ore" as the masculine form of "I", and Nakatsu pointed out that he liked Mizuki even when he thought she was a boy, urging Sano to do something. And the goodbye-- very difficult to deal with. Mizuki had such a huge impact on his life and she was his best friend, helping him a lot throughout the series, and now she's going to America. He comforts her in the fact that they're not too far, and I think in his mind he has set that he will go see her in the future. They were great friends in the good times and the bad, and Nakatsu will never forget that, even if he gets old and can't remember his own name ;)
In my opinion, Nakatsu's development throughout the series was not just his growth, but peeling off different layers, exposing his true personality and identity. He closed himself off at first, not allowing too much digging to his deep psyche, but little by little we see his vulnerabilities and we see many different sides of him: his worrying side, his happy side, his sad side, his protective side, his angry side. And we all see how important his friendships are to him. As I have mentioned before, the main theme of this series is the bond of friendships, and Nakatsu epitomizes this idea. He also has positively influenced the characters around him, making them better people and wanting to support him in return. He really is a truly special character, and I don't know what Hana Kimi would have been like without him. I think we all need a little Nakatsu in our lives to make us see the brighter side of life and how important friendships are. He is nonjudgmental and doesn't hold grudges, and teaches us all many important aspects of life. Oh Nakatsu, how I am going to miss you ;_;
I have finished my summary! Although I may add more later:) I encourage discussions of Nakatsu as a character and what you think of him! Sorry again if this was really wordy! Thanks to those who have supported Nakatsu's Thoughts and encouraged me to write this summary! You all are awesome!! I hope there will be something else in the future which will inspire me to write something close to this series:) I <3 Nakatsu.
My ultimate satisfaction recently: seeing fanvideos of Toma as Nakatsu up. That made me so happy and like a proud mom... my heart just swelled. Oh man, my wishes actually came true :) Toma has made Nakatsu a popular and favorable character, and words cannot express how happy that has made me.
*ONE SPECIAL ADDITION*: I mentioned at the beginning of my Nakatsu's Thoughts and my initial post after finding out about Hana Kimi the reason why Nakatsu's hair is blond. I'll go into detail now since the series is over. He had a best friend when they were little and they were soccer buddies. They both got separated from each other and promised each other that when they go into professional soccer in the j-league, they would dye their hair blond so they can easily spot each other. So the blond hair is an homage to his childhood friend, not because he wants to look American or anything. It's another nice story about Nakatsu to get more insight into him:) Maybe later I'll add information from the manga about Nakatsu's mom (an Osaka obachan ;)) and a story of Nakatsu when he was a little kid. Ahh Nakatsu, j'adore XD
WARNING: The first few paragraphs talk about how I came to love Nakatsu. I'll clearly mark when I start talking about Toma's portrayal of Nakatsu and how the character developed throughout the Japanese drama adaptation, so you could skip over this part if you wish :)
I first discovered Hana Kimi through my younger sister in 2004. We were on vacation and she told me about this manga she was reading. I wasn't into reading mangas at the time so I just told her "that's nice" and didn't really pay attention. Then she told me that I HAD to read it and that she thought that I'd like it, since I love to read. I started the first few pages and I got HOOKED. Whenever we came back into our room when we came back from a vacation excursion, I would rush to the computer to read some more. At that point the manga was ALMOST done, but not quite. I was upset since I couldn't read what the ending was, but got caught up in other things and forgot about it. When I did read it, however, I knew at once that Nakatsu was my favorite character. He was so lively, kind, and thoughtful, and I knew he was special, that there was nobody else quite like him. Everybody else saw him as silly but I saw much deeper than that. My little sister is a Sano fan so I kept telling her how awesome I thought Nakatsu was and how sad it was that Mizuki didn't like him ;) But I didn't hate Sano so I couldn't say that she deserved better or anything. But in my heart I knew Nakatsu was the best.
Later on a Taiwanese drama for Hana Kimi aired. I initially couldn't get through the first episode, but came back to it much later and actually enjoyed it. However, the Nakatsu in that drama was just some silly guy with no depth to me. And that was not how I understood Nakatsu to be. I also finally finished the end of the manga and re-read it by this time. So when I found out that Hana Kimi was being adapted to a Japanese drama, I had a bright smile on my face for DAYS. I didn't think about that manga for a while, but seeing that familiar manga, my first manga, one of my favorite mangas, with my all-time favorite manga character, warm feelings just washed over me. And my first thought was-- maybe people will come to appreciate and love Nakatsu like I did. And I wasn't expecting it (I was being quite cynical), but I was hoping beyond hope that he'd be portrayed with depth and complexity, and that there will be many Nakatsu fans. Because when I was a manga Nakatsu fan and looking up for any fan information on him, there was none. And there were fanmade music videos for only Sano or Sano and Mizuki. No Nakatsu. So my next wish was to see Nakatsu fan videos up during/after the drama aired ;)
And who better for Nakatsu than Toma. I remember the initial surprise and excitement at Toma being cast as Nakatsu-- because who honestly would have thought that he'd be allowed a main role in such a high profile drama at the time? For Toma at that point all of the fansites were outdated (all were about Toma as a Junior pre-2003). There were a few sites that were updated, but mostly what was being talked about was Cat in Red Boots, and a bit of Akihabara@DEEP, which was exciting of course, but not allowing such close following and intense updates as something like a major drama would do. There were also some clips of Toma that involved Yamashita his best friend since Yamashita was popular, but not too much on the man himself. There were also rumors of Tomapi singing the theme song for Hana Kimi and of Toma's debut, but of course that was wrong >_<;; But Toma's personality is so close to my true understanding of Nakatsu that I had no fears anymore of how Nakatsu would be portrayed. I put complete faith in him. Which is difficult for a manga adaptation and a character that lies so close to your heart, ne? At least I figured it would be that way for me. But I trusted him completely. By the way
yamapink, I don't know if you read this, but your blogs (LJ and TomaPi~Keep Walkin') were two of my main sources on Toma information and updates before I even joined LJ or any communities;) Same with the
ikuta_toma LJ community :)
*And Hanazakari no Kimitachi e: Ikemen Paradise begins!*
The first episode portrayed Toma in a much more serious light, which I deeply enjoyed. Nakatsu's background and his situation was tweaked around a bit, but in a way that improved Nakatsu as a character for me. He was much more serious (rather than in the manga, where he was portrayed just as the silly and funny guy until much later on), but also displayed a true love for soccer and for leading the classroom in building up the energy and teasing newcomers (aka Mizuki). When I visited Ikemen Paradise fan communities in the beginning I understand that people were disappointed with Toma and said that he was "mean" for kicking the soccerball to Mizuki and leading in the "initiation ritual". Others were saying that they didn't like how he looked and he was not suited for Nakatsu. However, the key moment that made me decide that Toma was perfect for me was when Nakatsu talked about his grandmother. He competed for his grandmother and was going to win the race against Mizuki and the others for her. He confided in Kayashima and seemed selfish on the outside for wanting to win, but had a much deeper purpose. When I saw that, I realized that he portrayed the Nakatsu that I knew, understood, and appreciated PERFECTLY. I mean, it was as if I was directing the show and told Toma how to act. It was amazing! My heart positively swelled XD And when he decided to stop racing and help Mizuki, feeling bad for her, learning to be unselfish, just made me so proud. I have told some of you that I feel like Nakatsu/Toma's mom sometimes, right? I honestly felt like a proud mama then ;)
In the second and third episodes Nakatsu shined. He started to realize his feelings for Mizuki, sparking the "homo ja nai?" moments. It also began his hilarious inner monologues, or "inner mind theatre", ala Tamaki from Ouran Koukou Host Club. Fans started to warm up to Nakatsu as a character and we see his more hilarious moments. Toma had perfect comedic timing, and his facial expressions were hilarious, making Nakatsu the funny, lovable character that makes him so endearing. Nakatsu testing the lie detector and Dorm 2 discovering that Nakatsu had a crush on someone in Dorm 2, taking a HUGE step back... Nakatsu getting excited over seeing a bra on the floor, doing his little "homo ja nai" dance... Nakatsu kissing Sano when Sano was in his drunken stupor, trying to protect Mizuki's lips... Nakatsu with his "pink aura"... and so on and so forth. Needless to say, Toma has officially won over the Hana Kimi fans at this point ;) And when I saw fans start to say that he was awesome, I just nodded my head and smiled. So NOW people know what I'm talking about!! I felt alone as a Nakatsu fan for far too long ;)
At the fourth episode I decided to start writing Nakatsu's Thoughts and contribute to the Hana Kimi community in the only way I felt I could (I can't upload and I have no good graphic software). I wanted to write something Nakatsu-centric to let others know how I felt about him and understood him to be to help new fans who haven't read the manga yet or old fans who never truly understood Nakatsu to read what I thought. At first I cut out practically everything else and only focused on Nakatsu moments, but I figured that I couldn't do that in the end ;) Here is my first Nakatsu's Thoughts entry on episode 4. Nakatsu begrudgingly goes to the joint party with St. Blossom's, but we see that his focus is just on Mizuki, even though Komari is starting to try to get his attention. One vivid image would be of Nakatsu blowing bubbles in his drink jealously as he watched Sano and Mizuki joke interact with each other. At this point I wrote that I felt that Nakatsu understood what was going on between them. In the manga and later in the drama Nakatsu said that he knew Sano and Mizuki loved each other, so Nakatsu wasn't completely dense as to his surroundings. I feel like he was in denial, feigning ignorance. One big step for Nakatsu was in this episode saying my favorite quote of his this entire series, translated into English: "If it is painful, just shout it out! If you want to cry, just let it out!" It epitomizes Nakatsu and why he is so amazing. He is straightforward and helps Sano realize that he needs to get his feelings out there, otherwise there will be miscommunication and consequently a fight. We also see that even though he may be in a fight with Sano, Nakatsu wants what's best for him. Another vivid image would be Nakatsu spotting Sano starting to train again, and the three of them laughing on the grass at the end of the episode. Cheesy, but cute ;)
Episode 5 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here) didn't have as many Nakatsu moments. There was cute Nakatsu/Kayashima interaction when Kayashima placed his hands on Nakatsu's shoulders in a comforting gesture and when Nakatsu cried into Kayashima's arms when someone said that his trunks were smelly/dirty. Kayashima notices Nakatsu's affections towards Mizuki, and Nakatsu begins to feel lonely without Mizuki nearby, constantly asking where she is. Komari begins to be on the heavy offense towards Nakatsu, and Nakatsu/Mizuki have a cute moment when Nakatsu places his hard hat on Mizuki's head.
Nakatsu goes on a date with Komari for the first time (which Mizuki sees) in episode 6 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here). We can also see the beginnings of Nakatsu pushing his personal feelings aside in order to help Sano and Mizuki to work things out together. Nakatsu tries to resolve the miscommunication between the two by setting them up to meet up together alone to talk, but instead they cutely squabble and then comes up the "eyeball father" reference. In this episode is one of my favorite scenes where there is a split screen and Nakatsu and Mizuki talk on the phone to each other. He seems to be more serious and gentler when he talks to Mizuki, and is constantly looking out for her, trying to help resolve her issues with Sano so she doesn't become sad. Nakatsu I feel values his friendships with people above anything else, and says in this episode that he wanted to help out two friends in need. I've mentioned before that this jdrama focuses on friendships between the main characters more than the Sano/Mizuki relationship, and Nakatsu is one amazing friend. I think he's a major component of the friendships theme of the series. The unrequited love concept comes to a head when Nakatsu sees Sano and Mizuki in an embrace at the end of this episode. And my heart sinks, because I know what is to come ;_;
In episode 7 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here) Nakatsu sees more Mizuki/Sano interaction when Sano is sick and Mizuki takes care of him. Nakatsu's heartbreaking facial expressions start coming into play here. Nakatsu also tells Mizuki that he's dating Komari, but Mizuki's happy for him rather than jealous. Nakatsu gets angry at Mizuki and storms off. He comes back to her dorm room to apologize only to see her sleeping in Sano's arms. He walks outside and crumples to the ground. Mizuki tells him later that she's going back to America, and Nakatsu tries at all costs to get her to stay, but to no avail. We then see a different side of Nakatsu as Kayashima reveals that Nakatsu protected Kayashima when Kayashima was being bullied for having his special abilities when they first moved in. This is another example of how Nakatsu is a great friend and doesn't even think twice of standing up for Kayashima, reasoning that Kayashima's his friend, so of course he'd help him. And Kayashima feels indebted to Nakatsu for his kindness, and helps Nakatsu by showing his kindness in return. The Delay Star Festival then happens and Nakatsu ends up dumping Komari because he realized that he can't pretend to like Komari and not listen to his true feelings for Mizuki any longer. Nakatsu confronts Sano again, yelling at him, getting him to care and run after Mizuki to keep her from going. Sano was about to stay and not do anything, but because of Nakatsu he went after Mizuki later. Nakatsu begs Mizuki, telling her "I need you", but she still doesn't listen. It's only when Sano tells her to stay that she decides to stay. Poor Nakatsu-- this was also very heartbreaking!! Nakatsu follows his true feelings only to be overlooked for Sano. I think at this point Nakatsu starts to feel like he's "losing" to Sano like he mentioned in the last episode, so realizes that he must take action in order for anything to happen.
...and here's when I start to take screencaps for this series, in episode 8 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here)! Mizuki tells Nakatsu that he's a great friend and nothing more. Here's one of the many aspects of Nakatsu that I noticed in the manga but never saw in the Taiwanese drama personally, and that's when Nakatsu is clearly down, shocked, or serious for a brief moment, but then quickly covers his temporary vulnerability by joking around. Toma's amazing at portraying that ;) Nakatsu starts getting touchy with Mizuki, putting his arm around her shoulders and flirting with her, taking more action. Sano starts getting jealous. Nanba, Sano, Mizuki, and Nakatsu are all chosen for Akiha's photoshoot. Nakatsu is genuinely excited to see Sano participate in something, which is great, because the drama hints that they used to be best friends in the past and had a falling out, and Mizuki helped them come back together again. And even though Sano's doing it for Mizuki, Nakatsu's happy :) This episode also has Nakatsu's cute pictures with Mizuki in front of the bright yellow background. Nakatsu also sees Mizuki muttering "kakkoii" when she saw Sano in his photoshoot. We see another sad Nakatsu look :( Nakatsu tries to ascertain Sano's true feelings for Mizuki, by boldly asking him straight out if he likes men. Sano avoids him, but it's cool that Nakatsu's not afraid of saying things straight out. Nakatsu also confronts Sano about not helping to raise funds for the possible closure of the school, saying what everyone else is afraid to say, letting Sano know clearly that it's not cool, and that Sano's making Mizuki pick up all of the slack for him. Nakatsu and Sano reconcile when Sano shows up for the group picture and Nakatsu simply smiles at him. I love how Toma's great at communicating through his body language how he feels and what he needs to say. Nakatsu tells Sano that he loves Mizuki, challenging him officially ;)
Nakatsu's pivotal turning point in this series for me is in episode 9 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here). He's used as a scapegoat by Kitahama sensei, and tries to deal with it on his own. Nakatsu makes a statement earlier to Sano that they need to rely on each other and help each other out since they are friends. Nakatsu learns to practice what he preaches, so to speak. This episode held some of the most heartbreaking and emotional moments as Nakatsu silently suffers, but pretends to be happy and upbeat. Kayashima tries to make him feel better and so does Mizuki, but it is only Sano who can get him to truly open up to him. Soccer holds a very special part in Nakatsu's heart-- it is his weakness and his strength simultaneously. Much like how Mizuki must be to him. Kitahama pulls on both of these weaknesses to attempt to kick him out and bring him down so Kitahama doesn't see these young people go down the same path his younger brother did. Nakatsu grew in the fact that I feel like he has learned that he has some awesome friends at Osaka Gakuen who will support him no matter what. He helps Sano in being the first person who Sano really fought for-- Sano was a big factor in Nakatsu getting let off. What really amazed me (I mentioned it in my entry back then too) was how Nakatsu could still be such a good sport about it and promised to Kitahama that they won't go down the wrong path, and continued with the live in good spirits. He holds no grudges against him, and really took a mature perspective throughout this episode. He suffered so much but proved to us how strong physically, emotionally, and mentally he is, and how he is much more than just a funny guy. I REALLY appreciated this episode :) And in the end of this episode, Nakatsu discovers that Mizuki is a woman...!!!!
Ahh, episode 10. The ball (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here). This was where I screencapped like crazy! Nakatsu's freaking out on this discovery that Mizuki's a girl. This is vastly different from the manga where Nakatsu finds out at the VERY end that Mizuki's a girl. Imagine the scene in the last episode when Mizuki fell from the ladder not with Nakao unbuttoning her shirt, but Nakatsu doing that. And he found out, but was very understanding about that and helped Mizuki out whenever he can. The ball scene is also different, because Mizuki was partners with Nakatsu, but he passed out with a nosebleed when he first saw her in a dress, and Sano ended up dancing with her, the two winning Best Couple. And of course the legend that all of the couples who have won Best Couple in the past (including Umeda's parents) stay together forever. There are also more heartbreaking Nakatsu moments, like Mizuki running after Sano when she was in the midst of practicing for the ball with Nakatsu, and at the end, when he is left alone, while Mizuki watches Sano talk with his dad. That moment was difficult to see, Nakatsu all alone accepting the Best Couple prize, and of course pretending to act happy, masking his true sadness deep inside. Nakatsu even ends up going to Umeda for advice (!) because he doesn't know what to do. Kayashima was a great support to Nakatsu, as usual. I think at this point Nakatsu realizes that Sano is "winning" against him and he has to take drastic measures to let Mizuki know how he feels and to get her to feel the same way. Nakatsu embraces her and confesses to her, convinced that Sano is not right for her because they argued earlier and he made her cry.
It is now post-confession. Mizuki doesn't know what to do and Nakatsu reflects on what he did in episode 11 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entry here). Things get really awkward between the two of them and Nakatsu tries to make things all right, by pretending that everything was okay. Nakatsu's really good at elevating the mood and making people feel more comfortable around him. As he gets more and more attached to Mizuki, the less he wants her to suffer, and the more he wants to protect her. And I think he felt at this point that he was the best person for that job, not Sano. Nakatsu directly challenges Sano again. And then the silly contests Sano and Nakatsu competed against each other. Nakatsu is serious and will not back down. And Mizuki has no idea what's going on. One big barrier for Nakatsu is how oblivious she is even though he's so obvious. She says and does things that hurt Nakatsu, but she has no idea that she is because she didn't know his true feelings. Well, now she does ;) Of course Nakatsu is still a very good friend and supports Sano in his high jump even though Sano is his love rival. Nakatsu sees for certain at this point how much Sano and Mizuki mean to each other through the high jump event. Nakatsu sees that Mizuki will support Sano no matter what in his high jump, and Sano is high jumping for Mizuki. Nakatsu tells Mizuki that Sano can jump because she is there watching. Nakatsu wants to rise to the challenge and fight Sano for Mizuki, but it gets more and more difficult as he witnesses firsthand the budding romance between the two. At the end of the episode, Nakatsu sees Hibari talking to the dorm heads about a girl being at Osaka Gakuen.
Episode 12 (Nakatsu's Thoughts entries Part I and Part II) wraps up our journey with Nakatsu and the other Hanazakari no Kimitachi e characters. Nakatsu I feel has developed a lot-- from this hotheaded soccer player who lives to compete and who has difficulties showing his vulnerable sides has been able to relying on his fantastic set of friends and encouraging and supporting them all as they go on their respective journeys. Nakatsu tries to protect Mizuki at all costs by keeping Hibari from revealing the name of the girl masquerading as a boy at Osaka Gakuen and also by pulling out the power supply of the girl detector machine as the boys were searching for her. Nakatsu also is willing to fight for her against the boys who were starting to turn against her and encourages Sano to communicate his feelings with Mizuki even though he's been rejected. Ahh, the rejection. What all Nakatsu fans have been preparing ourselves for and were simultaneously frightened of. Mizuki decides to tell Nakatsu her response to his confession and her response is that she only likes him as a friend. Nakatsu realizes that he's lost against Sano and that only Sano can give Mizuki what she wants and what she needs. Nakatsu even worked together with Sano to keep others from knowing at first!! When the dorm heads confronted Mizuki, Nakatsu ran first over to the Student Council office, ready to stand up for her. Nakatsu is not hesitant about his choices and his feelings like Sano is, and lays it all out on the table. I don't know how Nakatsu was able to handle his rejection and still support Mizuki during her tough times, especially coupled with the fact that she's deciding to leave! Nakatsu and Kayashima have a great moment together as Kayashima reveals that he knew beforehand that Mizuki was a girl just from her aura. He also understands Nakatsu without speaking, realizing that Nakatsu was dumped. Kayashima just needed to put a comforting hand on Nakatsu's shoulder to reassure him and help him deal with this situation. Nakatsu hypes up the group for the festival and still is kind to Mizuki post-rejection, which I still marvel at. He realizes that her being his best friend is the most important of all, above any romantic feelings he may have felt for her. One great moment in this episode is when Sano said that he must treat Mizuki like a boy since she still uses "ore" as the masculine form of "I", and Nakatsu pointed out that he liked Mizuki even when he thought she was a boy, urging Sano to do something. And the goodbye-- very difficult to deal with. Mizuki had such a huge impact on his life and she was his best friend, helping him a lot throughout the series, and now she's going to America. He comforts her in the fact that they're not too far, and I think in his mind he has set that he will go see her in the future. They were great friends in the good times and the bad, and Nakatsu will never forget that, even if he gets old and can't remember his own name ;)
In my opinion, Nakatsu's development throughout the series was not just his growth, but peeling off different layers, exposing his true personality and identity. He closed himself off at first, not allowing too much digging to his deep psyche, but little by little we see his vulnerabilities and we see many different sides of him: his worrying side, his happy side, his sad side, his protective side, his angry side. And we all see how important his friendships are to him. As I have mentioned before, the main theme of this series is the bond of friendships, and Nakatsu epitomizes this idea. He also has positively influenced the characters around him, making them better people and wanting to support him in return. He really is a truly special character, and I don't know what Hana Kimi would have been like without him. I think we all need a little Nakatsu in our lives to make us see the brighter side of life and how important friendships are. He is nonjudgmental and doesn't hold grudges, and teaches us all many important aspects of life. Oh Nakatsu, how I am going to miss you ;_;
I have finished my summary! Although I may add more later:) I encourage discussions of Nakatsu as a character and what you think of him! Sorry again if this was really wordy! Thanks to those who have supported Nakatsu's Thoughts and encouraged me to write this summary! You all are awesome!! I hope there will be something else in the future which will inspire me to write something close to this series:) I <3 Nakatsu.
My ultimate satisfaction recently: seeing fanvideos of Toma as Nakatsu up. That made me so happy and like a proud mom... my heart just swelled. Oh man, my wishes actually came true :) Toma has made Nakatsu a popular and favorable character, and words cannot express how happy that has made me.
*ONE SPECIAL ADDITION*: I mentioned at the beginning of my Nakatsu's Thoughts and my initial post after finding out about Hana Kimi the reason why Nakatsu's hair is blond. I'll go into detail now since the series is over. He had a best friend when they were little and they were soccer buddies. They both got separated from each other and promised each other that when they go into professional soccer in the j-league, they would dye their hair blond so they can easily spot each other. So the blond hair is an homage to his childhood friend, not because he wants to look American or anything. It's another nice story about Nakatsu to get more insight into him:) Maybe later I'll add information from the manga about Nakatsu's mom (an Osaka obachan ;)) and a story of Nakatsu when he was a little kid. Ahh Nakatsu, j'adore XD