Forever Shoujo

Title: Skip Beat!

Mangaka: Yoshiki Nakamura

Genre: Romance, Comedy,  Drama

Length: 23 Volume (ongoing)

Summary:

Kyoko Mogami is the childhood friend of superstar Sho Fuwa. Kyoko was so in love with Sho that she followed him to the city on his quest to become a famous singer. But when Fuwa Sho finally becomes a famous singer, he treats Kyoko as his maid even after she dropped out of school to work so she can live in the city and be besides him. He doesn’t care about anything but himself. One day Kyoko listen to a conversation between Fuwa and his manager and realizes that Sho was only using her as his personal maid to take care of household chores and pay for rent. Kyoko is now heart-broken but she swears she’s going to get her revenge by beating Sho in the show biz world!!! Kyoko changes her style and her personality (in a little darker way XD) then she tries to be an actress and meets Tsuraga Ren a famous young actor, who Sho hates since Ren is more popular than him. He was originally unhappy with Kyoko, because she joined show business for revenge. However, he gradually warms up towards her. Ren at first couldn’t stand Kyoko, but once he realizes that Kyoko isn’t just trying to become an actress for revenge, he supports her growth as a budding idol… and starts having feelings for her.

The Anime

Title: Skip Beat!

Genre: Romance, Comedy,  Drama

Episodes: 25

Year: 2008-2009

Title: Zettai Kareshi

Other Title: Absolute Boyfriend

Genre: Comedy , Romance

Episodes: 11 + Special

Year: 2008

Language: Japanese

Main Cast:

Hayami Mokomichi as Tenjo Night
Mizushima Hiro as Asamoto Soshi
Aibu Saki as Izawa Riiko

Others:

Sasai Eisuke as Shirasagi Yuki
Ueno Natsuhi as Ito Mika
Satoi Kenta as Hirata Hajime
Nekoze Tsubaki as Adachi Kyoko
Komoto Maki as Sato Nozomi
Kaji Masaki as Tanaka Yoichiro
Yamada Meikyo as Asamoto Shiro
Minemura Rie as Yoshioka Tetsuko
Erena as Ono Chiho
Sakuragi Ryosuke as Morikawa Yasushi
Watanuki Shoichi as Dei Takeru
Irie Jingi as Hayashi Kota
Yamamoto Kei as Asamoto Kazushi
Nakamura Shunsuke as Asamoto Masashi
Sasaki Kuranosuke as Namikiri Gaku
Maya Miki as Wakabayashi Fujiko

Description:

Inspired on the manga with the same name by Yuu Watase.

Kronos Heaven, a company that finally develops “Night Tenjo”, the perfect male robot programmed to be devoted and completely loyal to his lover. Izawa Rikoa normal worker wanting to have a boyfriend decides to give it a try on a 5-day free trial with Night at first she sees him only as a machine or  a household appliance. But later when she understands Night’s love and devotion for her,  starts to have a change of heart and ends up falling in love with him. But there’s also Asamoto Soshi,the younger son of the boss , from the company she works in, who has feelings for her, and believes she can be a great pastry chef if she works hard. Soshi is decided to help Riiko achieve her dream.

The Manga

Title: Zettai Kareshi

Other Title: Absolute Boyfriend

Mangaka: Yuu Watase

Genre: Romance, Comedy, School Life

Length: 06 Volumes

Licensed by Viz Media

Summary:

Riiko Izawa is a lonely high school girl who has been rejected so many times by all the boys she confessed to… One day she’s given a card for a website called Nightly Lovers. She order the 3 day trial version she receives the lover who she names Night, but she forgets to return him at the end of the trial, so now she must pay one-million dollars!!! Soshi who is her neighbor and friend always worries about her and tries to take care of Riiko. But things get complicated when Night shows up at school and everyone finds out he is Riiko’s new boyfriend.

Title: Hana Yori Dango

Genre: Comedy , Romance

Episodes: Season 1 (9) Season 2 (11) + Movie

Year: 2005-2007

Language: Japanese

Main Cast:

Inoue Mao as Makino Tsukushi
Matsumoto Jun as Domyoji Tsukasa
Oguri Shun as Hanazawa Rui
Matsuda Shota as Nishikado Sojiro
Abe Tsuyoshi as Mimasaka Akira

Others:

Sato Megumi as Sanjo Sakurako
Nishihara Aki as Matsuoka Yuki
Seto Saki as Asai Yuriko
Fukada Aki as Ayuhara Erika
Matsuoka Emiko as Yamano Minako
David Ito as Nishida
Sada Mayumi as Todo Shizuka
Kato Takako as Sengoku Sachiyo
Tomiura Satoshi as Makino Susumu
Kobayashi Susumu as Makino Haruo
Ishino Mako as Makino Chieko
Matsushima Nanako as Domyoji Tsubaki
Kaga Mariko as Domyoji Kaede

Description:

Based on the manga with the same name Hana Yori Dango by Kamio Yōko.

Makino Tsukushi is a student at Eitoku Gakuen, the school of the all the rich and famous, but she is the only one who is poor… the school is ruled by F4, the are four boy that comes form powerful families: Domyoji Tsukasa, the heir of a Finance Group; Hanazawa Rui, who is really quiet is the son of a large company; Nishikado Sojiro, a player who is the heir of a tea ceremony school; and Mimasaka Akira, who likes older woman with ties to the underground. If someone in the school receives a red tag means that  you will be tortured not only by the F4 but the whole school will be against you. Things get complicated for Makino, when she stands up to defend her friend from Domyoji so the next day she gets a red card, but even if she is harassed, she won’t give up and declares to fight back against Domyoji and the rest of the F4. Later on she develops feelings for Hanazawa Rui since he is the only one who is kind to her… but Rui is in love with Shizuka no her… an also Domyoji have growing feeling for Makino even though they fight most of the time.

The Manga

Title: Hana Yori Dango

Mangaka: Kamio Yōko

Genre: Romance, Comedy, School Life, Drama

Length: 37 Volumes

Licensed by Viz Media

There’s also a Spin-off story Ore no Hanashi wo Shiyouka (2 chapters) This is the story about Rui Hanazawa trying to find love …with the help of Doumyouji who decides to  set him up with a girl named Kimiko…?

The Anime

Also with the same title with 51 episodes and a movie (not related to the story in the manga, the movie is about Tsukushi an aspiring dancer attempting to win a role in a large stage production)

Licensed by Viz Media

Related post

Korean Drama Version: Boys Before Flowers

Title: Smile, You

Genre: Comedy , Romance

Episodes: 50?

Year: 2009 – Ongoing

Language: Korean

Main Cast:

Seo family

• Lee Min Jung as Seo Jung In
• Lee Chun Hee as Seo Sung Joon
• Choi Jung Yoon as Seo Jung Kyung
• Kang Suk Woo as Seo Jung Kil
• Heo Yoon Jung as Gong Joo Hee

Kang family

• Jung Kyung Ho as Kang Hyun Soo
• Choi Bool Am as Kang Man Bok
• Chun Ho Jin as Kang Sang Hoon
• Song Ok Sook as Baek Geum Ja

Others:

• Lee Kyu Han as Lee Han Se
• Jun Hye Jin as Jung Ji Soo
• Hong Il Kwon as Han Min Joon
• Yoon Joo Sang as Lee Joon Bae
• Choi Kwon as Park Kyung Soo

Description:

The Seo family the are rich and the grandfather of the Kan family has been working as chauffeur’s family. Kang Man Bok used to serve the now deceased president of the Seo Family, Seo Jung Kil the son of the president is now in charge of everything, but when chauffeur Kang gives him an advice that he mustn’t do any business with a man, since his father never did it, Seo Jung Kil get mad and ends up firing him.

A few days later the Seo’s second daughter is getting married with a man she loves, but this is also a marriage fixed by its parents to join the companies. After the marriage the father of the groom finds out that the Seo family is now in ruin, so he decides to end up the marriage and the merge of the companies. So Jung In is left behind by her husband in the middle of the street still wearing the wedding dress… Jung In with a broken heart, seek for help with Mr. Kan since she doesn’t want to see anyone from her family. On her way to Kan’s house she ask a man for help but he thinks she is a crazy woman, since she is walking around with a torn wedding dress, messy hair and makeup. He tries to avoid her but for some reason they end up going the same direction… since he is the grandson of  Mr. Kan, Kang Hyun Soo he tells the police about her and Jung In is taken by the police, there she calls the Kan house for help and Kang Man Bok answers, while he is going to the police station, Kang Hyun Soo go along with him only to find out that the crazy woman is someone his grandfather knows?!

Later on the two families end up living together, in the Kan’s house…