Hana yori Dango is a Japanese
manga series written by
Yohko Kamio[?]. It is published in the bi-weekly anthology magazine,
Margaret, which is aimed at high-school-age girls. The manga series has run continuously from October 2002, and has been collected into 34 volumes to date. As of this writing, the story has been adapted in Japan into an animated TV series, an animated one-shot
OVA, and a live-action movie. It has also served as the basis for a live-action drama TV series from Taiwan called
Meteor Garden[?], which has spawned off an idol-singer group,
F4[?].
Tsukushi Makino, a working-class girl, attends an elite
elevator school[?], populated by children from rich, high-society families. The son of the wealthiest, most powerful family in Japan, Tsukasa Doumyouji, takes an interest in Tsukushi and tries to woo her. The physical obstacles and emotional challenges of their rocky high-school courtship form the basis of the story.
Modern-day
Tokyo,
Japan is the main setting, with a focus on its current social flaws and economic problems.
Atami[?], Japan;
Paris,
France;
New York,
USA; and
Canada are also featured in the story. All of the characters are normal humans, and most of the main cast are high-school students in the 10th to 12th grades (ages 16 to 18).
Pride and Prejudice by
Jane Austen has been cited by fans as a possible inspiration because of the similar central story of two headstrong people in love separated by class differences and clashing personalities.
The series' title, Hana yori Dango (literally "Boys before Blossoms"), is a word-play of a Japanese saying, "Food before Blossoms", with the implication being that boys and romance are a necessity for living akin to eating.