Feb 28 2010 02:06 AM Having just watched the final episode of the series, I'm a bit indifferent about it. The finale was relatively average, but throughout the entire series nothing really struck me as outstanding either. There were numerous poor episodes in the beginning of the series but once the convoluted plot began to pan out, things got a bit more interesting and less confusing. Unfortunately, in the end the show was overall predictable with a few extra bits thrown in here and there. Not many plot holes in this show given the ridiculous length of the series, but not very solid character development either. It was often jumpy and didn't really have a focus.
Overall, I was glad that the series got better as it progressed, but it simply didn't have the "oomph" to push it above a mere
6/10 for me. The show's animation quality seemed a bit old school for a 2009 work by Studio Pierrot. Character designs were basically typical bishounen types and when comparing it to the likes of more recent series like Vampire Knight, it's just incapable of comparing to. Music, sound, and the voice cast weren't exactly appealing to the ear either for the most part. The only thing that was nice about the series was the convoluted plot along with some of the solid character development like for Rumaty, Machaty, Eugene, and Harry. Ironically, the important characters like Lee-Leng, Kajika, Carl, and the rest didn't really get much time for development aside from showing the same scenes over and over again, annoying me to know end as they were the key characters of the story! In addition, the series as a whole may have been interesting, but episodes were dull for the most part. There would often be one or two awe-inspiring scenes, but the rest was really putting me to sleep.
If you're looking for a romance/reverse harem show, there are better ones out there than Hanasakeru Seishounen. Like I've been saying, this show has the plot to succeed but lacks the entertainment and enjoyability factor. Considering it's 39 episodes it makes already hesitant to watch, and lacking appeal is only going to hurt it and drive viewers away, which has already proven as so. Only watch this if you have the time and have watched all the good ones out there already.
