Manga
Hana-Kimi Turns 30 With a New Live-Action Drama and Its First Stage Play
The Hana-Kimi: For You in Full Blossom manga marks its 30th anniversary with a new drama on Nippon TV, premiering December 5, 2026, and a stage play starring the same cast.
Nippon TV will air the new drama based on Hana-Kimi: For You in Full Blossom every Saturday from 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (JST), starting December 5, 2026. The series will have 8 episodes of 30 minutes each and will also be available on TVer and Hulu, which will offer a director's cut version.
A Triple Lead for a Big Anniversary
The lead trio is made up of Hana Kawamura as Mizuki Ashiya, Makoto Hasegawa as Izumi Sano and Itsuki Fujiwara as Shuichi Nakatsu. Hasegawa and Fujiwara are members of the group THE RAMPAGE. The drama's main cast totals 12 actors, including Genosuke, Daigo Kobayashi, Tomoki Nishiyama, Miro Takaoka, Riku Morita, Keigo Ito, Yuki Tomita, Yuki Sakurai and Hiroto Takahashi.
These are the roles confirmed in the sources:
- Hana Kawamura as Mizuki Ashiya
- Makoto Hasegawa as Izumi Sano
- Itsuki Fujiwara as Shuichi Nakatsu
- Hiroto Takahashi as Makoto Kagurazaka
A Manga With 17 Million Copies
The original work is the manga by Hisaya Nakajo, serialized in Hakusensha's Hana to Yume magazine from 1996 to 2004. The series has 17 million copies in circulation. Its premise: Mizuki, a Japanese-American track athlete, transfers to an all-boys boarding school to be close to her idol, high jumper Izumi Sano, and disguises herself as a boy. They end up as roommates.
After its ending came a short sequel in 2011, a special chapter in 2014 and the follow-up Himitsu - Hana Zakari no Kimi-tachi e After School, published since 2021. The story previously received two Japanese dramas, in 2007 and 2011, as well as South Korean and Taiwanese versions, the latter from 2006. In North America, the manga is published by VIZ Media.
In Spain, Planeta Cómic published the manga as Hana-Kimi, For you in Full Blossom. It released 3 volumes in Spanish before the series was cancelled, while in Japan it runs to 23 volumes and is complete.
The Team Behind the New Drama
- Directors: Keisuke Shibata and Shiori Ueno
- Screenplay: Fumie Koga, Yuka Arai and Kazumi Oki
- Series composition: Yoko Tamura
- Music: Koji Endo
- Production: Fureberi and Cocoon
From Screen to Stage: The First Play
The same 12 members of the drama's main cast will play their characters in the first Hana-Kimi stage play, written and directed by Shintaro Sugano. It is produced by Kyodo Factory, Hairex and Kasaneegi. It will open the week after the drama ends and will visit three cities.
- Osaka: February 13-15, 2027 (Sankei Hall Breeze)
- Aichi: February 18-19, 2027 (Tokai City Arts Theatre)
- Tokyo: March 13-22, 2027 (Tokyo Tatemono Brillia HALL)
General admission costs 11,000 yen including tax, and the upgrade to front-row seats costs 15,000 yen. The cast's priority sale, by lottery, began on November 7, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. (JST) and runs until November 23.
- e+ presale by lottery: November 27, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. to December 1 at 11:59 p.m.
- General sale, first come first served: December 19, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.