Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge: Manga - Anime - Drama

There are so many Manga out there that were made into great Drama and maybe many of you, like me, also found out about Dramaland by first reading Manga or watching Anime.

I hope there aren't too many major spoilers in this article. Most content included here you can get by just watching only the first episode of the drama.

ヤマトナデシコ七変化

The English translation for the Manga is ‘Perfect Girl’. While ‘Yamato Nadeshiko’ is described as the expression for ‘an ideal woman’ in the Drama, ‘Shichi Henge’ can mean ‘change’ or in traditional Kabuki a dance where the actor quickly changes into different costumes. 

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The Main Characters 

Sunako


The name of the story fits our main character Sunako very well. After being dumped by a guy with the words: ‘I hate ugly girls’, she starts to hide herself in the world of horror looking similar to Sadako from the Ring-movie and befriending puppets and loving the dark. But as she starts living with the ‘radiant creatures’ in her aunt’s house she slowly starts to open up. The best part is her total change when she has to fight for her friends. Then she suddenly turns into a very strong girl smashing everyone to the ground with confidence. In all those weird situations they get into, she changes into a lot of different dresses and is portrayed very beautifully. 

On the other side, there are the pretty boys, who give poor Sunako regular nosebleeds. They live in the villa of Sunako’s aunt and have to turn Sunako into a beautiful lady for the reward of free rent. 

Kyohei


Kyohei could be described as the opposite of Sunako. Because of his gorgeous looks hordes of girls are following him around. He suffers from his pretty face and gets angry at everyone flaring up in anger quickly. In that sense, he and strong Sunako are a perfect match. When they team up, no one in their way will be safe. He is a kind of selfish person, but endsup helping Sunako everytime. Actually in the Manga and Anime he seems more like a brat to me, but in the Drama version he behaves more like an adult. He and Sunako form the main couple and are the center of the story. I even sometimes feel his character gets more attention in the Drama although Sunako is the main lead. I love Kyohei for being so honest. He is the only one who really doesn’t care about looks, but tells Sunako she has to love herself for who she is.

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The Family

Ranmaru


He’s the oldest one and a player, who likes to date older women. He always wants to put Sunako in beautiful dresses and make up because he thinks she will be more of a lady like that.

Yukinojo ‘Yuki’


He is the cute androgynous looking guy who is always nice and sweet to Sunako, although he is scared of her sometimes.

Takenaga


He is the quiet and rational guy, who comes up with plans, when everyone gets into trouble again. He is in love with Noi-chan but initially doesn't want to admit it.



Those three are somehow between maincharacter and side-character to me. They are important for Kyohei and Sunako as members of their weird family. They add some spice and fun to the story and also act as mediators between the two. I like them all a lot and they play a big part in the story, but the main focus is still on the development of Sunako and Kyohei. They usually appear in a group and don’t interact with Sunako separately, so the feeling I get is more of them being her family. But you can see how they strongly stand by Sunakos side and give her so much love.

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Other Characters

Noi/Naie


First you think she is your typical pretty cute girl, but she is also a little crazy. She is in love with Takenaga and, like the other girls, jealous of Sunako at first, because she lives together with her beloved Takenaga. Then she becomes her friend and helps her with a lot of situations. Kyohei always uses her and makes fun of her, because she is so crazy for Takenaga that she’d do anything. Even though she is a side character, she is moreimportant in the Manga and Anime and it’s a pity that in Drama she doesn’t play that big of a role. I think her character needs more attention, because she is the only female contact Sunako has in the beginning and her first real girlfriend.

Takeru
This character is introduced with the Drama. He is the son of the Sunako’s aunt, who still lives in the villa. This makes his mom look like a bad mother, because she is travelling the world to find a husband. He also has the function of the story teller and in my opinion the chaperon. He also makes Sunako seem a lot softer and notas the antisocial being she is.

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Comparison

Manga
The Manga is very crazy. The charactersare weird enough themselves and constantly get into trouble.  It is also a very sexy and perverted, because the guys are very pretty and often wearing revealing clothes and being kidnapped or tied up in several places. And I mean one girl living in a house with four beautiful guys – isn’t that our dream, ladies? The story plays in high school which leads to a lot of difficult situations for Sunako, who has to confront many other students.  Though the story is crazy it deals with serious issues of people being defined by their looks.

Anime
The story is basically like the Manga. Iliked the crazy feel of it and it made me laugh even more than the Manga because of the music and the speed that gives a lively atmosphere. But the characters looked more childish and because in Anime a lot of things are always exaggerated it might get on your nerves quickly. There were also more crazy characters like the Goth-Loli-sisters, who just add to the weirdness of it all.                   

Drama
The Drama is like most Japanese Drama more docile and with an educational value. Every episode has a lesson to learn, one of them of course is that real beauty comes from the inside. Also in the Drama they have additional characters, the most prominent one is Takeru, Sunako’s cousin. This resolves the kind of embarrassing situation of one girl living with 4 guys. If there is a small boy then suddenly there is a different feel. Also the setting is older with the boys going to college and Sunako not going to school at all, which I find a little strange. Though they stick to the story and original characters in most points, since it’s only 10 episodes, the story moves a lot faster and Sunako’s changes seemed a little quick to me. 

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Final Discussion
The Drama adaptation is a little less crazy than the Manga and a story with educational value for the whole family, while the Manga and Anime are more wild and sexy. I think the drama is great and I loved how the actors fit the characters, but the chemistry between Sunako and Kyohei is not that strong. If you are looking for more romance and sexiness you should definitely read the Manga, because it has lots of it. Also I missed the development of the other characters, the other boys and Nana were like an extra and had not many special parts, while the little boy Takeru had way too much screen time. I’m still in love with the Manga, so you can expect where this is leading. :D I know there are many people who prefer real people and who think Manga and Anime are too crazy. If you liked the Drama, I still recommend you to read the Manga or at least watch the Anime. And you know everyone has different tastes in what they find attractive, but I think real people can never look as hot as Manga characters. ;-D