Busu ni Hanataba wo.

At the age of 15, Hana Tabata has already made peace with the idea of never experiencing an unforgettable high school romance. Although she likes shoujo manga, flowers, and anything cute, Tabata considers herself a mere background character; she is a little bit chubby, with a round face, glasses, and freckles—all things that would make her conventionally unattractive. But when Tabata accidentally befriends Yousuke Ueno, a warm and charming classmate, things start to change. While she grapples with conflicting feelings about her unexpected new relationship with Ueno, Tabata has yet to realize that the love story she has been dreaming of has already begun.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Tabata, Hana Main

Hayami, Saori Japanese

Ueno, Yousuke Main

Tsuchiya, Simba Japanese

Gotanda, Tetsuo Supporting

Hosoya, Yoshimasa Japanese

Shinbashi, Tsutomu Supporting

Hatanaka, Tasuku Japanese

Uguisudani, Sumire Supporting

Aoyama, Yoshino Japanese

Ootsuka, Sayaka Supporting

Takada, Yuuki Japanese

Gotanda, Fusae Supporting

Chida, Miyako Japanese

Yumi-chan Supporting

Kojika, Runa Japanese

Shinbashi's Mother Supporting

Saitou, Kimiko Japanese

Gotanda, Noriko Supporting

Yano, Yumika Japanese

Minato, Mirai Director, Series Composition

Tsuchiya, Masanori Sound Director

TWS Theme Song Performance

Imazu, Ayumu Theme Song Performance, Theme Song Arrangement, Theme Song Lyrics, Theme Song Composition

Reviews

Oct 12, 2025

Juwuhart

Recommended

I honestly loved watching this anime! It’s incredibly cute, the characters are charming, and the romance develops in such a natural way. Sure, it might seem like another “generic school romance about an unpopular girl,” but I really don’t think it deserves that dull label. The story never disappoints — in fact, it’s a genuinely great romance anime that easily made its way into my list of all-time favorites.

What I loved the most is how well the story is put together. Everything feels connected and flows naturally from one episode to the next. There weren’t any dull or disappointing parts — each episode was fun ... and engaging to watch. I honestly enjoyed all of them, which is rare for me, since there are usually a few episodes I tend to dislike in other shows.
The ending was also very satisfying, which doesn’t happen often. So many animes have rushed or disappointing conclusions, but this one wrapped up beautifully, leaving that warm and fulfilling feeling when the credits roll.

It really gave me the same cozy and emotional vibe as Kimi ni Todoke or Skip and Loafer. If you’re into that kind of anime, definitely give it a try — it’s wholesome, sweet, and full of heart.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 7, 2025

happa_hana

Mixed Feelings

If you've watched Kimi ni Todoke, then you've watched the "ugly" girl gets with the popular boy troupe. But, as someone who us an obvious fan of Kimi ni Todoke, Busu ni Hanatab wo isn't close to the sweetness, complexity, and overall success that the former has accomplished and there is reason for that.
To me, Tabata in Busu ni Hanataba wo is an insert-yourself-here character. The audience never figures out why our v hot MC Ueno, likes her to begin with. Tabata also shows 0 character growth, if any. Ueno, also just shows his audience that he is a good-looking, shy, innocent guy, who ... has an immense crush on this plain looking Tabata girl in his class. There's also this far prettier and cute looking Sumire girl who has an envious heart and is upset that she isn't the one who will get w Ueno.

This entire character landscape as well as the vibes are very much Kimi ni Todoke; only, there's an actual storyline where we see Sawako growing, becoming confident in her self because her friendships are evolving, growing stronger and more deeply personal. Conflicts there have meaning, relatability and not just for the sake of having a conflict, cause that's the rule book. There's a reason why Shouta likes Sawako and Sawako's journey is more than just a troupe, more than just a genre-fulfilment. You cannot put yourself in her shoes, but you can see yourself in her and urge her on as a friend as she slowly but surely comes out of her shell. The story is not hollow but rich with meaning.

In Busu ni Hanataba wo, I couldn't stop thinking that the character design is plain for the reason of self-insertion. Specifically, Tabata. I do not criticize this in some 'moral' way; I'm sure for many, there is some comfort in putting yourself in a cookie cutter character and imagining a happy ending for yourself. Heck, Ueno has the most charm in this anime in terms of character design, lol. He also constantly reminded me of Usui because of their spiky blonde hair! While the absolute 2D-ness of Hanataba wasn't enough for me to turn it off, it was definitely the realization of how its a copy-paste of all its successful shojo predecessors. Even though i found the anime funny (idk atp if i was laughing because of how cringe it was getting or because it was actually funny) and bearable, this particular thought kept me from really giving it any higher score.

There are anime that take inspo from its predecessors but they also successfully stand on their own too... Hanataba failed at that, in my opinion, and neither did it try much to become its own thing.

Characters - average
Soundtrack / OP ? END - whatever
Story - average

I didn't come with any expectations for this anime and I'm actually surprised that i didn't end up liking it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Sep 16, 2025

chumchummaru

Not Recommended

Preliminary (11/13 eps)

As for the fact that it is labeled as “seinen”, I found out that nothing has actually changed, just an F was added before the MC. It is sad that FMC has such low self-esteem and behaves like a lot of other MCs from other romances, suffering from fear of people. I expected a little more mature behavior or processing. Because that behavior ends up ruining the whole atmosphere and making it a cliché, literally.
The artwork is not bad and the animation is average. I liked the OP/ED, except for the overall processing, which is already played out. It is a shame that something new, ... the combination of not pretty characters with pretty ones, which I would say that FMC is still at a good level in terms of beauty, ends up in the same rut as a lot of similar romances. So in the end, beauty does not play a role in whether the plot will be good or bad. And continuing by having the classic triangle appear there is probably unnecessary. This is probably how original this work is. It's a real shame, because this had potential that was ultimately not used. I don't know what they were trying to achieve with those triangles, but it hurts more than it helps (and I won't lie, it was intentional on her part, so she can't expect a better result). I'm really disappointed, I had high hopes for this, also because FMC doesn't have much beauty.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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	Poll: Busu ni Hanataba wo. Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Sep 26	51 replies	by Zelev »» Nov 23, 9:22 PM
	Poll: Busu ni Hanataba wo. Episode 2 Discussion Stark700 - Jul 11	46 replies	by Tressym »» Nov 4, 3:10 PM
	Poll: Busu ni Hanataba wo. Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jul 4	70 replies	by LastUnicorn »» Oct 10, 11:56 PM
	Poll: Busu ni Hanataba wo. Episode 12 Discussion Stark700 - Sep 19	34 replies	by TheGreatPuck »» Oct 3, 11:59 AM
	Poll: Busu ni Hanataba wo. Episode 10 Discussion Stark700 - Sep 5	22 replies	by RGreatDanton »» Oct 3, 11:49 AM