Hibana: Spark (火花) is a television series adaptation of the novel Spark by Naoki Matayoshi. It premiered worldwide on Netflix on June 2, 2016.[1][2][3] The story follows an aspiring stand-up comedian Tokunaga (Kento Hayashi), who embarks on an apprenticeship with Kamiya (Kazuki Namioka), a seasoned manzai artist.[4]
Cast
- Kento Hayashi as Tokunaga
- Kazuki Namioka as Kamiya
- Mugi Kadowaki as Maki
- Masao Yoshii (Inoshita Yoshii) as Yamashita
- Hideaki Murata (Toro salmon) as Ōbayashi
- Nahana as Erika Nishida
- Sayaka Yamamoto as waitress
- Eri Tokunaga as Ayumi
- Maryjun Takahashi as Yurie
- Rina Takeda
- Shugo Oshinari as Sasamoto
- Kyūsaku Shimada
- Shōta Sometani as Ogata
- Tomorowo Taguchi as Hyuga
- Kaoru Kobayashi as Watanabe
- Hiro Honda as VIP guest
Reception
David Cirone of J-Generation criticized the slow pacing of the first half of the series, but said "even with its rough edges, Hibana shines with the power of its two leads [Hayashi and Namioka]."[5] Maggie Lee of Variety called the series "a profoundly reflective and achingly tender look at Japan's vibrant yet cutthroat comedy scene".[6] Elissa Loi of Stuff complimented the show for "steering away from the usual predictable Japanese tropes".[7]
Soundtrack
Theme song
Okamoto's - "Brother"[8] (released June 1, 2016)
Soundtrack album
Netflix Original Drama Hibana -Spark- Soundtrack (released February 26, 2017 by Yoshimoto Music Ltd.)[9]
| Track# | Track title | English translation | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | "Prologue" | Prologue | 上野耕路 |
| 02. | "I See Reflections in Your Eyes" | I See Reflections in Your Eyes | 木戸やすひろ・上野耕路 |
| 03. | "伝記" | Biography | 上野耕路 |
| 04. | "師弟" | Junior Brother | 上野耕路 |
| 05. | "Night" | Night | 大和女幸・上野耕路 |
| 06. | "戯れ" | Play | 上野耕路 |
| 07. | "公園" | Park | 上野耕路 |
| 08. | "平穏" | Calm | 石塚徹 |
| 09. | "平安" | Peace | 石塚徹 |
| 10. | "太鼓" | (Traditional Japanese) Drum | 石塚徹 |
| 11. | "不調和" | Dissonance | 上野耕路 |
| 12. | "吉祥寺" | Kichijōji (the city name) | 上野耕路 |
| 13. | "Corduroy" | Corduroy | 上野耕路 |
| 14. | "おにまんま" | Demon Rice (nickname of a cuisine Maki prepared) | 上野耕路 |
| 15. | "I See Reflections in Your Eyes (String Quartet Version)" | I See Reflections in Your Eyes | 上野耕路 |
| 16. | "Monochrome" | Monochrome | 上野耕路 |
| 17. | "愉快酒" | 沖田修一とアモーレスターズ | |
| 18. | "さすらい" | Wandering | 石塚徹 |
| 19. | "視線" | Sight | 石塚徹 |
| 20. | "うたかた" | 石塚徹 | |
| 21. | "Attack" | Attack | 鈴木俊介 |
| 22. | "Dance" | Dance | TEMMA-Teje |
| 23. | "ガラクタ" | 石塚徹 | |
| 24. | "Irony" | Irony | 石塚徹 |
| 25. | "引越し" | 石塚徹 | |
| 26. | "Kick Sparks" | Kick Sparks | 石塚徹 |
| 27. | "自戒" | 上野耕路 | |
| 28. | "屈折" | 上野耕路 | |
| 29. | "New Life" | New Life | 上野耕路 |
| 30. | "Spark" | Spark | 石塚徹 |
| 31. | "I See Reflections in Your Eyes (Long Version)" | I See Reflections in Your Eyes | 木戸やすひろ・上野耕路 |
References
- ^ "This week's best streaming: From Preacher to Hibana". TheGuardian.com. 30 May 2016.
- ^ "HIBANA (SPARK), BY NAOKI MATAYOSHI, WILL BE A NETFLIX JAPAN ORIGINAL SERIES". Netflix Media Center. Archived from the original on 2016-09-19. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
- ^ Netflix『火花』公式 [@hibanajp] (April 5, 2016). "又吉直樹の処女作にして芥川賞受賞作品をNetflixでドラマ化。『火花』6月3日より全世界190ヵ国にて全話一挙ストリーミング決定。待望の予告編を公開しました。 #火花 #ネトフリ" (Tweet). Retrieved June 2, 2016 – via Twitter.
- ^ Lee, Maggie (2016-06-23). "TV Review: 'Hibana'". Retrieved 2016-07-05.
- ^ Cirone, David (2016-09-03). "Hibana (Spark) (Series Review)". J-Generation. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ Lee, Maggie (2016-06-23). "TV Review: 'Hibana'". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ "8 of the most underrated Asian Netflix originals you should be watching". Stuff. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ "Netflix「火花」スパークス×あほんだら座談会 (3/3) - お笑いナタリー 特集・インタビュー". お笑いナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ "Netflixオリジナルドラマ『火花』 | YOSHIMOTO MUSIC CO.,LTD./よしもとミュージック". yoshimoto-me.co.jp. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
External links
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