Hibana: Spark

Japanese television series

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]

References

1. "This week's best streaming: From Preacher to Hibana". TheGuardian.com. 30 May 2016.
2. "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.
3. Netflix『火花』公式 [@hibanajp] (5 April 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.
4. Lee, Maggie (2016-06-23). "TV Review: 'Hibana'". Retrieved 2016-07-05.
5. Cirone, David (2016-09-03). "Hibana (Spark) (Series Review)". J-Generation. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
6. Lee, Maggie (2016-06-23). "TV Review: 'Hibana'". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
7. "8 of the most underrated Asian Netflix originals you should be watching". Stuff. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
8. "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.
9. "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

• Hibana: Spark at IMDb