Sara Hinata

Manga

Taiwan

Japan

S. Korea

China

Thailand

Sara Hinata
Japanese	日向 更
Romanized	Hinata Sara
Characteristics
Gender	Female
Age	16—18
Personal information
Residence	Home in Tokyo, Japan
Family	Hinata (mother)
Romance	Sojiro Nishikado (former crush) Ex-boyfriend
Education	Metropolitan High School
Affiliation	Tea Ceremony Club

"That morning two years ago, these stairs felt like they represented our history. I wondered where we'd go once we reached the top."

—Sara to Sojiro

Sara Hinata (日向 更 (ひなた さら) , Hinata Sara) was the childhood friend of Sojiro Nishikado. She had a crush on Sojiro and planned to share her feelings, but he stood her up. The two lost contact. Sara attended a public high school, where she was a member of the Tea Ceremony Club. There she befriended Yuki Matsuoka, who helped her reunite with Sojiro

Biography

Early life

Sara as a child

"I told you that I sometimes pass by here, didn't I? I'll tell you what I'd be thinking about. I'd be remembering our childhood. Like, "we used to run along the top of this wall..." or, about the time we feel asleep in the storehouse."

—Sara talks to Sojiro about their childhood

Sara first met Sojiro Nishikado when they were children. Her mother took lessons at the Nishikado's tea school. She and Sojiro became close friends and Sara affectionately called him "Jiro". They often played around Sojiro's house. One day, they hid in the storeroom and Sara fell asleep. Sojiro's parents were unable to find him and eventually called the police. In another incident, the two of them climbed on the wall surrounding his house and fell down. Sojiro protected Sara by taking most of the impact.

High school

Sara enrolled at Metropolitan High School, a public high school where she was able to wear regular clothing every day. There she joined the Tea Ceremony Club and made a lot of friends.

Saying goodbye

Sara says goodbye to Sojiro

"You've had many "one encounter, one chance" meetings. But for me, my "one encounter, one chance," was waiting for you that morning on the rooftop."

—Sara's letter to Sojiro

During their first year of high school, Sara often Sojiro visited his house unannounced. On one occasion, she interrupted him with a girl, annoying Sojiro. Another day, Sara walked into Sojiro's room. Trying to cheer him up, Sara talked about stuff animals and pretended to be one. Laughing, Sojiro flicked her forehead. Sara nearly fell backward but he caught her in time. She then closed her eyes. Sojiro, however, quickly changed the subject. Sometime later, Sara went to a building's rooftop with two friends. The next morning, she left a voicemail for Sojiro, asking him to meet her there around five in the morning. Sojiro, however, did not show up. Sara waited for him at his house. She began crying and told him "Goodbye." Later, she wrote him a letter explaining how her "one encounter, one chance" was waiting for him at that building. Sometime later, Sara had a short-lived relationship during her second year.

Meeting Sojiro again

Sara says that she and Sojiro have changed

"I guess I'm the one who caused us to lose our balance. I regretted it. I thought I'd never see you again. Why did I call you out to that place? Why did I say good-bye? I wondered if you were spending your days in this house all alone. I was so worried."

—Sara to Sojiro

After Yuki Matsuoka joined the Tea Ceremony Club, she called to inform Sara that she found an instructor for one day since their normal instructor was on maternity leave. The instructor turned out to be Sojiro, much to Sara's shock. After he gave a demonstration to the club, Sara walked with Sojiro to the outside of his home. They chatted for a bit, before parting ways. Sara turned the corner and then slumped to the ground, appearing overwhelmed. The next day, her friends Hiromi and Mako teased Sara about being in love with Sojiro though she insisted they were just childhood friends. It was slightly awkward when Sara found herself alone with Yuki. She guessed that Yuki liked Sojiro. Yuki replied "That's in the past" and that Sojiro had someone he liked. Changing the subject, Sara invited Yuki to come to her home.

On the way home, Sara and Yuki ran into Sojiro's mother who invited them to her home. Sojiro arrived shortly with Tsukushi Makino and Rui Hanazawa. After introductions, Sojiro prepared tea for everyone. Several minutes later, Sara and Tsukushi went looking for Yuki. They found Sojiro confronting Yuki about coming to his home. Sara became upset, saying "If you don't want me to come here, you should just tell me." Sara ran outside and Sojiro followed her. Now calmed down, the pair began reminiscing about their childhood. They went into the storeroom, where Sojiro apologized to Sara. She admitted that she regretted her attempt to confess her feelings to Sojiro and subsequently saying goodbye. Sojiro then said that they should go to the top of that building together and that he "ready to face" his feelings.

The following night, Sara was looking at an old photo of Sojiro when her mother came to tell her to get some sleep. Sara later met up with Sojiro at the building. As they climbed up the stairs, Sojiro revealed that her presence "saved [him] back then." She then asked "Did you know that I loved you all that time?" He replied that she "easy to read." Sara started to say something else, but stopped herself. On the roof, they discovered that the buildings, which once spelled "Sukiya Jiro" ("I love Jiro"), were undergoing construction and no longer spelled out the same sentence. Sara laughed and then said "I guess time has clearly passed us by." Sojiro replied "That morning two years ago was our "one encounter, one chance."" He still admitted that he loved her back then, and Sara smiled and cried as she replied "Me too."

Physical appearance

Physical characteristics
Hair color	Light brown
Eye color	Brown

Sara was a cute, young girl. She had short hair which was an extremely light brown, appearing almost blonde. Sara used hair clips or pins to keep her short bangs out of her face. Her wardrobe consisted of mostly comfortable clothing which was also cute and girly. Sara particularly liked skirts.

Personality and traits

Sara was loud, carefree, and a little bit of a tomboy. As a child, Sara enjoyed playing outdoors and eating snacks. Her love of snacks continued well into her teenage years and she was always looking out for new kinds. Sara had a presence that seemed to "brighten up [a] room." Her personality was what attracted Sojiro to her since his family was the opposite of her. Sara often smiled to hide how she was feeling. However, it became too unbearable when Sojiro basically rejected her. After saying goodbye to Sojiro, she still thought of him. At school, she joined the Tea Ceremony Club where she used the skills he taught her.

Attributes

Financial strength		3/5
Looks		3/5
Intelligence		3/5
Queen attitude		2/5
Kindness		3/5
Power		2/5

Etymology

Sara (更; さら) is Japanese female name which can be written with a variety of kanji. The kanji she uses can mean "again," "further," "renew," etc. Sara's surname Hinata (日向; ひなた) contains two kanji. It is a common given name as well as a surname. Together the kanji can mean "sunny place" or "in the sun." Separately, the kanji mean "day" or "sun" (日) and "yonder" or "beyond" (向).

Behind the scenes

Character notes

• Sara is alluded to several times before her first appearance in "Story of an Encounter."
• In the color edition of Boys Over Flowers, Sara's hair appears to be almost blonde. However, since the series tends towards more natural hair colors, it can be assumed that her hair is a very light shade of brown.

Portrayals

See also: Category:Sara Hinata portrayals

• Pally Chien plays Sara, renamed Xiao Geng, in one episode of Meteor Rain (2001). She falls for her childhood friend, Xi Men (Sojiro). They lose contact after Xi Men stands her up one night. He later tells Xiao You (Yuki) that he regrets not meeting her that night.
• Shihori Kanjiya portrays Sara in Hana Yori Dango Returns (2007). She befriends Yuki Matsuoka, who joins Sara's tea circle. Like in the manga, Sara plans to share her feelings with Sojiro, but he stands her up. Sojiro finds Sara a year later and she reveals that she is engaged.
• Sara also appears in the video game Hana Yori Dango: Koi Seyo Otome! (2008) voiced by Chieko Higuchi. Higuchi also voiced Shigeru Okawahara for the game.
• She is played by Park Soo-jin in Boys Over Flowers (2009), in which she is named Cha Eun-jae.
• In Meteor Garden (2018), Dai Ya Qi plays a version of Sara named Geng Yi Fen and nicknamed Xiao Geng.
• Neen Suwanamas portrays Sara, renamed Mona, in the Thai drama, F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers (2021).

Appearances

Boys Over Flowers
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volume 7
Volume 8
Volume 9
Volume 10
Volume 11
Volume 12
Volume 13
Volume 14
Volume 15
Volume 16
Volume 17
Volume 18
Volume 19
Volume 20
Volume 21
Volume 22
Volume 23
Volume 24
Volume 25
Volume 26
Volume 27 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 (Flashback only)
Volume 28 182 183 184 185 "Story of an Encounter" 186 (Mentioned) (Mentioned) (Debut) (Mentioned)
Volume 29
Volume 30
Volume 31
Volume 32
Volume 33
Volume 34 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 (Flashback only)
Volume 35 229 230 231 232 233 234 235
Volume 36 236 237 238 239 240 241 "Night of the Crescent Moon" (Mentioned)
Jewelry Box
Other

Other

Hana Yori Dango FF (Picture(s) only) Hana Yori Dango: Koi Seyo Otome! Hana Yori Dango: F4 and First Kiss