- "There's no telling what will happen in this contest. You've got to prepare yourself for anything."
- —Tsubaki Domyoji[src]
Teen of Japan (
Description[]
Teen of Japan is a competition between the rival schools, Eitoku Academy and Eirin Academy. Every three years on December 24, the schools select three female students from each year to determine Japan's "top female high school student." One million yen is the standard prize for the winner. The competition tests beauty, intelligence, and the skills required for marriage and motherhood. Due to the events changing every time, Teen of Japan has become known for its unpredictable outcomes. The "good wife and wise mother" is considered particularly "treacherous" causing many contestants to struggle.[3][4]
History[]
Past results[]
Tsubaki Domyoji wins
- "Most of these girls from rich families had never eaten okonomiyaki, much less cooked it. Luckily, I wasn't like them. Of course, I'd never eaten it either. But I learned for my little brother. That year, I was the only one who could make an okonomiyaki. And so I won."
- —Tsubaki describes the unpredictable nature of the contest[src]
Six years prior,[5] Tsubaki Domyoji entered TOJ representing Eitoku Academy. In the first round, the girls were judged on how they wore clothes selected from a Paris collection. For the intelligence portion, they were required to answer questions in a quiz show-type setting. That particular year, the girls were of a high level and three were taken to the final round, including Tsubaki. In the last portion of the competition, they had the girls cook okonomiyaki, a common Japanese dish. The rich girls were unfamiliar with it, besides Tsubaki whom he learned to cook it for her brother. She was the only one able to successfully make it and thus won the entire competition.[4]
Three years later, Shizuka Todo represented Eitoku and won.[6] Shizuka later won a similar contest, "Miss Teen of France" (
Tsukushi competes[]
A nervous Tsukushi at the start of the contest
- "Teen of Japan, the contest held every three years to select Japan's top female high school student, will be starting in a few minutes. The winner will receive not only a cash prize of one million yen and a bronze statuette, but also a round-the-world trip!"
- —The emcee at the start of the competition[src]
Another three years later, Tsukasa Domyoji decided to enter Tsukushi Makino into the contest, after her home was shown on the news. Thinking that she was "too poor" for him, he wanted to present her in a better light.[8] He signed and sent in a recommendation letter without informing her.[6] Tsukushi later asked Tsukasa for a loan of one million yen, after her father had borrowed that exact amount from a loanshark and then lost it. Tsukasa agreed, but required her to enter the Teen of Japan contest. He told her she could pay him back with the prize money.[3] Tsukasa's sister, Tsubaki agreed to help train Tsukushi. She provided her with all the necessary instructors in etiquette, English, cooking, flower arranging, and tea ceremony. An esthetician and hair stylist were also provided.[4]
Tsukushi trained for several hours a day for two weeks, before the contest began on Christmas Eve. She competed alongside Eitoku classmates, Sakurako Sanjo and Junko Ekuni, and Eirin Academy students, Ayano Kurimaki, Sonoko Maekawa, and Kazuko Kubo. There were five judges, including Jody Grand and Arthur Smith. For the beauty portion, the girls were tasked with expressing their individuality through fashion. Mr. Smith felt all of the girls were dressed "too conventionally," except for Tsukushi whom he praised. Junko and Kazuko were eliminated.[9] In the second round, their English was tested by Mrs. Grand. Sonoko was disqualified for dropping a teacup.[10] Mrs. Grand nearly passed out in the middle of Tsukushi's turn. She passed Ayano and Tsukushi to the next round, eliminating Sakurako.[11]
After a fifteen minute break, the two finalists returned to the stage. Some of the crowd became unruly as many questioned how Tsukushi had made it this far. Tsukasa managed to quiet the unrest by punching a particularly loud audience member.[12] In the third and final round, a group of twenty-one children were brought on stage. Tsukushi and Ayano were taken to another room with the children, whom they had to play with to determine the winner. The two ended up playing with the children together by the end.[13] The children asked to pick whom they liked the best. Ryusuke Hayama refused to pick as he felt it was unfair. The judges decided to pick based on overall score, which lead to Ayano being crowned the winner. They granted a special prize to Tsukushi of 300,000 yen "in recognition of her heroic efforts."[14]
Participants[]
Contestants[]
| Latest contestants | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No.[9] | Name | School | Status |
| 1 | Ayano Kurimaki | Eirin Academy | Winner |
| 5 | Tsukushi Makino | Eitoku Academy | Runner-up |
| 4 | Sakurako Sanjo | Eitoku Academy | Eliminated in round 2 |
| 2 | Sonoko Maekawa | Eirin Academy | Disqualified in round 2 |
| 3 | Kazuko Kubo | Eirin Academy | Eliminated in round 1 |
| 6 | Junko Ekuni | Eitoku Academy | Eliminated in round 1 |
| Past contestants | |||
| Tsubaki Domyoji | Eitoku Academy | Winner | |
| Shizuka Todo | Eitoku Academy | Winner | |
Judges[]
Behind the scenes[]
Notes
- The competition is first mentioned in chapter sixty-two of the manga and makes its first appearance in chapter sixty-seven. It is occasionally mentioned later on.
- In chapter one hundred and five, Shigeru Okawahara reveals that she was in the audience at TOJ.
- The venue for Teen of Japan is likely based on Nippon Budokan. Tsukushi's prom in the final episode of Hana Yori Dango Returns (2007) was coincidentally filmed at the Budokan.
Potrayals
The TOJ stage in the drama
- The TOJ contest appears in two episodes of Hana Yori Dango (2005). In the drama, Kaede Domyoji was the first winner of contest and won her husband's love through it. Tsukasa and Tsubaki suggest that Tsukushi enters the competition, after their mother puts her family and friends in financial danger. Tsukushi does so with Tsubaki's recommendation. Ayano Kurimaki, Tsukasa's fiancée, also enters with Kaede's recommendation. The 2005 TOJ in the drama has four rounds, while the manga only has three. Except for the first round, the rest of the contest follows the original closely. Unlike the manga, the drama version has about thirty contestants from atleast four schools.
2005 Teen of Japan contestants Name School Status Ayano Kurimaki Eirin Academy Winner Tsukushi Makino Eitoku Academy Runner-up Sakurako Sanjo Eitoku Academy Eliminated in round 2 Yuriko Asai Eitoku Academy Eliminated in round 1 Sonoko Maikawa Fururu High School Eliminated in round 3 Asuka Nakatawa Ohka Academy Eliminated Past contestants Kaede Domyoji Winner Tsubaki Domyoji Eitoku Academy Winner Judges
- The contest was also an event in the game, Hana Yori Dango: F4 and First Kiss (2015). Special costumes for the player's avatar were released for the event.[15]
Stage of the culinary competition
- Teen of Japan is replaced with "Chinese Cuisine Culinary Competition" in Meteor Garden (2018). The competition is also held every three years. Dao Ming Zhuang (Tsubaki) won the contest years earlier and later helps Dong Shan Cai (Tsukushi) train for it. Shan Cai competes in the sixth edition of it, which consists of three rounds. Zhou Cai Na (Ayano) wins the top prize of 1 million yuan. Shan Cai is a given a special prize of 500,000 yuan "for her persistent and outstanding performance."
Chinese Cuisine Culinary Competition contestants Name School Status Zhou Cai Na University of California Winner Dong Shan Cai Ming De University Runner-up Luo Qian Ni Final four Ling Chen Xi Final four Xu Mei Xin Sun Yat-sen University Eliminated in round 2 Li Fan Gru Chinese University of Hong Kong Eliminated in round 2 Gao Xin Ting Tsinghua University Eliminated in round 1 Dai Jing Jing Xi'an Jiaotong University Eliminated in round 1 Zao Xiao Yang Eliminated in round 1 Lin Wen Jiao Eliminated in round 1 Past contestants Dao Ming Zhuang Winner Judges - Tu Xiao Wen
- Zhang Jin Bao
- Wu Li Hua
- Tang Jing Mei
- In Hana Yori Dango (2019), Teen of Japan plays an important part of the musical's second act. Its portrayal follows the manga closely with a few differences. One being that the contestants are chosen through a nationwide selection process, which removes the Eitoku-Eirin rivalry. Additionally, only the first and last rounds from the manga are portrayed.
2019 Teen of Japan contestants No. Name School Status 1 Ayano Kurimaki Winner 5 Tsukushi Makino Eitoku Academy Runner-up 2 Sonoko Maekawa Eliminated in round 1 3 Kazuko Kubo Eliminated in round 1 4 Sakurako Sanjo Eitoku Academy Eliminated in round 1 Past contestants Tsubaki Domyoji Eitoku Academy Winner Shizuka Todo Eitoku Academy Winner Judges
Appearances[]
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| Hana Yori Dango (2005) | ||||||||
| 8 | 9 | |||||||
| (Debut) | ||||||||
| Hana Yori Dango Returns (2007) | ||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| (Mentioned) | (Mentioned) | |||||||||
| Meteor Garden (2018) | |||||||||
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 20 | |||
| (First mentioned) | (Debut) | (Mentioned) | (Mentioned) | (Mentioned) | (Mentioned) | ||||
References[]
- ↑ It is initially translated as "Miss Teen Japan" by Viz, but is referred to as "Teen of Japan" in later volumes.
- ↑ Boys Over Flowers: Jewelry Box
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chapter 64, Boys Over Flowers
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chapter 65, Boys Over Flowers
- ↑ See Boys Over Flowers Wiki:Timeline/Manga
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chapter 63, Boys Over Flowers
- ↑ Chapter 6, Boys Over Flowers
- ↑ Chapter 62, Boys Over Flowers
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Chapter 68, Boys Over Flowers
- ↑ Chapter 69, Boys Over Flowers
- ↑ Chapter 70, Boys Over Flowers
- ↑ Chapter 71, Boys Over Flowers
- ↑ Chapter 72, Boys Over Flowers
- ↑ Chapter 73, Boys Over Flowers
- ↑ https://twitter.com/hanad_f4fk/status/717260646522294272 (Japanese)