What is Love? (On Romanticizing Abuse in “Hana Yori Dango” [anime])

At the heart of this post lies a singular question; what is love? Hana Yori Dango (or Boys Over Flowers) is an anime packed with complex, interesting, well fleshed out, DEEPLY FLAWED teenage characters, both of prestigious means and lacking them. This problematic title, while admittedly cringy at times, holds special appeal for its realistic portrayal …