Honey & Clover vs. Honey & Clover

I'm still watching the Taiwanese version of H&C and overall I like it much better than the Japanese drama adaption. HOWEVER, some actors seem to shine brighter than others, SO here's a comparison of the two.

1) Hagu
Narumi Riko vs Ito Chiaki
So here's the deal. Hagu is a hard character to get right. Even in the anime, which stayed as true to the manga as possible, she was still annoying at first. With that said, I think that Ito Chiaki wins here in all categories (physical resemblance as well as personality). Narumi Riko just kept on smiling... and smiling. Her character was not believable, and she plays the bratty younger sister type (see 1 Litre of Tears) much better. However, Chiaki kind of irritated me with how obsessed with Morita they made her seem. But that's more the fault of the writers than anything else.
Winner: Ito Chiaki.

2) Takemoto
Ikuta Toma vs Lego Li
Ahhh this is hard! Well, I'll think it through. Ikuta Toma was, overall, adorable, and at the time, surrounded by other actors who didn't capture the essence of their characters very well, I thought he'd done the best job. However, Lego Li is also adorable XD and, more importantly, YOUNG. Or young-looking. He just comes across the way I imagined Takemoto would--very self-depreciating and unsure of himself. And I get the sense (from interviews, youtube videos) that the actor isn't like that at all, which makes his performance all the more impressive. Also, with the Taiwanese show focusing increasingly on the Hagu/Morita romance (which makes me puke a little in my mouth), I really looked forward to Takemoto's journey and his turn in the limelight (god, FINALLY. And he's supposed to be the main character!). It hasn't disappointed so far.
Tie

3) Yamada
Harada Natsuki vs.  Janine Chang
This is another hard one. Harada Natsuki made me cry (or rather, the scene with her and the other guy, who I'll talk about later), but Janine Chang physically looks more like Yamada. Not to mention those bangs are horrific on Harada. Emotionally, however, I'd say Harada's got it in the bag. While Janine comes off as whiny, I really felt for Harada's Yamada. So I guess...
Winner: Harada Natsuki

4) Mayama
Mukai Osamu vs. none other than the flamboyant Joe Cheng!
Okay, I was looking forward to this series because of Joe, but he has failed to meet my expectations. Mayama's a suave character--he knows his way around women. Joe's portrayal of Mayama, on the other hand, is more like a bumbling metrosexual idiot. Which could be forgiven if it were funny. Which most of the time it is not. :( I know that Mayama has his funny scenes in the manga as well and he's not just this overly serious guy all the time, but those scenes are not supposed to compromise his manliness, and Joe's do. Honestly, I can't see why Rika would go for her (or Yamada for that matter)...
So it seems like the other guy would win by default, right? Um, problem is, I can't remember the Mukai Osamu at all. Besides one scene where he bursts into tears. If I recall correctly, he didn't have as big a role as Joe does (respective proportions). And he seemed to lack a sense of humor completely. So yeah...
Winner: ambiguous but I'm going to say Joe Cheng because at least he's trying to cover Mayama's many colorful sides.

5) Morita
Narimiya Hiroki vs. Eddie Peng
I don't know where to start with the things that were wrong with Narimiya as Morita. Maybe with this: WTF?? First of all, Morita's a genius, so by definition he is not NORMAL. He is an eclectic guy with eclectic habits. Girls look at him like a panda in the zoo. Or a flamingo or something. Narimiya must've gotten a diffferent message from the writers, because he was just playing, well, a normal guy. And it was boring and annoying. Eddie Peng, on the other hand, has got the weird factor DOWN. I love that about him--he's the only actor so far who pulled it off in that respect. I can almost believe that he is Morita--except for one little thing. His romance with Hagu. That's not his fault, but Morita is not the type to be all lovey-dovey. That's just weird. And not in the Morita way.
Winner: Eddie Peng.

6) Kashiwabara Takashi vs David  Chen
Let me just say that I LOVED Kashiwabara (nickname Kassy? Or did I read that wrong?). Nomiya's the guy that you're not supposed to root for but do anyway, and I definitely was pulling for him to win Ayu/Yamada's heart. He was just so charming and heartbreaking in the older-man-way. On the Taiwan side, I am not rooting for David Chen. He's annoying, and those glasses (you can't see them here) are ugly on him. There is no emotional depth to his character. Kashiwabara MADE Nomiya deeper than I'd thought.
Winner: Kashiwabara Takashi.

So it looks like Taiwan wins. The problem remains, however, in the amateur quality of the production, like most Taiwanese productions. Still, it captures the spirit of the manga much better than the Japanese one did, I think. Or at least the funny, over-the-top side. The Japanese might have done better with the serious stuff. Oh, I don't know. I also skipped a lot of minor characters (and Shu-chan) because I got bored.