Hibana: Spark
Hibana: Spark is a television series adaptation of the novel Spark by Naoki Matayoshi. It premiered worldwide on Netflix on June 2, 2016. The story follows an aspiring stand-up comedian Tokunaga, who embarks on an apprenticeship with Kamiya, a seasoned manzai artist.
Cast
- Kento Hayashi as Tokunaga
- Kazuki Namioka as Kamiya
- Mugi Kadowaki as Maki
- Masao Yoshii as Yamashita
- Hideaki Murata 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 ." Maggie Lee of Variety called the series "a profoundly reflective and achingly tender look at Japan's vibrant yet cutthroat comedy scene". Elissa Loi of Stuff complimented the show for "steering away from the usual predictable Japanese tropes".Soundtrack
Theme song
Okamoto's - "Brother"Soundtrack album
Netflix Original Drama Hibana -Spark- Soundtrack| Track# | Track title | English translation | Artist |
| 01. | "Prologue" | Prologue | 上野耕路 |
| 02. | "I See Reflections in Your Eyes" | I See Reflections in Your Eyes | 木戸やすひろ・上野耕路 |
| 03. | "伝記" | Biography | 上野耕路 |
| 04. | "師弟" | Junior Brother | 上野耕路 |
| 05. | "Night" | Night | 大和女幸・上野耕路 |
| 06. | "戯れ" | Play | 上野耕路 |
| 07. | "公園" | Park | 上野耕路 |
| 08. | "平穏" | Calm | 石塚徹 |
| 09. | "平安" | Peace | 石塚徹 |
| 10. | "太鼓" | Drum | 石塚徹 |
| 11. | "不調和" | Dissonance | 上野耕路 |
| 12. | "吉祥寺" | Kichijōji | 上野耕路 |
| 13. | "Corduroy" | Corduroy | 上野耕路 |
| 14. | "おにまんま" | Demon Rice | 上野耕路 |
| 15. | "I See Reflections in Your Eyes " | I See Reflections in Your Eyes | 上野耕路 |
| 16. | "Monochrome" | Monochrome | 上野耕路 |
| 17. | "愉快酒" | 沖田修一とアモーレスターズ | |
| 18. | "さすらい" | Wandering | 石塚徹 |
| 19. | "視線" | Sight | 石塚徹 |
| 20. | "うたかた" | 石塚徹 | |
| 21. | "Attack" | Attack | 鈴木俊介 |
| 22. | "Dance" | Dance | TEMMA-Teje |
| 23. | "ガラクタ" | 石塚徹 | |
| 24. | "Irony" | Irony | 石塚徹 |
| 25. | "引越し" | 石塚徹 | |
| 26. | "Kick Sparks" | Kick Sparks | 石塚徹 |
| 27. | "自戒" | 上野耕路 | |
| 28. | "屈折" | 上野耕路 | |
| 29. | "New Life" | New Life | 上野耕路 |
| 30. | "Spark" | Spark | 石塚徹 |
| 31. | "I See Reflections in Your Eyes " | I See Reflections in Your Eyes | 木戸やすひろ・上野耕路 |