[importing an old MAL review, but my feelings still stand]

Hana ni Arashi is a wild ride about a super strong girl and her breezy billionaire lover. It's Riko's goal in life to be ordinary, but Ran's not having that!

Story:
The basis of Riko's ordinary life gets encumbered by Ran's crazy life daily. Whatever wacky hijinks of the chapter usually revolves around two plots: 1. Assassin trying to kill/capture Ran 2. Assassin wanting Riko for himself (usually to be his bride).

With assassins as the forefront of the story, things do get somewhat serious. Large machine/military guns can be pulled out of anyone's pocket at any time though that's mostly done for a humorous effect.

SN: The side stories in Hana ni Arashi are mature and deal with teenage abortion and molestation.

Characters:
After a bad rejection, Riko has dedicated herself to becoming ordinary when she's anything but that. The manga called her extremely flexible, but I think that's a bad translation for "super strong." This chick picked up an entire Christmas tree by herself!

I liked how when it wasn't needed for the plot (this is shoujo y'know) she saved herself. She did not regularly play the damsel in distress. Riko even had to save Ran once and issue out a rescue mission. Not much of her personality was shown, but she seemed to be stoic until Ran made her open up.

Ran, I think, is my favorite character. He's an eccentric, billionaire bad boy with too many guns and too much fun. He falls in love with Riko at first sight and tells her at GUNPOINT she will be his bride. Although being associated with him endangers her life, he can't stay away due to liking her so much. Instead, he places tracking devices on her.

He is just unorthodox like that. He's a clingy teenager who is used to being spoiled. There could have been some hidden development in his character if we had gotten to see his mother. Unfortunately, the mangaka couldn't squeeze that in. All in all, Ran's a goofball!

Baldy was a close second for my favorite. He had the best one-liners. Riko's classmates as a whole were cool. I loved how when an assassin attacked the school these idiots retaliated by throwing paper balls and WON.

Tachibana was confusing. I could never figure out if he was good or bad? I guess he stuck true to what most assassins believe; their allegiance is to the highest payer.

Relationship:
The relationship was rushed. It went from Ran annoying Riko to marry him to Riko deciding he wasn't so bad to her soulmate. I guess maybe it was fate that they were together. Riko never said "I love you," but it was shown in her actions.

Art:
I liked the art. Most of the characters were plain in appearance (Read: Riko and Baldy), but Ran and his father were gorgeous! They knew they had to be the eye candy with the way everyone else looked.

The only female assassin had the weirdest breasts, whenever she was in motion her side boob would stay static no matter what. I don't know if the mangaka was hinting her breast were fake or not, but it was funny. Also, I like how often Riko's eye-ware changed and the covers of the manga were excellent.

Overall:

[SCORE: 5/10 | 50% | NEUTRAL FACE :| ]

In conclusion, I wish the ending could have been more meaningful. Hana no Arashi was a mostly entertaining story though I got bored during the middle chapters. This should be a fun try for anyone looking for a short read.