There Are Better Versions Out There..
Boys Over Flowers tells the story of poor, yet hardworking high -schooler Jan- Di ( Ku Hye- Sun) , who attends on a scholarship, a place at a prestigious high school for the rich and famous of Korean society . After angering the leader of the F4( a group of boys consisting of the school’s most notorious heirs) , Gu Jun- Pyo ( Lee Min- Ho) , Jan- Di finds herself cornered by Jun Pyo’s bullying tactics and , in frustration, declares war against the F4. Despite the mayhem around Jun- Pyo’s attempts to make her yield her declaration and give-in, Jan- Di finds comfort within the presence of taciturn and mysterious F4 member , Yoon Ji- Hoo ( Kim Hyun- Joong), however, her comfort may be short lasting when Jun Pyo begins to develop a complicated crush on Jan- Di.
First of all, I will give this adaptation upon reflection one praise; the amount of hours it must have taken the stylists to do Lee Min Ho’s stylists to do that perm. All joking aside, Boys Over Flowers isn’t an entirely dire drama, but, it never ceases to surprise me even now, how many drama watchers overrate this version as the “ best” , with most never having fully watched the original Taiwanese, Japanese ( as well as the unofficial Chinese version ) or even the more recent official Chinese adaptation, to draw this indecisive conclusion together .
Though, let’s not sugarcoat something about any of the adaptations( including some of the more critically - appraised versions such as the original Meteor Garden and Hana Yori Dango) . Boys Over Flowers ( like all the adaptations ) is sourced from the original 90s / 00s romance( or “ shoujo” )manga called Hana Yori Dango ; accounting the romantic cliches seen in all the versions of a poor girl and a rich and spoilt kid who turn from enemies to friends , to of course, eventual lovers. As you can imagine, Boys Over Flowers regurgitates all of the cliches from the original manga ( whether for better or for worse) with natural added changes for Korean audiences ( such as Gun Pyo’s name in the original manga/ Japanese drama , is Domyouji Tsukasa as well as several culture changes such as the “ Puppy Date” in the Japanese version, being updated with a Korean Sauna scene between Jan Di’s brother and father).
Whilst I don’t typically compare original versions or adaptations in my reviews out of respect for the culture or story, I think it is intriguing (especially as it’s not often drawn together when reviewers consider this drama), to particularly compare some differences between the acting choices, plot and characters across some of the adaptations / manga. The first comparison undeniably comes from the choice of Hye- Sun as our female lead. Unlike a lot of adaptations, it took me awhile to find what truly annoyed me about Hye- Sun’s portrayal. It was nothing to do with her physical appearance as some drama watchers have pointed out ( if anything, this made her role seem a little more realistic, as even in the original manga, she’s described as an ‘ everyday girl’) , but, rather the lack of emotional appeal which was put into her portrayal of a supposedly ‘ relatable and ordinary’ female lead, as well as of course, moments of overreacting within emotionally angst- ridden scenes . Naturally, it can’t be said that Hye- Sun was entirely at fault here, as the scriptwriters also played a part as well within her character. To put if simply, there was nothing intrinsically driving about Jan- Di as a character. She was not independent or fierce as shown in the first episode by crumpling too soon rather than progressively over Gun Pyo’s influence, or even the seemingly ‘ kind- hearted’ girl suggested earlier on in the show ( whilst I appreciate she may have been in a state of shock, note the scene in Episode 5 when Gun- Pyo fires a normal and everyday working sales assistant in front of her, she doesn’t even bat an eyelid). In the other adaptations, there is always something driving about the female lead which makes her likeable or at least an approachable character. Consider Inoue Mao’s portrayal as Jan- Di’s earlier counterpart in the Japanese version , Tsukishi Makoto. Love or loathe her portrayal, Mao truly captured Makoto as a fiercely hardworking, and equal to Tsukasa, putting her foot down even when Tsukasa raises his voice at his friends. In a similar manner Barbie Hsu’s version as Shancai had her moments, but, she was still a fiercely strong female lead. Therefore, it’s hard to truly evaluate especially as a seemingly apparent ‘ strong and independent’ female lead, that Hye Sun’s appearance is truly comparable to some of the other versions ( such as the Japanese version).
This of course, moves us onto Lee Min Ho’s portrayal as Gu Jun- Pyo, the Male lead and the leader of the F4. In all honesty, there was a certain essence that Min Ho captured as Jun- Pyo (/ Tsukasa Domyouji) as the lovelorn lead through his comical lines, actions and tender moments towards Jan- Di. In a similar manner to Hye- Sun, however, Min Ho’s role wasn’t particularly profound. In fact whilst Min Ho’s career did kick off after this drama, there was no real approach to depth or apparent seriousness within both Min Ho and the scriptwriters ‘ approach to Gu Jun- Pyo’s character both behaviour-wise and psychologically . Whilst the drama did take the typical ‘ he’s not that bad, after all ’ trope ( as shown in all versions ) and explore a more complex version between Jun- Pyo and his mother ( as seen during his childhood) and his sister , there was still little put together about how this truly impacted upon Gu Jun- Pyo to explore some more vulnerable and challenging moments again his ‘ Macho’ persona. One of the more profound portrayals of the Male lead undeniably goes to the lesser- talked about role by Jun Matsumoto as Domyouji. Whilst having some questionable acting moments in a similar manner to Min Ho, Matsumoto and the scriptwriters did reach out to exploring the Male lead in more vulnerable moments with his estranged relationship with his mother ( as shown in one of the first few episodes when his mother fires a chef on unfair grounds ) and glimpses into Domyouji’s softer side in childhood and the present to the reasons behind his character. Yet even more recent and light- hearted portrayals such as Dylan Wang’s portrayal as Dao Ming Si in the recent version of Meteor Garden (2018), have provided a more realistic approach to this character, highlighting both the fault of Min Ho and the scriptwriting in comparison to some of the other adaptations.
Before talking about Hye- Sun and Min Ho’s chemistry, it is wrong to leave out Hyun- Joong’s portrayal as Ji- Hoo, as the second lead of the drama( let’s ignore the controversies in order to evaluate Hyun Joong as an actor here) . There was nothing entirely wrong with Hyun- Joong’s portrayal of Ji- Hoo. In fact, out of the majority of the cast in this drama, Hyun- Joong probably captured his character the most in a more “boyish “ haze for Jan- Di’s feelings . To an extent, there were even some moves in this drama which I did prefer more than the original versions,( not least the complications between Ji- Hoo and his grandfather adding to some emotional scenes). Yet the Korean version did leave out a core essence of Hyun- Joong’s character compared to other versions, and that was certainly his emotional complexity between his mystery and his equally hidden feelings for the female lead. In the original manga and the Taiwanese version Meteor Garden ;2001 ( portrayed by Vic Chou) , an essence to Rui/ Ze Lei as a character, is that he is mildly autistic and ,consequently , his feelings for both his sister- figure and Makoto/ Shancai remain complex throughout the series. In the Japanese version ( and consequently in the Korean and Chinese versions as well), Oguri Shun’s portrayal of Rui Hanazawa is left out to be a consequence of learning problem, but rather his peculiarity as a character. In the case of Shun’s portrayal, Rui is portrayed in the ‘ cool, mysterious manner’ and is perhaps one of the few versions in which the character’s feelings for the female lead, remain partially open throughout the show.
On a slightly more positive note, the one thing which I must prefer slightly about the Korean Drama in comparison to most of the versions, was the sense of believable ‘ rough and and tumble ‘ bonds between the other F4 members in this version as childhood friends ; portrayed perfectly by Kim Bum and Kim Joon. Whilst there is no doubt that the Japanese version showed us this bond extending out more to Makoto as well, the Korean version did seem to highlight this friendship slightly more profoundly with Jun Pyo, with the other members teasing Gun Pyo over his feelings and Jan Di’s reactions. My other slight personal thought to the drama, was undeniably the greater chemistry between Kim Bum’s role as Yi- Jung and Jan Di’s best friend, Ga- Eul than in other versions ( particularly the Japanese drama between Nishido and Yuki), with more profound moments revealing a backstory to Yi- Jung which is often disregarded in other adaptations.
Moving on to the chemistry between our leads throughout the show, it is undeniable that there was chemistry between our leads, Hye- Sun and Min- Ho as well as the gradual development of their characters. On the other hand, there were less fresh and monumental developments which truly exposed the rocky obstacles within their relationships like other adaptations ( though there were some carried- out traits from the Taiwanese/ Japanese versions such as the visit to the female lead’s house, the ‘ Maid’ storyline from the Japanese drama and the manga as well and of course the betrayal scenes), leaving a less impressionable chemistry than other versions. In addition to this, the ending of the drama certainly hints at the possibilities, but felt a bit of a waste of time within the build- up to their relationship, even when considering with more hinted suggestions such as the walking side by side scene in Meteor Garden or more tied endings like the proposal scenes in Hana Yori Dango and Meteor Garden ( with the Japanese Movie sequel even hinting to Makoto ready to start a family with Domyouji). Overall, it’s fair to say that whilst Boys Over Flowers isn’t unbearable to watch, it’s riddled with cliches from beginning to end copied from other versions with lacking originality, characters and plot inconsistencies, questioning whether it may be better to seek out versions of this show and not waste your time watching the Korean version.
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Who should I start off with, hm?
I know. Geum Jan Di. Our oh-so-strong and independent Jan Di. Well, not so strong considering she has mental breakdowns quite often. She's also a masochist, and I'm not even joking now. The guy harms her not only mentally but also physically. What should we do in such situation according to our cutie patootie Geum Jan Di? What? Report it to the police? What nonsense! We should totally fall for the guy, that's what we're supposed to do! Well, I didn't know you were that kinky, Jan Di. But whatever floats your boat, honey. I'm not judging. Or am I?
And I don't know why, but I just can't stand Gu Hye Seon as an actress. Her acting is too overdone. This is going to sound really mean but her face alone pisses me off. Though I guess it's some kind of trauma after watching this drama and having to look at that idiot Geum Jan Di for 25 episodes.
Gu Jun Pyo, our typical wealthy jerk. This kind of protagonist has to appear in this drama in order to attract crowds of teenage girls. And yeah, it's working. Unfortunately, because Jun Pyo is basically a bully. Along with his three friends, he bullies innocent students just because he feels like it. Or maybe because he's disgustingly rich so he thinks he can be an aßhole all he wants. Both reasons are very logical, aren't they. But he doesn't need to worry about it since the girl he's interested in is mentally disabled and probably doesn't even know what logical means (I'm sorry to all disabled people because I feel like I'm offending them by comparing them to this thing called Geum Jan Di). And she's a masochist, so her and Gu Jun Pyo make a perfect match because he happens to be a sadist. What a funny coincidence!
Yun Ji Hu, the emo kid. Seriously, every time he starts his "I'm so sad and miserable" shiet I end up laughing for good 5 minutes. The guys has some serious issues with himself as he's not able to get over a girl who clearly states that she's not interested in him. Ji Hu, honey, your nuna likes older guys. So deal with it and go play your little violin or something, okay?
And do I even have to comment on Kim Hyeon Jung's acting? Do I?
Summing up, all four guys from F4 are aßholes and fcking bullies. I don't even know why Jun Pyo's friends put up with his shiet. And Jan Di isn't any better if she decides to hang out with them.
As for relationships in this drama, I'm seriosuly so done with Jan Di and Jun Pyo. I don't even have the strength to complain about their "love". I just wanna say that the Ga Eul x I Jeong couple was way more interesting and fun to watch. Even though Ga Eul's too pure and innocent for my liking.
Overall, it's good to watch this drama to form our own opinion on it and see what's the whole hype about.
Or to forever hear Geum Jan Di yelling "Gu Jun Pyo!" in our head.
But yeah it's bad.
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Theres a huge overdramatic buildup with over the top bad things just happening to her/them over and over again. And then there is no resolution. To the plot, to their love story, to the love triangle, to the other characters. Well there is one but its so makeshift, I'm not even sure there was a point. Literally one of f4 doesn't even have a plot, but they try and give him one but never carry through with it. The resolutions to all the characters except for LMH's were all bad like I don't have a feeling of finished. They tried to resolve everything in 20 minutes, but no thqat doesn't work especially when you defy the reality of time.
The acting is eh. The story was cute until like half way through, and it just got irritating.
Nevertheless, it was incredibly addicting to watch, but I was actually torn apart. I hold so much hate for this show.
It was my first drama, and actually the worst I've ever seen.
Would Not recommend purely because of the anguish that it will give while watching and after its over.
I suggest you save up a drama you'll know will be really good to watch right after if you do watch this.
also I suggest watching The Heirs. It's the better slightly less overdramatic version of this that still has Lee Min Ho in it.
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It is one of my least favorite k-dramas so far.
Maybe I've watched it too late for it to be a good experience. It was made when I was 13, so I get why so many people love this drama and why it is a "must-watch", but honestly I just finished it cause I can't let things unfinished.The story is too dramatic, I got to a point where the only thing that kept me going was the secondary couple cause I simply couldn't stand the drama of the main leads. Instead of following a path of "falling in love > having a problem > solving that problem" they actually made a cycle out of it, where it happened so many times i couldn't even keep track, and that ended up being too tiring for me.
I felt very compelled to watch it because all of my friends who watched it when they were young kind of love this drama, but I guess I am, indeed, too old for this. It may be a good experience for other people, since it is very cliche sometimes and, let's be honest, a cliche is a cliche for a reason, but I wouldn't recomend for people like me who don't like abusive male main leads and annoying female main leads.
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The story begins well and then really gets tangled in its own messy web. The female lead is a pain to watch in this character. She had no chemistry with the lead and her monotonous acting by tilting the head to one side just became unbearable after first 4 episodes. The romance was a roller coaster ride with the leads fighting and separating in almost all the episodes.
The second lead had better chemistry with the lead actress.
The storyline is flawed and painfully boring . With the leads acting poorly throughout, I am glad i was able to finish it at all.
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Every episode seemed to be a script out of Days of Our Lives, but I admit, the beginning had me from when she gets out of her dad's car, or well, whatever you want to call it, to start her new life at the prestigious school right until the end. It’s a drama that keeps you hooked and I wish, to be honest, they had spread the stories out as it soon became OTT and every scene less realistic than the last. It was because of this I was unable to completely fall in love with the characters and rather viewed it as a story without sadly any personal connection.
Easily my favourite character was Ji Hoo and it almost seemed as if BOF writers were trifling with the idea that true love and the love you should spend the rest of your life with are not the same person. Which is quite a unique idea. Apparent from that, the drama is quite shallow with basic themes of morality versus money being thrown out the window with the lingering close ups of extreme wealth at every turn.
However, in all that, a great fun Saturday night watch – not that I would watch Asian dramas on a Saturday night, geesh – and make sure to pick your own flower to fall in love with
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In my opinion this drama is an excellent choice to introduce the non-K Drama-believer to the world of K-Dramas. For me it made me hungry to know more about the culture of Korea, the language, and the story concepts used to tell this tale. Because of this drama I was introduced to some very basic concepts of the K-Drama scene. Chaebol, Eomeoni, OTP, OST, STP, Flowerboy, Sunbae, Wae/Wae-yo, Ya!, Second Male Lead Syndrome, and Oppa. As I watch more and more dramas I gather more and more terms and words to my knowledge base. I’m sure there are other really phenomenal choices for a person’s first drama, but I’m biased and really believe Boys Over Flowers is in the top three best choices to bring people into the fold.
I won’t summarize the story here, there are so many places and blogs which rehash and retell the store in its entirety. Instead, my goal is to talk about what I liked and disliked about the story itself. Hopefully help others to decide if Boys Over Flowers is for them.
Let’s start off by saying if you’re watching a drama for the eye-candy then Boys Over Flowers has it in abundance. All of the F4 are handsome Flowerboys. Each fulfilling a different character archetype. Goo Jun Pyo is the cold hearted Chaebol who torments and tortures others with a smirk. Yoon Ji Hoo is the tender hearted and warm second male lead with a smile that can melt your heart. So Yi Jung is the suave Casanova/Plyaboy who can charm the pants off anything. And Last but certainly not least is Song Woo Bin, the enforcer and smooth talker of the group who will defend his friends no matter what. Something for everyone that’s for sure.
Geum Jan Di is the poor, working class gal who finds herself wrapped up in the world of the excessively rich. She is stubborn, cheerful, hard working, and a bright light to her friends. For me she was amazing to watch. The story put her through the gamut of emotions and she still remained strong and true to her own morals. For me that was an amazing journey to witness.
I keep saying what I loved about this show, so I should add a few notes about what I didn’t like. Geum Jan Di’s family caused me no end of frustrations. The more I learn about the culture there and the image portrayed in their TV shows I can see where they were coming from. However, this poor noona just couldn’t get over the fact that they were pretty much trying to sell their daughter to a rich family for their own improvement. Plus the strained/strange relationship between the parents didn’t sit well with me. Because Jan Di was so hard working I really wanted to see a family that supported her and was happy at home. Lastly, it bothered me that the parents left the high school daughter in charge of her middle school brother and left to make money.
The Eomeoni, Jun Pyo’s mom, yeah I hated her so much. I understand the role she played and the way she created dramatic intensity in the story, however, she was a bit much. I wanted to see her part toned down a little, because then it would have been a little bit more believable.
This story introduced me to Second Male Lead Syndrome, I’m sure there are a ton of other names for it. But what it boils down to is that I loved Ji Hoo so much that by the end of the story my heart was broken and bleeding for him and his unrequited love. I hated that he didn’t get a happily ever after, it still bothers me to this day.
Other things that I loved about this show was the secondary love story between So Yi Jung and Cha Ga Eul. It was fun to watch Yi Jung grow as a man and to see Ga Eul slowly fall in love with him. The friendship that blossomed between Ji Hoo and Jan Di makes my heart all warm and fuzzy (as long as I don’t think about his unhappy ending). I loved how Goo Jun Hee (Goo Jun Pyo’s older sister) and Min Seo Hyun (Ji Hoo’s first love) protected and supported Jan Di. I also just loved the story. Angry, rich, spoiled, brat who slowly becomes a good man through his love for a woman he shouldn’t want. The acting was superb and writing amazing. Best of all, for me, it had a mostly happy ending. There were a few sad things which I wish could have turned out better for the characters I adore, but even with these road bumps the ending was happy and sweet.
Noona's Rating
Overall: 9 (Rated at 5 Stars on DramaFever.com)
Story/Writing: 9
Cast/Actors: 10
OST: 9
Sets/Costumes: 7
Feels: 10
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literally it made me pull my hair >_<
the writer ruined the story he definitely beats the Indian writers
it raised my temper most of the time
WTF this stupid love triangle
the story is very very slow motion, boring, shallow & illogical at all the plot is very weak
every ep i watched made me decreased my rate till it reached 1 if there were less than that sure i would give it under zero
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'Boys Before Flowers' or "Boys Over Flowers' was my very first K-Drama. My friend and I watched 20 of the 25 episodes in one full sitting - dedication right there. I must admit, I was not disappointed (evident by the various dramas I have watched since).
The storyline of 'Boys Over Flowers' provides moments of tears (I cried like a baby), joy (grinned like a fool and laughed very often), pure annoyance and hatred toward certain 'evil' characters (we experienced much of this), it is certainly a drama that can leave people shouting at their screens. I thought the storyline was great, it always had me at the edge of my seat, enthralled in the events that were unraveling in front of me. However, it has been noted by many other people that the last story plot (I won't state what it is) was unnecessary, and I agree, to a point. I can understand the need for such a plot as it signified the strength of Gu Jun Pyo's love for Geum Jan Di and vise-versa. Overall, the storyline was very good/great, in my opinion - as infuriating as it was brilliant.
The acting/cast... The supporting cast were convincing in their roles, especially Gu Jun Pyo's mother... horrendous woman - she performed her role very well. I ADORED the main leads - Koo Hee Sun (Jan Di) and the F4 members... I must admit, this is the only role of Hee Sun that I have liked (please don't hate me). The actors who played the members of F4 (in my opinion) suited their roles perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them interact and slowly reveal their inner character. Their performances were commendable.
The music... what can I say? I thoroughly enjoyed it. I downloaded the various soundtracks to my phone if that says anything. The music in this drama was outstanding. I believe it was well suited to the drama and the events which were occurring.
Re-watch value... considering that I and a group of my friends have each re-watched this drama on multiple occasions... I would say its pretty high.
Overall, I would say this is a great drama. It is enjoyable and successfully and skillfully manipulates the audiences emotions. I found myself caring for each character (minus the obviously detestable characters... I would definitely recommend watching this drama if you haven't already, the cute moments are well worth it.
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