I have a weird addiction to Hana Yori Dango. The original story is incredibly toxic and I hate the male lead in nearly every version and can't root for the main ship because the ML is just too violent and scary. But I have still watched and enjoyed every drama adaptation, almost against my will and morals because this story is a hot mess.

So when the F4 Thailand teaser trailer dropped in late 2020 I knew I'd be watching simply because I inhale Hana Yori Dango adaptations like potato chips. But right away I got excited because I could see that the director was willing to go dark and incorporate modern elements like social media bullying.

Fast forward to December 2021. I jumped on the first episode right away and was immediately floored. The bullying was much darker and more intense than in any other version. The famous F4 entrance that is glamorized in every other version was instead transformed into an entrance into a decrepit stadium that was more like Roman emperors entering a coliseum to see martyrs being torn apart by animals (emphasized by the leader of the F4 wearing a leopard skin coat and tiger striped shirt).

Additional changes to the story and characters in that first episode were remarkable. The mother was introduced right away and she was the origin of the red card game, encouraging Thyme to ruthlessly rule the school so he can learn to ruthlessly lead their business empire. Gorya, the female lead, felt realer than in other versions. Yes, she was strong, but also vulnerable and thoughtful. Her family was supportive instead of a clown show and the show gave the famous "good shoes take you to good places" line to her father. Finally the second male lead, Ren, was more active and interesting than the emo boys of other adaptations. He rescues Gorya from the red card bullies in a spectacular scene that ends with him drenched in water so it looks like he's being baptized.

The reason I'm giving this level of detail about the first episode is because it illustrates the level of care and attention given to every aspect of this production. Characters are given more depth. Key scenes are tweaked to make them more emotionally weighty. The bullying is taken very seriously and the male lead goes on a real redemption journey to transform himself into a better person and atone for the harm he's caused. There's also a strong social and capitalist critique that threads the entire narrative (the title of episode 9 is The Incident of 1% which is a reference to a term popularized during Occupy Wall Street)

The result is an adaptation that reaches the level of brilliance in certain episodes. The director really took this regressive teen franchise and turned it into sociopolitical commentary while using complex metaphors and symbolism through set design, costuming, sound design, and cinematography. I was literally gasping through some episodes and often became emotional over how much care the director gave to telling this story.

Is it perfect? No. The production ran into major problems thanks to covid shutdowns, limited episodes and the constraints of the Hana Yori Dango plot which always goes off the rails at the end (I was hoping F4 Thailand would beat this curse but alas no). The production gets very rushed at the end, character motivations go out the window and the PPL becomes oppressive. Also if you're in it for the romance just know that while there are swoony moments there aren't as many cute couple moments as other adaptations.

Despite all that, this show is an absolute must-watch. It's already a modern classic and is by far the best adaptation of this problematic teen franchise. If you've seen other versions and think you can't stomach watching another, just give this one a chance. And if you've never watched because you've heard how regressive and awful this story is, just know that this adaptation grapples with the toxic elements of the original and truly redeems the male lead.