Boys Over Flowers (2009)

There's a lot to say

Like a lot of people this was my first official k-drama, I wanted it when I was 17 and now as a 20 year old I realize the only reason I highly rated and loved it was because it was the start of my k-drama and east Asian dramas journey. This story has been made many times and I've seen all of them, the OG anime, the live action Hana Yori Dango both seasons, the Meteor Garden Chinese old and new versions and I plan to watch the Thailand version just to keep the tradition.

Boys over flowers was my favorite adaptation only because I fell in love with Lee Min Ho, and he has become one of my favourite actors even though he has been typecasted; this story is extremely toxic, point blank period. I know a lot of people have brought up the faults of this and only in recent year I realize they were right. And it's not a love story anyone should want. From start to finish, I don't they should've ended up together; Goon Joon Pyo and Geum Jan Di. She should of left after a certain incident because honestly if Joon Pyo did not look like Lee Min Ho more people would of hated him but unfortunately it's pretty privilege. He did not change because of her, he changed for her, and there's a big difference between the two. If her good nature rubbed off on him and he learned what his personality was like and how horrible he has been, he would of been a better person and character for it, however he changed just for a girl and people need to learn that if you don't want to change your bad behavior on your own will but just to please another person it means you haven't had any grown yet. And Jan Di wasn't even a good person like we see in other dramas, she was annoying, however I have a soft spot for her as a character.

It's not an excuse to be a bad person because you had a terrible childhood, we see a lot in anime or live action that our protagonist have terrible childhoods and are bullied but they are still good people, that's why we root for them but how come when it comes to a secondary lead to the to the protagonist they will have terrible childhoods but they are bad people?

I wouldn't say not to watch Boys Over Flowers because it does show you what not to do in relationships and what red flags to see. This show is a classic example what toxic romantic media we see all rapped in one show. Overall I have a soft spot for this drama, even with all it's problems I still love dan di even though she can be VERY annoying, adore Joon Pyo even though he pushed some kids to suicide and was pushy with dan di, fell in love with Ji hoo even though he was manipulative if you pay close attention and have a guilty pleasure to listening to the theme song "Almost Paradise", even though some people find it annoying. Watch it at your will.

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Even with the criticism it's still a 10.

Listen, as someone who's watched over 700 dramas I think I have enough authority to come out and say that the hate against this show is unwarranted.

I've watched every. single. version of hana yori dango (the japanese, taiwanese, thai, chinese, korean, anime, and manga versions) and none of it beats the nostalgia and entertainment of this show to me, even though the others may stick more faithfully to the source material.

This show is stupid and takes itself too seriously at times but its sincerity comes across to me--the love between jandi and joonpyo is childish and oftentimes stupid but the sometimes unnecessary amount of value they perceive in their relationship makes their love meaningful and, to many viewers, unrealistic. It also has almost every cliche in the book: kidnapping, evil mother in law, amnesia, poor girl, but at the same time it's because shows like this were the ones that created and employed these plot devices that became cliches in hindsight.

the plot definitely does meander and wind around a lot, which is why I took off half a star, but it's always entertaining and it allows us to know so much more about the characters through the plot. Thinking back on more recent dramas, sometimes the characters can feel like mere plot devices to push the main character's story along and give them a happy ending. We never see much of the main lead's motivations as well. In this drama, I would argue that they do a good job in fleshing out both the characters, both in Jandi's and Joonpyo's clashing obligations towards their families, Jandi's swim career, and Joonpyo's past with his friends. Joonpyo is my favorite male lead of all time, even with complaints of his toxicity and violence (which are warranted to an extent), his initial actions and character serve to show his progression as a person later on in the series. He gets a lot more focus and growth than other male leads, and I feel like he grows through the love that he receives from the staff that serve him, Jandi, his friends, and later on his mother. I also really like the introduction of his fiance, who I thought was also really different from many other female second leads in that she was charismatic, nice, and we can see how, maybe in a world where Jandi and Joonpyo weren't dating, they would've been a good match. My favorite scene is when she's in the airplane with Fight The Bad Feeling playing, keeping the shoes they fought over when they first met. I can't hate any of the characters (except that Yumi girl god i hate her).

The cast is perfect: Goo Hyesun's acting isn't the best but it really works in the role that she's in. To me, this is arguably Lee Minho's best work--he portrays his character in a childish romance so well, from his foolish boyish smile to him weeping in his butler's arms, it works so well and a lot of the reason why the show was so successful was because his acting carried it. The female leads in this were all so beautiful the casting is crazy--and overall I wouldn't change a thing.

i admit a huge reason why I love this show is the OST--there are two versions of the show with two different OSTs used in different scenes for some reason--my favorite OST probably is What do I do by Jisun, who was the vocalist of Loveholic(!), but I also really love Making a Lover, Yearning Heart, A Little Bit, Starlight Tears, Do you know, Love U, Fight the Bad Feeling, and Stand By Me.

This show reminds me of Korea from 2009, my childhood, and maybe that's why I love it as much as I do. Or maybe it's also because I see myself in Joonpyo. I don't know, but what I do know is that it's a much better show than many claim it to be.

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classic but weaker than I expected

Boys Over Flowers might be the drama I looked forward to watching the most. All of the actors/actresses were great EXCEPT the female female lead. there were plot holes but the story was cute. The lead female character ruined the drama for me. she was crass, loud, rude and constantly has her mouth full of food. There was nothing that would attract anyone to her. with different casting and a few tweaks to the script, I would have loved it. the lead actress and her character really killed it. The writers should have given her some manners and some attractive qualities. An actress with more talent should have been cast in the lead who could have at least given the character some warmth. Her kissing scenes were so bad it was painful to watch.

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I’m a fan of the original series. I’ve watched the original one several times and even owned a copy. For this version, I like the fact that the male lead closely resembled Jerry Yan of the original version. They put emphasis on the love triangle of Lei, Shancai and Dao Ming Si. But I feel that they could have chosen a better female lead. There are times it is very hard to watch some scenes because of her acting.

Overall, it’s average. I only watched this version once. I’ve watched all the version so if I’m going to rank this, this will come 3rd. First will be the original one, second will be the Chinese version, this is 3rd and last will be the Japanese version.

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I get the appeal to this show, it's filled with all the typical romantic tropes exaggerated to the extreme, and the love always feels like it's on the cusp of becoming something beautiful. So if you find it easy to fall into stories, then maybe you'll love this one.

If you happen to be like me and enjoy watching shows with substance, then here's your warning. The writing is messy, and questionable at best. The motivations for certain character's actions feel flimsy at best most times, and really there's no way to excuse the severe bullying that goes on, particularly through the earlier portions of this show. The leading man seems to have absolutely no redeeming qualities, other than the fact that he has uncanny timing and luck on his side every time the heroine is in need of some help.

I'm not entirely sure WHY the main couple ends up together. The guy is obsessive, possessive, inconsiderate, rude, arrogant, and apathetic, and he has one of the worlds largest superiority complexes. The girl is irrational, and almost as entitled as the guy is, and neither of the characters really improve, or change for the better, their relationship is just as rocky and selfish as they both are so it doesn't really make sense, and it's hard for me to even see WHERE their chemistry is, especially when he was literally abusing her in the first few episodes.

The second male lead is only slightly better, but still pretty bad. His indecision and general vagueness seem to do more emotional harm than good, and the only thing that actually makes him a nicer person than the lead is that he has a slightly better grasp at socializing with other people, and that he doesn't go out of his way to be mean, which is a pretty low bar. He still doesn't seem to have too many qualms about watching his friends literally ruin people's lives and mental health to the point where a kid genuinely tries to kill himself.

Asides from the overall awful characterization and forced romance, the plot is... Not good. The trips to other places are so random and only exist to create trenches in the plot for the heroine to fall into so that the leading man can go find a way to save her life. The pacing is all out of sorts, with some plots lingering for much longer than necessary, and other sections being sped up at ridiculously unbelievable paces that make the drama aspects of the show much more dramatic than the writers probably intended, which I mean, at least it makes them funny.

If possible, try not to re-watch the show. I watched it a long time ago and remembered disliking it, but my best friend loves it so I gave it another try and it was much more awful than I remembered. The boys are beyond mean, the plot is messy, the romance is questionable, and everything really comes to light when you re-watch it.

The show's saving grace is probably the actors, who did the best with what they were given. Sometimes it was hard to find their performances convincing, but it was more the fault of the writing than the actors, and they really helped add some depth to otherwise very 2D characters, and very shallow plot. The theme song is also a solid bop, probably the flag anthem for KDramas.

Overall, it's probably a great drama for people who watch dramas to watch some dramatic fairytale, but for those who are looking for a strong plot, a good romance, stable characterization and a fun time. I'd stay away from Boys Over Flowers. If you're not mad at the characters by mid-way through the second episode, then kudos to you.

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Pretty much what I expected

Um wow lol that was really bad. On a more serious note, I definitely felt peer pressured into watching this drama by the kdrama community, since pretty much everyone and their mother watched this drama at some point or another. It was full of cliches, annoying characters, cringey acting, and lots and lots of drama, but I still found myself kind of loving the whole thing. It got to the point where it was just so bad that it got good, you know? Geum Jan Di definitely made me almost rip my hair out at times because of how passive she was most of the drama with her feelings, and there’s a certain level of immaturity in Gu Joon Pyo that never went away. Still, this kdrama reminded me of the old days when I used to stay up all night reading bad Wattpad romance books just like this one, so watching Boys Over Flowers really sent me back to my early teens when I read these cliche love stories. Because of this, I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy BOF, because I definitely had a lot of fun with this drama. However, by no means was this drama high quality. A classic, though? It for sure is. I thought that the OST was pretty catchy overall, and the only thing that sort of bothered me at the end (besides all the cliches, although I have a sweet spot for the amnesia cliche so I can’t hate that one) was the fact that the conflict with the mother never really got resolved. Like yeah, we see her lovingly watching her son on the television with her husband, but I was hoping for a more direct confrontation where she admitted how much of a jerk she was for putting Geum Jan Di through so much trouble. Anyhow, while I by no means think this drama is good, it definitely has a place in my heart, and I really can’t hate on such a classic without feeling at least a little guilty. Therefore, I will still recommend this drama to anyone because it’s honestly just a classic that was the start of many people’s kdrama obsession.

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Throwback to when it was ok to kidnap people

This is the drama you watch and go "ahh the 2008/9s". Story telling standard has come a long way since then and I could see how people say it's over rated. But it was something so amazing at the time, literally everyone's dream to get entangled with the most popular guys at school. And get completely spoiled by a rich life style. Nowadays, you could do a lot of those things even if you're not filthy rich like Gu Junpyo. So, I see why people are unimpressed. This drama is still very popular, but rides on nostalgia. A lot of the concepts are ridiculous like Jandi getting conveniently saved every time. And everyone calling her a lotus or whatever. Of course things are outrageously blown up to max for k-dramas, but this drama has everything. So many things happened I'm pretty sure I went through 3-4 life times watching it.

I think the casting was perfect appearance wise. As for the acting. It was really cringey a lot of the time, these actors were still young so I'll cut them some slack. Especially with every one screaming "EP POR DA (IT'S F4)". Don't get me started on Mr. Seo Yijung. He owns the word cringe at this point. Here's a compilation of his best cringe dialogue I found on YouTube https://youtu.be/ppjARlxbybk
I will never forget his line in the first episode "Your delicious looking hands" wtf O-O
Back then they didn't have the best mics so the audio blew up so when ever the characters raised their voice, and they scream A LOT.

I love the music, it's so good. People complain about only some of the songs standing out, but a good series doesn't need a plethora of chart toping songs to be good. The second "Almost Paradise" comes on people are already breaking into song. And that's the magic of a good ass OST. Most of Asia knows that song just like how most of the world knows Titanic's "My Heart Will Go On".

Over all, BOF is a good watch when you want to go on an all in one k-drama experience. Corny, cringey, and sometimes even bad acting, but so good. It's like junk food. So bad yet so good.

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A Story Retold Across Asian Dramas - Another Great Twist on a Great Story

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2009 South Korean drama that is a re-make of a series of books (Japanese manga) entitled "Boys Over Flowers" written by Yoko Kamio. The series spans 25, 60 minute, episodes.
Geum Jan-di (Ku Hye-sun) saves a student of an elite high school earning her a "scholarship" and entry to the school. While there she gets bullied by the leader of the school's "F4" - four of the richest, talented, and most sought after boys in the school of the wealthy and connected. Jan-di is not one to be "put in her place" and stands up to F4 an action which earns her their grudging admiration. Gu Jun-Pyo (Lee Min-ho) pulls a series of mean spirited pranks on Jan-di in an effort to bring her around to the fear and worship like behavior that most bestow upon him. Yoon Ji-hu (Kim Hyun-joong) is another member of F4 but he has a streak of kindness and sticks up and/or saves Jan-di on several occasions causing her to develop feelings for him. It is not long before Gu Jun-Pyo starts to fall for this very different girl. The other two F4 members Song Wui-bin (Kim Joon) whose family owns a construction business and So Yi-Jun (Kim Bum) who is a skilled potter whose family owns an art museum, are the other two boys who have been friends since they were young children. Yi-Jun later falls for Jan-di's best friend and gives up his lady's man ways. The central story is about Jun-pyo and Jan-di. Is love enough to overcome the expectations for the heir of an empire?

Spoiler 🚨 I watched "Meteor Garden" (2018) Chinese drama prior to watching this. I found that, having watched that, I understood certain aspects of Boys Over Flowers (BOF) that were covered more in-depth in Meteor Garden then in BOF. To me, in BOF, it did not explain, as much, what the big deal was about F4 and how they came to be so revered in the school. There is a much more in-depth focus on each boy and their special talents. I think each character was cast well in each rendition but I personally liked Yoon Ji-hu (Kim Hyun-joong) character in BOF. I was more torn in this one over the love triangle than I was in Meteor Garden. I agree with another blogger that said the additional episodes in "Meteor Garden" 2018 allowed for a lot greater character development than BOF and a lot of the plot details were explored more fully. I am a fan of Lee Min-ho which is one of the reasons I wanted to watch this and he didn't disappoint. Strangely I liked the beginning and ending of Meteor Garden more because I felt like it did better setting it up and closing it out. But I loved the grand nature of BOF and I like the characterizations. I think it is worth watching all the various renditions as each brings out different aspects of this very compelling story. What girl wouldn't want four gorgeous guys watching out for her?

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Cliche cinderella story

Despite what people said this drama will always be one of the "Must Watch" Kdrama at least once in a life time. It's a classic.

I myself was rewatching this 4 times when i was still in a high school because the story is just that cliche overly cute, cheesy cinderella story that probably most teenagers love to watch. But now that i remember it i wont rewatch this drama again lmao but let it be just that classic in kdrama history.

The drama is all about poor girl who accidentally got into an elite high school with all bullying and social status conflicts. It was just a passing story when i watched the first time because i just love to watch the "cute" love story and all those rich high school students life style. But now it sounds so disturbing and unpleasant to watch. So just watch this drama if you want fluffly, cliche romance story but ignore the main conflict altogether because it really has all the cliche formulas.

One thing that i still really like about this drama is the OST. Almost paradise, Stand by me, Because i'm stupid are some of the most popular OST until this day, it is trully iconic. I still love to listen to the OST.

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Overhyped drama...

My review will hurt many people i know😛but i tried to watch this drama but couldn't last more than 9 episodes.................
Le min ho was not a good choice for this role he is tall handsome and my the most fav actor in the world but he was not able defeat the charm of original japanese main lead....... ..........
I survived 9 epi just bcoz of jihoo....
ji hyung and ga eul's story was interesting so i watched all their scenes complition on youtube😂😂...............
The music was very good..
MFL was amazing but still this drama sucks..
This drama is overhyped save urself from this torture...

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ALMOST PARADISE!

This show is like Kdrama crack. Basically ALL the things happen. ALL the emotions are there. ALL the cliches are mixed in. ALL the cheesy, impossible scenarios are presented to the viewer. Now, that may make some people feel frustrated or disengaged, but not me. This show served up a giant portion of cheese and I WAS THERE FOR IT. It was like crack. I couldn't get enough of it. I needed more hours in my day to watch more episodes. I went to work and had the theme song on loop in my head. I'm fairly new to Kdramas (just started watching them this year), but I can already tell that this is one that I would re-watch. I've seen plenty of people criticise this show online for it's storyline and acting, but I thought that both were great. Lee Min Ho did a great job as the villain turned hero and even managed to remain attractive despite been given a hairstyle that vould only be described as a crime against humanity. Gu Hye Syeon was completely over the top, but in a lovable way. Her feisty and tenacious character was endearing. My favourite of the side characters was So Yi Jung (played by Kim Bum). I'd love to see other shows or movies he has been in. If you haven't seen this show, give it a try... you may end up loving it!

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