Boys Over Flowers (2009)

Infuriating classic

Wow. I finished this show, I cannot believe it. It took me 2 months (with a little break in between), and I can say.... it was a rollercoaster of emotions.

the good:

- The music slaps so hard, it should not be THAT good. The OST for this show was absolutely amazing, one of the best I dare say!
- Lee Min Ho looked adorable in this show. I think he was like 21 when this aired, and he looked so cute and handsome (despite some of the terrible clothing and his curly hair lmao)
- Woo Bin. I feel like the poor guy did not have any lines until Jan Di went to Macau lmao. He deserved some more screentime because I found him so funny with his random English phrases lmao.

the bad:

- The show was 25 episodes long, and it definitely could have been a little shorter. I got tired of the antics in the last couple episodes.
- Ji Hoo. I am a Ji Hoo hater first and foremost. I do not understand the hype around this man at all. I never liked him, from start to finsih I disliked him. He just kept being too close to Jan Di, even when she was with Jun Pyo, which was super annyoing to see. Especially when he visits her in the fishing village, and he tells her he can't live without her... boy, she is in this fishing village with a broken heart, what are you doing? BE QUIET. He gave me the ick.
- Jan Di's parents. They were so annoying and delusional
- Jun Pyo's mother, obviously. The woman was a complete loser and stalker. Literally pretended like her husband died too, like wtf was that? I hated seeing her smile in the last episode. Also, her double standard?? Jae Kyung was basically Jan Di in rich and privileged? Otherwise, both girls had similar personalities: outspoken, bubbly, thick-headed, outgoing. But anyway.
- Jae Kyung. I liked her at first but my dislike grew stronger once she decided she would move in with Jun Pyo while Jan Di was working as a maid. When she asked Jan Di to her room, showing off her wedding dress, that was when my hatred grew stronger. JK told Jan Di that she would not give up on Jun Pyo, but her means were unfair and annoying. Literally asking Jan Di "Did you not think of me as a friend", but then basically showing off her privilege and wealth.
- Whatever that plot with Yumi was in the last episode lmao??
- The bullying here was far more terrible than in "Meteor Garden" since our F4 had a cult-like following of boys and girls, and these people just decided to joint-bully whatever student. Physical/Emotional abuse/assault and even attempted murder, like ??
- the styling was terrible. Why were these high schoolers dressed like grandpas :(

Overall, the show is cult or whatever, but it was so exhausting to watch it. It had its good moments but there were too many wtf moments. The OST deserves some Grammy's though!

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Full disclosure, I'm a bit bias when it comes to this show because it was the very first K-drama I ever saw. It will always hold a special place in my heart and I will probably always love it because of that.

That being said, while this is truly a fun drama filled with lots of twists and turns, it also has pretty much every trope in the book within it's 25 episodes. Really...almost all of them. From amnesia, to kidnapping, to forced co-habitation (though that is for a rather brief time and only lasts a few episodes, to the rich guy and the poor girl (or in this case 4 rich guys and two poor girls)...they are there and lots of others too. They all attend a school that apparently has no teachers (except one shown in a montage), and where you can bully kids...even bad enough for the person to try to commit suicide without anyone stopping you. But...even with all that, it's still a show that I love and have watched multiple times and introduced other to K-drama with. Why? Because when you compare it to anything here on USA television, it is just so different that you can't help but want to keep watching. The characters are written in such a way that you want to get to know them better, cheer them on, and just hang out with them. Plus, when you realize that you are basically watching a live action Manga, anything that might seem over the top (such as the entrance of 4F to the school...complete with back-lighting and screaming fans), suddenly seems just fine.

As for the soundtrack...it has some great songs. Even though this series is almost a decade old, many of them still hold up and I bought a lot of the songs. One of the things that I thought was really neat with this soundtrack is that each of four main leads (there are technically 5 leads, but one gets comparatively little screen time) has his or her own song that plays when they are in a specific situation. And often, they are singing the song that is their soundtrack song. I was especially impressed with the song Kim Beom (on iTunes it's spelled Kim Bum) sang as well as the Acoustic version of the song that Kim Hyun Joon sang.

If you haven't seen this, you really should. As far as I'm concerned it's a must see for any K-drama lover.

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Ok , Fortunately this was NOT at all my first K-drama but I watched It some years ago so It's kinda a part of my memory ! Why this drama is super popular specially OVERSEAS ?! I DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE ! I know too many people who describe this drama as if it's the best Korean drama ever made (?!) And I really wish I could politely tell these people : Hey dude ! I know it's one of the most memorable dramas to you and I DO RESPECT your opinions but seriously If you insist it's the BEST k-drama two things are possible ! 1) You haven't see other much-better K-dramas at all ! / 2) You DO NOT know how a GREAT drama is really like !!!
STORY (6/10) : A sweet yet not original Cinderella-like love story between a poor girl and a super rich but immature guy who tries so hard to look COOL and AWESOME (and he really makes it lol!) the story begins showing how strangly the girl changes the whole rough personality of the guy during a very short time then continues with some unnecessary scenes of showing the luxury , fun , jollity life of these four called-amazing guys who start sharing their randan with two super-simple sometimes-pitiful highschool girls for NO SPECIFIC reason ! THEN the writer who seems he/she has gotten a bit tired with love triangle issues between Ji-Ho , Joon Pyo and Jan Di makes a VERY right decision of working a little more on the other charecters development and tries to entertain us with their backgrounds and challenges in life ! For Example : Ji Ho's mysterious and miserable childhood with his grandfather (which wasn't clearly explained at last , as if it was supposed to get finished as soon as possible but STILL it was a GOOD one) and Kim Bum's sad love story (which was fine I think ! )
BUT THEN something that wasn't fair here which bothered me a bit , is surly Woo Bin's character ! I mean It's not fair ! If this drama is mainly about F4 I wish they would give him A BIT more attention like they did for other boys ! He's a main role after all ! No new point ! The story is simple !
ACTING (7/10) : Well , I know so much better actings of Lee Min Ho in other dramas but about this one ... I think he wasn't 100% great, but he was FINE ! Goo Hye Sun could be much better but she wasn't BAD at all ! Kim Hyun Jonng !!! Uhhh ! I'm sorry , I'm a big fan of his singing but he couldn't transfer a single kind of emotion , for God's sake ! Not crying nor laughing ! All were super artificial and not tangible at all ! Kim Bum was pretty good and I think his acting in this drama was his best !
MUSIC (8/10) : memorable and lovely ! my favorite was Starlight Tears ! ;)
REWATCH VALUE (5/10) : I'm afraid I don't have any plan for rewatching this drama ! Unlike most of my friends , I only saw it once , and I think It was quite enough ! But as so many people are insisting of watching it over again , maybe you'll do it too !
AND FINALLY : Despite the fact that it could be much better , what makes me and many others have a special feeling and RESPECT about this drama must be the revolution it makes with using a fantasy Cinderella-like love story in a regular melodrama with a brand new atmosphere of Korean Drama Industry , which makes them say : Oh My God ! This is why I've been waiting for !
In other words : B.O.F tries it's best to GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY LOVE ! And really really really makes the audiences look forward to see the next EP , using a calculated and professional order of the PLANS and SCENES which is ADORABLE !
Final word : reviewing is mostly about comparing ! So nothing is 100% in this world as well as this review ,It's only written comparing with other dramas/movie and it's rated toward my other ratings for other worse or better dramas/movies !
Thanks for reading my words ! Bye ^_^

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This was the worst thing I've ever watched. Over-exaggerated acting, unbelievable plot, and unlikable main characters. The girl starts off assertive and cool but becomes this passive, weak doormat. Meanwhile the main guy is pretty much a stalker rapist and is really hard to forgive his early actions to root for their love. I can't believe this is held in such high regard. I only watched it because it was on Netflix, but I regret every minute I spent on it.

It is way more enjoyable if you view the whole thing as an IRL recreation of a Sims playthrough, down to the hair and gaudy interiors.

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Not great

I like Hana Yori Dango even though certain plot lines are problematic. It's a little disappointing that a live-action remake has yet to show any kind of romantic chemistry between the characters, including this one.

This drama is supposed to have a great love story, except the characters have no chemistry. She is already in love with him but acts like she wants to run for the hills every time he comes near her. I understand the story is about teenagers, so the writers have to be careful about how much sexual tension they put into it. But dear god, their romance is just so dry. This is one thing I hate about Asian dramas - so many of them have very little romantic/sexual chemistry between couples who are supposed to be madly in love with each other.

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Now this one I would call a true classic of drama world. If you are a true kdrama fan you probably know this one or have watched this one already, if not you are in for a treat. Every Korean drama watcher should watch this drama. Not only is this a textbook drama it has a great cast starring Lee Min Ho, who is the IT boy of drama land. There is really nothing to say. The cast is awesome, the story is excellent, of course, inspired by Japanese manga. Lee Min Ho makes a fantastic Goo Jun Pyo. The music is also great. I watched this drama twice now and I'll probably watch it again. I love it. It was my first love and the drama that attracted me to this world that I am now kinda obsessed with. I may not be a big fan of Lee Min Ho anymore, but his Goo Jun Pyo made me a part of this world. You simply must watch it, whether you are a drama beginner or a drama veteran. It may be a bit cheesy but hey this is drama land and a drama simply must be a bit cheesy.

Saruman approves! Watch it!!! Watch it now!!!

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This series has some promise as it tells the story of ordinary Jan Di becoming a students at an exclusive private school. There she clashes with wealthy bully gang F4, who are viewed by the rest of the student body as their leaders. Wherever F4 goes, crowds of screaming girls follow. Jan Di challenges F4 when they try to bully her classmates and she soon becomes a target for their ire. She also attracts the attention of their spoiled leader Jun Pyo and mysterious violinist Ji Hoo. As Jan Di tries to navigate this new world of super wealthy teenagers and glitzy parties, she finds herself constantly overwhelmed.

This is a remake of Japanese TV series "Hana Yori Dango" and  it definitely suffers by comparison. Jan Di, bless her heart, is Too Dumb To Live and constantly finds herself stupidly blundering into dangerous situations that one or more members of F4 must rescue her from. She apparently attends a school with no adult supervision, and her main romantic interest just straight up kidnaps her to his enormous mansion. Yeah, that's not creepy at all. Affection seems to be demonstrated in this weird universe by 1. Dreamily mooning over people from behind the bushes or 2. Yelling at them and calling them names. There is no in between. Lee Min Ho sports a fantastically ridiculous hairstyle and a series of oddball wardrobe selections in the role that made him a star. Sadly, it's tough to see the appeal of the pasty Min Ho whose bland face is surpassed only by the tediousness of his acting. With a whiny heroine who alternates between crying and yelling, I would definitely give this one a pass. It may have seemed cool to 13- year-olds 10 years ago, but frankly it is tough to see the appeal.  

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Boys over flowers is probably the most overrated K-Dramas of all times. I enjoyed watching it but there was nothing extraordinary about it that would make me understand why some people are at awe with this.

First of all, Gu Hye Seon looks too old to be a student and Lee Min Ho looks more like her nephew than her boyfriend.
Secondly, the acting was OKAY and just OKAY.

There are some good layers to the story especially the friendship that stood the test of time and space but apart from that, there is nothing new or particularly something that we haven't seen before.

The numbers of cliches are nauseating and at one point, I could predict scene by scene what was about to happen.

Kim Hyun Joong's acting is commendable and Lee Min Ho is pretty good too.

The number of episodes are a little too much and the story could have easily wrapped up in 20 episodes.

The show has some great comic scenes and some emotional scenes (especially the one shot in the basketball court).

Overall, it is a passable show that can definitely be watched once and enjoyed. I wouldn't watch it again though.

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THIS MOVIE IS MY CHILDHOOD

one of the first K-drama I've ever watch. I watched this when I was in secondary school ( now I'm the senior at university). At that time I just enjoyed watching it without notice much things , and ofc because those handsome and pretty actors haha. Really love the OST by SHINee and SS501, still listen to those songs sometimes when I want to change moods. Overall, this movie is my childhood, beautiful memories to remember and think about ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥
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