Boys Over Flowers (2009)

This drama is for those who love modern day cindrella stories. It's basically a wish fulfillment fantasy. Poor girl has rich handsome boys falling head over heels in love with her etc that sort of stuff. I was in severe depression when I started watching this show. Though it considerably cheered me up I don't think I would have enjoyed it if I was in a healthier frame of mind. It's plot is so ridiculous that you can never take it seriously. The female lead is truly irritating. She starts of as a strong character who can stand up for herself but the writer later turns her into a damsel in distress. She just cries and makes stupid decisions. Not to mention that the actress portraying her does a terrible job. Not to mention I never believed that she truly loved the male lead. This was the thing which bothered me the most. She had a very strong bond with the second lead but she was always playing hard to get with the main lead. The main lead is always rescuing her and doing romantic things for her but she hardly does anything for him. I personally enjoy romances in which both the male and female lead do things for each other. This relationship throughout felt like a one sided romance. But nevertheless it has a few romantic moments here and there which are cute. Especially if you like the male lead chasing the female first and obsessing about her. Lee Min Ho looks cute as Gu Jun Pyo. The series has a fun soundtrack. And everything from the beautiful cast to the scenic locations are nothing short of a visual treat. In short it's fun to watch as long as you don't take it too seriously and ignore the flaws in it's plot. It's fun but nothing which will blow you away.

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To All The Boys

This retelling of the 2000-year-old fairy-tale takes a post-modern twist as Cinderella stops on the way to the castle for a medical degree, and is rewarded with not only her Prince Charming but her purpose. Some reviewers complain about the cliché and common tropes, but this is like a Tyler Perry play; it swings from cartoonish to deadly serious social commentary all the while showcasing the many talents of its players. Cinderella has the loving supportive family and the resulting intact ego, while Prince Charming has an evil biological mother and not only suffers from the child abuse of emotional neglect, but the slavery of being a commodity that can be sold.
Ah the boys… They are flesh and blood art. At times the acting is so poignant the you want to reach through the screen and comfort them. BOF is a master class in how to photograph men. The men in this are so beautiful that I frequently paused the TV so I could stare at them until I was full. There are moments in this where the framing, the rack focus and tracking shots are so perfect, so perfectly timed, so smooth, it takes your breath away. Lee Min-Ho’s reflection in the water droplet covered mirror, with his wet hair slick to the point of his jaw, water shower foreground, Rembrandt lighting….Excuse me while I pour ice on myself to cool down (Ep 2: 47:50 – why does it seem I’m quoting scripture?).
The men’s fashion in BOF influenced menswear all over Asia and beyond. And we got to see an entire year’s collection: every possible type of sportswear, formal, bridal, winter, summer, spring. The plot seems to make excuses to showcase the fashion. The women’s fashion was, well, ahem…. The Min Seo Hyun character wears an outfit that looks like someone stuck road kill on the front of an ill-fitting gray sack. Jan-Di wears a dress to the final pool party that looks like window curtains and is perhaps homage to Bob Mackie’s Scarlet O’hara creation in the Carol Burnett Show’s Gone with the Wind skit. But hey, the girls are the moral compass, the towers of strength, the unyielding morale, the mortals who when plan A fails have plan B, C, and D – and I guess these women didn’t need to out shine the G-ds in the fashion department.
BOF has the fairy-tale constructs, but also deconstructions, and it occasionally mirrors the dramas of modern-day royals. There are damsels in distress for the boys to rescue, but it also has Jan-Di as savior to the damoiseau in distress. The women occasionally swoon, but so do the men. One of the subplots reminds the viewers what happens when Prince Charming marries the Proper Princess vs the woman he loves. Ha Jae Kyung (princess Diana) saves herself from being the unloved, bulimic, trophy-wife by bowing out to Camilla (Jan-Di) and Charles (Jun-Pyo) (all good fairy-tale teach a lesson).
The character acting was outstanding. Lee Hye-yeong’s evil witch Kang Hee Soo is less Margaret Hamilton and more like Alan Rickman’s slowed, cold, steely delivery. Jeong Ho-bin’s secretary Jung Sang Rok is the on the surface the obedient servant to Hee Soo, but whose deviant intend is shown through thoughts behind his eyes and the most subtle of facial expressions.
There is an interesting construct that Jan-Di gets her husband Jun-Pyo, but also her soul mate Ji-Hoo. The love triangle is not solved by choosing one and discarding the other. Some women in the states have a husband and a gay “husband.” These friendships with this second man often go beyond being someone’s lover to being something deeper, longer lasting, and more satisfying. In BOF ji-Hoo and Jan-Di share a profession and a close friendship, but he is heterosexual and a former suitor. Are friendships like this possible? I hope so. Perhaps more than Cinderella marrying Prince Charming keeping both men is this fairy-tales magical event.
Other reviews were irritated by the soap opera conventions ie: selective amnesia, multiple kidnappings, (chloroform must be widely available in Korea), sudden appearances of yet another rival. Some of the plot features are repetitive: 5 near drownings (6 if you count Jun-Pyo childhood flash back). I could blather on about plot problems, continuity issues, gaffs and blunders, but I won’t because despite its problems there is something so joyful and fun about this series that sharp criticism feels like disrespecting a good friend. I started watching this again with a five-year-old and he tells me to read it to him (the subtitles – thank you translator for leaving in some Korean words: sunbae, noona etc). He enjoys the parts with the goofier acting. He gets some of the stereotypical characters (the mean girls, the evil mother). He comments on the fashion and hairdos. And he, like all the flower boys, loves Jan-Di and so do I.

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Most Fun I've Had Watching a Drama

Boys Over Flowers has a reputation as a "must see" k-drama and there's a good reason why: it's a classic. It contains every trope you can think of for a k-drama executed as overdramatically as possible. It is not the best show I've ever watched (found myself laughing often at things that were definitely meant to be serious), but I found myself falling so much in love with the characters as the story progressed. The main plot in and of itself is not that interesting and borders on nonsensical sometimes, but that is not why you watch BOF. The character writing is what really shines in this show as you see how everyone grows and changes, Jun-Pyo especially. The overdramatic writing and acting aside, they really managed to capture my heart with the way the showed the personal growth of the characters. Is it a perfect drama? No, definitely not. But even in recognizing the faults of the show, I cannot bring myself to give it anything less than a 10 because of what it exemplifies for the genre of k-dramas as a whole. I started off with a sort of ironic appreciation for it (it was the first k-drama I had ever watched), but now I truly love it in a way I never could have predicted. If you are willing to go along for the ride and suspend your disbelief (and make fun of the show from time to time), Boys Over Flowers is one of the best k-dramas you could watch. It's just fun. Pure, simple, joyful fun.

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SECOND HALF GETS BETTER

acting may seem off at first and feel cringe but trust me second half gets better when story gets serious
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As a big fan of Hana Yori Dango/original manga/ i watched all of the adaptations and this korean version is a pretty good one. When it first aired i was still a kid who was first introduced to romance dramas. So i remember i was really digging it at that time. Since i'm a big fan of the manga i have nothing bad to say about the story. You really gotta see this drama.
Story: The story may seem cliche for others, but note that the manga is from the 90's and mangas from those old times were mainly like that. Rich chaebol guy and poor girl etc etc.. Old but gold!!!
Acting: I personally don't enjoy the performances of the actors in this drama. No offense i love the actors. But i think i would've enjoyed more if the female lead was a different actress.
I personally enjoy other adaptations like Hana yori dango (japanese), and Meteor garden (Taiwanese) more than this

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Boys over flowers is a must-watch!!!

boys over flowers were one of the first kdrama shows I ever watched! I loved the story, the characters, really everything about it. this is a must-watch in the kdrama world I watched it and then I found that out. everyone who watches kdrama should watch this one. some parts can be a little boring but overall I think it makes up for it in many different ways.

rewatch value:
if I were you and I had already seen this show I would rewatch it over and over again. maybe it's because it's one of the first kdrama shows that I've seen but I will never forget it, and I mean EVER!!!!

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NOT THE BEST!!!

Before y'all get offended read this entire thing. This drama is more like a nostalgia. when I see it, I feel at home. It comforts me. But story? Nope....If you are a kdrama fan, you should definetly watch it, or it's kind of wierd, cause this drama pretty much CREATED the kdrama world. It is old so it's repetitive, and boring plot is justified. It is many of our first dramas (not mine) so it definitely provides comfort to all of us. So I'd definitely ask you to watch it. Somehow when I watched it, I didn't feel lonely, I felt cozy and warm. But I dropped it at 16th episode because It was getting boring. But It definitely started my first Oppa Syndrome (for gu jun pyo) and Second lead syndrome (For Ji Hoo) so it remained in my haert as a memorable experience <3

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This drama is memorable because lee min ho and kim hyun joong  have best bromance in this series.
Also the music is very well and have many beautiful ost.
I think being the latest to be filmed allowed the production crew to take the best from its predecessors and also add in some uniqueness of its own. The story takes you to some exotic locales, including New Caledonia in the South Pacific. The scenes were breath taking, but they also add richness to the story not seen in the previous BOF dramas. And who could resist seeing an auto race between some very hot Lotus sport cars? OK, a guys' point of view, maybe. =) But I think beneath all the flashy, super-wealthy extravagance lies a very classic fairy tale archetype. The Cinderella's transformation for the ball, rescue of the damsel in distress, and a knight on his fiery steed; all these are concepts that makes the story very accessible to the western audience. In fact, even with the subtitles turned off, I bet you would still laugh and cry and cheer along as you watch the series.

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I have finally tackled this Korean classic. Without a gentle push from my sister, I am not sure I would have made it to the Korean version of BOF as quickly as I did. She felt as though I had to watch it since I loved the Japanese one so much, but ultimately I decided to watch it for Lee Minho. Will I compare it to Hana Yori Dango? You betcha !!

STORY:
This story definitely kept me engaged with all the angst, ridiculous scenarios, bromance & sweet moments. I was on the edge of my seat with every cliffhanger acting as though I did not know see this story-line before. That is how great the writers were & I really liked some of the stuff they added from the original story-line to make some of the characters more developed. There was pretty much never a dull moment & it was an entertaining & emotional roller-coaster ride.


ACTING/CHARACTERS: I thought the acting from everyone was well-done with the exception of Gu Hye Seon as Geum Jan Di. Honestly, Jandi is one of the reasons this drama is not rated high. Her actions & the way she talked were so extra. I never really connected emotionally to her character, hence I never really cared for her character. I tolerated her presence for Jun Pyo. I will say the scene where she jumped in the pool to make Jun Pyo remember her was my favorite part.

Lee Minho as Jun Pyo is dreamy & fantastic. He really captured all the emotions he needed to & when he cried I cried. At first as with Dom in Hana Yori Dango, I hated his guts because he was such a jerk. But of course, he won he over after a few episodes because I am a sucker for a lonely, rich guy who has never experienced love & needs it badly. I chose my side (Jun Pyo) when I realized he has been treated like property his whole life & just needed someone to show him what happiness was.


Kim Hyun Joong as Yoon Ji Hoo. You know, I was rooting for Jihoo in about 2 episodes, but when he left to go after the so-called girl he loved my feelings changed as Jandi started developing a connection with Jun Pyo (same thing happened in the Japanese version). Everyone felt sorry for him, but to me he had his chance when she clearly liked him before he left. And, the fact that he still went after her knowing Jun Pyo loved her will always rub me the wrong way no matter what version it is. But, it bothered me more in this version than the Japanese. I guess Jihoo fans got something when she claimed him as her soulmate. Whatever I guess.

Kim Bum as So Yi Jung. Here is where the writers did an amazing job adding original content that worked. Yijung worked his way into my heart before I even knew it, especially with that charming smile. I loved how he & Ga Eul ended up together because they were the couple I rooted for until the end.

ENDING:
I am not sure why, but I felt as though the ending was lukewarm. It was happy, but Idk I do not feel full closure.

MUSIC:
Downloading all the songs... I will always feel nostalgia when I hear it now.

RE-WATCH:
It really depends. I might come back for some of Minho & Bum's parts because they were my two favorites.

BOF vs. Hana Yori Dango: I am sure I will always think Hana Yori Dango is the superior version over all others, but here is a quick comparison.

Jun Pyo = Domojyui. Pretty much equal. I love them so much.
Jandi < Makino. Makino got on my nerves as well, but I will take her over Jandi anytime, anyday !!
Jihoo < Rui. Rui is going to be the best second lead in all the versions. I actually felt sad for him unlike the one in here.
Yijung > Sojiro. I liked the both, but Yijung charming smile stole my heart.
Woobin < Akira. Akira seemed more useful than Woobin.

Jun Pyo/Jandi < Dom/Makino. The best rich girl & poor couple ever.

OVERALL:
It was great !! I would recommend for those who loves drama, angst & Lee Mino ;)

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A drama that changed people's lives. It's an amazing drama if we think of it as 11 years ago... There's everything love that came across every hardships, Amusing friendship of f4 , comedy in between and curiosity in this drama.Loved all the characters specially leads Geum Jan Di is strong female lead (in spite of being bullied by her schoolmate she didn't give up ) & Goo Jun Pyo's changes Bad boy to Good after loving Geum Jan Di ..Lee Min who's acting was best..and Go Eul and Yi Jung ( their chemistry was mesmerizing) Woo Bin was Simply amazing. Felt bad for Ji hoo :( .
If you are newbie in K-World then this one is must watch.

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