Meteor Garden (2018)

this drama is too dramatic

Jardim de meteoros is an adaptation of a story that many already know, for this reason I don't understand why this drama has 50 episodes, and this same story has already managed to be told in 25 ep. One thing I cannot deny, Dao Ming Si manages to captivate the public with his charisma at various times, unlike Hua Ze Lei who is undoubtedly one of the most dull and charismatic characters of recent times, Dao Ming Si's mother manages to overcome tyranny and become one of the worst mothers ever seen. For me, this drama stops halfway, I can't hate someone, but I can't love either. Oh, I forgot to mention how bad the ending is, but random than that would be impossible.

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Refreshing take on a well-known story

This adaptation has everything that one would expect a HYD adaptation to be: on one hand it's naive, exaggerated, melodramatic and silly, on the other hand it's highly entertaining, fluffy and extremely addictive. Watching this was like turning back time to 2008 when I fell in love with the Japanese version Hana Yori Dango 1+2.

Is Meteor Garden 2018 for you?
Honestly, if you enjoyed the original Taiwanese Meteor Garden (2001–2002) or Hana Yori Dango (2005–2008), you will likely enjoy the Meteor Garden 2018's new (extremely cute) take on the well-known story and occassional references to the older adaptations. I know I did!
However, if you are not familiar with the story, be forewarned that the story is based on a 20–30 years old manga, so there are still many outdated tropes and clichés even in this modern take; not to mention that Meteor Garden 2018 is way longer than it needs to be (and the last ten or so episodes suck, just saying), so prepare for a long ride if you attempt this.

THE GOOD
- First and foremost: the ML, Dao Ming Si, is much less violent and agressive person than in the previous adaptations. I do believe that the writers of Meteor Garden 2018 gave him more depth by emphasizing his unusual upbringing (he was more or less brought up by his sister who had no idea what she was doing and blames herself for how he turned up), lack of love and care from his mother and zero social skills he's trying to compensate for with aggressiveness and childish pranks. He is not a flawless, he is not completely unproblematic character (some possessiveness is still present), but he never seriously bullies the FL. That's a big plus and an improvement from the previous adaptations.

- Shan Cai is as loveable FL as ever. Shen Yue is joy to watch and actually reminded me of Inoue Mao in HYD at times. It was a great move to make Shan Cai into an exceptionally good cook who studies nutrition in order to help with her parents' food delivery business. In previous versions, her ambitions got mostly sidelined, here her cooking plays more prominent role. And while we're at it, Shan Cai's parents are actually cool and loving here, nowhere near as insensitive and embarassing as their counterparts from earlier versions.

- I know that Shan Cai was criticized for being supposedly "indecisive", but I think it's portrayed very realistically and goes hand in hand with her being self-reliant and concerned for others. She makes her feelings clear from the beginning, never leads DMS on, when she believes he cares about her more than she about him, she tells him so. It takes a long time for her to proclaim her love for him but I didn't mind it; not everyone knows their own heart after one meeting like our ML :).

- This might sound weird, but I appreciated that the writers made Shan Cai more pursued by the opposite sex than Dao Ming Si. Like, I never understood why he was so wanted by every single random girl in HYD, even though he was terrible to everyone except the FL. I was like: girls, your school is full of rich guys who are actually NICE, why don't you choose someone else than this psycho? On the other hand, it's perfectly logical that pretty and friendly Shan Cai has many admirers to pick from throughout the show.

- Setting the story in university campus was actually a good move, even if the childish behaviour of the main characters is still of high-school (sometimes elementary school :P) variety. The writers also highlighted that the F4 are first and foremost exceptional students, not just rich eye-candies. The "worship" by other students is still present, but it is toned down a lot.

- The chemistry between the main couple is very nice and they have plenty of cute, fluffy moments in the series. It is not exactly a steamy show though, so don't expect excessive snog fests.

- The secondary couple, the ML's friend Mei Zuo and the FL's friend Xiao You had a nice storyline, I am pretty content with how the writers handled this potentially unhealthy relationship. The actors though...I felt no chemistry there, sorry.

- The writers said a big "fuck you" to the infamous amnesia storyline. I respect that.

- The music is nice and the songs are actually memorable! How many dramas can say the same?
(no, not the River song, I want to erase that one from my mind)

THE WEIRD
- The product placement was so blatant that I laughed out loud every time a new product was "introduced". The scene in which the ML's sister notices her bodyguard's bad hair and hands him a shampoo to "represent well" was comedic gold.

THE BAD
- The show is simply too long. Around 30 episodes would be sufficient.

- In the middle of the series, while the main leads are separated, there are several filler episodes in which we mostly follow the ML's friend Mei Zuo's crush on Cai Na, a girl who previously competed with the FL in a cooking show. Cai Na's romantic entanglements, and the love triangle with her old love and Mei Zuo, are extremely boring, the storyline is badly written and it doesn't even help Mei Zuo's character development. You will want to kill them, I know I wanted to.

- The last ten or so episodes are really bad. The main couple tries to convince the ML's mother to accept them by going on a hunger strike? What?! How did the screenwriters think this was a good idea and good image of a healthy relationship? And the ending is terrible. Oh, don't worry, it's a HEA but the writing is nightmarish. Read about it in the comments or in other reviews, I don't have the heart to recount that.

- I think that the main actors, Shen Yue and Dylan Wang did a pretty good job. That can't be said of the other members of F4 or plenty of side characters. There are many newcomers in this drama and it shows. The dubbing of the ML is not ideal either.

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Meteor Garden the remake

Most of the lead actors, including the supporting cast, were chosen quite well. But I believe we can mostly agree that DiDi stole the show on this one. Darren Chen, real name Guan Hong, or the actor portraying Hua ZeLei actually gave him a run for his money. Where Didi was the spoiled bad boy who initially bullied the girl he fell in love with, Darren was the angelic good boy who was introspective and someone who knew how to value a long-standing friendship. Where Si was the one who threw food in ShanCai’s face, Lei was the one who helped her wipe it off.

For the full review, please link to this: https://thislifehappened.me/daoming-si-and-hua-zelei/

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A beautiful story with amazing casting

Meteor Garden (2018 version) was the first cdrama I watched so it is very nostalgic for me, and might even cloud my judgement of the show as a whole lol. That being said, I honestly do think it is a masterpiece, from the visuals, to the story and the acting and honestly just all of it. It's that one show I always keep coming back to. I have to warn you, this show really takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. You're laughing and crying, sometimes both.

The story to me is really interesting, and even though it's a little violent in the beginning it does get much better later on. That is actually one of the charms of the show. It starts off so dramatically with a very flawed male lead, that throughout the show has a lot of character development. It honestly is one of the reasons why Daoming Si still to this day is one of my favourite characters in cdramas in general, because he goes from downright awful to an adorable guy. One of the reasons why I think this show is so good is because the characters are in my opinion written so well, that all the main characters are likeable, and there isn't like an annoying female lead or anything. Daoming Si and Shancai are both written well, and even the rest of the main characters are likeable and I find myself rooting for all of them. That does not include those two girls that constantly try to sabotage Shancai lol.

The plot to me is interesting and never draggy or slow. Something is always happening, which to some may seem like a lot, but to me works out perfectly. This show definitely isn't one of those chill fluffy romance dramas, where nothing that drastic ever happens, because this show really throws some plot changes at you from time to time. Nothing too drastic though, but enough to keep it interesting. Meteor Garden is very dramatic, so if that's not your thing, then this might not be for you. It does have a lot of adorable romance too so it's not lacking in that department. I also find that many dramas have the characters do something horribly cringe where you just want it to be over, but Meteor Garden really never did that to me.

The casting in this show is AMAZING, like every one of F4 went on to be male leads in their new dramas, that's how iconic this was lol. F4 was casted so well in my opinion, they all portray their characters so well, and I find myself watching their other dramas as well just because they're the leads. Shancai and her friends were also casted so well, like I literally can't think of one actor in this show that I thought didn't play their role well. Also, Shancai and Daoming Si's chemistry is so good, it feels like it's almost real and not acting. Those dramatic scenes really hit different, and I'm not even gonna lie I cried multiple times watching this it's so good and captivating. Their emotions are so real it gets me every time.

I've seen some people complain about the music, about how it seems as though they didn't have a budget for music or something lol, but in my opinion the music really fit the story. Like I don't know what it is but "Say something" really got a new meaning through this show and now every time I hear that song I get nostalgic because of Meteor Garden. That song was perfect for those sad scenes, and you knew you were gonna cry when the song started playing.

I have watched Boys over Flowers, the korean version of this, and I've also watched a part of the Japanese version. To me Meteor Garden (2018) really is the superior version, it just brings me the feels every time. I know this might upset some people but to me Boys over Flowers was just way more cringe, and way more rushed than this version of Meteor Garden, and for that reason it doesn't rank nearly as high for me as this one. The Japanese version however, is a solid contender, where I have to admit it is alright, nothing wrong with it, I just happen to prefer this one. That might be because I watched this version first, and it's nostalgic to me. Keep in mind I haven't watched all of te Japanese version but I'm hoping to finish it at some point.

Meteor Garden is one of those shows I always go back to. I watch it every day, and then I take a break from it and come back again in a few months. It's that one nostalgic show to me. That's why it has a lot of rewatch value, and even though I've seen it so many times, I still keep coming back for the memories of this masterpiece. It is quite long, but all in all if you're thinking of watching it, I think it's worth it. And once you're at episode 10 you'll be hooked and can't let go anymore lol.

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An emotional roller coaster yet so good

10/10 is my rating. This is the newest (Chinese) rendition of story that has been told a couple of times. In 2001 this was aired, under the same title, but with 27 episodes. It is also a retelling of a Japanese Manga "Boys Over Flowers." Reading the review on those I am actually glad I started with this because a consistent comment is that this telling in 49 episodes (45 minutes per episode) allowed for telling some side stories and greater character development which which were two of the things I really liked. In this version, Shen Yue plays the female lead, Dong Shang Cai. I loved her spunky nature. Those that had watched other versions did not like this element they felt that rather than responding to injustice she played it more like she had a chip on her shoulder. But I will say more about that in a minute. She works hard and finds herself in an elite university that has a boy group called F4 which is made up of the handsomest, wealthiest and most talented boys in the school. Of course, Shang Cai has a run in with them and, most particularly, their leader, Dao Ming Si (Dylan Wang). He is basically an arrogant bully and Shang Cai basically has no problem standing up to him because she doesn't hero worship people. That and her spunky nature, sets it up so these two main characters will have a lot to learn from each other.

Spoiler ? As the plot develops, you begin to understand why Ming si is the way he is and that just because someone appears to have everything does not mean that they do. His friends - the remaining three of F4 - Hua Ze Lei (Darren Chen), Yan Ximen (Caesar Wu), and Feng Meizuo (Connor Leong) were also arrogant and seemingly spoiled on the surface but as you got to know each of them you realized there was so much more to each. I loved Hua Ze Lei he was one of my favorites. He was there when he needed to be and not when he shouldn't be for all of the characters. I both loved and hated this movie deeply. I loved it because it was a well developed, beautiful story. The romantic story was wonderful but the relationship between the boys was equally moving. We all want friends like that. The way they all came to like her because they could see how happy she made their friend was one of my favorite parts. There are a lot of sad parts and I do not typically like anything that makes me feel sad. That was the part that I did not like. I cried, along with the characters, multiple times. But, in this case, the story was so good and ended so well I was willing to forgive it. You definitely have to understand the culture to get why they do certain things and I don't think you need to understand it up front but you do have to approach certain parts with a level of curiosity and seek out the answers if you don't understand. If you have immersed yourself you will likely get it but if you know little then you will not get certain things. I personally grew up in poverty and can tell you that some of the elements in this movie still exist within the culture I am most familiar with, the American culture. There was certain people that were sort of off limits because of their wealth and social standing. Much more subtle but definitely there. So I could identify with that. I know I will watch this again in the future (and not too distant) as I know I would gain even more if I watched it again. Grab some tissues if you are a crier and saddle up for a bit of an emotional roller coaster. You will be glad you did.

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Took months to get through this one. I almost gave up at first though. The main male character was TOO aggressive. I know, I know...that's the point, he's supposed to be a jerk....all that. I know. I just didn't like it. At all. He assaulted the girl on numerous occasions and she falls for him. I had trouble with that. Quite a bit of trouble, actually.

But then Hua Ze Lei showed up like a knight in shining armor and just stole my heart and I had to keep watching even though SLS was written all over that poor boy. But seriously, I want his wardrobe.

The story takes a long time to resolve with too many I love him/her, I hate him/her, Let's date, let's break up, I love you, NO I love you episodes. It was tiring. The writers also seemed to forget some key points (the bridge club, Shen Cai's cooking) by half way through which makes it seem scattered and leaves you wondering why we lived through the drama of those things when they ultimately mean nothing to the plat. Headscratchers.

Eventually, as Dao Ming Si matures and recognizes he's an idiot, I warmed to him. The crying scene...lordy, son...breakin' my heart. I wasn't even mad at Shan Cai for liking him over the alternative. The heart loves who it loves. Happy endings and all that.

So, with reservation, I would recommend this show. The violence toward Shen Cai is triggering so if you have a sensitivity toward that, don't watch this.

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Spoiler Alert!

I have watched the original Taiwanese Version and after watching this I still love the original more. Here are my thoughts about this version. Dylan wang and Darren chen did a very good Job when it comes to acting. Dylan Wang as Daoming Si is so handsome even when he is angry. Shen yue is cute but I felt that she could've done better. She did much better in A love So beautiful and also Barbie Hsu's version of Shancai is classic . They didn't use shen yue's real voice. Someone dubbed for her and I think that this voice didn't suit her at all. sometimes it was too shrill. There are 49 episodes while the original 2001 version had only 27 episodes if I remember correctly. So as I expected, the story went off track.The first two episodes were so good ,as the story kept on progressing there were so many ups and downs. Everytime Daoming Si gets closer to shancai something bad happens and they keep on fighting. What was all that with Meizuo, Caina and Terrence. It was so boring that it nearly destroyed my interest to continue the show. episode 48 was so draggy. Again and Again, flashbacks of Daoming Si and Shancai's love story was shown which was not needed. The Ending? It was so confusing. Shancai Hit the butler and fainted lol. She wakes up dressed in a wedding gown and has a dream . when did the dream end? Why the hell was Thomas one of Daoming Si's best men? Why didn't Shancai's parents attend their only child's wedding? I was so confused. Anyways they got married and all ends well unlike 2001 version which continues with a terrible, horrible season 2 that broke my heart(eventhough daoming si and shancai reunite at the end). I really loved all the songs from the show. I think that it would've been better if they cut short it to like 30 episodes instead of 49.

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All great performances except one

I would love to have given this series a much higher rating but Shen Yue’s acting quite frankly ruined it for me. All the other actors were great, giving excellent performances but Shen Yue was uninspiring. Dylan Wang gave this cdrama credence with his heartfelt performance as a sort of Shakespeare’s Romeo as Dao Ming Si. But for all the effort he put into his character the opposite seemed true for Shen Yue’s performance as Dong Shan Cai. Even the ordinary girl she portrayed could have at least been played by someone a little less annoying who would never let her guard down even for a moment. It was exhausting watching her refusal to bend and begs the question, if the main character doesn’t really care why should we? Wanted to also make an honorable mention of the performances by Darren Chen and Caesar Wu who also added a sense of believability to their characters as members of the F4 group.

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Disappointing Hanadan Adaptation!

As a manga purist and a huge fan of Meteor Garden (2001) and Hana Yori Dango (2005), I really tried giving this drama a chance since many people claimed it closely follows the manga. However, in addition to stripping away what made HanaDan a great story - a strong girl who withstands class issues and bullying and transforms the most violent and troubling guy into a human being - this adaptation was reduced to just a mediocre tale of an arrogant jerk and a normal girl who occasionally have unpleasant interactions.

Because these crucial elements were missing, neither the characters nor the love story were convincing to me. I understand China's censorship laws and all, but even with those constraints, the writing fails to build a coherent story that makes sense and lacks meaningful developments. Additionally, the acting and dubbing were major turn-offs. I tried skimming through a couple of episodes, but it didn’t get any better. This is like HanaDan for kids at best - if you prefer a good story, stick to the 2001 Taiwanese version or the Japanese version. Otherwise, skip this one.

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This one’s a classic and I feel that many of the tropes from shojo manga or even romantic k-drama (plain cinderella surrounded by a bunch of good looking guys, rich guy/poor girl, evil mother in law, etc.) were inspired from this. In other words, it’s got everything people either love or hate depending on their personal tolerance or liking for these old tropes.


The male lead is very controversial. He’s downright mean in the first few episodes and almost does something unforgivable in the fourth episode (something I wish they had removed because the story would have worked just as well without it, IMHO) but I could see what the writer was trying to do with him…he’s a big sweetheart and probably one of the most devoted and unwavering MLs by the 30th episode onwards; almost like an entirely different person but it takes awhile for him to get there and maybe for others (understandably) a little too late.

The relationship between the ML/FL only work out here if* the viewer likes the trope where one character transforms after going through a lot of changes. I was loving the ML/FL by the latter episodes but again, it took a long time to get to that point and there’s a lot of angst a viewer has to wade through, brought on by their social status differences and his meddling evil mother.

I’ve seen several versions of HYD/MG. It was a huge hit when it aired in my country; in fact, it started the asian drama wave in the 2000s. I think this might be the best version because of how closely it follows the manga. It does something better in that it manages to soften the characters even further and inject more sweet moments between the ML and FL, which I didn’t see much of in the HYD comic. I could actually tell that they liked* each other here, compared to other versions where they just bickered most of the time. It also handled the amnesia arc from the comic very effectively…I didn’t like that trope.

Also, casting is on point for all the characters here, especially the F4. I’ve always thought Lee Min Ho from BOF and Bright from the Thai F4 were too soft and pretty to be Domyouji/Dao Ming Si..but they would have been perfectly cast as the 2nd ML. IMHO, only the Japanese, Taiwanese and now the Chinese versions cast the ML right. So far, the only San Cai/Tsukushi I like are the ones played by Barbie Su and Mao Inoue. The one here is just alright. It’s a nice touch that they made her a chef.

The only thing I didn’t like about this version were the episodes that focused on a made up character named Zhou Caina, who was not part of the comic..and also the last episode which seemed rushed and out of the place.

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