Also, I'm just expressing my opinion, I'm not dissing anyone, actors, writers or whatever.
I probably let some minor spoiler slip away, but I've seen only 17 eps so you know.
First of all a note: I know this story was written in 1992 but if they found the necessity to update the time in which the drama is set (a smartphone is the symbol of the main leads first encounter), why not updating or cutting some very very crappy scenes? There was a scene that I found very uncomfortable to watch, especially knowing at the end the two people will end falling in love to each other...I imagined them in a future married telling their friends "oh dear, do you remember when I almost punched you and I kissed you by force? Holy moly the good old times". I mean...no. Forcing yourself to a girl is not the best move... but okay I get it: he's spoiled, he's arrogant, he doesn't know what a "no" means and he doesn't know girls or love and he has some anger issues but still, times are changed, there's that #metoo stuff and are oversensitive about it... there are other ways to let the audience know he has those issues.
I honestly don't get why this and mischievous kiss (itazura na kiss) are so popular...why abusive rich brat x naive girl is so shipped?? Because I didn't felt any chemistry/romance vibe at all, I just wanted to beat up both of the main characters all the time.
The major element of my anger tho is the girl. She's supposed to be the typical anonymous girl with no breast (because that is widely emphasized LOL), naive, that find something good in everyone and everyone ends up falling for her (we have a record that is absurd even for dramaland tho...I counted at least 7 people who fallen or felt attraction to the girl!) and maybe (that's optional) with a bit of attitude - which she had, but just for three episodes. Then she declined to become the dumbest human alive. She just went with the flow every time, letting all sort of things (mostly bad) happen to her.
The worst thing is that she must have some sort of selective amnesia because she plays dumb about the guy's feelings even tho he clearly expressed the words "I like you" in her face and he kissed her (with consent). So what game you're playing girl? You don't like him but you like strolling around the world (they went on vacation like four times in 17 episodes) and she's not even intentionally toying with the guy so I felt like there was an error in the chronological order of the storyline (?). One minute they are a couple, the other minute they're back to square one. And repeat. And repeat
I liked the culinary competition and the fact they decided to gave her some ability! That was interesting and even if it was a bit cringey, the support of the male lead was cute.
The most interesting characters were the second fem lead, the chef guy and the chef girl. I enjoyed their storyline but they seemed a bit too mature for the standards of this show LOL the second male lead seemed a real zombie, he was so passive and everytime I watched him I tought of a sloth LOL
At the end I decided to surrender at episode 17, there's a limit on the quantity of shit I could've taken and if I am not enjoying, I don't see the point of watching it anymore. I was expecting a bit of renovation... more "based upon" than just "transcribed as it is" but okay, let's just say the leads really deserve each other xD
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I’ve seen the other versions of this story, and I’ve always had a problem with some of the physical violence. So, I knew that going in. I hate to see women being treated roughly. What I found in this one is that the male lead likes the female lead but he’s immature. He acts like a young boy with the girl he likes - picking on her and just being an idiot. However, there are moments where he’s incredibly sweet, and those make my heart flutter.
What I love is that - in this version - I can actually tell that the male lead really likes the female lead. He’s clearly got personality issues and doesn’t know how to communicate (not a surprise if you’ve seen the other versions), but I find myself liking him a bit more. He’s also good-looking! Like - REALLY good-looking!
The female lead is cute. I like her and find myself rooting for her a lot.
I can’t stop watching this show. I’m kind of obsessed. So, if you can get past some of the violence, it’s an addictive drama with moments of real sweetness.
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Beyond frustrating FL, Unnecessarily long,.... still addicting
My GODDDD, I am at episode 35, and I have to take a break from watching this drama because Shan Cai is annoying me to no end. At the beginning of the drama, Dao Ming Si was the toxic and dislikeable one. But as the drama continued, DMS was redeemed into my favorite character, and SC went from being independent and kindhearted to absolutely stupid, cowardly, and dense. WHY does she never show any expression or affection to DMS. He deserves better. She just stands there like a potato through all their kisses, all his heartfelt confessions, and she is also the worst communicator in history. PLEASE VOICE YOUR THOUGHTS.Sorry that this is more of a rant than a review. I will revise this after I finish the drama to give some more civilized criticisms.
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P.S. The OST is wonderful, I have had the whole OST on repeat for the past few days!
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I have enjoyed this drama so far. If you liked the original or even the South korean (Boys over flowers) adaption of the comic then you should give this a go.
Pros- Overall budget of the show helped to show interesting and realistic sets and locations
-Great acting
-Fun story - funny and at times ridiculous
-The dialogue was great, loved the sassiness Dong Sacai brought
Cons-
-Daoming Si's styling is often distracting! That hair and some of his outfits left me like WHY?
-Around the halfway mark found myself getting tired of Daoming Si and Dong Shancai's constant bickering. Now I know this is the story and that they are both stubborn ect but after a while I was just needing some relief. Like at least 2 episodes where things were smooth sailing you know? There were moments where I was like this is NOT a healthy relationship. He was too controlling/forceful. Found myself needing a break after a few episodes.
-Awkward blocking of actors - Huaze Lei in particular. Few odd scenes where he would stand not facing anyone for a long period of time, not realistic even for a brooding guy.
-Music - after a while got a little tired of the repetitive scores. Can't listen to the f4 song "For you" every episode.
-The english spoken by extras is often jarring and cringey. Episode 16 - These Canadian rescuers that come to the lodge - like what? It was so confusing, you'll understsnd when you've seen the episode.
Look its rough around the edges, at times infuriating- you just want to take characters by the shouldees and shake them.
But the story is fun. So if your not looking to take something seriously then give it a go!
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Story: honestly there is nothing too special about the story, it has a generic plot with predictible climaxes and conclusions but i suppose the story was made to be light with minimal complexity to make the story more digestible to the viewer who just wants a simple romance drama.
Music: I won’t go too much into the music, as some reviews have already touched on it. But to summarize, they use the same 3 songs over and over again. Though i understnd that this is common practice among dramas and i supposed can be overlooked. But I had hoped that more effort would be put in the main songs to make them more memorable and less generic.
Acting: this is probably the element of the show that i was most frustrated with. As someone who comes from American shows and high-end K- drama. I have come to appreciate quality acting and realism. Though i understand that Metoer Shower is an adaptation of a manga, which by far strays furthest from realism. I find it ridiculous that university students still act like children, particularly the main charcter and her best friend. Although clueless, immature, and dense main character are common character tropes in C-dramas. Meteor Garden’s take on this character archetype is dangerously overexagerated. I suppose that the producers were trying to potray Shanchai as an innocent character, but you can’t help but feel disgusted at how clueless and helpless she is when faced with EVERYDAY adversity. Similarly, Daoming Si’s personality is more akin to a 5 year old than a university student. I also find that the producer made a poor effort in making a good comic relief character out of Shanchai’s best friend as he tends to come across as an airhead with minimal mental capacity. Overall, i felt that they had chosen a poor acting director. But hopefully, this issue is addressed in later episodes though i find that highly unlikely.
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I have saw many drama before but never ever reviewed it but this one is special..
All the male leads are very handsome and with fantastic acting skills... Also the female lead ..
The development of male lead character is just soooo good that one will not be able to resist from falling for him.. and his acting skills just made the whole drama even much more better.. his expressions, way of delivery, notes and everything is just so perfect..
Overall the story is so entertaining as this was very first drama , I have watched having 50 episodes but not even a single episode was boring..
More the episodes were completed more I became sad that soon it's going to end..
And trust me I tried to so.many other drama s after this one but I failed.. I just can't get over this one
The story of leads is so beautiful and so entertaining.. the whole plot is so amazing that after watching this , seriously can't watch any other drama from now . Cute chemistry between leads is just at another level..
One need to watch this one.. coz this drama has all elements like love, friendship, caring jealousy,hatred,fights,sacrifice and what not... Just happy to watch this...
One should definitely watch this...
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What I found was that this drama told the story as well (and in places better) than BOF and gave us more information on the story lines that are sort of left out or very limited in BOF. I loved that. I also liked how this series was able to tell the same story but somehow it didn't feel like the totally unreal lifestyles/situations that are often presented in Boys Over Flowers. Again, I am a huge BOF fan, but if you've seen it, I think you will understand what I mean by that.
All the actors in Meteor Garden did a great job. They are fun to watch and work well together. The music is really good too. It was surprising to me just how many English songs are in the soundtrack, but they fit so well, I totally understood their use.
I really enjoyed this drama. I recommend it.
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'Mountains and Valleys' Kind of Drama
As someone who has only watched this adaption and not the other versions... I would say there was too much hype about the drama, but I was left a bit disappointed. Maybe the hype was because of the original version but this one definitely did not give as much as it promised.Story was pretty much okay-ish. Some episodes were spicy, some were sweet with hugs and kisses, some were bitter with couples and friends turning each other but some were just too bland. I had been planning to watch this drama for quite some time; the only think that kept me from doing so was the number of episodes (I don't have the patience to watch dramas with more than 38 episodes). What I loved about the story was that unlike other rom-com dramas, it isn't all strawberry cakes, some hearts are broken too and some never get to be with their lover, which is quite realistic.
When you get to see so many handsome boys, it just makes your drama better but your sense of judging acting skills poor. But it was still quite good.
Direction was overall average but a bit flat at parts with python-like long flashbacks. There were episodes I completed in just 5-10 minutes because they were made up of only flashbacks. Some lovey-dovey scenes were so long, it became annoying. I just went skip-skip-skip and skipand skip...
Aesthetics (overall look) was good, made better with those handsome F4 boys. There were so many beautiful sceneries, especially the part shot in London. There weren't much shots in the dark, which require you to turn to dark mode to be able to watch them.
Music was varied and good- some soul soothing tracks, some can sing you to sleep, while some were just rock on!!
Conclusion: I named this review 'Mountain and Valleys' Kind of Drama because it was just up and down- sometimes going uphill, sometimes just traveling on a plane, sometimes going downhill. It is good if you are just looking for something to watch for time-pass or during a boring lecture (secretly; don't get caught!!)
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But tbh to watch this series as i have you’ll have to be such a patient person, geez im telling you, IT WAS SO GOOD, but i often got so frustrated with the main female. And the two were never able to be in a stable relationship for such a long time, there was always an obstacle or an altercation and that might just be what made it so great, but the number of times i cried omg. But i do sincerely encourage you to watch it, sksk with all the best interest, i mean you can resist dylan wang
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