In Short: Being addicted is fun, and this drama offers fun all-round. Super cheesy fun. Do wish they would have gone the second lead route, though, despite stiff acting.
Pros: Super addictive and entertaining
Cons: Unnecessarily low production values, an unforgivable male lead and a few too many episodes. Idiot female lead.
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Oh and i couldn't finish it. The real issue with this drama is that i wasn't convinced by their acting and the way they adapted the story at all. It's not that they're bad actors - far from that, i love them - just that something is off. I don't understand their feelings, i especially don't believe their feelings,it all seems far-fetched. Sure, it IS a drama after all. But i could really believe and understand in the japanese version, even though i hate the main actress and the actors are not that good-looking (and i don't really like shun oguri). Ok, jun matsumoto is great- guilty.
So it all comes down to this: even though everything singled out is better in BBF (hot hot hot actors!) , the result isn't that great. I didn't feel anything watching this, whereas i went through a roller coaster of emotions in HYD (much much better!)
If you don't want to watch the same story several times, please watch the japanese version. I would recommend this drama only for those who already saw the japanese version and really love it , and have some time to waste (cause let's face it, there are much better dramas).
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I recommend people to watch this drama.
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I've seen Hana Yori Dango before and since it had become one of my favorite dramas, I felt like I should give a chance to BBF.
I didn't regret my decision, because the writers tried out many new ideas. Half of the time it didn't feel like I was watching a HYD remake, which is a great thing! At the same time some of the new scenes were unintelligible and over-dramatic. For one, I couldn't understand the happenings with So Yi Jung. For like 15 episodes, he was a normal character, and out of the blue he has become a human wrench. And to make matters even worse, there were only hints about his family problems. Why bother talking about his mother if no one ever tries to solve the situation? The same goes with Goo Joon Pyo's father. There were several scenes with him being nursed by Geum Jan Di. But for what?
And these are only a few examples of the weird scenes in the drama. The other bothering matter for me were the illogical happenings. People appear at places they shouldn't know about, Jan Di's mobile disappearing, etc. And how come the girl gets treated like 1000 times and she only feels bad about it once or twice? And apart from her being really poor, she changes her clothes at least twice a day, and also has several pairs of pin heels in her suitcase. :D
About the actors, I liked most of them. They did a decent job, but not outstanding. Lee Min Ho was good, Koo Hye Sun was pretty good (I liked her better than HYD-s actress), Kim Hyun Joong was an eyecandy (although most of the time he had his fake smile on his face), Kim Bum was very good and Kim Joon was mediocre. If I had to compare this cast to HYD's, I'd definitely go for the latter. Simply put, they could overcome the pretty boy image and act out the characters' personalities. (And Oguri Shun's Rui is simply legendary.)
One more thing I was irritated by in this drama; the recaps. There were recap scenes right after the original ones. Who wouldn't remember what has just happened?
To summarize it, this was a pretty good drama, with lots of turns and good looking actors. At the same time I would only recommend it to those who have already seen HYD.
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This drama made me feel rage in levels never experienced before in my life
It's simply terrible. 10 years ago, I couldn't walk two steps into kdrama space without being recommended this and to this day I wish to know why? The only value BOF has is as something campy to make ufun of, and people were genuinely taking it seriously?
The acting is simply a joke, the couple made me wanna rip my eyes out of the sockets and I only kept watching it for the hope it would get better. It didn't.
The romance is so toxic I feel like it damaged my immune system, and honestly I know the source material cause the Japanese version with the dude from Arashi holds up much well, so why is this so bad? And that's not even trying to make sense of those characters cause the changes made by the Korean version make no sense at all. I'll give a star for every F4.
Having said that. The soundtrack still slaps. Long live Shinee. The only redeeming thing in the 25 hours of my life I wasted on this.
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It’s the most fun K Drama to watch but also not that good .
Boys over Flowers is absolutely fun . I thoroughly enjoyed myself watching this K Drama and I think you will too.I would like to address the show itself before I delve into the 5 points of a review. First and foremost , Boys Over Flowers is not overrated in the slightest. It is a pop culture phenomenon like Mean Girls and Clueless. That is how this show should be treated and viewed. Secondly, because it’s like Mean Girls and Clueless - do not expect Oscar worthy acting and Sundance Film Festival story lines . It really is not that deep. Get into it like that and you will be A okay . Promise.
Now for the review itself ... let’s get into it !
The story is fun , comedic and lighthearted but also intermixed with the melodrama that is a K Drama. In a lot of ways - plot unraveling was ridiculous and absurd and this was accentuated by the unfortunate Geum Jan Di . Also ,the writers overplayed their hand on some story lines that inadvertently made the protagonists romantic plot unnecessarily weak .Other than that ; the essence of the Boys over Flowers story is timeless and makes for a good formula . No wonder they keep making them over and over again . I loved the thrill I got from watching this series especially the first 6 episodes . I actually did not sleep and became a slight insomniac because of those episodes . To be honest- I have never felt such a thrill from a show and I’m still yet to feel that and for that reason alone , BoF has some sentimental value to me .
The cinematography was excellent and non dialogue scenes were beautifully shot. The locations were stunning and this production was really good in cut aways. The recurring motifs are the strong point of the drama. I always find that when motifs for a drama are good , strong and most importantly recurring- then continuity currency is especially strong . That was the case for BoF. As for actual scenes , well this is where the drama falls short . The story is not tightly woven and one can tell the writers got carried away and flustered by hype. It was messy , things strewn together here and there and that made for a frustrating watch in the middle but because the phenomenon factor is so strong - it’s not hard to push through. It’s actually fun to scoff in the end and say “ oh cmon!”
Next we have the acting and cast. This is tricky because this has so much to do with the actual story and how the plot unraveled. This to me in hindsight is a weakness of BoF.
I for one loved the cast and at the same time there was some sort of weakness that I can’t quite put my finger on. The F4 were AMAZING especially to look at. Absolute walking sculptures , my goodness! I also loved their friendship but I mostly loved the friendship they formed with Geum Jan Di . This shows that the cast had overall chemistry for days . However , in the flip side , Lee Min Ho single handily carried the entire show and that’s good but also bad . Good for Lee Min Ho because it means he’s so incredible in this and shows wide acting range and talent and bad because it means everyone /everything else was lacking something . This is substantiated by the fact that even though Madam Kang was not a main character - she also carried the show . In fact the scenes between Kang Hee Soo and Lee Min Ho are the most powerful and cohesive in the entire drama. Should it not be the two protagonists having the powerful scenes ? It’s weird inconsistencies like this and more that give the overall rating of the entire show something below 8.
Special mention to the Geum family ! They were the best and comedic timing was on point ! Incredible mention to Kang Hee Soo too. POWER personified . I was actually scared of her .
I raise my glass to Lee Min Ho! Gu Ju Pyo was EVERYTHING. In the words of one of my favorite male protagonists of all time ; Mr Knightley of Emma , I say this about Gu Ju Pyo and Lee Min Ho “ if I loved you less - I would talk about it more”
And I end there on Gu Jun Pyo/ Lee Min Ho.
Umm, the music makes for a nuanced review. Firstly - the songs themselves are not half bad and are made even more special if you find BoF special like how I do. Music evokes memories and the BoF soundtrack evokes feel good memories. However , the way these songs were inserted was quite challenging . One song was particularly overplayed especially in moments that did not suit it and the soundtrack had too many songs. But overall - there were some reall good tracks and BoF had put on to some Korean music heat .The music did make for profound capture especially in the case of Kim Hyun -joong’s moody and “fifth dimensional” Ji Hoo.
As for rewatch value - I would watch this again.Not all episodes but particular episodes . As mentioned before - the motifs and symbols are especially good and dare I say redeem the weakness of this show. It actually managed to be sweet and oddly profound that I cried mid way and I rarely do but perhaps that was down to a particularly powerful Lee Min Ho scene ? You know what ? Lee Min Ho IS the rewatch value !!!
I would also like to add that though Geum Jan Di had her shortcomings- I especially applaud how she took charge of her own destiny and did not flop into a mould set before her . I find that refreshing and give kudos to the writers for that execution. Such female protagonists are rarely seen in KDramas.But she really was grating to watch .
Overall , this was fun . And I would like to take that away. Even though this is not a 10 out of 10 show - it’s actually uniquely great . Its weak , ridiculous and absurd and for that one must take off their thinking hats .
Edit : I now have some sort of experience with KDramas and I can say with confidence that if you can stomach BoF then you have been baptised by the ridiculous and fantastical entities of dramaland. You can take anything. Also if you mildly liked BoF - there’s no way you are ever leaving dramaland. In no way am I insinuating that BoF is any standard but it is accurate in the phenomenon that is KDramas.BoF preps you for all the glaring plot holes sure to come your way in dramaland . But it also preps you that in the next foray - lies transient spaces of beauty in every way . It’s just that BoF muddied everything but the essence is undeniable.
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Basically the main actress shouts her way into having Stockholm Syndrome and falls in love with a guy who tried to have her sexually assaulted. He was jealous, controlling and vindictive and I just didn't get it.
The "But I changed him" thing doesn't work for me. I never saw the change, he's just beautiful.
I know that my main issue with this is not exactly this drama's fault, it is in the original manga, which I have also read in an attempt to understand the hype over this drama more. I also watched the J-drama version.
After all the tears and tantrums and chloroforming, I not only disliked the drama, but found it boring.
Maybe I would have liked this if it was the first K-drama I had ever watched to get me addicted, but it was actually the third after You From Another Star an Coffee Prince and comparatively, this was just terrible.
I did laugh ridiculously when "This must be Paaarrraaaadiiiiiiise" played out over Jun Pyo kicked the crap kicked out of him. Worst music choice ever for that moment.
This is just my opinion though, I can understand that there are elements that probably would draw in a captive audience, but for me the first few episodes made me irrevocably hate the male protagonist and that damage was never undone.
Send your brain on a marathon run before sitting down to this and you will have a great time.
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The scores are low partly because this looked like it was filmed using a phone camera. The editing and quality are poor. The music is a bit ridiculous. Whenever there's a life-endangering scene, the song "Almost Paradise" comes on. It is totally not appropriate for those scenes. Even the acting was pretty mediocre.
This show should really just be called "The Lee Min Ho Show". Lee's character is the only one with any depth. Ji Hu is pretty much the worst ever. Incredibly pretty, but lacks any acting skills.
Even though this review is harsh, you should still watch the show! It's fun, ridiculous, and Lee Min Ho is a god.
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