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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