nfabjoy
Somewhere in Africa
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.
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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