Hana Yori Dango.
The name is a Japanese pun for "dumplings over flowers", where people choose to go straight to the food vendors rather than enjoying the scenery during Hanami. The manga, originally by Yoko Kamio, has spawned much success, including: a Japanese anime, two Taiwanese dramas, two Japanese dramas, a Japanese movie, and now a Korean drama. While the former productions faired well, it was this most recent production "Kkot-boda Namja", airing from January 5, 2009 to March 31, 2009, that really sent the series skyrocketing.
I always watch recommendations from my friends, even if they've led me astray in the past (you know who you are). When two of my Korean buddies handed me this series, I had a feeling that they had me in mind while watching this. "Boys Before Flowers". The series' title had me right away.
Synopsis
Boys Before Flowers follows Geum Jan Di, a below-average working class girl, born of a less fortunate family, who is suddenly admitted to Shinhwa Highschool, an elite school where only the priveleged and rich are able to attend. The stars of Shinhwa High are part of a group called the F4, four boys with extremely prestigious backgrounds and even more amazing looks. Women swoon at the sight of them and worship their very existence. Their leader, Gu Jun Pyo, is a snob, and does as he pleases. All of that changes when he meets Geum Jan Di. The story that ensues encompasses the humor, love, and sacrifices of her relationship with the F4, and Gu Jun Pyo in particular, that drops Geum Jan Di into a world and experience beyond her wildest imagination.
What I have to say
The plot is honestly a pretty big joke. There is just about every cliche drama element possible, ranging from a tsundere protagonist to an evil witch mother who ruins everything to a scene involving a car crash and memory loss. So why in god's name would I be praising this series? The answer is that it was simply enjoying to watch. People need to get over deep meanings and hole-less plots and just take entertainment at face value for once. There's nothing wrong with looking at four beautiful men performing ridiculous wonders for an average looking girl. If anything, it's heartwarming to see stories like these.
Production-wise, Boys Before Flowers was amazing. The series featured several exotic locations that really make you jealous of the cast. The mood was very well set, and the casting was beyond perfect.
Character-wise, I must give a round of applause to the original writer, Yoko Kamio. What she did was truly phenomenal, giving hope to those without hope, and creating an extremely loveable character. That goes double for the actors, Koo Hye Sun (Jan Di) in particular, for bringing out the characters so amazingly. All of the expressions she made were so cute and felt so real that I actually found myself smiling. More props to Lee Min Ho for his excellent performance as Gu Jun Pyo.
The true reason for the success of the Korean version lies in its male cast. The F4 boys selected were truly handsome. Even as a guy, I found myself staring in awe at those guys. At that point you can't even be jealous, but rather just admirable that such beings could possibly exist. Yes homo. (KIM BUM is SO FUCKING HOT)
I had a great time with Boys Before Flowers. Unlike most other Korean dramas that I've watched, this one left me with a very warm, fuzzy feeling after watching. Even though I've lost tons of sleep over the past few days by powering through all 25 episodes, I woke up this morning smiling to myself. Why? Because there was no cancer.
As a result, my homework quality suffered. Oops. I was at AI way too many times last week (4 times I think?), and just yesterday I was actually losing to a Ragna player mashing the fuck out of 2A. Luckily I've found how amazing Jin's DP is lol. On another note, for those who have already seen the series, the F4 SPECIAL airs today, featuring a short about the F4 five years later! The first part is today, and the second is to continue on the 5th of May. OMG SO EXCITE!!! Till next time :)
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