Meteor Garden (2018)

EVERY THING IS NOT JUST BLACK AND WHITE

Okay, so finally I just finished this drama, and I actually feel its such a beautiful story and drama to watch. It shows the beauty to true friendship. You accept a person the way they are and you try to change them for good without giving up on them because of any reason. It shows how to hold-on on a person you love against all odds. It shows that the person's status has nothing to do when its about love.
CORE DRAMA REVIEW : The development of the story was good, but the way the love story started.... honestly it was weird, it just started to develop out of no where. And frankly speaking, I literally remained confused up to few episodes after the love story started. Like I was not able to connect what was happening and how. But then everything started to fall in the line, the story started to make sense, the flow became great and then I started to love it. This story was quite a bit different then the other stories I watched and may be that's why I liked it even more.
The determination towards love that is showcased in this drama is so overwhelming. Like if you actually get someone who is ready to give up on anything just to be with out... what can be more beautiful than that. And he just only don't talk about it... but actually show how much he is determined towards his love.
Honestly, I was crying in the second half of episode 41 and in the episode 47. It was so touching.
ACTING : I loved the acting and I feel that DYLAN WANG ( as Dao Ming Si) is a really good actor, as when he was doing his character as a arrogant person with full of anger, I felt like kicking on his face but then when the character changes..it became so sweet and nice and romantic. And only a good actor can bring so much chance in the same character. Also this was his first series and I feel that he did a good job.
SHEN YUE ( as Dong Shan Cai) was just perfect. She was really looking like girl with strong willpower even though she was not having a strong financial background. She is courageous, knows to fight for herself and others. Do not take anyone's shit no matters who is it.
And the other character also fit really with the person and their looks. Let it be Mrs. Dao Ming Feng, the woman with strong aura who was leading the entire Dao Ming Group. Or its Shan Cai's mother who is a lively women running a small business and supporting her family with love and care.
SHAN CAI : The girl who have got the guts to stand against the powerful F4. Who is not influence by their good looks. The girl who have a differently beautiful relation with HUAZE LEI.
THE MEMBER OF F4 : Its so nicely balanced.
DAO MING SI : He is the angry, impulsive one; who is always ready to beat anyone. The most handsome among the four. With strongest will power and a heart full of love for his girlfriend.
HUA ZE LEI : The sleepy head according to DAO MING SI. A person who is always cool, calm in any situation. Never got impulsive apart from few incidents and which was actually justified. The person who speaks less and specially only when asked to do so. But when he does, no one can cut his point. The person who is closet to SI among the four; although all of the 4 are really close to each other. The person who is by SHAN CAI's side in all the situation, who fell that she is his pet. Always ready to protect her from anything.
FENG MEI ZUO : The one who is balancing the the group. A normal guy, with a brilliant mind. One to the topper and outstanding student of the college. Who likes women older than him in age.
XI MEN YAN : The fourth pillar of the group. Who is balancing the group along with MEIZUO. The normal guy among the two weird ones. The one with loves to be with different girls.
THE SOUND TRACK : I feel a special attraction towards the song of this series. Its something different. And honestly I am listening to it in loop.

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That the drama was able to keep me interested in all characters

This drama was one of third ones I watched and I enjoyed it immensely. The actors were able to draw me into their characters and they were able to keep me interested until the end. The chemistry was hot for the ML and Fl lead. Great drama. I have rewatched it monthly on Netflix. I now have watched some of the actors and actresses in other dramas but always come back to this one as a favorite because of the ML and FL chemistry. They have chemistry with there other dramas MLs and FLs but not the same as in this one. The FL and ML were able to connect in this drama as though they were a real couple. Not all MLS and FLs have this connection it is special and rare. Their other dramas are good. But this drama, was silly, exciting, bullying, romantic, thrilling and etc. To me he had a little of friendship, breakup and very entertaining. I laughed and cried while watching. I hope to see the actors get back together later to tell the future story of their lives.

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MG vs. Boys Over Flowers (2009) - spoilers abound!

I watched the Korean Boys Over Flowers (2009) first, then immediately moved on to the Chinese Meteor Garden (2018). I have so many feelings! Wrote this comparison for a friend recently and figured I'd share it here too as my official review.

Tl;dr: In BOF, Jan-di should have chosen Ji-hoo, but in MG I'm happy for Shancai and Dao Ming Si.

In BOF there wasn’t enough development and growth to the relationship with Jun-pyo. She went from not liking him to kinda liking him to being wrecked that he no longer wanted her. I needed more good times between them to cement the emotions and convince me that she actually loved him as much as he loved her, and that they could actually work together for a lifetime. This is where MG definitely excelled! The relationship arc is much better. And because the love triangle is so downplayed in MG, I’m perfectly happy that she ends up with Dao Ming Si.

Ji-hoo’s line in BOF about being her honorable fireman and coming to her rescue when he hears her heart alarm just slayed me. Like how can you have a line that great and not get the girl in the end!! He was SO good to her.

I probably could have made my peace with her choosing Jun-pyo if the ending hadn’t been so shitty. Ji-hoo spends THREE YEARS by her side as they pursue their common interest in medicine while Jun-pyo is MIA, he still loves her completely, but Jun-pyo makes a flashy entrance and gets the girl? UGH! And worst of all, Ji-hoo’s grandfather is now dead, so the poor guy is left totally alone! Soooo unsatisfying. In MG on the other hand, the ending is very sweet.

In some ways the acting felt more natural in MG, but the acting was more emotional in BOF. MG never made me *feel* whereas BOF had me a wreck at times. I also liked that everyone in BOF had tragic backstories, bad things happened that had lasting consequences (her shoulder, Yi-jung’s hand, etc.) and villains were truly villainous, whereas everything in MG was toned down and always easily resolved. BOF was all about the anguish, and that worked for me.

I did prefer that MG downplayed the bullying aspect and made F4 better people from the get-go than their BOF counterparts.

Even so, I liked the supporting cast F4 boys better in BOF. I felt like they had a stronger relationship with Jan-di than the MG counterparts. I liked that all 4 in BOF had stronger identities that established why they were considered so elite, whereas in MG their lives seem pretty average except for Si’s. And I preferred the Yi-jung/Ga-eul romance side plot romance in BOF. I *could not stand* MG's meek little Xiao You as she chased after Xi Men! Multiple times I shouted “have some self-respect, girl!” at my screen lol. Xi Men got *real hot* in the second half of the series though. In BOF I did feel bad that Woo-bin’s character was so minor, like he’s the only one who didn’t get his own side plot, but then I got super annoyed with the amount of screen time his MG counterpart Mei Zuo got with that other love triangle story that came out of nowhere and ate up waaaay too much screen time in a disconnected plot.

The characters are meant to be younger in BOF than in MG, but for me I felt the plot scenarios and the acting and the emotions all felt more mature in BOF.

The hair was bad in both shows early on, but got better as it went. Ji-hoo got hotter when he started wearing glasses, and Xi Men got hotter when he stopped lol. I always preferred BOF’s fashion over MG’s though, more dapper.

BOF had more plot holes and wild unbelievable scenarios, so MG for sure wins for better and more even storytelling.

The many travel excursions in BOF made it feel like I was watching a season of the Bachelorette, which honestly I really liked. The travel in MG was unexciting to me, and the London scenes were downright AWFUL with the accents and absurd portrayals of British people (having lived in London for 4 years, I was literally screaming at the TV during the fancy restaurant musical moment).

Lastly, the product placements in MG were laughably annoying. So in your face!

I think that on a point by point logical basis, I might lean towards MG as the being better, but honestly it’s the overall feeling and lasting impression that makes BOF win for me, logic be damned.

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Not perfect but the Best Version for me.

To begin with. I've watched all Versions except to the Korea's because for me it was too violent.
Disclaimer : I am not a professional when it comes to acting but i wrote what i notice and felt.

Plot- Knowing the classical story where a poor girl transfers to a prestigious school and it was ruled by 4 handsome and wealthy men , It has a different flavor and story line. They didn't make Shan Cai suffered too much unlike the other versions which they will make you out to the campus and transfer. ( it was probably because of the China's censorship for the viewers.)

The F4 here is different. Though they were still bullies but unlike to the others , they still studies and and attend classes. They were gentle men and quite soft with women.

Episodes- At first i was like , 50 episodes? are you kidding me? it has a long duration and many many episodes.
The beginning was quite rushed and the middle part was quite gradually. You see , they met at the first episode , she was bullied at the first episode and she revenged at the first episode.
I think the Love triangle between Mei Zuo and Cai Na was unnecessary. I understand that they want to give the characters and artists a exposure but to be honest it drags the viewers.

Casts- The casting was perfect. What makes these unique is that Dylan and Shen Yue has undeniable and overflowing chemistry. On and off cam they were like a real couple.
Though the whole casting was perfect too. They used fresh and young visuals. Even Dee Hsu was perfect as Dao ming Zhuang. In this version , though you will get hooked by Lei but since the beginning you know that Ah si is perfect for shan cai.

Acting:
Shen Yue- I have already an idea about Shen Yue's acting skill ( because of A love so beautiful. ) She is totally a great actress. Her eyes tells stories and full emotion. Overall , effortless. Amazing!

Dylan's - It was didi's first project. He had no background nor experience in acting in front of the camera. Sometimes it was hard for him to release his emotions and tears. But what i love about this is he himself is a Dao ming Si. He gives a playful, arrogant yet faithful boyfriend. It is obvious that there are still room for improvement but overall it is impressive.

Other Casts: For Caesar and Connor , sometimes it was like awkward and felt like they will laugh. It is a bit stiff and not confusing. Yet there is still needs to be improved.

For Darren: Like the other versions , he has this innocent and gentle looking which helps him to portray an introvert and quite character. It was acceptable.

Music/Ost- It has a perfect and suitable music. Every seen has a music that really fits into the scenario. Like if its an intense scene , the 'River" Ost will be played. Also they gave chance to F4 to showcase their talents. I love their voices especially Caesar's voice. It is soothing and relaxing. I also love the fact that they used the iconic "Qing fei de yi" and "Ni yao de ai".
But The song For You is iconic too.

Overall: This was one of the first cdramas i have watched and the reason why i enter the cdrama wolrd. It is the most faithful version. We witnessed the ups and downs of the couple yet they remain faithful and fight for their love. One factor that i love is the DyShen couple. It was absolutely perfect. They also takcled the friendship.

Highly recommended! you will definitely love the leads.

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I watched this show because of Boys Over Flowers. I enjoyed both shows, up to a point. The last two episodes had my head spinning.

I absolutely loved the scenes between the two main leads in this show. Watching their relationship develop (even though I knew where it was going) was engaging. I loved all the actors in this version.

Two negative points to consider - after a while, the story got a little stale, and became a bit boring to watch what felt like the same situation happen over and over again. My other honest complaint is from episode 47 on I felt like I was being taken for a ride. Suddenly I felt deprived of a decent storyline ending.

This show has decent rewatch value, but I will likely never watch it all the way to the end again.

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I first watched Boys Over Flowers. Although I fell in love with all of the characters in that kdrama, I was left with a bitter sweet taste. I felt like the story didn't make much sense and that there was a lot of tension and suffering for an ending that didn't really satisfy my expectations.

Because of that void that Boys Over Flowers left in me I started searching. That's how I found out about Meteor Garden. People were saying that if anyone felt the way I did after finishing Boys Over Flowers, that they should watch this cdrama. And I have to say it did not disapoint.

At first it was hard not to compare the two. I didn't like the changes in the characters, although I understood why they did them. I couldn't help but go back to my beloved characters from Boys Over Flowers. However, as the story progressed, I began to fall in love with these characters too, and I started seeing it as a different story.

If I had to compare the two, I'd choose Meteor Garden for sure. The storyline makes much more sense. It is exciting to watch, yet it doesn't make you constantly suffer for just a few seconds of happiness. You can really see how the main characters fall in love and you can actually enjoy their joy and love.

If you want a very complete and satisfying version of Hana Yori Dango, then this is the perfect one.

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At first I have to say/repeat that this is an European (German) point of view and maybe it is very different from the mayor view :)
A few weeks ago Netflix started offering Asian series. Because as a child I loved reading mangas I was very glad and excited when I discoverd it. I chose Meteor Garden per accident - and couldn't stop watching it!!
It was fantastic in so many ways. After reading the other reviews I think I am the only person here, who never heard of the story Meteor Garden or Boys over flowers etc before (not until googling after being fascinated by the show). It is interesting to read that the show "combines all Asian romantic cliches" :D - I am in love with the actors/characters (esp. Doaming Si) and the atmosphere of the show. Nevertheless there are a few repetitions in plot and the main characters had more problems than they had to (in my opinion).
It was interesting to become acquainted with the Chines culture, environment, the every day life and interacting (My earlier "meetings with the Asian world" were Japanish ones, because of the Mangas, like I've already said - very interesting too!). My imagination of China was quite differnt than it was shown in Meteor Garden. For example, I was surprised (and it was great), how often (and in detail) kissing scenes were shown. It was very romantic and it could have been more... In addition the technical development in every day life was impressive (f.ex. the pay methods - don't exist in Germany right now).
At first the names were confusing to me, but I became accustomed to it ;) I watched Meteor garden three or four times (skipping the boring and recurring scenes with the architect and Meizuo's love interest) and my favourite scenes a lot more... I am very sad that it's all over. Despite this I am convinced that by repeating watching it I am just learning Mandarin by the way (It's just a joke, but I really kept some vocabulary in mind).
I am often listening to the OST - I do not understand anything and don't find English lyrics, but the melodies are transporting the emotions that I've had while watching the show. You would laufgh a lot, if you could hear me (ty to) sing along :D :D
I recommend the show to everyone and I hope I can find those (pretended) "better" love dramas on Netflix (as many of you told in their reviews ;))

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I have never watched any versions of Meteor Garden before, and this is my first ever Cdrama I watched. I managed to watch the whole series in less than a week.

The drama started off really well.
The story line is like any other drama with a female lead and 2 boys that falls for her, but I thought the male lead fell for Dong Cai too quickly. The leads have really good chemistry together. Si is funny and doesn't know how to express his love for DongCai. The second male lead didn't have much chemistry with the ShanCai, so it's not one of those dramas where you would feel bad for the second male lead.

The acting and cast is perfect. All the boys in F4 are so handsome. Si is so brave, funny and bold. Lei is cute, quite and funny. Lei has to be my favorite, his eyes and teeth when he smiles melts my heart. The female lead ShanCai is cute and natural. She portrayed her character really well, but in the middle of the series she lost a lot of confidence in herself, and isn't like her character in the start, she cries too much ://
I can't believe all the main cast are rookie actors. Dylan did so well acting in his first drama, I'm so surprised he's only 19!

The music is spot on. Every time I hear the song "River" all I can imagine is F4 walking towards the camera. But I think they over played "Say something I'm giving up on you" sometimes it just doesn't suit the moment. I liked all of the chinese OST, even though I didn't understand the lyrics. lol.

Rewatch value
I would say 10, but towards the end it dragged along, and got confusing. But if the end was more better I would definitely say 10!

From here there's gonna be spoilers

Negatives;
Why the heck did they add in the sub story of Terence and Caina!!! I think when they came in the series got boring. Terence gave me the creeps tbh. They were such a waste of time. They could have used that time to give Ximen and Xiaoyo more chemistry.
Other than that I think all the other scenes were super fun to watch!

Positives;
I really like Zhuang (Si sister). She is so funny. She portrayed her character really well, I hope to see her in more dramas. She slayed her dancing scene.

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Horrible. DONT watch this

I originally never wanted to watch this adaptation cause I saw clips and thought it looked horrific (the main guy’s hair didn’t help the matter as well) but I decided to give it a shot cause caesar was in the cast lineup. Worst mistake ever this drama started as maybe somewhat hopeful? I did like that they changed the backdrop to uni rather than high school, however, the immediate response to the introduction of main dude was horrible. His hair did him so wrong and genuinely maybe if they made his hair normal he would’ve been less insufferable to see. While this version removed the f4 bullying basically it still included the harassment courting of main girl by main guy?? One forced kiss scene should’ve been enough but they added 2??? The relationship started off as toxic straight off the bat and only continued to progressively get worse with them breaking up over practically anything also this version took out many of the romantic scenes found in others and replaced them or altered them in a very dissatisfactory way. Never mind how main guy made it a job to insult main girl while other versions did play into this as well this version was by far the worst with him coming up with more creative ways to insult main girl each ep rather than idk? Helping their relationship? The second male lead was decent in this , however, in comparison to other versions he was fairly dull and a very static character as the rest of f4. The story centres basically only around the main leads despite being 50 eps with more than enough time to develop side characters it does a horrible job and the side characters are practically just accessories to stand around the main couple which made the story even more repulsive. The drama also seemed like it wanted to stand out from other remakes by adding in other plotlines such as the chef who works with her which I found pointless cause lei was already bland as a second lead what was the point of having essentially another second lead? However, I did like the cooking aspect they added so that’s probably the only plus I’ll give to this remake. Caesar played the playboy (a role taken by Kim bum and Shota Matsuda in other adaptations) and was a very watered down version of the character which was very disappointing also his romance with the main girl’s BFF seemed bland as well and I didn’t really care for it despite it being one of the things I was looking forward to in this drama :( . The show was decently funny so at least there was that but it was definitely not enough to out weight the cons. The ost was HORRIFIC and very disappointing I was wondering if they might try to make a Chinese version of paradise and add it in since it was a very popular and good ost however they did not and instead they only had like 2? Chinese songs which were nothing special and didn’t stand out. The remainder of the ost consisted of English songs which was so out of place and made it at times very awkward (especially the playing of run me like a river? Who even came up with that idea???!) overall this drama was a huge let down and by far is the worst remake of bof. If you wanna watch an actual good remake of bof just watch Hana yori dango instead of this garbage

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OMG, Meteor Garden fever is back!!
TBH, I have rewatched some of my fav episodes about 5 times already-I just can't resist! Sanchai & Dao Ming Si are so cuteeee.
& Dylan Wang is the most handsome & fresh face actor for asian drama today (talk about regeneration in kdrama series too!)
So, any bad episodes of MG2018 are forgiven due to the cuteness level of the casts (all F4, even that chef who got a crush on Sanchai-he's really good looking too!)
This MG2018 fever reminds me so much of MG 2001 (Taiwanese version) fever, when I was a teen. It's exactly the same feeling! LOL

Overall, I strongly recommend anyone who haven't watched to WATCH this MG 2018. Let's spread the Meteor Garden fever!!!

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