Boys Over Flowers (2009)

You cannot be a true K-drama lover if you haven't watched this show. It may have been made in 2009 but it is by far the best drama I have ever watched. By the first episode all your doubts about the show will disappear. I would suggest watching the Chinese remake of the show Meteor Garden before you watch the show because it makes it even more interesting to watch. The soundtrack just brings the story together. This show can only be described with one word. Roller coaster. It's like your on a journey with the characters. When one cries you feel the urge to cry, when one laughs you laugh. This show really teaches you to stand up for the one you love and to never let anyone stop you from doing what you want to do. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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Iconic Drama

This drama is one of biggest hit, story wise is not really good but if you're a avid consumer of korean culture it's a must-watch (even just to get the reference). F4 is such a iconic meme, you will always see someone mention it.
Acting wise is so so, ML and FL dont have chemistry at all. The ending barely makes sense (what the hell happened with mom bad btch? Just give up like that?Since when she wants to be a doctor?).
Now, on serious note bullying is one big problem on Korea (in the whole world really) and having a drama being nonchalant about it is icky to me. You cant go around saying that bullies can change once they fall in love and deserve a happy ending too, bullies should be punished to the extension of law.

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To begin with the story is very good, really, there are a lot of things I liked and others I didn't like. But unfortunately some characters are very dumb, which is a counterpoint to others that are quite emblematic. I don't even like to mention the main one that gave me the creeps, not because of the acting but because of the personality of the character that seems like a child. As they put it on the youtube video, there is a lot wrong with this drama and it's not just the most violent and psychologically unstable parts. Clearly this drama will be on the list of those I would never watch in my life.

I know that a lot of people were introduced to the world of dramas because of this, and that the vast majority watched it years ago, but for me who watched it for the first time now it was a huge crap. The ost is quite weak compared to others from the same year.

I confess that I only watched until the end because I wanted to know who the soul mate was and what she would lose, according to what that psychic said.

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Jun-pyo was so toxic regardless of him changing.

Jun-pyo's character was like any of the F4 stories, the leader of F4. And the bully of the whole school. Leading him to do whatever he wants. At first, I LOVED the drama. Like I couldn't get enough of it. But now, it's like "meh." I've never realized how toxic Jun-pyo was. Even with Jan-di in his life at first. Remember that episode where Jun-pyo grabbed Jan-di by the collar because he was pissed about her photoshoot with a guy? Yeah. There was NO REASON for Jun-pyo to do that. Sure, you could say that Jun-pyo never had a girlfriend so he didn't know how to act. But he had a whole damn sister yet was never hands on hands with her. Or any girl in the school other than Jan-di. Personally I think Meteor Garden is better than this show.
Also, Remember when Jan-di supposedly slept with a guy? Jun-pyo couldn't care less if the students did shit to her. Knowing that they would.
Toxic relationships in K-dramas are normalize or even were. Even if Jun-pyo changed and came back for Jan-di doesn't mean he's a good person overall. Also. Don't even get me started with Yijang and Woobin. I love Woobin but like come on, Jun-pyo in the first few episodes gave Jan-di the F4 card. Leading her to get emotionally tortured by the students. Anybody could tell that a Boy bullying a Girl is wrong. Ji-hoo was the only one that somewhat helped Jan-di? Y'know how the guys tried to r@pe her? Or at least I think. Anyways, Ji-hoo came and told those mf's to get lost. Is Jun-pyo stupid? Jun-pyo is literally telling a bunch of guys to go and torture a teenager. A girl at that.
Honestly, the only thing I really liked in this show was the damn music. The intro and outro music, the acting was okay for a 2009 show but Jun-pyo's character could've been better. Also. Before I end this review, I wanna say that Jan-di's character got somewhat weak overtime. She was strong and brave when it came to F4, but later on she became more stupid and soft. I've re watched this show probably over 3 times, but I suggest you re watch it if you wanna understand the background relationships like Eun, Yijang, Woobin, JI-hoo, Jan-di's family and more. The main couple is cute looks wise but relation wise? Not much.

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Yes, there was a story to be told and once again, the story goes back and forth in continual tragedies and women. These writings about the mothers... mean just mean... Well, at least the writer kept the loyalty between the two main leads except he kept separating them with two interferences (you have to watch to see what I mean). It sounds like I didn't like this KDrama but happy to say that I did like it (not loved it) but liked it. I love watching Lee Min Ho and now I like to see more of Kim Hyun Joong. The rest of the cast did okay, I'll give them their respect. It seems there were two Happy endings... like the story was going to end but didn't and it ended again... just please watch it!

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This drama is for those who love modern day cindrella stories. It's basically a wish fulfillment fantasy. Poor girl has rich handsome boys falling head over heels in love with her etc that sort of stuff. I was in severe depression when I started watching this show. Though it considerably cheered me up I don't think I would have enjoyed it if I was in a healthier frame of mind. It's plot is so ridiculous that you can never take it seriously. The female lead is truly irritating. She starts of as a strong character who can stand up for herself but the writer later turns her into a damsel in distress. She just cries and makes stupid decisions. Not to mention that the actress portraying her does a terrible job. Not to mention I never believed that she truly loved the male lead. This was the thing which bothered me the most. She had a very strong bond with the second lead but she was always playing hard to get with the main lead. The main lead is always rescuing her and doing romantic things for her but she hardly does anything for him. I personally enjoy romances in which both the male and female lead do things for each other. This relationship throughout felt like a one sided romance. But nevertheless it has a few romantic moments here and there which are cute. Especially if you like the male lead chasing the female first and obsessing about her. Lee Min Ho looks cute as Gu Jun Pyo. The series has a fun soundtrack. And everything from the beautiful cast to the scenic locations are nothing short of a visual treat. In short it's fun to watch as long as you don't take it too seriously and ignore the flaws in it's plot. It's fun but nothing which will blow you away.

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To All The Boys

This retelling of the 2000-year-old fairy-tale takes a post-modern twist as Cinderella stops on the way to the castle for a medical degree, and is rewarded with not only her Prince Charming but her purpose. Some reviewers complain about the cliché and common tropes, but this is like a Tyler Perry play; it swings from cartoonish to deadly serious social commentary all the while showcasing the many talents of its players. Cinderella has the loving supportive family and the resulting intact ego, while Prince Charming has an evil biological mother and not only suffers from the child abuse of emotional neglect, but the slavery of being a commodity that can be sold.
Ah the boys… They are flesh and blood art. At times the acting is so poignant the you want to reach through the screen and comfort them. BOF is a master class in how to photograph men. The men in this are so beautiful that I frequently paused the TV so I could stare at them until I was full. There are moments in this where the framing, the rack focus and tracking shots are so perfect, so perfectly timed, so smooth, it takes your breath away. Lee Min-Ho’s reflection in the water droplet covered mirror, with his wet hair slick to the point of his jaw, water shower foreground, Rembrandt lighting….Excuse me while I pour ice on myself to cool down (Ep 2: 47:50 – why does it seem I’m quoting scripture?).
The men’s fashion in BOF influenced menswear all over Asia and beyond. And we got to see an entire year’s collection: every possible type of sportswear, formal, bridal, winter, summer, spring. The plot seems to make excuses to showcase the fashion. The women’s fashion was, well, ahem…. The Min Seo Hyun character wears an outfit that looks like someone stuck road kill on the front of an ill-fitting gray sack. Jan-Di wears a dress to the final pool party that looks like window curtains and is perhaps homage to Bob Mackie’s Scarlet O’hara creation in the Carol Burnett Show’s Gone with the Wind skit. But hey, the girls are the moral compass, the towers of strength, the unyielding morale, the mortals who when plan A fails have plan B, C, and D – and I guess these women didn’t need to out shine the G-ds in the fashion department.
BOF has the fairy-tale constructs, but also deconstructions, and it occasionally mirrors the dramas of modern-day royals. There are damsels in distress for the boys to rescue, but it also has Jan-Di as savior to the damoiseau in distress. The women occasionally swoon, but so do the men. One of the subplots reminds the viewers what happens when Prince Charming marries the Proper Princess vs the woman he loves. Ha Jae Kyung (princess Diana) saves herself from being the unloved, bulimic, trophy-wife by bowing out to Camilla (Jan-Di) and Charles (Jun-Pyo) (all good fairy-tale teach a lesson).
The character acting was outstanding. Lee Hye-yeong’s evil witch Kang Hee Soo is less Margaret Hamilton and more like Alan Rickman’s slowed, cold, steely delivery. Jeong Ho-bin’s secretary Jung Sang Rok is the on the surface the obedient servant to Hee Soo, but whose deviant intend is shown through thoughts behind his eyes and the most subtle of facial expressions.
There is an interesting construct that Jan-Di gets her husband Jun-Pyo, but also her soul mate Ji-Hoo. The love triangle is not solved by choosing one and discarding the other. Some women in the states have a husband and a gay “husband.” These friendships with this second man often go beyond being someone’s lover to being something deeper, longer lasting, and more satisfying. In BOF ji-Hoo and Jan-Di share a profession and a close friendship, but he is heterosexual and a former suitor. Are friendships like this possible? I hope so. Perhaps more than Cinderella marrying Prince Charming keeping both men is this fairy-tales magical event.
Other reviews were irritated by the soap opera conventions ie: selective amnesia, multiple kidnappings, (chloroform must be widely available in Korea), sudden appearances of yet another rival. Some of the plot features are repetitive: 5 near drownings (6 if you count Jun-Pyo childhood flash back). I could blather on about plot problems, continuity issues, gaffs and blunders, but I won’t because despite its problems there is something so joyful and fun about this series that sharp criticism feels like disrespecting a good friend. I started watching this again with a five-year-old and he tells me to read it to him (the subtitles – thank you translator for leaving in some Korean words: sunbae, noona etc). He enjoys the parts with the goofier acting. He gets some of the stereotypical characters (the mean girls, the evil mother). He comments on the fashion and hairdos. And he, like all the flower boys, loves Jan-Di and so do I.

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Most Fun I've Had Watching a Drama

Boys Over Flowers has a reputation as a "must see" k-drama and there's a good reason why: it's a classic. It contains every trope you can think of for a k-drama executed as overdramatically as possible. It is not the best show I've ever watched (found myself laughing often at things that were definitely meant to be serious), but I found myself falling so much in love with the characters as the story progressed. The main plot in and of itself is not that interesting and borders on nonsensical sometimes, but that is not why you watch BOF. The character writing is what really shines in this show as you see how everyone grows and changes, Jun-Pyo especially. The overdramatic writing and acting aside, they really managed to capture my heart with the way the showed the personal growth of the characters. Is it a perfect drama? No, definitely not. But even in recognizing the faults of the show, I cannot bring myself to give it anything less than a 10 because of what it exemplifies for the genre of k-dramas as a whole. I started off with a sort of ironic appreciation for it (it was the first k-drama I had ever watched), but now I truly love it in a way I never could have predicted. If you are willing to go along for the ride and suspend your disbelief (and make fun of the show from time to time), Boys Over Flowers is one of the best k-dramas you could watch. It's just fun. Pure, simple, joyful fun.

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SECOND HALF GETS BETTER

acting may seem off at first and feel cringe but trust me second half gets better when story gets serious
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As a big fan of Hana Yori Dango/original manga/ i watched all of the adaptations and this korean version is a pretty good one. When it first aired i was still a kid who was first introduced to romance dramas. So i remember i was really digging it at that time. Since i'm a big fan of the manga i have nothing bad to say about the story. You really gotta see this drama.
Story: The story may seem cliche for others, but note that the manga is from the 90's and mangas from those old times were mainly like that. Rich chaebol guy and poor girl etc etc.. Old but gold!!!
Acting: I personally don't enjoy the performances of the actors in this drama. No offense i love the actors. But i think i would've enjoyed more if the female lead was a different actress.
I personally enjoy other adaptations like Hana yori dango (japanese), and Meteor garden (Taiwanese) more than this

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Boys over flowers is a must-watch!!!

boys over flowers were one of the first kdrama shows I ever watched! I loved the story, the characters, really everything about it. this is a must-watch in the kdrama world I watched it and then I found that out. everyone who watches kdrama should watch this one. some parts can be a little boring but overall I think it makes up for it in many different ways.

rewatch value:
if I were you and I had already seen this show I would rewatch it over and over again. maybe it's because it's one of the first kdrama shows that I've seen but I will never forget it, and I mean EVER!!!!

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