Boys Over Flowers (2021)

The Perfected Rendition of Boys over Flowers

Once again, the Thais remade another famous drama series and perfected it. Out of all the dramas I watched, this is truly a masterpiece. I'm so sorry, this review is going to be really long but this show is really that good and I can't help myself!!

In the making of this drama, the director said that they spent over a year getting the storyline and script ready for these 16 episodes and you can truly feel the effort in every episode. Having watched all versions of Boys over Flowers (Japanese, Korean, Chinese), this is topped the charts by a large margin. It retains every unique feature of the show that makes it 'Boys over Flowers' and makes it better. From the first episodes, the series is filled with surprises regardless whether you have watched other versions of it.

Each character, regardless main or side casts, has their own backstory and played an important role in contributing to this masterpiece. Visually, the cast is perfect. Everyone fits their role, and added charisma to each character they are playing. For Bright, he has a boyish yet mature look that screams Thyme. For Thyme, I really liked the character development in this version. It is well-paced and fleshed out which makes you understand his every action. A hot-headed, cold-hearted bully, you get to understand how his family turned him into what he is, and his conflicted emotions as a boy that is eager to prove himself yet is also uncomfortable with how he is acting. Along the way, Thyme develops and grows into who he really is thanks to the support of his friends and Gorya. Furthermore, what awes me is the development of his character. Despite the drastic change in becoming a better person, you can also feel that this is the way he is and the directors managed to let his personality remain the same till the end, creating a link from the old and new him. Furthermore, when i mean that the character is much more fleshed out, I feel that Thyme is more 'humanised' in this version for the audience to empathise and grow together with this character. In this version, Thyme is more defined and has more sides to him then just being in love with Gorya. He not only shows that he have changed for Gorya, but he changed more for himself, and this is reflected in all his actions and scene and not just in front of Gorya. You can tell it is deeply ingrained in him and it is also his conscious effort to keep improving himself. In this version, the relationship he has fostered with F4 and Gorya feels much more real and stronger compared to the other versions. Moving on to Gorya, Tu really really suits the role. At first glance, she seems like an average student. Not too pretty, not standing out. However, Gorya's looks and personality will charm you in and it makes you understand why she is so loved by many. In this version, Gorya makes sure she draws the line and doesn't lead someone on when she isn't interested. She sticks by her actions and doesn't waver. She also values those she values as friends and her storyline doesn't just revolve over Thyme. She is herself, steadfast and strong. Furthermore, I really liked how in this version she fitted into the F4 group. It feels like she isn't just Thyme's girlfriend but outside of Thyme, she is also recognised and treated like a sister by the F4.

I can't stress anymore how well the casting was done for this drama. When Dew/Ren appears on screen, it just feels so calm, soothing and serene. Ren is quiet, yet he is observant and kind. You understand why people like Thyme and Gorya gravitate towards him. Once again, in this Thai version, everyone's feeling is respected. When Gorya has feelings for Ren at the beginning, Thyme respected her feelings and did not dismiss them. Similarly, for Ren, he respects the feelings Gorya and Thyme towards one another. In other versions, Ren's feelings for Gorya are very blurred. He always feels like he is threatening to break the bro code and feels like the SML that secretly loves the FL till the end despite her being your best friend's partner. However, for this version. Ren is like a rock that is stable, and trustworthy. He is like the brother you can lean on. He understands Gorya and Thyme, and supports them in their decisions. You can feel that he supports Gorya in every way as a brother who really fights for her happiness with Thyme by allowing her to understand how she really feels. For Kavin/Win, I really liked how his character played out. It is much more logical (the part about his first love) and Win really did well in portraying the flirty yet warm side of Kavin. From the beginning, his relationship with Kaning starts off right, with him treating her as not just another girl but the best friend of Gorya, his friend's partner. I am very impressed with this version of MJ. In the other versions, MJ always felt to me like a shadow of the F4. He doesn't have a strong presence or storyline and always felt to me as a redundant guy just to fill a place in the 'Flower 4'. However, MJ shined in this version. He has a unique charisma and stands out on his own. His strong support for his friends and his love for those around him makes him a very valuable character. Furthermore, I liked the added computing skills of his that allowed him to play a stronger role in the different parts of the show. MJ becomes a strong warm addition that is greatly lacking in previous versions.

I think this review is getting too long but I just want to applaud all the side characters as well! Cindy as Thyme's mum really stole the show for me. Unlike other versions where she is just this big bad crazy evil mother that disregards her child, Roselyn portrayed a mother who really loves her children but used the wrong method. And Cindy really portray this love very well. Furthermore, I also liked the reason that forced Gorya to leave. It depicts how smart Cindy is at controlling people and using people's weaknesses to achieve her goals. The storyline is so good and all the side characters had their own charisma and had significance to the entire show. They were consistent and their presence can be felt throughout the entire 16 episodes. Yes. I'm talking about Thyme's sister Tia. In other versions, the sister appears momentarily. Although she says that she supports Gorya and Thyme's relationship, you don't get to feel much support. However, Tia is different. Tia stands strongly by Thyme and Gorya's side and fights alongside them. You can see that she truly values their relationship and supports them and every way possible.

There is so much more to this version of Boys over Flowers. It is not just about romance, but is a modernised version that uses the opportunity to highlight social issues like bullying and the gap between social classes (Not just the monetary aspect). It also showcases the strong bonds between the characters and the support that you can draw from your friends and family. I cannot stress how much I love this version compared to the others. And I LOVED the Korean and Japanese versions. But for this version, every scene makes me marvel at the details (The message they are trying to bring across, the personality they are trying to show). There are no filler scenes and you can feel the effort and thought that goes into every bit of this drama. Everything and the entire story is so well constructed. They managed to show the disparity between the rich and poor so well without just shoving money in your face. It makes you feel like it is beyond a money issue but it is a whole different world on its own. I'm trying my best to not spoil too much so that everyone can get first-hand experience in this HAHAHAH. BUT WOW.

I really appreciate all the changes that were done to this remake. I have watched many dramas and the remake of many dramas and I have to say this has really topped the charts. I am still so impressed on how they managed to do so much with just 16 episodes. These 16 episodes have been a joy. You know how many dramas start off well and end so shittily that you just feel just frustrated and empty? This drama is consistent till the end and you will enjoy every bit of it till the last second. At the end, you feel satisfied with a smile on your face though and makes you look forward for more. Thank you director, producer, screenwriters, crew, actors and actresses for pulling this work off!! :')

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Rating may depend on if you have already seen the other adaptations of the orginal manga..

If it's your first adaptation of Hana yori dango manga..then...it may be a 7..the story has its flaws, sometimes it is unrealistic, there's a lot of gratuitous and unjustified violence, but the acting is good and, in the end, it is a classic impossible love story between two people belonging to different worlds. The "everything is possible if you hold on and really believe"-feeling is always catchy.

If you have already seen other adaptions as I did (started with Chinese Meteor Garden, passing through Korean Boys over flowers and Japanese Hana yori dango before this one)..well...for me it's a 10..the focus is more on the main couple and their personal struggles, less space given to side stories and therefore less wasted time. Gorya and Thyme are better described and also their thoughts and reasons are better explained. This couple is also the one with the best chemistry and they seem not to be stuck in some simple stereotypical character.
Special mention: Gorya's best friend..finally she has some dignity and, even if she appears a little less than in the other adaptations, she is not a simple naive teenage girl passing by and falling blindly in love for the pretty and rich one.

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Almost Perfect BOF/MG Version

This was the almost perfect Boys Over Flowers/Meteor Garden version I have watched so far. I especially liked that this version is not merely a rich guy poor girl drama, the ending theme of the younger generation seeking social justice humanity above money/material was nicely weaved into the story for the audience. There is no shortage of funny, flirty and emotional moments all spiced up like a truly modern lakorn. Cinematography and locations are beautiful. The entire cast acted spectacularly well. I was surprised almost everyone superbly delivered their crying/emotional scenes. I just wished our ML could be more emotional in his crying scenes but then he was still awesome portraying Thyme overall, can't imagine anyone else for the role. Meteor Garden 2018, even with all it's many flaws, has been my favorite and this version I like as much so now it's a tie for me. This version is shorter than MG2018 so the writers and director had a chance to smoothly condense the story into meaningful episodes which the team did amazingly well. For anyone thinking "oh no, not another BOF/MG", give it a chance, this drama is still a highly recommended watch on my list.

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✨The bestest version of boys over flowers ✨

I know this is a remake....& Most of us know the original story....so what this series make me sit & watch it is , this series unique way of telling the story
That makes us feel that it's a different story...not the one we know
I was not a fan of boys over flowers.... cause i felt that the ml is super toxic & the 2 nd lead did a shitty job by kissing the fl....
Bt in this version..I can see/ feel the difference..
They did a good job by making the ml less toxic, & they are also gaving us explanation on his rude behaviour , the meaning behind the red card etc..
They also made the series focus on cyber bullying which is common now in our society
& Don't make me start on fl.....she is a badass.... stronger & independent than any other versions...
She can really make ml a better person
The 2nd lead couples is so cute ...I wish they will have much screen time to show their story
Other thing that made this version better is...they give importance to each & every character & their chemistry is super.....they will make us sit & watch themm
Whoever made the casting did a good job...coz their visuals & chemistry is 🔥
& The ost?.......I can't believe that f4 has such beautiful vocals...the ost just added the spice the series needed
& I hope next episodes will also be as good as the previous ones
I can't wait 1 whole wk to watch the next ep....its really horrible...the wait😭

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Great story, not the best adaptation

Maybe its my fault for having seen all other adaptations of the story, but I found this one lacking. This story should be a story of love conquering absolutely everything. The universe seems to be against them. Every time a crisis is overcome, another is at the corner. It's desperate, its fated, it's BIG LOVE. And that's exactly what I missed in this one. The feeling of desperation, of having to be together despite the odds. Bright and Tu both give a great performance and Ren is so lovable it's almost a crime. The other F4's MJ and Kavin deserved more story and screen time. It's still a good story, and I liked the pace and the original take on certain topics but it did not really get to me as much as the other adaptations do.

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Best f4 version

This Thai drama caught my eye from the very beginning, it was enough that I just glanced at it. Bullying is an important issue that should be discussed more. The bullying in this series was very harsh and horrible to see someone go through, one thing I paid attention to with the bullying was that they approximately made it truly different from the order adaptions. They showed the reality of bullying, meanwhile, they did not surely put it in the other adaptions.

Thyme is written immaculate, the way he will wait for Gorya is so loveable. You can not miss out on his soft heart for her. In my opinion for instance I did not like the way Dao mang si was written from Meteor garden. I did not like that he always would mess with Shancai, after a while it was just too much. But, in the f4 version, they did not even drag out on the time he was messing with Gorya.

The truth is that I'm so excited for each episode every Saturday, I'm not ready at all for it to end in April. Honestly, this one is one of the few Asian dramas that comforts me.

I don't know how I got this attached to this show, but I do know that I will never let it go. Thanks for the amazing cast and production that has changed me as a person. The cinematography and visuals are appealing and alluring.

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Still I prefer Chinese as well as korean version

I watched all the version of this story except Taiwanese. My first one was Boys over flower and I liked it the most but when I saw Meteor garden I liked it in the same way.
Meteor garden had the same theme of the story but they presented it in a very different way . I felt after watching it that something is missing in Boys over flower which this story had fulfilled . Actually I always wanted to see female lead's friend love story should had a good ending which had shown by Meteor garden.
One more thing I always wanted to see that 2nd male lead also has love partner with the ending of the story. I hope if somebody make the drama once again . That drama has a love story of all F4s .
About this drama as it had less episodes as compared to other version so naturally many scenes which they think were unimportant had not shown that is okay but still I felt many things were missing or I expect more from this drama . That's why I don't like it . I didn't like the acting of female lead ,second one was better than her . The one who played the character of hers friend. Sometime I felt the first male lead was doing overacting. That also spoiled the mood to watch the drama . The only reason I continued to watch this drama because I like the story and what I expect from other versions which had not shown I expect that I would see in this drama but nothing had happened .

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There's enough dated clothes and crazy "acting" in the old versions

(I did give the 2018 version still solid 5.0 so I needed to go even lower, here...) I searched my heart what kind of feeling would describe this version, and perhaps the cultural difference could be only compared to if F4 version was made in Bollywood...? No, that would be FUNNY, at least. This is morelike a LONG product-placement video with models only posing as characters who should be so precious to us.

I seriously think now in 2023 young people should have a better version of HYD to watch to appreciate it. If they don't, then there's enough dated clothes & crazy acting in the old ones...

I wasn't particularly looking forward THAI remake of HYD, and to actually watch it, I did postpone it. It has the typical thai "qualities" that go beyond borders of good taste, straight product advertising put right into the scenes, and cast like Bright Vachirawit in the main role... He looked problematic right from the start, because F4 should be group of FRIENDS, and not something else (maybe 'G4 Thailand'?:), so I expected to find his romance with the main girl not very convincing, given that the viewers should inadvertently expect him to fall into each other's arms with Win Metawin any second... Turned out, that was the least of Bright's problems.

This show looks like an ambitious project. It's GMM25, though. I watched ENOUGH of their shows. I wasn't excited. First minutes, I wondered what was it that was wrong with Bright. Oh, they did try to make his hair "curly". I forgot about that Doumyouji trait. It's (once again) not a good attempt, so I'd wish the producers would forget about it, too. Seeing F4's "cool" clothes, again I got reminded that the source material for this show is indeed pretty old:) The main girl's actress is someone completely new. Her looks fill the requirements. She's supposed to be pretty, yet totally ordinary. First thing her character does, she explains in detail how the the school bullying works. Like a game with rules. I realized these things were never said out loud in any previous HYD adaptations. I mean, we always kinda felt it didn't make much sense but now the show was trying to "logically" explain it, the more it actually stood out, lol. I had to laugh even more, seeing Bright's fur coat. Was he warm enough in thai weather? LOL. Again with the gay reminiscence. There's even Pompam Niti on the cast. Tootsie left, tootsie right... Then again, wasn't it gay to call the boys FLOWER four in the first place? So, the 1st gay reference actually goes all the way back to Japan:)

In the scene where main girl's new school friend bumps into main guy and stains him with her food, I actually thought she did him a favour, lol. She drops some spaghetti on his extremely gay shoes (those were sparkling! seriously) and then no matter what way his character reacted, I was distracted by Bright's weird hair and his weird makeup they made him wear. Look at the photos on 'F4 Thailand' official posters, he's almost unrecognizable on some of them. And I DID think his face had personality. What a disaster. He was super handsome in '2gether' compared to this. And back there I thought he was average looker:) Also, that was BL. Now, isn't it an interesting irony, how are guys in STRAIGHT drama way more groomed than the ones in BL? LOL.

Cindy Bishop appears as the main boy's mother. Wow, what a cast. She won a beauty pageant when she was young but I actually like her better now she got older.

I liked the kick scene. It was great and started warming up to this version. I was like: This old story always works:) So many adaptations. There must be something about the extremes which highten emotions on the war field. It's just a perfect playground for all the drama & romance to blossom... So, at that point, I still looked forward episode 2.

Episode 2, it looked like the significantly different thing would be that the mother is here since day 1. She meets Gorya the first day she enters F4's leader's house! But, she just walks past her and they don't really have any confrontation. Bright keeps wearing bad taste, passed-era clothes that make him look like a clown and his face is still distorted with makeup. His character, called Tham (they write it as Thyme, but that's wrong, that's not what everyone really pronounces) is clearly interested in Gorya, also since day 1. Ren has a weak actor and is not dreamy enough. The mafia bad boy looks too feminine and keeps wearing ponytail. Win Metawin makes me feel uneasy watching him with huge 70s glasses which are somehow supposed to make him big playboy. I thought: I need a big dramatic scene again, soon. Else it's mostly about big feeling of WTF...

Instead, there was a funny scene in which the 1st kiss was stolen, LOL. That was always the awkward bit in all previous versions. I liked how they made fun of that.

Epi 3, I realized Bright's acting was a bit forced. It seems he was really constrained by the big role. When scene didn't have the required atmosphere, it used voiceover to support what it was supposed to convey. Voiceovers are always a sign.

As for the modernization of the story. I get the ubiquitous use of media, but I just didn't believe Tham would be left standing on a square ALONE after he broadcasted the time and place to the whole school. Would NONE of his stalking fangirls come? What's a few hours in the rain to THEM. They'd be camping there.

Epi 4: No matter how "classy" this show tries to appear (it uses black letterboxing like a movie) it cannot escape the cheap waters of the obligatory Oishi tea product placement, right into the main story. After that stumble, the main two had their infamous "first date". Which was more or less an accident. Yet it was immediatelly followed by Tham's friends giving warnings against things getting "too serious"...

Epi 5: Win Metawin as an invincible fighter? Please, just keep him as the spoiled pretty-boy, lady-boy. That's at least partially believable. Bright's "acting" is now really becoming a problem. His facial expression when he is supposed to be angry, depressed, sorry... It kinda always looks like he's grinning. WTF?

He really makes the worst Doumyouji. It's everything from his expressions to his manner of speaking. I did not expect much still I did not expect Bright to be THIS bad. And maybe it's not just Bright. I mentioned that HYD offers so many moments of exciting visuals and dramatic settings, that it might seem it's not possible to make a bad series with such strong source material... But it is. And it might happen, here.

Story here seems to follow the japanese 2005/2007 live action version, which was very short. And if this manages to squeeze both seasons into 16 episodes, it will be even shorter.

Episode 6, there's yet more product placement (or plain advertising, morelike) and there's the double date in zoo. There, among the colorful parrots, first time Tham's clothing fits right into the surroundings:) Perhaps his clothes were also inspired by the 18 years old adaptation. Or was it the 22 years old one from Taiwan? Tu wears a head cap. On today's whole planet, she would need to be teleported to China, the only place that one might still be in fashion. Gunsmile assumes the role of the obnoxious boyfriend, as he takes pride in such roles. Other question is whether he's really good at those. This version, Tesla (seriously, that's supposed to be his nickname... Thailand is lucky it's not siginificant country enough for Tesla's descendants to sue this show:) serves morelike as a mirror to Tham, as his looks & behavior basically copy Tham's. It's like Tham had his chance to see how would be able to withstand his own self.

Bright's spastic "acting" continues...

Funny moment is in episode 8, where Tham moves into a house next to Gorya's, to "experience common domestic life". Him watching boran lakorns on television is something you obviously won't find in other countries versions:D There is Tham's birthday party too, in that episode. Cindy Bishop appears, wearing such a cleveage (and the necklace!) like she should straight go continue as MILF in some adult movie. No matter how striking she is, it occurs to me that she is actually ridiculous in this role. Her age doesn't fit, either. She can pass as Bright's mother, but not as Maria Poonlertlarp's.

Episode 9, I was curious which girl would he grab, as I always found it idiotic when he grabbed the wrong one (previous versions do vary, here) and you can guess if this one picked the good option. Yes, it copies the japanese live action alright. I can't even give the "Story" here high rating, because the writers actually do nothing but compile from all previous versions. Which is actually tiresome since the 2009 korean version, let alone today. I must admit I really am tired. And I honestly don't care whatever happens to those people onscreen. Since episode 1, I didn't see anything I would like, and what DOES get repeated is precisely the stuff I found tiring even in the old verisons. Like, there is the new rich girl who is Tham's fiancee and again the main girl gives her her friendship too easily (and does NOT tell her that she dates Tham... ugh, is she going to get cornered into helping her own rival yet again?). Tham hugs Gorya and says he needs to go and do something important, but Bright's volatile facial expressions make the "emotional" scene look comical. The same goes for their "passive-aggressive-fight" scene, where Gorya is supposed to say to Tham that he'd be actually better off with the other girl. The audience should always note that this was her mistake when she told him that, but this version, Bright Vachirawit makes such faces that I don't really care whether she breaks up with him. Gorya says she's tired. Gee, she's tired? I am tired. I was tired with "the latest" version in 2018 already and I have rated it 5.0 perfect average and that was extremely low considering how much I love HYD (it was like 10th adaptation I watched already). But this time, it looks I might even DROP the latest version...? Or should I keep watching for the sake of the whole scenes dedicated to advertising the KFC box?

Episode 10: I started to feel that I am generous to dedicate my time for this. After all, I don't need to find out the "story", I've seen it like eleven times already. There's not a single good actor on the cast, either. Things get lively again in this episode, and there is a scene in which they almost kill Gorya, because thai never know the right measure. Is this supposed do be rated for the audience 13+ years old? We have this, instead of proper kiss scene, which should be due by now (or at least an attempt of it, like in the korean version, lol).

Epi 11: When they capture Gorya in the famous scene where Doumyouji/Tham is supposed to let himself get hurt in her stead, even there comes a modification and it doesn't make sense. The only thing I appreciated was we could see Tham's redemption over his past victims and we could see that his friends said it right: He was inspired by Gorya. Still, no kiss, we get our eyes polished by the KFC box, yet again.

Episode 12: We still did not get to the anticipated 1st kiss (boy, and when I think of the taiwanese version from 2001!!) , yet we got to the stage when Gorya becomes Tham's "personal maid" (which I always thought exceptionally badtaste and I'm not sure if that even was in the original manga) and then Win Metawin and his mega-lips actually beats the main couple to it. Sad, tragic... Now I know, why I was uneasy about his cast from the beginning, LOL.

Episode 13, it seems they can no longer put it off. We get to the same dated side-story about a sunrise on a rooftop & Cindy Bishop returns. Also, KFC box returns. Yay. Tham & Gorya kiss hispanic telenovela style ("Make it big! Make it big!" - yelled the director in the background:) Gee, only 3 episodes left, now.

Episode 14: Tham tries to act like a grown-up: Big LOL. We can see him in office, wearing black tuxedo with sparkles on it (seriously), all this because his mother showed Gorya some cancer pictures which looked like printed from the internet. We watch him having a conversation about his personality change with his sister, which was a scene I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Apart from his clothes, Tham seems to be standing in front of a wall covered with pussy pictograms (known in some countries:) Did they try so hard to communicate THIS to the audience?, LMAO. There's more bad acting from Bright Vachirawit... So, if I laughed at the "wrong" places, you understand my boredom, after all I watched this story more than 10 times already (though, without the KFC box), so forgive me.

Epi 15: Yawn. Still not the final? Without caring much whether Tham stays in his vagina-symbol covered office or leaves it to find Gorya, I'd like to nominate the box from KFC as an alternate F4 member. Still less boring and better acting than most of them . You do understand how I fastforwarded through the whole episode to finally get to KFC scene!

As for the final, I can say positive things about it, like it did come fast enough to spare us more episodes and the obligatory amnesia arch... Oops, not really. They "modernized" that too... With "great" performance on top (our handsome boy Bright tries hard to yell on the top of his lungs to compensate for the acting... after all, at that point of the story Tham is no longer just thick, but actually brain damaged). But, it was just one final hour and then it was over (I still wanted to fastforward all the lame product-placement, or Bright's "english") and I was done with watching and listening, up to the last "wise voiceover" which felt like a chore. You can try and guess whether the "magic" of the LAST SCENE did get broken by yet another blunt KFC advertisement, or had thai tv shown a bit of restraint for ONCE? lol.

OVERALL, this didn't have any rewatch value with moments when would my heart stop. Ending of the 1st episode was closest to it, but this adaptation didn't manage to fully bring it on. So, it might serve just as a starting point for the people who did not know F4, yet. When we're at it, to call the drama bluntly "F4 Thailand" perhaps speaks about it best. But it's NOT enough success that they did film it, that they manage to adapt it in their language & environment, that they manage to "modernize" it and done it: In fact if you decide to get acquainted with the original story, you need to be prepared for the fact it IS dated and that's a part of it's "charm". Flaws or not, watching it should be an experience that somethat stays with you. Not another binge-watch that makes you log on social media to comment and order KFC box. I won't give it significantly low Overall rating because after all, it does have good enough production value and stuff. It's actually MEH more than anything else. Looking back, it's actually the same word I used last time (2018)... I'm afraid time will come at some point when the endless remaking has to stop. If we keep at it for more 100 years, making "less toxic", and then even less toxic version, we'll totally forget what it was actually about. It IS a story of a certain era... Like, you might consider watching an actual old movie, to understand old movies, right?

For all the people gushing about this being the best version. During this review, I also compared this version to this or that. One version was left aside, though. The 1996 ANIME version. Yes, it's animated. It's cartoon. Yet it's the most flesh out, most raw... You might be struggling through watching it, but in the end of the day, that one really is the truest version, the funniest, the sexiest, the most deep... And in the very end, the best version. And you go watch it if you don't believe me. You will believe. It's an amazing experience and a SURPRISE even after a person watched other versions with live acting and got totally obsessed with THEM, in the end most people admit that anime version was the best. So, the viewers who haven't yet watched: You still have something good to look forward to;-))

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I Didn't Want To Like It But I Do

As the headline states, I didn't want to like this show. The show- and the character Thyme- goes a bit far with physical violence -though he only raises his hand once at the main character without actually hitting her- and I would implore anyone in a relationship like this to leave it immediate. I feel the need to say that as I know a lot of the fans of shows like this are teens who could get the wrong idea.

Still... The actors, the plot and the humor stole my heart. I'm completely fixated on this series. I typically only watch BL but this show is so electric. Even while I question the need or even the morality of creating stories like this while abusive relationships are so prominent in the real world, I must admit that this series is addictive. I suppose as long as one is capable of criticizing the media they consume, it should be fine. I just implore any young woman or man watching this to do that.

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I haven't seen the other versions but I don't think I will now.

I haven't seen other versions except for the first few eps of Meteor Garden, but I can already say this is the best. I think the other versions will really dissapoint after this, because it is the most annoyance-free drama I have ever seen - and that is not easy with a story like this one. Like the story just flows so smoothly, plus its kind of changed up so the new outlook on things is the cherry on top we needed, the characters have great morals, not a single one is annoying its like you can understand them all. The ACTING!! 10/10 no doubt about it, especially when its not usually the case with high school romances. Im totally digging the bromance, all members of F4 are given good screen time unlike in meteor garden imo. Also, I keep replaying the OST all day long!!! Its that good and you can't get bored of it and when it starts playing at the cliffhanger it gives me chills for real. Now I regret watching it when its airing cuz I simply can't wait for the next eps.

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Amazing so far

I'm reviewing this from the perspective of someone who have watch the 2018 Meteor Garden and Boys Over Flower and read the Original Manga Hana Yori Dango.

I like the cinematography of F4 Thailand ALOT. As someone who work in the field of cinematography, I can tell the director put a lot of effort to condense all the details into each scenes in each episodes. Unlike the 2018 meteor garden that has 40 plus episodes, this one only has 16.

The wardrobe choice is amazing, they use branded clothing in a lot of the scene and i love it because that's how the F4 dress in Hana Yori Dango. Flashy and stylish. It's also realistic to me since i'm used to seeing real life Thai conglomerate's son and daughters dress in real life and in social media, these days they use exactly how Thyme and the other f4 dress lol. The flashy Balenciaga jacket, Louis Vuitton outfit, the fancy cars etc In my opinion it really suits the characters. I prefer the wardrobe of the F4 thailand than 2018 Meteor Garden. Not to mention i love that the setting is in highschool and the others use uniform. It really is like Hana Yori Dango! Unlike the 2018 meteor garden that uses the university setting, i prefer the highschool setting because i love when movie adaptation don't change the important aspects such as the settings of the original plot . (highschool/uni) it really is a point plus for me.

I like Gorya's character more than Shanchai of 2018 Meteor garden. Gorya's character is the perfect balance of smart, independent, nice and she doesn't look dumb. And the way the episodes goes you can see Gorya's feelings for Thyme develop so it's more realistic if in the end she likes Thyme. Shanchai on the other hand always seems to dislike Dao Ming Si and she's always rejecting his advances and overall didn't look like she's into him in general lol and it took so many episodes and draggy plot for her to finally seems to be into Dao Ming Si? Even now I forgot which episodes in the 2018 Meteor Graden where Shanchai actually make the first move for Dao Min Si or is willing to receive his advances. Is there even any? hmm. In the same plot and scenes, Gorya and Shanchai both gives different reaction, and for me Gorya's reaction is the best because she's actually seems to be into the male lead which is Thyme. And it's so refreshing to watch. I didn't have the feeling of "I feel so bad for ML because FL keeps rejecting him" that I had when I watch 2018 Meteor Garden.

Thyme was acted by the actor really great so far. I've never watch Bright before, this was my first time. I think his acting skill is nice, It was shocking to see reviews that say his acting is bad? It shows that people really does have different opinion. I thought the actor of Thyme really was good at expressing his facial emotions to show his feelings. The characters of Thyme is better in this version than Dao Ming Si or Gu Jun Pyo. Dao Ming Si threw food at Shanchai's face and Gu Jun Pyo and Domyouji Tsukasa in the manga ordered boys to as*ault the female lead and I'm glad they didn't add those in this adaptation. It's 2022 I'm glad they figured those shouldn't be romanticized. Oh and I love in episode 5 Thyme said to Hana the only person she should love is herself. Yasssss. We love self love campaign <3 That's my favorite part, thank you for including that! That's so thoughtful. Always remember to Love yourself first! I like Dao Ming Si alot, I thought Dylan wang was handsome and cute and played Dao Ming Si well. Bright also did a great job. I like both. Lee Min Ho also was really good and i remembered I like his acting as Gu jun pyo back then when I watch it years ago. So yeah there's no one i like best, i like them all. they're all attractive in different ways.

Love the mixture of romance and comedy, there was many scenes that i thought funny. Btw i love how Thyme is such a big softie and very soft to Gorya at alot of times. Like in episode 5 where Gorya was sleeping in his lap and he spoke "Gorya" so soft and sweet to ask her to be his gf and when their lips almost touch while Thyme wanted to turn off the lamp and Gorya shifted and Thyme GASPED and was so shy about it, it's so cute AHAHAHA. He's like such a giant tall baby who is actually a hopeless romantic and is such a SIMP? Lol he have so many simp moments i find so dang adorable. I just love mean looking ML who turns out to be a simp to the FL character.

And btw It's funny for me when i see reviews that the plot is cliche, like this is literally an adaptation of a manga that was published in the 90's that has alot of adaptation already and the plot basically follows the original plot lol so idk what they expect. As a Hana Yori Dango fan who have read the manga from yearsss ago, when I am about to watch it's adaptation, I am expecting it to be like the Hana Yori Dango manga which is it is what it is, cliche plot or whatever. But that's what I'm expecting though. If i wanted an original plot drama i dont think i would be watching Hana Yori Dango's 23478287742thh adaptation? lol

Anyway the F4 cast is very good looking and tall, it really is like the manga. I like it.

Love the hairstyle of the F4 too. they all have different hairstyle. Love MJ's side trim alot and that ponytail. He looks cool.

Oh and i love how this adaptation is modern and just like real life. there's twitter, instagram and they use instagram story, instagram story close friend etc lol .

and i thought the scene in episdoe 5 where they search about hanna's past and there was her old school information and stuff and there was like her paren'ts name and the details like she's from the us and stuff, basically in the sheet was all the info and how she change her name in the new sheet is so well done. Oh and btw i also noticed the little detail like how Hana gave little Thyme cookies and there was his name in the cookies and even CAT SHAPE COOKIES because thyme has cat named DANGO (love the reference) like i said yall i can tell the director put alot of thoughts in the little detail.

And i love how they make hana like an obsessive sasaeng fans alot because it justify her action and made it more realistic at least in my opinion. Because in the 2018 meteor garden version, i forgot the name of the character that was shanchai's bestfriend in the uni, but basically she liked dao ming si but there was no backstory to it. Meanwhile I know in the original manga, Makino's bestfriend was childhood classmate with the F4 and she had surgery in germany to become prettier after she was rejected by Domyouji. So you see the Thailand version is more like the original manga and i love that! I didn't like how the 2018 meteor garden didn't include that lol. I think 2018 meteor garden change so much important scene like how they change the red card to the joker card and made the card game thing. Lol

I think 2018 meteor garden was tryna omit the bullying cuz it's the modern era now and we know those things shouldn't be normalized but since the original manga has those, i prefer the thai version. and tbh bullying is still happening these days and it shouldn't be normalized but it's nice to see that Gorya is trying to put an end to it by doing what she did. So i feel like the thai version isnt normalizing the bullying but rather raising awareness on this bullying issue that i still happening in many school around the world. And i really see that there is alot of moral lesson put in the F4 thailand so kuddos to the director! hope to see more moral lessons in the next episodes.

And btw i love how helpful Kaning is. She's a nice bestfriend who helps FL alot. In the 2018 meteor garden shanchai's bestfriend was useless in many scenes and even in one episodes shanchai almost died because of her, she was like having fun with one of the f4 who is linked with her. lol
i prefer the FL's bestfriend in the F4 thailand basically

Btw it can be seen like I dislike the 2018 meteor garden but that's not true, i enjoyed watching it but i just prefer F4 thailand for now. But i need to compare it to 2018 meteor garden to show why I think the f4 thailand is better in my opinion

Very excited to see more episodes from F4 Thailand

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