Flower Boy Next Door (2013)

I really thought I would like this more than I did. Enrique is definitely one of the better male leads out there, especially for fans of beta puppy characters and the friends-to-lovers banter, and I think his character was probably the most layered in this drama. Good, because I found the second lead almost unbearably annoying.

Ultimately, though, I felt like the plot could have been more. The drama did a good job being subtle with all of the character's backstories, except for GDM's. I don't have an issue with that; in fact, I liked that we got flashbacks that gradually showed us what things were going on. But I felt very unsatisfied with the way they had everything play out. The conversations to explain things all seemed very vague and abstract, and she never said everything I wanted her to.

I felt like the side characters could be fleshed out more as well. The other flower boys also didn't get as much backstory as I wanted — think Shut Up Flower Boy Band, another drama in the Flower series that actually handled the family issues and friendship subplots really well for other characters.

The end of this drama also dipped a little. I felt like it started out very strongly, with a focus on GDM and her seclusion and about how characters grew individually, together. And then they started hitting us with noble idiocy and hurting each other and all the "romance" tropes and external factors to keep our main ship apart...and I just sort of stopped loving it.

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Hours of watching a depressed person

This show irritated me on so many levels! The story was so simplistic, which in and of itself wasn't a problem, but there was SO MUCH TIME of watching the main couple walking around, her being depressed, him trying to cheer her up. I didn't have problems with the actors (though Park Shin Hye does tend to stick with the doe-eyed somewhat unhappy girl), but the characters were so tremendously irritating!
The character of Go Dok Mi is a recluse as a result of something in her past, WAY in her past. She seemed to be someone that wallowed in her misery, so it was hard to like her or root for her. She seriously should have sought counseling. Throughout the whole show, I felt like I was watching Eeyore whenever she was on screen. I was starting to feel like I needed to take antidepressants.
The character of Enrique Geum - I didn't like him at all. He was hyper, extremely immature, pouty, talked fast and yelled a lot. I never was able to warm up to him, even up to the end.
The character of Oh Jin Rok - I loved this character and he was the saving grace for this drama, as far as I was concerned. Deep, quiet, abiding love. Always wanting Dok Mi to be happy. He was the maturity that this show needed.
All of the women side characters were awful and were typical trope-filled caricatures - evil, manipulative, lying, bullying.

I felt there was no chemistry between the leads. She was too cold, her was too immature. Sure, he finally got her out of her apartment, but I didn't feel them growing toward one another, or even in their separate lives. Two kisses, one really staged, the one at the end was better.

The time jump, that apparently has to be in EVERY Asian drama, was poorly handled. In this day of cell phones and air travel, him being gone for over a year made no sense, especially since they both had jobs where they could literally work anywhere.

So, this one is a definite NO on the rewatch list for me!

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Boring (Plot? What plot?)

I was really excited to watch this drama because of the plot and Park Shin Hye, but after watching 11 episodes, I wish I would've dropped it sooner. I'm quite disappointed in this show; I really thought I would like it, and tried to finish it, hoping it would get better, but it never did.

Despite almost finishing the drama, Go Dok Mi had zero character development and was incredibly frustrating. The love interests annoying (Enrique) and borderline stalker-ish (Oh Jin Rak). There’s no chemistry whatsoever with either of the main leads, so the romance didn’t interest me from the start.

The pacing is slow, the plot unclear, and the characters are bland and flat. Every episode seems to drag on, and despite the amount of characters and scenes, nothing seems to happen. I thought it would be a comedy, but it honestly doesn't seem that way. The plot is all over the place, switching from story to story, and so many different couples, all while Go Dok Mi does nothing except mope around and avoid people--I get it, anxiety is no joke, but seriously? The same attitude for 11 episodes? It gets old really quickly. The only decent part about this drama is the casting, and even then their characters are terrible (not the actors’ fault).

Overall, if you're looking for an entertaining romcom to watch, this might not be the one for you. It certainly wasn’t for me.

PS. I tried to finish the drama via recaps, but even then it was so so boring and slow.

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I found this drama boring??? I even need to search what genre this drama is to know what kind of drama it is. Comedy? I don't find it that funny. Romance? I can't even feel the chemistry between the two main characters/couples. The actors and the actresses are great but the characters that they play are a little bit awkward.?? I'll just rate it
3/10. I don't found this drama entertaining . I even skipped some parts because I'm somewhat bored of the scenes. The only thing you can look forward in this drama are the people who played the characters (Yoon Siyoon, Ko gyungpyo, and even Kouki Mizuta). That's it.

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Updated Review 2024:

I no longer know what year it was the first time I watched this drama. I only know that I was enamored with it the first time I watched it, and I am decidedly Not enamored with it anymore. In fact, this is the only drama I've rewatched so far that I've been really disappointed by. (Which does make me feel rather good about myself since I've mainly rewatched dramas I loved the first time, so it's nice to be reminded that I have good taste, lol.)

Contrary to what probably a lot of other drama viewers think of this female lead, I love everything about Go Dok Mi. I relate to her struggle of connecting with the outside world, I relate to the way she carries herself, I relate to the way she communicates, I relate to her intense anxiety in social situations and her desire to hide. There's nothing I dislike about her. Sadly, I think it was my deep connection to the female lead that blinded me to the drama's otherwise serious flaws in my first viewing.

Firstly, there is no romance between the leads. Unless you count the male lead pestering the female lead and repeatedly stepping over her boundaries and being generally annoying. Enrique is a hyperactive man-child, and it is not attractive. He acts like he's 7 years old, bulldozes his way over everyone, and that's literally his entire character. I understand what the writers were going for. They were trying to write a male lead who would push the female lead into getting back out there instead of hiding in fear. They just did not succeed. The romance is simply 'They like each other now.' No discernible story reason, just the writer said so.

It's decidedly unromantic.

This brings me to the second male lead, Jin Rak. Poor, sweet Jin Rak who would have been a Much better male lead. Yes, his method of helping the female lead is ineffective, and his way of connecting with her is misguided in some respects, but you can see his heart behind everything he does. The daily post it notes are incredibly lovely and romantic, and you just know he wants the best for her. His problem is he doesn't know how to help her, and that's probably because of his own insecurity.

In my perfect drama world, Enrique would have floated down like a fairy godmother/matchmaker/cupid and worked his magic to gently but firmly guide Dok Mi and Jin Rak together, pushing Jin Rak to be a more active pursuer and coaxing Dok Mi out of her comfort zone so she could face her past and really live her life. What a lovely drama that would have made.

Tied with Enrique for the worst character of the drama is Do Hwi. Do Hwi is the epitome of the evil second female lead that so many Kdrama's of this era had, only she's one of the worst offenders of this trope (if not The worst). Her entire personality is 'I treat Dok Mi like dirt and chase Jin Rak around despite his obvious disinterest in me, because I just Can't. Let. Anything. Go.' The actress does an admirable job with what she's given, so you really can't hate her performance. It's just that the character itself should have either been thrown in the drama-writer trashcan, given some kind of real redemption or come-uppance arch, or turned into butt-of-the-joke comic relief. Those are the only ways to make this character not insufferable.

And the writers chose none of them.

One bright spot of this drama is the comedically adorable romance between the webtoon manager and Dong Hoon. I've been a Kim Seul Gi fan for ages (I think this is the project that put her on the map for me), and she's fabulous here. She's aggressive in the most hilarious way, and her machinations to ensnare Dong Hoon are amazing. I'm literally taking notes, lol.

Something interesting about rewatching Flower Boy Next Door is that I wrote down a lot of quotes (all by the female lead). I connected with the drama's themes of isolation, insecurity, anxiety, distrust. But the drama's execution was so incredibly disappointing, and that makes me sad. Dok Mi and Jin Rak deserved better.

(I'm trying to get my hands on the original webtoon, because I feel like I will really love it, but it's nigh impossible to find.)


Old Review:

Loved it immensely, despite its flaws. Felt a very deep connection with the female lead and her struggle to connect with the outside world. Even though she does not have a mental illness, this drama perfectly portrays the internal turmoil those with mental illness (including myself) deal with.

Was desperate for an Enrique of my own by the end.

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I haven't finished this drama yet. I watched it because I saw many good reviews about this, and I saw a teaser which was fun to watch. Personally I didn't like it...I watched up to episode 4, but stopped, my reasons are:
(WARNING: May contain spoilers)

Park Shin Hye terrible acting/ character
This drama is kinda old and her acting has definitely improved a lot! When I was watching it tho I always cringed at PSH, sometimes idrk if it's because of her naive shy vulnerable character or because it's her acting...
Her character is really annoying, it's so stupid and has no confidence what so ever, she needs to talk! I understand that it's because of her past bullying, but I can't deal with it anymore :(

The plot is confusing and not in depth
I don't get PSH character, maybe with more episodes I can understand her character better.
How did Oh Jin Rok fall for PSH from watching her pick up rubbish, I find that really stupid

Sorry for bad grammar.

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