I get the appeal to this show, it's filled with all the typical romantic tropes exaggerated to the extreme, and the love always feels like it's on the cusp of becoming something beautiful. So if you find it easy to fall into stories, then maybe you'll love this one.

If you happen to be like me and enjoy watching shows with substance, then here's your warning. The writing is messy, and questionable at best. The motivations for certain character's actions feel flimsy at best most times, and really there's no way to excuse the severe bullying that goes on, particularly through the earlier portions of this show. The leading man seems to have absolutely no redeeming qualities, other than the fact that he has uncanny timing and luck on his side every time the heroine is in need of some help.

I'm not entirely sure WHY the main couple ends up together. The guy is obsessive, possessive, inconsiderate, rude, arrogant, and apathetic, and he has one of the worlds largest superiority complexes. The girl is irrational, and almost as entitled as the guy is, and neither of the characters really improve, or change for the better, their relationship is just as rocky and selfish as they both are so it doesn't really make sense, and it's hard for me to even see WHERE their chemistry is, especially when he was literally abusing her in the first few episodes.

The second male lead is only slightly better, but still pretty bad. His indecision and general vagueness seem to do more emotional harm than good, and the only thing that actually makes him a nicer person than the lead is that he has a slightly better grasp at socializing with other people, and that he doesn't go out of his way to be mean, which is a pretty low bar. He still doesn't seem to have too many qualms about watching his friends literally ruin people's lives and mental health to the point where a kid genuinely tries to kill himself.

Asides from the overall awful characterization and forced romance, the plot is... Not good. The trips to other places are so random and only exist to create trenches in the plot for the heroine to fall into so that the leading man can go find a way to save her life. The pacing is all out of sorts, with some plots lingering for much longer than necessary, and other sections being sped up at ridiculously unbelievable paces that make the drama aspects of the show much more dramatic than the writers probably intended, which I mean, at least it makes them funny.

If possible, try not to re-watch the show. I watched it a long time ago and remembered disliking it, but my best friend loves it so I gave it another try and it was much more awful than I remembered. The boys are beyond mean, the plot is messy, the romance is questionable, and everything really comes to light when you re-watch it.

The show's saving grace is probably the actors, who did the best with what they were given. Sometimes it was hard to find their performances convincing, but it was more the fault of the writing than the actors, and they really helped add some depth to otherwise very 2D characters, and very shallow plot. The theme song is also a solid bop, probably the flag anthem for KDramas.

Overall, it's probably a great drama for people who watch dramas to watch some dramatic fairytale, but for those who are looking for a strong plot, a good romance, stable characterization and a fun time. I'd stay away from Boys Over Flowers. If you're not mad at the characters by mid-way through the second episode, then kudos to you.