Meteor Garden (2018)

I have yet to find a non-historical C-drama that keeps me on the edge of seat as the wuxia-based ones, and Meteor Garden is no exception. That said, (and others will disagree with me) I liked it better than Boys Over Flowers which I could not finish. I believe (not quite sure) that the story is based on the Japanese story (who have their own version) called Hana Yori Dango and I plan to watch that one in the future. After completing the show, I took a week before writing the review, to ensure I looked at it with impartial eyes (no emotion involved here, folks).

STORY:
Shan Cai, fabulously done by Shen Yue, comes from a poor family and is able to attend a prestigious university. Unfortunately for her, she has a run in with F4, a group of the richest most popular boys on campus. Hijinks ensue. The leader of F4, Dao Ming Si, played very nicely by Dylan Wang, decides that Shan Cai deserves a smack down and begins plotting against her and (no surprise here) he falls in love with her by episode 5. Don’t worry….its not that easy. She doesn’t want anything to do with the bully and when she finally does, his mother protests and not in a good way and all of that unfolds over the next 44 episodes.

The story does touch on some touchy but not unwelcome subjects such as bullying, sexual harassment, anger management, and emotional immaturity. Where I thought this show excelled was addressing these subjects without making anyone out to be an evil villain….after all that’s reality right? Humans are fallible, and this show illustrates that very well. Like many c-dramas, the middle dragged (I admit I skipped about 5 episodes) but it picked right back up and became more engaging.

CHARACTERS:
Truth be told, I hated the two main characters until sometime around episode thirty-something (ok. I hated Shan Cai longer than I hated Si). That said, the characters were really well flushed out….because they made me feel something the entire show, even if it was loathing. These two leads were the most immature characters in the entire show and that is why it worked. It was almost as if all the other characters were a crucible to forge Shan Cai and Si into better human beings.

There was a sweet story-line between Shan Cai and Hua Ze Lei, well done by Darren Chen, Si’s best friend and another member of F4. He is the second male lead and a calming presence on the screen when Shan Cai and Si get overly emotional (and they do…a lot). I know it was intended to be a love triangle, but it was well done and entertaining as well as touching.

The best character, BY FAR, in the show was Dao Ming Zhuang played by Dee Hsu. She brought the real emotion to the scenes whether it be tears or laughter, she had me riveted….and yes, I wish they had used her more. The rest of the characters were well flushed out and less volatile than the two leads (it was a relief). Dae Ming Feng is another villain that the writers wanted me to like in the end….sorry, didn’t work for me.

MUSIC:
Last night I downloaded the River song used in the show….love it (It’s the Bishop Briggs version). The songs were mainly sung by the members of F4 and they were catchy and not annoying, but I didn’t download them. Thankfully, the music added to the scenes.

RECAP:
Meteor Garden is worth watching but don’t expect a binge worthy show that leaves you all white knuckled and out of breath. The actors all did so well, I am looking for other shows they are in. The entire 49 episodes were entertaining although, I might need someone to explain the last episode. It almost felt like a hallucination.

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Better than BOF, but crappy ending

I had watched Boys Over Flowers before this—but none of the other versions, and right off the bat I knew I was going to like this better. ALL the characters were more likable, and that even includes FL's parents.

Of course, there were some things that were so ridiculous—like the parts where a bridge/poker game determined who got to stay in school—but there were dumb scenes in the original story, so I guess I had to let that go.

Compared to BOF, I felt like everything was more dimmed down, from the scariness of the mother to the social situation in school. I liked this, as it definitely felt more realistic.

Meteor Garden does suffer from something a lot of Chinese dramas seem to suffer from—the inability to focus on multiple plotlines at the same time. For the side characters, it felt like we were learning about one ship, and then moving on to another one after it had been wrapped up. Also, I didn't give a crap about Terence.

Sadly, the last few episodes of this show were just kind of a mess. Random drama was added in at the end, there was a sudden musical number, and I was so confused and disappointed that that was the ending we were going to get. Either way, I still quite enjoyed watching this.

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You will love it or drop it

This was one of the first non English dramas I've ever watched, and I've watched quite a few since then, so I thought that now would be a very good time to write a review. I cannot lie and say this is an amazing, brilliantly written drama - because it's not - it's filled with plot holes, frustrating situations, overly dramatic reactions and a weird soundtrack. The acting itself often leaves a lot to be desired - but you can really tell, for a mostly inexperienced cast - they really tried and they poured their hearts into this. The chemistry between two leads is really amazing, I've watched this drama over nine months ago and I still deeply care for them. The plot is mostly one chliché situation after another - so it's like watching a bunch of netflix movies one after the other, and sometimes that's just what a girl, or boy (but mostly girl) - needs.

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HONEST THOUGHTS / OBSERVATIONS ON METEOR GARDEN 2018

• TOO LONG & MESSY FLOW OF THE STORY
(They added so many scenes that felt so "unnecessary" and "draggy.” To be honest, they also tend to add scenes parallel from the other versions but the way they included them felt like as if those scenes were randomly placed/patched along the way just so they can say "hey, we all have these scenes!”, which in hindsight, basically loses its specialty.)

• DEPTH OF THE EMOTIONAL SCENES WERE LACKING AND NOT CONSISTENT AT ALL (The way they executed the “bittersweetness" and "two worlds apart" feels of the main leads’ star-crossed relationship/love story in this version were definitely lacking of angst & substance, and were kinda forced at some parts that I wasn't completely impressed and did not felt the impact of those scenes either!)

• It lost some important elements of the manga like if F4 were already responsible/role model students in this version then where will their "character growth & redemption arcs" take place??? Also, if they introduce them like ~that~ then, the next thing they're assholes...isn't it like back to square one???? It's confusing...

• The character sketch of Dao Ming Si 100% failed to give me the “more than meets the eye” element I’m searching for! What’s more to him? And how will the portrayer convince me to make his character provoking, interesting and endearing at the same time?

• I honestly did not see nor feel the "weed power" of the female lead here. The realistic but not over-the-top toughness in her personality is lacking.

• Acting is SO-SO. It wasn’t convincing enough.

• The friendship between Shancai and F4 in this version also felt like a two divide rather than as a whole.

• The wedding scene execution looks weird, confusing and above all, RUSHED!
(I really don’t understand the sense of Dao Ming Si’s sister suddenly popping out of nowhere to dance and then saying that it’s only F3 that she got to summon with her powers??? I was like “What is this very corny situation happening here?” Still can’t forget the second-hand embarrassment I got while watching that part! // I mean, where is the romantic, magical and sacred feeling of their marriage execution? The aisle walking happened so fast, there’s no exchanging of rings and no wedding vows!)

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I have to admit I was drawn into this series for two reasons:
1) Dylan Wang is super handsome, and I couldn't escape the millions of gifs of this show while scrolling my Tumblr feed. 2) It's on Netflix.

I didn't watch the original Meteor Garden - it seems like most people have. I had no real intro to the series at all, other than the fact that I knew it was a remake. I went in completely blank slate.

First episode, off the hop, the show came off as well produced, however, was /reaaaaally/ dramatic. The music, the shots, the scenes came off as cheesy and a bit overdone. The whole F4 concept is a bit cool, but I was disappointed with the dynamic that the other three members had with DMS. The three other members are calm and collected and mature, but seem to just "follow" Dao Ming Si, despite him being immature, hot headed, and problematic.

I love drama and I love cheesy sometimes, so I kept watching. The rship between Shancai and DMS seemed to drag on foreeeeeeever to get to the point they were at by half way through the 50 episodes, and I have to say, it was getting really old. Lol. Shancai became soooo annoying by that point, because of how much she "didn't like" DMS, despite obviously liking him. It was frustrating to watch her so far into her relationship with him and still acting as though he was insufferable and the bane of her existence, right up to the point they get married. Like god damn, woman, just admit it and get on with your life, it ain't cute anymore (it only really was for like 4 episodes tbh).

I think this show dragged on way too much, and some of the story lines had me wanting to skip through them (I didn't, but I was close.) For example, Xiao You and Ximen - their whole tale became really hard to keep watching, just because of how slow it dragged on, and how shallow the story between them was. The ex-girlfriend with the short hair (can't remember her name) had way more chemistry with Ximen than Xiao You did, and their story was a lot more believable.

All in all, I think the scenes were beautiful, the cast was beautiful, the clothes, the cars, the sets, the shots, everything was done top quality and it showed. I just think it really dragged on for quite a long time and I was left feeling like everything was rushed at the end, even though it had built up soooo long. Their wedding didn't really even seem planned at all, it just sort of happened? She like had a dream and then woke up there? Lol? Also, DMS's mom just had an entire change of heart and became a COMPLETELY different person after 1 day? Nah, not believable. She was good at her role, being the wicked, vain, cut throat, intelligent, and powerful CEO mother from hell, but despite being set in her ways her whole life, she suddenly is able to change overnight?

I'd recommend watching this, but then again, I probably wouldn't re-watch it. It was a good show though for the most part.

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Before reading this, I think I should say that I have never watched the other adaptations (Boys Over Flowers) nor the original (Hana Yori Dango), this is the first time I watch this story (I watched some parodies though).

At first, I always sided with the FL because everything seemed to go wrong with her life, but I grew to not really like her as much as I continued watching, mainly because of the choices she made. I also think that some of the things the ML did were forgiven too easily. It was actually pretty hard to choose a favorite character. They all seemed too uninteresting or (stereo)typical, but with time, I grew to like the second lead (as I had predicted) and the other two guys when they are in good friend mode.

Regarding the story... Well, it's very clichéd. In my opinion, they should have made it shorter. Half of the time I wondered: 'Is it really necessary to put these scenes?' or 'What the heck is happening?' And towards the middle of the series, I actually got bored and took my time to continue watching (normally I binge watch series, but with this one, I couldn't).

All in all, it was decent and good to kill some time, don't really recommend it, but if you are interested, I think you should watch it and form your own opinion.

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After episode 26 it was the biggest waste of my time!

Do I really want to waste any more time on this drama? No, but I want to be able to look back and remind myself why I didn’t enjoy it so much. Don’t get me wrong, the first half of this drama I actually did enjoy (except for the parts where Daoming Si was physically and emotionally awful toward Shancai), however once I made it past episode 26 it took me FOR EVER to watch it! I literally started this drama four months ago, and you may think, ‘why did you continue watching it?’ Well, simply put, I had already watched more than half and I am not a quitter so I couldn’t just drop it and not see where it went. But MY GOD, the second half of this show was literally a Chinese soap opera, which is not really what I signed up for. From episode 26 onwards (around that mark) it began focusing on all of these other side characters who I did not care for and they were really uninteresting. Honestly, the leads were uninteresting too, but at the time I started it I didn’t mind just watching a show that didn’t require much focus. I should have known that with 49 episodes would come something other than the main characters, but I just feel like the main characters were forgotten for a bit and then picked up again towards the end.

I can’t fathom the amount of times I watched Daoming Si and Shancai fight or break-up. It was the same thing over and over again. I don’t even know how their love bloomed when Daoming Si was physically abusive towards Shancai and even threw stuff at her face. How does one then follow through a relationship with that kind of person?

In the last two episodes I was confused - I honestly thought for a good minute that Shancai was dreaming all of that wedding stuff. It’s probably because I was so uninvested by that point that I had no clue what was real and what wasn’t.

The acting was questionable and at times didn’t seem believable and felt really fake and ‘put on.’ It almost felt like a stage production with some of the exaggerated looks that were given.

The soundtrack drived me up the wall! If someone is going to make a long ass show, then please put more than 5 of the same songs in! Ugh!

It’s safe to say that I will never be watching this again, and I cannot wait to start a new drama that isn’t as long! (Note to self: don’t ever watch a really long drama again!)

-E

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Cliche after Cliche

My main problem with this drama is that I didn't feel any chemistry between the main actors. The story I was drawn to most was Connor Leong's acting as Meizuo. Maybe the Casablanca-name-drop and story vibes, along with using As Time Goes By motif hit my soft spot. I felt that the cliche's between the 4 boys in F4 and each relationship was dragged out and didn't blend very nicely with the main plotline between Shancai and Daoming Si. The writers gave up at the end and I almost couldn't finish watching because of how much I hated what was going on in the last couple episodes.

The length of the drama made each obstacle the main characters went through from touching to can-you-get-this-over-with. It was the same circle of repetitiveness and cliches. The soundtrack did a great job matching with the mood of the drama, but I really didn't see a justification of them using River so much. I sped through many parts just because of how predictable each part became.

I do have a problem with Dylan Wang's acting, and you can come at me. Every part he had to show emotion, I didn't feel anything except awkwardness. Of course he's a young actor and has room to improve, but I wish I saw a little more push for emotion.

My last personal opinion and problem with this drama, among many others, is Dong Shancai. Like, the name. I know you can come at my review for "flawed logic", "logical fallacy" but I just don't like it. Who names their kid after a plant, and mostly, a weed? It's so unpoetic and choppy. It's that simple: I. Hate. Dong. Shancai's. Name.

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Cringe

First of all I would like to say that I have not seen the previous adaptations of this and I knew very little about the story beforehand.

Story:
The backbone of this is the typical popular/rich/smart guy who falls for the unpopular girl. It also happens that he has a crazy and overbearing mother who of course doesnt like our FL because she is poor and she has nothing to ''offer'' the ML. I have watched and enjoyed many of this kind of dramas but this was not one of them.
Most of the drama is just cringe. There is not other word for it really. Our couple constantly make empty promises to each other about facing things together etc but they seem to suffer from amnesia because next episode they are apart for some stupid reason that the writers came up with. Also the plot with the evil mother just gets out of hand at some point. By episode 40 I was just tired and dropped the whole thing. The reason I continued watching this long was the actors' good looks.

Acting:
This was my first time seeing dylan wang and shen yue act and i think they did a pretty decent job with the script they were given. Couldnt have done anything more. Having watched general's lady, the chang an youth and My unicorn girl, I know Caesar Wu and Darren Chen can do so much better if they are given a good script. So acting was not the problem in this drama, the script was.

Music:
Tired of listening to "Say something I am giving up on you" and other english songs here and there in the drama

Rewatch Value: Nope
Watch Value: Nope

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A car crash that I can't look away from

I've been wanting to watch a Chinese drama for quite some time and I just picked this one cause it was pretty famous. When I saw it was an adaptation of the same story of Boys Over Flowers I was ready to just give up right then and there, cause that drama is terrible and super problematic, but I didn't have any other thing to watch so I just gave it a chance and it's not as bad as I thought?

Honestly there were very few scenes of bullying that got me super irritated and where very unnecessary. Shancai and Si mostly just bickered back and forth and that was entertaining enough and created the tension needed. The writers could've just made the initial misunderstanding and made the both leads argue a lot and dislike each other. There was no need for Si to humiliate her in public or harass her, but since those scenes were scarce I managed to look past them and not drop this drama.

Aside problematic stuff, this drama has many issues. The story is pretty ordinary and full of clichés. You can tell the writers ran out of creativity to stretch the plot for 49 episodes cause they repeat the same plot line at least four times. I was just glad there was no amnesia plot in the end because I think I wouldn't be able to bear that.

Since there were so many episodes the drama could've explored the supporting characters much better than in Korean dramas, but they just ended up shoving characters that no one cares about in the story and making boring ships instead. Also the characters in this drama are always doing terrible stuff, never apologize and somehow are forgiven anyway.

Also, I've heard that Chinese dramas are dubbed over for some reason and that gave me a major whiplash. The dubbing is so artificial that initially I couldn't focus while watching, but I eventually got used to it. I guess another thing that I got used to was the poor acting in this. Seriously, almost all actors do a mediocre job in this, although I think I could give some credit to Dylan Wang and Shen Yue. I don't know about her, but I'd heard Dylan was still a fairly new actor and that Daoming Si was his first major role and I can say that he compensated his lack of experience with a very natural chemistry with the other actors and a lot of charisma. Many times him and Shen Yue seemed to be legit having fun while acting and I appreciate that. He also made me grow fond of Si, whom I hated in the beginning so props to him.

The music is also meh. I feel like most times the songs they used didn't really feel like were fit for the scenes, however I really loved River by Bishop Briggs.

I liked Shancai in the beginning, she actually stood up for herself, but with time she just became the bland and annoying female lead, like what happens with "strong" FLs in most dramas so I wasn't surprised. She was constantly meddling other people's business and I have to say she was probably the worst girlfriend I've seen in dramaland. She put little to no effort in her relationship for the majority of the runtime of this drama. I never thought I'd sympathize with Si so much, but the dude moved heaven and hell to be with her while most times she just brushed him off or started joking about it. And the worst thing is that the other characters acted as if it was Si's fault for not being persistent enough, when he was confessing and getting rejected/ignored right and left to the point I was convinced he had no self-respect left. Honestly, most of the time I was unsure if Si's friends (specially Lei) were trying to help him or sabotage him.

The last couple of episodes were super underwhelming and full of unnecessary flashbacks. That wedding scene was one of the biggest "????????" moments I've had while watching dramas. I think the writers should've just erased all of the flashbacks and just focused in showing more of Sancai and Si.

Nonetheless, watching Shancai and Si's love story was pretty entertaining and for the most part of this show I was totally hooked. As I said they have a lot of chemistry and they have a nice balance of fluffy, romantic scenes (although some are TOO cheesy) and angsty scenes. Even though Meteor Garden wasn't the best technically, it's still worth it if you have nothing else to watch and are in the mood for some romance.

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honestly when i first finished watching this drama, i thought it was great. however after watching a few other chinese dramas, i found this one of the worst among them. it’s still funny and the actors looked good but there’s others more worth your time.
first of all, the ending was really bad and confusing. i didn’t get what was happening at all. they had 49 episodes which i thought was pretty long for these kind of dramas but their ending felt so rushed and not properly planned.
second, they kept replaying many earlier scenes which i felt was too excessive and unnecessary as they could have just cut down on the number of episodes.
third, i’ll say this drama is alright for beginners as it’s dubbed and the chinese is very simple, but there are many others more worth watching where you can learn different lessons, but if you’re the kind who likes a rom-com then you can give this a try.

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