Boys over Flowers (2009)

Controversial negative opinion

I was super disappointed with this drama. I know for a lot of people who started kdramas and aren't korean, this was their first drama sometimes even their first asian drama. I started with watching jdramas first and then moved on to kdrams and watched Coffee Prince for my first drama. So, I came into this with a lot of expectations. I liked Lee Minho in City Hunter and I loved Hana Yori Dango (the original Jap version) with Matsumoto Jun and Inoue Mao. Some might say I feel in love with the japanese version and won't accept an alternate but that's not true. I recently tried this again (some 11-12 yrs later) to make sure it wasn't because it was right after I watched the jap ver. I still don't like it. I also recently saw F4 the Thai remake. It was sooo good. I loved Bright and Tu and Win and Prim and Dew. So this is not me being obsessed with the Japa ver. and rejecting the other remakes. I even liked the Cdrama ver with Dylan Wang and Shen Yue (Meteore Garden 2018) But this was just so super weird. WTF did they do?

After watching Hana Yori Dango and I expected intense chemistry between the leads since the characters (Tsukasa and Tsukushi) have this intense explosive dynamic between them. I have also read the manga this is based on and was expecting more. To me Lee Minho and Gu hye seon were weirdly awkward in the romantic scenes. Gu Hye seon appeared too old to pay Geun Jan Di a high school student. Kim Hyun Joon looked baby-faced next to her. Her signature kick in the face wasn't as BAMF in this and her priming looked weird, like she was trying to make it look cute.

Lee Minho with Domyoji's signature curls looked super weird. But Dylan Wangs curls looked weird too. But they seem more in sync with the characters than Lee Minho's where they were too put together and not really like curls. And part of it was straight.

For things that might redeem this drama, I have to say the plot since it is based on one of my fav Japanese mangas.

The one thing that was awesome in this dramas was the side characters. I loved Kim Bum and Kim So Eun. Their interactions were really cute. This is what made me like Kim Bum, though it took almost a decade after this for him to really shine. I also enjoyed the boys' interactions with each other.

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I think that with Korean Drama it's all about timing. If it is your first one, then it will always be dear to your heart. Therefore I can understand why this drama is so loved and one of the most popular korean dramas. However, watching it ten years later, I do fail to see what other saw. The story is okay, too close to a manga story but with the korean notes all over it. However, everything that kept happening were ridiculous. I can't even imagine what the production of it costed, as they went to countless trips, even had a horse race, a car race, sports cars and castles for houses. But it wasn't the riches that spoiled the plot. The amount of cliche twists was unbelievable and I was left wondering if they really used that trop, as most of the events happening were idiotic. Though, there were some parts of the story that I liked. I especially enjoyed the side pair story, as they were cute, and also the start of the drama was really strong.
Now, for the characters; most of them were okay, although the leading lady got a bit annoying eventually with all the screaming and falling while walking. But, the highlight of all was her family. They were basically potrait like caricatures, always pushing the girl to do things she didn't want just to obtain money. The F4 were adorable, so I can't really say much about them (though at first they were really dislikable).
Overall, a lengthy drama, with ridiculous plot, some annoying characters and a good cast : 4 out of 10.

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Like many people boys over flowers was my first Korean drama. i watched it back in 2017 long after is initial hype had died down. i was honestly reluctant to watch it simply because i didn't want to watch. In the beginning i thought that the show was extremely extremely cheesy and over dramatic. i often asked myself why someone would someone write a TV show like this but after the first 4 episodes i realized that that was this shows charming points. Jun Pyo is not really a likable character at all for me and Jan Di is a bit too slow witted to be liked as well. while the story overall isn't the best the one thing this show did nail is its opening number ( i think dramas should bring that back )and OST i think its one of the best and most memorable in drama history. Because i'm stupid, stand by me, and something happened to my heart are all great songs that kept me watching to the end. i do believe that this OST is the only reason that i even watched this drama in it entirety. i wont spoil the end but the final 3 episodes where probably the most frustrating to watch and i personally was not pleased with it in its entirety. At the end i thought i would never watch another drama again.

i 100% understand that MANY people think this is the best ever and i will not disregard the impact that this drama had but it just not that good from an objective stand point.

i really wanted to like my first drama ever but unfortunately that wasn't the case. outside of the general lack of chemistry between lead roles and story and plot hole my biggest issue was that my expectations for this show where quite high and very american. To any one who wants to watch dramas for the first time please go in with no expectations at all.

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i know this is really popular but still for me it sucks

i know many might not agree with me but let's just this is my personal opinion i just hate this drama
annoying love triangle
jerk main lead and extremely stubborn and stupid female lead
this drama made me hate the actors you know this is how much i hated it
well you can watch it but let me tell you all the time you would be like why the main leads hv to be so twisted
just be honest with each other
they really annoyed the shit out of me
the points i hate the most :-
1] i mean fine you could hv shown f4 yeah a nice concept but why do they hv to be such jerks . i mean they choose a target and bully that person until he transfers or dies and somehow all the people still love them coz they fear them but the female lead is different. let's just be honest aren't you tired of stuff like this
2] the female lead and the male lead just keep on misunderstanding each other and they are not even able to figue out their feelings on time
3] the mother of male lead her thoughts are shit

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Infuriating classic

Wow. I finished this show, I cannot believe it. It took me 2 months (with a little break in between), and I can say.... it was a rollercoaster of emotions.

the good:

- The music slaps so hard, it should not be THAT good. The OST for this show was absolutely amazing, one of the best I dare say!
- Lee Min Ho looked adorable in this show. I think he was like 21 when this aired, and he looked so cute and handsome (despite some of the terrible clothing and his curly hair lmao)
- Woo Bin. I feel like the poor guy did not have any lines until Jan Di went to Macau lmao. He deserved some more screentime because I found him so funny with his random English phrases lmao.

the bad:

- The show was 25 episodes long, and it definitely could have been a little shorter. I got tired of the antics in the last couple episodes.
- Ji Hoo. I am a Ji Hoo hater first and foremost. I do not understand the hype around this man at all. I never liked him, from start to finsih I disliked him. He just kept being too close to Jan Di, even when she was with Jun Pyo, which was super annyoing to see. Especially when he visits her in the fishing village, and he tells her he can't live without her... boy, she is in this fishing village with a broken heart, what are you doing? BE QUIET. He gave me the ick.
- Jan Di's parents. They were so annoying and delusional
- Jun Pyo's mother, obviously. The woman was a complete loser and stalker. Literally pretended like her husband died too, like wtf was that? I hated seeing her smile in the last episode. Also, her double standard?? Jae Kyung was basically Jan Di in rich and privileged? Otherwise, both girls had similar personalities: outspoken, bubbly, thick-headed, outgoing. But anyway.
- Jae Kyung. I liked her at first but my dislike grew stronger once she decided she would move in with Jun Pyo while Jan Di was working as a maid. When she asked Jan Di to her room, showing off her wedding dress, that was when my hatred grew stronger. JK told Jan Di that she would not give up on Jun Pyo, but her means were unfair and annoying. Literally asking Jan Di "Did you not think of me as a friend", but then basically showing off her privilege and wealth.
- Whatever that plot with Yumi was in the last episode lmao??
- The bullying here was far more terrible than in "Meteor Garden" since our F4 had a cult-like following of boys and girls, and these people just decided to joint-bully whatever student. Physical/Emotional abuse/assault and even attempted murder, like ??
- the styling was terrible. Why were these high schoolers dressed like grandpas :(

Overall, the show is cult or whatever, but it was so exhausting to watch it. It had its good moments but there were too many wtf moments. The OST deserves some Grammy's though!

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Full disclosure, I'm a bit bias when it comes to this show because it was the very first K-drama I ever saw. It will always hold a special place in my heart and I will probably always love it because of that.

That being said, while this is truly a fun drama filled with lots of twists and turns, it also has pretty much every trope in the book within it's 25 episodes. Really...almost all of them. From amnesia, to kidnapping, to forced co-habitation (though that is for a rather brief time and only lasts a few episodes, to the rich guy and the poor girl (or in this case 4 rich guys and two poor girls)...they are there and lots of others too. They all attend a school that apparently has no teachers (except one shown in a montage), and where you can bully kids...even bad enough for the person to try to commit suicide without anyone stopping you. But...even with all that, it's still a show that I love and have watched multiple times and introduced other to K-drama with. Why? Because when you compare it to anything here on USA television, it is just so different that you can't help but want to keep watching. The characters are written in such a way that you want to get to know them better, cheer them on, and just hang out with them. Plus, when you realize that you are basically watching a live action Manga, anything that might seem over the top (such as the entrance of 4F to the school...complete with back-lighting and screaming fans), suddenly seems just fine.

As for the soundtrack...it has some great songs. Even though this series is almost a decade old, many of them still hold up and I bought a lot of the songs. One of the things that I thought was really neat with this soundtrack is that each of four main leads (there are technically 5 leads, but one gets comparatively little screen time) has his or her own song that plays when they are in a specific situation. And often, they are singing the song that is their soundtrack song. I was especially impressed with the song Kim Beom (on iTunes it's spelled Kim Bum) sang as well as the Acoustic version of the song that Kim Hyun Joon sang.

If you haven't seen this, you really should. As far as I'm concerned it's a must see for any K-drama lover.

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Ok , Fortunately this was NOT at all my first K-drama but I watched It some years ago so It's kinda a part of my memory ! Why this drama is super popular specially OVERSEAS ?! I DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE ! I know too many people who describe this drama as if it's the best Korean drama ever made (?!) And I really wish I could politely tell these people : Hey dude ! I know it's one of the most memorable dramas to you and I DO RESPECT your opinions but seriously If you insist it's the BEST k-drama two things are possible ! 1) You haven't see other much-better K-dramas at all ! / 2) You DO NOT know how a GREAT drama is really like !!!
STORY (6/10) : A sweet yet not original Cinderella-like love story between a poor girl and a super rich but immature guy who tries so hard to look COOL and AWESOME (and he really makes it lol!) the story begins showing how strangly the girl changes the whole rough personality of the guy during a very short time then continues with some unnecessary scenes of showing the luxury , fun , jollity life of these four called-amazing guys who start sharing their randan with two super-simple sometimes-pitiful highschool girls for NO SPECIFIC reason ! THEN the writer who seems he/she has gotten a bit tired with love triangle issues between Ji-Ho , Joon Pyo and Jan Di makes a VERY right decision of working a little more on the other charecters development and tries to entertain us with their backgrounds and challenges in life ! For Example : Ji Ho's mysterious and miserable childhood with his grandfather (which wasn't clearly explained at last , as if it was supposed to get finished as soon as possible but STILL it was a GOOD one) and Kim Bum's sad love story (which was fine I think ! )
BUT THEN something that wasn't fair here which bothered me a bit , is surly Woo Bin's character ! I mean It's not fair ! If this drama is mainly about F4 I wish they would give him A BIT more attention like they did for other boys ! He's a main role after all ! No new point ! The story is simple !
ACTING (7/10) : Well , I know so much better actings of Lee Min Ho in other dramas but about this one ... I think he wasn't 100% great, but he was FINE ! Goo Hye Sun could be much better but she wasn't BAD at all ! Kim Hyun Jonng !!! Uhhh ! I'm sorry , I'm a big fan of his singing but he couldn't transfer a single kind of emotion , for God's sake ! Not crying nor laughing ! All were super artificial and not tangible at all ! Kim Bum was pretty good and I think his acting in this drama was his best !
MUSIC (8/10) : memorable and lovely ! my favorite was Starlight Tears ! ;)
REWATCH VALUE (5/10) : I'm afraid I don't have any plan for rewatching this drama ! Unlike most of my friends , I only saw it once , and I think It was quite enough ! But as so many people are insisting of watching it over again , maybe you'll do it too !
AND FINALLY : Despite the fact that it could be much better , what makes me and many others have a special feeling and RESPECT about this drama must be the revolution it makes with using a fantasy Cinderella-like love story in a regular melodrama with a brand new atmosphere of Korean Drama Industry , which makes them say : Oh My God ! This is why I've been waiting for !
In other words : B.O.F tries it's best to GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY LOVE ! And really really really makes the audiences look forward to see the next EP , using a calculated and professional order of the PLANS and SCENES which is ADORABLE !
Final word : reviewing is mostly about comparing ! So nothing is 100% in this world as well as this review ,It's only written comparing with other dramas/movie and it's rated toward my other ratings for other worse or better dramas/movies !
Thanks for reading my words ! Bye ^_^

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This was the worst thing I've ever watched. Over-exaggerated acting, unbelievable plot, and unlikable main characters. The girl starts off assertive and cool but becomes this passive, weak doormat. Meanwhile the main guy is pretty much a stalker rapist and is really hard to forgive his early actions to root for their love. I can't believe this is held in such high regard. I only watched it because it was on Netflix, but I regret every minute I spent on it.

It is way more enjoyable if you view the whole thing as an IRL recreation of a Sims playthrough, down to the hair and gaudy interiors.

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Not great

I like Hana Yori Dango even though certain plot lines are problematic. It's a little disappointing that a live-action remake has yet to show any kind of romantic chemistry between the characters, including this one.

This drama is supposed to have a great love story, except the characters have no chemistry. She is already in love with him but acts like she wants to run for the hills every time he comes near her. I understand the story is about teenagers, so the writers have to be careful about how much sexual tension they put into it. But dear god, their romance is just so dry. This is one thing I hate about Asian dramas - so many of them have very little romantic/sexual chemistry between couples who are supposed to be madly in love with each other.

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