A very good version of "Boys Over Flowers" !!
So… this is the first time I write a review on MyDramaList !First of all, I want to say that the only version of Boys Over Flowers that I had previously watched was Hana Yori Dango (Japanese version), which became my favorite drama of all time ! The level of waiting was high, thus.
I must admit that if Bright and Win (I LOVE them) were’nt part of the casting of the Thai version, I probably would never watch this drama. Well, what a good surprise !
First of all, if F4 Thailand takes the key elements of the initial story (school harassment, differences between rich and poor, horrible mom, amnesia, love triangle…), this version is very good for its modernity, the treatment of its characters or even the humanistic plot. For me, it is impossible to compare HYD to F4 Thailand, as each version has its own qualities.
In F4 Thailand, the destiny of Gorya, the heroine, is part of a modern society, where school harassment is amplified by social networks ; where everyone tries to integrate, even if it means denying their own values; where the «Red Card» game is reaching catastrophic proportions… the first episodes are very intense, due to the cruelty and passivity of high school students. Moreover, throughout the drama, the question of class struggle is particularly well conducted, especially the differences in quality of life between rich families (like F4 families) and poor families (like Gorya’s family), the economic crisis affecting the poorer classes in an emerging country where the richest are always getting richer… These aspects have touched me and are, in my opinion, a good element on the drama.
Of course, my favorite point of the drama was the treatment of the characters. Gorya and Thyme are the main couple of the drama, like Makino and Domyoji in Hana Yori Dango, but the other members of the F4 as well as other characters from example, Kaning, Gorya’s best friend) occupy a central place in the plot.
About my favorite characters:
- Thyme (Bright Vachirawit) is definitely my favorite character. If the Thyme of the beginning is horrible, its evolution is still beautiful and interesting to follow ! Under arrogant and disdainful airs, Thyme hides in reality a great sensitivity, a deny to grow up and become an adult and above all a heart capable of loving and be loved. I fell for him and I never doubted neither his love nor his resolutions (especially doing good around him). Bright was the perfect actor to play Thyme : in addition to his physical beauty, Bright managed to transmit to me all the emotions of his character, especially during the most intense scenes.
- Kavin (Win Metawin) was my revelation of the drama ! I wondered what Win would bring to this character who had not really marked me in Japanese version, but here, I was seduced by this character from the first seconds of the drama. I enjoyed each of his appearances very much and I was fascinated by his story, especially after his meeting with Kanning and the development of their relationship, always delicate.
- Gorya (Tu Tontawan) left me a mixed feeling ! If I admired his courage, his strenght, his loyalty, his kindness, I did'nt adhere to all her decisions/actions (in particular, in episode 15, I found her so naive…) which were at the origin of many misfortunes that could have been avoided! Moreover, despite her role as a heroine, it was not her story that captivated me the most (I preferred the sweet Kaning), even if her relationship with Thyme was so beautiful ! It was the first role of Tu Tontawan and I liked her !
- I also liked MJ (Nani Hirunkit) and Ren (Dew Jirawat), the other two F4 members. If MJ is more discreet, he forms a cute bromance with Kavin and is featured in a pleasant sequence to follow (and a nice advertisement for KFC !! ); Ren is a very mysterious character, but his role is primordial in the relationship Thyme/ Gorya!
I also appreciated very much the relations between the F4 members, but also with Gorya and Kaning. This group is endearing and will leave a trace in me for a long time! Among the other characters, Roselyn (Thyme’s mom) is perfectly detestable, but I loved the scene of the last episode in which Gorya managed to break the secret of Roselyn. Mira, Lita, Gorya’s family, Tia and Uncle Ga are also very important characters.
The entire cast is talented and contributes to the quality of the drama.
The production is also very well done, from the magnificent credits to the beauty of the images and the dynamism of the episodes where friendship, love, humor, personal development are always present.
Finally, how can I conclude this review without evoking the wonderful soundtracks of F4 Thailand, especially the songs « Who am I »; « Shooting Stars » and « One Last Cry ».
To conclude, F4 Thailand was a very nice surprise, from its characters to its originality through its omnipresent humor and its perfect cast. I would not hesitate to rewatch him !
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Worth watching
Though I was rezerved watching this version, I'm glad I did. It is very refreshing, actual and at the same time it follows the original main story.The first episodes kept me interested but nothing special, just a bit diferent. But every new episode got better and better.
Also the actors grew on me to the point that I want to keep looking at them not only for the looks, but espacially for their acting. I simply love them now, I will search to see whatvothers movies they played in.
I highly recomand.
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This review may contain spoilers
Not Bad But Not Great. Lots of yelling.
(Side note: I have seen all the other 4 live adaptions. [Tw, J, K, C] and the anime)The pace starts off really fast. I enjoyed the first episode but then the pace sort of stays fast with little reprieve. Normally I would like this but here they seemed to jump from one pivotal moment to the next, introducing new characters and situations without proper ebb and flow. I wish they would have slowed it down a bit because it felt so choppy and rushed, making it a bit hard to connect to the characters.
One thing I like is how the bullying is portrayed in this version. I love the setup of the old stadium and how they included social media. The stadium provides an excellent visual while the social media bits gave the story an updated feel. This may be one of my favorite things they did with this version that felt superior in comparison to other adaptions.
As for the ML, perhaps they felt they couldn't get away with some of the original material because this version of the ML’s character is really watered down as far as his arrogance and almost devilish superiority complex. While I feel Thyme is certainly emotionally damaged by his mother, one big problem for me is that the FL doesn’t really hate the ML in this version. That strong intolerance for his behavior is an important element of their relationship arch. Even though the bullying is more present here than in the Chinese version, at least in that version the ML did some cruel things to the FL that made her hate him specifically, not so much F4 as a whole (forced kiss, hitting her in the face with the box of food...) Even the bullying Gorya received as directed by Thyme isn’t all that harsh in comparison to other adaptions.
For me, this lack of dislike from the FL to the ML is actually a big flaw in this version because it’s a major reason that despite his character’s constant efforts to show the FL that he likes her, she continues to fight her feelings for the ML even when the 2ML is already out of the picture and it’s abundantly clear that she does actually like him. I just didn’t feel that level of dislike from Gorya that would cause her so much apprehension towards Thyme.
However, instead, there are things he does mid-relationship that were quite aggressive. Perhaps these things would have fit better with his character at the beginning of the story but mid and later in the story just made me feel like their relationship could be an abusive one. Maybe it was Bright's acting that left me feeling that way but I don't remember feeling that way in the other versions.
As for the rest of the F4. I like them. I didn’t find anything not to like exactly but I would have liked to have seen more character development for their characters. Kavin had some development but it felt a bit unfinished. I’m confused why they had him admit to Mona that he liked her, then she wants to show him something (to also confess) and when he doesn’t show up she never went back to talk to him even though he had already admitted his feelings for her. I just find this version of his character’s storyline strange.
Let me say I love Ren. What a great guy. Learning that this is Dew/Jirawat Sutivanichsak’s first leading had me impressed. However, the way his character was adapted left me a little wanting. The manipulation tactics for his character were diminished to a minimal level which is something that makes his character stand out as opposed to a typical 2ML. In that sense, I think they did his character a bit of a disservice.
Additionally, I would have liked to see F4 together more as a group of friends. Hanging out or going out places or in their lounge. That’s definitely something the other versions have above this one.
Another loose end is Thyme’s sister. They sort of glossed over her as a character as well as Lita’s.
This is a tough one to rate. I think it's a good stand-alone drama overall which is why I rated this an 8.5. It's a very visually appealing drama. I like the direction they took with some of the points of the story (Kaning, Hana, even the amnesia was okay), but there were times were this version left me feeling like it really wasn’t the Hana Yori Dango story. They left out so many storylines and moments between the MC that really deepened their relationship and the story overall. I think it would have been better to make this into 2 seasons and spend more time on character development. Again, it’s not a bad drama but it’s definitely lacking in terms of a Hana Yori Dango adaption.
Stand-alone rating 8.5
HYD Adaptation 6
Would Recommend
Possibly Re-watch
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Don't worry about the trashy Chinese version because this Thai remake is made with care and love!
This Thai version really deserved the praise and it's really one of the best versions that I've seen! I really respect the production crew's effort and all the hard work to make the original manga version closer towards the Thai culture and their environment. This version definitely has the best mix of all the versions adapted, they really made good use of the iconic/significant scenes and removed the unnecessary ones.At first, when I saw the casts I was honestly quite scared it will turned like the recent Chinese remake with only empty shell good looks but amateurish/bad acting... But this version really didn't disappoint me and in fact it has became one of the dramas I will rewatch again!
To be very honest, this version found the perfect actress as the FL. Her acting wasn't annoying at all and it's a very fortunate thing since this female character does has a lot of arguments and frustration scenes to deliver which the FL in the Korean and Chinese adaptation definitely failed to deliver the correct way of expressing emotions...
IF I really need to nitpick, I would say the plot for the fiancée part could have been better in terms of the process. To which my favourite version for this part is still the Korean one where the fiancee is very clear minded and didn't go all blinded by love like this version.
Overall, I urge everyone who are into the F4 story please watch because you won't regret it! Really the best and I'm not over exaggerating just cuz of good looks but because they really made the effort to make a good story and also a good closure for the ending!
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This version >>>>>> All the other versions
No really! I will prefer re-watching F4 Thailand over watching the other versions even for once.Before we get into my review lemme put this out. The actual story ie. Hana Yori Dango is not a great one tbh. It has so many holes and the plot is nothing but a getaway from a busy and unsatisfactory life to a happy and deluded one. That's a fact. The probability of 4 rich-nice-kind-allrounder-handsome men to be my, for that case, to be any ordinary girl's friends is less than the probability of me turning back the time. But it's fiction and we don't actually have any rules here and also this story is we received and is still getting received too. So let rationality stay aside.
Now the actual review. The series is definitely worth watching. The wait was so worth it. From the trailer till airing. All of it. Casting 100. Acting 100. Overall production 100. Everything's just wow. What mesmerized me more is the way they made changes in the story. Even with a lot of superficial things happening this version still has a solid ground to not totally push off people into delusions. I really appreciate it. I will rewatch it just to be at awe for how they've improved a basic story to a bomb story. I also loved how there's no much screentiming for skinship and intimate scenes. They have proven them to be of no much use and I liked it. I won't write much but would only ask you to go watch it if you haven't yet cause it's nice, fun and beautiful.
Not dissing the other adaptions. But for me F4 Thailand tops all the versions of Hana Yori Dango.
#f4thailandisthebest lol.
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This review may contain spoilers
A melhor e mais bela adaptação.
Quem está na Dramaland há bastante tempo, com certeza já ouviu falar de Boys Over Flowers e suas problemáticas adaptações que não agradaram muito o público. F4 Thailand veio para mudar isso e fez um trabalho incrível!1. PRIMEIRAS IMPRESSÕES
Eu não tinha interesse e tampouco vontade de assistir, mas a divulgação que fizeram (tanto a emissora, quanto os atores, quanto os fãs) foi excelente e despertou a curiosidade de qualquer um.
Logo de início já a filmagem te dá uma sensação reconfortante e leva você a "entender" onde, quando e como se passa: ou seja, na Tailândia atual. Elementos culturais não passam batido e te deixam com um gostinho que faz você querer mais.
2. DESENVOLVIMENTO
Em nenhum momento eu senti que pecaram ao construir a história e desenvolvimento de cada personagem, afinal, todos ali são uma parte importante que moldam o drama pra ele ser como precisa ser. O próprio F4 diferente das outras versões não estava ali apenas para encher linguiça, cada um tinha seu próprio tempo (tudo bem que o M.J. era só pra propaganda kkkk), suas próprias vontades e próprios interesses que ao longo dos episódios foeam bem esclarecidos e resolvidos.
Os problemas que os personagens enfrentam (que aliás, são MUITOS; Thyme e Gorya só sofriam coitados) têm uma base, um começo, meio e fim que deixam o espectador curioso para ver como aquilo vai pra frente. Adorei como incluíram a Lita, Hana, Mira e Mona e não as deixaram apenas soltas.
A participação da Roselyn, mãe de Thyme, foi FENOMENAL. Ao mesmo tempo que você sente vontade de esganar ela, você também sente vontade de ver qual vai ser a próxima decisão que ela vai tomar para atrapalhar mais um pouco a vida de seu filho. O jeito que insistiram e a mostraram como uma mulher forte que luta por tudo aquilo que quer mesmo que prejudique os outros ao seu redor deixa qualquer um de queixo caído.
3. MÚSICAS
Não tenho muito o que comentar sobre a trilha sonora, ela foi maravilhosa e cada parte da história se unia bem às músicas. Até mesmo a abertura foi tão marcante que de vez em quando me pego cantando "Who am I?".
4. CONSIDERAÇÕES FINAIS
Um drama que era apenas pra passar o tempo acabou ganhando um lugar especial no meu coração. Senti todas as emoções possíveis enquanto assistia e não me arrependo.
A única crítica negativa que tenho é que nos dois últimos episódios as coisas começaram a acontecer rápido demais: F4 Thailand não enrolou em momento nenhum, mas não precisava acabar com as coisas sendo jogadas contra o tempo assim. De qualquer forma, não atrapalhou na minha perspectiva e continuo amando.
Não costumo sentir vontade de assistir nada novamente, mas o 9.0 garantido com certeza me faria voltar a ver :)
* Menções honrosas à família de Gorya, Kaning, Tia, Yu, Gawao e Talay que não citei anteriormente mas adorei a participação.
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I've seen an unbelievable amount of this show, not this show in general but the adaption of “Hana Yori Dango.” and out of all the versions that I've seen, this one is probably one of the top ones I've seen before. It's very modern and it was very aggressive in a sense of todays world and I kind of liked that, down the road I'll probably some grumpy old person about it but it exceeded my expectation and I really liked that. This version is the first version I've seen where the ML's character development was so quick and I loved it, I loved the new fresh faces and I adored the FL. The show was toxic in the sense of the bullying but it was intoxicating that you could not stop watching or look away. It was your average story, poor girl mixes with a group of rich popular boys, falls in love in the process and it was just great in my opinion.
Tu playing Gorya was amazing. She was a fresh face, I was a little off put at first but I enjoyed her, she was strong, smart, I adored her.
Bright had wonderful character development and he's adorable! Loved it.
The rest of F4 was fantastic, I loved them, great friendships all around.
Loved the sister.
Loved the best friend.
Even the bad people were just tolerable and the MOM; like sigh.
I should rewatch this show now because it was that good. Also the OST is amazing.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Absolute Best Adaptation of Hana Yori Dango
I have a weird addiction to Hana Yori Dango. The original story is incredibly toxic and I hate the male lead in nearly every version and can't root for the main ship because the ML is just too violent and scary. But I have still watched and enjoyed every drama adaptation, almost against my will and morals because this story is a hot mes.So when the F4 Thailand teaser trailer dropped in late 2020 I knew I'd be watching simply because I inhale Hana Yori Dango adaptations like potato chips. But right away I got excited because I could see that the director was willing to go dark while telling this story and incorporate modern elements like social media bullying.
Fast forward to December 2021. I jumped on the first episode right away and was immediately floored. The bullying was much darker and more intense than in any other version and the famous F4 entrance that is glamorized in every other version was instead transformed into an entrance into a decrepit stadium that was more like Roman emperors entering a coliseum to see martyrs being torn apart by animals (emphasized by Thyme, the leader of the F4, wearing a leopard skin coat and tiger striped shirt).
Additional changes to the story and characters in that first episode were remarkable. The mother was introduced right away and she was the origin of the red card game, encouraging Thyme to ruthlessly rule the school so he can learn to ruthlessly lead their business empire. Gorya, the female lead, felt realer than in other versions. Yes, she was strong, but also vulnerable and thoughtful. Her family was supportive instead of a clown show and the show gave the famous "good shoes take you to good places" line to her father. Finally the second male lead, Ren, was more active and interesting than the emo boys of other adaptations. He rescues Gorya from the red card bullies in a spectacular scene that ends with him drenched in water so it looks like he's being baptized/cleansed.
The reason I'm giving this level of detail about the first episode is because it illustrates the level of care and attention given to every aspect of this production. Characters are given more depth. Key scenes are tweaked to make them more emotionally weighty. The bullying is taken very seriously and the male lead goes on a real redemption journey to transform himself into a better person and atone for the harm he's caused. There's also a strong social and capitalist critique that threads the entire narrative (the title of episode 9 is The Incident of 1% which is a reference to a term popularized during Occupy Wall Street)
The result is an adaptation that reaches the level of brilliance in certain episodes. The director really took this regressive teen franchise and turned it into sociopolitical commentary while using complex metaphors and symbolism through set design, costuming, sound design, and cinematography. I was literally gasping through some episodes and often became emotional over how much care the director gave to telling this story.
Is it perfect? No. The production ran into major problems thanks to covid shutdowns, limited episodes and the constraints of the Hana Yori Dango plot which always goes off the rails at the end (I was hoping F4 Thailand would beat this curse but alas no). The production gets very rushed at the end, character motivations go out the window and the PPL becomes oppressive. Also if you're in it for the romance just know that while there are swoony moments there aren't as many cute couple moments as other adaptations.
Despite all that, this show is an absolute must-watch. It's already a modern classic and is by far the best adaptation of this problematic teen franchise. If you've seen other versions and think you can't stomach watching another, just give this one a chance. And if you've never watched because you've heard how regressive and awful this story is, just know that this adaptation grapples with the toxic elements of the original and truly redeems the male lead.
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This review may contain spoilers
Great adaptation of the Japanese shōjo manga series Hana Yori Dango and, to concur with other reviews, the best so far! Not having read the manga or watched the anime, I am not sure if it is close to the original work but, having seen all five drama adaptations (Japanese-Hana Yori Dango 1 & 2, Meteor Garden- Chinese and Taiwanese, Boys Over Flowers- Korean and, F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers), this is by far the most enjoyable with characters that are not over the top and that are more relatable. The drama is fast pace and the amnesia plot, although it was present, got washed out quickly and made the ending seem rushed. The cast did a good job bringing their characters to life and the chemistry among all characters was great. The leading couple also had good chemistry. Enjoy it! Was this review helpful to you?
Kind of disappointing
So I watched both boys over flowers (Korean version) and f4 for the first time both very close to each other. I watched boys over flowers and then the next week I watched f4. Both stories were definitely toxic but f4 just didn’t make sense. The story didn’t flow well and it felt really compressed and rushed. They introduced too many plot lines at the same time and failed to resolve them in a way that was understandable. The characters’ motives were also unclear and didn’t make cohesive sense. The whole time I was either mad or laughing at the characters. I feel like no one in this drama was reasonable (except for talay). Also the second couple basically had no purpose and development. Compared to boys over flowers the second couple’s story line just fell extremely short. Kavin wasn’t portrayed as a Casanova very well except for in the beginning, the rest of the time he was just there. The cast was fairly good looking but the acting was just not it. Like I love bright and win but I feel that they didn’t portray their characters very well. The scenes where the characters were emotional did not make me feel anything except for frustration that or I was laughing it. Honestly the first few episodes were ok but then it just started getting worse and worse. The only reason why I watched the whole thing was so I could judge it fairly and say that it doesn’t really get better. I mean watch it if you want to but I didn’t particularly enjoy it.Was this review helpful to you?
If you're wondering if you should watch it, the answer is yes.
So I am late to the party. I watched to watch it as it was airing but didn't want to wait every week, then it turned into me waiting till now. I just recently got into Thai dramas, as a long time cdrama fan. This is my 3rd Thai drama. It has been a long time since I have given a drama a 10/10. From the very first episode, I was hooked. I have seen most of the 2018 Chinese adaptation. I didn't really enjoy it, the casting, acting, and plot was off and not really enjoyable for me. But this one hit all the right points perfectly.The actors were so good and the roles were made for each and every one of them, i wouldn't be the same if it was someone else. They embodied their characters with each detail. Brought them to life. They make you love them, hate them. They so clearly show the development of all the characters. This is also the acting debut of several of the main casts. You wouldn't think its their debut, they are so natural on screen.
The story was also really well written and executed. There were hilarious moments that make you laugh out loud. Deep heartbreaking moments. Beautiful friendships. Exploring family relationships, friendships, love. The characters developed and grew beautifully throughout the story.
MJ, i love mj. As a character in previous versions, he didn't have much screentime or storyline. I loved how this one gave him so much and gave the audience so much to love. i want more mj.
The only thing i dont like is that its only 16 episodes. I need more of F4 + Gorya
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Best F4 so far !
The story was alright for me; I mean, it's the normal premise for the program, but what I liked about it was how they executed it. Fans of the program who favor the OG or other versions may find this offensive, however in my opinion, the defects in the other adaptations have been remedied by the Thai adaptation. It's not as boring as other versions where they incorporate superfluous sequences, which I appreciate. The cast is next, and I initially watched this because I'm a major fan of Win; if it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't have watched it in the first place because I wasn't a fan of the previous incarnations of this drama. All of the casts have amazing chemistry; Bright and Tu nailed the funny atmosphere of their parts, and I loved every minute of it. Kaning and Kavin's chemistry was incredible, and I adored how they played their parts. They probably made me squeal more than the protagonists, but that could be because I'm a great fan of Win LOL. But, that aside, the castings were fantastic, and I'm excited to see what Tu, Dew, and Nani are up to next. Congratulations on doing the show justice. I'm not sure what else to say about the music; it was decent but not as good as the one in the og. I'd watch it again if I missed the casts and wanted to see more of them.Was this review helpful to you?
