F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers (2021)

Miraculous: a BOF adaptation I actually liked

Whether or not you are a fan of previous Boys Over Flowers adaptations, you need to watch this. I went in with no expectations and was blown away.

I've never had success with any BOF iteration. The Japanese, Korean, and Chinese adaptations all had enough overplayed tropes, cringy moments, and problematic messaging to turn me off on them.

This version is an exception.

This adaptation gets it right: it maintains the heart of the original story that continues to capture hearts to this day while injecting its own charm into the story. I was charmed from the get-go. The production was sound, the OST was not annoying (the bare minimum I ask for in dramas, LOL), and the acting was impressive for a majority rookie cast.

I cannot gush enough over the script and storytelling. The redemption of our Bad Boy character was glorious-- in all previous versions, I failed to see why anyone would forgive him for his actions, but this version sold it to me with sincerity. Consent, bullying, socioeconomic class, politics, business, and feminism are all touched upon in an organic manner that never seemed forced. The family bonds and platonic friendships at the center of the story are the glue that holds this beautiful story together.

The liberal product placement is a fair trade for being able to watch the show for FREE on YouTube. Run, don't walk!

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would i watch it again? prob no

i would like to mention that i haven’t watched any adaptation of the original webtoon and this is my first time getting to know the story so i can’t compare the versions, this drama was super exciting in the beginning but then it got a bit boring and i didn’t get excited for the next eps anymore:( still it made me cry and also laugh a lot, i love the cast but the acting was lacking in some scenes, especially gorya, im sorry but her crying always ruined the moment TT the storyline was good but sometimes i felt like it was a bit rushed and they should’ve focused on one plot at time, also i wish we would get more kavin and kaning scenes, overall it wasn’t bad at all but i probably wouldn’t watch it again

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Differs From Other Versions

F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers is much different from all the other versions. It talks and takes bullying and other problems more seriously. In all the other versions the female lead, which is Gorya in this case, ends up giving in to F4. In the other versions the second male lead, which is Ren's character, always seems "mysterious" and helps the female lead in a way that seems like he doesn't care for her. Ren is different from all the versions. When Gorya was trapped in the room and the boys waiting to get her from the outside, Ren made sure Gorya can go come safely. He even asked "Are you okay", which never happened in the other versions. Ren does seem mysterious but in a good way, and not some person Gorya will fantasize over. F4 Thailand has only released 2 episodes so far but I am in love with the series already. I can't wait for the next 14 episodes !!

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i love ren/dew

I have never watch other adaption of Boys over Flowers, so I am not comparing this to anything however I do have very knowledgeable about the other adaptions.

I really like the show, I do believe the acting was little mediocre, however for the actor's names and especially for Dew first acting debut it wasn't bad, I just found it funny how Dew would smile during serious scenes, it made me really appreciate him and love him more. The entire plot of the characters were good, tbh I didn't really watch MJ part because I thought it was the same at the end then I found out for it to be different. The plot of Ren's Mira arc and then Thyme going back to himself, then the whole amnesia arc within 2 episodes. It could tell that a lot of was giving into the show for only a 16 episodes series. For all the characters and I think they did really well based off the amount of episodes givin. I think if it was higher amount of episodes it could be so much better because realistically the only problem that can be seen is the pacing. I really did like the ending of the series it made me so happy to see that Gorya referred to Ren has her first love, so I love that for them.

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THE BEST DRAMA EVER❗️

This is my first Thai drama. I saw one of the scenes in YouTube shorts and I instantly fell in love with it. THIS IS THE BEST DRAMA EVER PRODUCED PLS. THE CAST, AND THEIR ACTING>>> IS JUST FLAWLESS... MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IS THYME. THE WAY HE EXPRESSES HIS EMOTIONS GIVES ME BUTTERFLIES WHENEVER I THINK ABOUT IT. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH IN THIS DRAMA. AND THE PLOT OF THIS DRAMA WOW..IM SO IN KOVE WUTH THIS DRAMA. NOBODY CAN REPLACE THIS FROM NY HEART.

I STRONGLY RECOMMEND FOR YALL TO WATCH THIS❗️

I really want to rewatch again even though I just finished it. but since I have exams I'm not able to do that :(
but as soon as I complete my exams I will rewatch it again. this drama made me feel soo much emotions I did not know I had.

all the characters are just perfect. nobody can replace them and the visuals in this drama tho>>>

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The best remake out of all the ones tht were made in my opinion-

I literally got second lead syndrome on the first ep i-dewwwwwwwww is just too leng i cant hes literally AN ANGELLLLL❤❤?❤??❤i cant resist it but its MADE ME WANNA SMASH THE SCREEN when i found out he wont end up w anyone-idk if theyll change it but i rly want him to end up w gorya even tho its impossible ahhhh-theyre perfect hes such a calming character and the best like thyme(bright)is alright but he took it too far at this point w the new girl lita its wasss soo heartbreakin-whereas ren(dew) is always there for gorya and i was screamin when he got heartbroken cause of the mira gurl-im cryin rn i cant stand this-i luvvv dewww hes the best second lead too out of the other ones in this remake i literally got obsessed-i cant wait for him to have other shows-i wish he and groya could do one together irl-ANYWAYS IT IS RLY GOOD LIKE THE AESTHETICS AND EVERYTHING ARE RLY CUTE-THE STORYLINE IS ALSO GOOD BUT i cant help it when they keep bullyin gorya plus this is literally those hate to love ones and where the fl is poor and the ml is rich-which is okay but like still if this was irl i dont think ud end up w someone who bullied u on the first day and w someone whose rich and ur poor-its kinda unrealistic but still overall its rly good!?????im waiting for this saturdays ep!?

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When two people really care about each other, they make it work. No matter how hard it is.

A MORE RELATABLE VERSION OF F4!
First of all, till date [13/2/2022] only 8 episodes have been released and I WILL watch the entire series so you can consider me a person who has seen all the episodes released. And if you're wondering why I am writing a review now instead of later then I have a lot of thoughts about this and once further episodes are released, I'll have more which I'll add on here!

F4 Thailand has a very unique charm to it which has drawn me in to an extent that I feel like I've been hypnotized by the series and I enjoy it. Maybe it's because, the violence was toned down, maybe because I'm able to understand Thyme so much better.
So let's begin the review:

STORY => So the story is the same old cliche, rich bad boy with a poor girl but as I mentioned earlier that it has a very unique charm which makes me forget the cliche. Now in the earlier versions, Daoming Si/Goo Joon Pyo from every glance were just rich, stuck up brats who had a sudden change in them because of love which also they abused which made the second male lead more favorable but here I honestly didn't really have second male lead syndrome. Thyme here is so much more down to earth? So much more broken and Bright portrays it excellently. The character arc and his sad past makes so much more sense here and as to how that shaped him into what he is. Another thing about the story is that they have included an element of "Heavy is the head that wears the crown". Kavin (Win) explained it simply but yet it had so much meaning in the series. The pressure that he talked about it made me understand Thyme more and made F4 pitiful to some extent.

ACTING => There's only one word for the acting in here "TOP NOTCH". Bright portrays every emotion you name extremely well. His eyes convey so much and I really mean that he doesn't act out but becomes Thyme. Whether it is having fights with Gorya, regret about the past, hurt, anger, happiness - Bright brings the character to life. Then there's Tu who is Gorya. Tu has done a great job for her acting debut. She really looks the combination of elegant and badass. The minute she kicked Thyme, I felt the satisfaction that I never felt in the earlier versions because I was overwhelmed by the whole toxicity. The other F4 actors - Win, Dew, Nani have also done very well but there stories will start from now on, specifically Win and that'll open a whole new dimension of theirs to watch. BONUS - Cindy who plays Thyme's mother, damn she looks so sharp that I am scared of her the minute she is on screen. Jeez, the casting is amazing, they really got the bet actors on board!

MUSIC => Let it speak for itself. Go now and listen to Who Am I by the 4 actors of the F4.

To conclude, the cinematography has also been extra ordinary. The aesthetics, the fashion, the dialogues and the writing team is very smart too! They really named the flower shop that Kaning (Xiaoyou/ the fl's friend) and Gorya work at "Maytee O Garden" which when you read out seems like "Meteor Garden" which is another version of Boys Over Flowers. Yeah, but if you've watched the previous versions and don't wish to watch this thinking that you can't go through the whole toxic phase again, please watch this because they've reduced the toxicity a lot and the characters are more relatable. And those who have never watched any versions, skip the others and watch this one. You'll never regret watching this!

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First Half Great. Good Friendship story.

This is based off the show itself, I never read the manga, but have seen Meteor Garden Chinese adaptation and the Korean version of F4.

LIKES:
Cast all of them had good acting and fit their characters well. Sure there was room for improvement, but they all did well with showing a range of emotion.

Writing: first half of the series, their adaptation was good, changing some of the angst and betrayal/lies moments. These four seemed closer as teenagers, without having to relay on too many past childhood memories to show that. The reason of the 4 being so elite was shown without being over the top. The element of humour was well handled too. I didn’t mind how Ren and Gorya’s relationship developed in terms of their friendship, compared to other versions of F4 B.O.F.
Also I liked how Thyme handled the bullying portion and the retribution for it. And Gorya’s parents weren’t as annoying and over the top with their acting, like in the Korean version.

Loved the chosen locations and general cinematography, especially for the most part film stabilizers were used. The colour palette was good too.

Wardrobe was for the most part well chosen to suit each character, and I liked it much better than the Korean version, especially for Kavin.

Music was good, didn’t over power the actor/actress voices and was appropriate. The theme song wasn’t over played like it was in the Korean version, and it if was played a lot, I didn’t notice it.

DISLIKES:
WRITING:
Some of the storyline was cut out, which made for certain moments to be less impactful as they should’ve been, especially when it came to Thyme’s “evil” mother. Thyme’s sister really wasn’t used well, compared to the Korean version and really didn’t even need to be shown in the drama, aside from the one business related screen that allowed Thyme to leave to handle another situation. Ren was portrayed as a loner and artistic, but not as in depth of a character as the Korean Boys Over Flowers version of that member of F4. MJ being the Mafia Boss’s son, seemed to blur between him and Kavin. Almost as if their script was mixed up. Even in the end with the Iris moment, once more Kavin seemed more like the Mafia Boss’s son. Also the second half of the series seemed more rushed and timing or pacing became an issue to get the whole story across within the 16 episode limit. Would’ve been better if there had been 20 or 25 episodes, especially to show each character’s growth and conclude their individual storylines better. Also missed that Gorya’s best friend, wasn’t involved more. Even Kaning’s own love story, especially in second half of the drama, was very down played or lacking. Finally in regards to what the main characters grew up to become, was very vague except for Thyme. In the Korean version we saw what jobs/careers they’d chosen as adults.
There was more violence it seemed between the characters in this version, especially against the girls, than in the Korean one or Meteor Garden.

DIRECTING:
Some times the character’s reactions were way too slow. Too much time spent on driving and running around.

WARDROBE: They sucked at choosing clothing for Kaning, to the point of being tasteless. Sometimes for Ren’s character, it was like they forgot he’s supposed to be rich.

Product Placement: The IRIS moments were fine, but as is the norm in Thailand the constant product endorsement became annoying.


OVERALL: It took me a while to finish watching this show, because I wasn’t as invested in the characters as I was in other versions. I have yet to watch the Japanese version, so I’m hoping that will be the best one. It’s a decent watch, but better in the first half of episodes. I would recommend it to people who like this genre. The romance was VERY low key and I found it more about friendship and loyalty than about love and romance. I won’t watch it again and no scenes stood out, that I want to revisit.

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NOT THE BEST ADAPTATION! BUT DEFINITELY NOT THE WORST!

F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers may not be the best adaptation of the original piece but its definitely not the worst at all. Everybody know the story of a young heroine, being bullied for her class in society, but turned into Ms. Popular after a series of event had favored her way after 4 popular school bullies encountered and noticed her different ways. San chai (Meteor Garden), Geum Jan Di (Boys over Flowers- Korea) and now, Gorya has captured the heart not just the most popular celebrity/bully in their school, but also the hearts of the viewers and the follower of their story.

The Plot:
We can't deny the fact that since 2004 we have been in loved with the story and the plot of the original piece. I don't know about you guys, but it was 2004 for me when I watched Meteor Garden, and immediately fell in love in the story. As a fact, the story is not that perfect, it has its flaws. Especially, that it centers and focuses a lot in the most problematic events in the human history such as bullying, gaslighting, kidnapping, social class discrimination and more. However, we are encouraged to rise above it and realized that all of these problems can be rusticated from us when we choose to believe in ourselves and try to fight for justice and for our rights. That's what I have seen in the eyes of these young, strong and independent ladies. The fierce in their eyes, to correct what is wrong and to beat the system in legal ways, is the most promising thing that happened in the whole plot of the story. Plot-wise, I can really give it a good rating. Back to the Thailand version, i appreciated that they still kept the whole plot and the story from the previous version and tried to to make it their own. However, what I am missing is the touch of thailand culture. We may have a glimpse of one or two, of their culture in the show but I don't think its enough. It would be better if the show has added a lot of their culture in the story, yet they focused in the story of the original piece that they forgot to add some touch of their culture to the series. That is the only thing I am missing, but the whole plot of the thailand version is still acceptable and watchable, so I accepted it already.

The Characters:
Tu, Gorya's Actress. I can say that she really fit's the role. She executed the character so well. Still, there are some aspects that's not enough for me, especially when I try to compare her with the other ladies from the same franchise. I think what I needed is more like the badass aspect of Gorya. There's a scene from the series, where Gorya, had to kicked Thyme. That scene was phenomenal in every Meteor Garden franchise. The way San Chai (meteor garden) and Geum Jan Di (boys over flower - korea) is so badass that it will make you jump right from your seat to root for them. If I remembered it well, they did a flying kick (maybe) which is very badass. I was looking for it in the thailand version, but this version opted a simple kick, which is still acceptable. But knowing that it is the heroine's signature scene, where we understand who she really is, and what she really is (a badass), they could've made and edited that scene intensely to give more emphasis in the character of Gorya. But no worries, I already rose above it and accepted it.

The F4.
This! I can say that the F4 in thailand version is like DAMMMN! oooh! The VISUALS! I mean look-wise, they are the perfect F4 for me. Bright really fits Thyme role. The childish and immature man-child, really fits him well. I didn't expected that Bright would be great in that role but he did it. Of course, there's something lacking. Nobody is perfect. Through the sad scenes from Thyme, sorry, but I can really sympathize or atleast shed a tear for Thyme. I don't know why but I can't really see bright that sad when he cries. For me, when he do his sad face, I always see him as if he is smiling. I don't know why? I can't really see the sadness in his face. But his sad face is cute though, but not sad enough for me. In the bright side, his angry, and grumpy look is so hot. I think it balanced it out. Kudos!
Dew. Damn! Dew is hot, cute and just pure. I mean, it is a given that in Meteor Garden, I was rooting for the second lead too. But Dew, in this version, made me root for him more. His pure face! Well, he kind of did well as the second lead too. I can't really say that he is perfect, because his role doesn't need a lot of acting. His role is more like someone who has a mild autism, meaning that they don't really show emotion that greatly, but only show neutral face from time to time. But i believe he executed the entirety of his role well. Kudos!
Win and Nani! I mean, I ship them more than Gorya and Thyme. Win and Nani is just chaotic in this series. They look so good. Win with his formal looks! Wow! I was in loved with him in the 2gether series, and this made me love him more. Nani is so hot. with his hacking skills, and long hair. Damn! Kavin and MJ did a lot in this version. I can really see it that they are really involved. In the previous versions, we don't really get to see a lot of the 3rd and 4th member of F4, but here they did a lot. I was surprised, that I feel in love with the two over and over again. They did their role perfectly too. Being chaotic, and funny. Of course, there are cringe moments from time to time, but I am here for it. Kudos!
Prim. What a beautiful lady and soul. Of course, we can remember every heroine's bestfriends in the previous versions. Here, Kaning is unforgettable too. Prim, really fits the role. I already know that she is phenomenal and amazing, because I have seen her from time to time from other series. She is so beautiful too, that's why I cant forget her.
Cindy. Thyme's Mom! Of course, we need to talk about Thyme's mom. Since every previous version of the franchise. Always the awaited reveal is the mother. They always steal the show. ahaha.That's why we need to talk about her. She's not as intimidating as the other mothers from the previous version. but she is intimidating and charismatic enough. I mean she is beautiful too. and SCARY! I think the criteria of being the mom is to be as intimidating as ever, and as scary as ever, and she has that quality in her posture, in her face expressions and her gestures making her perfect for the role.

The Music. The music is perfect, especially the one who are sung by the F4. Fabulous! I can't really talk more about the music since I don't really understand it because I am not Thai. but the melody and the whole tune is satisfying enough for me to rate it high.

Overall. The quality of the series is quite high! I really recommend this series to all F4 fans from other versions. I think this is not the best version but still its not the worst. It has its best moments and Kudos to all the cast and crews who formed this series. I really enjoyed the series that much, especially as they are always feeding us with the visuals. KUDOS!

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of the 5 versions I'm stuck on which are my favorites.

I've seen every single one of the boys over flowers adaptations including the movies. I'm torn because I love all of them so I can't really choose which one is my utmost favorite. However if you go by how many times I've watched them, then Meteor Garden (Chinese version) is 60 times, Meteor Garden (Taiwanese version) is 10 times, boys over flowers (Korean version) is 35 times, boys over flowers F4 (Thai version) 2 times, Hana Yori Dango 1 & 2 is 6 times, the movies I've seen 6 times as well. I can say all of the mom's in them are not as cruel as they seem at first glance. The thing that amazes me the most about all of the moms is their quick 360 they do close to the end

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