every hana yori dango version i've seen
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1. Boys over Flowers
Korean Drama - 2009, 25 episodes
my first one. watched at 11 years old and liked it. tried to rewatch it like two years later and couldn't because of how terrible it was lmao
this might be the most unhinged one bullying-wise? what do you mean in the first scene the F4 are already pushing a boy to kill himself. insane.
gu jun pyo is also possibly the worst version of the ML (despite his iconic hair)
overall very nostalgic and the soundtrack is a BANGER (i will forever say that no matter how many new dramas appear this soundtrack cannot be topped. it is simply too iconic) but definitely doesn't hold up very well 17 years later lol
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2. Meteor Garden
Chinese Drama - 2018, 50 episodes
my second one!!! i clearly remember when this released on netflix. despite that, i only actually watched it two years later, in 2020 - when i'd already seen the korean BoF.
not as bad as BoF bullying-wise, and daoming si is still more redeemable than gu jun pyo. which is... still not saying much lmao, he's still a raging red flag (all the times he used violence against the FL, hello???). pineapple head used to be all the rage back then though. i also like that it's set in university, which makes some stuff a little bit better/less nonsensical.
soundtrack is also iconic btw. to this day LIKE A RIVERRRR and say something i'm giving up on you ? still pop in my head sometimes.
the characters had a bit more depth since this was way longer than BoF (in the korean version the ceramics guy is completely ignored lmfaooo he's just There). at the same time, this had the WORST ENDING OF ALL TIME. it's been SIX YEARS. S I X Y E A R S. and it still pisses me off to remember ts. what even WAS that whole fever dream.
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3. Boys over Flowers
Japanese Drama - 2005, 9 episodes


