BOF vs HYD part II

Don't read this if you haven't watched the show!

Wow the first season was good but this one won me over. I didn't think it was possible to get ever more conflicted between Domyoji and Hanazawa Rui but HR just got hotter as the episodes went by! Who am I lying to, I didn't want Hanazawa to end up with Makino at all, that was already set in stone for me by the end of S01, but did I have a crush on him myself!

Things to point out by the conclusion of HYD:

I felt sad that Hanazawa didn't have a grandfather side story to keep him company, but since he didn't look miserable for being rejected, I was ok with that. Not sure what him giving the violin to the little girl was about. Was he supposed to become more human by having been in contact with Makino?

The mother is just a mean human being, no wonder Domyoji was the way he was when we first got introduced to his character. She eventually came to terms with their relationship but still only because of the new deal the old man proposed. It's not like she had a change of heart or suddently start caring for her own son. But I think that's what makes her a true villan and I'm ok with it, specially because she was consistent. Her not wanting to go inside the building for prom, but letting Nishida go, aplause.

The proposal, just wow, that was a real show and seeing it made me realise how lame Jandi was proposed to in the K-version. I wouldn't have this any other way.

Still sad Sojiro and Yuki didn't get together but maybe, just maybe give them another 10 years of her simping and she will get a ride. That added a comedy aspect to the show.

New York vs Macau: Having Domyojis reasons for staying away were a lot more plausible. I felt the real burden he was carrying as he believed that his actions caused someone else that much pain. Trully a character development high moment! No wonder he was able to grow so much with it.
Also him rebeling against his mum and being disonwed is a stronger reasoning than my dad's kinda dead and I must carry on being the man of the family. Ok maybe cultural differences led to that scrip writting? Hard to say, but I prefer how HYD portrayed it.

The girls after Domyoji were equally as annoying but I appreciated that they simplified both acts and kept it short. I didn't need to see all of that nonsense again.

The head maid was creepier here but so sweet that her and Makino had bonding moments in the traditional house. It was a good replacement for the doctor with Jandi. Both girls needed a mature figure to advise her, her parents are useless in both shows.

The little brother side story was adorable and a great ways to show us that Domyoji can care for someone else for no reason other than being kind.

Overall, I really liked this show, as I felt a bigger connection to the characters and a great satisfaction to see their love story have a happy ending. It was emotional at times, I was crying when Domyoji reunited with Ken and when he got his memories back at the ski house. Even the necklace had better justice by being rescued from the river other than just falling into a swimming pool and her almost dying. A competitive swimmer, even injured, wouldn't just drown like that... She had well functioning legs and, humans float if they don't panic! Rant over.

While I said at the end of BOF that I wouldn't be interested in rewatching and gave it a low ranking for it, I could see myself missing HYD at some point and watch some of its best moments. This cast was absolutely amazing and the production team did a great job just like in season 1. I added 2 new songs to my playlist and will probably read the manga at some point in time.

I'm really glad I gave this adapation a shot.

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BOF vs HYD

I started watching this straight after Boys over flowers. I mentioned this in my review for BOF and I also believe that it applies to this show a little, the story is a outdated. Obviously. It is based on the manga which started around 1992, wow that's 30 years ago.
What's good about this version is that, even though some scenes are still too old fashioned to be believable, they are better than the Korean version because they kept it simple. The majority of the plots just happened naturally, and quicker. It was interesting to see the production decisions to make a scene happen in a certain part of the season rather than later or overcomplicated.
I felt that Domyouji was meaner than Gu Jun Pyo; Makino wasn't as whiny and came accross as a much stronger female character, that I could see as a potential role model; Hanazawa Rui wasn't as prince charming as Jihoo was in the beginning, but he started to show his own charms as the story unravelled. F4 was still F3 for a while but not as much as in the Kdrama version. I didn't feel a stronger connection for Sojiro in here as I did for So Yi Jung, maybe because his side story doesn't take so much screen time. Something in Akira made me like him a lot more than Woobin, I mean they were both meant to be the mediators of the group and did that just fine, maybe the fact that we saw his mother and twin sisters, or that he had a crush on the dango owner shop? Those details made him stand out more.

Unfortunately I spend so much time comparing the adaptations, that I can't give an unbiased opinion, and while I feel like some of the friendship elements weren't as strong in the Jdrama, the romance build up was more satisfying, to the point that I actually started cheering up for the main couple, which I could never in its Kdrama version. Jihoo will always be the best one for Jandi, but Domyoji and Makino simply belong together.

Ok now onto season 2!

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If I had watched then

I started watching kdramas about 2-3 years ago and most of those have been quite recently releases. With that said, it's quite difficult to watch BOF and trully appreciate its value. At this point, it's just an outdated drama full of cliches that we've seen everywhere else. This is not to point out the quality of it, many times watching or reading a story, it's not about what happens, but how it is executed that makes the art.

Warning: mild spoilers

Having finished with the 25 episodes in a short period of time, I still can't decide whether this is a good show with bad moments, or a bad show with good moments. The main couple just coudn't grab my heart, there were very few moments that I was cheering for them to end up together, but most of the time I was just thinking that they are toxic for one another, seriously, one should not cause that much suffering to the one you love just for the sake of love, that's just selfish. But let's say you're a hopeless romantic and dismiss the bad match theory, the show never hides its intention of having the 2nd male lead be who we vouch for, since he was built close to perfection. You know what happens to him? Exactly. It's not just our main lead who is a bully, the show writters are too.
From a production point of view, they put together a good cast, and F4+2 had decent chemistry when together. I was in it mostly for the friendship moments, because that's when we the viewer could relax and just enjoy being entertained. The cook and grandfather were also a good addition to the story, as they introduced a subplot that was fairly interesting to follow.

The predictability of the show was frustrating at times, and didn't give much satisfaction for knewing what was going to happen, instead, it left a feeling of exhaustion as result of the many twists they gave us, and oh did they not stop giving us. Like being on a spinning wheel, you know it's gonna make you dizzy but you go in anyway.
The OST was nice and catchy, I found myself holding on to the still image at the end of the episode just to bop to the song. Adding another SHINee song to my list of favs, SS501...
Overall, it's an entertaining show with a formula that just works, which is why it's still making viewers curious about such an old show. I'm curious to see how the other adaptations dealt with the story and if there's anything added or changed.

Would I watch this again? Very likely no, there are so many shows out there now; will I miss it? Yes, for a little while, like having a stone on your shoe that you take out, and then feeling like something is missing.

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