Disappointing Hanadan Adaptation!
As a manga purist and a huge fan of Meteor Garden (2001) and Hana Yori Dango (2005), I really tried giving this drama a chance since many people claimed it closely follows the manga. However, in addition to stripping away what made HanaDan a great story - a strong girl who withstands class issues and bullying and transforms the most violent and troubling guy into a human being - this adaptation was reduced to just a mediocre tale of an arrogant jerk and a normal girl who occasionally have unpleasant interactions.
Because these crucial elements were missing, neither the characters nor the love story were convincing to me. I understand China's censorship laws and all, but even with those constraints, the writing fails to build a coherent story that makes sense and lacks meaningful developments. Additionally, the acting and dubbing were major turn-offs. I tried skimming through a couple of episodes, but it didn’t get any better. This is like HanaDan for kids at best - if you prefer a good story, stick to the 2001 Taiwanese version or the Japanese version. Otherwise, skip this one.
Because these crucial elements were missing, neither the characters nor the love story were convincing to me. I understand China's censorship laws and all, but even with those constraints, the writing fails to build a coherent story that makes sense and lacks meaningful developments. Additionally, the acting and dubbing were major turn-offs. I tried skimming through a couple of episodes, but it didn’t get any better. This is like HanaDan for kids at best - if you prefer a good story, stick to the 2001 Taiwanese version or the Japanese version. Otherwise, skip this one.
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