Boys Before Flowers: Korean’s Version of Meteor Garden and Japan’s Hana Yori Dango

So many things have been said about Boys Before Flowers even before casting was finalized. There were too many speculations on who was the best korean actors to play the F4 not to mention the debate on who was the perfect “weed-spirited” girl to play the lead character.

 

Boys Before Flowers - Official Poster

I was quite amused about it and I am totally sure that the producers of this drama was so ecstatic. I sure do hope that the attention it gathered even before the shooting started will be just as grand when it aired on January 5.

I am excited to see how the korean version will fare. One of the main reasons I got into Asian dramas was because of Meteor Garden. I was not yet into manga  during those  times and so I am not familiar with it.

F4 became a household name in Asia because of Meteor Garden and it started the careers of Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Vaness Wu and Ken Zhu plus Barbie Hsu became an inspiration to a lot of young girls.

What about the hair?. Everything was light, luxurious and totally neat. People envied the hair they have sported throughout the whole series. It’s as if there was someone forever taking care meticulously of the hair in-between takes.

Georgeus, sexy and sinfully rich! Who dared question their superiority? Plus the fact that San Chai got the boy in the end was totally a hit. Nothing new with the story I must admit but the chemistry was there although the acting needs a lot of improvement. But it was all forgiven by the fans. Why, you asked?

They were newcomers back then and so the viewers let it pass. Another thing I love is the cinematography. It created an MTV-surreal scenes which was a total match to the kind of environment the story was telling.

It was not perfect but it was light and fun.

The Japanese version was so different. Some liked it better. I don’t. Not because of the story or acting. It’s just that I did not find the four guys there as the right actors for the F4 roles. It’s nothing personal, they are still cute and acted well but compared to the hunky guys of MG they pale in comparison. Maybe it has something to do with the height. I don’t know. I thought of them as  junior version of  MG’s F4. Plus the hair was too oily. Ugh! However, the lead actress was prettier than Barbie but there is something in Barbie Hsu that totally nailed San Chai’s character.

I know you have your own preferences but that is just my two cents.

Anyway, I am looking forward to watch Boys Before Flowers. Just like MG I am not familiar with any of the actors in the cast but judging from the official poster, they look terrific. I hope the production people will take all the best things from both Meteor Garden and Hana Yori Dango.

Airs on January 5, 2008. Every Monday and Tuesday at 9:55 pm (Korean time)

Photo Credit: KBS