Drama Update: Meteor Shower (Chinese Hana Yori Dango)

Now what is this that I hear of another adaptation coming out?  Apparently, a new mainland Chinese version (not to be mistaken with the Taiwan version) will be coming out soon.  Filming has begun in Xiamen and the drama is due to air on Hunan TV (Hunan Tai) in August. It is said that the drama will be called Meteor Shower.  However, instead of the typical romantic idol drama format, statements have been made about changing the plot for the Chinese version and turning it into an "inspirational drama."  This was foreseeable since the Chinese government had banned Meteor Garden due to the "bad themes" promoting a love for money.  

Many fans are disappointed in the casting, complaining that the producers should have chosen more well-known actors to compete in this contest to be the best.  The only slightly well known figures to be casted for the main five characters, are Yu Hao Ming playing Duan Yulei (Hanazawa Rui) and Wei Chen playing Ye Shuo (Mimasaka Akira).  Joining these two will be Zhang Han, playing Yun Hai (Domyouji Tsukasa), Zhu Zixiao playing Ximen Ruiqian (Nishikado Sojirou), and Zheng Shuang playing Chu Yuxun (Makino Tsukushi).  Apparently Hangeng, the Chinese member of the Korean idol boy band Super Junior, was one of the top picks to be part of the F4 but turned down the offer to focus on promoting Super Junior's 3rd album. 

This Chinese production has brought along quite a bit of controversy.  Apparently, Group 8 Media, which produced the Korean Boys Over Flowers purchased rights the the Hana Yori Dango franchise.  With this contract in place, no new adaptations are supposed to begin production in the following two years.  However, Meteor Shower has not only already started filming, they have begun their slew of press releases.  Korean fans are, of course, furious.  In return the producers of the Chinese adaptation states that they are not basing the drama on the manga, but will instead be producing a "completely different story."  They have even changed the name of the boy idols, converting from "F4" to "H4."

Do we want to watch this?  The Chinese dramas that I have watched thus far have been rather good and well done, lacking the over-the-top factor I find appears often in Taiwan dramas.  However, I am slightly worried about the plot changes in store.  I guess I will watch it to see how it differs from the rest. The music trailer is officially out.  Hope you enjoy!


Pictures of the Chinese F4:

The new table of each different portrayal of the main five characters:

Music Trailer for Meteor Shower :





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To my surprise, there is a much older version of Hana Yori Dango pre-dating all of this craze.  The first live-action movie Hana Yori Dango (Japanese) was actually made in 1995, directed by Yasuyuki Kusuda, starring Uchida Yuki as Makino Tsukushi, Shosuke Tanihara as Domyouji Tsukasa, Naohito Fujiki as Hanazawa Rui, Koichi Hashizume as Mimasaka Akira, and Kensaku Saeki as Nishikado Sojirou.  Naohito Fujiki also made a cameo appearance in the Hana Yori Dango Final.  Does anybody know where I can watch this?

Drama Update: Boys Before Flowers

This is coming greatly belated but I couldn't help but spread the word (if anybody hasn't heard yet) about the (relatively) new Korean Drama 꽃보다 남자 / Kgotboda Namja, otherwise known as Boys Before Flowers.  The drama is the third adaptation of Yoko Kamio's popular Shojo manga 花より男子, (Hana Yori Dango).  F4 made Meteor Garden in Taiwan and the Japanese did their own rendition too, so of course, the Koreans had to create something to trump them all.  The Korean drama stars Koo Hye Sun as Geum Jan Di (Makino Tsukushi), Lee Min Ho as Goo Joon Pyo (Domyouji Tsukasa), Kim Hyun Joong as Yoon Ji Hoo (Hanazawa Rui), Kim Bum as So Yi Jung (Nishikado Sojirou), and Kim Joon as Song Woo Bin (Mimasaka Akira).

For all of those who have not yet watched it (gasp), the plot follows the manga, creating a tumultuous love triangle between Geum Jan Di, Goo Joon Pyo, and Yoon Ji Hoo.  Further complicated by family pressures and disparities in social class, this classic love story is reproduced in modern day Korea.  Geum Jan Di is a hardworking a filial daughter while Goo Joon Pyo is the typical spoiled aristocratic heir to the corporation.  Mixed into this is Yoon Ji Hoo, the knight in shining armor, who comes to love Jan Di.

The question of which rendition is the best is hotly debated.  Meteor Garden with the good looking Jerry Yan and Vic Chou?  Or Hana Yori Dango with the cute Matsumoto Jun and Oguri Shun.  Or Boys Before Flowers with the handsome Lee Min Ho and Kim Hyun Joong?  Personally, I am not a big fan of Meteor Garden.  This may have a lot to do with the relatively oldness of the drama but what really puts me off is the horrible styling and clothing choices.  Some of the sets look hastily put together and obviously fake.  The acting is mediocre and often too exaggerated. On the other hand, Hana Yori Dango presents a much more realistic tone, though some of the scenes are very dark.  The acting is superb and the cast looks good together, with  Matsumoto Jun and Oguri Shun having previously worked together in the Japanese drama Gokusen.  The outfits are well put together and present a very chic and stylish picture. Matsuda Shota, playing Nishikado Sojirou, and Abe Tsuyoshi, playing Mimasaka Akira, complement the others well.  Similarly, I really like Boys Before Flowers.  While the acting, casting, and clothing were all completed wonderfully, I felt that the drama really incorporated the Korean feel into the drama.  The inclusion of the porridge shop sets it apart from the dango store in the Japanese version.  Similarly, while Inoue Mao plays a rather pretty Makino, thus gaining our affections, Koo Hye Sun successfully portrays the poor, plain looking girl that the aloof heir eventually falls in love with without laying it on too thick.  She presents a very honest feel to the drama and comically contrasts Min Ho as she refuses to allow for his immaturity.

Some photos of the five stars of Boys Before Flowers: Koo Hye Sun as Geum Jan Di (Makino Tsukushi), Lee Min Ho as Goo Joon Pyo (Domyouji Tsukasa), Kim Hyun Joong as Yoon Ji Hoo (Hanazawa Rui), Kim Bum as So Yi Jung (Nishikado Sojirou), and Kim Joon as Song Woo Bin (Mimasaka Akira)

Picture of Koo Hye Sun:

She is so pretty in this picture.  It's amazing how well she created the character of Geum Jan Di.


Pictures of the five stars from Hana Yori Dango: Inoue Mao (Makino Tsukushi), Matsumoto Jun (Domoyoji Tsukasa), Oguri Shun (Hanazawa Rui), Matsuda Shota (Nishikado Sojirou), and Abe Tsuyoshi (Mimasaka Akira)

Picture of the five stars in Meteor Garden: Barbie Hsu as Shan Cai (Makino Tsukushi), Jerry Yan as Dao Ming Si (Domyouji Tsukasa), Vic Chou as Hua Ze Lei (Hanazawa Rui), Vanness Wu as Mei Zuo Ling (Mimasaka Akira), and Ken Chu as Xi Men (Nishikado Sojirou)

 

 

Tables of each different portrayal of the F4:

Drama Update: Shining Inheritance

Nowadays, I am watching the Korean Drama, Shining Inheritance, starring Han Hyo Joo as Go Eun Sung, Lee Seung Ki as Hwan Sun Woo, Bae Soo Bin as Park Jun Se, and Moon Chae Won as Yoo Seung Mi.  The story revolves around Go Eun Sung and Sun Woo Hwan in this classic Cinderella story.  Go Eun Sung goes from riches to rags overnight as her father "dies," his company goes bankrupt, and her evil stepmother kicks her out due to the stepmother's supposed inability to support both the biological children of her deceased husband as well as her own daughter, Seung Mi.  Added to this, Eun Sung's autistic younger brother, Go Eun Woo, played by Yun Joon Suk, wanders off one night and goes missing .

While Eun Sung is struggling to support herself and find Eun Woo, she finds her old true friend Lee Hye Ri, played by Min Young Won, for help.  She also encounters the kind and handsome Park Jun Se who falls in love with her.  What really causes the story to turn around is when Eun Sung encounters the Jang Sook Ja, the grandmother fondly known as "hymunni," played by Ban Hyo Jung.  Through saving grandmother's life and caring for the grandmother, Eun Sung gains the admiration of the grandmother.  Jang Sook Ja turns out to be the CEO of a large food corporation, who is disappointed in her family, especially Sun Woo Hwan, her heir.  As a way to cure her family's bad character as well as bring some stability in her life, the grandmother brings Eun Sung into her household, declaring Eun Sung her new heir.

Unbeknownst to Eun Sung, her evil stepmother, Baek Sung Hee, played by Kim Mi Sook, is actually orchestrating everything in the background, having hidden money from Eun Sung's father and bought a luxurious apartment as well as deserting Eun Woo in the countryside.  However, everything comes back to bite her, for as Newton's third law of physics states, "every force has an equal and opposite force."  Eun Sung's father, having been mistakenly been declared dead, comes back to haunt Sung Hee after hiding in the shadows to enable his family to collect the life insurance in his name after the collapse of his company.  Hwan, the love of Seung Mi's life and Sung Hee's hope for a future of relaxation, loses the inheritance and begins to love Eun Sung.  The grandmother, in return for Eun Sung's help, sends out men to search Seoul and the surrounding countryside for Eun Woo, making his discovery imminent, threatening Sung Hee with his impeccable memory and innocence that prevents him from lying.  Eun Sung, the girl she previously viewed as a burden, is about to become the heir to one of the largest food corporations in Seoul and a huge inheritance, leaving Hwan penniless.

Shining Inheritance can be found on Mysoju.com and Dramacrazy.net for all who wish to watch it.  I highly advise this drama.  It adds a touch of humor to the classic love triangle, bringing the classic Cinderella tale to the modern day in Seoul.  The casting is superb and the acting is well done.  The outfits prepared are chic and aid the characterizations in the story, revealing each character's inner nature.  Overall, this is a great drama.  Hope you enjoy!

Photos of the four main actors/actresses: Han Hyo Joo (Go Eun Sung), Lee Seung Ki (Sun Woo Hwan), Bae Soo Bin (Park Jun Se), and Moon Chae Won (Yoo Seung Mi)

Von Dutch Madness

Today, my friend, (insert name), was wearing a Von Dutch T-shirt.  What is with this Von Dutch craziness?  According to her, I am entirely overreacting but this is an extremely puzzling situation.  I have always thought of Von Dutch as this old brand that is fading out of the spotlight.  As a young child, I had some recollection of the brand but thought that it was an older 90s tradition.  However, as I watch videos of my favorite Korean artists online, I am noticing this surging Von Dutch fad.  Super Junior, SS501, and many, many more are all sporting the looks-like-squirted-out-mustard-shaped-lettered logo, may it be on T-shirts or even plain caps, though they look very svelte atop the heads of our beloved idols.  Not only in Korea, this brand is also surging in the US.  While I have yet to see a wide donning of Von Dutch apparel, Lindsay Lohan has recently (depends on how you define "recently") become one of the promoters of the brand.

What is Von Dutch?  This question has been buzzing around my cranium ever since this new sighting this morning.  I decided to look it up but my Wikipedia search proved to be largely unfruitful, only naming Kenny Howard as the inspiration.  More importantly, why is it catching on in Korea?  How can such simple apparel be such a standout hit?  Anybody with any news, please share!

Where is The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince?

Oh the woe. Dailymotion.com has removed all episodes of The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince, due to "a breach of the Terms of Use." This has a huge ripple effect. Sites such as Mysoju and Asiandramacrazy.net all get the majority of their episodes of The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince from Dailymotion's copy. Now, I have been unable to find the show anywhere. While their are Mandarin and Cantonese dubbed versions on Youtube, I have yet to find a site where it is English subbed but still uses the original voicings.

What are we fans to do? The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince is my favorite drama of all time. Not only is the plot well developed, the acting is extremely good, with great casting selections. Yoon Eun Hye (Go Eun Chan) and Gong Yoo (Han Kyul) worked very well together as a couple. Similarly, Lee Sun Gyun (Choi Han Seong)and Chae Jung Ahn (Han Yoo Joo) provided a great more mature balance to the mix. Topped off by the other characters working in the cafe, the drama achieved a great balance of drama and comedy.

With the casting, we also got a group of extremely attractive males, in particular Gong Yoo, Lee Sun Gyun, and Kim Jae Wook (Noh Sun Ki). On the female side, Yoon Eun Hye and and Chae Jung Ahn do not lose at all to their counterparts. Whoever did the clothing selections did a phenomenal job at making all of them look amazing, yet very laid back. Such an attractive drama, which it makes it all the better.

Rumors have also appeared online detailing the possibility of a sequel! Yay! Ratings for The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince reached 27.7% and was one of the most watched dramas in 2007. I really hope that they do make a sequel as I loved the drama. MBC, the company that produced The First Shop of Coffee Prince has indicated an interest in producing a sequel. However, Gong Yoo has been drafted and has stated that he will be leaving within a year, and would thus not be in the sequel. Personally, I think that shooting should be put off until he comes back. Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye make a great couple. His conscription started on January 14, 2008 and sidusHQ, his agency, has stated that he will finish his service by December 8, 2009.

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Back from a major hiatus. I have officially found an English subbed version!!

Crunchyroll.com, which has recently become a disappointment in its determination to take off all of its dramas (for legality issues...I guess we can't argue there) has obtained permission to post certain shows (mainly K-Dramas as I have heard), including The First Shop of Coffee Prince!! Not only does it have grammatically correct subs, the quality is extremely good for an online posting. Happy watching!!

Some cast pictures to enjoy...


Three of the Co-stars (from left to right; Lee Seon-gyun, Yoon Eun-hye, Gong Yoo):

Personally, I love Yoon Eun-Hye's dress in this picture. It's extremely simple yet the design is new, modern, and extremely cute. Combined with her adorable heels, Yoon Eun-Hye presents a perfect image of stylish yet friendly. Does anybody know where I can get her outfit??


Yoon Eun-Hye and Gong Yoo:

So pretty! I love the way the button up shirt contrasts the dress. It seems to be made of such a comfortable material.


Multiple Angles on Yoon Eun-Hye's Dress:

Ok, getting a little obsessive. Her shoes are so cute though!

Yoon Eun-Hye:

She looks amazing in this picture. The dress fits her perfectly. I love the cut. (What's this I hear about her new drama Lady Castle?)


A final Yoon Eun-Hye:

She looks amazing in this picture. I love her longer hair as well as the white dress. Whoever shot this picture did an great job.

Gong Yoo:

Nice clean shot of him.


Multiple photos of the four main actors/actresses: Yoon Eun-hye (Go Eun-Chan), Gong Yoo (Choi Han-Gyeol), Lee Seon-gyun (Choi Han-Seong), and Chae Jung Ahn (Han Yu-Ju):