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: