I’ve been avoiding reviewing this one, but how could I ignore it? Boys Before Flowers infected me with a proper ADDICTION to K-Series!
“If there were such a thing as the perfect romantic comedy, this would be it—excellent writing, a star-studded cast, and a story that makes its audience daydream and addicted at the same time makes Boys Over Flowers a world-wide wonder! ”
The Rundown
Behind the name: Pun on Japanese saying, “dumplings before flowers” based on a Japanese Manga.
Country: South Korea, 2009
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Broadcast by: Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), 2009
Director: Jun Ki Sang Producer: Kalsang Dorjee
Cast: Lee Min-Ho (as Gu Jun-Pyo), Goo Hye-Sun (as Geum Jan-Di), Kim Hyun-Joong (as Yoon Ji-Hoo), Kim Bum (as So Yi-Jung), Kim So-Eul (as Chu Ga-Eul), Kim Joon (as Woo Bin)
Compare to: Gossip Girl (with less girls & more gorgeous boys), The OC
Hate it or Love it? Absolutely Love it!
Synopsis in a Sentence: A dry-cleaner’s daughter gets a scholarship to an exceedingly wealthy high school in South Korea, and as she lives her average life, she gets mixed up with extremely good-looking, wealthy boys who all happen to fall for her at the same time.
It’s all fun and games at the beginning—you laugh out loud at Geum Jan-Di’s family, and explore the stark difference between the wealthy and the “normal” in the story. Then the drama kicks in, and you’re taken on a spellbinding roller coaster!
On Writing: The Plot
Pure skill. That’s what good writing is. Though judgement is based on translation, the script was simply amazing. All the members of F4 (Flower 4) had all the right words to say, they did all the right things, and responded perfectly at the right time. If you’re a girl, be careful, you’ll find yourself falling very easily for these characters. If you’re a guy, learn c-a-r-e-fully.
The plot yanks you through a series of emotions. You’ll feel the emotion and experience the drama that comes biologically with romantic comedies. The plot was skilfully crafted to throw its audience off course, and even if you’ve seen the Japanese and Taiwanese versions, the South Koreans made sure to inject a lot more suspense, intrigue and mystery into their production of the story. It’s not all just fun and quirky romance. It’s a whole lot of laugh-out-loud comedy, authentic drama, some ludicrous “action” and exciting melodrama to be packed into one romantic comedy.
The South Koreans made Boys Over Flowers theirs in every possible way.
(4.5/5)
On Acting: The Cast
A star-studded cast, full of raw talent, brimming with flair, and capable of enticing the most uninterested audiences, the cast of Boys Over Flowers expertly imparted their hearts and souls into the production of this series.
Lee Min-Ho. With ardour and perfection, skilfully relayed the gorgeous arrogance of Gu Jun-Pyo. We won’t forget this curly-haired character for a long time, and neither will he, as playing Gu Jun-Pyo made his career. Goo Hye-Sun. She’s a smart, passionate lass, and she made Geum Jan-Di as loving and relatable as ever. Her effortless portrayal of Jan-Di allowed us sail through the series with every emotion of her character. Kim Hyun-Joong. He sings, he acts; he performs throughout Boys Over Flowers, and portrays a very different character from all the other F4 members. Patience and serenity come to mind with his portrayal of Yoon Ji Hoo. Very well done.
Kim So-Eun. She plays a very reserved charater, in this series, and by the end of it all, we’re led to believe Chu Ga-Eul is Kim So-Eun. That’s how good she is. Kim Bum. We therefore proclaim him the Asian Chuck Bass, but much better looking and much more irresistible. In addition to being drop-dead gorgeous, he portrays So Yi-Jung’s emotions superbly. Kim Joon. Known as “the voice of reason” of the series, Kim Joon plays Woo-Bin effortlessly, save for his use of random “Engrish” phrases.
Other notable acts include Park Ji Bin (as Geum Kang San) who plays Jan Di's younger brother, Ahn Suk Hwan (as Geum II Bong, Jan Di’s father) and Im Ye Jin (Na Gong Ju, Jan-Di’s mother). Gotta say, Jan-Di’s family rocks!!! (Especially her brother) When you watch it, you’ll see. If you’ve seen it, you know. And what’s a story without its villains? Artfully portrayed by Lee Hye-Yeong, Gu Jun-Pyo’s mother highlighted the evil in Boys Over Flowers. We didn’t just love to hate her, we hated her. That’s great acting. There’s much more to say, but overall, a great cast. Must have been fun to work with.
(4.5/5)
On Wardrobe: The Fashion
The Men. That’s what the fashion was all about. And it wasn’t disappointing. Exquisitely tailored suits that seemed to have dropped from heaven were adorned on the frames of the F4, while the girls were left high and dry.
Much more could have been done for the women. We would have loved to see Jan-Di sport her own inexpensive style throughout the series, or Ga-Eul whip us some cute outfits from time to time. At the least, Jae-Kyung (Monkey) could have displayed some inspiring female fashion, but none of that happened. Perhaps the wardrobe department exhausted its budget on the male characters. Well, we really don’t mind coz we’d rather have them over flowers anyway ;)
(4/5)
On Resolution: The Conclusion
After all is said and done, prepare to get addicted to K-Dramas after seeing Boys Over Flowers. The plot is creative, the resolution logical, the comedy, drama, and romance real. Believe all the hype. This one is good.
(4.5/5)
The Verdict: Made with sugar, spice, and everything nice… an a little bit of kimchi!
Watch Boys Over Flowers [http://www.hulu.com/boys-before-flowers]
*Note: All web sources provided from this source are legal.
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