ザラ Notes: 꽃보다 남자 Boys Over Flowers

03 April 2009

꽃보다 남자 Boys Over Flowers

Title: 꽃보다 남자 Kgotboda Namja
English Title:

Boys Before Flowers
Boys Over Flowers

Country: South Korea
Language: Korean
Year: 2009
Episode: 25
Cast:

구혜선 Gu Hye Sun
이민호 Lee Min Ho
김현중 Kim Hyun Joong
김범 Kim Bum
김준 Kim Joon
김소은 Kim So Eun
이민정 Lee Min Jung
김현주 Kim Hyun Joo
한채영 Han Chae Young
이시영 Lee Si Young

SYNOPSIS

티맥스 T-Max - 파라다이스 Paladaiseu (Paradise)

Geum Jan Di is an average high school girl who helps out at the laundry and drycleaning shop her family owns. When Jan Di delivers some clothes to Shin Hwa College, the most prestigious school in South Korea, she saves a student from committing suicide by jumping off a roof.

Jan Di gets a scholarship to Shin Hwa College and she finds out that a group of students, collectively known as F4, rules the school. Goo Joon Pyo, Yoon Ji Hoo, So Yi Jung, and Song Woo Bin are close friends and heirs of the most influential families in South Korea.

Jan Di tries to avoid confrontation with the F4 but when her friend Oh Min Ji accidentally drops ice cream on F4 leader Joon Pyo, she's forced to defend her friend from the big bullies.

REVIEW

더블에스501 SS501 - 내 머리가 나빠서 Nae Meoliga Nappaseo (Because My Head is Bad)

I honestly did not like Boys Over Flowers. I had to watch it until the end though because I always finish what I started but it took a lot of effort to do so. It's probably because I had a lot of expectations this time around.

I've watched the previous adaptations of the same manga and while I find 流星花園 Meteor Garden so-so, I loved 花より男子 Hana Yori Dango. I assumed that the production staff would make sure that the Korean adaptation is comparable quality-wise, if not better.

Boys Over Flowers should tell a story that flows but it was more episodic. There's a major conflict that is hastily resolved in each episode and seemingly forgotten in the next one. The personalities of the characters change to accommodate the conflicts in each episode, which basically means that character development is non-existent.

There are some strong actors in the cast but the lead actress is such a big disappointment. I did not like Gu Hye Sun's portrayal of Geum Jan Di; her facial expressions are so exaggerated and irritating. What's worse is that these expressions serve no purpose!

I am indifferent to Jan Di's story with Goo Jun Pyo and it's probably because I don't like Jan Di as a character. Although I know it's impossible, I really wanted Jun Pyo to end up with Ha Jae Kyung instead. This is something new for me because although there is a lead character I didn't really like in some of the dramas I've watched, I still generally wanted the two main characters to end up together. There are very few exceptions, and this drama is one of those exceptions.

I am definitely more interested in So Yi Jung's story with Chu Ga Eul, Jan Di's best friend. I like that in this particular adaptation, there's an explicit hint that the two may end up together in the future.