The long-awaited 꽃보다남자 (Boys Over Flowers/Korean Hana Yori Dango) has finally started with a 14.3% rating on their pilot episode. Not bad for a first-starter, eh? But the good news is that it went up again to 17.6% on their 2nd episode. I’m actually… pretty impressed!
As KBS hasn’t really had their way these past few years, but they do have some good ones last year. 꽃보다남자 or what I like to abbreviate it as “BOF” (though it may sound like Bae Yong Joon’s very owned agency lol), but I’m excited to see how this drama will bypass and if it’ll actually survive or stay put. In 2005, there was Goong, from MBC, and it was pretty much skyrocketed throughout the early month of 2005 (it started off early January also), and a year after, there was the KBS “My Girl” starring Lee Dong Wook & Lee Da Hae. I don’t actually remember if there was a specific drama in this genre (light comedy/romantic comedy), but there was Legend/Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi but it ended before Christmas.
Haven’t watched BOF 2 yet, but episode 1 was actually pretty… okay. There are some unbearable scenes like the overacting “Meet Jadin’s Family” (parents and a younger sibling – the younger Yisan), but then again, Lee Min Ho really surprised me with his rendition of Doumyouji Tsukasa. He’s actually really good at it! Now, sadly, sigh… Kim Hyun Joong, I was rooting for you all the way, but maybe because I’ve seen him (as himself) in We Got Married, everything he does in BOF looks so unnatural and pretense. I get that he’s inexperienced in acting, and this is his very first drama. But… well, let’s just hope he’ll get better. Hopefully.
Now about Gu Hye Sun, I admit I was very skeptical of her. But it was not a legitimate skepticism because 1. I have never watched her work before. and 2. It was rather shallow. (Because she’s too… erm…. pale. lol, see I told you it’s rather ‘peculiar’ of me to admit this in a public blog ㅋㅋㅋ) But my point is that I can see why the PD chose her for the role. Though I think she’s not as pretty as Inoue Mao or even Barbie Hsu, I can totally understand now that Gu Hye Sun is picked as the Korean Makino. She has the right guts and that tomboyish look on her. Though the Japanese and Taiwanese Makino had long black hair, I’m rather curious to see how they’ll change the look on her a bit as the story progresses.
As for Kim Bum and Kim Joon (from T-Max), I can’t say much about them yet other than, errrr… maybe they can pull it off, or maybe not so much. Kim Bum has that baby face on him, which seriously, it makes it so hard to picture that his character is supposedly very playboy-ish. Hmph~. And Kim Joon, I just hold my own thoughts until I observe him further.
If you have watched both episodes, please do share your thoughts. I’d love to read them ;)
January 7th, 2009 at 12:22 am
I watched both episodes. Well, to be honest, I am still not impressed up to now and same with you, it is pretty OK for me. Somehow I felt that there’s still lack of chemistry and the feeling that I got from watching the previous two versions, taiwanese and japanese, did not come out as expected. Is it because I already know everything about the characters and storyline? most probably yes. The casts should be able to give something fresh, not only the looks (which I admit Korean version has prettier F4 ^^), but also their improvisation of the character. I like Go Hye Sun, though sometimes I felt that she was kinda like a lil bit too expressive being Jan Di. Lee Min ho is quite good, but I have to see how will it go after more chemistry sparkles between Jan Di and his character. For Kim Hyun Joon’s character… gee, why do I still love Oguri Shun better? It feels like he smiled a lot just in the two episodes while in the Jap version it was so rare for me to see Shun smiled. That’s why this character’s coolness is well crafted by Shun. Somehow, I also felt that his expression is kinda forced and stiff. Hmm… For the other two characters of Ki Bum and Kim Joon… oh, they are just too cute to be womanizer, hehehe… there’s still lack of exploration up to now about them but they are just OK. Hope to see better things in the upcoming episodes and more chemistry between the characters… ^^
January 7th, 2009 at 3:39 am
I’ve seen episodes 1 and 2 and I think it was pretty good, though I lowered my expectations also since it’s much hyped already and I don’t want to fall into disappointment…I didn’t like some overacted scenes by Goo Hye-sun but still I think she can pull of Jandi well, and Lee Minho suited his character well, Kim Hyun-joong still needs to relax himself while acting, and Kim Bum is also good here, got annoyed with the mean girls here, haha
btw, Shenny, KOTW’s Yeonhwa (Lee Shi-young) is in BOF as well. she plays Jandi’s new friend in school, Oh Min-ji and the young Chae Si-ra in Empress Cheonchu, Kim So-eun, is also here as Ga-eul, Jandi’s bestfriend which will create a love line with Kim Bum’s character
January 7th, 2009 at 5:19 am
I thought that Hye Sun was a bit tad to ‘mature’ in her looks.. She looks somewhat older IMO and that was what I thought too Barbie Hsu. She do have that gutsy look though. Hyun Joong is doing a decent job for his first try. Both Ki Bum and Kim Joon do not have that ’slick’ look for a womanizer but maybe those baby-ish and boyish looks do make a few girls’ heart flutter ^^ Overall, it was just all right but I am giving it some more episodes before saying anything major. It was the same when Hana Yori Dango came out, lots of comments, etc., but it spawned HYD2 and HYD Finaru. I still love Japan’s HYD the best but not favoring the Taiwanese version. I think this Korean version will grow on me. It’s awkward in the initial episodes but I’m sure they will improve as they go on. So yeah, my two cents worth ^^
January 7th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
i didn’t watch episode 2 yet but i did with episode 1 and well overall it’s all right can’t expect too much tho the only thing that bother me was the main girl character…ahhh i think you just found someone more shallow then yourself ay cause all through that episode i was like….”she’s so uuugly….” i mean acting was ok too like most people have said she tries alittle too hard, especially when she’s trying to be dorky. I mean there are parts when she makes that face that i dubbed “the constipated face” cause it really looked like she needed to go.
But again, only 1 episode, cannot make rash judgements but unlike teh jap. HYD, i can’t find myself liking this character nor feeling any connection other then the urge to hand her some Gravol.
January 8th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
I’ve only watched Ep. 1, but I’m trying to keep an open mind watching this version. When I saw the Taiwanese version, I absolutely LOVED it! Then, seeing the Japanese one, it was beyond my expectations. I’m trying to not compare the Korean version to the other two, until we’re further into the drama.
Judging from the first episode, Lee Min Ho is great as Doumyouji Tsukasa!! I was impressed. Kim HyunJoong, I didn’t have very high expectations, since he’s rather new to acting (but, don’t forget he did do a little acting in the 2005 sitcom, Can Love Be Refilled.) As a ss501 fan, we’ve seen his normal self as part of ss501 and from We Got Married; I knew it was going to be hard for me to watch his parts, “seriously.” But, I think he pulled off his character pretty well. Kim Joon, his english when F4 was dining together, I thought was awkward. Don’t get me wrong, his english was great. It just didn’t seem natural to be using at that moment, I guess? A little overdone and forced. Other than that, can’t really judge until we’ve see more of him. Kim Bum, his boyish look doesn’t convince me he’s womanizer. :P But, he’s a good actor and his look makes him fit F4. Goo Hye Sun, can’t say much about her. Right now, she seems like the typical girl we see in a lot of the teen dramas and movies. So, it makes it seem like anyone else could be playing this role.
So far, I’m enjoying it. I have high expectations for this drama. I hope it does well.
January 8th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Shenny, oh how I’ve missed you! Heehee
I may be bias because I’m such a fan of the Japanese version but I am finding it hard to watch BOF at times.
I couldn’t even watch the taiwanese version either. I will continue to watch and state my thoughts later, but just from eps 1 and 2, I think it’s ok. GHS does over do it at times, LMH’s curls look SO unnatural, KHJ looks sickly (sorry, but he really needs rest though). Can’t say much for KB or KJ cause I haven’t really seen many scenes of theirs yet, but they are good looking. I’d say probably the best looking F4 cast so far…though Oguri Shun is and will forever be HANAZAWA RUI in my eyes.
January 8th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
I think, the 2nd episode is way better than the 1st episode. I still adapting the lead actress since I think she’s to mature to play Jandi. Well, she might be ok end up wif Joon Pyo (she’ll end up wif him neway), but when she’s with Ji Hoo, I dun think the fit together. Unlike San Chai with Lei in Meteor Garden and Tsukushi and Rui in Hana Yori Dango, I see no sparks between Jandi and Ji Hoo…
Still early to predict, but I like this drama so far.
January 20th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
i love this drama! as a khs fan i am prejudiced but after a kind of slow start, i was totally reeled in! lee min ho is so dashing and charismatic and perfect, and hyesun, well, she is amazing. in the recent sang sung plus episode where 4 of the bof cast members were present, you could see what she is like “for real”, which is kind of quiet, shy, and giggles a lot, and very humble. for her to act tomboyish and feisty is a challenge, and i think she nails it. let’s not forget that she is taking direction from someone and will act according to how she is being directed. i think she’s wonderful, and even though i enjoyed both the taiwanese and japanese versions too, they all have their own charm, i think kkotboda namja tops the list! music is great too and really adds to the scenes in the drama.