Korean Boys Over Flowers + the Poll!!!

[alexandral]

I think I am in complete minority with Korean BoF.

- I still like it very much; this drama is not in my top 5 but definitely is in my top 10-15 Korean dramas.

- I am still shipping JanDi/JunPyo. Gosh, Lee Min Ho is so gorgeous I will ship him with anyone until the ends of time.

- I don't ship Jan Di / Ji Hoo at all. This is a surprise for me because I had a soft spot for Lei/Shankai when he made the Meteor Garden for her, I shipped Rui/Makino with quite an obsession (I confess I even cried a bit at the end :D) and I really like Ji Hoo himself. But there is something in him that makes me think I would prefer to ship him with a boy and that moment he had with Jun Pyo sleeping in his bed sealed it.

- I am quite glad that we got a different version of the story and it is a Korean drama through and through, with over-the-top angst, mopping and all such things .

+ The only thing that is bad for me in Korean Boys Over Flowers is the herouine. I don't know if the problem for me is in her constant mopping because Makino did a fair bit of mopping in Japanese version too. I think I just don't like Jan Di, I don't see why Ji Hoo and Jun Pyo should like her, etc. etc. Koo Hye Sun looks older than the rest of the cast, I am not fond of her acting and she has a haircut that should be strictly banned from hairdressing.

Below is my attemp at a purely scientific poll I tried to make to find out your preferences:

[Poll #1363046]

Comments

[uisceros.livejournal.com]

I think I love you for saying this! I feel the same way about Boys Before Flowers; I still love it. I still ship Jan Di/Jun Pyo. And I'm glad it's different from the others as well (it would be boring if they were all the same!) I do, however, really like Jan Di ;)

I'm really surprised the fandom soured on BBF so fast!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I think that being fair my main problem is the Jan Di's haircut. For example, look at Koo Hye Sun here : http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Image:Koo_Hye_Sun-headshot.jpg. She is pretty! But every time I see her in BoF a haircut purist in me dies a little. :D

I'm really surprised the fandom soured on BBF so fast!

Sometimes people can get completely unhappy when a show goes not the way they expect, I am pretty much like this myself adn it happened to me with "Hong Gil Dong" which I liked at first and which ened among few dramas that I don't like.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, the jdrama is the only version I can say Ilike with any degree of honesty. I've never been able to be interested at all in the kdrama, hated the bit of the manga (or rather, I liked Makino, but loathed the men, and even if he had grown on me, I couldn't see myself liking him enough to sit through 30+ volumes of her having to deal with his issues) I read, and thought the first half of MG was ok, but the second half was mostly a case of horrified fascination for me. While I'm not as smitten with Barbie as everyone else is (she always strikes me as rather disinterested in her roles) I agree with the general consensus that Shancai is tougher than Makino. That same toughness, though, made it difficult for me to accept Shancai/Dao Ming Si, because the way it played out, it felt more like he wore her down than that he won her over. Plus, I never recovered from her "maybe it was my fault" monologue after he hits her, because it came across far too much like an abused wife/girlfriend defending her abuser, even though I know it wasn't the intent.

(As a tangent, I've also never understood why the various incarnations are always declared feminist for having a heroine who's tough and doesn't let people push her around, because that should be the expected norm, not an amazing, revolutionary shock. It just means it's doing one aspect better than other things do.)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Plus, I never recovered from her "maybe it was my fault" monologue after he hits her, because it came across far too much like an abused wife/girlfriend defending her abuser, even though I know it wasn't the intent.

I agree with you here - this scene is really terrible, I hated it and I just erased it out of my memory like a bad dream. It is bad enough that he hits her after he is in love with her and after there seem to be some changes in him (so these changes seem to be just temporary) but the worst is that "may be it is my fault" thinking of Shankai's. I just pretend that this scene doesn't exist because it is not fitting to the the way both characters were developing..

As a tangent, I've also never understood why the various incarnations are always declared feminist for having a heroine who's tough and doesn't let people push her around, because that should be the expected norm, not an amazing, revolutionary shock. It just means it's doing one aspect better than other things do.

It seems to be quite a change for usual dorama scenarios where even the best of girls usually need "saving". However, there are all sorts of more feminist mangas, even "Claymore" comes to mind.

[uisceros.livejournal.com]

Random butt in (hope you don't mind!), but I have to say, I have the same feelings about Barbie. I don't hate her, but I really don't why everyone loves her. I remember in one of those behind the scenes things in Corner with Love, she made her assistant run around after her with an umbrella so she wouldn't be in the sun for very long. I think it was then that I decided she was a bit too much of a primadonna for me.

[timescout.livejournal.com]

I'm still finding it entertaining myself. But I'm farely easy to please, I never seem to get irritated by the things many others do. I'm not a shipper so that's neither here not there for me, I'm quite happy with the pairings the writers deem fit to give us.

I do think that the scripts are all over the place and it has glaring WTF moments but things like that don't usually bother me much. I'm game even with glaring plotholes, ha.

As much as I love Lee Min Hoo's portrayal of Jun Pyo, Ji Hoo is my favourite character. I always favour the 'good guys' almost without a fail. ;)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am like this too - I can be very nit-picking with films but it seems I have a big blind eye where doramas are concerned. I guess I am not watching them with a purpose of looking for plotholes, I thought plotholes is the part of the ride. :D

I am an obsessive shipper, but what saves me is that I usually tend to ship canon pairings. This helps - I get terribly upset when my pairing goes wrong.

As much as I love Lee Min Hoo's portrayal of Jun Pyo, Ji Hoo is my favourite character. I always favour the 'good guys' almost without a fail. ;)

I tend to go for bad boy/redemption types the most. But in RL I am all for good boys. Ji Hoo is lovely.

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen the Japanese so I couldn't take 100% honest participation in this poll.

I had to go with Mei Zuo for Woo Bin/Akira because he was brought up in L.A. and his perfectly articulated English was so jarring. I actually like Woo Bin a lot (especially as they throw in the randomness and try to give him more presence) but I swear, Vanness Wu made me laugh the entire show.

I'm glad Ga Eul is winning :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Hee! Vanness Wu and his hair! I liked that in Taiwanese version he always was a separate entity, he was always the one to come up with sensible thoughts and suggestions and provided the necessary balance to F4. :D Akira was a bit OTT and Woo Bin seems to be totally unnecessary to the story.

Ga Eul is such a hit with me. :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I just posted a rambly comment on uisceros' lj about why BOF bothers me so much. Heeee - we seem to be polar opposites on this drama, as with Hong Gil Dong :)

I won't repeat what I ranted about so I'll just say that their scriptwriter drives me nuts with character inconsistency but he is a genius compared to their sucky editor :)

Also, it's the first drama where I don't ship the canon couple which means the scriptwriter is doing something very very odd indeed!

Oh, and MG is my favorite for all the categories except for Ji Hoo and Ga Eul. Oh Barbie, I love her so much!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Also, it's the first drama where I don't ship the canon couple which means the scriptwriter is doing something very very odd indeed!

hee! I am usually the same with canon-shipping, I only had a couple of exceptions and the first one came as a complete surprise/shock . "Hong Gil Dong" and "HYD" are the only dramas/mangas where I don't ship the canon couple, both cases have a specific reason - in HGD it was the fact that Hong Gil Dong was looking down on her most of the time and in HYD I just was crazy about Oguri Shun. "Powerful Opponents" doesn't really count because it isn't clear who the canon couple is.

I'll just say that their scriptwriter drives me nuts with character inconsistency but he is a genius compared to their sucky editor :)

I haven't seen anything out of usual Korean scripwriting and editing yet..

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

I still adore BOF but there are parts that annoy me, like, the scriptwriters seeming to be confused with the shipping. I am actually partly leaning towards Jae Kyung/Jun Pyo and Jan Di/Ji Hoo. Although Ji Hoo kissing Yi Jung was the cutest thing from ep 19, LOL. I am also not hating or becoming too bored with the drama. My main problem is that some parts are just making me annoyed. I have to say that I love Evil Mother dearly, though, for having the glare that would kill a thousand cats, hah. I despise her character but to some small (tiny?) extent she makes sense, and the actress does perform a great job :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am actually partly leaning towards Jae Kyung/Jun Pyo and Jan Di/Ji Hoo.

My thinking is that the writers did intend this to happen (true love quadrangle and all) , but the problem is that there is a big percentage of fans who know the manga and the other versions very well and who don't like the change in the paradigm , because in all previous cases it was more about Makino/Domioji against the world than about the love triangle/quadrangle. And a "couple against the world" paradigm is always more interesting than love triangle, I don't know why Korean dramas like love triangles. I am fine with the love quadrangle story myself because I always was more about the hotness of the main leads than about the love story. (Hmm, this is a rather long passage :D)

Evil mother is very impressive here. He-he - I love your "kill a thousands cats" phrase!!!!!!!!

Ji Hoo kissing Yi Jung was sooooooooo cute :D I am also so involved in Ga Eul/Yi Jung.

[bae-mac.livejournal.com]

and the actress does perform a great job :)</>

She does! She gives the character more depth compared to the Japanese and Taiwanese version.

[anaswings.livejournal.com]

Of course, I think that BBF is much better than HYD if we talked about the manga, because it's almost the same.
BTW, all the characters are nicer in Korea. I think so... =D

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

BTW, all the characters are nicer in Korea. I think so... =D

I agree - the Korean cast is much prettier than Japanese or Taiwanese cast. They have a very special genes pool in Korea. :D

[joonni.livejournal.com]

I can't do the poll because I can't compare. I take the faults of the kdrama as a fault of the drama itself, apart from comparisons.

I still like the drama too and it still has good moments. I'm still going to watch it faithfully. I also enjoy this different version. I just wish they did it better.

I thought the haircut was okay but now I am beginning to see the awfulness of it, especially in still photos.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I still like the drama too and it still has good moments.

YAY! Ji Hoo kissing Yi Jung was definitely a good moment. :D

As you say, Korean BoF is very much a korean drama and some things (like the backstories for Yi Jung and Wo Bin) are excellent and VERY Korean drama.

I thought the haircut was okay but now I am beginning to see the awfulness of it

I also hate the long socks Jan di is wearing with a passion.

[lenra.livejournal.com]

the Japanese version is my favorite *but i like the korean version too*

but i have different answers to the questions "who is the best Sojiro, Akira and Yuki"? i have to answer the cast of the korean version, i like them better...

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am really reaally liking Ga Eul, Yi Jung abd Woo Bin too. There seem to be much more depth in their characters and the actors are so gorgeous. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Yi Jung/Ga Eul relationship will end differently from the manga.

[tahnh.livejournal.com]

I am definitely feelin the Korean Version of HYD......Korean dramas always do best in the romance department but I favor the Japanese version solely based on the fact that I like the Japanese Makino.

I’ve tried to watch the Taiwanese version but it’s very slow paced and a wee bit boring. I don't know maybe it’s my short attention span or the fact that if something doesn't grasp my attention from the beginning I let it go.

But back to the Korean version I agree with some posters about the inconsistency of it all. I should be rooting for Jan Di and Jun Pyo but I find myself doing the opposite probably there is some sort of reason to all of this. It’s pretty exasperating when you know whats supposed to happen but I will stick with it because although it is annoying I also interested to find out how they will twist things back on track.

All around its nice to see the different takes on the Manga.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

YAY! There seem to be more fans liking the Korean version than I initially thought.

I should be rooting for Jan Di and Jun Pyo but I find myself doing the opposite probably there is some sort of reason to all of this. It’s pretty exasperating when you know whats supposed to happen but I will stick with it because although it is annoying I also interested to find out how they will twist things back on track.

You see, this is what I don't understand - I was rooting for Rui/Makino terribly in Japanese version and I was rooting for Lei/Shancai at some point too. I mean, Rui is just perfect and such a good guy and such a good friend, much better for any girl than childish Domyoji. I used to think that this was a part of canon , that Rui is so awesome and that a big percent of fans ship him with Makino and that Makino/Domyoji is just an example of these "fated" couples who don't really suit each other. I don't understand the posts I see everywhere: "Oh, this drama makes me ship Rui/Makino (Jandi/JiHoo), there must be something wrong with it". Yes, Kdrama has many extra scenes with Jandi/Ji Hoo but Rui/Makino was always a part of canon IMHO.

But this is just me, may be I don't understand something, I need to read the manga to understand the shipping arrangements in the original.

[prettierdanpink.livejournal.com]

no matter how much i love domyouji x makino, i cried so hard because of rui in hanadan 2. gah. rui x makino looked good together too!

but MG holds a very special place in my heart (first asian drama I've ever watched :P) so I consider it as my favorite ♥

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

i cried so hard because of rui in hanadan 2. gah. rui x makino looked good together too!

Me tooooooooo! He was just perfect and in general, in any version, Rui seems to me as someone who can make a girl happy.

Meteor Garden was my second drama! I also have a very ery special place for it in my heart. Also I love love love Shancai, she is the strongest version of Makino IMHO.

Sorry, it's a bit long.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm really surprised that Ga Eul is more popular than Yuki in HYD. I thought the interaction between Soujiro and Yuki was so much more then, because it felt more real and Soujiro actually looked like a playboy while I feel that the korean actor looks too much like a little boy and he doesn't have that playboy attitude that Matsuda Shota pulled off. I suspect that in the case of Yi Jung, people may be influenced by the appearance of the actor rather than his acting skills and his representation of the character.

As to Jun Pyo, he is definitely the best Domyouji that has come so far. He actually makes his character believable and pulls off the tenderness and violence that is in Domyouji.

As to Geum Jan Di - why has she ended up like every other Korean girl in kdramas (apart from a few of some of the recent kdramas)? Boring and lifeless? I mean she's meant to be this tough weed who could make it, but all she seems to do is cry. And unfortunately because Ji Hoo doesn't pull off a convincing Rui, when she was in love with him I actually felt like knocking her head because she was such an idiot. I want that tough weed spirit we saw a bit in Shancai and saw in Tsukushi even when she was in love with Domyouji.

To be fair, Jun Pyo should win an award - he has definitely shown who the real Domyouji is.

P.S. Why is it that the kdrama characters seems to be getting better results in the polls? - I know they're meant to better at romance (well someone in the comments above said this), but I'd like to introduce you to "Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake"," Last Friends", "Suekko Chounan Ane Sannin" or "Taiyou no Kisetsu". These are amazing jdramas which show you the reality of love which I feel many kdramas glance over or love to show you some ridiculously tragic dramas where one of the leads has a dastardly disease such as cancer and ends up dying.

Sorry, it's a bit long.

[christ-freak.livejournal.com]

I'm really surprised that Ga Eul is more popular than Yuki in HYD. I thought the interaction between Soujiro and Yuki was so much more then, because it felt more real and Soujiro actually looked like a playboy while I feel that the korean actor looks too much like a little boy and he doesn't have that playboy attitude that Matsuda Shota pulled off. I suspect that in the case of Yi Jung, people may be influenced by the appearance of the actor rather than his acting skills and his representation of the character.

As to Jun Pyo, he is definitely the best Domyouji that has come so far. He actually makes his character believable and pulls off the tenderness and violence that is in Domyouji.

As to Geum Jan Di - why has she ended up like every other Korean girl in kdramas (apart from a few of the recent ones)? Boring and lifeless? I mean she's meant to be this tough weed who could make it, but all she seems to do is cry. And unfortunately because Ji Hoo doesn't pull off a convincing Rui, when she was in love with him I actually felt like knocking her head because she was such an idiot. I want that tough weed spirit we saw a bit in Shancai and saw in Tsukushi even when she was in love with Domyouji.

To be fair, Jun Pyo should win an award - he has definitely shown who the real Domyouji is.

P.S. Why is it that the kdrama characters seems to be getting better results in the polls? - I know they're meant to better at romance (well someone in the comments above said this), but I'd like to introduce you to "Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake"," Last Friends", "Suekko Chounan Ane Sannin" or "Taiyou no Kisetsu". These are amazing jdramas which show you the reality of love which I feel many kdramas glance over or love to show you some ridiculously tragic dramas where one of the leads has a dastardly disease such as cancer and ends up dying.

Re: Sorry, it's a bit long.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Yi Jung/Ga Eul : I personally love Yi Jung/Ga Eul pair, but to be fair I might be influenced by the fact that in the Korean version we get to see more of Sojiro/Yukki. I always AWAYS wanted their relationship to be something more than it was in Taiwanese or Japanese version ( I haven't read manga) and I am so welcoming that Korean drama gave this to us. Plus I think the actress playing Ga Eul is soooo pretty.

Geum Jan Di : as you say, it seems that they went the ususal Korean way of ANY herouine (even the one with a spine) turning into a crying mess. I am thinking there might be some cultural preference here. Plus, I don't really like the actress. I like Japanese Makino (so cute) and Taiwanese Shancai (so gorgeous) but Jan Di leave me totally unmoved.

To be fair, Jun Pyo should win an award - he has definitely shown who the real Domyouji is.

So agree here. :D

"Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake"," Last Friends", "Suekko Chounan Ane Sannin" or "Taiyou no Kisetsu".

** writes the recs down ** I haven't watched any of these. I only have heard about "Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake" before , this is something I can't watch , really, I find it difficult to watch terminal illness stories..

[dianora77.livejournal.com]

I'm meming this and will come back to it after I've seen both the Japanese and the Korean versions. With all good will, I don't think I could sit through the Taiwanese one as well. LOL

[dianora77.livejournal.com]

Drat! I also forgot to ask what you meant by "mopping"?