Boys Before Flowers: Episode 4
by javabeans
Episode 4 was much better than Episode 3 — although really, like that was hard. Episode 3 was funnier, but 4 was more grounded in reality, which makes it much more watchable, imo. Is this going to be a pattern, with Tuesdays outshining Mondays? I suppose if we must have it one way or the other, I’d rather the good episode be on Tuesday to leave us with a better impression to last us till the next installment.
SONG OF THE DAY
1sagain – “사랑은 떠났어” (Love has left). There are a lot of really lame spellings/acronyms for kpop artists (Fin.K.L., H.O.T., 8eight, Buga Kingz (booger kings?), Pe2ny, Se7en — yeah, I said Se7en), but “1sagain” — pronounced “once again” — probably takes the cake. (It reminds me of how the Wonders, the band in That Thing You Do, originally spelled their name the “Oneders” to be clever and everyone mispronounced it the “oh-nee-ders.”) But I do like this song. [ Download ]
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EPISODE 4 RECAP
After Ji-hoo yells at Jan-di for interfering, she walks off with tears in her eyes. He looks upset with himself, but the next day, when everyone gathers at the airport to send Seo-hyun off, Ji-hoo is conspicuously absent.
Jan-di is in a mopey mood, thinking of Ji-hoo. She asks Jun-pyo in a dejected voice, “Can I ask you something?” Jun-pyo responds, “If I said no, are you going to not ask?” Referring to her (formerly assertive) attitude, he tells her, “Just act like you did before. This doesn’t suit you.” For what it’s worth, Jun-pyo has said this a couple times before, which I think is telling — he might complain about how she always talks back but that’s obviously why he likes her. He’s got no use for weak, defeated girls.
Jan-di asks if it’s a good idea to “push down your feelings and not show any emotion” when you like somebody a lot. He tells her that’s crap; it’s the same as ignoring them. If the earth caved in the next day, wouldn’t she die of regret?
A little surprised, Jan-di responds, “You know, you may not be an idiot in everything.” He acts as though that’s a compliment, and says he’d rather regret doing something than regret not doing something.
Seo-hyun says her goodbyes to F4 (I suppose it’s F3 right now), and it’s nice to see them acting like longtime friends. She hugs Jan-di and asks her to remember her request (to make Ji-hoo smile again).
As she walks to her gate, she looks around, hoping to see Ji-hoo and disappointed when he doesn’t appear.
Just as the guys sigh that Ji-hoo’s acting pretty cold by not coming, he appears. He’s actually been here for hours.
Jan-di thinks Ji-hoo’s being a coward, and takes him to task: “What are you doing? Is this all you can do? Follow her!”
At that, Ji-hoo produces his ticket and passport: “I’m taking the next flight.” Woo-bin wonders what made him change his mind; Ji-hoo says that Jan-di did.
Before leaving, Ji-hoo turns to Jan-di: “Thank you. It’s because of you that I realized I’d have to be honest. You taught me that sometimes you need the courage to hang on. I’m glad I got to know a girl like you.”
He leans forward and kisses her on the forehead — Jun-pyo watches, bothered — then leaves.
Afterward, Jun-pyo and Jan-di stand outside his car, watching airplanes take off. He breaks the silence by facing her, leaning over her to say something. Unlike the last time he tried (and failed) to kiss her, this time her heart starts pounding.
Jun-pyo: “I’m only going to say this once, so listen up.” She nods nervously, and he continues: “Geum Jan-di, ___ with me.”
And just when he says that bit, a plane flies above and drowns out his words. BWAHAHA. (I think he says, “Go out with me,” but we can’t be sure.)
Jan-di blinks uncomprehendingly, not having heard those crucial words. But Jun-pyo straightens and smiles in satisfaction to himself.
So while it’s no surprise to us, it is to her when Jun-pyo walks up to her in the lunchroom and says, without preamble: “Saturday, 4 pm, in front of Namsan Tower.”
He starts to leave, then turns back: “If you’re even one minute late, you’re dead.”
Jan-di looks after him, a little confused but mostly unimpressed with his high-handedness. She doesn’t notice that Min-ji is looking on with a stricken expression on her face.
Since Jun-pyo doesn’t give Jan-di any chance to respond, she dismisses it from her mind, going shopping with her mother instead on a bargain-sale hunt. And I do mean hunt. They grapple with other thrift-loving ajummas for the massive discounts, and by the time they leave, it’s evening. It’s also snowing.
Feeling guilty pangs for ignoring Jun-pyo, Jan-di asks her mother if anyone would wait in the snow for four hours for a promise that was never made. Her mom says that’s crazy, but Jan-di isn’t reassured. Making a sudden decision, she tells her mother she has to go somewhere and runs off, heading toward Namsan Tower.
Jan-di looks almost disappointed to find the courtyard empty, until she spots Jun-pyo huddled on the side, shivering in the cold.
She holds her umbrella over his head; he asks where the hell she’s been: “Didn’t I tell you not to be late?” He isn’t outright angry — irritated might be a better word. Jan-di returns, “When did I say I would come?” He replies, “You’re here.”
She protests, because she wasn’t intending to come. He persists, “But you did.”
Feeling bad, she offers to buy him a hot drink and helps him up. He staggers to his feet and leans heavily into her. Misinterpreting his intentions, she kicks him to get him off.
Indoors, she buys him coffee from a vending machine and calls it “thirty thousand won coffee” (about twenty bucks). By way of explanation, she tells him to follow along.
On top of the building, they look at the cityscape from the observation deck — this is just like watching from the expensive Sky Lounge.
She marvels at all the stars. Jun-pyo laughs at her, “Those aren’t stars, those are satellites, you stupid girl!” Jan-di retorts, “Aren’t you the idiot? You think there are that many satellites?”
The watchman comes up to the doors to lock up for the night. He only gives the deck a cursory look and is distracted by a phone call, so he misses the two of them.
The lights shut off, alerting Jan-di and Jun-pyo, and they hurry to the doors. The handles have been chained together, and there’s no way to get out.
Jun-pyo doesn’t panic, since they can always call for help. Unfortunately, he left his phone behind, and Jan-di doesn’t own one.
Now worried, he blames her; she says it’s his fault for waiting foolishly for hours. He protests, “This is the first time I’ve ever waited for anyone.”
They wander into an enclosed area, which offers a little shelter but is still freezing cold. Jan-di tries to keep her distance while Jun-pyo starts to cough, and says, “Sorry.” When she asks where his driver is, Jun-pyo answers that he sent him home — he wanted to try things commoner-style.
Shivering, Jun-pyo asks, “Can I be honest?” She eyes him warily as Jun-pyo leans in her direction, then collapses on top of her.
Thinking he’s trying to get fresh, Jan-di shoves him aside, then realizes he’s burning up with fever.
She takes out some of her new purchases — a woman’s scarf and shawl — and wraps him with them. They fall asleep like that until morning, when they are let out.
Fearing her parents’ reaction, Jan-di declines Jun-pyo’s offer of a ride home; she’ll use the bus ride to think of an excuse to tell her mother.
Jun-pyo moves closer to tell her the excuse he’d make: “Since we spent the night together, I’ll take responsibility.” (That phrase, used in that context, is misleading and suggests that something actually DID happen between them. Jan-di kicks him in response.)
Unbeknownst to them, they are seen, and photos are taken.
When she gets home, Jan-di falls on her knees and begs forgiveness, but her family is in fantastic spirits. The guy she saved is the heir to Shinhwa Group! Of all the people to help!
Furthermore, they’ve received a whole slew of gifts in gratitude. Jan-di is bewildered — how did they know? Where did this come from?
Her parents rave about Jun-pyo, who dropped by — taking advantage of her slow bus ride home, no doubt — to ask them not to scold Jan-di because she’d been helping him all night.
News spreads quickly, labeling Jan-di as Jun-pyo’s new girlfriend. Suddenly, everyone is eager to befriend Jan-di (except the mean girls, that is), and the unexplained attention creeps her out.
Jan-di discovers the reason when she comes to the TV screen in the lobby. Displayed onscreen are the pictures of her and Jun-pyo that morning, making them look a lot chummier than they are. When the F4 guys arrive, Yi-jung asks Jun-pyo if the rumors are true.
Jan-di hurriedly insists, “No, it’s not! It’s not what you think at all!”
Jun-pyo ruins that by interrupting, “Yes, it’s true.” Everyone gasps in amazement, and Jun-pyo slings an arm around her shoulders and steers her (unwillingly) down the hall. The students gossip in excitement, with one notable exception: Min-ji, who watches tearily.
Min-ji goes home early that day, so Jan-di drops by with the same consolatory stuffed sheep that Min-ji had previously given her. Withdrawn and depressed, Min-ji asks cautiously if the gossip is true.
Jan-di hesitates, then answers that it’s all a coincidence and an accident. Min-ji says, “But it looked like he liked you.” Jan-di says no way — even the idea is absurd. Jun-pyo was just playing around. At the denial, Min-ji laughs in relief, suddenly much cheerier. She hops out of bed and announces that she’s all better now. She wants to go out and have some fun.
While Jan-di waits for Min-ji to get ready, she looks around and spots a Shinhwa Kindergarten yearbook. Curious, she pulls it from the shelf just as Min-ji walks in. Panicking, she grabs it from Jan-di, yelling at her not to go through other people’s things.
Taken aback to see this side of the normally demure Min-ji, Jan-di apologizes. Min-ji recovers, saying more calmly that she’d written weird comments in the book, so she doesn’t want anyone to read them. She apologizes.
Whereas Woo-bin and Yi-jung took a lot of amusement in Jun-pyo’s clashes with Jan-di, now they ask more seriously if he’s “for real” about her. Yi-jung reminds him that where they’re concerned, their parents have final say in their relationships.
Jun-pyo scoffs, as this is a bit weak coming from two supposed players:
Jun-pyo: “Were you just calling yourselves men in name? Were you acting all cocky without being real men?”
Yi-jung: “What’s a real man to you?”
Jun-pyo: “A man takes responsibility from the beginning to the end.”
Woo-bin: “To the end?”
Jun-pyo: “Yeah. To the end.”
Min-ji takes Jan-di to a club featuring live performers and suggests they dance. Jan-di declines, so she sits out while Min-ji goes out on the floor. When Min-ji looks back, she sees Jan-di wandering around, and is bumped by another woman.
Unexpectedly, Min-ji slaps the girl. Suddenly she’s no longer sweet and shy, but a stone-cold bitch. She sneers, “If you’re ugly, you should at least dance well.”
Worried about Jun-pyo’s latest comments, Yi-jung drops by the restaurant looking for Jan-di. Ga-eul tells him Jan-di’s not working today, so he asks if she’s her friend, and how long they’ve known each other.
At her answer (“Since kindergarten”), he smiles and figures that’s good enough: “So you’re best friends. Then let’s go.”
At his pottery studio, Yi-jung explains that he’s afraid that Jan-di will get hurt, and asks Ga-eul to advise her friend. Initially dazzled by the tall, handsome, rich guy, Ga-eul’s opinion drops once she gets his drift: “What kind of advice? That she can’t climb that tree, so don’t bother trying?”
Yi-jung ups the charisma, smiling at her and saying that cute girls like her are scary when angry. She sees through the charm and tells him that he must have thought he could fool everyone with his pretty face, but he misjudged her. She’ll pretend this conversation never happened.
Ga-eul gets up to leave, but stops and comes back for one last word, temper flaring. After all, Jun-pyo’s the one who likes Jan-di, not the other way around: “Jan-di doesn’t care to climb that tree.”
As she’s exiting, she runs into Woo-bin, who wonders what that’s all about. Yi-jung says it’s nothing, and that she’s exactly the type of girl he dislikes (backwards and unfashionable). And yet, his eyes say otherwise…
Jan-di roams the club, feeling bored and out of place. She encounters one of the performers, who senses her discomfort and suggests they head outside, where he plays her a song on his guitar. (I don’t think she really cares for the stranger, but appreciates the reprieve from the club.)
Seeing that her water bottle is empty, the guy hands her his. She sips the water, her vision goes blurry, and she blacks out.
In the morning, Jan-di awakens in an unfamiliar hotel room with no recollection of the night before. On the mirror, written in lipstick are the words, “Thanks for last night.”
She frets all morning about those words, trying to convince herself that nothing happened, wondering why she can’t remember anything.
Of course, this is also the day that Jun-pyo decides to make a little change in his appearance. He remembers Jan-di’s rant against him, when she said she hated “everything about him” from his curly hair to the fact that F4 always dresses in normal clothes when the rest of them are required to wear uniforms.
So that morning, he takes an extra two hours to get ready, wearing his uniform for once and having his hair straightened.
Jan-di is accosted by students, but whereas her reception the day before was sycophantic, today the Bimbo Threesome are furious at her for insulting Jun-pyo and therefore, by extension, everyone at the school.
Jan-di is totally baffled at their attitude until they drag her to the television. On it, photos are splashed of herself and the strange guy from the night before — in bed, half-clothed.
F4 arrives to see Jan-di surrounded by hostile faces, and Jun-pyo steps forward to defend her. Ginger tells him, “Don’t be fooled! Look at this and come to your senses!” And she points at the TV.
Jun-pyo glances over. Jan-di jumps in front of the screen, trying to block it and insist that it’s all a misunderstanding. He pushes her away and stares grimly at the photos, then turns to her: “What kind of mistake could lead to these pictures?”
Jan-di shakes her head, confused, and says, “I think someone set up a trap for me.” In a hard voice, he asks, “Was this all you were?”
Hurt that he’s so quick to condemn her, Jan-di fires back with tears in her eyes, “I don’t care whether you believe me or not. I don’t even know why I have to explain such an absurd situation to you. But this isn’t the truth.”
Jun-pyo grabs her shirt and clenches his jaw. He says in a low voice, “I’ll just ask one thing. Is the girl in that picture you?” Jan-di can’t say no, and a tear falls.
He shoves her back and glowers, “You said you didn’t care whether I believe you or not. You’re right. Geum Jan-di, from here on, I don’t know who you are.”
After he leaves, the mob descends on Jan-di, but you get the sense she doesn’t really care — the damage has been done with Jun-pyo’s dismissal of her.
Jun-pyo’s fury is so extreme that his friends worry about him, never having seen him so upset about anything before. They decide that they’d better get to the bottom of this before someone winds up seriously hurt, and head over to solve the mystery.
Woo-bin, Yi-jung, Ga-eul, and Jan-di look closely at the photos and ask if Jan-di can remember anything odd about the night before. Jan-di recalls the message scrawled in lipstick, which is odd, since it wasn’t hers. Why would a guy be carrying lipstick around?
Furthermore, the way the pictures are shot requires a third person to have taken them, which means there was somebody else involved. The guys take note of the mystery man’s tattoo, and use a combination of their brains and lots of money to get information.
The music club owner isn’t as helpful as they’d like, so the guys use a form of polite blackmail. If they aren’t pleased with the guy’s cooperation, they might as well run him out of business. Yi-jung: “Two weeks should do it.” Woo-bin: “We’ve got our reputation. We’ll have to make it a week.”
Woo-bin owns the neighboring building, which would make a nice venue to set up a competitor to drive this guy bankrupt.
What follows is some of the most ridiculous tomfoolery I ever did saw. To prove their point, Yi-jung displays some of his saxophone skills (to prove they’d be willing and able to make good on their threat). So now the pottery genius is also Kenny G? Look, I ignored the atrocity that is Ji-hoo’s violin-playing, but here I cannot remain silent. THAT’S NOT EVEN THE RIGHT KIND OF SAXOPHONE.
Woo-bin does his part by dancing… is that the Charleston? To cha-cha music?
Naturally, the two guys are successful. (Oh, the power of elevator jazz and ballroom dance!) They track down the guy in no time.
On the other hand, Jun-pyo is still working out his aggression. First it was guns, now it’s a sword.
Min-ji shows up unannounced to hand him a hotel key, which leads him to the room where Jan-di’s photos were taken.
The photos are piled in the center of the bed. Jun-pyo recognizes the familiar setting in the pictures, and his temper erupts. He throws things around the room — pillows, bedcovers, sheets — and after his tantrum, Min-ji steps into the room and tells him, “Please don’t be hurt. It’s ridiculous for you to be like this over a bitch like her.”
Min-ji appeals to Jun-pyo to calm down, saying this is too unfair for him to be so hurt over Jan-di.
Glaring at her with contempt, Jun-pyo grabs her and asks, “Weren’t you her friend? Can a friend talk like that?”
Min-ji whispers, “She stole you from me.”
Jun-pyo shoves her to the ground and heads to the door. Min-ji grabs him from behind and begs him not to go. He breaks free of her grasp and she cries, “Why her, but not me?”
He walks away, remembering Jan-di’s insistence that she was set up and that this is all a misunderstanding.
At school, it’s a free-for-all as Jan-di is knocked from her bike and jeered at. It’s like she’s come full circle, back to how she was tormented as a result of the red card, only this time the harassment is more malicious because she dared make a fool of the Great Jun-pyo.
Jan-di yells back at them, “Is this all you can do? Do more! Go on!” So they do, pelting her with water balloons shooting a fire hydrant at her, till she collapses on the ground.
COMMENTS
I think it’s obvious that the characters show some differences from previous versions. Do you think we could maybe get past that now, since we’re four episodes in?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not decrying comparison-making — I think comparisons are fair. But if half of the comments are purely “This is different from the Japanese/Taiwanese version!” I think the discussion starts becoming irrelevant to this drama itself, which is what I’m more interested in. Gu Jun-pyo is based on Doumyouji, but it’s clear his character diverges in some key points. He is a little thick-headed, but he’s not as blatantly stupid as Matsumoto Jun’s portrayal. He’s not as violent or hot-headed, either. This Jun-pyo is cold, hard, and can be cruel, but he’s not a cartoon character.
Kim Joon is doing really well as a Casanova, but Kim Bum, I think, is hampered by his baby face, which makes it odd to see him hitting on women who are clearly much, much older than him. It’s not the acting that is his problem, just the contrast between his appearance and his behavior. That’s why I was happy to see that he has good chemistry with Kim So-eun (Ga-eul), because she’s age-appropriate and was cast (most likely) with him in mind. She’s also a pretty good actor, and their scenes hold up well. Phew!
Also, he does much better in scenes that have no romantic overtones, such as when he coerced the club owner into giving up information. Nice to see a flash of the Kim Bum I’d been excited to see, because he hasn’t really shown much of his actual acting ability so far.
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Tags: Boys Before Flowers, Gu Hye-sun, Kim Bum, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Joon, Lee Min-ho
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151 serendipity
January 16, 2009 at 11:23 PM
Poor Javabeans! :-) I haven't read all the comments - but honestly, you have to expect quite a bit of fangirlism in conjunction with a drama which is positively *fueled* by fangirlism. I mean, the casting - total fangirl heaven. And the whole franchise, which robust enough to stand its umpteenth adaptation. The compelling spunky Cinderella story, the sheer girly joy of having 4 gorgeous, rich young men be on your side, the romantic appeal of the man with a dark side (and a pitiful past) who is madly in love with you and waiting to be Redeemed by the Love of a Good Woman (and it doesn't hurt that he's rich and powerful).
So I appreciate that this drama doesn't just ride on its franchise, but tries to be its own thing. I'm not sure its own thing always works - the burlesque is never far from the surface and personally I don't go for that style so much. I can't stand weepy melodrama, but on the other hand I liked to be touched. The slapstick moments just don't touch. And I feel the editing is too choppy to really make this a compelling coherent whole. I do like the good moments - mostly the moments of tension between the two leads, and the internal conflict and confusion that Jan Di feels.
I also like that it has integrity with what I call the "Darcy Dilemma". I mean, really, how did that haughty, bullying, insensitive and snobbish man get transformed mid-stream into a caring, worthy and scrumptious dude? The bully as romantic hero - yeah, right. It's a hard one to sell to a thinking audience (though I do realise that thinking is not the point). But I think this drama handles this potential problem well by toning down the bullying. Jun Pyo is pretty coherent - childish, proud, tough and needy right through. And of course the actor is doing a great job realising him.
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152 kuchikibleach
January 17, 2009 at 12:09 AM
I feel that the first half of this episode was very good. I liked the pacing and the interaction between jan di and jun pyo was interesting. However, I found the second half to be less developed. The pacing was very erractic (as well as previous episodes). I feel that the drama advances the plot without sufficient background. Like how did jan di becomes friends with that girl? The script didn't provide for much explanation. Why did she go to her house? Was she scared of being bullied, like in the Japanese version, so that she skipped school? The Min Ji storyline in this episode didn't fully explain itself. Oh yeah, and the saxophone and dancing part was quite ridiculous.
I am usually very tolerant about Korean dramas because they move quite slowly compared to American/Japanese/Taiwanese dramas. But these few episodes have not been memorable to me at all. The previous drama I watched, The World That They Live In, was much pretty produced. The pacing was very even and the subject matter was interest, even though it didn't get very high ratings.
Also, did anyone notice how Gu Hye Seon's haircut is exactly like Song Hye Kyo's. I think there are similarities between Gu Hye Seon's acting and Song Hye Kyo's. It seems like she is trying to copy Song Hye Kyo's facial expressions. Even the whining sounds the same, although Song Hye Kyo is much more convincing overall (she does have more acting experience). I know this review sounds harsh, but I do think there are better dramas out there right now. I will probably watch the whole series just b/c I'm a HYD fan and I want to watch all of the adaptations. All is left is this and the anime (I seem to not be able to watch anime that looks old unless it's Sailor Moon).
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153 Garcon
January 17, 2009 at 1:01 AM
the scenes could have been better if they chose the right director.....
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154 Bell
January 17, 2009 at 4:35 AM
Wrong director! I liked My Girl but now the PD has turned rotten ever since My Girl.
He is even recycling the shitty ost for this drama. I hate the tree bicycle song
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155 lily
January 17, 2009 at 6:47 AM
This is a review of someone who watched this version not mine. Read.
"Read Only when Uve seen the first 2 episodes!!!
BBF version changed the very essence of the story and the driving factor that made the story wat it is. it lost its soul due to the heavy changes they did so now its all fluff and no substance.
Its suppose to be about a headstrung girl of unimaginable poverty hu gave back the boy hu has everything what he has lost - his humanity. Now we have a daughter of a laundrymat hu hates 4 rich men she knew nothing about,with an eating problem and acts more spoiled and abnoxious than d supposed rich brats.Constantly going up to the F4 ( hu r btw,minding their own business), yelling at them telling them to do this or do that. We cant sympathize with her in anyway shes stupid,shes arrogant and always go out of her place seriously a Wonderwoman costume? IF you think about it...wat is her reason for hating the f4, a personal reason? is she not the one hu as soon as she stepped in d skul challenged them?
Some scenes wer changed resulting to massive weakening of the pillars of the story and the characters.
When they changed her SES (social economic status). one main factor was taken out.. Shes a weed that endures admist the field of flowers. Its not her place but she struggles and she fights. (of gud reason) that part is taken out.
When they changed how she first met them - In this version she was new to the skul, knew nothing about the f4, and she was unnoticed. First thing she did, stood up in front of them pointed her finger and challenged them Apparently she hates them...But why? personal reason? She just got there! Unlike in the Jversion she put up with it for a long time but only when her friend was hurt that she found the courage to fight back. She had a gud reason to hate them. But wat about Ja Di..
Im here to bring u laundry so dont kill ursel yet! - omg...if he's so rich how come he only has 2 uniforms,y wud u ask someone hu is obviously tryin to commit suicide to pay u,and ask for a life story shudnt the first objective be, get him safe! ohh ok before I die I shall tell u about F4 coz u know u miight want to go to this skul and give me discount for drycleaning.
The ice cream scene and the lick my shoe - Bad move...the whole point of Makino about to do it marked the breaking point wer she had come to realize that her alone cannot fight against F4. About to give up herself for a friend...Rui saves her - thus explaning more reason y Makino fell for him and how Rui is diff from everyone else. They switch it to what? She pushes him throws ice cream at his face and takes some money and throws it at him one by one. And puts a sticker on his forehead. And..she gets away wit it?
So the F4 are terrible people...wats the worst theyve done to her? the makeover seen was terrible she was conscious! she knew wat was happening the whole time wth didnt she leave earlier?
Therez no impact at all. They try so hard to out do the Jversion...but failed miserably. The casting is terrible. Do u people see that the leads already hv wrinkles and the acting is so terrible. Its doesnt come naturally its like u know they are acting whereas in the Jversion....when u hear Makino u picture Inoue Mao and when u hear Domjouji U picture Matsujun. Case in point they become the very characters.- naturally.
Role of both Doumyouji and Rui are not being given justice either. Tsukasa shud be of like a wild but somewat innocent and childish, Rui is suppose to be "a spacehead" hu wud give off a relaxing but sophisticated aura/feel. But no we have a guy hu luks about 35 (wrinkles!!!) wearing a dead animal on his shoulder hu only gets air time wen they need to remind the viewers Ja Di (main girl) h8s him.
This I guarrantee will be the most overrated drama of 2009! I am deeply disappointed that some people find this a gud remake.
In all standing the Jversion will and forever be the most sophisticated,intricately crafted well casted and developed version of all time. It even manage to omit all the cliche-ic uneeded scnes from d manga. Picture someone else playin Jack Sparrow than Johnny Depp. --- Impossible right..."
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156 lily
January 17, 2009 at 6:57 AM
Sometimes I wonder why she hate the F4. LOL terrible
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157
January 17, 2009 at 8:10 AM
lily, could you give it a rest? I actually agree with some of your points, but I'm getting a little sick of seeing you post the exact same bitching over and over at least ten times in every post. You're disappointed, fine, you made yourself very clear! Now you're spoiling the fun for everyone else.
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158 lily
January 17, 2009 at 8:47 AM
LOL . If I told good things about this drama again and again, would you get sick? LOL. Reply!!
Anyway I will watch epi 5 And I post my view because I have the right. If the drama is bad I will continue to tell it.
Plus "soigne-toi bien".
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159 same as 158
January 17, 2009 at 8:57 AM
Actually lily, yes I would get sick of it if you repeated the same gushing praise over and over the way you repeat yourself with negative comments here. I don't care that you don't like the drama because I'm not one of the people who loves it to death and can't stand to hear it criticized. (Like I said, I agree with some of the critique.) I care that you're starting to basically spam this thread (and the others) with the same bashing over and over.
You've said the same thing at least a dozen times in this thread alone. It's tiresome and has the added effect of ruining the fun for everyone. (Gushing praise can get tiresome too but at least it's not bitter and unpleasant to read.) I won't argue with you anymore but I thought I would speak up since nobody likes a party crasher, and you seem to take pleasure in bashing everyone who's enjoying the party.
Peace out.
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160 lily
January 17, 2009 at 9:53 AM
I bashed the drama not the people like you. Anyway let's wait for the fifth epi. If it's bad I will bash it. Otherwise not.
And LMAO at your "party crasher".
Take care.
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161 kuchikibleach
January 17, 2009 at 11:25 AM
lily, i think that person's review sums up how some of us feel about this drama. However, I bet 100% that that person will end up the entire Korean version. I can only hope that the drama turns out for the better. Even if I don't like dramas initially, I take some time off. When the series is over, if it receives generally favorable reviews from my peers and the overall internet community, then I will probably finish watching the series. I find this method to be a good compromise. I will probably give this drama another two weeks before homework starts piling up and midterms come around the corner.
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162 lily
January 17, 2009 at 11:38 AM
Alright. Let's wait
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163 monica
January 17, 2009 at 3:14 PM
the drama is quite good not as good as the japanese ver. ofcourse, because this ver. doesn't back up the resons of why certain things happened, where in the jap ver, everything was clear and more in depth.
the F4 are doing well, except for hyunjoong, i mean they should have chosen a different actor, c'mon, rui is the fresh, mysterious character in HYD, and in this we already know hyunjoong and his character in wgm, it just doesn't seem right. doesn't feel new....plus hes not even an actor..-_-
Jun pyo's character is different from domyouji's but good. I mean i loved domyouji's aggressive but silly character in HYD jap. But, this one seems good too, although i can't explain what. Negative point: the hair, the curls look too artificial............!!!O.O
omg, Jan di is too much!!!!!!!!!! SHE IS TOO STRONG AND like an every korean girl in dramas that are the bully type. makino is suppose to be a helpless, poor, naive but determined girl that is quiet and shy....but gets strong at times...
jan di is strong and aggressive ALL the freaking time.....and it gets boring when u see the same korean type character in every freaking kdrama.....there is to be times where she has to be helpless infront of the main male lead, but in this its totally opposite!!! she is the one challenging troubles and always back chatting him...
but the positives are the two F4 guys, they have justified their character as they are the ones that help the main female lead out ... i loved the 2 F4 guys in HYD jap. too!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so......
oh also, sakurako!!!!!!! in this its Min ji....loved sakurako in hyd jap.
however in this, the director just didn't justify her entrance well, but it seems to be good now since we get to see the wild and crazy side to her!!! LOL XD
I like the drama and i know it shouldn't be compared to other ver. however, if it was as good as them, then it would have been a much better hit in korea, beating that boring east of eden crap!!!! lol sorry to any EOE fans......
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164 ayu
January 17, 2009 at 9:37 PM
This is my first time posting but I tought it was worth it. I LOVED the japanese version, i saw Meteor Garden but got bored a couple episodes through, and the korean version is growing on me. Although I know I may be biased because I loved and saw HYD first, I just dont' think BBF is made well. I understand what people say when not to compare but I can't help to compare them. As of right now, and I know it's early being only 4 episodes, I just don't think BBF is as good as HYD. Hopefully as the season goes on it gets better.
[Production]
The way BBF is made doesn't feel as high class/professional as the HYD. I think the production team for HYD was far superior than BBF. When I first saw HYD I was mesmerized by its sets and how the scenes were shot. In BBF I just don't feel that same feeling. I think the main fault of this drama is the director and the producing team. The acting is adequate (minus Rui/Hyun Joong), but the plot and how the episode is framed just seem so..fragmented. Also I believe the story line isn't as comprehensive. Unless you know the storyline of HYD I don't think people would understand necessarily whats happening. For example the character of Sakurako, I don't believe they portray her as vindictive and evil as the Japanese version. While in HYD we know the reason behind why she uses Makino to get to Domyouji and her obsession over wanting to be with him, in BBF I get the feeling she has a minor crush on Jun Pyo and that she is just compelled by jealousy. Also in BBF we have no idea why she's "sick" and out of school.
[Acting]
I'm pretty content with the acting. It isn't GREAT but it doesn't overly suck either.
Jan Di's Family- I don't kno...the mom just bothers me sometimes. and I think the brother just needs to be a little more ridiculous. xP They just don't have the craziness that Jan Di's family is supposed to have. The dad isn't too bad tho.
I think Hyun Joong could portray Rui a little bit better. He doesn't emanate the charisma like Oguri Shun in HYD. He seems stiff and the chemistry btw him and Jan Di doesn't click. He looks like Rui but doesn't seem to portray him well outside the looks.
Soujiro/Akira (Yi Jung/Woo Bin)- I like where they're going with the Soujiro/Yuuki storyline. I like the portrayal of Yuuki as more headstrong in BBF than in HYD. Hopefully they don't mess this up like they did in HYD (-_- i wanted them to be together SO BAD). Woo Bin is :/ I can't get past the YO YO YO in the first ep.
F4- I dont' get that brotherly/friendship bond in BBF as I do in HYD. Hopefully it gets better as the series goes on but I just don't feel the same bond as in HYD. In HYD I could feel that they truly cared for each other and were there for each other. In BBF I don't get that same feeling...yet. It just seems they were put together cause they were all rich, and never really became friends. Like when they try to find who framed Jan Di, in HYD I feel like Soujiro and Akira really truly wanted to help Makino because they cared for her and wanted to sincerely help her. In BBF I didn't get that same feeling. It felt like they had nothing better to do so they wanted to do something that would occupy their time. Since it's only the beginning I'll caught some slack, but hopefully it gets better/ they become closer as the series progress.
Jan Di- As the series progresses she's growing on me/getting better. In the beginning I thought she overacted a little bit too much and didn't really have the same spunk. She was just overenthusiastic and had expressions that didn't fit in context. In this episode she was a little a more calm so I'm thinking she'll get better as the series goes on.
Joon Pyo- Now I must say I definitely like his portrayal as Domyouji. Although I understand Jun wasn't trying to be overly stupid in HYD but I still got the feeling that he was an idiot. Joon Pyo seems to be more compassionate and Lee Min Ho portrays him as being something more than a rich kid. Joon Pyo seems to have more to him and shows that he is actually a caring individual. But don't get me wrong Jun as Domyouji was GREAT, the only part that bothered me was how idiotic he came off and I believe Joon Pyo has a good mix of both.
[Music]
I don't know about you but to me the music just doesn't work with this drama. They need to have more than 3 tracks they play over and over, and when they use the track they have to use in the appropriate places. The music for this drama doesn't add anything special to the scenes. In fact I think it kind of hurts it. So hopefully they revamp it or something
Although I know it's only the beginning, I can't help but compare BBF to HYD. Hopefully it gets better because it does seem that as more episodes are released that it's growing on me. With HYD it instantly mesmerized me by the way it was shot and how it was produced, but the shooting of BBF doesn't emanate the richness it should. It feels a little cheap but also the storyline I feel doesn't flow together as well. Random things happen that I have NO idea how or why (ex: sax playing? tango dancing? like wtf? was that just me thinking that or am i crazy?) I love korean dramas thus I had high expectations for BBF, but as of right now I'm still a little underwhelmed/disappointed. I know I'm probably a little harsh on BBF but I again realize that I may be biased as seeing how much I love HYD so i'm trying to be open to BBF. I'll continue watching BBF to see if the series gets better but as of right now it still doesn't live up to its expectations. I believe it still has a lot of potential (acting/storyline) so hopefully it does get better as the series progresses.
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165 kuchikibleach
January 17, 2009 at 11:45 PM
Spot on, ayu. You basically expanded on what I was trying to say, further describing the directing/producing, acting, and music.
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166 shu
January 18, 2009 at 10:07 AM
lol. so much talk. and debate.
anw, is there like two lily down here or what?
the lily in 141 is french
then lily in 144 is african
how interesting.
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167 lily
January 18, 2009 at 10:12 AM
LOL. I am african( Yes from Ivory Coast) but the Lily "I am french" is not me. Indeed the comment was another's one. If you want don't believe me!! Anyway I suppose you are a BOF's lovers
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168 lily
January 18, 2009 at 10:13 AM
I copied/posted the comment 141.
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169 julie
January 18, 2009 at 11:43 AM
Even thought the story line is the same as HYD, I think the korean version is trying to be more "realistic", whereas HYD was trying to make a real-life version of the manga. In the korean version it's still a cinderella story, except that our cinderella is tempered and righteous, thus she dislikes the F4. And of course, there is still the love triangles and squares and the drama.
In many ways I find the korean version more enjoyable to watch - Jun-Pyo is not as stupid as Tsukasa in HDY, it got annoying and Ja-Di somewhat reminds me of Yoon Eun Hye in Goong. We've seen this type of character in Korean drama before unfortunately, and I agree with javabeans on the technical drawbacks of this drama. At least you have the pretty people wearing preppy clothes!
All in all, it's entertaining, but you what you'll get. Wasn't planning to watch it at all, but I got a few hours to spare, haha. I hope that they don't leave a frickin cliffhanger for every episode, if not I'm just going to wait until March and read the recaps in the meantime :)
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170 Sue
January 18, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Whoa - lots of comments! Thanks for the very fast recaps Javabeans! As always they are hugely entertaining. Although the show definitely has its weak spots, it's adorable and fun (most of the time) - glad that you're recapping.
Random aside - does the show remind you of Gossip Girl? The whole texting thing in this episode reminded me of the text alerts in GG. Also, the school uniforms are fairly similar.
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171 addicted
January 18, 2009 at 10:12 PM
I have seen 4 episodes of the show and feel that show has some cons and some pros.
On the con side , we have lousy music (I don't understand what went wrong, Pd's shows normally have good music), Hyun Joong (he is really uncomfortable in his role but maybe that will improve with time) and a very fragmented editing. I have a hard time keeping up with the flow and there are holes in the story. For example Why does Jun pyo like Jan di so much despite all the insults ? or Why do his friends not wonder about Jan Di's presence in Jun Pyo's house early in the morning? Why was Min Ji so upset ?or if she had any role in setting Jan Di up for a fall?
The biggest pro of this show is undoubtedly Lee Min Hoo playing the character of Jun Pyo. He is an odd eccentric mix of naivety and maturity. His character is definately more circumspect and wordlywise here. I found it interesting how he throws out innuendoes with a wicked smile. I think it is very hard to ignore the charisma of this character. In fact I think this is the first version where you fall in love with the leads right away. In both the other versions , you can't help but wonder if Rui was a better choice for Makino. To top it JanDi and Jun Pyo have a great chemistry.
I just hope the storyline will get less fragmented as we move on with episodes. I also waiting to see how they play around with the storyline since the manga is not completely grounded in reality
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172 heejung
January 19, 2009 at 12:23 AM
lee minho is just awesome for this drama. i love his interpretation of the character - it's got just the right amounts of manga outrageousness and the emotional depth that a live action production needs to make it work. YAY MINHO<3
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173 garcon
January 19, 2009 at 3:01 AM
it is so funny how k fangirls love the faces over the series itself.........When i read post bout Hyd---usually fan girls would say---"excellent acting!"..but so far, reading bbf posts ,everywhere, i get irritated by the way fans say--" i love this series coz they're all hot".....????eh, doesn't make sense to me>>
I want to abstain my judgement over this series....but i'd just like to clarify, that Jun was'nt selected coz there was no one to choose from...in fact---there are many jap. actors who are physically fit to act out as Domyouji. ...
(ofcourse, many doubted Jun)
People may have concluded this coz they're not familiar with d Jap. Artist pool.....
bu the point for Jun's casting was that---he can act; the way he portrayed Domyouji befits the portrayal of Inoue as Makino.....
........
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174 lily
January 19, 2009 at 5:34 AM
I couldn't be more agree with you Garçon.
And why Min-ji doesn't go to school anymore
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175 misscee
January 19, 2009 at 5:46 AM
wow there are so many good comments here worth reading... ive been readin a quarter of the comments here and im loving the response to the drama so far. im glad it didnt turn out to be failure so far as it is getting better but im still anticipating for a good series otherwise i will be overly disapointed. =( i agree with many who said that jun pyo has portrayed the japanese domyoji very well and it seems like his characteristics are slightly different to the manga since this time teh actor who plays jun pyo doesnt exactly mimic domiyoji. i tihnk jun pyo is portrayed as arrogant, cold and self centered but yet he is caring and is showing alot of emotions. i can almost feel what he feels especially when he is jealous of the jandi/ji hoo interaction. moreover im starting to love jun pyo and not so much ji hoo compared to domiyoji i did not like at all at first but love rui. so yerh its going to be a turning point for me because so far the story is beginning to show its own style and not simply a mimicry of the japanese version. hopefully this series will not be disappointing. =)
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176
January 19, 2009 at 8:26 AM
ohhhh i just love it
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177 yellowrose
January 19, 2009 at 10:20 PM
A COMMENT ABOUT COMPARISIONS:
From the start I want to admit that I haven't watched the korean version yet (but am an avid fan of HYD). What I have done is read all of Javabeans synopsis' for the show (thanks a ton! always enjoy reading your analysis!) and most of the comments--including all of those for this particular thread.
I don't think there's a point in me summarizing the above arguments (people before me have done more than enough) but I just wanted to say...I actually ENJOY reading the comparisions between BBF and the previous interpretations. I understand the faults--as in lots of mindless critiquing or blind adoration without considering the other version--but I think the comparisions are also like a cross analysis. I can better understand people's various opinions when the give examples. When people say they didn't like Doumyougi/JunPyo's character I really appreciate their reasons why.
It's foolish to expect a blind copy and (although I haven't directly watched all of the episodes yet) I appreciate the drama being developed into its own entity. I just think the comparisions can better help us realize the faults (yes) but also areas of the drama in which it does excel.
If anything at least now I really want to see LMH in action...I not familiar with any of the actors, but I've heard surprisingly good things about his acting and handling of the character :). Even if I'm not too excited for the show I think I'll still tune in and hopefully, though somewhat unexpectantly, get swept off my feet!
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178 anne
January 20, 2009 at 3:01 AM
LEE HAE WOO- thats the guy that drugged jandi. i thinks its newly added on the BBF dramawiki page, because im pretty sure his name wasnt there before. hes a cutie !
http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Lee_Hae_Woo
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179 jeans_
January 21, 2009 at 2:40 AM
JUN-PY0 L00KS H0T WiTH HiS HAiR STRAiGHT. HEHE. ^_^
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180 tuswit
January 26, 2009 at 3:47 PM
thnx javabenas for the recaps! this series is getting better each time & can't wait to see the next one! Li Min Ho rocks!
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181 sweetmochi
January 27, 2009 at 1:03 AM
i do adore yi jung [kim bum]. he's such a cutie i would totally be swept away by that smile of his. i AM....
i love the part when jun pyo straightens his hair and puts on his uniform for school its so cute how much he wants to impress her. i didn't want to do the whole comparison thing but i agree with javabeans:
"Gu Jun-pyo is based on Doumyouji, but it’s clear his character diverges in some key points. He is a little thick-headed, but he’s not as blatantly stupid as Matsumoto Jun’s portrayal. He’s not as violent or hot-headed, either. This Jun-pyo is cold, hard, and can be cruel, but he’s not a cartoon character."
i definitely like jun-pyo more than matsujun's domyouji. there is more depth to the character.
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182 seatea
May 11, 2009 at 9:44 AM
hey..i just wondering. What's the title that sang by the boyband in the bar (where Jandi go) ? And what's the boyband name ?
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183 cherrylou28
May 22, 2009 at 7:50 AM
Now I know that Min-ji is the one who did that to Jan-di.... I HATE HER ALL OF HER.... EVEN IN TRUE TO LIFE...
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184 Midori
May 30, 2009 at 7:57 AM
Hey, can anyone tell me the song which is played when jandi looks for junpyo under the namsam tower? Thanks alot.
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185 Kpopluver
June 6, 2009 at 11:48 AM
Hi anyone know what is the song that Jan Di and Min Ji went to the club where a group of guy singing on the stage?
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186 vhegatla
June 26, 2009 at 9:43 PM
i love you jenjen!
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187 adis tya
July 2, 2009 at 3:57 AM
le minhoo km itu ganteng banget sih mending km jd pacarku aja
i love you
jandi km cantik seperti i
dddddddddddddaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh
ADIS
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188 christin
August 1, 2009 at 7:48 PM
I LOVE, IF LEE MIN HOO'S HAIR IS STRAIGHT! IT'S SO CUTE AND HANDSOME!
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189 fans from mountain province,philippines
September 23, 2009 at 12:46 AM
anyong hye seo,,,,,,, good job my friends,,,,,,,,,,,,,,kumao/kamsahamnida
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190 Melanie
October 1, 2009 at 2:49 AM
I saw the first few episodes on My Soju and was hooked. I was desperate to see the rest of it and so went all out to find the best price on ebay. I am now theproud owner of this wonderful series. I just could nto get enough. I am not Korean, nor Asian nor have I ever been to Korea but I jsut love the drama, comedy and sheer excitment of the series.
I love Lee Min HO xos he reminds me of my son, who is similar in features and has unruly hair. Goo Hye Sun plays ehr part really well as I really felt for her throughout the series. The English subs were great up to episode 19 but after that the translation was terrible but luckily my hubby could translate the mandarin subs for me. Cant wait to see if there is an update to this series...perhaps when Jun Pyo and Jan Di marry.....there is still a lot of drama to do.
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191 Teemeah
July 22, 2011 at 10:03 AM
hello! could you help me, what is the song in this episode when the guy is riding his motorbike in the beginning after he ruthlessly sends the girl away? Thank you!
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192 Seductive Flower Ep 01 | Secret PUA Blog
November 17, 2014 at 5:12 AM
[…] Boys Before Flowers: Episode 4 » Dramabeans … – Episode 4 was much better than Episode 3 — although really, like that was hard. Episode 3 was funnier, but 4 was more grounded in reality, which makes it much …… […]
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193 Guest
November 28, 2014 at 10:17 AM
Isn't Kim Bum/Soujiro suppose to be the Casanova while Kim Joon/Akira suppose to be the one with a thing for older women? Unless they changed the backgrounds for those two.
Akira/Kim Joon is suppose to have the thing for older women as his mom and younger twin sisters act very childish and dress in lolita clothings. While he love them all dearly, he want more maturity in his life and is actually the most mature in F4.
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