Boys Before Flowers: Episode 5

224 January 19, 2009January 24, 2016

by javabeans

Our trend continues: A couple surprisingly good scenes, and then some really bad ones.

Overall, I thought Episode 5 was a pleasant one — not too challenging but had its fun moments — with lots of gorgeous scenery.

Also, folks, since commenting has been prolific with regards to this drama: Keep it clean and keep it to the point, please! Comments are welcome, positive or negative, but when they veer into flaming or trolling territory, they get deleted. I don’t usually mod comments much but I think I’m going to have to start.

Thanks!

SONG OF THE DAY

Boys Before Flowers OST – “Paradise” by T-MAX, which is the group Kim Joon (Woo-bin) is a member of. [ Download ]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

EPISODE 5 RECAP

Jan-di’s bike is set on fire, while she is assaulted with water balloons and blasted with a fire extinguisher. Seriously, are these Shinhwa kids all sociopaths? Regular bullying and taunting is bad enough, but they seem to be particularly malicious — like in Episode 1, when everyone watched the guy about to commit suicide and found it entertaining.

After being spurned by Jun-pyo and abused by her classmates, Jan-di tries to maintain a fierce exterior but is near her breaking point. She thinks to herself, “Please stop. Help me.” That plea is directed at Ji-hoo, since he’d come to her rescue several times in the past. She knows he can’t save her now, but pleads internally, “Nobody’s coming. But still… please…”

But she is not alone, because she has Jun-pyo! He bursts in on the scene, furiously shoving her tormenters away and beating them up (rather violently, I might add).

Jun-pyo kneels and takes Jan-di into his arms, saying, “I’m sorry.” Picking her up, he walks away from the now-subdued crowd.

Jan-di, thinking of the hotel pictures, tells him, “I didn’t do it, really.” He tells her, “It doesn’t matter. So keep your mouth shut.” She mumbles, “You still don’t believe me, do you?” Jun-pyo, looking upset with himself, says, “I do, I believe you!”

(I’m a little annoyed at how they took this potentially great scene and totally ruined it with ridiculous cheesy music. It’s so tragic and heartbroken, you’d think they both found out they had cancer or something. With 90 days left to live. And are also siblings.)

Back at his mansion, Jun-pyo insists on tending to her wounds himself. When she tries to take over, he asks, “Wanna sit still, or wanna be tied up?” (Why Jun-pyo, you say that like it’s a bad thing.)

Now that she’s safe, they can get back to their ~~mating dance~~ bickering: he reproaches her for not learning from the past and letting herself be bullied, saying she must have the learning ability of an orangutan. They argue some more until he takes a towel to wipe Jan-di’s face, and his heart starts pounding.

Rattled, Jun-pyo shoves the towel in her face and tells her to do it, then walks outside, where he clutches his heart and takes a deep breath. (So. Sweet.)

After tracing the guy in the photos to Oh Min-ji (who masterminded the plan), Yi-jung and Woo-bin now deliver Min-ji to Jun-pyo, along with her kindergarten yearbook. Inside, Min-ji’s picture has been scratched out, which takes them to a kindergarten flashback to explain why Min-ji would have done such a thing:

Cute Little Ji-hoo — wearing all white, of course! — is playing the violin, and faking it just as badly as Grown-up Ji-hoo. Little Yi-jung is playing with clay, and Little Woo-bin is counting his fake money with the board game Life. HA.

But they don’t have anything on Little Jun-pyo, who is OMG so adorable. And also afraid of bugs. Attacked by a buzzing insect, he tries to shoo it away, when Min-ji joins in and swats at the bug with her sketchbook. She assures Jun-pyo that the bug is gone now and looks at him hopefully. He catches a glimpse of the page she’d been drawing, which shows a couple labeled with their names. (She’s supposed to be ugly, which they’ve enhanced with makeup and freckles.)

Offended, Little Jun-pyo throws the sketchbook down and stomps on it. He demands, “How dare an ugly thing like you consider me for a husband?” It’s kind of weird hearing such harsh words come out of the mouth of babes, but I suppose that’s the point; he tells her to get lost, that he will never like her.

Min-ji recounts how that after that day, she was ashamed to be seen. She ended up going to Germany and underwent multiple surgeries and intense pain: “Do you know how I put up with it? That look on your face. The look when you ran away from me like I was some bug or a monster. I haven’t forgotten a moment.”

Jun-pyo has been eyeing Min-ji with cold contempt, but at this, he says, “I don’t remember, but I’m sorry for it.” Min-ji protests, “No! That’s not it. The words I want to hear from you aren’t that you’re sorry!”

Crying now, she approaches Jun-pyo: “Look at me. Aren’t I pretty? I’ve become so pretty. Don’t you want me? I came back for you. This is the moment I’ve been dreaming of. Tell me you want me!”

Coolly, Jun-pyo responds, “I feel sorry for you. Do you know why? You’re still a monster, like you were then. No — you’re worse now. The kid back then still had a good heart.”

(GREAT SCENE. Lee Shi-young as Min-ji is very good, showing how she’s been twisted as a result of the trauma without being over-the-top eeeevil, and the whole exchange is well-played. For those of us who’ve started thinking Jun-pyo is all warm and fuzzy, this is a great reminder that even if he’s not wrong, he can still be so cold as to be cruel. I suppose this means that it’s not as though Jun-pyo is exceptionally cruel to Min-ji when he’s normally so warm; it’s the reverse — he’s exceptionally warm with Jan-di when he’s normally so cold-hearted.)

Jan-di’s been put in a spare room and wears his pajamas. Jun-pyo has taken the liberty of calling her parents (if she went home in her condition, they’d freak out) and throwing away her clothes. She shouts at him for getting rid of perfectly mendable clothing, at which he claps a hand over her mouth and says, “It sounds like you ate the heart of a train.” She corrects his misspoken adage: “It’s a train smokestack!” (He laughs that she’s wrong — you can’t eat a smokestack!)

There’s a moment when he leans over Jan-di, freaking her out, but it turns out he’s not making a pass but grabbing the first aid kit. Again, he tends to her injuries.

By the time he’s done patching her up, Jan-di has fallen asleep. He tucks her in, then leans down and presses a kiss to her forehead.

After he leaves, Jan-di opens her eyes.

In the morning, Jan-di awakens to find the staff at her disposal. Jun-pyo has ordered his butler to find exact replicas of everything that had been thrown away, with the exception of one thing: her bicycle.

Unable to find the exact same model, the butler parades a whole roomful of bicycles out for her appraisal. She tries them out with excitement, but then sees the price tag: 18 million won ($13,000). Her bike was much, much cheaper and very ordinary.

To encourage her to accept the expensive gift, the butler diplomatically asks her to be tolerant of the difference (like it’s doing HIM a favor) because they couldn’t find the exact match.

While Jan-di eats (a lavish, gourmet) breakfast, Jun-pyo pays a visit to Jan-di’s place.

The family is thrilled (and flustered) to receive him, and serve him a very plain breakfast. The foods are common, everyday dishes, but the Almighty Jun-pyo has never eaten anything like it, and he tries them cautiously after inspecting each one quizzically.

At school, the fickle crowd embraces Jan-di again, since (1) Jun-pyo came to her rescue and (2) there’s a new target to gang up on: Min-ji. The Catty Trio (Hateful Threesome? Evil Troika? Wicked Wenches? Vicious Bishes?) crowd Jan-di, faking concern over how much Min-ji hurt her. They rip on Min-ji for her surgeries, saying, “If I looked like her, I would’ve killed myself already.”

Not amused, Jan-di turns to them and points out, “You guys buy whatever you want, but beauty doesn’t count? You’ve all done plastic surgery too, but you mock Min-ji for it? It’s okay for pretty girls to use it to be prettier, but not for an ugly person?”

Jan-di turns to leave as Min-ji steps up quietly, eyes lowered: “I won’t ask you to forgive me.” Jan-di slaps her.

Min-ji adds, “I can’t say I’m sorry either.” Jan-di slaps her again and says she shouldn’t expect to be forgiven.

But when Jan-di comes to her desk, she finds the stuffed sheep there bearing a new message: “Jan-di, thanks. Let’s meet again.” Min-ji sings the song Jan-di once sang to make her feel better, which brings a smile to Jan-di’s face.

Jun-pyo has an announcement to make: Jan-di is now officially his girlfriend. The Gin-Sun-Mi trio collapses in disbelief and Jan-di protests, but she’s ignored while the rest of the students clap and hoot.

Jun-pyo adds, “From now on, I’ll take anything you say or do to Jan-di as an act against me, so don’t mess around.”

And then, Ji-hoo makes his reappearance.

Though everyone’s glad to have him back, this puts Jan-di into a gloomy mood. Ga-eul wonders if she’s over Ji-hoo now that Jun-pyo’s in the picture, which Jan-di denies is the reason for her distress. She worries that something feels different about Ji-hoo.

At home, the entire apartment has been crammed full of new appliances and furniture — courtesy of Jun-pyo. The whole family is ecstatic — they even had to turn some of it away because it wouldn’t fit through their doors — but Jan-di finds this wildly inappropriate.

Too enamored of the extravagance, her parents try to justify it through excuses (i.e., returning it looks bad for Jun-pyo, it would be rude), but she’s not having it.

Jan-di storms into the F4 recreation room, which has a few extra female guests today. She yells at Jun-pyo for ordering new things for her family without even telling her, and he completely misses the point by asking, “Was there something you didn’t like? Tell me and I’ll switch it.” After all, he’s her boyfriend.

She retorts, “Are you like that with all your girlfriends? Did you buy them clothes and cars and swap out all their furniture? In a little while you’ll be getting me a new house too, I bet.”

He says thoughtfully, “Actually, I was going to start with the new house, but Mr. Jung stopped me and told me to do it later since it’s attached to the dry cleaner’s.”

Jan-di reminds him, “I told you that you can’t buy friends, that you bond through your feelings. I don’t know how you were with all your previous girlfriends, but stuff like this pisses me off!”

He answers, “I don’t have any previous girlfriends.” At that, Jan-di’s ire deflates, and she says she can let it go this time — but he’d better watch it!

Looking around, Jan-di seems perturbed to see Ji-hoo flirting with a group of girls, although Yi-jung and Jun-pyo think it’s good to see him acting like a person instead of just sleeping all the time.

Sensing that things with Seo-hyun may have not gone well in Paris, Jan-di asks him when he’s going back. He has no plans to.

Asking whether she’s really dating Jun-pyo, Ji-hoo muses, “Was I too late? I was going to ask you to date me.” Jan-di’s shocked, but he smiles and tells her it was a joke. He suggests, “Then what about dating behind Jun-pyo’s back?” which she again takes for real. He laughs that she’s the same as ever, then says, “I missed you” as he leaves.

Jun-pyo sneaks up on Jan-di on her way to her job, laughing to see how excited she is to find a coin on the ground (which he dropped).

Armed with a mysterious mission, Jun-pyo grabs Jan-di and drags her along on an errand, which doesn’t turn out to be an errand so much as it’s a shopping spree. (To ensure that they have the run of the department store, Jun-pyo sets off a fire alarm, which sends everyone running to evacuate and leaves them alone.) He entrusts the next part of his plan to Yi-jung.

I love how seriously Yi-jung bursts in on the restaurant to get Ga-eul. He tells her to hurry; it’s an emergency. Ga-eul guesses, “Has something happened to Jan-di?” She frets over the possibility of an accident, to which Yi-jung tells her grimly, “If we’re late, you might not get to see her. Hurry!”

So when Jan-di and Ga-eul are driven onto the tarmac of a private runway and deposited at a private jet — where F4 awaits — they’re completely baffled. Jun-pyo announces, “We’re going on a trip.”

Jan-di sputters, no way! But what about her parents? How can she leave so suddenly?

Jun-pyo replies, proud of himself, that he’s already gotten her parents’ permission, and to keep them from worrying, he brought along her best friend, too. (He’s even made allowances for her job, providing a staff of modelesque waitresses to replace the girls, who bring in a wave of new customers.)

Jan-di can’t believe he wouldn’t even ask her first, or find out when she can make time for a trip. Jun-pyo responds, “I wanted to go someplace nice together, all the preparations were made, and it’s not like Korea will be in trouble without you. What’s the problem?”

And then, they’re in New Caledonia. It really is gorgeous.

After arriving at the Shinhwa private resort, the group goes sight-seeing and browsing.

Outside one particular shop, Jan-di spies Ji-hoo taking a look at a potted flower. After he leaves, Jan-di takes a closer look, so the flower girl gives it to her with the instructions: “Give it to your lover.” (The scene is kind of random, but I mention it because I suspect it will come into play later…)

The girls wander by a fortune-teller who is purported to be extremely accurate, and have Jan-di’s palm read. The woman foretells, “I see a man. Your future husband.” Not only that, but he’s here with her: “A soulmate.”

Ga-eul thinks that’s great — that means Jan-di will marry her soulmate. But the woman contradicts her, saying, “Two different men” — Jan-di’s soulmate and husband are not the same man.

The woman finishes with one last bit: “You’re losing something important, as a woman.” The girls wonder what that means, then shriek, their minds jumping to (probably) sex.

And then, Jan-di wakes up. It was all a dream!

Still, it’s creepy and realistic, and with the woman’s last words on her mind, Jan-di panics when Jun-pyo takes her away, jumping to the conclusion that he’s just trying to get her alone to make some moves. Jun-pyo asks Yi-jung to watch after Ga-eul, which is how Yi-jung gets reluctantly stuck with her.

Following their initial encounter, I think Yi-jung has convinced himself he dislikes Ga-eul. He sees her posing goofily and disdains that she’s acting like a corny tourist. Undaunted, Ga-eul suggests taking a hike to the top of a hill, which does not interest Yi-jung in the least.

Ga-eul goes off anyway but shortly thereafter lets out a scream. Yi-jung runs after her, looking around worriedly, when Ga-eul appears and asks, “Aren’t you glad you came up here?”

Ga-eul tells Yi-jung that it’s his punishment for lying and tricking them into coming on the trip, to which Yi-jung says that it wasn’t a complete lie. “It seems like it’s just a matter of time before the two of them get into trouble.” (His wording can mean any kind of trouble, but hints at the, er, hormonally driven variety.)

Ga-eul is immediately concerned: “No!” He laughs at her wild imagination.

Meanwhile, Jun-pyo takes Jan-di along a stretch of deserted beach. During the walk, Jan-di imagines all sorts of wild possibilities and warns Jun-pyo not to indulge in any dark, ulterior motives. Thus she is shocked to see him bringing her to a simple, lovely table set for two.

Jun-pyo tells her she acts tough but is pretty shocked at little things. Jan-di: “This is a little thing?” She marvels that it’s like magic: “Are you a genie?” Jun-pyo’s jealousy flares: “Who the hell is he? Is he better than me?” Jan-di clarifies that she meant the genie from Aladdin, who could do almost everything save three things: He couldn’t kill, raise people from the dead, or make someone fall in love against their will.

The last part seems to get through to Jun-pyo, although he’d previously insisted that people could be bought (and his actions all episode long have been proof of that).

Jun-pyo puts in a phone call to Jan-di’s family, who urge her to have a fun time and not worry about them. Afterward, Jun-pyo sees her subdued reaction and wonders, “Did I do something wrong?” It looks like she’s about to cry.

Jan-di answers, “It’s because it’s so nice here. I wondered when my parents would have a chance to come to a place like this. My family would love to see it.” Jun-pyo: “Let’s come with them. We can come back with your family.”

And then, Jun-pyo walks toward the water, unbuttoning his shirt, and announces it’s time to get down to business.

COMMENTS

I think one (perhaps unexpected) problem that may be emerging is that Lee Min-ho is so appealing as Jun-pyo that it kind of renders the love triangle moot. It also makes you want to yell at Jan-di for being drawn toward Ji-hoo at all when he has about one-tenth the charisma of Jun-pyo — plus there’s also the added part about how it’s so obvious that Jun-pyo totally adores her. Sure, his courtship is a little clumsy, and I think she was justified hating him through the first two episodes, but now he’s shown himself to be downright sweet (at times).

On the other hand, the “money can’t buy love” issue is something I’m looking forward to seeing unfold, because it usually gets glossed over in the Cinderella dramas. And as much as Jun-pyo’s actions are well-intentioned (and aww-inducing for us viewers), he really is just throwing money at Jan-di, proud of showing her what his name and wealth can give her. Naturally, she’s impressed at the resort (and the plane, and the clothes), but I don’t think she even sees Jun-pyo for his money; she just sees him as a guy.

224

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101 miumiu099

January 20, 2009 at 3:25 AM

omigosh. lovelovelovelove~
i like the korean vers. better than the taiwanese's and japanese's.
but, somehow the actors who played as the leader of f4 always attract me. hahaha. i love jun mstsumoto, jerry yan, and of course our lee min ho. hahaa.
They are all very charming. kekeke.
ps: dont you think minho look kinda old? he doesnt look 22..he was born in 87, fyi. still handsome though. kekeke.

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102 lily

January 20, 2009 at 3:36 AM

I watched Epi 5. And I agree with in this versions all the key points scenes which made what is HYD keep being ruined (it's so sad).
Jun Pyo is so kind ; calm ; mature ; nice ; even sometimes cold, you wonder why Jan-di don't like him or hate him?? Too bad.
Please can sombody explain me why ther is not any chemistry between the F4. Do they know each other?

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103 reverie

January 20, 2009 at 3:44 AM

You wrote:........ridiculous cheesy music. It’s so tragic and heartbroken, you’d think they both found out they had cancer or something. With 90 days left to live. And are also siblings.

wha...ha..ha..ha..ha..ha.. exactly my feeling. Haven't they fired the music director yet?
Oh how I so wish they could re-do the music from the beginning of episode 1.

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104 suewellyn

January 20, 2009 at 3:47 AM

i enjoyed the first two episodes of this series. but unfortunately, my interest has been dwindling ever since. maybe i shouldn't have expected anything since i have already watched the first two versions of the story.

i liked meteor garden because that was my first taste of asian dramas. i didn't even mind the horrible acting.. (when i tried re-watching it though i just had to stop because everything seemed so pathetic)..

i had doubts about hana yori dango (japanese drama). however, from the first episode, i knew i would be seeing something new. that's mainly due to the story being short, too short even, for after the last episode i was left craving for more, but it was really good because all the essentials were well conveyed.

now we have boys over flowers.. so far, the best thing i can say about it is that the writers had made a realistic reason why jandi gets to attend shinwa high. i mean, i always think the weakest point in the original version is how a poor, ordinary girl like makino can just attend a supposed to be very, very, very elite school. how great can f4 really be if a commoner like makino can manage to be schoolmates with them, right? she can't even boast of a scholarship since she's not very bright..

as for everything else, i think i expected too much. i guess i secretly hoped that they wouldn't follow the manga too closely, so that the audience would be given a new experience in watching the drama.. give it a new twist, that is, without having jandi end up as junpyo's half sister or junpyo dying of cancer.. maybe they should have let the coffee prince writers do the script.. i think the way they created that drama without doing an exact replica of the manga is very commendable.

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105 lily

January 20, 2009 at 3:57 AM

Please Why Jun Pyo loves Jan-di? I can't understand, I mean is it because she put ice cream on his face? Why Jun Pyo reminds the prince of GOONG instead of Domyoji? And he does almost everything Domyoji character wouldn't do?

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106 heejung

January 20, 2009 at 4:05 AM

ahh!! ep 6 is airing in about an hour.. can't wait~

btw, I LOVE YOUR RECAPS. just wanted to get that out! :)

and the psycho kids are acceptable - this drama is a manga adapatation after all, and as everyone knows, anything is possible in that world. lol. where would a good cinderella story be without the unreasonably psychopathic side characters?

actually, i don't think the two slaps were harsh at all. it was rather appropriate when you consider the fact that jandi had considered minji her friend, and moreover her only friend in the school. what minji did was total betrayal, and that whole experience was borderline traumatic too.

oh yeah, imho, the whole dream sequence about the soulmate and husband was meant as a visual representation of her feelings at the moment... i think. like she still has feelings for jihoo, but she is starting to like junpyo and all that. maybe. lol! :)

51 minutes...

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107 SuMi

January 20, 2009 at 4:16 AM

LOVE LOVE LOVE your recaps..... hehe

I'm kinda glad that I didn't watch either the TW or JP version or read the manga before for that matter....

As a first timer to this whole franchise... In all objectivity I think the KR version is pretty fun to watch... And I suppose it's inevitable that I keep seeing comparisons in comments and reviews everywhere since this is the 3rd version after all..

But I think for fans of the JP/TW versions, would it help to make the drama more enjoyable if they could leave the bias at the door as far as possible? I mean it's a little difficult to enjoy the show while picking on the differences, no? Just a thought anyway :)

And as for KHJ as Ji Hoo - gotta agree he hasn't really caught on, but with the plot unfolding as it is... maybe he might just grow on you? Coz he sure did on me... LOL

AND YES - THE MUSIC SUCKS BIG-TIME.... what's it with KBS dramas and bad music.....

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108 jevnguyen

January 20, 2009 at 4:20 AM

haha, the scene between ga eul and ji yung is so cute, ji yung is a little arrogant, different from soujiro in JP ver, however, I like it. ^^
Why do geum jan di still not realize the beauty in goon jun pyo???? I start to get annoyed with her, hummm. Hope the next ep will have something developing between them

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109 jevnguyen

January 20, 2009 at 4:21 AM

thank you so much for ur recap, although i watched it in mysoju, i still want to read your recap and your comment ^^

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110 lanigonzalo

January 20, 2009 at 4:30 AM

Just love the scene where JD and JP were arguing about the heart of a train/ smokestack and JP breaks into that adorable smile when he realizes his mistake. He makes me giggly all over and I'm a 53 year old married woman who has two grown up daughters! GHS is overacting 'cuz she's a 24 year old trying too hard to make us believe that she's 16. I hope she resolves this problem soon. LMH, though unbelievable as a high school student does incredibly well with his interpretation of his character with his more subtle acting. His face is so expressive!

I agree at this point that Oguri Shun in HYD did a better job as Rui, but hey let's give KHJ a chance, after all there are still 19 episodes left. I heard from one of the interviews with the cast that the production crew monitors the fans' reactions on the internet after each episode. (Bet they're reading all out comments right now!) KJH has expressed his apprehension in not being able to portray the role as he should in a SSP episode, thus putting him on panic mode whenever he has a scene. I mean, try to fill in the shoes of Vic Zou and Oguri Shun whom the majority wanted to win the girl. The negative comments will either make KJH sink or swim. I hope he swims!

Thanks a million for the quick and wonderful recaps! I'm amazed at all the work that a lot of people have done from subbing to recapping BBF within a span of 12 hours. We non-Korean speakers thank you all.

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111 dfsjlaljksdfa

January 20, 2009 at 4:30 AM

yi jung and ga eul is <3
i'm actually anticipating more for this couple.

lee minho's hott btw.

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112 EUNWHUI

January 20, 2009 at 4:33 AM

your recaps are always so thorough and excellent, so props on that!
i agree w/ everyone else about rooting more towards junpyo > jihoo.
it's strange.
like in the japanese vers, we were all rooting for rui & makino, but in the korean vers, i'm leaning more towards junpyo&jandi!
jihoo barely gets to talk in this korean version, and he just doesn't have the flair to him.
but nevertheless, BOYS OVER FLOWERS ROCKS!!!!!

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113 Maria

January 20, 2009 at 4:35 AM

I don't think the problem about the love triangle not working well is because of Lee Minho's charismatic Jun Pyo. I don't think an actor can be blamed for acting too well.

At this point of the story (based on manga and other series) we are supposed to start liking him. Lee Minho has been acting as Jun Pyo perfectly since the start. The reason why Jun Pyo was liked since the start is simply because Hyun Joong wasn't able to portray Rui/Ji Hoo's charisma since the beggining. And as you said, his Ji Hoo is just 1/10 of charisma of Lee Minho's Jun Pyo.

Lee Minho is fullfiling his task as Jun Pyo and has portraying his character well. But Hyun Joon's Ji Hoo is still lacking something.

Of course Hyun Joong improved in the last episodes, but the beggining of the serie is crucial to make viewers understand the reason why Jandi/Makino like JiHoo/Rui. And it was exactly in the beggining of the serie that Hyun Joong's Ji Hoo was more lacking and less charismatic.

PS: I love Hyun Joong and I'm his fan but I'm a little bit diapointed with his acting as Ji Hoo... and I feel sad admiting it because I know how hard he's working.

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114 lily

January 20, 2009 at 4:46 AM

Excuse me You have been liking Jun Pyo since Episode 1!! Don't make an excuse.
Please The F4 is non existent LMAO.

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115 Amber

January 20, 2009 at 4:56 AM

Thanks for the recaps.totally love it.

I'm loving Yi Jung-Ga Eul scene.They just look so lovely together.XD

WHY ISN'T JANDI FALLING FOR JUN PYO instead of Ji Hoo.
I've watched the taiwan version and the japanese version..gotta say that unlike other version where i was practically rooting for Makino-Rui at the begining...i'm already rooting for jun pyo and jandi in the korean version.
Lee Min Ho really potrays his character really well.I didnt really felt the love triangle beween junpyo-jandi-ji hoo.

The only thing lacking from the korean version which i found very disturbing was the chemistry between the F4.Aren't Jun pyo and Ji Hoo supposed to be best friends???Why does it seems that Yi Jung and Woo Bin are better friends compared to junpyo and jihoo.Hopefully we'll be able to see more of their friendship as the story gones on.

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116 lily

January 20, 2009 at 4:58 AM

I couldn't be more agree with 24 and Tippy.

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117 Kit

January 20, 2009 at 5:07 AM

I find myself rooting for Ji-Hoo, horrendous bow tie notwithstanding, and I wasn't sure why. But. Jun-Pyo is such a monumental dunderhead (he does seem to have developed some wits lately, though), and since Jan-Di isn't impressed with his wealth that's all there's left of him. Then again, his admission of not having dated anyone was pretty sweet, and it softened me toward him. He just doesn't know how it's done. Also, Lee Min-Ho does the scenes where Jun-Pyo is surprised by his own feelings towards Jan-Di really, really well.
I do hope the show explores the "money can't buy love" theme further; if Jun-Pyo keeps showering Jan-Di with wealth like this without any explicit arguments from her, their story will get even less plausible for me pretty quickly.

The way Jun-Pyo's always dragging Jan-Di somewhere against her will really chaps my hide and adds to Jun-Pyo's knuckleheadedness. Since she's feisty enough to kick him in the head and berate him rather effectively she could put her foot down as he's about to pull her arm out of its socket. At least once. Please?

As for the show as a whole, I'm torn. I'm a k-drama newbie and I'm not familiar with the other versions of the show, so it took me a while to wrap my head around the whole setup here. Accepting the story as fantastical (which is how I read it) does become more difficult since the production is so clumsy, especially with scenes that I read as attempts at the dreamlike -- it's not that hard to get bow movements at least plausible, use the right kind of saxophone (assuming the Kenny G style of saxophone abuse is even remotely appealing) or teach people ballroom dancing. And the less we see of Jan-Di's painfully overacting family, the better.

In spite of my whinging I'll still keep watching this show, as opposed to, say, Star's Lovers, which I find better made in many ways but both boring and frustrating. Like previous posters, I'm really looking forward to the Ga-Eul and Yi-Jung story unfolding, and the show is just plain fun in spite of all the hiccups.

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118 serendipity

January 20, 2009 at 5:07 AM

OK. I've tried, I've really tried to like this drama and take it on its own terms. But I give up now. I'll still watch, probably to the bitter end, but with much sighing and rolling of eyes.

I feel I'm watching a school production (with a humungous location budget). "Unsubtle" is this drama's middle name. Way too much going for The Cute. And The Set Piece. Set Piece 1: in which hero comes to the rescue (accompanied by sappy music - huh?) SP2: in which hero tenderly tends wounds. SP3: in which poor girl is wowed by riches and servants scrape gratifyingly. SP4: in which poor girl acts tough and is gratifyingly vindicated. SP5: in which poor family is wowed by rich young man. SP6: in which the spirit of Pretty Woman is invoked (but unfortunately all I can think is "what an asshole to set off the fire alarm). SP7: in which audience is to be wowed by rich boys' ostentatious display. SP8: in which audience is to be wowed by gorgeous location shots (but unfortunately is just bored. You know, in this day and age of ample travel tv, we need more than nice scenery to make up for a laboured and not terribly compelling plot).

It's a hotch-potch of Set Pieces. I was hoping to get to know Jan Di better and understand why Jun Pyo falls for her so deeply and how F4 ends up dancing attendance on her. But so far she's just The Girl Who Shouts Too Much. Ji Hoo remains a non-entity (but perhaps it is a mercy that he didn't do any heavy acting in this episode). The remaining 2 F4 boys are still just pretty faces. Jun Pyo is probably the most convincing character, but he still seems rather unreal and contradictory to me - it feels like he just acts whatever is called for in his set piece (moralistic, if the set piece is The Put-Down of Min Ji; stupid if the set piece is Being Cute with Jan Di).

Oh the incoherent plot. Oh the silliness of it all. The spectre of Witch Amusement lifts her dreaded head.

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119 lily

January 20, 2009 at 5:21 AM

I watched a funny Big Bang's HYD Parody (realased long before BOF). The funnier is the member of the Band make a better work than the one in this version. It's really sad F4 are more convincing than the one in the Korean version (look at the portraying of TOP of Domyoji. You will think it's Domyoji and not so called teenage 35 year old man. Especially Rui. The chemistry between their F4 is convincing too.). The sadder is it's the same concrning Makino (although it's played by a man in the parody).

Serendipy you said it!

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120 Mel

January 20, 2009 at 5:32 AM

OMG this episode was very good! I hope JD start liking GYP soon! :D, can't wait for ep. 6 to air! :D

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121 stargazer377

January 20, 2009 at 5:33 AM

i really hope they bring back Min-Ji. she was great in the past few episodes and it would be a waste just to have her leave the entire series, but i guess the plot can do without her too. sad.
i agree with everyone. the yi jung - ga eul romance is great! i can't wait to see how their relationship pans out.
i'm glad they heated up the rec. room. i noticed in the earlier episodes there was fog coming out of their mouths when they're supposed to be inside!

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122 rochester

January 20, 2009 at 5:43 AM

lol @lily

I agree with the Big Bang parody having everything this drama lacks, like a good characterization. It has a Domyouji that makes you see why she wouldn't like him at first, the Rui that makes you see why Makino likes him, and the bond between the F4.

Except I can't really appreciate Daesung as Makino. But yeah, he's slightly better if I could get over the fact that it's Daesung in a skirt.

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123 mai

January 20, 2009 at 5:54 AM

LOL this part made me laugh..(It’s so tragic and heartbroken, you’d think they both found out they had cancer or something. With 90 days left to live. And are also siblings.) I liked how you explain Junpyo's coldness, it just makes sense. He WAS cold to her in the beginning except for when she really did things he didn't expect.. =) I really liked this episode. =D

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124 lily

January 20, 2009 at 6:01 AM

Frankly TOP makes a more convincing Domyoji than Jun Pyo (And TOP is Korean not Japanese but the way he treats "Makino lol" at first he is really mean, childish,stupid, rude and he doesn't look old he is not cold), the setting fits well the atmosphere, the chemistry between the F4 is really here, Big Bang's Rui is convincing too (Although he is not Oguri Shun), and LMAO Daesung makes a much better Makino than annoying Jan-di and LOL he has a good chemistry with Top and Rui, The other two F4 don't look like child (especially the playboy man).
The story is not long but frankly it follows better Hanadan story.

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125 Sparrow

January 20, 2009 at 6:05 AM

I think Lee Min Ho is chanelling Mr Darcy, from Pride and Prejudice.
I've read somewhere that P&P was the inspiration for the original manga, and I think that in that respect Jun Pyo is modeled to be arrogant and cold but actually very passionate beneath that cold facade, and this episode was all about Darcy's, sorry, Jun Pyo's passion for Jandi. We get such an insight into his feelings for her, and he acts like such a knight in white armor, that he seems impossible to resist.
I agree with Javabeans that Ji-hoo so pales in comparison, that it turns Jandi into a TSTL character for actually caring for him.

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126 chajjye

January 20, 2009 at 6:13 AM

ah, javabeans. u are making me wanting to watch this... :)

love ur recaps!

the only thing that is bugging me is the ost. haven't watch it, but from the looks of it...it's BAD.

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127 mikki

January 20, 2009 at 6:16 AM

this kdrama has a BIG budget..
amazing clothes, amazing scenery, amazing jun pyo! hehe..

i am officially addicted to this drama! this is the only thing that was in my mind while taking my statistics exam and this episode did not disappoint!

can't wait to see tomorrows episode..
jun pyo has really grown into me that i can't wsait to see his "hurt/broken" look..

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128 lily

January 20, 2009 at 6:17 AM

@ Sparrow
the "Domyoji" you describe is anything but Domyoji of Hanadan. Domyoji has lost his humanity so he is lonely, cruel, mean, violent childish and impoli with no social skills but he is not COLD, CALM, NORMAL!!! Rui is COLD, CARING, with A LOT OF CHARM but Domyoji is the opposite!!

Why Jun Pyo is in love with Jan-di and has passion for her? I can't still understand.

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129 selva

January 20, 2009 at 6:38 AM

I love your deep insights to each episode. Thanks. About the love triangle, I agree with you. Yeah Jun Pyo is still rude (but to everybody else except Jandi). She sees him super adorable and sweet to her right now. And honestly when I see JiHoo I ROFL. I still can't take him seriously, especially with that sleeping habit he got there :D

I absolutely love this line: "I’m a little annoyed at how they took this potentially great scene and totally ruined it with ridiculous cheesy music. It’s so tragic and heartbroken, you’d think they both found out they had cancer or something. With 90 days left to live. And are also siblings."

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130 ichiru

January 20, 2009 at 6:44 AM

@129 lily- I agree with you, JunPyo's reasons to be inlove with Jandi seem not solid enough, but I guess everything depends on the person, like in sports on how much a fan can support his team eventhough they lose all the time

And I also do't understand what people see in RUi's character? (fr manga and all drama version) the mystery thing? I can't see it..I'm probably blind! haha

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131 hientt

January 20, 2009 at 6:51 AM

OMG. Thank you for the summary. I thought this drama was not going to stand a chance to the Japanese one but boy am I wrong. They've done things that have enhanced it...the situations are supposed to be outrageous so over the top events and things are fine. <3 Goodness I am so crushing on Lee Min-ho right now. He has truly taken in the character as his own! LOVING IT!!

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132 Lana

January 20, 2009 at 6:51 AM

@ 119 serendipity
I understand what you mean! It's like most scenes revolving on one particular story are done okay but when you look at the bigger picture, something is always off... It's probably because the characters were not well-developed and the plot was not well-planned...

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133 km

January 20, 2009 at 7:00 AM

i don't know if i'm the only one, but i still find goo hye sun's acting to be a bit off occasionally! there was one particular bit in this episode that made me cringe: when she was flapping around in his room in his pyjamas with him watching.

i actually think she doesn't look that much older than the rest of the cast so she doesn't have to try so hard to act cute and exaggerate her actions. it just comes off as a really weird contrast because the rest of the acting isn't similarly exaggerated. sigh but apart from this unevenness, i do like this drama so i greatly appreciate your recaps!

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134 Kit

January 20, 2009 at 7:06 AM

@119 Serendipity

You're totally right about the show being silly and constructed of clichés -- which is precisely why I'll continue watching it. Pure escapist fun, as opposed to a show that will teach me something about life.

Having said that, I wouldn't mind a bit of self-irony or ironic self-awareness, even if the 5th episode is a tad early for the show to start referencing or poking fun at itself.

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135 mai

January 20, 2009 at 7:14 AM

Argh.. Just came back to comment again since I didn't get a chance to finish reading your review. =) [School.. Hehe..]

I agree with you 100%, its seems as if Junpyo is buying Jandi's love. Haha, but we all know Jandi doesn't see it that way but sees him for what he really is. He's sweet and caring towards her and I think thats why she's actually going through with all these things Junpyo does to her or gives her.

Oh goshers, why is Jihoo interfering? I guess in this version, Lee Min Ho is just so awesome as Junpyo that I'm just like "Geum Jandi, get it straight!" In the other versions I'm like "Aw... Rui..." Haha, yeah... But I LOVE your reviews they give me better understanding too haha. ;D

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136 julie

January 20, 2009 at 7:29 AM

@ 119 serendpity - couldn't say it better myself! Must say I'm just sticking around all the eps for guilty pleasures sake.

The music so far has been horrible, development of characters is so-so. And oh, the dramz, it is coming; we know that JP is going to get engaged. But now he really likes JD because she's the only girl that's ever hated him, isnt that quite obvious people?

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137 Daniel

January 20, 2009 at 8:16 AM

I have to comment about the slaps, it felt wrong not because it was harsh, but because it didn't feel like something Makino Tsukushi would do. She was admirable because she could express everything she wanted without using volence, as opposing to Domyoji, who was really violent but couldn't really make a point. The most violent thing Tsukushi did was throwing tea in Domyoji's mom. It just felt wrong.

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138 Shinsang

January 20, 2009 at 8:40 AM

Thanks javabeans... i've been wating for you recap so much...

I believe that there is one thing missing here, i agree with the fact that JP is far too cute ( I ADORE HIM!) for the love triangle but also is the fact that we only have see him with JD and like you said:

"For those of us who’ve started thinking Jun-pyo is all warm and fuzzy, this is a great reminder that even if he’s not wrong, he can still be so cold as to be cruel. I suppose this means that it’s not as though Jun-pyo is exceptionally cruel to Min-ji when he’s normally so warm; it’s the reverse — he’s exceptionally warm with Jan-di when he’s normally so cold-hearted".

Which proofs that indeed JP is only warm when is about JD and one else. And so far that is what we only have seen. Maybe in the next episodes this will change according to the storyline when JP finds himself realizing that he can not make JD falls for him that easily.

I still like this version; and the sense of being it too fast is because the use some of the escenes that happen quite after Rui comes back from Paris, so I hope they are going to use more stories that we haven´t seen in the other two version. perhaps?

Sorry if a wasn't clear enough haha but my head is full of conclusions and english is definitely not my native language.

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139 eveningstar201

January 20, 2009 at 9:24 AM

"It’s so tragic and heartbroken, you’d think they both found out they had cancer or something. With 90 days left to live. And are also siblings." HAHAHA I loled

And yes, the love triangle thing is really not working out. Compare to Jun Pyo, Ji Hoo has the charisma of a wet dishrag. There is just no competition here at all.

Still, I'm really loving this Korean version. Well done for making a great drama out of my very favorite manga. I was worried that after so ,any versions, it would start to get repetitive but luckily, I was wrong!

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140 anna

January 20, 2009 at 9:25 AM

I understand why Jandi hasn't completely fallen for JP yet, but does she have to yell all the time and make those unnecessary faces/expressions?? This is one of the reasons why I hate "trendy drama". To be honest, even though I don't like JD/JH, I really like their scenes together, only because she yells less.

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141 lily

January 20, 2009 at 9:42 AM

I agree with you "Ichiru" and Domyoji (Not Jun Pyo) has always been my Fav character of Hanadan because he represents the "change (reminds me Barack Obama)" for me so he is the most important "piece" of HYD.

So people Why Jun Pyo has passion for Jan-di??

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142 fanitha

January 20, 2009 at 9:51 AM

thanks for the recap!

Talking abour Nishikado and Yuuki (sorry but I'm bad with korean names so I can't remeber) in the manga she falls in love with Nishikado when he helps her with her boyfriend issue, and I think you can also see that in the jdrama.

I was hoping to see the kiss scene in this episode I can't believe they skip it, it was one of the best scenes of the manga and is sucha a sweet moment btwn Tsukasa and Makino, the only version that include that scene was the taiwanese version and was lovely.

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143 lily

January 20, 2009 at 9:56 AM

I agree with Daniel too. It's seems there Jan-di act sometimes like Domyoji while Jun Pyo acts like Rui

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144 orual

January 20, 2009 at 10:08 AM

thank you for the update! The drama puts a smile on my face and that's all I ask for. Sure it uses the wrong music and is cheesy but it works for me.

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145 alice

January 20, 2009 at 10:15 AM

i have never seen the jap version and so when ppl make comparisons, i hardly ever know who is who...

i saw the tw version, but in that one, the jandi character POed the hell out of me, i loved the gujunpyoo character, and i liked jihoo as a person. the other two f4, were just side stories for me.. rainie as ga eul was awesome. i loved gujunpyoo's sister. i don't remember the girl jihoo was in love with at all..

in this version, i feel like lee minho just takes over with his acting. he's not unlikeable in any respect for me at least, yes he's a little heavy handed, but that's what i love about him, his lack of finesse and the hard time he has with expressing his feelings, and also, how unapologetically he goes about all of it. i do wish tho, now reading other comments, that he was meaner, so i can like him more later, instead of liking him from like the start, but then again, i have always been character biased towards him. idk, i'm just in love with lee minho and his portrayal i guess. soo cuuute. don't ask me why, i have no idea.. and can someone be criticized for being too good? so that other ppl get left behind? that's a new one.

jihoo is annoying i feel in this version. just last episode, which feels like yesterday in my life, he was in france, and now he's back. umm... can we take a breather from you? there's no explanation for his sudden reappearance (i'm guessing he got rejected / it didn't work out), but shouldn't he exude some sadness when he returns, and only chase girls in attempts to get over the other girl. instead, he just seems happier and more playboyish. jihoo's character is all about the "delicate male flower". there's nothing subtle about this character except for his lack of charisma. maybe that was too harsh, i think i'm just too biased towards gujunpyoo and i don't understand why jihoo has to come back in now to mess it all up and confuse jandi. but character aside, i hope hj develops more as an actor and plays up to his really important role..

jandi over acts A LOT. she lacks character development for me. i read a comment that this drama is moving slowly, and since the jap one was 9 episodes, and this is 24, so it should be moving slowly in comparison, but i really missed the buildup, where 1, gujunpyoo falls in love and then can't deal with his emotions, so he tries to deny his love for her 2, where jandi resists him more. i just feel like it's all so one-sided. i have a clear idea of how gujunpyoo feels right now and the reasons for his actions, but i have no idea what's going through jandi's head right now. her character relies too much on gimmicky eye blinking and cuteness, rather than character development. like... if she's such a tough cookie, when doesn't she actually deny gujunpyoo's heavy handed moves, instead of just sort of ducking away. i mean... if you don't like someone, how can this all be happening? she's just too passive for me to understand what's going through her head... i also didn't like the not one, but two slaps. it doesn't fit her as a character. she's supposed to represent something stronger than that..
basically, she should be the lead, so her family, her roots, and her identity, should be equal if not more important than gujunpyoo's. right now, she's being overshadowed and i have no sense of her feelings or her side of the story.

i think the rhythm and timing of the drama is a little off. like, episodes are basically solid hours of screen time, much like a movie, more so than a tv drama per say (at least in the states), so i feel like 1. it's really impressive to shoot that much footage, maintain the quality that the drama has, but 2. maybe it could be paced better? i have no sense of time. everything just runs into each other. all the storylines link like nonstop action, and so i feel i just got hit by a tornado, without feeling buildup, conflict, resolution, character development, without really feeling all the moments btwn gujunpyoo and jandi, and other delicacies that need to be more meticulously done. in that way, i agree with serendipity, it's all setup, and not enough core story, and character development, but I STILL LOVE THIS DRAMA. i still love the setups too :D

kimbum, btw, shines in this drama. even when he's in the background, my eyes draw to him and his smile. he just emotes very well, just standing there. and i'm so ridiculously interested in his and ga eul's storyline. they are so cuute together and since both are 19, a real life romance would be good. their chemistry is totally happening. and ga eul is very good as her character, maybe too good. so much so, that she doesn't feel like supporting character. same with kim bum, their screen presence and overall chemistry just take over.

which segue ways into another problem i have, i feel like jandi and gujunpyoo have no real chemistry at this point. and f4 is not like f4. they aren't friends. in fact, i feel like gujunpyoo and jihoo secretly hate each other. there's no brother ship :[

the music tehehe, i actually love the soundtrack. the kenny g bits are a little bit mmk, but all in all, i like the music / i don't notice it as much as everyone else does.

but honestly, I LOVE THIS DRAMA. i read all the comments. i constantly refreshed veoh to watch it. i can't think about anything else. i read recaps and recaps. despite my criticisms, i could probably rewatch episodes, which i never do, and i'm a lee minho fangirl now <3

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146 lily

January 20, 2009 at 10:24 AM

I agree with what alice and I franckly respect his/her view (she don't say it's better than this or than that...). She/he likes it because it's like that. Although it's bad executed, off characterized with bad acting.