Ok, a little Asian drama vent here…

So, I’ve been a huge fan of Hana Yori Dango the Japanese drama for a long time now. When I heard that a Korean version of the show, Boys Over Flowers, was going to be released, I refused to even give it a chance because I was so in love with HYD, and did not want to be disappointed when I watched the Korean version. The other day, I was showing my sister HYD because she has never watched the Japanese version but has seen the Korean one, and she kept comparing the two, so, out of curiosity, I decided to finally give Boys Over Flowers a chance…

Well, my initial reaction towards the K-drama version turned out to be true for me. I was disappointed, and I had not even reached the end of the 4th episode before I had to turn off the telly. The overall cast for the F4 group is better looking than the J-drama version, but I just could not stand the two main characters. Although Lee Min Ho is a total hottie, I just could not fall in love with his character the way I did with Matsumoto Jun when he played Domyoji. Domyoji is arrogant, yet innocent and naive at the same time, which makes his character endearing. He’s got a bit of boyish charm to him, which makes you fall in love with him as the drama series progresses. Lee Min Ho, I felt, just came off too serious for the part.

The Makino character in the K-drama version is what annoyed me the most, though. I just could not stand her! Here’s why…Even if a person is not the best looking person in the world, he/she may have some redeeming traits that make them appear attractive. In the Japanese version, Makino comes from a poor family and is not supposed to be the most beautiful girl in school, but she is very intelligent (which is why she was able to get into such an expensive school), has a kind heart, is hard-working, strong-willed, and persevering. It is these traits that make Domyoji fall in love with her and fight so hard for her, even though they come from completely different worlds and social classes. The Makino character in Boys Over Flowers, Jan Di, is stupid and extremely dorky. She acts like an idiot a lot of the times, in my opinion. Her personality is annoying. She can throw a pretty mean kick, but her character is not tough in the same way that Makino is. If I were to meet someone in real life who acts like Jan Di, I would be so annoyed! I don’t understand how Lee Min Ho’s character could fall in love with someone with that sort of personality. It just is not realistic for me.

Maybe I have to watch a few more episodes before Jan Di grows on me, but I just don’t want to. I think the first three episodes really just turned me off too much. My sister enjoyed the Boys Over Flowers version, and I know a lot of other people do too…and to each their own, but this HYD fan has not been swayed :)