Boys Over Flowers

A.K.A. Boys Before Flowers. This is the third adaptation of the "Hana Yori Dango" manga. I had such high expectations for this when I heard Korea was going to remake this since it was such a huge production. Sadly to say, this is my least favorite "Hana Yori Dango" version so far. I wanted to give up on BOF so many times but it was my goal to watch all "Hana Yori Dango" adaptations at least once, no matter how bad it was. The acting was bad and the plot was draggy, repetitive, and boring. The only elements worth watching were Lee Min Ho as Doumyouji Tsukasa and the love story between Kim Bum and Kim So Eun. I hated how there were so many scenes of the actors and actresses just looking sad with nothing going on; the camera just did close-ups of their faces for ten minutes. Also, BOF's OST was good but it was overkill in here since every two minutes, a song would come up (I'm sick of hearing T-Max's Paradise!). BOF is pretty much just the Korean version of Hana Yori Dango and Hana Yori Dango II but not as great.

Koo Hye Sun: I didn't think it was possible to hate Makino Tsukushi until I watched Koo Hye Sun's portrayal. Koo Hye Sun is such a bad actress that I had to fast forward every time she was on screen by herself, with Kim Hyun Joong, with her family, or with Kim Hyun Joong's grandfather. She always looks dense and confused in every single scene. And what's worse is that she had exactly one expression for everything! She's also not that pretty (it's probably because of her bowl cut hairstyle in here but still) to make me believe that two guys will fall madly in love with. So it raises the question, couldn't they find a more talented and younger actress for this role? 1*

Lee Min Ho: The saving grace of this drama! Lee Min Ho looks a lot alike Jerry Yan but his acting is a lot better. He was able to show a different side to Doumyouji Tsukasa without being repetitive while staying true to the character. 5*****

Kim Hyun Joong: I'm sorry to say this but Kim Hyun Joong is not attractive as people make him out to be; he actually looks really weird to me. His acting was also really bad in here but he did improved as BOF progressed. 2**

Kim Bum: I loved Kim Bum ever since I saw him in "Rude Woman" so I was excited to watch him in here, especially since he's portraying Nishikado Sojiro. He didn't disappoint in here but he sometimes looked uncomfortable in some scenes. 4****

Kim Joon: He's cute so it's sad that he barely had any scenes in here. I look forward to seeing him in more dramas in the near future. 3***

Kim So Eun: She's a pleasant surprise in here since she exceeded my expectations. She made Matsuoka Yuki cute and strong to the point that she wasn't so desperate to have Kim Bum. 4****

Lee Min Jung: She was good as Okawahara Shigeru and I wouldn't have asked for anything more from her portrayal. 5*****

Han Chae Young: She made a good Todo Shizuka since I have always imagined the Korean Todo Shizuka to be like her. 5*****

Koo Hye Sun+Lee Min Ho: I felt nothing for this Tsukushi Makino and Domyoji Tsukasa pairing. However, Lee Min Ho made their scenes bearable. 2**

Koo Hye Sun+Kim Hyun Joong: A snooze fest couple since it was bad acting from both side of the parties. 1*

Kim Bum+Kim So Eun: My favorite couple in here and I like how their relationship had more development and screen time in this adaptation. They look so good together! 5*****

Kim Hyun Joong+Han Chae Young: 3***

Lee Min Ho+Lee Min Jung: They don't fit in terms of looks but their acting made up for it. 3***

Lee Min Ho+Kim Min Ji: 2**

Kim Bum+Park Soo Jin: Park Soo Jin looks older than Kim Bum so I felt she was his older sister more than a first love. 2**

OST: 4****

Rating: 2** I hope there wouldn't be a sequel and I don't think there will be one because the ending was pretty good, even if as a whole it wasn't. BOF is such an overrated "Hana Yori Dango" version and a drama by itself but then again, most Korean dramas are.