Boys Before Flowers Returns

The production crew of Hana Yori Dango probably watched Meteor Garden, noted down all its faults, and ironed them out in this surprisingly satisfying 9-episode drama. This series is eye candy, with expensive cars, enormous mansions, restaurant-like canteens, beautiful people, branded clothes and products...highlighting the tremendous wealth of the students at Eitoku High School and especially F4, the four richest guys in Japan. The soundtrack sounds quite Stepford-Wives-ish, but is captivating and sets the mood for the show (which is very different from MG).

I admit I began watching HYD with a bit of prejudice, having been on the MG bandwagon for two years, but my attention was completely caught by the first five minutes. After that my love for it escalated all the way...it was a vibrant, funny, heartbreaking, exciting, suspenseful show that left me wanting more and more after each episode.

Inoue Mao carried off the role as Makino Tsukushi expertly. Although I normally hate the 'kawaii' gang, I couldn't help loving her. All her expressions and actions were spot on...it isn't so hard to understand now why Tsukasa loved her so much! Sada Mayumi and Matsushima Nanako were stunning in their roles as Shizuka and Tsubaki respectively. Oguri Shun gave a very solid performance as the quiet, deep-thinking Hanazawa Rui (though I have to confess here that I still prefer Zaizai as Hua Ze Lei).

But it was Matsumoto Jun who amazed me the most. I scarcely expected much of him after seeing his pictures (skinny and short!) but was astonished to find, after three episodes, how much I enjoyed him as Doumyouji Tsukasa. He displayed all of Tsukasa's rage, arrogance, pain, insecurity, and cuteness flawlessly. What he lacked in height and build he made up for in acting. My image of Tsukasa has forever changed from Taiwanese F4's Jerry Yan to Matsujun (an admirable feat indeed!) I am eager to watch more of his shows.

I highly, highly, highly recommend HYD to any HYD anime/manga and MG fans. It is truly an excellent series that surpassed all my expectations. I only wish there were more episodes!

The Korean series from 2009, "Boys Over Flowers," was my first introduction to this story. I loved it so much that I decided to also view the Japanese version that had come out a few years earlier. Now, I'm not sure which version is my favorite. Although the stories are virtually identical, there are enough differences to make this a worthy viewing even if one is already familiar with the basic plot line.

THe Korean version is more glamorous, with beautiful sets, exotic locales, incredible fashion on display, and the actors are more physically beautiful, which enhances their aura as a group of super-cool, privileged young men. But the Japanese version stands out because the heroine and main rival to the primary love interest are much more demonstrative and direct with their feelings. We feel the heartache and confusion all the characters feel as they deal with this love triangle. And, without extended back stories for the supporting characters, there's more time to devote to developing the relationship between the main characters. My advice, see both versions.

"Hana Yori Dango" (Boys Over Flowers) is quite intriguing - written and illustrated by Kamio Yoko, it started out as a manga and was made into an anime, and later brought to life as the Taiwanese live-action drama "Meteor Garden". With all its incarnations, surely there must be something about its story that strikes a chord in people's hearts.

And yes, there is. In Fall 2005, Japanese TV network TBS released its own live-action "Hana Yori Dango" series starring Inoue Mao (Kids War 3) as the strong-willed Makino Tsukushi and Matsumoto Jun (of pop group ARASHI) as the hot-tempered Domyouji Tsukasa (here, Matsumoto is a revelation as he renders a heartbreaking Domyouji). Joining the well-appointed cast is Oguri Shun (Gokusen, Great Teacher Onizuka) who takes on the role of the calm and collected Hanazawa Rui.

Makino is a student at Eitoku, an exclusive school for Tokyo's rich kids. She seems to be getting by until she gets involved with the notorious F4 (Flower 4), a group of four of the richest boys on campus, and whose members include the very irritable Domyouji and the soft-spoken Hanazawa. Challenges face Makino as she gets entangled in the world of F4, and subsequently, the affection of Domyouji and Hanazawa who are the best of friends yet are complete opposites of each other.

"Hana Yori Dango" is an excellently produced show with topnotch production design. Viewers will be transported into a world of magnificent imagery - with mansions, flashy cars and the latest fashions that spice up the screen. The characters are adequately developed and the situations that unfold will keep you at the edge of your seat. But what makes this series even more appealing is its unique combination of humor and drama that just never runs out of steam. Packed into nine satisfying episodes, "Hana Yori Dango" will give you the ride of your life. Expect emotions to run high. It will make you laugh and cry. It will make you cheer. It will capture your heart.

I first saw Meteor Garden and I liked it a lot but this Japanese Live Version is far better. Acting wise, the cast pretty much gave justification to all the characters they played. I specifically, enjoyed watching Mao Inoue and Jun Matsumoto's performance. They pretty much showed the characters as I imagined then while reading the Manga and at some parts I also would go reminiscent of the anime version. It's a perfect blend.

Jun at first seemed a bit too skinny as compared to Jerry Yan who first played the role of Tsukasa but watching from the scene when F4 was first introduced (EP1)there was a certain air about Jun that just made him a very convincing Leader of the Notorious F4.

Mao made an excellent Tsukushi. She played the HYD heroine with the right kind of spunk, which her Taiwanese counterpart, although quite good in her own way, lacked. Her interactions with both Jun and Shun were really impressive. I loved her acting and her way of ranting at Tsukasa for beating just about anyone or everyone, and, her family for making her go to a private school that they could not afford....

The Tsukushi, Rui, Shizuka love triangle was also nicely depicted with Tsukasa just waiting on the sidelines for Tsuky.

Nanako Matsushima who played Tsubaki (Tsukasa's older sister),she was hip and funky. Acting, wise she was as always, very awesome. She played the tough and yet loving sister to her affection-deprived little brother. She also shed some light to her confused and baffled love-sick kid bro.

Megumi Sato, played Sakurako very well, she was able to manage the good and the bad sides of her character. She makes a pretty nasty villain one minute and then a sweet naive friend in a quick sec.

All in all HYD is a great story to explore and this live version is considerably remarkable, given the fact that they were able to show a lot in just 9 Episodes, which basically leaves us HYD fans wanting more... I have to say they have brilliant writers whom I would have to say was able to bring the Manga and the anime into a mix of wonderful fusion. Great production, wonderful cast with a great deal of talent... what more can you ask for? well, maybe a sequel wouldn't be too much to ask, don't you think?

By the way the back ground music they used specially with scene done in the school reminded me so much of Hedwig's theme from Harry Potter.

I came to this series with an initial prejudice after being utterly turned off by the wooden, dry acting in the Taiwanese version called Meteor Garden. Then, I happened to pick up a copy of Hana Yori Dango in a bookstore, and the series captivated me so much I read all 36 volumes in the course of a few days.

Hana Yori Dango then became my absolute favorite manga, and Doumyoji and Tsukushi my favorite manga characters. Matsumoto Jun and Inoue Mao do a truly fantastic job of bringing my favorite characters to life.

Jun honestly isn't the most attractive of actors, and he's a bit lacking in the height department to boot, but he has such a spark on camera that by the end of the series, I went from wondering what he was doing as uber-hottie Doumyoji to being absolutely crazy for him. As physically unsuited for Doumyoji as he is, after seeing this series I just cannot imagine anyone else as Doumyoji.

Inoue Mao is wonderfully feisty as Tsukushi, and she has great chemistry w/ Jun. In the series, she seems to spend more time doubting Doumyoji than actually developing her relationship w/ him, but that's probably more due to time constraints and writing than anything else. Still, it's a shame that there weren't more scenes of Doumyoji and Tsukushi together.

The supporting actors are great as well, and I particularly like the actors who play Nishikado and Akira. They're a great source of comic relief, and very amusing to watch.

Love, love, love this series. It's definitely piqued my interest in Japanese dramas, and Mastumoto Jun in particular. I think he's definitely my favorite Japanese actor at the moment. And he looks much better in Gokusen and Kimi wa Petto. Curly hair just isn't for him.