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!

"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 discovered Hana Yori Dango and I was really stunned by it. What a wonderful series,while it was short lived,(9 episodes only), a sequel is coming in 2007 so I cant wait!I loved all of the characters specially Makino Tsukushi.What it is also great about the series is that depicts life in present day Japan and you get to see how the Japanese society deals with the concepts of love,drama, money...I really feel bad after seeing Tsukushi struggling to adapt to a higher place in society after she meet Tsukasa.And the final episode made me cry!!!!Now I am really looking forward to the sequel! Highly recommended!!!!

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.

Enough of the "meteoric fever", Hana Yori Dango rocks.

Meteor Garden is overly-rated and too over staged. I personally would say that Hana Yori Dango take a higher notch than it's Taiwanese counterpart.

It seems that Meteor Garden was just a test flight. Yes MG's good, I won't rule out that there are good actors and actresses there (DAO MING FENG perhaps!). But still there's something missing here.

In Hana Yori Dango, however, the actors and actress are efficient, that you could feel their presence.You would learn to hate, adore and love the characters here... That's what adds to the flavor.

I watched HYD's pilot episode and was instantly hooked. Man! the shots are good, the story's good, and their costumes are perfect... What's more to ask.