Hana yori dango

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.

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.

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.

Hana Yori Dango, a popular manga series by Kamio Yoko, has seen many incarnations. It was an anime series, a live action movie, and also a Taiwanese soap series. And now finally the Japanese have given us a 9 episode long, live action TV series.

This version.. obviously based off excellent material... wins major points for story of course. With excellent production and casting. Inoue Mao stars as the heroine Makino Tsukushi... Frankly I'm blown away by her performance. She pulls off Makino so very well and has the look down perfect. And opposite her is Matsumoto Jun from the popular band ARASHI, starring as Tsukasa Domyouji.

This series is chalk full of beautiful women, gorgeous guys, and all the drama that makes HYD so beloved. If you are a fan of Hana Yori Dango in any of it's previous forms, you will love this new retelling, a bit of a blend between the manga and the anime, but with real people....