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slyprenticeI don't know about anyone else but I'm a foreign (to me) drama series watcher. My sister and I have quite the collection going, ranging from the popular to the rather obscure, from the romantic comedy to the family oriented. Unsurprisingly, I've been watching the latest version of Boys Before Flowers...
Now, before I say anything else, let me just say that I've seen the Japanese version, Hana Yori Dango, and loved it. I've got the entire run of it and am trying to get my hands on the finale (I've seen it; I just want the dvd) so I admit I went into the Korean version with higher expectations than I should have. I know for a fact that every version of a show is vastly different - if you don't believe me, watch the Japanese and Taiwanese versions of Hana Kimi; they're so different it could be argued they aren't even the same show - and that some versions follow the anime (or, in this case, manga) more loyally than others.
(Sidenote: I'm not a big fan of the Boys Before Flowers manga. Sorry, I'm just not. It was around the time that Makino got tied to the back of a car and dragged around that I just stopped reading. Frankly, where I live has a huge impact on my views on this and I was horrified to the point of nausea by seeing it and wondered how anyone, even in a manga, could use this even in passing. But that's just me and more power to you if you like the manga!)
That being said...
I'm not enjoying the Korean version that much. :(
I wanted to - I really did! - but I'm just not. I mean, really, it might be my westernized way of viewing things but there is really absolutely no connection between Yeon Woo (aka Makino) and any of the F4! There's more connection between her and whats-his-name who was going to jump off the school roof in the first episode! Gah!
I mean, episode four is already out, and Rui's character has already gone to chase after whats-her-face in Paris and I have not seen a single scrap of emotional-bonding (or whatever the hell you want to call it) between Domyoji's character and Makino's character. Don't get me wrong, there have been moments, but nothing that would make me say that Makino would ever in a million years want to be with him.
I think a lot of my issues stem from the fact that I don't enjoy the way Makino's actress is playing her. I find some of her reactions rather...irritating...and while that isn't necessarily enough to drive me away from a drama, I can't enjoy it when I think the lead role is...er...striving to be compared to an anime. And, okay, I'll probably be laughed at over it but that's just the way I feel.
Comparably, in the Japanese version, I was totally and completely in Makino's corner. I, honestly, wanted her to just kick Domyoji's ass a few times. Whereas I'm kind of feeling bad for Domyoji in the Korean version. Not that he's not an ass and an asshole, but there's just two much distance between point a (where it's a mutual dislike but Domyoji is starting to like her) to b (where Makino loves him).
I feel like they're trying to stick so loyal to the manga that a lot of the human element and interaction is missing. A lot can be told in a simple gesture, a look, which is lacking the Korean version. I think.
Now, to be far, I haven't seen the Meteor Garden version of Boys Before Flowers - which I've heard generally sucks in comparison to both of these - but right now I'm still in Hana Yori Dango's corner. The only thing that the Korean version has going for it, in my eyes, is:
1. It's the newest, therefore more relate-able to 'the now'.
2. It's still producing episodes, which means that while I might not like the beginning, I could end up loving the middle and the end.
3. I find the F4 attractive (except for Rui, his hair is horrendous). But, really, I found Domyoji and Rui cute in the Japanese version cute. Kinda.
In a nutshell, it has potential. But I still don't like it much.
Now, before I say anything else, let me just say that I've seen the Japanese version, Hana Yori Dango, and loved it. I've got the entire run of it and am trying to get my hands on the finale (I've seen it; I just want the dvd) so I admit I went into the Korean version with higher expectations than I should have. I know for a fact that every version of a show is vastly different - if you don't believe me, watch the Japanese and Taiwanese versions of Hana Kimi; they're so different it could be argued they aren't even the same show - and that some versions follow the anime (or, in this case, manga) more loyally than others.
(Sidenote: I'm not a big fan of the Boys Before Flowers manga. Sorry, I'm just not. It was around the time that Makino got tied to the back of a car and dragged around that I just stopped reading. Frankly, where I live has a huge impact on my views on this and I was horrified to the point of nausea by seeing it and wondered how anyone, even in a manga, could use this even in passing. But that's just me and more power to you if you like the manga!)
That being said...
I'm not enjoying the Korean version that much. :(
I wanted to - I really did! - but I'm just not. I mean, really, it might be my westernized way of viewing things but there is really absolutely no connection between Yeon Woo (aka Makino) and any of the F4! There's more connection between her and whats-his-name who was going to jump off the school roof in the first episode! Gah!
I mean, episode four is already out, and Rui's character has already gone to chase after whats-her-face in Paris and I have not seen a single scrap of emotional-bonding (or whatever the hell you want to call it) between Domyoji's character and Makino's character. Don't get me wrong, there have been moments, but nothing that would make me say that Makino would ever in a million years want to be with him.
I think a lot of my issues stem from the fact that I don't enjoy the way Makino's actress is playing her. I find some of her reactions rather...irritating...and while that isn't necessarily enough to drive me away from a drama, I can't enjoy it when I think the lead role is...er...striving to be compared to an anime. And, okay, I'll probably be laughed at over it but that's just the way I feel.
Comparably, in the Japanese version, I was totally and completely in Makino's corner. I, honestly, wanted her to just kick Domyoji's ass a few times. Whereas I'm kind of feeling bad for Domyoji in the Korean version. Not that he's not an ass and an asshole, but there's just two much distance between point a (where it's a mutual dislike but Domyoji is starting to like her) to b (where Makino loves him).
I feel like they're trying to stick so loyal to the manga that a lot of the human element and interaction is missing. A lot can be told in a simple gesture, a look, which is lacking the Korean version. I think.
Now, to be far, I haven't seen the Meteor Garden version of Boys Before Flowers - which I've heard generally sucks in comparison to both of these - but right now I'm still in Hana Yori Dango's corner. The only thing that the Korean version has going for it, in my eyes, is:
1. It's the newest, therefore more relate-able to 'the now'.
2. It's still producing episodes, which means that while I might not like the beginning, I could end up loving the middle and the end.
3. I find the F4 attractive (except for Rui, his hair is horrendous). But, really, I found Domyoji and Rui cute in the Japanese version cute. Kinda.
In a nutshell, it has potential. But I still don't like it much.
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