The Korean Drama 꽃보다 남자 has triggered a lot of interest in this Taiwanese drama and its Japanese original version. To be honest, I have heard about MG so much during its initial debut in 2001, that I lost all interest. It was like "boy-band-meets-poor-girl cliche" blah blah" I thought. BOY!! Did I have to swallow my words.....
For those novices in Taiwanese dramas like myself, let me share the pleasure I have had in watching this drama, albeit 8 years late.
F4 - nope, that's not a type of fighter plane. It's actually 4 bl***y rich guy who're the heirs to their respective conglomerates/businesses. Along with richness comes smugness, self-importance and the need for love.
San Chai - nope, that's not a type of vegetable. She's a tough, little poor girl, who studies in the same school with the F4s.
hmm..............
Actually, you can read about the drama from the many sites out there. What I wanted to share was my thoughts about the drama itself.
Did I enjoy this drama when compared with the Japanese version? Well, of course. Firstly, the Domyoji is so much more handsome here. Jerry Yan looked so good - ahem. And the way the story is weaved together is interesting, and more believable than the more -slap-stick, cutesy-mutesy Japanese version (sorry guys....I am gonna get lots of antis because of this).
Secondly, you know how you feel all warm inside when super touching and romantic scenes come out? Well, MG has lots of such scenes. My favourite is when San Chai was kicked out of her apartment, and had nowhere to go. Her phone was not on, and Ah Si kept calling her and leaving voice messages...." SanChai, you stupid woman...where are you", "San Chai, you bad woman.. I can't stand it anymore. Where are you?" "San Chai, San Chai..." and then, he suddenly appeared in front of you ....Aini *faints*.
Thirdly, although the other F3 can't really act to save their lives, I actually enjoyed watching them TRY.
So, if you're in love with the manga, and in love with the Korean version of this drama, you MUST watch this version.
Oh, and by the way, don't bother watching Meteor Garden 2. Apart from being such a waste of time (30 episodes!!!), it'll kill your patience. Just watch the first and last episode. Coz, the in-betweens are really justa waste of time. Trust me.
