Meteor Garden (2018)

== !! Very Minor Spoilers Ahead !! ==

I unintentionally had a somewhat unique perspective going into this drama, since I have just recently finished re-watching all of the Japanese version (Hana Yori Dango) which made it easy to compare the two. Getting right in to it—My first thought when I finished Meteor Garden 2018 was: ‘OMG…Finally…Done.’

Which was soon followed by a little pang of sadness because as much as I desperately wanted this series to be over, I am truly going to miss some of the characters (especially after spending forty…nine…episodes with them).

To preface this a bit: I have seen Hana Yori Dango multiple times, and I did obsessively watch Boys Over Flowers (the Korean version) when it aired, although I pretty much hated it. I have also seen a few episodes of the Taiwanese Version (Meteor Garden) and the first Chinese version that aired years ago (Meteor Shower…which apparently is unlicensed and “loosely” based) but I was never able or interested in finishing either.

We’ll start with the good then: this series has my favorite version of the Domiyoji character, Dao Ming Si. He had some of the character’s irrational characteristics (especially in the beginning) but overall, he was the most endearing and sweetest of them all. I think this had a lot to do with his actor, Dylan Wang. His expressions were adorable, and you just couldn’t help but fall in love with him.

I also really enjoyed this version of Soujiro (Xi Men Yan). He’s so good looking (I’m not shallow at aaaall haha) and of the 3 versions I’ve completed, this is the only one where his relationship with Yuki (Xiao You) actually becomes a real thing. I was so freaking happy!

The directing was really great as well. While I did feel bored frequently during this FOURTY-NINE episode journey, the directing kept bringing it back with some really well timed scenes that had just the right angles and all the right feeling.

Now let’s look at the mediocre:

Dong Shan Cai was not my least favorite version of Makino (looking at you, Boys Before Flowers *cringe*), but she wasn’t my favorite either. I actually really like the actress Shen Yue, who I saw recently in “A Love So Beautiful.” But her character in general really went up and down for me. For the majority of the series, I was pretty annoyed with her.

I also wasn’t really a huge fan of this Hanazawa Rui (Hua Ze Lei). He did grow on me more towards the end but let’s be honest—it’s damn hard to compete with Oguri Shun. #sorrynotsorry

The writing’s portrayal of this story was also pretty “meh.” The source material (the Hana Yori Dango manga) is pretty outdated and I think a lot of things could have changed to give this a fresher take. I did see the effort they made, and some of the interesting changes (for example, this was the least violent and intimidating of all the F4’s…as instead of being regular bullies, they just play a card game that everyone wants to beat them at). If someone has gone into this series without having seen any of the other versions, they might not find this point to be quite as pertinent. I still feel like the trajectory of the story and some of the traditional elements they stuck with could have been updated better while keeping the initial “wild-rich-boy-falls-for-good-poor-girl” premise.

That brings me to the bad—

Once again this has to do with the writing. Some of the dialogue was awful and the things they said and their actions seemed really cut-and-paste (not to mention, choppy).

Some of that could also have to do with the overwhelming lack of chemistry between the leads. I hate to say this, since I like them both individually and I think they are good at what they do…but, damn. For such an epic couple I felt almost nothing when they were together. Nothing that made my heartbeat quicken or anything. The closest they came to moving me was when they were in London, at the Chinese restaurant, having what they thought my be their last meal together. My heart ached for them then.

Also? All. The. Flashbacks. I guess they had to get to that 49th episode somehow but holly molly. I feel like the last 5 episodes or so for-sure where just one big repeat of the entire series. It was pretty annoying. This should have been maybe 30 episodes at most. As it stands, we were left with 19 episodes of wasted time.

Overall this was a good remake. It was definitely a step in the right direction towards updating this beloved classic, I’m just left feeling disappointed that they didn’t do more with it.

Leggi di Più

I, similar to many other viewers of the show, anticipated the release of this remake as I loved the previous BOF remakes. This was a disappointment, the main issue was the extra and unneeded focus on Feng Mei Zuo's love story. Some people may have enjoyed it but personally I wish they would have picked a more interesting or relevant storyline, they focused on this too much and for me it ruined the whole 'playboy' look F4 was meant to have. I mean if they're all good boys who believe in true love then it goes against the whole concept of rich playboys.

Another big issue was Shan Cai's character. I love loved Gaeul's character in the Korean BOF and in this show instead of making her innocent and naive they just made her seem really dumb. In the Japanese version, Yuuki Matsuoka was made to be more clingy but it wasn't obnoxious or embarrassing to watch. In this show, I just got second-hand embarrassment from her as I loved the Korean 'best-friend' support character so much.

The boy's in F4 in general, I wished they touched on their personal stories more as they did in the other versions. I haven't finished it so maybe they do in the end but Xi Men's character in the Korean version and in the Japanese version had so much more soul and his story was so interesting and human. While the boys are very pretty their storylines were lacking and it just made this F4 seem to half-assed, I understand most of the audience already knew them before watching but it feels like the writers took that as a way to get lazy with the script and skip the initial build-up and connection of the boys.

Lastly, a common issue many see, the plot dragged on and on and on. Seriously, it became way too predictable and annoying to watch. I love watching remakes and usually when remakes come around the plot is still interesting or there will be some new plot twists so seeing as there were 49 episodes I imagined more depth and some new ideas. I didn't expect them to rush through iconic moments and add a boring side love story that I constantly wanted to skip through.

Overall it is light-hearted and maybe some people really enjoy it. Maybe if you haven't seen the other remakes I suggest watching this first so you're not burdened by the butchering of the originals like I was. Just be ready to skip a lot of scenes and take long breaks as the show isn't very binge-worthy.

Leggi di Più

Disturbing behavior and a lack of actual relationship development

Ok, Daoming Si is the first male lead and he seems unpleasant to be around, disturbingly immature, and is unnecessarily violent, at one point smashing a paper takeout box full of food into the female lead's (Dong Shancai's) head and at another, slamming her against a wall and forcing a kiss on her. Additionally, while I haven't seen the entire show, I did watch 21 episodes before the characters' behavior became too ridiculous to handle, but the two leads barely spent any time together where they weren't fighting or dragging each other around against the other's will. Their relationship was so dysfunctional; they refused to explain their feelings or actions to each other and were always making each other mad or uncomfortable. I have seen Boys Over Flowers, and I know that that male lead (Gu Jun Pyo) was also somewhat immature and initially unpleasant and violent, but there was something endearing about Gu Jun Pyo that Daoming Si completely lacks.

I do think the second male lead (Huaze Lei) was a pretty good character and a much more appealing partner than Daoming Si. He never attacked anyone or blurted out rude and disturbing things and he acted his age. Also, he and Dong Shancai had a far better, more stable relationship. I usually don't think the second male lead should be with the female lead, because I tend to just go with what the story wants me to go with, but in this case, the male lead was so horrible, I could not see him and the female lead ending up together.

When it comes to acting, I thought it was subpar. Sometimes, the actors' actions felt jilted and forced. Also, Dong Shancai's facial expressions during moments that were supposed to be sexy or romantic made it look like she was disgusted and upset, which added to the disturbing effect Daoming Si was creating.

Also, I feel like this goes without saying, but isn't this plot just a little trite? Rich, cool, emotionally distant boy falls for the first quirky, poor girl who stands up to him? I am not interested, honestly. I know that Hana Yori Dango and Boys Over Flowers and Meteor Garden are kind of staples, but I feel like, in 2018, you could be doing something else

Leggi di Più

I cannot understand why people like this drama

Two things for the start. First, I haven't watched any of the previews installements and I didn't read the book. So, I don't compare any version. Second, I dropped the drama. I watched about the half.
I cannot understand why someone likes this drama or how they can finish it. And it was really hyped, even in Netflix. I understand the cliches of the concept and the story (the school theme, rich male/poor female, bad mother-in-law etc) but it has the worst and the most tiring plot and use ever. There are a lot of similar dramas with the same themes, Heirs is the best, that use them in an interesting way. Bad female lead but I think it is the role bad written not the actress and she had chemistry with no one. Every episode with a new incident with no logic, only for the dramatics and more episodes.

Second, the whole bully turned lover is a problematic trope. It is a really dangerous standard that we teach the men that can do anything to women and not be punished and women to not speak up because "boys are boys" . It is wrong. Also, in general this thing is full of misogyny and patriarchal views from the evil mother to the belief that the girl has to be perfect and cooks "because it is a woman job".

But there was two things I apreciated. The acting of the F4 actors, especially Dylan Wang and Darren Chen.

(Sorry of any mistakes. English is not my first language.)

Leggi di Più

I am a sucker for tropes where there is a group of cute boys being protective of a girl and there's that one bad boy who falls in love with the girl, but tbh actually kind of bullies her and isn't the best example of a good human but then kind of redeems himself at the end. (Yes, there are probably multiple things wrong with that but blame society for making me think that such story lines are cute). I watched the Korean version of this and I think I liked it, but I prefer this version much more! I'v rewatched maybe 2/3 times now!

Liked:
- Dylan Wong and Shen Yue have really good chemistry. Even though I find the character of Shan Cai to be kind of annoying at times, I think their on screen chemistry is really good. They match each other's vibes really well.
- All the characters get really great storylines and it all pieces together nicely. Somehow I don't get annoyed by the side characters which is very rare.
- It's just all so cute!!!! As mentioned before, this trope really does it for me.

Disliked:
- I think the drama with the family and stuff was draggy for me. It was unnecessary.
- I also think the love triangle was unnecessary but I know a lot of people ship Shan Cai and Hua Ze Lei. And tbh if I were to pick the not so toxic boy, I should definitely go with Hua Ze Lei. But again, there is something about the bad boy character that really is intriguing. I blame society for this.

WATCH!!! and then REWATCH!!! and then REWATCH again. Even though I didn't give it 10/10 stars, I think this is one of the most easy to watch and just overall fun and can squeal often dramas.

Leggi di Più

I didn’t like it

So, this was my first official Chinese drama back in 2020, and I couldn’t get behind the toxicity of the male lead, or the romantic relationship. I now know that modern dramas are not my thing, so that may have influenced my rating.

I saw their relationship as toxic because the male lead seemed to force the female lead into liking him, of course, she chose him in the end, but it left a queasy feeling in my stomach.

I also didn’t love the OST. I usually adore OSTs in Chinese dramas, but this one did not do it for me.

If I could say good things about it, all the actors and actresses are attractive, and the locations in the show are fun to watch.

Leggi di Più

Pros:
Daoming Si: I really liked Dylan Wang's portrayal of Daoming Si. It was a much more playful version of the character than the other "bad boy" versions. I saw a few reviews stating that the character was "weaker" or "watered down" but I disagree. This interpretation isn't worse than the rest, it's just different. Honestly, I liked the playful version much more than the bullying version. I think it just makes a lot more sense and it seems more plausible as they were also in university. It also fueled the chemistry between him and Dong Shancai.
Ximen and Meizuo: I think that they were good supporting characters and portrayed very well!
Music: The soundtrack was great and I found myself really liking the songs. But it was really annoying when there was just a random English song with nothing to do with the story being put in...

Cons:
Dong Shancai: Guys, I could not stand her. Oh my goodness it was SO hard to see Daoming Si with this stubborn girl! I completely understand that she is supposed to be "stubborn", but she took this to another level! When Daoming Si literally saves her from DYING, he had to ASK her if she was going to thank him. I REPEAT HE HAD TO ASK HER. This is honestly not stubbornness, it's called being rude! I think the director really needs to contemplate the line between stubbornness and rudeness.
Ximen and Meizuo's Side Stories: Personally, I found it very hard to watch their side stories. The way Xiao You was chasing after Ximen is kinda ridiculous and I could not understand it. In the middle of watching I literally forgot why she likes him in the first place...
For Meizuo, his love story was kinda out of no where? I think it's pretty sad seeing him be alone even though he's such a sweet guy. I could have done without his heart break. Although it wasn't a bad story, it was random and sad.

I really loved this story overall. Sure, it was definitely a struggle to watch it (and get through how annoying Dong Shancai is) but once you do, it will definitely become something on your rewatch list.

Leggi di Più

Mto bom! Mas o final…

É mto bom! Um dos meus doramas favs. É bem clichê p ser sincera mas tem muitos episódios, eles poderiam resumir um pouco mais para ficar menor.
Já o final por um lado eu gostei e o outro nem tanto, pq ele não deixa as coisas muito claras, tipo eu nn estava entendendo se a Shancai estava sonhando ou nao, se o casamento era real ou não e tbm a mãe do Si *do nada* começou a gostar da Shancai (oque foi estranho, já q ela sempre odiou a Shancai literalmente o dorama inteiro), e por causa disso o final causa muitas teorias.
Mas eu amo esse tipo de história, um estilo bem clichê msm kkkk
Enfim, dorama muito bom?❤️

Leggi di Più

One of my favorite dramas of all time!

Meteor Garden is actually one of my favorite dramas of all time! The actors, the sets, the OST, all of it was so appealing; plus, I'm a sucker for any drama that has the main leads go through a hate-to-love relationship. The chemistry between the ML and FL is so great. Dylan Wang and Shen Yue pull off their roles almost too good. Watching their relationship from beginning to end and how they grew independently and together was satisfying!

The famous leader of the F4, Dao Ming Si (Dylan Wang), where do I even start with him? He's so handsome! His personality at first, being that arrogant rich kid, made me love to hate him in the first few episodes. Once it got further into the story, I fell head over heels in love with his character. Beneath all of that arrogant, tough guy personality was a big goofball and softie who just wanted to be loved. Plus, all of that flirting with Shancai was adorable! I had plenty of moments between the two of them that made me swoon! His outfits were pretty cool too and definitely made a statement.

The one and only Dong Shancai (Shen Yue), our FL who lives up to the meaning of her name, "the weed that won't break/bow down". Oh my, from beginning to end, I was rooting for her the whole way through! In the first couple episodes, when she stood up to Dao Ming Si, I was so impressed and happy too. Especially during a certain scene (no spoilers, you'll have to watch) that happens, I jumped up from my couch and cheering. No matter who Shancai came across, she left an impression on everyone; especially Dao Ming Si *wink, wink*. Shen Yue did such an amazing job portraying Shancai at her best and worst moments.

The other members of the F4, their side stories were nice as well. SML, Hua Ze Lei's story was sweet, but I also cried tears for him as well (I'm not spoiling anything, you'll have to watch the drama). The other two, Mei Zuo and Ximen Yan, I enjoyed to a point; they were nice to watch, but I did fast-forward a bit in some parts of theirs. Mainly because I wanted to get back to Dao Ming Si (ML) and Dong Shancai (Shen Yue).

The OST, oh my god, the OST! IT IS SOOOOO GOOD!

The story overall is one I thoroughly enjoyed.

As far as rewatching this, I've rewatched it 3+ times! I even bought the complete series on DVD too. It's definitely worth watching for sure! I'd highly recommend it, especially if you're into the hate-to-love relationship dynamic, school/college romance.

Leggi di Più

This is Worth watching Drama... I've watched many Asian dramas and this for sure is one of my favorite. ???????? At first i decided to watch Boys over Flowers.. because Meteor garden is remake of Boys over flowers & because of its episodes.. I've already watched many short dramas & This is really lengthy so i hesitated once... but I choose This And watching this was an amazing decision. Storyline is awesome... & seems realistic. During starting episodes I'm feeling kinda awkward because of Shancai & Lie's relationship...but after sometime I really hooked up with this drama because of Dylan wang ????❤️❤️sweet romance, comedy, cuteness and even a little action which makes it an absolutely perfect drama!
And of course F4 is absolutely Amazing. Daoming Si, Lie ,Ximen & Meizu defines true friendship.???????? I love Daoming Si's character, Shancai's character is strong...i really appreciate acting of both lead characters. Lei's character is soft & cute but strong & loyal too. and of course Zhuang, she is so perfect sis..! All supporting characters are superb. Music is enchanting... especially Like A river & say something...theme song's music is really awesome but I don't understand Chinese so i regret it.
You'll cry during some of the episodes. I definitely suggest it to anyone who hasn't watched it yet! ❤️❤️

Leggi di Più

Another HanaDan adaptation.

Overall, this adaptation was really good. In a lot of ways and in a lot of story arcs, it stayed true to the source material. The characters, for the most part, were true to character. I was truly impressed by how well done it was.

The beginning and middle of this drama was strong and good and addictive. There were some story arcs that I felt were a complete waste of screen time (some of which is original to the drama; I will never understand why it was added), but mostly it was all entertaining.

I will say, the ending, definitely was not as strong as this drama's beginning. Watching some of the last few episodes left me scratching my head and asking "why".

The biggest gripe I have with this drama is the use of songs. More specifically during emotional points in an episode. Music should be a nice accent piece to an emotional moment. Yet in this drama, sometimes, the music was too much. I get there's a lot of emotion happening at this one time, but the music actually doesn't add anything to it. If anything, sometimes the music choices made me laugh, which ruined the moment.

I sound negative about this drama, but I truly enjoyed it. It is one of my top Hana Yori Dango manga adaptations for sure. Plus, who hasn't fallen in love with Dylan Wang because of this?

Leggi di Più