Quirky & Adorable

I started this drama back during its original airtime and stopped at Episode 12. I honestly have no clue why, by that episode things are interesting and you want to continue. Unfortunately for me, revisiting it in 2022 left me with zero clue what happened prior to E12 and had to start over.

Story-wise, it is a slow moving drama. I learned that when I got to E16 (what I thought was the last episode), and couldn't understand why there had been ZERO character development. I would say the first 5-6 episodes are a bit painful to get through. yes, you're getting back story and a bit of a feel of how the relationships develop, but it's BORING. When things do finally pick up, you've either already formed your opinion of the drama or you're just meh about the characters because it's taken this long to develop.

The main love triangle is a complete dud and cringey, and just awkward. The support character love triangle is way better to invest in. I loved it.

The acting is ok. Being a romantic style comedy, everything is naturally over dramatic and exaggerated, but if it was without it, I think it would have been a complete dud. The ML & FL do a convincing job in wanting to make you sob with them. Toward the end, I definitely got a bit choked up during parts.

The music is not memorable at all. Aside from the ending theme song, I cannot tell you much about the OST. it didn't stand out.

Re-watch value is non-existent for me.

Overall, I'm glad I went back to finish this drama. It was adorable, the story wasn't uncomfortably cringe, and the characters actually show growth vs the whole "I can't be with you because several unbelievable reasons before we finally get together." For a one and done watch, it's great if you can tough through the first several episodes of fluff.

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It Was Great During Its Time

If you have watched/read "Hana Yori Dango" (Meteor Garden was also a great adaptation, but comes almost a decade later), you expect to watch a social hierarchy struggle with an adorable love triangle giving you false hope for relationships and daydreaming your HYD life. That doesn't happen with "Boys Over Flowers".

I watched this during its air time in 2009. At that time, I screamed a perfect 10 rating. Any human that even hinted interest in K-Drama's I shouted this is a must watch. AT THAT TIME it was the perfect representation of what K-Dramas were. overdramatized high school love stories where some sort of social status affected the relationship. The actors were gorgeous, the love triangle kept you on your toes. It deserved a 10.

Re-watching it 13 years later had me cringe, roll my eyes, and scoff every episode. It hasn't aged well (especially in America), and I can't seem to understand how I glorified the terrible relationship all the characters had.

The acting is AWFUL! Another shock when re-watching because I remember praising the main actors for a beautiful portrayal of the characters. Watching it again and it was a total cringefest. I couldn't believe at how terrible the lines are delivered, how stiff and awkward they all seem on camera. The terrible, "I'm sexy, but brooding" or "I'm cute, but sad/hurt" looks made them all look constipated.

Granted, I no longer suggest this to my new K-Drama fans, I DO mention it to them as a should watch, or at least attempt to because of the impact it had DURING ITS TIME. I stress quite a bit that it just does not age well.

The OST still stands as one of my favorites! I'm heartbroken "Paradise" is no longer a featured song in every episode during every happy moment (it only plays as the intro), and the replacement "Bang, Bang, Boom" is lackluster in the spots where "Paradise" should have been. The OST is addicting and a beautiful mix of bops and ballads. Most of the songs still make their appearance on my Spotify lists, today.

I based my ratings off of my recent watch. I said it previously and meant it. Watching it during its run, I absolutely rated it a 10.

If you are curious or want to be able to say you watched a K-Drama classic, I say go for it. I will add not to expect much, and definitely be aware that in this current time, it's problematic.

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A Feel-Good Watch

This marks my first K-Drama in about two years (not counting Netflix dramas). The reason why I enjoy K-Dramas are the goofy love triangles or the angsty family rivalries. I didn't get ANY of that with this drama.

Why did I rate this drama so high? Because the character development was AMAZING! There isn't a laser focus on 1-3 characters. You learn, get to know, and relate with every single character that gets at least 5 minutes of screen time.

Although I do love a good ole fashioned love triangle K-Drama, I appreciated the fact that this one wasn't oversaturated with unrequited love. It focused on the message of being a good doctor and why they all became doctors.

To keep this review short and sweet. This was a great step back into the world of K-Dramas for me. It was refreshing in both comedy and the drama storytelling. The entire cast was a perfect fit for their parts. I couldn't imagine a "x could have done it better" scenario.

I would suggest this drama to any new or old K-Drama fan. Maybe not as a binge (there are some filler episodes that are kind of mean to get through), but definitely to either fall in love with K-Dramas or find your love for them again.

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It's Very Loosely Based Off Novel

I will start by saying I am a HUGE fan of the novel. I only recently found out that this drama existed and jumped right in.

It is very much the typical, cringy, K-Drama romantic comedy. It starts off following the novel very detailed but by the end of the first Episode it makes it clear it'll be something different. I tried to keep an open mind throughout, but the changes were so odd and too much for my taste.

The acting was sub-par. I don't feel like any of the actors really made their character stand out or likeable. All for of the main leads were whiney and annoying. They were practically polar opposite of their novel versions.

The music was catchy. It was nice to have the soundtrack. They were cute pop-like ballads and dance tunes. I often got them stuck in my head after mulling through an episode.

Overall, the drama wasn't BAD, just not notable. Nothing about it screamed a drama to recommend, rewatch, or that I can honestly say I really enjoyed. It was painful getting through the last episode. I honestly considered skipping to the last 2 minutes just to say I could finish it. I did watch the entirety.

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