(20190407-20190419)
I finished watching this show a few days ago but it took me a while to get over the fact that it was really over. It was the first time I watched a drama this long in less than two weeks. I couldn't stop watching!! It definitely has something special about it, which I will discuss in this review.
Boys Over Flowers (Korean version of this story) was my first drama ever. I gave it 7.5 stars because the nostalgia is real. When Meteor Garden aired I was like... this story isn't the most passionate so I'll watch this later. Looking back now I wish I had watched it sooner!
There might be some spoilers from now on so read this review at your own risk!




Plot/Story: ...so draggy. It dragged and it dragged and it dragged. Every two episodes they would break up then get back together then two episodes later they were breaking up again and so on. But for some reason I still enjoyed it??? This story is clearly the queen of the clichés but it's so charming at the same time. That's why there are so many versions. And I do like the changes in Meteor Garden 2018 because they had to adapt it to modern days, and it was done well. The humour was great and there were some breathtaking scenes in this show. Some of my favourites:
-Huaze Lei and Shancai at the beach (lol who am I joking, every scene with Huaze Lei in it is GOLD. But I could see the pain in his eyes in that scene and it hurt but it was beautiful)
-The cooking competition making Daoming Si almost have a heart attack. That scene with him trying to get Shancai's attention with that big poster... such a meme.
-The goodbye scene at the Tower Bridge. I cried my eyes out for HOURS. And not that related but the jacket Daoming Si was wearing was my absolute favourite. Those scenes of them visiting London look so good... that jacket gave him the perfect boyfriend look.
-F4 reuniting to help Meizuo make Caina feel like she was young again and that train trip hahaha Lei and Si were hilarious.
-Ximen and Xiaoyou... ah some good stuff.
-Daoming Si and Shancai's father talk when he asks her to marry him. He was so humble!
-Bed scene with Lei and Si. You know what I'm talking about.
-Si and Shancai sleeping together at Si's rented apartment next to hers.
-Lei eating Si's cookies Shancai had made for his birthday.
-Every scene with Lei and Shancai on the rooftop.
-F4 walking together. Every. Time.
-Meizuo being a mature af man and letting Caina go.
-And finally, my most favourite scene, THE BEACH PARTY SCENE WHERE JING HELPS SHANCAI GET READY AND THEN SHE SHOWS UP LOOKING EVEN MORE STUNNING THAN USUAL AND SHE'S LOOKING AT LEI WHO IS TALKING TO JING AND THEN THERE'S DAOMING SI LOOKING AT HER WITH HEART EYES LIKE LITERAL RAINBOWS AND HEARTS AND PINK AND SWEETNESS AND LOVE IN HIS EYES AND THAT'S THE MOMENT I FELL FOR DYLAN WANG.
I have to admit the ending was too weird for me. I wish they had just gotten engaged. Them not eating because of his mother and then Shancai fainted and then she went home, apparently, and then she was kind of kidnapped to attend her own wedding and ah Si's sister was there dancing... it was too strange for me. I wish they had found a different way to end the show but oh well, at least it looked good.
What a rollercoaster these 49 episodes were!


Characters/Cast/Acting: While I was watching BOF, I remember being soooo frustrated at Jandee because to me it was obvious Jihoo was a much better option than JoonPyo. Jihoo was a better character and a better match for her. However, I didn't have the same problem with Meteor Garden 2018. Huaze Lei is still my favourite character in the show (Darren Chen aka Kuan Hong stole my heart since the first scene he was in) BUT I do think Shancai and Daoming Si are just great together. A lot of people might disagree with me on this but, in my opinion, Daoming Si is a very endearing character. Certainly a very flawed human being, but still endearing. I was rooting for him since the beginning and I was so proud of him throughout the show because his development was amazing.
I have to say this F4 was way better than I was expecting. I liked every single one of them. Maybe because they weren't as douchebaggy as in the other version I watched. And, obviously, they are four of the most handsome men in the history of television, you guys know it's true. Their friendship is EVERYTHING. Honestly, couldn't have loved that part more. I also liked Shancai way better this time because even though she was flawed too, I think she wasn't as... dumb. She did kind of annoy me sometimes because she wouldn't say "I like you" when it was obvious that she did like him; but then I remembered that Daoming Si was actually very pushy and wanted to be with her while she was crushing on Lei. She might have feel conflicted too, and afraid to attach herself to him by admitting her feelings out loud, because of all the drama going on involving his family. Nevertheless, I think ShenYue did an amazing job. Her expressions are so convincing and her crying scenes were the best. And I don't know about you guys but to me she is absolutely stunning. I know some people didn't like her that much as Shancai because of her looks but... hello??? The girl is beautiful! Dylan aka Wang Hedi did a great job too; he made me love a character so flawed and that I previously didn't really like, and that means a lot to me. In episode three, during the beach party... That whole scene of her looking at Huaze Lei and Daoming Si looking at her was... majestic. Ah, Kuan Hong. I have found the love of my life through this drama. If you knew how many screenshots I have of him smiling... I have never seen anyone like him, I swear. All the other characters were great, as well as the acting. Meizuo and Ximen, XiaoYou, Jing, Shancai's parents and friends, Daoming Si's mother and sister... Couldn't have loved them more. But I have to say I wish they had worked more on Si's mother. Okay, we know she was greedy and she hated Shancai and wanted to protect her company but it was to a point where Si was dying in his bedroom and she was like "nope, I'm not giving up" and then she sees a video of him saying some BASIC BUSINESS RULES to innovate the company and suddenly she was sleeping peacefully with her oldest daughter (whose life she basically ruined) next to her??????????????????????????????????????????? Give me some character development please. Don't make her look like the literal ice queen of dramaland who doesn't let her son be happy and then break at a simple video.


Music: I. Love. Every. Single. Song. In. This. Soundtrack. River? ICONIC. Don't even have to think about it? Stunning (IT TURNS OUT THAT TRUE LOVE, TEARS ARE FALLING DOWN, YOUR LOVE UNRAVELS ALL REGRETS). ForYou? I would never skip the intro! Love Exists? The best song (If it weren't because of you, I wouldn't be crying and smiling like a child--- shut up I'm crYING).


Rewatch Value: I'm thinking about rewatching it right now hahaha.......help.




To conclude, I finished the show and thought "Okay, I love this but since I have to review it seriously I'll probably give it 8.5 stars because of all the flaws and draggy plot.". Then a few days went by and I created a fan account for the show lmao, meteor garden trash right here. Today, I rated the drama before writing the review and ended up giving it 9.5 stars because giving it 10 stars is giving it the same rating as my all time favourites, such as Weighlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo. But as I was writing this review, I decided to give it 10 stars anyway because I love this so much! I even created a fan account like... this is serious (by the way, follow me on twitter lol @kuannhongg). Even if it has flaws, even if it's dubbed (the sad life of c-dramas), even if it's a remake, even if it's full of clichés and impossible scenarios... I still love it and I'm absolutely in love with the cast. So if you're thinking wether you should watch it even if you didn't like the other versions, my honest answer is: obviously.