Hana Yori Dango, Meteor Garden or Boys Before Flowers?

[Gullwings]

I've watched hyd twice and now watching bof and I really think that bof is a bit better than hyd ^^;; I like the cast more and japanese one is a bit exaggerated which annoys me at times ^^, the story line in bof is great and the stories of the character are more clear etc so yeah for me it's bof ^^

[elizabeth]

My votes goes to

Dao Ming Sz

Hanazawa Rui(it was hard btw Lei and Rui)

Nishikado Soujiro

Mimasaka Akira

Shan Tsai

Meteor Garden

As much as I love HYD(Japanese version), Meteor Garden is till in my heart. IMO, Jerry Yan portray Domyouji perfectly. He can look very abusive at times and that's how the manga/anime Domyouji was like too.

I like the way Inoue Mao act as Tsukushi but while watching the whole HYD series including the finale, there was some weak points in her character that she didn't bring out as Tsukushi. So my vote goes to Shan Tsai(Barbie Hsu). As for the rest of the F3, the Japanese version portray it more closely to the manga version. I was a little disappointed in the Korean version. It didn't show much of Yi Jung and Woo Bin's playboy personalities. I mean the drama mention about it and they talk about girls all the time but there were some lack in their characters.

[Guest yongwonhi]

I'm a HUGE fan of BBF, but HYD wins this one. Sorry :3

I voted for:

-- Goo Jun Pyo - Lee Min Ho

-- Rui - Oguri Shun (omg he wins this 20320930293 times, I cannot stand Jihoo (KHJ) in BBF. In fact, in HYD I was a Rui-Makino fan but in BBF I just want Jihoo to go away >>)

-- So Yi Jeong - Kim Bum

-- Akira - Abe Tsuyoshi

-- Tsukushi - Makino

[Guest keron_leader]

Boys Over Flowers. It is not as fast paced as HYD nor too slow like MG.

I'm gonna be straightforward.

BOF and MG's F4 looks like the F4 i can expect, HYD's F4 cant give me the tall and handsome image im sorry. japanese guys arent tall. MG and BOF's F4 looks good.

As for the storyline, BOF too.

oh..thanks for your comment,i angree with you in all points about BOF,with me,it's the best and perfectest ver. of the manga.

I donot really like Hana Yori Dango-japanese version a lots cuz its process and details are too sllow and sometimes,it makes me feel sleepy while watching..Futhermore,F4's four guys who have the perfect looking and the most fashionable ones but in JVer.i couldn't see this point through the guys,they're not really kool and their costume's oldfashion,not attractive..and in this ver.,they brought into a lots of comic acts and it makes the drama becoming stupid sometimes,of course,the source's manga but it's not mean they should bring too much comic acts into it like that..it's not neccessary..or do they think that we can't know it's Hana yori's live action if they dont act like that?

And about the character Rui by Shun,i am not sure if JDrama diretor couldn't find out anyone to act this role..and why was Shun again?

I've ever seen him acting at least in three live actions and...is he really kool enough to play the roles and characters like Rui,Shinichi or Sano?Oh..i dont think so..and of course,he's not looking good enough to act these characters although his act's really good or not....

btw,i voted vor Korean Ver. and i think it's not just a drama for teenage...it's really good live action of a good manga like Hana Yori dango..

Huh huh!!

*i hope that my E's not too stupid to understand*

[Guest smalllee]

i totally agree with what most people say. HYD is the best of all three. tsukushi and tsukasa simply look so good together, i mean their onscreen chemistry is unbeatable srsly. i must say oguri shun as rui's terrific as well. he's perfect as rui. On the other hand, bbf is just too kdrama-ish, it's sometimes painful to watch cause jandi's acting way too exaggerated and i also blame it on jihoo's poor acting and draggy plotlines. but i do give credit to bbf for their elaborate sets and costumes. oh oh and thankfully we have gaeul and yijung pairing which makes it much more enjoyable to watch.

[Guest jaejoongstolemyheart]

I'm a HUGE fan of BBF, but HYD wins this one. Sorry :3

I voted for:

-- Goo Jun Pyo - Lee Min Ho

-- Rui - Oguri Shun (omg he wins this 20320930293 times, I cannot stand Jihoo (KHJ) in BBF. In fact, in HYD I was a Rui-Makino fan but in BBF I just want Jihoo to go away >>)

-- So Yi Jeong - Kim Bum

-- Akira - Abe Tsuyoshi

-- Tsukushi - Makino

I HAVE TO TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT THE FIRST STATEMENT!

hahahha:D

i like bof, the cast is great. i mean F4. not jandi.

but HYD OWNS IT!

i mean when i first heard there was going to be a korean hyd and saw the cast,

i was like KOREAN VER IS GOING TO RULE.

but to tell you the truth, i am really really disapopointed after watching it.

and i have lost interest already, i havent moved on after ep 10 though i plan to continue soon.

well, i cant say about meteor garden, i watched it way back in 2002 when i was young and felt every drama is good. lol.

as you can see from my signature, minho and kimbum & ss501 hyunjoong! are among my top favourites but i think they lose big time to jun and shota.

maybe their looks they won, but in hyd THEY LOSE.

jun/junpyo- i mean, i love minho much more than jun but i will have to vote for jun. i dont know why, its just, jun made me love the whole story and everything more. he made the character so lovable!

everytime he say wrong things and makino corrects him, HE IS LIKE SO CUTE.

and you can see how much he changed cause of her.

i loved shun more than jun at the start of the show.

i loved every f4 more than jun at the start of the show.

even before the show, i didnt like jun at all.i mean seriously.

thats why it took me SO LONG to watch the show.

because i felt that the cast wasnt good.

because i didnt like jun.

BUT AFTER FINALLY WATCHING, I WANTED TO KILL MYSELF.

because i can say hyd is one of the BEST dramas in the world.

its my second to my favourite drama my girl.

i used to didnt think any japanese drama can be better than korean dramas. but i am so wrong, in fact now i watch more j dramas, even though theres lotsa animations, its shorter, sweeter and makes you feel good watching it. okay taiwan drama's is out of the point. the acting is to fake for me, but dont be insulted. its for ME.

hj/shun-Also, OF COURSE I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE HJ & ss501!!!!!!!!!!!!! but SHUN AHHH. when it comes to singing hj pwns shun but acting shun man! He potrayed it so welll.

the weird part in him and his apple hahaha. i mean i hope hyun joong stays with singing. or else he has to go through intense training lessons on acting, cause i love him so much, i dont want his image to be spoilt by acting!!! though his acting did improve, still not there.... i was so sad when i heard geun suk wanted hyunjoong's role but hj already took the role so geunsuk who was offered junpyo's role(which was better but he didnt want) went for beethoven's virus.

shota/kb-moving on to shota and kimbum. as you can see, i am a KIMBUM fan.

in fact i love all the korean f4. and kimbum is my favourite from it and his like my no.1 after shinki.

but i think his acting is great but i am kinda weird with him flirting. shota did better!

i went wild for shota watching it. kimbum, for me, EAST OF EDEN. he did well there. he deserves an award for it. i think he did much better than song seung hun.

abe/joon- abe and joon. abe. i dont know why, but abe. he just made me love him more. mimasaki!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mao/jandi- jandi is the main reason why i dont feel like continuing BOF! i hate her crying! HER TEARS ARE LIKE FORCED OUT! not real at all. i rate a girls acting by how they cry, thats why i love lee da hae, cause shes great at acting and shes a real beauty. JANDI IS ANNOYING. i also got annoyed with hye sun in 19 year old. i mean i think she's really beautiful off screen. and when i heard she was casted in bof, i was like, ok give her one more chance! i mean i really did like her before 19 years old, after, not alot but seeing her in ads and pics, i cant help but saying: shes cute. but then seeing her in bof like that again, i am really pissed.

on the other hand, I LOVE MAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHE DID IT SO WELLLL.

compared to jandi she owned it. out of the whoe cast comparison the most diff one is makino and jandi.

cause makino was really good. i mean makino showed she how she changed jun, even though hyd was sucha a short drama, it did show all the main points it needed.

but bof became so draggy especially with jandi crying, i say HELL.

oh well, HYD OWNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HANDS DOWN YEAH!

bof just doesnt give you the same light happy feeling lovey dovey part of the show.

it just doesnt feeel the same.

the same of how i watched hyd in 2 days.

because i was so excited that i just couldnt stop watching.

[Guest sasgrace]

Hana yori Dango Japan has EVERYTHING (ACTING, CHEMISTRY, GOOD SOUNDTRACK, GOOD ART FILMING, SUBTLELITY, GOOD SEASONS, WELL BALANCED, GOOD STORYLINE WITHOUT BEING CHEESY AND NO DRAGGING ect...) . The more I look at BOF the more I think no other version will be able to beat Hana yori Dango Japan. This version is the smartliest done version of HYD. Sometime I like it better than the manga (with some cheesy parts). I hated the anime.

MG is second because with bad acting, not too much budget ect... it kept the HYD spirit (indeed all in all it followed the manga)

BOF is a DISAPPOINTMENT. The Dragging thing now is caused by the Bad execution which has begun since episode 1. About the actors :

GHS/Jan Di : She literally killed Makino character. No comment about her. I voted Mao Inoue

LMH/Jun Pyo : he may have look (in this departement I think he is OVERRATED TOO. I mean he looks like Jerry Yan. And for me Jerry Yan is not equal to "beauty") But I see anything but Domyoji. like someone said on another site

"I wonder why people compare Jun Pyo and Domyoji and say Jun Pyo actor is the best Domyoji. I mean you can like Jun Pyo actor because of look but face it Jun Pyo has never been Domyoji.

Firstly in the “shoes” scene with Jae Kyung he easily showed the soft side of him.

However he is like that since the first episodes (easygoing, mature, nice ect…). With Jun portraying (or Jerry one) you can see it’s Makino who actually and really changes him. Jun acted the best Domyoji like the character is, no matter his physical appearance. Domyoji is an overracting stupid and unhumain character at first who opens his mind and changes thanks to Makino. Makino is his destinated girl (they came from “saturn”). And if you read the manga you can’t disagree with me. That’s why People always tend to like Rui at first (in every version even the manga). However in BOF it was not possible since Jun Pyo had not the important characteristics which could distinguish him of Rui/Ji Hoo and you couldn’t see why Jan Di hated him (Jun Pyo).

So that leads me here I am not suprised if you see chemistry between JP and JK and a probable JP-JK couple. It’s because at first part of BOF we can’t say Jan Di is the origine of JP changes (remember people. Look at your own reviews. How you trashed GHS Jan di, the way she ill treated Jun Pyo and how you were all about JP because of his look without notice this guy was already too likeable and easygoing and mature). If you remember Jan Di was too arrogant, agressiv and an exagerated (apart the bad acting of GHS) and out of character at this time. People trashed her (and keep trashing her) while Jun Pyo was a bit too calm and tolerant (look at the scene with Min Ji at episode 5. After what happened Domyoji wouldn’t enable Sakurako to be in his house). He was able to controll himself even without Jan Di (the shower scene showed me a guy who can call himself in question. But people was all about his look as usual) and I have never feel the lonely vibe in him or someone who can’t get along with people (The rugby scene [playing in a team prove you can get along with other people than F4], straight hair and uniform scene prove you are at the same level of your classmates, the boat scene at episode 3 when he is well surrounded by many people and he is all smily or the way he uses too much his sexuality. He is supposed to be Domyoji not Soujiro and “the time news paper” part at episode 4 shows a character who is not immature like Domyoji supposed to be. So you can’t say what are the Great changes Jan di made on Jun Pyo and you can’t see what Jan Di did better than Jae Kyung in JP life. Remember people complained (not only me) on how they can’t understand the “passion” of Jun Pyo for Jan di and how suddendly Jan di is in love with Jun Pyo after stucking with Ji Hoo all the day (episodes 6-8).

And sorry but LMH portraying is too melodrama, [exageratly] crybay and weak to be Domyoji". Sometimes I feel he tries too hard to act violent, brat, and funny. I voted Jun Matsumoto (he scared me, made me laugh, little by little I fell in love with him like Makino and Jun doesn't act Domyoji IS Domyoji)

KHJ/Ji Hoo : Can't act to save is life. No offense to the fans. I voted Oguri Shun

KB/Soujiro : This Guy doesn't intimidate me like Soujiro of the manga, Anime, MG, And HYD (with the exellent acting of Matsuda Shota) did before. I cringed at his overracting when he tries to act "playboy" (episode 2 & 3), and his emotional scenes are simply AKWARDS. He is right to stick with Ga Eul because he can't act playboy for nuts. They made him a drunk crybaby teenager instead of a Rich powerful womanizer young man.When he says "I have dated a lot of women" it's simply UNBELIEVABLE. I mean you see him more with Bottles of soju than women. Sorry I voted Matsuda Shota.

Wo Bin : Not only he doesn't exist but I can't believe the boy maybe a mature young man who dates old women. I can't relate to his "Gangster story" Sorry. Abe Tsuyoshi

[lilshinhwafreak]

boys over flowers is a joke. (character inconsistencies, horrible transition, too many plots/unnecessary side stories introduced, no progression, moving away from original story trying to make it its own story but failing terribly. i feel like the director only chose big scenes from the manga and put it all together in a blender)

and i absolutely loved hana yori dango. (great actors, great transition, overall production, stuck to the original story while making it unique in its own way, the director MAKES the manga work in real life.)

i havent watched meteor garden, so i cant say much about it.... yes I know it's biased.. but i'm probably not going to watch it anytime soon.

The drama might not have ended yet, but I dont need to keep watching to know how it's going to end at this point.

most dramas start out great and then have a poor ending...

bof for me...started out iffy...then went up a little...then just plunged down to its lowest point and somehow its still declining...

i could write more about how bof has been such a disappointment, but im not going to waste my energy...

[Guest star-struck]

... how can this poll be accurate? i don't think there are that many people who have seen all 3 versions. and judging by the posts above me, a lot of people haven't seen at least one of the versions.

personally, i don't think i can pick specific characters as being "the best" since its the entire cast that make up the tone of the drama. having seen all of the versions, including the most up to date BOF, my favorite would have to be MG. as bad as the acting is in the drama, the plot is the most integrated. as in, there were storylines for everyone, which made the drama a lot more fun to watch. also, you could feel the bond between f4 and shancai, especially in the second season. i also loved the extra side characters in the show. what made this drama a classic for me though, is its ability for viewers to feel connected to the storyline. i remember after watching it, i would picture myself as one of the characters in the show. MG made all the characters in the show so easily relatable that it's hard to dislike. and i think people have to forgive their acting, most of them were newbies casted specifically for the show.

whereas in BOF, the only reason i'm watching the show is for the SoEul couple. there isn't a lot of "strong" interaction between the characters and i personally feel they tried to make the show too goofy and localized. for HYD, i loved the show, but i feel like BOF and HYD both didn't suck me into the actual story. rather, i was just an outsider looking in to a world that i couldn't place myself into.

that's just my opinion. i think culturally, the 3 shows have very different flavors despite similarities in plot, which make them hard to compare. i just picked the one i was able to relate to the most.

[Guest]

HYD<33 hands down!

matsujun shows tsukasa's angry image more. ahem *DoS* ahem. lol

& i love inoue mao & matsujun together. they give off a more couple vibe

[Guest xjujux]

Domyoji Tsukasa - Jun Matsumoto

Hanazawa Rui - Shun Oguri

Nishikado Sojiro - Matsudo Shota

Song Woo Bin - Kim Joon

Tsukushi - Makino

Hana Yori Dango - Japan

the only reason i'm even watching the korean bof is because i fell in love with hyd manga + the japan version and i've been addicted to the series ever since.

meteor garden was bleh.

hyd wins hands down.

[Guest Rainie]

I like MG's story line better than the other storylines. Shan Cai was also the better actress compared to the others imo. I was never really into Hana Yori Dango, I think it's because it was a little too rushed for my liking...and there was somewhat of a lack of chemistry between the leads. I really liked the BOF up until episode 13 when JunPyo left for Macao...it got draggy and boring from then on. But I'm a huge fan of Lee Minho...he is the best out of all the versions when it comes to portraying the character of Tsukasa. The only thing is that I am a little bugged about JanDi's character...her character is portrayed as much weaker than the other Makinos. So my favourite in the end is probably MG...it's the first version I've watched...so maybe that's why?

[Guest xtehdeb]

i vote for hana yori dango but lee minho for domyoji lol

oguri shun was the best for rui! hyunjoong as rui is o___O;;

[Guest aymei]

I chose

1. Jun Mastsumoto

2. Oguri Shun

3. Kim Bum

4. Abe Tsuyoshi

5. Tsukushi - Makino

6. Hana Yori Dango

Overall, HYD was wayyy better than BOF

BOF is pretty much making up their own plot only basing it on the HYD storyline. I just didn't like how the PD and Screen Writer made this drama into a long complicated relationship and too many plot fillers. Although I still love BOF <3 hehe.

I also thought that HYD had waaayy more emotional and realistic scenes that made the drama good.

[Guest lovely-disaster]

Meteor Garden!

More fun, less glitzy.

[summerdamsel]

Barbie Xu - She was the perfect female lead for me. She personified Sancai perfectly. She's smart, tough and she is (by far) the less exaggerated among the different leads. She didn't need a signature kick to prove she was strong. She didn't need to change her hairstyle to show she's got character. She was just Sancai..

Why not...

Inoue Mao - It was a good performance overall but it wasn't anything near remarkable in my opinion. She could've acted Shigeru for all I care and I wouldn't notice the difference. What I only remember from her acting honestly is how she runs around in her huge exaggerated actions, and just that...

Goo Hye Sun - Annoying. I don't hate her or anything, but I got to be honest, her expressions are quite annoying at times. She's already pretty youthful-looking so I really wish she did tone it down a bit. Aside from that, I really salute her as a dramatic actress. Drama is her forte and she really showed it in BOF.

- - - - -

Lee Minho - He is just the perfect male lead. Just like Barbie, there's just something about him that doesn't make you think he's acting.. that he's really Goo Junpyo. And what I like about his portrayal of the character is that he actually gives it breeding. Cause come on, if I was as rich as him and educated under a really great University by top notch professors, I don't think I'd be throwing my temper everywhere. Even if I was bad-tempered, I wouldn't show it so evidently in public.

Why not...

Jerry Yan - Previously, he had my vote but Goo Junpyo just grew on me. But Dao Ming Si's softer and quirky side will always be the best among the three. His expressions were priceless. When he was shy, when his ego bursts, when his pride is hurt.. Those were just moments of gold..

Jun Matsumoto - WTF?! Why him?! Probably the reaction of most people in my country who didn't care about HYD when it was shown here. He was such a disappointment. Firstly, he really lacks in the looks department. With that stature and physique, he'd be the one who'd most likely be bullied by the school. Second, his expressions. I think he just gave me the same exact expression the whole series. He's kinda like Kim Hyunjoong. He only has two faces. One when he's serious and one when he's happy. Lol.

- - - - - - - -

Oguri Shun - Same reasons as mentioned above, he personified the character. He was believably Rui.

Why not..

Kim Hyunjoong - Stoic and stiff. He was just like that. His acting is so awkward and he didn't give justice to Jihoo. Although he really looks the part, his acting turns off most people. He got better though, but during the first few episodes.. *shivers* That was bad.. Way to go on making an impression ><

Vic Zhou - Noob and awkward. He wasn't really stiff, just awkward. Sometimes, he'd look like a sissy because he's also too thin.. However, most of the time he's like a prince.. He always looked so gentle, nice and kind.. Out of the three, I felt his love for the female lead the most.

- - - - - -- - -

Matsuda Shota - He was just striking. He really left an impression to me. I liked it when he did that tea.. umm thing. He really did look powerful and rich.

Why not..

Ken Zhu - Although he was my favorite F4 member, he was pretty boring as Xi Men.

Kimbum - I like the guy but he's kind of overrated. He has a bright future ahead of him from what I can see, but yeah as the womanizer genius, Shota pwns him.

- - - - - - --

Vanness Wu - He didn't need to act. Mei Zuo was him. Lol.

Why not..

Song Woo Bin - Noob. Plus, he barely gets any screen time so I can't really judge much.

Abe Tsuyoshi - I just realized he existed when I saw his loli sisters. Lol.

- - - - - - - - -

Boys Over Flowers - I pick this as the best among three in terms of plot. Everything was so well-put together. If you read the manga and watched the different versions of the drama, you'd notice how smooth the flow is in here. Yeah, its the third one but come on, HYD and MG had their chance. Disregarding that fact, the story flow is really amazing indeed. My only con about the story is on how Jandi is always in a near death situation. XD

Why not..

Meteor Garden - This series was my previous choice but costume and styling alone, its pwned by BOF. It will always be number one in my heart but without biasness, BOF just defeats it.

Hana Yori Dango - It was nothing special to me. Those who probably like this are those ones who watched it first before any versions. I guess that's just it. You tend to like the one who you watched the first.

[Guest blackvelvetfever]

I say Hana Yori Dango rules them all muhaha. The Japanese cast was the best overall [especially Shun muaha]

[Guest luthien]

Those who probably like this are those ones who watched it first before any versions. I guess that's just it. You tend to like the one who you watched the first.

Each viewer has their own preference and taste. I watched Meteor Garden first. For me it was only memorable at the time because it was a live-action of the manga. It remains special because the first season remained the most loyal to the manga. To a fan, this is very important. But overall, my preference is still HYD. I'm impressed with the scriptwriting considering it only had nine 45-min episodes to work on for the first season. Yet it succeeded to take the important elements of the manga and brought it on screen. This allowed the jpn version to retain HYD's essence. Was I disappointed not to see my favorite parts of the manga skipped out? Kinda, but not enough to kick this out of my favorite list. MG may have stuck close to the manga, but to me, it didn't have enough charisma that the jpn version had.

But then, maybe just like someone mentioned before, there's something cultural in the style of presentation as well as their primary targeted audience... so that's where preference comes in. i like the "manga"-style approach in HYD, so on top of brilliant scriptwriting, casting, chemistry, ost, set, it gives this version more character and charm.. and leaves a lasting impression on its audience.

[zashibear]

BTW, Makino Tsukushi was played by Mao Inoue for the Japanese Hana Yori Dango version.

[Guest tian`tian]

LOVEEEE HYD.

Love the cast! They're amazing actors and actresses!