[Thai Drama 2022] F4 Thailand: Boys over Flowers

[Lmangla]

not sure @partyon; it looks like it was inspired by the gossip girls show rather than boys over flowers. the appeal of the the kdrama was the utter cheesefest and lack of logic. this one seems to be a bit too dark? not sure. also, the guy as ML does not look like he can act while the girl seems like she can. maybe will wait for you to post review and then see if it is worth my time.

[partyon]

12 minutes ago, Lmangla said:

ot sure @partyon; it looks like it was inspired by the gossip girls show rather than boys over flowers. the appeal of the the kdrama was the utter cheesefest and lack of logic. this one seems to be a bit too dark?

 

That's what is inspiring me to watch it. I hope it has some light-hearted moments, but would not mind a darker version in order to switch it up to older versions of Hana Yori Dango.

 

I am not really familiar with any of the actors, except for the FL's (Gorya) mother whom I've seen in e.g. Praomook and Kleun Cheewit.

I know that 2 of the F4 boys (the ML and one other) are Bright and Win respectively. Apparently they are a super popular couple who have appeared together in some BL dramas.

As for the FL I have no idea who she is. According to MDL she's a model who is studying dentistry currently.

[VeraV]

I hope Tu and Bright will have just as good chemistry as Barbie Hsu and Jerry Yan (Taiwanese Meteor Garden) or as Inoue Mao and Matsumoto Jun (Hana Yori Dango), sorry didn’t see much chemistry between the leads in korean and chinese version … while HYD so far my fav version I liked how mature / raw the taiwanese version felt, the kisses were amazing too (while in the other versions the relationship between the OTP was more Innocent , the kisses too) , hate s2 of taiwanese MG tho  the possibility is high Inoue Mao and Matsumoto Jun have been dating for many years but neither has confirmed or denied the rumors of them dating (I think?) they both seem so private people  great chemistry between them nevertheless in HYD

2 hours ago, partyon said:

 

That's what is inspiring me to watch it. I hope it has some light-hearted moments, but would not mind a darker version in order to switch it up to older versions of Hana Yori Dango.

 

I am not really familiar with any of the actors, except for the FL's (Gorya) mother whom I've seen in e.g. Praomook and Kleun Cheewit.

I know that 2 of the F4 boys (the ML and one other) are Bright and Win respectively. Apparently they are a super popular couple who have appeared together in some BL dramas.

As for the FL I have no idea who she is. According to MDL she's a model who is studying dentistry currently.

Oh yes Bright and Win starred together in the Boys love ”2gether”, ”Still 2gether” ”2gether The Movie”.  I have watched .. its a ok drama but in my opinion its overhyped, felt more like bromance than romance for me (not much chemistry ) but its extremly popular so still has lots of fans , and not everyone are pleased that Bright and Win will not be each other’s love interest in this Boys over Flowers. 

Edited December 3, 2021 by ferily
Please don’t quote gifs. Thanks!

[partyon]

12 hours ago, VeraV said:

Oh yes Bright and Win starred together in the Boys love ”2gether”, ”Still 2gether” ”2gether The Movie”.  I have watched .. its a ok drama but in my opinion its overhyped, felt more like bromance than romance for me (not much chemistry ) but its extremly popular so still has lots of fans , and not everyone are pleased that Bright and Win will not be each other’s love interest in this Boys over Flowers. 

 

Yes, I have read comments by fans of the Bright - Win couple, and some of them have been pretty negative. Hopefully it will not overshadow the success of this drama.

[Table122000]

There will be a "Making Of" Special for F4: Thailand airing December 11, 2021. Here is link to the promo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd0PdSxR60M

 

 

English Subbed Interview with the Director of F4: Thailand

 

WOW! I am so excited about this drama! I can hardly believe that it is finally going to be broadcast after 2 years of waiting. I hope that GMM continue to release new clips and BTS because it's a very long 14 day wait until Dec. 18th. 

[joccu]

@partyon  I honestly do not know.

I know the leads. Seen all them act. 

Maybe I will try one episode and see if I like it. 

[Table122000]

English Subbed Interview of the F4 cast talking about their characters:

 

F4 Cast takes the Q&A with English subs from sudsapda tv:

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

[Table122000]

Clip of Behind The Scenes F4:The Journey with English subtitles.  I will add the other parts here as they get subbed.

 

UPDATE: Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEsE4wzrS0M

 

UPDATE: Part 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_PFxPch0dc

 

UPDATE: Part 4 (FINAL)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUiJG6TU0b8

 

 

[Table122000]

The "Making Of" Special F4 Thailand Begins is now available with English subtitles at GMM TV YouTube Channel. I'm not sure if this special is region restricted or not. You will have to go to the site and see if it is available in your country. The Special is in 4 parts. All links working USA. Click on CC for subtitles.

 

Link to Part 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-I7Z2kG7pI

 

Link to Part 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPO73brddSs

 

Link to Part 3:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72JLrbP29sw

 

Link to Part 4:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py1k8Yorr1U

 

[Table122000]

After watching the F4 Thailand Begins special and all of the other BTS clips and interviews I'm so impressed with the care the director and production company have put into this drama, not to mention the cast. I really like how the director took the time to read the original manga source material as well as look at other productions before he committed to the project. I also like how he is taking time pre-production to work with the cast members since many of them are newbie actors. From the videos and interviews it looks like some of the acting workshops continued while main filming was going on, and I appreciated that commitment to his actors. It's rare to find any type of rehearsals for television shows. Usually they just do a table reading and that is all. 

Director mentioned he wants to highlight the bullying issues from original source manga and I hope he highlights the cyberbullying since that is such an issue today. From the clips we saw the physical bullying and how stuff is spread on social media addressed but I didn't actually see any "mean tweets" or things of that nature. Hopefully that will be addressed in the drama. 

Director also gave special mention to highlighting Thai culture which is one of the things I am looking forward to in this version- the "Thai flavor". 

I'm loving the main cast members for this drama. Tu, the actress playing the FL, really seems to fit the role of Makino. The F4 actors seem very comfortable with one another and I'm excited to see how that translates into their performances. The friendship of F4 is so central to the story. I was glad to see that the Director had the actors working on Team building  exercises as part of the acting workshops to facilitate cast bonding. 

I can't wait for the drama to premiere, but It's going to be tough with only 1 episode a week. I really hope for this version that each member of F4 will get their own storyline and character arc. The other adaptations always seem to forget about that last member of F4. The Chinese 2018 adaptation tried to give him a storyline, but it didn't work in my opinion. He ended up getting sidelined and the focus was all on the other 2 characters that were part of his storyline.

[Table122000]

English subbed BTS clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FslMKs_xdQ

 

UPDATE:

 

OST "Who Am I" Music Video (Click on CC for English Subtitles)

Sung by the F4 actors

Not sure if this will be the Opening song for the series or just played in background. 

 

[Table122000]

English subbed Promo for F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers Premiere

 

CAN'T WAIT FOR DEC. 18th!

 

Question for the Forum while we are waiting for the premiere of the drama:

In the very first trailer released last year, each of the F4  had a corresponding flower for their character:

Thyme-Black Rose

Ren-White Cutter

Kavin-Hydrangea

MJ-Iris

 

Why do you think those flowers were chosen for each character? Do the flowers give us any insight into their characters?

[partyon]

@Table122000 @agenth @joccu @Lmangla

The premiere is tomorrow!

 

1 hour ago, Table122000 said:

Thyme-Black Rose

Ren-White Cutter

Kavin-Hydrangea

MJ-Iris

 

Why do you think those flowers were chosen for each character? Do the flowers give us any insight into their characters?

 

Interesting question....

 

Black rose symbolizes tragic romance, death, hatred, and farewell. ...

White cutter of aster symbolizes purity and innocence

Hydrangea symbolizes gratitude, grace and beauty.

Iris symbolizes faith, hope, courage, wisdom and admiration.

[Table122000]

6 hours ago, partyon said:

The premiere is tomorrow!

 

OHH YEAHHH!!

After 2 years of waiting, FINALLY!

6 hours ago, partyon said:

Black rose symbolizes tragic romance, death, hatred, and farewell. ...

 Oh My! Now I'm scared...

[Table122000]

Ep. 1 is up on Youtube with English subtitles! It's in 5 parts.

Link to Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXn6UBUUycU

 

UPDATE:

F4 Thailand is being subbed in English at GMMTV Official Youtube Channel and Viu. 

 

GMMTV YouTube Playlist (Updated Mondays): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI4K_0CiMrdaqR46nKeTmfa2

 

VIU: https://www.viu.com

 

 

 

[Table122000]

The Review Geek website is recapping & reviewing this drama.

Link to Recap & Review of Ep. 1: https://www.thereviewgeek.com/f4thailand-boysoverflowers-s1e1review/

[partyon]

@Table122000 @joccu @Lmangla @agenth @confusedheart

Watched the first episode! How convenient that the network is immediately uploading the subbed episodes on YouTube!

For peeps looking for the first episode, you can find it here:

 

Thoughts about the first episode:

 

• Loved the cinematography, the editing, the music! This is by far the most high quality version of Hana Yori Dango from a cinematographic perspective.
• The story has been rewritten to make it more modern and contemporary. It is on par with issues kids today face in a world of social media, constant online communication, current societal problems and the pressure they're under. This story could happen anywhere in the world - these are global problems the drama is depicting.
• This version is the first to explain the reasons behind the bullying - not just allow it to happen, but to depict why it's happening in the first place.
  It also explains why teachers are unwilling to put a stop to it. Bravo!
  
• It doesn't take away from the fact, though, that the bullying is severe, and my heart aches for the kids being subjected to it so harshly.
• Thyme's (aka Goo Jun Pyo) mom is one scary lady in this version. She's scarier than her predecessors. And it's clear that her behavior and character is influencing Thyme a lot. He is a copy of her, but we also see that he's far from happy being a copy. The pressure he's under to "be good enough in the eyes of his mother" is immense. Poor boy has no chance to develop into a stable man with an upbringing like that.
• It's nice to see Gorya's (aka Jan Di) family to be a lot more supportive and nice than in previous versions too. My heart ached for her when Thyme destroyed the shoes her mom had with hard work had bought her.
• Gorya has a lot less spunk than her predecessors. One thing that I actually didn't like very much. I always admired her for having such great self-esteem and not being pushed around. Gorya seems to actually be a bit depressed and lacks self confidence. I was glad to see that she was ready to fight back, though, in the last scene. I hope we will see her shine in the next episode!
• Ren (aka the sad violin guy) is more empathetic from the start of the drama. I'm really liking him - first time ever - have really disliked his character in all previous versions
• The acting is pretty good (except for a few exceptions )

Overall I find this version to be darker than its predecessors - it's more like the original version of Meteor Garden from the early 2000s in feel...

None of the leads are dumb or over the top. They feel a lot more realistic this time around.

 

I'm definitely waiting for ep 2.

[joccu]

@partyon  that sound really good first episode. Will watch it tonight. And will tell you how I liked it or not.

[kokodus]

3 hours ago, partyon said:

 

• Ren (aka the sad violin guy) is more empathetic from the start of the drama. I'm really liking him - first time ever - have really disliked his character in all previous versions

did you not like the oguri shun version also?

-2

[agenth]

My impressions on first episode:

• The cinematography and music interwoven into the scenes is dream-like quality. I really like the overvoice too, that shares the thoughts, dreams and emotions of the various characters. It makes the characters more dimensional. 
• FL is in school for athletic scholarship. I wish they'd have put some of those scenes in first episode. In the remaining 15 episodes, we won't see of her athleticism? Hopefully, we will, beyond the dropkick LOL.
• I do love the supporting, encouraging family dynamics. From the father, to the brother, to the mother. 
• The end scene between Gorya and Thyme - masterful. I could see Thyme's apathy/superiority fall away as she screamed at him, full of fire of indignity, promising a fight. I swear, it was the moment he fell for her - beyond sheer disbelief. 
• oh i like this series take: some random guy suggest she licks his shoes. in the korean it was him suggesting it. i like that this leader is succumbing to peer pressure he's as much part of the system as anybody else
• minus point: that the family isn't able to afford nice leather shoes for Gorya. Leather goods without brand are easily available in every market in most of Asia. They're very cheap. I think you don't have to buy Louboutins for the girl. All they had to buy was no-name shoes for 10 dollars. I wish they'd have bought her a tab which he would ruin instead, although I like the symbolism of wearing new, "better" shoes, for her way of life. 
• Ren: Oh Ren. He likes her already, he rescues her with cool detachment, except the unnecessary fire alarm set off. That was way too dramatic and too much of a gesture for him to make on a girl he just met. Thyme isn't the only one who likes glitz and glamour (as his clothes show), so does Ren. 
• The other three boys are as much enforcing Thyme's system, as their leader. As friends they could influence the leader, but they just don't bother, instead preferring to party it up. Don't make them into martyrs. 
• Thyme's mum is: 
• ergo, I like her. LOL.  although it's peculiar she cares about school games. 

 

 

btw this guy reminds me of Song Kang lol:

 

 

 

  

5 hours ago, partyon said:

Gorya has a lot less spunk than her predecessors. One thing that I actually didn't like very much. I always admired her for having such great self-esteem and not being pushed around. Gorya seems to actually be a bit depressed and lacks self confidence. I was glad to see that she was ready to fight back, though, in the last scene. I hope we will see her shine in the next episode!

 

I actually liked Gorya's portrayal of Jandi's character. Jandi is a lot more stupid - has no filter. Gorya seems more realistic. She wasn't about to go on a crusade for a random - she's in the fight now for herself as she was made a target.