The Magic of Meteor Garden, Hana Yori Dango, Boys Over Flowers Manga

With the madness of Boys Over Flowers barely subsiding, I looked back and pondered. What is the magic of this mega blockbuster manga? Taiwanese version, Japanese version and lately the Korean version...the phenomenal effect is still the same. This manga practically soared the careers of the artists to overnight stardom in all the three versions!



I wonder why the same manga has got me hooked over and over again.

Honestly, the storyline of this manga is next to impossible:

• In real life, it is rare for a wealthy man to end up with a very poor woman. Even without the wicked mother, both will not likely meet because they move in different worlds.
• Then, there goes the violent nature of Dao Ming Zi / Domyouji / Jun Pyo. Which girl would want a violent boyfriend? Look at how many times Dao Ming Zi laid hands on San Cai...how many times Domyouji beat up bystanders?
• San Cai / Makino / Jandi...what's so special with her? I mean hello, how many times did she end up in a strange guy's bed? How easily she falls prey to guys...how she dare go along with Dao Ming Zi / Domyouji / Jun Pyo and flirting with Hua Ze Lei / Rui / Ji Hoo at the same time?
• And F4! Who would want guys prettier than flowers??? Being bullies is hardly a basis for admiration and affection.

So, what gives?

It is none other than the modern fairy tale love of Dao Ming Zi / Domyouji / Jun Pyo and San Cai / Makino / Jan Di .

Who wouldn't want a present day cinderella story and a love-conquers-all ending? Poor fiesty ordinary girl meets rich spoiled beautiful (yeah, not merely handsome!) boy and bang, the sparks fly!

All of us believe in love, and the fact that it is a love against all odds makes it more exciting. All of us long for a love as strong as theirs, one that surmounts whatever hardship it faces. All of us want a rich (ok, comfortable, be honest!) partner, who pretends to be strong but who is actually a scared little boy deep down. All of us yearn a Dao Ming Zi who will go to hell and back just to save us; a rough Domyouji who would succumb to our hard to get fronts, a Jun Pyo who turns off the lights of the swimming pool during a swimming competition just to cover the fact that we are losing a race? Above all, who wouldn't melt to be chosen over one's mother?

Yes. This plus the fact that F4 are beautiful guys made this manga an all time hit.

Of the three versions, I THINK I love the Korean version most for the following reasons because:

1. The guys here behaved like high school guys the most. F4 in the other versions acted way much older than senior guys in high school.
   
2. Jun Pyo isn't that violent, just slightly violent. He never laid his hands on Jan Di ever. Dao Ming Zi, my gawd, San Cai was like his punching bag. Domyouji beat up just anybody. Jun Pyo just throws and breaks things. Isn't that better? I would never love a violent man, much more a man who laid his hands on me.
3. This version was the only one which bothered to show how Jan Di ended up going to an elite exclusive school.
4. I don't know if I get it wrong but somehow, the mother of Jun Pyo here wasn't that overly wicked as she was portrayed in the other two. Here, the mother's behavior was reasonable and her "wicked" ways made sense to the point of just short for a mother's natural behavior over a child's "forbidden love".
   
5. It confirmed that Jan Di SERIOUSLY, REALLY liked Ji Hoo romantically before Jun Pyo. Also the fact that it spelled Ji Hoo truly caring for Jan Di in a romantic way too. I mean, I was always wondering whether Jan Di only felt pity for Ji Hoo and Ji Hoo just liked her as a friend. Boys Before Flowers cleared things up.
6. I really liked the sound of Jandi's heartbeat when Jun Pyo told her that he liked her --- while both of them were drinking at a bar after attending that party. I also liked hearing Jandi's heartbeat when Jun Pyo leaned over her when he invited her for their first date. Yey, she liked him after all...after Ji Hoo was out of the picture. ^___^
   

I just said I THINK i like the Korean version and not ABSOLUTELY like it because:

1. The kdrama did not portray a very feisty Jan Di and a very persistent Jun Pyo. Jan Di was always keeping her feelings to herself and being hard to get while Jun Pyo was also passive. Was there ever a scene that Jun Pyo fought her mother up front and chose Jan Di? He was a helpless Jun Pyo here, a weaker version of Dao Ming Zi and Domyouji.
2. I have been repeating this over and over again. This version showed too much of Jan Di and Jun Pyo apart. Not only apart, it should frequent episodes of Jan Di - Ji Hoo and Jun Pyo - Jae Kyung that somewhere along the way, I get sashayed to their separate lives, making me forget that this drama was about Jun Pyo and Jan Di - not of Jan Di and Ji Hoo, and not certainly not that of Jun Pyo and Jae Kyung.
3. This version was a little draggy. It was also so full of angst. I don't think I will ever re-watch Episode 13 until Episode 20 of this series. They were such a waste with no relevant impact in the series. The same are only necessary if the plot ended differently. Since it did not, why give so much of the airtime to such things? Three or four episodes would have done it.
   

Having said all that, which F4 is the prettiest??? omo, omo, omo --- I'm torn between the Taiwanese F4 and the Korean F4....

I cannot make up my mind on which male lead to choose --- I love them all!

Jerry Yan as Dao Ming Zi

Matsumoto Jun as Domyouji Tsukasa

Lee Min Ho as Goo Jun Pyo

For the Female lead, I like Makino Tsukushi among the three : ) She's the prettiest!

Which is the best OST? I'm torn between the Japanese version and the Korean version. I like JPop and KPop so I'm biased. The Taiwanese version was more mellow and it was too cheesy for me.

Best ending? The Japanese version. : )

Best version? I still cannot decide. Meteor Garden (1 and 2) was so looonnggg. Hana Yori Dango was so short. Does this make the Korean version the best? Not too long nor too short? I still do not know. ^___^

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