Meteor Garden

That the drama was able to keep me interested in all characters

This drama was one of third ones I watched and I enjoyed it immensely. The actors were able to draw me into their characters and they were able to keep me interested until the end. The chemistry was hot for the ML and Fl lead. Great drama. I have rewatched it monthly on Netflix. I now have watched some of the actors and actresses in other dramas but always come back to this one as a favorite because of the ML and FL chemistry. They have chemistry with there other dramas MLs and FLs but not the same as in this one. The FL and ML were able to connect in this drama as though they were a real couple. Not all MLS and FLs have this connection it is special and rare. Their other dramas are good. But this drama, was silly, exciting, bullying, romantic, thrilling and etc. To me he had a little of friendship, breakup and very entertaining. I laughed and cried while watching. I hope to see the actors get back together later to tell the future story of their lives.

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MG vs. Boys Over Flowers (2009) - spoilers abound!

I watched the Korean Boys Over Flowers (2009) first, then immediately moved on to the Chinese Meteor Garden (2018). I have so many feelings! Wrote this comparison for a friend recently and figured I'd share it here too as my official review.

Tl;dr: In BOF, Jan-di should have chosen Ji-hoo, but in MG I'm happy for Shancai and Dao Ming Si.

In BOF there wasn’t enough development and growth to the relationship with Jun-pyo. She went from not liking him to kinda liking him to being wrecked that he no longer wanted her. I needed more good times between them to cement the emotions and convince me that she actually loved him as much as he loved her, and that they could actually work together for a lifetime. This is where MG definitely excelled! The relationship arc is much better. And because the love triangle is so downplayed in MG, I’m perfectly happy that she ends up with Dao Ming Si.

Ji-hoo’s line in BOF about being her honorable fireman and coming to her rescue when he hears her heart alarm just slayed me. Like how can you have a line that great and not get the girl in the end!! He was SO good to her.

I probably could have made my peace with her choosing Jun-pyo if the ending hadn’t been so shitty. Ji-hoo spends THREE YEARS by her side as they pursue their common interest in medicine while Jun-pyo is MIA, he still loves her completely, but Jun-pyo makes a flashy entrance and gets the girl? UGH! And worst of all, Ji-hoo’s grandfather is now dead, so the poor guy is left totally alone! Soooo unsatisfying. In MG on the other hand, the ending is very sweet.

In some ways the acting felt more natural in MG, but the acting was more emotional in BOF. MG never made me *feel* whereas BOF had me a wreck at times. I also liked that everyone in BOF had tragic backstories, bad things happened that had lasting consequences (her shoulder, Yi-jung’s hand, etc.) and villains were truly villainous, whereas everything in MG was toned down and always easily resolved. BOF was all about the anguish, and that worked for me.

I did prefer that MG downplayed the bullying aspect and made F4 better people from the get-go than their BOF counterparts.

Even so, I liked the supporting cast F4 boys better in BOF. I felt like they had a stronger relationship with Jan-di than the MG counterparts. I liked that all 4 in BOF had stronger identities that established why they were considered so elite, whereas in MG their lives seem pretty average except for Si’s. And I preferred the Yi-jung/Ga-eul romance side plot romance in BOF. I *could not stand* MG's meek little Xiao You as she chased after Xi Men! Multiple times I shouted “have some self-respect, girl!” at my screen lol. Xi Men got *real hot* in the second half of the series though. In BOF I did feel bad that Woo-bin’s character was so minor, like he’s the only one who didn’t get his own side plot, but then I got super annoyed with the amount of screen time his MG counterpart Mei Zuo got with that other love triangle story that came out of nowhere and ate up waaaay too much screen time in a disconnected plot.

The characters are meant to be younger in BOF than in MG, but for me I felt the plot scenarios and the acting and the emotions all felt more mature in BOF.

The hair was bad in both shows early on, but got better as it went. Ji-hoo got hotter when he started wearing glasses, and Xi Men got hotter when he stopped lol. I always preferred BOF’s fashion over MG’s though, more dapper.

BOF had more plot holes and wild unbelievable scenarios, so MG for sure wins for better and more even storytelling.

The many travel excursions in BOF made it feel like I was watching a season of the Bachelorette, which honestly I really liked. The travel in MG was unexciting to me, and the London scenes were downright AWFUL with the accents and absurd portrayals of British people (having lived in London for 4 years, I was literally screaming at the TV during the fancy restaurant musical moment).

Lastly, the product placements in MG were laughably annoying. So in your face!

I think that on a point by point logical basis, I might lean towards MG as the being better, but honestly it’s the overall feeling and lasting impression that makes BOF win for me, logic be damned.

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Not perfect but the Best Version for me.

To begin with. I've watched all Versions except to the Korea's because for me it was too violent.
Disclaimer : I am not a professional when it comes to acting but i wrote what i notice and felt.

Plot- Knowing the classical story where a poor girl transfers to a prestigious school and it was ruled by 4 handsome and wealthy men , It has a different flavor and story line. They didn't make Shan Cai suffered too much unlike the other versions which they will make you out to the campus and transfer. ( it was probably because of the China's censorship for the viewers.)

The F4 here is different. Though they were still bullies but unlike to the others , they still studies and and attend classes. They were gentle men and quite soft with women.

Episodes- At first i was like , 50 episodes? are you kidding me? it has a long duration and many many episodes.
The beginning was quite rushed and the middle part was quite gradually. You see , they met at the first episode , she was bullied at the first episode and she revenged at the first episode.
I think the Love triangle between Mei Zuo and Cai Na was unnecessary. I understand that they want to give the characters and artists a exposure but to be honest it drags the viewers.

Casts- The casting was perfect. What makes these unique is that Dylan and Shen Yue has undeniable and overflowing chemistry. On and off cam they were like a real couple.
Though the whole casting was perfect too. They used fresh and young visuals. Even Dee Hsu was perfect as Dao ming Zhuang. In this version , though you will get hooked by Lei but since the beginning you know that Ah si is perfect for shan cai.

Acting:
Shen Yue- I have already an idea about Shen Yue's acting skill ( because of A love so beautiful. ) She is totally a great actress. Her eyes tells stories and full emotion. Overall , effortless. Amazing!

Dylan's - It was didi's first project. He had no background nor experience in acting in front of the camera. Sometimes it was hard for him to release his emotions and tears. But what i love about this is he himself is a Dao ming Si. He gives a playful, arrogant yet faithful boyfriend. It is obvious that there are still room for improvement but overall it is impressive.

Other Casts: For Caesar and Connor , sometimes it was like awkward and felt like they will laugh. It is a bit stiff and not confusing. Yet there is still needs to be improved.

For Darren: Like the other versions , he has this innocent and gentle looking which helps him to portray an introvert and quite character. It was acceptable.

Music/Ost- It has a perfect and suitable music. Every seen has a music that really fits into the scenario. Like if its an intense scene , the 'River" Ost will be played. Also they gave chance to F4 to showcase their talents. I love their voices especially Caesar's voice. It is soothing and relaxing. I also love the fact that they used the iconic "Qing fei de yi" and "Ni yao de ai".
But The song For You is iconic too.

Overall: This was one of the first cdramas i have watched and the reason why i enter the cdrama wolrd. It is the most faithful version. We witnessed the ups and downs of the couple yet they remain faithful and fight for their love. One factor that i love is the DyShen couple. It was absolutely perfect. They also takcled the friendship.

Highly recommended! you will definitely love the leads.

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I watched this show because of Boys Over Flowers. I enjoyed both shows, up to a point. The last two episodes had my head spinning.

I absolutely loved the scenes between the two main leads in this show. Watching their relationship develop (even though I knew where it was going) was engaging. I loved all the actors in this version.

Two negative points to consider - after a while, the story got a little stale, and became a bit boring to watch what felt like the same situation happen over and over again. My other honest complaint is from episode 47 on I felt like I was being taken for a ride. Suddenly I felt deprived of a decent storyline ending.

This show has decent rewatch value, but I will likely never watch it all the way to the end again.

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I first watched Boys Over Flowers. Although I fell in love with all of the characters in that kdrama, I was left with a bitter sweet taste. I felt like the story didn't make much sense and that there was a lot of tension and suffering for an ending that didn't really satisfy my expectations.

Because of that void that Boys Over Flowers left in me I started searching. That's how I found out about Meteor Garden. People were saying that if anyone felt the way I did after finishing Boys Over Flowers, that they should watch this cdrama. And I have to say it did not disapoint.

At first it was hard not to compare the two. I didn't like the changes in the characters, although I understood why they did them. I couldn't help but go back to my beloved characters from Boys Over Flowers. However, as the story progressed, I began to fall in love with these characters too, and I started seeing it as a different story.

If I had to compare the two, I'd choose Meteor Garden for sure. The storyline makes much more sense. It is exciting to watch, yet it doesn't make you constantly suffer for just a few seconds of happiness. You can really see how the main characters fall in love and you can actually enjoy their joy and love.

If you want a very complete and satisfying version of Hana Yori Dango, then this is the perfect one.

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At first I have to say/repeat that this is an European (German) point of view and maybe it is very different from the mayor view :)
A few weeks ago Netflix started offering Asian series. Because as a child I loved reading mangas I was very glad and excited when I discoverd it. I chose Meteor Garden per accident - and couldn't stop watching it!!
It was fantastic in so many ways. After reading the other reviews I think I am the only person here, who never heard of the story Meteor Garden or Boys over flowers etc before (not until googling after being fascinated by the show). It is interesting to read that the show "combines all Asian romantic cliches" :D - I am in love with the actors/characters (esp. Doaming Si) and the atmosphere of the show. Nevertheless there are a few repetitions in plot and the main characters had more problems than they had to (in my opinion).
It was interesting to become acquainted with the Chines culture, environment, the every day life and interacting (My earlier "meetings with the Asian world" were Japanish ones, because of the Mangas, like I've already said - very interesting too!). My imagination of China was quite differnt than it was shown in Meteor Garden. For example, I was surprised (and it was great), how often (and in detail) kissing scenes were shown. It was very romantic and it could have been more... In addition the technical development in every day life was impressive (f.ex. the pay methods - don't exist in Germany right now).
At first the names were confusing to me, but I became accustomed to it ;) I watched Meteor garden three or four times (skipping the boring and recurring scenes with the architect and Meizuo's love interest) and my favourite scenes a lot more... I am very sad that it's all over. Despite this I am convinced that by repeating watching it I am just learning Mandarin by the way (It's just a joke, but I really kept some vocabulary in mind).
I am often listening to the OST - I do not understand anything and don't find English lyrics, but the melodies are transporting the emotions that I've had while watching the show. You would laufgh a lot, if you could hear me (ty to) sing along :D :D
I recommend the show to everyone and I hope I can find those (pretended) "better" love dramas on Netflix (as many of you told in their reviews ;))

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I have never watched any versions of Meteor Garden before, and this is my first ever Cdrama I watched. I managed to watch the whole series in less than a week.

The drama started off really well.
The story line is like any other drama with a female lead and 2 boys that falls for her, but I thought the male lead fell for Dong Cai too quickly. The leads have really good chemistry together. Si is funny and doesn't know how to express his love for DongCai. The second male lead didn't have much chemistry with the ShanCai, so it's not one of those dramas where you would feel bad for the second male lead.

The acting and cast is perfect. All the boys in F4 are so handsome. Si is so brave, funny and bold. Lei is cute, quite and funny. Lei has to be my favorite, his eyes and teeth when he smiles melts my heart. The female lead ShanCai is cute and natural. She portrayed her character really well, but in the middle of the series she lost a lot of confidence in herself, and isn't like her character in the start, she cries too much ://
I can't believe all the main cast are rookie actors. Dylan did so well acting in his first drama, I'm so surprised he's only 19!

The music is spot on. Every time I hear the song "River" all I can imagine is F4 walking towards the camera. But I think they over played "Say something I'm giving up on you" sometimes it just doesn't suit the moment. I liked all of the chinese OST, even though I didn't understand the lyrics. lol.

Rewatch value
I would say 10, but towards the end it dragged along, and got confusing. But if the end was more better I would definitely say 10!

From here there's gonna be spoilers

Negatives;
Why the heck did they add in the sub story of Terence and Caina!!! I think when they came in the series got boring. Terence gave me the creeps tbh. They were such a waste of time. They could have used that time to give Ximen and Xiaoyo more chemistry.
Other than that I think all the other scenes were super fun to watch!

Positives;
I really like Zhuang (Si sister). She is so funny. She portrayed her character really well, I hope to see her in more dramas. She slayed her dancing scene.

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OMG, Meteor Garden fever is back!!
TBH, I have rewatched some of my fav episodes about 5 times already-I just can't resist! Sanchai & Dao Ming Si are so cuteeee.
& Dylan Wang is the most handsome & fresh face actor for asian drama today (talk about regeneration in kdrama series too!)
So, any bad episodes of MG2018 are forgiven due to the cuteness level of the casts (all F4, even that chef who got a crush on Sanchai-he's really good looking too!)
This MG2018 fever reminds me so much of MG 2001 (Taiwanese version) fever, when I was a teen. It's exactly the same feeling! LOL

Overall, I strongly recommend anyone who haven't watched to WATCH this MG 2018. Let's spread the Meteor Garden fever!!!

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I have to admit that I started watching this drama because of Shen Yue, I saw her in A So Beautiful Love and found her so funny. At first I was in disbelief that I actualy would like this drama, being myself a Kdrama fan and not so much a Cdrama fan. But after this drama, my heart was completely stolen. I'm so a Cdrama fan now. I thought the plot interesting, very similiar to the Kdrama version that I had watched before.

The male lead Dao Ming Si is much more real than the Goo joon Pyo of the Kdrama version. Of course, his hair and some of his outfits are so weird, but the handsomeness of Dylan Wang makes up for it.

I think the female lead Dong Shan Cai is too stubborn for her own good. Is it so hard to admit that you like the man??? Of couse, most of the times he's a pain in the ass but woman pleaseeee, you will never find a man who's willing to confess to you in every single episode.
But Shen Yue is doing a marvelous job as always.


So, overall this drama is really perfect. Of course it has some not so good points but, as I said before, Dylan Wang handsomeness makes up for it, kkk. So, WATCH METEOR GARDEN IMMEDIATELY. So far, I have watched more than a hundred dramas and this one is one of my favorites. I completely see myself rewacthing this drama so many times in the future.

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RECOMMEND DRAMA !!

what i like about this drama , it has super good quality , f4 is super very handsome , each of them have their own charm , but we have to watch it first to feel that , then the plot is good and light , not like boys before flower who full of bullying , this one is more focus on their love story , and i love it ,the music is good and calming but cant lie its not as good that ost korean drama , the minus point from me is the kissing scene its too flat i cant stand it hahaha .i think i will rewatch this drama because..

I FALL IN LOVE TO DAO MING SI he is so cool , his acting is insanely good , he has his own charm that not all boys have aaaaaaa

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