Boys over Flowers

꽃보다 남자 ‧ Drama ‧ 2009
Completed
Sophia
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 9, 2022
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
I gave it a 9 because as toxic as it is, I do miss old-school dramas like this where the plot was faced-paced and every episode was packed with things happening. It was fun to watch every episodes. Chemistry was often better in dramas like this, too.

But there are a lot of things to complain about with this drama.
It's very outdated, which is a given ... I can look past that.
It did keep me wanting to binge watch all the way through, but the last 1/3 of the show really dropped the ball with the leads' plot. It's like the writer moved onto different storylines all while ML still secretly pined for her, but didn't do anything about it? I missed the scenes where they were both liking each other still, but FL had pretty much cut him off by then emotionally (understandably so). It became pretty unrealistic and annoying. Like if you still love her, say something ... clear up the confusion ... but no, this drama thrives on misunderstandings.

The whole "conflicted as*hole" trope got really old in this too, it's what made it so toxic. By the last several episodes, 2 members of F4 were now being abusive, calling women stupid and idiots and even offering one's body to someone (???), and a few scenes later supposedly feeling guilty (barely) about how they can't stop being abusive jerks and hurting everyone around them, all while the girl victim continues swooning over him like nothing ever happened.

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Completed
LeeN
0 people found this review helpful
Mar 8, 2025
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

Happy but unfulfilling ending.

This was your average F4 story with all the classic plotlines included, meaning lots of miscommunication and drama until the very end. I don't know if it's because I've watched too much F4 versions but this one's ending felt a lot more lackluster.

The drama of the show remains until the very last episode which made it very unsatisfying to watch because we don't see much of the main leads actually being happy together. The ending was classic kdrama and not classic F4 no wedding scene just mediocre 5 minute proposal on the beach after leads have not seen each other for like 4 years and then it just ends.

The storylines stayed true to the original. Terrible Mother and shatty engagement which brought every old frustration back to the surface no matter how many times you've seen it happen and no new storyline. I did enjoy how they did not really redeem the mother's actions in this version like they did in the 2018 Chinese version as I feel the lady doesn't deserve forgiveness in this one lol. Rot in the hate of your enemies you biatch.

The other romance in the story between main girl's friend and other F4 member still felt unnecessary in this version like it did in every other F4 as every single time I fail to see the relevance their story beings except to fill in episodes. Really couldn't care less every single time.

Romance between main leads was fine but I felt their relationship was very stuff at times. There wasn't a lot of swooning for me then there was pitty and sadness that they can't be together. Not enough of them actually being in love was shown to viewers which was dissapointing.

Other than that it was fine. I feel like the story would have been better with a few more episodes to tie everything together but what do I know lol. Most of the ending of the other characters you mostly have to figure out for yourself.

A classic story with a lot of flaws but a lot of nostalgia, bye.

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Completed
Ashley
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 22, 2017
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 8.0
Boys Over Flowers was my first drama ever. When I stumbled upon it I was intrigued with the plot. However once I began watching it was opening the door to a holy land of happiness. The interaction between the F4 was superb.

I will say that this drama also produced one after my all time favorite OTP couples. Even 8 years later I am able to delve back into this drama and be entertained. However no matter how much I love it a couple things do bother me.

1. Jan Di can be a bit much at times. For a new drama fan she may be a turn off at some points in the show. I promise though if you get through it this becomes the gateway to drama land.

2. While I liked the ost I will be happy not to have "Almost Paradise" stuck in my head for days.

Overall this drama gets an 8/10 and should be a staple in any new drama fans list.

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Completed
Gabriela
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 2, 2025
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers
You can't consider yourself a kdrama fan if you didn't watch this masterpiece, it's a must watch, almost like a rule. You know that it became addicted when you catch yourself singing: "almost paradise" all the time. HAHAHA'

In "Boys Before Flowers" we have a group of friends called F4, they are the most popular and rich boys at school, but only one girl doesn't care about any of that and that's our heroine, Jan Di. She's a poor girl who studies there with a scholarship and one day her life changes when she runs into Joon Pyo. They begin a relationship of love and hate, for her specially hate and for him, specially love. HAHAHA'
In between them, there's Ji Hoo, a lonely boy who wins Jan Di's heart at first sight, but Ji Hoo already is in love with someone else, making them our love triangle.

It's a classic romantic comedy, with a lot of cliches, but they actually work. The romance between Joon Pyo and Jan Di it's really good. But there's a moment on the drama gets a little drag, it's when Joon Pyo goes to another country and comes back with a fiancee. I know the drama needed conflict, but Ja Kyung is really boring.

The second lead syndrome hit me hard, because Ji Hoo is amazing, how can someone not want him?! But at the same time Joon Pyo is so sweet and stupid... it's really a Sophie's choice. kkkkkkk'

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Completed
cacaia
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 18, 2024
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 3.0

Um clássico que envelheceu mal

Um clássico das histórias, uma pobre e um rico se apaixonam e vivem sofrendo vários coisas para poderem ficar juntos.
Confesso que nunca tive muita curiosidade sobre a história e até mesmo tinha ouvido sobre os acontecimentos absurdos do drama. Mas eu escolhi dar uma chance pra esse clássico, já que era muito falado. Então eu já tinha uma ideia formada sobre ela e queria tirar a prova disso, e foi bem pior do que eu pensei. A protagonista feminina só sabia gritar e minha cabeça doía tanto toda vez que ela aparecia. O protagonista masculino não parecia ter evoluído muita coisa até o último episódio e isso me deixou meio frustrada.
Não sei dizer, mas parecia que todos os atores não trabalhavam a muito tempo na indústria, o que pode ter dificultado no desenvolvimento dos personagens, apesar de achar que esse não era o problema.
As músicas, pelo menos, são ótimas, elas ficam na sua cabeça por anos. A harmonização das vozes dos catores do grupo Shinee era maravilhosa e era sempre uma grande admiração quando a música começa a tocar. Com certeza a música foi a melhor coisa que esse drama entregou.

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Completed
CharityAmis
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 9, 2017
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 1.5
Rewatch Value 3.0
I think a lot of people have a similar experience with this k-drama.

It was the first k-drama I watched, and it is pretty much how my obsession with k-drama starts. It is also how I fell in love with Lee Min Ho. That being said, this drama is really not very good at all. After watching so many other fantastic dramas, I realize how bad this drama actually is.

The story is all over the place, the main romance plot line is honestly hard to stand. Honestly, the best thing about this show is Lee Min Ho's performance. Though his character made me mad quite often, Lee Min Ho is just super charming in every role he does, so charming that he often saves the bad roles from being too terrible to stand. Everyone else's acting was okay, not horrible. They just had to suffer through a story that was just intent on being annoying.

Music was not very memorable, I'm sure it was the candy pop stuff that is usually used in basic k-dramas. The stuff that drives me crazy when they play it every time something bad or romantic happens. This can be done well and it can be done horribly. For instance, the music in Goblin was so good that I was almost begging them to play in over and over again.

I rewatched this drama in the beginning before I had found many great dramas. I was quite obsessed with Lee Min Ho at the time, so I think I watched it again after watching City Hunter (I still love Lee Min Ho, but I have honestly found much better actors that I love a bit more.) That being said, I probably wouldn't rewatch this again. I've rewatched many dramas, but this one is just not worth it.

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Completed
Amandarose 127
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 11, 2019
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
I watched this show because I was bored but then i fell in love with the show and the cast escape the cast they have such great chemistry and all because of this show I fell in love with lee min ho even though I already know Kim Hyun joong I was so happy and excited when I found out he was a in the show he is from one of my favorite Korean kpop band called ss501 and I was amazed by his acting skills as for my oppa min ho I fell in love in seconds with him and now I’ve nearly watched all his shows. At first I wasn’t really into the show and found it a little cringe at the first few episodes but the. I became obsessed it’s to addicting and one hundred percent I would be watching is again the ending was just perfect and unexpected and the friendship in the show just made me want to call my best friend and talk to her for hours it really shows what true friendship is so I would definitely recommend that you would watch this show even if you don’t like the first few episodes just have patience and watch I was gonna stop watching but thankfully I didn’t and i finished the show in two days so my advice watch it and fall in love with the cast

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Completed
xfachter
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 3, 2019
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
Boys Over Flowers is certainly classified as a "must-see" in the K-Drama universe, and I think it's a great 'starter' drama for those wanting to get into the mix.
It's a 2009 drama, so this helps to give viewers an understanding of the flow of a drama and what to expect in a formula as well as familiarise yourself with one of the most common tropes (Rich guy / Poor girl), which in this setting was both enjoyable & frustrating.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamics of the characters interacting with the female lead and the sense that despite the clear romantic intention between Lee & Gu's respective characters - it played on the Reverse Harem concept (reference Japanese manga Ouran High School Host Club as a prime example of this).
I found this quite fun and enjoyable on screen, and really helped in some parts to drive the story.

When watching this drama, I became incredibly invested in the characters and it was a really enjoyable watch, but I couldn't attest to rewatch value.
The overarching story at times can be repetitive - which I can only attest to after having watching a few more dramas, but the way this is done, if you start with this drama, it will flow nicely and be less obvious in it's repetition.

The story follows a high-school setting, and flows well in regards to the character struggles, obstacles they have to overcome and when it reaches the conclusion it ties up really nicely.

These is probably one of the easiest dramas I've watched, and wasn't high angst and involved a lot of entertaining and sincere friendships on screen.
I certainly recommend this as a beginning drama and I am glad this is the one I started with to get me into the K-Drama world :)

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Completed
aki_min
0 people found this review helpful
May 15, 2020
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers
Probably the first drama of many who venture into the world of K/Asian Dramas and undoubtedly one of the must watch ones too .Lee minho , my dear is a savage <3he will still steal your heart and make you wish for someone like Gu Jun pyo xD He is a big arrogant bully but the perfect lover one could've asked for , Jan-Di .. (Hye-Sun) might be the most Hate-loved heroine of all time ... she's a girl who'd not take any shit , not give any either but you'll just feel her ... one of the strongest second lead syndromes , honestly .. Ji Hoo (Hyun Joong) is one of the prettiest men you'd ever see ... his eyes and smile would literally melt you , If the main male lead wasn't Lee minho , you'd totally let him win , seriously ! Kim Bum and So-eun's Chemistry was really cool and both Woo bin and Yi Jung are your best wing men :D It's not the best drama but your drama life is just incomplete without BOF , It's Almost PARADISE !!!!

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Completed
DramaHeroine
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 20, 2022
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 3.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers
I don't remember when I started this drama. kisskh shows me starting it both 2 years ago And in 2014 (I definitely did not watch this in 2014), so my guess is either it really was 2 years ago in 2020, or it was sometime in 2021. Regardless, the point is that it took me quite a few months to finish, and I only finished it because I was dogged and determined to do so.

This drama is pure soap opera, very indicative of the time it came out of. Absurd situations, obnoxious/terrible behavior, a plethora of villains, the quintessential jerk male lead and candy female lead, plenty of goofy background music (that gets stuck in your head until you begrudgingly come to love it), and overall, not very well-written or well-acted. It's also all of these qualities that gives BOF its charm, a charm that can only come from a drama of this era. That and it's so absurd that the joy of watching often comes from laughing at said absurdity.

Personally, I don't really watch dramas like this anymore. They've never truly been my cup of tea, even when I first got into dramas and most of what was out there was at least somewhat soapy. But back then in my early days of drama watching, I wanted to watch every drama ever made, and I was constantly seeking the next crack drama to grab my attention and not let go. BOF definitely would have fit that bill, and I'm surprised I never tried watching it before now.

I would say this drama is perfect for that particular period of a drama lover's journey when you're consuming drama's voraciously and always on the lookout for something to take you on a wild ride of emotions. You might re-watch BOF years later and think 'Why was I so enamored with this???', but you won't forget the experience of watching it.

I gave Boys Over Flowers a 6 overall purely because the absurdity and over-the-top drama gave me a lot of laughs, but based on actual quality, I would say it deserves a 4 or 5. The only reason I could think of someone wanting to watch this, outside of being in that particular period of the drama journey I mentioned earlier, would be because the drama is so absurd it's hilarious to watch. So definitely watch this if you enjoy wild, over-the-top, true soap opera style drama that makes your sides split from laughter. Or watch if you're in that phase where you want to consume everything, and you're looking for a drama that will grab you and not let go. BOF definitely that kind of drama. Otherwise, I wouldn't really bother.

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Completed
promisefabiyi
0 people found this review helpful
Mar 12, 2021
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

My thoughts on this drama.

I keep on seeing bad reviews of this show and in my option its a great k drama. It defiantly one that you have to see. Not to mention that this show was from 2009 so the acting and the story were pretty good for its time. Yes there were defiantly Tim e that I got annoyed with the main character of the drama because she would do things that didn't make sense, but for an old k drama its understandable. Plus its like an OG krarama and even though I watched it so long ago its still amazing for its time. When I give a 10/10 its not me comparing it newer ones. (like "it's okay not to be okay") Because I both give them 10's for different reasons. But I still recommend watching it because its such an OG.

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Completed
exquisitekdrama
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 24, 2020
25 of 25 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0

ANNOYINGLY FUN

Among the kdrama osts, I must say that this could be the best. Honestly, one of the impact it brought to me was the soundtrack, this series stands up when it comes to ost, it hits different.

I hate the fact that this drama annoyed me that much, I hate how the male lead bullies the female lead and then turned out to be the "lovers" as what clichè storylines are.

I mean Jun Pyo physically bullied and harassed Jan Di at all times and that was toxic, it ain't cute! It doesn't look like romantic. The main characters' relationship was toxic! the only couple I'd looked up to this drama was the second lead couple.

The second male lead was irksome though. He was actually the root why did the female lead was getting harassed.

Anyways, don't get me wrong, I was inlove with that series since I was a kid. I didn't even realized that my younger me carried to watch this.

As I'd rewatched it, now that I'm in a teenage years, I finally found that most of the kids found the first episodes "cute" because my 9-year-old-me before felt the same way. To be honest, it was a total wack.

Anyways, no matter how it annoyed me, this will gonna be remain "iconic" and "nostalgic" to me. This kdrama had a special place in my heart.

All of the casts were excelled in that drama and that's a point for me to give it a deserving rate.

The plot is clichè, seriously it wasn't that amazing.

The production are costly! The locations and places were eye catching.

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Boys over Flowers poster

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  • Score: 7.5 (scored by 103,807 users)
  • Ranked: #5851
  • Popularity: #15
  • Watchers: 187,721

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