Chibi

Wait, wouldn't that make him 1/2 thai, 1/4 american and 1/4 chinese? :O

Seriously? I thought all of f4 except MJ sport a healthy tan much like Tu? Like boys who play basketball out in the sun? Tu, too looks sun-kissed most of the time. The difference in complexion depths isn't as apparent to my eye; belonging to South Asia, where we are all, on an average, noticeably, much darker. Comparing Tu & Bright... there are instances where they look the same melanin level. There are also instances where one looks slightly pinker or yellower than the other. But I'd say it depends on makeup/ outfits/ lighting. Same with Thyme & Gorya.
However, I do notice how Bright is the most obviously 'western' looking out of the 5 cuz of his features, with Tu looking the most... ethnically Thai? However, having been to Thailand, I can say she's most definitely LESS Thai-looking than all the other commonly seen 'Thai' people out on streets of Bangkok.
Thyme is surrounded by women who all look-like models/ are played by models/ and also likely *are* models if their time allows. Mira, Tia, Roselyn, etc. Tu is far more 'girl-next-door' looking than any of them. Even when dressed to the nines. I can understand where Thyme is coming from.
Much like Jang Nara and Jun-Ji Hyun. Both 40. But one is cute, the other is supermodel glamorous. Both equally beautiful! <3

That said, on a tangent, I realize how they picked Prim to play Kanning, and her 'brand of looks' are far more coveted amongst the rich/ pedigreed Thai like Kavin's family. And how he's the most orthodox/ traditional of the f4. Which is why he's the only one who would allow himself to be attracted to a girl, who has a rather good chance of not being rejected by his family for her looks!
Ps. I do not know what Thai beauty standards are, or how accommodating. I only know of their obsession with looking pale AF. I think Tu looks a lot like few Chinese actresses, notably Liu Yifei (especially her inward-slanting teeth when she smiles). And she's considered one of the prettiest actresses all over East-Asia. She too has a tendency to put-on weight quite easily, and is one of the more fuller-figured actresses of her generation (compare to Yang Mi- skinnier, and Angelababy-more western-looking)

Yeah, the airport scene was the weakest for me, imo. But he MORE than made up for it, at the dinner-table, the pilot episode's closing scene, etc. More than 'bad' or 'lacking', I would describe his performance as uneven. Like an undulating hill-ride full of highs-and-lows. Boy sure has potential if he can ace some parts... correct?! ^^
However, I think as an actor, he has that fundamental skill, that not many people of his generation do. And that's the talent of understanding the psyche of the character, from a behavioral POV. Not everything can be spoon-fed on the set by the director. And since he gets it... he delivers it very naturally. (the dinner-table scene, once again) <3 The progress of his facial expressions, his visible emotions, his corresponding gestures and actions, ooooof! PERFECTION!

I realize I DO forgive him for a LOT, because of the said 'star-power' he has, which I normally wouldn't, if it were a miss coming from a far more skillful, or a less skillful actor. That said, he does need some serious working on his one-to-one, non-Gorya scenes. xD
I'm worried because he would have a lot of those confrontational, dramatic moments with Cindy (his Mom)... whose experience as an actor might completely eclipse his performance, where he comes across as seriously deficient.

Spot on! <3

It's a shame this doesn't exist in 1080p or 4k T_T

Ooofff, the 'domestic abuse' bit hits hard! But very true!
Thank you for telling me you're only a DM away! <3

Hypothetically speaking, if Mira ever wanted Ren back, he would drop Gorya like a hot-potato, before you could bat an eyelid. -_-
But yeah, he's always a little too late. I love his character as much as I love to hate on him! xD

Let's not forget Thyme snatched the doll from Ren when he was a toddler. A 5 y/o possibly. What Ren does as an 18 y/o is inexcusable. -_- He's twisted, and I hope the writers don't sugar-coat it!

Sincerely quoting Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones....
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.”💀🤣

Istg, Yeong-Ro and Soo-Ho are the biggest losers of this story.
The girl lost almost all of her family. The dude... he has no way out. Literally, HOW many times has he been betrayed ALREADY? 😭

Finally a non-cringe 'Foreign' character in a k-drama!
Yay, we made progress! <3

Jang Han-na's face while hiding under Cheong-Ya's bed: 'Seriously guys, right in front of my salad?!' 🤣

So, Kang-Moo finally grew a brain and asked the right questions.
Also, is this going to be the part where they finally involve the wives?

Soo-Ho: 'Mrs. Eun will save the dorm from getting blown up because her daughter is here.'
Me: Hoo boyyy! Who's gonna tell him? xD xD

The fact that the NK side thinks they can EVER have an upper-hand on SOUTH Korean soil, is beyond me. Literally every event can be spun to make the s.korean side look good and faultless, by the media.
What the hell were they thinking? -_-

Hey!! I'm so sorry, I meant to highlight your quote in all good-faith, because it's a legit warning for newbies, and I had no intention of calling you out at all! :P I was simply teasing you! :')

I agree, CW articles are soo hard. Esp when you're covering a beloved series like f4. I love how you've been honest and candid, yet not divulged too many spoilers/ plot-points. Very admirable! I'm struggling with the LtN article post! T_T

Ugh, no!!! My eyes... the first clip suggested by YT algo was a shirtless Bright making out in the shower. I did not need to see that! :P
I also need to stop behaving like a 13 y/o! xD

Exactly, I knew something was off about this version, when I felt the 'Hana-Thyme' scene went on for too long. Couldn't really pin-point *what* was wrong. I think this girl got it pretty right... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6NNxSlxnYQ&t=2s
She brings up all those niggling concerns you have, and more! :')

I also love how they use the same song, but different parts of it for the ending as well as opening credits!
For the opening, the visual-design is IMPECCABLE. Flower 4, for the first time, actually HAVE flowers associated to each member. The title cards, introducing the actors of the main cast have an 'F' that transforms to their individual names (except Gorya's title card). The crescendo and then the beat-drop is perfectly synced with the credit screens. Finally, the imagery of a field full of wheatgrass, in front of a black-rose that eventually gets obliterated against the backdrop of the galaxy... is so perfect in every metaphorical sense! They picked Win's lines to introduce the f4, but Gorya's frame is introduced on Bright's lines... and the rest of the cast, against the chorus of all 4 members! Ugh, I could go on about it forever. I genuinely get shivers down my spine every time the opening credits roll in! <3

I VERY randomly picked up Extraordinary You, and was shocked to see an out-and-out parody of BoF! xD The sad violin-playing gets me every time, cuz you also have the meta-commentary from the Second ML in that love-line!! xD xD xD In fact, some have also claimed the main couple (aka Rowoon/Hye-Yoon/Jae-Wook) is a parody of the Heirs. And the Heirs is also like a re-telling/ do-over of the BoF dynamic AGAIN (where the 'shouty' guy is redeemed, but the 'nice' one gets the girl, lmao!)
The shoujo tropes in HYD have also made out of the high-school shoujo territory, and common plot-points even feature in other 'grown-up' stories as well! xD HYD's reach into Asian romance is incomparable to anything else tbh. The closest I would say, in terms of 'influence' would be Fushigi Yuugi, which spawned all those countless transmigration/ isekai reverse-harem stories, that EVERY SECOND CHINESE fantasy drama is inspired from (after Scarlet Heart became HUGE!)

Out of the tropey fairytales you mentioned, I don't see anything particularly as polarizing/ problematic as HYD. Maybe Darth Vader from Star Wars (but his was the reverse trajectory when compared to Domyouji!)

While the story immediately drew criticism from the West upon the anime release, somehow, it picked up traction, and people liked to talk about it, a lot. (West... literally every country is west of Japan!) xD
Even more interestingly, Domyouji's was swooned upon in Japan, even topping voting lists of 'dreamiest boyfriend material' characters in work of fiction. While outside Japan, in mostly non-Asian countries, he and the rest of f4 were hated upon. The premise is very, veryyyy polarizing. But also makes for a hotly-debated and discussed topic. I wish I could dig out an apt Hollywood counterpart? :O
That said, I completely get why people wouldn't want to watch it. It takes a LOT to pull-off a good 'villainous character redeemed' story & not many would wish to sit through it. I also get why it's still popular despite being so dated, and clearly a product of its time. It's a MOTHER of all 'high-school, shoujo romance' stories. All of its tropes, character set-ups, relationships, etc. included! :")