Most iconic of all kdramas. Watch it, even if you can't finish it.
Tender hearted viewers take heed - do not binge this drama. It's one of the most painful dramas I've ever watched and the writers used every method to make it uncomfortable. While a homely, immature, ungainly, lacking in sense female with extremely unpolished eating habits is a norm for many a kdrama, Jan-Di might take first place. The actress brought all these characteristics across to perfection. The series is now 16 years old since originally airing and dramatic styles have changed. This may have been the style people expected back then; I had a hard time sticking to it.
Besides this female character trope, the unending lucky and unlucky circumstances surrounding the main 3 of 5 characters were quite unreasonable and unrealistic. By episode 15 I wanted to exit; it felt like a dreadful journey to keep watching. Much of the writing is too emotionally brutal to call entertainment. At the very least, gives reasons to why countless people in our real world, have such deep traumatic and psychological scars. Boys Over Flowers is classified as a Romantic Comedy and Drama. I suggest it be classified as a Romantic Melodrama. The moments of comedy are not compensation for the continuous stream of unhappy events that befall the main couple.
DO NOT BINGE watch this series if you have intense emotional sensitivities. (where violence, overt meanness, melancholy music, touch you on a deep level). It can drain you to the point of exhaustion if you don't take a break. Upon reflection, I should have assigned my own viewing to smaller increments of time over a couple weeks.
If you can watch this all the way to the end, there are a good number of sweet, endearing and rewarding moments along the way. Especially where lesser characters in supporting roles act as rays of light and hope when things are dreadfully dark. Still, for me it was a torment to watch and at times watched with the sound off to lessen trauma of listening to the musical soundtrack that fed so much sadness during heart rending scenes.
For me I don't love Boys Over Flowers and didn't find it enjoyable. Ultimately I felt exhausted from the experience (binge watched 6 episodes at a time which took its toll). But yes I still recommend it because not everyone feels the same way; or is unable to detach from such ludicrous stories. What kept me going is Lee Min Ho's acting - and I despised everything about his character in the beginning. Never been a fan of his, but I give credit where credit is due. It makes sense seeing him in this role why he is considered so great an actor. And to be honest - that hair!! which is so ridiculous - I don't know who else could have pulled this character off. And I found humor in the fact the writers did not think his hair was normal. They made fun of it through the script. Other reasons to keep watching are, the other lead male actors and many characters who supported Joon Pyo and Jan-di throughout the strife and heartbreak they suffered as teens and young adults. As a bit of a spoiler, Gu Joon Pyo's hair gets less freakish towards the end - even attractive.
Why watch? This may be the most iconic of all kdramas and in order to have dialogue or exchange opinions with your kdrama friends you can certainly benefit by knowing what happens and how things go. And maybe why other fans of kdramas love it. At my writing, Boys Over Flowers is 16 years old and still drawing an audience of avid Korean drama fans who absolutely love it.
My Disclaimer: never been into soap opera. And BOF is an intense and short version of that genre. Melodramatic, absurd situations are perpetually created for their own sake and not necessarily the characters. This made BOF painful to watch. Yet, it had its moments and I ultimately came to care for all the characters in their limitations and circumstances. Not many, but some other reviewers have pointed out similar likes, dislikes, and observations which stand as proof we are all very different in how we find pleasure in entertainment.
Besides this female character trope, the unending lucky and unlucky circumstances surrounding the main 3 of 5 characters were quite unreasonable and unrealistic. By episode 15 I wanted to exit; it felt like a dreadful journey to keep watching. Much of the writing is too emotionally brutal to call entertainment. At the very least, gives reasons to why countless people in our real world, have such deep traumatic and psychological scars. Boys Over Flowers is classified as a Romantic Comedy and Drama. I suggest it be classified as a Romantic Melodrama. The moments of comedy are not compensation for the continuous stream of unhappy events that befall the main couple.
DO NOT BINGE watch this series if you have intense emotional sensitivities. (where violence, overt meanness, melancholy music, touch you on a deep level). It can drain you to the point of exhaustion if you don't take a break. Upon reflection, I should have assigned my own viewing to smaller increments of time over a couple weeks.
If you can watch this all the way to the end, there are a good number of sweet, endearing and rewarding moments along the way. Especially where lesser characters in supporting roles act as rays of light and hope when things are dreadfully dark. Still, for me it was a torment to watch and at times watched with the sound off to lessen trauma of listening to the musical soundtrack that fed so much sadness during heart rending scenes.
For me I don't love Boys Over Flowers and didn't find it enjoyable. Ultimately I felt exhausted from the experience (binge watched 6 episodes at a time which took its toll). But yes I still recommend it because not everyone feels the same way; or is unable to detach from such ludicrous stories. What kept me going is Lee Min Ho's acting - and I despised everything about his character in the beginning. Never been a fan of his, but I give credit where credit is due. It makes sense seeing him in this role why he is considered so great an actor. And to be honest - that hair!! which is so ridiculous - I don't know who else could have pulled this character off. And I found humor in the fact the writers did not think his hair was normal. They made fun of it through the script. Other reasons to keep watching are, the other lead male actors and many characters who supported Joon Pyo and Jan-di throughout the strife and heartbreak they suffered as teens and young adults. As a bit of a spoiler, Gu Joon Pyo's hair gets less freakish towards the end - even attractive.
Why watch? This may be the most iconic of all kdramas and in order to have dialogue or exchange opinions with your kdrama friends you can certainly benefit by knowing what happens and how things go. And maybe why other fans of kdramas love it. At my writing, Boys Over Flowers is 16 years old and still drawing an audience of avid Korean drama fans who absolutely love it.
My Disclaimer: never been into soap opera. And BOF is an intense and short version of that genre. Melodramatic, absurd situations are perpetually created for their own sake and not necessarily the characters. This made BOF painful to watch. Yet, it had its moments and I ultimately came to care for all the characters in their limitations and circumstances. Not many, but some other reviewers have pointed out similar likes, dislikes, and observations which stand as proof we are all very different in how we find pleasure in entertainment.
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