Saturday, August 27, 2011

Boys Before Flowers Boys Over Flowers/Boys Before...

Boys Over Flowers (꽃보다 남자) is a South Korean television drama series starring Ku Hye Sun, Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Joong of SS501, Kim Bum, Kim Joon of T-Max and Kim So Eun. It premiered on January 5, 2009 on KBS2 and ended on March 31, 2009 after 25 episodes.



It is based on Japanese shōjo manga series, Boys Over Flowers (花より男子 Hana Yori Dango?), written by Yoko Kamio. The series is the fifth television adaptation of the manga following the Taiwanese Meteor Garden and its sequel Meteor Garden II and the Japanese Hana Yori Dango and its sequel Hana Yori Dango Returns.

Shin Hwa School is a school for rich people, attended by Goo Jun-pyo, the heir of the global corporation Shin Hwa Group, Yun Ji-hu, So Yi-jeong, and Song Woo-bin which form a gang called F4. Jun-pyo, the leader of F4, is the main ruffian.

Geum Jan-di, who is not from rich family, ends up attending Shin Hwa School when she saves a boy from jumping off the rooftop and is given a scholarship to quiet down all the publicity the incident has caused. The entire school worships the F4 except for Jan-di. However, she holds a certain soft spot for Yun Ji-hu, who appears to be different from the other three. Jan-di finally speaks up against F4 to defend her friend, Oh Min Ji. From then on, she becomes Jun-pyo's main rival. Almost every time Jan-Di is bullied, she is helped by Ji-hu in some way. Jan-di and Jun-pyo's rivalry intensifies, but at the same time it is a source of amusement for him as Jan-di has now caught his attention.

The story develops and Jun-pyo slowly starts falling for Jan-di. On the other hand, Jan-Di's attention is on Ji-hoo, her savior, but ultimately, as the story progresses, her heart is with Jun-pyo. The couple face many obstacles as they continue to struggle for their love, but eventually they find their way back to each other.

Episode 1 is So Yi Jeong's Story entitled Love Me... Violet Nostalgia (내게 사랑은... 보랏빛 그리움) In this episode Yi Jeong discovers a basket of flowers outside on a bench. He begins to have flashbacks to times he spent with Ga Eul. In the classroom, he wraps some of them up into a bouquet, snaps some polaroids with them and attaches the photos to the bouquet. More flashbacks of Ga Eul come to mind as he heads outside. Yi Jeong arrives at a door. It seems as if no one answers and he's a little disappointed. A female voice calls out to him, "Sunbae, I'm a little late, right?" He smiles, holds out the flower bouquet and asks, "Ga Eul, will you be my flower forever?" The background song is "I'm Going to Meet Her Now" by the actor himself, Kim Bum.

Episode 2 is Song Woo Bin's Story entitled Love... Friendship... (사랑도... 우정도...) In this episode we see a frustrated Woo Bin confronting a girl. He asks her for a reason, and she responds that she's tired. He throws the flowers to the ground. In the classroom, as Yi Jeong and Jun Pyo are playing a game of Jenga, he knocks down the tower and leaves angrily. Outside, he reminisces about the great times he's had with the rest of F4. Later he goes back inside and sits at his desk looking at a picture of F4 when they were little kids. Jun Pyo and Yi Jeong surprise him with a birthday cake. The background song is "To Empty Out" by the actor himself, Kim Joon.

Episode 3 is Yoon Ji Hoo's Story entitled I, Sometimes (사랑, 때때로) In this episode there are flashback scenes of Ji Hoo's love of Jan Di, revolving around the scene where he confesses his love for her and she falls asleep. Ji Hoo is missing when the F4 had the meeting in their classroom, but was in the introduction scene where they receive the text message to meet up. The background song is "Sometime" by the actor himself, Kim Hyun Joong.



Episode 4 is Gu Jun Pyo's Story entitled Love. So Long As It's That (사랑. 그후로도 오랫동안) In this episode Jun Pyo sneaks inside the ShinHwa University kitchen, where, after remembering the cookies that Jan Di made with his face on them, decides to bake cookies with Jan Di faces for her. Woo Bin spots him in the middle of the process, and Jun Pyo, wearing a frilly apron, shoos Woo Bin out. The background song is "My Everything" by the actor himself, Lee Min Ho.