Sunday, 21st December 2014

Boys Over Flowers
Drama 꽃보다 남자 / Boys Over Flowers
Country South Korea
Director Jeon Ki-Sang
Writer Yoon Ji-Ryeon
Transmitted 5th January to 31st March 2009
Cast Lee Min-Ho, Ku Hye-Seon, Kim Hyun-Joong
Details 25 episodes
Themes School, love triangle, rich meeting poor
Links Asian Wiki

A Korean TV drama based on a Japanese manga Hana yori Dango, whose title (literally Boys over Flowers) is a pun on a Japanese saying of "dumplings over flowers" meaning people who attend a flower festival Hanami but only go for food rather than appreciate the flora.

The plot is nice and simple - poor girl Geum Jandi who has a heart of gold finds herself at a school for the mega-rich where she runs up against the elite F4 gang of four. Cue some noble suffering, rich snob falling in love despite himself, misunderstandings, machinations of mother who only wants the best as a daughter-in-law.

As an example of the genre it's very watchable. There's lots of eye candy locations, emotional baggage to work through, subplots. The men in the drama are very flawed, the women in a way drive the drama along. The leads don't have to be great actors as their roles call for naivety. It all ends happily, pleasing Jandi's best friend.