From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Boys Over Flowers / Kkotboda namja
Format	Drama Romantic Comedy
Created by	Kamio Yoko
Opening theme	"Paradise" by T-Max
Ending theme	Season 1:"Because I'm Stupid" by SS501 Season 2: "Making a Lover" by SS501
Country of origin	South Korea
No. of episodes	25
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jun Ki-sang
Running time	Monday & Tuesday nights at 9:50pm (KST)
Broadcast
Original channel	KBS2
Original run	January 5, 2009 – March 31, 2009
External links
Official website

Kkotboda namja (꽃보다 男子) is a Korean drama adaptation of the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango. It premiered on January 5, 2009 on KBS2TV and successfully ended on March 31, 2009 after 25 episodes.

This is the third television drama adaptation of the popular Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango after the success of both the Taiwanese and Japanese versions.

Synopsis

While delivering a student's dry cleaning, Geum Jan Di saves the life of a student at the most prestigious school in South Korea. Her actions soon became public and exposes the bullying within the school. To silence the public's attention, Jan Di is offered a swimming scholarship to Shinhwa High School which she declines but her family forces her to attend.

During her first day at Shinhwa, Jan Di learns of the famous F4 and of the other students' adoration and fixation with the boys in the group. Gu Jun Pyo, Yoon Ji Hoo, So Yi Jung, and Song Woo Bin are the richest and most powerful kids within Shinhwa and South Korea. Subsequently, they use their power to terrorize weaker students or those they do not like. Jan Di, instead of being impressed, becomes enraged and fantasizes about confronting Gu Jun Pyo, the leader and initiator of many of the bullying acts. She gains courage to confront him when a friend, Oh Min Ji, accidentally spills ice cream on his shoes and he demands the girl to lick it off. Jan Di defends her friend and attempts to reason with Jun Pyo's tyrannical demand. When he refuses to relent, Jan Di turns violent, knocking Jun Pyo to the ground. Engaged by this, Gu Jun Pyo declares war on Jan Di and encourages the other students to bully her. Jan Di, however, is resistant, refusing to apologize to Gu Jun Pyo, and stands by her decision to fight him.

Ironically, Gu Jun Pyo, having never been stood up to, begins to develop feelings for her. He tries unsuccessfully to woo her as she slowly begins to spend more time with Jun Pyo and his friends. Jan Di teaches Jun Pyo that money cannot buy everything and in order to have real friends, he himself must be real or use his heart, but Gu Jun Pyo still does not understand why someone like Jan Di should dislike him. As the story progresses, Jun Pyo falls deeper in love with Jan Di and she learns how to open herself to his love as well.

Jan Di's best friend, Ga Eul often finds herself in the same place as Yi Jung. Though she finds him attractive, she is initially annoyed by his arrogance. One day, Yi Jung finds Ga Eul crying after she is dumped by her boyfriend. He advises her to let him go, and later, to make her feel better, the two show up to a club in which he is attending. Yi Jung pretends to be in love with Ga Eul to make her ex jealous. He gives her his scarf and walks her home. After this, Ga Eul finds herself smitten with Yi Jung. On Valentine's Day, she waits outside his house, planning to give him chocolates. He shows up with two girls on his arm and on his table, he already has dozens of chocolates from other girls. When Ga Eul is upset, Yi Jung reminds her that their night at the club was only an act, and it's not his fault if she took it too seriously. Yi Jung feels bad, and gives Ga Eul a cake and flowers, when he mistakenly thinks it's her birthday. The two become friendly again.

As love begins to blossom between Jan Di and Jun Pyo, Jun Pyo's mother discovers them and deems it unsuitable. She does everything in her power to keep the two apart, even arranging a marriage for Jun Pyo. The other F4 members and Ga Eul try to bring them back together. Yi Jung and Song Woo Bin came up with a few plans, but they fail. They resort to So Yi Jung and Ga Eul pretending to go on a fake date, which upsets Jan Di because she doesn't consider Yi Jung good enough for her friend. She follows the two around with Jun Pyo by her side, making sure Yi Jung is treating Ga Eul appropriately. At first their plan was successful but because of Jun Pyo's mother, their relationship became strained again.

After their date, Ga Eul finds her self falling for Yi Jung again. Yi Jung feels the same way, but he can't bring himself to admit it, due to his doubt in true love. After a talk with the first girl Yi Jung loved, Ga Eul admits to Yi Jung how she feels about him and asks if he'll go on a real date with her. He rejects her, saying he doesn't date nice girls, foolish girls, or girls connected to his friends. He later changes his mind, and takes her out, though he spends all his time ignoring Ga Eul, and talking to other women. Their date ends with Ga Eul throwing water in Yi Jung's face, but Ga Eul still helps Yi Jung to get safely home when he is too drunk to do it himself.

Other factors keep arising as another member of the group falls in love with Jan Di (which was Yoon Ji Hoo) and in a twist of fate, Jun Pyo loses his memory. A girl named Jang Yu Mi which was on the same hospital where Jun Pyo was confined, takes advantage on him to make him fall in love with her. Geum Jan Di never gives up for Jun Pyo to remember his love for her, she falls in the swimming pool letting Jun Pyo reminise his love for her. On Jan Di's graduation, Jun Pyo proposes to her on the cable car at the NamSan Tower where their first date was held. Gu Jun Pyo told Jan Di that he needs to study abroad to fix problems regarding Shinhwa. Jun Pyo asks Jan Di to accompany him as his wife but Jan Di refuses because she has also plans for her future becoming a doctor. The two agreed but Jan Di told Jun Pyo that she will be waiting for 4 years in one condition--if Jun Pyo comes back as a handsome and charming man.

After Ga Eul helps Yi Jung decipher the message his first love tried to send him, Yi Jung has a change of heart about their relationship. At his home, Yi Jung warns Ga Eul that he's not a nice guy, and Ga Eul tells him that not every nice girl wants a nice guy. The two almost kiss, though they get interrupted. Later, Yi Jung visits Ga Eul to talk about their relationship. Before Yi Jung can confess how he feels for Ga Eul, she cuts him off, thanking him for giving her the chance to not have any regrets about the two of them, since she gave it her all. She leaves him before he ever gets the chance to say he loves her.

The story ends with F4 four years later with each cast revealing happenings on their current life--Yi Jung coming back form Sweden for helding his art exhibit and visits Ga Eul to a kindergarten teacher, where it's revealed that the two are now dating, Ji Hoo who just opened his Grandpa's clinic, and Woo Bin becoming a happy man but his career was never mentioned in the story. Lastly, Geum Jan Di went to the beach to see Jun Pyo.He then proposes to Jan Di but the answer was still a question among viewers because when Jan Di was about to answer--Ji Hoo, Yi Jung and Woo Bin arrives saying that they object to the proposal because Jun Pyo and Jan Di didn't ask for their permission first....and they live peacefully.

Afterstory

Due to public demand, Boys Over Flowers aired a special musical drama of the current lives of each F4 member.

Episode 1 is So Yi Jung's Story where Jun Pyo, Woo Bin and Yi Jung came back to their private classroom. Their tables are covered with white blankets and F4 noticed nothing has changed since they're last class there. The First musical drama, shows Yi Jung discovering a bouquet of purple flowers in a chair. He picks them up and brings it to his table. He picked and arranged some of the flowers and finds a Camera in Woo Bin's table. He then takes picture of himself and places the printed pictures in the flowers as well. This depicts the scene where in Ga Eul asked him to take pictures of her when they were in New Caledonia, where Yi Jung finds it disturbing. Then some flashbacks of Yi Jung and Ga Eul scenes were shown. He runs to Ga Eul's house but then realizes she wasn't there. Tired of waiting, a voice over called him and said "Sunbae, I'm a little late right?" he then gives the flower and actually proposes saying "Ga Eul-yang, will you be my flower forever?" - the background song is Kim Bum's 'I'm Going To Meet Her Now'.

Episode 2 is Song Woo Bin's Story where We see a frustrated Woo Bin confronting a girl despite of the good weather, the girl actually turns him down and he throws the flower to the ground. later he was surprised by Jun Pyo and Yi Jeong in his table and gave him a birthday cake.

Episode 3 is Yoon Ji Hoo's Story where the scenes are just flashbacks scenes of JiHoo connected to one another. Also, only JiHoo was missing when the F3 had a meeting in their classroom.

Episode 4 is Gu Jun Pyo's Story where Jun Pyo is seen sneaking inside the Shin Hwa University kitchen, he decides to bake cookies for Jan Di. Each cookie has Geum Jan di's face. He wears an apron and then bakes some of the cookies.

Cast

• Koo Hye Sun: Geum Jan Di is the first girl to stand up to the leader of F4 Jun Pyo, and the first girl to earn the infamous Red Card. Through this, a chain of events ultimately leads to her falling in love with Ji Hoo and then Jun Pyo, as well as F4 becoming her closest friends.

• Lee Min Ho: Gu Jun Pyo is the hot-headed leader of F4 and the heir of the Shinhwa Corp Group, the most powerful company in the country. While still in high school, he meets Jan Di and is stunned by her act of defiance. Though at first determined to make her life miserable, he falls in love with her.

• Kim Hyun Joong: Yoon Ji Hoo is a calm and soft-spoken boy who is shown to be very musical playing the violin, guitar and piano. He is a main rival for Jan Di's heart but he gives her up because he values his friendship with Jun Pyo.

• Kim Bum: So Yi Jung is from a family of well-known artists and is a reputable potter himself, making his first debut at the age of sixteen. His family owns a famous art gallery that exhibits national treasures.

• Kim Joon: Song Woo Bin is from a family that runs an underworld organization, hinted to be the mafia. He is often seen betting with Yi Jung over various matters. He is one of the two F4 playboys.

• Kim So Eun: Chu Ga Eul is Jan Di's best friend since kindergarten. She and Yi Jung work together and even go on a fake date in order to bring Jan Di and Jun Pyo back together. Eventually an attraction evolves between her and Yi Jung throughout the series.

Additional Cast

• Lee Shi Yeong: Oh Min Ji is Jan Di's first friend when she transfers to Shinhwa High, secretly manipulating her to destroy Jun Pyo.

• Han Chae Young: Min Seo Hyun is Ji Hoo's first love and a famous Korean model.

• Jung Eui Chul: Lee Min Ha/Lee Ji Ha are two characters played by the same actor, first as the student that is saved by Jan Di, and later as his vengeful twin brother.

• Lee Min Jeong: Ha Jae Kyung is Jun Pyo's fiancee in the later part of the series who makes her first appearance when she runs into Jan Di in Macau.

• Im Joo Hwan: So II Hyun is Yi Jung's estranged older brother who threw away his family name in order to live a normal life. He carries a heavy burden for abandoning Yi Jung.

• Park Soo Jin: Cha Eun Jae is Yi Jung's first love. She is a teacher at a pottery class where Ga Eul goes, causing her and Yi Jung to cross paths after 3 years apart.

• Kim Min Ji: Jang Yu Mi is a girl at the same hospital where Jun Pyo was confined who takes advantage of his amnesia.

Geum Family:

• Ahn Suk Hwan: Geum II Bong
• Im Ye Jin: Na Gong Ju
• Park Ji Bin: Geum Kang San

Gu Family:

• Lee Hye Yeong: Kang Hee Soo
• Kim Hyun Joo: Gu Jun Hee
• Jung Ho Bin: Jeong Seongrok

Mean Trio (Jin Sun Mi):

• Gook Ji Yun: Choi Jin Hee, known as Ginger
• Jang Ja Yun†: Park Sun Ja, known as Sunny
• Min Yeong Won: Lee Mi Suk, known as Miranda

Cameo:

• SS501 special performance, "UR MAN" in episode four

Differences from Manga version

• In the manga, the characters are in high school in season 1, but F4 (minus Domyoji) attend Eitoku University in season 2. In the Korean version, the characters are also in high school, but the F4 move on to Shinhwa University from episode 13 onwards. Shinhwa High School and Shinhwa University are located within the same campus.
• The relationship between the two characters Sojiroh and Yuki (Yi Jung and Ga Eul in the Korean version) is merely hinted. In the Korean version, their relationship gradually develops throughout the series, having their own significant plotline instead of acting as a subplot.
• Ji Hoo has a more significant role in Jan Di's life than the Taiwanese and Japanese versions, more strongly depicted as a romantic companion for most of the drama.
• Woobin's family does not appear in this version, nor is he only interested in older women.
• How Jan Di came to attend the same school as F4 is changed completely. In the manga and Japanese version, Makino had admired Shizuka Todo being a student there, and worked hard to be accepted. Yet in the Korean version, Jan Di saves a student from committing suicide while delivering laundry (her family owns a dry-cleaning business), and she is given a scholarship to the school. Jan Di was also initially reluctant to attend, but complied because of the school swimming pool, another trait absent from the manga.

Awards

• Best Newcomer Actors Award For Television' for KBS2's Boys Before Flowers (The 45th PaekSang Arts Awards)- Lee Min Ho
• Popularity Award for Television on KBS2's Boys Over Flowers (The 45th PaekSang Arts Awards) - Kim Hyun Joong
• Best Actor Award' for KBS2's Boys Over Flowers (The 2009 Seoul Drama Awards) - Kim Hyun Joong
• Best Drama Award for KBS2's Boys Over Flowers (The 2009 Seoul Drama Awards) - Boys Over Flowers
• KBS Acting Awards: Netizen Award,2009 - Koo Hye Sun
• KBS Acting Awards: Best Couple Award, 2009 for KBS2's Boys Over Flowers - Lee Min Ho & Koo Hye Sun
• KBS Drama Awards: Male Rookie Award: Lee Min Ho
• KBS Drama Awards: Female Rookie Award: Kim So Eun
• KBS Acting Awards: Honorable Acting Award,2009 for KBS2's Boys Over Flowers - Koo Hye Sun

Reception

The series became a huge hit, creating another Korean wave throughout Asia and the cast members shooting to superstardom overnight. After the series ended, several of them became the faces of various endorsements and commercial advertisements.

In an interview with Jang Geun Suk, actor of the successful drama You're Beautiful, it was said that he was first offered the leading role, instead of Lee Min Ho. Geun Suk declined, and instead, took on the role in Beethoven Virus that offered him the award for Best New Actor.

International broadcasts

• In the Philippines, ABS-CBN network acquired the TV rights to air this series and premiered on May 11, 2009 in its primetime block.
• Mediacorp's Channel U in Singapore has also acquired the rights to air the series, and will be aired every Saturday at 9.30pm, starting from 16 May 2009.
• The series will also be aired on Malaysia's free-to-air television 8TV(ASTRO channel 708), starting from December 16, 2009.
• Taiwan's CTV has also acquired the rights to air the series and started from 10 May 2009, on Sundays at 10pm. GTV will also air the series starting from 16 May, on every Saturday at 9pm.
• Indonesian's TV channel Indosiar acquired the rights to air the series, and will be aired every Monday and Tuesday at 10.30 pm, starting from 1 June 2009.
• Thailand started airing on 4 July 2009, every Saturday and Sunday at 9.15 am. Broadcast's [Bangkok Broadcasting Television|BBTV]
• Vietnam started airing on June 24, from Monday to Thursday every week at 9pm on H1 (Hanoi Television). The copyright was held by TVM and was legally aired on HTV3 every weekends at 9:00 pm from August 22, 2009 until now.
• Asia's Xing Kong aired BOF on July 8, 2008, as part of BOF Trilogy along with the Taiwan and Japanese versions.
• Canada: Is currently being aired in Vancouver on SHAW Multicultural Channel (119) weekdays from 7:30-8pm (local time) with English sub-titles

DVD licensing

• In North America, YA Entertainment released the series in two DVD box sets; volume one was released in November 2009 and volume two in December 2009.^[1]

OSTs

1st OST

• Title: Boys Before Flowers Original Soundtrack
• Artist: Various
• Language: Korean
• Publisher: Doremi Media Co.
• Release Date: January 23, 2009

Tracklisting

1. Paradise - T-Max
2. Because I'm Stupid - SS501
3. Do You Know - Someday
4. Stand By Me - SHINee
5. Lucky - Ashily
6. Starlight Tears - Kim Yoo Kyung
7. A Little - Suh Jin Young
8. One More Time - Tree Bicycles
9. I Know (Saxophone Inst.) - Lee Jung Sik
10. Dance with me (Inst.)
11. Blue Flower (Inst.)
12. So sad (Inst.)
13. Opening Title (Paradise Intro.) - T-Max

2nd OST

• Title: Boys Before Flowers Original Soundtrack Part 2
• Artist: Various
• Language: Korean
• Publisher: Doremi Media Co.
• Release Date: March 16, 2009

Tracklisting

1. Say Yes - T-Max
2. Wish Ur My Love - T-Max feat. J
3. Yearning Heart - A'ST1
4. Making A Lover - SS501
5. What Should We Do - Jisun
6. Love Is Fire - KARA
7. Love U - Howl
8. Almost Like Love - Brand New Day
9. Tears Are Falling - Lee Sang Gon
10. Cellogic (Inst.) - Kim Young Min
11. 다가가다 (Inst.) - Dong Yo
12. Be Strange (Inst.) - Park Hye Ri
13. For The Sake Of Love (Inst.) - Park Hye Ri

References

External links

• KBS Official site (Korean)
• KBS America Official site (Korean)
• ABS-CBN Philippines Official site (English)
• CTV Taiwan's Official Site (Chinese)
• Boys Over Flowers on HanCinema (English)
• STAR TV's Xing Kong BOF Site (Chinese)

Unfortunately, we could not find any sentences from other sites similar to those above.