A surefire way to make people feel uncomfortable about reading your blogs is to write about something that the average reader does not care about in the slightest. Therefore, today I will be writing about Korean soap operas. Welcome to my version of current events.
If you have any experience with Korean soaps (popularly known as K-Dramas,) then you have probably heard of the 2009 drama masterpiece "꽃보다 남자" ("Boys Over Flowers" or "Boys Before Flowers"). It happens to be my personal favorite k-drama that I have seen in my three years of drama-watching. I simply cannot resist a full season of hour-long episodes oozing with sappy love confessions and raw emotions. Don't even get me started on the infamously uncomfortable frozen kisses (they literally do not move their lips at all).
The plot is what really makes the drama so addictive. In the very first episode, Jan Di, a spunky and painfully awkward dry-cleaner's daughter saves a boy from committing suicide at the elite Shinhwa High School. In order to save itself from bad press, the school offers Jan Di free tuition to Shinhwa High School, where she runs into the rich and famous posse known as the F4 (Flower 4). These four super hot guys are the ones who bullied the boy that Jan Di saved from killing himself, and she hates them instantly. BUT WAIT. Two members of the F4 are head-over-heels in love with the goose-like Jan Di, and she spends 22 episodes trying to decide if she loves one or the other or hates both of them. If the plot isn't enough to draw you in, the glorious physiques of the F4 boys should do the trick, Gu Jun Pyo and So Yi Jung in particular.
Boys Over Flowers is a classic in K-Dramas to say the very least. Knowing this, it is understandable why so many people are confused and moderately angery at the fact that WillKinn Media has taken the liberty to create an American version of the drama. What. What. Cue the baffled facial expressions. Who gave this company the right to taint the name of one of the most legendary K-dramas of all time? I sure didn't. The article from Allkpop.com, which was released in September, mentions that only two of the six producers working on the production are fans of the original series. This explains why the project was even attacked; a group of six people who were fans of the k-drama would not even bother to touch the American remake project. The article also shows the cast list for the remake. I am unable to gauge the quality of the drama, especially because the lead male roles are extremely attractive. Pretty faces rarely equal exceptional talent, especially in low-budget remakes of Korean television shows. One of the lead character's love interests is played by Trenton Culkin, who most definitely looks like he could be related to Macaulay Culkin; However, my internet sources are so far failing me on confirming this information. The other love interest looks like a part-time cologne salesman, part-time Abercrombie and Fitch model. No thank you. I like my entirely-clothed, chiseled-jawed, full-time actor Lee Minho. What a stud.
I think it goes without saying that I will be diligently watching and tracking the production and release of this series, solely for the purpose of judging it within the frame of reference I have gained from watching the forever unbeatable Korean version.
Now that I have been successfully dragged into looking at snapshots of Boys Over Flowers on Google Images and reminiscing over the glory days, I shall drop a visual into this post. Enjoy.
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