If the rest of the world got on the bandwagon and made its own version of Hana Yori Dango?

[dangermousie]

Clearly, Hana Yori Dango is some sort of Asian drug. Not only did Taiwan, Japan, and Korea had their very successful versions, but apparently now both a Mainland Chinese and Filipino versions are in the works. We are beginning to run out of countries in Asia which had not adapted it. Here is my take on how those other versions would go.

North Korea: Somehow, Makino gets into an elite school for party bosses in Pyonyang. Domyouji is a son of the man who runs the military and tries to woo Makino with gifts of potatoes. Domyouji's parent tries to break the lovebirds up by threatening to send all of Makino's family to the camps. The Great Leader intervenes and saves the lovebirds, by praising Makino's tremendous social consciousness, knowledge of Juche, and ability to dig for vegetables.

Thailand: Annoyed at the village girl standing up to him in the sophisticated city school for the upper class, Domyouji kidnaps Makino and rapes her in revenge, but then feels really sorry for it, and they fall in love, despite the disapproval of his parents who hire evil Sakurako to sire an heir for the Domyouji family. Never fear, they can live happily ever after when Sakurako runs off and gets into a car accident. (Hey, it worked for the very popular Defendant of Love and the other 'rape means love' Thai dramas! I bet somewhere Mayu Shinjo is downloading lakorns).

Bhutan: The whole thing is acted out with shadow-puppets and elaborate masks with traditional chants. Just as well, as TVs and other modern technology is not allowed.

India: Raj is very very rich and flies to school on his private helicopter while dancing on the top of it between the propeller blades. He falls in love with the plucky but poor Anjali after some eve-teasing which seems to be treated in a remarkably matter-of-fact fashion. Catcalls=true love. But stern father played by Amitabh Bachchan tells him that he cannot marry beneath him and will be kicked out of the family otherwise. Four songs, three dance numbers, and two weddings of random people later, everything gets happily resolved when Amitabh changes his mind for no particular reason except that the three-hour running time is about to end.

Singapore: Domyouji is a bad bad boy: he is rude, disobedient, and he even litters and chews gum. He decides to get revenge on spunky Makino who stands up to him by having the students ignore her politely. This brutal violence reaches fever pitch, when after a discovery of faked incriminating photos, the whole school turns on poor Makino and writes a group open letter politely condemning her for her behavior.

Hong Kong: Domyouji and Makino are rival martial-arts masters who fall in love but due to family disapproval have to fight many matches opposite each other until Stephen Chow intervenes and they are allowed to marry and open a dojo together.

Your suggestions?

Comments

[animeshon.livejournal.com]

ROFL - these are just too awesome, I cannot contribute :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Heee. I was trying to come up with some for Vietnam and Indonesia but I am not faimliar enough with entertainment media/culture of those places to be able to do it.

[astrothsknot.livejournal.com]

I want to see India version. Dancing between the propeller blades!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

They want to ratchet it up a notch from train dancing in Dil Se

[fivil.livejournal.com]

I lol'ed so hard at the North-Korea version. Priceless! :DD

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

*blushes at praise*

Btw, you Hanadan ficlet? I died 18,000 deaths at the awesomeness of it!

[autumnflame.livejournal.com]

Man, I really hope the mangaka is getting filthy rich off of all these adaptations. :D I bet she never dreamed it'd be such a runaway success.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Apparently it's the biggest selling shoujo manga ever. I hope she gets a piece of the pie!

[scottishlass.livejournal.com]

India: Raj is very very rich and flies to school on his private helicopter while dancing on the top of it between the propeller blades. He falls in love with the plucky but poor Anjali after some eve-teasing which seems to be treated in a remarkably matter-of-fact fashion. Catcalls=true love. But stern father played by Amitabh Bachchan tells him that he cannot marry beneath him and will be kicked out of the family otherwise. Four songs, three dance numbers, and two weddings of random people later, everything gets happily resolved when Amitabh changes his mind for no particular reason except that the three-hour running time is about to end.

And the whole thing is then a double feature of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai up till first intermission and then turning into Khabie Kushie Kabhie Gham :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. With SRK and Kajol (who cares if they are too old :D)

[sisterjune.livejournal.com]

OMG ok I KNEW about the c-version cause a friend who loves tw and c dramas told me about it. so i said to her "damn next thing you know the philipino's will be doing a version too!" AND OMG I WAS RIGHT? I WAS JOKING! UWAH XD
I've never seen a philipino drama in my life but all my philipino friends say they are awful XD so i am sure the tagalog version of hyd will be a beautiful cheesy over the top mess. and I was already saying I hope the C-version is like a wuxia film with everyone having magic kung fu powers and dressed in flowing robes and tsukushi is actually the reincarnation of a great deity/monk who fought off the evil forces 2929298 years ago. BUT DOUMYOJI IS THE REINCARNATION OF ANOTHER MONK/DEITY WHO FOUGHT FOR THE FORCES OF DARKNESS! can love prevail? ;-; lol though at that point it wont be about class anymore XD

and I LOLed so hard at your ideas for other asian countries HYDs XD especially the north korean and indian versions XD aofwojw OMG COMMUNISTY HYD. IMAGINE IIIIT. i so want someone to do a satirical version of hyd set in north korea now. this is your fault :( I'd be so down to watch an indian version though, my parents LOVE bollywood films so I've seen more than a few...unfortunately XD though only one I ever really liked was asoka. but I think a bollywood film of hyd would be awesome and possibly very hilarious. *imagines hindi doumyoji singing and dancing* oh btw are thai dramas really like that? cause if so, holy crap o_o that's messed up!

[mishane.livejournal.com]

I've never seen a Filipino drama before (but I do remember watching some when I was younger, around 4-6 years old and from what I remember, they are just like the Spanish telenovellas, in other words. BAD.

But some of the Filipino movies are actually pretty funny and cute. The romantic comedies, at least.

Their only problem is bad production. They aren't shiny and pretty like the Korean or Japanese movies.

[xiaobellsa.livejournal.com]

These are cracktastic!!!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

:)

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

BWHAHAHAHA!
These are awesome!
OMG you should so write a North Korean HYD fic!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LOL. He can take her for a trip to the Kim Il Sung shrine and that would finally win her heart :)

[darkeyedwolf.livejournal.com]

AHAHAHA I'M GOING TO HELL FOR LAUGHING SO HARD AT SOME OF THESE.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Have you seen ep 6 yet? You will approve heartily of shirtlessness the plot.

[hyperhippot.livejournal.com]

Oh god, india's version is so believable that is scary, in fact probably there's some writer hidden in a bad lighted little room writting exactly that plot for his next 4 hour's big hit and dreaming about getting SRK as the male lead! ...soon in theaters...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

ROFL!

[fenrir-khan.livejournal.com]

The Bollywood version had me in stitches. Just imagine the clothes!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am going blind just thinking about it.

[uisceros.livejournal.com]

HAHA! I'd pay lots of money to see the Singaporean version...

I'd heard about the Filipino version, but a mainland version! Squee! I've recently been loving mainland cdramas!

Somewhere in there should be a Cambodian version... but despite living in an area with an large Cambodian population, I don't know enough about their pop culture.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I have no idea how a Cambodian version would go, either :)

[marspeach.livejournal.com]

Oh God, I'm in stitches. The India one especially cracked me up. And do they even have TV in North Korea?

I was surprised that mainland China was doing one but apparently the government isn't happy about it. From what I've read, it's just called "New Meteor Garden." How original. I was hoping for something different.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Why they are making another Mandarin-language one I have no idea!

[fantasticolors.livejournal.com]

I would LOVE to see an Bollywood version of HYD even though Bollywood isn't my type of genre. Just to see F4 sing and dance! Heee!!! I just hope and pray the US doesn't make their version.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Bolly version would be hilarious!

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

OMG, I would so pay good money to see the Stephen Chow version of this story... (he'd be directing and writing as well as guest-starring, surely? :-)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Of course he would!

[mishane.livejournal.com]

I kinda wanna see how a US version would fare.

Hmmmmmm. . . . .

That would be interesting to cast. I'm casting it in my head right now, actually.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

They'd probably draw it out for too long though!

[prettierdanpink.livejournal.com]

WHAT? A Filipino version? O_O I watched an interview before and the rumored cast said they know nothing about it :| I hope it doesn't happen. I came from the Philippines and I know (and I am proud) that there are quite a few good Filipino shows and movies. But an Asian drama adaptation? I don't think so. They ruined My Girl and All About Eve. I don't want HanaDan to be next! :(

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

No idea if it's still happening, but I heard about it for ages.

[stillingfleet.livejournal.com]

This brutal violence reaches fever pitch, when after a discovery of faked incriminating photos, the whole school turns on poor Makino and writes a group open letter politely condemning her for her behavior.

LOL. Actually, our Chinese language teachers would make us write thinly veiled essays about how such behaviour is going to destroy Singapore's social fabric and lead to economic ruin. xp

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LOL!

[joonni.livejournal.com]

What do you think the appeal is?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It's like a feminist, cracky version of Cinderella.

[booknerd14.livejournal.com]

oh please tell me you just. please don't tell me there's going to be a filippino version. =S as much as i love hanadan, i really would not be able to handle that adaptation.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

That's what I've heard but it's been in the works for forever and still nothing, so maybe not.

[bennet-7.livejournal.com]

Domyouji and Makino are rival martial-arts masters who fall in love but due to family disapproval have to fight many matches opposite each other until Stephen Chow intervenes and they are allowed to marry and open a dojo together.

You joke, but I think Stephen Chow would actually make that movie...except it would also be a musical comedy.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I would pay good money to see it!

[kittykatz.livejournal.com]

LOL @ the Singapore version. Actually I can see bits of it happening.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LOL

[timescout.livejournal.com]

ROFL!! Oh god, don't do this, I just had a giggle fit right here at my workstation. Luckily my colleagues are used to my occasional bursts of hilarity.... *G*

Unfortunately I'm now having thoughts about a Finnish version. Aki Kaurismäki meets The Bold and The Beautiful. Aaarrgh...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

That would be awesome!

[eraeos.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is a great post -- it made me laugh so hard! I love the little snarks too. ^^

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Heee,thanks!

[zsuness.livejournal.com]

This is beyond hilarious. XDDDDDDD

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thank you ;)