In the middle of my mad love for Korean Hanadan, a bit of love for the Taiwanese version

[dangermousie]

filmi_girl came over today and we spent the day watching Korean Hana Yori Dango ep 5, talking, and watching the first two eps of Meteor Garden, which I talked her into watching (on the principle that you can't have too much Hanadan). She seems to like it, which is YAY! We will continue to watch more together.

I've forgotten that MG is a lot more open about sex and violence than the kdrama and much more open about sex than the jdrama (which is less open about sex than kdrama).

You know, this rewatch of MG confirms that much as I enjoy Inoue Mao and Go Hye Sun as Makino in the Japanese and Korean versions, respectively, Barbie Hsu is my definitive Makino. She is so tough she could probably wipe the floor with the other Makinos. She is just incredible: the scene where she thinks Dao Ming Si (this version's Domyouji) had people write around she had two abortions and comes to find him, boiling mad, but can't reach him because he is sitting up too high so she kicks Akira in the shins instead, is one of my favorite things in the world. When she is at the party with the mean bitches, she is not embarassed or weeping when they try to humiliate her, but pays back with interest. She is TOUGH.

Lee Min Ho is shaping up to be my favorite Domyouji, hands down, but Jerry Yan is just as gorgeous and (since this version sticks close to the manga) is a hell of a lot more messed-up and out-of-control, which I love. A dorky almost-psycho is an almost irresistable fictional combo for me.

And oh oh oh oh oh oh, I go nonverbal when I think of Vic Zhou (my favorite drama actor and probably the best-looking guy I have ever seen) as Lei, this version's Rui.

I think, in some ways, this version just imprinted on me: it was only my second drama (after Mars, which also starred Barbie Hsu and Vic Zhou, in roles that are polar opposites to their roles in MG) and the one which made me realize Mars wasn't a one-off fluke and I should investigate this world of dramas...I am pretty blind to its flaws, I admit. Or maybe my manga purist heart just likes how super-faithful it is as an adaptation (I adore Korean Hanadan beyond measure, but it's not as faithful and much as I love Japanese Hanadan, it's more like a freeform interpretation of the manga)...

In honor of that, a cute MG mv.

Comments

[marspeach.livejournal.com]

I just finished it today. And I have to admit it had flaws, but was very enjoyable.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yay! It's certainly flawed but so much fun!

[thinking-lotus.livejournal.com]

mmm, I just watched all the subbed eps of Wish to See You Again and Vic Zhou is SO GOOD.

But Vanness Wu is just plain terrible, lol.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Vanness is very pretty but agree...much of an actor he is not.

I haven't finished WTSYA yet. I fail at faingirl.

[thinking-lotus.livejournal.com]

I haven't finished WTSYA yet. I fail at faingirl.

I ff'd through all the non-Vic parts, lol. But his performance is def worthy of flail.

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

Xu Le! I loved the way he walked around like a praying mantis all the time :-). (Hello, by the way)

[thinking-lotus.livejournal.com]

yes! with his brows knitted together, biting his lip. Vic Zhou has turned his natural gift for looking uncomprehending into a career (don't get me wrong, I adore him).

hello back!

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

*snort!* Well put! I loved that opening scene, where he approached Nancy at high speed with a (seemingly) bloody knife in his hands - and then could simply not figure out why everyone reacted so badly to it.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

Kicking Akira in the shins will always be one of the best scenes in any drama ever! And then Jerry Yan's expression while he was saying "Oh she came to tell me she's a virgin because she's in love with me!"

I wonder why MG doesn't get as much love as the Japanese version? It might be flawed but it's still really good!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I think it's because it's older and has lower production values? Fangirling is a fairly transient thing so I doubt many people who originally fangirled over it when it first came around are still in fandom. And a lot of people don't want to check out 'older' dramas. Plus, add in the fact more people love jdramas or kdramas than twdramas. I think it's a shame, though.

[fivil.livejournal.com]

It's funny, the drama is only what, 2003? But it feels *so* old school. Anyway, yeah, I love Barbie in it. Her anger really drives her, as it should, because MG has more violent, worse things happen to her than the other versions (IIRC anyway).

The kisses in it are so hot and great I'm shocked I can't find some of them on youtube at all.

[rubypurple.livejournal.com]

Hi there. :)
MG was first aired in 2001. :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yup, what rubypurple said - 2001. It was the first true idol trama in Taiwan apparently.

because MG has more violent, worse things happen to her than the other versions (IIRC anyway).


Agreed. She deals with some horrific stuff, much more than the other two.

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

Snap! I pulled out MG myself last night and - erm - found myself watching past midnight. Whoops. Naturally I was half-dead by the time I got to work (though that was also from getting up in the wee hours to start dlding BBF). But it was all in a very noble cause :-). I watched the Beating through to DMS's Birthday. Such good stuff!
I've forgotten that MG is a lot more open about sex and violence than the kdrama
It truly is, isn't it? It's part of what makes me like it so much, despite its (many) rough edges. It's not that it sticks slavishly to the manga, but it really is the one closest to it in many respects.
When she is at the party with the mean bitches, she is not embarassed or weeping when they try to humiliate her, but pays back with interest. She is TOUGH.
I LOVE that she shrugs off the embarrassment and disappointment that no, she hadn't actually made some friends, and hits them where it hurts. Love love love it.
I think, in some ways, this version just imprinted on me: it was only my second drama
This and Mars were my first and second tw-dramas, respectively, and veeery early on in my drama-watching career. And I have you to thank for them, as it was your blogging that convinced me to check them out!

That MV is too cute. And oh god, it's got him dancing. Such a dork!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

That happened to me before! Some time ago I just meant to check out a couple of scenes, but then...whoops, hours went by. I wonder if in a lot of ways MG will end up still being my favorite version (thus putting me squarely in the minority). In some ways it feels the more 'realistic'- not as OTT, more 'every day' if it makes sense. Plus, I always love the fact that Jerry Yan's Domyouji is genuinely menacing and violent and messed-up: Jun Pyo so far seems rather more 'normal' (and Matsujun, much as I love him in other roles, is a bit of a cartoon).

Mars was my first and MG my second, too! I have been so hooked ever since!

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

I wonder if in a lot of ways MG will end up still being my favorite version...
At the moment, it's feeling that way for me too. Still, BBF is only just at the quarter-way mark; still plenty of time for it to nab the top spot...
In some ways it feels the more 'realistic'- not as OTT, more 'every day' if it makes sense.
I'd agree, and I'd add that that's very close to the feel of the manga for me: despite the many crazy things that go on, the characters' interactions feel very real to me.
Plus, I always love the fact that Jerry Yan's Domyouji is genuinely menacing and violent and messed-up: Jun Pyo so far seems rather more 'normal' (and Matsujun, much as I love him in other roles, is a bit of a cartoon).
Yes, yes, and yes. Though I am madly in love with Jun-pyo/LMH ;-).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

BBF is only just at the quarter-way mark; still plenty of time for it to nab the top spot

True.

I think I am actually beginning to see the problem people have with Go Hye Sun as the eps progress: a bit too much mugging for my taste. Barbie was a real person. I am looking forward to serious bits though, as she does those really well. The problem with LMH being so awesome though is I get irritated at Jandi for not reciprocating JP's feelings, even though I know I am irrational :)

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

Yes, she's beginning to irritate me a wee bit in the cutesy scenes. And they comprise quite a large part of her role. But there are plenty of meaty serious bits to come; let's hope the face-pulling will be allowed to subside.
We're probably all firmly in Jun-pyo's camp at this point, though we probably shouldn't be (not so firmly, anyway ;-).
I've only managed to see about 2/3s of last night's episode (and not in order, either), so perhaps I can't judge properly, but I actually thought KHJ did a better job as Ji-hoo overall. Perhaps as this is moving away from scenes that were in the j-drama and he doesn't have to compete with/emulate Oguri Shun's performance?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Agreed, I think KHJ did a better job. Finally. I wonder if it's because (as you put it) he doesn't have to do an Oguri Shun imitation any more. He is still rather lacking in comparison with both Vic and Shun, but at least it's not as obvious. Still, both LMH and Kim Bum (who was so amazing in East of Eden!) can act circles around him.

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

Still, both LMH and Kim Bum (who was so amazing in East of Eden!) can act circles around him.
No argument from me here! And I'm sorely tempted to check out EoE just to see Kim Bum's great performance in it (even though I understand the program's kind of imploding at present).
As for KHJ, I think he'll probably do better as a general rule from now onwards. Quite apart from the fact that the drama is really moving away from Hanadan territory, this is the point where Rui really starts opening up (in his own Rui-like fashion), and the manga-ka started shifting him to kooky friend. So he's also getting away from the early stuff where Rui is so very closed off; he felt horribly constrained during a lot of those scenes.

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Despite the horrific boy fashion in MG, I still have uber amounts of love for it. So many cute moments :) Sanchai IS the awesomest Makino ever. And Jerry Yan, I think, is still my fave Doumyoji since he's harsher and fiercer yet so childish at the same time :D

Plus, the music in MG is so much better than in BOF/Hanadan!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Shancai is just so tough, it's pretty incredible - she just doesn't quit no matter what, and she is less childish than Jandi or Makino. If she actually had to deal with Jun Pyo and not Ah Si, she'd probably walk over him in two minutes flat :)

I adore Jerry Yan too - maybe he is tied with LMH, because he is not as good an actor as LMH (IMO), but his character is a lot more unhinged.

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

Shancai rules! And Dao Ming Si may not be the best acted Doumyouji (I do think Lee Min-ho is getting my award there), but I think he's the best written. Plus I love Jerry Yan :-).
And I really love the MG music as well. Like everything in the production, it's edited sloppily, but the individual pieces are just lovely. The BBF background music is mostly still making me cringe a bit; I was really expecting more from it in that respect.

[rubypurple.livejournal.com]

I absolutely adore Vic as Hua Ze Lei and I think he's the best out of the 3. :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Of course, the fact that I space out just staring at him, doesn't hurt.

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

He is soooo pretty. You see him in pictures and you think 'good looking, but there are plenty of pretty men in Taiwan', and then you see him in action and it's a whole 'nother story...

[main-hoon-emily.livejournal.com]

Nobody will ever replace Oguri Shun's Rui as my favorite, but I do love Jerry Yan as Dau Ming Szi. So hot and so mental!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh yes - it's such a deadly combo. I can totally see both why Shan Cai didn't want to date him for the longest time despite her attraction, and why she finally agreed. (Side note: Jerry Yan should be in more dramas!)

[animeshon.livejournal.com]

I really must get around to watching Meteor Garden. I bought the DVDs years ago and have just never gotten to it. Shame on me!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It's a really awesome drama despite the lack of production budget!

[angelajewell.livejournal.com]

I'm completely bias when it comes to MG too, since it was the 2nd drama I ever watched as well (the first one was the good, but extremely depressing, J-drama, Summer Snow). But it was Meteor Garden that REALLY got me hooked on dramas in the end (I remember hating Summer Snow because it upset me so much; MG was a much needed change). Plus, I was a HUGE fan of the manga, and was thrilled to see those beloved characters come to life. I know it has its flaws, but it's still a fantastic drama that makes me really nostalgic. It's also one of those series that I can watch more than once, and still enjoy. Plus, it's the only drama I've ever gone out of my way to buy after watching it for free online. So far, it's my favorite of all the versions... but that doesn't stop me from enjoying all the other ones too. ^_^

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I enjoy other versions too, but MG is mt favorite...there is something incredibly addictive about it!

[valkyriesailor.livejournal.com]

This MV is love. Now I want to watch MG again! ^.^;
With the kissing, not kissing... I'm still in love with the taiwanese version, it's the best HyD live I saw till now. I'm not saying there is nothing good in the korean version (I'm hoping to have enough time to post about it this week ^^") but they show that idiotic '15' at the side, and even then the best they can come up is a kiss on her head??? Not that it isn't sweet, and if Makino is asleep Doumyouji shouldn't do more, but I really want to watch a REAL kiss.
Another topic... have you heard that the director of BoF left and now another is director for the drama? He seems to like close-ups.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

they show that idiotic '15' at the side, and even then the best they can come up is a kiss on her head?

LOL, true! So far all the kisses have been barely there: Ji Hoo kisses like a statue (both times) and there has been no JP/JD kiss yet (CPR does not count). Come on, kdrama, bring it on! *uses icon from a drama which had a lot of spectacular kissing*

[valkyriesailor.livejournal.com]

LOL. Then I use my creative icon to help them along in thinking of a scene we would like. X3 *hopes for the hottest kisses ever*