STICKIED: Boys Over Flowers Watch-Along. Join me so I'd feel less pathetic!

[dangermousie]

So yes.

I tried to resist the impulse, brought on by the expected bout of recurrent BOF fever. But the impulse won!

Please join me for 25 episodes of fun, angst, insanity, and some spectacularly terrifying fashion choices! Discussion can go in this post - I am going to be stickying this shortly.

I am thinking 4 eps a week is doable, to start every Friday - this Friday we start with eps 1-4.

Normally I'd ask to use spoiler tags but is there anyone left in the world my flist who does not know the story inside out? Still, it would probably be good to put in the subject line which eps your comment relates to or if it relates to spoilers about the ending - you never know when a spoilerphobe might stumble in. Not mandatory but appreciated. :)

No rules or restrictions - anything goes - plot discussions, comparisons to other versions, drooling over the cast, snark about Ji Hoo's penchant for all-white clothes or Jun Pyo's hairstyle.

Oh, and no requirement to stay the course - I know views on the latter parts of BOF are mixed :) Also, it goes without saying (but I am going to say it anyway), that you don't have to do 4 eps a week to participate - you can do more or less or just drop in to chat because you've watched this drama previously. 4 eps is more of structural guideline than anything.

So, who's in?

Anyone, anyone, Bueller? :P

Tentative schedule:
April 30-May 6 - eps 1-4
May 7-May 13 - eps 5-8
May 14-May 20 - eps 9-12
May 21-27 - eps 13-16
May 28-June 3 - eps 17-20
June 4-June 10 - eps 21-25

This can be the bucket post unless you'd rather I did a separate post each week.

Comments

[prismatic-star.livejournal.com]

I'm tempted.
But... the thought of hearing ALLMOOOSSSTTT PARADISEEEE every minute frightens me.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Heh. I am basically tone-deaf so I don't even notice the music most times.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

I'M ONLY GOING TO DO THIS SO I CAN USE MY FAVOURITE JUN PYO = DOUCHEBAG ICON. THAT IS IT. AND FOR PRINCE SONG OF COURSE.

Oh god who am I kidding I've been looking forward to rewatching this thing and I'm going to enjoy (almost) every minute of it.

I'm going to have to start at the beginning of May though since I'm leeching off/stealing borrowing my neighbours' internet now and it's not too stable.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

You can stream it too - all the usual places plus dramafever have it :P

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

You are an evil enabler you know :P

I'm going to have a shitty day tomorrow so 4 eps of pretty boys, girls who kick ass and awful music and fashion to come home to will be fun xD

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Hope the day gets better and yay re: streaming!

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

thanks!

[village.livejournal.com]

Just tell me how full on the Ji Hoo/Jan Di OTP in the later episodes is?
I'm pretty protective of the Domyoji/Makino OTP which is why I dropped BOF before they thoroughly fucked it up. I'm one of the few people in the HYD fandom that could never wrap my mind around Rui/Tsukushi so sitting through Jun Pyo being a total asshole PLUS Ji Hoo being the bestest best that ever bested, will probably be pretty uncomfortable for me. Heh.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I remember madly swooning for JP/Jandi through ep 17. From then on it was sort of uneven - whenever they allowed the OTP to have a scene together, I'd go all mad for them but they stuck an awful lot of JH/Jandi scenes and I'd be fickle. Plenty of people loved JP/Jandi through to the end and, tbh, I probably would have too except I was stuck on all the ways it deviated from the manga in story and character. (Last 4th of drama JP makes a fine enough kdrama hero but he's not Domyouji-ish at all and my manga purist was pissed - I am sure now that I know it's a loose adaptation, the changes won't bug me - I started out thinking it would be the best adaptation yet and then it wasn't too Hanadanish by the end. I would have been happier knowing it from the start).

Basically, I think the D/M lover is pretty safe but if you are a manga purist, I suggest you bail the group rewatch somewhere around ep 16-17.

[village.livejournal.com]

Oh, I already know that the writers go crazy in the second half which is why I've been so wary of starting it again. And I actually think I did a pretty good job in terms of separating the manga from the drama, that's not entirely what bothered me. I guess, my main worry is that I'll loathe Jandi by the end of it because she can't choose.

I will try to follow along though, as I get the feeling that left to my own devices, I'll be sitting in a corner, banging my head against a wall about everything. Since you've all seen it before, I'm sure just reading your reactions will calm me down. ;)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh, she never sways from JP - whatever my problems with her character, that part they didn't screw up. :)

We shall see how it goes this time :P

[(Anonymous)]

It was not Hanadan to begin with :
F4 introduced like they the Beegees at the begining (that's weird I am wondering why these boys never scared me...)
Jun Pyo who plays in mud in some rugby team in episode 2 (You see Domyoji does that ?)
Jun Pyo who dances in a boys band in episode 3 (You see Domyoji does that ?)
Jun Pyo who cries as Aishwarya Rai (epi 5, epi7 and in a lot of scenes in the second part) and who shined here by his sometimes overracting.
Jandi who had never really known F4 and who just arrived in the school but who provocked the boys (You see Makino does that ?)
Jun Pyo (F4) who wears school uniform (ep2 & ep5) like any other pupil...yeah yeah...
Jandi and Minji eating ice cream like 5 years old girls (stupidely cheesy scene with the quality of a lakorn)
Jandi who shined by the way her actress killed the character (apparently acting as an ape is cute)
JiHoo who shined by the stiff acting of his actor KHJ.
" Sojiro"supposed womanizer who looks as childish as "Justin Bieber"
Therefore he is so unbelievable as a playboy that the only saving grace for him is to make him sticks with who-has-never-gone-to-school Ga Eul and making him emo. Here too he shined by the one dimensional acting of his actor and his cringworthy job (the roof scene).
"Akira" who shined by the uselessness of his character (at least in HYD we knew Akira's weird ? background, he acted a lot to help Makino/Domyoji and Okami's business with Yuki and Soujiro and at least he had chemistry with his friends) but who shined by the cringworthy acting of his actor (The drunk scene with "Sojiro"...)

[partypaprika.livejournal.com]

Although I'm just about to start finals, I've been meaning to watch this for a while. Aaaaaand I just finished love shuffle and need something to fill the void in my heart. I caught a few episodes back when it was airing but I have pretty large issues keeping up with currently airing shows..... I can't promise that I'll keep to the schedule for the first two weeks--as the aforementioned finals might hold me back, but definitely count me in!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yay, so happy!

And good luck!

[robotmatsuri.livejournal.com]

Tempting!

But I think I might be the only girl that doesn't find Lee Min Ho attractive. D:

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

OMG horrors!

But never fear, BOF is wall-to-wall mancandy. There's the other F3, evil sexy model nemesis etc.

[prdarkstar.livejournal.com]

I'm in! I'm due for a rewatch. I might have to skip a few since I may not have the time to watch them all but i'll definitely participate as much as I can.

Random but I remember thinking during the finale "Wow, I haven't heard Almost paaaaaaradise" in ages and a few minutes later, BAM, it came on. Of course at the most inappropriate of times. Ah I miss that.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yay!

I have a fondness for how inappropriately they used that song. They were playing it when LMH and KHJ were bloodily brawling on a hockey rink! (Unless 'almost paradise' referred to the state of the audience who got to see two hot dudes try to take each other out).

[popaddict.livejournal.com]

I could do it up to ep 12 mayyyybe ep 16 but then the unmitigated hate starts and I promised myself never to torture myself with this brand of fail again.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Join us for however long you want :P

[(Anonymous)]

LOL how do you do it? You have like 10 currently airing dramas on your plate and you're already planning another rewatch! HAHAHA! You're insane!

I'm watching 4 currently airing kdramas, I'm trying to scratch a kdrama of my must watch list(Resurrection, I'd also get on with and finish the last 4 episodes of Still Marry Me and IRIS (please don't kill me :)) and I'm planning to rewatch Green Rose because I miss LDH!

Now, this plus the fact that you'd color every black and white innocence I hold for this teen bopper sound really really tempting. Maybe I'll bump off Green Rose for the meantime and watch BOF instead. hmmmmmm... Maybe...

hagrid :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am going to dump Down with Love, Dong Yi and Cinderella Unni until they are all done - I am helpless wanting a BOF rewatch.

Hey, I won't kill you if IRIS is not your thing. As long as you admit that LBH is really hot in it, that is :)

I remember enjoying Green Rose. MMMMM.

Yes, yes, join the BOF watch, we could have fun in the gutter!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Hee. No. My daughter made me watch everything almost twice so I feel I watched it better than any other drama. :D But I will follow - I remember everything REALLY REALLY well.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LOLOLOL I could see how that would get wearying. I think I watched most eps twice back then - once raw, once with subs but I am good at forgetting things so it's not too bad on rewatches.

[orangebreeze.livejournal.com]

Count me in :D
I also think I'm in the minority because I didn't find the later episodes worse than the earlier ones. I remember giggling a lot in the later part, for example when Jan Di was a maid in Jun Pyo's house ^^
I haven't read the manga, though (don't like the style a lot...) so I guess that's an advantage somehow.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I haven't read the manga, though (don't like the style a lot...) so I guess that's an advantage somehow.

Yes, I am watching it now as its own thing - much better (I was a mad manga fan and second half wasn't like the manga much). Manga early style is horrible but it gets better. By the end it's not bad. Also has scenes like this:

http://dangermousie.livejournal.com/1433355.html#cutid1

[er-mused.livejournal.com]

Yes! ME~ I'm in!! hahahaha

I can make this part of my yearly MG/HYD/BOF rewatch ritual!

I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post but I will be with you in spirit! HAHAHA
I am so excited!!!

Crap, I'm afraid I'll be distracted when Kimura's new drama starts!!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Wooo!

Oh, I am so excited about KimuTaku's newest btw

[itshelene.livejournal.com]

Heh...I actually forwarded through most of the last 5-6 episodes, this drama was killing me in the end (and not in a good way). There is no way I am going to fit this into my schedule as of now unfortunately, question is, HOW ARE YOU??? I might follow the discussion though and watch certain scenes mentioned again. This is one of the few dramas I have complete in 720p.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am dropping a bunch of dramas to watch them when they are done :)

[cranberrysheep.livejournal.com]

Hey now, don't you have other dramas to catch up on? ;D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

What can I say - short attention span, plus I am dropping CU, DY, and DWL until they are complete.

Thoughts/caps of first half of first ep, Part 1

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes, instead of catching up on my backlog of dramas I have started watching BOF instead. I got about halfway into first ep before I had to run but I've been in a good mood for hours - it kicked in as soon as I heard the first strains of that silly Almost Paradiiiiiise :)

Random caps/thoughts follow.

1. Unlike the rather plain card in other versions, I am pleased to see that in-between their violent outbursts and nervous breakdowns, F4 members are so dedicated to the artistic. I keep wondering who drew it. I doubt Jun Pyo can draw anything other than a stick-figure, Ji Hoo would just wander off in the middle, oooh, Yi Jung? He's the artist in the group. I have a hilarious image of Woo Bin letting one of his girlfriends of the moment do it. Also, logistical questions - did they take it to a printer's shop to have mass-printed? What?



2. Jandi of the beginning is not only a total commonsense awesome win, she has the exact haircut from the manga post Junpei. You know, I never understood the complaints about Gu Hye Sun not being pretty enough. One of the main points of Jandi's character is that she isn't beautiful - that's not what attracts admirers/friends/enemies to her but her character does.



3. You know, before the idiot censors made them tone it down, BOF was pretty hardcore about its violence. Also, I always hated the students in that school so much. Fine, Jun Pyo is acting out and reacting way disproportionately because he is reacting to an upbringing from hell and has the maturity/empathy of a 3-yr-old and for his friends their friend's amusement trumps everything. It's not good in any way, but it's still better than the rest of the school which gleefully participates in torture of someone who they have nothing against - they may want to drive the kid out of school to earn favor (and ugh on that notion) but that horrible cruelty is all theirs (side note - I find it interesting that in this version we never see Jun Pyo himself beat one of the victims or whatever). Plus, they jump at the chance even when there isn't a red card to spur them on - the way they turn on Jandi in ep 5, OMG. And at least Jun Pyo gets karmic punishment for being such a bastard, none of the school kids ever do.



4. Ga Eul yang! I missed you! SQUEE.



5. Kang Mama. I think she is without doubt the evilest version of that character ever. By the time we learned the extent of her evilness, I was surprised that Jun Pyo only had the issues he had and wasn't just locked up stuttering and medicated in the corner. I bet she bathes in the blood of virgins and kicks puppies for fun. I am really disappointed she never got her comeuppance but oh well... (LOL, guys, remember all the crazy speculation that she had an incestuous thing for her son????)



6. Man, I love Jandi's adorable goofy family. How weird is it to see the sweet adorable Dad though - seeing that he's playing such a bastard in Personal Taste right now.



7. Ummmm, this time I just may be shipping Ji Hoo/Jandi from the start. He is so purty and I still have memories of later eps' rain clinging. Honestly, why can't they all just have a threesome? I don't think Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo would mind (they sleep in each other's beds!) and Jandi could have a really good time :P

Thoughts on first half of first ep, part 2

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

8. I love how the first entrance of F4 is so very manga, with the rays of light and everything :P





9. They picked freakishly well for manga look - I finally got what on earth Makino meant in the manga when she kept referring to Rui as a marble-eyed prince :P





10. Woo Bin. Just for you ladies who requested him. You know, when the mob heir is the only sane one among his basketcase friends, it's pretty amusing.







11. The three musketeers. But I feel horrible seeing 'Sunny' - after it came out what happened to her - R.I.P., JJY.



12. I have a ridiculous amount of fondness both for Yi Jung (here he is, pre-emo) and his actor, Kim Bum. I remember I wanted him to play Jun Pyo before the cast was announced.













13. This will never be not funny.



14. Every time I see this I wonder who thought it was a good idea to give the violent, messed-up, impulse-control-phobic Jun Pyo a gun.



15. That drama knew its fanservice :) Also, KHJ is ridiculously pretty. Ridiculously. (Also, now that I know more about KHJ himself, I am extra amused at his playing dreamy dreamy Ji Hoo).







16. I love that all the other F4 have normal enough shoes but Jun Pyo's are hideous and shiny. And also that the rest of them dress themselves but he just sits there being dressed by servants. You know one thing I noticed this time? Even this early, he looks not just bored but really really sad - kinda quietly depressed. (And just you wait till later!) I mean, I don't blame him, if I had Mama Kang for a parent, I'd commit suicide myself, but it's interesting - no wonder he latches onto Jandi like a limpet - he has no emotional outlets at all, plus she makes him laugh (mainly because he's a 5-yr-old idiot but that's a separate matter).







17. Indeed.



Side note: whatever issues I may have with this as an adaptation of Hanadan, I will always love it for giving Lee Min Ho his big break.

Re: Thoughts on first half of first ep, part 2

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

mainly because he's a 5-yr-old idiot
ngl I kind of love that about Domyouji. And I love that even after he grew up and became mature he was still a dork.

Jun Pyo's dorkiness (in the first half) kills me. Getting his proverbs all mixed up and just being a full-on idiot really endeared him to me.

Re: Thoughts on first half of first ep, part 2

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yup, I thought that was hilarious. I used to have a 'early bug dies faster' icon. LOLOL

[scanky-chops.livejournal.com]

I might do this if only to actually see it for Woo Bin and his non-crazy emo angsty self. Also, the first half was pretty loltastic and fun to do. I'm thinking an episode per week might work for me.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yay! Join us!

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

22 minutes into the first ep and I cannot stop giggling. It's so ridiculous. I mean Jun Pyo makes comes to school in a helicopter! Lolol and the toy helicopter is so obvious.

Unpopular opinion but I find Ji hoo incredibly boring and this time around I don't even find him good looking (in the beginning KHJ was the big draw for me). And all my rage flooded back as soon as he was on screen. Add to that KHJ's atrocious acting and I think I'm going to have to fastforward all his scenes.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LOL.

I am skipping scenes this time around, too. Except for scenes with sexy idiot JP or Jandi being her kick-ass self.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

OMgomg the glowy entrance! I'm dying rn.
And Jun Pyo's hair = PERFECT.
sjkfdhsdkjfhsdf did I mention LMH is amazing, brilliant, flawless, hot, etc? COS HE IS. Jun Pyo's eyes are so cold when he's bullying that kid who dared to wear the same shirt as him (and that kid is an idiot because i'm pretty sure he knew that's exactly what was going to happen). And lol I love how Prince Song just looks sort of exasperated when he hands over the juice.

Is Miranda Hyeri's bff in Prosecutor Princess or are they two different actresses?

ALLLMOOOST PAARAAADIIIIIIIIIIIIIISEEE! I think I actually missed this song. I love that the first time this song plays is during fanservicey shirtless F4 montage xD

LMAO @ JUN PYO'S PIMP CANE. You just know he thought it was so cool and he'd look so cool with it.

I love that Jandi's eating the cucumber slices that her mom puts on her face. And how cute is her dad ironing that uniform with so much care?

Ice cream scene = one of my favourites of all time. Jandi throwing money in his face, sticking the business sticker to his forehead and telling him off = perfect. And Jun Pyo actually looks sort of scared. Maybe he's just startled but I love that he totally flinches when each note falls on him and she turns around and sticks the card/sticker to his face. SO MUCH AWESOME. A
Also the way JP says "Lick it off" still creeps me the hell out. And I REALLY hated F3 in this scene because they just thought Sakurako's humiliation was so damn amusing. I wish Jandi had smacked them all real well too.

That school is full of sociopaths. Seriously wtf?

Jun Pyo is such an idiot. I love it!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

sjkfdhsdkjfhsdf did I mention LMH is amazing, brilliant, flawless, hot, etc? COS HE IS.

Right there with you. Especially since I am watching PT basically at the same time as the BOF rewatch and his character in PT is so very different (actually, he reminds me of Rui a bit in it :P)

I will never be not amused that the big and mighty F4 member Song Woo Bin, future head of criminal enterprise, is carrying juice as his drink of choice.

Ice-cream scene = WIN. The lick it off part really made me shudder because my head just went into a really creepy bad!wrong!sexual place. Hmmm. I think all of F4 were just as responsible for the bullying as JP was - they didn't even bother trying to stop him, even though they had nothing against the people he was mad at. Ah, well, all of them except for Woo Bin get boatloads of angst as karmic punishment :P

I love Jandi's reaction to beauty treatments so. LOL. That's my girl!
Jun Pyo = brain power of a three year old.

[pancreatic.livejournal.com]

Hi, sorry to be a random person >< I stumbled across your LJ while looking for Doctor Who reaction posts and I saw this post and instantly went "OMG YES!" Would you mind if I joined in?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Hi! I'd be delighted! Yes please!

[singing-tree.livejournal.com]

Count me in! I always wanted to do a rewatch but somehow I never started..
Damn, the Korean version of the F4 are certainly the most handsome. Except for Vic Zhou, naturally. :P

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yay!!!

I think there is a law somewhere that says nobody is allowed to be prettier than Vic :P

[singing-tree.livejournal.com]

That would explain a lot! :P Though I like that Japanese what's his name the best as Rui.. There's just something about him, can't quite put my finger on what it is.

[elvensapphire.livejournal.com]

OT, but -

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! ♥

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thank you!