The BOF Gary Stu

It gives me great relief that many people share my observation about Yoon Ji-hoo turning into a freakin' Gary Stu. The writer is too in love with the character that she piles up arc after arc on him just to maximize screentime. Sadly, the more Ji-hoo turns heroic in the eyes of viewers, the more he becomes annoying in my opinion. I have never hated the Rui character in the previous adaptations but the Korean one just takes the cake. It's very hard to sympathize with the way the character is portrayed even if he has the most heart-wrenching sob story among the guys. And it doesn't help that he continuously sports that "blue steel" look when the scene requires him to switch emotions.

Yoon Ji Ryun, I hope you're happy. You have successfully ruined the character I initially fell in love with in the HYD universe. But perhaps I should be thankful too (albeit grudgingly). Knocking Rui off his pedestal made me appreciate what a great and under-utilized character Mimasaka Akira was.

The WooJae ‘shipper in me is happy…

Just sharing something I found over at YouTube. Finally, a Woobin/Jaekyung fanvideo! Although the 'ship is practically non-existent in canon I am a firm believer of it in AU. Now if only I had the inspiration to write a fanfic about these two. Any plot bunnies, please?

Can Woobin get any love from TPTB?

F4 'Song Woo Bin' was about to get his own storyline but in the end the idea was scrapped.

On the 12th, a persons concerned revealed, "There was a plan to create an episode where Woo Bin would get his storyline."

According to the persons concerned, during the time when discussions where underway for the extension of 'Boys Over Flowers,' plans had been formed to produce an episode featuring Song Woo Bin. But there were some who were opposed saying that the F4 & Geum Jan Di must appear or the development will fall short.

And like this, Song Woo Bin's storyline was being debated along with the extension. There appeared to be an extension by 2 episodes and one of those would contain Song Woo Bin's storyline.

A decision was reached that a 2 episode extension would be too much, Song Woo Bin's episode plan was brought to the table and along with opposing views and organizational issues the plan was scrapped.

Meanwhile, the least is known about Song Woo Bin's character even in the original comic out of the F4. But, his character receives numerous amounts of love from 'Boys Over Flowers' because of his humorous and extravagant personality.

Thanks to moonangelkioku who helped translate the article we found from Cyworld.

There's always fanfiction, right? But really, the article above makes me want to slap the BOF screenwriter senseless. Yoon Ji Ryun's obsessive love for Jihoo has caused the script to sacrifice character development for the remaining F4 members. If Yijung never had Gaeul, he would most definitely suffer Woobin's fate. Twenty four episodes is more than enough to cover the entire manga with side-stories to boot. But what do we get? A fiancee overstaying her welcome, seven episodes of barely any Junpyo/Jandi interaction and confused fans who don't seem to realize that the ending will never change even if TPTB's been building up the wrong 'ships.

For the BOF scriptwriter who clearly hates Song Woobin...

Funny thing is, I was just praising a development about this show in my previous post. Now it looks like we've been sucked into the same hell-hole again with the latest episode. This rant goes out to the PD and the writer behind the series who may have forgotten that Hana Yori Dango's charm isn't just about the "you-and-me-against-the-world" love story between the leads, but also about the friendship between four (get it? FOUR, not THREE) guys.

You know what's even more irritating? Rabid fangirls who adhere blindly to this reason:

Mimasaka Akira never really had that much of a role in the manga either.

This is a freakin' adaptation for chrissakes! Writers are given creative license to flesh out the characters to fit the nature of the story. One can wonder if they only had F3 in mind when BBF was conceptualized because there was never a blatant disregard for the character when I watched Meteor Garden and HYD Live. Vaness Wu and Abe Tsuyoshi were never made to feel like extras in a show that is supposed to be about the F4.

But props to Kim Joon for taking it like a true actor. Woo Bin shines even in the very little scenes he's given. There's nothing more appealing after all, than an air of mystery around a certain character. I am no longer keeping my hopes up that Woo Bin will get the storyline he's been long overdue for.

The damage has been done.

Hi there, Prince Song!

I found these photos over at HYD Korea but credits should go those who (watermarked) originally uploaded them. Looks like the F4 guys (or Woo Bin and Yi Jung, for now) are going for a change in hairstyle when they get back from their Macau trip. Hmmm, I wonder how Ji Hoo would look like with no bangs?

It pays to have canned scenes

The Macau scenes benefited the most from what was then a stress-free cast and crew of Boys Over Flowers. The editing, although still not seamless, seemed less rushed and the transition of scenes made sense. Finally, someone got their characterizations right concerning the remaining guys... with Yijung clocking Junpyo over his treatment of Jandi, Woobin trying to keep the peace with his happy disposition and Jihoo comfortably settling into his role as Jandi's guardian angel.

BTW, who finds JH's friend a bit odd though? I couldn't stop laughing over that photo of them together on the coffee mug.

OMG, Kim Joon sings!

Thanks to scentofyours from HYD Korea who first posted this video from minirion81 .

It's T-Max performing "Paradise" for a radio show. And because the BOF cast were currently on a break from filming, Kim Joon was able to join his groupmates for said guesting. He looks tired (notice the yawn?), he even sounds hoarse in those two lines he sang from the song. But those lines were still music to my ears. I guess I've finally found a new Asian heartthrob to fangirl after Ken Zhu in 2003.

Woo-bin Appreciation Post #123456789

Song Woo-bin, if a guy like you only existed in real life... I will stalk you for ages!

Okay, I was just kidding out of sheer happiness that the character was not snubbed in this week's episodes. What's even surprising is that I can now tolerate the Yi-Eul 'ship considering my sentiments in an earlier post. Perhaps it was just the fangirl in me feeling slighted over Kim Joon's non-appearance in Episode 10.

Here's hoping TPTB would continue throwing us a bone and show Woo-bin getting in touch with his dark gifts mafia roots.

Unpopular Opinion

I knew I'd be getting hate mails if I posted this at Soompi, so I figured I might as well rant in my own blog.

Here goes... I cannot stand the Yi-jung/Ga-eul pairing on Boys Over Flowers.

They're giving too much importance to Kim Bum's character that it's now starting to look like there's two main couples on the show. Poor Ji-hoo and Woo-bin are now classified as mere sidekicks. But I'm not bringing too much negativity into that thought. I'll take it one episode at a time and just enjoy any scenes of my favorite character.

Lookie! After the snub he had on Episode 10 (which was ironically also his birthday), Kim Joon finally has some scenes in the previews released for Episodes 11 and 12. Yayyy! That's reason enough for us to download the torrents. I cannot take it if he disappeared for two episodes in a row... it would be a total insult to the character of Song Woo-bin.

Boys Over Flowers: Song Woo-bin

Thank goodness they actually gave Woo-bin more lines this week! I was beginning to think they were treating him as the next door neighbor. Seriously, this guy gets the least amount of appreciation among the F4. But props to Kim Joon for getting favorable reviews with whatever appearance his character has in each episode. Now that I've reviewed my Hana Yori Dango Live DVDs, I have this whole new appreciation for the character of Mimasaka Akira whom I've regretfully ignored in Meteor Garden.

Here's some of my favorite Woo-bin scenes from Episode 7.

Just a quick rant...

Spending too much time at Soompi can be quite addicting. I'm actually worse when I get attached to certain drama because I check the thread almost every hour. Who knew that Boys Over Flowers can bring about lengthy discussions from people? Well, except for those who continue to gripe about certain actors not being right for the role. It seems that you can never please anybody no matter how hard you try.

Don't get me started on the whole Yi-jeung/Ga-eul love connection theory as it's not on my good graces so far.

But the good news is, BOF episodes this week made history as they finally toppled East of Eden from their slot. Yayyy!

Spread the Woo-bin love!

My sister says I'm suffering a case of F4 relapse. Why? Because the last time she actually saw me obsessing over an Asian drama was during the height of Meteor Garden's popularity. Now I've resorted to reviewing my Hana Yori Dango Live DVDs just for the sake of reminiscing. Oh well, the story never gets old.

But since I can't stop talking about Boys Over Flowers, let me just tell you one gripe I've had so far about the series.

Can they please give Woo-bin more lines?!?

The guy is getting the movie!Ginny Weasley treatment for the series. Just because he's the only F4 member with no major romantic interests doesn't mean he has to get the short end of the stick in terms of character development. He's made the character really likeable whereas I couldn't care about him in Meteor Garden and Hana Yori Dango Live.

But to his credit, with the little amount of dialogue he's given in each episode, he manages to make the most out of it. I especially loved this last scene from Episode 6 between Woo-bin and Jun-pyo where he tries to reason out with his friend regarding kicking Ji-hoo out from the F4. He argued his friend's case without it sounding like he was taking sides. It's sad that Yi Jeung gets to take all the credit for dressing down Ji-hoo on the consequences of his actions whereas Woo-bin was also doing his part in saving what little is left of the F4.

Happy New Year... and yes, another BOF post

Happy New Year, everyone!

I actually promised myself to be more active in blogging but I never do well with resolutions. Haha! Well, I'm off to a fresh start this year. There are a lot of new shows to look forward to and first off would be the Korean adaptation of Hana Yori Dango. Boys Over Flowers premiered last January 5 to a lot of eager fans. True to her word, my sister downloaded the first two episodes and we just can't get enough of it.

Here's my quick assesment of the first two episodes:

Lee Min Ho is Gu Jun Pyo

Lee Min Ho is by far the most charismatic Tsukasa they've casted in the adaptations. Here, Joon Pyo acts all tough and authoritarian in the eyes of the students in Shinhwa High. But when with the F3 and his household staff, his bratty and childlike nature emerges. Who could ever forget that scene of the bee chasing him around the room? I've been saying this since promotional photos were released but he really reminds me of Jerry Yan circa-Meteor Garden days.

I also do not get it why people have been complaining about Kim Hyun Joong's acting. His interpretation of the character Ji Hoo is just how I've envisioned Rui (channeling the Keanu Reeves school of acting) eversince.

Now I know everyone's fawning over Kim Bum and wishing he was cast as Ji Hoo instead but I'm beginning to love his dynamics with Kim Joon. Yi Jung and Woo Bin are my bromance for this drama. Joke! But really, their efforts to knock some sense into Joon Pyo should be commended especially since Ji Hoo is just too deadpan to do anything.

My assessment of the ladies will follow in my next post. For now, I am eagerly anticipating Episodes 3 and 4 next week. Yayyy!

Ten days to go...

My sister can never contain her excitement whenever she fangirls something. Now that Boys Over Flowers is about to be shown in Korea, she's been visiting Soompi everyday and downloading promotional photos like crazy. I like their casting of the F4 so far. Even the lead guy, Lee Min Ho, bears an eerie resemblance to Jerry Yan at a certain angle. But I'm more excited to see Han Chae Young though. Props to the casting people for getting her to play the F4's sophisticated childhood friend.

Korean F4 = Boys Over Flowers

My fascination for Hana Yori Dango started when I read the fanfic The Boy Who Loved Lily. It was a take on what the marauders were like when they were still students at Hogwarts and how James and Lily fell in love. Pretty fluffy, but its spot on interpretation led me to be curious about the F4.

So curious that I forked 1K just for a VCD (VCD, imagine that!) of Meteor Garden. Haha! But that was seven years ago. Now, the series has spawned a Japanese version and by next month, the Korean version will start airing. I'm too old to fangirl these kids so I'd rather enjoy the story itself.

Fandoms in photos…

The past week had been a busy one that I barely had time to blog about my fandoms.

Not really feeling the outfit. Really now, socks and open-toed shoes? But the thing about this girl is that what looks "baduy" in our eyes manages to look trendy on her. Or at least it gets easy on the eyes after several views. One thing I've realized after years of seeing Bonnie attend such events is that she never goes with the norm. She sets her own fashion.

Meet your Korean Dao Ming Si Goo Joon Pyo and Shan Cai Geum Jan Di. He looks cute hawt! The series premieres on January 5 in Korea and more likely will hit Philippine TV around six months later.

~

Oh, can I just say that Fully Booked-Ayala is my new Disneyland? Gaaahhhh, I can stay there for the whole day and never get bored. I love their extensive selection of books which includes titles I've never seen in NB before.

Deadringer

No, that is not Katrina Halili.

Korean actress Han Chae Young (Sassy Girl Chun Hyang, Only You) joins the cast of Boys over Flowers in the special role of Min Seo Hyun. I can't wait to see this since I loved Meteor Garden and HYD so much. Now Korea's joining the bandwagon with their own adaptation of the famous manga. Hmmm, this better be good.

So, will the Philippines follow suit? Gawd, I hope not!