When you think of a drama adapted more than five times across more than five countries, has touched countless hearts, and redefined the tale of high school romance – the name that comes to your mind is Hana Yori Dango, i.e., Boys over Flowers. It might have different names, different cast across different countries, but the strong impression that it leaves in the heart of the viewers remains the same.
Boys over Flowers was first serialized as a manga (Japanese comic) by a manga artist and writer Yoko Kamio, for which she received the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1996. It is one of the grossest manga of all time in the shōjo manga category. Boys Over Flowers was serialized from October 1992 to September 2003 and is made into 37 volumes.
The title Boys over flowers means Boys preferred over flowers. The story unfolds in Tokyo, Japan, where there is a fictional elite school for children from wealthy families called "Eitoku Academy". Tsukushi Makino our female lead was enrolled in Eitoku by her parents to compete with the children of families from her father's company as being a student of Eitoku was considered to be prestigious in their circle. At Eitoku Academy, she encounters and becomes the target of F4.
The F4 consists of Tsukasa Domyouji, the son of the wealthiest, most powerful family in Japan, who is also the leader of F4, Rui Hanazawa, a softspoken, introverted, and sensitive teenager who is also Domyouji's best friend since their childhood, Akira Mimasaka, a madam killer and unrepentant playboy of the group and Sojirou Nishikado, the laidback peacemaker who is the heir of a tea ceremony school.
If students leave a negative impression and get noticed by F4, then they will get a red notice and will be bullied to be driven out of school. Makino, unfortunately, becomes the center of F4's attention when she tries to defend her friend from their hands. This marks the start of their High school romance journey.
Domyouji takes an interest in Makino because she is the only girl at Eitoku who shows a dislike towards him and beats him up. Tsukushi, however, is repulsed by his bullying demeanour and falls instead for his best friend Hanazawa Rui, and this love triangle forms the basis of the entire series. Over time, Makino's feelings towards Tsukasa evolves, as she starts noticing the small changes in Tsukasa once he fell in love with her. It is all about their journey to overcome their social differences and different hurdles, finally reuniting with each other.
After the manga release, an anime series (Japanese Cartoon) was broadcasted from 1996-97.
The first film titled Hana Yori Dango was released in Japan in 1995.
The very first drama adaptation that the series got was in Taiwan in 2001 and was titled Meteor Garden It also had a second season.
In 2005 the Japanese adaptation titled Hana Yori Dango was released which had two seasons and a theatrical release titled Hana Yori Dango Final.
The South Korean adaptation titled Boys Over Flowers aired in 2009.
It was followed in 2018 by the Chinese remake titled Meteor Garden, which spanned around 49 episodes.
GMMTV – a Thai production house is gearing up for the release of F4 Thailand in 2021.
Know Your Cast:
Why is Hana Yori Dango So Popular?
Hana Yori Dango's popularity is because it is simple and relatable enough with charming characters, tough heroine, tsundere male lead, hate to love relationship while having a slight Cinderellathemed fantasy touch to it serving as icing on the cake which appeals to both females as well as males.
