JB,

How much of the problems associated with Boys Before Flowers were because of Group 8, versus say, acting performances / choice of actors/actresses (chemistry between leads)? i.e., maybe not Group 8's fault per se?

Honestly, I've not seen more than the first several minutes of Ep 1 of Boys Before Flowers. But it looked very interesting in the beginning (the fighting and then the rooftop scene). I might be the only person on dramabeans who hasn't seen it, and when people talk about BOF sometimes I feel like Rudolph who can't participate in any reindeer games.

The hot mess that was this drama - is it still worth watching all the way through? i.e., dramafever has it now, and so, having seen the entire show, would you recommend watching it?

oh wow i really liked this anime and thought it was cute. I honestly didn't like the drama versions of it though so maybe I'll like the korean version (plus I won't need to wait for subs to understand it lol).
But hopefully they''ll do a better job than they did with BOf...as much as i loved the drama it had a lot of flaws =P I hope they don't cast an idol just cause it'll draw in more viewers though. I tolerated Kim Hyun Joong (though he wasn't THAT bad...ok maybe I'm biased lol) but i don't think i can deal with it again =/

I'm going to be looking forward to another hot mess. Reading the news and discussions (and bashing) of BBF was fun. Sometimes, more fun than watching the actual series.

ugh. i couldnt even last 3 episodes watching ISWAK. should i give it another try? i dnt knw...

i loved this anime. i hope they'll try to make it "less bad" than bbf.
it wasn't that bad... just painful to watch sometimes...

"Just as long as nobody dies of sudden cancer harboring a hidden birth secret, we hope."

This line made me laugh out loud. Reminds me of Cinderella Man. LOL.

I for one cant wait for this. I've been waiting for another adaptation besides the Taiwan one (my fav drama ever) and the Japan one (really old and bad).
I love this story line & I liked the anime. :)
So I'm super excited to see a new updated Korean version, it's about time if you ask me! lol

OH MY GOSHHHHH

i have been waiting for a kdrama adaption of this forever! haha It Started With a Kiss (TDrama) is my favorite drama of all time!!! I just hope they don't screw it up too badly haha :D

I used to be a manga junkie and this will forever have a sentimental place in me since the creator passes on at such a young age (and as I was following the manga). It's not an easy manga to adapt into a decent drama though, there are many elements that'll only work in manga, and the story/plot is not meaty enough for a full length drama.

There's also a Jdorama version...which I can't tolerate. The TW version, I actually liked for the better than expected acting and chemistry, it also added a lot of weight into the family dynamics and some more realistic issues the characters have to go thro, it's a guilty pleasure of mine and it's in my book for a successful manga adaptation. It does require you to shut your PC mind, tolerate and turn plenty a blind eye to many glaring flaws in order to get that high fr the entertaining crack-o-drama, in a way, playing in the same field as BoF.

@ Samsooki, BoF was fun for maybe 10 eps factoring in everything, but I stopped halfway. I didn't regret those10 hours, but u do have to set your expectations accordingly. And it's kinda a reality check for me that I'm getting old haha when I'm not really enjoying the same old terrific cliches as much.

*wibble* PLEASE don't screw this up. If it was like ANY other company, this would be great, but post-BOF, I wish they'd just leave it alone. The twdramas is flawed, but the chemistry between the leads is beyond unbelievable and they live their characters. It's going to be hard to top that awesome.

i totally loved BOF, but could it have been better? yes, did it have the potential to get better? yes, but it didn't. The only problem i really had regarding BOF is its DREADFUL choice of soundtrack (though it got much better on the second part). I really did enjoy the drama, and i am excited that they are making a koean version of ISWAK! since i havent seen the second season of the tw version, i can't wait!

aaayyy, I never liked this show...the Taiwanese adaptation w/ Ariel Lin isn't that good either....but Korean version? Hopefully, it's not another BOF.

I think they should just quit while they're ahead. "It Started With A Kiss" was the best adaptation of the manga so far, so I think they should just leave this one well alone. BOF, tanked despite it's "popularity," I wish that the production group should look inward for creativity and stop adapting things that other countries have obviously done great before them. I think that the company, Group 8, has no confidence whatsoever in original work that's why they recycle what others have done before them.

ohhhh sounds amusing :P

Oh. Wow. Mixed feelings!

I loved ISWAK. Granted, I was very new to the drama world and had not even watched my first Kdrama when I saw it. Still, it has a very special place in my heart; I actually own the DVDs of both seasons, if that tells you anything!

Will I watch the Korean version? You better believe it! I've seen all three versions of hana Yori Dango, after all; I see no reason to break precedent now.

This sounds interesting...I'm not sure how I feel about this. ISWAK wasn't the best drama (I had issues with Ariel Lin's character---but even with the manga I was pretty ambivalent toward's Kotoko) but the leads in Twdrama did have pretty amazing chemistry regardless of how I felt about the characters.

Though I haven't finish watching Boy Over Flowers and I never did finish watching Goong S, I did feel that both series had the potential to be much, much better. But I'm going to keep an open mind until the casting is done and the scriptwriter is chosen. As someone mentioned before, I really hope that they don't pick new idols for this drama, especially for the female lead because the role would be better done in a much more skilled actress's hands, especially since the character is somewhat passive and could easily became a caricature (did that make sense? I'm not sure...I'm low on coffee right now).

I really like it started with a kiss (second season sucked to be honest but I still watched it) I hope it's not another disaster like BOF. By the way Itazura na Kiss was also adapted into Japanese drama but it was in the 90's. I tried to watch it but it didn't anchor my interests

lol I completely forgot I tried ot watch the faiure thatis goong s, not even 7's hotness could save the utter disgrace. I musta blocked it from trauma. ...

I must have missed the end of the article. The reason why the Taiwanese crew didn't end it was because they felt is disrespectful to the original mangaka.... jeeze nice going. They already have a grude from me to add to their horrible dramas lol

Arrrrrgh! Enough with the adaptations! Seriously! This title is HOLY. Should be be touched or messed-with. I am going to close my eyes and pretend this is not happening. I have a feeling it will be more painful to watch than BBF.

I'm a fan of ISWK manga. Really want to watch it in Korean.

I should have seen this coming. Next thing you know they will try to re-create Hana Kimi, Devi Beside You, or worse...Gokusen...

Yeah, Boys Before Flowers didn't sit right with me... however it DID introduce me to a promising actor like Lee Min-ho so that's what I took with me from the show. On the other hand, a friend of min is loving it to bits... it varies a lot from person to person. Personally, I'd rather spend 24 hours on something else really...

Hmm, I actually liked the taiwanese version of Itazura no Kiss but a korean version might not be bad. Since there is indeed no ending to the original story, it might be interesting to see how they would shape it... as long as it's not another BoF (echoing everyone else here it seems :P) If done right, I think it could end up being very different from the previous drama adaptions.

I'll keep an eye out, the casting will most likely be the deciding factor though if the BoF music director is assigned to this show I'll probably be out.

Wow, adaption japanese manga is into drama is becoming a trend or what? First Hana Yori Dango, then Man Who Can't Get Married and now this... getting on the same train as modern jdramas maybe? Though so far, only Nodame Contabile has been a succesful adaption from manga to japanese drama if you ask me.

Anyway, I'm pretty cool with a korean Itazura no Kiss. Hmm, since we're on the topic it would be cool with a korean adaption of Cat street too~ The jdrama was such a sore disappointment and I really liked that manga. I think I'd only be upset if there was gonna be another drama adaption on Mars, because love LOVE the twdrama adaption of it... so I'd probably swear and punch someone!

I ADORE the taiwan version ISWAK, and im super excited about a korean adaptation!
I just really really wish it WASNT Group 8 doing it but if they manage to get the casting right, it'll keep my hopes alive. haha

Although for the ending, apparantly they will have to get permission from the Japanese company that has the rights to the manga. If Im correct (not 100% sure on this), they wont be allowed to just create any type of ending they want without approval. They would have to go through the same process as the TW version did for the ending of the 2nd season, TKA.
And I really cant see them allowing such a dramatic cliched kdrama plot like dying of cancer. lol that would really bug the fans. They'll probably have to go with an ambiguous ending.

Hmm, this looks interesting. I really enjoyed ISWAK & TKA so I'm looking forward to this, but I hope it won't disappoint. The leads in ISWAK & TKA had great chemistry so I don't know if the leads for this version will be able to.

I didn't even watch the whole BOF. I only watched from the middle of BOF and then skipped some episodes in between and then watched again until the end. I didn't even bother watching the beginning.

I had a feeling this was going to be next on the list. Production companies have been going back and forth on re-adpating successful mangas turned dramas to their own styles - Hana Kimi, Boys over Flowers to name some.

Boys over Flowers - sigh. What "could" have been makes what "was" very painful to think about. Lee Min-Ho was a really nice Doumyoji for the first half and then everything went downhill from there.

The original story for It Started With A Kiss is really sweet though, so it'd be fair to give this a chance - then decide whether or not Group 8 redeemed itself or tanked again.

I love the TWdrama so I'm not exactly thrilled about this especially seeing how Group 8 completely destroyed BOF.

However, I figure they must have learnt their lesson and may actually get it right this time. Granted, they don't think they got BOF wrong to begin with.

BOF definately had a lot of good and bad points, but at least one of the better things that came out of it was the discovery of the chemistry between Kim Bum and Kim So Eun, as odd as it may sound. It's obvious they are trying to establish careers away from each other for various reasons, but it is also enviable that they will work together again. Their onscreen chemistry is going to make serious bank for any drama with even a decent storyline. It's going to be awhile before we DO see them work together again and it really is too bad that Group Eight's directors don't like to reuse actors because they would be great contenders even though the storyline would be a little too similar to BOF for my liking. Although, I suppose it's a good thing since then they can be paired up together in a drama produced by a company with a more reliable reputation in delivering their shows.

I was just about to settle in last night and watch this J-drama, but the video quality was crap...I love when Javabeans finds a solution for my drama addiction! I will wait for the K-version in all of it's sparklingly new cinematic glory!

Is the Taiwanese version worth watching?? Anyone?

p.s. I've never fallen and had my lips land on lips belonging to anyone else...I usually just sprain something or wind up with several bruises...why oh why do they keep using the trip/lip combo???

I'll choose to be optimistic. I ADORED ISWAK, but thinking back on it, there were several spots that were slow or repetitive. To be even more honest, I never finished the sequel. I think there's definitely room for this to be a fantastic adaptation, and to distinguish itself from the original and Taiwanese version. So, we'll see.

umm...quite excited about it...
i didn't read this manga but this seems nice...
throuh i only finish 8 episodes of bof.,i love GoongS. :P
and fantasy couple is 1 of my favourite as well.

I like BOF, but knowing it was amost cartoon like. I still don't know the draw on a couple of the actors... I think the poor directing is what made it lose so much credibility. But I loved the Hana Yori Dango - just loved it! BOF is a different story altogether. And the end - well it really didn't have one. Not really.

I still have to watch Meteor Garden before I can comment further. But starting to get discouraged about Tamna Island, was getting excited about that - but if the directing is the same, I won't watch it.

Both excited and not about this. Very much on the fence because of episodes 13-25 of BOF. It was so promising to start with but the last few episodes I could not even watch in full. I really hope they have learned from their mistakes.

ISWAK was good, ArJoe's chemistry was phenomenal, Zhi Shu's mom was my favorite drama mom of all time, all the characters were outrageously wacky in a totally awesome twdrama way, and the Sequel lived up to and beyond its expectations. Not to mention the wonderful kiss scenes.

All I can pray for is that Group 8 doesn't totally mess up what has the potential to translate into a beautiful/touching and comedic love story k-drama style. And hopefully they won't hire the same lousy BOF music director...especially b/c ISWAK's soundtrack was a standout.

BOF was awful, just awful I watched 24 eps int he hope it would get better but ti just got worse. Awful awful stuff.

Now as far as ISWAK goes, first of all the T drama wasn't that great, it was great in comparison to the other tat Taiwan was producing at the time. Ariel Lin made me want to choke her for the first half of the drama, and Joe Cheng was just annoying and so not worth the trouble. But overall it was charming and sweet enough, Ariel Lin grew on me.

Now for my view on a K version, first of all the drama is too slow for it work as k drama, MWCGM has proved that Koreans lack patience and ISWAK is a series where theres a lack of real drama, its kind of grounded and slowly develops the relationship between the main characters. Even the cliches seemed out of place most of the time. First they need to get the casting right (something that BOF never did, Jandi is a disgrace to makino's character), and then pace the drama well enough to keep the attention and then make it different enough for us not to feel "been there done that".

I don't know how Group 8 got Goong right tbh, the production of that show was really good, the way it was shot, the music, the direction, shame about the pace. BOF was rushed, bad script writers, worst actors and an awful job of the schedule. I hope it does well tho, tho personally I'd love for Korea to do a Skip beat rather than this.

Good Idea? - most likely for the production company, as it will mostly be touted as a BBF 2 staffed with attractive youngsters, and will rake in lots of money, endorsements, and maybe even launch the careers of another Lee Min Ho or created another new pairing like SoEulMates.

For us viewers, especially readers of the manga and folks who enjoyed/loved ISWAK? - depends on the casting and story tone. BBF devolved into a farce mid-way through in terms of dragging and execution, and who knew Goo Hye Sun could be so OTT that it would become a chore to watch her (I started fast forwarding ANY scene where she was the only participant).

K-version of ISWAK HAS to cast leads who spark with each other (like Joe Cheng and Ariel Lin did), because the female lead is the stupidest character ever committed to manga IMHO. And inspite of her devotion to her man, and how that ultimately wins his heart, I cannot fathom a more insipid lead, so the actress has to really dig deep to make the character accessible and relatable to viewers (show her heart, not her idiocy).

I agree with earlier posts, please pick capable actors for the core team, and then lay off with the nonsensical stuff and focus on mining the emotional connection and development of the lead characters in the story.

BOF is still worth watching. although it IS flawed you cant't help but enjoy it. ill suggest that you shouldnt watch it with a critical attitude (not that its THAT bad). its honestly different from the 2 other adaptations in which the situations are more interesting & intriguing. so GIVE. IT. A. TRY.

now, ISWAK timee.
it was fun to watch but the characters are annoying. especally with the main character being so clingy. the korean version ill definitly look forward to but with mild expectations.

i'm super excited...hahaha. regardless of how bad BOF was, i can't say i didn't completely enjoy it because i did...i really did.

I agree with #36 I really hope the actress shows the character's heart and not her stupidity. I just wish that they would adapt good manga rather than just simply those that sold more. Also why not adapt more manhwa? I recently started to read manhwa seeing as manga nowadays is mostly shoujo crap(you know ditsy weak-willed girl and a hot guy that treats her like crap making her fall madly in love with him).

@34 I agree. ZS's mother was absolutely hilarious, she's one of the funniest characters, must be awesome to have such a laid back mother like that. I can imagine Jandi's mother in BOF pulling off that role really well.

@29 In my opinion, it's defnitely worth watching. Its cute, hilarious, sweet and all round good fun to watch. It was the first TW drama I watched and set the standard high for every other I watched after that. And not many have come close to ISWAK. (Although the recent Black & White blew me away). I think what makes ISWAK work so well is that it really doesnt feel like how other typical tw dramas are made. Its got that Japanese quirkiness that makes it stand out.
Although I recommend you check it out before watching the Korean version. Because despite BOF's many flaws, its really made it hard for me to watch Meteor Garden anymore. And that might just be the case for ISWAK.

i'm not sure i'm exited to watch a drama about a stupid girl.. although i can't deny that i liked the anime.
but i'll be anticipating to see who will be the lead male..
and let's hope there will be chemistry between the couple unlike BBF..

now let's the news about the casting begin :D

I'm hoping they'll include Chrstine and Kinnosuke plot *Crosses fingers* I was actually wondering when they'll pick up the drama.

I wasn't too big on ISWAK although I really liked the manga, but like a few others said, I did think the leads had really good chemistry... which is actually the only reason I watched it to the end.
I'm more interested in who they'd pick for the leads in the Korean version.

The story revolves around the female character.. In Taiwan's ISWAK, Ariel Lin was surprisingly tolerable and she's really cute.. but her character is sooo weak and annoying. I can't remember why I enjoyed it. Same thing for Japan's version, annoying female lead, both the character and the actress herself. The anime, I can't remember much since I gave up after a few episodes... so I'm not intrigued enough to read the manga. Even if Group 8 is not that great, the material will already be hard to work with.

I've been waiting for this for SO LONG.

But why Group 8 -_-"?

If it turns out like BOF, I guess we have to get ready for another craze and prepare for madness!?

*prepared to get tipsy......*

I know we're supposed to appreciate each show for its own worth, but no one's REALLY going to be able to avoid comparing this version to Itazura no Kiss and It Started With a Kiss. Personally, I wasn't big on Itazura no Kiss but I adored It Started With a Kiss. Moving on though, I think that the Korean version will probably be of a very different flavor than either the Japanese or the Taiwanese version.

The Japanese version had one season and covered only so much of the plot within it. For It Started With a Kiss, they managed to cover the whole story only by making it two (fairly sizable) seasons long. From the sound of it, this is looking to be a one season show covering two seasons' worth of material. Meaning either a lot will get cut out, a lot will be changed, or it'll be a fast-paced show with little subtlety or insightful softness to it. I'm betting on some twisted combination of the three. Which isn't to say that I won't watch it (I mean, what else can I do with my summer?).

i am not sure about this one.

the only drama i've watched so far where i watched all three versions and can make a decent comparative analysis is hana yori dango. perhaps much of the basis is personal preference but i thought hana yori dango (japanese) was great, meteor garden (taiwanese) was so-so but good considering the time frame, and boys over flowers (korean) was what-the-fuck entertaining mess.

with itazura na kiss, i have watched both adaptations so far and again, it started with a kiss (taiwanese) was okay, and itazura na kiss (japanese) was good considering the time frame. it was aired in 1996 and i watched it around ten years after that, and i still enjoyed it very much.

considering that the production company behind the korean adaptation is the same one who produced the awful-ly (emphasis mine!) entertaining boys over flowers, i'm not really looking forward to this one. unless they cast someone i really like (i,e, kim min jung or kim ji hoon or you get the picture),

i'm not really into making sure the adaptation follows the original work (in this case, manga) faithfully). what i really want is for the production to make sense on its own so that people who watch it won't go, "what-was-that?! o_O every time they do watch an episode.

To be fair, it's not really one of the best manga, but it has its quirky cliched charms. Will the Kdrama be any good?! imo, no way. Can it even be as earnestly charming albeit flawed as the TW one, even harder. I'll try this out as a new thing, but I'll be messing with myself to have expectation or try comparisons, that should be safe enough.

The TW one stroke a very right balance for its genre. Even purists of the manga didn't completely hate it (which was already a feat) and it incorporated many unique styling and charms of a TWdrama , making it endearing in its own way, which is precious in any adaptation. In other words, at least I can see effort, thoughts and heart poured into the drama to make it work. BoF, was a calculated business endeavor to make one $churning machine. The production blatantly put no care into the writing and many crucial aspects in a tolerable drama. It did not even show enough respect that drama is sth that ppl sometimes called art.

And yes, the bottom line is, I don't think both characters are easy to please. I agree Kotoko is one of the dumbest /most clingy manga girl ever. That's y I had new respect for Ariel Lin fr ISWAK, she is one of the best TW idol drama actresses out there, no contest. It's near impossible to make her character endearing, but she did. Naoki's hot genius is no better, we get the usual cliched cold prince going on, but he is borderline stinky. And somehow Joe Cheng made it his own and still didn't annoying us all off. ( Frankly, I don't find him perfectly handsome, but he just has that dazzling star quality made for this biz). And they did good at sticking with the nuances, and developing the relationship between these flawed and lacking characters in the TW version. Romance in a shoujo manga is seldom btn 2 perfectly sweet things anyways.

So am I worried they will get the casting/script right? nope, since I think it's hopeless after all the shrewd business calculations usu made by Group 8. They KNEW their formula well, and it worked insanely fine with BoF, there's no reason for them to 'mess' with a 'good' thing.