And Makino (in the Korean Hana Yori Dango) is…
…Gu Hye-sun???
Erm. Okay.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Gu Hye-sun (of hit family drama Pure 19, sageuk King & I, and fusion sageuk Strongest Chil Woo). A lot. I think she’s one of her generation’s more promising actors. She can do vulnerable, and she can do inner toughness. She can cry. She can emote. I respect her for writing and directing her own short film.
But I’ve never seen her as serious contender for Makino Tsukushi in Boys Before Flowers, aka the Korean Hana Yori Dango, mainly because (sorry to sound shallow) she’s too old. Born in November 1984, this also puts her older than all the F4 boys, although thankfully I do think Lee Min-ho in the Doumyouji role looks of an age with her despite the three-year age difference (he’s a 1987-er).
But since she’s been picked, I’ll be happy with it, I suppose. (And I’m not outright disappointed about it, just surprised. At least it wasn’t Lee Yeon-hee or Go Ara.) Director Jeon Ki-sang (Delightful Girl Chun Hyang, My Girl) explains that he chose Gu Hye-sun because she fits Tsukushi’s image well, and acknowledges that the public had tossed her name around a lot as a prospective Makino when the drama was first announced.
Via My Daily
RELATED POSTS
- Meet your Korean F4
- Continued failure to cast Korean Hanadan keeps super-idol boys’ hopes alive
- Behind the scenes on Director Gu’s set
- Delays push back Korean Hana Yori Dango
- Taking time to cast F4
- “Boys Before Flowers,” aka the Korean Hana Yori Dango
- Hana Yori Dango
Tags: Boys Before Flowers, Gu Hye-sun
I actually thought Ara was one of the [more] likely actresses to at least be considered. But Gu Hye-Sun? Hm. Interesting. And by interesting I mean “Not Anyone I Ever Would Have Considered For The Role.” Not because i dislike her or anything. Just because…I don’t know. I don’t really see her as Makino.
I was also very suprised because she’s kinda . . . old.
I would of liked to see Ara there but knew it wasn’t
possible because she was too pretty. =(
- Kyu
I guess she’s ok. I like her in Strongest Chil-woo. I think she looks young even though she’s old. We’ll just have to wait and see if she can pull off Makino. If only kim Su-nah or Kim Min-hee can play Makino. They’re both tough, bubbly, can act, just not… young.
Well, we’ll just have to see how this turns out. Even with the age factor, atleast she somewhat fits the roll, from what I see. I bet a significant amount of people will be disappointed though.
hmm.. i dunno who i was expecting to be makino,
but for sure, i wasn’t expecting GHS.
i don’t hate her or anything,
it’s just that i dunno if she fits makino’s image
and (importantly) will have chemistry with the 2 leading guys.
well, i just hope that she’ll grow into me while watching the drama :]
omg.. yea i really was surprised too.. shes like you said a bit old.. …. (well compared to the boys.. )
wow. really can NOT believe they chose her.. but yea im just glad they didnt pick go ara or lee yeon hee.. (thank goshh!)
so i guess im semi satisfied (not really) with the pick. but i guess the more i think about it its hard to really pick one person who definitely fits the role as makino.. (except for mao inoue)
yeah… this is such a suprise. Someone everybody never thought for the role of makino was picked.. Hope she can plat it well, evntho she’s a bit old..
That’s what I was feeling too. I mean its not that I don’t like Gu Hye Sun as an actress, but she just wasn’t someone who I had in mind as Makino. I was hoping really really hoping for Park Min Ji to play it. But, oh wells, what can you do? It’s already been decided. I hope she does a good job playing the role. I have a feeling that she can pull off looking quite young.
I really think that she will be able to play the role well especially since her performance in Pure 19. She has the cuteness that I think Makino needs… and she isn’t that old. relatively young. Thanks for posting!
I think Yoona (of SNSD) will be the perfect choice. I’m not a fan at all of SNSD but as an actress Yoona is quite talented. But now it’s too late…
Anyway I’m not a fan of “young dramas” so I don’t expect too much of this.
Shouldn’t be too bad. There’ll be no going around the fact that she’s older than most of us would’ve liked, but she’s younger than Yoon EunHye, and lord knows how many people wanted HER to be Tsukushi. Anyway, Barbie was older than all of the F4 in MG, and that worked out okay… So long as they all have chemistry (PLEASE GOD LET THERE BE CHEMISTRY) I’m okay with whatever.
oy. if 24’s considered old..
not expecting her.. but i really like her. at least, eventho she’s 24, she looks young like hmmt.. 17? and i can imagine her in schooluniform. ok, def cute. i really hope there will be chemistry.
I am excited for this one…but I see disappointment ahead. This version will probably at least be better than the Taiwanese version…which in my opinion sucked.
HYD Japanese version will always be number one.
I like this actress but I just don’t see her as Makino!!!
Not that I know anything about HYD, but according to what I have read of the character Makino and what I’ve seen of Inoue Mao, this casting decision is a big, BIG mistake!
However, let’s not be so quick to judge. I remember reading about the netizen reaction to the casting of Song Hye Kyo as Han Ji Eun for Full House, and how they didn’t think she would be able to play a sassy role due to her being better known for melodramas. Look how things turned out?
Still, I would’ve preferred to see either Park Min Young, Park Shin Hye or Park Min Ji, but oh well, I am sure (hope) they know what they’re doing.
So funny…I didn’t think 24 is old at all. I think she’ll do fine as the lead role.
HELLO! Good actress but role suitability? Ermm…..
i say that I have to agree with javabeans here so relieved that its not Go Ara.
It is a little stretching the fact to have a 24-year-old to be playing a 17-year-old. Even if Asians are reputed to look younger than their age, a 7 year difference? Hopefully she can look young, and it probably isn’t difficult for the guys to look older. And also she has that “nice” image, so it would be believable for F4 to like her. I guess they wanted a “safe” choice as Makino in case the guys absolutely can NOT act. Oh well…as everyone says, let there be chemistry!
she’s the one partnered with eric in chil woo right????? since im just watching that show right now i cant picture her as makino….. im not looking at the age but she her features for me is better for older actors in more mature serious roles (fine chil woo is not that serious but still…..) i will agree with the rest of the hana yori dango fans out there (and probably wish, pray and others) that there will be chemistry…. on a good note i am so happy that she will not end up with hyun joong (aka.rui) in the show coz honestly right now cant even squeeze just an ounce of the kilig factor……
Initial reaction: Whut?
But yeah, as long as she can pull off the spunky, fierce Makino we all know and love, it should be fine. (I thought they would have a stronger actress to carry the boys, but, err, okay.)
uh.
what?
OMG! NO
she’s too old and too pretty to play Makino..i wish they chose Park Shin Hye instead.
I cant see her as Makino… yet. Back then when I first saw Inoue Mao, I thought that she might be weak as an actress, but her appearance totally fit.
Also, the way they chose the Korean F4, all the guys are more like, hm, the idol type, so it’s also hard for me to imagine the chemistry between GHS and the two guys.
she never came up from my mind.. i didnt even know her until now.. yeah, i agree with you, she’s a bit older than makino character but she looks young though. but why dont you like Go Ara, i would very much love her if she’s makino.. i will give this girl a try, i havent watch any of her dramas so i dont know anything about her acting but i heard she won an award as a best new actress.. i guess she’s alright then. i cant wait for the drama, i heard its going to be 24 epsisodes,? thats longer than i thought it would be.. i’m going to watch this drama not thingking about the age difference between the actors, because age difference get into my nerves which is the reason why i dont like watching dramas with older girl and younger boy relationship
What the.. GHS is awesome but she’s definitely not a Makino.
Wow. Nice double standard javabeans! I’m actually really disappointed in your assessment of Gu Hye-sun as “too old” to play the korean makino. In the original Japanese version, Matsumoto Jun was 22, Oguri Shun was 23, Matsuda Shota was 20, and Abe Tsuyoshi was 23, yet they all managed to look and act the role of high school students, a good 4-5 year age difference for most of them. Why is it that slightly older male actors are given lee-way to play younger characters, but that same standard doesn’t hold for their female counterparts? I mean most of the cast for the Korean F4, with the exception of Kim Bum, is 21+….don’t you think that’s also a little “too old” for highschool? As for starz12, I’m assuming that the less than 3 year age difference between the male and female lead only bothers you (she’s only 23, btw), because Gu Hye-sun is older than her male co-star. Why am I not surprised that in the 21st century female chauvinists exist as well.
hmm, i don’t really know much about her but to me she looks just a little older than i would’ve liked, and she looks too…cute? especially in that picture, she looks so fragile, and in my mind (after watching HYD) Makino is a toughie
Makino’s character is in her second year of high school. Gu Hye-sun is 24, 25 by Korean standards. I think she’s on the old end of the spectrum, considering she’s several years older than the other guys she’s playing against, who are supposed to be older than her.
I never said anything about the guys being given leeway to play younger. But since we’re going there, I think a 22-year-old guy playing 18-19 is less a stretch than a 24-year-old girl playing 17.
We’ll see….
Hm… If I remember correctly, I believe Makino is supposed to be a year younger than the guys. Honestly, I really wanted a young, fresh face to play Makino. She doesn’t look like a fresh, stubborn, suppressed and earnest high school girl. If she can convince me, fine. But Makino is supposed to be slightly cluelessly innocent as well, and I’m not sure 24/25 can pull off that look as a 16/17 yr old. That’s 8 yrs.
The guys I’ve looked at, and they look reasonable for 17/18. Especially Rui. And the other three are supposed to look slightly mature (considering one is a womanizer, the other likes old woman, and the other one a bull.) I’m a bit worried if she can pull the chemistry off with them. This is also my first time hearing of her… So I have absolutely no idea of her acting either. Meh for me…
At least the wait is over.
Well, since you do want to go there, by korean standards, two out of the four F4, Kim Hyun Joong and Kim Joon, are 23 and 24, yet there’ll still playing 17/18 year old high school students if we’re only going by season 1 of hana yori dango. How does a less than 3 year age difference between Gu Hye-sun (Nov 84′) and the male lead make her “several years older” than him (June 87′)…you do realize how ridiculous that sounds? And with the exception of Kim Bum, she’s only a few months to maybe a little under 2 years older than the rest of the F4. *sighs* …it’s pointless in arguing with someone who only sees her side of the perspective.
You will note that the guys are also supposed to be older than Makino.
And yes, in most people’s books, nearly 3 years = several.
ooh, i don’t know about this casting. i’m indifferent to this actress…not much of a fan but i don’t dislike her either. i was so excited when news first broke out about a korean HYD but my excitement was waned a lot since the casting has been confirmed. maybe i’ll end up liking the drama since i’m not expecting much of it now.
come on Jade S stop trying to sh*t-stir and sound condescending because you’re pissy that the blog owner has a point.
although i was relatively skeptical on how casting has been so far, i have to say Gu Hye Sun is somewhat of a better choice than i could have imagined, especially since i was sorely disappointed at the guy’s casting.
sure, gu hye sun might be considered “old,” i do think she looks younger than her age and i’m pretty confident she can pull off acting like a high school-er because she’s so bubbly and cute.
but no matter the circumstances, i’m still very skeptical on how this drama is going to turn out … i’m trying desperately to keep my expectations low because of how much i loved the original Hanadan … i just hope this k.version won’t kill my perfect image of the Hanadan series …
sorta disappointed…
sorta a lot!
i know she is a good actress but i really don’t think she fits the role.
i don’t see where the director saw it… nope still don’t see it.
i truthfully think that snsd’s sooyoung could do better… not just because i’m her fan but because you can actually see her as the goofy, kind Makino that is how she’s suppose to be not i’m kind and lovely… always pure innocent etc. what ever this actress is… i truthfully don’t think she can pull it off/it’ll get low ratings… i say this because i REALLY care!
i’m not sure how great the drama will turn out know… not that i wasn’t disappointed in some of the guys he picked either. (i’ve never heard of the other two… not kim bum or hyunjoong.) I think Korea could have done better…
well i guess i’ll just have to wait and see. ^_^’
Finally the main girl is chosen!
Well, I’ve got to say that I’m happy ~
I haven’t seen any of Gu Hye-sun’s dramas, but it’s good that they choose someone that can act Makino well.
boy, this k-HYD cast really is weird. i think Kim Bum is the only one out of the 5 I’m comfortable with. Makes me a little hesitant to watch it…honestly, who the heck are Lee Min-Ho and Kim Joon whatshisface?
Oh well, at last Gu Hye Sun is cute.
hmmm this quite strikes as surprise to me as well.
i like gu hye sun, she’s good. she can act the part.
but hmm.. i dont know if she’d look the part and make it that believable..
but good costumes, makeup and acting might be able to pull it off..
honestly, i would have picked someone like Han Hyo Joo.
or maybe Lee Yeon Hee.
but maybe they fit the too pretty image?
or something?
cause like in the taiwanese HYD..
Makino was like not so pretty and a bit tomboyish.
but jap HYD is a higher standard too..
ill wait and see
My first reaction is “OMG GOO HYE SUN!” but then my 2nd reaction is “OMG Goo Hye Sun??”
like everyone said, i like her but i’m a bit doubtful of how well she fits the part. but i hope it works.
Awww I’m kinda disappointed… GHS has nv been a fave of mine (am watching Pure 19 now & somehow her character thoroughly rubs me the wrong way) though I must say she can act. ah ha mb it’s a good thing, the Makino character (at least in the Taiwanese version i watched) was cute but pretty annoying and coarse, much like her Gukhwa character in Pure 19.
and to Haru, Yoon Eun Hye is NOT older than GHS, they are both born in the same year (84). Though a YEH fan, am kinda glad it wasn’t her. Idol drama types, while i like watching them hehe, am not necessarily the best if you wanna be known as a serious actor. Actually I personally don’t think the age diff matters, in the Taiwanese version, the girl playing Makino (Barbie Hsu) if I’m not not wrong is older than ALL the F4 guys. She was 25, Jerry Yen (Doumyouji) was 24 and Vic Chou (Rui) was 20 with the rest in between. but she looked young so it was perfectly fine.
the casting for this drama is rather interesting, isn’t it? i guess we just have to see…
Amen to the Lee Yeon Hee, Go Ara comment in the article. Both gorgeous actresses, but not talented enough. I like Koo Hye Sun, although yes, she does seem a bit old to be playing a high schooler.
I haven’t seen her act but I’ve seen her pictures. She can look young sometimes and other times, she can look older. And in those Strongest Chil Woo recaps, I thought she looked a bit old- maybe it’s the bags under her eyes and the hairstyle? She’s pretty and cute but she doesn’t fit the image of “naturally spunky” to me- but I hope she can prove me wrong. I think it would have been better to cast her in the role of Shizuka-the girl Rui likes. Gu Hye-sun looks too polished and is pretty in your average-Korean-celeb way. I had imagined Makino to be pretty but in a distinctive way that can also be construed as not-pretty. haha i’m sounding so contradictory.
Honestly, I don’t know who I was hoping to play Makino. I can’t think of any girl between the ages of 17-21 would be able to play Makino naturally. I’ll wait and see how Gu Hye-sun and the F4 guys will deliver- the casting could have been much MUCH worse so I’m a bit relieved.
As long as she can play the part well, I’m happy. And although she is slightly older than the F4 actors, she *looks* around their age so she seems like a pretty good fit
I’ll wait to see the chemistry between the cast.
can she play a spunky tough girl? I hope so. Thats the reason I like Makino’s character. As for the guys, I like them, well only know 3 of them but I hope everyone can work together well. I love Hana Yori Dango so I hope the korean version will be good too. please…:P
I don’t know much about her. No deny she looks older than the boys but so was Taiwanese version. But she looks like she can pull off the cute, innocent look.
I’m just glad it wasn’t Go Ara. She’s pretty but her acting is annoying in a way.
Anyway, I am not so fond of Hana Yori in the first place but it’s fun to compare this one with other 2 versions.
@ carribeane: I realize that Barbie was older than all of the guys in F4 in MG, you can see in my post I said as much. I don’t really care all that much about age differences either- some of my favorite dramas have couples who are as much as nine years apart both on-and-off screen. I do realize that YEH and GHS are born in the same year, I brought up their ages mostly to make a point. In my opinion, the difference between their ages is a long enough time to establish that GHS is indeed younger, however short that time may be to everyone else… xD That being said, I wouldn’t really like YEH to be Makino either.
Age is not even the biggest problem. I just don’t see the Makino aura in GHS. She’s sweet and earnest, yes. Loyal, yes. Spunky, resillient and tomboyish? Stubborn and cute? Er….not really. Not in Strongest Chilwoo, at least. But hey, maybe she’ll surprise us all with her Makino……(if this was Vegas though, I won’t be putting my money on her. Lol)
I like the cast, it will be weird to see Lee Yeon hee as Makino… She seems to be gentle and not that kind of sassy type. Go ara has that sassy feel but her yellings are annoying….
aww! I’m not disappointed! she’s the reason I watch dramas! she was in the first drama I ever watched ,”Pure 19″, she was so cute…after that drama I became addicted.
@ JadeS
You have to realize that guys tend to mature a little bit later than girls, so a 22-23 year old guy typically has the mentality of a 17-18 year old so they are still age appropriate for their characters.
k … very disappointed…
i wanted a more vocal and strong willed looking girl … doesn’t she look kind of sickly? well, no matter what … she’s the one … **aza aza**
I’ll give her my mighty powers to help her be stronger …
man … now, i CAN wait to see it … before i couldn’t wait …
I love her but when I think about Makino, my mind doesn’t conjure up her image. But who knows, maybe she’ll manage to pull it off. Just have to watch to find out
After all the delays I’m just glad we’re finally getting somewhere and hearing solid news. I don’t think I’ve seen the actress in anything but disregarding the age (which hopefully means the drama will be set in college) she can apparently act.
errr…well I’m not too excited about the choice of Makino….i just hope she does well on the series and meet people’s expectations; after all it`s a huge shoe to fill in, and comparisons are going to be thrown at her from every direction!
I am disappointed that they choose an older version of makino. The guys were great…but thsy should have chosen a younger korean MAKINo…at this rate i think they will not beat the JAPANESE HYD. It’s going to be another taiwanese version. So disappointed…..well i’m not gonna be excited with it anymore..old MAKINO? i don’t believe it.
she might be a little older than the supposed age but i guess she’ll adjust to it well .. i am also thankful that makino wasn’t lee yeon hee or go ara .. makino should not the prettiest girl in school .. but then again, hyd is just another youth drama that appeals mostly to the younger crowd ..
“You have to realize that guys tend to mature a little bit later than girls, so a 22-23 year old guy typically has the mentality of a 17-18 year old so they are still age appropriate for their characters.”
It only seems odd when compared to the HanaDan J-drama. By the time a J-drama lead actress is about 21, she can do bride / young mother roles. Inoue Mao, who turned 21 this year, would have been deemed too old to originate the Makino role if the drama began in 2007.
Meteor Garden is not a comparable situation anymore. Barbie was eldest and 24 when she did Meteor Garden, but it was cast in college. And there aren’t honorifics to make the audience conscious of age. Doumyoji loves Noona?! I love it!
The inherent problem with casting Go Hye Sun isn’t her age per se, but (outside of MV work?) that she’s never played or been associated with high school characters. Most of the teen audience have never related to her as such, and the teen audience is the main one for this show. Honestly, if they were working with this kind of net, why not Shin Min Ah or Han Ji Hye. Ji Hye’s Makino would be fierce like Tyra!!
However, I kinda like this casting. Hye Sun’s regular girl (and smart) persona is probably closer to the manga Makino than the other actresses. She hasn’t done comedy in years, and she can relive her days as ullzang and “selca” through half of the comedy bits. Above all, due to her director experience as well as having done more serious work, she can provide a leadership role and help direct the younger actors in her scenes with them, which should be almost every scene. The most important aspect of the Makino job is to sell Douymouji to the audience, and then the F4 as a whole.
I’m really disappointed. As much as I love Go Hye Sun, she doesn’t match these guys. Since they decide to cast all these new actors, why not just cast an actress without much experience to complete them. Go Hye Sun is capable of much bigger things.
[...] source: dramabeans [...]
i am actually not disappointed, like you said, just surprised. go ara is just too petite and delicate to play makino, good thing they didnt pick her, but she fits makino’s image!! seriously, and many actors play characters much younger than them.. but i guess we just have to see how she can pull it off.
Javabeans.. I totally agree with you on this one. She’s wayy much older than the 4 guys, so it kinda makes the age thing a bit off balance.
I thought she was ok in her last drama Strangest Chil Woo.
Good luck to her and hopefully she does well and gets the ratings.
at first i was like holy crap, shes kinda old. but then i realized that in the taiwanese verison, barbie was actually 25 when she played the role, and the F4 were like at least 20. so this is okay. and plus she DOES pull off the fragile yet tough role, especially in chil woo. hopefully its gonna get good!
Huh…
Well, really, I’m just happy someone was chosen! I suppose we’ll have to wait and see how well everyone does. It took so long to assemble the cast, maybe they’re all gonna be amazing!
Whether she is too old for the role does not matter to me. Plus who really cares, from what I understand at a Korean high school you can graduate at age 20, therefore the pre-requisite that the characters has to be in their teens is irrelevant.
What matters to me is, can she and F4 hold my interest for the hour+ in the first episode, that in turn would help me decide if I should continue watching it. I have watched HYD -Japanese version before watching Meteor Garden - Taiwanese version and I have to say that I am a HYD purist , it was way much better than Meteor Garden both 1 and 2.
I sincerely hope that the Korean version to this show can keep the hopes of those who enjoy this series alive.
So in 2009, we will cross our fingers, blink our eyes and pray that the all the participants of this show produce a enjoyable drama for us to watch, because if they don’t rest assured “WE ARE ALL GOING TO BE PISSED!!!”.
I wished LYH was picked to be in his drama but she’s probably to busy filming EOE right now and she’s probably ” too pretty”. What’s wrong with having a pretty actress play the role?
Don’t waste time on this drama.
I love japanesse hyd.i love mao inoue acting in hyd.cute n brave in a same time.i hope go hye sun will surprise us with her acting as makino.is there any chemistry between the lead like matsumoto jun-mao-oguri shun?lets just see.just can’t wait.oot, i dont
See beethoven virus is the same drama as nodame cantabile at all.where is nodame who clumsy,dirty,but clever in music?i didn’t see nodame in durumi.
As big of a fan i am to you javabeans, im fairly disappointed in your reason for being disappointed with goo hye sun.
AGE REALLY?
i mean COME ON.
Dramas these days don’t pick their actors/actresses based on AGE.
they pick them out of their talent.
People who play high school kids arent actually in high school….
and what if goo hye sun is older? doesnt mean she LOOKS any older than they are.
i just don’t understand it when people dont think she fits in the drama solely because of her age. it just doesnt make any sense.
This’ll be the last I’ll say on the age issue. You’re all free to disagree on GHS, but when conclusions are drawn that I didn’t make, I will step in and correct them.
“(because I thought she was on the older end of the generation this drama is being marketed to).”
Yeah, that’s my argument too. Also, i think when there was buzz about casting her (or Jung Ryeo Won or Han Ji Min, who would be good in this role), it was upon the condition that Korean HanaDan would take place in college (a la Meteor Garden.)
In the end, it’s about visualizing Lee Min Ho with his noona Goo Hye Sun. Replay, replay noona!!
Anyone withholding reservations regarding the quality and versatility of Goo Hye Sun’s acting need only to refer to her body of work. Anyone needing reference to her range of charactors, expressions, emotional response, likability, cuteness…need only to refer to her portrayal of the undefeatable “Yang Gukwha” in Pure in Heart. GHS has risen to the task in each role that has come her way and will do the same in this one. I have no preconceptions or knowledge of what this role calls for but have come to expect the best from Miss Goo. She’s one of the top “new ” actresses in the business and has won nothing but praise from people both in and outside of the Korean entertainment world.
This is one person’s whose projects always interest me for the mere fact that she’s in them. My wish was to see her smiling face in something less historical and more hysterical (just one more time before this increadibly fast-moving audience clock turns her from “newcomer” to “ajumma” and relagates her all too quickly into meatier, though often less appreciated roles), it looks like I’ll be getting that wish!
“Anyone withholding reservations regarding the quality and versatility of Goo Hye Sun’s acting need only to refer to her body of work.”
I don’t think that’s in question, and HanaDan isn’t exactly a difficult drama to act in. She’ll be fine. The challenge is, will Korean HanaDan successfully sell Goo/Lee as a credible (if not definitive) Makino&Douymouji to the teen audience? Will we fangirl over them?
Noon pairups have worked before. There’s Binnie and Sun Ah. And Jo In Sung has done this many times in his career.
Wow people are taking this so seriously. It’s javabean’s blog, she’s allowed to express her own opinion. That doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone has to agree but theres no need to get feisty here.
@Jihwan,
“Wow people are taking this so seriously.”
Did you expect any less?
HanaDan is the Harry Potter/Pride and Prejudice/Golden Cow of the Asian Idol Drama. We haven’t even started!! 
*groan
She’s a good actress but she’s too old! And I don’t think she looks the part. I really was hoping for Go Ara…
my reaction was just like yours, but wiht a little disappointment. i just hope it comes out well…
BTW, is this synopsis of HYD confirmed as real?
“Goo Hye Sun plays Yeonoo that is the daughter of a Dry Cleaner owner, who is a swimmer at her school when her school doesn’t even have a swimming team. Near the dry cleaners, she was delivering or picking up clothes when she meets [runs into] the F4 leader (Lee Min Ho) and the whole series then starts as she deals with certain episodes and events as she becomes Cinderella. ”
Uhhh . . . Korea . . . this show was called Water Boys. That show where all the boys were half naked through half of the scenes. Did you confuse the two? Maybe? I mean, I would love to see a Korean version of Water Boys. But uhhh . . .
I haven’t seen anything about swimming though.
And yes, they’re all supposedly in high school.
(oops. never mind. posted in wrong place)
“The plot as I’ve seen places Yeon-woo as the daughter of a dry-cleaning store owner who lives on the outskirts of town, who makes a delivery to a posh school and runs into F4.”
Does this suggest that she’s actually not part of the school? Will we get no Red Card? What’s Doumyouji without his Red Card?
But Barbie Xu was much older than the F4 boys, too
i’m still watching pure 19 here in singapore…
and suddenly she’s makino…. weird…
its kinda hard for me to make a connection..
@Belleza. I’ve heard rumors that she later works to get into the school and the plot resumes from there… alas, rumors are rumors. I just hope they’re true. x_x
RED CARD PLZ
@belleza, you’re coming back and posting alot here huh?
I just hope this lives up to its expectations and doesn’t become another disappointment.
@JiHwan,
That is because Belleza isn’t a human. Belleza is a web bot programmed to post excessive paragraphs regarding all things Hana Yori Dango. Or anything with terminal diseases. Web bots love Choi Ji Woo.
I’ve seen several plot synopses mention the high school they all go to as ‘Shin Hwa College’ - opened only for “nobles.” Or is that just a mistranslation?
Now I’m curious as to see who they’re going to cast as Yuuki. And whether or not they’re going to expand Soujiro/Yuuki storyline as a way to expand Soujiro’s role, since Kim Bum is a promisingly talented young actor.
“the high school they all go to as ‘Shin Hwa College’ - opened only for “nobles.” ”
AWESOME!! (Hana Kimi anyone?
) Forget Doumyouji, Makino, go after Principal Eric Oppa!
“AWESOME!! (Hana Kimi anyone?
) Forget Doumyouji, Makino, go after Principal Eric Oppa!”
Haha, but I think it’ll probably be a mistranslation on the translator’s part. Calling a high school ‘Shin Hwa College’ doesn’t make sense. But more importantly, it wouldn’t make any sense if it was opened only for “nobles” (they don’t even exist in Korea! unless the producers decide to retcon the original and place it in an alternative universe) — perhaps “nobles” refers to “prestigious”?
I just wanted to get confirmation from anybody who knows Korean and has read trustworthy sources to see if they heard anything about the high school the characters are supposed to be attending.
P.S. I haven’t watched Hana Kimi, but I heard it was good.
*EDIT: Oops. Sorry Javabeans, looks like you posted before I got to respond. I guess this message is rather irrelevant now. Thanks for the info, BTW.
If this show ends up a cross between HanaDan (F4!), Hana Kimi (Idol School!), and Nobuta wo Produce (Nobuta Powa!)), I may never need to watch another drama ever again. My life will be complete, and the earth will explode in ecstasy knowing that there will never be a better idol drama.
“I haven’t watched Hana Kimi, but I heard it was good.”
It’s actually not that good (a lot of the jokes just missed, painfully), but the idea itself was awesome.
“It’s actually not that good (a lot of the jokes just missed, painfully), but the idea itself was awesome.”
ITA the only thing it did better than the manga was giving the girl a solid reason for going to the boys school, other than being a creepy stalker fangirl.
I’m not sure what to make of the initial plot, after a run in with the F4 she decides to go to their school? Er…okay.
javabeans thanks for the info, and you have right to say whatever in your blog..it’s your opinion anyway:D
The more I stare at Gu Hye-sun’s picture, the more I think she can do it. I have hope now! She really is looking very young for her age.
^ Yeah, I think Gu Hye Sun can do it too. At least she’s likeable and looks chaste. We don’t want Skanky!Makino running around with F4 in her micro-mini skirts and bright pink lipstick ala Wondergirls. I’m also glad it’s not Go Ara, Lee Yeon Hee or YEH. Kim Byul would’ve rocked though. She’s got that fiestiness in her, which I don’t see yet from GHS.
No one’s the right age for the Japanese version anyway.. as long as she can pull it off, age is nothing but a number.
Eh anyway, will be in the minority that I’m not looking forward to this.
“after a run in with the F4 she decides to go to their school?”
I don’t think the synopsis said anything about Yeon-woo/Makino going to the posh school, only that she delivers laundry there. But if that’s the case (Yeon-woo decides to go to their school after running in to them), I think the audience would have to suspend disbelief for the sake of the plot. But yeah, a little weird. I’m wondering how much they’re going to deviate from the original, and I’m going to guess that they are going to make quite a few changes.
i actually hoped she’d be the female lead of this Korean Version of Meteor Garden/Boys Over Flower when i heard about the casting of female lead. i loved MG Taiwan and i like Barbie Hsu’s portrayal. Barbie Hsu was the oldest among the casts and she pulled through the character of San Cai. i think these Korean F4 should be acting with an actress who is more experienced in the acting department…for as long as GHS can act whose acting by the way impressed me in King And I, she’ll do good.
Yoon Eun Hye has had her moments…besides she is getting older and playing the same roles…she should get out of her shell and do a more challenging character something apt for her age.
Oh so…. sad huhuhuhuhuhuhuhu :(( Maybe I think that Han Ji Min or Yoon Eun Hye have suitable face for Makino but anyway I voted and now… uhm! Hopely it’ll be good movie^^! Good luck
i do agree with what a lot of you are saying. its true that she is old (agewise)and she looks young but to think of going from Chil Woo to Korean Hana Yori Dango? A serious role to a fun free-for-all one?? wouldnt that lower her image as a serious actress?? she just started to get into more serious roles and now to cast her in a romantic comedy, nonetheless, will get her image down……i think the role might hurt her more than it’ll make her. Her publicist may be trying to appeal to the younger crowd i guess……not sure if itll work :/
i don’t know nor even just recognize her face. ugh.. a let down for me i guess…
Wait…ahhaha..im behind…
So it is actually settled that this girl is gunna be playing a 17 year old?
I mean….for all we know, the Korean HYD could be set in College (like MG)….
Or is it gunna be a HS drama?
cuz actually i was hoping for more of a college drama than HS…i always thought that F4 were just too over-the-top with the drinking and having sex, etc. to be high schoolers…that is one of the aspects i most preferred in MG..that it was set in a college situation…
The whole story just makes more sense in college, i think. Like Makino’s mom trying to marry her off, etc. They are all too advanced to be HS students. So….since they went off and got an older woman (girl? lol) to play Makino, i HOPE they go ahead and do the college setting
[...] Barbie doll” Han Chae-young teams up again with director Jeon Ki-sang, who’d made her into a star in 2005’s Delightful Girl Chun-hyang with Jae Hee, in the upcoming Boys Before Flowers. [...]
i wanna see Park Shin Hye take the role of Makino. Her age is closer to the character’s age.
Is she the same girl from Bad Family? (squints) it looks like her…Nam Sang Mi?
XD Nevermind, it’s the Drama City/Strongest Chil Woo girl. (sweat drop) I’m sure Koo Hye Sun will do a good job, korean makeup artists know how to work their magic.
mmm… im also looking forward that go ara or moon geun young will take the role… gu hye-sun seems okay too… is she that old? perhaps, she is… but she looks really young.. remember barbie xu of taiwan’s meteor garden, she’s old too when she took the role of shancai/makino…
hehehe…
her age is okay…
누난너무예뻐!!!!!!!!!!!!
xD