Boys Before Flowers: Episode 7
January 26th, 2009 // by javabeans
And it only took three weeks: This episode finally managed to topple the Monday-Tuesday behemoth East of Eden from its top ratings perch into second place, beating it by 2%.
There was perhaps one main cringey moment in Episode 7, but for the most part I really enjoyed it. That said:
GAHHHH!
CURSE YOU, CLIFFHANGER!!
SONG OF THE DAY
Wheesung – “별이 지다” (Falling star) [ Download ]
(...)
Read the rest of Boys Before Flowers: Episode 7 (3,463 words)
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Post tags: Boys Before Flowers, Gu Hye-sun, Kim Bum, Kim Hyun-joo, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Joon, Lee Min-ho
I absolutely agree with #193. Jandi is so overwhelmingly ANNOYING. I tried very hard to like her but I still have a very hard time in doing so. She over-acts, exaggerates, makes faces, pouts, screams, yells…all were so annoying. A strong solid actress is so needed for the role of Jandi but unfortunately I personally don’t think the current actress is portraying Jandi very well for us to enjoy the drama 100%. She is not likable, period. Desparately hope that she will improve in upcoming episodes and tone down her exaggerated behavior.
isn’t their boss the mole from kim sam soon?
i hated him in that drama…anyhoo off topic.
i am not ashamed to say that i have joined the lee min ho craze. i think he’s doing a great job with the character so far and ….that’s all i have to say about it ^_^
I am a fan of LMH, but I feel sorry for the character of JH, it feels like they’re undermining his character. It was supposed to be a basketball game that will decide the fate of JD and JH whether they will get to stay at the school or be expelled. SUPPOSED to be, when JH sees JP’s reactions when JD and JH’s chummy, he thought of using it to get JP distracted, so JP got distracted and was not able to shoot the ball properly, he did this so that JD will not get expelled from the school.
The changes the kdrama version made in the script opened up a pandora’s box of questions (to some) regarding JH and JP’s character. since driving and swimming could result in death, both JH and JP’s actions will( to some) come off as harsh and unhumane. including JP since he was happy at the breakfast table that he has advantage over JH in the race car. they were both happy about the disadvantages of the other, which made me question they’re friendship. but if they stick to the basketball game, none of the questioning their morality will occur, since it is just a basketball game, and distracting the other party will not result to death. and also I find JP unfair when he did not want to take part in the swimming race.
in the end, as evidenced by the comments here, JH is the one who gets the flak for what he did.
I am a LMH fan but I have major issues with the way they’re undermining JH’s character.
True to that Dramabeans.
This drama is so highly anticipated that the eng subs come out the night of, and your entries follow closely after. You already have 202 comments and its only one day afterwards!
Regardless of it all. I am enjoying this too much. Count me in with Lee Min-ho mania. Thanks for your insightful interpretations!
Ahhh, I really want to smack a fish across Jihoo’s face.
Oh my goodness, I dislike his character so much and the guy who portrays him.
I agree with #198, he has only blank, boring stares and has no freaking emotions.
Kim Bum and the other guy can’t dive for their lives, oyeee.
Bellyflops, smacking against the water, sorry I just got so annoyed by that.
Jandi can be very annoying, whats with her acting? I’m pretty sure her acting wasn’t like this in her other drama Pure 19…
and Jandi, STFU and say you like junpyo, stop pmsing.
Anyways, junpyo is the only character that seems to satisfy mee.
I have actually given up watching this drama in its entirety. I’m actually just reading Javabeans’ recaps (thank you so much for your detailed recaps, I really appreciate it) and watch only the parts that I like (i.e. Yi Jung and Ga Eul scenes, etc.)
Part of the reason is that I don’t understand the main characters, and this could mainly be the fault of the production staff. I know the story is familiar but the fact that the characters were not well established did play a part on why I find the progress of the drama weird. For example, Jun Pyo is supposed to be mean and violent but he was never shown as a bully in the first few episodes (the students were the ones bullying the guy Jan Di saved). And now that he shows his mean side when he gets mad because of Jan Di, you can get the feeling that Jan Di brings out the worst in him and in a way, this is not good. Another example is Ji Hoo. He is supposed to be distant and quiet and not generally nice to everyone except to Jan Di but he did not get to establish that properly. He is supposed to be mean when he gets back and as the audience, we were supposed to see the difference but because his character was really not given much development, we end up confused about him — his motives, his feelings, basically his side of the story.
And Jan Di. I don’t understand her at all as a character. She’s supposed to be noble and she won’t hesitate to fight for what she believes in — but sometimes you ask, what is she fighting for anyway? what does she believe in? She is supposed to be strong and willful but she doesn’t have to be someone who looks for fights and asks for more bullying. Whenever she’s being bullied, she keeps saying ‘do it, bully me more’ — those lines are so unnecessary and I blame the scriptwriters, can’t they think of other good lines Jan Di can say?
I’m also irritated by the fact that she yells and antagonizes Jun Pyo even when Jun Pyo just calls her name. What is up with that? I know she’s supposed to be strong and she doesn’t like the fact that Jun Pyo is a big bully but can’t she be civil when the situation calls for it? Is it really necessary to always yell her heart out? Like when Jun Pyo went after her after she got her face bashed, she was screaming her lungs out and the guy was just trying to help — clumsily but he does have good intentions at the time.
And the overacting and facial expressions and the god-awful pouts. I know Korean heroines always act cute, but Jan Di is at a different level. She’s so over-the-top that you don’t find it cute, you find it annoying. And I don’t know why but when she acts cute, it’s soo contrived and fake, it’s frustrating to watch. Part of it is the fault of the staff who wants Jan Di to act in an exaggerated way but most of it is the actress’ shortcomings I think. She can’t pull the cutesy-act as well as others. She’s fine when she doesn’t do the cutest-act but the problem is, she does it all the time.
So really, Jan Di is really at a disadvantage because not only do you not understand her, her mannerisms are so annoying it makes you hate her. Who is she aside from the standard high school girl in a middle class family? She has no class (and no, I refuse to accept that her portrayal of Jan Di is representation of all middle class high school girls — that is a morbid thought), she has no manners (apologize properly when it’s your fault, don’t cram food more than your mouth can take and don’t speak when your mouth is full), no awareness of her surroundings and people around her… I could go on and on.
Anyway, I don’t think I have to read the manga or watch the anime or watch the other drama versions to fully understand the characters because this is a separate project altogether and I should be able to get to know these characters in this drama, period. I should be able to understand how one situation brings in another situation. I don’t have to like how the characters react in a situation but I should be able to figure out why he could be acting like that.
Not understanding the characters is part of the reason why there’s a lot of debate on whether Jan Di likes Jun Pyo or not since it is not clear even in her actions whether she has feelings for him or not. It is not clear at the moment that she’s torn betweetn two guys — could that be because of acting? I’m not sure. We don’t know what Ji Hoo means when he says protecting Jan Di — as a friend or special someone — because we did not get ample clues on how he feels about her, etc.
And honestly, it’s somewhat difficult to rely on the drama alone because the drama is all over the place — what with trying to follow the manga and trying to put a Korean spin on the whole thing. Better writers would know better than to show Min Ji and Jan Di holding hands and talking together while in school in front of everyone when they are supposed to be not friends, and then when visiting Min Ji at home, Jan Di expressing it’s okay for her to visit because no one at school knows she’s visiting, and then when Jan Di was being bullied, Min Ji saying good bye to Jan Di. It’s fairly common sense that when you’re trying to pretend you’re not friends, you don’t get together in public.
I’m still following the drama though, in the hopes that it will get better. And I really love the supporting cast so I’m going to still watch their scenes, however fleeting those scenes may be.
oh my god
i luv dis drama
but i can’t watching dis
why
i want watching tis
how seeing
tell me…?? plssss..!!!!
you know what? I think superficially JunPyo and Jandi are like homage to Withering Heights’ infamous Heathcliff and Catherine. lol “The Villian and The Selfish girl whose only virtues are love” – that;s how they are described in Eclipse and that’s how Edward and Bella are described in Eclipse(Twilight 3rd book). Don’t you agree? Nonetheless, these days, although the drama itself has flaws, it really attracts viewers to watch it!
Ha ha…Javabean my dear! You are a bit too biased in this recap
It would be great to keep the recap neutral, save the bias for the readers.
Don’t be offended! I’m a big fan of your writing and recaps.
Keep on the good works!
Well Sarah..I haven’t seen the drama yet ..but..i’m looking Jan-di face in the picture….She never look expresive…sorry it’s hard to write in english but in Indonesian it’s call ..kurang ekspresi….I prefer Makino than Jan di
Bess, trust me, when I write “neutral” recaps people complain that it’s boring. When I write “biased” recaps people who disagree with me complain. Since you can’t win ‘em all, it’s a losing game to try to appease everyone. I just choose to do my own thing and worry about expressing myself clearly and honestly, and if people appreciate it, all the better. Thanks for your comment though.
I don’t think Javabeans is biased. She just relates the drama as it happens. When it comes to interpretations — there can be differences. She sees the drama in her own way, I’ll probably interpret some things differently, some people would also have a different opinion… But that’s why people comment, to voice out their own views. This is after all her own blog and she writes about HER Korean drama obssession — observations, interpretations, suggestions, etc
“Not the theater scene, but I find him worst in the car scene when he LAUGHS after Jun-pyo loses control of his car.”
Maybe just a realization of the most effective way to win the game–and that is to make him jealous, jp lose his control whenever they are together.
you can watch the whole ep. in veoh. you can also download the avi file.
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v17343257rjGYP6Wq
If you notice
Ji-hoo’s horse(Hanazawa Rui-Horse Face) and car are white, while
Jun pyo’s horse and car are black
I think they are indicating the white prince VS the black knight
Who will win and marry the princess?
HAHA
I don’t know why, all Hana Yori Dango dramas (japan, korean, taiwan, manga) never fails to make my heart flutter :3
JUST LOVE F4 AND MAKINO/ JAN DI / SHANCAI =D
I think when Ji hoo eating the porridge he smirks ‘cos he knows that Jun pyo after seeing that the both of them are chatting together, he can get distracted and unable to concentrate.
I guess that explains the secret weapon *I dunno why JanDi slanted her head to the left like she got a neck ache at that scene *
Ji Hoo want’s Jan Di to stay on at Shinhwa High so he resorts to dirty tricks like that.
I dunno why, but I think I am very in awe of Ji Hoo’s action -__-
His actions towards JanDi is very admirable =3
Hanazawa Rui still rocks my socks off tho =P
I’m new here but seeing all these hundreds of comments only goes to show how liked & loved this drama series is & I’m one of them! Thnx for updating us on the recap as I’m having problems watching epis 7 last part & your recap is just excellent! Part of me likes Ji Hoo also for Jan Di but that’s only a small percentage compared to my rooting for Jan Pyo. I’m also suffering from LMH mania let alone this BBF series is just too addictive, you can hardly wait to the next one!
like a lot of other people have written…
i can no longer stand gu hye-sun’s acting as jandi. there were times when that actress was ok — like an older scene where she was trying to resist a kiss from junpyo — but most of the time she’s terrible. when she’s nervous, she’s annoying. when she’s loud and yelling, she’s annoying. she just tries too hard. i hate her hair and her face. yes, her face. she’s always squinching apologetically. smiling apologetically. everything about her alternates between two extremes: loud and then apologetic.
jandi’s being a bioootch through her passivity… and she’s declining into bella swan territory which makes me sad b/c makino should never remind me of bella.
noooo please dont write “neutral” recaps.
please! i love it!
i watch the show first then i read the caps.
its like having fun twice over.
stating the obvious. haha. likee it helps me
to remember what i thought of during that
scene. sometimes its hard to read and hear
my thoughts coz the series is really going fast.
so thank you to you! i can take my time reading
and remember the feeling.
awesome. thanks much!
fighting!
i agree, i am really disliking ji hoo, and it was never that way in the japanese version. i guess its because he doesnt show much feeling about pretty much anything, and he does not appeal to me. also jun pyo is much better acted, where i can even feel his hurt when he is sad. giggle stupidly when he is in his weird/funny moods. Lee min ho can really convey his feelings to the watchers. again, for jan di, i really do love her, and maybe if she just tones down the screaming a bit she’d be a perfect jan di. Im not going to compare her to the jdrama’s makino because that isn’t fair. but really, people should really stop bashing her so much, just enjoy the drama.
I finally just watched this ep, and I agree with your commentary (almost) completely!
I actually quite like the actress playing Jan Di, but her character and the others just aren’t as engaging as Jun Pyo. And Ji Hoo is totally boring–gorgeous, but so bland, and he’s really not holding up his side of the love triangle very well. It’s hard to see why Jan Di would like him at all compared to Jun Pyo, who may be crazy but is at least interesting! Which is very different from how I felt about HYD, in which I was leaning toward Hanazawa for much of the first series. I almost wish I didn’t like Jun Pyo this much, because my dislike of Domyouji from the beginning made such a dramatic contrast to when his character started being likable. Domyouji was so hateful and unstable at the beginning, and it was really dramatic to watch him soften due to Makino’s influence. Here, I’ve liked Jun Pyo and have been rooting for him from the beginning! Which lessens the dramatic value of the plot a bit. But I’m still loving watching it! I have definitely caught the Lee Min Ho obsession bug.
Sorry for the excessive comparisons to the Japanese version, I can’t help it! I loved that drama so much and part of the fun of this version for me is seeing a new take on the story. But I can’t help comparing the two : D
this was my first full episode without really comparing it to hana yori dango. minus the rui reference… aha
I had the impression that Ji Hoo laughed during Jun Pyo’s training scene because he realized Jan Di had popped up in schock at Jun Pyo’s skidding. He was also schocked at the beginning but he laughed after seeing that Jun Pyo skidded to a halt and was not harmed. The reason I think he laughed was because he noticed a reaffirmation of Jan Di’s feelings toward Jun Pyo (that he first had an inkling of at the stairwell, when Jan Di started tearing while drawing Jun Pyo’s stick figure). I think this caused him to laugh at his self, realizing how pathetic he has become by starting to like Jan Di but to find it a little too late.
But He could have acted that complexity a bit better. If we only had gotten a close shot of his face with some transitioning expressions that showed these mixed feelings =P
@206 Ara
You have read my mind, as much as I appreciate Dramabean’s recaps, I wish we’d have a second opinion like this to balance things out. The lastest episode just proved your points. Still watching though, for the same reasons you are.
does anyone else notice that they are giving SOJIRO (wats his korean version name? ) and JAN DI’s friend from the porridge store a lot more romantic angst than the other versions? like isnt the friend supposed to be the one going after sojiro and not the other way around? and while everyone is into LMH i am waaaaaaaaaay off by having the hots for the SOJIRO character. that smile….man
Referring to comment #209 & #211: I like it when you add your personal views and comments to your recaps. Please don’t keep your recaps neutral!
And i agree with your comments at the end about Lee Min-ho’s portrayal of Gu Jun-pyo. He’s definitely the star of this drama. I find myself rooting for him and not Ji-hoo at all.
Lee Min-ho Mania?? Oh yes…bring it on!!!
Just watched and thank YOU, Sarah! Thank you! Your last paragraphs about Ji Hoo and Jun Pyo describe essentially how I feel about those two. Halfway through the competition, I realized I was rooting for Jun Pyo and I was like “Oh wait, i’m *supposed* to root for Ji Hoo so that he can stay in the F4 and there’d be no expulsions”. And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to do just that. I started disliking Ji Hoo during the theatre scene and then when he *smirks* cos Jun Pyo almost crashes his car? I was “WTH is *wrong* with you, Jii Hoo. He’s supposed to be your friend even though you guys had a disagreement”. And the hug & kiss was just below the belt.
Jun Pyo is no saint, but jeez! I know we’re not supposed to draw parallels with HYD, but I have NEVER not liked Rui even though I liked Tsukasa better. In BBF? if the direction of the drama and how Ji Hoo is portrayed/written doesn’t change drastically, I can only see myself starting to really hate the guy. And I really hope that’s not how it’ll end.
Oh and now I can totally see why you guys kept harping on and on about the soundtrack. Jeebus, the aaaaalmoooost paaaradiiiiise was played in the most unsuitable moments ever. I mean, during the car chase? the horse race? the race car? Makes no sense. I can see why such a song may be used to highlight a romantic scene (sorta), but…how are we supposed to take the whole OST seriously if that song is used during, say, dramatic moments? Pfft.
S @ 226, I totally agree with you with the soundtrack. I like the song, but have you been watching the variety shows lately? they ALL make references to BBF in some shape or form. Some parodies are hilarious, but everytime there’s a reference, they HAVE TO play aaalllmooost pppaaaarrraadise like EVERY 5 SECONDS! AAHH!
I’ve been singing that song since i started watching this drama. Help.
I am a fan of your blog and enjoy reading your your viewpoint. In regards to Ji Hoon character and the BBF storyline in general, I feel they both follow very closely to the original manga, to the point of quoting exact lines. The Japanese live drama however, veered quite a bit. Ji Hoon’s character to me wasn’t someone I wanted to end up with Jan Di until he really falls in lover with her later. At this point in the story he is still in love Seo Hyun. A lot of the weak moments you’ve mentioned in previous recaps are taken almost directly from the manga, for example the idea of a sporting competion deciding their fates. I feel the actor protraying Ji Hoon’s character is doing a good job because at this point I don’t feel he is very likable.
… At this point of the drama, I don’t really honestly see how you could be rooting for Ji Hoo
First of all, he’s a completely bland character – 90% of the time you’re seeing him he’s either a) playing his violin or b) brooding
Also, Jun pyo (as he said) completely showed his sincerity towards her and she just throws it in his face
Like you said, the scene where he laughed? Ugh.
And also, I do want to point out that Ji Hoo had completely gotten over his fear of driving, though admirable, it didn’t seem realistic. Also, note that Ji Hoo might not drive a car but he has a bike/motorcycle, whereas Jun Pyo doesn’t swim and that scene in the ocean when Jan Di is “drowning” he can barely go into the water a foot!
So in my opinion, that’s not really comparable…
I’m done rambling now
Personally, I actually didn’t really like Ji Hoo until the second part of BBF
Does anyone else here think that perhaps if Jang Di changed her hairstyle a little bit, she would look quite appealing. I just can’t seem to get used to her hair. It really bothers me for some reason. They should have tried to make her look a little bit better in appearance. It is a little hard to believe that two of the richest and good looking guys would fall for her. Every other girl in the show is beautiful with the exception our female lead. Is that deliberate?
And is it imperative that Ji Hoo have that ghastly shade of brown as his hair colour. Im thinking perhaps it is that way in the manga? Since Rui seemed to have a similar hair coloring. Although they could have deviated a bit, right?
Right now, Jun Pyo is probably the best character in the show. I do like him better than MatsuJun. However makino and rui from the jap version were definitely better than the cast in the korean version.
noooo please dont write “neutral” recaps.
please! i love it!
i watch the show first then i read the caps.
its like having fun twice over.
stating the obvious. haha. likee it helps me
to remember what i thought of during that
scene. sometimes its hard to read and hear
my thoughts coz the series is really going fast.
so thank you to you! i can take my time reading
and remember the feeling.
awesome. thanks much!
fighting!
I’m glad that the storyline’s quite different fm the japanese version at some parts:) but the thing abt Ji Hoo only liking Jan Di after he gets dumped disturbs me,unlike in the japanese version where H.Rui only likes Makino much later,which shows he really likes her and is not just regarding her as Shizuka’s substitute. Oh well. Heh.
As for the characters, the other 3 F4 members were as good in the Korean and Jap version(in acting and looks), but I really prefer Domyoji to Jun Pyo since Domyoji was super cute! Even fm the beginning! I think his portrayal of a childish selfish yet dedicated and loyal friend was much better. Also I found his ‘weird temper/mood swings’ kinda funny:D LOL
I think I have 2 agree with the 5th coment by ‘Anon’.
Btw Thank u so much 4 all ur effort and time put into writing episode summary’s for us dramabeans!!
I really admire all the actors but i’m actually as interested in Ga-eul and Yi-jung’s relationship then the ‘triangle relationship’ lol
Thanks again
xx
ji hoo love jandi
I love u
go jun pyo
I feel na if Jan Di and Ji Hoo would be Boyfriends, I wish that they would be married on March 13, 2013 at exactly 10:30 am. So they would be a lucky couple for every year! I wish that someday the cast of Boys Over Flowers would even go to Philippines,Batangas City. If you want to ask my address. Brgy. Tinga Labac Rd. 3 (Bayanihan) Batangas City. But by the way if you would come my name is Pia Custodio Aclan or if they don’t know just ask about Jay Aclan or the Aclan Family. Thank you. I am always watching even I memories the stories! Because I love it even it is 10:15 pm. Thank you very much!
hello ur so cute
grabe ang ganda ng laban ni jun pyo at ji hoo patas lang sila ilove u sa innyong lahat
JAVABEANS and other JIHOO HATERS,
You know, Ji-Hoo is always calm because he’s sort of autistic and withdrawn. It may be hard to understand – and trust me i’m a HUGE Jun-Pyo follower – but he is the way he is that b/c he is an a**hole, but because of he’s slightly socially retarded. lol
But yes I also agree that he wasn’t a great actor, but don’t hate on Ji Hoo! I kinda like that he has no sense of social norms and he’s so quirky that way.
though in the end, everyone loves Jun Pyo / Lee Min Ho