Kamio Yoko, the manga-ka (manga writer-artist) who started it all in 1992 with the incredibly popular manga series Hana Yori Dango, has recently come to Korea to meet with the cast and production crew behind the latest adaptation, KBS kdrama series Boys Before Flowers.

She was actually an unannounced attendee at the recent production press conference on the 22nd, but the news is just being released now; they’d kept it quiet (perhaps to keep expectations from shooting even higher than they already are? If so, somebody needs to revisit the meaning of the word “quiet”).

Kamio drew a sketch of the current cast (Gu Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Bum, and Kim Joon) on the spot and even told SS501 singer Kim Hyun-joong (in the Rui role) that she’d seen him when he was promoting his singing career in Japan. She also marveled at how closely the Korean cast resembled the characters she’d created.

She said, “It’s an honor to have Hana Yori Dango produced as a Korean drama too.. I hope Korean viewers will enjoy it.”

Boys Before Flowers premieres next Monday. I’m trying very hard to keep expectations low(er), because I hate being disappointed.

Via Yonhap News

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Now that Korea’s Hana Yori Dango has cast its leads (Makino and F4), settled on its secondary cast (older sisters, best friends), and even gotten its tertiary characters in place (schoolmates, part-time employers), the one main role remaining was that of Doumyouji Tsukasa’s hard-hearted mother, the businesswoman behind the family empire, Kaede.

Lee Hye-young (Fashion 70s and I’m Sorry, I Love You) has been chosen to fill the void as the head of a global corporation, who becomes one of the strongest obstacles to the budding romance between her son and the ordinary, lower-middle-class girl he falls for. (Note: the 46-year-old Lee Hye-young is not to be confused with another actress of the same name, the 37-year-old actress of Dal Ja’s Spring or Kimchi Cheese Smile.)

Photos from the overseas shoots >>

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Kim So-eun (Yuki), Lee Shi-young (Sakurako)

Yeah, I know I’m posting a lot about Boys Before Flowers, but nothing else is getting me all that excited these days. Plus, it goes to show just how anticipated this drama is when we get news reporting not just on the leading actors, but even the very peripheral members of the cast.

So, with the main characters all lined up (the boy-men of Flower Four, main character Makino, beautiful model Shizuka, and tough older sister Tsubaki), now it’s time to turn our attentions to the rest.

Gu Hye-sun’s (Makino) character’s best friend Ga-eul (meaning Autumn; Yuki in the manga) is 19-year-old new actress Kim So-eun — and yes, she will share a “fresh” and “dramatic” storyline with Kim Bum’s Soujiro (er, So Yi-jung).

Sakurako will be taken on by 24-year-old Lee Shi-young, who recently drew attention for her role as Yeon-hwa in the sageuk drama Kingdom of the Wind. I haven’t seen her act, but she definitely looks the part — fresh and innocent on the outside, but potentially “I will cut you” on the inside. Her character’s name is Oh Min-ji.

More of the cast and behind-the-scenes photos >>

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Add one more big name to the cast of Boys Before Flowers (Hana Yori Dango): the lovely Kim Hyun-joo, last seen in last year’s drama Insoon is Pretty, has been cast in the Tsubaki role, older sister to main character Doumyouji Tsukasa.

Kim Hyun-joo’s character is named Gu Jun-hee in the series and is the chaebol successor to the family enterprise, one of the nation’s top corporations. She lives in the States, but has taken care of her little bro, played by Lee Min-ho, since their youth, in the absence of their busy business-minded parents.

I’m a bit surprised, since Kim Hyun-joo’s image is a little softer than the sassy, kickass Tsubaki I saw in the Japanese version, but I don’t think this is necessarily a bad move. The older generation needs solid actors to back up their principal cast, which is on the green side, and she’s a stronger actor than her fellow “older” castmate, Han Chae-young (Han does fit her image to a tee, though, and plays Shizuka, Rui’s (Kim Hyun-joong) first love).

The new Monday-Tuesday drama will air on KBS in December.

Via New Daily

RELATED POSTS

• Han Chae-young joins Boys Before Flowers
• And Makino (in the Korean Hana Yori Dango) is…
• Meet your Korean F4
• Boys Before Flowers, aka the Korean Hana Yori Dango

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What horrible timing following Choi Jin-shil’s shocking death, because now it’s hard to get that excited about news I/we have been waiting forever to hear, which is the announcement of the “F4″ guys in the Korean Hana Yori Dango, aka Boys Before Flowers.

Although it was floated around that the casting would comprise mostly pop idol stars, it turns out (for the better, imo), that we’re split half-half between idols and actors (the two rising actors at least have a decent amount of experience — for their age, I mean).

• First is F4 leader in the Tsukasa role, aka actor Lee Min-ho (above left).
• Kim Hyun-joong, idol singer of pop boy band SS501, takes on the role of Rui.
• Kim Bum (!!!), at above right, is most recently of East of Eden and the biggest surprise for me — and a pleasant one at that, since he’s proved he can act. He’s Soujiro.
• And, finally, Kim Joon is the least-known of the F4 boys, as Akira.

More about the Korean F4 >>

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