Explosive debut: (Left) The four main male characters in the Korean hit drama 'Boys Before Flowers' have created huge pop culture sensation that has engulfed Korea. Picture: ANN
Lee Joo-hee
SEOUL
Saturday, March 7, 2009
MAYBE the time has finally arrived for women in this Confucian society to openly appreciate the beauty of the opposite gender.
It may be that boys have actually become much "prettier" than before, and are beyond the traditional male attributes defined as "tall, dark and handsome."
Well, the four main male characters in KBS hit drama "Boys Before Flowers" (also popularly known as "Boys Over Flowers") are definitely tall and handsome, and all of them jaw-droppingly rich. But that's hardly enough to describe the huge pop culture sensation that has engulfed Korea.
The four "flower boys"or "F4" have captivated the hearts of women of all ages, be it a seven-year-old girl or 50-year-old housewife. Many men also watch it, though the majority of fans are women.
"Boys Before Flowers" may be considered the Asian version of America's huge hits "The O.C." or "Gossip Girl" which depict a hyper-luxurious lifestyle of teenagers.
The series is only mid-way through, but the cast members (led by the ever oh-so-charming Lee Min-ho playing main character Goo Joon-pyo) have become household names. The ratings hover around the high 30 per cent range and could now climb higher.
"By always watching these unrealistically rich and charming boys going out of their way to help Geum Jan-di (the main female character played by Koo Hye-sun) and through her quagmires, as well as watching the scenes where she is reluctantly showered with gifts and makeovers, I get a sense of satisfaction at least inside the television," said Lee Ji-ah, a 26-year-old graduate student who watches the show religiously.
The drama is so popular that some shows are dedicated to it. Putting a comedic spin on the series that some also call "too corny," such comedy programs as Gagya of MBC and Gag Concert of KBS have parodied the main characters.
This is undoubtedly the big break for Lee Min-ho, 22, who was a struggling actor before the drama and now the envy of a multitude of aspiring talents. Korea's largest community site Cyworld has also benefited from the latest pop phenomenon by producing emoticons for each of the five major cast members, which they say are in high demand from users.
Fashion magazines are filled with pictures and stories about the flower boys, while portal sites of Korea are filled with news, group pictures and blogs dedicated to them.
It seems people just cannot get enough of them.
"Boys Before Flowers" or "Hana Yori Dango" in Japanese is actually a familiar story for women in their teens, 20s and 30s. The series ran between 1992 and until 2003 to eventually comprise a great whopping 37 volumes. It sold over 54 million copies by 2005.
The plot is quite old school as well. Geum Jan-di, the main female character, is a girl from a poor family but also has an unrivaled sense of optimism and drive and is by chance admitted to a prestigious private high school.
There she meets the infamous group of four astonishingly good looking and rich boys. The group's leader is Goo Joon-pyo, who is a spoiled heir to world-leading conglomerate Shinhwa. He is joined by mysterious and breathlessly handsome Yoon Ji-hoo, played by member of the popular idol pop group SS501 Kim Hyun-joong, So Yi-jung played by Kim Bum, and Song Woo-bin, played by Kim Joon. Their love story moves from Seoul to New Caledonia to Macau, while their wardrobes and houses also entertain the eyes with their over-the-top extravagance.
Lee Ji-yeon, a 30-year-old single woman, explains that she is a fan of the show because it is blatantly lavish and dreamlike. She says it's easy to just fall into it without bothering to think about whether the plots are realistic or not.
The obvious reason is the near perfect casting of the F4. Fair to say, their acting skills are considered not up to par, but sometimes also even cringe-inducing. But main player Lee Min-ho shines, with his believable adaptation of the Joon-pyo character. Lee brilliantly actually manages quite well to portray the spoiled kid of a billionaire who shows little to no respect to people around him, but now turns all soft and mushy once in a while, at least to the love of his life Jan-di.
"One of the reasons for the character Goo to be so popular could be that he touches the nature of embedded masochism of viewers by being mean and then he can be kind all of a sudden, getting the counterpart to appreciate that even more," said Kim Mi-hyun, literature critic and professor of Ewha Womans University.
"This may represent a distorted adoration or aspiration towards people with money or chaebols."
"The popularity of this programme also represents the new aggressive nature of consumption," Kim said.
"One problem, however, with the program is that these boys represented in the stories are in their teens and spending like kings. The unreality of it may be the attractive factor but it may also provoke a sort of wild-goose chase," she said.
The original manga "Boys Before Flower" is enjoying a resurrection of its sales. Over 132,000 copies were sold in the months of January and February, according to its publisher Seoul Media Group.
The series is already signing deals with overseas television networks for viewing, following the footsteps of Japan and Taiwan, which have also reprised the comic book series in television series and movies.
New Caledonia, which was featured in the earlier part of the drama as the set where the main female actor and male characters confirm their love, is seeing an increase in the number of potential travelers.
"It will take time for the actual number of travelers to New Caledonia is to rise considering the current economic situation here. But New Caledonia definitely put itself on the map of coveted travel destinations through this drama series. Now, everyone from kids to adults in their 40s and 50s know Goo Joon-pyo's New Caledonia," said Lee Myeong-hwan, who heads the Korean office of Tourism.ANN
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