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A review by rach
Boys Over Flowers: Hana Yori Dango, Vol. 1 by Yōko Kamio
3.0
I've been going through my bookshelves and boxes of books recently and pulling out books to resell, mostly ones I haven't touched in years and don't imagine re-reading. This first volume of this series was definitely one I wanted to re-read before I passed it on, though.
This was never my favorite manga series. I don't think I actually read the whole series, in fact, because it never truly sucked me in. I was always annoyed with one character or another, and I had other things I wanted to spend my money on, so I eventually stopped buying them, and only got them from the library on occasion, to check in and see how the characters were doing.
I'll always be fond of this series, though, because my familiarity with it led me to check out my first Korean drama, Boys Over Flowers. I fell in love with the drama, despite it's occasional flaws, and soon found myself sucked into the world of kdrama. It's been over a year now, and I have logged many sleepless nights and weekends marathoning show after show. It's gotten a little ridiculous, to be honest. 60+ dramas in now, I wouldn't say Boys Over Flowers is my favorite drama, but it holds a special place in my heart, as the show that made me fall in love with kdramas and korean culture. And Lee Min Ho. Let's not forget him.
As for a review of the manga itself? The art is definitely not my favorite, but I don't find it terrible. I think the parts of the story that I don't like are things that are toned down in the drama. Specifically in this first volume, Domyogi still declares war on Tsukushi and sends goons after her, but in the drama, he sends them just to scare her, not to actually hurt her. In the manga, it seems to imply that he was actually intending that they really rape her, which is unforgivable cruel and vicious. In the manga, Rei, despite saving Tsukushi from the rape, and smiling at her once, is bluntly cold almost all the time. In the drama, he still says those same things, but he's played with a special warmth by Kim Hyun Joong, and never seems to be quite as uncaring as his words might indicate. Tsukushi herself, in the manga, goes through a phase where she's scared of the F4, and just goes with the flow to stay under their radar. In the drama, she's new to the school, and never loses that fierce personality that we all love her for. So if I was going to pick a favorite to recommend, it would clearly be the kdrama. The manga has interesting storylines, too, and goes on much longer than the drama does, so if you're willing to invest the time, it's a worthwhile read. Just don't have too high of expectations.
This was never my favorite manga series. I don't think I actually read the whole series, in fact, because it never truly sucked me in. I was always annoyed with one character or another, and I had other things I wanted to spend my money on, so I eventually stopped buying them, and only got them from the library on occasion, to check in and see how the characters were doing.
I'll always be fond of this series, though, because my familiarity with it led me to check out my first Korean drama, Boys Over Flowers. I fell in love with the drama, despite it's occasional flaws, and soon found myself sucked into the world of kdrama. It's been over a year now, and I have logged many sleepless nights and weekends marathoning show after show. It's gotten a little ridiculous, to be honest. 60+ dramas in now, I wouldn't say Boys Over Flowers is my favorite drama, but it holds a special place in my heart, as the show that made me fall in love with kdramas and korean culture. And Lee Min Ho. Let's not forget him.
As for a review of the manga itself? The art is definitely not my favorite, but I don't find it terrible. I think the parts of the story that I don't like are things that are toned down in the drama. Specifically in this first volume, Domyogi still declares war on Tsukushi and sends goons after her, but in the drama, he sends them just to scare her, not to actually hurt her. In the manga, it seems to imply that he was actually intending that they really rape her, which is unforgivable cruel and vicious. In the manga, Rei, despite saving Tsukushi from the rape, and smiling at her once, is bluntly cold almost all the time. In the drama, he still says those same things, but he's played with a special warmth by Kim Hyun Joong, and never seems to be quite as uncaring as his words might indicate. Tsukushi herself, in the manga, goes through a phase where she's scared of the F4, and just goes with the flow to stay under their radar. In the drama, she's new to the school, and never loses that fierce personality that we all love her for. So if I was going to pick a favorite to recommend, it would clearly be the kdrama. The manga has interesting storylines, too, and goes on much longer than the drama does, so if you're willing to invest the time, it's a worthwhile read. Just don't have too high of expectations.