Boys over Flowers
This J-drama starts off with the main character Tsukushi Makino, who is sitting alone in an empty classroom when one of her classmates yells dramatically from the hall that someone has been given a red card. This marks the introduction of F4—four rich, spoiled brats who are conventionally attractive. F4 stands for “Flower Four,” and when I found that out, I internally cringed. Flower Four—how ridiculous. Still, I tried to keep an open mind and continued watching.
The classmates surround the student who received the red card and begin bullying him, escalating into mocking and physical violence. I found myself wondering why I was continuing to watch this drama. This pattern repeats as the main character becomes more and more angry over the unjust behaviour and cruelty the students inflict on one another. Eventually, her new friend becomes the target of one of the bullies, Tsukasa Domyoji, the main love interest.
She valiantly stands up for her friend, and a war begins like no other. She becomes harassed and bullied herself, and horrible things are done to her, or attempted to be done to her, that are, honestly, extreme but also an accurate portrayal of the cruelty and dehumanizing behaviour that can occur in high school.
Craft and Artistry
The craft of this J-drama isn’t something I can fully evaluate, as it’s one of the first J-dramas I’ve seriously watched. However, from what I can tell, it was fairly well done. Certain elements are more dramatized than even K-dramas, and the stakes feel much higher, particularly the severity of the bullying and the immense control money and luxury provide, which is clearly shown on screen to emphasize power.
This is an older J-drama, so the clothing styles, hairstyles, and overall aesthetic feel very early 2000s. At times, this can seem a bit silly—the hairstyles can be dramatic and the fashion questionable, but at the same time, there’s a lot of style that I find creative and appealing. I ultimately see this as more of a positive than a negative.
Messages and Themes
I loved the theme of standing up to cruelty and injustice. When you’re young and still at an age where your integrity is forming, learning how to interact with others and developing a sense of self-worth and identity, this kind of messaging can be very impactful. As someone who’s older and looking back on it now, I find the character Tsukushi Makino admirable, not only for her courage, but also for the mercy she shows others by forgiving them when they’ve wronged her.
She’s also a strong role model in how she loves her family. She’s loyal to them and fights for them when they struggle to fight for themselves, which I think is another admirable quality.
Another message of this drama is that people can change and grow. We see this in the male lead, Tsukasa Domyoji, who goes through significant development as he learns that his actions hurt others and that this behaviour is wrong. Through his growing affection for Tsukushi, he becomes a better human being. I think this is one of the best portrayals of romantic love, when someone inspires you to grow and improve yourself, especially at that young age.
That said, I disliked how Tsukasa sometimes pursues Tsukushi. At times, it feels overwhelming and crosses boundaries. However, he is clearly written as a complicated character in need of growth, and the drama doesn’t shy away from portraying his toxic traits. It also shows him facing the consequences of his actions and actively correcting himself.
This is also a drama about agency, which is an especially important theme for teenagers. This is an age where agency is either developed or where a lack of it becomes painfully noticeable, whether due to finances, authority figures, or controlling environments. The drama explores the struggle of becoming your own person despite the forces trying to control you.
Final Thoughts
I started watching the original J-drama Boys Over Flowers from some of my research into what I wanted to watch next in terms of a K-drama. When I was looking online, a lot of people seemed to say that it was the K-drama version of the story that got them into K-dramas, and that made me curious. In further research, I discovered that the K-drama was an adaptation of an adaptation. I wanted to see the original version first and maybe, someday in the future, watch the K-drama adaptation.
I think this particular drama was interesting. I don’t think I like the J-drama genre more than K-dramas generally, but I also can’t say for certain since this is only the first J-drama I’ve watched. I would recommend this drama to anyone who is ok with watching a story with messy relationships and doesn’t mind cringing routinely and frequently through dramatic moments in episodes. Overall, this was a bit of a painful watch, so I hesitate to recommend it. Overall, I’d rate this J-drama two and a half stars out of five.
Content Warning / Trigger Warning:
This review discusses topics that may be distressing to some readers, including bullying, harassment, attempted sexual assault, sexual harassment, humiliation, poverty, and assault.
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