The Drama that Launched 1000 Other Dramas

It would be no understatement to say that Hana Yori Dango has profoundly shaped the world of Asian romcom melodramas since its first adaption. 

Originally published as a shoujo manga by Yoko Kamio, under the title 花より男子 or "Boys Over Flowers", the story has been adapted into 7 separate live-action dramas. In order of release, they are:

1. Meteor Garden (2001, Taiwan)
2. Meteor Garden II (2002, Taiwan)
3. Hana Yori Dango (2005, Japan)
4. Hana Yori Dango Returns (2007, Japan)
5. Boys Over Flowers (2009, South Korea)
6. Metero Shower (2010, China)
7. Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan (2014, India)

The Taiwanese adaption Meteor Garden (流星花園) was so stupidly popular, it was quickly followed by a sequel, and then years later, a main land adaption of the Taiwanese adaption. I chose to watch this adaption in part because it is the first, but also because I nostalgically remember it as the show that brought my mother and auntie to tears. It was their marathoning of Meteor Garden that first introduced to me the idea of pulling an all-nighter. 

The basic plot goes like this: a hard working girl, Shan Cai in this adaption, ends up entering a school for rich children due to some reason. The school's social hierarchy is dominated by a group of four handsome, and rich, boys colloquially called the "F4" or Flower 4. They hand out red cards to those who cross them and these red cards are tacit permission for anyone and everyone to bully the holder, usually to the point of withdrawal from the school. Shan Cai is a just and up-righteous hard-working girl whose friend gets red carded. On behalf of her friend, she stands up the the leader of the F4 who is, of course, the most handsome, the most rich, and the most petty. Her actions earn her a red card too. But unlike others, Shan Cai preserves and continues to study and work hard - earning the respect (and love) of the F4 along the way.

After they go through a period of misunderstandings and fights, the main character and the main F4 get together. But this is no happy ending for afterwards comes, angry and spiteful mothers, jealous ex-girlfriend, accidents and memory loss, and fiances and arranged marriage.

Without any evidence, I'd wager that many of the hall-mark tropes of Asian Dramas can be found in Hana Yori Dango. Like any good melodrama, it features a lot of "being in the right place at the right time" and "being in the wrong place at the wrong time to get the perfect misunderstanding that leads to romantic angst". It is filled to the brim with tropes. But its enduring popularity across a wide population suggests there is more to HYD than a vapid melodrama.

Personally, I think that reason lies in the main female lead, whatever her name may be. Invariably, she comes from a poor working class background. Through a stroke of fate, or luck, she ends up attending a rich private school. In Meteor Garden, she attends the rich children's college because her parents truly believe that is the best thing for her. This sentiment probably strikes a chord with all viewers of Chinese/Taiwanese backgrounds: how can any of us not relate to the sacrifices a parent is willing to go through to provide the best possible education? And she is hard-working and just. When Shan Cai alone rages against the injustice of the system, the viewer agrees with her. Shan Chai is so brave! But at the same time, the viewer must ask: why doesn't anyone else do this? As the viewer observes the student body and faculty bow and cower before the power of F4's money, it is impossible not to think of the current Asia. Even 16 years later, Meteor Garden strikes a chord in the materialistic culture that Asia still exhibits.

And ultimately, the viewer feels that Shan Cai, for all her suffering and trials, deserves to live with the love of her life - who just so happens to be filthy rich and can provide a life of comfort and luxury.