F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers
For fans of South Korean drama Boys Over Flowers (Netflix, Viki, Tubi, Hulu) or the Chinese (or Taiwanese) Meteor Garden (Netflix) or indeed the original, Japanese Hana Yori Dango, there’s now a new version of the classic story coming to streaming channels straight from Thailand.
If you’ve watched Meteor Garden 2018 (Netflix – see mini-review here) early indications show F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers to have a similarly modern vibe attached to the classic manga story. To get closer to the source material, you can catch the anime version of Japanese Hana Yori Dango (translation: Boys Over Flowers) on Crunchyroll.
The story of F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers, centres around a school for the elite reigned by four guys with an overabundance of privilege, money and good looks. So much so that they’re both feared and revered by those around them.
A girl who isn’t from within upsets their applecart, clueless about the rules and not interested in knowing them. She’s just there to go to school. Until she clashes with the leader of F4 which begins a series of battles that eventually shows glimmers of romance.
Directed by Patha Thongpan for Thailand’s GMMTV, he’s noted an interest in honouring the classic storyline, adding a ‘now’ freshness and displaying a unique Thai aesthetic that meets the original.
What does that mean for us? Thai drama is known for its way-over-the-top ‘da-da-da!’ portrayal of stories but has more recently, particularly at GMM, gotten closer to a familiar highly dramatized reality in contemporary series like The Gifted or Kiss the Series. It’s delivered in a more believable, less day-time-TV fashion that’s way more watchable than some of the old-skool offerings.
F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers Cast
If you watch Thai TV, you may have spotted the same faces cropping up regularly on the same channel. Many actors are signed directly to a station with long-lasting contracts. Notably, GMM, which has a dedicated BL (Boys Love) drama following, has previously paired two of the F4 leads in BL series 2gether. So, it will be interesting to see how they fare in a drama where chemistry is crucial to live up to the brand.
Vachirawit ‘Bright’ Chivaaree plays lead character Thyme (Tsukasa Domyoji/Joon Pyo/Dao Ming Si). His counterpart in 2gether, Metawin ‘Win’ Opas-iamkajorn is the playboy Kavin (Sojiro Nishikado/Yi-jung/Ximen). Is it a miss that they’re not after the same girl?
It’s actually newcomer Jirawat ‘Dew’ Sutivanichsak, who plays Ren (Rui Hanazawa/Ji-hoo/Huaze Lei) in the love triangle. But content to date seems to throw more emphasis on the Kavin character than Ren, indicating a slightly different balance in the storyline.
Hirunkit ‘Nani’ Changkham as MJ (Akira Mimasaka/Woo-bin/Meizuo) rounds out the Flower Boys, but in this version he’s both playful and a fighter. And Tontawan ‘Tu’ Tantivejakul plays ordinary but forthright girl turned love interest, Gorya (Tsukushi Makino/Jan-di/Shancai).
According to the director, all of these actors exude their characters – so, let’s wait and see.
Where Can I Watch F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers?
This new series is set to air on GMM 25 on Saturdays for 16 episodes. It will simultaneously stream internationally through GMMTV’s official YouTube channel and on streaming platform Viu.
Episode 4 Release Date
F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers will return to a regular weekly schedule, releasing Episode 4 on Saturday, January 15th at 8.30pm (Bangkok Time) – 8.30am (ET) and 1.30pm (GMT). The simultaneous international release on YouTube will come ready with English subtitles, so you’ll be viewing right along with viewers in Thailand.
Episode 4 Preview
Ready for the next one? The Episode 4 preview shows Gorya and Thyme dating but it looks a lot like their typical bickering. Meanwhile, F2 note the distance between the two – he the family prince and she working extra jobs to keep loan sharks from their door. Will Thyme’s Mother allow the relationship?
Watch Tips
If you’re watching live… be sure you’re backed up to the beginning of each segment so you don’t miss anything. YouTube automatically sticks you at the live moment, so if you’re a few seconds behind you may be missing a scene or two.
Is There a Trailer for F4 Thailand?
If you haven’t caught it yet, there is a trailer for the series:
In addition to the trailer, the team have released an official soundtrack featuring the main cast. It’s certainly channelling the vibe and seems to be right on target to deliver everything Director Thongpan has promised:
Opening song, Who Am I?
And the more energetic tune Shooting Star.
What Happened In Episode 3?
See the recap and review here: F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers Episode 3 Recap & Review. Watch for recap and review stories each week after airing, we’ll be sure to get them up as quickly as we can on TheReviewGeek!
Read More:
F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers Episode 2 Recap & Review
F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers Episode 1 Recap & Review
Episode 3 Random Thoughts
Just because Gorya’s family watching ‘Flower Over Boy’ was pretty amusing, we’ve taken a look to see if such a programme exists in Thailand. Unfortunately, there’s not been definitive proof either way, as it all redirects to F4. So we’re supposing it’s a little joke they’re sharing with us. If you’ve heard different, please do share below.
Right up in there is also the mini-scene with Thyme and his cat, named Dango – of course, a nod to the source, Hana Yori Dango as well as an opportunity for cat food product placement. So they’re working hard.
Meanwhile, dango is a Japanese rice ball with a sweet sauce, likely as sweet as Thyme’s kitty. It’s similar to mochi. But it’s also cute to think that a dango can (now) be interpreted as a boy too – not the flowery kind, but one that’s delicious.
We’ll be covering the series episode-by-episode, so watch along with us and tell us what you think. Any random thoughts you’d like to share? Jot ‘em below – we’d love to hear it.