List of adaptations of Boys over Flowers

Hana Yori Dango (2005), an official adaptation

Meteor Shower (2009), an unlicensed adaptation

First published in 1992, Yoko Kamio's Boys Over Flowers has spawned and inspired many adaptations, including a film, an anime, several television series', and musicals. The first live-action television adaptation, titled Meteor Garden, was produced in Taiwan in 2001 and was followed by two sequels. A Japanese television series, Hana Yori Dango, was released in 2005. It was followed by a television sequel and a film. In 2009, the manga was adapted into a successful Korean drama. A remake of Meteor Garden was released in 2018. Currently, a Thai adaptation is in production.

The premise of Boys Over Flowers has gained considerable popularity, probably due to the international success of its many adaptations. As such, this has lead to the production of several unlicensed and/or loosely-based versions. Siapa Takut Jatuh Cinta (2002, 2017), Meteor Shower (2009), Boys Before Friends (2013), and Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan (2014) are the best known examples.

Official

Japan

• Hana Yori Dango (1993): an audio drama comprised of three parts, which was released in 1993 and 1994. Takuya Kimura starred as the voice of Rui Hanazawa.
• Hana Yori Dango (1995): a film released in August 1995. The film starred Yuki Uchida, Shosuke Tanihara, and Naohito Fujiki. It was the first live-action adaptation of Boys Over Flowers.
• Boys Over Flowers (1996): an animated version that aired from September 1996 to August 1997. Maki Mochida and Naoki Miyashita were the voices of the series leads', Tsukushi and Tsukasa. A short film set in a different universe premiered in 1997, while the anime was still airing.
• Hana Yori Dango (2005): the second live-action television adaptation of the manga which aired from October to December 2005. It starred Mao Inoue as Tsukushi, Jun Matsumoto as Tsukasa, and Shun Oguri as Rui. Hana Yori Dango was successful and received high ratings.
• Hana Yori Dango Returns (2007): the sequel to 2005's Hana Yori Dango. Inoue, Matsumoto, Oguri, Shota Matsuda, and Tsuyoshi Abe returned from the previous series. It aired for eleven episodes from January to March 2007. The drama also had high ratings, peaking at 27.6% for the finale.
• Hana Yori Dango Final (2008): a film conclusion to Hana Yori Dango. The film premiered on June 28, 2008. It earned approximately 7.75 billion yen (US$83.5 million) at the Japanese box office. Inoue and Matsumoto again starred as Tsukushi and Tsukasa in the film.
• Hana Yori Dango: The Musical (2016): a musical adaptation of Boys Over Flowers was first announced in April 2015. The musical opened on January 5, 2016. It starred Ririka Kato as Tsukushi, Yuya Matsushita as Tsukasa, and Jin Shirasu as Rui.
• Hana Yori Dango (2019): a musical performed by the Flower Troupe of the Takarazuka Revue. It starred Rei Yuzuka as Tsukasa and Mirei Shiroki as Tsukushi.

Taiwan

• Meteor Garden (2001): the series was the first television drama adaptation of Boys Over Flowers. The drama propelled its five leads into super stardom, compelling the four male leads to form the idol band, F4. Meteor Garden was a huge success throughout Asia.
• Meteor Rain (2001): a spin-off to Meteor Garden. Each episode of the series follows a different F4 member, except Vic Chou, though he does appear. It aired in late 2001, shortly after the end of Meteor Garden. Peien Chien, Aisa Senda, and Mai Sato guest starred in the series.
• Meteor Garden II (2002): the sequel to Meteor Garden. Unlike its predecessor, the sequel is only partially based on Boys Over Flowers. It aired on CTS in 2002. The lead cast was joined by Michelle Saram, who played a rival to Barbie Hsu's Shan Cai.

South Korea

• Boys Over Flowers (2009): a Korean live-action television version of Boys Over Flowers. The drama aired from January to March 2009 for twenty-five episodes. It starred Ku Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Bum, and Kim Joon as Geum Jan-di and the F4.
• Boys Over Flowers: The Musical (2017): a Korean version of the Japanese musical that premiered on February 24, 2017. It featured a rotating cast, including Min, J-Min, Lee Chang-sub, Ken, and Lee Sung-min. Yumi Suzuki, who directed the original, went to Seoul to direct the new version.

China

• Meteor Garden (2018): a reboot of Meteor Garden premiered on July 9, 2018. It was produced by Angie Chai, whom also produced the original. The series starred newcomers Shen Yue, Dylan Wang, Darren Chen, Liang Jing Kang, and Caesar Wu.

Thailand

• F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers (2021): GMMTV announced the planned series in October 2019. The cast, namely Vachirawit Chivaaree, Tontawan Tantivejakul, Metawin Opas-iamkajorn, Jirawat Sutivanichsak, and Hirunkit Changkham, was announced in September 2020.

Unlicensed

Note: the following television series are not official adaptations, but resemble Boys Over Flowers enough to be considered either unlicensed/unauthorized and/or loosely-based.

• Siapa Takut Jatuh Cinta (2002): an Indonesian drama that aired in 2002. Early on, the series was accused by fans and the media of plagiarizing Meteor Garden.
• Meteor Shower (2009): an unlicensed Chinese adaptation that aired in August 2009. The series' creators later stated that Meteor Shower is an "original work" and is only inspired by the manga. It was followed by a second season in August 2010.
• Boys Before Friends (2013): a web, loosely-based American version of Boys Over Flowers. The production was plagued with constant casting changes and concluded after six episodes.
• Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan (2014): an Indian youth soap that was adapted from the Korean drama, Boys Over Flowers. The series ended on December 31, 2015 with over three-hundred episodes. It was followed by a thirteen episode event series in May 2018.
• Siapa Takut Jatuh Cinta Reborn (2017): a remake of the 2002 Indonesian series. The project was first announced in mid-2017, before premiering on November 13, 2017 on SCTV. The finale aired on October 28, 2018.

Notes

• In November 2017, a proposed Filipino adaptation from GMA Network was announced. It is currently considered cancelled, likely due to copyright issues.
• Hana Nochi Hare: Hanadan Next Season (2018) is an official adaptation of the sequel manga. It is also a sequel to TBS's Hana Yori Dango series.
• Several television series from around the world have been compared to Boys Over Flowers over the years. Fans sometimes call the following examples adaptations, despite having very few similarities:
  • Güneşi Beklerken (2013): a Turkish soap that aired from July 2013 to July 2014. Like Boys Over Flowers, the series features a strong female lead that stands up to two rich boys.
  • Moon River (2015): a Taiwanese drama based on a novel. It shares a similar premise with Boys Over Flowers, following a student and her run-ins with the school's exclusive clique.
• Other series, such as Gakko no Kaidan (2015) and Cinderella with Four Knights (2016), have drawn parallels to Boys Over Flowers.

See also

Boys Over Flowers adaptations

Television series Boys Over Flowers (1996-1997) | Meteor Garden (2001) | Meteor Rain (2001) | Meteor Garden II (2002) Hana Yori Dango (2005) | Hana Yori Dango Returns (2007) | Boys Over Flowers (2009) | Meteor Garden (2018) F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers (2021-2022) Films Hana Yori Dango (1995) | Hana Yori Dango: The Movie (1997) | Hana Yori Dango Final (2008) Musicals Hana Yori Dango: The Musical (2016) | Boys Over Flowers: The Musical (2017) | Hana Yori Dango (2019) Audio drama Hana Yori Dango (1993-1994) See also Hana Nochi Hare: Hanadan Next Season (2018)