Boys Over Flowers is notable for its many official television dramas. These adaptations have garnered several unofficial "remakes" with Meteor Shower being a notable example. Each series varies on how much it borrows from Boys Over Flowers. Most series only take the concept of the series, while others borrow far more of the plot. Lesser examples may be labeled as "loosely-based" instead of unofficial or unlicensed.
What constitutes an unlicensed adaptation?[]
A Boys Over Flowers fan may be able to list several television dramas comparable to the series. However, just because a drama is like Boys Over Flowers does not make it an adaptation of any sort. Take the Taiwanese drama Moon River for example. It resembles Boys Over Flowers in some ways and may take some inspiration from it, but it is actually based on a novel. So this leads to the question: what constitutes an unlicensed adaptation?
- First, its plot must copy Boys Over Flowers in some way beyond it being about a girl and four boys, or a girl going up against a clique. The concept, whether copied from Boys Over Flowers or not, has since become a basic premise in television dramas.
- Second, its creators (or others) may have acknowledged at some point its relation to Boys Over Flowers.
Why do they have their own pages?[]
Certain unlicensed adaptations have been deemed important enough to be given their own pages, though only one. The pages are treated like the pages of the official adaptations but with a slight emphasis on how they compare to Boys Over Flowers. For example, the characters section shows the counterparts (if any) from the manga.
An important reason for giving them their own pages are to clarify to users and readers that these are not official adaptations of Boys Over Flowers. For that reason, each article is given the below header:
| Notice This television series is a loosely-based, unofficial and/or unlicensed adaptation of Boys Over Flowers. It is not officially connected to the franchise and should not be considered to be. |
Current unlicensed adaptations[]
- Siapa Takut Jatuh Cinta (2002; Indonesia): the earliest example. The series was almost immediately called out for being similar to Meteor Garden, which was popular in the country at the time. The creators are believed to have deviated the story thereafter to avoid copyright infringement.
- Meteor Shower (2009; China): probably one of the most prominent examples. It was originally intended to be a remake of Meteor Garden and was titled New Meteor Garden. The producers were ultimately unable to obtain the copyright, resulting in the title change and character name changes. Nevertheless, Meteor Shower has the most plot similarities of any unofficial adaptation though it deviates in some ways.
- Boys Before Friends (2013; United States): like Meteor Shower, it was also initially announced to be an adaptation of Boys Over Flowers. They were also unable to obtain the copyright. The series was never technically finished and is not looked upon favorably by many Boys Over Flowers fans.
- Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan (2014; India): the source calling Boys Over Flowers an inspiration for the series has been lost. Fans, however, continue to consider Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan an unofficial adaptation though the wiki considers it more loosely-based. In many ways it superficially resembles Boys Over Flowers, but it gradually gained a life of its own as the series numbers over three hundred episodes. Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan takes some plot points from the Korean drama, resulting in its loosely-based designation.
- Siapa Takut Jatuh Cinta (2017; Indonesia): shortly after the unveiling of the main actors in Meteor Garden (2018), the studio behind Siapa Takut Jatuh Cinta decided to make their own remake. It retains many of the elements that made the original so similar to Meteor Garden in the first place. However, there are some early deviations such as making the clique three boys instead of four. Like Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan, Siapa Takut Jatuh Cinta has many episodes and deviates far from Boys Over Flowers by the end.
- Boys Over Flowers (Cancelled; Philippines): a Filipino adaptation that has been unofficially cancelled. GMA Network did not obtain the series copyright, which is possibly the reason it has not come to fruition.
In conclusion[]
It is unknown if these dramas constitute copyright infringement in any way. It is likely that the author or her publisher have some knowledge of them, but it is also unknown if they have taken any action against them. Ultimately, the wiki has decided to give them each one page to explain their relation to Boys Over Flowers. The wiki does not mean to legitimize them as an adaptation in any way.
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