F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers Review: Old Story, New Approach Makes This Eclectic Version A MUST Watch

F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers follows the life of a young girl named Gorya who comes from a poor background but studies in an elite school attended by kids belonging to rich families. One day, she becomes the target of a boy gang named F4 who order students to drive her out of school by bullying her. She fights hard against the leader of the group who eventually falls in love with her and changes himself to win her over.

Boys Over Flowers (BOF) is a Japanese manga written by Yoko Kamio. This manga has been adapted into dramas in various languages and is quite a popular drama series in Asia. If you have watched any of the versions before and have had complaints about it then, you have to watch this latest Thai version as it offers an explanation for even the most absurd story arcs. 

I have seen the Taiwanese, Korean, Japanese, and now the Thai version and I have enjoyed each one of them. Yes, the premise is quite problematic as it deals with bullying, kidnapping, violence, molestation, oppression, and so on.

But after watching this version I feel the writers have carefully studied the manga as well as all the previous versions of the drama and have ensured that no negative idea is glorified or promoted through the show. And this is one of the main reasons why I loved the show so much.

F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers (2021-22) (16 Episodes)

Gorya/Thitara Jundee (Tutontawan Tantivej) is a student of the prestigious Kocher High School in Bangkok. She comes from a humble background and is able to attend the school on a sports scholarship. Most students at the school come from rich families and do not like to mingle with poor students like Gorya. Gorya too prefers to keep to herself than try to strike a friendship with the haughty kids around her. However, a new student named Hana befriends her and they swear to keep low and go unnoticed in a school full of bullies.

One day, Hana accidentally drops her food tray on the shoes of Thyme/Akira Paramaanantra (Bright Vachirawit Chivaaree). Thyme is the leader of the boy group named F4. F4 comprises four boys who come from some of the richest families in Thailand. F4 is notorious for bullying kids at Kocher. When F4 issues a red card to any student, it means that the rest of the students are free to bully that person in any way that they want. A target is to be bullied to such an extent that they are forced to quit school.

Thyme is annoyed to see his expensive shoes stained so he orders Hana to lick the sauce clean from his shoe. Angry, Gorya dares to speak against him and so the next day she becomes Thyme’s target for bullying.

But Gorya is a tough nut to crack. Despite the heavy bullying, she refuses to bow down to Thyme and instead declares war against him. What happens to Gorya next? Well, that’s what the show is about.

I enjoyed watching ‘F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ because…

…I loved how this old wine was presented in a sparkling new bottle with tempting packaging. There was a time when I was obsessed with BOF and ended up watching the three aforementioned versions. I had no intentions of watching the Thai version because I thought I had moved on. But as always YouTube knows me better than I know myself and it “randomly” suggested a short video of the show and then you know what killed the cat, right? So, out of curiosity, I started to watch a few scenes, and just like that, I ended up watching the entire show.  

And I must say that, for me, this version is undoubtedly the most sorted and well-written one. The writers have evidently put in great efforts to edit out all the unwanted scenes and have kept only the best of all the previous versions. They have neatly tied up loose ends and made up for all the mistakes made in the previous versions.

No story arc is random or forced. Everything has a clear reason, purpose, and explanation. The writers have also ensured that the show is relevant to our current times and have tackled tricky situations with sensibility.

F4 Thailand follows the original plot but adds a few new elements that make it different and relatable. I’ll delve deeper into the plot but first, let me tell you about the highlight of the show is its incredible cast.

For a story so popular, most viewers are likely to know what to expect from it. In such a case, casting becomes crucial because only if the cast is good will viewers be invested in their stories. And I personally felt that casting for this show was bang on.

First, let’s start with the beautiful and spunky Gorya. Gorya comes from a poor family and she seems lonely at Kocher High School because she has no friends.

She is aware of how rich kids in her school bully students and hence she prefers to keep a low profile. Her only aim is to graduate from the illustrious school as soon as she can, without getting into any kind of trouble.

But to defend a new friend she challenges the bratty rich boy Thyme who is the biggest bully in the school. Despite being scared for her life, Gorya still dares to stand up to Thyme and ends up making him fall hard for her.

Actress Tutontawan Tantivej did a fab job as the audacious Gorya. I have had minor problems with female leads of other adaptations. But I simply loved Tutontawan and had no complaints about her.

Even if the character has been played by other actresses before, she had her own unique way of portraying the gutsy young girl. Her strong personality contributed to her good screen presence.

That’s my girl giving Thyme a taste of his own medicine.

  

Coming to the male lead Thyme, actor Bright Vachirawit Chivaaree was simply outstanding as the dimwit Thyme.

I could see a little bit of every other male lead who has played this role before him. He looked as menacing as Daoming Si (Taiwan), as violent as Tsukasa Domyouji (Japan), and as dumb as Gu Jun Pyo (Korean). But there was a naive Thyme in him too.

We are introduced to Thyme who is a troublemaker always oppressing students who dare to defy him. But when he falls in love, we see another side of him that is caring and (surprisingly) considerate of others.

Actor Bright showcases this shift in personality masterfully. He effectively captures Thyme’s awkwardness, embarrassment, and stupidity with ease.  

Here have a look at how he reacts to his first kiss.

And the look of disbelief coupled with awe for the girl who literally made him fall in love with her.

Then there is the second male lead, Ren played by actor Jirawat Sutivanichsak aka Dew. Before I start gushing about him let me mention that I was predisposed to like Ren because of my special affinity for this particular character. I have liked the second lead in all the versions of BOF. In fact, this character is one of my favorites of all time.

Basically, Ren is the guy every girl would like because he is the typical second lead who is sweet and caring right from the beginning of the show. And the charming actor Dew was spot on as the handsome introvert Ren. Dew’s dreamy personality makes Ren even more endearing.

Dew may not be the best actor in the show but he has a pleasant personality which makes him a very attractive Ren.  

Here have a look at how he looks at Gorya. Aww… <3

And then this <3

<<Spoiler>> In one of the later episodes, Ren asks Gorya out, and sitting behind the screen I was screaming “say yes say yes say yesssssss!!!” I would have said yes in a heartbeat. Why would anyone need time to think?<<Spoiler>>

The third member of F4 is Kavin played by actor Metawin Opas-iamkajorn. Kavin has a love angle with Gorya’s bestie Kaning. I have loved this character in the Japanese and Korean versions. However, even though Kavin and Kaning were good I did not come to like them as much as I would want to.

I liked the actors as they shared a reasonably good chemistry. However, something was missing in their story. Initially, I was excited to watch their story develop but towards the end, I lost interest in them maybe because I knew where their story was heading.

Special mention to Thyme’s mom who looks so damn scary. In the last few episodes, she just takes over and comes all guns blazing to claim her son and you can’t help but feel scared each time she appears on screen. She is ruthless, shrewd, conniving, and basically the older bully version of Thyme.

I like the fact that we get to see how much of an influence she must’ve been on Thyme’s life. It is through her that we get to see why Thyme was the way he was.   

…apart from the cast, the show also boasted of great OSTs. I loved the main theme song ‘Who Am I’ which is sung by the F4 members.

And then there is ‘Shooting Star’ also sung by the F4 boys.

Ren’s very own ‘In the Wind’.

…this version gives you a clear explanation for all that the characters do in the show. Here are some scenes that make this version different and plausible.  

Firstly, it explains the reason behind the male lead’s bullying. Bullying is now considered a serious crime. But there was a time when bullying was not taken so seriously hence none of the previous versions condemn bullying.

In this show, through Thyme, we see a different take on bullying and understand why people do it. They do not justify it but surely give a perspective to it  

<<Spoiler>> In one scene, a boy is being beaten up by Thyme and his minions. Thyme says the world is getting stuffy and people look for a release. Just like you see cyberbullies, with fake accounts, pulling down someone similarly the people supporting F4 are nameless bullies putting someone down in real life. It is not F4 that does the bullying but the people who like doing it. People who like seeing others suffer.

This is Thyme’s explanation for the red card. What the writers want to imply is that Thyme may be the one giving orders but it is the other students looking out for an opportunity to take out their frustrations on someone.

I know this is not fair but again the writers are not trying to justify the bullying. They are giving you the mindset of bullies and sadists and what makes them enjoy such horrible acts. <<Spoiler>>

Then there is this scene in which Thyme kidnaps Gorya and gives her a makeover at his house. I never understood this scene in any of the previous adaptations. In the Japanese version, Tsukasa kidnaps Tsukushi to simply show her the power of his wealth while in the Korean version, Jun Pyo kidnaps Jan Di to convince her to date him secretly. Neither of the scenes made any sense to me. But the Thai version gave a much more sensible reason.

<<Spoiler>> Gorya kicks Thyme in the gut when he takes the bullying too far. Her defiance goes viral online and people seem to voice their anger against Thyme. Thyme then kidnaps Gorya and gives her a makeover and offers her a car as a bribe so that she agrees to record an apology video addressed to him. If she simply apologized Thyme would no longer have to harass her and everyone at school too would continue to dread and respect him.

This makes so much sense as compared to any other version. <<Spoiler>>

Then there is this physical assault scene that is shown in all the other adaptations. And though disturbing it was handled well in the show.

<<Spoiler>> The school bullies try to molest Gorya to get her to relent and leave the school. As the guys physically assault her while recording the whole thing, Ren comes to her rescue and saves her from the bullies. Shaken, Gorya starts bawling after the bullies leave. Sensing her discomfort, Ren hands her a blanket to cover her legs and then says that if she feels fine she can go home.

Gorya is still scared that those bullies might attack her the moment they find her alone once again. And then this happens.

I LOVED this scene. I L.O.V.E.D. this scene. I have legit gone back a hundred times to watch Ren trigger the fire alarm. The music and Ren’s smile (and jawline) make the scene so magical that I get goosebumps each time I think about it.

The same scenario of a physical assault is shown in all the other versions and every second lead has had his own unique way of dealing with it. But Ren took my breath away. Just look at how cool he looks getting drenched.

If not the entire show, then at least watch this episode. It’s EP.1 – Part 4 on YouTube. [Trigger warning: It has physical assault.]

After the attack, the bullies rush to Thyme to tell him how Ren intervened and foiled their plan. On hearing about the molestation, Thyme loses it and beats them up before berating them for doing something so shameful.  

Even in the Taiwanese and Korean versions, the male lead beats up the molesters and rightly so. The male lead never ordered them to molest the girl. The bullies do it to get her to submit faster. Sadly, in the Japanese version, the male lead Tsukasa is okay with it and says that ‘it was their decision’. Even though it wasn’t his doing directly, I hated the fact that he didn’t even seem displeased by it. <<Spoiler>>

<<Spoiler>> Bullying should not be taken lightly. The victim’s external scars may heal but the internal trauma can plague their life forever. And I’m glad this version treated bullying at least a lot more seriously than the other versions.

Thyme and F4 are shown to regret their misdoings. Just because Thyme fell in love and stopped bullying students does not make everything right. His bullying had consequences. And even though the other adaptations never cared to make the male lead repent, Thyme does feel remorseful and even tries to make things right for the victims as much as he can.

I appreciate the writer’s efforts at censuring bullying. They try to redeem Thyme not through his love story but through sincere acts of repentance by seeking an apology from all of his victims. Even the other three members are shown to be a part of this apology, which is even better. This one thing about this adaptation makes it so much better than the others. <<Spoiler>>

  

I did NOT LIKE ‘F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers’ because…

…of the excessive product placement. Hehehehe…. These guys actually added extra scenes for the fourth F4 member just to accommodate a sponsor. It was ridiculous. Not to mention I happily jumped through those scenes.

I honestly do not have much to dislike about this show. Towards the end, it does get a little draggy, especially the first half of the final episode which is one story arc I hated in the other versions too. Other than that, there is nothing to dislike about this show.

F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers has observed the strengths and weaknesses of the other adaptations and created the perfect mixture of a good (looking) cast, excellent production value, memorable OST, and a storyline with the least number of loopholes. The show has picked the best scenes from its predecessors and added some magic of their own to come up with such an entertaining lakorn.

I give ‘F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers‘ 4 out of 5 rating. Even if the story isn’t new, the show has its unique appeal. It is highly entertaining even if you have seen the previous adaptations. If you haven’t seen any other adaptation of BOF then you MUST watch this one as it gives you the best of all other versions. 

Watch F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers for free here. 

 

Image Courtesy: YouTube GMMTV

 

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