Meteor Garden (2018)
Spoilers! Watch it before reading on!
This show was all around phenomenal. I haven't had this many emotions over a show in a long time. My perspective might have been influenced by the fact I was PMSing and even on a good day I'd kill for a good love story, but seriously, this show is so great I can't give that all the credit. The characters, the cinematography, the soundtrack, and the plot were all really well done. The show is a Netflix original, based on the chinese drama Meteor Garden (2001) and the manga 'Boys over Flowers.' It's in Mandarin but there are english subtitles.
This main characters have their own side plotlines, but the main one is between the characters Daoming Si and Dong Shancai. It starts with Shancai having her phone stepped on and broken by Si, so she confronts him and his group of friends (F4) who everyone at the school admires and are intimidated by. But Shancai doesn't care about that. Even though her character is shy and caring, she's able to stand up for herself. Even beyond that when the situation calls for it, considering she ran at Si and did a flying kick right at his face. Ah Si starts off as very arrogant and angry, and you can tell he's a total bad boy, but gets more lovable as he goes. He has good friends to keep him in line, and eventually Shancai too.
From episode one you know these characters are going to have some sort of relationship. Not long after they meet, Si brings Shancai to his house and asks her to date, but does it in a very condescending way with a smug look on his face. He doesn't tell her he likes her and wants to get to know her better, instead he tells her if she says yes he'll buy her food, hold her hand and let her beat him at games. Honestly, this was cute, because the boy is clearly in uncharted territory and thinks this is a good way to go about it, how could anyone turn down free food?! But Shancai won't have it, and turns him down.
He of course continues to like and want her, and there's many more attempts throughout the series. Shancai is very unsure even though she does like him. For awhile she wanted Lei instead, or tried to avoid meeting Si at midnight (thank god she did, that scene was adorable) but then she finally realized that she needed to be clear about her feelings. Daoming Si was persistent and honest, both telling and showing her how much he cared, so this moment where Shancai realizes she needs to do the same had my heart bursting. Finally they can be together.
It's actually surprising how long it takes for them to both love each other at the same time and finally commit, but that waiting makes it all the more meaningful.
There's a lot of sweet things that happened before they got to that point though. Si watching Shancai while they have lunch together. Shancai entered a cooking competition and Ah Si was cheering her on, so proud. Shancai playing cards against Si and when he wins, he asks her to go to dinner with him. The elevator scene. Ah Si saving Shancai when she's caught outside in a blizzard. Ah Si helping out Shancai's family when they lose their money. Shancai calling him pineapple head. Ah Si taking Shancai to his birthday party, standing up to his mom, and ends up running out holding Shancai's hand when his mom said she had to leave. When they go to a rooftop and Shancai gives him his birthday present, which was a pack of cookies she made that looked like him with different facial expression. And then Ah Si saying it was the best gift he's ever gotten and showing it off so proudly to his friends, adorably mimicking the faces.
And of course, the meteor necklace.
Ah Si also had drastic character development throughout the series. He starts off angry, rude and stuck up. But he becomes a better man when he falls in love with Shancai because he wants to make her happy and take care of her. Near the end of the show, we see a video he made after him and Shancai studied for their tests together. In the video he says how when Shancai was quizzing him, he told her answers he had memorized and she was so impressed and happy for him that he realized he needed to not only memorize, but to understand. He put together a business plan for when he took over the family business that would be innovative and bring in lots of money. He felt encouraged to become a business man himself, even though he's been rich and handed things his whole life. The video was really sweet and it did end up saving the company, and thus getting him out of an arranged marriage, but it demonstrated how much he grew since he met Shancai. His mom and sister were so proud of him because they had no idea. Compared to how he used to be, this was a huge deal, and I love that about it. Shancai didn't change him, he change himself for her.
Shancai wasn't without development, but her principles stayed the same throughout. She just allowed herself to be more vulnerable. She started being honest about her feelings. And when she fell in love, she was a real ride or die. Ah Si was starving himself when his mom locked him in his room, so Shancai stood outside for days, in the rain, also not eating. Respect.
The other love stories were sweet too. Ximen and Xiaoyou did not have a predictable love story at all, and they both changed a lot too before they got together. He was a player and she was sweet and innocent. Xiaoyou toughened up to be able to chase what she wanted, Ximen, and she also helped him reconnect with his past to be able to heal and move on.
Meizou's love story didn't hold a happy ending (for him) but he handled it so maturely. He fell for a girl who liked someone else. He was jealous of him at first, thinking he was getting in the way, but he realized that she would rather be with the other guy and ended up taking her on one last date, where at the end he encouraged her to go be with the other guy. She ran to the airport to see the other guy before he got on a plane, and Meizou was left standing there crying. It was quite heartbreaking. I don't think there will be a season 2, so I'm just going to imagine he found someone who loved him the same way he loves her. He is a romantic, even if he hangs out with Ximen too much!
Lei and Jing had an interesting story, but one I can't quite wrap my head around. Jing was friends with F4 since they were kids, and had always been kind to Lei even when the other kids weren't. We see Lei and Jing together for a short while, and then Jing moves away so Lei follows her, but it doesn't last long and he comes back. He cries at the beach and tells Shancai how him and Jing were happy together for awhile but then something changed, and later on in the show he regrets not trying harder to make it work. He also says that what they have goes beyond love, because they both love each other but don't possess each other. I guess that's a way to say she'll always be in his heart even though their lives aren't compatible.
Lei also has a short lived love story with Shancai. Shancai at first thinks she likes Lei, which makes sense because he's cute, quiet, sweet and a musician, and it also nice to her while Ah Si comes off as rude. But they don;t last long, they go on one date, and when they're put in a room together to have a discussion they decide they aren't meant for each other. They continue to have a nice friendship though, they both care about each other. When Si and Shancai have a falling out, Lei tells Si he's going to pursue Shancai again but it turns out he did it so Si would step up and fight for Shancai himself. Jealousy is a good motivator! Even though Lei helps Shancai and Si with their relationship, at times it seems like he loves Shancai too. Like in London when he gives her a rose. But they remain only friends, and that's fine with me.
There's also some notable romances. First is F4 obviously, because the 4 of them are such a power group, winning bridge champions but also influencing each other to be better. They walk around the school like badasses, but alone they can be goofy or emotional. Now in this group, there are two duos. Ximen and Meizou agree on so much, they stand in the background and finish each others thoughts a lot during the season. They get each other. And though I hope F4 stays close for life, these two are the ones I can't ever see being apart. The second duo is Ah Si and Lei. They are adorable. They fight over Shancai. Even literally, when they both held her hand in the cafeteria, trying to take her away from the other. But they had to forgive each other eventually. I love their friendship, they are raw and honest with each other. Plus, the scene with Si sleeping over at Lei's house and not being able to find a comfortable position, so they practically end up cuddling, is so sweet. I can't get enough of their bromance.
This show overall has a great story line. Love, friendship, growth, family, and forgiveness. Not many shows can match this, especially on such an authentic level.
Not to mention, the soundtrack for this show is quite beautiful. I've listened to lots of the songs, because the actors in the show sing some of them! F4 has some videos of them singing and Dylan Wang who plays Daoming Si sings "Don't even have to think about it" which plays during a lot of love moments and listening to it brings back those feelings. The behind the scene videos for this show are also cute, and the people who play Si and Shancai have a cute friendship and lots of chemistry in real life too. Once I finished the show I really dove into anything else I could find because I wanted more, that's how good it is.
feel free to discuss with me below!