Boys Before Friends (2013– ) User Reviews (10)

Total massacre

[jess-charlietheunicorn · 3/10 · 4 January 2014]

I watched the Korean version (Boys over Flowers), the Taiwanese version (Meteor Garden) and the Anime (Hana Yori Dango.) I watched the entire first episode of the American version and felt they massacred it. A lot of us die hard fans are going to find it hard to watch or even brutal due to the poor acting as well as the actors. Boys over friends lacked some of the larger and smaller details of the other versions that make them stand out, I understand they tried to add some originality but its just not working.

Watch the first episode and formulate your own opinion but honestly for those of you who watched the Korean version the American one will make you want to "unsee" it.

Should Just Let It Go

[bronzed_zodiac · 2/10 · 23 February 2014]

While I found myself really starting to enjoy Boys Before Friends around episode three, it was difficult at first accepting the wish-washy premise of a dancing scholarship for the same school that was host to the super rich, a few of which were heirs to fortune five-hundred companies. In fact there was absolutely nothing about the staging of the scenes that even remotely suggested the wealth of the over-privileged that was essential for the storytelling. There's a fat BEARDED transvestite hairdresser in a back room somewhere doing make-overs for F4. I mean, come on. Still, I told myself it's low budget and fan-made...I'll give it another episode, but reflecting back this might of only happened because some of the script writing had coaxed a giggle or three.

For the original Zoey and Liam, I manage to swallow the abysmal acting and the fact I practically had to read the entire dialog in subtitles because the audio was too quiet to hear. The show lost something though when they decided to just soldier on with replacements; be it momentum or any hint of energy. Zoey went from edgy and feisty, to girl next door with her creamy skin, dimples and a perkiness that had her literally bouncing in and out of scenes. Liam who had been so very tall, dark and handsome, was now very reminiscent of Clark Kent's farm boy shyness, sans glasses and cleft chin. It was not a good fit for the roles they were playing, and I can only guess that pressure to push out another episode for donations (coughFORWHATcough) was the cause of such hasty casting.

I wish them well, but I will not be 'donating' to the continuation of the American version, nor supporting with additional page views. My only hope is that someone with a larger budget will come along and buy up the rights. Hopefully, with binding contracts for the actors.

Improves later on

[erisedwitch45 · 5/10 · 8 March 2014]

I had a lot of free time so I thought why not, lets give it a try. I have watched all three: Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese versions. This started out really weak. The 1st 2 episodes were not, well, good. But then it starts getting better.

The characters grow on you. My personal favorite is the actress playing Piper. Also I like Piper and Chase's story. Then again Ga Eul and Yi Jung were my favorite in the KDrama and so were their Japanese counterparts.

But the new re-casted Liam (the actor Kevin) doesn't fit the role at all. He is a miscast. He doesn't give off the vibe nor has the charm and personality that Domyouji, Gu Jun Pyo or Dao Ming Si had. The earlier Liam was much better.

I agree with the other reviewers about the volume. It goes from loud with blaring background music to low from one scene to another. So yeah, there are some problems but it is an okay time-pass given the budget and other constraints.

My advice would be to sit through the 1st 2 episodes till you get to the better part, relatively better that is.

Acting is the main problem

[zteen · 5/10 · 10 January 2014]

Ummm did the sound and video quality get worse since episode one? Not to mention the acting. And why is there a different girl playing Zoey??? Like for real do you think the audience wouldn't notice such a huge difference in voice, body structure, and the lack of a tattoo. I was willing to defend this in episode one and say it had potential but this clearly shows horrible directing. As much as I wanted this to be a thing its not working and needs to be closed before it permanently damages the actors and the directors careers. For real this is why no one wanted to fund this and those that did lend their support are probably wondering where their money went. This was far to much of an ambitious project to take on for beginners, Take a step back focus on the acting and the cast and of course audio quality, seriously if you-tubers can make short films with 10 times better quality,effects and acting then there should be no excuses. Hate to sound like an ass but the truth is never pretty. Honestly I know it's a low budget and they don't have a lot to work with but you I could live with the bad audio quality and stuff and I actually think the writers did a good job with making an American version that sticks to the familiar plot we all know and love. But the forced acting and from these beginners is just a huge risk even if it is all they can afford. I think that if they do get enough support, a bigger budget to work with, and an acting coach on set to help out then this could actually be really awesome. But if they continue to do stuff like the actress switch with it only being the 2nd episode then I'm afraid no company will want anything to do with them and the careers of all involved are gonna be judged by this. I will try and hold on for a few more episodes but please people use some common sense.

So much for making it American!

[shychan15 · 1/10 · 22 February 2014]

Like wow! this show is really bad but the acting for me is actually acceptable because i know its low budget and all and the audio and pretty much the whole techinical part is OK for me. But everything else could of used a thousand years more work! like whats up with a different zoey?! how could we not notice such a difference?! and what up with the wig like hair on liam?! and not to complain, i get that their trying to make this diverse with it being from America and all, but why does it seem that every black person in this series plays a bad guy?! the black guy plays a rapist and the three black girls play a back stabbing girl, a snobby bitch, and a loser who gets cake in her face. like people notice these things -__-! like im asain and i noticed these things!other than the complete bad roleplay and character selection i feel like the story was written very well and the acting is expected from a low budget but the lack of effort of putting the whole thing together is bad, you cant be switching main characters like that, its just ultra cheap.

Too many recasts.

[hipergirl07 · 1/10 · 14 February 2014]

OK, I was giving it a chance it being a low budget and all. But no, it's awful. I mean I was already liking Dawn as Zooey, now it's a different actress once again. And a different Liam. I can't, I just can't. I hate recasting and it looks so unprofessional to switch the actors, not to mention annoying. The leads aren't supposed to change IMO. The first few eps were great. But when I decide to just watch once again, they decide to keep swapping actors. I can't stand for that. Guys, watch at your own discretion. This American version of it really isn't worth your time. I'd rather stick to the Korean, and Japanese versions.

I completely and utterly wasted my effort into watching this version of it. Not any good.

Don't be rude

[ielena136 · 8/10 · 30 December 2013]

Before you start saying bad things about this show please read this. I sent them a rude message and then immediately apologized because i realized my mistake. this was the response i got. I feel awful. "Hi, I'm one of the writers on the show and I have to say your comments and everyone else's are very hurtful. Thank you for saying you are sorry. One of the things we want to point out is that this project was largely made with our own funds because when we went to big networks we were told that there is no market for Anime, KDrama and that it would not fit into American culture. With so many negative comments online about the small project we have put out, it is making sure that no other company in America will touch it so we are going to be stuck with things like Gossip Girl. This is a low budget project but even with that, the creators of this series have put in over $250,000 of their own money to try and get the project done. Please take that into consideration when you are watching the next episodes. We are doing this out of love for a series as well as wanting to start a new era of television. Instead of the fans helping us, all they are doing is making us want to give up and prove Big Networks right that this is not worth their time."

Grows on You

[geishagyrl · 6/10 · 24 January 2014]

First I give props to the dedicated cast and crew of the series. They are definitely giving their all and they themselves are fans of the original manga and want to do a good job. With that said, keep in mind that they are working with a minimal budget and the script is being written inspired by the original but also needing to make reference to more of American culture - and finding that balance is not easy. In every version that has been made there have been actors or scenes that were over the top or obnoxious and at times sound or lighting issues, so I take some of those issues with this series with a grain of salt. Each episode (currently writing this with episode 4 just released) has drastic improvements and though there are enough differences that might turn away some die-hard fans, if you watch it from the perspective of an original show, it's very entertaining and you'll probably find yourself appreciating more the aspects of it that do in fact mirror the original manga. There are still 12 more episodes to go and so long as it continues to improve as it has been, I think it will be a series that many can come to love. I'm going to give it a chance and recommend others do too!

Not bad for what it's worth

[BrassBaby123 · 9/10 · 5 January 2014]

I'm not going to lie, the lines were a little forced; one character was having an odd hair day; and more needed to be done to set up background info; but for being a low budget soap opera (meaning it will have multiple episodes. It can't just spend all it's money at once like a movie or have lots to spare like a TV funded show) it's pretty good and the first episode follows the anime and Korean drama almost to the T.

Of course some things were changed. I presume they're in college rather than high school. F4 was changed to fortunate rather than flower (because Flower 4 would sound straight up stupid in America) but otherwise nothing too different that made it as horrible (as other reviewers said). I'm giving this it 9 stars not because it's worth 9 (right now more of a 6-7) but to counteract the bad scores given to it simply because it's an American remake. These actors and writers are trying really hard and it although it's not the best you can tell their is a lot of passion going into this. So if you aren't familiar with the Hana Yori Dango series at all or you were interested in BBF but heard negative things, go for it.

It's not so bad,

[msimmer-903-743433 · 10/10 · 21 January 2014]

So, I've watched them all, the Anime, the manga, Japanese, Korean, secret garden, ALL of it, and my review on this is… it's not that bad, really. It has made me laugh and so far it's keeping truthful to the original story. I don't love the fact that they made the girl a dancer, (so sick with the same story) but as a writer myself, I understand the writers are trying to keep it more US typical, to attract newer watchers. I don't understand why they had to change the first girl, I'm sure they had this planned all along, umm, Not a good idea, just focus on the same person. Make her ugly but keep them the same. Like the person before me said, because of its low budget and lack of everything I give this show a seven, but I am giving ten stars to counterattack the unfair negative reviews. This is what I think,

The good, Actors are not that bad, I seen worse in cinema film. I like how they gave the main girl friends, it's more typical. The scenes so far are nicely built.

The bad, Please, please, please fix the sound and the view point. The focus changes absurdly. And the sound is so annoying; these two are the most important.

It's so unrealistic it just makes it obvious is fake(wig!!), a bit more work would be nicer.(low budget or not, It's not an excuse)

Overall, I will finish watching the show and I will happily donate too. Why not, it's making me smile and I kill some time watching a copy of one of my favorite stories of all time, Hana Yori Dango.