Want to watch ‘Boys Over Flowers’? Here’s where to find it

Obsessed with K-dramas? Maybe you should try a K-drama that’s considered to be one of the best of the genre. Boys Over Flowers continues to expand its legacy more than ten years after its original release as it’s garnered more fans since its international releases on streaming services & the giant Korea wave continues to reach the U.S. 

The original manga the K-drama was based on, Hana Yori Dango, was already a huge hit in South Korea when it was originally released, becoming one of the best-selling mangas of all time. It’s led to multiple adaptations, including Boys Over Flowers, which has its own massive following.

Here’s where you can catch Boys Over Flowers along with all of the details about other adaptations you might like to watch as well.

Before Boys Over Flowers

Yoko Kamio’s best-selling shōjo manga Hana Yori Dango was the inspiration for Boys Over Flowers, but the K-drama wasn’t the first adaptation of the popular book series. The manga was released between 1992 to 2002, but before the book series was even finished, it was adapted into an anime series, a Japanese live-action film, and the Taiwanese live-action TV series, Meteor Garden. 

As the book series went on, the Japanese & Taiwanese films & series were updated with multiple sequels. The manga finally completed in 2008 with thirty-two volumes. Other than the K-drama, mainland China released their own series, which was specifically a remake of Meteor Garden, in 2018.

Overview of Boys Over Flowers

While South Korea’s Boys Over Flowers isn’t Hana Yori Dango’s first adaptation, the 25 episode K-drama has been lauded as being one of the best dramas of all time and is credited as being a reason for another Korean wave starting in 2009. 

In case you’re new to the popular K-drama, Boys Over Flowers follows Geum Jan-di, a teenager from a working-class family who attends the elite Shin Hwa High. At school, she unfortunately gets bullied by the popular F4 group, which includes four wealthy & popular teen boys. Before long, F4’s leader Gu Jun-pyo falls for Geum Dani, but a love triangle develops with Gu Jun-pyo’s best friend & F4 member, Yoon Ji-hu.

Where to watch

Netflix has been a large reason for Boys Over Flowers’s newfound popularity, especially in the U.S. Unfortunately, if you don’t have an account, Netflix isn’t giving out free trials anymore. However, luckily, even if you don’t have a Netflix account (and if you don’t have friends or family who’s willing to lend you their username & password), there’s still more streaming services that feature Boys Over Flowers. 

If you have Amazon Prime, the K-drama series is available for free on Prime Instant. Hulu also has Boys Over Flowers, and if you need a free trial, Hulu also offers a 30-day trial to utilize, just in case you don’t have an account. 

Rakuten Viki may be a lesser known streaming service, but the service specializing in Asian TV, movies, & K-dramas, and is yet another service streaming Boys Over Flowers. Even better, you can stream it and sign up for the service for free.

Thailand’s new adaptation

Already watched Boys Over Flowers, but aching for more? Don’t worry, there’s a new adaptation coming soon, this time from Thailand. While the original manga has been adapted in multiple countries, Thailand is just the latest country to take on the popular story with the new GMMTV series, F4 Thailand.

While it’s unclear when it’ll be available internationally, F4 Thailand is set to premiere in 2021. The project was announced in October 2019, with GMMTV finally releasing a teaser on Twitter in September 2020. While the series will mostly introduce new actors to its main cast, F4 Thailand will also feature 2gether alums Win & Bright. 

The new version of Boys Over Flowers will be focused on social issues, especially related to bullying, which director Patha Thongpan stated is a particularly relevant topic in Thailand today, so don’t expect an exact replica of the K-drama.