RE: Korean version V.S Taiwanese prototype

If you step into the TV Room at some ungodly time you will go berserk.

Yesterday I happened to watch the blockbuster Korean version of "Meteor Garden" and had a heart attack. It is genuinely hurting to see the original Taiwanese version has been changed into such a "masterpiece" of superficiality. Admittedly, the scenes are more dazzling in the Korean version with all those sumptuous parties and breathtaking views, which are just traditional features of most Korean dramas to "nurture the eyes of the audience". If you watch the Taiwanese version and judge from the current standard of modernity, you will not find anything impressive. In fact, you might think the male protagonist's house like a hotel room "in construction" and his bathing robe as something your father also wears, let alone the outdated Nokia phones used by the main characters. However, if you really want to compare the two versions, the Taiwanese one definitely will win out.

As for the plot, the original one is very long and slow paced, which has the benefit to show the emotions and the "changes" of emotions in a very detailed and believable way. Yesterady when I watched how one scene jumped to another without any elaboration, I doubted the producer over-estimated the number of nodes of Ranviers in our nerve cells.

As for the acting, I quite approve of the Jin Sicao in the Korean version, though I am not sure she always grasps the real feelings of the female antagonist. Like in the party, when she was dancing with Zhi hou, she was superfluous with her joy and was beaming all the way! On the contrary, Xu Xiyuan reveals a more subtle and reticent character of oriental women, which makes her acting more natural and professional. As for the males, I admit all the four flowers in the Korean version are handsome, but once again, they are more suitable to be idols than actors. F4 in the Taiwanese version actually had never received any professional acting training when they were casted, yet their bearing and abilities to emphasize made them shine without borders.

Both versions have ample use of flashbacks and music. The images from the Korean version are definitely more beatific and more suitable to make into bedroom posters. However, since the emotions are not amply shown yet just flashing past, the impact of those scenes is greatly abated. To be honest, though the marine vessel in the Taiwanese version is so dilapidated and the dancing hall so perfunctorily furbished, I still like it for its genuineness. Moreover, I like the music in the Taiwanese Meteor Garden more!

As the Chinese saying goes," one is always most impressed with the first person he meets in a party". If you really like the Korean Meteor Garden, there is nothing to be sorry about. However, if you are really interested in the plot and want to have a proper meal instead of instant noodles, I sincerely recommend you go and watch the Taiwanese version.