The new F4 in Meteor Rain (from left to right): Yu Haoming (Hua Ze Lei),Zhu Zixiao (Xi Men),Zhang Han (Dao Ming Si) and Wei Chen (Mei Zuo)
THOSE who watched Taiwan's TV drama Meteor Garden (《流行花园》), eight years ago, remember it fondly. The Japanese manga (漫画) based series made stars out of Barbie Xu and the idol (偶像) group F4 and its members Jerry Yan, Vaness Wu, Vic Zhou, and Ken Chu.
But the TV drama's popularity didn't end there. First, Japan was unhappy that someone else had stolen the limelight (抢风头，抢镜) from their own manga. So in 2005 and 2007, they produced their own Hana Yori Dango. South Korea then aired their own version, Boys Before Flowers, soon afterward at the end of 2008. And last month, Hunan TV began filming their reproduction Meteor Rain in Xiamen. The lead roles will be played by Happy Boys Yu Haoming and Wei Chen, and several other newcomers.
Perhaps because the Taiwan version (版本) was so popular and there have already been so many re-adaptations (改编), Hunan TV's remaking has led to plenty of discussion and complaints among netizens (网民).
According to them the Taiwan version is "first love", the Japanese version "is good", and the South Korean version "fashionable" though "full of kimchi (泡菜) flavor". So what is the Hunan TV version left with?
Many students at Xiamen University are also angry about the re-adaptation, as most scenes will be shot on their campus. They think the new series might affect their university's image (形象), as the show is mostly about love and violence and students from rich families.
However, the producers say they are going to remove a lot of the violence. They also plan to change the plot, turning what is a romantic idol drama into an inspirational (励志的) show.
How do you feel about the suggested changes, and who will become your favorite among the new F4? The drama is expected to reach TV by the summer.
Teens 点金
核心词汇
air v. 放映;播放
A new music program for teenagers is going to air on the radio next month.
remove v. 移走;移开
Please remove the dishes from the table.