Meteor Garden

This was one of the first Boys Over Flowers version. It aired in 2001 and it is the Taiwanese version. This drama had Barbie Hsu and Rainie Yang in it. It was so awkward to watch Rainie Yang in this drama because it was when she still wasn't that good of an actress.

Anways, the storyline is pretty familiar to most people.
           Our main character is played by Barbie Hsu and her name is Shan Cai. Her family is poor but her parents still make her go to a university for rich people. Her parents are hilarious and exaggerated in this drama. The university that she goes to is ruled by four male students who are the heirs to four rich and influential families in  Taiwan. They all look very good and are known as F4 (Flower 4). Their names are Dao Ming Si, Hua Ze Lei, Mei  Zuo, and Xi Men. For anyone that gets in their way, they would hand out red cards and that would cause the whole school to bully those victims until they leave the school.
           When Shan Cai's friend receives a red card, she goes up to confront the leader of F4, Dao Ming Si. By doing so, she received a red card also and had to deal with the bullying of the whole school. However, she refused to bow down, and decides that she will battle with the F4 leader and declared war against him. She gains respect from F4 as she never gives in and Dao  Ming Si finds him falling in love with her. Shan Cai refuses at first because she likes Hua Ze Lei, the quiet and calm member of F4. However, in the end, she became a couple with Dao Ming Si and shared a really sweet relationship in which he takes care of her and also does anything in his willpower to keep her from danger. They faced a lot of obstacles and a lot of heart wrenching moments throughout the drama that tested their love for one another. I felt like Dao Ming Si was better portrayed in this version than all the others. In the others, you see an arrogant guy instantly turn good and well-behaved with a girl that she likes. However, if a guy has been arrogant all his life, it isn't going to change with just one girl. In this drama, it shows him still showing love to Shang Cai but still have his arrogant side to him and the thing in which he always has to have his way of things.

           However, I was utterly annoyed at the fact that he slapped Shang Cai during one scene because she was saying some things that truly were harsh. But then again, that is a part of his personality as he used to do that to other people even before he met Shang Cai which is why I thought the character of Dao Ming Si in this version was portrayed really well. However, there was a lot of comedic sides in which he acts like a little kid when Shang Cai keeps teasing him about liking him or not. He actually stands, pouting like a little kid, until she confesses out loud to him. It was really cute. I also thought that Shang Cai looked really pretty in this version. Anyways, its worth a watch even if this is old, it was the first version out, anyway.