Well, if you haven’t heard of Hana Yori Dango I have no idea what planet you have been on for the last six years… But still for those of you that don’t know (feel the shame!) it is an adaption of Yoko Kamio’s 36 volume manga under the same name.

The story centers around 16 year old Makino Tsukushi who, thanks to her grades, gets admitted to the high school Eitoku Gakuen. The school is attended by the richest kids in Japan among which is the F4, four boys who are from the four richest families in Japan. Because of their wealth, they wield the power to dispose of whoever crosses them at school. Makino loses her temper after watching so many kids get bullied into leaving school and decides to fight back. Good stuff, good stuff. (Sorry, trying to stay un-spoiling for those that really haven’t heard of Hana Yori Dango).

The series was made into a drama in 2001 by the Taiwanese under the name “Meteor Garden” featuring their very own F4 (Jerry Yan, Vanness Wu, Ken Chu, and Vic Zhou) and Big S as Makino Tsukushi. The drama received a viewship of more than 60% and was such a hit that a sequel was made, respectively name “Meteor Garden 2″.

In 2005, the Japanese decided to give Hana Yori Dango another go around as their first attempt, a movie in 1995 was unsuccessful. Well, they obviously learned from their mistakes. Japan’s dorama version ended the series with a 23% viewership and in 2007 the follow up series aired and ended with an amazing 26%. The last installment of the series from Japan will be a movie “Hana Yori Dango: Live Final” due the summer of 2008.

So 2008 Group Eight, the producers behind Goong S and Fantasy Couple, have decided they want in on this series as well. With the news widespread, anticipation of who will be taking on the roles has been keeping everyone busy. The production team has promised that the Korean F4 will be choosen based on their similarities to the Anime character and not how popular or how well-known they are in Korea. The Korean version is set to air in late fall of 2007 with 24 episodes, all 70 minutes each.

Definitely something to look forward to in 2008!

~ voni (who is lykkke pretty damn excited!)