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In
today's entertainment world, the success of F4, the heirs to the title
of Taiwan's hottest boy band since the Little Tigers who disbanded 10
years ago, is anything to go by, all it takes is good looks, talents,
a little bit of luck, and a drama series called Meteor Garden (Liu
Xing Hua Yuan).
Based on a popular Japanese comic, Hana Yori Dango (literally
translated as Men Are Better Than Flowers), Meteor Garden was the
vehicle that launched the careers of Jerry Yen (25), Vic Zhou (20),
Ken Zhu (22)
and American-born Vanness Wu (23), transforming them from total
unknowns into pop idols who inspire mass hysteria when they so much as
enter a room. Their rise to stardom has been nothing short of
meteoric. The series debuted in
Taiwan
in April last year, and in the short space of nine months, these four
guys have become household names not only in their native Taiwan, but
also in Singapore, Hongkong, Malaysia and even Brunei.
They have been likened to
Japan's boyband supremos, SMAP, and Jerry Yen, the most popular of the
four, has even been compared to Takuya Kimura. Their debut album has
sold over 180,000 copies in Taiwan alone and the album made it to the
third spot on the local charts three days after it hit the shelves.
The hunkiest in the group is ex-model Yan, who also is the lead in
Meteor Garden. Singaporeans would feel a keen affinity with Ken Chu,
who lived and studied in Singapore for eight years before returning to
Taiwan. Vic Zhou is the silent but cool type, and his boyish good
looks and megawatt smile is enough to send hearts a-flutter. Vanness
Wu hails from Los Angeles and is definitely the best singer and dancer
in the group. Which isn't surprising since he used to hang out with
the guys from former Taiwanese boyband, L.A Boyz.
The last time F4 was in town on Polling Day last year, almost every
teenage girl aged 12 to 17 was out in force. They created a major
disturbance in the normally sleepy neighbourhood of Bishan, where
5,000 frenzied fans queued overnight for a meet-the-fans event at
Junction 8. Close to 2,000 people turned up for another with the lads
at The Heeren, which was transformed into a sea of bodies pressed
together like sardines in a can. The most amazing thing about their
tremendous fan base is that it is not limited to young schoolgirls.
There are serious working women in their 20s and 30s, mothers with
toddlers and even grandmothers who become as giggly as fresh-faced
youngsters when talking about their idols. What is stunning about
their overnight fame is that there is nothing really extraordinary
about them, apart from the fact that they are all lanky (1.8 m) and
good-looking. Which in this day and age, seems to be all that matters.
No one seems to care that they can't carry a tune to save their lives.
Their success is based on the strength of their one hit song, Meteor
Rain.
The irony about the F4 frenzy is that the boys are not really a
cohesive unit. In reality, they were just four guys thrown together to
act in a drama about a gang of four guys, dubbed the Flower Four (F4),
who terrorized the students at their exclusive prep school. In fact,
the plan is for each member to eventually launch a solo career. Vic
Zhou (Zai Zai), has already done so, and his debut album, Make A Wish
has been garnering brisk sales since it was released earlier this
month.
Storyline and Cast
....
A
plain girl from a middle-class family enters an elite school of
filthy-rich snobs and clashes with four gorgeous bullies. She stands
up to them and wins the hearts of the hunkiest two.
San Cai
Mu
Ye San Cai (Makino Tsukushi), played by Da S of the sister duo SOS, is
the female lead of the show. She is currently 25 years of age. She
plays a 19 years old, who is born in a middle class family. Her
parents sent her to the exclusive university hoping she would get to
know some rich kid and get them out of poverty.
However, since transfering into the exclusive school, her behavior had
changed. Now she has reverted back to her strong self. San Cai is
brave and is a good fighter. She stands up to Dao Ming Si and the F4
despite her fears and nervousness. Not only is she good at protecting
herself, she is also the protector of her friend Qing He.
Dao Ming Si
Dao Ming Si (Doumyouji Tsukasa), played by Jerry Yen Cheng Xu of 25
years of age is the male lead of Liu Xing Hua Yuan. Dao Ming Si is
also the leader of F4 and is supposedly the younngest member (in the
show) He has two nicknames, xiao bai tu (small white rabbit) and bao
long (fierce dragon). Judging from polls and the reaction of fans, you
could say that he is the the most popular member of the F4!
Because of bad control of anger, everyone in the school is afraid of
him. Dao Ming Si has been known to beat people up over trivial
matters. His parents have been living in New York for the past two
years, and his older sister has recently gotten married, thus Dao Ming
Si is all alone in his big empty house, and can get quite lonely. Dao
Ming Si knows that most of the people around him are not interested in
him for who he is, but his wealth.
Because of his arrogance and pride, Dao Ming Si finds it difficult to
express his feellings. No respect for authority, always considering
himself to be above everyone else. Dao Ming Si gets jealous easily,
which brings San Cai many. Dao Ming Xi is closest to his sister, a
strong woman who knows her rights, she is one of the few people Dao
Mig Si can actually be afraid of. San Cai has many of the same
qualities as Dao Ming Si's sister and those qualities is what attracts
Dao Ming Si to her.
Hua Ze Lei
Hua Ze Lei (Hanazawa Rui) is played by Vic Zhou Yu Ming. He is the
second male lead after Dao Ming Si. He is currently 20 years of age
and is the youngest member in F4 (real life, in the show they are all
the same)
Hua Ze Lei is the sensitive and quiet member of F4. He is infatuated
with Teng Tang Jing, who is 21 years of age in the show. However, she
flies off to
Paris
and never to return. Hua Ze Lei then becomes very good friends with
San Cai, as you all know, San Cai secretly liked Hua Ze Lei a lot.
There is one point in the show where the both of them were actually a
couple. So who will San Cai go with in the end? Watch Liu Xing Hua
Yuan to find out!
Xi Men
Xi
Men (Nishikado Soujirou), played by Ken Zhu Xiao Tian is 22 years of
age. He studied in
Singapore for 6 years. In the show he is closest to Mei Zhuo, as both
their characters are alike, playboy.
The character Xi Men changes his girlfriend like every week as he
believes that each woman's 'expiry date' is always one week after he
gets to know her. Later in the show, he gets to know San Cai's friend,
Xiao You, better and were on the verge of becoming a couple, but Xiao
You migrated to
Canada and he reverted back to his old ways.
Mei Zhuo
Mei Zhuo (Mimasaka Akira) is yet another member of the F4. Played by
Vanness Wu Jian Hao, 22 years of age. He was raised in the
US
and therefore constantly includes a "yeah" and other english words in
his speech.
Mei Zhuo, one who believes strongly in the bond between the members of
the F4, plays a very happy person. When watching the show, you wil
hardly see him in any troublesome situation or things like that. His
character is supposed to be like the play boy kind, so he doesn't
really get attatched to anybody. |
