Which Meteor Garden Is Better To Watch

If you are into Asian dramas, it would be a sin if you haven't yet watched the 2018 adaptation of the iconic Meteor Garden. Even if you are new to this, you must have heard its name at least once. Although on the surface, it might appear as a typical rom-com, people who have watched it must know how well the drama makers have executed the plot, along with the actors who have done justice to the original characters.

What aided the popularity of the drama is the on-screen and off-screen chemistry between Shan Cai and the F4 group, played by Dylan Wang, Darren Chen, Caesar Wu, Leon Leong. No one could have played Dao Ming Si's role better than Dylan Wang, who redefined the character in his own style, giving it a totally different vibe from the original one. If you have just completed watching all the 49 episodes of the series and still rooting for more, you are just on the right path. Here we have created a list of the top twelve Asian dramas that you need to watch if you loved Meteor Garden. So let's get started.

Boys Over Flowers (2009)

Directed by: Jeon Ki Sang
Starring: Lee Min-ho, Ku Hye-sun, Kim Hyun-Joong
Episodes: 25
Country: South Korea

The series has been inspired by Yoko Kamio's Japanese manga series titled 'Hana Yori Dango' on which the original Meteor Garden (the 2001 Taiwanese version) is based on. It is basically the Korean remake of the same drama and therefore shares a similar plotline.

The story is about a poor girl, Geum Jan Di, who, after a series of events, gets admitted to one of the most prestigious schools, where she comes across the powerful group of four boys, F4, comprising of Gu Jun Pyo, Yoon Ji Hu, So Yi Jung and Song Woo Bin. Geum Jan Di's school life begins terribly, since she finds it difficult to blend in with other students owing to her social status, and gets worse as she falls prey to the bullying of the F4. You can watch the drama for free on We TV, Viki, and Kukan, along with English subtitles.

Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me (2017)

Director: Shang Tao
Starring: Li Hong Yi, Xing Fei, Zhang Jiong Min, Qie Lu Tong, Fu Long Fei
Episodes: 23
Country: China

The story is about a girl, An Chuxia, who, after her mother's death, gets adopted by a wealthy family, where she comes across their intimidating son, Han Qilu. As she goes to the same school as Han Qilu, referred to as 'Master Devil,' she faces many difficulties before both of them begin falling for each other.

The drama plot bears several similarities, including the fact that both showcase the theme of co-habitation. Moreover, the male lead has almost the same character as the male lead of Meteor Garden. You can watch the series with English subtitles on We TV, Viki, and on Kukan.

Wait, My Youth (2019)

Directed by: Qinyuan Shen
Starring: Li Jiaqi, Zhao Yiqin, Li Ge Yang, Stephanie Xu, WU Shuangyi
Episodes: 24
Country: China

Also known as 'Wait, My Youth,' the story is about a cute and warm girl, Su Can Can, who has a secret crush on one of her high school classmate, Lin Jia Ze, but soon develops feelings for his best friend, Lin Tian Ye, as they enter the college.

Although the drama theme is quite different from Meteor Garden, both of them bear some striking similarity, including the fact that both the leads disliked each other at first, and the female lead liked his best friend at the very beginning of the drama. The drama is available to watch on YouTube and Netflix, along with English subtitles.

A Love So Beautiful (2017)

Director: Yang Long
Starring: Hu Yi Tian, Shen Yue, Wang Zi Wei,
Gao Zhi Ting, Sun Ning
Episodes: 23
Country: China

It would have been absurd if a list like this is created and this drama is not included. Featuring the same female lead from MG, Shen Yue in Chen Xiao Xi's role is one of the must-watch dramas. Since her childhood, the story is about a dumb but cheerful girl who has been in love with her neighbor, Jiang Chen. Though Jiang Chen is unsure about his feelings for her at first, it develops soon after a cool swimmer, Wu Bo Song, gets enrolled in their school.

The male leads from both the dramas are popular, cold, smart, and arrogant, while the girls are cheerful. Moreover, we also see the adorable romance between a tall guy and a short girl, which gives the dramas a similar flavor. You can watch the series online on We TV, Viki, Netflix, and YouTube, along with the English subtitles.

The Brightest Star in the Sky (2019)

Director: Liu Yi Zhi
Starring: Z. Tao, Janice Wu, Niu Jun Feng, Cao Xi Yue, David Chen, Liu Jia, Emotion Cheung, Qin Lan
Episodes: 44
Country: China

The drama plot revolves around an aspiring young, Yang Zhen Zhen, who joins the Star Entertainment agency as the assistant of a popular arrogant and unruly idol, Zheng Bo Xu. Although they didn't start well, getting into arguments now and then, Zhen Zhen helps him unleash his potential in singing and songwriting, correcting his flaws, which helps her shape her own career as an agent manager as well.

As far as the similarity between the two dramas is concerned, both MG and The Brightest Star in the Sky showcased hate to love relationship. Initially, both the female leads had feelings for another guy. The male leads in both the shows have been shown as spoiled rich kids, having a soft heart within, who go against their parents' will for the sake of their love. You can watch the series with English subtitles on YouTube, We TV, and Viki.

Count Your Lucky Stars (2020)

Director: Lin Zi Ping
Starring: Shen Yue, Jerry Yan, Jackie Li, Miles Wei, Shen Yao, Wilson Wang
Episodes: 34
Country: China

The drama revolves around the editor-in-chief of a popular fashion magazine, Lu Xingcheng, known for his sharp tongue and unbelievable luck, and a struggling fashion designer, Tong Xiaoyou, who is prey to her unbelievably poor luck. However, one fine day their fate got exchanged with each other due to an accidental kiss, and their lives totally changed.

The drama is a treat to all the Meteor Garden fans since it has Jerry Yan, in the role of Lu Xingcheng, who was also the male lead of the original Meteor Garden (2001), as well as Shen Yue as Tong Xiaoyou, who was the female lead of Meteor Garden (2018). Both the dramas showcases the short-girl and tall-boy sweet and cute relationship. If you wish to watch the drama, you can do that on YoYo English Channel on YouTube, Youku, and Viki.

Accidentally in Love (2018)

Directed by: Zhong Qing
Starring: Guo Jun Chen, Sun Yi Ning, Ma Li, Cheng Mu Xuan, Zhao Yi Qin, Zhou Mo, Yan Hao Yuan
Episodes: 30
Country: China

It is a love story between an arrogant and cold idol, Situ Feng, and his deskmate, the quirky and adorable Chen Qingqing, who has disguised herself as an ugly girl, owing to some family issues.

Just like Meteor Garden, the show focuses on the Love-Hate relationship between the lead characters. Moreover, the male lead here has been shown as a popular spoilt and rude kid, just like Daoming Si from Meteor Garden— who falls in love with a seemingly ordinary girl. Although the drama is full of clichés, it is more about how clichés can be used right. All the episodes of the show are available to watch on Netflix.

Love o2o (2016)

Directed by: Lin Yufen
Starring: Zheng Shuang, Yang Yang, Mao Xiaotong, Bai Yu, Niu Junfeng, Cui Hang, Zheng Yecheng, Ma Chunrui
Episodes: 30
Country: China

The drama is about a gaming expert, Xiao Nai, who is apparently the best in almost everything— including basketball, academics, swimming, and is even the President of a gaming company founded by him. After he comes across the beautiful Computer Science major Bei Wei Wei guiding her teammates during an online multiplayer game battle, he gets impressed by her gaming skills and immediately falls in love with her.

Love o2o, though it has a totally different storyline, the setting in both the dramas are pretty much the same— taking place in a university, with the male lead being the popular, cold, and smart senior. Moreover, the male lead's three roommates remind us of the F4 group, which aids at making the environment light and fluffy. The show is available to watch on many streaming platforms, including— Netflix, We TV, Viki, and YouTube.

Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo (2013)

Directed by: Nagata Koto, Abe Masakazu, Starring: Kawano Koji, Yahagi Honoka, Furukawa Yuuki, Yamada Yuki, Tanaka Yoji, Imoaraizaka Kakaricho, Nishimura Tomomi
Episodes: 16
Country: Japan

The story is about a poor high school girl, Kotoko Aihara, who is not very smart, but falls in love with a handsome and intelligent boy, Naoki Irie, at first sight. After a while, when she confesses her love to him, he immediately rejects her calling her dumb. However, fate brings them together after a series of events occur, causing them to live under the roof of one house.

The series serves as one of the many adaptations of the Japanese Shojo manga titled 'Itazura no Kiss.' The show has a cold, arrogant, and genius male lead like Dao Ming Si, but ends up like an ordinary girl. It also includes a love triangle and cohabitation, a part of Meteor Garden's plot. You can watch the drama for free on Viki, Chrunchyroll, and Drama Japan, along with English subtitles.

Put Your Head On My Shoulder (2019)

Directed by: Zhu Dong Ning
Starring: Fair Xing, Lin Yi, Daddi Tang, Zheng Ying Chen, Zhou Jun Wei, Zhou Zi Xin
Episodes: 24
Country: China

The show revolves around the love story of a graduating accounting major student, Situ Mo, and a genius physics student, Gu Weiyi, studying in the same university. After a chain of events, Situ Mo is bound to live at Gu Weiyi's house as a roommate, during which both of them develop feelings for each other.

Both the drama share the concept of a smart and handsome male lead chasing the female lead first. Both of their love stories start in the university and end with the main characters getting married. The theme of co-habitation has played the most important role in this drama. Moreover, their height difference makes the show all the more adorable and fluffy. In case you haven't watched the series already, you can check it out on Netflix, Viki, We TV, and on Tencent Video, along with English subtitles.

Full House (Thai) (2014)

Director: Sarasawadee Wongsompetch
Starring: Aom Sushar Manaying, Mike Angelo, Utt Uttsada Panichkul, Janesuda Parnto
Episodes: 20
Country: Thailand

The series focuses on the story of a struggling writer, Aom, who gets cheated on by her sister and her husband and loses ownership of the house after she returns from a trip. When she comes to know that the house has been sold to a famous singer, Mike, she enters into a contract marriage with him for a year, after which she will get back her house.

The show is the perfect example of a hate-to-love relationship, showcasing the romance between the always-bickering couple, just like Meteor Garden. Moreover, in the drama, the rich man and poor girl themes have been showcased greatly. If you are interested in watching all the series episodes, you can check them out on Netflix.

Professional Single (2020)

Directed by: Lin Yan
Starring: Ireine Song, Aaron Deng, Wang Run Ze, Hong Shan Shan, He Ze Yuan, Chen Ke Fan
Episodes: 24
Country: China

The drama revolves around a group of art students who aim to achieve their own dreams, mostly focusing on a smart and popular sculptor, Qin Shen, and a cute girl named Yuan Qian, who initially tries to change her major from sculpting to oil painting but fails because of an incident with Qin Shen. Both of the characters have been single their entire life and intended to do so in the future.

The story is quite light compared to Meteor Garden; however, the cute height difference between the main leads reminds us of Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si's interaction. The same cold and smart male lead and the clumsy, hard-working female lead story have been shown here and with both the leads studying in the same university. Moreover, the extra jealous scenes of Qin Shen make his character more like Dao Ming Si.