Cultural harmonization in East Asia: Adaptation of Hana yori dango / Boys Over Flowers

In the domain of popular culture since the 1990s, Japanese media has increasingly crossed regional and international borders. There has been appropriation, adaptation and remaking of many of these media products into different formats, such as manga, anime, TV drama, films and games. Products, when traded and remade across geographical boundaries, have a multidimensional aspect and potentially contribute to an evolving cultural re-engagement between Japan and Asia. This article analyses, within a sociocultural context, the significant textual and cultural elements of the iconic Japanese manga, Hana yori dango / Boys Over Flowers. Firstly, it explores how the originating manga has been adapted into TV drama formats through the process of remaking, in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Secondly, it examines the differentiation of textual and cultural content in the three countries; and, finally, it measures audience reception within a distinct fan group. Survey questionnaires and focus group interviews are used to collate the audience reception of the texts. The article argues that the media trade, through products like Hana yori dango, is contributing to the enhancement of regional intercultural understanding beyond regional historical antipathy. The article further argues that the influence of media trade and Japanese popular culture is contributing in a positive manner to the idea of regional ‘harmony’, rather than hybridism, with the retention in Japan, Korea and Taiwan of inherent cultural values.