Search - Boys Over Flowers - Lovers on the Run (Vol. 9) on DVD

My loyalties seem to be changing...

J. Fink | St. Louis, MO | 02/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the beginning of the series, I found myself sympathizing with Tsukushi. Who wouldn't, right? I mean, the poor girl gets picked on constantly, through no fault of her own! And as far as her "relationship" with Tsukasa goes...I couldn't say I blamed her for not liking him, or in the least, not admitting it. But after this volume, I found my loyalties changing...

I'm not going to put in any spoilers for these next four episodes, but I do want to make a point about the shift in the dynamic. Before, I found Tsukushi very strong-willed, and very smart. In these episodes, I found her rather stupid. Tsukushi and Tsukasa always seem to go in circles in their "relationship" but it has always been because both of them seem unsure what they really want. In these episodes, the confusion escalates, and it seems to be only due to Tsukushi. Come on! How clueless can you be!?!

Tsukasa's character continues to gain more depth and sympathy, at least in my eyes, as we begin to see a little more of his past and his motives. It almost makes you wonder...who is the "bad guy?" Although that might be Tsukasa's mother. There is a word for a person like that, though I can't write it on the amazon's review. Just use your imagination.

I can't say that these episodes were any weaker, or even more far-fetched than some of the other things that happened in the series. If anything, some of the events in this disc seem more plausible than the kidnapping/fight that happened in volume 8. But it almost seems as if we, as viewers, are supposed to switch sides on who we are voting for. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Bottom line is, if you've seen the rest of the series, you will want to watch this. If you haven't seen the series, you should...at least if you are a fan of shojo. It's very "high school," very melodramatic, but I love it all the same. The only complaints I can really give are the lack of special features, and the 2 month delay between releasing each volume. Other than that...watch this series!

On a side note, they are also releasing the manga, slowly but surely. I think that they are up to volume 10...with the next one due out in March. I would highly recommend the manga as well. It's virtually the same story, but there are some differences as well. I've already run into one character who doesn't appear in the DVDs at all. There are a few translation SNAFUs in the first couple of books, but they are still well worth a read. Enjoy!"