We all know we should eat healthy, exercise, meditate, and get a good eight hours of sleep a night. These things are vital for a healthy body and mind. But sometimes we want to crash on the couch, binge on some sweet fatty goodness, and stay up all night watching romantic dramas damn the consequences.



Meteor Garden is perfect for that. A muckbang of Taco Bell, McDonald’s, followed by an entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s some fat pants and you are set. Fire up the Netflix we are about to go nuts.



The story is about Dong Shancai a young girl who was just accepted into the most prestigious university in the country to study Nutrition. (She would be so disappointed in our choices….pass the flaming hot Cheetos!) There she is joined by her two friends from high school, Li Zhen, and Chen Qinghe.



Her first day has hardly started before she has a run-in with the infamous F4, a group of four super talented, tall, rich and popular boys that rule the college. They are led by Dao Ming Si an arrogant and hot-headed business major who soon sets his sights on Dong Shancai.



Meteor Garden is what it sets out to be an often funny, light-hearted, full of angsty teen drama. What you have to remember when watching it though is the cultural differences between the east and west.

There are some troublesome moments early on regarding the relationship between Dong Shanchi and Doa Ming Si, he could be seen as what most girls call abusive. One earlier episode Doa Ming Si orders takeout from Dong Shanchi family’s catering service. When it gets there they argue and he basically slaps her in the face with the takeout box. No worries though she gets her revenge.

Si’s personality traits are all normal tropes in anime. It is truly not very different from any show currently on the CW with the dark and broody bad boy who loves the timid aunjanue.

The anime character tropes continue with the introduction of the rest of F4 Feng Mei Zuo, the jokester, and Ximen Yan the playboy are there for mostly comic relief and support they are truly enjoyable to watch and their running commentary on Shanchi and Si’s relationship is a truly amazing part of the series.



The last member of F4 is Hua Ze Lei the quiet and artistic loner perfectly fits the dandere anime trope. He adds a love triangle to the series when Dong Shanchi falls for him after he saves her from some street thugs who are about to assault her. The two have multiple heartwarming moments and become truly close friends. The show arbitrarily announcing the character suffers from Autism to explain his reserved nature could be problematic for some.



The show is pretty unremarkable in its storylines as most of these schemes the characters find themselves in are repeated widely in other similar shows. Like on a trip to Canda miscommunication finds Shanchi lost in a snowstorm leaving Si to rescue her. Of course, the two end up spending the night in an abandoned cabin with only each other to keep warm.

There are some strange storylines within the series. Like when Shanchi is forced out of her home and in order to stay in Si’s home his elderly nanny makes her become the maid or the three-part Iron Chef episodes where Dong Shanchi enters a cooking competition to impress Si’s mother, even though she doesn’t want to date him. The odd plot point doesn’t detract however from the superb acting and the main storyline which is highly character driven.



The truth is the show is oddly addictive. You keep pressing next episode on your screen and before you know it you have lost five hours of your life. The indomitable will of Dong Shanchi is infectious, as is watching Si as someone who has had everything come easily to him fumble through the rejection of trying to win her heart.

Meteor Garden is a sweet and easy series that will leave you rolling your eyes as much as you grin ear to ear. A truly binge-worthy show for those who need some light-hearted fun in their lives.

Images Courtesy of Netflix Originals