Boys Over Flowers Manga Reading Order (All 37 Vols)

Boys Over Flowers Manga Complete Reading Order

Here’s the full reading order at a glance:

Main Series — Boys Over Flowers Volumes 1–36

This is the complete main story. All 36 volumes form one continuous narrative following Tsukushi Makino, an ordinary girl from a middle-class family who enrolls at the elite Eitoku Academy and clashes with the F4 — four impossibly wealthy and powerful boys who rule the school. What starts as a war of wills turns into one of manga’s most iconic slow-burn romances.

Read these in order, volume by volume. There’s no skipping ahead here — each volume builds directly on the one before it, and the character relationships evolve in ways that only land if you’ve followed the full journey. Volume 37 is separate from the main story — we cover it next.

Volume 37 — Jewelry Box (Short Story Collection)

After the main story wraps up in volume 36, volume 37 collects short stories set after the conclusion. Think of it as an epilogue — a chance to revisit the cast and see where they end up. It’s not a continuation of the main plot, but a warm send-off for characters you’ve spent 36 volumes getting attached to.

Read this after you finish volume 36. Not before. The stories assume you know how everything ends, and reading them early would spoil the main story’s conclusion.

Boys Over Flowers Season 2 (Sequel Series)

After completing the original manga, there’s a sequel series set years later. It follows a new generation of characters set at Eitoku Academy after the F4 have graduated. This is strictly a “read after the original” situation — the sequel builds directly on where the first series left off and assumes you know the full story.

If you’re just starting out, don’t worry about the sequel yet. Focus on the main 37 volumes first.

Quick Reference:

Order	Title	Volumes	Type
1	Boys Over Flowers	Vols 1–36	Main story (the core narrative)
2	Boys Over Flowers Vol 37: Jewelry Box	Vol 37	Short story collection (epilogue stories)
3	Boys Over Flowers Season 2	Completed sequel series (15 volumes)	Sequel (next generation of characters)

Why This Order Matters

You might wonder whether the Boys Over Flowers manga reading order really matters for a straightforward romance. With this series, it absolutely does — and here’s why.

The main story is one continuous thread. Across 36 volumes, Tsukushi’s relationships with the F4 members — those four wealthy boys from Eitoku Academy, especially the central romance — develop through dozens of story segments, misunderstandings, rival characters, and emotional turning points. Skipping even a few volumes means missing developments that change the entire dynamic between characters. A scene in volume 20 might reference something that happened in volume 8. A character’s behavior in volume 30 only makes sense if you’ve watched them change since volume 5.

This isn’t a series where each volume tells a standalone story you can pick up anywhere. It’s a single long narrative, and it rewards reading in order.

Jewelry Box (volume 37) contains post-story spoilers. Since these short stories revisit characters after the main plot concludes, every page of Jewelry Box reveals how things turned out. Reading it before volume 36 would be like reading the last chapter of a novel first. Save it for after you finish the main story — it works beautifully as a dessert after the full meal.

The sequel series assumes you know everything. Boys Over Flowers Season 2 picks up the world and characters from where the original left off. Jumping straight into the sequel without reading the original would be confusing at best and full of unearned spoilers at worst. The emotional weight of the sequel depends entirely on your investment in the original cast.

The bottom line: unlike sprawling franchise manga with complicated reading orders and branching spin-offs, Boys Over Flowers keeps it simple. Volume 1 through 37, then the sequel. That’s it.

Which Edition Should You Buy

VIZ Media — the major English-language manga publisher — released the complete 37-volume English edition of Boys Over Flowers, making the full series available in both print and digital formats.

Standard Single Volumes

The most common format is the individual single-volume edition. Each volume is a standard-size manga book (roughly 180–200 pages) collecting several chapters of the story. All 37 volumes were published, so you can collect the complete series this way. You’ll find them at bookstores and online retailers.

One thing to know: because the series originally ran over many years, the art style evolves noticeably over the course of the run. The early volumes look dated compared to modern manga — the character designs and page layouts reflect their era. This is completely normal for a long-running series, and the story hooks you from the start even while the art is still finding its footing. By the later volumes, Yoko Kamio’s art has grown dramatically. Many readers actually enjoy watching the art improve alongside the story.

Digital Editions

If shelf space is a concern (and 37 volumes is a serious shelf commitment), digital editions offer a practical alternative. You can read on a tablet or phone through platforms like Amazon’s Kindle store or other digital manga retailers. Digital is also a great way to sample the first few volumes before deciding whether to invest in the full physical set.

A Smart Approach: Start Small

Collecting 37 volumes is a real commitment — both in shelf space and cost. Rather than buying the entire set upfront, consider grabbing the first three to five volumes and seeing how you feel. Boys Over Flowers has a strong hook early on, and you’ll know within the first few volumes whether the story and style click for you. If they do — and for most readers, they really do — you can continue collecting from there.

A Note on the Sequel Series

Boys Over Flowers Season 2 is licensed in English by VIZ Media and is available digitally only (Kindle and digital manga stores) — no official English print edition exists. If you finish the main 37 volumes and want to continue, search for it separately by name rather than expecting to find it shelved right next to the original at every retailer.

Guidance for First-Time Readers

Whether you’ve read plenty of manga before or this is your very first series, here are a few things that’ll help you get the most out of Boys Over Flowers.

The early volumes are intense — stick with it. The opening of Boys Over Flowers doesn’t ease you in gently. Tsukushi faces bullying, social pressure, and hostility from the F4 right from the start. The tone can feel harsh compared to gentler romance manga. This is intentional — the intensity of the early conflict is what makes the eventual romantic development so satisfying. As the story progresses, the characters deepen considerably, and the romance becomes far more nuanced. Give it time.

Expect dramatic ups and downs. Boys Over Flowers runs on the tension between an ordinary girl and the ultra-wealthy boys around her, which means dramatic misunderstandings, love triangles (where multiple characters have romantic feelings for each other), family interference, and emotional highs and lows are woven into the fabric of the story. If you enjoy that kind of dramatic intensity, this series delivers it better than almost any other manga in the genre. If you prefer slow, quiet romance, the pacing here might feel intense — but it’s worth experiencing either way.

36 main-story volumes is long, but there’s a central thread holding it all together. The series never loses sight of its core romance. Even when side plots and new characters enter the picture, the heart of the story remains Tsukushi’s journey and her relationship with the F4. That consistent emotional core keeps the series from feeling stretched despite its length. Many readers find that the length is actually a strength — you get deeply invested in these characters because you spend so much time with them.

If you’ve seen the dramas, treat the manga as its own thing. Boys Over Flowers has been adapted into live-action TV dramas in Japan (where the drama is called Hana Yori Dango, the Japanese title of the manga), South Korea (Boys Over Flowers), and other countries. These adaptations made the story globally famous, and many readers come to the manga after watching one of them. While the basic premise is the same, the manga diverges from every adaptation in significant ways — character developments, plot directions, and the ending all differ. Go in with fresh eyes and let the manga surprise you.

Jewelry Box is a lovely bonus. Volume 37’s short story collection is a warm send-off for fans who want to spend more time with the cast after the main story ends. But if you only want the core love story, you can stop at volume 36 and feel completely satisfied. Jewelry Box is there for readers who aren’t ready to say goodbye — and if you’ve fallen in love with these characters across 36 volumes, you’ll probably want it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to read Boys Over Flowers before the sequel series?

Yes. Boys Over Flowers Season 2 is a direct continuation that features returning characters and builds on the original’s ending. Starting with the sequel would mean encountering major spoilers for the first series and missing the context that gives the new story its emotional weight. Read all 37 volumes of the original first.

Is Vol 37 part of the main story?

No. Volume 37, titled Jewelry Box, is a standalone short story collection. The main story of Boys Over Flowers concludes in volume 36. Jewelry Box revisits the characters after the main plot wraps up, offering a series of shorter stories rather than continuing the central narrative. It’s a great bonus for fans but not part of the main storyline.

How many volumes are in Boys Over Flowers?

The complete series is 37 volumes: 36 volumes of the main story plus volume 37 (Jewelry Box), the short story collection. All 37 volumes have been published in English by VIZ Media.

What is the correct Boys Over Flowers manga reading order?

Read volumes 1 through 36 (the main story) in order, then volume 37 (Jewelry Box, the short story collection), then Boys Over Flowers Season 2 if you want more. That’s the complete reading order — straightforward from start to finish.

Is Boys Over Flowers finished?

Yes — Boys Over Flowers is a completed series. The full 37 volumes have been published in both Japanese (by Shueisha) and English (by VIZ Media). You can read the entire story from beginning to end without waiting for new releases. The sequel series, Boys Over Flowers Season 2, is a separate work.