The Boy Next Door

The Boy Next Door

7/10

The Boy Next Door

Genre:                                               Episodes: 15                                   Year: 2017

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Neighbours Park Kyu Tae and Sung Ki Jae end up living together after Kyu Tae’s apartment needs renovations. They have a mutual friend, Min Ah, who misunderstands their relationship.

Cast:

Choi Woo Shik (Park Kyu Tae)

Jang Ki Yong (Sung Ki Jae)

Jang Hee Ryong (Kim Min Ah)

Yoon Jung Il (Won Hyung)

General Thoughts:

I’m super into web-series right now. They are the perfect way to de-stress after a week at work. They’re fun and humorous, and usually lack the patch of angst that accompanies full length rom-coms.

Yup, no angst here

What I must say about this drama, is while I found it laugh-out-loud funny, I also thought it approached its humour in a sensitive way. Granted, there are people who will be offended by anything, but I personally thought that the show handled the gay misunderstandings in a way that was fun and not offensive.

I love hilarious misunderstandings- I love them a lot

No one reacted badly to the misunderstandings- they were always upset for a reason other than that they thought these two boys were gay. It was because they had walked in during an ‘intimate’ moment, or because the guy they liked wasn’t interested in them, etc. This prevented the show from seeming like it was presenting homosexuality as a bad thing. I appreciated the inclusion of an actual gay couple, and how the show maintained its middle ground. It wasn’t celebrating nor condemning homosexuality, it was simply showing it as it is- two people who like each other dating. Which I think is a pretty great accomplishment from a small, lighthearted show. Web-dramas usually use lesser known actors whose acting is still developing, so I was delighted to see Choi Woo Shik and Jang Ki Yong heading this one. I’ve loved Choi Woo Shik since seeing him in ‘Fool’s Love’, and think he’s brilliant at doing comedic with a dash of heart. Jang Ki Yong has been slowly growing on me for a while, and I actually think it was this little drama that has pushed him over from being an actor I’m aware of to an actor that I enjoy and would actively seek out his dramas.

You're both fabulous

Jang Hee Ryung was new to me, but I found her sweet and cute, and her character endearing. While I wouldn’t call the humour of the show sleek and witty, I wouldn’t call it crass either. It was almost satirical in a way.

♫ You are my destiny ♫

It went beyond simply using situations to create humour, and used lighting and sound to enhance the comedy. The show parodied common rom-com moments, and used the same moody lighting and emotional music when recreating those scenes which only made it funnier. It never felt like the show was mocking standard rom-com moments, but it had more of a teasing vibe where it showed that with the right camera angle, slow-mo and music, any scene can be construed as romantic. The humour wasn’t the only thing this show had going for it, though it was the most prominent. There was a little bit of plot sprinkled throughout each episode- just enough to separate the misunderstandings. The love-triangle was hinted at early on and developed more as the show progressed. This added an extra layer of comedy, as there’s something so funny about two guys liking the same girl while the girl thinks they like each other. It’s just a situation that is ripe with hilarious moments. Of course, the two boys actually started to become friends, which was cute to watch as well. 

Those feels when you think that your ex and your crush are dating

What Was Great:

The Boys Next Door:

Obviously the stars of this show were the two boys. Both the actors and the characters were excellent.

Pepero- bringing people together since 1983

The boys had enough character that they felt well thought-out and carefully created, rather than just making the actors do all the work. While, Choi Woo Shik and Jang Ki Yong did amazingly well at bringing the characters to life, it was clear that the characters themselves were well constructed- a perk of basing the drama off a manhwa I’m guessing. Either way, the two boys drove the show and made it something that was truly enjoyable to watch. Choi Woo Shik and Jang Ki Yong had great chemistry, and it felt like they (and the staff) really enjoyed working together and had a blast filming this fun little show. The acting felt relaxed, even though some of the scenes could have been potentially uncomfortable to shoot. It was obvious that both actors were really invested in making sure the audience had a good time watching the drama, and they did a great job at making the show fun, but not childish or ridiculous.

What Wasn’t:

Why So Short?:

I honestly could have watched this drama for many more episodes. While I question if there would have been enough story to stretch it out, I just had such a fun time that I was actually a bit bummed out when I made it to the last episode.

I really wanted this drama to keep on going

The episodes themselves were only about 5-10 minutes long, and I just felt like I wanted to watch so much more of this delightful drama. I kid you not, I could watch this for hours and hours. 

Recommend?

Yes, yes, yes. This is just the thing to watch on a lazy weekend afternoon when you’re in need of a bit of a lighthearted laugh. 

Season 2? Please?