Oh! Boarding House (Movie) (2022)

Not as Good as the Series

This is the rare case of when the series is better than the movie version.

The Movie/Series: Both had a cute storyline and a good script. The acting was ok for the most part. There were times some of the actors seemed rigid and unsure about what was going on. I was not a fan of the ending and was hoping for something better.

The Movie: The main problem with the movie version is it suffers from very poor editing choices. They cut many scenes from the series that did not help with the story progression. They left out some key scenes which made various scenes seem disjointed. I was not a fan of the ending in the series version, but it was better than the edited version in the movie. I didn’t think I could hate the ending more, but the movie version proved me wrong.

Random Notes:
I recommend watching the series instead of the movie version.
It was cute to see the cross promotional material for Behind Cut which was made by the same production company.

Read More

I watched the series and the movie side-by-side, and here's what I've found: in the series, there are several scenes that are cut out off the movie version, and which I think contribute to understanding the characters and the plot a bit better.

What I liked:
* All of the characters in the boarding house. They each have their own personality, which we can see even though the story's so short.
* The acting. All of the actors make it possible for us to get to know the characters and their thoughts.
* I liked the friend from college, Bong Deok, the most, who showed remarkable depth of character. Kudos to his actor, I'd like to see him in more dramas.

What I did not like:
* I think they people responsible for the project chose the wrong story for their format. For these short dramas / average length movies you cannot have an ensemble drama and expect a cohesive storytelling that has enough depth to be satisfying. Something will have to be left out, and it shows. I imagine the original work this is based on is much longer and allows for more character development.
* Why did they bleep out the swear words, even put a flower over the actor's mouths? I don't understand why they did not just put a different text for the actors to speak there, if they wanted to keep their low age rating.

Overall impression:
I do not regret watching this show, as the story was cute, the characters likeable and the actors did well. But this is by no means a must-watch; we have enough BL dramas by now that we can choose those of higher quality.
If you have not yet seen it, but want to, I recommend watching the series, not the movie. Although the change between episodes is a bit annoying due to their shortness, the scenes which are not in the movie are entertaining. Also, the movie's background music is sometimes a bit too strong.

Read More