Seen from a Distance, Green Spring (2021)

What's the best of this drama?

I enjoyed this drama a lot, but I had some issues with it. I first wanna clarify that this is a subjective review.
The thing I liked the most was the relationship between Yeo Joon and Soo Hyun is amazing and really beautiful. I recommend this drama mainly because of it.
I also gotta say that So Bin is lovely and I loved her, but I don't feel like her character added much to the story or she had that much of importance. However, the romance part was so delightful.
Another thing that I'm really thankful off, is that there is no triangle love, so I could breathe calmly this time.
The story is actually quite simple, in the sense that is something really common.
The music was AMAZING gotta say. I always moved my head with the music everytime the songs played, because they are such beautiful songs! I love how cute and lively they are.
The last thing I liked about it was the acting of Park Ji Hoon. Gosh, all the emotions he had to show and how well he portrayed them. I just am amazed of how amazingly he did!
So, in general, I think this is a one time watch drama and I really recommend it. It only has 12 episodes but I think the story didn't need more episodes, so it's perfect in that sense.

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Finding and loving yourself

This drama is about 3 characters at university with their own history and troubles/ problems with family, financial struggles, and abuse. They all have a rocky and less desirable start to their friendship but eventually grew to be great friends.

I especially loved the brotherly relationship between Yeo Jun and Soo Hyun. I also loved their character development and how they learned more about themselves and helped each other to change and evolve. However I didn’t particularly like the last episode where they re-enacted the part where Jun spilled coffee on Soo hyun in the first episode. I thought it was unbecoming of Soo Hyun’s character to behave like that, as if the roles were reversed and now he is the clingy one.

I didn’t particularly like So- bin... her character seemed non- essential and didn’t really evolve much, although she did overcome some of her fears. The side characters were the typical school bullies/ bitches- bad mouthing, take advantage, physical fights, cyber bullying and assault. The side characters I did like were Young-Ran and Chan Ki :) Even though the importance of their roles were somewhat less, the essence of their characters were more interesting. I did wish to see a romance development between Soo Hyun and Young Ran, so I was sorely disappointed when it did not happen booo.

The romance between Jun and So-Bin was mediocre. This genre is not so much romance but more towards friendship and overcoming your past and present struggles. There were some dark sides to the story, some of which was quite disturbing to watch (mainly abuse and assault). Also lots of melodrama, crying (violin playing in the background) moments.

Music and OST seem great too, quite modern but none really made an impression. A definite recommended watch- I love Bae In-Hyuk who plays Soo Hyun. He’s a new actor to keep your eye on (also in My Roommate is a Gumiho)

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It's a nice story but lacks external conflicts.

My strongest opinion being the OST ruins the mood. I was ready to feel sympathetic for Yeo Joon's pitiful backstory, but the problem is that these emotional scenes are presented with happy cheerful music. I wish they had put one more sad song to save this issue!

The story feels flat, it lacks external conflict. The fact that they're dealing with a group school assignment issue for more than 10 episodes is too long. Furthermore, there's no real character development despite their many screentime. I appreciate the friendship between Nam Soo Hyun and Yeo Joon, but it feels very lukewarm.

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Youth drama Highly recommanded

I was reluctant to watch this drama, but I got hooked from the 1st episode and watched it all at once.
The story is super well constructed. It tackles the dark (even harsh), moving, funny, romantic aspects of a university year of a group of young people who seek each other, grow up, overcome their difficulties together.

The actors are just wonderful. We are moved by their rapprochement, we want to take them in our arms in hard times. In short, they embody these characters with crazy talent.

The friendship that is built step by step between the 2 ML, establishes a strong and comforting relationship. The main couple are just lovely.

I appreciated this vision of youth, which we look at with nostalgia when we have grown older, but which is most often a difficult and complex period, even painful.

In short, a drama that I highly recommend and that I will watch again with pleasure and emotion.

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"Our real spring is only now starting"

As someone who didn't read the webtoon this is what I thought. Joon grew very well as a character, probably some of the best development I've seen, I went from hating him and being annoyed to starting to actually like him. The chemistry between the lead couple (Sobin and Joon) would've been better if they broke them up after a few episodes, it just got so repetitive like they weren't really dating and Sobin was third wheeling Joon and Soohyun. The last episode definitely felt like this whole drama was supposed to be a bl. The osts didn't really match the drama at all but I liked the songs. I loved the character development of everyone and how everything got resolved by the end (but me personally I couldn't forgive the things they all did to Sobin so it's a bit unrealistic). It felt like there was a huge plot hole, because what happened with who Soohyun likes?? Was it supposed to be Joon?? Sobin? Mijoo?? I got the vibe at certain points Soohyun liked Sobin but I don't know if thats just because the two actors have good chemistry or what. I think Chanki was a lovely addition to this drama, I was irritated with him at first but he quickly became likeable. If you don't like sad heart wrenching scenes in dramas or don't like crying this drama is good to watch!

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Romance was 7.5, Bromance was a 10

==Breakdown==
Background plot - 65%
Romance - 20%
Misc comedy - 15%

Background plot - Fine
Romantic chemistry - Excellent
Misc comedy - Good
Production value - Good

The romance was pretty good. The ML and FL had solid chemistry, but the ML's tragic story and his portrayal of it carried most of the show and took over / overwhelmed the romance.
However, the real star of this drama was the bromance between the two male leads. Their friendship and their scenes (and their friendship chemistry) stole the show. I ended up fast forwarding all scenes just to get to the friendship side story.
Of note, the overall plot is a little convoluted, but-- like I said-- the friendship plot completely charmed and made up for (mostly) the other deficiencies. Not that you asked, but I didn't care about or have a favorite of the two potential love interests for the friend male lead and, other than enriching his character, that part fell flat (for me).

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onverwachte vriendschap ?? traumaverwerking

Ik zal er niet omheen draaien: de vriendschap die opbloeide tussen Yeojoon en Soohyun was zo mooi om te zien en een van de hoofdredenen om verder te blijven kijken, van hoe ze tegenover elkaar opwarmden en de eerste glimlach tot kameraden die elkaar steunden met elkaars trauma's en moeilijkheden. Woordkeuzes, subtiele details waren aspecten die de relatie tussen deze twee verder samensmeltten.

Ook de relatie tussen Yeojoon en Sobin werd rustig maar solide opgebouwd, wederom met een warme band, maar ook elkaars grenzen respecteren en elkaar steunen op moeilijke momenten. Props to de schrijvers dat ze niet de usual breakup vlak voor de laatste aflevering als plottwist gebruikten om de serie te verlengen, maar een gezonde, stabiele band portretteerden.

Tot slot zonder te veel te spoilen: Yeojoon en zn broer. that's it.

*tw: huiselijk geweld

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Seriously didn't know what it wanted to be

I did not read the web series of this show, so I'm going strictly on what I saw/felt while watching this.

This may not have been a BL show, but it desperately wanted to be. The writing in the first few episodes between the two male leads, the longing looks of Yeo Joon toward Soo Hyun, the romantic music when they were in scenes together, it felt like it was trying to get away with something by not coming right out and addressing the issue up-front. I was in no way pushing for that, because I don't watch BL shows, but there you have it.

Acting: The acting was fine. Park Ji Hoon as Yeo Joon was just beautiful to watch. He's so attractive, and his bleached hair really made him stand out from the others (I thought it was a mistake to make Soo Hyun's brother a bleach blond as well). My only problem was when he started yelling, then his acting was over the top, as was the woman's acting that played his mother.
Kang Min Ah as Kim so Bin was just a bundle of cuteness, and I always enjoy Bae In Hyuk (Nam Soo Hyun) - deep voice, well-controlled use of facial expressions, just that hint of a lisp, yup, I like him.

CHARACTERS/STORYLINE: Let me start by saying that they could have left all of the women out of this movie (including the FL) and it would have been fine. I didn't feel that any of the women were well-written, except for, perhaps, Young Ran. Mi Joo was a TERRIBLE character. She was totally obsessed with a guy because he helped her pick something up (and he was handsome)? Her lines were cheesy and she just reminded me of a stalker. Her character had absolutely no redeeming value. Kim So Bin's trauma was glossed over for the most part, got addressed briefly, and resolved quickly. I loved watching the Yeo Joon character, but I didn't like him (I don't think I was supposed to) - he was very manipulative and that came off immature as well. I did enjoy the deepening friendships between the three main people. Once they got past all the anger and animosity, their conversations were interesting. I loved watching Soo Hyun opening up. At the beginning he is a total loner, unfriendly and you can tell he has a giant chip on his shoulder. My heart broke for the hardships he had to endure, but when he finally swallowed his pride and opened up, there was maturity and wisdom there.

CHEMISTRY: Most of the chemistry was between Yeo Joon and Soo Hyun. Once Yeo Joon and So Bin became a couple, they were very cute together, but I didn't really feel any romantic chemistry. A couple of poorly executed/poorly filmed kisses didn't help either.

I felt that the bullying was carried too far, but I'll be the first to admit I don't like a lot of angst. I thought it was well-filmed. The colors they used surrounding each of the characters kind of fit in with their personalities.

It's not even close to being the worst show I've ever seen, but it's also not even close to being one of the best. If you have nothing else to watch, I wouldn't tell you to run away from it. You might enjoy it.

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A rather misleading drama whose potential wasn't fully explored

Disclaimer: I haven’t read the webtoon so I had no expectations whatsoever when I started watching this drama.

This drama was ambitious from the very start: its aim was to explore how one’s trauma shapes one’s behaviour as well as to show how one’s struggles become hindrance when it comes to building genuine relationships. Given the number of episodes (12) and their lengths (a little more than one hour), it was obvious that the handling of such topics wouldn’t be irreproachable and it ultimately wasn’t.
Considering that I was expecting it, I made allowances for the people involved in the making of this drama — at first — because I could see the potential of its characters. However, as the story progressed, even after putting my leniency to the test, I came to realise that this drama would simply not give its characters any proper nor consistent development and this is the result of poor directing and writing.

The characters in this drama are flawed — which is a good thing because flaws are the basic groundwork for an authentic story, aren’t they? — but they’re all genuine and they each had a story to tell. The first episodes actually foreshadow how the development of each character would have taken place if they had been any. Thus the viewers might have thought that this drama would be true-to-life (to some extent) and somewhat thought-provoking. Sadly the characters lacked proper, in-depth, and consistent development which ultimately impeded the way the drama wanted to convey its messages. Those developments were either cut short because of the small number of episodes or because the producers/directors/screenwriters opted for the easy way out which resulted in making the characters more or less stereotypical since only one trait of their personalities was brought to light. At first glance, I thought that the seeming genuineness of the characters would make up for the clumsy and incoherent writing and directing but it unfortunately didn’t.

The strong point of this drama should have undeniably been its characters since the plot isn’t original nor refreshing. It presents characters drenched in their fears and anxieties who are trying to do everything they can to get by. They all do so in their own specific ways and, as a viewer, watching them do so on screen should make your heart ache for them. There are some moments which make this drama worth watching, even so, I think I was able to watch it till the end solemnly because I was watching it as it aired. In other words, those rare moments weren’t really enough to counterbalance the disappointment I felt episode after episode when I realised that the story wouldn’t go the way it was foreshadowed.
Nevertheless let me tell you one thing in order to enjoy this drama the best way you can. I did see this drama through to the end so it wasn’t the most terrible I had ever watched, simply not the best. As a character-driven drama, the main focus is on the characters themselves and their relationships with one another (their interactions really). If you’ve been curious about this drama for a while, you might have already looked up some comments and saw how most people on this site were annoyed by the romance which they deemed boring and lacklustre. I didn’t care much about the romance at all but even I have to admit that Yeo Joon and So Bin’s dynamic as a couple is rather strange and shallow. However I think that, if you put your mind to it, you can easily turn a blind eye to it.
If there is a romance in this drama – and there is –, it shouldn’t make the viewers lose sight of what’s supposed to be at its core which is the characters. Thus the focus should be put on the particularities of a romantic relationship – instead of on the romance in itself – which involve being emotionally-naked in front of the person you love for instance. Nonetheless the most enjoyable moments were, without a doubt, the moments in which you could see the blossoming friendship develop between Yeo Joon, Soo Hyun and So Bin and Professor Park’s words of advice to his students.

I had initially written in-depth commentaries on the main three characters but I chose not to include them in the end because I don’t want to give anyone false hope. Yes the characters have potential and although it’s not fully explored, the characters are what keep you watching the drama but their wasted potential eventually leaves a rather bitter aftertaste.

Overall, this drama is clumsily humane and asks us to watch the characters grow and learn from their mistakes and to let them discover how fulfilling any kind of relationships — whether romantic or platonic — can be.

Regarding the drama’s OST, I was a bit disappointed. The songs are not bad per se but I felt that some songs – especially some instrumental pieces – didn’t quite fit the atmosphere in which they were played. Moreover, the transitions between the moments in which no music was played and the moments in which there was were not always smooth which might give the viewers a sense of abruptness — especially when the rhythm is as upbeat as that of the song “Talk to me” by Park Ji Hoon (see the bungee jump scene for example).
More generally, the editing of this drama — its transitions in particular — was odd at times: by way of example, the way they chose to end episode 10 was very anticlimactic and broke the spell in a way. Indeed when the action resumed in the beginning of episode 11, I couldn’t feel anything at all because there was no build-up whatsoever. (Note that we had to wait 5 days before being able to watch episode 11 since only two episodes were aired per week. I won’t spoil anything but I think you’ll get what I mean if you watch it for yourselves).

Although this drama is far from being flawless, the potential of its characters will make you want to keep on watching. (or not haha you tell me).
One thing is for sure, you’ll be rooting for So Bin, Yeo Joon and Soo Hyun to become the closest friends ever!
The best way to watch this drama is to focus on how the bonds develop between the different characters rather than on how strange the romance is elaborated or the fact that the characters’ developments aren’t well-thought-out.

Thank you for reading this review till the end!

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At A Distance, Spring is Green (2021) - I guess pain became my friend. I coped with it for too long. So leaving it behind felt like I was parting myself from the past. - Joon.

Since I haven't read the webtoon, I didn't have anything to compare. Having seen In Hyuk here and in My Roommate is a Gumiho both watching them at the same time, I was really amazed with his acting skills. He is good. His characters in both dramas is so different and he manages to pull it off.

Park Ji Hoon having his own main lead role, it was kind of awkward for me to watch him acting but I did see his improvement. I really like the story of this drama, more of like slice of life genre and also I like that the friendship is emphasized between
two different personalities. I just think that the role of Min Ah as So Bin was not really emphasize and it's regretful.

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One of the best characters development in kdrama

I'm super impressed at the good characters development writing and it's super natural , not over the top! I do kinda hope NSY show more affection towards YJ but then it will be against his character too much but i'm so happy with everyone characters development! it's really a light romance slice of life drama , to be honest i kinda like watching the bromance and brother complex more than the main couple XD and i just noticed Na In woo in this drama and OMG that eyes!!! he's so good in portraying the character you can feel the pain and sacrifice in his eyes. I don't know but the OST by PJH kinda annoyed me at first hahahah but Rothy song is good here. The story is good but for me i think it's kinda weak in the end.
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Rewatch value? maybe none but i do will recommend it to my friends , It's a good light drama to watch since most of kdrama these days are quite heavy. A good drama to take a break in life once in a while.

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