À Distância, a Primavera é Verde (2021)

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

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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!

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

This drama is the perfect coming of age drama and is perfect for youths!! This was a very heart warming and heart wrenching drama. This was totally without a doubt worth watching and would definitely recommend anyone to watch it. If you are someone who is about to go to college / a university, this would be perfect for you!! I don't know why people are being negative for this drama whether it's about the webtoon or whatever but trust me it's a very nice drama and you can learn a lot from it. Make sure to watch out for the "quotes" in the drama as they are very heartfelt, deep and inspirational. The storyline shows how the lives of different college / university students like for example, Nam Soo Hyun came out of the darkness which prevented him from meeting different people and making friends. In their hard and busy life, they seek for love, attention, peace, and for happiness and it isn't easy. This drama is the perfect masterpiece!!!!

Leia Mais

At a distance spring is sweet and tough

This is a really sweet drama that combines allot of sweet and fluff with some pretty deep and sereus issues as well as teach us that boys do cry.

The OST in this drama complements it perfectly adding to the sweet fluffy tone but I can not help but wonder if the fluff gets the best of this drama only letting the important issues touch te surface without actually getting in to them. To be honest I can't decide if it is both good or bad to do so since acnowledging these issues without letting them take over could actually be a step forward towards breaking the silance and just showing that they are just one part of a persons life but not all of it.

The main couple is sweeter than cotton candy but the chemistry between the bromance is way more interesting than the romance.

The characters development in this drama is great and though some actions made me mad I did enjoy the friendships and the dynamics in the group yet still felt that something is missing.

All in all worth your time but not a masterpiece.

Leia Mais

At last, REAL friendships!

Honestly one of my favorite slice of life kdramas. I just wished it had more eps... it's such a pity! The story had so much potential, but with 12 eps, it's barely possible to deliver everything in time!

I have not read the webtoon so will only review the kdrama.
This was actually one of the few times i've watched a kdrama with REAL friendships. Like when you have a problem and need to cry or confess your worries, you go to your friends! The dialogues felt very real as well. That one speech of Joon saying how he didn't know how to feel anymore cause he was in darkness for so long that leaving his sad self behind actually made him feel empty, really impressed me a lot! There's a few memorable convos and quotes from this kdrama!

But there's also a few things that were either rushed or just didn't make a lot of sense. SoBin's best friend took her for granted for a long time (cause that's what often happens when you think people will never leave your side) but because of that you kinda stop talking to someone that protected you for so long? i mean she didn't even bother to ask him if he was still dating the girl or not (when she was just an ex). That part didn't make sense. Let alone falling in love immediatly for a new guy after being so dedicated to someone else for so long. Cause they actually had a long story together... those years don't just go away... not even after they somehow hurt each other. The feelings stay for awhile.

I really didn't need Joon to have a romantic relationship with anyone. SoBin could've accept him and be kind to him as a friend. Cause if you think about it, everytime he had a crisis he either needed to be alone or went to Soo Hyun. Usually when you are in a love relationship, although you can always count on your friends, you also rely a lot on your partner, cause if not... then they are only there for the fun parts?! That didn't work that well in the kdrama.

But apart from little things like this, this was still an amazing watch in my opinion. Goes to my favorites list!

Leia Mais

If I were to choose 2 words to sum up this drama, they would be "youth" and "healing".

At A Distance Spring is Green is a drama that depicts the hardships that young adults face as they transition from teenagers to full-fledged adults in the real world. We follow our main characters Yeo Jun and Nam Soo Hyun, two people who have very contrasting personalities and lifestyles, yet we find out that they're actually pretty similar as they carry their respective struggles and burdens. They learn to heal through each other and we watch as they help each other to grow as individuals. Now AADSIG doesn't have the most intricate plot whatsoever, but what makes this drama so compelling is the characters, their journey towards growth, and their relationships between one another, whether it's a brotherly bond, friendship or romance. Another thing that is note-worthy, in my opinion, is that even though the story had the overall impression of being lighthearted, they still successfully touched upon heavy subjects such as child abuse, child neglect, poverty, bullying, and anxiety, all while covering the question regarding the true nature of youth.

I do think that there are a few cons to this drama, a HUGE huge one being the writing direction they decided to take for Soo Hyun and Young Ran's relationship (yeah, call me bitter because I hella am. we were ROBBED), and the lack of depth for some of the characters. But overall, I love this drama. I honestly didn't expect to like it as much as I do when I first tried watching it, but this drama was definitely a pleasant surprise for me. Being a young adult myself, I found a lot of aspects very relatable, so that definitely added up to its overall charms. The cast did a wonderful job as well, considering how most of them are rookies. It is a drama that I would highly recommend and one that I can see myself rewatching, though I'm not usually the type to.

In the past month and a half, I've grown very attached to its characters, so saying goodbye is quite hard. Alas, it's been wonderful to watch Jun and Soo Hyun's journey. I will definitely miss this drama.

Leia Mais

Not my type of drama....

I don't know if I'm the only one, well whatever i just not fond of the ML acting, i think that it was soo bad.... I'm confused what feelings he wants to deliver to the audiences, he wants to deliver sad but he's face looks tired, and he looks more in love with the SML than the FML. Besides, i can't feel the love between the ML and FML. I knoww they are based on a BL webtoon but they should really just choose one between bl or normal romance. The ML sudden shouting was also ANNOYING!! Arggghh I hope next time he gets a shouting scenes, pleaseee make it less annoying....

The plot: i think it's just typical types we've seen, childhood trauma, sad past, ect...(nothing really special). Talking about the plot i don't get why the ML tells everything to the SML instead of his girlfriend (FML), if you can't rely on or trust each other about your past, i don't get why you guys are together. Instead, both guys care and depend on each other, eventually change each other's life for the better...(like I've said, choose one, do BL if you want to)

The music was okay i guess...

I definitely won't rewatch this...kinda feels waste of time (i would have drop this drama if I'm not watching with someone else) but this is just my opinion
There are people who like this drama too, maybe they can see what i can't from this drama so if you're thinking of starting this drama after reading the review, enjoy watching!!

Leia Mais