At a Distance, Spring Is Green is not bad show. It’s not exactly groundbreaking, but it could serve as a rather entertaining watch if you don’t try to pay too much attention to plotlines, or are willing to imagine half of the story that is never told to fill the gaps. Some characters’ journeys were well written, some barely existed… which leads me to one conclusion: there wasn’t a balance in the quality of writing.

Yeo Joon is for sure the star of the show, the most interesting and well portrayed character. They did a good job with his introduction and character development. It was gradual and realistic. We witnessed him try to fight his demons alone, still learning how to open to others, even as the drama got closer to the end. Park Ji Hoon did an amazing job acting - some scenes giving me real goosebumps.

That said, it was disappointing to see just a little of the screen time used to explore his relationship with the family, seeing how it defined who he was and how he acted for the majority of his life... so for it to not have more importance in the healing aspect was a bit... weird?

Soo Hyun might be the main character, but he did not get enough screen time as one. With that, his character development is nowhere near as well written as Yeo Joon's. It was not as organic and natural. He was one of my favorite characters, so I was a bit sad with the fact there wasn’t more focus placed on him.

And then there is the issue of Soo Hyun being straight in the show, when he is gay in the webtoon - truly hate it. It’s infuriating. They could have not given him any love line and use that time to develop his character more. Some people can ignore that, but some people would not pick up a show that is straightwashing characters, so do with this information what you want.

Last but not least from the three heroes of the show: Kim So Bin, who technically could have worked as a main character, if she would be well written and incorporated into the story. She got a good character introduction, they set up some nice conflicts - both internal and external… but then did nothing with them. Her existence revolves around Yeo Joon - she is there for him to like, to make him want to change, to save her…

She had enough screen time for an amazing development, it was just not given to her. Even almost at the end of the show... she is there to be saved by Yeo Joon after making stupid decisions and not being able to say no... by now she should have been more than that.

Young Ran and Mi Joo showed a realistic portrayal of "love rivalry" between friends. As much as I dislike the love triangle and how unnecessary it was, I still appreciate it gave us a good representation of female friendship.
That said, as individual characters... I find it sad most of their arc is focused on unrequited love as if they don't have anything else going on in their lives. Especially with Mi Joo… girl needs a hobby or something.

For a show that is suppose to focus on healing, realistic portrayal of college life and growth… The lack of consequences characters faced is staggering. How they resolved some of the conflicts involving the seniors was simply unrealistic. Sorry, but you cannot make a character that unlikeable and then for no reason say “well… maybe they are not that bad after all” - yes, yes they are unless you give me character development which would make me believe they are not trash.

Honestly speaking, I went into the drama without reading the webtoon, ans started reading it only half way through the show. Was hoping for friendship, and romance as side plot. Sadly, the romance was the center of the directing, getting the most screen time out of all plot lines. By the end, they started to pair everyone up, was it really necesary?

If you want to watch it only for bromance after reading the synopsis, don’t bother - just check fanmade videos on youtube. Otherwise, there will a lot of skipping scenes ahead of you.

Overall: I would be lying if I said I did not enjoy even a second of At a Distance, Spring Is Green. Some aspects were great, but some were annoyingly bad. It’s a good drama for a younger audience, far less tragic and serious than the first two episodes present. As long as you don't expect a masterpiece, and are willing to forgive some underdeveloped and forgotten plot lines, you will enjoy it. The production value is obviously high, and they use the university setting well. Not to mention great summer vibes OST.