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5 Reasons Why You Should Be Watching "At A Distance, Spring Is Green"

“At A Distance, Spring Is Green,” is one of the latest popular K-Dramas on everybody’s watchlist. It is a rookie star-studded coming-of-age story that has everyone relating to it. Read a list of reasons why you should be watching it as well.

Kay Sesoko, Kpopmap Editor
4 min to read · Published : Jul 1, 2021

5 Reasons Why You Should Be Watching "At A Distance, Spring Is Green"

Victory Contents' Instagram

“At A Distance, Spring Is Green,” is one of the latest popular K-Dramas on everybody’s watchlist. Starring Park JiHoon as YeoJun, Kang MinAh as Kim SoBin, and Bae InHyuk as Nam SooHyun, the show is receiving a lot of hype. Even the supporting cast has been getting a lot of attention. Supporting cast members include actors such as CLC's Kwon EunBin who plays Wang YoungRan, Woo DaBi who plays Kong MiJu, Choi JungWoo plays Hong ChanKi, and Na InWoo who plays Yeo Jun's older brother Yeo JunWan.

It is set at a university and explores the challenges that students from different backgrounds face. However, a lot of coming-of-age K-dramas may have a similar premise, so why should you watch this one?

We’ve compiled an unranked list of reasons why you should be watching “At A Distance, Spring Is Green.”

WARNING: This article may contain spoilers from episodes 1 to 4 of the K-Drama!

1. Star-studded with rookie actors

The actors in "At A Distance, Spring Is Green," are mostly rookies who have been known for their roles in web dramas or recent big dramas. Park JiHoon was a child actor. He picked up his acting career again after his time in Wanna One when he started promoting as a solo artist under Maroo Entertainment. He naturally attracted attention due to his updated job description as an acting idol. Kang MinAh gained popularity from her roles in "A-Teen 2," and "True Beauty." Bae InHyuk is another budding star with a few web dramas under his belt. Currently, fans are loving the fact that they can watch him so many times in a week, as he is also in the currently airing K-Drama "My Roommate Is A Gumiho."

Other fan favorites in the drama are CLC's Kwon EunBin, who has acted in several dramas including an appearance in the hit 2021 K-Drama "Youth of May," and Na InWoo who took on the lead role in "River Where The Moon Rises."

5 Reasons Why You Should Be Watching "At A Distance, Spring Is Green"

Victory Contents' Instagram

2. Realistic storyline about youth struggles

“At A Distance, Spring Is Green,” poses questions about how youth have to follow a life that was pre-determined for them. It especially tackles how young people get thrown into society without knowing how it really works and somehow are expected to survive.

In the first few scenes of the first episode, YeoJun sneers at the concept that "The spring of youth is green." The world says they've become adults, but they cannot really admit that yet and so it is labeled as 'youth.' YeoJun says that the only reason youth must seem so great to adults is that they are looking at it from a distance.

5 Reasons Why You Should Be Watching "At A Distance, Spring Is Green"

"At A Distance, Spring Is Green" Screenshot

3. Character dynamics

There are a lot of complex character dynamics that make this drama interesting. The main dynamic being with the three main characters: YeoJun, Kim SoBin, and Nam SooHyun. They all have extremely different personalities and somehow end up constantly encountering each other.

YeoJun is a popular people-pleaser whom people often misunderstand as being a spoilt rich kid with no problems. However, he has several reasons to be vulnerable. Kim SoBin is someone who tries her best but tends not to have luck in her efforts. She is timid and sees the good in people. Whereas, Nam SooHyun works so hard to survive that he doesn't feel like he has time for luxuries such as friendships. He is a bit cynical, which makes for an interesting relationship with polar-opposite YeoJun who wants to become close to him.

These three characters all have different perspectives that interfere with each other's way of doing things, but end up slowly learning from each other. It is interesting to see how they get along and how their relationships will develop.

5 Reasons Why You Should Be Watching "At A Distance, Spring Is Green"

Victory Contents' Instagram

4. Refreshing friendship-focused drama

Although there are obvious love lines throughout the drama, it has a refreshing focus on friendship first. It focuses on what it takes to form friendships and identify real versus fake friendships. It also highlights how some friendships may be out of convenience or for the personal benefit of people with an agenda. These are problems that many K-Drama fans would be able to identify with and relate to real life. That earns this drama more points in terms of relatability.

5 Reasons Why You Should Be Watching "At A Distance, Spring Is Green"

Victory Contents' Instagram

5. The drama is adapted from a webtoon

Not only does this mean that if you cannot get enough of the drama, you have a webtoon to read through too; but it also means you get to compare the differences between the two! Considering that the webtoon is actually of the BL genre, viewers are curious whether any BL motifs will be included in the live-action K-Drama. Even if there aren't, it should be interesting to see how the character relationships progress.

5 Reasons Why You Should Be Watching "At A Distance, Spring Is Green"

"At A Distance, Spring Is Green" Webtoon / Victory Contents' Instagram

This drama is definitely worth checking out this year. Make sure to add this relatable coming-of-age story to your watchlist!

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The Analysis Of Depression In Different K-Dramas: How Do They Portray It?

Depression has become a main theme for some K-Dramas but each have their own way of discussing such a hard topic. How do they do it?

Kianna, Staff Writer
5 min to read · Published : Apr 22, 2024

The Analysis Of Depression In Different K-Dramas: How Do They Portray It?

Wavve / JTBC / Netflix

Mental health is a major topic in the world. As society changes and the weight of the world becomes worse, many people deal with mental health issues in different ways. A common but serious mood disorder is depression. Many people experience depression and the condition can sometimes be hard to deal with. Depression takes away your enjoyment of things you once loved and is much more than simply feeling sad. The representation in media is a vast spectrum.

K-Dramas have broken the taboo of discussing depression in shows. Increasingly, more shows choose to address topics of depression and many of them have it as the main focus of their series. Each series is different in how they display their characters' coping mechanisms and symptoms of depression. These 6 K-Dramas address depression throughout the series but all have their unique ways of doing it. Here is how they differ and how K-Dramas have juggled such a difficult topic in their series.

1. "Daily Dose Of Sunshine" Shows Anyone Can Feel Depressed

Probably one of the most realistic depictions of depression in a series, "Daily Dose of Sunshine" talks about a kind nurse who works in a psychiatry hospital and tries to bring sunshine to her patients. Setting in a psychiatry hospital, the series dives deeply into depression and mental health issues for each episode. One that stands out the most comes from the main character herself, Jung DaEun played by Park BoYoung. Jung DaEun sees the mistreatment of mental health patients in society's eyes and has to juggle a difficult job. A tragedy from a patient she was close with sent her into a spiral of guilt and depression.

The drama depicts her depression as various forms of self-sabotage and emptiness. She goes as far as overworking herself, even though she doesn't want to work, to try and ignore her depression. "Daily Dose Of Sunshine" was impressive with their depiction of depression and reminding everyone that it does not have a certain look. People may not expect mental health workers to feel a certain way since their main job is to help others but depression is not linear and anyone can experience it.

2. "Our Blues" Reminds Us Depression Isn't Just "Feeling Sad"

"Our Blues" focuses on a hometown in Jeju and the daily lives of its residents. As they navigate the ups and downs of life, they must also face the problems that life randomly throws at them. Min SeonAh, played by Shin MinA, is a character in the series who suffers from depression. A single mother whose husband left her, the series shows just how much depression can affect a person's time. She has no organization and has a lack of interest in life.

It gets so severe that she even forgets to pick up her son from school because of her mental health. What makes it even more interesting is the choice of colors for her as she is often shown in a blue hue, showing her "blues" and depression. The series shows that depression can have varying effects. It isn't simply feeling sad; sometimes people can not function normally because of it.

3. "Doctor Slump" Shows That Depression Doesn't Have One Look

"Doctor Slump" further reminds us that depression does not have a certain look to it and even if someone seems "perfect" you never know their struggles. The main character HaNeul, played by Park ShinHye, is a perfectionist and wants to succeed in everything she does. So when she realizes she is depressed, she wants to ignore it, resulting in her feeling worse than before. Despite HaNeul's perfect demeanor, she is battling with her mental health and finds comfort in the male lead of the series.

"Doctor Slump" gave some clarity on what depression looks like. Many people may have the image of someone who is untidy, lazy, and cries all the time but that is not always the case. Depression can sometimes be the hard-working doctor who comes into work smiling or your classmate who tends to keep to themselves. The K-Drama tackled the issues and taboos of depression in a wonderful way.

4. "Juvenile Justice" Shows Negative Effects Of Depression

"Juvenile Justice" has a devastating but realistic depiction of depression in the series. This K-Drama follows the story of a judge who does not look kindly on juveniles in the system and various cases of juvenile delinquency cases. One plot line focuses on a group of students cheating on a major exam soon being exposed and tried. Kang ShinWoo, played by Kim JunHo, is the son of the main character, Kang WonJung. His father also happens to be the chief of the Juvenile Justice Division.

When ShinWoo is found to be involved in the cheating scandal, his father chastises him to the point he tells him if he plans to end his life, he shouldn't involve his family. This results in ShinWoo attempting to end his life, leading his father to feel an immense sense of guilt. However, this arc in the series shows that ShinWoo was severely depressed with his academics. He never seemed to do well like his brother and being the son of a prominent figure only made him feel even more inferior.

5. "Weak Hero Class" Shows Us Outside Forces Can Cause Depression

In a similar fashion to "Daily Dose Of Sunshine", "Weak Hero Class" addresses the main character's depression and his forms of self-sabotage. Our protagonist, SiEun played by Park JiHoon, comes from a broken home with neglectful parents. They are too busy to deal with him and most times they are not even at home. Without any guidance or support from them, he chooses to isolate himself from the world. He studies despite not enjoying it anymore.

He doesn't have friends and feels a sense of emptiness in his everyday life. SiEun's reasons for his depression show that many things can trigger someone into depression. "Weak Hero Class" did an amazing portrayal of how outside factors can negatively impact an individual to the point they can fall into depression.

6. "Sweet Home" Shows How Depression Is Not Linear

"Sweet Home" shows the many layers of depression and how sometimes people fall into it due to various factors building up over time. "Sweet Home" is about a boy who has to deal with mysterious monsters after a strange incident in his apartment. Our main character, Cha Hyunsoo played by Song Kang, intentionally isolates himself and plans to end his life due to his depression. Bullied in school, and isolated from his classmates and family, he has many layers to his depression and what led him to his decision. The major turning point in his mental health was when he was the only survivor of a car crash that ended the lives of his family.

The drama shows how this has built up over time with all of the tragic events in his lifetime. There was not one main reason for him to feel depressed but various factors affected him mentally. What makes "Sweet Home" so interesting is the use of horror and monsters as battles of mental health issues. Confronting and battling his inner monster in this series gives the illusion of tackling his inner turmoil and depression. The series hits the nail on the coffin when HyunSoo chooses to help himself. No one forces him out of his depression and it is not magically cured, it's something he will need to improve on because he wants to.

As more and more K-Dramas discuss the topic of depression, many of them will choose to talk about it in their unique ways. Whats important is that these series are bringing to light a serious topic that needs to be discussed more in media.

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