Color Rush (2020)

Short but unique

I'm glad I found this series.

It has an interesting theme - people who only sees colors when their probes are with them.
I've heard and read a lot of story with similar themes, soulmate AUs where people are color blind and only are able to see colors when they found their soulmate; also that's the sign you found your partner through life. But they were never like this, with this kind of twist where you experience de-coloring when you are not with your probe. This makes monos desperate and obbsessed because once you got a taste what it's like to see actual colors you never want to see the world only in gray again.

I loved Yeonwoo's and Yoohan's characters. Yoohan was a sweet guy who cared for Yeonwoo despite the fact that he was a mono and Yoohan knew monos got obsessed with their probes sooner or later. He didn't care for that one bit - why is that we only got the answer at the last episode. Honestly I wasn't prepared for this turn of events.
Yeonwoo dear, he was so scared that one day he'll be like the other monos in the news who kidnapped and killed their probes! But he was a kindhearted guy and always thought of others before himself . Though I don't approve of the way he wanted to protect Yoohan from himself, at least he remained true to his word that he didn't want to harm Yoohan in any way.

The only not so positive thing I have to say about Color Rush are the plot and the animation.
The plot would have been good -it was good in many ways -, but I felt it rushed. Like... what happened to Yeonwoo's mom? Did they managed to find her in the end? We only got little bits of informations about her and her dissapearance and the overall case. I would have liked to have a more elaborate story. And I know, the series itself is short, so they focused on the main characters and the main plot but this could have been so much more detailed in the little things like this if Color Rush would have more and longer episodes. This goes with Yoonhan's background too. We got like 2 sentences about his family in the last episode and that's all.
As for the animation. It was a bit -okay, at first a LOT but it got a bit better with time-, cringe-y to watch the color rush scenes. Those rainbow sparkles around their faces was soo weird. I couldn't get to used to them.

And just to touch the OST topic too.
You have to give this OST a chance because it's fantastic. It went very well with the drama and I have a feeling I'll be lsitening to it more in the future.

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Not Good Enough

Korean mini drama " Color Rush " had an interesting and unique concept, but it didn't pull it through. That is mostly due to its length that leads to the story and romance being rushed, as the progress had to give time to the explanation of the whole mono universe. The drama also left out A LOT, like those drowning sequences that were not explained, not to mention they completely left out what happed to the father, and just presented an ending that was convenient as it was needed to be a happy one. I mean, it was said that it's rare for a mono to finds his probe, and, considering how many people were actually mono, it was a bit stretched to have mono criminals always on the news. Plus, if the lead was afraid that he will turn obsessive over his probe, then why that ending? And wasn't his probe a lot more obsessive than him? (his reasoning wasn't that convincing either). In addition, those color rush moments were cheesy and they overdid it with the lights and graphics.

Other than that, the performances were pretty good from everyone in the cast and the cinematography, other than the bold CGI, was good.

So, overall, three out of ten, because this drama had potential but it didn't have time to properly present and develop it and it had too many plot holes.

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Good drama but less plot

The point of this drama is color, but I don't like the dialogue they are talking about. Discuss various colors that end up not being heard.

The content of the drama is a little confusing, there is no disclosure of the cause. I am still confused about what the probe means. Maybe because this drama is a short drama make me feel this drama is less interesting.

But their acting is both still quite stiff and lacking chemistry. But this is pretty good for an audience who likes drama about color.

I hope their both can fix the shortcomings and wait for the next drama. ( ◜‿◝ )♡

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Overall its a fresh concept

TW: SUICIDE ATTEMPT IN EP 7. PLEASE LOVE YOURSELF AND SKIP THAT EPISODE IF IT UPSETS YOU.
REVIEW-
Its has a very interesting plot not only in bls but in Kdramas in general and could have easily been 16 episodes long with this plot.
Amazing fantasy-fiction story with good cinematography. I would have preferred this show to be longer instead of hoping for a 2nd season because by the time s2 comes out I am pretty sure the little hype I have left for it will also go down,
But this is not my main complain with the show.
My main problem was, excuse my straight forwardness ,i usually don't mind bad acting I have got to say this Hyun jun's acting was too bland even for a rookie to the point it was unbearable to watch his scenes.
He delivers even deep lines without moving 2 muscles in his face. Nothing against him though I just feel he should stick with singing.
So my ratings for this show significantly lowered as i found my self skipping most of the scenes in the last episode.
Besides I have got to say this, overall the show and editing was ok but in episode 4 the editing and pacing was tooo confusing its like many important scenes have been cut out.

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So much they could do, but...

Don’t misread my somewhat low rating: I actually loved the plot behind this story and the hints of psychological issues involved in all of it. I also loved the idea of talking about how people see their own worlds and how can they put up with others’ worlds. The topics of obsession, applied to a love relationship but also in life...

So, precisely because I think the idea was great, I’m so disappointed with... well, everything else! :/

Due to the shortness of the drama, the plot wasn’t really well developed and many things felt like “what?!? why?!?” for me. Many questions were left with no answers at the end so I just thought: “why come up with this element in the story if you just don’t have time for it?”.
The characters felt like sketches, not developed enough and way too rush in changing ideas and course of action: somehow I appreciated the Mono who shows a nice acting and natural body gestures, but the Probe was too stiff for this role... that’s a pity.

The “i take off the mask” scenes were a bit too many and felt repetitive... I wasn’t annoyed by the rainbows effects (I’ve seen enough trashy things on dramas to NOT get scared by that color-rush effect XD) but the music kinda hurt my nerves. o.O

I mean, this could have been such a cool project with many interesting twists but it felt a bit disconnected. I would love to see a Taiwanese or Japanese reboot of the story sooner or later!

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Hard to Evaluate This One

Where to start? I always love the production values of Korean dramas. They are the best. The leads are very appealing and have good chemistry. Like the other Korean BL dramas I've seen, this one is very timid about showing much affection on screen. We get a lot of long stares into each other's eyes. We sort of get a kiss at the end, but it's about as passionate as two dolls kissing. The plot is interesting but quickly overpowers the story of their relationship. Way too much time is wasted seeing Yeon Woo's POV transform from black and white to color. I think we see this in every episode and we got it after seeing it twice. The complicated plot about Monos and Probes makes this drama very dialogue heavy, usually through hearing voiceovers of the character's thoughts. Frankly, conflict of the Mono possibly killing his Probe, yet the Mono and Probe are sole mates who open up the world to each other, seems like a "no win" premise. On one hand you want these two to get together but if the end game is for one of them to die, why bother. So, sadly, I'm going to pass on the sequel because I have a feeling this will end up as a tragedy and there are more upbeat dramas to watch. The death of a same gender love interest is a tired cliche.

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Mediocre at best

Intriguing plot, just very poor execution.

For a story that is so focussed on colour and the dichotomy between the grayscale and the full colour wheel, there appeared to be 5% effort into the cinematography to enhance this aspect of the story. Even in moments where you would expect the most saturation or vibrancy, it was visually very dull. Bit of a wasted opportunity for sure.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the actors per se, but they’re dealing with a very short series, and having to try cram in a soft enemies to lovers dynamic without a lot the time required to pull it off. The relationship didn’t feel genuine, and any instances of intimacy felt incredibly awkward and forced.

The plot is the only cool thing about the show, but even then you’re left with 100 questions and several unresolved plot points. Wouldn’t recommend and wouldn’t rewatch.

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Half-cooked meal that left me half-full

Should you watch it? Yes, if you are bored with the usual BL tropes and want to see a new and unique story that is rare in BL dramas. The concept is pretty interesting, reminding me of ABO world where instead of Alpha and Omega, you have Mono and Probe. However, sadly the unique story is not accompanied with great execution, making this a half-cooked meal that left me rather unsatisfied.

STORY
With such complicated theories about Monos and Probes and their supposedly dynamic relationships, it is impossible to fully explore them in just 15-mins 8 episodes drama. We only get short backgrounds and a little bit explanations here and there to understand this world and the characters. Until up to ep 7, I had no idea about Yoo Han's background and why he seems to be obsessed with Yeon Woo. We also only get glimpses of Yeon Woo's background and his issues of being a Mono. Many use the short episode as an excuse, but I'd totally blame this to the producer and screenwriter. If they were going to make this story as short drama, they should've worked a better and tighter plot rather than wasting some precious few minutes in some scenes that do not contribute to the plot. At the end, a lot of major plots remain unsolved for the sake of having cute ending, which is okay but rather unsatisfying.

ACTING
I would say Yoo Jun is a better actor than Heo Hyun Jun in this drama. Especially starting ep 6 onwards, his acting improved a lot and you can feel his emotions when he was feeling desperate. On the other hand, Hyun Jun felt rather stiff, I don't know if that's supposed to be his character's personality, but he was emotionless and even when saying romantic lines, his face doesn't change and his voice is flat. I could hardly feel any emotions from his acting, imho. Due to that, I felt little chemistry between them, it's definitely there but not so much.

In conclusion, it's an OK drama to watch and it's great that Korea has started to churn out BL with various themes, which I greatly appreciate. Oh, and the OST is amazing as expected from most of Korean drama ^^

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I'm In Love! Color Rush was PHENOMENAL!

Gahhhh! Okay so..I've been wanting to watch this for a while now, It's always been on my watch list and I just kept putting it off because I have little eyes always around me and I never know if a drama is going to be spicy so I just try and watch those after my kids are in bed. Well I needed something different so I turned it on last night and binged it in a few hours! Like ahhh whyyy did I wait so long! Also the eps are only 15 minutes long. I loved it, I was sooo hooked from the first episode. This story is so unique and it peaks your interest and has you dying for what will happen next. The storyline is about a teen with color blindness and how he deals with his daily struggles. Yeon Woo is know as a Mono someone who has Monochromacy, It's the absence of any color vision and it's very rare. In the story people who are Mono's have what is know as a Probe, it's a person who can unlock the world of color for a Mono. In the story Mono's are known to be dangerous to their Probes, often becoming obsessed with finally being able to see color that they will do anything to be with their Probes as to not live in a world of darkness again. Yeon Woo is living his life with no color, seeing different shades of grey, white, and black, everything is dull, lifeless. Until he switches schools and comes face to face with his Probe, Yoo Han. This moment was Everything! I loved the syfi way they made his experience it was amazing, I loved it. When Yeon Woo get his first full look of Yoo Han's full face he experiences a "Color Rush" an in-rush/ sensory overload of Color so intense that it causes him to pass out. We quickly learn that looking at face of your probe is what enables a Mono to be able to see in color. Once Yoo Han's face is covered or he is no longer near Yeon Woo 's world tuns back to dull and lifeless. This was very intense to watch, because you really see how quickly the situation can escalate, how a Mono could easily fixate on their Probe, how quickly everything can change ,and just how dangerous the relationship can become. What sets Yeon apart from anyone else is how aware of his situation he is and he tries to constantly avoid his probe for his own well being.seeing the characters emotions made me emotional, everyone did a fantastic job of making the viewer really feel what Yeon Woo was going through. I was brought to tears watching Yeon Woo go through the Decoloration process, it was absolutely heartbreaking. Watching them learn what this means for the other and all they go through, later you come to find out that Yoo Han also has a deficiency of his own and you can't convince me that these two aren't soulmates. Their connection surpasses strong, Yeon Woo kept doing his best to push Yoo Han away and Yoo Han wasn't having it. He wanted teach Yeon about all the beautiful colors in the world. I know the episodes are just 15 minutes but it was very intense, And addictive. I highly recommend it!

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I feel like I'm watching a Wattpad fanfic

Idk about this one. Let's just say is that I feel like I am watching a Wattpad fanfic (this web drama was adapted from a "webnovel" so I lowkey feel like it is a Wattpad fanfic :/)

First I will say the concept was very creative. The whole mono and probe thing is unique and intriguing. The main character has a hard life and it is very easy to feel sorry for him. However the character that Hwall plays (the probe or the main characters love interest) is WEIRD ASF. He is overly poetic and kind of has no personality other than knowing way too many facts about colors.

Extending on the mono/probe concept, Monos are supposed to be overly obsessed with their probes because they make them see color. While the mono is scared to get overly attached to his probe, his probe is super obsessed with him which isn't supposed to happen in this world. When it came time for the show to explain why the probe was obsessed with the mono and not the other way around they used the laziest explanation that really sounded like something a 12 year old would write.

However the worst thing about this drama is the giant plot hole that is the mother. She keeps on being mentioned throughout the show and they made it seem like we would find out where she is but NO they straight up forget about her which I find so weird. However it was not a main plot line so it wasn't too bad.

I feel like im only bashing this drama but the show is not that bad. its fun to see the romance develop between the two boys and like I said before, the main character is likeable. (also the kiss at the end was satisfying lol)

overall its okay, but i still recommend that you watch it as it is easy to watch (its also very short)

oh and the ost is AMAZING! 10/10 ost

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Is it love or is it obsession?

I like the plot, it’s something interesting and new, but I feel like them leaving a lot of things unsolved at the end (not sure if season 2 was planned in advance) was a bit annoying. I also think that the shortness of the drama leaves a lot of important things out which did make it hard for me to understand certain events and actions of the characters.

Go Yoo Han & Choi Yeon Woo: I am not sure how I feel about their pairing. They both have things they have to deal with – conditions, family drama, obsessions. Go Yoo Han appears as someone who doesn’t really care about his future, is not very sociable and can be very persistent. Choi Yeon Woo is an introvert, and I believe that had a lot to do with the fact he is a mono. Monos are known to kidnap and even kill their probes, so he is doing his best to avoid meeting his probe and turning into a monster. The focus is on the development of their relationship, which I really liked. We saw how they both struggle (especially Choi Yeon Woo) with what their relationship could potentially turn into. I think the actors did an amazing job portraying the characters. The visuals were on point as well, I just couldn’t take my eyes off Go Yoo Han, his eyes were so captivating. And him wearing the mask only directed the attention to his eyes more.

I am a bit confused on the relationship of monos and probes. Are they meant to be like soulmates? Is that something that both of them feel intensely or only the mono? Is it even love or just an obsession in most cases? There are a lot of questions that I am not sure how to answer and I wish would have been addressed more in the series.

There have been some heavy topics addressed in the series, but they were not given much thought after they were mentioned, done. I am guessing it’s due to the shortness of the series, but with what Choi Yeon Woo has done towards the end… I really wish it would have been talked about more. And for Go Yoo Han to not take it as lightly nor as something almost positive.

I found the locations and OST beautiful. I found the color rush effect with the colors flashing around the screen distracting though. And the fact that the first few interactions between the two main characters were almost a copy-paste of one another seemed like a waste to me.

It was a nice watch, but I feel like it had the potential to be much better.

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