Too much worldbuilding, not enough time
Color Rush was a show that tried to do way more worldbuilding than was necessary for the short time frame they had. However, they did take an interesting soulmate AU idea and turn it into something a bit darker.The concept of the show revolves around certain people that are colorblind (called monos) that can only see in shades of gray and their "probes," which are certain people that can allow them to see color. However, monos have been convicted in crimes revolving around trying to meet and stay near their probe, as seeing colors doesn't last forever if you're not with them.
Taking the idea of colorblindness until meeting a soulmate and turning it on its head to create a much more dramatic version was a great idea that could have been executed a bit better. I think that the show tried to expand on the idea of monos and probes a bit too much, and it just ended up being too confusing and took away from the relationship between the main character. Still a fun little watch though.
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Great premise, stumbled execution, but still fun to watch
I was… slightly unsure of how to rate this one to be honest. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Was it actually good? Not…really. In the end I settled for a 6.5, because if you don’t mind turning your brain off for a bit to watch some sometimes dark, soulmate adjacent, occasionally clunky, mindless television, well. This show is certainly no hardship to binge.To speak of its faults, like I said, it’s sometimes clunky. Some of the dialogue is a little stilted. The romance swings between between sappy sweet and darkly obsessive (with a hint of dystopian flair) with characters sometimes having little noticeable motivation for the switch. It also kind of just…ends? I genuinely don’t know that I’ve ever seen a show speedrun an “actually everything is fine” conclusion faster. And that’s not to mention the questions we didn’t get answers to.
HOWEVER. The premise is intriguing as hell. The characters are interesting. The romance is far from the stiffest I’ve seen. And some of the issues the show does have (pacing, dropped plot lines) clearly come from the fact the each episode is so short, which isn’t something they could have done much about.
To sum it up; no, the show isn’t really all that amazing. But I did watch it all in one day, and for me, that’s a feat. So take that as you will.
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Good enough to be rewatched a dozen times
Now if I talk about the plot it was out of this world the mono and probe thingy could have been used to add a lot to the plot. The cast was also wonderful however in some points the acting was plain awkward and the plot felt like it wasn't developed much. I am also confused on what they were trying to do with the characters. The music was I'll say okay. The drama is however good enough because I have rewatched it dozen times. I feel like the casting is the main reasons I got attached and can't leave the color rush fandom. To end on the positive note, it is a drama that is certainly worth watching. I mean a drama can be good and have flaws can it not?note: They should have toned down on the effects whenever the color rush was going on.
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There was potential, but it didn't get there...
Honestly, this was my first KBL. Maybe I just don't know the formula, but this drama was so... I don't even know. The pace of the show was so jarring. I get they were trying to tell a whole story in 15ish minutes within 8 episodes, but it was just fast. I found myself laughing in situations that weren't supposed to be funny simply because it was progressing so fast it was unnatural. Individually the characters were fine, but together they felt super stiff and forced. Overall, the pacing of the story just prevented me from being totally invested. I really wanted to like it, especially with the good reviews, but it just wasn't for me.Was this review helpful to you?
A World of Colours
So I will preface this by saying, this was a beautiful drama.A fairly short series with all things considered, but I really loved it.
The way the greyscale fades to colour fascinated me so much. The overall ambience and OST made this drama so good.
Alot of people have complaints about the acting from Goo Yoo Han's actor, but I personally loved it. He always looked at Choi Yeon Woo like he held the stars.
I will say, if you are considering watching this it really is worth it.
It has hints of mystery and hints of something more sinister but the ending left it open nicely.
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Great premise and promise (8.5/10) but execution (6/10) falls flat.
Color Rush is not a sappy, feel-good BL that you can breeze through despite the short episodes.The darker undertones is what separates this from other typical South Korean BLs with themes like struggling with mental health issues and discrimination. Unfortunately, the show fails to make any meaningful point on it.
Ultimately, Color Rush is a story about two people with their own set of problems being drawn to each other because the other party allows them to live a fuller, maybe even ‘normal’, life.
But was the story problematic? Yes. Would I still watch Season 2? Yes, in hopes that more attention will be devoted to Yoohan and Yeonwoo helping each other to become better versions of themselves.
Read my full review here (with minor spoilers): https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/01/16/color-rush-2020/
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Great concept crammed into too short a format
The concept is a really interesting one. Monos stuck in a world of greys, blacks and whites who have a person who is their 'probe', able to trigger a 'colour rush'. As a concept its great, with plenty to offer.Problem is, its too big a prospect for a miniseries with only 15m per episode. Only 8 episodes total leaves the story feeling rushed and underdeveloped. There just wasn't enough time to dig deeply into world building, where monos risk becoming obsessed and possessive of their probes or on the other hand probes abusing the inherent power they would have in relationships with their monos. Equally, the whole idea of a 'colour rush' raises the comparison to a drug addict desperate for his next fix, is that what probes are to their monos? The probe is the drug they grave even at the expense of a loss of personal agency or rationale thought?
Then what about wider society? Is there discrimination against monos? To regular folk able to see colour fear them? The mono protagonist in our story at the outset actually mentions to us in his thoughts he thought monos and norms (especially monos and probes) should be kept separate...a longer format with more time per episode could dig into the idea of equality, tolerance vs segregation and fears of 'the other' who are not 'us'.
As I say, great concept but they just didn't have the chance to truly flesh it out due to the lack of time per episode. Not enough episodes, and the episodes we do have are much too short to do the concept justice.
That said, the acting is great and the music (such as there is any) is completely fine. Terms of re-watchability, not sure I'd re-watch each episode in full, but I certainly enjoy a few moments. This has charm, and is certainly worth a watch if you haven't seen it before, just know going in that this is a good example of a great concept squeezed into too short a format - it simply can't completely deliver on the prospects it raises, nevertheless great acting, solid cast and enjoyable enough for what it does accomplish.
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color rush TW: mentions of suicide
this is a very unique korean bl / kdrama because of the storyline. to be honest the mono scared me because of his thoughts about kidnapping him and winding up to kidnapping him then it took the biggest turn and he tried to off himself and that really shocked me. but the probe was so hot we need more kdramas and other things with him in it. and to be honest i wanted to know more on the mothers side. and now i'm really nervous for color rush 2 because i heard it's really bad and the original probe isn't it. so that would make me very sad.Was this review helpful to you?
can we skip to the good part?
this bl series had a very intereesting premise and important plotpoints. however i fear tha tthey had taken up too much on their plate resulting in a medicore execution of the ideas also paired with the short runtime of the show.the idea of someone being colour blind until they meet the 'one' sounds very cool and is another tiwst on the soumates trope which i adore so i was immediately intrigued. my curiousity was further piqued when it was revealed that mono's and probes meeting wasn't always a good thing and that the mom had disappeared...why did she leave and where is she now?
and of course the most important thing: the love between the two leads
because of these things i expected a lot of this series and was surprised to find out there were only 8 episodes. i wondered how they were going to fit everything in and resolve all the plotpoints. welp, they didn't which was really disappointing and left me feelin unsatisfied and wanting more but not in a good way because it felt rushed and unfinished (there is a season 2 but one of the main leads is missing in the s2 so i havent watched it yet).
the first half of the series is pretty good tho and gave me butterflies from the fluffiness :)
it's not bad, it just hasn't fulfilled its potential which is rather sad for a story with such an interesting world.
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my first bl!! loved the acting as well as the story line. the execution couldve been better, it had a great story line and great plot with pretty good actors, but the execution made me cringe once or twice. but getting passed that, it was a great series that holds a VERY special place in my heart and always will. i didnt really care for season 2, as despite a few questions being left unanswered in s1, it still ended on a note i was satisfied with anyways. despite there definitely being a few things that could be better, 10/10 recommend! Was this review helpful to you?
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Short but interesting
I started watching this series in December 2020. It was not long after I first moved out, could have been before I watched Sotus or after.The plot was interesting but I am not sure how execution. I felt like if the episodes were longer we probably could have developed the characters and plot more. The plot point of Yeon Woo's missing Mom and him constantly watching the news because of his own fear of harming his probe. He does become obsessed with seeing color and when it starts to fade back to gray you can see his despair of him trying to hold on to the color for a little longer. He even admit that he wants to lock Yoo Han up. Because of this, he feels it is best to take himself out of the equation to protect him. I thought Yoo Han was going to find him, but I was surprised that it was his Aunt. She got back just in time.
His Aunt is overprotective but I can understand her reasoning. She lost her sister, who she is still trying to find and does not want to lose her nephew too.
I am not sure if season 2 will give us more answers to his mother's disappearance. The scene of him seeing his mother's painting in color, and that the ribbon in her hair was yellow was a great scene.
I will admit that there were some great scenes and I liked the chemistry of the characters, It just left me feeling like some questions were answered or was never touched on after they were introduced.
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The Best Kind of Bittersweet
Although the unique premise of this series immediately caught my attention, I did not expect much when I sat down to watch it. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise: I was hooked almost immediately – and not only by the attractive actors.The main thing that makes watching this series such a satisfying experience is that it delivers on its promise. It tells the story of Mono Yeon Woo and his growing obsession with his Probe, Yoo Han, without making unnecessary deviations from the main plot, introducing annoying tropes such as love triangles, leaving glaring plot holes unfilled, or dragging out scenes. The romance between the lead characters is bittersweet and touching. Kudos to the scriptwriters for the crisp, engaging writing.
The acting adds bonus points. Yoo Jun and Hyun Jun might not be the most skilled and experienced actors that BL fans have seen, but they portrayed the struggles of their characters well and had sweet chemistry with each other. They both managed to deliver performances that touched my heart. I was especially moved by the final episode, which I consider the perfect ending for this series. I find season two to be unnecessary, and I am not planning to watch it.
Overall, I think that you should give Color Rush a chance if you are in a mood for a bittersweet romance with a unique premise and a happy ending. Do not let the low production quality put you off. You might love Yeon Woo and Yoo Han's love story as much as I did.
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