UNIQUE STORY WITH LACK OF PORTRAYAL
I found the story intriguing, but I got disappointed by the acting. The two main leads act differently, one who acts too much and the other one who has no sense of emotion. This could be a great drama if this has a right casting of actors.I will still watch Season 2 hoping there will be an improvement. There are changes in the main lead and I also hope that during this time, they should consider the right delivery of emotions.
This series is a no-no for me unless if you are looking for a good storyline.
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Adorable and Interesting Korean BL
I thought the concept was interesting. It creates a great metaphor for homophobia and homosexuality for two young men who come across one another. Monos can see the world only in black and white. Probes are the kind of soulmates of Monos who give them the ability to see color. Monos are said to often become obsessive and violent. There is a subplot about the disappearance of the Monos mother that doesn't go anywhere. I don't know why that is part of the story.The episodes are short, about 15 minutes for most of them. The last episode warmed my little heart. This is a very chaste BL drama. There are two kisses in the last episode. This is a BL that is more about subtlety of its subject matter than really being romantic.
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This is just not it
Where do I even start. The story was okay, but I don't really like the way it was executed. There was little to no chemistry between the characters, I was uncomfortable watching the kiss scene, the actors looked kinda stiff. I mean to be honest, they looked stiff through the whole show. I seriously don't see why it turned to love so suddenly, like there was no build up. I don't like the concept of obsessive love either. The pacing was hideous. It's either too fast or too slow. It was quite boring to watch. It was also painful to watch how the other guy was trying to get closer to him while he was clearly uncomfortable, especially at the parts where he just took off his mask without any warning. I wouldn't say this is a healthy relationship at all. I mean, it isn't catastrophic, it's still watchable. I just think there are so many better things out there to spend your time on. I have to say that this was a huge waste of my time while my 11 year old sister loved it. I don't mean to send any hate to this show, it was just not my cup of tea. I respect the actors and people who worked on this.This was my first review and if you don't agree with my opinion, that's fine, I respect yours.
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Recommendation
Its a pretty good drama. The storyline may be a bit confusing but once you watch it more, you'll understand more, This drama had pretty good actors, the characters are also really nice, they have a cute relationship too. I've rewatched this drama a few times now. Overall, the story has two main characters, one is a mono and one is a Probe. They'll tell you what it is later on in the story. Usually, A mono and Probe are supposed to be together. Also, the plot is a bit confusing when it comes to their world, but i recommend.Was this review helpful to you?
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Wasted potential
The plot is really interesting, but poorly executed.The "color rush" and its effects are well done, don't get me wrong. The idea that the awe-inducing feeling of being able to see colors for the first time in your life can cause confusion and a phisical reaction is on point, as it is the idea that the fear and desperation of having to go back in a gray world when you lose sight of your Probe can bring Monos to extreme gestures.
Too bad that's where the good work ends.
This same aspect is not further explored if not just enough for the story to go ahead, and the rest of the sub-plots elements are barely aknowledged: Yeon Woo's flashes of (possibly?) someone drownig are too on the nose and yet never addressed; the spirit possessing Min Jae has no purpose; the disappearence of the mother is not really explored either, let alone resolved.
I suppose they were sure to be granted a second season, but even if that's the case, this is NOT how you build a first season. If you don't have the time to resolve all the sub-plots (which I completely understand ) pick only one or two and focus on them, maybe leaving small hints for the ones you will focus on in the second season.
For example let's say in the first season we focus on the color rush and the way Monos become obsessive. Maybe making them seen as a threat to society, as if they're all psychopaths because of their genes. In 120 mins we would have enough time to explore these two things enough. They're linked by what we are experiencing together with Yeon Woo, so it's easy to expand both concepts.
At the same time, in preparation for the second season make Min Jae say weird things every now and then but without explaining why, so that we are left wondering wtf was that about, and the second season can expand on that, giving the pg an interesting backstory.
Same goes for the mistery of the mother. We can watch the aunt go for long travels and have little hints suggesting it's not just work-related but she's up to something, and that all the attacts perpetrated by Monos may be linked to what happened to Yeon Woo's mother. Nothing too on the nose, just little things here and there. Let the viewers put the pieces together. I swear they are smart enough to do that, and it would make them appreciate the whole drama a lot more.
(Also the main couple has zero chemistry, I'm sorry. They feel very awkward whenever there's a more "touchy" scene. Let the poor boys spend some time together or something, I'm begging you!)
The love story between the two main also feels very rushed. This trope is very common in fanfictions, but it works there for two reasons:
1. Usually these fanfictions are not featuring original characters, so even if they are "AUs" in which the pgs don't know each other, the reader already knows and likes the couple and doesn't feel anything missing.
2. It is well known that this trope is under the "soulmates au" umbrella, meaning that the two main characters, being soulmates, immediately feel a strong connection and their feelings develop faster than normal. This is undersood and accepted by the readers.
This drama does not have these 2 points on its side. It could work with the second one, but if that's what it was going for it does a terrible job explaining it to us.
Lastly, but this is just a personal preference, I would have liked to see the world more through Yeon Woo's eyes. He sees everything in scales of gray until he meets Yoo Han, so why not make the bold choice of letting the viewer also see everything gray up until he has the first color rush? and again every time we see something in the pov of Yeon Woo? I think it would have made it all the more impactful. But as I said, personal preference.
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A good drama but it needed more
I can say that this drama was quite good for one of the first BLs I ever watched. The storyline was captivating and I fell for the actor's chemistry. The plot was quite interesting and the concept of 'monos' and 'probes' was executed well throughout the drama, with monos avoiding probes with fear of having a dangerous obsession. This drama could have been quite dark but it was made so that it had possibilities of being light hearted. They did the plot justice and it's a great watch if you want something short but sweet.Let me say that I know different viewers love different tropes, and I know toxic or forced relationships are not for everyone. The relationship between Yeon Woo and Yoo Han...I wouldn't call it toxic but I also wouldn't call it perfect. Yoo Han seems to captivate Yeon Woo, maybe because of his personality, but I would say their relationship is built upon the 'mono and probe' aspect. It could be considered love but the concept is something I've never seen before in a drama, let alone a BL. Although their type of relationship was not really for me, their acting and chemistry was great and they made the romance look seemingly natural, although it did feel a bit rushed at the end.
Yoo Jun's acting was amazing and his character was well written. Though I feel that the plot to his missing mother needed more storyline to it. He acted exactly like I imagined his character would- reserved but also unsure, and possibly scared of his relationship with Yoo Han. Heo Hyun Jun was a bit robotic at times, but he still did his character justice and served the character 'hot idol' well.
The music was amazing and overall, I believe what this drama needed to truly be 10/10 is more time. In such a short time span (8x15) this story was not able to flow as well as it should have. If the episodes were longer, we could have had so many more possibilites to the characters and the side plots, as well as the 'mono probe' aspect.
Overall, this drama is a great one time watch and a good opener to BL dramas.
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Dark story, underwhelming execution
Wow... This was way darker than I initially assumed. Although a lot of things about this show were kept underwhelming, some aspects shook me, like the plot twist in episode 7. I admired the psychological themes in this drama, but they could've explored them more; unfortunately they didn't. I feel like if this was made a bit later (2022-2024) it could've reached its full potential. I enjoyed it more than I had expected, but because of the lack of connection I could feel towards the story was kept low-key I wasn't able to like it as much as I'd want to.The concept was interesting, the psychology was intriguing, and the bittersweetness of the leads was refreshing- but the aspects it lacked on overweighed these. The poor acting and directing managed to ruin the potential this had, and this is why I'd love to see a remake of this some day with better production. Seeing the great script behind this executed properly would be amazing, and once I manage to make it into the film industry one day I would definitely push for a remake best I can.
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This could have been so much better...
Color rushes storyline and plot are incredibly unique, and I really liked the idea of it. But the whole main character-ish death thing so suddenly was...well.. unexpected to say the least. I watched it expecting a normal love story because that is how the BL was perceived, so I watched it expecting something like that. I shipped the two characters in the beginning, but everyone went off track in the end and the second season.After season one, the plot was totally different, and it was so confusing that I had no idea what was going on. I rewatched it trying to understand what the hell was going on, but there are so many plot holes.
I didn't expect much from a Korean bl though, since most of them are kind of mid, and there are very few that I enjoy. But I feel the director made the two in the beginning seem so nice together, that the audience would obviously be upset if it was totally changed.
Of course, it is unique because no one was expecting that, but it would have been better if it was a bit more unoriginal, with a stereotypical love story with a bit of a twist. Good idea, bad ending, bad execution.
If you do like the whole "main character" death thing, then I guess it isn't extremely terrible. The acting is nice and the actors I've seen and I've enjoyed in the past.
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Great rewatch vale
I had so much fun watching and rewatching this I didn't think I would love it as much as I did the actors made me believed every word I went through the up's and the down with them .I couldn't get enough of the story and I was hooked from the every first ep tell the last. I love the characters being cute, I felt the love and the fair of what that loved ment for them.I cry and laugh with them, it may be shot but it so worth every last moment of it.
The best part was learning about the world their in and how it all work, I felt like I was there with them the whole time. '
Any story or series that being me into it world and make me feel thing's is a most watch for me.
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Not the Strongest but Still Worth It
The premise is fantastic - some people being monos and having a probe in the world that can let them see colors so long as they're around. It's a soul-mates plot if ever there was one. With a dash of worry about becoming too obsessed.The series is coded heavily as a metaphor for being queer in a world that doesn't accept/villainizes being queer. The lack of color that Yeon Woo experiences can easily be interpreted as varying levels of self-isolation, loneliness, and depression that he only gets relief from when around Yoo Han, to whom he is attracted. Yoo Han represents being accepting of your sexuality, presenting as more flamboyant and effeminate than Yeon Woo. Yoo Han never shies away from invading Yeon Woo's personal space or touching him. He instantly recognizes their mutual benefit from being around each other, their mutual interest in each other, and he latches on instantly. Yeon Woo, on the other hand, tries so hard to resist the pull Yoo Han has. He denies and denies his interest until he can't.
The desperation shown by Yoo Jun as Yeon Woo is well done. His emotions come across very well and I never doubted his struggle. On the other hand, Hyun Jun's acting felt weak and basic. He's got a decent face and his soft voice worked for making the coloring scenes feel intimate, but his tone in every scene felt the same. He only had one setting, and it felt incongruous with many scenes.
The script had some great parts but it felt rushed or weak in others. I filled in spots I felt were emotionally lacking or where information should have been put in, or however else the scene felt weak, but it was me subconsciously giving leeway to the show. The script shouldn't have needed as much forgiveness as I gave it while watching.
The cinematographer needs a raise - or whoever was in charge of the color rush scenes. Yoo Han explaining the color palette was so intimate and innately sexual (without being sexual) that I got literal chills. The color rush scenes were beautiful, moving, intimate, and definitely coded as sexual experiences, however small. They were very well done.
Overall, I'm not against rewatching it with a friend, and most of the movie was well done.
TW: there is a scene of attempted suicide.
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Do we need a Season 2?
I liked this one, it was compared to Light On Me and that's one of my fave Korean BL's. In my opinion, it didn't really compare because they are two separate entities but I think it compares in the softness of the series, Granted Color Rush had a little bit more darker theme to it, it definitely gave me that wholesome, spicyless drama we need every so often.The ending was great though, im not sure it needed a season 2 because of what the topic of S2 is, it didn't end with us questioning if there is a season 2 or not, I haven't seen S2 yet so I can't fully say for sure if season 2 is needed but I don't Imagine because iwasn't rushing to watch S2 because I was happy with how S1 ended
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