Color Rush Season 2 (2022)

You simply cannot compare

I always find it interesting when people cannot objectively review a series or a movie because of previous bias or rumors they read somewhere. When "2Moons" ended everyone fell in love with Kimmon and Copter and some of the other actors in that series. Then, when it was announced that a sequel was coming but with a completely new cast, people went crazy because they couldn't understand how the company was managing its actors. But, "2Moons2" aired, with all new actors and then people fell in love with Earth (playing Wayo) and the steamy scenes between Pavel and Dome (playing Forth and Beam) were also incredibly popular (just go to Youtube and you'll find A LOT of reaction videos on that). So, the world didn't end because the cast of "2Moons" was completely replaced, right?

All this preamble is to say a similar thing about Color Rush S1 and S2... you simply cannot compare both just because the character of Go Yoo-han is not present in season 2, and here is why...

1. The acting of Yoo-jun (playing Choi Yeon-woo) remains as one of the solid points of both seasons. In the first season he deals with the fact that he is a mono, his mother is also a mono but is missing, and he finds new friends and also finds Yoo-han who is also his probe. He experiences the rush of being able to see colors and also the disappointment of losing that ability after the decoloring effect begins. In season 2, he goes from the uncertainty of his mother still being missing, to the dread of witnessing Yoo-han's kidnapping, to the potential of uncovering all the illegal activities the Gray Scale/Woksun/Nerve Candy people (led by a mono that goes by the nickname of "Monowife"), to dealing with his new feelings towards Kim Se-hyun, to finally finding out his mother did die but being rather calm about it.
While I think some of his facial expressions still need a bit of work, his eyes do manage to express a lot of the feelings Yeon-woo goes though in both seasons while showing the calm but decided character that Yeon-woo needs to be.

2. The acting of VIXX's Han Sang-hyuk (playing Kim Se-hyun) was also a nice surprise as he never doubted or was hesitant about acting in a BL story (according to an interview he gave) and showed a very strong character that goes from befriending Yeon-woo, to trying to help his sister improve her condition as a mono and not be bullied by others, to mourning her death, to seeking revenge while protecting Yeon-woo, to confessing his feelings for him despite knowing he might never get a chance if Yoo-han returns. Sang-hyuk was able to mix some serious tones in his acting with some comedic moments, like in ep. 8 when he daydreams he is kissing Yeon-woo.
The chemistry between him and Yoo-jun was quite strong as they acted like a married couple in some parts (like when Se-hyun moves in with Yoo-jun) or like Sherlock Holmes & Watson when discovering the truth about the Lapis Lazuli tea, the Lapizata pill, and the illegal probe surgery or like Batman & Robin in the action scenes in the final episode.

3. The storyline had a bit more action. Season 1 was a slow-burner in many things because we needed time to process the mono-probe world, the introduction of each character, Yeon-woo's mother being a mono and also missing, Yeon-woo's aunt being a reporter trying to uncover the truth and find her sister, and then also go through the color rushes that Yoo-han made Yeon-woo feel along with all their interactions.
But, season 2 had nothing of that as we already knew the mono-probe situation and Yeon-woo's familial situation. A bit of a complain is that a lot of the action happened way too fast and we jumped from scene to scene without proper time to digest what just happened. Further, several things like a) Yoo-han's kidnapping, b) the introduction of Se-hyun as "someone who wanted to get close to Yeon-woo but couldn't because he was always glued to Yoo-han", c) Se-hyun's sister life as a mono and her part in the secret society, d) the secret society of monos trying to see colors through drugs and illegal surgeries, and e) Se-hyun's being a mono himself but being able to deal with it in secret, were not completely explained/introduced and then not fully developed... so in most parts, we need to either remember things that happened or were said in season 1 or figure out by ourselves how the characters get to the point we see in that particular scene. And also, do they never go to school? Not much happens inside their classroom this time and the secondary roles of Yeon-woo's friends are relegated to a few scenes here and there.

The only truth about this series is that Hur Hyun-jun (the actor who played Go Yoo-han in S1) was not present in S2 and honestly, I'm not sure that his absence made much of a difference. Sure, we heard the name "Go Yoo-han" many times during season 2 because of him being kidnapped and Yeon-woo's wish to find him... but at no point I felt like, "geez, it would be great to have Hyun-jun acting here". There are many rumors about Hyun-jun's exclusion from season 2... rumors about him not being happy about his first major role happening in a BL story, rumors about the production crew/staff being unhappy about his "lack of professionalism", rumors about the production company being unhappy about his "lack of acting skills", and rumors that this was all planned along because of the storyline/plot that season 2 was going to have. Whatever the real reason is, the only real fact is that Hyun-jun was not part of season 2 but comparing both seasons or how Hyun-jun would have acted instead of Sang-hyuk ends up being a useless and ridiculous exercise because, you simply cannot compare.

The storyline (especially the after credits scene in episode 8) sets up the series for a third season with Monowife going into Yoo-han's hospital room and telling him to wake up as Yeon-woo "needs him" and him opening his eyes. Could we have a third season with Yoo-han coming back and now having a love triangle if Yeon-woo and Se-hyun remain in the series as well? Could we have a third season that explores Monowife's connection with Yoo-han? Could we have a third season with a whole new plot twist?
Who knows! But it sure is more exciting to think about all these options than waste time lamenting the absence of Hyun-jun or complaining about what this season could have been like if he acted in it, don't you think?

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They tried?

I feel bad that I'm giving it such a low rating. But this just didn't measure up and I have to be honest.

I'll try my best to explain why.

The first Color Rush was a combination of light horror and romance. It didn't solve the mystery it introduced, which felt disappointing, but it was great nonetheless.

It knew not to give up absolutely everything about this world with Monos and Probes. And its effects, music, narration, tone, and slow build made it believably "otherworldly." Plus, there was good chemistry between the MLs and a fascinating and twisted balance of power between them. There was mutual feelings and mutual obsession and tension at the mere possibility of them being around each other.

When people saw it they not only wanted the mystery solved/explored they wanted to see more of the unique world they created, right?

This second season fulfilled that wish. Incorrectly. It dumped too much of the world on the viewers and despite being about the same length as the original (about five minutes shorter each episode) constantly rushed through everything. There was no time to process, it was, "Let's get to the next scene." And, the action was weak, there wasn't any believable tension or weight to the story or characters' actions, sets and effects looked too cheap, and the writing wasn't up to par. Not to mention the ML didn't act like his character would have in his situation. I would expect him to have done something rash and/or be wallowing in misery. Rather than that, he seemed just a bit upset and to be going about life fine. Where was the despair? The agony?

And of course, writing out the other ML was the biggest reason this failed. But, we all knew that.

All in all, I'm disappointed but not surprised.

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it's rare when the sequel is better but here we are

production: just what you would expect on a bl production from korea... nothing too expensive but not looking cheap either... fits the story they are going for. editing could be improved but i don't mind it that much.

story: well, well. i didn't expect to be so invested in the story. i saw some people saying that it's too fast but i disagree... making it any slower will make this show boring like other kbl out there because we don't have the benefit of longer running time so this is just perfect.

acting/cast: omg i love the new guy, he is handsome and he acts well... both the leads complement each other... i hope we sehyun on season 3 again... i think the acting definitely improved. it would've been perfect if the kiss is not a dead fish but whatever straight kdramas do it too...

ost: love the ost! will add it on my bl playlist soon.. i believe there's at least 3 songs and i love them all

rewatch value: i don't really like rewatching even with shows that i love but i'll be for sure rewatching scenes that i enjoyed.

overall: an improvement from the first! it helped that it was all released on the same day so i get to binge it... i think the problem with kbl nowadays is they separate a movie into episodes and the quality suffers... i'm glad that they released it all so i get to enjoy it more... can't wait for season 3!

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much better than s1 argue w the wall

its so rare to see a second season better than the first but here we are !! everything about it was so much better and was just a good kdrama. the acting from both yoojun and hyuk was amazing, especially since its hyuk's first lead role and yoojun's acting is always incredible. their chemistry was IMMACULATE like every single scene with them had me giggling and kicking my feet i would always have the biggest smile on my face, which is a huge contrast to season 1. they also tried to follow the novel as much as they could wich was nice to see. i saw people saying yeonwoo wouldnt have reacted the way the way he did and maybe im being lenient but i think the writers did the best they could to acknowledge yoohan being gone but also allowing yeonwoo to move on.

the plot itself was a lott more interesting than the season 1 plot too, finding out more about yeonwoo's mother and other monos etc, it was written well and the production, sets etc fitted perfectly (the 2 friends were vv cute too) . the small critque i have was the editing was a bit off at time and during fight scenes you couldn't really tell what was going on but neither of those things got in the way of my enjoyment ! to add the ost is really really good and that alter you song has been stuck in my head since the teaser came out

sehyun and yeonwoos development was adorable and as i said the chemistry between them was incredible and in my opinion this is a much better pairing than season 1. in conclusion it was very fun & entertaining to watch, just a really good kdrama as a whole and even better than a lot of higher budget ones i've seen. i will definitely rewatch again but just the second season lmao, this is now one of my favourite dramas. i hope yoojun & hyuk know they did a great job <3 (i will never ever be shutting up about the forehead kiss btw)

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I guess this wasn't it for me

I was excited when I heard that they were making a second season of 'Color Rush', cause we were finally gonna get answers about Yeon Woo's mom. But then to see that Goo Yoo Han (his probe) wasn't gonna be in it and that he was going to be looking for him- it had me scratching my head just a bit.

Story-5/10
I gave the story a 5 out of 10 because I felt that we only dealt with half of the synopsis. We found out about his mother. His probe is still missing. Also, I felt that we got less screen time from Jung Joo Haeng and Kim Min Jae- who I loved in the first season.

I honestly felt nothing with the introduction of the new characters (yes, even the new main lead).

Acting/Cast-7/10
Whilie I personally didn't like the story, I will say that I am a bit impressed with thier acting. And for that I give them a 7.

Music-8/10
The music qas actually the only good thing about this series. I liked the songs so much and for that I will give it an 8.

Rewatch Valu-1/10
No. Just...no.

Overall-5.5/10
Overall I give this series a 5.5 out of 10. This wasn't it for me. But I am glad that I gave it a watch. And if hey actually do go and make a season three, the new actor to paly Yron Woo's probe better be good.

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Should a mono really be only for his/her probe?

It's rare for a sequel to be better, but Color Rush made it work.

STORY - What sets Color Rush as different from other BL series is the unique premise it set: the world where there are monos and probes. The exposition has already been done in the first season but the continuity was done rather imperfectly leaving more room for improvements and questions. I think the pacing per episodes were abrupt and could've been better where there were proper buildups to certain segments and not just an out there happening. Some of the questionable portions that could've been better includes (but not limited to) the following:
1. The introduction to Sehyun and Yeonwoo's dynamic. I may have missed it in Season 1 (if there were any) but there were really no explanation on how close SH and YW were.
2. Hinting that SH was normal or a regular person or so YW thought. One of the most memorable scenes is when YW realized that SH is also a mono but it would've been more powerful as a scene if there were hints that YW explicably thought SH is just a regular person.
3. What I really didn't like the most is how the reveal that Yeonwoo's mom is dead was done. Aside from the mono-probe storyline, YW and his aunt are primarily looking for the missing mother/sister but for it to be done out of frame is really unfulfilling. We didn't even see how YW reacted, how the funeral went, or what the implications of the discovery were.

ACTING/CAST - Yoojun is phenomenal, as always. I really see a bright future in him and I can envision him being one of the biggest male leads in the future should he venture into the more mainstream acting. His delivery of lines, expression, and emotions are really impeccable. He totally reminds me of a younger/smaller Yoon Kyunsang with his looks.
By the way, what made me watch Color Rush S1 is actually the OST since I'm a very big fan of Lovelyz and honestly, I wouldn't have watched Color Rush S2 (or wouldn't have been THIS eager to watch it i.e. watching the 8 episodes all at once right after release) if there weren't major changes, not even Yoojun's acting could've made me. I'm not saying it's Hyunjun's fault but I just don't find myself any more interested, but when Hyuk got casted, I knew I'll be tuning on to this. Some may only know him as a VIXX member but Hyuk is an award-winning actor. His acting debut wasn't on a web-series nor TV, his acting debut was on a film in 2016 where he's part of the main cast. He won the Shanghai Film Festival's best new male actor award for his debut movie! Since then he's done TV series and movies aside from VIXX/solo music and as of now, he hasn't done a single movie where he isn't the male lead/cast. Why am I saying this? It's because I saw that a huge portion of the Color Rush 2 viewers is against him and his character. Hyuk's acting was great, his expressions are superb and his line delivery is equally as amazing.
For the two male leads, they have really done a great job in depicting various expressions with their faces that warrant no dialogue to deliver a message. Like when YW found out that SH is also a mono or when SH saw that the desktop wallpaper of his sister's a picture of them together.

OST - I'm not very keen on the OST this time but it did it's job. It wasn't distracting (expect from the fact that I spent 2-4 listens deciphering what the lyrics were, it turned out to be "adore" and not "alter"). It wouldn't be appropriate to reflect it with the ratings for OST but I guess the musical timing of Color Rush 2 could've been better.

REWATCH VALUE - I mean, I already rewatched it so it definitely has that rewatch value. But of course the main plot of this season is YW looking for his mom and Yoohan being helped by SH so the rewatch value is clearly diminished after knowing that his mom is dead and Yoohan is somewhere filled with bandages on his head.

OVERALL - I have high hopes for the third season, and I hope this season will receive as much love (hopefully more) as the first season so it'd have more $$$ to produce a better sequel. Sorry Yoohan, but I guess I'll be rooting more for Sehyun and Yeonwoo ending up together. Why? Firstly, SH and YW has extraordinary chemistry. YW is the mature one but is the one being protected by SH who is clearly more bubbly and childish. Whenever their scenes happen, I couldn't help but admire how their visuals and acting skills complement each other.
Secondly, Yeonwoo is obviously interested in Sehyun as well. He may be looking for Yoohan but it doesn't always have to be for romantic reasons. Yoohan is his probe and he feels responsible for his disappearance. Though of course at first, Yeonwoo doesn't show interest to Sehyun but it's undeniable that he's going to the Sehyun direction. I'd never forget the part where they're about to sleep when Yeonwoo said "Sehyun, look at me." Why will he do that if he isn't falling for SH? He feels safe when he's with SH, he thinks SH is handsome, and he doesn't want to see SH hurt. Yeonwoo may be struggling but surely he's being interested in Sehyun.
Third, this is a boys' love series and I truly love the premise but the soulmates trope can now be abandoned. Why should the monos only be for the probes? Why should fate decide who you're destined with? Should Yeonwoo only be with Yoohan because he's a probe? If these questions are what they'll elaborate on the next season, it'd be magnificent. During SH's daydream by the end, the only thing YW reasoned for them not to be together was because they're both monos... would it be a foreshadowing of what can be a cause of conflict next season?

Color Rush is a perfect allegory to same sex relationships. Saying a mono is only for a probe is applying the same logic that a man is only for a woman, and that's why I'm rooting for Yeonwoo and Sehyun. Hoping for a Season 3 with Yeonwoo, Sehyun, and Yoohan navigating through a love triangle and exposing more about the world of monos and probes.

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Plot Rushed

Overall: They tried to make the plot too complex for a short runtime and I don't even think I'd call this BL. Because they did a 'Yoo Han is kidnapped' plot, Yeon Woo is not available to pair with anyone else romantically. Watched on Viki.

Content Warnings: bullying, side character deaths, fight scenes

What I Liked:
- good production value
- good acting

Room For Improvement
- very confusing/rushed/overly complicated plot - there's a secret bar, tea, pills, vantablack, fake candy factory, grayscale, probe surgery, a bunch of new characters introduced
- I really enjoyed season 1s vibe that was kind of dangerous/obsessive, this does not have that same vibe
- that kiss was mostly camera angle tricks and it was in a dream
- what idiot characters take drinks or pills from very shady characters, at least one could have faked taking the pill
- odd/non logical things such as: Yeon Woo just happens to leave around his very important notebook, also his aunt leaves something really important in a place that Yeon Woo can easily find (when has keeping secrets ever worked out well btw), if telling her bullies about her brother would stop her from being bullied why wouldn't she do that?, she suddenly dies (I'm sure there's a plot twist in that but it felt so random), the grandpa would know the truth wouldn't he tell the classmate? better to say nothing at all then a totally unhelpful "run away", the brother knew his sister was being bullied wouldn't he intervene?, no way the mom's headband would look brand new after years in the water, what exactly even happened with the mom? why would they do that elaborate candy factory thing when they could just go and kidnap monos?

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Well, they tried... I guess.

Now, full disclosure, let me start by saying that I was a big fan of the 1st series and the original couple. Nonetheless, I wanted to give this a chance so that I don't judge the 2nd series prematurely. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a letdown for me. Let me elaborate:

Story & Production: IMHO they tried to do too much for the budget and running time they had. The production quality left a lot to be desired and I've come to expect more, even from short K-BLs. The story felt rushed and perhaps not thought through properly. This is something where the 1st series was also lacking a bit, but the issue was exaggerated in the 2nd one.

Actors: I actually liked the new actor (Hyuk), I think MLs had good chemistry and had they been given a completely new BL series, I'm sure they would've been great together. I really feel bad towards them so I hope people will show them lots of love, regardless of their overall opinion of the series.

Rewatch value: To me? None. It wasn't terrible, but the actors (and the OST) were the only redeeming feature.

Conclusion: I don't regret watching it, I just simply liked the vibes of the 1st series better. It was a bit more light-hearted, there was an actual mutual romance between the MLs and while they left some holes in the plot, it wasn't too complicated. I can't say the same for Color Rush 2.

P. S. Huyk really was a cutie, I hope he won't receive hate (all the actors for that matter) for joining Color Rush 2.

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I don't know what happened

They simply decided to cut off the best character and I just hated it because they changed everything and kind of erased the first romance. I like this new love interest but I don't ship them because I miss my boy from first season :(. They even changed the genre of the show so it became an investigation series and I just don't like what they did at all. ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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One reason that I didn't like the season was changing of the genre of the series, while season 1 was romantic, simple and cute in its own way, season 2 chose a very different direction.

The 1st season was amazing with a perfect ending and with a good scope of taking it ahead to another season.
Coming to the 2nd season, for whatever reason, the lead actor wasn't in the series (either the actor didn't want in or they fired him), the story was most definitely affected by it with a big plot hole trying to be covered up by placing a mystery over it and having the whole season seemed like it was made to solve it but ending still having it unsolved.
The reason given behind the character's disappearance didn't just add up and felt illogical.

Now coming to the story while ignoring the disappearance, the 2nd season seemed force even when there was a good scope for the story. Things just happened, just like that without a proper reason.
If we consider 2nd season as another story altogether maybe it would have perfectly or at least in a lot better way.

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Way better than people say!

(This is my first review on mydramalist)

This drama is mainly focussed on mistery than on romance. So if you are looking for you're romantic BL drama, don't watch it. (This is one of the reasons people gave it a bad rating). BUT if you're into mistery, I would really recommend this drama! This drama really adds to the genres we've had so far in BL tv.

Also the chemistry between the two leads was amazing! This drama was well acted out. Despite it being a short drama I didn't have that feeling of missing scenes, like I normally have in Korean short BL's.

SO PLEASE WATCH IT! bc I definately do feel like it's worth you're time!

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Color RUSHED...

There was no point in this series. Like none. It resolved one singular conflict that was unresolved in the first season and decided that nothing else was important.

Let's Dive In.

I liked the introduction to Hyuk's character (Sehyun). He didn't feel like a one-dimensional character coming into this story to do presumably nothing, but he had a motive and fell in well with the crowd. I was surprised to see that they were going to give Yeonwoo a new love interest, but (technically) he's not, more so a guy Yeonwoo might have feelings for, but it's not explored with at all (instead, we're given what looks like the real thing, but it was just a daydream).

The mother conflict was resolved from the previous season (whoot, whoot), which was my problem with it in the first place. But the resolution is so anticlimax and -- rushed. Same with how they find out about Sehyun's sister and who "killed" her. I'm still trying to figure out how they both were sitting in the facility bloody and hurt and then all of a sudden they wake up in the hospital with Yeonwoo's aunt and she's explaining everything was handled. ...huh? Okay then.

The punching and fight scenes were so bad I had to pause and just compose myself.

The editing wasn't all that good either, as it seemed their budget has lower than last season.

Ratings:

Story: 5/10 - was too rushed and all the conflicts were resolved in anticlimax ways.

Acting: 8.5/10 - It was good. Just like last season's was.

Music: 6/10 - I didn't pay attention to it, so at least it wasn't distracting.

Recommendation Value: 4/10 - Season 1 was enough, There was really no point to this other than resolving the conflict with the mother missing. If you just have to know what happens, then do watch. Otherwise, don't bother.

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