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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What snapped is my patience and what sparked is frustration

I know I shouldn't watch expecting a lot from a web series but I didn't think they'd disappoint this much. This by far has been nothing but very frustrating and disappointing. (Little note that I may end up sounding incoherent I have zero hours of sleep)

ACTING/CAST
Okay, let's get the one thing I loved from this series. It's the acting debut of Kangmin and honestly, I didn't expect him to be THIS good. All of the cast were great though it definitely helped that there were no much heavy scenes for them to stick out like a sore thumb. I commend Kangmin for being such a natural because he delivers Seonjae's happiness, annoyance, longing, sadness, and more with just his expressions. Wooyeon did a wonderful job as Yeji, she definitely had the school's it-girl vibe on check and her acting, specially in the end when Soobin was missing and she clearly was feeling his absence. Jeon Geonhu, like Kangmin, is a new actor but he still did a pretty good job. He was kinda stiff and stoic at times but he did his heavy scenes well. Seo Soohee was another standout because she did her job as the villain so masterfully, I'd say she's the most outstanding out of the cast. E.Ji and Jinwoo were very cute as a couple too, just a shame we didn't have more scenes to savor their chemistry.

PRODUCTION
The production was quite good and I really love how webseries are becoming better and better by the day. I remember my first webseries around 2014/2015(?) when webseries weren't as big as it is now. The cinematography, music, and timing were really like of high production value so I guess it deserved all the views it had.

STORY
What Snap and Spark seemed to have difficulty in is establishing just what the story is about. They left out too many details that the viewers end up being confused on what's happening. Unlike other series with a straightforward premise, Snap and Spark just didn't have a focal point to guide the story through. Is it about the arts competition? Is it about the impact of SNS to student life? Is it a love story between CSB and MYJ? In only 8 episodes, it was so vague about its focus and ended up focusing on none so everything became so messy and all over the place. I understand subplots exist, but to make a story make sense, it still needs to have one primary synopsis they should follow (e.g. One Fine Week - it focused on Daeun and Byul's switch but had idol life and the horrors of the industry as its subplot).

I watched the series for Kangmin and I'm trying to be as objective as I can be but you don't have to be a Verrer to feel like the ending was too much on Joo Seonjae. He was just minding his own business and pursuing music (which by the way he would've been successful even if he don't go to school or end up dropping out) but Yeji had to USE him to get back at Soobin for teaming up with Daeun. She violated his privacy by posting Seonjae's photo on her IG fully knowing the power her SNS has with complete disregard for Seonjae's being, not even knowing that Seonjae had a painful past caused by SNS itself. Now that triggering Seonjae's trauma is done (which by the way wasn't addressed nor given importance too), she used him for the arts festival, and when Seonjae fell in love with him, she kept him hoping when she obviously had Soobin in her mind all along. Seonjae's trauma stemmed from a previous lover and being thrown rocks at online and Yeji magnificently traumatized him even further.

It's not like Seonjae is a better person than Soobin, Soobin in his own right was understandable and I wouldn't hold his lack of communication against him because he really needed what Daeun can offer and he can't confess to Yeji with all the stuff that's going on in his life which is healthy. If he's going to return out of nowhere, then why on hell did he visit Seonjae before leaving school? And why, in Seonjae's event while performing a song he made with/for Yeji and in front of the man you asked to take care of Yeji of all places, would you hold Yeji's hand and come back like that? Evil. Sinister. This drama should've just killed him off while they're at it. I knew from the get go that Seonjae is the second lead but couldn't they have given him the tiniest bit of happiness in the end? Was that too much to ask?

Well, I loved the Daeun and Saena dynamic and the complexity behind their characters. I, for one, have a speck of sympathy for Daeun because you would think that she's just vile and manipulative but her reveal that she just wanted to help Saena was understandable, albeit in the most wrong ways. To Saena's end, because she's not as well-off as Daeun and because Daeun was seemingly "copying" Yeji, it came out as challenging and conniving but to Daeun's end, she probably just wanted to get closer, to help, but had it done the worst ways possible. Daeun also wanted the credit to her good deeds which can be attributed to just simply wanting to become closer to Saena. Daeun's behavior with Soobin is psychotic and is a different conversation, however.

I'd not over-analyze Juhyuk because he's just a sweet ball of sunshine and don't deserve any negativity from this mostly negative review.

Rather than having an ending that makes you look forward to a second season, it just leaves you stuffy and frustrated. Here are some questions that are left unanswered at the ending. There's probably more but here are just some that I can think of on top of my head.
1. What the hell is Seonjae's past?
2. What happened to Saena and Juhyuk?
3. What was the past between Daeun and Yeji?
4. What happened to Soobin and what made him come back?
5. Why the hell would the boys set up a freshman like that?
And most of all... 6. Where the hell are their parents?

CONCLUSION
I'll not conclude that his series is terrible to the core because it's obviously beaming for a second season so I'll give them a little bit of slack until they make a second season and if they do and still not resolve any of the plotholes and answer any of the questions, I may just become a Snap and Spark (and Moon Yeji) hate account.

P.S. Soobin and Yeji are fit for each other because both are weird. Seonjae deserves someone better.

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