#Jung Joo Haeng

[gabrielokun]

[kdramaspace]

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[consumeronionbulletin]

Crash Course in Romance (2023)

Really enjoyed this show. The writing and story felt familiar, but the actors were good enough that it still seems fresh. Could have done with 50% less obsessed crazy stalker people though.

What Worked

The leads were fun to watch both separately and together. The overall relationships were interesting and the drama does a good job of making something that should be rather dull (math class) seem exciting. Even the most detestable people in the show still had some moments of sympathy as well, which makes them seem like real people, and it also makes the show feel safer rather than super stressful.

What Didn't Work

The weird murder plot, but this was less offensive than most and they didn't allow it to take over the show.

The Performances

Jeon Do-yeon as Nam Haeng-seon. I'm not sure if it's groundbreaking to take a character that is super common in romance (the plucky young woman who just wants to take care of her family, but OMG life is terrible) and just age her up 15 years. Sadly, it kind of feels that way. In any case, this actor is great, she's apparently a big deal in K-film and I'm so glad we got to see her here.

Jung Kyung-ho as Choi Chi-yeol. He's not all that different from the character he played in Hospital Playlist (I enjoyed him in that), but his story is different enough that it still seemed interesting. Jung Kyung-ho did a great job as a lead, and I liked all the different character moments the writers put out there for him. Not all of them stuck (for example, the tragic student death that he seems to have forgotten about after five episodes), but overall it was more hits than misses.

Oh Eui-shik as Nam Jae-woo. Every time I see a character in these dramas who is on the Asperger's spectrum, I start to wonder if the writers are ticking a box or something. But as long as they make sure and put in the work to make the character feel real, then I'm okay with it. Oh Eui-shik did the work, and I was okay with it.

Lee Bong-ryun as Kim Young-joo. I enjoyed seeing her in Hometown Cha x 3 and she did a great job here (though her character is a little more one-note here). I felt her romance arc at the end was actually kind of nice.

Roh Yoon-seo as Nam Hae-yi. Really good job by a young actress who was only in her second drama. Hopefully, she'll have a long career, because she was fun to watch and the character was well done as well.

Jang Young-nam as Jang Seo-jin. The only other role I've seen her in was as kind of a bad person in IOK2NBO. She wasn't a great person here, but I had alot more sympathy for her, partly because the actor did a good job of making her relatable even during all the crazy plot stuff. I'm glad the writers left the character in a pretty good place overall.

Kim Mi-kyung as Haeng-seon's mother. I have already raved about how cool this actor is in other places. She was only in two episodes, and her character didn't even get a real name, but it was still just nice to see her on screen.

The High School Kiddos. I think they all did a good job. The writers didn't try and make them too cutesy or turn it into an afterschool special. They were fun to watch when they were on screen, and they all had good moments in the show.

The Gang of Bad Mothers With Money. I kind of enjoyed their antics, even if it felt like the writers were giving them the job of creating pointless drama at times. They were funny when they needed to be, and detestable when they needed to be, but none of them were too memorable.

The Evil Baddie Assistant Guy. Kind of a spoiler though it's not really a huge secret. I think the actor did a decent job of playing subtle with a character that slowly turns into a mustache twirling villain by the end of the series. I didn't need an interesting villain, in fact I'd rather not bother with him at all, but if you have to have a murder spree in your drama, this guy is an acceptable choice.

TL; DR:

Fun little romance / relationship drama with good casting that hit a sweet spot between familiar and fresh. Had some funny moments, and a few genuine feels but you knew going in that you'd end up with a HEA.

[ulkaralakbarova]

After a deadly earthquake turns Seoul into a lawless badland, a fearless huntsman springs into action to rescue a teenager abducted by a mad doctor. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Nam-san: Ma Dong-seok Yang Gi-su: Lee Hee-jun Choi Ji-wan: Lee Jun-young Han Su-na: Roh Jeong-eui Lee Eun-ho: Ahn Ji-hye Kwon Sang-sa: Park Ji-hoon Teacher: Jang Young-nam Tiger: Park Hyo-joon Yeon-su: Seong Byeong-suk Madame: Jung Young-ju Ju-ye: Lee Han-joo Director Choi: Park Sang-hoon Director Oh: Ahn Seong-bong Ju-ye’s Father: Jeong Gi-seop Ju-ye’s Mother: Kim Young-sun Western Grandfather: Sin Sin-beom Western’s Mother: Hong Yi-joo Film Crew: Production Design: Jo Hwa-seong Sound Supervisor: Kim Suk-won Editor: Nam Na-young Special Effects Supervisor: Jung Do-ahn Adaptation: Ma Dong-seok Lighting Director: Song Hyun-suk Director of Photography: Byun Bong-sun Production Sound Mixer: Jung Gun Producer: Choi Won-ki Makeup & Hair: Nam Ji-soo Special Effects Makeup Artist: Pi Dae-seong Digital Intermediate: Lee Hye-min Production Design: Park Gyu-bin Original Music Composer: Kim Dong-wook Editor: Ha Mi-ra Martial Arts Choreographer: Heo Myeong-haeng Writer: Kim Bo-tong Executive Producer: Byun Seung-min Martial Arts Choreographer: Yoon Seong-min Original Story: Kim Dong-gyun Adaptation: Kim Chang-hoon Writer: Kwak Jae-min Executive Producer: Choi Byeong-hwan Special Effects Makeup Artist: Seol Ha-un Props: Kang Shin-hong Key Grip: Lee Hyun-gyu Special Effects Supervisor: Im Jong-hyeok Line Producer: Choi Su-im Visual Effects: Yuk Gwan-woo Movie Reviews: Chris Sawin: The film features some hard-hitting and explosive action sequences that will rightfully cater to fans of the genre. The battle in the basement of the apartment building, where we see Nam-san use a shotgun to blast his way through some of the doctor’s ‘enhanced’ individuals, is a total exhilarating blast. Ma Dong-seok has been a powerhouse for most of his career post Train to Busan, but he sends people flying whenever he throws his fist or pulls the trigger. _Badland Hunters_ also has to break a record for most decapitations in a film. **Full review:** https://bit.ly/bdlndhntr MovieGuys: Badland Hunters does something things well, others just passably. Action is wall to wall and well choreographed.Special effects are excellent. Characterisations are solid if predictable and the acting is not to be sniffed at. However, the story is unremarkable, with a climax that feels, well, anti climatic. In summary, an okay but hardly exceptional watch, that would have benefited from more creativity on the storytelling front. Ritesh Mohapatra: “Badland Hunters: A Visually Striking Action Spectacle with Narrative Shortcomings” In this post-apocalyptic action thriller, Badland Hunters, while suffering from a repetitive and clichéd plot and uninteresting characters, excels in stunning hand-to-hand choreography and scintillating action set pieces. The film benefits greatly from the expertise of its veteran stunt coordinator turned director, known for his work on Train to Busan. Commendable world-building, visionary concepts, and excellent VFX are hindered by conventional writing. The short, crisply edited runtime avoids unnecessary elements. Don Lee’s exceptional portrayal of Nam-san, with exhilarating action sequences, overshadows the film’s narrative weaknesses, making it a guiltily satisfying popcorn-worthy entertainer, particularly for adrenaline enthusiasts. Instagram & X @streamgenx.

[enterenews]

Jeon Do-yeon in 'One Big Scandal' was the stepmother of Noh Yoon-seo…

Jeon Do-yeon in 'One Big Scandal' was Noh Yoon-seo's real mother, not her aunt.

In tvN's new Saturday and Sunday drama, 'One Other Scandal' (played by Yang Hee-seung, Yeo Eun-ho, directed by Yoo Je-won), which premiered on the 14th, Nam Hae-yi (Noh Yoon-seo) asked Nam Haeng-seon (Jeon Do-yeon) to cut off Choi Chi-yeol's (Jung Kyung-ho) lecture.

Nam Haeng-seon is a former national handball player and currently runs a “national side dish shop” with Kim Yeong-joo (Lee Bongnyeon). The side dish store, known for its delicious food, was visited by mothers of test takers, as well as Jo Soo-hee (Kim Seon-yeong), Lee Mi-ok (Hwang Bo-ra), and Jang Seo-jin (Jang Young-nam) to buy side dishes.

Nam Hae-yi was a student who was good at studying without going to an academy, but he had limitations. She was so good at studying that she was checked by Bang Soo-ah (Kang Na-yeon), but she couldn't put much effort into math. She was invited by Lee Seon-jae (Lee Chae-min) to listen to Choi Chi-cheol's lecture, but it was not easy for her to tell her story due to her tight family.

Choi Chi-yeol, the ‘one of the best math instructors’, was a ‘one-trillion-dollar man’. When PD asked to spend 3 hours on CF filming and spend 10 more minutes on it, Choi Chi-yeol showed charisma by immediately converting the amount of money he could earn in 10 minutes and warning, saying, "My nickname is a man worth 1 trillion won." . However, in class, he was sweeter and kinder than anyone else to the students.

Choi Chi-yeol suffered from an eating disorder due to stress due to a trauma caused by an incident three years ago. He was not well-nourished to the point that he would vomit immediately after eating. Although he was embroiled in a scandal the next day, especially for returning a schoolgirl who had invaded his house, he was forced to end up in the hospital.

Chiyeol Choi reacted nervously to the sound of a camera shutter when he was caught up in a scandal over a secretly taken photo. He misunderstood Nam Jae-woo (Oh Ri-sik), who had just pressed the shutter to take a picture of the tiger engraved on his jacket, and took his cell phone away, and then pursued the Southbound line.

[seatawinan]

[haomnyangz]

yoo han said d=(´▽｀)=b with his whole body

[smartzelda]

I don't make the rules

I don't remember their names

But you can fight me

My dead grandpa tells me the future boy and class president boy are idiots to lovers

I refuse to believe they aren't dating at some point in the Color Rush universe

[bellarkeandclintashaandsuch]

Did Yoo Han poke Joo Haeng in the stomach during that episode? That’s so cute! I want to see him interact with his friends more. I want to know more about their dynamic!

[gabrielokun]

[cbk-ed]

[file #220308] - by bkps megng

[name] 조병규 - Cho Byeong Kyu [DOB] 1996.04.23 [debut date] 2015.04.27 [blood type] A [MBTI] ENFP, INFP, INTJ (x)

2020.12.31, SBS Drama Awards 2020, Best Rookie Award winner (x) 2021.12.19, Asia Model Awards 2021, Rising Star Award winner (x)

(please inform me if any link doesn't work. thank you.)

상업영화 / commercial movies

2022, 죽어도 다시 한번 [전우석] (x) even if I die, I do once again [jeon woo seok] 

2021, 이 안에 외계인이 있다 [도건태] full.kr there is an alien here [do geon tae]

2019, 우상 [구요한] full.en cut.kr idol [goo yo han]

2019, 걸캅스 [강한솔, 막내 형사] full.en cut.kr girl cops [kang han sol, the youngest detective] 

2018, 소녀의 세계 [고우철] full.en cut.kr fantasy of the girls [go woo cheol] 

2016, 목숨 건 연애 [설록환] full.en cut.en life risking romance [sul rok hwan, young]

독립영화 / independent movies

2022, 스쿨 카스트 [?] (x) school cast [?]

2022, 밀레니얼 킬러 [정식] (x) millennial killer [jeong sik] 

2021, 김공주들 [병규] (x) killing kim gong joo [himself]

2021, 히키코모리는 안녕하십니까 [기우] (teaser.en) hikikomori, hello [ki woo] 

2020, 하드코어 로맨스 [김행남] serieson teaser.en hardcore romance [kim haeng nam] 

2020, 스페셜 엔딩 [전수원] serieson teaser.en special ending [jeon su won] 

2019, 나이트 버드 [?] (x) night birds [?] 

2017, 그럴 수 밖에 없었다 [성광] full.kr (x) I had no other choice [song kwang] 

2017, 김희선 [최동훈] serieson full.kr teaser kim hee sun [choi dong hoon] 

2017, 똑똑똑 [연우] (not found) knock, knock, knock [yeon woo]

2017, 잇챠 [병규] (not found) let's go [himself]

2016, 오늘 만난 슈팅스타 [무주] teaser.kr (x) shooting star [moo joo]

2016, 비밀 [박지수] purplay full.kr teaser.kr (x) secret [park ji soo]

2016, 아가페 [송태우] full.kr teaser.en (x) agape [song tae woo]

2016, 춘천행 [김태수] moviebloc (x) train to chuncheon [kim tae soo]

2016, 시네마 게임 썸 [상식] (not found) cinema game “some” [sang sik]

2016, 인터체인지 [이준석] full.kr interchange [lee jun seok]

2016, 학교전쟁 [병규] full.en trailer.kr school battle [himself]

(other)

2017, 빵셔틀의 반란 [중앙초 야구부 에이스] full.kr revolution of bread delivery boys  [the ace of joongang elementary school baseball team]

2017, 렛 미 아웃 [?] full.kr let me out [?]

TV 드라마 / tv dramas

TBA, 찌질의 역사 [서민기] (x) history of losers [seo min ki]

2020, 경이로운 소문 [소문] netflix full.en making the uncanny counter [so mun] 

2019, 스토브리그 [한재희] netflix full.en making hot stove league [han jae hee] 

2019, 아스달 연대기 [사트닉] 10-11-12-16.en cut.en arthdal chronicles [sateunik] 

2019, 사이코메트리 그녀석 [강성모] full.en cut.en making he is psychometric [kang seong mo, young] 

2018, 스카이캐슬 [차기준] full.en cut.en making SKY castle [cha ki joon, the 2nd twin] 

2018, 시간 [김복규] full.en time [kim bok gyu] 

2018, 라디오 로맨스 [고훈정] netflix full.en cut.kr radio romance [go hoon jung] 

2017, 돈꽃 [강필주] full.en cut.kr money flower [kang pil joo, young] 

2017, 란제리 소녀시대 [이봉수] full.en girls' generation 1979 [lee bong soo, jung hee's twin] 

2017, 청춘시대 2 [조충환] 3-5-7-8-14.en cut.kr age of youth 2 [jo chung hwan, ji won's junior] 

2017, 7일의 왕비 [백석희] full.en cut.kr queen for seven days [baek seok hee, young] 

2016, 더 케이투 [알바] netflix 08.en cut.kr the K2 [himself, the part-timer] 

2016, 뷰티풀 마인드 [계정수] full.en cut.kr beautiful mind [gye jeong su, jin sung's brother] 

2016, 그래, 그런거야 [환자] 28.en cut.en yeah, that's how it is [himself, the patient] 

2015, 라이더스: 내일을 잡아라 [김민중] 7-8-9-10.en riders: catch tomorrow [kim min joong] 

2015, 후아유: 학교 2015 [조병규] netflix full.en cut who are you: school 2015 [himself]

웹드라마 / web dramas

2018, 독고 리와인드 [김종일] full.en cut.en bts dokgo rewind [kim jong il]

2018, 음주가무 시즌2 [유감우] full.kr (archive) drink, sing and dance 2 [yoo gam woo] 

2017, 사이:비트윈 [조병규] full.en cut.kr between [himself] 

2017, 서울은 처음이라서 [조병규] full.kr my first time in seoul [himself] 

2017, 신감독의 슬기로운 사생활 [조병구] full.en the sensible life of director shin [cho byeong ku] 

2017, 사랑쓰다 [병규] full.en to write love [himself] 

2017, 음주가무 [유감우] full.kr (archive) drink, sing and dance [yoo gam woo]

2017, 식사 [존] (x) meal [john]

2016, LOVESTART [조병규] lovestart [himself]

2016, 로미오와 줄리엣 [김수로 프로젝트] romeo and juliet [kim su ro project]

2015, 갈매기 [뜨레쁠레프] (x) the seagull [treplev]

2014, 오셀로 [이아고] (x) othello [iago]

2013, 맹진사댁 경사 [미연] the sergeant of maengjin's house [miyeon]

2013, 햄릿 [햄릿] hamlet [hamlet]

2012, 올모스트 메인 [LENDALL] almost maine [lendall]

2016, 레미제라블 [마리우스] les misérables [marius]

2015, 《1994년 어느 늦은 밤》, 임형주 (full cut) one late night in 1994, lim hyung joo

2021.03.01, (02* at 0:54, 1:06, 2:06) 독립만세 [2회] hurrah for independence [ep.2] (*) all I could find is a 3-minute video with most of his scenes cutㅠㅠ

2021.02.13 ~ 2021.02.20, (80-81-82) 놀면 뭐하니? [80회~82회] how do you play? [ep.80~82]

2021.02.13, (147) 도레미 마켓 [147회] amazing saturday [ep.147]

2021.02.07, (00) 경이로운 귀환 the uncanny return 

2021.01.22, (01) 범인은 바로 너! 시즌3 [1회] - 특별출연 busted! 3 [ep.1] - special appearance

2021.01.09, (75 at 22:20) 놀면 뭐하니? [75회] how do you play? [ep.75]

2020.11.28, (257) 아는 형님 [257회] knowing bros [ep.257]

2020.03.15, (494) 런닝맨 [494회] running man [ep.494]

2020.02.12, (145 at 29:36) 본격연예 한밤 [145회] new late night e news [ep.145]

2020.01.31, (331) 나 혼자 산다 [331회] I live alone [ep.331]

2019.12.06, (323 at 00:50, 14:27) 나 혼자 산다 [323회] - 특별 출연 I live alone [ep.323] - special appearance 

2019.08.03 ~ 2020.05.30, (00) (my playlist) 자연스럽게 [1회~6회, 8회~12회, 20회, 26회, 36회~43회] naturally [ep.1~6, 8~12, 20, 26, 36~43] 

2019.05.17, (294) 나 혼자 산다 [294회] I live alone [ep.294] 

2019.03.26, (102 at 13:07) 본격연예 한밤 [102회] new late night e news [ep.102] 

2019.01.31 ~ 2019.02.07, (17-18) 해피투게더 시즌4 [17회~18회] happy together 4 [ep. 17~18]

[weilongfu]

Rec List for Andy <3

If any of you have been following me for a good length of time, you will know how much I love and adore @theandwebegin AKA Andy AKA one of the people that essentially got me into interacting with fandom again and in a way making me into whatever contributing member of fandom I am now. Some of you will have followed me ages ago because Andy is a WONDERFUL GIF maker and has made many hilarious or INCREDIBLY SAD GIF sets that I would occasionally write fic inspired by.

Andy has now returned to us and has some catching up to do. It’s been about a year since (the last thing Andy says she watched is 2gether) so I’ve clearly got some catching up to do for one of my fandom besties.

But as all of you know, the last year has seen an EXPLOSION of amazing dramas and media that are so difficult to keep following and keep track of! There are tons of independent creators and channels and production companies out there producing more and more BL dramas and then some to watch. There are several out there that I’ve never heard of but are showing up on other websites and I’m amazed how many there are. So while this list is VERY conservative because I am only one person who can’t consume only media (although it would help me lose a few pounds if my diet was just watching dramas and not eating), I’m going to attempt to sort the vast majority of shows I’ve personally watched and want to recommend to Andy into a few different categories based on priority for her to consume at her leisure. And if we can coincide within fandoms again, it would be grand.

(Not that I’m attempting to tip the scales or anything :cough cough: I promise to mention other things I’m not currently watching, but heard good things about! Also, I think Andy has said no costume CDramas so… I’ll avoid mentioning The Untamed and Word of Honor for now...)

I’ll also apologize in advance if Andy has already watched any of these. My memory is not as good as it used to be. Dramas within subsections are not listed in any particular order.

Must watch:

Still2Gether - If the last thing you watched was 2Gether and you liked it, you might as well watch Still2Gether because it’s more of the same. Only now it’s been a year since Tine and Sarawat got together and the two now have bigger responsibilities. Still2Gether chronicles how they try to make their relationship work through these tough times. We also see ManType work their shit out, MilPhukong actually get together, and DimGreen… well… they do something. But totally worth the watch. Available with Eng Sub on Youtube.

Where Your Eyes Linger - I feel like this skirts the line because Andy might have watched this as it came out just around that time in 2020 where Because Of You was coming out. But if you haven’t watched it, WYEL is great for the pining between the leads. Han Tae Joo(a rich heir) and Kang Gook (his friend and “bodyguard”). Both are torn between falling into what keeps developing between them, or pushing the other away. Absolutely amazing amounts of pining and emotional acting. Available with Eng Sub on Viki.

To My Star - Actor Kang Seo Joon needs to lay low ends up staying with Han Ji Woo, a chef that has a rather cold exterior. As the two live together, they get closer and closer. Throw in some dramatic clashes, reveals, and a dash of food porn, and you get this. Short, sweet, good for the runtime. Available with Eng Sub on Viki.

Color Rush - One of the more unique ideas to have come out of Korean BL drama space. An adaptation of a Korean webnovel, Color Rush is the story of Go Yoo Han, a student who sees the world in shades of gray. Until he meets one of his new classmates, Choi Yeon Woo, and suddenly his world bursts into colors. Deals with themes of soulmates, obsession, and being meant for each other. Also someone’s mom goes missing and we don’t find out a lot about that. Also missed the opportunity for Class Pres (Jung Joo Haeng) and Tall Guy Possessed by Old Man That Tells The Future (Kim Min Jae) to be a couple. A season 2 is expected. Available with Eng Sub on Viki.

Fish Upon The Sky - Adaptation of a novel by JittiRain (author of Theory of Love and 2Gether). Pi is a dental student that has been looked down upon his entire life for not being enough like his more handsome oldest brother. After he falls in love with a med student named Mueng Nan after a chance meeting, Pi decides to change his appearance to pursue him. However, at every turn, Pi encounters Mueng Nan’s friend Mork, who he hates. The more they meet, the closer they get. Available with Eng Sub on Youtube.

A Tale of Thousand Stars - Based on the novel by BACTERIA. Tian is the son of a rich former general, but he suffers from a heart condition. After an incident, Tian has the opportunity for a heart transplant which gives him a second chance at life. He decides to spend it to learn about why volunteering could make someone happy. He finds that answer teaching children in a village protected by Forest Rangers and their Captain Phupha. Haven’t watched it yet, but I have heard there were changes compared to the novel, but that all of them weren’t particularly bothersome and people still loved this show. Available with Eng Sub on Youtube.

We Best Love (No 1 For You and Fighting Mr 2nd) - The officially unofficial HIStory 4 (written by the writer who wrote Stay Away From Me, Obsessed, Right or Wrong, Crossing the Line, and Trapped!). Zhou Shu Yi has spent so much of his life trying to get the number one spot, only to be thwarted by his rival, Gao Shi De. At last, in university, he hopes to turn things around, starting with a spot on the swim team. Only to find Gao Shi De has transferred in. Over the course of this last year, the two get closer and closer together. Season 1 (No 1 For You) is how they get together during university. The two have a falling out and Season 2 (Fighting Mr. 2nd) is how they get back together as adults. A third season was confirmed, but no confirmed airing date. Seasons 1 and 2 can be watched on WeTV.

Heavenly Official’s Blessing (TGCF, donghua) - Donghua of novel by MXTX (writer of MDZS and SVSSS). Xie Lan is the prince of a fallen kingdom who has ascended to the heavens as an immortal for the third time. He’s known as a no-good god since he’s failed to do many things in his time as a god before and how quickly he was kicked out after ascending a second time. In this third ascension, Xie Lan begins to solve a string of occurrences that may lead to a greater plot. Meanwhile, he learns more and more about the powerful demon king Hua Cheng through a mysterious young man named San Lang who seems very attached to him. The donghua is currently only one season and covers a very small portion of the total story. But it’s a quick watch (now available on Netflix!) and so good.

Should watch:

Mr. Heart - Story of Sangha, who just wants to run to be close to the man he loves and Jinwoo, a marathon runner trying to keep up with the hopes of everyone around him. However, he can’t outrun the feelings starting to develop inside him for Sangha. Came out soon after WYEL and continues the trend of good, soft, short Korean BL dramas. Available with Eng Sub on Viki.

You Make Me Dance - Song Shi On is having a rough time as a dance student without parental support and has taken out loans to get by. However, Jin Hong Seok has been called in to collect his debt. Shi On makes a desperate plea to be given a month to audition for a position and with the money he will get from getting the lead role, he promises to pay back the debt. Hong Seok agrees to the conditions and after sympathizing with Shi On after watching him dance, does everything he can to help Shi On achieve this dream. As the month goes on, the two fall in love. Available with Eng Sub on Viki.

Lovely Writer - Currently ongoing series about Gene, a writer of several BL novels and a series being made from his novel, Bad Engineer. Cast for the main roles in the drama based on his novel are Nubsib, Aoey, and Mhok. Nubsib takes a particular interest in Gene and through a twist of circumstances, ends up staying with Gene at his condo. Over the course of the filming of Bad Engineer, Nubsib and Gene get closer to each other. While Nubsib makes his intentions clear, there seems to be a secret he’s hiding. Initially well regarded by many for the first few episodes having commentary on the BL industry. More commentary is sparsely added throughout other episodes, but not quite as pressing as the first few episodes. Available on Youtube with Eng subs a week after release as a recap.

Manner of Death - Based on a novel by Sammon. Bunn is a Medical Examiner in Viangpha Mork. He performs autopsies to help with criminal investigations. He is soon drawn into a tangled web of murder and lies when the next murder victim is his friend Jane. One of the top suspects in his eyes? Jane’s ex boyfriend Tann. Tann decides to work with Bunn to solve Jane’s murder and prove his innocence, however, there is more than just a simple murder afoot. Danger draws Tann and Bunn together, but will the truth also tear them apart? Features Max and Tul in a new role opposite each other (I say as if I’ve ever watched TWM or Bad Romance). Absolutely better than the novel. Available with Eng Sub on WeTV.

Ingredients the Series - Basically just a commercial for a Thai grocery store, but damn if you don’t end up really enjoying the slow move from friends to lovers as you watch the two boys act in this miniseries. Features Win, who wants to be a singer and Tops (who shares a name with the grocery store!), who wants to be a chef. The actors, Jeff Satur and Gameplay Garnpaphon were costars in He, She, It and clearly comfortable for it. The two will be acting together again, although unsure if they’ll be a couple, in KinnPorche the Series. Available with Eng Sub on Youtube.

Hello, Stranger + Hello, Stranger The Movie (contains quarantine related plot) - Series follows Mico Ramos and his group of nerdy friends, as they try to get through the COVID quarantine, maintain their friendship, and pass their classes. However, a wrench is thrown into Mico’s plans when he’s paired with the jock Xavier De Guzman for a project! Initially reluctant, Mico gives Xavier a chance to work with him on the project and the two get closer as time goes on. Hello, Stranger The Movie follows after a timeskip after the Youtube miniseries and is totally worth renting on the available streaming services to watch. The miniseries is available on Youtube with Eng Sub.

My Roommate is a Detective (Not BL) - This is an odd rec to make as it’s not a BL, but everyone who watched it felt the gay between the two male leads and it’s a new property, not based on an existing danmei. So, it’s a really interesting watch. Set in 1920s Shanghai, Qiao Chusheng, a gangster, has been made an Inspector of the Concession Police. While on the hunt for a dangerous murderer, he pulls in Lu Yao, a bank manager that recently returned to China after going to university abroad. Lu Yao is the primary suspect for this murder, but Lu Yao insists he didn’t do it. In order to clear his name, Lu Yao uses his great intellect and deductive skills to solve the mystery. Seeing Lu Yao’s use (and love of money), Qiao Chusheng enlists his help in solving cases for the Concession Police. Assisting them is Qiao Chusheng’s boss’ daughter, the reporter Bai Youning, using her connections to dig up clues that neither seem to be capable of finding out with their own connections. Basically a murder mystery of the week sort of drama and the chemistry between Qiao Chusheng and Lu Yao is amazing. Also Zhang Yunlong as Qiao Chusheng is so nice to look at. :sigh: Available on iQiYi or Viki with Eng Subs.

Gaya Sa Pelikula - Karl (Paolo Pangilinan), a 19-year old introvert architecture student is in the middle of an identity crisis. Prior to the start of the second semester in college and forced by his parents, he moves into his uncle's condominium unit where he learns to be financially independent. As a result, he decides to take an online writing job to sustain his daily needs. While expecting the first payout for his work, his client suddenly goes missing in action, thereby making it difficult for him to pay for his monthly dues. An opportunity presents itself when his cocky neighbor Vlad (Ian Pangilinan) has to hide from his family and proposes to share Karl's space for the rest of the semestral break in exchange of paying up his monthly rent. Haven’t watched this yet, but I fully intend to at some point. Heard lots of good things about it and the way it portrayed the gay struggle, comming out, etc. Available with Eng Sub on Youtube.

If you’ve got a moment:

Wish You - Kang In Soo is trying to make it as a musician any way he can. By chance, he catches the ear of Yoon Sang Yi, a keyboardist, which leads to him being discovered by a record label. Sang Yi is soon put in charge of In Soo and helping him reach his full potential as a recording artist for the label, but there are obstacles in the way. Namely love of music for art and love of each other. Oh and also the biggest obstacle of any Asian aspiring to do something that doesn’t immediately pay well, the obstacle of parental wishes. Available on Viki with Eng Sub.

My Engineer - After just one chance meeting, Bohn, a third year Engineering student, falls in love with Duen, a first year Medical student. In order to spend more time with him, Bohn gets Duen to give him one rose every day for a month. Over the course of the month, despite how much Duen thinks Bohn is annoying, he can’t help but begin to have feelings for the senior Engineering student. Has quite a few ups and downs, the dubbing of one of the actors because he can’t speak Thai is one of them, but overall, not a bad story. Side couples were also very compelling. Two side couples have yet to have their stories resolved and should be done in the second season. Available with Eng Sub on Youtube.

Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding - The first time I’ve ever seen Korean BL mix with historical drama. Ryo Ho Seon is expected to marry Choi Hwa Jin, but the night of his wedding, he finds there’s been a swap and he has married Hwa Jin’s brother, Ki Wan! Ki Wan explains that his sister had run away and in order to maintain the political marriage, he has married Ho Seon in her stead. He asks for Ho Seon’s patience and to bear it until Hwa Jin can be found. The drama covers the hijinx of their lives as they look for Hwa Jin and slowly get closer to each other. Largely comedy, it’s an interesting twist on the two different genres, but so far to me, not particularly inspiring.

Love By Chance 2: A Chance To Love - The promised Season 2 of LBC, finally comes to fruition with… several caveats. No Pete to be seen and Ae is now sad and taking poor care of himself, drinking every night. Tin and Can’s relationship has been retconned to be non-existent and started over again from the start. Kengkla and Techno have still had their particular incident, but Klengkla now spends his time trying to apologize and get Techno to like him despite what he did. Also features a storyline meant to make Tul, Tin’s older brother, sympathetic because apparently he had his struggles and was abandoned by his own gay lover, a former servant for the Medthanan’s named Hin. While we finally get the rest of the TinCan storyline, as someone who was there for the first initial burst after S1, I have to admit that Mean and Plan seem to have lost some of the chemistry and enthusiasm. Plan in particular, continues to kiss like a dead fish and I’m not sorry about that opinion. But there are plenty of sweet moments and you get enough time of Tin and Can being together and happy so if that’s all you want, go for it. Available with Eng Sub on Viki.

Gameboys (contains quarantine related plot) - Cairo streams while playing video games online. He gets challenged by one of his viewers named Gavreel. After winning, Gavreel starts flirting with Cairo! Cairo is torn as to whether or not to believe Gavreel, especially since everyone is in quarantine and the two can’t meet. But despite challenges, interlopers, and personal problems, the two fall in love. Expecting a season 2 since it was already announced with a trailer. Available on Youtube with Eng sub and can also be watched with a remastered and reshot edition on Netflix!

If you’re just killing time:

Oxygen the Series - Solo is a first year Music student who can’t sleep. In his late night wandering, he finds a coffee shop staffed by someone who is always smiling. Wondering how he can smile while Solo can’t, Solo enters the coffee shop and meets Gui, a third/fourth year Engineering student. Over cups of warm milk during late nights, the two get closer together. Meanwhile, Kao, another first year Music student, finds himself drawn to Phu, a fourth year Business Admin student. After finding out Phu doesn’t have a picture of anyone else in his wallet, Kao asks Phu out. Mostly sweet, with obligatory drama moments. Some of the actors don’t really… emote. But in fairness, their characters aren’t supposed to emote so… I guess it’s a success? Available with Eng Sub on Youtube.

WHY R U + SaifahZon Special - Zon is trying to write a better novel than his BL loving sister, Zol. One day, he finds out Zol’s most popular novel is a story about him paired up with the boy he hates the most, Saifah! Zol has even written about Zon’s friend, Tutor, falling in love with his senior that he hates, Fighter. Angry at the invasion of his life, Zon demands Zol take the novel down. Zol says she won’t because she knows Zon actually loves Saifah! Zon swears he doesn’t and in response, Zol says that if Zon lies, she hopes her novel becomes real life. Suddenly, Zon starts seeing gay couples everywhere and Saifah starts paying particular attention to him! Tutor also starts getting more and more attention from Fighter! Totally wacky but somehow narrows down to take itself somewhat seriously at the end. Although it starts out with a focus on SaifahZon, it ends primarily on FighterTutor because of the COVID pandemic. The SaifahZon special episodes are intended to fill the gap between where the SaifahZon story ended in the original run, halfway through and where they ended in the final episodes. It’s not bad, but you have to go into it with an open mind about the crazy. And occasionally shut your brain off. Available with Eng Sub on LINE TV.

If you finished all the others:

Craving You - Short Taiwanese drama about a music idol falling in love with a successful and rather famous baker through a collaboration project between the bakery and idol manager. Kind of cute, wasn’t feeling the chemistry though. Available on Viki with Eng Subs.

Call It What You Want - Currently ongoing Thai drama directed by the director of 2Moons2. CIWYW aims to highlight and comment on the Thai BL Industry and how it takes advantage of young actors in far too many ways and forces very strict standards on their bodies, image, social life, personal life, and more through the story of a production of a BL drama. The story mainly follows the newly hired director, James, the two drama leads Ait and Bas, and James’ friend, a model named Marco. Attempting a mix of romance, comedy, and commentary is very difficult. CIWYW is giving it a valiant effort and should be commended for trying so hard. However, I find some parts miss the mark. Still worth watching if only to support the creation and commentary in such media. Available with Eng Sub on GagaOOLala.

YYY the Series - Nott is a mechanic living in an apartment building and his life gets thrown for more of a loop after Pun moves in, looking to run away from home and figure out what he wants to do in life. This series bills itself as a comedy BL sitcom and is filled with so much crack and wackiness that you need to shut off your brain to survive. Notable for having several actors where this isn’t their first BL. Pun is played by Talay who played King in My Engineer. Porpla, the landlady, is played by Poppy, who was a side character in WHY R U. Another side character, Arm, is played by the original actor for Park from 2Moons S1. Available with Eng Sub on LINE TV.

Eh… I guess you could watch these:

Tonhon Chonlatee - Chonlatee has always loved his close childhood friend Tonhon. Tonhon got sent away for school and Chon hasn’t seen him in years. When Ton returns, hotter than ever, Chon is brought right back into his crush. Ton offers to let Chon stay with him and his roommates in Bangkok since Chon will be attending the same university as him. Chon now suffers trying to hide his crush from Ton. Recommended only because Chon is such a sweet boy. But Ton is really an asshole. I mean, of course he turns it around because the show is named after them as a couple, but eh… I mean, it’s another GMM adaptation of a novel. What do you expect at this point? Available on Youtube with Eng Sub.

Gen Y - Basically bargain season 2 of 2Moons with Copter, Kimmon, and Bas in the lead roles. However, it takes a very sharp turn away from what 2Moons was. The plot itself is very convoluted with too many potential couples and way too much twisty bullshit. Basically watch it if you just want to see more Copter and Kimmon acting opposite each other. Available on iQiYi with Eng Sub.

En of Love: Tossara - I barely remember what this is about other than the fact it’s another cocky junior (Med student) flirting with an older student (Engineering). It’s the first four episodes of En of Love series. Somehow, Tossara manages to avoid miscommunication trope because it’s too fucking short to actually have miscommunication. The acting is a bit stiff, but it’s not a particularly awful story I guess? Available on Youtube with Eng Sub. Not rec’ing the rest of the series only because I heard the rest were not super great and I didn’t watch it.

[kermitthequeer]

review: Color Rush

Disclaimer: This is my very own humble opinion. If you  agree with my review, I’m glad that I’ve found someone like-minded, if  you do not agree, that’s fine too. Every opinion is valid. Don’t hate me  for mine.

I do not speak any asian language and therefore I rely solely on subtitles. And we all know that they are not always flawless. So if I misread a situation or misunderstand something, feel free to inform me. Spoilers ahead!

Genre: BL

From: Korea

Known Actors:  /

Trigger Warnings: obsession, death, attempted suicide

Rating: 7.5/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ ☆    

Synopsis: Yeon Woo knows the world is full of colors but he has never seen them for himself, he’s only able see the world in shades of grey. At least until the day Yoo Han comes crashing into his world. And it turns out that they are mono and probe. Means that Yeon Woo is able to see colors, everytime Yoo Han takes off his mask. While all this is going on, his aunt Yi Rang searches desperately for her sister who went missing years ago.

Main Character(s): Choi Yeon Woo, Go Yoo Han

Side Character(s):  Jung Joo Haeng, Kim Min Jae, Yoo Yi Rang

Short Appereance: Yeon Woo’s mother & father, the school nurse

Main Couple(s): YeonWooxYooHan

Side Couple(s): /

My review:

I went into this show trying to keep my expectations low - well as low as I can keep them. This was my third korean BL, before that I watched Where Your Eyes Linger and Mr. Heart and I liked both of them. Oh boy, I wasn’t ready for the rabbit hole I was going down.

I always try to remain a somewhat objective side in my reviews, so that everyone can enjoy it, no matter if they actually liked the show or not. I will try my best to do it with this BL as well, but just know that it’s not easy for me. The last few days were a wild ride and thanks to the pandemic and the semi-lockdown that we have for weeks now, I am in no good place to get emotionally attached to characters or series. But here I am.

In this review there will be a few terms that some may not know or understand and before I have to repeat myself, here a little definition:

Mono: A mono, is a person that isn’t able to see colors, even though they have everything they needed to. Their brain just can’t decipher them for some reason. Only, when they look at the face of a special someone called “probe” they are able to see colors.

Probe: A probe is a person which can see all colors and by looking at their mono, with their whole face uncovered the monos can see colors.

Color Rush: It’s something the mono experiences every time, he looks at his probe. The frist few times are pretty heavy and the mono mostly faints, but at a while the effects wear off.

Decolorating: After some time (e.g. the mono isn’t looking at the face of the probe anymore, they seperate) they begin to lose the ability to see colors again. It depends on different factors (e.g. how many colors rushes did you have, how close are you with your probe, etc.) The more you “get used to” your probe the longer you can see colors.

Anyway, let’s begin.

Yeon Woo and Yoo Han

In the beginning of this story our main character, Yeon Woo, explains his view on this whole mono/probe thing. He himself is a mono and his mother was also a mono. The chance for a mono to meet his probe is extremely rare and most don’t think that they will ever meet their probe at all - and so does Yeon Woo.

The problem with the whole mono/probe thing is that many monos are getting really often obsessed with their probe and the colors that they are able to see. The fear of losing them is driving them insane and therefore some monos kidnap, hurt and kill their probe.

Yeon Woo stance to that: A mono should never meet his probe.

After beating up some guy who made fun of Yeon Woo for being a mono, he has to transfer schools again. On his way there he explains that he can actually see different shades of grey and that his mother teached him the ten differenct shades of the grey color palette.

Introduction of orange hoddie guy. He slept on his desk but now he wakes up (the teacher’s don’t even care to wake him up anymore, love that). And after he introduces himself as Yoo Han, he wants to make very clear (perhaps too clear) that Yeon Woo is “really pretty”.

He even gets up from his chair and follows Yeon Woo across the room, to tell him that again. In case he forgot over the course of a few minutes. But hey, we all need a friend who constantly reminds us that we are enough and beautiful, go Yoo Han!

Anyways, Yeon Woo is minding his own business and stares at a poster and after Yoo Han once again admired Yeon Woo’s beauty, Yoo Han takes of his mask, that he was wearing for some reason (Joo Haeng said that he tried to make it a new trend or smth).

We don’t know why he took it off. If he had trouble breathing, if he wanted to prove to Yeon Woo that he was also stunningly handsome or if he just felt like it.

And that’s when Yeon Woo experiences his first color rush. Overwhelmed by the it he faints. And for some reason, Yoo Han seems not scared at all but excited to be part of this adventure. And after taking Yeon Woo to the school nurse, he says something along the lines of: Oh his eyes are closed but his eyes are moving, that means that he is experiencing a color rush.

And the nurse, that probably doesn’t get paid enough, repsonds with: Yeah, maybe. I dunno, it’s my first time seeing this. Let me know if he rips out his eyeballs or dies or smth. I gotta go get some stuff. Bye.

Yeon Woo opens his eyes and is amazed by the colors that he is able to see. But loses the ability pretty quickly. And Yoo Han declares - in case Yeon Woo might have missed it - that he is in fact Yeon Woo’s probe.

Of course, Yeon Woo is really sad that he is back to the grey-ish palette of life again, but he stays strong and says that he does not want to do this again. He reminds Yoo Han that being a mono/probe is all fun and games until the mono get’s obsessed. Like, monos have kidnapped and killed their probes and apparently ate their flesh?

But Yoo Han couldn’t be more unbothered by that. And I don’t know if I should be impressed or worried because of that. After Yeon Woo explains his concerns to Yoo Han, the guy’s like: Ah.

Yoo Han is not only immune to fear and common sense, he is also very headstrong and is determent to teach Yeon Woo the colors. The question we all have in mind probably is:

Why is Yoo Han so eager to continue this dangerous relationship?

Well we get a great answer to that from Yoo Han himself: He likes Yeon Woo’s eye moevement while he experiences a color rush, so...yeah.

Great reason, let’s move on.

The next day of school, Yoo Han got a color palette to show Yeon Woo and to teach him the different colors. But since Yeon Woo doesn’t want to do a color rush again he pretents that he isn’t interested. Yeon Woo has enough of Yoo Han constantly being all up his ass with all this color rush thing, so he tries to leave. But Yoo Han tricks him. After Yoo Han recognizes that Yeon Woo isn’t giving in, he takes off his mask. Yeon Woo faints and wakes up in the nursing room.

This time, the nurse isn’t there. it’s probably her break or something. Before Yeon Woo can get really upset about Yoo Han’s trick, he sees the colors palette and all the colors on it. And the desire in him grows. But decolorating happens only a few seconds later.

And there’s where we see the first glance of desperation of Yeon Woo. He demands that Yoo Han takes off his mask, so he can see the colors again, but Yoo Han is a smart business man and so he wants something in return. He’s like: That was the preview, the free trial is over. From no on, you gotta pay.

And since Yeon Woo isn’t giving in, their ways part. And the story ends...if Yoo Han would actually respect boundaries. But he doesn’t so here we go.

Yoo Han tries again to lure Yeon Woo into agreeing to his deal. He shows him with the power of science and prism a rainbow and the nightview.

No matter how hard Yeon Woo tries to stay away from Yoo Han, Yoo Han pulls him back in.

Yoo Han says that this the last time, that he will give Yeon Woo a color rush for free. And Yeon Woo agrees, thinking that this will be his last time before telling Yoo Han that he will end this for good.

As the colors seem to fade away again, the desperation creeps up on Yeon Woo once again. He asks Yoo Han what he wants in return to keep doing this. And as we all know he wants to look at his face.

And to our big surprise, Yeon Woo finally agrees to Yoo Han’s deal. The next day, Yeon Woo regrets what he did, just like someone who drunk too much last night. He considers to avoid Yoo Han, but we all know how that works out.

So, Yoo Han has the great idea to scare Yeon Woo, by jumping in front of him and scream, which results in Yoo Han getting accidentally punched by Yeon Woo. They go the the nursing room and at that point I ask myself how they are doing in school, since they never seem to attend classes.

The nurse is probably still on her break or she just quit, who knows. We get the classic “I’ll treat your wound” scene. The inevitable happens, and after putting a little too much pressure on Yoo Han’s wound, Yoo Han flinches and the mask slides off his face. Another color rush.

Yeon Woo wakes up but can’t remember anything. Yoo Han explains that Yeon Woo cried his eyes out, but didn’t seem concious.

Yeon Woo apparently said that he needed the colors to see the headband (of his mother who disappeared and apparently wore the headband that day).The nurse comes in and seems not too happy about the fact that these two visit her at least once a week.

She says that this was totally normal and one of the phases a mono went through, while adjusting to one’s probe. The color rush would extend and he would not be able to remember afterwards. In that way his subconcious could surface.

And while Yeon Woo’s feelings are still all over the place, Yoo Han has set his priorities straight: So that he get’s used to the color rushes is a good sign, right?

Like, your man is sitting there crying his eyes out and you think about him adjusting to you? Dude, at least pretend that you care about his inner turmoil.

The nurse keeps up a professional facade and adds as polite as she can be: Don’t do it at school for the time being. Which basically translates to: Can you two give me a break for once? I haven’t worked this hard since 1986 and I’m 29.

On their way out, Yoo Han says: I’m happy that you are adjusting to it. Like he just wasn’t right next to Yeon Woo weeping like someone would rip his heart out. That’s when Yoo Han remembers that he has a heart and should use it once in a while and he adds: You scared me a little back there.

Yeah, me too, buddy. Me too.

While Yoo Han tries to have this converstaion, Yeon Woo is caught up in his thoughts. And I mean he has all reason to be upset. He is scared of what will come next. What if he get’s used to his probe and the colors? What comes after that? Obsession...kidnapping?

Because Yeon Woo hasn’t said anything, Yoo Han is scared that he might has forgotten how pretty he is, so Yoo Han has to remind him again. We love a supportive probe. But for real Yoo Han, we got it the first three times, I think he knows by now.

Yoo Han doesn’t think about any of this “obsession”-stuff at all, so he doesn’t get why Yeon Woo isn’t so thrilled about the whole thing. Outside, Yoo Han cuddles Yeon Woo from behind and says that he was actually worried earlier and they have to wait here because it’s raining.

We never get an explanation why that’s a problem. Maybe he forgot his umbrella and doesn’t want to get wet or wait there all on his own? Or Yoo Han hopes that he can show him a real rainbow this time? But wouldn’t it be a little careless to do another color rush shortly after what had happened?

Yeon Woo is again caught up in his thoughts. And we can feel how much he suffers already: [...] But when I felt a moment of happiness, I saw the happiness draining out from my view. Loss. Only having moments of happiness...that leave me all alone in a land of grey...terrifies me.

Long story short, Yeon Woo tries to run away, and after Yoo Han stops him and asks why he did that, he says: Because it just crossed my mind that I want to keep you forever.

HUGE RED FLAG my guy! Yoo Han RUN!

This might have been cute in other shows and all...because we tend to romantacize this “I can’t live without you” and “I never wat to lose you”...but we all know that it isn’t meant in a cute way. He wants to keep him. You know, like you would keep an object. A refrigerator or something like that. Not a human being.

The following day, Yoo Han is not in school and you got me there. I was really thinking that maybe my boy here would finally take a hint and leave. Yeon Woo thinks that it’s because of what he said to him yesterday, which would make sense. But we all know Yoo Han, with his death wish that he probably has and the distance that he keeps from comon sense.

So, of course he isn’t avoiding school, becaue his mono - that told him mulitple times that monos get obsessive and kidnap their probes - just now told him that he wanted to keep him. And it seems that Yoo Han is really wearing rose-colored glasses, because he isn’t able to see the red flags. Or maybe he has his own reasons why he wants to be near him...(yes I’m blatantly forshadowing here).

He later texts Yeon Woo and they make a trip to “have fun with colors”. This is the first time Yeon Woo doesn’t faint, while experiencing a color rush and they goof around and hold hands and are cute together. And Yeon Woo is thinking that he would want to keep these colors and the happy feeling forever, even if that would mean that he would have to hurt Yoo Han...true love right there, people.

Alas, this trip ends and Yeon Woo returns to his tense state, worrying that he might get more and more attached to his probe. He thanks Yoo Han for this trip and wants to go, but Yoo Han isn’t ready to let him go just yet.

So, they both return to Yeon Woo’s house, thinking that the aunt is still on her “business trip”. Shortly before Yeon Woo’s father died, he painted a picture of his mother, but he never got a “real” look at it with all its colors. Yoo Han agrees to help him see the picture with “all its colors”. After a brief breakdown and Yoo Han reassuring him that he is by his side and he will be the key to his colors, the door opens. Turns out the aunt is back! You didn’t see that coming, did you?

Yeon Woo and Yoo Han try their best to keep their mono/probe status a secret. And they are as good in hiding a secret as kids are, when they give you a totally normal drink that they definitely didn’t fill with salt or dirt or something and can’t stop giggling and begging you to take a big sip.

Yeon Woo tries to act normal, even though he sees his aunt in “full color” for the first time. And Yoo Han is over there smililing like: yep, I know exactly what’s going on right now, you can thank me later.

Yeon Woo walks Yoo Han to the bus station. On their way Yeon Woo is happy to let Yoo Han know that he can still see the colors. And Yoo Han gets all excited like: OMG! That means that your feelings for me let you slowly accept it. And Yeon Woo is like: Yeah, no definitely not. Feelings for you??

They arrive at the bus station and Yoo Han has to flex with his kind of impressive knowledge about colors.  After Yoo Han entered the bus, Yeon Woo’s decolerating.

Yeon Woo is again, desperately trying to cling onto the colors and has a minor breakdown. Thinking that without Yoo Han life is empty and lifeless and he’s just feels like an empty shell. And I’m here like...dude the ship is about to sail, get on board and leave as long as you can! You are already obsessed with him, please!

As he returns back to his aunt, she let’s him know that she ain’t stupid and knows that Yoo Han is his probe. Isn’t that obvious? The whole school probably knows already. I mean, look at them.

The aunt got all the brain cells and she’s like: You have to transfer schools and we have to move. Finally an adult being an adult and doing wise and good things. But oh no, it’s too late and Yeon Woo is determent to stay: “I will try my best to handle it. I’m different I’m not like other monos.” I can resist and rise above the urge.”

Huh..my dear, are we just pretending like you weren’t breaking down, because your life felt lifeless without him and you already think about keeping him? And now you are sitting there pretending you are all high and mighty and “different?” while you are obsession over the guy you met like a week ago? Lying to her saying that you can handle it and will rise above the urge, while you had a breakdown just FIVE MINUTES AGO? Mmk...

And the aunt is continuing asking the real questions: Are you not aware of the loss you’ll experience? How can you possibly handle that? And I’m like: YES! Please, help them! Go get him! But alas, my hopes crashed, because Yeon Woo starts to cry and no one can be mad at Yeon Woo when he cries. And so his aunt’s like: K, we stay.

And so these wise words were sadly too late. Yeon Woo is already in too deep. The next time he is in school, Yoo Han is not there. And he switched to full obsession mode. With a concerningly calmy voice he asks his friends: What if I kidnap Yoo Han? Like it was something totally normal to ask.

Joo Haeng tries to make this situation less weird and says: Hah..ha.. I mean, if you would kidnap him he probably would lock the door himself.

His other friend, Min Jae totally looks through this “jokes” and says: Do you really want to become a monster? That’s when Joo Haeng seems to understand that this wasn’t a joke at all. And his expression changes and you could slowly see the realisation:.haha..that’s a weird joke to make..okay..no one’s laughing..wait..you were joking right?

Yeon Woo falls more and more into the dark rabbit whole and buys a bunch off stuff that you would totally need to kidnap someone, but the seller is like: Teenagers these days. Guess, I’m minding my own business. Which I always aprove, but not in this case! Dude you live in a world with monos who go insane and kidnap their probes and you don’t wanna maybe...inform some authorities? Check his ID or call the police? Anything? No?

Espacially with so many cases popping up shouldn’t monos get asigned some therapist or counselor or someone who keeps an eye on them?

While Yeon Woo is researching how to tie a rope, his aunt comes in and asks him, if he is okay. Sweety, I love you, but he is CLEARLY NOT OKAY! She says that she can feel that something’s off. He reminds her off his mother, shortly before she brought home his father. Yeon Woo reassures her that he’s fine and not up to anything. And she just...  leaves.

Yoo Han returns to school because he missed Yeon Woo - probably the way Yeon Woo stares at him. Yoo Han notices the mark on Yeon Woo’s wrist (he tried to tie the rope around his wrist to learn it) and get’s worried. But not about himself, of course. Because why would you?

And Yeon Woo’s like: I wonder how this mark seems to him. Well I’m telling you, if he isn’t running away now, don’t worry too much about Yoo Han, because I think that he really has a death wish. He would probably tie his own rope, if you ask him nicely.

Yeon Woo reminds us that he was right all along. A mono and a probe shouldn’t meet. A mono will only hurt his probe, because he doesn’t want to lose, what the probe can show him.

So, yeah. What’s the lesson here, kids? When someone tells you that they are “not good for you” or “dangerous”, believe them. Because they are.

Despite Yeon Woo’s assumptions, Yoo Han can’t read minds and that’s why he has no clue what’s going on. Instead, he lists the different shades of brown. And oh boy did this show teach me about all the different shades of colors I didn’t know existed.

Yeon Woo is seemingly melting. The two look at a picture that Yeon Woo painted of his mother in grey colors. They talk a little about how Yeon Woo sees the world, when Yoo Han isn’t there.

Despite standing so close to his probe, Yeon Woo decolerates. This catches him totally off guard and he runs away. At home, he rambles on about how he becomes a monster and that this monster is coming for Yoo Han. And that there is only one way to keep Yoo Han safe. And he uses the rope and tries to hang himself.

He wakes up in a hospital. His aunt is with him and tells him that he was out for ten days. She adds, that she knew that something was up and what he was planing. Mmhm, yeah of course. That’s what I always say when I pretend that I saw a plot twist coming. I know your game Yi Rang.

The house is back on the market and no one knows where he is (well besides the two of them ig). We follow him for an unclear amount of time. He takes pills that are supposed to help him.

Even though Yeon Woo is sad that this means goodbye Yoo Han, he accepts it, thinking that this was the only way that things could get back to normal again. What a selfless man. Putting the well being of his love before his own happiness (well it’s also better for his sanity tbh).

And that’s how it all en- Oh, right. Yoo Han is not selfless and he doesn’t care about his own well being. That’s why one night, after Yeon Woo overanalyses his current situation, someone is standing outside of his window. And surprise: It’s Yoo Han.

He climbs through the window with such grace that I thought that this might be a dream. And Yeon Woo probably felt the same, because he says that this can’t be real and that this is probably only another hallucination. But Yoo Han takes off his mask to show him, that he’s real. He is here to rescue him..from the hospital, I guess. After Yeon Woo changed, they both run to a bus station and drive off into happiness aka to the ocean.

They are planning to go to the beach, because Yoo Han wants to show Yeon Woo the real color of the ocean, but they have to stay at a hotel overnight. While Yoo Han has to sleep on the floor, he opens a little bit up about why he is here and what happened.

And what basically happened is: Yeon Woo disappeared and because he didn’t want to lose him, this was the only solution he had in mind.

The next day they both chill at the beach and it’s time for Yoo Han to show off his color-knowledge again. So he lists all the different shades of blue - well the shades he can recall. And Yoo Han says that he memorizes them and the thought of Yeon Woo would make it easier for him to do it. What a man, honestly. Like, I struggle lately with studying and concentrating and seeing him putting up with all that work for, so he can pretend that he is the master of the color-universe for two minutes or less. That’s determination.

Yeon Woo calls his aunt to make sure that she doesn’t die of a heart attack, after her nephew also disappeared and the aunt says that Yoo Han has a really powerful family and that they will press charges against Yeon Woo for kidnapping Yoo Han, if they don’t come back. Yeon Woo is upset that Yoo Han’s parents are pressing charges against something he didn’t do (well I mean he probably did it multiple times in his head).

Yoo Han FINALLY tells him the whole truth. That he is no longer interested in becoming an idol and prefers to study and (more importantly) he tells him the REAL reason why he was so eager to have Yeon Woo around him.

And get ready you guys because this will blow your minds: He isn’t able to recognize faces. Faceblindness. BUT he is ablte to see Yeon Woo’s face. Which was the reason that he was so drawn to him. Everytime they would seperate, he wouldn’t be able to remember it. Only, when he saw him in front of him (espacially when he experienced a color rush) he was able to see it.

Just imagine how lucky they are? I mean, just imagine you can’t see faces and one day you can. But only one face and this one face belongs to Yeon Woo who is just gorgeous and has a beautiful and kind soul. It could’ve been any face that he was able to see. Same goes for Yeon Woo. His probe could’ve been anyone. To be this lucky just once in life..

Yeon Woo still worries that he might get even more obsessed over time and that he might harm Yoo Han one day. But Yoo Han is like: Dude, don’t you realize how super special we are? I can only see your face and you can only see colors with my face. I don’t care. I can see your face. You can see colors. We like each other.

And so they kiss and become boyfriends and return home.

A little time jump. Yeon Woo is preparing some food for Yoo Han and talks to his aunt who is not a fan of all of this but she supports him anyways. In school Yoo Han is talking to Min Jae who is giving him the code to the rooftop door of the school, so Yeon Woo and Yoo Han can have a little date. And everything is back to normal. The mother is still missing, Joo Haeng is still treated like the  least favorite child by Yoo Han. And Yeon Woo and Yoo Han still don’t attend classes.

Min Jae and Joo Haeng

Apparently Joo Haeng and Yoo Han are childhood best friends, even though Yoo Han seems to have a different definition of friends than I do. Yeon Woo meets the guys on his first day at school.

They are helping him, when he experiences a color rush. Min Jae is able to speak to his dead grandpa and gets visions form time to time. And the fact that Min Jae was able to predict the death of two students is just quickly talked about.

While Yeon Woo and Yoo Han have their moments we sometimes see Joo Haeng and Min Jae had their little “look at them being all cute and in love together” moments.

The aunt

Most of the time the aunt is away for “business trips” and Yeon Woo explains to us that she is actually looking for her sister. We never find out if she actually finds clues or why she is looking for her on an island.

Yeon Woo has many chances to tell his aunt that he has met his mono, but every time he chooses not to. Eventually she finds it out herself, after looking at Yeon Woo and Yoo Han for five minutes. And I mean, that was relatable.

When she walked in on Yeon Woo doing suspicous stuff, the only thing she says it: Don’t do anything stupid. Because that ever prevented something stupid from happening. Ma´am, if you think that he might be up to something stupid and you feel the need to point out that he shouldn’t do anything stupid why don’t you keep an eye on him???

In the end she is still a little careful about her nephew and the probe, but she accepts them being boyfriends, I guess.

Things I disliked

This show was wild ride. I even considered droping it, because I was not in the right mental state to watch a bad ending. But I made it through and I’m happy that I did. I love this show. But you know me. Nothing’s perfect.

Better built up to the drama. Even though the built up was pretty good, it would’ve been way better, if it did include the side characters more. So that the side characters could actually play an important/active role in this. Like the random nurse who was only there for exposition and only appeared when it was convenient, she could’ve seen Yeon Woo being all obsessed and talk to him or Yoo Han about it. And I mean, Min Jae was able to see visions and knew so much. He could’ve talked to Yoo Han about Yeon Woo “joking” that he would kidnap Yoo Han.

Too much plot for too little time. Most BL Kdramas have about the same length as a movie (circa 80 min.) which seems much, but really isn’t, compared to straigth Kdrama and the fact that it’s a series not a movie. It is espacially not enough, when you look at the heaviness of the plot. If you have a lighthearted and fluffy show, you don’t need to go too much into depth and make a 200 min. drama out of it. But Color Rush deals with so many heavy topics (obsession, suicide, loss). And the series is suffering because of that (so many questions left unanswered).

Like, the obvious one is that the mystery about the mother’s disappearence is never actually a plotline. The aunt runs off looking for her and Yeon Woo is sad because she’s gone but that’s it. I watched this show so many times and the more I watch it, the more questions I have... Did the mother also plan to kidnap the father? But they fell in love and got married before she could go psycho on him? Did she kill him? Is that why the mother disappeared? Did she run away because she just couldn’t live without him after he allegedly died?

And also an important questions: Why the hell, was Yoo Han so styled up in the last two episodes? He arrived with his hair styled and all dressed up like he just finished a photoshooting. Was that what was happening? Was that related to him being an idol trainee? Or was that the teenager in him trying to dress up for Yeon Woo like “well I don’t know if he is actually there but we haven’t seen in two weeks, so I gotta look breathtaking, you never know when you are going to meet the love of your life”. This is one of the questions that keep me up at night. I. Need. Answers.

I am dying to know the answer to these questions, but we have simply not enough information to guess what could’ve happened.

So yeah, they definitely have a time problem, which isn’t that uncommon for Korean BLs. Don’t get me wrong. A short serie can still be good, if it can carry the plot. It shouldn’t be too big or too heavy. But I will always prefer series that have 30+ min. per episode simply because as soon as I am invested in the episode it’s already over. Ten or fifteen minutes aren’t enough most of the time.

The ending seemed rushed, too. So many things were left unresolved. Like, Yeon Woo is still dangerous and even says that he only get’s more obsessed every day. And suddenly the parents and the aunt are totally okay that Yeon Woo and Yoo Han are together and hang out, even though they were so against it a few minutes ago. Something that could’ve been solved over time with more episodes and time.

More scenes that establish the characters and the friendship. In a short series it’s important that every scene drives the plot forward or at least establishes something important. That’s why Where Your Eyes Linger worked so well, the mains already knew each other, so you could immediately start with the plot and you didn’t need to waste time for them to meet and fall in love.

There is no room for filler or anything like that. I wish we would’ve seen more scenes with the whole friend group (all of them present) and more between Yoo Han and Yeon Woo without the color rush. Let them hang out afterwards to let them bond more. Because Yeon Woo says this very poetic thing at the end of the series: Am I obsessed with you becaue you are my probe, or am I obsessed with my probe because it’s you.

And as poetic as this sounds, it throws me off a little, since Yeon Woo and Yoo Han haven’t spent much time together to really get to know each other the answer that Yeon Woo is only obsessed with Yoo Han because of the mono/probe thing seems more believeable. The “am I obsessed with my probe because it’s you” implies that Yoo Han is special and means much to him as a person and that’s why Yeon Woo just HAs to fall for him. But they rarely spent time together that doesn’t focus on the color rush and the mono/probe part.

But then again, maybe it’s a choice to show that Yeon Woo isn’t aware that he and Yoo Han could be more than mono/probe? And that makes Yeon Woo think that he has no chance but to kidnap Yoo Han to be near him. Like, looking back, Yeon Woo never thought about it. His mother and his father (mono and probe) married, but him being in a relationship with Yoo Han still didn’t cross his mind once. He was like: We can’t see each other every day and went straight to well i don’t want to ever lose you so I gotta kidnap you.

Show more struggle. This show deals so much with internal struggle of Yeon Woo who realizes that he slowly get’s obsessed with his probe. And even though I really liked how they showed his struggle internally and externally to some extend, I wish they would’ve done more with that. I want him to have the rope ready in his backpack but not giving in to the to the urge. I want him daydreaming about kidnapping Yoo Han and really having a plan in mind.

No warning. Another thing that sort of bugged me a little was that Yeon Woo didn’t warn Yoo Han after the beginning. Just one scene were he’s like: “Dude, don’t you get it. I can’t be without you. I think about you constantly and the fear of losing the colors- of losing you is driving me insane. You need to keep your distance from now on. I can’t gurantee you that you will be safe with me and I can’t promise that I can actually resist the urge anymore.”

And then you could either seperate them or Yoo Han says smth like: “I know that feeling, I also think about you constantly and I miss you” and this just turns into a big miscomunnication/love confession-thing. Because Yoo Han really understands the feeling, since he is kind of obsessed with Yeon Woo too (because of his faceblindsness and the fact that he can only see Yeon Woo’s face) and Yeon Woo thinks that Yoo Han is not getting it and it’s a love declaration but it’s not - well it is but you get the drill.

Or, as I addressed earlier, Min Jae playing a bigger role and telling his friend that Yeon Woo is slowly going insane and thinks about kidknapping him.

And if all that doesn’t work out for some reason or it’s just...too much effort  make a parallel to the one scene between the talk of Yeon Woo and his aunt at the beginning: The aunt finds the stuff that Yeon Woo baught (or she just connects the dots sooner) and she wants to talk to him. “How can you handle it?” and this time Yeon Woo says “I don’t know what to do. I thought I could handle it, but I can’t.” and they work together to make a plan. And you can still have him go to the hospital and Yoo Han coming to the rescue.

All the time, I keep asking myself, why apparently no one felt the need to inform his aunt or maybe the probe about the situation? “Hey Yoo Han, Yeon Woo was really weird today. Talked about kidnapping you, please be careful.”

Like, I watch so many BL’s and at some point the parents or the ex-girlfriend or SOMEONE is always getting involved and tries to tear the couple apart. And for once, I would be okay with this plot device of the friends being cockblocks or the aunt threatening Yoo Han to stay away from Yeon Woo ESPACIALLY IF IT’S FOR HIS OWN GOOD DAMN SAFETY! But no.

That’s all the friends needed to do. You had one job, guys, one job.

Things I liked

The music. A banger. Listen to it on Spotify almost every day. Korean BLs just have on of the best music.

The chemistry. In a short series (espacially with short episodes) a good chemistry is fundamental so we can bond faster with the characters and the relationships. And in this show where the two leads are getting obsessed over each other, so here it’s espacially important so we can feel their deep desire for each other, if you want to call it that.

Yoo Han seemed a little emotionless and stiff at times, but IIRC he’s supposed to have a hard time with all these emotions, espacially with facial expressions, which makes sense.

The rainbow scene. One of my favorite scenes by far.

the handholding. We all know that it’s about the hands with the gays. It’s all about the hands.

the colors, the hole scene looked so beautiful shot with the dark background and the blue shirt of Yoo Han and the freaking rainbow.

Yeon Woo having fun, which is a rarity in this show.

We get another glimps of how fast Yeon Woo can go from uwu to -.-. The way he smashes Yoo Han against the wall...

The display of the power dynamic and how both of them try to get the upper hand. And looking back this scene shows that Yoo Han tries to contorl his own obsession by luring Yeon Woo into accepting the deal.

The iconic lines: The colors in this world are yours to enjoy...only when I let you see them. Which was an asshole move - but dare I say it - ...kinda savage.

The storyline. Loved it. Great idea. I want more of it. I’m a sucker for soulmates. I know some think that this series was problematic and had bad writing and I respect that, but I have to disagree. Sure, it’s not perfect and definitely not a masterpiece. But it’s good, imo. The forshadowing of Yoo Han and how he from day one was so facinated by Yeon Woo and his face, that nothing could bring him to his senses to freaking run. It was cute, fun and exciting to watch. I wouldn’t mind a second season to wind up some loose ends.

The beautiful editing. I loved the editing in this one! No unecessary slapstick sounds. No unecessary music that would play randomly. Just the color rush that showed you not only what Yeon Woo was seeing, but helped you to get a deeper understanding in what was going on. It was also used to help you relate to his situation more.

The power dynamic. In this show there is a constant power change. In the begining you think that a probe should be the one with power, right? Since they have the power to let their mono see colors and take them away from them. The monos want something from them and that gives them power. Probe > Mono

But you learn that monos get obsessed and can be extremely dangerous and therefore many probes should run from their mono. Giving the power to the monos. Mono > Probe

In this series, it at first seems like Yoo Han (the probe) holds the power since he is constantly trying to be around Yeon Woo and demostrates his power (the rainbow scene). Probe > Mono

But the more episodes you watch, you realize that Yeon Woo gets more and more obsessed, means that he is dangerous. He could hurt Yoo Han any time. So it seems that Yeon Woo was in power all along. Mono > Probe

BUT in the last episode Yoo Han explains that he can only see Yeon Woo’s face and as soon as they seperate he forgets his face. This would further proof that Yeon Woo has the upper hand here. BUT the thing is, they are sort of equals here. Yeon Woo has the “power” to let Yoo Han see his face and taking it away his face from Yoo Han. This means that in some way both hold kind of some power in their relationship making it somewhat equal, which is important. Yeon Woo = Yoo Han

And I think that’s beautiful. A relationship needs to consist of two equals. It can’t be healthy if one is always the one in charge and the other has no say in things.

The Color-Talks. I read a few post complaining that the series was wasting time by talking too much about colors. And I can kinda agree that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but in this show they did it for a reason. They could’ve cut it out, but it was important. The series is called Color Rush (look at the name, read it again, think about it, reread it, take it in and exhale it and now look in the mirror and answer the question: What is this show about?). Take I Told Sunset About You they also talk a lot about the chinese letters and what they mean and how you write them, would you consider that a waste of time? Maybe, but it’s not.

I’m actually glad that they didn’t cut it out. Just imagine one scene like this: “Oh there are many different shades of brown. There is chocolate, caramel, cinnamon [cut] and the last one is chestnut.” It would not only take away the flow but also feel somewhat half-assed and undermine the importance of this for Yeon Woo, who learns about the colors for the fist time. It means the world to him.

Also that they thought about the ten different shades of grey fits perfectly and seems well thought through. It makes perfect sense that people who are only able to see grey, would try to name the different shades.

It’s about the hands.

And this aren’t all of them. Do I have to say more?

That’s all I have to say about this series. Check out my other reviews.

My BL Review List: https://urmyquerencia.tumblr.com/post/627642344497364992/bl-reviews

- urmyquerencia

[noona96nwrite]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 컬러 러쉬 | Color Rush (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Choi Yeon Woo/Go Yoo Han (Color Rush), Jung Joo Haeng/Kim Min Jae, Go Yoo Han & Jung Joo Haeng & Kim Min Jae Characters: Kim Min Jae (Color Rush), Jung Joo Haeng (Color Rush), Go Yoo Han (Color Rush), Choi Yeon Woo (Color Rush), Yoo Yi Rang Additional Tags: Min Jae is a psychic, mention of suicide, Canon Compliant Series: Part 3 of whale fall Summary:

Minjae thinks about Yoohan spiriting Yeonwoo away and keeps him in a cabin, bundles him up in blankets and bubble wrap and never letting Yeonwoo leave. He shudders at the thoughts. - this fic takes place during the time that Yeonwoo was absent from school and told from Minjae’s POV.

[haomnyangz]

everybody shut up !!! and look at them !!!

[smartzelda]

Earlier I started watching Color Rush (I'm finished now)

Cause why not

And I'm just dying over these two

The lurking friends😂

They see what's happening here😏