I liked it, however, I gave myself too high expectations

This show was probably the drama I've anticipated the most ever. As soon as I saw the article about Hur Hyun Jun starring in a new drama I was so excited because I missed him quite a lot. And the fact that it was a BL drama made me even more excited because I couldn't help but wonder how it would be portrayed. I was so pumped that I even made it my mission to make subtitles for STORYWIZ's YouTube videos so other people could be pumped for it too. However, as I started watching the show, I feared that my anticipating it this much made my expectations too high. Don't get me wrong, I liked the show, but I have to admit that it didn't quite live up to what I thought it would be.

The story was innovative. I liked the whole concept of colorblindness and meeting the person who could make you see colors because it's a very fanfiction-like trope. When I first read the description of the drama I thought it was brilliant. I also tend to fall for dramas based on books, so that was also a huge plus for me. I liked Yeon-woo and Yoo-han's dynamics and, boy, did I like the two friends. They made me laugh at all their jokes. It was nice seeing Yeon-woo and Yoo-han's relationship develop over time, but I didn't like how vague they were about it. It was a little weird how they never described how their feelings towards each other developed from platonic to romantic. But they were still adorable and you could see how much they cared for each other. However, I wasn't the biggest fan of Yoo-han having trouble recognizing faces. It makes sense, but I don't feel like it was necessary. I also feel like they swept Yeon-woo's mother under the rug.

As far as acting goes, wow! Yoo Jun is such an incredibly skilled actor! I was so amazed whenever he was on-screen. It was a great call to cast him as the protagonist because I cannot imagine it being portrayed as well by anybody else. You can tell that Yoo Jun has been an actor since childhood. However, as much as it pains me to say this, I wasn't too fond of Hur Hyun Jun's acting. I love him so dearly, but sadly his acting just wasn't up to level with Yoo Jun, which is only fair of course, because it's his first time acting in a drama (which especially can't be easy when it's a BL you're debuting in). But the fact that their acting levels were so different kind of lowered the quality of the drama for me, sadly.

I liked the OST, but I felt it was very overplayed. The title song would appear multiple times throughout the episodes, which just takes up quite a lot of space when the episodes are so short. Both songs from the OST were very nice though. Also, even if I seemed a little negative in my review, I enjoyed the show and would watch it again. I'll miss getting to watch the episodes during my online school breaks.

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A beautiful drama that both entertained and disappointed me

I have NEVER anticipated a drama more than this one. I still remember back in 2019 being in my first year of high school seeing the first Soompi article about the production of this show and freaking out. In the nearly five years that have passed since then, I have pined for this drama in an unhealthy manner, I've had DREAMS about the show, and woken up believing a release date was finally published. Even being a BTS fan, I was more obsessed with the HYYH universe during the later part of my teens than I was with the actual members. I bought every chapter of the Webtoon so I could reread it whenever I wanted, I own both of the "The Notes" novels, and I read and watched every single thing about the BU. However, if you were like me, who knew about this show since it was announced pre-production, the countless postponements eventually made me grow numb. Now I'm in my twenties, in a completely different stage of my life, and barely a K-pop listener anymore. Still, I had so many expectations for this show. After 5 years, surely it must've been polished to perfection? Well, let me say, although I liked this show, it was not.

The first big mistake was the release method. The whole weird crypto NFT-based streaming definitely ruined much of this show's potential for growth. I know it costs a lot of money to make a show, and I agree that today's streaming services aren't always the best, but expecting people to pay $90 at the cheapest for RENTAL is insane. Wouldn't the show make more money being released on a conventional streaming platform and proper K-drama promotion? I can't help but feel so bad for the cast and crew who worked hard on this, just for the show to barely get any recognition beyond BTS fans who already knew of the drama. Most of us are going to resort to 🏴‍☠️, which I am usually adamantly against.

On to the story. Seeing the moments from the BTS music videos and all the chapters in the novels come to life on screen was beautiful. Did they change a lot from the MVs, novels, and the Webtoon respectively? Yes. The core was still there, of course. But many important plot points, especially from the novels, were completely watered down if not scrapped completely. My biggest peeve with the storytelling was that they introduced WAY too many problems and storylines, where barely any of them got resolved or even acknowledged after a couple of episodes. 7 main characters are many, of course, but not seeing any of their stories truly end is SO unsatisfying to watch. It would be different if they all got sad endings, but it just seemed like none of them had any endings at all. Cein vs the principal, Hwan vs his father, any of the boys vs their problems, literally nothing got solved. Which, spoiler, is not what happened in the books. Part of the fault lies in the screenwriting, some in the editing. I truly believe this show needed 16 episodes. The first 10 episodes were too long, diving too much into vague backstories and new conflicts, and the final two were too short, barely explaining any of them. I love the story, obviously, even to a somewhat unhealthy degree. But the execution was very messy.

All of this is somewhat saved by the acting. Holy moly, those boys can act. I laughed, I teared up, and I shrieked at what these actors could portray. The casting directors did an AMAZING job. I was also so surprised at how much some of them look like their BTS counterparts (Jeha, Haru, and Cein in particular). Their acting was so true to the HYYH characters it was insane. And a special kudos to Jung Woo-jin (Kim Jooan) and Jeon Jin-seo (Jeon Jeha), the two of them made me FEEL things. The friendships between the boys also seemed so genuine, especially Hwan and Dogeon. The extreme admiration Jeha had for Cein also felt so real, that it hurt me lol.

On a shorter note, the music in this show was not remarkable. I was surprised by how few BTS songs were used, and each time, I felt like it was in the wrong moments (except Euphoria, that song is HYYH to its core). The OSTs were all right, but I wasn't impressed.

Back on a more story-related note, I did not like the ending (which I must've already talked about, but this is more a rant than a review at this point). I was not expecting a happy one, as the Webtoon also had an open ending. The novels, however, did have a happy-ish ending, that at least explained what the hell was going on. This show somehow had neither. It felt as if they gave up on how to finish the story. This is so frustrating to me, because the BU is more or less over, now that BTS has moved onto chapter two of their careers (and are too old now to continuously portray teenagers lmao). But for this show to vaguely imply that Hwan is in a time loop, not explain why he was manipulating the boys into setting the piano studio on fire, not explain what happened between Hwan's father, Cein's mother, and the principal, not explain ANYTHING is such an unsatisfying way to end what is supposed to be the BUs biggest (and probably final) project.

Still, despite everything, the HYYH universe has such a big part of my heart, that I could never possibly dislike anything related to it. The story WAS good, it was the execution that was lacking. That's also why my rating is an 8.5, because no matter what, this show satisfied the teenager who waited five years for this show. Sadly, it did not 100% satisfy the adult I am now, LMAO, but I truly did enjoy it. If not anything, it made me listen to BTS again, feeding my nostalgia. Not to mention, the show truly was beautiful. The cinematography met my expectations, and the acting was amazing. I do recommend it, but if you're a diehard HYYH fan, you might have many of the same critiques I did.

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In all seriousness, this is the best movie I've ever seen

I am so lucky. It was a total coincidence I found this movie. I was on the plane trying to find Men In Black, but when I couldn't find it I went through all the movies A-Z and this movie was the first to show up. When I read the description and saw the trailer I immediately knew I had to watch this movie.

The story is amazing. So many new things happened all the time. Even though I could predict certain parts that would happen, most of the movie felt completely like a rollercoaster and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I am serious, this story was so beautiful to me, and it made me cry both tears of joy and sadness watching it. Without spoiling too much, I seriously loved the dark tones in the movie. It all made me so invested in Mirai's story as a viewer. The acting was great; all the actors did so well, especially Mochizuki Ayumu! The music also always fitted the mood. When I finished the movie I was crying hard (which was embarrassing because I was on a plane, but worth it). I want to rewatch it, but it's impossible to find it online. If you ever find it, watch it!

10/10 would recommend it if you love these types of dark-ish dramas that still have a good ending.

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Despite all the dark, the light really shone through

Not a lot of dramas hook me the way this show did. As a total coincidence, I had a sick day the day this was released and I just thought "oh why not". Typically, I am a watcher of happy not-so-depressing shows so I didn't have high expectations, but this was a genuinely amazing show.

I'll start on a brighter note. The two main characters are extremely lovely. The comedic moments that are sprinkled into this dark-ass show made it so enjoyable. The fact that this show made me laugh and cry and scream… everything was executed so perfectly! Even the music, oh my god, it was insane! I sat (naively) with my Shazam open at the end of every episode, hoping something would pop up (which I then realized embarrassingly late that the OST hadn't been released yet).

Despite riding the Korean Wave for quite a few years now, I have always been very oblivious to how the military system works — the only thing I knew was all men get drafted for about two years. This show portrayed all the sad truths and dark stories that those two years could offer. A primitive society fueled by dominance and fear. Of course, the show is a work of fiction, but it leaves the viewer with a weird feeling in their gut that it was probably rooted in some truths.

This show is definitely for a more mature audience as it involves quite dark topics like abuse and death. It also has *a lot* of swearing. But it is amazing. I loved every second of it. 10/10. Go watch it now.

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This might be my favorite K-drama ever

This might be an unpopular opinion, but this is truly one of the best romance shows out there. To be fair, it was also the first "real" K-drama I had ever seen ("real" meaning the whole 16 episodes of 1 or so hours). However, as of writing this review, I have seen quite a few romance dramas and I still believe that this is my favorite one. I saw a lot of reviews saying that they didn't like the show, which is a bummer. I do understand why people thought it was quite silly, but all the stupid jokes just added more charm to it, in my opinion.

I enjoyed that there was more than just Seo-yeon's storyline. Before watching this I had only ever watched shorter dramas, so I feared it would be too much for me to handle. Luckily it wasn't, and I fell for each character's storyline. Everyone had great character depth and I got so invested in all of their stories. Watching as all the puzzle pieces fell together, felt so amazing. I have to admit that I probably fell more for the side characters' stories rather than the main couple but I enjoy the way things turned out. Watching each episode just had me wanting more.

A short note, I would recommend trying to watch the episodes on a platform that still has the original music from when it aired on TV. I'm not sure about other platforms, but I know Viki exchanged most music with copyright-free versions, which made it feel different in a worse way. But the original music was often hilarious and fit perfectly to the scenes (like when Seo-yeon was singing "All by Myself" while being sad in the bar).

I just loved everything about this show honestly. It just made me feel so cozy. I'm not even kidding, some of my best memories come from sitting at 3 AM and watching this on my laptop in my bed. Unless you hate silly comedies, I would recommend this show to anyone. It was so lovely and it made me so happy.

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A Love So Incredibly Frustrating

For a teen rom-com, the romance was dead. Not to mention, incredibly unhealthy and bordering on toxic for every single pairing. Both Heon and Dae-sung were way too possessive over Sol-i. ESPECIALLY Heon. I do not understand how his love for Sol-i was supposed to be perceived as pure. He toys with Sol-i for YEARS to see how far she'll go for him. Dae-sung is better in some aspects, thinking more about Sol-i's happiness than his own. However, his love borders on obsession, and I seriously dislike how many years he waits for Sol-i just to be rejected all over again. It is just insane for him to have waited fifteen years and not move on. Ha-young and Jin-hwan's relationship is also a mess. Ha-young was practically in love with someone else, and then she switches feelings within a day?

Also, the kisses in this show were to faint over, in the wrong way. None of the couples had any real chemistry. Heon and Sol-i's dead-fish kisses made me squirm uncomfortably and all the horrible "we had sex teehee" jokes made me cringe my eyes out. This show would probably be better if ANY of the leads had any chemistry together.

It may also have been better if the female lead, Shin Sol-i, was not SO incredibly bubbly. It's a shame because I like the actress who plays her, but her voice as Sol-i hurts my ears. Her aegyo and constant jumping were just purely annoying, especially when they contrasted too hard with Kim Yohan's total emotionless acting (let's just say he got MUCH better in School 2021). Also, all of them acted the same at 30 as at 17. This was insane. No way a 30-year-old woman whines and pouts the way a child does to act cute.

Speaking of, 15 years was an unrealistic time gap. I get that the original Chinese story took place over that long, but it's just unbelievable that these characters went from teenagers to their 30s with barely any stylistic change. Especially with the runtime being so short, a decade passes by too quickly. It would've been much better if it had taken place over six or seven years. Not to mention more realistic. Is Cha Heon supposed to be perceived as a senior doctor when he looks like a 20-year-old? Come on...

And get this! Somehow, I still enjoyed it!?!?! This show took me YEARS to finish. I tried watching it when it first came out on Netflix, and I dropped it after 8 episodes; I used to agonize over pressing play. Three years later, I decided to pick it up again, and something just hit differently this time; perhaps it was the fact that I realized how foolish a lot of these problems were and could laugh at them. The show was cute and something to entertain me when I was bored. I would not necessarily recommend it as a story. But if it has been on your radar for a while and you happen to love horrible love triangles, this will be a hoot!

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Ultimately as (un?)satisfying as season 1

I finally finished Color Rush 2 today (since I watched it on Viki), and I have honestly concluded that it is neither better nor worse than its previous installment. I decided to go in with no expectations since I gave myself too high expectations for season one. I wasn't even disappointed with the news of a new character instead of Yoo-han, I was just impressed that the screenwriters were able to do it. After completing the show, I've come up with this conclusion: this show was better in ways Color Rush was worse, but it also lacked the things Color Rush did right.

The story was once again quite innovative, something we haven't seen before in dramas. The problem is that they introduced a bunch of new things that weren't established in the first season. Probe drugs? Secret online forums? Some weird cult? Yeon-woo's aunt is suddenly a news anchor? It threw in way too many new factors that the viewers had to adapt to in no time. Sadly the budget was also a hindrance. You could tell they wanted to do more things that weren't possible because of time constraints and money. Still, I feel like they did well with what they had.

Acting-wise, this installment was better, even if only a bit. Yoo Jun once again carried the show, but Hyuk was honestly a better actor than Hyunjun. Acting matters because acting was the primary reason for my negative opinions of Color Rush 1. Yoo Jun might honestly be an acting prodigy because I feel like he was noticeably better than everyone else. An exception could maybe be the voiceovers that were sometimes stiff. Also, kudos to Baek Seo Hoo, he has improved a lot! His role in "Idol: The Coup" did him justice.

Once again, the OST was nice. But oh my god. The sound mixing... I have never experienced worse audio mixing in a drama before. Who allowed this? Who allowed the music to overshadow the dialogue? Who allowed the action scenes and all the punches to go without sound effects? I don't even know if the budget is to blame, because just turning down the music a little bit would've made it better. The action scenes were sadly just laughable. I can't tell if it was the filming or the fact that all the punches and kicks were silent, but it was so underwhelming to watch. This is just a bummer because I can tell that Hyuk worked hard to make the fights look good.

Overall, yes, I liked watching it. Was it messy? Very. But I think that if Color Rush 3 were to ever happen, I'd continue. I think I have to find a way to read the book. I believe it might make more sense.

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In the end, I loved this show

This show might not be a 9/10, but in my heart it is. It's probably the first time my overall rating is higher than the individual ones for story, acting, etc. I have been quite active in the comment section, admittedly often criticizing the show. But honestly? This show was amazing. I don't know why. Maybe part of the magic was that I saw it while it aired, as I tend to fall harder for shows while they're airing.

Good things first: All the actors did amazing jobs and I loved all of the characters. I mean it, I felt sympathy for all characters because they just did such good jobs. Especially Park Jihoon and Bae In Hyuk! Their characters captured me so wildly and were probably my main interest point for this show's story. But honestly? Even the romance had my heart fluttering in the end. As we went further into the show, I loved that we got to know every character and their past. Every character had an interesting story, and we got to see them "grow up" in this stunning coming-of-age setting. The music was also amazing, all the songs from the OST are on my playlist!

The show honestly did have a lot of things I didn't enjoy. One of the things I often criticized was the romance. Does it feel incredibly rushed? I'd say yes, but it depends on who you ask. For me, who had prior knowledge about the Webtoon, felt that they made Sobin too much of a character who needed to be saved. Who needed a "strong man" to have as her boyfriend and protect her. To begin with, I was quite against how Joon and Sobin's relationship developed, but I knew they were obviously gonna start dating because they were pretty clearly advertised to be a couple. But as I mentioned, the two of them started warming up to me a lot. Another thing that bothered me was how dependant the female characters were to the male characters. I still loved the girls so much, but the writers really made their only personality to be the boys they were in love with. Probably the thing I disliked the most was how overshadowed Soo Hyun and Jun's relationship to each other was by the romantic relationships. They advertised this show too much as "showing the development of Soo Hyun and Jun's friendship" when it honestly... didn't.

But still, overall, this show was thrilling to me. Is this a nine out of ten? No, but yes. I loved this show so much and I'm gonna miss Mondays and Tuesdays now that it doesn't air anymore. Even if you're skeptical because of the romance, I think you should watch it. It brought me a lot of joy, and maybe it will bring to you too!

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