In a relationship that acts as a microcosm of the beauty and struggles felt by the queer community both internally and externally, Color Rush both accepts and challenges the notion of one true love.
Using facial blindness and monochromatic vision as a comparison to the acceptance of queer relationships in the South Korean social environment, Color Rush explores an alternate reality where mono’s are misrepresented by the media and probe’s are their only ticket to the same world everyone else can see.
This short South Korean BL series is easily finished in just over two hours, but leaves an impression that could stay with you for a lifetime.
Content warning: This article and drama contain references to suicide and mental health issues.
- Main Cast: Yoo Jun | Hur Hyun-jun
- Streaming Sites: Viki | Viu
- Thrill/Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
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- Dramas of Similar Vibe: You Make Me Dance | Mr. Heart
Ford Carter watched Color Rush on Viki
Color Rush Plot Recap
“White, snowy white, silver gray, silver, moonlit gray, cement gray, dolphin gray, mouse gray, charcoal gray, black.”
Color Rush opens by introducing us to Choi Yeon Woo, a high school student who suffers from monochromatic vision, a neurological condition causing his brain to be unable to decipher colors that aren’t grayscale. But after transferring to his new school, he meets Go Yoo Han, an idol trainee at an entertainment agency who constantly hides his face behind his mask.
When Yoo Han reveals his face from behind his mask for the first time, it becomes apparent that he is Yeon Woo’s “probe” – the person whose face allows him to experience color. The “color rush” he experiences causes him to pass out. His experience is not lasting, though, with the colors soon fading away within a few minutes.
Throughout the course of the series, Yoo Han begins to teach Yeon Woo about the color spectrum through a color palette, light through a prism, and the cityscape at night. Meanwhile, Yeon Woo falls further into madness and depression, watching news stories of mono’s who had kidnapped or even murdered their probes or just completely disappeared, realizing his own complicated relationship and growing obsession with Yoo Han.
Yoo Han’s Obsession
Yeon Woo hatches a plan to kidnap Yoo Han for himself but realizes in a moment where Yoo Han asks him to describe his own monochromatic vision that he is unable to. While Yoo Han notices that Yeon Woo isn’t his usual self, he doesn’t realize that his mental health has deteriorated so drastically. It has come to a point where he realizes that kidnapping Yoo Han is an unrealistic option, and decides instead to attempt suicide by hanging instead.
Yeon Woo’s aunt discovers him before it’s too late, and sends him to a psychiatric hospital to isolate him from his probe, both for his own safety and for Yoo Han’s. This isolation attempt doesn’t work, however, as it is instead caused Yoo Han to find Yeon Woo and convinces him to run away together.
After their escape from the hospital, Yoo Han takes Yeon Woo to the beach, where they talk about the colors of the ocean. Yeon Woo discovers that Yoo Han has quit being an idol and run away from his influential family in order to be with him. Yoo Han opens up about his own struggle with prosopagnosia – a form of facial blindness – admitting that he can’t even recognized his own best friend since childhood, but that Yeon Woo is the one exception.
Realizing how much the two of them need each other, they share a kiss and start their new life together.
Color Rush Peak Points
Some of the peak moments from Color Rush come from the point of view of Yeon Woo. The most memorable of these moments is his inner monologue about the way he sees the world. Where he finds great pleasure from having Yoo Han list off colors from him, he has a thoughtful and nuanced list of shades he can see. His world isn’t just black, white, and grey, but “white, snowy white, silver-grey, silver, moonlit grey, cement grey, dolphin grey, mouse grey, charcoal grey, black”.
Each time Yeon Woo discovers another color and learns more about the world he has never been able to see before, his absolute wonder at the most basic things feels pragmatic. Showing him more than just his own world of grey is simply beautiful.
When he sees the color of his own pants for the first time, and when he wants to touch a rainbow shown through a prism by Yoo Han are beautiful moments of wonder. But the tearful reaction to seeing a painting of his mother “in her true colors” for the very first time brings out a deeply emotional reaction from the viewer as well.
The lack of an internal monologue from Yeon Woo when he purchases a hammer, rope, and a security camera evokes a painful moment of realization as the viewer comes to recognize that this can only mean one of two things – he plans to kidnap Yoo Han or hang himself.
Color Rush Series Musings
To state that Color Rush is a somewhat controversial series would be an understatement. The criticism from fans and reviewers alike has been very split down the middle. The show could certainly have been improved, with the suicide attempt feeling like an attempt to shock the audience and the pacing losing its stability towards the show’s end.
A strong leap forward in the South Korean BL series
As a country, South Korea is lagging behind other Asian nations in its acceptance of the queer community, especially when it comes to its representation in the media. Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, and Taiwan have all taken great strides forward in becoming the predominant broadcasters of BL series not only in Asia but around the world, and even China has shown some gay-friendly “bromance” series (although under the strict censorship of the CPP, with many shows being cut early for being “too” gay or never even making it to broadcast).
Color Rush appears to be amongst the first South Korean series to break down this barrier and showcase homosexual relationships in the spotlight, as has become more frequently visible in K-media through more recently released shows such as Nevertheless and So Not Worth It.
A unique plot idea
The contrast of the struggle to be recognized and accepted both as a gay couple and as a “mono” in this fictional universe is an incredibly intelligent and unique way of portraying the social situation of the main characters. The plot has so much more that could have been worked with (and essentially drops the crime and mystery subplot as soon as the main couple gets together that would have been nice to see resolved), but with its restricted time to work with, it certainly tries it’s best.
Had the series been picked up for a longer running time or an extended episode run, the plot could have been delved into further, with more information on the mysterious case of the missing mono’s, a deeper dive into Yoo Han’s struggle with facial blindness, and the idea behind probes being further developed.
BL series, and the representation of the queer community as well, in South Korean media, still has strides to go. But it is certainly taking a step in the right direction as it progresses into taking a more accepting stance on the community.
Photos: Viki | Viu
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