VIXX Hyde

How was the song?

I had heard of VIXX before they put this song out, but they never really did it for me. Their songs were okay but none of them had grabbed me and forced me to listen the song to death and listen to it a few more times. I think that I have something against beastly idols, I can't think of one group that I love, I mainly just tolerate them. Strangely enough, I really like this song, but it did take me a few listens to really like it, it wasn't an automatic thing. 

Like I said, the first time I heard the song I didn't really like it. I thought that is was too upbeat and major sounding for a song that was put on the table as dark and creepy. The teaser made me think that it was going to be more haunting sounding; none of the members have very deep voices either so I wasn't sure how I felt about it. After listening to it again though, I am in love with it. I do take a little issue with the ending 'can't control's though because, like I said, it is very major sounding and I think that there should be some dissonance in there somewhere.

How was the video?

I though the Jekyll and Hyde concept that was used was really cool. The video can be a little jarring at first because there are so many quick shots of creepy crawlers and of the members; they do use the quick shots effectively though because it takes you from the members white side to their black side. It may have been used excessively, but it was a good idea. 

The video's story (I think) is that VIXX are fighting their inner demons when it comes to this girl that they like. I think that no matter if they are black or white, they are all still pretty creepy. Ravi and N and maybe Hyuk seem to be the only ones who have some sort of relationship with this girl. All the other members are totally creeping on her or she is creeping on them. Then Leo takes it a step farther and tries to choke her. VIXX obviously needs some relationship advice.

 

The song ends with VIXX dramatically sprouting wing and making sexy faces.

So are they all fallen angels? How did this happen? Were they aware of their other side or did they just sprout wings one day? Also, what happens now that they have wings? Is the light side completely taken over? So many questions!

Was the dance super amazing? 

The dance really contributed well to the theme of the song. It was almost like they were trying to restrain themselves from doing something bad either to someone around them or to themselves. 

In the first part of he the dance, the members reach their hand forward and then pull it back with the other hand. It made me think that they are trying with all their might to restrain the evil side of themselves that is slowing taking over their body. 

The second part is my favorite. The members are all doubled up and the one in the back reaches forward like they are choking the one in the front, then the person in the front breaks away. At first I thought it was weird, but a split second later I realized what was happening and thought that it was genius.

Then, during the very last move of the song, the members in the back seem to win by breaking the front members necks. So I guess that means that the evil side does win?

Overall, I loved the dance because it took elements of the song and used them in an interesting way and they didn't just make sexy faces at the camera, pointed at their crotches, and rubbed their lips. 

Which member owned it?  

I think that I need to change the name of this section or vary it depending on the video. I don't know if 'owned it' is the right thing to say, but the member that caught my attention the most was Ravi. I loved his rap part with the dubstep in the background.

I think that another reason I liked him was because he had a deeper voice that was coming from the back of his throat instead of the front.

The other member that caught my attention was N and that is because he is very good at making the sex to the camera.

 How's the styling?  

The make up was awesome! It was all unique and done very well. You can tell that the makeup artists really thought about what they were going to do because of the way the makeup compliments the members face shapes and how their hair is styled.

There were five outfits in this video, unfortunately, two of those outfits are all in individual shots and ain't nobody got time for that. There were just suits though, one white and one black.

There were also the outfits that the members danced in, one black and one white. These outfits were kind of cool because it was like they were trying to be dress clothes, but then they had all of these holes and mesh parts. 

The only true group shot that you get of the members is when they are in a forest looking angsty and they all have this weird red splotch over their hearts. I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that they are some sort of fallen angel. They do grab their chests a few times as if they are in pain. Does that mean that their heart is breaking, or that it is already broken? Why is this video making me ask so many pointless questions?

Does the English make your ears bleed? 

There are two parts of English in this song. There is the chorus of "Just can't control" which completely fits in with the song because of the Hyde concept and the pronunciation was very good.

The other English part was at the beginning when Ravi was introducing the song. There is nothing technically wrong with it, but one part confuses me a little, here it is

New generation is back - Maybe it's because I'm not a Starlight, but wouldn't that be a reference to 2NE1 and not VIXX?

That is really my only issue and it isn't even an issue, I'm just being nit-picky. 

What else is happening?  

100% Want U Back - It's an okay song, but it's not really my style

MBLAQ fifth mini album 'Sexy Beat' will be released on June 4

Eunhyuk and Donghae I Wanna Dance - This was super catchy, I liked it a lot better than "Oppa Oppa"

Boyfriend On and On - A cute song with a cute video

CL The Baddest Female  - The song is very CL, but not me at all

EXO teasers - *Enter hysterical laughter here*

~ Alora

I Miss You

This gets a tiny bit spoiler-y, so you have been warned. 

This drama hits you right in the feels, right in the feels I tell you! It is so sad the entire time. This is a drama you should watch in the summer time, when the sun is out a lot, and there are butterflies and rainbows in your life so you can escape the characters sad existence back into your own happy one. Seriously, do not watch this if your life is not going well because theirs really don't go well. Seriously.

First of all, the cast in this drama is Amazing! I think that this is the type of drama that is more for the actors than the audience because it pushes them to the extreme of their own boundaries. Let's move on with the review then.

The writers really pile it on with the first episode. It shows you almost all of the characters and their lives all basically suck. The second episode is a little lighter though and that is nice. This drama is like 80% angst and 20% other. There are some lighter moments in this drama, but they are pretty widely dispersed.

Yeo Jin Goo and Kim So Hyun

I want to talk about the actors first. Yeo Jin Goo and Kim So Hyun are fantastic and I am so glad that they were picked as Yoochun and Yoon Eun Hye's mini me's. The first thing that I saw them in was The Moon that Embraces the Sun and they just continue to get better. I am excited to see what they do in the future. I think that I am going to watch everything that will ever be in ever. Ever.

The story about these two is that they met as children, but he is kidnapped and so is she when she goes after the kidnappers to try and save him. At the warehouse they are at, she is raped. Yeo Jin Goo is able to escape eventually, but he Leaves Her There. Yeah, he leaves her! I know that he is young and afraid, but oh my gosh! I was shocked and appalled that he did that. But if he hadn't done it, we wouldn't have a story, but it was still a jerk thing to do. This is one of the saddest parts in the whole story I think. It is so raw and just utterly heartbreaking to see what they are going through at such a young age.

I might be tearing up right now, no joke

There is one more child actor, (okay technically there is one more, but I don't care about her) and he is adorable, yet evil.

Little Hyung Joon

From the beginning this kid is just a liar and that is all I will say because I have already given stuff away for the kidnapping scene. But yeah, this kid is bad news and it doesn't get any better. You may think that it does, but it doesn't. Oh boy, does it ever not.

The kids finally get the boot in episode five and it is kind of sad because they are such good actors. They do reappear from time to time though so that is a good thing. I was kind of excited that they were leaving though because that means that my favorite actress got to come in, Yoo Eun Hye! This drama also introduced me to Yoo Seung Ho and holy crap that kid is amazing. He is so young and yet he was so believable in his role as the evil and tortured Hyung Joon. 

Yoon Eun Hye and Yoo Seung Ho

At the beginning you think that he is just the victim of what has happened to him and I guess he still is at the end, but as you learn more about him, you are able to see just how far gone he really is. It is horrible to see how far he falls by the end and the sheer emotion that Yoo Seung Ho is able to put into his character is incredible because Hyung Joon has been teetering on such a sharp precipice for such a long time, you wonder how he was able to make it as far as he did.

He's got the crazy eyes

 I think that Soo Yeon and Hyung Joon have one of the most tragic side relationships that I have ever seen in a drama. He lovers her and she loves him, but of course, he loves her more. Their relationship is a lot more than that though because they have been through so much and took care of each other because they were all the other had. That is the basis that the end of the drama is based upon which is what makes it so terribly tragic and probably they point that I shed the most tears at. (If anyone tells me that you didn't cry at the end at the hospital, you are an unfeeling jerk, is all)

Something that had me wondering throughout the whole drama is what is the correct punishment for someone who deserves to be punished? I am reading Tom Sawyer with my eight graders and we talked about the death of Injun Joe and whether or not he deserved what he got. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, go look it up) I think that the same goes for the kidnapper in the beginning and Hyung Joon at the end. They were punished for what they did, but was it too much or was is justified?

If you would excuse me, I have a date with the tissue box

Another question that I feel this drama brings is how much pressure can one person handle? There are so many twists and turns in this drama and just when you feel that maybe a character can be happy something else happens. Some of the characters do snap, but some are able to keep it together, but how damaged are they in the end? Sure, Jung Woo and Soo Yeon end up together, and they are happy, but they are not totally whole, not after everything that they have been through. 

The last thing that I want to mention is the ending of what could have been. Between the hospital scene and this last one at the playground I was so done. Like, so done. I was a mess and it was a good thing that there was no one in the room with me or else it would have been embarrassing for everyone involved. Not that I was sobbing or anything, it was more like those quiet tears that just continually stream down your face as you cover your mouth because you don't know what else to do with yourself.

Should you watch it? I would say yes, but only if you are mentally prepared for this storm of emotions.

What am I watching?

Cruel Palace - War of the Flowers: I am falling behind, but it's so good!

Nail Salon Palace: I'm going to finish the drama, even if it is going down hill fast

Full House: No dramaing this week, I have barely had anytime to breathe, let alone watch dramas 

What if Jang Geun Suk and Lee Min Ho were first and second male leads in a drama together?

Here is a new segment we're calling, "What if, Then." Here's how it goes. We send out a hypothetical "What if" question to all the members of F4Plus1 and then each of us responds with how we think the situation would play out. Here is our first question: 

What if Jang Geun Suk and Lee Min Ho were first and second male leads in a drama together?

I'm too sexy for my costar...

 

-Then they would spend the entire drama competing to be the first male lead by seeing who could be the meanest to the lead actress.
                                                           -Autumn

-Then the female population would feel too many feels and probably die.
                                                           -Alora

 -Then Lee Min Ho would win her heart, because Geun Suk would be too preoccupied with his terrible music to pose a viable threat. Seriously, have you seen him lately? He's such a wreck.
                                                           -Murphy

-Then the entire human male population will kill themselves for losing their girl to a drama.
                                                           -Andy

-Then Lee Min Ho would definitely get the girl because Jang Geun Suk would be too obsessed with his actual true love: his hair... and she would be jealous because it's prettier than hers.  
                                                           -Becca


Let us know in the comments what you think would happen. Please! It's embarrassing to be the only one commenting on your own blog. And, if we love your answer we may decide to send you a prize... -Autumn

SHINee Hairstyles Video!

  

 This is a PowerPoint that Murphy created for her good friend Melody. Becca and Autumn compiled the  soundtrack . Hope you enjoy it! 

-Autumn

And look forward to our next video- The Best and Worst Super Junior Hairstyles!

B1A4 - What's Happening?

How's the video? 

What's happening? I have no idea! The first time I watched this video I was legitimately scared because I had never watched a B1A4 video before. I knew that they were a little weird, but I did not realize the extent of it until I saw this video. Wow.

So the story seems to be that B1A4 is dating Barbie. The rest of the 'real' story is going to be thrown out the window now because it's "Story Time With Alora"!

Barbie has been kidnapped by Ken and is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. It is up to B1A4 to save their creepy girlfriend.  

The boys find Ken's secret lair and are somehow able to set up spy cams so that they can see inside.

Ken, realizing what is going on, boards up the doors so that B1A4 have no hope of getting in. Sandeul does appear to have a flame thrower though, so that house must be made out of some tough stuff.

The boys are eventually able to break in and Baro knocks Ken's head off with a pillow.

CNU is the first to get to Barbie and because she is not that bright, he knows that she will follow him anywhere.

The other boys realize what is happening and they all turn on each other and Barbie looks on in horror as her saviors massacre each other with pillows and pink feathers.

The End

I have noticed that all my stories are very gruesome. Oh well.   

How's the song? 

This song won B1A4 their first music show win! Yay!

The leader of the group Jin Young wrote this song which is very cool. I like it when idols get to contribute to the artistic process in some way. I think that we are seeing that a lot more recently too with various groups writing, composing, and choreographing their own songs and videos.

This song also goes along with the recent trend of Frankenstein-ing songs. There are a lot of different sounds in this song and at first it threw me off, especially that dissonant sounding rappish part that Baro and CNU do. It does seem to come together quite well in the end though. It is alive!

Is the dance super amazing? 

If by amazing you mean cute, then yes, it was super amazing. Something that I have noticed in the short time that I have been listening to B1A4 is that they are more of a vocal group than a dance group. They go for larger and cuter movements rather than the crazy things that you might see 2PM or SHINee do.

This fits their style though and it would be weird for them to all of a sudden become b-boys or something. I think the world would explode if that happened.

Baro's derping in the background

Which member owned it? 

This song was pretty evenly divided. Well, maybe that's not true. The music video face time was evenly divided, but Gongchan didn't seem to do much in the song. Since there is no one to talk about, I'm going to talk about my favorite person!

I have decided that my favorite person is CNU, even if his name is super weird. Something that I have noticed from the few things that I have watched with them is that CNU seems to be one of the quieter members. He and Baro (who is a close second) are on completely different sides of the spectrum. I just think that he's super cute and stuff. Is all.

How's the styling? 

There were so many outfits in this video it was ridiculous.

Please notice the dead Ken behind the couch

Baro gets one random outfit of his own

There were six outfits in this video, seven if you are Baro. They had different hair and head pieces in each one too. I want to know how long these boys were in hair and make up. The majority of shooting was probably them getting done up for their next cut. Then there were also all the head shots of them when they are in those weird boxes. Madness!!

Does the English make your ears bleed? 

There are a few pieces of English in this song. There are singular words like 'everyday' 'baby girl' and 'alright'. It is when they use full sentences that they get into trouble. They are a followed:

Falling in love - Perfect 

Wassup, wassup, tell me, tell me wassup - This is acceptable

You! Baby, I want you beautiful love - It's a little awkward and it would be better if the 'love' wasn't there or if it was "your beautiful love"

(Parenthesis are Korean) Every time I think about you, every day (I think about you) Every time I think about you (again today) - Every time what? The 'every day' part is okay but the other confuses me. Are they talking like actual time on a clock or is it an unfinished thought?

All that being said, the English isn't terrible but it could be better. I think that it would be good if B1A4 stuck with smaller phrases for the time being. This is a far cry from "Beautiful Target" though so they are moving in the right direction. 

Should you buy it? 

Yes of course you should! It's fun and I think that B1A4 is one of those underrated idol groups. They get overshadowed by all those other big groups, so go and support them! 

What else is happening?  

EXO is having a comeback! Freaking finally! Their album comes out on June 3

MBLAQ is having a comeback in June!

Shinhwa This Love - There is some serious voguing happening in this video 

VIXX Hyde - This song is pretty good, but I wish the sound was a little darker

Lee Min Ho's album comes out on May 22

CL's solo debut will be released on May 28 

~ Alora 

Word of the Day: Umbrella

Umbrella n 1. a device used to protect you from rain 2. A symbol of true love, especially when yellow

A few months ago I watched the drama I Miss You, it was horribly sad, but I loved it. Then, more recently, I watched Love Rain and about half way through it hit me, they have a yellow umbrella. It's not like I didn't know that Love Rain had an important yellow umbrella, it just didn't occur to me until I was a few episodes in. I also have a friend who watched Big and they also had an umbrella, but theirs is green.

I Miss You

Love Rain

So I thought, what's with the umbrella? I haven't seen Big - and probably never will - but in the other two dramas, the umbrella represents the past and a happier time. The umbrella also brought these two couple back together. In Love Rain, it helped our hero recognize his first love and in I Miss You, it is when our hero finally proposed to the heroine that they be secret lovers instead of secret friends. 

That's about all I got for today. My house was basically flipped on its head this weekend and I didn't feel much like writing. That being said, are there any other dramas that have this umbrella motif?

I hope you had a better weekend than I did!


~ Alora

Hello Fantastic Baby Part 2

Here are the rest of the "Hello Fantastic Babies" that I promised. We liked Daesung's pictures so much we had to make two for him. :)

Enjoy!

-Becca

Secret Garden

No you did not just Boys Over Flowers me! I think that these guys handled that plot device in a better way, but it is something that can backfire on you. Overall I really liked this drama. I have been meaning to watch it for a while and I finally got around to it. There were a few things that made me go 'what the heck', but that is to be expected of about 99% of life.

I have never seen anything with Hyun Bin before, but I had heard that he was awesome and I have to say that I have bought my ticket for the Hyun Bin Express. He was amazing in this drama. The way he was able to act out Ra Im's spirit in his body was so funny. He picked up all of her mannerisms and was able to change the way that he carried himself.

I thought that Ha Ji Won did pretty good as well. I loved her acting when she was pretending to be Joo Won. She has the smirk down and also was able to put a little swagger into her walk. I do think that Hyun Bin was a better actor than she was, but she held her own next to him.

Seriously! Look at that picture! It is spot on and beautiful. I love the way that Joo Won is all curled up in himself and Ra Im is sitting like a boss. I do wish that they did a little more with the body swap though. It was a fun idea, but I don't think that the characters learned a lot from the experience. They were able to change every time that it rained which I'm not sure I liked. I think it is because I had more of a Freaky Friday concept in my head where they had to learn a lesson to change back. Not to say that these two didn't learn anything, but I though that it was very little and it could have been better.

One of my favorite outcomes of the body swap though was the consequence of 21 year old Joo Won. It was nice to see him as a lighter person, even if he was really horny as a 21 year old. He was trying so hard to get something going with Ra Im.

I kind of wanted him to be 21 forever

 Along with issues I had with the body swap I also thought that the way that he got his memories back was weird. It was very short lived amnesia and his 'past' self was the one to trigger his memory. Did past Joo Won somehow know that this was going to happen? At least with Boys Over Flowers Joon Pyo had to prove his love, but I didn't feel like Joo Won had to prove anything because his feelings were still pretty close to the surface. He was keeping Ra Im close because he couldn't figure out why he liked her.

One more thing that makes Joo Won wonderful, and this also goes along with his brother Oska; the two of them are some of the biggest man childs that I have ever seen in a drama. Seriously! They are always trying to one up each other and make the other jealous. They also don't know how to deal with women because they are too wrapped up in themselves to care. Oksa also has ahjumma hair and thinks that it is okay for a 35 year old man to rock it. It's not.

 

Oska was also half of a bromance that was in this drama. This bromance was a little different than most others because the other half of Oska's bromance was gay. That being said, Oska is one of the most clueless people on the planet. Especially by the end of the drama, it was obvious that Tae Sun liked Oska, but Oska was one part don't care and one part clueless so Tae Sun leaves and it is sad because they were cute.

 Speaking of people liking other people, I loved Ah Young and Secretary Kim

The actress who played Ah Young was gorgeous and she was super cute. I think that she got out cuted by Secretary Kim though, he was so funny. I think that he is my new favorite dramaland sidekick. Yes, I think that he surpassed Sang Jun from Personal Taste. 

Omo!

I know, I was also shocked, but he was just so funny with his constant omo-ing and his tantrums. If for nothing else, you should watch this drama just so you can watch him, he was brilliant. He was also a good paring next to Joo Won because Joo Won was so dark and serious and tormented. I think it should also be said that Joo Won is the person who hired Secretary Kim. I want to know how that happened because they could not be more different. I would like to dedicate the next part of this post to Secretary Kim.

I love him

 On the topic of loveable men, how gorgeous is Phillip Lee? Seriously, he has the most amazing eyes and he speaks English! I thought that is was hysterical when Phillip Lee spoke better English than the people that were from English speaking countries. I feel like Korean dramas don't even try when it comes to foreigners. It's like they see people and go "Hey! You're white! Do you want to be in my drama?" Come on Korea.

 Overall this was a good drama and I would recommend that people watch it if they haven't already. The chemistry between Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won was almost tangible and they fed off each other very well. The cast was also great and there are also some pretty legit action scenes since Ra Im is a stunt woman. Hyun Bin also screams like a girl a few times and men screaming like girls is always funny. And with that I will leave you with this past picture of Joo Won and his tracksuits.

 
What am I watching?

Cruel Palace: War of the Flowers - I am going to be watching this forever

Nail Salon Paris - The writing is okay, it's mostly just flower boy fun 

Full House - There is a lot of man cleavage in this drama........  

~ Alora