I am so ready, you guys! It is going to be a wonderful month full of all types of feels and there will be ships that sail and ships that sink in the tears of fan girls and probably a few fan boys as well. What am I talking about? Well unless you live under a K-pop and a K-drama rock you probably are aware of a few things that are going to happen. Let me expound upon all the things that are going to go down.
October 2
Block B is going to release their 3rd mini album "Very Good" and it is about time that I had more music by them on my ipod. And since we are already looking at this picture, what the heck is up with Zico's hair?
Along with their album release they are going to put out the music video for their title track "Very Good", except this song isn't coming out on the 2nd, it's coming out on the 2rd.
October 3
Block Bis going to have their first showcase since the comeback and I heard that it will be live streamed and since I don't have to work on the 4th, I might have to track it down and watch it. The third will also be the last day of "The Master's Sun" which I have been absolutely loving. Yes, the amnesia made me a little grumpy, but I like it when the amnesiac is still in love, but they don't know what they are feeling or who they are feeling it for. It gives me the warm fuzzies.
October 9
Finally! The drama that everyone has been peeing themselves about for months is going to begin. There are so many big names in this drama, I'm surprised that it can even been filmed and it doesn't just explode the cameras. I kind of hope that it isn't just a rehashing of Boys Over Flowers (even though I loved that crazy show). I am also interested to see what happens when Lee Min Ho's lips meet Park Shin Hye's because he kisses well and she is a wide eyed fish.
October 14
Yay! A Yoon Eun Hye drama! She is my ultimate girl crush. The first thing that I saw her in was Coffee Prince which was fabulous and I have watched four of her other dramas since then. I'm not sure what this drama is about, but just the fact that she is in it has caught my attention.
What time is it? The correct answer to that question would be, it's Block B time! I was trying to decide what picture I could find that would correctly capture how I feel right now and I remembered a time when U-Kwon did the gwiyomi player and I thought that it would suffice.
I'm feeling all the feels right now guys! I am so happy about this! It has been almost a year since their last song and about nine months of Block B just floating in limbo with all the issues that they had with Stardom.
I think that the style of song that Zico created for their comeback was a good idea. They couldn't have come out with anything bombastic like "Nalina" or "Nillili Mambo" and act like nothing happened, because so much has happen. By promoting with this song, it is like they are feeling the waters and letting people know that they are back and when they feel more comfortable, they will blow us away with something loud and awesome.
The beginning of the song starts with a soft piano/guitar duet with something that sounds like either the wind or white noise in the background, and as I have stated before, I am a sucker for pianos. There is also something that I noticed in the beginning that I can only peg as children's voices. It almost sounds like they say "come here!", but this is a Korean song, so I could just be making stuff up.
After this initial beginning Zico starts singing and then U-kwon sings and the Taeil sings and then everybody listening starts crying because they're just so happy. Okay, I'm getting a little over dramatic, but I don't care, this is very exiting for me. PO also does a little singing/rapping and I really like it when Zico and PO get to sing. Zico is a better singer than PO, but I like the sound of PO's voice when he sings because he has a very unique voice because it is so low.
I'm just really happy that they are back and I love what they used to come back with. I am excited for their album to come out next week and anything else that they put out in the future.
How's the video?
Honestly, the video wasn't spectacular and it was a little confusing. I didn't expect an amazing video though, I went into this for the song and if the video was awesome as well, then that would just make it that much better.
I have read some comments from people that are thinking that this video is a giant metaphor for everything that has happened to Block B from January until now. They say that U-kwon embodies all of Block B, the gangsters are all the things that have happened since their debut, and the girl is the BBCs. I don't totally agree with this because the girl isn't doing anything to be of any help to U-kwon and she doesn't really seem to care that much.
So, in the video, I know that I am suppose to feel sad about the fact that U-kwon is getting the snot beat out of him, but all I can do is think of how wonderful his hair looks. Someone tell me that I am not the only one who noticed that, it's like a hair commercial. When he falls or gets hit, it's like his hair takes on a life of its own and says "My owner may be getting up, but I look fabulous!"
Block B, because you're worth it
Before U-kwon's hair made me emotionally confused we began the video with U-kwon, basically waiting to get beat up as he unclenches his fist and waits for the punches to begin.
As we watch U-kwon getting hit we also see clips of this girl bouncing around her living room without a care in the world. Is the U-kwon's girlfriend? Is she his enemy? Does she know what is happening to him? Side note, I want her Block B head phones.
You know what I think? I think that she and U-kwon were on a top secret mission together, but towards the end, she went crazy and turned on him. She managed to convince her superiors that U-kwon was actually the one to desert and to make sure that he didn't talk, she called in the Korean mafia to deal with it.
Luckily, as most villains do, the Korean mafia left U-kwon, not bothering to check if he was dead, where he is eventually found by the rest of his members.
After all of this, what was upwith that super scary ending? It's like Block B is going all Dark Knight on us and they are going to go rob a bank! If they do go down that road, I think that either Zico or Jaehyo will play the role of the Joker. Zico because he is the leader and Jaehyo because maybe the Orange Hyung has been peeled one too many times and finally lost it resulting in him murdering the crap out of everybody.
Then to add a little more weirdness to the scene, the license plate is a German plate. Does that mean that they are going to Germany, or do they just happen to have a random German plated car hanging out at Seven Seasons garage?
Maybe this means that we have a more exciting music video waiting for us in the future?
How's the styling?
Everyone looks really good in this video, and that's not even my Block B bias talking, at least I don't think it is. All the hair is manageable and all the clothes are very clean looking. This is a very simple video and the outfits complement that.
The only thing that I find slightly questionable is Taeil's pants at the end of the video. Man, those things are tight and shiny! Are they even comfortable? I'm not sure how I feel about Jaehyo's giant jacket either. It's handy that these two are in the same picture.
Is the dance super amazing?
Please, Block B doesn't dance, well with the exception of B-Bomb and U-kwon that is. A dance didn't really fit with the song anyways.This was an angsty let's sit in our black clothes on a foggy backgroud type of song, and hey, that's what they did.
Which member owned it?
I have decided that because I know people that are not totally familiar with Block B, but might like to be, I'll do a bio of the members. With this resurgence of Block B, there might also be a lot of people who become interested in them and if anyone finds this, maybe it can be helpful. I will try to refrain from using inside jokes, but I make no promises and I will link a explanation if you care enough to find out what it means.
This also just gives me a reason to gush over some of the members so feel free to skip this if you don't care.
"Mai neim ija Taeir" Well, that inside joke thing didn't last very long, don't tell me that you didn't see that coming though. Taeil is the oldest member and has vocal chords that were kissed by every angel in heaven.....twice. He also scats because why the heck not? We can always add a little more perfection to the sounds that come out of his throat. The members also call him baby hyung because he is the shortest and is adorable as balls. He and PO are also in love with each other, PO has even admitted it.
B-Bomb or Minhyuk is the dancer of the group. His position there is pretty safe too because he and U-kwon are the only members who can dance. Zico likes to think that he can dance and Kyung isn't bad, but neither of them are good and PO, Jaehyo, and Taeil probably couldn't dance their way out of a paper bag if it was too big.
Next we have Jaehyo, or the Orange Hyung! He is called Orange Hyung because he is always getting peeled, or made fun of, by the other members. He also likes himself a lot and sometimes says that he is the oldest member, even though he's not. He is more of a ballad singer than a up tempo singer and unfortunately that means that he doesn't get a lot of lines and that makes me sad because he's my favorite.
U-Kwon is the smile representative of Block B and for good reason because when he smiles, you smile too. That is also probably the reason why he was given the first greetings video of this comeback, we've all missed seeing that smile! With his smile comes a lot of aegyo which he was forced to show quite a bit when they would go on variety shows.
Park Kyung or Dharma Kyung or Cucumber is a rapper in Block B and he might be the weirdest member. I mean, don't get me wrong, every member of Block B is crazy, but Kyung is a special type of crazy. He is the creator of the shoulder dance which he likes to do whenever he get the chance and no one can do this but him.
Zico aka Woo Jiho aka, Zi-a-co aka the Jamaican Beggar is the leader of the group and he also writes, composes, and produces almost all of Block B's songs. Basically he's awesome. When they debuted he also had a bit of an obsession with Hello Kitty because he thought that having a cute character with him made him less threatening looking.
Before I start talking about PO I just want to make a mention about how mature he looks with this black hair. Boy looks good.
PO is the maknae of the group and he has a voice that explodes ovaries and broveries alike and if you say otherwise, you are lying. In odds to his crazy deep voice, this boy can do some seriousaegyo, and it isn't like Bang Yong Guk's awkward deep voice aegyo, PO is a mastah. He also can't be serious for more than two seconds and is always making people laugh.
And there you have it, a little information about Block B. You should also know that the BBCs are a slightly rowdy and inappropriate bunch, much like the members of Block B. It's just one big battle to see who can make fun of each other the most. Seven Seasons asked what BBCs would write on banners if Block B had gone to Idol Star Athletics Championships, they're pretty good, my favorite being "Zico, move your nose I can't see EXO oppas"
Now just to leave you with something fun, here are twovideos of out takes and the members singing each other parts from the recording of their song "Movie's Over" I love these derps.
Did the English make your ears bleed?
U-Kwon has done it again, he said something awkward, but this time it wasn't a pronunciation issue like in "Nalina" it was just weird. He says "I deep inside of you, I can't get over." Um, what? I'm feeling a little uncomfortable over here!
Kyung and Zico also had some English lines, but Kyung is fairly fluent, if not totally fluent, in English and Zico likes to pretend that he is, but his pronunciation is pretty good. What else is happening?
FT Island "Memory" - This song came out at the same time as "Be a Light" so it became sufficiently less important than it initially was. Sorry FT Island. This isn't my favorite song by them either.
Insooni "Beautiful Girl" - Oh my gosh this woman is a freaking rock star! This is the title song of her 18th album that is celebrating her 35th year since her debut. She is singing to people on a subway car and just hanging out with people, I want to meet her!
Busker Busker "In the Beginning, a Thing Called Love" - I love the raw sound of their vocals in this song. I have never gotten around to listening to one of their songs, and I'm glad that I finally have because now I can agree with the people that say they are good, because they are.
Joy o'clock "Delusion" - debut song - These two guys are pretty good, even though this is a ballad so it didn't totally hook me. They do have really strong vocals though and one of them plays the piano. This sounds like something that would come off of a OST, I wonder if they will go that way?
BPPOP "Never Ever Let Me Go" - This is their first comeback, and to be perfectly honest, I don't even remember what they debut song sounded like, so you can tell they made a big impact on me. This song is pretty though and they have pretty voices, that's all I have to say.
I liken this drama to something that happened to me when I was was in elementary school until about the time I graduated from high school. I had this friend and we had been friends for a long time. We saw each other a lot, we went to church and school together and got into general childhood and adolescent mischief, it was wonderful. Then one day, without warning she turned on me and made it her goal in life to make my life miserable. To this day I still don't know the reason, but it makes me sad because we did have a wonderful friendship for a number of years.
I went into this drama excited because it had Lee Joon Ki and the child actors Yeo Jin Goo and Kim Yoo Jung. All are wonderful and I love watching them work. As I continued to watch though, everything began to fall apart. I stuck it through though because I wanted to believe that it would get better and we could separate on amiable terms, but it was not to be. When the curtain closed on this drama, my jaw was on the floor and I was resiting the very strong urge to flip the computer desk and then light the computer on fire.
Yes, it was that bad.
I knew going into it that there were going to be problems. There were reviews all over the internet and I like to know what I am getting into before I invest myself in something. That way I watch things that I like. I went into this drama fully aware that I would probably be disappointed, but I did not fully realize the extent of that disappointment until the end.
Let's start off with the first thing that was weird. The drama begins with Iljimae being awesome and ninja-ing his way across a rooftop. When he gets to his destination he pulls out......wait for it.....wait for it.....an invisibility cloak. That's right ladies and gentleman, Iljimae has an invisibility cloak. He also has super legit stage makeup, prosthetics, and plastic explosives. Um.....we are in Joseon right? This isn't like a Korean The Village only they have future things in the old time period?
I'm Iljimae and the laws of the universe do not apply to me
After that....interesting....introduction, we learn Iljimae's back story and the events that created the man we had just seen. Even though the beginning was incredibly sad, it made me really happy because I got to see these two cuties:
They're going to get married someday, it's going to happen okay?
The first time I saw them was in The Moon that Embraces the Sun so how could I say no when I saw that this was the first thing that they did together? Yeo Jin Goo did not disappoint me with his child acting skills. I may or may not have shed a few tears when he had to deny everything and run for his life. Kim Yoo Jung, while she didn't do a lot in the drama, the parts she was in were adorable and just furthered my belief that these two are meant for each other.
Nine and eleven year old love
This drama did have its good points: the cast, the scenery, the relationship between characters, and, of course, Lee Joon Ki being a freaking ninja. But that all blew away with the bad story line and the insanity of the last episode. Seriously? How could they do that not only to the characters, but to us as an audience? I had this grand ending planned for the drama because 1) I thought that all the characters deserved nice things because of everything that they had gone through and 2) a good ending would have at least made watching this show worth it.
That ending though.....I'm still confused about it, mainly that random kid the mothers were taking care of. If anyone who reads this post and has seen Iljimae, can you tell me who he is? Seriously! Is he some reincarnated soul, is he even related to Iljimae? Who the heck is he? And the thought of actually watching the last 15 minutes of that drama again to try to figure it out, makes me want to cry.
The writers did do one thing right though. Ilijmae's calling card was a painting of a plum branch that he would leave at the scene of every crime. All through the drama I was hoping against all hope that the writers would allow me the one happiness of Iljimae pulling off a giant heist and unfurling a gigantic version of his symbol.
Thank you
So as to whether or not you should watch it? It pains me to say it, but don't do it. I'm glad I watched it in a strange way, but I would never want to watch it again. Not even clips of it on Youtube. I don't want to have to relive all that nonsense again.
I was so excited to hear that there was going to be a sudden influx of ghostly dramas after the love that I gained for the movie Spellbound. It was funny and scary and wonderful and I wanted to experience all of that wonderfulness again and here were two opportunities to do so! Unfortunately, Who Are You was a little but of a disappointment.
That is not to say that I didn't enjoy any of it though. There were some sweet and funny moments and most of the actors did a very good job portraying their characters, but it wasn't as awesome as I thought it would be.
The storyline
At face value, the storyline of the drama sounds amazing. Our heroine witnesses the death of her detective boyfriend, but doesn't see who was the culprit, she is then attacked which puts her in a coma for six years. When she wakes up, she has the ability to see ghosts who are constantly coming to her because they need help relieving the grudges that they left when they died. She also is suffering from amnesia which I actually don't mind because had she been able to remember everything when she woke up, the story wouldn't have been as interesting.
When Si On comes out of her coma, she goes to work as the head of the lost and found department at a police station where she come in contact with Geon Woo who thinks that he is all that and a bag of chips. He doesn't believe in ghosts and he thinks that Si On is super unstable because she was in a coma for so long.This causes him some conflict because she is his superior, but he doesn't want to be anywhere near her because weird things happen around her and she knows things that she shouldn't because the ghosts tell her.
As the story progresses, we meet Hyung Joon who is trying to protect Si On from the people that killed him and tried to kill her six years ago. He cannot speak to Si On, so he finds a shaman instead who is able to pass along information to Si On, the shaman is also half of the second OTP in the story.
All in all, I liked the general story line of the drama, but I feel like the writers didn't take that extra step in the writing. It was good, but it wasn't quite there and a lot of the plot devices were obvious and by the fifth or sixth episode, I think, all the ghost stories had completely disappeared, until we got one random ghost towards the end. I know that this drama was more centered around the mystery of what happened six years ago, but the story line that was marketed as a ghost drama, there was a severe lack of ghosts.
Skip the last paragraph if you don't want to know a little thing that happens at the end. It's not terribly important, but it is one of those fun things that writers do just because they can to build that one little extra thing of interest to their story.
I also have mixed feelings about the end. I thought it was kind of clever how the ended it, but what does it mean for Si On and Geon Woo? Can she see ghosts or can't she, and what about Geon Woo? Can he see ghosts now? Si On knows what it is like to see ghosts, and her ghost senses seemed to have tingled there at the end, but all that we saw was a shadow and Geon Woo seemed to have seen it as well. Are they going to have a lovely ghost filled relationship now, is there any way to ever get rid of the ghosts? What the heck writers?
The characters
Kim Jae Wook as Hyung Joon
This is Kim Jae Wook's first acting venture since returning from the army earlier this year and he looks good. He is much more mature looking than he was in Coffee Prince, granted, that was five years ago, but that is all that I have seen him in. He short hair also looks really good and I hope to see him in a lot more dramas in the future. I also want to see him in a staring role because he was so good as Hyung Joon. He was very expressive, which is good because he could only talk to one person and you could really fell his anger and heartache as he watched everything unfold in front of him. I think that it is pretty safe to say that he was the best part of this drama.
So Lee Hyun as Yang Si On
This was the first drama that I have seen with So Lee Hyun and I did read that she was a wide eyed actor, and man was that person not lying. I accepted the wide eye thing in the beginning because she was seeing ghosts and that is scary. After the millionth time she did it to the same ghost though, I was so done. Yesm it;s a ghost, you know that they are there, move on.
Something that I did like about he character is that she wasn't a total incompetent. There were some times I wanted to smack her for taking unnecessary risks, or not learning from past mistakes, but she did get to kick some but a few times and I am all for that.
Ok Taecyeon as Cha Geon Woo
A part from Dream High I had never seen Taec act before, but I did read something before this drama aired that people were not impressed with his acting, and I have to say that I agree. He was just so over the top that it made him come off as unauthentic, but after a few episodes I just came to accept that that was his characters concept and to leave it alone. He wasn't always bad, but I don't think that he was ever very good.
I also thought that it was funny that there was never a gratuitous shower scene or anything in that vein of "look at his muscles!" shots. I didn't go into the drama praying to see him shirtless, but come on, he's a member of 2PM and feel like those boys spend half of their lives greased up and flaunting their bodies.
Yellow Ranger Choi Woo Shik as Computer Hacker
I don't have a lot to say about Choi Woo Shik, but I was happy that he got a cameo in this drama because I think that he is adorable and he acts well.
The OTPs
Like any good drama there was a love triangle in this story, but this one was hardly your conventional love story. Si On had two men pulling at her heartstrings, Geon Woo her slightly younger but very handsome co worker, and her dead boyfriend Hyung Joon. Now if you haven't watched the drama you may be saying, well what's the problem? He's dead so obviously she should be paired with the living character right?
But the writers wrote up Hyung Joon and Si On's relationship so wonderfully though and all of the flashbacks just made you want to laugh and cry at the same time because they were so cute but could never be together! Their chemistry was just so wonderful and it is so wrong that the writers would do that to us!
When I wasn't battling with the distress that this couple brought me, I was watching the couple that the writers wanted us to ship and that was the couple of Si On and Geon Woo. The only problem was that I was just not feeling it from them! Si On was so wrapped up in seeing Hyung Joon and then the two of them were dealing with their unrequited emotions for each other that there was no room for Geon Woo and he knew that, and it was a little sad to watch.
In the end, with all of this lost love and murder mystery business, there really wasn't any room for another relationship and Geon Woo and Si On didn't really get any romantic time together until the end and even then, it was all in flashbacks. The writers did give us some scattered skinship, but I never really cared for it and I would actually get mad at my computer because I wanted her to be with Hyung Joon! I want a redo of the story where Si On either dies and they walk to the light together or Hyung Joon pulls an Arang and they could have been together.
Final thoughts
Overall, I didn't think that this was a bad drama, but it could have been so much better. I also was very unhappy at the end when the writers said "Hey guys, what has been hiding for six years?" and then they were like, "No, just kidding! We just wanted to rip your heart into a couple more pieces before the drama ended". Thanks for that, jerks.
I wouldn't tell people not to watch it, but I would let them know that it is not the best thing that has ever been done. Some of the actors did a good job, and some were less then stellar, but it was an easy watch that didn't take too much brain power.
What else am I watching?
The Master's Sun - Holy. Balls. No you did not Boys Over Flowers/Secret Garden/Little Mermaid me, Hong Sisters! This show is seriously going to be the death of me.
Tree With Deep Roots - I always feel so traumatized after watching the first few episodes of a sageuk, but this is turning out to be a good one!
I don't know a lot about BTOB other than they put out the song "WOW" last year which I really liked. They also did a cover - that word being used lightly - of Block B's "Nallili Mambo" which was pretty funny. I have also learned while writing this that Ilhoon, apparently, is the created of the Gyiomi player which he showcased on their second appearance on Weekly Idol and I'm sure that idols everywhere would like nothing more than to wrap their bejeweled and manicured hands around his adorable little neck for what he has done.
As I was wandering through the BTOB MV section of Youtube, I saw in the comments that people were talking about how Peniel has very few lines in the songs that are put out, so, of course, I had to investigate. It turns out that he doesn't have very many parts, he either gets some backing raps or, when he does get a main part, it is normally in English. Not that that is a bad thing though, if you have an English speaker, use them because they will be understandable and won't tell us that the loofah's on fire.
I really liked the music for this song because it was a big orchestral sound rather than a computerized one which has been really popular this year with all of the dubstep. Most of the videos that have this dark concept have an orchestral background and I wouldn't say more of these types of videos. They are just more interesting to listen to because you can pick out instruments and listen to what is being played at what time to convey different emotions, at least I like to do that.
Even though the whole song is good, my favorite part was at about the 2:40 mark when we go from Eunkwang's part into Minhyuk's rap. Both are super talented and I think that the jump was done very well from the big sound that Eunkwang was putting forth to the more raw sound that we got from Minhyuk. This jump was also shown in the video from going from the big domed room that BTOB was dancing in back to the empty and fog filled graveyard.
How's the video?
After watching BTOB's music videos, I have decided that they are vampire Time Lords. The proof is in their videos. They like to hang out in various types of graveyards, from flaming piano graveyards
To your more traditional graveyards
Minhyuk seems to be the only Time Lord of the group though (does that make everyone else companions?), showing his powers when he stopped the wedding of his two timing girlfriend, which I am still a little confused about, even in the video was cute
Lastly, we have the mystery that is Sungjae. He doesn't seem like a Time Lord, but he was in cahoots with that girl who made all his members disappear and then he made her disappear. Who are you really Sungjae?
I did like this video and all of the sets that they used. They all went together very well to convey this dark feeling and nothing seemed too over the top. Even Ilhoon's bone room worked for me because he was able to shine through his surroundings.
The only thing that I thought was a little weird is the big THRILLER room that some of the members were in. Yes, we know that the song is called "Thriller" thanks for reminding us.
Was the dance super amazing?
The main point of this dance seems to be the use of BTOB's hands. They are doing all sorts of reaching and waving and it is fun to watch them make creating different shapes and angles with their bodies.
My favorite move that they do is performed by Changsub and Eunkwang. When Changsub finished his lines, Eunkwang is introduced by coming from behind Changsub with the light glasses on and it makes me think of a demon coming out of his cave.
How's the styling?
I liked the styling in this video, I though that it was fun and it also suited the sets that they were in. There were three different outfits, the graveyard ones
Which fit with the dark feel of the set with all the black fabric and metal detailing. I also thought that it was interesting that Changsub was the members that was exposing the most skin and had all the tattoos in the video because while he is physically fit, he has an average body, while there are three other members who are known to have really toned bodies.
All the tattoos were really well done though and even though it weirds me out that I am posting this next picture, I think that the artwork should be seen. He seriously looks like her should be carrying a whip though, have I mentioned that it weirds me out?
The other two outfits that BTOB are wearing are suits, one set of matching suits and one set of coordinating suits. I really liked the red brocade suits that they were wearing, but what made it even cooler is when they had those cool light glasses on. VIXX also used something like these in their "On and On" video, but I think that I like these better. While VIXX was wearing light up glasses, BTOB actually look like they have glowing eyes and it is a really cool effect.
Their last wardrobe change were some slightly deconstructed satin jewel tone suits. I really liked these ones because, as I have said before, I like it when groups are unified, but they are also different in their clothes. Like a designers fashion line, they are cohesive, but each outfit is its own.
Which member owned it?
This was totally Ilhoon's video, like seriously, I don't even remember what happened other than he was adorable and was really good at the crazy eyes. Okay, maybe that's not entirely true, but he was a very strong presence in the video.
I like to learn a little about the groups that I review if I don't know them and in doing so I have learned that Ilhoon is very against skinship, which I totally understand. I'm not a hugger, or a back rubber, or a casual physical contact person, even with people that I know. I will accept hugs from others and I have asked for a massage before, but I just don't really like it.
This is how I feel when I am surprised hugged. I know your pain Ilhoon
Another member that caught my eye was Sungjae and that is because he looks a lot like Seo In Guk, especially when he is in a side or 3/4 profile angle.
Last person that I'm going to mention is my favorite member, who, while he didn't make a large impact in the video, he's still my favorite so I'm going to post a picture of him, so there.
Did the English make your ears bleed?
The English in this video is really good, which is a good thing since I think that I read somewhere that Peniel's English is better than his Korean, I don't know if that's true, but I do know that he spent most of his life in Chicago. Since hearing this song, I have been watching BTOB's MTV diary videos and the members, especially Sungjae, are always asking Peniel to say things in English and then they repeat back what he said. He then corrects their pronunciation which is really fun to watch. Especially when he was trying to teach Sungjae how to properly pronounce a "v". Side note, Peniel and Sungjae totally have a thing going on, they're adorable.
What else is happening?
Drunken Tiger "The Cure" - This song is absolutely fantastic, heck, these three people are fantastic, keep making music please!
A.T "Don't Be" - This song was catchy and I really enjoyed the singers voice. The video was also really creative and mad props should be given to the buffer bar guy.
Block B "Be a Light" teaser - DYING!!!!!!Is it Monday yet?
5Dolls "Can You Love Me" Ver 2 - Wasn't that the same thing that you put out last week?
ELECTROBOYZ "Let it Rain" - Brace yourself, fall - therefore rain songs - is coming. This song is really pretty though with the slow tempo and the smooth hip hop sound.
5Dolls "Deceive" - The song was pretty, and even though I think that the video went well with the song, nothing happens, they are sitting the whole time not moving. Something else that I have noticed with all the 5Dolls videos that are coming out, the videos are so jumpy! Every cut is about 2-4 beats long and it is kind of annoying.
~ Alora
It has already been three weeks since KCON, but for some reason, to me, it seems like it happened forever ago! Maybe it's because I'm back in Utah so I am totally removed from all California things and people, who knows.
Before KCON Becca and Autumn wanted to do a contest (then why am I writing this? Good question) and today is the final day and we had two commenters, which to be perfectly honest is two more than I thought we would get. Those commenters are the sausage truck Ahjummas that we met on the last day of KCON, yay! And that name is given with the utmost love.
Since there were only two of you, I am making an executive decision to let you choose what you want (within reason, of course)! So if you would be so kind as to e-mail us at f4plus1@gmail.com if you want anything with the place to send things and reference pictures if you want a doll, that would be much appreciated!
How's the song?
So, I was going to write about "Coup D'Etat" this week, but I was given another choice and I went with this one. After writing this, I also realized that there are a lot of words, but not a lot of pictures. There is just so much to say though my English majorness is coming out and it is telling me to put bells and whistles aside and just write!
This song has a completely different feel from "Coup D'Etat" and that is one thing that I really like about G-Dragon, and really K-pop in general. These artists don't really confine themselves to one genre of music, sure they might be known for a certain sound, but that doesn't mean that they have to stay there forever. GD has put out things that have made us say what the crap are you on (Crayon, Michi Go) more traditional rap (One of a Kind) and everyone accepts that without batting an eyelash. Then he puts out these two songs and they are just so emotionally charged and wonderful which just shows how diverse GD is and I absolutely love it.
When you first listen to this song, and just listen, no video, it is deceptively happy. It does start out with a mournful sound, but then when that bouncing chorus starts, you forget that it isn't completely happy and that is portrayed in the lyrics as well. This is someone that is pretending to not care and act happy, but if you pay attention, you will realize that they are dying on the inside, but all anyone wants to see is the happy front that is being put forth.
I think that is also one of the overreaching themes of this video, pretending to be something that you aren't and the destructive consequences that it brings. GD also talks about "taking away sugar coated comfort" but at the same time he is so lonely and he is crying out for help, but he feels that maybe he doesn't deserve it because it could just end up hurting him again.
I think that a lot of people can connect to these lyrics of feeling alone or abandoned and maybe see their own crookedness. I can see myself in these lyrics and I know that I have been crooked for a while, maybe not the same type of crooked that GD portrays in the video, but I definitely am a little crooked and because of that when I meet new people, they are not quite sure what to do with me. It is a vicious cycle of wanting to be accepted, but not being able straighten out because being crooked is a heavy defense mechanism that takes a special person to get through.
Am I over sharing? Quite possibly, let's move on.
How's the video?
I don't know what it is like in Korea, but in America we see a lot of child celebrities become these horrible broken adults that we all find fascinating and want to fix or stop others from becoming like them. I've never read a story like that before about a Korean person, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen; that is what I see from this video. Someone who is at their wits end and decides that it is easier to become crooked than it is to try to fit into that cookie cutter mold that the world is trying to fit them into.
In a way I can see this being even harder for a Korean idol because they are placed on this pedestal where if they do anything wrong, the world is automatically against them. It doesn't even have to be about anything important either, one little slip up and you become this terrible person and you have to apologize because it is expected of you; it is kind of ridiculous. The philosophy that I have had about famous people for a while is there are just people with a cool adjective attached to their name. They are still people and the general public forgets that and it hurts everyone involved.
GD acted this out very well all throughout the video. He is expected to be happy, but every time that you see him acting "happy" there is always a bitterness or anger behind the smile. I also liked the scenes when he was alone in the room with the couch and he was in his boxers (that doesn't sound weird at all). The reason is, I thought that it looked like he was trying to convince himself that he was happy, but in the end, he gave up on that.
As we progress through the video, GD slowly becomes more and more crooked and his actions become more unmanageable and you can see him spiraling out of control. In the beginning of the video, he is pretty harmless, he is more of a brat than anything picking a fight with that guy on the street and getting barred from entering the club.
After this, it starts to get a little interesting because GD goes and destroys public property and disturbs the peace by messing with those peoples' lunch and then laying down on the table just to be extra annoying.
The last few scenes that we are shown are of GD and he looks like he is super drunk and/or tripping some major balls. Everything is just out of control and no one notices and instead of helping him, they push him away.
Our video ends with two different scenes, of one GD crying alone in the bathroom and the final cut is of him passing out in a club. This is also where the sound of the song changes a little and he sing about wanting that person to be with him and how much he misses them. He also pulls a line from the beginning saying "Unlike my heart, the weather is so damn nice" and in the end he says "On this good day, this beautiful day, this day where I miss you/Tonight, I'll be crooked." I guess this is the feeling of everything is so nice it feels like it is mocking me so I'm going to do the exact opposite and be crooked. It is say, but it is a very human thing and think that this is a very human video which is something that is not always seen from the "perfect" world of K-pop.
How's the styling?
The styling is all over the place and it definitely adds something to the video. The clothes that are being worn bring emotions forward and they are not just being worn because they "look cool". The outfits all embody that famous person persona, something that you would expect someone who has more money that they know what to do with and they are either using that money to show other people how much money they have or how much they just don't care.
Was the dance super amazing?
The only dancing in the video is the club bouncing which, let's be honest, isn't dancing.
Who owned it?
Obviously this is a solo song so, of course, GD. There isn't even anyone else to try to steal the lime light like that girl in Roy Kim's"Love Love Love" or Abs McGee in Xia's "Incredible" this is all GD and he is amazing. Did the English make you ears bleed?
There isn't really any English in the song. There are a few random words, but they don't detract from the song and they are pronounced really well.
What else is happening?
Piggy Dolls "Ordinary Girl" - So apparently, the line up of this trio is completely different and there are a lot of unhappy people. I looked up the original members, and they were awesome and these new girls are kind of forgettable, even if I did like the lyrics of this song.
BTOB "Thriller" - I really liked this song and the video was fin to watch as well. Also, that one member who was in the manacles with the blonde hair was super cute!
Navi "I Ain't Going Home Tonight" - This isn't really my type of song and the lyrics are exactly what you think they are about from the title of the song.
GI "Don't Lie" - I don't like this song as much as I liked "Beatles" or their other new song "G", hopefully that one gets a video too.
JY Park "I've Partied Enough" I think that this song had a good message, but it is hard for me to take JYP seriously sometimes because I think of him either as a whisper or as Mr. Yang from Dream High.
Lim Kim "Voice" - Lim Kim is an exception for me in two ways, she is a woman that sings ballads, it confuses me because I really like them. Her voice is just so unique and beautiful!
BTS "N.O" - These are at the top of my rookie of the year award list. They are so talented and they also do a really good job in combining their raps and vocals in a way that shows everyone's talents.
