Friday, November 29, 2013

Beautiful Man Episode 3 and 4

Lesson One: People are stupid

Wait.......wrong lesson

Lesson One: Money is a living being. Money, if brought up carefully, will grow, but if it grows too big, it will eat you up. That's deep man.

With this lesson though, I am even more confused about the relationship that Yoo Ra has, or wants, from Ma Te. Aside from this couple, there are a lot more couples that should be, are, and were destroyed in the two episodes that were aired this week.

David Choi and Kim Bo Tong - The couple that will never be


These two are peas in the same crazy pod and I love them. Bo Tong we already know is quirky and acts like a love sick 12 year old, but that isn't something that I expected from David. I thought that he was playing into her crazy when he bought the hat/wig, but no, he is also a piece of work. He was actually wearing that thing and then when he was talking about his "vintage dust", I was so done. I'm a little sad that he doesn't stand a chance in Hell of getting her with her obsession with Ma Te. Can you imagine what their life together would be like?

Dokgo Ma Te and Kim Bo Tong - The OTP 


Even though this relationship is about as one sided as you can get, I feel that it is only a matter of time before Ma Te's toast can't handle all the jelly that he will have to put on. That was incredibly lame, but I really wanted to say that so I am not ashamed. Once Ma Te realizes he is suppose to be with Bo Tong I have a feeling that it is going to be one of the cutest relationships ever.

Electric Fairy and Hong Yoo Ra - One is probably going to kill the other


I really have nothing more to say about them other than I really feel like one is going to kill the other. There is so much opinionated estrogen in the room I am surprised that it didn't just explode. It will be interesting to see what happens with these two.

The Break ups 

Dokgo Ma Te and Jaek Hee - You're too good for him!!!!!!!!!!!


I think that Ma Te really did like this woman in his own way, but I am glad that she broke up with him. It does make me sad though that she feels that without her money she doesn't amount to anything. It is too bad that that is the way our society works. She was plain and poor and with her money she gained friends and made herself pretty and she knows that. She knows that without her money all of her "friends" will eave her which is why she kept throwing her money at Ma Te to keep him. I hope that she can find a man that can see beyond her money as see the lovely person that she is underneath.

Dokgo Ma Te and his hair - ...........


As long as his hair was in a ponytail and swept aside, I thought that he looked really good. I didn't like it when it was down because it looked like he had a mop on his head. All of this hair falling in his face though isn't cute. I think that he is the type of person that shouldn't have bangs, he has a nice forehead and it should be out and about. I'm going to say that he and his hair are in the awkward "getting to know you" phase.  

Even though a lot of the Viki commenters are saying that they don't like the storyline, I think that it is interesting even if it is a little weird. Nothing has happened that makes me want to flip my table yet either and that is always a plus. Another plus is Jang Geun Suk's obsession with posing. Oh, Jang Geun Suk, you love yourself so much.

~ Alora  

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

VIXX VooDoo Doll


How's the song?

I really like this song, like, a lot. It is darker sounding that "Hyde" which I like but it still sounds like VIXX. Sometimes with rookie groups it takes a while for them to really find their sound, but VIXX has always seemed to know what they were going for. Sure, they took a sharp left turn down Doom and Gloom Lane but it still sounds like a VIXX song.

Even though it's not technically part of the song, I really like the dissonant piano that is in the beginning. Once we get into the actual song though, the piano is gone but we get a plethora of other cool sounds from the deep pounding bass to the lighter eerie sounds played during some of Ken's parts. I also liked the.....tinkling noise?.......that proceeded the chorus when N sang. It's so hard to write about the noises in a song! I'm not good at it!   

One thing that I can talk about though is Ken's falsetto at the bridge, that was gorgeous. Ken has such a wonderfully clear voice and he has progressed so much since VIXX debuted. Then after that bit of ear candy, Leo lays on his note and by this point I am done.

Last thing I want to mention are the lyrics because those are kind of dark. When I watched the video with subs, it took on a whole new level of twistedness. The speaker of our song is saying that he loves a girl so much that he doesn't care what she does to him as long as he can be with her. She can torture and abuse him, but to see her smile is enough. This all works with the concept since it is about voodoo dolls. Hooray for cohesiveness!

I also really liked the "tick tock, tick tock, may it all be fulfilled" bit of the song. It is like a spell is being cast and that is a nice touch since voodooism is black magic.  

How's the video? 

Whoa.

I don't even know what to do with this video.

I think that Jellyfish has a secret room that belongs to VIXX. This secret room is kept refrigerated and this is where they keep all the body parts and decomposing flesh that they have been using in VIXX's videos. "Hyde" was definitely more creepy crawly than it was slimy, but there were still things that looked suspiciously like internal organs in that video.

Something that I really loved, and was disturbed by, were the rooms that the boys were all in. They were all unique to that person and each member also had their own unique emotions that accompanied their character. It would have been really easy for all the members to be in the same rooms and expressing the same feeling of anger and maybe fear, but we were given such a larger spectrum here.

N is straight up pissed and looks like he would like nothing more than to rip that girls face off. I also think that his prison is the most cruel because he isn't barred and his window is broken. I would even say that he was the one who broke it. His freedom is right in front of him but he is unable to attain it. It is like our girl doesn't even see N as enough of a threat to really trap him as she has the others.


I'm not getting much from from Leo other than he, like N, would also like to rip that girl's face off. I think that if he were in N's cell, he would manage to bust out somehow. Even though, he only has a chain link fence around him while the others have bars and plexiglass. The two scariest looking prisoners have the weakest shields. I suppose it is to show them no matter how much they hate her and how much they struggle, they can't escape.


For me, Ken is the most heartbreaking prisoner. From seeing him on VIXX TV and Diary, he seems like a person that really enjoys being around people and making them happy. Here, he is trapped behind a glass wall, unable to be with anyone. You can see the anguish on his face as he longs to touch the hand of his tormentor even though she causes him pain.


Ravi also seems to have a desire for our lady, but his desire to me seems more passion driven. He hates her so much, but at the same time he wants her. He also has those weird contacts in which I take to mean someone who has been with her for a long time. He is more doll than man now. He is losing himself and becoming her slave.


Hongbin is her favorite captive. Maybe she has had him the longest or maybe it is because he is her artwork, but she seems the most gentle with him. It looks like she is trying to stroke his face through the glass and he is also trying to reach out and touch her as well. Hongbin is the middle ground of Ken and Ravi, he hates her but he wants her, not is the way that Ravi does, but for the simple action of human contact like Ken. He also has the contacts in which also parallels his own emotions with Ravi's.


Then we have the maknae and I don't have a lot to say about him. His emotions aren't very strong which could be attributed to the fact that the girl looks like she is trying to turn him into a tree. Maybe he is the newest edition to her collection and she wanted to try something new.


I liked at the end of the video when the doll was trying to run away like VIXX's spirits were being contained in it. I was a little confused as to why they were in different outfits when they got out though. At that, how did they get out of their prisons? They even looked a little confused, or that could have just been terror at being caught. 

It is absolutely heart wrenching to watch Hongbin being caught at the end though it does make me want to know what happened to the other five members. 

Maybe this makes me a terrible person, but I kind of wish that Hongbin had had one sad little tear fall from his doll eye. He is completely under her control, but he still has that one tiny ounce of humanity left that allows him to realize what is being done to him and he can't do about it. 

Well, that was dark. I think I need a puppy.


How's the styling? 

I liked that they were able to tie in the doll theme with the outfits that they wore. On some of the suits it looks like they have been Frankenstein-ed together or someone has stitched white thread over the different pieces of the jackets. It is a fun take on a pretty normal looking outfit. There would have been nothing wrong with VIXX wearing normal dark suits, but these seaming details make them special. I also liked that some of the members had bi-colored shirts. 

  
Is the dance super amazing? 

I am really glad that the practice video came out this morning so that I could watch it before I posted this. I have been waiting for this because from what I saw from the videos and live performances the dance looked amazing. Something that VIXX does really well is making interesting shapes with their bodies whether that be on their own, or layering the members.

I also thought it was interesting that Ken was the one who was flipped up at the beginning. I guess it makes sense because he, aside from Ravi, opens the song, but when I think about dance, Ken is not the first person that comes to mind. 


I also like everything that happens at the beginning of the chorus. The beat is powerful, the line is "look carefully at what I'm going to do" as the stretch out their arms as if to present themselves. 


Which  member owned it? 

There wasn't one person who out shone the rest, but N, Ken, and Hongbin were placed a little higher that the other three.

N is one of those annoying people that look good no matter what happens to them. He also seems pretty good at acting so he was really able to convey proper emotions in the video.


Ken caught my eye because he was just so freaking sad looking and it broke my heart every time he came on screen.


And Hongbin because he just freaks me out. He rocked this concept, pulled out his crazy eyes, or eye rather, and it was horribly beautiful.

He also has this wonderful moment in the clean version at about the 3:05 mark where there is a shot of him laughing for about a second and, again, horribly beautiful.  


Did the English make your ears bleed? 

Oh, Ravi. Dear, sweet Ravi. I know that you try really hard when it comes to English, but your track record is against you. The intro to "Superhero" went as follows: Yeah. I Wanna win this race. VIXX. Value in Excelsis. Brand new boys in the building. Yes sir. Sure, we gonna make it rookie's time. Race is exciting.

Rock Ur Body: Let the games begin ya'll.Check it out, V I double X in the house. 

On and On: We back again now. This is real fantasy. 'Cause I ain't playin' around.

Hyde: New generation is back. Yeah, we killin' this track right now. We started from the bottom, but we just do it now, eh. Just follow. 

Why, Girls?: You deserve it girl. I say I love you.

As you can see Ravi has improved since the beginning because I am pretty sure that he writes all of his parts. They are becoming more cohesive and there is a clearer message there even his pronunciation is getting better. But then the intro of this song happened.

VooDoo Doll: You shot right through my heart. I will fall for you.

I think that is what the last line is, it sounds really garbled. There is also the "Should I stay, should I go? No body know" during the chorus. I think that Jellyfish needs to make sure that Ravi and Brian spend like five minutes together after Ravi writes his parts. That's all we need to fix little grammar mistakes and pronunciation errors. Make this happen. 

What else is happening?  

Things I liked

Lush "Yesterday" - This song is beautiful. It is ballad-y but it also have a stronger sound so I am really liking this.

Hyolin "Lonely" - This is another ballad that I really like, it's a good week I guess.

History "What am I to You" - I don't know why I don't like these guys, but they just don't do it for me.

Younha "It's Okay" - It happened, this is the ballad that I didn't like. It's way too ballad-y for me.

2AM "Regret" - Such a lovely song, so not for me.

Hyolyn "One Way Love" - I liked "Lonely" better, but this video has Yoo Yeon Seok so that is a plus

TASTY "Day and Night" - After "MAMAMA" I have decided that I am pretty much in love with them

Things that made me go meh 
 
San E "Break Up Dinner"

Odd Eye "Never"

Electroboyz "Busted"

Shin Ji Hoon "Hurtful"

Dynamic Duo "Hot Wings"

Dynamic Duo "Three Dope Boys"

~ Alora

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Beautiful Man Episode 1

Jang Geun Suk and his hair are finally back on Korea's small screen for the drama "Beautiful Man" based off a 17 volume Korean manwha. It is about a beautiful man, surprise surprise, named Dokgo Ma Te (Jang Geun Suk). He knows that he is good looking and wants nothing more than to gain money using his appearance. He eventually meets a woman named Hong Yoo Ra (Han Chae Young) who sees his potential and decides to cultivate it and gives him the mission to seduce ten different very successful women. This all seems well and good, only a completely ordinary girl named Kim Bo Tong (IU) has had a crush on him for 10 years and is bound and determined to win his love.



Our opening scene takes place in a high rise apartment and we see a woman who is looking pretty fancy unbuttoning the shirt of a very bored looking Dokgo Ma Te (Jang Geuk Suk). As more buttons become undone she offers to buy Ma Te a car which brings him up short and he puts an end to whatever was going to happen on that couch.

He says that he's hurt that she thinks of him as everyone else does, someone who will do anything for money. Well, if the shoe fits. As he continues his walk out the door, in a final attempt to save her face, she offers to buy him an apartment like the one they are in.

With this offer he pulls a quick about face and turns her knees to jelly with a kiss and leaves with a smile on his face. You are a grade A human being, sir.


On the other side of the spectrum we have Kim Bo Tong (IU) who is making a wall paper of Ma Te's face only to be interrupted by her little bother (Hoon) in a taekwondo uniform and is obviously not impressed with his noona's choice in men. He thinks that men should have muscles like Kim Jong Gook while she is a fan of the skinnier Kim Dong Won. 

Next, they are interrupted by mom who is not pleased that her daughter is working at a samgyupsal place when she could be working at the family BBQ restaurant. Mom is also not pleased that her college graduate daughter isn't doing anything with her life and has no dreams. Bo Tong says this isn't true. She grabs herself a pad of paper and proceeds to write that her life goal is it to be "Ma Te's wife". I didn't know that Oh Ha Ni was cast in another drama. 


Bo Tong leaves the house to go grocery shopping and gets hot and bothered by everything from the butcher's manly fish cutting to the "naked" chickens wating to be bought. She also imagines herself swimming in Ma Te's perfect collar bones. I can't with this girl. 

At the bus stop she reminisces about the first time that she met Ma Te on a bus ten years ago. And may I say, she is not going to be winning any subtlety awards any time soon. 


 At home, in the middle of her fantasizing about the boy on the bus, her mom calls her out to meet some friends, and wouldn't you know it, it's the mystery boy and his mom. Bo Tang immediately begins bowing and scrapping only to find that Ma Te is a vegetarian. He says that to be polite he will eat the meat and he is either a lying liar head or the worst vegetarian on the planet because he puts those ribs away. 

At Ma Te and his mother's home, he asks when he will be able to go see his father. She says it is not time yet, but when it is she will give Ma Te a password to prove he is his father's son. Because that makes a lot of sense. 

Mom goes inside and Ma Te then notices a submarine scope peeking over a wall. He goes to investigate and finds that it is Bo Tong. She has brought him a container of meat to persuade him to the dark side. He very coolly sends her away, but tells her to leave the tub of meat. Classy.


At school, Bo Tong skips class to stare at Ma Te through the window, and she is not alone. Every girl in the classroom, including the teacher (Kim Seul Gi) stare longingly at him as he takes a drink of water. Bo Tong says her new goal in life is to become that bottle or water. She is the embodiment of every fan girl on the planet. 

Snapping back to the present, Ma Te's girlfriend asks what kind of furniture he would like to decorate his new apartment with and suggests that the furniture should be as beautiful as the owner. Oh, barf. Then, with his own mouth, he asks her if he really is pretty. Double barf. She then starts comparing that question to whether or not the earth is round or if kimbap is triangular. My eyes have rolled so far up into my head, I may never find them again. 

She is sad that all she has is money and is afraid that a young beautiful woman will snatch Ma Te away from her. He says not to worry because money is what is beautiful to him. At least you're honest. 


She is very happy to hear this as he pulls her in for a kiss and she gives him the keys to his new car. He walks down to the garage and tells the car that it should be honored to have a owner as fine as him. He then does a few fist pumps and hits the button to unlock his car.

While he is driving he receives a call from another female admirer, but this time it is his mother. She has taken some selca's of herself and wants him to choose the one that looks the prettiest. This should be a happy mother/son conversation, but she seems to have something really important to tell him, but doesn't. She also has a pretty hefty box of pills. I'm going to say cancer, we are in a drama anyways. 

While talking to mom, a woman in a red car pulls up next to him and they meet eyes and there is a spark or recognition. When the light changes, Ma Te tries to chase her down, but she is able to get away and I'm going to assume that this is not the first time that she has escaped him. 


The woman is Hong Yoo Ra (Han Chae Young) "the woman who appears and then disappears the moment I might forget her." Their first meeting was at a coffee shop when he first moved to Seoul. He saw her across the room and "acted natural" and it was anything but. 

She sends a glass of water to his table with a note that says "Drink this and get a hold of yourself." You might want to use that water to sooth the burn you just received.


Back in present times, Ma Te meets up with a friend and asks him why he would want to spend his life working at a host bar pouring drink for the ladies. The friend wonders if Ma Te is really that different from him. Truth. 

Ma Te's mother and Bo Tong go out together and Bo Tong asks if this person she is meeting is a friend. Mom says that it is someone that she wishes were a friend because then she could stay at their side for a long time. 

She meets with a man that is only called President. The two are friendly with each other and the man asks how Ma Te is doing. Could this be daddy dearest? 


 Mom and Bo Tong spend some time together in the garden outside the house and Bo Tong gifts mom with a bouquet or fallen leaves and mom marvels at Bo Tong's beautiful creation. Bo Tong blushes at the compliment and says that Ma Te is the beautiful one. Bo Tong is honest to Ma Te's mom about her feeling for him which I'm sure is no surprise to her. 

Mom asks Bo Tong that if she is ever not around, would she take care of Ma Te for her. Bo Tong agrees happily, but then worries. Is Ma Te's mom going somewhere? Mom replies that she is just speaking hypothetically and that Bo Tong shouldn't worry about anything. Famous last words.

Ma Te has been dragged to a reunion dinner by his girlfriend so that she can show him off. All the friends shoot barbs about him being a gold digger and he is able to deflect all of them without really saying that they are wrong about him. 

At Bo Tong's house, she becomes worried that she will have her mothers body when she gets older so she gets her bother to help her wrap herself in saran wrap. The funny antics are stopped though when mom comes running in saying that Ma Te's mom has been taken to the hospital. 

 
 Ma Te leaves the party and tells his girlfriend to never invite him to anything like that again. After she leaves he sees Yoo Ra step out of her car. He demands to know who she is and why she keeps appearing before him.

She says she doesn't know what he is talking about, she's just here for the reunion party. They are interrupted when his phone rings, it's his mother's phone but Bo Tong is on the other end. She says his mom is in the hospital with cancer and didn't tell anyone. 

Ma Te runs to his car but is stopped by Yoo Ra, she says that she can smell alcohol on his breath and that she will drive him. She makes me really uncomfortable. I suppose that is the point, but I don't like that she is going to the hospital with him. 


Back at the reunion, the ladies exit the building to find that Ma Te's car is still in the lot. The ask the valet about it and he says that Ma Te left with a woman the ladies realize to be Yoo Ra. They wonder if she is back in the habit of stealing boyfriends, but say that it shouldn't matter because she doesn't have any money after her divorce. 

Ma Te finds his mom and tells her to get treated so that they can go home. He also demands that he be allowed to contact his father and is angry and confused when his mother still refuses to tell him anything. 

The nurse comes in and warns mom about straining herself. Yoo Ra also walks into the room and Ma Te receives a call from his girlfriend. Yoo Ra tells him that he can leave and she will watch over his mom. No! Don't leave! She looks at your mom with a total creeper face! Something's about to go down.


As soon as Ma Te leaves the room, Yoo Ra turns on the scary and says that it took her a very long time to find them since they hid so well. That's not creepy at all. 

Mom begins to panic as Yoo Ra continues to say that Ma Te doesn't seem to know whose son he is. Yoo Ra thinks that it is about time that Ma Te figures everything out. Mom begins to struggle to breath and I'm pretty sure she is going to have a heart attack. What is happening? 

Outside, Ma Te tells his girlfriend not to call him for a while when he hears Bo Tong's voice coming from his mother's room crying for her to wake up. He's too late, she has died. What did you do to her you crazy woman?!

At the funeral room, Bo Tong's mom approaches Ma Te and tells him to change into his funeral clothes. Ma Te doesn't feel worthy to attend his mother's funeral because he wasn't there for her when she was alive. Bo Tong walks over with the funeral picture which turns out to be the photos that Mom sent him the other day to choose which one he liked best. Right in the feels. 

He goes to place the photo in the flowers but can't let it go and falls to the ground and cries.


After the funeral, Ma Te goes to his mother's house and stares at her shoes on the doorstep when Yoo Ra walks in. Go away!!!! He is beyond caring at this point that she seems to know everything about him. He tells her this much as well, but she stops him in his tracks when she mentions "the password".

She knows that he needs it and now he knows that she is the only one that knows what that word is. He asks who she is and all she says is that she is the one that knows the words that he wants to know. 

"Dokgo Ma Te, you're mine."


Thoughts

Wow, I was not expecting this whole mystery angle of the drama. I thought it would just be about this random woman who shapes Ma Te into the man that he could become but didn't know how to do on his own. I like it thought because Han Chae Young is awesome and it would have been too bad if she just stood their prettily and that's it. She is good and standing prettily though. 
Another reason this sudden turn of events caught me unawares is because the beginning was so light and fluffy. IU is adorable and Jang Geun Suk is (I'm sorry) a little ridiculous. I mean, he's a good actor but I just feel the waves of self love flowing from him and it is almost unbearable. I know that it is his character, but I also feel that Jang Geun Suk himself might be a little like this. I can't say things like that though since I don't actually know the guy so I'll just stop there.

I really like IU's character though. It's not like she has a lot of depth at the moment, but she is cute and the design team didn't make her out to be ugly or anything which always kind of irks me. I feel like she is the person that is always told that she is ordinary and nothing special and then actually begins to believe it. I found out that her name even means ordinary. That's like setting someone up to not go anywhere in life. I must say that I do like her clothes though. They are quirky and cute rather than extremely questionable like so many other heroines. 

I think that I am going to like this drama if it continues at the pace that it has set at the moment. We also have two drama staples in the works, one person has died of cancer and our male lead has some birth secret that is even bigger than we first believed. Let the games begin.

~ Alora 

 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

T.O.P DOOM DADA

 
How's the song? 

It a battle of speedy rapping, who would win: TOP or Zelo?

Wow, I totally love this song and I am a little baffled as to why. Along with my complicated love for the macabre, I also have a complicated love for rap music. I can't believe I just wrote that. What has become of me?

Let's start by saying that I don't really like rap music. I need a melody line and that is something that rap doesn't have so I find rap to be rather jarring. That being said, my favorite group is Block B and I also really like BIGBANG, BAP, and BTS, I also like most of GD's solo stuff. But even with my great love for Block B, a few of their songs just aren't my favorite, like the song "No Joke". I do have this song on my iTunes and it's far from my favorite song, but I love their song "Halo" though which is also kind of rap heavy. I also have no desire to listen to Zico, Kyung, or PO's mix tapes. Since this is a YG video I will also say that I totally DID NOT like CL's solo song, like, at all. I also haven't really liked TOP's other solo stuff, but I love this song.

Well, that was a long explanation about nothing.

I think what I really like about this song is all the layered sounds that are in it. You have TOP's rapping on top of the back track, and all the eerie noises that are always present. TOP's voice also seems a little distorted at times which gives the song an even stranger sound. The whole thing just seems like something that shouldn't work, but it most definitely does.

The lyrics of the songs are also cool. It almost seems like an anthem calling people to step up from the place that they are and become more. To find your own individuality and throw away the norm or whatever it is people expect of you. 

Haengjin!

How's the video?

This whole video was just so full of crack, but it was different than GD crack. GD's videos are on acid while TOP's video is more of a black and white, slightly classy, acid trip.  

There was just so much going it was hard to take it all in the first time.

It starts out as Space Odyssey


Then we change movies to The Temple of Doom with drunk backwards fire


Then we travel to the Twilight Zone


And then he's all "I'm on a horse....uh.....zebra."


And this all happens in the first minute of the video. What is going on? The icing on the special brownies though is definitely the creepy baby with the Totoro leaf. That whole motorcycle scene was just so incredibly strange I don't even know how to begin to explain it.


Then at the end there was a little Blair Witch Project thrown in for good measure


Along with there being a lot of obvious weirdness, I found that there was quite a bit of subtle weirdness too. With that though, there is always the case of reading into things far more than they should be read into. With the help of the internet I learned a little about Dadaism which involves visual arts and a rejection of normalcy. Yeah, I'd say that this video did that.

There was also this giant deer painting by Kim Hwan Ki who helped pioneer abstract art in Korea.


He also mentions Jean Michel Basquiat who was an abstract painter who attacked and criticized social norms and injustice through his paintings.

Then throughout the entire video there was the battle, I guess you could call it, between TOP and the ape. They seem to be the same person sometimes showing that this ape is trying to become more than he is.

The whole video is definitely a feast for the eyes and ears and there is a lot more that I could look into but for the sake of this post and to not make my self look like the crazy English major I am deep inside, we'll just end here.

How's the styling? 

One word: contacts.


Those contacts along with his wonderfully styled hair makes this whole shot rather fantastic. I just want to look at him forever! I think what really makes the contacts cool though is the black and white film. His eyes totally pop and it's a little freaky, yet awesome. Kind of like this whole video.

Another face prop that TOP uses is the mustache when he is in the forest with the creepy baby.


He is an anteater away from finishing that Salvador Dali costume. If he really is channeling Dali with this costume that would be quite appropriate since Dali was a super eccentric surrealist painter.

Was the dance super amazing? 

TOP doesn't dance, what are you talking about? 

Which member owned it? 

TOP did, or course, even though that ape was making moves to try to be the star of the show. 

Did the English make your ears bleed?  

I didn't realize this until I read the lyrics, but he says "hakuna matata" during his song. Disney for the win? 

What else is happening? 

Things I liked
 
NORAZO "Wildhorse" - This video is on so much crack, but the song is awesome so that is a definite win/win.

Gummy and Big Brother "Only One" - Gummy's first song with her new company and it's pretty legit. I have never heard any of her other stuff which is probably blasphemous to say, but that's the way it is. Maybe I will look into her now.

Lim Kim "Goodbye 20" - I think that I have fallen in love with this woman. Her voice is fantastic and someday when I have money I will probably buy her songs.

FT Island "Madly" - I'm pretty sure that Hongki sold his soul to the devil to have those amazing pipes. I could listen to him forever. 

A-JAX "Stay With Me" - Well that was adorable.

VIXX "VooDoo Doll" - I have no words. Only a lingering feeling of disgust and awe. That was so good!

2NE1 "Missing You" - I think I'm going to have to listen to this more to really love it, but it's definitely better than the other songs they have put out this year. I'm also not sure how I feel about CL. She's very pretty and her nude scene didn't detract from the video, but I don't feel like it added anything either.

Things that I didn't really like

NC.A "Oh My God" - I would totally be all about this song if not for the whole taking the Lord's name in vain thing......  

Rhythm King "Thinking about You" - It's really smooth and pretty, but it's a ballad so I'm feeling a little meh about it.

Lee Juk "Lie Lie Lie" - Another ballad, so again, meh. It did make me think of John Denver a little though and I do like John Denver every once in a while.

Phantom "New Era" - It's really hard to enjoy a music video where there is a vagina in your face. I only watched the first few seconds and then chose to just listen. If the lyrics are anything like the video it's probably a good thing that I didn't know what was being said.

Blady "Blood Type B Girl" - What the heck type of name is Blady? Is it suppose to be bad lady? This music video looks like a rainbow barfed all over the set.

Debuts

AlphaBAT "AB City" - debut song - I don't really know how I feel about this. I liked the beginning rap part but it got a little weird with the ABC song. I really don't know how I feel. I'm just confused.

K-Girls "Fly High" - debut song - This six girl group are former Miss Korea contestants, the song is actually pretty good.

100% V "Missing You" - okay, so technically this isn't a debut, but they are a new sub group so this is where I'm putting them. The song is pretty, but we all know how I feel about ballads, so, yeah.

~ Alora

Friday, November 15, 2013

International Fan Problems: No Breathing

Swimming is one of the most unappreciated sports ever. That statement is a little intense, but that is how I feel. I swam competitively from 1997-2011 and have taught swimming classes and coached a swim team, so needless to say it's kind of important to me. The summer Olympics is one of the best things ever because I get to watch swimming and it is one of the most popular events so it is pretty readily available, but it's only once every four years! Oh, the humanity!!!

So, when I heard that Korea was making a swimming movie, I sat up and paid attention because something that happens even less then televised swimming is swimming related movies. And not only was it going to be a movie about swimming, oh no, it was going to have Lee Jong Suk and Seo In Guk. Glory hallelujah!!

  
When this poster came out, the first thing that I began to do was look at their choice of swim suit and goggles, because apparently I am a giant weirdo. It wasn't "sexy shirtless guys", no, it was "I really like Seo In Guk's goggles and swim suit". I am not as impressed with Lee Jong Suk's goggles, they're not as nice. I'm just glad that neither of them are wearing swedes because those are so uncomfortable even though they are really good racing goggles. Vanquishers for the win!

At the same time though, I am really scared of this movie. Like, really scared. Because I have been around water so much, I can't watch swimming without looking at a persons stroke and breaking it down. This is why I literally can't even deal with all the swimming scenes in Boys Over Flowers because they are all suppose to be these really good swimmers when they are really only fairly competent at best. They aren't going to die, but they certainly are going to be winning any competitions. Do you hear that Jan Di? You were never going to the Olympics! Whoever told you that is a big fat lying liar head!

Take this poster for example:


Whoever is in the water looks really good. He has a good streamline and because I don't know where the water line is, I can't say if he is diving too deep or not, but it looks good for the picture. He also has a really nice looking fast suit. That bottom picture though. Who dives like that? Seriously! It's like he doesn't know if he is suppose to be doing a relay start or an individual race start. And why are his feet so close together? You are going to get no distance standing like that, you either commit to a full frog dive or a track start. He's standing like a five year old learning how to dive.

Since I am on the topic of diving I am going to continue. I understand that diving is hard, but I am going to rip them apart anyways, because that's what I do. Let's go to the trailer shall we?

We see our main guys getting ready for their race, they go down, and the buzzer goes off.


Lee Jong Suk is lane 5 and Seo In Guk is in lane 4 and they both look pretty good. Seo In Guk shouldn't be looking forward in his dive because it slows you down, but I do that too sometimes, so I can't really fault him. Lane three also looks a little slow off the block.


Then we get this sky view and I want to weep. At the left we have lane three who has the best looking dive of the bunch. Then we go to Seo In Guk and his leg position is horrendous. When he actually hits the water his legs come together but his knees bend and I wouldn't be surprised if he hurt himself a little. All his forward momentum was stopped  that's for sure. Lee Jong Suk could be better but at least his legs are generally in the same area. Then that poor guy in lane six hasn't even gotten off the block yet. Oh man. 

You see? This is what goes on in my mind when I see things like this. I have a problem.

The best part of the trailer though is after Seo In Guk swims some ridiculous distance and then throws himself onto the deck and is gasping for air (I've done that before). Two guys come to check him out and the coach asks what he is saying as Seo In Guk lays there dying. It turns out that he is just hungry. There is so much truth in this scene you don't even know.

Now, after all of that blather, what is my International Fan Problem? Well, you can probably guess what it is, I want to see it now! Now I say! Secretly Greatly took about four and a half months to be subbed and uploaded, ain't nobody got time for that! In the grand scheme of things that is a very short amount of time, but it still makes me sad.

What am I watching? 

Heirs - I kind of want a Young Do and Eun Sang related plot twist. Is there anyone out there with me?

Marry Him if You Dare - I'm thinking that someones face is going to get kissed next week.  

~ Alora

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Jellyfish, What am I Suppose to do With all These Feels?

Seriously, I don't know what to do with myself right now I am so excited about all this VIXX stuff that's going down. I touched on this for a second in my "Only U" mv review post, but I have recently come into a great love for VIXX. I think that it can easily be said that they will never over take Block B because I love me some Block B, but they are a very close second. I could see Block B and VIXX being friends. It would probably also be the noisiest friendship on the planet and Leo would probably end up killing either himself or everyone around him, except for maybe Ken and Hongbin.

When this video comes out, these boys will have put out five music videos this year. Five. I thought that BAP and U-KISS were work-a-holics, but that title now has officially been given to VIXX. Congratulations, I guess. Now take your trophy and go sleep, good gracious.

Back to my feels......these teasers are really cool. Let us look at them in all their macabre glory shall we?


I'm weird in the fact that I like these types of photos and reading Edgar Allen Poe and everything that is in the macabre category, but I cannot watch scary things. I absolutely cannot do horror things, but I love these subtly creepy things at the same time. It is a fine balance and it makes sense to me and that's all that matters.

These pictures are so cool though! My favorite picture is definitely N's because, dude looks dead. It's super creepy and wonderful. My second favorite would have to be Hyuk's. His photo is different than the other five and I love how it looks like he is falling apart and being controlled by some outside force.

I also really like the voodoo doll in the pictures. As weird as this may sound, I want one. I think that they are really cool looking and that Jellyfish should sell them because I would be all over that. I could totally make one though, but it's not the same!

Then to make their creepy doll even cooler, they made a gigantic one and stuck it to their building! It's probably totally not fluffy and cuddleable, but I want to hug it. 


Now for the most important thing that is going to happen, the music video. I think that it is pretty safe to say that in two weeks the post will be about VIXX unless something else amazing happens because the music video looks like it is going to be really cool. I'm also wondering if there is going to be two different music videos since there are two different teasers, the first one and the second one that is "rated R" because it is way more intense than the first one.

I was really digging the second one because you got to see all the different rooms that this random chick has VIXX trapped in and also because Hongbin all of a sudden is becoming really awesome. Not that he hasn't always been pretty cool, but I think that he is my favorite person in VIXX after Leo.


Seriously, where is all the scary intensity coming from? I love it.


The only problem that I have with the teasers at the moment is that it does feel a little like "Hyde" because of the creepy decrepit house sets they're in. I am also a little worried that Shaowls are going to come in with their torches and pitchforks because of the beginning when Ken being swung up into the air like Taemin was as the beginning of "Everybody". I just saw on comments on Youtube, it's already happening. *sigh* 

Finally, from the sound byte, this song sounds like it is going to be pretty high energy and dark sounding. I don't want to say that I was disappointed in "Hyde", because that is hardly the case, but I was hoping that it was going to be darker than it actually was. I think that is another reason that I like the second teaser better than the first one, because it is more intense sounding and that is what I want!

I think that it is pretty safe to say that I will be hovering at my computer at 9pm on Tuesday. Who else is excited?

~ Alora

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

VIXX Only U


How's the song

So, out of the four videos that VIXX has put out this year, I have talked about three of them but I haven't made a conscious decision to do so. VIXX was hardly a blip on my radar when "Hyde" came out; I knew they were releasing "Why, Girls?" but I didn't know when; and then this song was just a lovely surprise. I was totally ready to talk about miss A this week too. They finally come out with a new song and I loved the sound of it and the video was good too, plus I would get to talk about the jji jji party that Min was hosting there at the beginning (bonus points to whoever gets that reference). But then VIXX comes out with this song and freaking Spartan kicks miss A into oblivion, sorry miss A, I really do like your song, keep up the good work.

When I first started watching this video I immediately thought of BAPs video "Coffee Shop". The songs are very different from each other, but the videos have a similar feel. It's like VIXX saw "Coffee Shop" and said: we're going to a foreign country, and we, like BAP, never take any breaks. Let's male out own artsy fartsy video!

This song was very different from everything that they have done in the past and they rocked it. This was so R&B and it was just beautiful and it is nice to see VIXX branching out to different genres. This also gave them more of a chance to showcase their vocal skills because they have some great singers in their group. You go VIXX.

I was really surprised to see Hongbin starting the video because normally Ravi comes out and says random things to start songs, but this song is not a normal song is it? I liked that Hongbin was the opener because he seems like a really cool person, but it is also easy for him to slip into the background. In all the things that I have watched with VIXX, he normally sits and laughs at people rather than actually doing things. I'm glad to see that he is getting a moment to shine.

My favorite part of the song was from 1:35-1:55 when Hongbin and Leo are singing their parts. I liked Hongbin's attitude when he was singing and I also liked that Leo wasn't doing his normal thing either. He wasn't really doing his normal powerful singing, it was a lower jazzier sound.

How's the video? 

Even though it must be absolutely exhausting to have a concert and then turn around and film a music video, I like that these companies are filming videos in places other than Korea or in boxes. K-pop is becoming more globalized and by filming these videos in other countries, it is acknowledging these other people. Plus, we get to see all the beautiful scenery in these places. Seriously, how amazing were all of the long shots in the videos?



All the alleyways that the boys were walking down were beautiful too. There was just so much cobblestone everywhere and that was one of my favorite things about the trip to France I took in 2006. I am just generally jealous of Europe and all their cool buildings and old cities because we don't really have things that in the U.S.

With those alleyways comes graffiti though and N walked by a pretty good one.


I want to know the story behind this alleyway because I bet that the production crew were probably out about looking for areas to film in. Did they come upon this alley and see the graffiti and know what it said, or did they decide that the writing just added atmosphere but didn't know what it said? I want to know! It also seems like it would be a little insensitive with the whole issues surrounding Daniel of DMTN, but that's just me.

Before we got all of the alley shots, I really liked the game of tag that VIXX was playing at the beginning. Hongbin sang, then tagged Hyuk and then we go to N who tags Ken. I have always liked music videos where instead of switching frames when a different person begins to sing they just have the new person walk into another's frame and take over.

How's the styling? 

If a person was to  learn anything about me from reading my ramblings, it's that I love a good sweater. That is one of the good things about this time of year is that there are more sweaters for me to look at in videos. It also makes me sad though because I will never own the beautiful sweaters that are worn by the idols. *sob* So how could I not love everything about the outfits in this video? It was like a grandpa sweater paradise! So many sweaters!

I totally loved all the dark hair too. Has VIXX ever all had dark hair? In "On and On" there a rainbow of hair colors and then N has had that mad red hair for a while. Ken normally has lighter hair and Ravi is all over the place. I have liked Hyuk's blonde hair too, he is one of the select few who has been given a blonde that doesn't make him look sick. I would also think that it is a relief to have dark hair because it is closer to their natural color, if not their real color, so they don't have to bleach anymore. Sometimes I'm surprised that idols have hair at all with all the stuff that gets put in their hair.  


I love N's suit so much. I didn't really notice it until my second watch of the video though because I was looking at all the buildings around him. Is it weird that I was looking at the background and not at him? Back to the suit though. The use of two different fabrics for the opposite halves of the clothes is so cool looking, plus the polka dot tie was a nice touch. I am also in love with the argyle sweater he is rocking in the other picture.


Grandpa sweater number one! Yay! And he also has a super amazing scarf, could this get any better? Leo is also my favorite member so this is all just extra wonderful. I also like that he is not completely put together in the second picture, he looks nice but with a casual air since he messed up his tie at the beginning of the video. 


Ken looks like a college professor with his sweater vest and bow tie. Bow ties are cool. I also really like the quilted jacket that he is wearing. I would go to whatever class he taught, except things that involve math. Even having Ken as a teacher couldn't make me enjoy a math class. He looks more like an English professor anyways. What I am not okay with is that hat he is wearing in the other picture. What is the fascination with these felt hats in K-pop this year? They are not cute. Granted, this hat is better than the two that Youngjae wore in "Coffee Shop", but I still don't like it. You know what I do like? The sweater that he's wearing with that hat. 


Ravi looks like the grandpa that you would see playing chess or feeding the birds at the park in the first picture. He'd be tottering around with his bag of seed and possibly be talking to the birds. Or maybe he would be rapping for the birds. He is not so much a grandpa in the other picture, but what he is wearing does go with the easy, candid feel of the video.


I don't really have anything to say about Hongbin's outfits. They are nice but they don't grab my attention like the others did. More than paying attention to his clothes, I was just happy to see that he was more of a focal point of the video.


For a while, I was almost convinced that Hyuk and Ken were sharing clothes and I still have my doubts about that shirt he's wearing with the tan vest. I noticed that the patterned sweaters were slightly different colors, but they are a little matchy-matchy.

Is the dance super amazing? 

Since this video was all artsy, there wasn't a dance that went along with it. I wonder if there is a dance at all or if it is more of a dramatically sitting type of song? 

Which member owned it? 

This video was really even in both screen time and singing time and that is something that VIXX is just generally really good at. They let all the members of VIXX shine and I love Jellyfish even more for that. Two members that caught me by surprise though were Hongbin and Hyuk. When did they get all mature and stuff? Especially Hyuk! 


It's horrible when the babies start to mature. Especially when they are still jail bate. All these '95 and younger idols. Geez.

I also liked Hongbin. I'm not even Hongbin biased but I loved the parts that he played in this video. VIXX's artwork is growing up too.


Did the English make your ears bleed?

There is no English in this song at all and that makes me a little sad. VIXX has some pretty sweet Engrish sometimes and I kind of miss it here. I don't think that having random English lines would do anything for the song though so it is okay. 

What else is happening?  

Oh Ye Ri "Because of You" - debut song

JIN "Gone" - debut song - I feel as though my heart has been steam rolled. That was so sad.

MR.MR "Do You Feel Me"

Taeyang "RINGA LINGA" - This is a pretty solid return after so long. I do like the dance performance better though, the one shot shoot was cool. I also think that Taeyang was channeling Renji from Bleach with all of those tattoos.

M&N "Tonight" - For some reason the video is only a minute and a half, but full song sounds amazing. BEG are so talented, good gracious.

Davichi "The Letter" - These women can sing! Their songs are always so nice.   

G-Dragon "Who You?" - This song filmed on the fan cams was a great idea. The song is so relaxed sounding and everyone looked like they were having so much fun.

~ Alora