K-pop Blondies, the Good and the Bad

Blonde hair, it can either be the most amazing thing that can happen to an idol's head or it could make you want to throw liberal amounts of hair dye at them in the hopes that they will use it to change their hair back to an acceptable color.

Not too long ago on Allkpop there was an article about a writer's favorite blonde haired idols which got me thinking, who are my favorite blonde idols? And then, more importantly, who are the people who should never, ever, be blonde again (and if it does happen, their stylist should be shot)?

The Good 

Gongchan - Beautiful Target Japanese Version  

Gongchan isn't my favorite member of B1A4, that goes to CNU, but I still really like him. He has grown into his face recently and he has a really versatile look. One minute he can be the cutest thing ever and the next he's got his smolder on and looking all mature and jailbate-y. Is he still jailbate? I don't actually know and I don't care enough to look it up. I don't think he is.........

Hyuk - Hyde

Blonde Hyuk, was the best Hyuk. His blonde was really complimentary to his skin tone so it didn't wash him out like some other people who will be on the bad list. I think that Hyde was also the time that Hyuk started to look more adult like than in previous videos. The baby's growing up and he is doing it well.

Sungmin - Sexy Free and Single 

There have been quite a few blondies in Super Junior but my favorite bottle blond in Sungmin. Yes, even with my great love for Heechul and Enhyuk who have also been blonde Sungmin pulls it off the best. I think that it is because Sungmin is already adorable and the blonde adds to that cute innocence that seems to follow him everywhere.

Dara - Falling in Love 

Everyone here knows that Dara is a goddess right? Good. I know that CL is the blonde of the group and she looks mighty fine with her honey hair but Dara looked amazing in this video. Her blonde hair with that white dress and gold jewelry was stunning. She was glowing and I could probably go on but I'll save everyone from that embarrassment and stop here.

PO - Nillili Mambo 

Like Dara, P.O. is not the blonde of the group, that title would normally go to Zico and while I like Zico's blonde hair, I like it better when he has more of a chocolate color like in "Tell Them", post dreads. His hair was so fluffy and beautiful then. I do kind of miss the dreads though, he rocked them. I loved P.O.'s long blonde hair during this era though, even when he had it down, kind of. That middle part was questionable, but then again what middle part isn't questionable?

The Bad 

Kyuhyun - Don't Don 

"Don't Don" was a dark time for Kyuhyun. First, he almost dies in that horrible car accident and is unable to promote with the rest of the group and then to add insult to injury SM poured a bottle bleach on his head. This hair is too light for his face and there are artistic dark roots to go along with the song's J-rock concept. I really liked this song, but I do not like what it did to Kyuhyun's hair.

Taemin - Lucifer Japanese Version 

Yes, I am aware that this isn't a flattering picture of Taemin, but I feel that if you need makeup and lighting in order for you hair to work with your face, something is wrong with that. His hair and his face are similar colors and it is making him look sick and gaunt. Taemin can look good with light hair but it needs to be a brown or red blonde. No more single tone light blondes on Taemin's head SM!

Gain - Bloom 

I wouldn't say this was bad in the same sense that Taemin is bad, but Gain definitely doesn't have the same appeal when she is blonde. In "Bloom" she was going for a more innocent look and it matched all the pastels in the video, but for me Gain should always be black. She is this powerful woman that pushes the boundaries that are set around her and I don't feel like she can do that with blonde hair.

Jaehyo - Jackpot

Luckily for the actually video he had silver/grey hair which I did like, but during the "5 Minutes Before Chaos" promotions he had this super weird blonde hair going on. It was also styled quite terriblely in one of the teasers too which made it look even worse.

And there you have it people who rock a blonde head and those who do not. I can think of quite a few others who I like blonde or with white hair but not as many who I don't like, what do you think?

~ Alora

Battle of the Girl Groups: Girls' Generation and 2NE1 MV reviews

Since two amazing girl groups decided to drop videos at the same time I though that I would change it up a bit and do a joint review. This isn't going to be a one is better than the other type of deal but since I am talking about them together, I will say what I like better in one video rather than another.

How are the songs? 

After listening to both songs once, I was immediately drawn to the Girls' Generation song more. Not that I don't like 2NE1's song, but it wasn't a slap of awesome to the face like Girls' Generation song was. It took me a few listens to really enjoy 2NE1's. I also think that it is a little that I don't really listen to reggae music and that is the sound that 2NE1 has been going for recently. 

Something that I really like about the sound that SM often produces is that there are so many layers. You really hear that a lot in the SHINee songs, which I love, and Girl's Generation. They are a group and they sing as a group. They have nice harmonies with the occasional wailing ad lib in the background. Fabulous.

2NE1 doesn't have this cohesiveness, but that is okay because that's not their sound. If everyone sounded the same then music wouldn't be as fun. This is also what makes older groups better in my opinion. They have been around longer so they know who they are and they have been able to define themselves in a way that the rookies groups haven't and sometimes, unfortunately, can't.  

I'm feeling a little sappy now.

But, anyways, I quite liked these comebacks and even though I haven't listened to the albums yet, I am looking forward to it. Just from the songs that have been made into music videos, I think that I will like Girl's Generation's album better, but who knows, maybe 2NE1 will blow my mind as they have so much in the past.

How are the videos? 

As far as videos go, I don't know if I can say that I like one over the other. I liked all the bright colors in Girl's Generation's video, but then the video looked like there was a story, but maybe there wasn't. 2NE1 did have a story but there were so many graphics that it totally threw me off as to what I should be looking at and what was important and what was just there to be cool.

So in the 2NE1video there is some sort of "Virtual Paradise". It appears to be a giant screen that sits in the middle of the city. We also get a glimpse of it from a window that might belong to the apartment that Dara is living in.

Dara and her significant other are living in a boring apartment watching tv when a "Virtual Paradise" commercial comes on. The guy is interested but Dara looks worried. He also appears to be sick in a later shot. Does he think that going to this virtual place will be better than being in a real place?

But then we meet vigilante CL with her crazy earrings who does not seem pleased with this whole "Virtual Paradise" thing.

In the end Dara's guy friend goes to the Virtual Paradise and she watches and then eventually she unplugs him from he machine. I wonder if that means that she killed him or if he will come out of it. Then, if he does come out of it, will he be happy with what she did to him?

The 2NE1 girls then end up going into the Virtual Paradise and kill a room full of people. Who are these people? Are they the creators of this Paradise? Does this mean that this dystopian society that they seem to live in has been overthrown?

I want to know how this story ends now. Many times, dystopian stories end with the hero running for his or her life or being brought back down by the government. I would like to that this ends with a V for Vendetta tone that a 1984 tone.

How's the styling? 

This is the styling that I wish was used more in female K-pop videos. It is so easy to say that sexy is minimal clothing and lingerie and it can be of done properly. I really liked the Kiss & Cry video and those girls were wearing shorter clothing but what made it more than just a gimmick is you could see their confidence. They weren't feeling themselves up and rolling on the ground, they were powerful and that is what you get in these videos. Power.

When Girls' Generation came out in those masculine style outfits I was in love. I want that outfit, even though skinny jeans make me feel claustrophobic.

In 2NE1's videos there were quite a few outfits but the only ones that they wear as a group were their rebellion outfits.

There is nothing traditionally sexy about these baggy, black, I'm-going-to-kill-you outfits, but because of the way that they are holding themselves, they become sexy.

More of this please!

Were the dances super amazing?

Wow, Girls' Generation. That dance was amazing, at least what I saw of it was. I wish that there was more dance scenes in this video because they looked incredible. If there is one thing that SM artists have on YG artists it is definitely the ability to bust a move. Not that YG doesn't have any dancers, but you can nine times out of 10 expect a dance that with blow your mind from SM (please say that in the "Mr. Simple" style).

Which members owned it? 

I've never taken the time to really get to know Girl's Generation, but just from the few things that I have seen and from music videos, I really like Hyoyeon. I'm not sure why, but I've always been drawn to her and I liked that she was placed from and center in this video so she could be the star for a moment. 

As for 2NE1, I have always loved Dara. She's so cute and strange, how can you not? I love that in this video she looks so natural. She doesn't have cracked out hair and make up.

She is definitely one of those lucky people that can pull anything off and YG uses that to their advantage. Unfortunately how pretty she is can be masked by the insanity that is put upon her.

Did the English make you ears bleed?  .

YG is almost expected to have impeccable English since Bom and CL both are fluent and they did not disappoint this time either. Girls' Generation is another story though which seems odd since Jessica and Tiffany also are English as a first language speakers. Fortunately for them, the English in "Mr. Mr" was very good. Let's hope that YG makes this a trend in their songs this year.

~ Alora

K-pop Tag

So, just for giggles, I thought that I would do the K-pop tag, not that I have been tagged by anyone. It would be cool to be tagged, but alas, I'm not that cool.


1. Favorite guy group 

This was actually a hard decision because I also really like VIXX, Block B, and B1A4. These four groups are my favorite collectively, but I chose these guys because they are my first love. They got me into K-pop and no matter what happens, they will always have a special place in my heart.

2. Favorite girl group 

I'm going to be honest, I don't really listen to girl groups. Right now I am really liking G.I and Heyne, but I can't really say that they are my favorite since I don't know a lot about them. The reason that I picked 2NE1 is because I have all of their music except their most recent songs because I haven't really liked them. What I do like about 2NE1 though is that they are a powerful group of women who sing powerful songs. It is different than the usually sexy, cutey look that most girls go for.

3. Ultimate guy bias 

I think that this macro speaks for itself.

I love me some Heechul.

4. Ultimate girl bias 

Can we all just agree that  Dara is perfect? Please? It makes me sad that she is overshadowed in 2NE1 because while she is talented, CL, Minzy, and Bom are more talented so Dara's position is confusing sometimes. She's the director of communications of 2NE1 though and she has talent for variety. She has talent, but it isn't something that can be conveyed in a music video.

5. Favorite K-pop performance 

Super Junior's "No Other" is probably one of my favorite live performances. Why? Because these boys are a bunch of weirdos. That, of course, could be said about many groups, but with this performance, I feel like SM just told them to have fun and do whatever they wanted to do.

1. Leeteuk is way too happy looking, flipping his hair, but he's not constantly yelling things during this particular performance, only occasionally
2. Leeteuk's insanity causes Heechul to give him stank face
3. Ryeowook also gets in quite a few hair flips as well
4. The insanity that is Eunhyuk, Shindong, Siwon, Ryeowook, and Sungmin at the start of Shindong'srap
5. Lastly, every performance is different, in this one Heechul has a balloon, Sungmin retaliates, and it is wonderful

6. K-pop dance you would want to learn 

Yeah, we're talking about Super Junior again, deal with it. Maybe because this was the first K-pop song that I really liked, but I have always enjoyed this dance. It has that one key part and it isn't incredibly difficult, not that it is easy either though.

7. First K-pop song you ever heard 

This isn't the song that grabbed me by the throat and dragged me into K-pop, but it was the first song that I ever heard. It was a complete accident as well, I think that it was a add on the side of my Facebook that I randomly clicked. I thought that the concept of the video was cool, but I didn't love the song.

I actually ended up forgetting about the song which was a problem when I wanted to look it up again so that I could learn more about it. The video that helped me find this one was actually The Fine Bros "Kids React to K-pop" video.

 8. Favorite interview 

I'm having trouble posting the video because it's on Daily Motion, but this is an interview with Block B. The reason that I like it so much is because, I like anything that has to do with Block B and they are so natural in their interviews. They don't just sit there stiffly and read things, they destroy the area that they are in. No joke, they are hitting each other, dragging one another out of the shot, and there is a little booth type of thing that looks like it went through a hurricane by the end of the video. It's great. 

9. Favorite picture of your favorite group 

Okay, so I know that I said that my two favorite groups are SuJu and 2NE1, but this is one of my favorite pictures of Block B. It's not a picture of them being derp monsters, it's their comeback picture. This was one of the greatest comebacks ever because they were able to tell the industry to suck it and came back and then won an award.

10. What do your friends and family think about you watching K-pop  

My family has come to accept it. They do think that it is really weird, but after being all about anime and manga in high school, to say the least, they're not surprised. 

11. Favorite cover by a K-pop song by a K-pop artist 

I'm going to cheat here and put one funny cover and one serious cover. I do what I want!

When it comes to K-pop groups singing other groups' songs, I normally prefer things that are done for fun rather than for seriousness. It is also amusing - and terrifying - when guy groups go full out and put on a skirt to do a girl group number. I'm looking at you VIXX.

For this category though, I have chosen a group of covers, and that word is being used loosely. BTOB have a collection of videos of them in the Cube practice room jamming on the karaoke machine to various K-pop songs and it is...... interesting.....to say the least. 

You rock that tambourine Peniel.

 
This song makes me feel a lot of feels. It would probably make me feel more if I knew who Kim Sung Jae was, but I can still appreciate the sadness that is felt when someone leaves us too soon. VIXX does a beautiful job at capturing the feel of this song while also making it their own.

My favorite part though is that note that Ken hits in the beginning. Holy crap, that was amazing.

12. Favorite cover of an American song by a K-pop artist 

Well, that just happened.

13. Favorite video of your ultimate bias 

This is more of a group thing that a solely Heechul thing, but it is still awesome. For those of you who haven't watched Super Junior's Intimate Note, you are missing out on life. In this particular cut, some of the SuJu boys decide that Heechul and Eunhyuk are particularly awkward with each other so they decide that they are going to stand on a roof and insult them. Heechul of course cows the members into saying that they love him instead.

I'm pretty sure that Heechul could ruin almost every famous person in the Korean entertainment industry if he wanted to.

14. Favorite dance battle 

There is quite a lot going on in this video, but the important part is the first half. The idol groups all send out their best dancer to show off their moves. The only two groups that I care about though are Block B and BAP who send out B-Bomb and Jongup respectively and the two of them do pretty well. Jongup also makes everyone fear for their lives as he gets his b-boy on.

But then, it gets real. The female host, whose name I can never remember calls out Shindong and everyone else in the room become dancing peasants. He kills it and it's amazing. He puts all the other dancers to shame and they are all aware of that.

Shindong has always made me really happy because he is the "chubby idol". He doesn't look like any other idol because he is heavier and I think that is great. It shows that you don't have to have abs and be conventionally good looking to be successful in the business. Get it Shindong.

15. What is your favorite album? 
 

I don't buy a lot of albums because I don't want to buy the whole thing if I don't absolutely love it. Why would I spend money on something that I don't want? After saying that though, I have to be honest, "No Joke" isn't my favorite song I have to be in a certain mood to listen to it. Linking that video was the first time I looked at the translated lyrics and Holy English Lirycs Batman, where did all that come from?

For other albums that I really like, they are Super Junior's second album, it's a shame that it is overshadowed by "Sorry Sorry", and B1A4's new album Who Am I.

So there you have it, the K-pop tag. If I had someone to tag, I would, but I don't. So who wants to do this? Anyone? Anyone?

~ Alora

Happy Kpop Halloween!

Break out the costumes and candy because today is Halloween! I have always loved Halloween, not to be scared, because I hate that, but for the costume element of it. I think that dressing up is so fun, but it isn't something that you can do on a regular basis without getting a few weird looks. I sometimes say that if I had enough pencil skirts that I could rule the world and I would wear them all the time if it weren't so impractical. Granted, that is different than full blow costumes, but I would also rock a bustle if they were readily available, so there you go.

In K-pop there is a lot of dressing up whether it be for music videos or public appearances, but it always fun to see how far these people can push that envelop. Sometimes it can be pushed a little too far, but that is what fans love, seeing their idols dressed in ridiculous clothing or having crazy concepts.

I often wonder what these groups (mostly boys) think when they are told about the newest concept for their group, whether it be for an actual album or just for a side project, because side projects can result in dressing like girls or vegetables.

So in honor of Halloween, I give you some of the best costumes that I could think of. I probably am missing some because there are so many groups out there, but these are the ones that I liked.

Super Junior's Eunhyuk, Heechul, Shindong, and Leeteuk

Lady Hee Hee and the Single Ladies

Super Junior

First row: Huo Yuanjia, Loki, Iron Man, Capt. America, Hulk Thor, Goku Second row: Spiderman Wolverine

And Yesung

Nick Fury

SHINee

 

SHINee (minus Minho)

Freddy, Dracula, Piccolo, Naruto

BTOB's Peniel, Sungjae, and Ilhoon. Hyunsik's in there too, but he's not important right now. 

Penelope, Sungsook, Ilsoon

 

BTS's Rap Monster, Suga, V, Jin, and Jung Gook

Sailor Moon, Maid, Ladybug, Japanese(?) woman, and traditional Korean woman

VIXX (minus Leo) as the Wonder Girls 

Block B 

Block B's Jaehyo

Yes, he's hanging from the ceiling, just go with it

Epik High

Joker, Two-Face, Bane

For more Halloween fun, go watch Epik High's song "Don't Hate Me".

BIGBANG 

Instead of finding a picture of BIGBANG, and there are plenty, I'm just going to make a couple links to their drama parody videos because if you haven't seen them, you should, and if you already have, you should watch them again.

Coffee Prince    Boys Over Flowers    Secret Garden    Beethoven Virus

2NE1

School girl, nurse, Snow While, Alice

 
~ Alora

The Hood

I was bored a while back and decided that I was going to look for all of the music videos that shot on the "ghetto" set that has become so prominent lately. After finding all of them, I thought that it might be fun to build a giant story around it. When I told Autumn about this, she said that if I were to actually write anything that I should call it "The Brohoho Diaries" after the character Mr. Brohoho from the videos from Eat Your Kimchi. I thought that that sounded like a pretty solid idea and I finally decided to post what I have written today.

Yay! Story time!

As many K-popers know, as much as idols like to pretend there is, there is no hood in Korea. That is not to say there is nothing bad in Korea, there is just nothing that equals to the hood that one might find in New York or California; that doesn’t stop these companies from pretending that there is one though. There is one specific area that many idols seem to frequent in their videos such as 2NE1, BAP, and now BTS. But what if this wasn’t a set, but an actual place that only idols knew about? They help create it and tear it down and make of it what they will.

2NE1 "Ugly" July 27, 2011

There once was a city that was put together by the broadcasting companies who were tired of overly sexual female K-pop idols. These companies were always receiving hate mail from fans for banning their favorite k-pop groups from TV, so they decided to do something about it. 

They created a city just for these pretty girls telling them that it would be a Utopia and that they could do whatever they wanted, all they had to do was come and live there. Little did these girls know that they were falling into a trap that would cost them their lives. 

2NE1 had heard about this massacre that had happened so many years before and they decided to go see what was left of the city in the hopes that maybe someone had survived. They went undercover, dressing in punk rock outfits with face masks to insure that they wouldn't be discovered by any enemies that might be in the area.
 

What they found was disaster. They didn't think that there was anyway that anyone could still be alive, but they continued onward, not wanting to miss anything by giving up.

As they continued in farther, they decided that it would be okay to reveal their identities and take their masks off. They also hoped that if anyone was following them, this would attract their attention and make them come out.

Unfortunately this plan didn't work so in a last attempt to attract attention, they held an impromptu concert on one of the stages that the broadcasting companies placed around the city for the pretty girls to perform on. 

With this also resulting in failure, the girls decided that it was time to head home. Maybe the horrific story of what the broadcasting companies did was really just a story and the area really was just a decrepit part of Korea. Something from the war maybe that had been forgotten. As they were leaving though, they found a large locked gate. CL was able to break the chain and then proceed in to see what was being locked up. 

When they entered the fenced off area, they found the surviving girls. They were all masked and standing at attention waiting for those who had enslaved them to come back. Luckily for them, 2NE1 were to ones to come for them.

After the celebration 2NE1 told all the girls that they should get some sleep so that they would be able to make it back to the YG studio where they would be able to find help. Everybody agreed to this and went to sleep anticipating the return to the city. While every was asleep though, 2NE1 crept out. 2NE1 had come in to the area to look for survivors, but their job was not to save but destroy anything that had been left.

The TV companies and 2NE1 thought that they had pulled off the mission seamlessly. No one on earth could have discovered what they had done. What they didn't anticipate was anyone from the outer reaches of the universe searching for some place they could land and call their home.

Thanks for reading my super corny story! Will there be more? Maybe, we'll see. 

~ Alora 

2NE1 Do You Love Me?

How's the song?  


Finally 2NE1 has helped me remember why I love them so much. With CL's "The Baddest Female" and "Falling in Love" I just kept getting disappointed, but with this song there was no awkward "Touch me over here, touch me over there" and no cheezy "Not 'bad' meaning bad, but 'bad' meaning good, you know." Just a great party anthem that you want to jump around and dance to just like they do in the video.

Each of the girls had an opportunity to let their voice shine. I love how when you listen to it you can pick out who sings which part. You have CL with her awesome talk rap/singing, Sandara with her softer melodic voice, Park with her awesome wailing, and Minzy with her lower range and awesome harmonies. And even though they all do have a very different and distinct sound to their voices, the song still totally flows and all the pieces just seem to make it a whole lot of layered goodness.

How's the video? 

I love this music video. Like I was saying the song is such a good jump around and sing it with your friends song and that is exactly what's going on in this video. They're singing it in the car,

 at a party with awesome cheezy dance moves,

at a slumber party with curlers in their hair

At a pool party

 and one of my favorite parts, making their friends look awesomely silly by putting singing lips on them.

I really like how it feels like this whole video could have (and actually might have been) filmed on a cell phone camera. There are even different parts of the video where it really looks like they have an instagram filter turned on.

The process of making the video and why they make stylistic choices is always interesting to me (probably because I'm a photographer) and I thought it was really cool that this is the direction they took for a few reasons: #1 Their original concept fell through and to be able to make the deadline so they could keep rolling out a music video a month they decided to make it more homemade. #2 I guess people are really intimidated by the girls of 2NE1 and they wanted to show their personalities in more of a "look, see, I'm human. I can be silly and fun, don't you just want to be my friend" kind of light. And I for one think they did a great job in that aspect.

How's the styling? 

2NE1 is of course always known for being some of the leaders in fashion, and although they are dressed in some of the brands their known for (*cough*adidas*cough*) 

their look in this music video is a lot more casual than we usually see from these girls. 


I know I already mentioned it before, but I so love Sandara for having curlers in her hair through half of the music video.

Park Bom had awesome amazing nails.

It seems to me, like the majority of the video the theme of the styling was comfortable fashion with CL's oversized sweatshirt

and Minzy's sweater dress

Was the dance super amazing?  

There was only one small part where it looked like they were doing a dance together:


If you are like me and love super fun cheezy dancing, then yes. 

But most of the time it was just people being goofy and rocking out to the song.

 Which member owned it?  

I think Sandara Park did an amazing job showing how awesome her personality is. She was so funny and just seemed like someone I would actually want to know in real life. And no, it's not JUST so I can meet her adorable brother (although, I wouldn't say no if she offered)

No, but seriously, here are a few gifs to show you just why I thought Sandara was the best in the video.

You're just jealous of the fourth dimension CL.

She is so talented.

Okay, so Sandara isn't the only one in this gif, but I love her reaction the most :)

Did the English make you ears bleed? 

Of course not. CL's english is impecable and I'm sure she keeps the rest of the band's English in check.


What else is happening?  


MBLAQ "No Love"- MBLAQ changed it up and put out a ballad. It is good, but it didn't knock my socks off. They are adorable though.

Ze:A "The Ghost of Wind"- I almost chose to review this video. I really like the song, and thanks to Autumn pointing it out, I know that they can see unicorns.

NC.A "My Student Teacher"- I love the original version of this music video because it is so simple, but so funny. I couldn't stop laughing. I also watched the drama version of this music video and I liked it, then it made me a little uncomfortable, and then a little confused. Anyway, make sure to turn on the captions when you watch, because half the fun is in the words.

BAP "Badman"- Is following the post-apocalyptic trend that is going on now a days. For some reason I feel like a few of the lines from the chorus of the song are from other songs that I've heard, especially the "I've got a feelin'" and the "I'm a badman"... I can't put my finger on it, but I'm really not interested in researching it either.

And probably a whole bunch of other stuff too, but Alora is way better at this than I am.

~Becca