Thoughts on Kris leaving EXO

I'm not sure if I'm going to post this, it is mainly to get my thoughts together because I have a lot of thoughts. What are these thoughts about? I bet you can guess since this is a K-pop/drama blog and some serious news has been dropped. Kris of EXO has filed a lawsuit Hangeng/TVXQ style against SM and the K-pop side of the internet is losing their minds.

I have been trying to keep up with things because this is very big and also very interesting, especially with all the other lawsuits that SM has had filed against them, and this is where all my thoughts come in.

EXO-K Overdose MV Review

How's the song? 

Wow! It feels like I haven't done one of these in forever! For good reason though what with the ferry tragedy. It would have been way wrong if people were still out promoting and acting like nothing was happening. This is also going to throw a huge wrench into a lot of companies scheduling too. Companies would want to release songs at a time when there isn't a lot of competition you would think, but now there is going to be a tidal wave of comebacks: 1. because it is summer and that is the time to release things and 2. there have been a lot of groups, both ones we know, and probably ones we don't know, who postponed.

I think that this is our first postponed release though and it's pretty good.

My K-pop Biases

Is it bad that I think that Valentines Day is a load of crap? Maybe I'm just jaded because I have never had anyone that I wanted to spend Valentines Day with, but I just generally think it is annoying. It's just another reason to spend unnecessary amounts of money on someone that you should be showing your love to all the time.

On that happy note, let's talk about my biases in K-pop groups! I like quite a few groups, but that doesn't mean that there is someone in that group that I like more than anyone else. For the people that I picked here, they are the ones that I can say without any doubt in my mind that they are my favorite person in their respective groups.

Heechul of Super Junior 

If you didn't see this coming, then there might be something wrong with you. Heechul is my ultimate male bias and he always will be. He's just so 4D and he's also very honest and that is something that is lacking in the entertainment industry. He can also keep a secret too because I'm pretty sure he has the dirt on every single famous person in Korea. With great power comes great responsibility?

Jaehyo of Block B

Oh, Jaehyo, so much ego, so little time, and so little respect given to you by your members. Maybe that is why I like him so much. He takes a lot of crap, but he can also give it back and a lot of the time he just seems to laugh it off.

I actually don't have a lot to say about Jaehyo, I just like him and that's the way it is.

Second place: PO and Taeil, they're a package deal, okay?

CNU of B1A4

CNU is another person that I don't have a specific reason for liking, I just like him. He sings, he raps, he writes music, he has magical hair, what's not to like? I also feel that he is the member that is the most done of all the members. All groups seem to have that one member who is laid back and just watches the insanity going on around him, and that member more often than not is CNU.

Second place: Baro

 Changsub of BTOB 

I started to get into BTOB after their song "Thriller". I wanted to know more about them and I found that they had done Diary which is a fantastic show and I wish that it was still happening. As I watched all the BTOB variety I could find I slowing began to fall for Changsub's quirkiness. He has a different look about him too with his perpetual I-just-woke-up face.

One of my favorite things about him is that he is very layered. You watch him on camera and he is such a weirdo, but then he sings and you just want to wrap yourself in his voice, but he also skateboards and plays the drums and has two tattoos.Who are you really, Changsub?

Second place: Peneil, PenJae is real.

Leo of VIXX

I think that anyone who says that they don't like Leo is a liar. Yes, he's quiet and he kind of puts off an I'm-going-to-kill-you vibe, but watching VIXX TV, and Diary you find........well......I guess he is kind of like that. Not all the time though!

Since he is always so quiet, it's a lovely treat when he does something unexpected like dancing, laughing (even though he always hides), or actually saying more than one word. 

Second place: Hongbin, that kid is so awkward, I love it. 

Himchan of BAP 

As I was creating this post I realized that I often fall for the most embarrassing member of the group. Maybe it's because they are funny and they stand out for that reason, but I often experience second hand embarrassment from those that I like.

Take Himchan for example, he can be the most self centered little turd and then he goes and says "What is hurricane in English?", "the loof is on fire",declares his love for "cheeju burgers", and is constantly talking about how good looking he is. He is one of those people that should never be allowed to open his mouth, but at the same time, we're glad that he does.

Side note, there needs to be a BAP sub-rock-unit that features Bang Yong Guk and Himchan. That has the possibility of being the most amazing thing ever.  

Tao of EXO 

I have come to find that sometimes when picking a bias, one day you just know. It was never a conscious decision, you just know one day and it felt right so you went with it. This is how I came to like Tao and sometimes I wonder about that decision.   

I have been watching EXO's reality show Showtime and more often than not, I am sometimes embarrassed to say that Tao is my favorite. When he isn't talking he looks really cool, but then he opens his mouth and it is all over. He's also really needy, but for some reason, I love it.  

Second place: Xuimin

V of BTS

So it wasn't until after I fell in love with this kid's strangeness that I found out he's totally jail bate. I probably should have knows though, I mean look at that face. At least I didn't decide I liked Jung Gook, that boy is practically still covered in amniotic fluids. Babies, all of them.

On BTS's Youtube channel thy post funny videos of the boys and if you haven't watched them you should because they will make your day better. Something that I have noticed about V is that in the videos, he is about 50% crazy and 50% judging his members. There doesn't seem to be any in between and I love it.

Second place: J-hope, he's V's partner in silliness.

So there is my list of my favorites. I guess since I don't have a real valentine I'll just pretend that they are my valentines. No, that's weird, I'll just go eat a cookie and call it good. Sounds like a plan.

~ Alora

EXO Growl

How's the song? 

Oh. My. Gosh. Thank you so much for this SM. You have been having a rough year, in my opinion, music wise. "I Got a Boy" was okay, but not spectacular, and I was disappointed with both "Wolf" and "Rum Pum Pum Pum" as well. The only thing I liked was Super Junior M's "Break Down", but I'm not counting that because it's in Mandarin and the two album's that SHINee put out. Then you released the drama version of "Wolf" after over a month of waiting and that was one of the biggest let downs of the year, and I'm not even being over dramatic here. Then this song came out and I was ready to, once again, cry at an SM song, but instead I am sitting here wondering why I can't buy it on iTunes yet. 

As soon as the song started and there wasn't any howling or strange tree formations, I had hope that this would be a better song and I was right. The beat was awesome and as soon as we hit the chorus I knew that this was in the running for one of my favorite songs to come out in the second half of the year. I know that it's just barely August, but I don't care, I love this song.

Now that EXO has put out their repackage, doesn't that mean that SM is done for the year? That sounds like a stupid question because SM is a freaking machine when it comes to pumping out product, but all of their big names have put out songs in the last year and SM ignores their smaller names without shame, so what is left for them to do? I'm sure they'll figure out something. Maybe they can do something Super Junior T related since Heechul is coming back from the army this month. Make this happen!!!  

How's the video? 

This video was shot on one continuous shot which is a really cool style and it showcases EXO's talents more. I may be wrong, but I think the last time SM did something like this it was for Super Junior's "It's You" drama version video. That was a really cool video, but it was all just SuJu walking around and looking angsty, while this is a dance video.

SM also handled all twelve boys in a good way when it came to shooting them. Instead of having all twelve of them going all the time, we got groups of six until about the two minute mark. I think that was smart because it gave the boys a split second to rest while the others were dancing. It also gave SM more chances to use their 360 degree camera which we all know they are in love with.  

As I was watching the video, I noticed something that I thought was quite impressive. At the 2:15 mark, when all the boys are dancing together, Kai loses his hat when he stands up. He does a smooth dip and spin though and picks the hat up and continues with the dance. This is made even cooler by the fact that this all happened when he was singing his part. I think that seeing a performer reacting to mishaps on stage is really cool if it's done well. Sometimes unexpected things happen and it takes a talented person to fix them in a way that looks like it was suppose to happen.

After seeing Kai's hat incident, I wanted to see if there were any other hat related accidents, and there were. At at the 44 second mark, Tao takes his hat off and on, but his tie gets caught so he has to fix it. Unfortunately this happens during a dark time, so no picture.

This next part isn't a mistake, but it confused me because at the 1:27 mark, Suho has the white hat, but the next time you see him, it has disappeared. I finally realized, while off camera, he tossed it aside. Poor white hat, what did it ever do to you?

 
The only problem that I have with this video is that there are some unnecessary sound effects when the boys do things. These sounds are cool - I guess - but they don't add anything to video, I would even go as far as to say they they detract from the quality of the song.

How's the styling? 

The way that EXO is styled is up there among my favorite ways to style a group. They are all wearing variations on the same outfit so it is unified, but also with a touch of individuality.

Out of all the boys, my favorite version of this outfit is worn by D.O. I like that he is all buttoned up and the bias tape detailing that he has on the jacket. He is also rocking that bow tie. Another member is also wearing a bow tie, but it is small and weird looking.

If D.O. gets the award for best dressed then Suho gets the award for worst dressed. His clothes are just so weird. They are in the same style as all the other members, but he is wearing shorts and he has these strange cuffs and waistband. There is also an arm band and his shirt has these strange gold letters on it. It just doesn't make any sense.

 
Was the dance super amazing?  

The video is a dance video, so yes, the dance is super amazing, or else this video would be a huge waste of time. It is even more impressive because they did it all in one take. Sure, this happens all the time in live performances, but it is cool so see dances as one continuous thing and not all the cuts that are usually in music videos.

My favorite move that they do is during the chorus which makes me wonder if I like the move because of the chorus or visa versa.

Something that happens through almost the whole video is the exchanging of hats. Out of the four, only two switch owners, but it was a fun touch to a very stark video.

 Which member owned it?  

This video was all a very collective effort I feel, so no one really stood out to me. I have somehow managed to figure out who all the members are though, It's taken me a year, but after writing this, I've filled in the holes. That is not to say that I don't have any favorite members though. I kind of like Xiumin because he's adorable and Tao because he has a different look from a lot of other idols.

Xiumin

Tao

  
Did the English make you ears bleed?

There is hardly any English in this video, and that might be a good thing since it is an SM song. I've noticed that SHINee and Super Junior seem to have the most English in their songs and I think that is because there aren't any English as a first language people in those groups, not counting Henry. SM can throw as much English as they want at them because there is no one to refute what they say.


The few English things they do say though are perfect, good job EXO. The only thing I can say is that the song starts out with a "Sexy. So sexy" which makes me roll my eyes a little, but whatever.

What else is happening? 

When you read this, I'll be in Oahu, so anything that happens after Sunday isn't on here. Have a good week!

MIB "Men in Black" - I may or may not have bought this song about two seconds after I heard it.

24K "U R So Cute" - And so is this video. I was hoping for a more shocking reveal a la Airplane's "You're So Pretty" but I liked the song and the cutey boy concept that it put forth.

Pascol "Like" - The song was cute, but the video skirted the realm of a J-pop video, and not in a good way. I'm not sure what I just watched.

San E "Story of Someone I Know" - This song and video are very clever. They actually compliment each other instead of fight. San E is telling a psychiatrist about "his friend" and there is a definite twist at the end.

Queen.J "Dripping" - I would never have known that this was a debut song, she sounds like a seasoned veteran in the ballad genre.

~ Alora