Because it’s summer break I’ve been taking time to watch some dramas I’ve been meaning to catch up on. This on particulary because it has Kang Ji Hwan in it and I’ve been wanting to catch up on all his works since watching his amazing performance as Hong Gil Dong. Plus as an added bonus we have Han Chae Young, who was super adorable in Delightful Girl Choon Hyang.
Exhibition of Fireworks (MBC 2006)
Synopsis: Enter Shin Na Ra (played by Han Chae Young), she’s nearing her 30’s and is having a difficult time passing her accountant’s test. She has been trying to past this test for the past 7 years, and has been helping support her boyfriend (who was taking the same test and eventually passed). Na Ra welcomes her boyfriend back after his 3 month business trip, they have dinner and he proposes to her. Excited when they get home, Na Ra tries to ’seduce’ him to celebrate the occasion only he ends up giving her the cold shoulder.
Then he blurts it out. He cheated on her and fell in love with a different woman. END OF RELATIONSHIP.
At least until later Na Ra wants him back because of the 7 years she worked so hard to get him where he is now. So the plot includes her trying to mess up his relationship and running into In-Je (Kwan Ji Hwan) and getting him into a lot of trouble.
What I think so far: It’s funny so far. Normally I’d be extremely annoyed at Na Ra because I dislike the situation were women cling onto their men far after the relationship. It’s not quality acting though, even from my beloved Kwan Ji Hwan. I’m watching Capital Scandal right now too (which is a 2007 production) and his acting seems to improve imensely from the two dramas (90 Days, Falling in Love being the drama in between the two). I don’t have the facial expressions that I adore as much, but there is a fangirl teaser of him walking out of the dressing room with his shirt open in Episode 3. Yay Yummy!
I just wanted to comment that Park Yong Ha aka Lee Kyung Min from the Korean Drama “On Air” SIGHS WAY TOOOO MUCH. I actually like the drama and don’t find it bad or irritating to watch. It’s just the sighing. He sighs too much, and he’s always sighing. When he’s happy, when he’s fustrated, upset, offering food, nervous, etc. He’s acting is bad either, its just sighing makes this huge dent into the drama for me.
Battle’s comeback is finally back. I’m guilty of liking this tune despite how repetitive it is and as rumor has it, it was one of the Big Bang’s writers that wrote this song. So no wonder the tune is so similar to “Last Farewell”. I guess the preview performance failed me as well. The dance steps has it’s similarities as in arm movements but it’s different and I found myself dancing out the catchy choreography. The flying in reminded me a lot of Shinhwa’s “Hey, Come On!” music video and the guy with the cornrolls(?) look insanely like Eric with those shades.
Again, I begin my adventure on You Tube when I run into these subtitled parodies. If you have a sense of humor about the KPOP industry these are a must watch. I was laughing at a lot of them and they’re a nice break from all the fabricated pop. I picked out my personal favorites. Enjoy!
This is old but back in March/April DSP Entertainment released another boy band under the name of A’ST1 with the goal to be the “idol group to represent Asia” (KRNLOOP).
[Insert semi-random rant] Names. Group names. Starting with Fin.K.L, I also wonder how DSP Entertainment comes up with these names like SS501, Super Star five as one stuff. It takes a lot of skill to be able to pull a bunch of words together out of your ass and put them together. It’s not to put anyone down really, its just I really want to see them in a board room coming up with these things.[/rant]
At first I disregarded them because they’re already a lot of boy bands to be keeping up with (one being one too many) but what happens when I get bored two months later is that I run into the music video and decide to give it a go.
Besides hilarious haunty looks into the camera, I don’t think they’re so bad and would like to see more from this group soon.
Somehow I ran into this while reading blogs, Battle – Step by Step. Battle, the group chosen by Shinhwa is trying to make their comeback with a new album/single at in June(?) and are trying to create hype with a preview of their new song and music video.
I think I’m going to like the song, and I think the music video is going to be cool. My only problem is? The complete lack of originality. Battle’s problem right off the bat is being named the “second Shinhwa” and their style or music and concept of music video doesn’t have that originality feel.
Okay, so most boy bands aren’t original, I’ll say that. They are carbon copies of this specific formula to make girls go wild, but at least other boy bands can make a style into ‘their own’ if you know what I’m saying.
Battle’s first single “Crash” was like watching another version of SS501’s MV, since that didn’t work they tried going cute and now a year later they have what seems like a mix between a huge dose of Big Bang and a little drop of Shinhwa’s respected character images. I even took the time to watch a performance preview and the choreography is extremely similar to what Big Bang had in “Last Farewell”.
Battle can try and try and no matter how cool the new concept is…its already been done. In order to succeed Good Entertainment is going to need better management to make these boys into something of not what’s popular at the time but something of their own image.
But who knows? Maybe they will become something, I mean Shinhwa had the similar problem in the past being in H.O.T’s shadow. Can Battle come out of the shadow of the all these other boy bands? Lets see.
Holy singing boy band Batman! Tohoshinki (or whatever you call them) are growing up!
A long time ago I wanted to write and article about the notable differences between the famous ‘idol’ bands of Korea and I would have mentioned Tohoshinki as being the most talented and artistic by far most in their generation. That is not to say the other bands are not just as talented, they haven’t been giving the chance to showcase this nor have been marketed into this brand of ‘artistic’. Tohoshinki though has a lot of growing ability being in Japan that won’t confined them just as boy band ‘idols’.
I don’t normally listen to their Japanese music, since I am a sucker for Korea’s fabricated pop, but ‘Beautiful You’ has passed my expectations and listening/watching this MV makes you fall deeply in love with it’s song.
‘Beautiful You’ marks the band’s 22nd single in Japan, and you need to notice a significance difference from most songs. ‘You’ is spelt right. Even my favorite band of all time Shinhwa falls into this insane category of using ‘U’ for ‘You’.
Secondly, the setting and mood is very seductive and jazz which is ten times better of a mood setter than Super Junior M (or original for that matter) ‘U’. ‘Beautiful You’ is sung not as a fabricate pop song but as almost like an actual song. I thought the scencary was extremely beautiful to give that esclated isolated feeling of wanting to be with someone and the lighting was just right. Plus they never need to over exaggerate themselves to get something across which I love so much and is not embarrassing to watch.
It is a song and a music video that I believe to be very much worth watching.
Why did I mention they are growing up? I used to believe Tohoshinki had a fanbase of crazy ass girls. It was also from this assumption I believed they were not allowed to be viewed with girls in music videos or anything else for that matter in a ‘romantic’ way. ‘Beautiful You’ and their recent CFs with the Generation Girls is a step up from being just an idol group but a group that is more respected by fans as I see it.
It’s really nice to see, they work hard and they deserve it.
To the dismay of many ‘loyal’ Super Junior fans, SM sneakily released another Super Junior sub-group, Super Junior M (M for Mandarain or Me, it’s different in a lot of articles), and adding TWO new members to the group. Super Junior M’s first music video is a Chinese cover to Super Junior’s song “U”.
I have to say that I liked this version (song & music video) loads better than the Korean version. My number one reason right now is that because it’s less embarrassing to watch and maybe because there are less members it helps to showcase talent I suppose?
It was more mature-like, if that is the right word to use, with less members you get the chance to stay longer with what kind of emotion/character they are trying to portray. Which was a lot better than watching the original and feeling some scenes were just a joke or maybe some scenes were portrayed overdramaticly for that half of second each member gets. And I adored Han Kyung and Henry’s solo.
You can hear it in the music too. Those extra beats/tempo in the chorus and snap says, “Pay attention”. Compared the original Korean which was more childish and pop-like.
I always appreciate (original) Super Junior’s dances as well, it must be difficult to try and incorporate that many members, but again with less members I thought this dance was better and more seductive for the song. And it looked less like a dancing circus…
Apparently it’s being well recieved in China, so smart move on SM’s part.
I just couldn’t keep a straight face with the last part where they all lined up and the camera closed up on their crotches, twirling their hips. A little too much maybe? It’s like one of those really awkward moments in movies and you’re left staring bewildered why the heck did that even happen? It was just another…very close unnesscary crotch moment. They already have a lot of thrusting movements, they don’t need another very obvious one. We get it, you can’t stop thinking about her.
