Song Review: U-Kiss

U-Kiss released their 5th Japanese mini album called Distance. I listened to the two songs "Distance" and "Love To Go".

"Distance" is actually a little unexpected for me because it's slower than the usual U-Kiss songs. The melody is pretty nice and we actually get to hear some vocals. I have no idea what the lyrics are but I sort of like the song. Not that I would listen to it over and over, but if it comes up on my music player I wouldn't press skip.
"Love To Go" is the style we are use to from this group, fast pop music. I think it's catchier than "Distance" and I like it more. It's sort of typical, but I think I will listen to it for a few days.

In the end, their Japanese mini album is okay, nothing grand. I would like a Korean comeback from this group, and I sure hope it's better than this one.

However their other song with Brave Brothers, "Finally", is great! 

Yes, the mv is about this heart.

This song is like one of the songs I like the most out of all U-Kiss songs. The mv was interesting and different so I suggest watching it. Random actually likes "Finally" too, and she doesn't even really care about U-Kiss. Me gusta too.

I feel like their popularity went down after two(?) members left. I don't know the details but for now they are getting more attention in Japan than Korea lol. Usually I don't pay attention to U-Kiss but I haven't heard them from a long time so this was a good way to refresh my memory.

-Yuanie-







First Impression- BtoB

First thought: LOOOOOOOOOOL. BTOB? WHAT IS THAT? Why not just call themselves Bob, I might remember them better.

Then I found out BtoB meant Born to Beat. Okay. I guess that makes sense now. The first song "Insane" was released. I have to say it was catchy, and I listened to it for a few days. So then I found myself paying some attention to them, thinking maybe this rookie group can impress me. There's like 7 members, too many in my opinion because I just can't keep up with the names. I know the names of like two, Peniel and Minhyuk.


Umm Peniel, that is an unfortunate name. I know I'm not the only one who is reminded of the word penis. There. I said it. Other than that I didn't pay much attention to him, he is pretty good looking but the name just kills it for me.






Minhyuk. He is such a cutie pie! I didn't pay much attention to him either.
The main singer, that blonde guy. I don't name his name but he has some good vocals. In their songs I always hear him the most, well that's why he is main singer lol.

They were forgotten until their second main song "Irresistible Lips" came out. I watched the mv, and I thought it was pretty interesting. However it was just like the first song, it only caught my attention for a little bit and I didn't bother finding out more.


BtoB's third main song "WOW" from Press Play came out and it wasn't wow to me. I actually liked the first two songs I mentioned better so I was a little disappointed. I did listen to the album but nothing stayed in my head. I do like their new style, it's all colorful and fun. I'm sad though, the main singer guy is not blonde anymore so I don't know where he is in that picture LOL.
Through allkpop I found out they were going to have their own show. I didn't watch it. However BtoB is getting attention and their fanbase is...pretty big?

Now: I still don't know much about BtoB, and I'm not that interested either. They reminded me of B2ST a lot, so I don't feel like they are really different or fresh. I probably will listen to their future albums but to me it's just going to be typical k-pop songs.

-Yuanie-

Movie Review: Paradise Kiss

Japanese movie Paradise Kiss, based on a manga and anime. Starring Keigo Kitagawa and Osamu Mukai.

Plot (taken from AsianWiki): Yukari Hayasaka (Keiko Kitagawa) is a high school student who has become tired of her life of constant schooling. She then comes across a group of student fashion designers in need of a model for their "Paradise Kiss" clothing label. Yukari knows nothing about the fashion world and is taken back by the group's eccentric ways, but she soon comes to admire their free thinking ways and ability to pursue their dreams with a one track mind ...

This movie is actually meant to be a live action of the manga Paradise Kiss, but I watched it without knowing much about the manga itself. I didn't even know there was an anime. I just came across this Japanese movie and it was about fashion so I was instantly interested. This review will just be about the movie overall, I won't be comparing it between the manga or anime.

I am not familiar with any of the actors in here besides Aya Omasa (She was the main girl in Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge or Perfect Girl Evolution). This girl above is Keiko Kitagawa, she is the main character, plays high school girl Yukari that's obessed with studying and getting the perfect grades. I like her acting a lot, she wasn't over dramatic like some Japanese actresses and she played her role well. She was scouted by Arashi from the fashion group "Paradise Kiss" to be their model in their graduation fashion show. Then her whole life started to change, for the better :)

That is George Koizumi, played by Osamu Mukai. He is a genius fashion designer and sort of the leader of "Paradise Kiss". Romance blossoms between him and Yukari. At first, Yukari is scared of him, but I didn't find him scary at all. I don't know, I thought he was just cool but not scary. Anyways he does a great job acting too. I didn't like how he wore hats a lot, but he pulled it off and looked good. He also says lots of inspirational lines lol.

Those three, I love them. They are rest of the members in Paradise Kiss. From left to right: Miwako, Isabella, and Arashi. For me, they were most of the comedy in this film. Love all three characters, and it was weird for me to see Aya Omasa playing such a cutesy character lol.

Guy on left is actually Yukari's crush in the beginning of the movie. His name is Hiroyuki Tokumori and I felt bad for this guy. He didn't get his childhood love and Yukari ended up rejecting him. Poor thing, I'll take you in :)

Okay, the movie was fun for me. All the fashion, modeling, and hot guys was just like my dream world. I didn't like the relationship development between George and Yukari though. It was like suddenly they were deeply in love with each other, I wish there was more scenes or some sort of explanation. They do make a great couple though, and the kiss scenes were sooo cutee!!! Their fashion show was amazing, I remember being so excited when it was Yukari's turn. I was probably more nervous than she was xD Apparently the ending in the movie was changed too.
SPOILER. I WARNED YOU. Skip the next paragraph if you don't want to know.

In the manga, Yukari actually ends up marrying Hiroyuki because George left to Paris. However in the movie she rejects Hiroyuki and meets up with George in New York. I thought that was so sweet, we all want that ending lol. But in New York? Why can't you guys just meet in Japan? Also why didn't George contact you at all in 3 years? Anyways, I liked the ending so I won't complain too much.

Conclusion: I like the movie, it was worth watching. Even though some parts are totally unbelievable but it made me happy at the end. There are way more to the movie that I didn't reveal. The music in the movie was good too, I liked all the songs that were played.  If you are a fan of the manga you might be a little disappointed because the plot is altered and lots of it are probably missing. I do recommand watching it if you are in the mood for a cute movie.

-Yuanie-

Movie Review- Jackal is Coming

Jackal is Coming or Cokdename: Jackal, starring JYJ's Jaejoong and Song Ji-hyo.
Plot (taken from AsianWiki): A not so smart female killer (Song Ji-Hyo) is hired to kill a popular singer (Youngwoong Jaejoong). The killer then kidnaps the popular singer and tries to kill him in a bold manner which the customer requested, but the police arrive ...

I watched this movie because of Jaejoong, he was what attracted me. This movie was more comedy than romance, there's actually not a lovey dovey thing going on between the two main characters. Also Song Ji-hyo doesn't look as pretty as the poster throughout the whole movie, in fact I did not like her image at all. But it made sense at the end so I wasn't bothered with it.

Jaejoong played a popular singer named Choi Hyun. The typical sort of stuck-up guy and think he is all that and he was kidnapped by a newbie assassin at this horrible hotel.

The whole movie basicly took place at the hotel. The cops are trying to catch "Jackal", name of the assassin that was going to show up there. So we have these undercover cops camped there too.

They really add to the comedy, I love the cops, they were hilarious. Choi Hyun is obviously trying to escape from the newbie assassin, but everything goes wrong and he is just stuck in her hands. Turns out she was hired by his ex-gf, they dated before he debuted. Then they broke up after he shot into fame. Besides the assassin, there is also this crazy-psycho fan that is stalking Choi Hyun. She was just scary. Girl, you beloing in a mental hospital.
Also the reason Choi Hyun went to that crappy hotel was to meet up with his...lover.

Yush, that lady who is waaaaaay older than him. Yuck. There was a scene between them that completely grossed me out. Poor Jaejoong.

At the end, there is a huge twist in the story. I like the movie, not a super duper amazing one but worth watching. There's way more to the story than what I have mentioned and I hope I didn't spoil too much. Do watch it if you are a Jaejoong fan, his acting was really good in here. Have fun :)

-Yuanie-

End of the Year Special: KBS Gayo Daejun 2012

Opening: The opening performance was very KBS. The dark lighting, the unimpressive stage and a camera being caught by the current camera. Kikwang looked surprising well. Son Dambi looked pretty. I didn’t like Hyuna’s performance because the pre-recorded Hyunas dancing on the screen didn’t match with the Hyuna dancing on stage. It was too distracting for me. I know it happens a lot, but still. I don’t like it.

Miss A:

There was nothing really special about this performance. It felt like another promotional performance. The dance break didn’t seem forced, but it did seem like they added one just because an end of the year special calls for a dance break or a remix. Their voices were very dull. They were just there. I liked the fabric design of their stage clothes though.

B1A4:

I’m not a fan of this group and I don’t know anything about them. What caught my attention was some guy entering the stage on a toy car wearing a jacket with giant pink feathers on the shoulders. Then to continue being a fashion terrorist, during the song, he puts on a shimmering black jacketover his pink feather jacket. Gross. I’m assuming the dance break isn’t part of the original song because that was so out of place. It didn’t even fit in with the style of the song. Awful song too.

T-ara:

I did like how they started off different with a runway and you could tell who were the members and who were the backup dancers based on the different style of masks they wore. The new girl had the best energy out of all of them, which isn’t saying much because all of them were dead. The remix was okay. I think I like it more than the original, but I hate the original. Although I praised them a little for being different in the beginning, still a boring performance. Tough year for them.

2AM:

Very 2AM. Nothing special either. It kind of felt like a Goodbye Stage or maybe a Whatever Stage.

Secret:

Get well soon, Zinger. For those that don’t know, Secret is a 4-member girl group, not 3. Finally, a decently entertaining performance. Well, it didn’t get interesting until Talk That. Poor backup dancers, having to hold that coffin-like thing while the girls squirm to strip their jackets. I’m a little disappointed the Sunhwa wasn’t lifted up during her part - I like that part. I don’t know if it was the video, but Jieun had dark circles of death. Hyosung had the best energy as she usually does. Jieun seemed a little dead at the beginning, but then found some energy as the performance went on. The male dancers inTalk That are just in the back standing and occasionally rocking the coffin back and forth, lol. Compared to the other previous performances, I enjoyed this one and the girls did well without Zinger.

Hyorin&Park Juwon:

Nothing to do with the performance, but that is one ugly dress Hyorin is wearing. It’s also interesting how Hyorin is all dressed up and Juwon is in casual clothes. She’s a good singer and she did well in this performance. Nothing spectacular, just typical Hyorin. I didn’t find it as amazing as her singing other songs. I don’t know anything about guitars, but I have to say, I loved watched Park Juwon enjoy himself on the guitar. There was a close up on the guitar and I liked that there seemed to be some sort of scratch marks on the guitar. It made me feel like he’s been playing a really long time with that guitar.

K.Will&Kwon Soonhwon:

This was nice. I like K.Will so that helped. Nothing to say, nothing to criticize. It was nice.

Ailee&Kim Kyu Shik:

Wow. A cello. I love how they sound. Plus 1. I loved this. I know she did a cover for Halo before, but I found this one so much better. I like her hair better here. Another beautiful cover by Ailee.

Son DamBi:

Yay! Another interesting performance. I didn’t like how her clothes glowed though. I guess it looks better in real life than on camera. I didn’t like how she was behind that container for that long either. Partially because of her glowing clothes which made it hard for me to actually focus. Her backup dancers’ clothes are horrible. The performance itself was good. At least it wasn’t dreadfully boring.

Teen Top:

Haha, a little Michael Jackson going on in the beginning. Before anything, I’m not a fan of Teen Top and know nothing of them. Whoever it was that sang first has a horrible voice. The camera bothers me a little in this performance. Okay, horrible performance. Skip. I went to the end to get their pose and what’s with the angle. You only really see two members.

Suzy vs. Hara:

Hara is so short and skinny compared to Suzy, haha. I hate how during the transition from Hara to Suzy, the cameraman decided to focus on a random part of the stage. Oh, KBS. I have to say that Hara won. There’s noif’s, and’s, or but’s about it for me. Hara wore sneakers which is the smarter choice if you’re doing a dance battle, in my opinion. Suzy’s choreography was way to sexy for her and it was uncomfortable to watch. She didn’t seem comfortable either. Hara had more feel to her moves and stage presence. Although there was a lot of waves in her choreography. Suzy just did the moves and had the attitude oflook, I’m moving around making motions. I’m dancing.

Beast:

Why did Yoseob hold his mic like that? Okay, I was getting really tired of these lackluster performances. The moment I saw them I was already thinking this would be boring because they looked dead as well. But then, yay, Beast! They jumped off the stage and to the audience. Just when I was thinking,they used to be so much more energetic and lively on stage. I’m so proud. It got energetic after that. With them telling the audience to put their hands in the air and to scream.The stage even lifted them up. Excited. Yay. Good for them. Aw, and they’re the first ones to say ‘Happy New Year’ too.

Dynamic Duo:

I thank them for keeping the energy up after Beast. I was really worried that the next performance would be boring again, but nope. They were jumping and engaging with the audience. But as rappers, I suppose that expected? Either way, whoo! Wow, but just because those two are jumping does mean the camera has to shake. This was really good, you can even see that the audience was enjoying it. This is the energy everyone should have had.

Idol Super Band:

Why were the members in this band introduced as stuffed potato-with-hair dolls? Yoseob’s eye shadow is pretty. For a girl. Jonghyun was the most energetic out of the three vocalists. I wonder how his jacket stayed out his shoulder. Is it pinned? During the performance, I paid attention to the band behind the vocalists because the vocalists were just okay. Nothing exciting. Until Jonghyun. He made me pay attention to the singers. Taemin looked so bored, but then he was so cute during his small solo. Minhyuk is so cute. I love drummers. Wow, L, that smirk. Hello. I’m not a fan of the group you belong in, but hello. Jinwoon and JinYoung were the two invisible members of the band.

Return to the 90’s:

Aw, I like it when juniors perform songs of their seniors. It was pretty interesting how they had more energy in this performance than when they were performing their own songs. I loved the end when they all got together and performed with Moon Heejun. It was a little messy at the end though. People were getting in each other’s way and some of them had some problems going to the front. Or it could all be because of the camera. I liked this special stage.

Trouble Maker:

Not even for a end of the year special will I hear Hyuna sing in this song. I can’t hear anything from her. She’s a backup dancer for Hyunseung. If you pretend that her mic is an unfortunate face blemish then she’s just the main female backup dancer or a trainee, which is why she gets lots of face time. Hyunseung on the other hand, was fabulous. Even with his ear piece swinging every which way, he didn’t mind it one bit. His weird moves near the end of the performance was quite…interesting though, lol. No.

K.Will:

Ew, the things on his clothes needs to disappear. I love the band feel on this performance. Haha, his dancing’s so cute. Two performances with him and both of them have pleased me.

Shinee:

As much as I shouldn’t be judgmental…or…mean. The lady that appears in the beginning of the performance. HELLO. Wow. She looks so bored and mean. I hope she still enjoyed herself. Shinee, what are you wearing? Onew, what is that dangling from your butt. Moving on. I can always count on Shinee to prepare a good stage. Something about them. In these types of stages, they always deliver. One of the best performances so far. Clap clap.

Sistar:

The floor dance was so awkward. I don’t like revealing clothes, but I liked what Sistar was wearing. I’d like it better if they were wearing something more than a bra under there. The performance itself was lacking a little energy and watching this right after Shinee’s performance didn’t help. Compared to some of the other performances though, this was acceptable.

CN Blue:

Wow, Jonghyun is really enjoying the stage. They all look really lively up there, but Jonghyun stood out for me. I actually wanted to skip this performance because I wasn’t a huge fan of CN Blue anymore and I wasn’t familiar with this song, but I’m glad I didn’t. I was doing a mini dance in my chair while watching. Aww, they’re all giddy up there. They’re seriously enjoying performing, aren’t they?

Noel:

I think their performance was nicely placed so that it was after a lot of idols. Their music isn’t dance music so the audience can get a chance to reel in from their crazy spazzing to just relax and listen to calm music.

Brave Guys:

Aaaand back to the upbeat, get-off-of-your-seat-and-scream performance. I think the saying save the best for last means something in this Gayo Daejun because all the entertaining and energetic performances are in part two. Haha, and they do some gags too.

Ailee:

I love when this girl sings. Not only does she sing well, but she enjoys it. She performs so well. She knows that she a soloist and no one’s there to pick up her flaws, she’s got to do it all. And she does.

Infinite:

Someone has something on his hair. Is that an accessory or is it dyed that way? I’m not a fan of Infinite either, but I was able to watch the whole performance unlike Teen Top and B1A4 because Infinite wasn’t dead. Oh man, the green light show. I hate it. Not just in this performance, I don’t like it in general. Above average performance, I suppose.

Kara:

The dance is the beginning was much better than the dance break during the song. I love how for the next 4 minutes, they were on stage knowing that they owned the stage. It wasn’t a magnificent stage, but I never expect one from KBS.

Super Junior:

Okay, it’s hard enough to keep track of who’s who with an army, it doesn’t help when the cameraman is having a party. The remix. No. What is that. I don’t approve. It’s just a clash of songs. They looked really cool in the very beginning but as soon as they started performing…what happened. Like Shinee, Super Junior usually has unique stages, not this time. Are they missing Leeteuk?

DBSK/TVXQ:

I hate what they’re wearing. Did they run out of fabric. They missed a spot on the back. There’s a really close close-up of Yunho’s face. Their performance was really good, but that’s expected of them now. They did pretty well.

Ending: Everybody on stage singing together. The typical ending.

And of course, the MCs for the night.

Overall: It just another KBS Gayo Daejun. Meaning it was whatever. It was very Music Bank style and I don’t like that style. The dark stages and the drunk cameramen. The performances itself are never great from KBS Gayo Daejun so it wasn’t surprising that I didn’t enjoy it. In general, nothing was special.

-Cassis-

K-drama: The Moon That Embraces The Sun

I was addicted to this drama for quite a while.

Background: A thirteen year old, Yeon Woo, meets the Crown Prince and young love blooms. She’s eventually a candidate to become his wife, but she’s got competition from Bo Kyung, another young girl, who the Queen Dowager favors. The Queen Dowager will do anything to have Bo Kyung as Queen, but the Crown Prince only wants Yeon Woo. Prophecy. Amnesia. Yeah, stuff happens.

Actors:

Yeo Jingoo as the young Crown Prince Lee Hwon. I’m so amazed by his acting, he’s so cute. Adorable. I want to hug you. There was this one sad scene I remember, he portrayed his heart-breaking emotions so nicely. Well done.

Kim Soohyun as the older Crown Prince (The King now). NO. They grew up! But Soohyun…I approve. He played the King well. I loved his acting. This drama really impresses me with the acting. He’s so cute too. I was in the let me love you stage for a couple of weeks.

Kim Yoo Jung as the young Heo Yeon Woo. My favorite child actress! I love her. Yoo Jung and Jingoo’s acting was spot on. It wasn’t perfect of course, but they got my acceptance and I’m enormously picky with k-dramas. She’s such a sweet girl and I honestly wish her the best in her acting career.

Han GaIn as the older Yeon Woo. She ruins the whole drama for me. If she wasn’t a part of this drama, it would have been perfect. Her acting was the worst. Her eyes are strangely widely opened most of the time. The fact that she was the main character, horrible. Terrible.

Lee Minho as young Prince Yang Myung, the half brother of the Crown Prince. He plays such a sad character. Poor baby. I first saw him on another drama, Rooftop Prince, and he was cute there too so that played in his favor of my liking him in this drama. Ah yes, Yang Myung likes Yeon Woo too.

Jung Il Woo as the older Prince Yang Myung. I’m superficial and Il Woo does nothing for me so I was disappointed in this change. I want Minho back. However, the change from Yoo Jung to GaIn was even worse. I’ll accept the prince’s change with open arms. Yuanie loves him though and if you agree with her, check out her post “Eyecandy: Jung Il Woo”.

Kim Sohyun as young BoKyung. She wants the Crown Prince. She’s such a sad character too.

Kim Min Seo as the older BoKyung. I know lots of people have a deep hatred towards her, but in my opinion, that’s a sign that she’s acting well. If she was terrible at playing this evil psychotic person, then people wouldn’t hate her to the extent to start insulting her looks. Again, I loved her acting. Especially when she starts going insane.

 Jin JiHee as young Princess Minhwa, the younger sister of the Crown Prince. She’s so adorable. She plays the whiny crybaby perfectly. She’s so cute. This brat causes some problems, but I still love her. All she wants is her brother’s teacher’s love. She wants to marry him because she has cute feelings for him. It seems like a cute side story, but keep on eye on it.

Nam BoRa as the older Princess Minhwa. Ha! She’s back! Despite her change is looks, one thing hasn’t changed. Her undying love of Yeom. This character, I love her.

Yim Siwan as Heo Yeom, Yeon Woo’s older brother. He becomes the Crown Prince’s teacher and can charm anyone with his looks apparently. I didn’t know he was a member of an idol group called ZE:A until a few episodes in. Idol turn actor? Great. By to his abnormally good looks. He looks so perfect that everyone is charmed by his looks. There’s a scene where a guy bumps into him and gets angry at him for it, but one look at Yeom’s face and BAM! Hi, want to be my friend? This is the guy Princess Minhwa is cutely crushing on.

Song Jae Hee as older Heo Yeom. Oh dear. What happened to you? No. I do not approve. Not in the slightest.

Lee Won Gun as Woon. The only thing I thought was that he kind of looks like Onew from Shinee here. I think like the friendship he has with Heo Yeom and Prince Yang Myun. They’re like best buddies and I like how their friendship portrays the different class level. The prince is the highest, Yeom is the middle and Woon is the lowest. Woon has a mother who was a slave so his rank just goes bye bye.

Song Jae Rim as older Woon. Oh man. You first see him in a dark corner in Hwon’s room guarding him as he sleeps. People said that he looked like Michael Jackson. LOL. I love how people were completely devastated by the change and then they slowly fell in love with him until their ovaries were exploding left and right. I love this character. I wish he had more lines, more screen time. Gusta.

Jung Eun Pyo as Hyung Sun the eunuch for the Crown Prince. I know it’s hard to see his face in this picture, but I just absolutely love this guy. This scene is amazing. The Crown Prince and Yeon Woo is having a lovey dovey moment and Hyung Sun is on the roof waiting for the Prince’s signal to start fanning flower petals down below to create a romantic scene for them. The Prince and the eunuch are so hilarious together. Definitely one of my favorite characters.

There are obviously way more characters than this, but I only mentioned the main characters and a couple of the ones I absolutely loved.

The Drama: This drama was my life. I hate k-dramas. Absolutely hate them. So I was really surprised that I liked this drama so much. The child actors were brilliant. I love them all. I wanted this drama to be a happy love story between the Crown Prince and Yeon Woo. They’re so cute together with the eunuch creating a romantic atmosphere on the prince’s orders.

Spoiler warning from here on.

Prince Yang Myung…oh the poor baby. He loves Yeon Woo too. NO. He wasn’t supposed to die! Neither was BoKyung. They had such sad lives. Despite BoKyung being this psychopathic lunatic.

I love to relationship the Crown Prince has with Woon. Woon’s one of his only friends and they have a strange relationship with one being the King and the other being a servant. I love those two together, but what’s even better is those two plus the eunuch. That trio. Love.

The eunuch, oh man. He’s hilarious. I feel so bad for him though. Being picked on by the Crown Prince all the time. He made his eunuch make him a mini snowman so he could escape the palace. Genius.

Yeon Woo getting amnesia was plain stupid. It took forever for her memories to return and it took just as long for Lee Hwon to realize that she’s the girl he’s been abstaining for. On that note, BoKyung! Seriously, I feel bad for this girl. Being used by her own father when all she wanted was Hwon to notice her and forget about Yeon Woo.

I cried though. When Yeon Woo “died”. Her family was torn apart. It was sad seeing her life stop and fall into pieces. Everyone who was involved with her, their lives were also shattered. So sad. Even though Princess Minhwa had a large part in this, I couldn’t really hate her. She was just an silly innocent girl at the time.

AH! I’m starting to fall in love with this drama again. There’s so much more to this drama, but this was a sufficient rant for me to calm down from this drama. Hm, or maybe I made it worse.

-Cassis-