Sunday, December 26, 2010

Welcome to JRock! ...and Kamenashi Kazuya (if you still read my blog after this post, we should be friends)

I guess this post has been germinating in my pervy brain (there, I said it) after I read this post about Kame last night. It's true that after being raised on practically nothing but rock music (it was my first and most enduring love) and later finding my way into JRock, watching Real Face made me go... "geh, pretentious little poseurs".

But I'm always game for a new experience, and I thought Johnny's experiment with merging pop and rock was.. (and I'm trying very hard to suppress my cynical side here) ... amusing, enough to get me to take notice of the group that performed the song. I promptly put my interest in the pretty marionettes dancing to jarring guitar riffs at the back-burner though and went back to jrock right after the performance clip finished playing.

I got dragged into KAT-TUN's world again not through their songs, but through their acting... well, namely by the acting stint of two of the group members. What else, Gokusen 2 of course. At the time, I was very... I mean, verrrry... interested in Jin. But after realizing what a bad actor he is and having no interest in the meagre fare KAT-TUN dished out, I promptly dropped Jin and his group along with him. To be fair, it's not just KAT-TUN... it's the whole Johnny Jimusho idoru concept that I (still) can't stomach.

This happened with another actor I had mad crush with... Tomoya Nagase. I really really liked him, and I wish he had left TOKIO & JJ and gone out to pursue his own path.. gah! Have you seen the idoru groups' backup dancers? They're barely out of their diapers yet there they are up on a big stage performing fanservices for the world to see. How sick is that? It's like a bloody slave factory in there. I guess I would have felt differently had it not felt so contrived and forced (maybe I feel this way because they're so young).

Eh, I digressed. Anyway, I'm back into watching KAT-TUN clips now because of Kame. I have no idea why people call him a bad actor, but they must have watched some of his old dramas that I haven't watched yet. That's why I get it when E.G. said in her post that Kame has two facets to his personality. In fact, now he has a 3rd facet... that of a sportsman... ha! Have you seen him play? How can he be so many different people at once? Makes you wanna go.. "Will the Real Kamenashi please stand up?!" This guy is too interesting to ignore, seriously. I have no problem with his stage performances either. Me guessing that KAT-TUN tries to emulate rockers in their performances is what makes it easily acceptable to me. Why? We've come to the real reason of why I wrote this meandering post....

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF JROCK!


And I was obsessed with this jrocker dude for two years. He's the one I listened to, read & wrote on, discussed the music/live performance/PV/movie/etc. with my friends about from the moment I opened my eyes till I went to sleep. Even there I wasn't really safe because he regularly invaded my dreamscape. Yes, for two bloody years... before he suddenly went normal on me. (He said he was ~REBORN~) Meh. Normal artists are so... normal, ergo uninteresting. Wanna know which performance that got me hooked on him? It's this one...



So, you can understand why I find Kame's performances to be pretty ...ermmm, how to say this without exposing my pervy self further... mild? In comparison. I like his self-abandonment when he's on the stage. It's pretty obvious that he's conscious of all his gyrating movements, but it seems like.. he just pushes every little gesture beyond the border of what he feels is safe for him. It's fun watching him watch himself performing.. LOL. Mesmerizing shtuff.



And if you think Kame's pole dancing is gay and so not on, what do you think about Rain when you watch this, huh? :P

Kame's more controlled when he's acting though, staying in character despite showing familiar mannerisms. I like him in dramas when he has to deal with love issues. I think it's how he looks at the girls. To me, a guy is sexiest when he looks at a girl perplexedly, trying to decide what is the best course of action to take regarding anything and everything about her. Maybe I'm just projecting my feelings onto the characters he played, but they all seem to have that quality in their eyes. Eager to please, yet not knowing how, but still trying his hardest anyway. Don't you think a guy like that is sexy? ♥

[Uploaded Movie] Kamikaze Girls - Kyoko Fukada & Anna Tsuchiya

I got interested to watch this movie simply because I've read the manga...


Most probably, it's because I was hypnotized by all the frills on the Baby dresses, but I love the manga. So when I stumbled upon the video, despite not liking female-bonding stories (Thelma & Louis scarred me for life), I unhesitatingly watched it.

Ami's Rating: 3/5 stars


One thing I love about japanese dramas and movies, they don't hesitate to use any kind of visuals to put their messages across. I find it refreshing that they simply ignore all thoughts of the discomfort they may cause their viewers with their unconventional method of story-telling and, in so doing, skip all the beating about the bush and convey every detail with clarity. At one point, I was wondering whether they'll combine some animated characters with live action. You know.. like, making Himiko come into the frame and talk to her followers... or something.

Suspend all disbelief and delve into the world of Momoko & Ichiko.

Kamikaze Girls is a self-indulgent story that tracks the not-quite-friends-but-definitely-something-special relationship of two girls from very different worlds. Momoko Ryugasaki (Kyoko Fukada), a Lolita girl, and Ichigo "Ichiko" Shirayuri (Anna Tsuchiya), a Yanki, met in very bizarre circumstances that can be tracked back to Momoko's father's life before he even knew her mother. Strangely, it was the Yanki who keeps coming back to the Lolita at first, a gesture that exposes us to Ichiko's (or Ichigo as Momoko prefers to call her) warm and generous nature.


Or probably it's Momoko's seeming indifference to her surrounding, which seems to Ichiko as an act of defiance and courage, is the magnet that pulls the rebellious Ichiko closer and closer to her. In her absolute determination and pride to live as she wants, be as solitary as she wants, dresses as she wants... Momoko represents the spirit of freedom that Ichiko has never been able to capture in all the years she is in the biker gang, Pony Tail. This is made obvious in the admiration she expresses towards Momoko during an argument with her gang members:

Momoko always relied upon herself, believed in rules she made by herself, compared with you (Pony Tail members) who can't do a thing without a group, you're not even in the same ball park, idiots!

The departure of the leader whom Ichogo idolized is the turning point for her as Pony Tail changes into an organization that craves for structure and regulations, the very things that Ichigo has always tried to step away from. Her speech about it during the punishment scene hits the nail on the head:

We gather from all over, wasn't it to get away from the so-called "face value" and "common sense"? Now, saying things like "it's decided and you'll do what you're told", "it's the rule and therefore must be obeyed" etc., how is this different from the world we escaped from?

Momoko, on the other hand, is made to look like such a facile character that she would call the dressmaker of her favourite brand (Baby, The Stars Shine Bright) her God, may seem to be an uncomplicated and simple-minded girl to the viewers if not for some of her uncommon insights that she dispenses liberally, namely to her mother and Ichigo, whenever she feels like it. When you hear her version of 'the truth as Momoko sees it', you'll realize that within the world everyone knows and lives in, Momoko has built her own world that only she can see and understand.

I don't think she's built it out of her desire to protect herself from pain or to run away from reality, though. It's just that, to Momoko, her world makes more sense and therefore more livable, that's all. Which is why, before Ichiko forces her to venture out of it by literally dragging her all over the place searching for the legendary embroiderer who doesn't exist, she has always talked to people around her as if she's an outsider looking in.


I find nothing pitiable in the way both girls have lived their lives before their encounter, nor afterwards with Momoko still undecided about her stint at Baby and Ichiko aimlessly riding her moped up and down the Shimotsuma road. On the contrary, it made me think.. ah, so we can live like this too and still have value(?). I always call that kind of vagabond lifestyle: 'lounging around waiting to die'.. but I guess I've been conditioned by the society to accept 'our way or the highway' lifestyle for far too long.

In another lifetime, I would have felt depressed at the ending of this movie. It's the kind of story I've always avoided in the past... open-ended, conclusion-less, and anticlimactic. But in my present frame of mind, I rather welcome the uncertainty and the question marks Kamikaze Girls throw at me at the end.

About the main leads:

Kyoko Fukada - my most enduring onscreen memories of her are when she gave Gackt that puppy bag for his birthday on Domoto Kyoudai and the topless tomboy princess trembling in Mansai Nomura's arms during a scene in Onmyouji II. Her kawaii image belies the fact that she is a very hard-working actress, as can be seen from her wiki.

Anna Tsuchiya -  I encountered her magnetic onscreen presence in Sakuran. If you haven't watched that movie, you're missing out a lot on japanese culture *cough*. She's also a singer, and reading her wiki made me think that this girl has lived 10 times my lifetime at her age.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

[Upcoming Drama] Bartender - Masaki Aiba

I mentioned this anime in this post and said that despite it being super boring, I enjoyed it very much. So imagine my surprise when I got to know that they're making a drama adaptation of it.

YEAY!!!

It stars Masaki Aiba, a member of Arashi. I have always tried to avoid dramas/movies by idoru stars with the exception of Kame and Jun... oh, and Tomoya... coz they're all sorts of awesome in practically all the dramas/movies I've watched them in, so by virtue of being in a drama I'm definitely going to watch when it airs, Masaki Aiba will be the 4th idoru star in my drama list.

I love it when the actors learn all sorts of skills for the dramas they're in. It simply adds authenticity and makes me appreciate them all the more coz they're worked so hard to make the stories come alive. Here's a preview of the drama. The release date (tentatively) is January 2011. Be looking forward to it!



An extended version of the CM can be found here (embedding is disabbled)

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

I'm too smexy for you to hate.... so love me~


(Ha! You gave me an excuse to paste this pic in my blog... thank you antis~)

[Uploaded Drama] Kami no Shizuku - Kamenashi Kazuya

"Using one's own strength to bring out the best"


Can wine teach you about life? Can wine bring you closer to your family? In my opinion, Kami no Shizuku gives us more understanding of the humans who pursue the path of wine than the wines they introduce to us in each episode.

Despite working on a script based on a still unfinished manga (it's still ongoing), I thought the drama wraps up everything very nicely. I can understand why Maki-san's behaviour was so erratic and bordering on self-destruction and I learnt to appreciate her feelings for what it is (although, she should have been honest with it from the beginning as that would have saved Issei-san and herself a lot of anguish), from being mesmerized with Issei-san's seeming fascination with the dark side in the first few episodes to liking him a lot more than Shizuku by the final episode, I cheered for Shizuku all the way despite screaming at him occasionally when he tries to run away yet again, I like his nakama and wish that I had such a supportive bunch at work too (but I think that's asking too much), all the while being able to stare at various beautiful shades of wines in various beautiful settings... I think this is a drama I can watch over and over again. I think I want to try finding it in a video store. Kame is pretty popular in my country so hopefully they stock all his dramas. In fact, every drama I've watched him in (Nobuta wa Produce, YamNade, and now this) is a keeper.


I have no idea how such a nice drama can receive such a low rating despite it winning awards and Kame getting Best Actor for it, but I guess the japanese TV watchers are as incomprehensible as the korean ones, so I won't grumble about that kinda thing anymore. I've had my fill of grumbling over domestic ratings when I was following Playful Kiss, and now Marry Me Mary. I'm not gonna start another rating rant post over jdoramas since it would be a complete waste of my time. And I seriously don't want to get into discussions on the anti-Kame movement who supposedly boycott any drama or episode or project he appears in (how can they deeply hate someone they don't even know personally??). Maybe I'm too old to understand that kind of irrational shiz. Are those kids for real? I like whom I like, what I like... and if I can't stand anyone or anything, I won't spend hours writing about them in my blog or mobilize a mob to attack them online or off.


I can't dislike any of the characters in this drama.. everyone has his/her own place in which to shine. Some may seem more lackluster than others but they're still necessary to the story. I still wish to list all the wines in this drama, but I'll try to find that VCD boxset first. It'll be nicer with screencaps. I also have a craving for the manga. Did you know it won the French Wine Mag's Top Award? In the manga, there are 13 wines to be found... 12 Apostles and the 1 Kami no Shizuku. It has only got up to the 27th volume and the 7th Apostle. Mada mada desu.

Monday, December 20, 2010

[Uploaded Drama] The most moving kissing scene I've ever watched in my whole entire drama-watching life (up until now, that is)

Yamato Nadeshico Shichi Henge, final episode...



It's easy to explain why I love japanese doramas more than korean ones, despite having more beautiful actors to obsess over congregating in the latter.

Jdoramas uplift my weary soul, teach me about my own fighting spirit, open my eyes to other possibilities I can explore in life rather than the ones set before me by my elders, tell me unwaveringly that the path I choose is the right one simply because it is the one I decide for myself and not decided by others.

Several times I was told by several different characters in several different stories that "Jibun no chikara o shinjiro" (believe in your own power). I usually come away from a good story, such as YamNade feeling rejuvenated and optimistic about life. The more obstacles the characters face, the harder they fight.. even if it's just to earn the right to love and to love whomever they want to love.

Kdramas (99% of them anyway) follow such a rigid formula that it's becoming easy for someone as jaded as I am to predict what comes next.. in terms of scene, in terms of plot, everything. I even liken them to hindi movies and my friends agree with me. Predictability is good for relaxation, but it won't turn the drama into a mania.

Do you believe that a good story can change a life? I do. I've changed so many times as I follow one story after another to a point where I don't even remember what I was like a year ago. Of course I've retained some of my original traits, but some characters and stories are impressive enough that they've changed me or at least changed the way I look at my surrounding and my life.

I guess everyone has his/her own preference. I've learnt to mix between the two in order to keep me entertained in the best way possible. Right now I'm concurrently watching Kami no Shizuku and M3 and I'm having a blast.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

[Upload Drama] Marry Me Mary / Mary Stayed Out All Night / M3 - Jang Geun Suk

I'm finding myself currently quite obsessed with Mu Gyul... so I kinda get Seo Joon's obsession with him. Someone like that, even a day with him would probably drive you mad over him for a lifetime. He's like a fragrance you want to capture in a bottle. That Jang Geun Suk can play a character that has a similar premise with Tae Gyung and yet gives off a completely different aura is unbelievable. He's all sorts of awesome, isn't he?

Friday, December 17, 2010

[Rambling About Drama: RAD] Kami no Shizuku: Ep 1 - 4

I have a preference for manga-based jdoramas. Add that to my mania about wine and my crush on Kame-sama, Kami no Shizuku is a perfect blend of several things I adore.

The plot is predictable.. I pretty much could guess who wins the challenge up to Ep 4 (yes.. even the result for the first try on the 3rd Apostle), but the characters make it a compelling story. And instead of finding the heroine annoying, as I find most jdorama heroines are, I keep squeeing over her cuteness that at times I even forgot to look in Kame's direction. I can even appreciate Tomine Issei's psychotic madness over his wine. The scene with him tasting the 2nd Apostle mixed with his own blood was fascinating (somehow, my own sentence reminds me of Sunako of Perfect Girl Evolution.. LOL). The only person I have this "urusai naaa" feeling for is Maki. Even though I know it's impossible, I wish she'd go away from Ep5 onwards so I can concentrate better.

Since this is, as I've said... my RAD corner, there won't be screencaps of the dorama. And since it gets such violently bad reviews on pretty much everything from the cast to the plot (what plot?) to pretty much everything, I doubt you can find screencaps of it anywhere either. I'm one of those (probably rare) people who enjoy the super-boring Bartender anime so perhaps that will help explain where I come from when I talk about how much I love the drama so far. Because the story was built on such a fantastical premise, it helps that I refuse to try searching for logic or rationale at every turn and accept it as it is.

Despite not being able to drink wine, something about it has always attracted me to it.. whether it's the shapes of the bottles, or the many rules people have to follow in order to consume it, or the obnoxiously high-sounding names that they are told to memorize in order to appreciate it, or the history of each wine production that differentiates one harvest from another... I think if one asks me for a comparison, I'd liken it to classical music. They both seem to induce similar complexes in the hearts and behaviour of their lovers.

I've read a bit on the manga, and maybe this is blasphemy.. but I find I can connect with the live action better. Maybe because I feel like I can understand the motivations behind the changes they made.. tatoyeba, the scene in Ep 1 where Shizuku declines to explain why he switches glasses. I also think that even though the Shizuku in the live action is as childish and innocent as in the manga, he is also more dignified and reckless and thoughtful.

Shitsumon desu.. do all parents treat their children this way? At least in the dramas, anyway. I've just come off a drama where a mother tells his son that he's a mistake (You're Beautiful), I'm in the middle of a drama where 3 parents literally scramble over each other to win Worst Parent of the Year with the mother also telling her son that he's a mistake (Mary Stayed Out All Night)... and now this? There's a lot of parent-to-children: "I made this mess and I want you to clean it up coz it's your fault" theme being used in drama plots, isn't it? Too much of this stuff and you'll start doubting humanity's ability to propagate.

One little thing, did you know that the drama was nearly adapted to a Korean version starring Bae Yong-Joon? Too bad Korea is rather kibishii with product placement in drama/movie so the plan was dropped... but not before Keyeast bought the rights to the popular wine-themed Japanese manga though.

Story summary:

Ep 1 - Shizuku goes to his late mother's grave on the anniversary of her death only to find his dad there bearing a bottle of wine instead of a bouquet of flowers. The kid blows up at the sight of it and his dad goes away in silence. Enraged, Shizuku smashes the bottle to pieces, when suddenly the fragrance of the wine wafts towards him due to the strong wind. He is clearly affected by it. Later on we learnt that he has always been sensitive to smells.

Cut to Shinohara messing about with a bottle of wine for the customers at the place where she works. She's the type who thinks that stealing gulps of expensive merchandise from your employer is considered an effort to learn on the job. The customer is not pleased with her presentation and challenges her to a drink. Of course she won't pass up the opportunity... but what is this? The wine she selects with care tastes so bad it shocks her out of her wits. If she has any, that is. Then we found out that one of the 3 customers is actually Shizuku who immediately offers his assistance. Apparently decantering is not an easy task, despite Kame making it look so simple. I wonder if our 'teh tarik' guys can perform it with ease too. The techniques certainly look similar. The customers are pleased and Shinohara gets to keep her job for awhile longer.

Shizuku turns out to be an employee in the beer division of his company. So he hates wine but still wants to work in an intoxicating environment, eh? That's denial for ya. He finds out that he's been transferred to the wine division,, much to his annoyance. He takes a phone call from his dad's lawyer and is told that his dad has died. Apparently he's been sick with liver cancer for 3 years and he is the only one who isn't told about it, courtesy of his dad's specific instruction. Nice work, daddy-o.

Suddenly he's crammed with all the info on his supposed inheritance...bla bla bla... and oh, you have a brother who's just got adopted a week before your dad died. Huh? Your inheritance? Technically it's not yours yet coz you have to fight your onii-chan for it. Hello? Not interested, capiche? But his dad's lawyer and, for some reason I still can't fathom, his adopted brother (Issei) can't let him off the hook, despite him protesting about how he won't ever ever ever ever drink wine ever, and forces him to drink the wine his father has prepared for Round 0 of the quest: the winner will get to live in the gloomy mansion all by himself. Shizuku takes a sniff and the glass falls from his hand to break into a million pieces on the floor, splashing the precious liquid in all directions. With that, he just runs the heck outta there, straight into our resident irritating biatch, Maki-san.

Issei, in his arrogant way, explains the wine to the lawyer and writes down the name and year of the wine he has just drunk.. and of course he's right on the money. He's the genius wine critic after all. Shizuku, being young and curious, is naturally intrigued with the terms of the inheritance. Even the name invokes a sense of mystery and the promise of deep fulfillment: Kami no Shizuku. Hence the title of this drama.

Shinohara, like all the jdorama heroines before her, stalks Shizuku and pesters him to teach her the decantering technique he previous employs. Then, most probably because a jdorama heroine must be a scatterbrain in order for the hero to shine, she forgets all about her request to study from him as soon as she sees a restaurant that serves delicious food. Likely she's gone there before. They find that it's closed for 'preparation' but that won't stop our duo. Anyway, I find it icky that the father and daughter can show their animosity so openly in front of strangers.

So Issei and Maki-san have a kinky relationship, in which he pours wine into her mouth until it drips right into her bathrobe-wrapped cleavage, and Shinohara, in her scatterbrained way, pesters Shizuku to help save the restaurant. Why? Why would you care if the restaurant is going to be closed down, Shinohara-san? You don't even know anyone from there. She's a good-hearted girl who is carelessly stepping over the boundary to become a meddling do-gooder, dragging Shizuku with her. Shizuku is in on the plan for a different reason as the person whose lethal review on the restaurant in his regular column is none other than Issei. So you've been hiding your combative spirit under that boyish smile of yours, Shizu-kun? Shizu-Shino find an eccentric old man (or rather, he finds them) who lives in a tent and survives mainly on the wine he has buried around the place.

The decantering technique is used once again and it's happy-ending for the daddy-daughter pair with her immediate employment as the sommelier-in-training. Wine brings people happiness.. THE END.

Ooops, apparently it's not over yet as they still haven't solved the mystery of the wine in Round 0. Am I seriously going to summarize all the episodes despite knowing that no one would bother reading any of it anyway? *THINKS* ... na ah. From now on... I'm just going to concentrate on the part where I'm very interested in. The wines.. and Kame-sama, of course. Later.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

[Variety Show] Cartoon KAT-TUN

Episode 2 (subbed)








Episode 3 (subbed)





[Concert] KAT-TUN: Kazuya Kamenashi

This is how you hold a concert...



Kyaaaaaaa.. bishi vampire!



Akanishi-kun, you'll be sorely missed... T____T

[Uploaded Drama] Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge: 10 episodes

Yappari... jdorama ga ichiban! It's impactful, it has an arc throughout the drama yet you can as easily get attached to the individual episodes too. Best of all, it knows how to quit when the story has run its course and doesn't go on and on just because it has a high rating when it's aired.

SAIKOU DESU! Kanpeki da... "Perfect Girl Evolution" no ai no monogatari. Manga o yomitai!


y1A
Uploaded by adddwork16. - Explore other animal videos.

Oyoyo... when has he become so interesting? I liked him in Gakusen 2 and I loved the shonen ai pairing in Nobuta wa Produce. But I've never been impressed with him before, and then this drama came and WHAM! I was hit by the Kame typhoon.

Skimming through his wiki info, I wonder.. is he some sort of an award collector? From the time he debuted in dramas, the only year he didn't get Best Supporting Actor or Best Actor was in 2008. That's some serious talent, man.

O yeah.. he got Best Actor for this drama too.. @_@

I still can't believe he's the same age as hyung... he feels much older than 24 y.o in his dramas despite playing schoolboys in all the ones I've watched him in (in this, he's a university student). I've never cared to follow the j-pop scene since I'm more into j-rock and so, since I don't look up his non-drama clips on youtube I don't know what Kazuya Kamenashi is like outside the realm of his fictional characters.

I want to watch all his dramas. Next one would be: Kami no Shizuku.

Monday, December 13, 2010

[Song] DJ DOC - Run To You

Thanks to that A.N.Jell parody clip investigation post, I got kinda obsessed with this song. My lab becomes a makeshift club with the song playing almost non-stop. And since I really want to sing it, I've gone cantabile on it.



Sing it the way I hear it:

(Lyrics)

1, 2
1, 2, 3, 4
Bounce with me bounce with me bounce with me bounce
Bounce with me bounce with me bounce with me bounce
Bounce with me bounce with me bounce with me bounce
Bounce with me bounce with me bounce with me
Bounce bounce bounce bounce

Welle o idden nal bullo mo ga ni mame gulyo
Darun namja wanan tullyo ne gen jon wal go ro
Amuri uri wolrit so do gu mot shi nal makgo it so dogalso it so no wan monan damyon
Dallyo ga get so wulwul nala ga get so
No lana ju get so ne mo dun go ju get so (ju get so)
*** ^@8^%JA#@!^O%@%yGF%^$$@ (yeah baby)

Bounce with me bounce with me bounce bounce bounce bounce

Wello idden na rul bullo mo ga ni mame gollyo
Ne ga wonan danun golnon al go it jana
I need you I want you, I'll run to you (yeah baby yeah baby)
Ni mamyume munyul yo lo narul holak he jo
Ni anyeni mamyene ga du lo galsu it ge
Na ye sarang u lo che wo jul ge

La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la bounce with me bounce
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la

Bounce with me bounce with me bounce with me bounce
Bounce with me bounce with me bounce with me bounce
Bounce with me bounce with me bounce with me bounce
Bounce with me bounce with me bounce with me
Bounce bounce bounce bounce

Ma ju son na ga son no wa iddu go un shi son
Pi hal su ob so ne mamul sum gilsu ga ob so
Nuggil su ga isso ni ga wona nul gol
Ishganul gidalyo watso i je nol ga get so
Just the two of us uri dan dulissoh nanulel nalatso mom chusu ga ob so soh
Ishi ganul gum gwo wot so nan jong mal wonet so
Yes baby I want you, I need you, run to you

Wello udden na rul bullo mo ga ni mame gollyo
Ne ga wonan danun golnon al go it jana
I need you I want you, I'll run to you (yeah baby yeah baby)
Ni mamyume munyul yo lo narul holak he jo
Ni anyeni mamyene ga du lo galsu it ge
No wa ne ge ha na dwil su it ge

La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la bounce with me bounce
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la

Bounce with me bounce with me bounce with me bounce
Bounce with me bounce with me bounce with me bounce
Bounce with me bounce with me bounce with me bounce
Bounce with me bounce with me bounce with me
Bounce bounce bounce bounce


*** I seriously didn't get what he was mumbling in that fast part so I just shut up while staring at him in frustration....

[Fanvideo] (Against Anti-SNSD) SNSD - Gee

Antis are psycho people who are disrespectful... *wants to roll on the floor laughing but ish currently in her lab*




Dumb dumb dumb dumb da-dumb da-dumb... (LOL)



...actually the things said in these videos about SNSD antis are applicable to all antis of any celebrity. Why waste time hating when you can spend those hours loving? I'd rather go on a hunt in cyberspace for updates of my favourite stars and idoru than making video clip after video clip of celebrities I can't even like. Pabo ya?

By the way, I love both songs.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

[Song] Second Love - Gong Yoo for the movie "Finding Mr. Destiny"



Sing it the way I hear it:

U-i cho em man nan sun gan
Nan ge de ga cham mu so wot jo

Hwa nan saram cho rom
mun el bak cha go son der o wat jo
Nan ge jo sum go shipot jo

Al myonal su rog so ro dalla
Shiro jil go ra mi don nen de
Shi ga ni ku ru go o nu se na do molle
Ge de ga pyone josso yo

I sanga jo ye jonenan
Ner tto na nen ge du ryo wot nen de

Ge de wa ham ke ramyon bama nu romo
Dalla rakka ji gal su isse go gata

Gi jok so ri delyo wa yo
Bet go dong so ri nu rir je choha go it jo
Ji nan na run hul hur toro ne go
Dul mane yo heng tto na yo

Ji na bo rin yet sarangen
Da san ma ru e byori doen ne yo
O nel ha ru jumun ne yokke gi de
Ge de ye byorur ham ke chaja bo a yo

Baram cho rom mo re cho rom
Nak tarur ta go gum bit sa mager gonmoyo
Ge de gyotte gi jen ne ga yisso
Duryo wo mal go tto na yo
Ne sonur jap go go ro yo
Sa ro un sa rang shi ja ke

[Update] Hyung-chama is now in Japan!!

He's there! He's there already! I hope they produce a DVD of the event so I can buy it! (link 1, link 2)

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Parody clip investigation - A.N.Jell

It started when I stumbled on this clip...



..so I thought it was modified from this song, coz it also has that "bounce" thing in its lyrics and since it's such a popular song it's only natural that the style got copied.



...but apparently I was wrong coz there's actually a song called "Run to You". It's by DJ Doc:



I love it when they make pretty girls dressed in sexy outfits dance to a ridiculous choreography while maintaining a totally serious expression throughout the routine. Fun times.

Anyway, enough detective work for this week. Here's the making of to the A.N.Jell parody. I wonder if they really would do a second season of You're Beautiful. Watching this clip, somehow I miss them...

[Music Video] Abracadabra - Brown Eyed Girls

I knew it! When I watched the very popular opening choreography (watched it the first time in a Playful Kiss episode, followed by endless parody by various celebrities), I thought there was something dominating in the way it was sung. The "I'm like a supervisor" line pretty much gives it away.

Then I found this clip. I doubt they can prance around the stage wearing that dominatrix-type outfit in Korea.. but Japan is a land where anything pretty much goes (hide & seek, anyone?), so we get to see the full treatment of how that song should be performed.



I do like the part in the MV with the girls donning that zebra-like black and white striped skin suits with black blouses on top though. Mesmerizing stuff. How old are they anyway? Should they really be doing this kind of kinky act at their age? Should I really be complaining since I enjoyed it a bit too much? Heh.



I hope no dogs were harmed in the making of this video.

Jang Geun Suk jjang!

He's so random.. LOL!






Is there anything that this guy can't do well?





[Drama I'm currently following] Mary Stayed Out all Night / Marry Me Mary - Ep 9

Contain Spoilers!



I was surprised that this drama has a very low rating, probably coz Jang Geun Suk's dramas have always had high rating. Oh wait.. You're Beautiful has a low rating too.. but it has a cult following! Anyway, ever since Playful Kiss got thrashed at the rating section, I never believe in domestic ratings anymore. This is probably the only drama that will have two guys I follow in the same lobby, restaurant and bedroom in my lifetime so I’m savouring the moment. It took me around 5 hours to finish this episode coz of the excessive rewind movements I made.. LOL. So many worthy MR-MG moments. I wish I had a cat.. I’d so name him Mu Gyul. Cute cat!! I'll probably suffocate it with with my overly affectionate hugs.

I can’t be bothered about the kiss at the end of the ep. If MR thinks she’s gonna be dating MG without running into a hundred ex-gfs.. not to mention fans and students.. trying to get their hands and lips on him, she has another think coming. And yeah.. MG has to start conditioning his non-confrontational brain to activate his non-confrontational body to push those pathetic girls away in the future. And what if there’re paparazzis following SJ to get another scandal scoop? If MG is still the music director of the drama.. won’t that be another problem for the production team?

Anyway.. the scene that actually made me go berserk is the meet-up between JI and MG.. kyaaaaaa! Jung-In, is talking about Mae Ri and business the only thing you can come up with as an excuse to stare at Mu Gyul for more than 10 minutes?? hahaha..I love this alternate couple. Someone make a fanfic already!

That said, I wish they throw some more likable characters into the mix. Right now, aside from MR and MG, I can’t seem to like anyone else. The parents are out of the list from the beginning, Jung-In is like a display mannequin in almost all the scenes (Why Jae Wook.. why? I watched this drama for you! I know you can be a brooding guy and still be full of life.. so why are you taking this easy way out? Is it at the behest of the director? I'm in despair...), I ish still wondering why Seo Joon is necessary, MR’s friends are mere (annoying) decorations, MG’s friends are just a bunch of cheerleaders.. how are the writers supposed to fill up 7 more episodes? I hope JI will still go with his decision to include MG and his motley crew in the drama. That’d be fun. I want more 'live' performances from the Absolute Perfection band!

IMO.. this type of drama will work better as a rom com M3 is supposed to be. I guess the writers have run out of wit by ep 3. That bedroom scene is epic and the screencaps/gifs should be immortalized in forums and chatrooms all over cyberspace!!!

Character analysis up to the current episode:
  • Jung In who goes through life doing everything his father wants him to. Everything is bottled up with this guy. I can’t even imagine him shout at a wall when he’s angry. Throwing him into a brawl with Mu Gyul certainly made me see him as a human being, so he needs to be put in situations where he has to blow up once in awhile (preferably at his dad, but the old man is terminally ill so I doubt that will happen). I think, rather than MR, it’s with MG that he gets to be more himself and not a puppet controlled by his dad.
  • Mae Ri who seems to think that she’s carrying the world’s problems on her tiny shoulders. She’s always going everywhere trying to fix things and she has no idea that the more she helps, the more the people she helps are bound to her. It’s precisely because she’s so understanding, always have the right things to say, will try to be beside them when they’re in trouble.. that all the guys are fighting over her now. And I think it’s sick that JI’s dad wants to keep her tied to his home just coz she looks a lot like her mom.. the woman he loved but couldn’t marry.
  • Seo Jun who just goes with the flow.. most probably because she’s always got whatever she’s wanted since she was young.. that the only rebellion she displayed against her family is working as an actress. I doubt she’s doing it becoz she loves the profession or else why is it that she doesn’t care when she’s labeled as a difficult artist? Why does she have such a nonchalant attitude towards her craft? If you’ve left your family becoz they don’t approve of the choices you’ve made.. shouldn’t you work harder to show them that you have chosen well? She’s so hollow. Maybe that’s what attracts her to Mu Gyul in the first place… his passion in music that completely overshadows all other concerns in his life. She thinks it’s love though.
  • Mu Gyul whose music is his food, his air, his salvation. I think he would have ended up on the wrong side of society without his love for his music. Encounters with all the women in his life (except for his mom and relatives, of course) were made possible only through his music. Even Mae Ri was not spared the crush when she saw him perform for the first time. I doubt his lifestyle that comes with his music will change, but he does need to separate between the women worthy to be let into his life and those who should just stay on its fringe. I don’t want his character to change much.. I love his free spirit, that he can sleep on thea street when he’s too sleepy or drunk just coz he feels like it. I love that he doesn’t use the GPS because he doesn’t like it when someone tells him what to do. I love that he uses bricks as bookends and that he has a swing right smack in the middle of his apartment. I love his over-the-top accessories and his shredded pants and his coats with their thick furry collars. I love his obsession with his hair. I love a lot of things about Mu Gyul that whenever the others push him with marriage talks, the thought that all the things I love about Mu Gyul may disappear as he tries to be more responsible about his relationship with Mae Ri is not making me happy one bit. I hope he can change and yet stay the same. Is that possible, newly-appointed scriptwriters? I really hope it is.
What is this obsession about marriage in this drama anyway?? I'm sorry, but I don't get it. It actually reminds me of a movie that also obsesses over marriage, i.e. 'Four Weddings and A Funeral', where the guy ends up proposing to the girl (or was it the other way around?) not to marry him.

Dear new scriptwriters, even if you want to change everything about this story by the last episode.. can you not make Mu Gyul wear a work suit?? I will cry buckets if you end up making him into a regular salaryman just to make him suitable for marriage. Who says you can't be a glam rocker and get married? I can give you a list of famous rockers, glam or no, whom people deem unsuitable for family life but are still happily married after so many years. Well, I'm sorta a rock chick in my spare time so I should know this, at least. So please... let Mu Gyul keep his hot pink tops and clunky rings and spiky mittens and girly hair until the end, kay.

[Drama I'm currently following] Mary Stayed Out all Night / Marry Me! Mary!

... hereby called M3 coz I'm a lazy typist.











M3 is one classic example to illustrate why my reason for watching a drama or movie is based on the actors/actresses I follow rather than any trust in its plots or story. In fact, the writer has already left the building in an effort by the production to boost the rating. Rating, schmating. If they cut down a large chunk of Mu Gyul-Mae Ri time and stuff the drama full of dramatics just to pull the adult crowd, I'm gonna be one unhappy fan.

There're so many interesting Jang Geun Suk-Kim Jae Wook moments in this drama that I'm completely on the M3 boat right now. Not to mention that the Mu Gyul-Mae Ri couple is the cutest couple in k-dramaland I've ever stumbled upon. Jang Geun Suk has not been able to score in the cute couple department in his previous dramas. I refuse to go gaga over a pairing that ends up with one of them being dead in the end.. so the Hwang Jin Yi-Heon Keum pairing totally doesn't work on me. Despite liking Tae Kyung a lot.. the Tae Kyung-Go Mi Nam couple only got cute about a few episodes nearing the end. Well, actually only during that last scene when they're both staring at the stars while mouthing mushy dialogues to each other. And he didn't get the girl in Hong Gil Dong & Beethoven Virus.

However, I'm not too happy with the way Mu Gyul's character is progressing. They're making him succumb too fast to the demands of several annoying members of society when he's been pretty successful at ignoring them for most of his life. Just because you fall in love for the first time doesn't mean you have to seriously consider changing yourself at every turn. Where's the carefree Mu Gyul? He's looking more and more grim with every episode. I want to see him running through the streets and laughing in abandon with Mae Ri in tow again. Even their escape to the place where they want to watch the sunset is interlaced with pretty dry talks about building a family and growing old together. Eeeep... kids, you're too young to be thinking about such stuffy things. Enjoy your youth! It goes away in the blink of an eye~

The subbed episodes (up to ep 9) can be found in Youtube:


I like the Episode 9 recap by girfriday in Dramabeans. Go read!

Friday, December 10, 2010

[Song] Nasheed Extravaganza NEXT07 - VIP Azahari NowSeeheart 2



I like this song coz it has screaming sections in it.. hehe. I don't even know what it's called. Since I didn't know how to find the lyrics, I've typed it. If there's any mistake, please lemme know kay..

Tercalar pelangi dihiris gerimis
Senja pun merangkak menutup mentari
Terhias warnanya ke wajah
Lagu kedamaian tiada kedengaran

bumi yang merekah disirami darah
kemelut melanda tiada kesudahan
kemusnahan bermaharajalela
yang lemah menjadi mangsa

anak-anak kecil menggoncangkan ibunya
yang lemah longlai tak lagi bernyawa
jeritan suara batinnya
tak siapa mendengarnya

tergadaikah maruah oleh janji-janji
terbayarkah dengan nyawa dan darah
soalan yang tiada jawapan

kemanusiaan telah lama hilang
kini yang tinggal hanya ketakutan
musnah kasih sayang dan persaudaraan
tandus akhlak dan keimanan
menyemai persengketaan

anak-anak kecil menggoncangkan ibunya
yang lemah longlai tak lagi bernyawa
jeritan suara batinnya
tak siapa mendengarnya

kemanusiaan telah lama hilang
kini yang tinggal hanya ketakutan
musnah kasih sayang dan persaudaraan
tandus akhlak dan keimanan
menyemai persengketaan

Thursday, December 9, 2010

[Fanmeeting] 101204 SS501' Kim Hyun Joong 金賢重 Fans Gathering @ Malaysia

I was quite far at the back coz I didn't buy the RM300 worth THEFACESHOP product to qualify me for the special entry.. but his magnificent aura cut through the crowd and still managed to hit me right where my heart is. It's my first time following an idoru to this extent and I'm still shaken by the experience. Felt like I was walking on air right afterwards.. and up till today, I still can't believe I've actually seen hyung live.



He exists! He really does exist!!! Hyung is not just a figment of my imagination!

Rant section:

  • The organizers really have to work harder next time if they want to give the best experience for the fans of a star of his stature. Quite a lot of the fans were complaining loudly whenever we were pushed to and fro by Pavillion customers who wandered into the venue. Me? I was too busy grinning / giggling / screaming and enjoying my first fanmeet experience to complain about anything, really
  • Where was this event held... Singapore? Taiwan? China? Wasn't this venue in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia? Where's our national language? Look at the US... do the Asian Americans there use their own diverse languages in a public event? Nope.. they use standard American English. Ours is the only country in the world whose people are embarrassed to use their own national language... huh
Hyung-nim said he'll come here again to promote his first solo album. I want to work hard to get in the signing queue. Hope the date won't clash with any work-related events or my diving schedule... please, please, please. I want to see him right in front of my face this time. If I can have that experience, do you think I'll survive it? Will I faint when I see him smile at me? Kyaaaaaaaa! Just the thought of him smiling at me that up close is making me giddy... LOL

[Song] A Letter for You - Gong Yoo

Where can I get this CD??? Can't find it anywhere... is it like a special production for japanese fans only? *sulks*

[Preview] Finding Kim Jong Wook / Mr. Destiny - Gong Yoo (Eng subbed)





The movie is aired today!! I want to watch it!!! But I hate watching movies in a cinema surrounded by strangers. When will the DVD be released?

[Fanmeeting] Gong Yoo in Japan

I want to be there too!!! T____T

About 15,000 people attended the fanmeet. Isn't the number mindboggling?? Gong Yoo.. I miss you.. when can we see you in a drama? I want to have the experience of following you every week...









Thanks so much for the fancam uploads! Isn't he so cute?? I love his voice too.. I think it's adorable..

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

[Song] Beautiful Woman - Lee Ki Chan

I dunno who sang this the first time I heard it.. but I found it again on a Hong Gil Dong MV today. It's such a heartfelt song and it's so difficult to find the lyrics that I have to paste the one I found here. If the original uploader has any issue with me pasting it in my blog, please inform me and I'll take it off right away.



he eo jil ttae neur ha deon jjalb eun in sa ga o neul tta ra wae i reoh ge
seo geul peun geo ni nun mur i du ppyam wi ro heul leo nae ril ttae
geu ttae seo ya i byeor in jur ar ass eo
je bar ga ji mal la go cha gap ge tteo na ji mal la go
ga seum a peu do rog oe chyeo bo ji man
neo neun tteo na gan da go na e son eur noh neun da go
na reur du go dor a seo beo rin neo
da si sa rang han da hae do da reun nu gun ga reur man na do
na neun neo wa gat eun sa ram da sin man na jin mot hae
baek beon cheon beon eur mal hae do
ul myeo da jim eur hae bwa do
tteo na ga neun ne eol gur bo go sip eun nae ga jeong mar silh eo
mo du kkum il geo ra go kkae myeon da dor a ol geo ra go
a peun ma eum eur wi ro hae bo ji man
jeom jeom meor eo jyeo ga neun neo ui mo seub eur bo myeon seo
ul go it neun nae ga da ga yeo wo
da si sa rang han da hae do da reun nu gun ga reur man na do
na neun neo wa gat eun sa ram da si man na jin mot hae
baek beon cheon beon eur mal hae do
ul myeo da jim eur hae bwa do
tteo na ga neun ne eol gur bo go sip eun nae ga silh eo
jeong mar sa rang haess eot da myeon na reur sa rang haess eot da myeon
ga neun gir e seo ra do han beon jjeum eun dor a bwa jwo
i geo ha na man al go ga i mar ha na man deut go ga
na bo da deo joh eun sa ram man na do
nar ij eu myeon an dwae

Sunday, December 5, 2010

[Uploaded Movie] Nodame Cantabile: The Final Score Part i & II

I ended up watching the two Nodame Cantabile movies I've put off watching for sometime. Now, my Nodame experience is really complete. I feel sad, somehow. I doubt they're gonna do another movie or drama since everything has concluded rather nicely.

NC is a story that is hard to review. If you hate the sound of a piano or classical music, you'd better stay away from it as the two are played for almost the entire duration of the movies. The story of Nodame and Chiaki cannot be told without the music that connects them together. I doubt they can live without their music the way I doubt they can live without each other.

I think what makes me feel so touched during Chiaki's conducting is the story told in the voice-over during the orchestra. I also love the background that comes with every song Nodame plays. I think NC is the most hardworking drama I've ever watched in my life.. from the set, to the cast, to the extras, to the backdrop, to the musical performances.. everything is just... WOW! It's one of those dramas we wish would be aired once a week forever as long as we all shall live.

This is the performance I love the most out of the two movies..

Saturday, December 4, 2010

[Uploaded Drama] Beethoven Virus - Jang Geun Suk & Kim Myung Min



I think this will be the last completed drama by Jang Geun Suk that I'm gonna pursue. I doubt I have the patience to finish a period drama so Hwang Jin-i and Hong Gil Dong are out of the list. I'm tempted to follow M3 every week though, despite my earlier resolve not to touch it with a 10-foot pole before it's completed... since I'm a creature who has almost zilch will power when it comes to temptation.

While trying to see whether what happened to me with Gong Yoo will happen with Jang Geun Suk too (love induced by marathon watching of his works), I fell in love instantly with another character. Who else? The person who commands everyone's attention the instant he appears on screen, of course. The Orchestra Killer.

I went on the net to find out more about the actor.. Kim Myung Min. He turns out to be an interesting personality. Maybe not someone I can obsess over since he's such a scarily serious guy when he's working, but I can see myself hunting down all his works. There're not that many of them anyway since he only started to get good roles around 5-7 years ago and one of the them is in a period drama. It's weird.. I love the European period dramas/movies, but I can't stand the Asian ones.

Kim Myung Min has this thing about being called good looking. He will never believe you if you call him good looking or handsome. Watch this funny interview..



Well, I'm in agreement with the PD. In my eyes, he's really good looking. When I watched the MBC documentary on him, I realized why he's quite particular about his looks. All his young working life, he'd been told that he couldn't get lead parts because he's not good looking enough. Suddenly after Kang Mae came into existence, women find him to be an absolute dreamboat. If I were him, I'd find the whole thing amusing. But I think, some men or women do look much better looking after they've passed a certain age. Being young does not always equate with being beautiful. Looking young does not always mean looking gorgeous. And Kang Mae's intensely charismatic personality enhances his attractiveness. You just can't take your eyes off the guy and be awed by every word he says even though his words are mostly insults.



I was firmly in Kang Mae's camp from the 1st episode. Though his method is harsher than harsh and were I to be on the receiving end of his poisonous tongue I'd probably want to crawl into the smallest hole I can find and cultivate mushrooms there till I die, the things he says are usually the things I'd say in my head too if I were facing the same situation.. it's just that I'd sugarcoat them during my delivery. I'm more like Gun Woo in that respect. The persuasiveness Gun Woo displays in the last episode to make the pro musicians agree to play with the Mouse Phil in the joint orchestra reminds me of how I handled some stuff at work or at home so much that I rewinded it several times while laughing. I think I prefer Kang Mae's method better, it's purer and more heartfelt.. but I'd probably get sacked or alienated from society if I were to emulate his style. I'd probably be hated by my family too.

Several times when Kang Mae is scolding Gun Woo and the other Mouse Phil members, I find myself agreeing with his every word. Especially the "beggar's instinct". Wow, that hit me hard. And things like.. a dream is not a star to be looked at from afar, why are you trying to find a difference when there is none and trying to be nonchalant when your pride is hurt.. bla bla bla. I really love his dialog. There should be a quotable quote page on Kang Mae. Oh, I like this one a lot too: "It is your turn to be strong. I don’t need it. I am already perfect." haha.. that's funny. Kim Myung Min said that Kang Mae speaks every word sharply to the ear (link) and I really like his voice. It's really yummy and edible-sounding.

In the end, I still can't find the extra liking for Jang Geun Suk I need to continue to follow his works.. but at least I've found the next actor I'm gonna hunt down. Kim Myung Min's White Tower will most probably be my next victim.

Being a Nodame Cantabile fan, it's hard not to compare between the two classical music-based dramas. But after I've finished watching Beethoven Virus, I found that a comparison is really not necessary. NC and BV followed different routes despite operating on the same platform. The premise, the genre, the set-up, the story background.. they're all as different as night and day from one drama to the other. If you ask me which do I prefer in terms of drama delivery, I'd say NC. In terms of repeat watching too, I can watch entire NC episodes 20 times but if I repeat BV I will only be watching Kang Mae's parts. In NC, the music is as much a character as the orchestra members are, but in BV the music usually serves as a background or at most a catalyst for the story development. I'm not saying BV is not as good as NC, I'm just saying that the two dramas are merely trying to convey different messages so it's a given that the tonal delivery must differ too. It's up to you which one you prefer more.

There's not even one kiss in Beethoven Virus, it's based on classical music (which is usually considered boring and incomprehensible to regular everyday folks like us), and the main character is a 40-ish year old cranky megalomaniac. Yet it's one of the most popular dramas aired in Korea in 2008 and the public adoration (domestic and international) for the supposedly hateful sharp-tongued perfectionist is unprecedented. What other recommendations do you need to look it up? Don't fight the attraction you'll feel for Kang Mae. Resistance is futile.. as I have learned for myself.

An interesting project that was linked to BV: YouTube Symphony Orchestra