I’M BACK!

­THANK GOODNESS IT’S SUMMER! I’ve been waiting to lounge around my house every spring break. No more due dates, projects, reading novels, math homework, and trying to grasp French! Yes! I can now start on my Korean now… Once I stop being lazy. I am also sorry about the rather long, almost two months, hiatus. School was just asking for so much out of me.

Well, the game plan is I wish to watch JIN 2 and possible post a shorter version of recaps. I hope that I will be able to just do major highlights for my recaps, because whenever I do write a recap I tend to write it in full detail like I am writing a novel. I tried doing a recap for Tumbling, that went terrible. I’m also contemplating if I should watch Lie To Me with my favorite Kang Ji Hwan and Yoon Eun Hye. City Hunter has also caught my interest, but I am a bit hesitant on watching it because I don’t want to end up losing my interest! Korean dramas just make it too easy for themselves since they take a couple of episodes (2 – 4) to actually start the plot. I cannot wait that long, I am impatient and I want the plot to start moving NOW! Yes, I know, I am too demanding and impatient, but that’s how I tend to stray away from watching Korean dramas because of that single element.

I am very glad to be back, however I have shied away from my love for dramas due to school and because I am focused on other things such as the hilarious Psych and amazing Avatar: The Last Airbender. A girl gets bored when she has no work to do and doesn’t feel like watching her Asian dramas. I know, for a fact, I will be getting into JIN 2 because of season one’s disappointing ending. I’ve also been reading a lot of good reviews for this season so that always makes me happy! I also did a review for the show, so if you’re curious: Violà! I will try getting in a Artist Discovery as well, Rie Fu has been in the spotlight  since I left… I love her, but I just need to have the spotlight on another artist. I will probably throw in a music review if I get bored this week. I’ll try having a post up by this Thursday or Friday, maybe even sooner! We’ll see, until then, see yaaa!~

 

There she is!!

I am excited that I came across this lovely flash animation called There she is!!, or its Korean title, 떳다 그녀!!, by SamBakZa, a Korean artist trio. There she is!! tells a story about romance between a cat and rabbit. This amazingly cute and fun series was able to (and still does) capture the hearts of many American and European audiences in 2004 which boosted its popularity. The series has five episode, or steps, which last between 3 – 6 minutes. I adore the series astounding soundtrack! Each episode features a different indie band’s song. Here is There she is!! Step 1:

[ Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Final Step]

New In Town: Brave Girls

Brave Brothers is a former composer and producer for YG Entertainment and has worked with many artists including Big Bang, U-KISS, Sistar, After School, and Som Dam Bi. After leaving YG Entertainment, he created his own label, BRAVE SOUND ENTERTAINMENT. Brave Brothers has been working on his girl group, Brave Girls, since last year. This month, Brave Girls debuted. The group consists of 5 members: Seo Ah, Yoo Jin, Eun Jung, Yeh Jin and Hye Ran.

Fly with Standing Egg

Korean indie band, Standing Egg, released their latest single, “Fly”. They are a band that I stumbled upon in February with their release of “Have You Ever Fallen In Love with Ra.D” (사랑에 빠져본 적 있나요). I’ve been hooked since, so if you’re looking for indie music with a soft and acoustic sound definitely check them out!

Welcome Aboard, MyDramaList.com!

Now, I heard about this due to an announcement that DarkUmagon had made on DramaCrazy.

His friend has launched a site, MyDramaList.com, a while ago. Users are able to have a list of all dramas and movies ranging from Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Now as the title of the site hints, you can create lists for dramas and movies. There are 5 lists that you can put each drama or movie in: currently watching, completed, plan to watch, on-hold, and dropped. I admit, I actually do this on my Microsoft Word, but now, there’s no need for it now!

Wait, the site doesn’t end there. You can also write your reviews for these dramas and movies. The reviews can be in-depth, but must not include any spoilers, and even provides categories to rate the movie and/or drama: story (overall plot), acting/cast, music, rewatchable value, and overall. The scale ranges from 1 – 10, 1 being the lowest rating and 10 the highest. Before submitting your review, you must tell how many episodes you have watched for each drama. Finally, the users can choose if the review was helpful or not. Here is an example, I submitted for the fantastic Orange Days (click for better view):

Adding actors, actresses, movies, and dramas is created by users who are registered on the site. It goes through administration after it’s submitted. So far, I added a page for Kanno Miho and have just submitted one of my favorite Japanese movies, Swing Girls. There is also a feature that I love, a recommendation list for dramas or movies which is also added by users.

There is a forum section as well to discuss with other users, you can add users as friends, and visit their profiles to see their drama and movie stats. You can see the movies and dramas you both are watching or have watched. Let’s not forget, you can leave comments on each other pages.

MyDramaList is a fantastic way to interact with other Asian drama and movie lovers! I hope it grows as time goes by because this site has great potential! So check out the site and spread the word!

Popular Korean Exclamations!

I seriously love these guys! It’s awesome when you are watching a Korean drama or a variety show and know the exclamations being used.  One of my favorites amongst the 13 is “Assa!”. If you don’t know who these folks are, they’re from TalkToMeInKorean.com. Talk To Me In Korean is a wonderful place to… well, learn Korean. Everything is on the site is free for learning. They provide lessons, vocabulary, grammar, culture talks, and the list goes on and on.

If you plan on learning Korean or are already in the process, please, PLEASE check the site out if you haven’t! I have gotten up to lesson 13 on level 1 and its absolutely great! Since I’ve been busy my Korean studies haven’t budged since the beginning of March! Gaaaah.

Artist Discovery: nadia

Welcome the electro-pop waves of the project group named nadia (나디아) under Purple Communications and SM Entertainment. The group is a duo and consists of the composer, Hwang Hyun, and female vocalist, Myung In Hee. Many people get confused and think that nadia just consist of Myung In Hee and completely exclude poor Hwang Hyun. Anyways, some may recognize the name since their cover of KARA’s “Mister” garnered much interest from SM Entertainments official YouTube channel. I was lucky to stumble upon them on Last.fm yesterday and completely fell in love with their Mister cover, a softer and soothing version of KARA’s “Mister“. An absolute gorgeous cover.

Three days after their cover, nadia released their debut digital single, Twinkling Boy. Two days after, they released their self-titled mini album on November 20, 2009. They also released two more digital singles the next month, December. Since the release of their last digital single, Love Has Bitter Ends (사랑 그 끝이 참 쓰다), in 2009, they have just vanished!

They left fans some tracks and hopefully they’ll be releasing some new material this year. Crossing my fingers!

A Month Later…

So… Where have I been for the last month? I’ve been busy with life, mainly homework as usually. Luckily, I am on my spring break this week! Since I am in a land of laziness at home (aside with working out on the Kinect), I’ve been spending much of my days watching Korean dramas. I started watching 49 Days and FINALLY have gotten around to Secret Garden. That took me about an eternity. Heh.

The main reason I didn’t start watching Secret Garden is because the plot seemed to move slow for me especially watching those first two episodes. I’ve notice with Korean dramas I tend to have a dilemma with ‘em. They start too slooooow. I normally last within the first episode, but once I hit the second or third I lose interest. If the show is lucky, someone will recommend me to give it a second shot or I’ll garner interest in it… again. I’m currently doing this to City Hall (curse me!). I can watch Japanese drama and stick with ‘em because they get to the point more quickly than Korean dramas. Well, at least for me.

I was very surprised to see that 49 Days was able to snatch my attention within the first episode and I wanted to watch the next one! A miracle, indeed. I am on episode 2 and I would have gotten further but I was watching Secret Garden! :3

I know. I know. JIN! The review should be up by the end of the week at the latest. And oh my goodness, JIN 2 premieres on April 17! Gosh, I am so pumped! After that ending… Sheesh. Fortunately, the amazing team, Heiwa Fansubs, that provided subs for the first season will continue to do subs for the second. A bonus!

For my future projects, reviews for dramas will be slow and I’ll try to do more reviews on music if I can.

Navi – Hello

Tracklist:

01. 다시 돌아가 (feat. Yong Jun Hyung of BEAST)
02. 잘 된 일이야
03. 놀라워라
04. 오늘도 난
05. 마음이 다쳐서(feat. Crown J)
06. 끝까지 들어
07. 우리 정말 사랑했어요 (with K.Will)
08. I Love You
09. 길에서
10. 눈물도 아까워 (feat. Hyun A from 4minute)
11. 잘 된 일이야 (Inst.)
12. 놀라워라 (Inst.)

Navi is known for being the “Queen of Covers” and an underrated artist. She released her first full album, Hello, on January 20, 2011. Her album consists of four new tracks and her first five digital singles: I Luv U, Maeumi Dachyeoseo (마음이 다쳐서), Nunmuldo Akkawo (눈물도 아까워), Uri Jeongmal Saranghaesseoyo (우리 정말 사랑했어요), and Kkeutkkaji Deureo (끝까지 들어).

Before I forget, Navi’s birthday is on March 22 and Luminosity is planning to make a birthday video with messages from fans. If you want to send your any messages take a look at the information on Luminosity. It will be closed March 8, so hurry!

∞ ∞ ∞

The introduction of 다시 돌아가 (Go Back Again) commences with the screech of an electric guitar and throws back into a smooth R&B melody. The electric guitar is continuous throughout the track and adds a flare to the song, especially during the chorus. It truly adds to the ache in the lyrics and the icing on the cake is when Navi sings the note after, “Gajima gajima jebal gaji mallago dasi neol kkog angoseo malhago sipeunde Oh~”.  At times, I feel that when raps are inserted into ballad songs, it disrupts the flow of the song. Fortunately, Yong Jun Hyun rap does not feel out of place and still retains the movement of the heartfelt ballad.

Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t hello

I absolutely love the faded echos of the promotion track, 잘 된 일이야 (Well Done). Well Done is another R&B felt ballad just as the previous, but “Well Done” is stripped of the electric guitar and the other electronic tadbits. The promotion track relies on the beat of percussion, the grace of a beautiful string arrangement, and the whispers of a piano. This is definitely a track where Navi’s poised and elegant vocals is showcased. Her voice sounds great with the backing tracks.

놀라워라 (How Surprising) and 오늘도 난 follow the same route with music arrangement. Their main companion being the piano, however How Surprising relies on strings and a bass. 오늘도 난 is stripped with solely Navi’s voice, a piano, strings, and a lighter bass compared to How Surprising. When those elements are complied together, it creates such a beautiful blend. Navi’s voice is so elegant and soothing to the ears. The downside to the song is how it ends. Within the last minute or so, there is a spot where it sounds as if the song is done. Afterward the song builds itself up and feels out of sync.

The song that started my love for Navi: 마음이 다쳐서 (Heart Damage). I absolutely love the introduction into the song. The song starts out with the mellow tune and breaks into a fantastic beat that accompanies Navi ‘s crisp vocals. The shifts between Crown J’s raps and Navi flows well, however I prefer the song without the rap. :X

Being this far into the album, 끝까지 들어 (Listen to the End) stands out like a sore thumb. After all, there was just five previous tracks that were ballads. It’s an addicting and upbeat song that fits Navi, but  it is misplaced within the album’s tracklist. It doesn’t help at all that the next track is 우리 정말 사랑했어요 (with K.Will) (We Really Did Love Each Other). Yes, another slow track, BUT one of my favorite slow tracks! Last June was my first glimpse of Navi. I was captured by the use of the strings, percussion, and guitar. It’s a bonus to have K.Will in the song because Navi and K.Will (I love this man…) voices have such a fantastic harmony.

I Love You and 길에서 pursuit the same aspects of How Surprising and 오늘도 난. I Love You is the track occupied with a fantastic bunch of music instruments while 길에서 uses softer sounds that emphasis Navi’s gentle vocals. 눈물도 아까워 (Wasteful Tears) is a fantastic way to end the album. Navi’s vocals is charged with much strength especially during the chorus. The upbeat tempo is hard to resist and fun to sing along with and dance to. There is only a minor landslide: Hyun A. I liked her rap, but it felt like it was forced into the song and not to mention it was short.

OVERALL: Hello is filled with Navi goodness from start to end. I love that Navi experiments with her music as shown in the two dance tracks Listen to the End and Wasteful Tears. However, they feel out of place as their stuck in between ballad tracks. It would have been nice if there was a smoother transition between the upbeat and ballad tracks. Other from that, Navi created a concrete debut album. The arrangement of the songs are fantastic and when she uses a lighter arrangement for songs like We Really Did Love Each Other and 오늘도 난 it creates such a elegant ambiance.  I actually thought I’d be disappointed because the lack of new tracks, but I seem to forgot how alluring her previous material is. Hello is definitely a great debut album especially for those who are first listeners.

Beloved Faves: ALL OF ‘EM!

RATING:

EOWO [4]: Distraction is a Gift

My rampage for JIN has taken a halt due to school (darn it)! I did manage to finish episode 8 Friday and start on episode 9. I only have three more episodes to go. All I have to do is wait for season 2 which begins in spring. I know some of you may realize I am doing the exact same thing I did with Hotaru no Hikari, but I swear that I didn’t know JIN had a bad ending until I read the reviews. On Friday, I also tried watching Fuyu no Sakura. I am still interested it’s just… I was multitasking on the first impression for SCHOOL!! and I ended up getting engulfed in that. I’m not even half way through on Fuyu no Sakura, but I am liking it so far. The promotion picture looks a bit depressing yet exquisite. Sigh, there’s sure to be plenty of heartbreak and reading the summary doubles the possibility:

“Fuyu no Sakura” is described as a pure love story with similarities to the popular Korean drama “Winter Sonata” (titled “Fuyu no Sonata” in Japan). Kusanagi plays a gentle glass craftsman in Yamagata who has no experience in love. Imai plays an older housewife with a husband and daughter who goes on a trip alone to Yamagata, hoping to see sakura trees blooming in winter. She gets into an accident, but is saved by Kusanagi. He ends up tending to her, and the two are soon drawn to each other.

I tried watching Utsukushii Rinjin, but it went at such a slow pace and started to drag for me. I managed to watch longer than I thought and that was because I wanted to see Nakama Yukie. I only watched Utsukushii Rinjin because I Saijo no Meii and Deka Wanko are not subbed yet.

On project news, I began a recap for Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta. I typed in Taisetsu na Koto on Google (and I will refer to the show as this title). I happened to stumble upon this video. A Bleach musical:

I nearly died of laughter yesterday. It was pretty late and I tend to think the simplest of things are hilarious. I’ve also never knew that musicals were made for animes. Anyway, back to topic. Recap for Taisetsu na Koto sometime this weekend or the next. I want to stay caught up with recapping so I can feel accomplished! Yay!~

On my Forthcoming Project, Navi’s Hello album is still up. I know I was supposed to do it this weekend, but I have to push it back to next week. I have been listening to MAA’s “Ballerina brain system” since my newest friend and affiliate, Pedro (ANTENNA POP), posted about her. I’ve also been listening to Japanese singer Miu Sakamoto and Korean indie band Casker since he did post on them. Thanks Pedro! I am in love with Shota Shimizu’s newest single, YOU & I, and the Japanese instrumental group, sonodaband. They have two – or maybe three – albums available on US iTunes and I am certainly buying their recent album, Renaissance, today. I’ve been discovering new artist left and right this week. I’ll introduce some more next week since there is a lot more on my list of discovery.

To close this week’s overview, take a listen to sonodaband’s song, “Soul River”:

TOP SONGS OF THE WEEK (1/23 – 1/30)

1. MAA – Ballerina brain system
2. MAA – Hangover payback
3. sonodaband – Soul River
4. MiChi – JUMP ON IT (Yes, I am still lovin’ this jam!)
5. Tomofumi Tanizawa – タイムトラベラー