JYJ, an inspiration

I spent the last couple of days getting caught up on kpop, particularly DBSK/TVXQ and JYJ and I have found a new respect for the trio. JYJ is made up of Kim JaeJoong, Micky Yoochun, and Xiah Junsu. There was a lawsuit against their former management company SMEntertainment and the details of that can be heard in their music essay "Untitled"

I have yet to see a musician who has worked as hard as these trio, save for Michael Jackson. Their dedication and perseverance in the face of lawsuits, breaking up, horrible working conditions with mere hours of sleep and sesaeng fans (stalkers) is amazing and endearing. They encourage me not to quit and my life is nowhere as hectic as theirs. I can only go so many days without my nine hours of sleep and even then I am neither a morning person nor a people person. 

I applaud them for daring to do that which no one else has done, confronting the bully that is SM Entertainment. I was in tears while reading the stories, thanks to SeoulBeats, Soompi, and allkpop. I have so much more respect for these guys and that has grown so much after listening to their music and watching their creative talents. Junsu's "Tarantallegra" is marvelously symbolic and just very impressive. 

Now I see the musician, not just the idol. I really do hope they have a psychologist and a physician on retainer. Their body and mind has been through so much more than the average person and I fear for their mental health. I am a Naija babe and I love my Naija acts but those guys are not on this level, not yet--and I don't even understand Korean. That says something. Lagbaja, Nneka, Sound Sultan, Asa and perhaps sometimes MI do give me good music but the video is not so noteworthy. I'm not dissing my Naija musicians, just amp it up a little. 

JYJ is slowly shedding that idol image and moving onto the musician stage. Now if only SM would stop with the bitch moves and cut their losses and move on. It seems they do not realize that the harder they make it for JYJ, the greater their popularity. I am proud of these young men and I wish them successes in the future.

KDrama: Fashion King

From Left to Right: Yoo Ah In, Shin Se Kyung, Lee Je Hoon, Kwon Yu Ri

--KimchiDrama

I actually liked this drama, I really did mainly because I could relate to the characters in a way--all of them. This was not a drama about love, but about a passion for fashion and success. And I welcomed that. It was also a fairly realistic drama, one of the most realistic KDramas I have ever seen. It shows people exactly how they are.We do not want to change. The actors were great. That I must say. The drama started out okay, it was crazy in all sense of the word, but I had hoped for it. Then the writing seemed to take a turn for the worse. There were a lot of loose ends and it was as if the writers were not paying attention to the characters they created. The beginning was crazy, "Rolex" will forever hold a different meaning for me, but the ending was something else. 

Young Gul played by Yoo Ah In 
He worked hard to get where he was. His mother abandoned him, his dad dropped out of the picture, his sister fell ill and died due to lack of money. His story is sad but he builds a clothing business and makes a name for himself. He meets a former childhood mate, Ga Young, (not "friend" as they had only met once/twice) and he aggressively pursues success. There is the antagonist Jae Hyuk who really cannot stand Young Gul and does everything to make this life hell. Young Gul becomes immensely successful but he was consumed by revenge. His character is something out of a Shakespeare play. His character is the "revenge is the ultimate downfall" or "money is the root of all evil." 

Lee Ga Young played by Shin Se Kyung 
There is no character development on her part, at all. Not once. She remains the same pushover. Even Iago's wife in Othello had some spunk compared to her. Now she is an orphan. Her parents died in a car accident and her mother's business partner makes her her live-in slave. This character is weak because her circumstance has made her weak. For me, this is the first KDrama character where the writers actually go into why she is weak and I can relate to her. But she remains weak. She meets Young Gul who is her savior; he gives her a home and allows her to design to her heart's content. Then she meets Jae Hyuk and while she clearly states that she loves Young Gul, she finds herself with Jae Hyuk. The former provides security and stability, the latter provides a rare opportunity to grow and develop her talents. It is the classic "eat your cake and have it too." 

Jae Hyuk played by Lee Je Hoon 
This guy wants what he cannot have, simple. This is why I did not like his character. He is a spoiled kid, who is in need of a serious therapist. His father hits him, with available objects, and his mother dotes on him too much while remaining oblivious to his suffering. He in turn abuses others, from his secretary to his ex-girlfriend/current girlfriend, to Young Gul and to Ga Young. For some reason, viewers loved this guy. Yet, he is the one who leaves his current girlfriend Anna, whom he had to woo back, in order to pursue another girl in another country, on another continent. He cannot stand up to his dad, or protect his then-girlfriend from his parents yet he wants to bring in a spineless girl. His character is sad and pathetic, but his money and status clouds all that. I label him "things are not at they seem." 

Anna played by Kwon Yu Ri 
This character leaves her work in the US for a job in Korea because her former boyfriend promises to do better. Now she loves him and while his parents gave her hell before, she decides to brace it. But his eyes are on Ga Young and he reneges on his promise to be there for her. Granted she is not as good a designer as Ga Young, she is a good businesswoman. With no comfort from Jae Hyuk, she seeks a friend in Young Gul. Young Gul likes her but she refused him, so they become drinking buddies. She is jealous of Ga Young and she wants her boyfriend to be monogamous. Eventually she breaks up with Jae Hyuk and moves into Young Gul's company where she is better utilized. Her character is strong but she struggles to find where she belongs. She does not belong in Jae Hyuk's world anymore and he hurt her, and she keeps looking for someone to accept her and love her. I label her "trying to find oneself." 

The drama does something so well that I rarely see in dramas or tv shows except on the Cable networks: SHOWTIME, Starz, HBO, etc. The characters are complex and the villains are also complex. There is absolutely no typecast here. The actors did a terrific job portraying these characters.Young Gul seems like the good guy but he also strays when he makes money. The writers explain why he does not open himself to others easily--his upbringing.Ga Young is weak but she does go after what she wants: her life at Young Gul's shop, her work at Jae Hyuk's company, and both guys breaking their necks for her. The writer also explains why she is so weak and indecisive. She was an orphan at a young age and she was practically a slave to the "weird bangs lady."Jae Hyuk is crazy because he is constantly being beaten by his father and he cannot separate his emotions from business. Anna is the way she is because she did not have a normal family; and apparently none of the characters did, and her hubby hurt her--badly.

The ending was not well thought out, although I believe the writer/director were aiming for a Shakespearan tragedy. But they missed the mark. Young Gul is in financial trouble and he leaves Korea for New York, USA. He leaves his girlfriend, Ga Young, behind. Time passes and he sends her a letter and ticket for New York, Jae Hyuk (the guy who does not understand the word NO) intercepts the message and brings the girl to New York. Ga Young things Young Gul abandoned her (this character has serious and realistic abandonment issues) and sticks with Jae Hyuk. It is inferred that the two are together. Life does not give pretty endings but it would have been fitting for both Ga Young and Young Gul to be together. It just would have. 

And I think this drama goes the easy route: the rich kid gets his way and wins the girl. Young Gul has been consistent in saying no to Jae Hyuk and saying yes to Young Gul but now she switches? That did not make sense. Their relationship was as clear as day. Oh and Young Gul somehow manages to call her and they did not talk it out. Instead, he gets shot by some random guy while on the phone with her but she does not hear the gunshot. The ending was bizarre and odd and just way out on left field. The writers and directors did not employ the KDrama cliches here, and I appreciated that, but they used it in the end which was pointless. Why have the guts to go a different path only to go back to it. I like the cliches though, especially when it is interpreted differently, but it was refreshing to not see a lot of them in this drama. However, the ending seemed to satisfy the viewers who wanted the rich kid with the poor girl. I would have wanted to see a more realistic ending: Jae Hyuk in therapy, Young Gul and Ga Young starting over in New York, far away from crazy Jae Hyuk, and Anna standing on her own. I'll chalk this up to a slightly bad Shakespeare rendition. Also, the fashion was not that great.

Rooftop Prince: SeNa

--SMTOWN-B2ST-INFINITE SUBS

I watched Rooftop Prince at about the same time I watched Fashion King. I preferred Fashion King over Rooftop Prince, even with its crazy ending. 

Unlike most of the viewers, I thought Sena with how evil she was, was the saddest character. She was as sad as Jae Hyuk in Fashion King, and thankfully both characters were just as complex (Jae Hyuk wins in complexity). The saddest part for me was when Sena's real mum meets her adoptive mum (her aunt) and the adoptive mum made her favorite dishes and the floodgates open when she burned herself trying to carry a hot pot. That moment hit a nerve because it was absolutely realistic. Sena never really liked her "mum" and she was not a caring daughter. Yet her "mum" gave her everything a mum could--Sena's foods cooked in that picky manner, and as much love as a mum could give. Sena did not return the favor but the "mum" was her mum.

Sena played by Jung Yoo Mi

"mum" played by Song Ok Sook

Biological mum played by Na Young Hee

From Left to Right: Choi Woo Shik, Jung Suk Won, Lee Min Ho

KDRAMA SUMMER VIEWING CHALLENGE

I love villainous characters and Fashion King, so far, is the only one to give me a good one. I do not like typecast roles, they are simple and boring. My favorite characters would have to be the "Power Rangers," the King's 3 men,  and the antagonist SeNa. The Power Rangers are hilarious and adorable while SeNa is just beautiful to watch, her acting is just amazing.

Green Ranger (the smart one) played by Lee Min Ho

Yellow Ranger (the adorable one) played by Choi Woo Shik

Blue Ranger (the bodyguard) played by Jung Suk Won

King played by Micky Yoochun

I do not pay attention to main characters unless they stand out, exceptions: Hyun Bin, Kim Sung Ah, Lee Seung Ki among others. The main characters in this drama are actually pretty good but the "loveness" of it all is just not my cup of tea. I do have to say that Micky Yoochun did exceptionally well here.

I like Sena because she was such a bad character (in the literal meaning and the Michael Jackson meaning) and played by a really good actress. I wanted a reason behind why she hated her sister but the writers/directors never gave one. Something must have spurred that hate. In the past it was because her family put her aside for the Crown Princess (which does serious damage to a kid's psyche). But in the present, there is nothing concrete. Other than her real mother abandoning her with her aunt, which could explain why she was never close to her adoptive mother.

What I really really really loved about this drama is that for once, the characters had common sense--the main male lead that is. The King, along with his Power Rangers, had to solve a mystery and they were pretty smart. It is pretty rare to find a drama where the lead characters apply real life common sense so that was refreshing to watch. Also, this drama did the time travel bit excellently. I watched Secret Garden and the body switching was so underplayed and underutilized but in this one, the writers got it oh-so-right.

The drama was definitely about love but I liked the mystery aspect of it as well. Oh and the power rangers and the food---KDrama and food is something else. And those rangers were absolutely darling.

DBSK-TVXQ-JYJ

I applaud celebrities. I love my privacy and for them to be so open to put themselves on such a platform is scary to me. I am a fan of korean pop and korean drama. I used to watch this channel called Arirang and I was introduced to DBSK/TVXQ, Shinee, FT Island, Shinee, Super Junior, SNSD, Girls Generation, etc.

Now DBSK/TVXQ was and is my first Korean boy band, actually they are all full grown men now. But they were my first. They began in South Korea, and Wikipedia help me out here:

TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi, is a South Korean pop group formed in 2003 under SM Entertainment. In South Korea they are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki often abbreviated as DBSK; and in Japan as Tohoshinki. Their name translates to "The Rising Gods of the East".

U-Know Yunho

Max Changmin

Hero JaeJoong

Micky Yoochun

Xiah Junsu

Credit: LiveJournal users: mytsubasa, ibleedyunho, YONGYONG

Now this group is amazing. Their first video I saw was Mirotic and this was when I missed artists who actually danced, not gyrated. So they filled that niche beautifully and I have loved them (and the kpop that followed) since. The language is beautiful, I'm learning a few words here and there, their dancing is amazing to watch, the choreography is awesome and the video and the concept is stunning. This is what I want from my Naija stars but no, they're all autotuned-I-got-money-and-non-Naija-girls.

And those bodies, it's icing on the cake.

They are all so so beautiful, and they are dedicated. They are now venturing into acting and some of them have found quite a niche for it. Yunho was in Heading to the Ground and I would've loved Junsu to make a cameo since he loves soccer (me gusta!). His most recent work, till date, is Poseidon. Changmin was in Paradise Ranch. JaeJoong was in Protect the Boss and Time Slip Dr. Jin. Micky was in Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Miss Ripley and Rooftop Prince. Junsu had a cameo as himself on Scent of a Woman. And when they are not acting, they lend their voices to soundtracks. 

And the point of this is that sniffle my first kpop group, my very first foray into South Korean music and drama sniffle, splitting up. I keep replaying Mirotic and watching in amazement at their chemistry. I keep watching their performances on variety shows and I just cannot come to terms with their disbandment. In all fairness, I do support their move. Apparently, they were under some, Wikipedia and a notice:

The Seoul Central District Court in October 2009 ruled in favor of JYJ affirming their right to independently engage in entertainment activities and granted JYJ's injunction suspending the JYJ-SM contract; its ruling emphatically pointed out it was a "subjugating contract" with terms that are grossly incompatible with Korean labor and contract law.

JaeJoong, Yoochun and Junsu formed JYJ while Yunho and Changmin remained as TVXQ members. I will continue to support all of them because I love them all. They all have talent and I hope to see more of them. I will miss seeing them as one but I want them to continue making good music because they are seriously talented chincha! And if they will keep bringing things like these out:

 

FIGHTING OPPAS!

Anime and cartoons

I want to make a list of the anime and drama I have watched so far, so here goes. I started out with Inuyasha. I used to watch Inuyasha on Adult Swim, this was 2003-2007 ish. I also saw Samurai Champloo, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (I had to copy and paste that), Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach, Ghost in the Shell, Blood+, Eureka Seven, and I can't forget Toonami which game me Megas XLR, Teen Titans, Justice League, Atomic Betty, One Piece, and Zatch Bell.

oh, and TOONAMI IS BACK!!!!!!!!!! THIS JUST MADE MY DAY. Saturday Nights are going to be a whole lot better from now on. Now if only orbitz can make a comeback T_T

...Anyway. I watched those shows on telly, the awesome Cartoon Network. Then I also began reading mangas: Inuyasha, Fruits Basket, mars, etc. Then I found out that these mangas had their anime so I began hunting for them. I watched Inuyasha and Fruits Basket on YouTube before I found Crunchyroll.com and luckily they have an ipod/iphone/ipad app. It was on Crunchyroll that I found out about dramas. I'm not sure whether I began with Japanese dramas (JDrama) or Korean dramas (KDrama) or Taiwanese Drama (TDrama). This list took me back to those old websites I used to use: crunchyroll, nairaland, and too bad most of the videos are gone on YouTube.

Non-Dramas: These are anime, manga, cartoons, whatever that is not a drama. 

Atomic Betty
Bleach
Blood+
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
Chobits
Code Lyoko
Eureka Seven
Fillmore
Fruits Basket
Fullmetal Alchemist
Ghost in the Shell
Inuyasha
Justice League: Unlimited
Love Hina
Marmalade Boy
Mars
Megas XLR
Naruto
One Piece
Ouran High School Host Club
Peach Girl
Ranma 1/2
Samurai Champloo
Shaman King
Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go!
Teen Titans
Tokyo Mew Mew
W.I.T.C.H.
Winx Club
Yu-Gi-Oh
Zatch Bell