Tuesday, August 18, 2015

{ K-Pop } Infinite - Reality Limited Edition [Photodump]

Hello hello! Yes, this time I'm showing off my beloved Reality Limited edition album +_+

It. Is. Glorioussssss!


Soooooo I did something a little bit different this time... and I filmed a video! :D
I've actually gotten into video production because of school for the past while... and I've really wanted to start making K-pop merch videos... so here's my first one ever :D!

Enjoyyyy~~



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Aaaaand here are the photos~


I ordered two~ One for myself and one for my friend ^^




The Limited Edition is really big... here's a comparison with the normal version of the same album.

just noticed this is a bit blurry.... my bad >.>







it's so beautifulllll +___+











Here's the second batch of photocards and real date cards we got... A full Gyu set for me and a full Hoya set for my friend :D I'm in the process of trading the Hoya's here for Woohyun and Dongwoo cards >.<


Josie 

Friday, August 14, 2015

{ K-Drama ) What am I watching? - Mask, The Time We Were Not in Love, Hello Monster/I Remember You

What's up! I'm finally doing an update on the K-dramas I've been watching. Let's get straight into it!


1. Mask starring Joo Ji Hoon and Soo Ae


I would call this a suspense/thriller/romance/melo drama.. yup, all mixed into one. This one is... okay. I mean I don't think a K-drama fan would miss out on anything brilliant if they didn't watch it, but it's also not so bad that it would be a total waste of time to watch it. There are a few things that just straight up bother me about it, though.

I hate spoilers, so I'll try to explain without ruining the story for those who have not watched it, but I can't guarantee that this post will be 100% spoiler free as I can't freely complain about things without explaining them and referring to the storyline...

In the beginning, Byeon Ji Sook (after she 'turned' into Seo Eun Ha, played by Soo Ae) justifies her choices and what she was doing at that point by saying that it was all for her family. She wanted her family to escape the dire financial situation they were in, and all the attached troubles like the loan sharks. Given that and how scary she knew her "brother-in-law" Min Seok Hoon (played by Yeon Jeong Hoon aka Han Ga In's husband, lol I did not know that) was, if she was going to play the part of Eun Ha, she should have done it all the way and not half assedly try to go see her family, then anger Seok Hoon and hence lead him to harm them. If she wanted to protect her family, she should have resisted the urge to go see them, especially since she's not capable of outsmarting Seok Hoon. I know I guess I have a bit of flawed logic, since it's her family and she would want to go see them no matter what, but if she really wanted to do all of that for her family, then she should have protected them all the way and not act in any way that would give Seok Hoon more reason to harm her family *sigh* =_="

The second thing that really bothers me happens near the end. I'm around 3 episodes away from finishing the drama, and I really wish it would just be over and I would just be finished, lol. Yeah, Mask is one of those dramas that gets tedious near the end - I guess it also has to do with the fact that it's 20 episodes long and I feel like it doesn't really need to be that long -.-

Anyway, spoiler alert here. If you don't want me to spoil the story for you, stop reading here.


...


So near the end when her mom is laying in the hospital and complications arise that don't allow her to get the surgery, and she ends up dying, why didn't the dad or Ji Hyeok try to persuade the mom to hang in there and tell her that Ji Sook is still alive?!?!? I'm not sure if it's the storyline but the way they portrayed it was just... not good and extremely frustrating =_= the viewer's sitting there like ".... uhhhhh okayyyyy... so I didn't really expect the mom to die from that, but she did. And they didn't even try their hardest to keep her alive until Ji Sook got there?!!?!?! whaaaaaaaaaaat?"




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Oh and I have to mention how much I love seeing Hoya do some serious acting in this drama, though. If you read my blog at all, or if you know me at all, you know that I'm a huuuuuge Infinite fan, so I was pretty curious about Hoya's performance in this drama from the beginning. I mean I think he's definitely one of the good idol actors - not the best at the same level as Siwan, but also not horrible. I think he needs more practice.

Okay I guess my last comment about this drama will be about the cute romance between the two leads. I think they portrayed the relationship between the two characters well, but this isn't enough to make the drama a really really good one.

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2. The Time We Were Not in Love starring Ha Ji Won and Lee Jin Wook


I adore both Lee Jin Wook and Ha Ji Won, so I had to give this drama a try. Apparently it's a remake of a popular Taiwanese drama, but I haven't watched it seeing as I haven't watched a Taiwanese drama in foreverrrrr.

I dunno, I think this drama is pretty cute T_T I can't picture exactly where the drama is heading, or what will happen, but I think the storyline is fun and the characters are likable. I mean I guess it's kind of frustrating that everyone sees that these two main characters are in love, but they don't realize it, but it's portrayed realistically, I guess. I don't find it boring or annoying to watch this drama xD

Oh, and yeah. Another Infinite member, Myungsoo, appears in this one too xD But he's only a cameo so it's not a big deal. I would recommend this to those rom-com lovers~ I don't really have much to say other than this being a cute drama xD



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3. Hello Monster/I Remember You starring Seo In Guk and Jang Nara



This one has to be the one I'm enjoying the most at the moment. I'm already 12 episodes in and it's only been a few days since I started! In true K-drama fan fashion.... hahaha.

This is a freaking good drama. I haven't really felt this sucked into a drama since maybe Healer or Kill Me Heal Me but this storyline is the freaking bomb. I have to say though, the whole detective team reminds me a lot of You're All Surrounded. Jang Nara even reminds me a lot of Go Ara in that drama. This one is slightly more dark and psychological, I guess, since it deals with serial killers and criminal mentalities.

I haven't seen Seo In Guk in a drama since Master's Sun but I think he's definitely good enough to lead a public broadcast channel's drama. He's so charismatic and I love his eyes :D!! And I always thought Jang Nara is a good actress so this is no exception. I have to say their chemistry isn't killer like Seo In Guk with Eunji in Reply 1997, but I mean it isn't bad either. The two leads have a cute relationship.

It's my first time seeing Park Bo Gum, and he's absolutely adorable!!!! I can see why people are all over him these days, I think he'll be one of the next rising stars. Oh and freaking D.O (Do Kyung Soo from EXO fame, also It's Okay, It's Love) is freaking amazing. That kid is gonna continue to get better and better at acting. He's so good at his psychopath role that when I see his face now, I get scared :( Big time props to him, but I liked seeing him as EXO's cute member and Jo In Sung's cute little buddy, not a psychopath.... lol

Oh, I guess I would call this one an action/suspense/thriller with a little bit of rom-com. Anyway, A++ drama, I can't wait to continue watching it since all the eps are out :D!




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That's all for now! See ya next time K-drama fans :D

Josie

Sunday, August 2, 2015

{ K-Drama } Dramas I've Finished "Recently" - [The Girl Who Sees Scents], [Ex-Girlfriend Club], [School 2015: Who Are You], [Marriage, Not Dating], [Producer], [Warm and Cozy], [High Society]

I've really honestly not felt like blogging for the past while D:
But now that I feel like getting back into it, I have so many dramas that I've finished/starting watching that I want to talk about XD

Alrighty, since I have a lot of dramas to talk about, let's get into it~~~
Just like my previous drama posts, I'll just briefly talk about the drama and what I think of it :3



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1. The Girl Who Sees Scents starring Park Yoo Chun and Shin Se Kyung

Ahhhh I like to talk about dramas that are fresh in my memory.. but it's seriously been a while since I've finished some of these dramas, so I'm definitely not going to remember every single thing I wanted to say... but here goes~

This drama got off to a very fast start, right from the beginning. The story is interesting, the characters are cute. It was my first time watching Shin Se Kyung in a drama, but I was so pleasantly surprised! Especially after hearing that she's not a very good actress - and so bad to be put together with the likes of Jin Se Yeon (ugh...). I think Se Kyung interpreted the character very well, she was naturally cute and I think she pulled off the role.

You'd think this drama was pretty much a rom-com, but there's a good portion of mystery, suspense, thrill and action all packed into it, making a very interesting drama that's quite entertaining from beginning to end. It was a little bit draggy at some parts, but not so much so that it made me feel like stop watching.

Overall a pleasant drama - would recommend if you like rom-coms with a bit of an unexpected twist.
Also, I alllllllways enjoy a good ol' Park Yoo Chun drama (woo Micky oppa! :p)




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2. Ex-Girlfriend Club starring Song Ji Hyo and Byun Yo Han



Such a cute and fun drama ;____; but sadly, the originally planned 16-episode series was cut down to 12 due to low ratings... You guys will probably recognize Song Ji Hyo from Running Man (or maybe her other tvN series Emergency Couple?) and Byun Yo Han from Misaeng (magnificent drama btw >.<). This one is about a webtoon writer/artist who publishes a webtoon about his 3 ex-girlfriends. The webtoon is eventually turned into a movie, and Song Ji Hyo, who plays a movie director and is Byun Yo Han's long time friend, gets involved with the 3 ex-girlfriends.

I enjoyed this drama a lot when it aired, so I was pretty sad when they decided to cut 4 episodes. It never felt draggy or boring, so I think it's pretty lame that tvN decided to cut it just because of ratings.

The ending felt very rushed and a lot of things should have taken more time to explain, but given the situation, I think the director did a good job even with the time restraint and sudden decision to cut it.

Overall a fun drama, all the main characters (I thought) played their parts well and acted well, and the storyline was pretty light-hearted and fun. This one is more of a full-on rom-com.
I would recommend it but don't have extremely high hopes if you do decide to watch.



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3. School 2015: Who Are You starring Kim So Hyun, Nam Joo Hyuk and Yook Sung Jae


Okay right off the bat, I gotta start with a bit of a spoiler. 
This drama is one of those classic ones in which the ending completely ruins the drama. I was so hooked on this one until the end, but after completing the series, it just left a bitter taste in my mouth.

If you guys know me at all, you know I love a good high school drama. I have no idea why, I just have a thing for dramas set in high school (or even college, for that matter...).

Anywho Who Are You starts with such a mysterious aura that really reels you in and keeps you watching. There's suspense, romance (cute couple scenes :p) and mystery. The first 1/3rd of the drama presents a lot of questions and makes you curious - so you keep watching.

However, the last 3rd (?) of the drama takes all that built up mystery and suspense and completely destroys the drama's potential by being unbelievably anticlimactic. It leaves you feeling like... "huh...? that's it?...... there's nothing more that they planned...? but it felt like there was something else?...." Yeah. It's not a good feeling.

Well you know how I feel about the storyline, but the acting was okay. I think Nam Joo Hyuk is still pretty awkward, and he'll need plenty of practice before he gets better, but Kim So Hyun and Yook Sung Jae (guize he's from Btob, extremely talented idol group from Cube ent. if you didn't know...) played their roles perfectly. It was annoying watching Tae Kwang getting rejected not once, not twice, but three freaking times though =_=

Overall a disappointing drama, even though it started out with lotsa potential. It's still watch-worthy, I think, because Kim So Hyun is such a good actress, especially at the ripe age of 16, and Yook Sung Jae is adorable ;--; There are some good themes that this drama attempts to address - bullying, friendship, struggles that teenagers have.... but I think they were very... clumsy with the way they wrapped things up.


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4. Marriage, Not Dating starring Han Groo and Yeon Woo Jin


I decided to watch this one out of boredom and because I remember lotsa people raving about it when it was first airing about a year ago. I never got around to watching it until a little while ago.

As you'd expect from tvN, this was a very quality drama. The two main leads had very good chemistry, and I think Jinwoon and Sunhwa did alright, too. I mean I don't think they were horrible (my standard for bad acting is if I think they ruin the drama so much that I can't concentrate on the storyline and only on how bad they are), but they're definitely not like super great, praiseworthy actors.

This drama was just a roller coaster of emotions. It's like you'd never know what would ever go wrong, and they definitely take advantage of that feeling for the last episode (if you've watched this drama, you'll know what I mean...). Honestly I do find Han Groo a tad bit annoying - she's got a little bit of that tone and annoying facial features thing going on that I personally dislike, but it wasn't bad enough to deter me from finishing the drama. Also, her character in the drama was quite wish-washy, so that probably added to why I found her annoying.

Overall I think this one was a good drama, I mean it's nothing that will blow your mind, but it was well written, well executed, well directed, and a good product was made in the end. It was enjoyable but during the last few episodes, I felt it was dragging a little bit. Still worth watching if you like those rom-coms with some angst and humourous scenes mixed in.



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5. Producer/The Producers starring Gong Hyo Jin, Cha Tae Hyun, Kim Soo Hyun and IU




Ooooh next up is a very highly publicized and discussed drama, Producer (or The Producers). There was soooooo much hype for this drama just purely for the cast, but also because it was said to be a new kind of drama, a variety-drama or a docu-drama with a style that clearly differs from other K-dramas.

The first two episodes are quite different from the rest of the series, which creates a massive inconsistency in style, so I think that would really throw first-time-watchers off. Apparently there was a change in directors after the first 2 episodes because the style, pace, and storyline garnered a lot of negative feedback. Personally I didn't mind the first two episodes - I didn't think they were as bad as some people made them out to be, and it was quite interesting watching a K-drama with such a dramatically different style. However, the rest of the series plays out as more of your typical K-drama rom-com, which I think was enjoyable as well.

The storyline, I feel, focused a lot on Kim Soo Hyun and Gong Hyo Jin, which I guess is supposed to contribute to that mystery of hmmmm I wonder who is going to end of up with who? But it was annoying seeing the magnificent Cha Tae Hyun get shafted just because the producers wanted to give more limelight to Kim Soo Hyun, the huge Hallyu star, to please the huge audience in China. Of course, these are merely accusations, and not actual facts...

Again, I am a huge fan of Gong Hyo Jin so I'll basically watch anything she's in, but this was definitely not her best work. Not that she did bad, she always does a great job with her roles, but because the drama itself is not a timeless masterpiece.

IU's character was the most dynamic in that she changed a lot from beginning to end. Cindy really got me to sympathize with her and made me want to cheer for her, I think she did a great job with a role and she was a great Cindy.

Anywho, this drama was good. Enjoyable, light hearted, but had its moments. It tried so hard to not be a typical K-drama in the beginning, but it ended up just being one anyway. I would recommend it but again, advise viewers not to expect a masterpiece.



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6. Warm and Cozy starring Kang So Ra and Yoo Yeon Seok

such a pretty poster though..... ;--;

I'm just gonna come out and say that this drama was just.... not good.
I pretty much adore both Kang So Ra (Misaeng!!!!) and Yoo Yeon Seok (Reply 1994), but I think for some reason, Yoo Yeon Seok lacks a bit of that male-lead charisma. He made a magnificent Chil-bong in Reply 1994, but he just wasn't really anything special in this drama.
Kang So Ra, while pretty and a good actress, had to work with a pathetic and annoying character.

This whole drama is like an advertisement for Jeju Island, lol. Which I don't mind because the scenery is really beautiful and I sincerely want to visit it one day.

There were just a whole bunch of plot holes and random story arcs that made you question what the point of them really was. Hong Sisters's dramas are serrrrriously hit or miss. I still can't believe the people responsible for Big are the same ones responsible for Master's Sun (one of my favorite dramas evarrrrrrrrr), and similarly, I can't believe the writers who did Master's Sun are the same ones for this drama.

Overall I wouldn't recommend anyone to watch this drama, unless you're seriously obsessed with Kang So Ra or Yoo Yeon Seok and you need to see every single one of their works.... Then, go and knock yourself out, but otherwise, I felt like this drama was a waste of my time that I could have spent watching a better drama, LOL. Oh Hong Sisters, you let me down again.



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7. High Society starring UEE, Sung Joon, Kim Hyung Shik and Lim Ji Yeon



I finnnnnaaaaalllllyyyy finished this drama last night, and it wasn't easy forcing myself to watch the last few episodes and finishing them up. I really don't like leaving dramas unfinished, even if I don't completely enjoy them. Yeah, I know, I'm weird. And I don't leave a drama unfinished unless it's seriously really really bad (Miss Ripley..... Angel Eyes.........).

UEE and Sung Joon are just..... not lead material. UEE's stare makes me uncomfortable sometimes and I think she has a bit of a lisp? It's not very pleasant to listen to. Sung Joon too, lol. Hyung Shik was adorable in this drama and I think he made a very cute couple with Lim Ji Yeon.

The story is a typical one revolving around rich people and poor people getting entangled through love and the struggles with the social ladder when it comes to relationships. Nothing special.

You can totally skip this drama and it won't be detrimental in any way.

Overall a forgettable drama with some awkward acting and writing - in both the storyline and the character formation. Not so bad that I would call it a waste of time, but definitely not a drama that anyone should prioritize.



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OH GAWD~ I'm finally done ;--; Holy hell that's a long post.
I still gotta do one for the dramas I'm watching right now, lol.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed reading :)
Bye now~

Josie