SM Entertainment and the birth of the Hallyu

   There is a long stormy relationship between me and SMEnt. I fiercely hate some aspects of this particular construction, but some are still embossed in my heart and mind and I'm unable to let go, unwilling to let go.

Every Kpop fan has own, personal opinion on SMEnt, be it favorable or negative. And as much as I appreciate their efforts to make korean music global, I do see horrible strategy mistakes they are making now.

If only they could listen to international fans.

1000th Man of Arang

   I wanted to wait with The Thousandth Man when some dramas end, but no, my evil friend I. said the first episode was funny, so... Plus, my slutty greasy baby Wuhyeonnie is in it, so I planned to watch it, but was unsure about his acting. And I didn't want to cringe everytime I'd see him. He's not an actor, that's a fact, but he's cute. I'm not cringing (this is biased nuna speaking, don't pay any attention). And he's in nuna-love relationship. I'm on board!

Naul Rides the Wind

   The winds of online charts too. Usually r'n'b singers are able to secure place in listeners' hearts but not on music charts. The success of Naul is the combination of few factors in fact, in my opinion. First, some people may be already tired with constant spewing debuting of nugu groups singing the same and dancing almost the same (100% recent debut is painfully average and proves this) so people tend to go for more "music-in-music" as I call it. Second, Naul is not nugu, he was in Brown Eyed Soul along Jung Yeop, so he's not completely stranger to music world. Third, the song is captivating. And fourth - the MV is pure form of art. And last but not least - it's sad. It's Autumn, we like sadness.

Confession of Murder

One of them is creepy here. And it's not my JJY this time...

   Well, that would be mine, if this movie doesn't come my way any time soon. I realized that it takes a lot of patience to be me, waiting and waiting. And waiting some more. For movies, series, albums... Or maybe it's just that I really have no luck with men whatsoever. However, I prefer them doing one drama/movie per year (or one album every 4 years!!) than releasing anything/touring which just keunsucks. Whatever.

Hoya's Answer to 1997

Quite big interview, provided kindly by infiniteupdates.
Really, really interesting read.

South Korean host bars - for women

Article found on BBC Website, and there is one true statement all wanking people should read if they intend to keep miaouling why Korea is not "as liberal and open as Western countries". Statement that socially S. Korea is around social revolution of the 60's is perfectly worded. 

BTW. that's a long read, beware.

For all ye mates!

Music report - September 17th

   I desperately need few albums of some men, desperately, but I don't see it happening any time soon. Eh. 

End of wailing. So I'm after listening to Melon Charts TOP 100, which is a brainwashing process, believe me (yet I still do it every two weeks). And since I need to renew my Naver music account (haven't used it since 2010) and phone number is not accepted, I'm a bit pissed right now. Among those TOP 100 there were 2 (sic!) new songs that caught my attention. Urban Zakapa's song is not that new though, I probably mentioned it on twitter some other day. But I list it here nonetheless.

I'm seeing wooden people...

   They don't know they're wooden...

I understand some people may not like me, I wouldn't like me too if I was a 15-yo who can barely read more than one page. The thing is, when I like/love/admire, I do this with every cell in my body. But when I hate, it's exactly the same. I don't usually write much, or very little, on those whom I admire to the end and beyond (I like a lot of people, but admire a handful), but I vent my hatred on those I dislike. Why? Because it amazes me how on Blue Mother Earth such talentless creatures can get popularity. Oh well, popularity we're talking about.

Non-traditional families on the rise in South Korea

   An interesting article (translation to be precise) from Asiancorrespondent. 

What I find really amusing though with such articles, is that it's usually demoralized and bad Westerners who are excited if news about Korea show this country is slowly shedding their Confucian skin. There are tons of articles about how women are ineaqually treated, how multiculturalism is crooked, how social/family life is messed up - but in English. I wish half of those articles could be translated into Korean and read by the people there. Maybe then some would finally get that Joseon has already ended some time ago.

Boys Over Contracts

I wrote quite a few stories inspired by our one and only sandbox on 150th floor without the fence that is Kpop. This came easily, nice voice on the looped playlist, plot already turned into makjang drama. This is a pure fiction, though. So much fiction that you don't see any spoiling tag under this post (and so I won't be sued, just in case). Every similarity to the people alive or dead is purely coincidental^^. At first, stories came as a suggestion for writers/PDs since our Megalomania-infected-Diva claimed some project. And part one and part two of another story was also inspired by the thing I mentioned earlier. Maybe that means I'm back to me being a ferocious hater? 
U mad, SMEnt? Oh shit... 

JYJ vs. SM Entertainment

Celestial Cat is judging yer peasant ass...

   JYJ drama-llama episode 2625. Recapitulation of the previous episode: we were left with (another) cliffhanger suggesting that on September 13th the decision regarding the feud would be reached. In today's episode, predictable and cliched to the maximum, we got to know that Grandpa Jury got dementia. Grandpa Jury forgot somehow that if two parties can't reach any agreement for the last freaking 3 years, they won't reach it in next 2 hours. Or maybe he prayed to Shisus for a miracle?

Miracle didn't happen, and Grandpa Jury needs to either start taking anti-Alzheimer meds or step down and give reins into the hands of someone with much more vital brain functions.

Tablo's Neverending Story

   Don't get me wrong, it's good they're admitting they were wrong and ruined Tablo's activities, but somehow I can't believe the sincerity of it. To get out of prison I'd say "I'm sorry too". Especially that for somewhat around 2 years they were adamant on their speculations.

Arang and her posse

      So here I am, watching Junki's drama and worse - enjoying it to the maximum! Shin Mina acts cutsy-wutsy, but so far not to the level of annoying the hell (oops) out of me, and surprisingly, I don't cringe at Junki's acting, but I'm having - to quote Asspen ski instructor - "a good tiiiime".

Appearance of Yoo Seungho definitely helped this pervi nuna to stick to this drama as well, ekhem.

You know I'm quite shallow.

K-Gyaru

picture from here.

   This hater can't refrain from commenting on this spectacular event. Gyaru subculture is osmosing into other countries (believe me I saw them in Europe), so of course Korea's leading fashion criminal fashionista, that is The Diva, had to dress him-/her-/itself up as one. Of course all was done as a parody of a parody from a comedy live show. Just so such antis as myself could be easily shut down with: "you have no sense of humor! Oppa was joking!" Oh yeah, I do get it, his entire public persona is a huge joke right now, ha ha ha.

All jokes aside, gyaru subculture scares the living crap out of me, puzzles and makes me vomit. I find nothing cute in it.

KRY-ing so much^^

   OK, SMEnt, you earned few positive points today despite fanning my eternal flames of Fire That Will Devour The World (or something close to it). But this is the extent of me being nice, we have a war going on.

KRY released a song for Panda and Hedgehog drama. Series is OK-ish, I guess, I don't judge it since I mostly crochet during it, stare at cakes and use it to kill SMEnt time waiting for other dramas (old habits die hard).

Helping young defectors fit in

An article from JoongAngIlbo below. Pictures as well.

Sherlock Netizens

source of pic

   I've written it so many times now - Korean journalism is a crap, I made few separated posts about the level of professionalism on Nate articles even. And I guess I wasn't that far from guessing the truth that no pro journalist is writing those "articles" that have the same level as Allkpop or other, well known websites.

The article below is a long read, be fairly warned, so all teen hormonal trolls who ever appear here, get lost cause it has so much letters you won't be able to make any sense out of it.
Of course all articles we should take with a grain of salt. Not all netizens strive to uncover the truth or dig deeper. Those we should praise, but mostly, they are just another herd of sheeps repeating what media say.

Music update

   Actually there wasn't any spectacular debut/comeback last few weeks, at least not for me, because I don't listen to girl groups and I don't care.

Tei is going to the army next Tuesday, so my one-year-long waiting for his opera album just went to shag itself, no news on any album of my loved voices (SMEnt, we really need to talk) and latest KRY song for To the Beautiful You drama is simply bad. The only ray of sunshine is Ryeowook and his Immortal Song 2 appearance.
*Flash news: screw all, I just watched SJ's SPY MV...

So I heard you wanna marry oppa?

Ugly dolls, I know...

   Better think twice, cause in Korea, you marry his whole family. 

I've watched enough of family dramas to know that I do NOT want that. I like my guys from thousands kilometres distance, unreachable... you know E. you're not exactly helping yourself. Most of all - I like myself even more.

Nice, bright but true - and probably kind of unique - story featured in the latest Korea magazine I read. Lady who wrote this is in the better position than most of the Korean women, because she's a foreigner. She was lucky her husband and his family are tolerant, but come on, not every family is like that. 

Wow, Fantastic Baby!

   This is all I have to say about this season's dramas. Of course not everything is perfect, they could have been even more meticulously done, but it's not like we're watching documentary series, right?

If someone wants to see how a society behaves or how big companies work, one should watch maybe Planete, or read some sociology articles/books. If someone expects from a drama a 100% identity with the real life, well, I have some bad news for them.

Answer to 1997 - interview

  

  Translation of the interview with PD of Answer 1997. Worth reading, seriously.

Oh, hay, Sham^^

Since our PD likes our Junhee so much, let's hope he'll make this perfect namja also a happy namja.

10 dramas to avoid (if you don’t want to hate Kdramaland for life)

   As always, everything is filtered through my personal experience, so it is more than obvious that some may find this post informative yet some others – heretical and start to track my IP just to know where to send a dead horse’s head. That’s fine, I’m prepared for that. Likewise, some dramas I love to bits other people may find idiotic, bad, mediocre, cheesy and – in other dictionary riches – unwatchable. I don’t care, I won’t stop loving them (sung along Van Halen’s Can’t Stop Loving You) just because others do.

Anyway, my All-Time (that is up to August 2012) Top 10 of Worst Dramas Eva!