Feature [10] Shinhwa

Hey guys, I have a new feature for you, however with this one I will break one of my own rules that I follow when I write features. And that rule is, that I never feature a group/solo artist that has won first place on M! Countdown or similar shows to M! Countdown. If they have managed to win first place on shows like that then that group/solo artist is clearly not unknown by kpop fans. However i'm going to make a special exception for Shinhwa, because I know that there are people out there who like myself, were introduced to Kpop later in the game and are not very aware of who Shinhwa is and what they have accomplished in the world of Kpop. So sit back and relax and allow me to introduce you to The Legends.

(Shinhwa Early Days)

 (Shinhwa Now)

(The Real Shinhwa lol)

MEMBERS:

Eric (Leader, Main Rapper)

Minwoo (Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist)

Dongwan (Lead Vocalist)

Hyesung (Main Vocalist)

Junjin (Vocalist, Visual, Lead Dancer)

Andy (Lead Rapper, Maknae)

This is going to be a long bio since this group has been together for fourteen years, so there's a lot to talk about.

BIO: Shinhwa (which means Legend) debut in 1998 under SM Entertainment. Their first album did not perform well and SM Entertainment was greatly considering disbanding the group, however the they was saved by their second album T.O.P which helped move the group away from a cute image and helped establish them as a fierce and edgy group with amazing dance skills.
     As Shinhwa grew in popularity they were not without problems. For their fourth album Hey, Come On!, Andy did not take part in this album leading the media to speculate as to why he was not involved and leaving fans to worry that he had left the group. However Andy returned in time for their fifth album Perfect man.
     In 2003 when Shinhwa's contract expired with SM Entertainment it is rumored that SM only wanted to resign a few members of the group and not all of them. So the members that were offered contracts turned them down and the whole group signed with Good Entertainment. However Shinhwa did not have an easy transition to Good Entertainment. SM Entertainment claimed they owned the rights to the name Shinhwa and the members of Shinhwa had to bring SM Entertainment to court for use of their name. They won their court battle and started their new life at Good Entertainment.
     Under Good Entertainment Shinhwa began having more control over the songs they sang and the concepts they put out. The year 2003 also marked when members began pursuing different solo projects, such things as acting in dramas, making their own solo singing debuts, and solo CF's.
     In 2007 after releasing very well received albums under Good Entertainment, Shinhwa members decided to branch out and sign individual contracts with different companies. However they were very adamant that they would still preform together as Shinhwa even though they were under different companies.
     At their 10th anniversary concert the members made what came to be known as "The Promise" which they stated that they would return after all the members had finished their mandatory military enlistment. In 2008 Eric and Dongwan enlisted in for military service, Junjin enlisted in 2009, Andy and Minwoo 2010, Hyesung was exempt from military service due to a knee injury he had sustained in 2001. Minwoo was the last to be discharged from the military in March of 2012, setting in motion Shinhwa's return.

(It's ok if you feel like skipping the top part this next part is what you should read because it talks about what they are doing now.)

Shinhwa created their own company, rightfully named Shinhwa Company in 2011, with Eric and Minwoo being co-CEO's and the rest of the members as share holders. In March 2012 Shinhwa announced their comeback, they released their 10th studio album The Return that same month. They have since participated in various variety shows in which they are more open about past experiences and troubles they've gone through over the years. They also have their own TV show named Shinhwa Broadcast, with the theme of the show being that each week they try out different TV show formats. Shinhwa is the longest running boy band in Korea, and truly are legends.

OFFICIAL WEBSITES: Website: http://www.shinhwacompany.co.kr/
                                          Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shinhwacompany
                                         Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/shinhwacompany
                                         Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/user/SHINHWACOMPANY

Shinhwa Broadcast:

(Shinhwa has released a totally of 25 videos over the years so i'm just going to pick my favorites.)
MUSIC VIDEOS:

T.O.P-

Wild Eyes-

Brand New-

Throw My Fist-

Once In A Life Time-

Run-

Venus-

They really are an amazing group, not only are they talented but they are so much fun to watch on variety shows. If nothing else watch the first three episodes of Shinhwa Broadcast and you will fall in love with them I'm sure of it.

Please support Shinhwa by purchasing their music legally you can find it here at their itunes page http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/sinhwa-shinhwa/id398937836

KDrama Review 5 [Boys Over Flower]

Oh wow, i'm writing these K-Drama reviews faster then they can make k-drama's lol. But in all seriousness, I will be reviewing one of the most highly reguarded k-drama's in k-dramadom. That's right, the one, the only, Boys Over Flowers, and let me just say this, it's not gonna be pretty...

BE WARNED THAT THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

SYNOPSIS: The story centers around a group called the F4, they are four rich young men, who enjoy all the finer things in life and know nothing of the struggles of the common people. Enter Geum Jan Di, after saving the life of a student at the renowned Shinhwa High School where all the rich people send there kids. Jan Di is given a scholarship to attend Shinhwa High School. There she meets the F4, Yoon Ji Hoo, So Ee Jung, Song Woo Bin and their leader Goo Jun Pyo. At first Jun Pyo tries he's best to make Jan Di leave school after she stands up to him. However slowly he finds himself falling in love with her, the only problem is that Jan Di has started to fall for Yoon Ji Hoo.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

Koo Hye Sun as Geum Jan Di [Jan Di is a normal girl who finds herself thrust into a world of the rich and famous and no quite sure what to do with herself. At first she is a butt kicking girl who stands up for what she believes and refuses to let the F4 bully others. However after she gets to know the F4, I find that her character becomes really dependent on them way to much, especially Ji Hoo. She also has a very odd love-hate relationship with Jun Pyo.]

Lee Min Hoo as Goo Jun Pyo [Jun Pyo grew up never knowing the word "No" everything he has ever wanted he's gotten. The only thing his life seems to lack is a supportive and loving family. He really is a child in a man's body at first, however after certain serious events his character matures.]

Kim Hyun Joong as Yoon Ji Hoo [Ji Hoo is very talented musically, however he lacks warmth in his personality and never really opens up to other people. That changes when Jan Di comes and begins to help break him away from his icy ways. He eventually falls in love with Jan Di, however he is willing to not pursue her as a favor to his best friend Jun Pyo.]

Kim Bum as So Yi Jung [A handsome pottery making playboy, Yi Jung always seems to have a new woman on his arm. However he does care deeply for his friends, and through a course of chance meetings begins to have feeling for Jan Di's friend Ga Eul.]

Kim Joon as Song Woo Bin [The fighter of the F4, he has connection to the underground and always has thugs ready at his disposal. He is a very underutilized character who unfortunately is given very little back story or love interest.]

SUPPORTING CAST:

Kim So Eun as Cha Ga Eul [Ga Eul is Jan Di's best friend and works with her at the porridge shop. She often finds herself being dragged along with Jan Di whenever the F4 wants to go somewhere and she often helps the F4 out when they are trying to better Jan Di and Jun Pyo's relationship. She is very innocent yet wise girl, and frankly her relationship with Yi Jung is by far the healthiest in the whole series.]

Kim Hyun Joo as Goo Jun Hee [Jun Hee is Jun Pyo's older sister, she loves her brother very much and is a big supporter of Jun Pyo and Jan Di's relationship. She helps the two of them fight against her mother, hoping to prevent Jun Pyo from being forced into a loveless marriage like she was.]

Lee Hye Young as Kang Hee Soo [She Jun Pyo's mother and is also the chairman of Shinhwa company. She despises the fact that Jun Pyo would like a poor nameless girl like Jan Di and does every thing in her power to separate the two. The vast majority of problems the main characters face stem from something caused by her.]

Lee Min Jung as Ha Jae Kyung [She is the wealthy daughter of the a company which Chairman Kang wishes to form an alliance with the Shinhwa group. Jae Kyung actually meets Jan Di by chance and the two hit it off. Jae Kyung is forced into an arranged marriage with Jun Pyo at first, however after a while she begins to form feelings for him she is all for the marriage even though she know that Jun Pyo does not love her.]

ACTING:

The acting was hit and a miss, Lee Min Ho deserves a lot of credit, he manages to really show his characters inter-struggle and express his sadness and love very well. However Koo Hye Sun really seemed to be lacking for me, I felt like at first she was on the right path, acting righteous and self assured, and its like permeant depression stayed over her character the rest of the show which really did not give her character much depth. At first Kim Hyun Joong I found disappointing, however as he character slowly became a more open and loving person (and he smiled more) I changed my opinion and I would he actually did quite well. Kim Bum and Kim Joon were great at their parts I have no complaints. Also Lee Hye Young as Jun Pyo's mother was brilliant I really hated her character so she portrayed her well.

PLOT OVERVIEW:

The plot really was one big mess, honestly the show should have been just fifteen episodes at the most twenty, but by making it twenety-five episodes they ended up having way to many internal plots that they would start and never finish.

For those who don't know, whenever I watch a k-drama I have a note pad next to me and each episode I will write little comments about what I like and don't like. The very first thing I wrote was how I liked that Jan Di was going to be a strong female lead, boy could I have not been more wrong. The second Jun Pyo left the country she lost all character depth and was then left with the fate of being a character who constatnly had to rely on Ji Hoo, and even worse the fact that Ji Hoo really never gets over that he's in love with Jan Di is just torture. Mainly because (as I know many people think this way) that Jan Di and Ji Hoo seem like they would make a much better couple. However I think that's only because they 1. Spend more time together and 2. Act lovingly towards one another. With Jun Pyo and Jan Di it's like the first half of the show Jan Di hates Jun Pyo so whenever he tries to be nice to her or be romantic she shots him down, and then the second half of the show is Jan Di loving Jun Pyo and Jun Pyo acting indifferent towards her and it gets so damn annoying.

Also what is with the randomly having half the cast of supporting/minor characters just disapear. For instants, the Master at the porridge shop, Jan Di's father, the trio of mean girls, Butler Lee, Min Seo Hyun(Ji Hoo's first love). Many of these characters just never show up again, some are kind of given a reason for leaving, however they way they portray it makes with seem like there was a fight with the writers or director and so they just replaced them with someone more famous or no one at all.

Ok so here are the last of my random observations, 1. If she first got to attend school under a swimming scholarship, then won't she not be able to attend anymore if she can't swim. 2. It's not played up in the drama but in the manga Ji Hoo has a fear of driving cars since the accident yet he's shown driving a car very early on in the series. However when it comes time for him to race Jun Pyo they end up making it a big deal like he's afaird to drive out of the blue. 3. Honestly I feel like Jun Pyo put a lot more time and effort into the relationship then Jan Di, it really does seem odd that she says she like him so much yet they did not have all that many times together when they weren't fighting with each other. 4. I really hated the appearance of so many "Love Rivals" I can bear the men who chase after Jan Di, however adding Ha Jae Kyung and later  Jang Yu Mi (chic from the hospital) just made two many problems, I really wished they would have just focused on the lead couple standing up and fighting against his mom. 5. Also to have Jun Pyo go from completely ignoring her and telling her their whole relationship was a lie and then to turn around and pretty much act like nothing happen when he got back to Korea made no sense. 6. Losing his memory of her at the end was way over the top and totally not needed. 7. There was no point in her meeting Jun Pyo's dad since they never ended up interacting with each other.

ENDING:

I really didn't like the ending I felt like it left so many thing unresolved, which for a twenty-five episode show that should never happen. The show should have ended with her graduating from med school, him purposing, and them getting married. Instead they make seem like she will flunk out of med school they don't even get to get married, and Ga Eul and Yi Jung never even got to kiss. Also I had hoped they would have at least shown that Ji Hoo got over his feelings of love for Jan Di and only wanted to look after her as an older brother, yet they left the poor guy without a love interest and still looking very much in love with her. Also did anyone else feel like his mother got off way to easy, because I certainly did.

SOUNDTRACK:

The soundtrack at the beginning of the show made me want to pull my hair out, I swear if I hear Paradise one more time i'm going to lose it! It got better in the second half of the series when they started adding in ballads. But I swear just to piss me off they had to add Paradise in at the last seconds of the last episode.

RATING:

Ok time to rate this, now when I rate a show I try and be completely objective and look at the show for its many different elements. So on a scale from 1 to 10 with on being the worst drama i've ever seen and 10 being a show I could watch ever day of my life I have to give it a 6. I really felt that Jan Di's character went from being a strong willed woman who protected those who were being taken advantage of, to a really weak character who had to have other fight her battles. Also the constant "I love you, then I hate, and then I love you again" between Jun Pyo and Jan Di was just to much to bare, and lastly not giving a satisfying ending for all the main characters really bugged me.


As always I encourage everyone to form their own opinion about a show or movie, these are simply my   views and reflections of what I felt about this drama.

KDrama Review 4 [Rooftop Prince]

I've got another K-Drama review for you guys and this is a first for me. What I mean by it's a first is that this is the first k-drama I started watching while it was still airing. Wait that's a lie I started watching City Hunters while it was airing but never finished it, this is the first one i've finished. Anyway today's review is over Rooftop Prince.

BE WARNED THAT THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

SYNOPSIS: The story center's around prince Lee Gak from the Joseon era in Korea, who after the mystery death of this beloved crown princess seeks to find out the events that led to her death. He is aided in his efforts by Song Man Bo, a brilliant man for his time who can memorize anything almost instantly, Do Chi San, man who is pretty enough to cross-dress which helps him discover all the gossip around town, and Woo Young Sul, a man with amazing fighting skills who is trained to fight with both weapon and hand to hand combat. Together they are all transported 300 years into the future where they land on the rooftop of Park Ha. Together with Park Ha, Lee Gak and his crew learn how to survive and act in the year 2012. They soon come to discover that the crown princess was reincarnated, so Lee Gak goes to extreme lengths to be by her side believing that the only way to return them to the past is to once again gain the heart of the now reincarnated princess.

MAIN CHARACTERS: 

Micky Yoochun as both Yong Tae Yong/Prince Lee Gak  [Lee Gak is nobility in every respect, meaning he knows only about the finer things in life and is used to everything being done for him and everyone following his every command. This becomes one of his biggest trial when he's in the future, where he must step out of his comfort zone and do things for himself. Tae Yong is easy an going artist who has no interest in running his families business. He also happens to be Lee Gak's reincarnation. When Tae Yong goes missing due to Yong Tae Moo's actions, Lee Gak pretends to be him in order to be close to Se Na and later to protect Tae Yong's claim to his inheritance]

Han Jin Min as both Park Ha/Bu Yong [Park Ha is a young lady who has not had an easy life, yet has somehow managed to always look on the brighter side of life. After a car accident when she was young, she lost her memories and was adopted by parents in America, where she stays until she is grown and is able to learn who her birth father in Korea is, and returns to Korea to seek him out only to find that he has passed away. She then comes in contact with her step mom and her step sister Se Na. Bu Yong is the younger sister of Hwa Yong, and was first chosen as to marry prince Lee Gak when they are children, however after her face is burned badly by Hwa Yong, Bu Yong's name is withdrawn and Hwa Yong marries the prince leaving Bu Yong in a the shadows.]

Lee Tae Sung as Yong Tae Moo [Tae Moo is Tae Yong's cousin who puts all his effort into helping run the family business, however he is constantly frustrated by the fact that their grandmother prefers Tae Yong to take over the family business over him. When he meets with Tae Yong in New York there is a confrontation and Tae Moo ends up knocking Tae Yong overboard into the water leaving him to believe he has killed him. So it is a total shock when Lee Gak shows up and claims to be Tae Yong, and not only that but Lee Gak is out to prove that Tae Moo had a hand in Tae Yong's disappearance.]

Jun Yoo Mi as Hong Se Na/Hwa Yong [Se Na is a beautiful secretary who works at the Yong's families place of business and is in a relationship with Tae Moo, the only problem is that she is constantly weaving a web of lies. Having been none to happy that her mother wants to join families with Park Ha's, Se Na even at a young age is constantly bullying Park Ha eventually she is given a chance to once and for all get rid of Park Ha when she leaves her in the back of a truck which later gets in an accident and is the reason for Park Ha's memory loss. Se Na is ashamed of the fact that her mother is lowly fish seller and so she lies about almost everything in her life and finds great pleasure in trying to steal everything away from Park Ha.]

SUPPORTING CAST

Lee Min Ho as Song Man Bo [A brilliant man, who can memorize anything almost instantly he is the brains of the group and also the maknae of the group]

Choi Woo Shik as Do Chi San [man who is pretty enough to cross-dress which helps him discover all the gossip around town.]

Jung Suk Won as Woo Young Sul [A man with amazing fighting skills who is trained to fight with both weapon and hand to hand combat. His a man who very rarely smiles and is very protective over the crown prince] 


ACTING: I was very pleased with the acting in this show, from the main actors to the supporting characters and even the minor characters I was very happy with. I was actually a little more impressed with the villains of the show then the main good guys, both Tae Moo and Se Na had such complexity to them and you simply wanted to see them pay for every bad thing they did to the main characters. Micky as a crown prince was fun to watch but I also enjoyed him as nice guy Tae Yong. And of course I can't forget about the trio they were so cute and such a good element to have. Also I really loved Lee Moon Shik's character Pyo Taek Soo, who was in charge of helping the trio and protecting Tae Yong from Tae Moo's evil intentions.

PLOT OVERVIEW: I tend to shy away from K-Drama's that are set in the past for two reasons, 1. I'm still brushing up on my Korean history so sometimes when they make a gesture that would seem sufficient to a Korean viewer it's lost on me, 2. Historical drama's often do not have happy endings. However I was really happy when I learned that the majority of the show take place in present times. I though it was a good plot theme to have the group of four travel to the future because it was humorous to watch them try and learn about cellphones and whatnot that they don't have in their time.

With that being said I was not a fan of how they began the show, having the events so out of sequence. Instead of first introducing the characters and giving us a backstory they did it really out of order and I was really confused. Also another problem I had, was the time lapse in the show, they did not transition well to show that two years had past since Tae Yong went missing. Also a big thing I found odd is that it is considered very scandalous for a man and a woman who aren't married to live together in Korea, yet Park Ha lived with four men and no says a thing. However over all I really did enjoy the plot, it had just enough mystery to make me want to watch to the end, had a good amount of romance, and a good amount of drama but didn't over do it like some shows I know *cough*Boys Over Flower*cough*.

ENDING: Now as a hopeless romantic I always want an ending where the main couple ends up together and gets married and has kids, you know the whole nine yards. However this ending went a different route which I found surprisingly refreshing. It truly spoke to how much they loved each other. The only thing I wish they might have done is when Tae Yong and Park Ha are both unconscious if they might have met each other in their dreams, but maybe that's me wanting a bit of a Secret Garden element to the show. Also I felt that Se Na should have been punished more for everything she did to Park Ha throughout the show.

SOUNDTRACK: Such a lovely sound track and at first they were slow to utilize it how they finally started to use and it really added to the show.

RATING: Ok so on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst drama i've ever seen and 10 something I could watch everyday of my life I give it an 8. I really loved this drama and I will be buying it when it comes out on DVD, however there were a few elements of the show that left me wanting and the beginning was a bit confusing.


As always I encourage everyone to form their own opinion about a show or movie, these are simply my   views and reflections of what I felt about this drama.  

Feature [9] Broken Valentine

Hello everyone,


I've got another feature for you guys and this time i'm featuring what I believe to be one of the best K-Rock bands i've ever heard, Broken Valentine.

Vocal -Van

Guitar-Byun G

Guitar- Ansu

Bass- Sunghwan

Drums- Koopa


This band has been together since 2002 but officially debut in 2011. Their sound is described as rock and post grunge, and in my opinion they are adding a new and much needed element to the K-Rock scene.

Their official website: http://www.brokenvalentine.com/


Their Music Videos:

Down

Noname

This band really brings a real rock element that is reminiscent of American rock bands more so then normal  k-rock bands in Korea like FT Island or CN Blue.

KDrama Review 3 [Coffee Prince]

I'm back again with another K-Drama review for you wonderful people. Today's drama is Coffee Prince.

BE WARNED THAT THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS.

SYNOPSIS: The story revolves around Go Eun Chan, a hard working young lady who works multiple jobs to help support her family since the death of her father. Finding work easier to get, she give up her feminine image and wears male clothes and cuts her hair short. This comes in handy when she met's Choi Han Kyul, a handsome heir of a coffee company. Coming back from America his grandmother wants him to go on blind dates so he can pick a wife. Not wanting to get married Han Kyul decides to hire Eun Chan to pretend to be his gay lover and to appear whenever he goes on a blind date. Eun Chan agrees since Han Kyul is willing to pay good money. She decides to not reveal to him that she is in fact a girl out of fear of losing her job with him. After a while the two form a friendship and when Han Kyul's grandmother asks him to help run a coffee house, Han Kyul decides it will be a coffee house where only prince's can work so of course he offers a position to Eun Chan who once again puts off telling him she's a girl so that she can have a job and earn money for her family. Things get tricky when the two of them begin to develop feelings for each other.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

Yoon Eun Hye as Go Eun Chan [A major tomboy who is the bread winner for her family. She starts to work at Coffee Prince for the money however after a while she begins to develop feelings for Han Kyul]

Gong Yoo as Choi Han Kyul [A handsome and rich man who simply wants play through life, however once his grandmother puts her foot down and makes him take on the responsibility of running Coffee Prince he begins to change. He also finds himself liking Eun Chan as more then a friend, which he finds himself conflicted with, since he's never liked men before now]

Lee Sun Gyun as Choi Han Sung [He is Han Kyul's cousin and starts to date Yoo Joo even though she cheated on him and left him for two years. However once he meets Eun Chan he begins to form feelings for her.]

Chae Jung Ahn as Han Yoo Joo [She is a woman who is constantly changing her mind. She dated Han Sung a long time but cheated on him and went to America for two years only to come back and want Han Sung again.]

EXTENDED CAST:

Lee Un as Hwang Min Yeop (He's the muscle at Coffee Prince and is in love with Go Eun Sae, Eun Chan's sister)
Kim Jae Wook as No Sun Ki (He is actually Japanese and came to Korea to search for a lover who left him, he works at Coffee Prince as the cook and waffle maker.)
Kim Don Wook as Jin Ha Rim (He is a wannabe player who works at Coffee Prince and is a friend of Han Kyul's)
Kim Young Ok as Han Kyul's grandmother
Han Yeh In as Go Eun Sae (Eun Chan's sister)
Kim Chang Wan as Hong Gae Sik (the barista at Coffee Prince)

ACTING: The acting was superb. I was blown away by Eun Hye really and truly, her acting was spot on. I mean when I first saw her I though she was a guy, and I mean that is the most respectful way, because her acting made me believe it. Also I'm a fan of Baby VOX and I didn't even recognize her that how well she became this character. Gong Yoo was so very charming and did a very good job of expressing his characters inner-termoil over the fact that he might be gay and then finally over coming it and excepting it. All the supporting cast was great as well.

PLOT OVERVIEW: Such a wonderful and pleasing plot. I love to see a strong lead female who can take care of herself and not always relying on the lead male. I like the fact that this drama was different then most dramas in the respects, that both Han Kyul and Han Sung like Eun Chan, however unlike most drama's where there is clearly romantic feelings between the two characters yet the writers tease us and never let anything happen between the two. I was actually very happy that Han Sung acted on his feelings. There was also the fact that Eun Chan and Han Kyul's relationship come full circle, in that they *cough*sleep together*cough* and get engaged. Though I wish they would have showed their wedding it was clear by the end of the series that they would eventually marry.

ENDING: The ending was cute and wrapped everything up for the characters. I really liked that all the princes found someone to be with and that Han Kyul and Eun Chan end up together. I wish there would have been a wedding since they talked about it so much the episodes before, however it was clear that they would be together. The only thing I didn't like was that fact that they had Yoo Joo lose her baby, that made no sense. Her relationship with Han Sung was finally good they got married so why?

SOUNDTRACK: I was super disappointed with the soundtrack. It was not utilized to its full potential throughout the drama to make the scenes more tender or more dramatic. And the use of English songs were confusing.

RATING: On a scale of 1 to 10, with one being the worst drama i've ever seen and ten being something i could watch every day its a solid 10. There are two things that are stopping this drama from knocking Secret Garden out of my number one drama spot and those are, the poor use of soundtrack and the fact that there is no wedding and or fast forward to where we see them with their kids.


As always I encourage everyone to form their own opinion about a show or movie, these are simply my   views and reflections of what I felt about this drama.