Padd Solutions

Fangirl:

Exciting news, my fan boys and girls!

As some of our readers have already noticed, a few days ago Fanboy & Fangirl published our "Funniest and Worst English Lyrics" article on Koreaboo. The response was so encouraging that Fanboy and I have decided to make the move to Koreaboo permanent.

That's right, Fanboy and I have regular editorial spot on Koreaboo, one of the biggest K-pop news sites online!

We will no longer update this blog, but we will keep the FB/FG twitter open to re-tweet the Fanboy & Fangirl editorials on Koreaboo, and update you all with our upcoming posts.

I won't say good-bye, because this is only the beginning, right? All my love to the readers who have supported us in the short time this blog has been open. It's been only a little over a month, can you believe it? I hope you will continue to read our editorials on Koreaboo and leave us your thoughtful and insightful comments.

Any closing thoughts, Fanboy?


Fanboy:

Yes, and as most idols say, "Please continue to support us!" Your positive feedback and insightful comments will always be appreciated. It'll help us continue to provide you all with a great and worthwhile read every time. Thank you all for reading, and we shall be reading from you in the future!

Oh, and if you ever have any topic ideas, please let us know.


Sincerely,
Fanboy (DareDB) & Fangirl (MrCKDexter)

Fanboy:

Currently one of our favorite rookie groups, Infinite recently released their comeback music video for their single album Inspirit.



After watching this video, I have realized that the Infinite boys are no one-trick-pony. I personally think they're some of the best dancers out there right now and without a doubt, one of the best rookies in this competitive K-Pop market.

For this MV, the boys toned down their intricate dance moves to suit a more pleasant song. Kind of like what Super Junior did for "No Other" after their aggressive "Bonamana" choreography. Despite the light dance moves, Infinite still brought it. These boys are almost always in-sync (Actually, come to think of it, I don't think I've seen them not in-sync). The music video did remind me of Super Junior's "It's You" (one of my favorite music videos) and how it was shot in one take. I very much enjoyed the direction of this video. It's unfortunate that they made member Sungyeol pretty much emo here, and giving him no singing parts to add salt to wounds. He got more face-time, I guess.

There was one part that really bothered me though. At 1:30 in the MV, rapper Dongwoo rapped, "I think about you all day long..." as he was looking at and grabbing Sungyeol. Hmm... let's just say that if this MV was released in America, Americans would get the wrong impression of the boys. Since I'm sort of used to seeing these sort of things in K-Pop, I've realized that this is a part of their culture. Sadly, not everyone understands that, so the trolls have expressed their thoughts on the YouTube video's comments. Sigh.

All in all, I enjoyed this MV. I very much respect Infinite and will continue to support them with the hope that they continue to rise in popularity. They deserve more attention than what they're currently getting. This music video is miles better than what else is out there in K-Pop. Easily one of the standouts in 2011. Props to Infinite!


Fangirl:

I really enjoyed this music video. It manages to be adorable but not cloying. The video also has an interesting homemade, artsy style that is almost unheard-of in K-pop. The walls of toilet paper rolls, corridors of white boxes, and the signs of cardboard and tape lend the MV a creative, child-like flair. If you watch closely, you'll see the first half of the video isn't actually one take, and in fact some of the cuts are quite jarring. This bothered me at first, but then I began to appreciate it for the weird, hallucinatory quality it adds to the video.

I have no idea what's going on in that final scene of the five remaining boys in the parking lot, but I love it. I wonder how planned out it was? It feels surprisingly authentic and spontaneous. And adorable.

Infinite is looking more and more like the next big thing to me. With their colorful SHINee pants and their fluffy mops of hair, I can see the noona fans falling for these guys like dominoes (maybe like bed dominoes?). They really are incredibly synchronized dancers - to the point where I wonder if their choreographer gets out a meter stick whenever they have dance practice. ("No Hoya, you have to lift your foot 5 cm higher!")

And speaking of wrong impressions, did anyone notice that tushy grab at 1:47? Yeah, I really don't have anything coherent to say about that, I just wanted to point it out.

Anyway! Yes, it's Infinite "Nothing's Over", nifty music video, watch it and then tell us -

What did you think of the music video?

Fangirl:

When I saw the teaser for "Before U Go", I let loose a fangirl squeal like you would not believe. (I think this tumblr post describes it better than I could express in words here.)

However the music video didn't thrill me as much as I hoped it would. I was hoping for something on the scale of Zhangliyin's "Timeless" or the TRAX's "초우"- music videos so huge and epic, they come in parts. Instead, SM delivered a five minute long (or should I say short?) mini movie. In order to pack it all in, they made the cuts very quick, and a lot of emotional impact is lost. For instance at 2:50, Yunho - hobbled on crutches - realizes that it was his friend Choi Jong Yoon who shot him. Emotional impact? Zip. You hardly have time to even realize what has happened.

SM could have drawn this out, releasing part 1 and driving fans into a frenzy as they anticipated part 2. The question is, why didn't they? They clearly had the footage to pull it off. And what about Go Ara's character? The romance that was hinted at in the teaser (Ara setting a table for two) isn't even touched on in the MV.

On the plus side, Yunho and Changmin look absolutely fantastic. I'm loving the suits and leather jackets. Yunho looks like such a BAMF taking out those evil cronies, it's almost enough to send me into peals of fangirl squeals again. (Did you all catch the flow-mo shot at 4:07?). Here's hoping we get to see more of that when Poseidon finally airs.

I think I ought to mention the cinematography too. How about that gorgeous shot of Jong Yoon in his assassin gear reflected in the urban pane of windows? Or that damp rooftop with a foggy cityscape in the background? Pretty gorgeous stuff.

Alrighty, Fanboy, what was your take on the music video?

Fanboy:

Like Fangirl, I had my own my sort of squeal when I saw the teaser, but for different reasons. I was mainly excited at the fact that SM was going to release a story-based music video. Do you know how rare that is for them?! I was like, "Oh my god, now they're going to start competing with YG on epic story MVs!" Hmm... well... sadly, that wasn't really the case.

For some reason, I feel like this video got a lot cut from it on the editing floor and was rushed to premiere just so Cassies could get their TVXQ fix. Actually, I personally believe that SM will release an extended version of this MV later on so we can get understand the full story. So much seemed to be cut that it was sort of difficult to grasp, and then boom, it was over. They should have had a longer intro to help set the background story, and then have a break in the song to further the story with another cut scene, etc.

Other than that, I did actually like the MV. But for me to love it, I need to also love the song. Unfortunately, the song just does not excite me. Sigh. This was all very "Hot Times" reminiscent, and I didn't like that song either (or the MV). Side note: it seems that Apple is doing product placement in K-Pop now too. Notice the in-your-face promotion of the iPhone? *rolls eyes*

I'm no fashion expert here, but I found Changmin's feather-collared outfit to be so out of place. This MV was all serious and has the boys working in crime. Why on earth would Max be running around in ethereal attire like that?! And, I'm just not feeling Yunho's bowl cut. Spike it or something. He looks so plain. But then again, it is sort of appropriate for the business.

Now on to my favorite parts! Oh man, the action! I about fell out of my chair when I saw HoMin showcase their action star skills. If you guys like to know, there are two things I'm a sucker for: Hardcore action and hardcore dancing. So yeah, this was a total win. In the end, I have decided that Yunho and Changmin need to be cast for Ninja Assassin 2: Rain, U-Know, and Max Kick Ass. I smell a summer blockbuster smash!

What did you think of the music video?

Fangirl:

As I was watching the CN Blue teaser for "First Step" yesterday, I was prompted to tweet the following:

I think having non-Asian people appear in Korean MVs will only stop being awkward when there are non-Asian people in the bands too...

Coming from a non-Asian background and a country that is multicultural, the appearance of non-Asians in Korean music videos is often an awkward affair for me. The actors are never more than ornamental.

I'm having a hard time putting my finger on exactly what bugs me about this. After all, aren't background actors and extras "ornamental" in every music video?


Fanboy:

Living in America, all my life I have always been exposed to multiple races. With that, I've exposed myself to become more accustomed to seeing ethnicity more often. Actually, I often find myself thinking some idols are white. But now that I think about it, I think K-Pop is trying to do that on purpose, because on stage, some of the artists are made up looking sort of Western sometimes to me in their facial features. (Oh, but not the attire. Just the face...)

So what I'm getting at, I believe that since I come from an area that prides itself on a multicultural background and that I am used to witnessing multiple races at once, seeing non-Asians in K-Pop MVs almost goes unnoticeable to me. And frankly, I'm not bothered by it. I don't think it's forced. On the contrary, natives of the Eastern side of the world might not be in the same boat. When they see a foreigner, they see a foreigner. That's why they're like, "Woah! A white chick!"

I have noticed that YG is starting implement non-Asians in their MVs more lately. I attribute this to possibly since they (and the rest of world) are becoming more global. As we all know, K-Pop is gaining immense popularity outside of Korea and reaching places like where I am: Texas! (That's a big deal). Thank you, Internet!

But as Fangirl pointed out, most of the non-Asians in MVs are pretty much objects. The only Asian MV that I can think of where a non-Asian played a central role was BoA's "Quincy". There was creepy white guy that stuck out like a sore thumb in that MV. Then again, no Asian parents would ever name their child Quincy, so there you go, Wonderbread served a purpose.

All in all, I think we as a world are becoming more connected thanks to the Internet. As our cultures start to seep into each other, I believe we will all become more accustomed to anomalies such as multicultural MVs. I honestly don't know how long this sort of transformation will take, but it's happening as we speak. The change is inevitable.


Fangirl:

So I took some time to think about why non-Asians appearing in Korean music videos bothers me. I think it's my tendency to over-analyze. When a foreigner is cast when it is obviously easier to cast a Korean, my mind automatically wonders "Why?"

Take H.O.T.'s "Candy", for instance. In the music video, the five (rather primary-colored) boys of H.O.T. attempt to charm a white woman with their cute singing antics. I automatically begin to wonder about the implications. Why is the actress white? Because white women are thought be harder to woo? Because white women are more desirable?

How about the black security guard in CN Blue's teaser? Does the fact that he is black make him seem "tougher"? And so when the CN Blue boys dispatch him with pepper spray, that makes them especially badass?

I had the same reaction when watching GD & TOP's "High High" music video. My first gut reaction upon seeing all the white people was "Yay, white people can join the K-pop party too! Woo-hoo!" But as I continued watching, I couldn't help thinking, "What's with all the white chicks? Are there cultural implications here?" (Mixtapes and Linernotes explores this issue more in depth than I could in this post - recommended reading! EDIT: Response from Mixtapes and Linernotes here)

I'm curious how are readers feel about this issue. What do you think when you see non-Asians in Korean music videos?

Fanboy:

It pretty much goes without saying that Cassies all across the world want TVXQ to return as the 5-member boy band that they have known to grow and love. Unfortunately, fans are feeling the pressure to choose sides while each side is quick to point to fingers at who's at fault here. "JYJ are traitors for leaving the company that made them who they are." "HoMin are traitors for not joining their fellow members in suing SM." Blah blah blah...

Fast forward to now, and we have witnessed JYJ suffer setback after setback of not being able to make it post-SM. It seems that these guys just can't seem to catch a break. JYJ can't perform on Korean television. JYJ are ineligible to be on various charts such as Oricon. JYJ's reality show gets cancelled before it even airs. It is literally issue after issue that seems to prevent the trio from even succeeding.

Once again, JYJ fans are pointing fingers at SM. Yes, SM has interfered in several of these incidents, but it has not been proven that they have been involved in every setback for JYJ. While at the same time, some JYJ fans are turning their backs against HoMin, because they are associated with the company that is "set out to destroy JYJ".

I don't consider myself a Cassie (mostly because it sounds too feminine...) so I'm not as emotionally invested in this issue as other fans. But let me just say that I feel terrible for these guys. A part of me is kind of hoping that it would make JYJ just simply surrender and go back to SM to return at the 5-member TVXQ. I strongly believe that if TVXQ were to make a comeback this year as the quintet, their success would far exceed HoMin's and JYJ's success combined.

On another note, I absolutely hate that fans are against SM's artists. Feel free to hate the company, but there is no need to bash the artists of the company (including HoMin). Honestly, fans really shouldn't be getting involved at all. This is really JYJ's, SM's, and HoMin's matter to deal with. We, as fans, do NOT know the whole story. We only know what has been stated as "he said, she said."

I just hope that this unfortunate firestorm of controversy gets resolved soon. Don't we all want closure now?

I'm still going to support both HoMin and JYJ. I love both artists. I'll continue hoping that they return as 5 one day, because after all, I'm still waiting to see them perform "Break Out" live. Just once, please! Until then, I shall continue making old TVXQ compilations and relive the memory of the quintet that commanded the stage as 5!


Fangirl:

Our readers can now see one of the fundamental differences of opinion between Fanboy and myself: Fanboy likes SM and I despise SM.

As a passionate Cassie, it was some time before I was able to form any sort of reply to this post beyond "KEYBOARDSMASH!@&#$!!!!!" After taking some time to compose myself, here is the most coherent response I could come up with:

KEYBOARDSMASH!@&#$!!!!!

Nah, just kidding. But it really did take me a long time to corral my emotions into any kind of coherent thought.

Fanboy believes that fans should not interfere and should allow SM, HoMin, and JYJ to work out the issue on their own. I disagree. I think SM is a big bully and JYJ could use all the help they can get.

I further disagree with Fanboy's statement that "we have witnessed JYJ suffer setback after setback of not being able to make it post-SM." I would like to remind him that despite opposition, the JYJ boys have been fantastically successful in their individual activities, toured Asia and the US, sold a respectable number of "The Beginning" albums and released another successful album that was completely self-composed. And they remain among the highest paid celebrities in Korea. Imagine what they might have been able to do if they had been able promote their activities as well?

However, I agree with Fanboy that while fans may feel free to hate SM the company, fans should not be hating on SM's artists. While I personally like to envision the CEO of SM Entertainment as a bitter old man (who snacks on puppies for lunch and polishes his devil horns in his free time), I believe the artists of SM are honestly charming and talented people. If anything, they are also vicitims of the situation.

I too look forward to that day when all five members may stand on one stage again. Until then, I'll do what all Cassie do - always keep the faith!

What do you think of the JYJ controversy?

With the increased popularity of K-pop worldwide, demand for Korean pop idols has risen too. Thus we have new K-pop groups have been debuting by the dozen. Here are our thoughts on many of the rookies groups that debuted in 2010, in order of debut date:


CN Blue
Boy Band - F&C Music
Members: YongHwa, JungShin, JongHyun, and MinHyuk
Debut Song: I'm a Loner

Fanboy: I like it when these boys are featured with other artists. Such as their duet with SNSD for the Kelly Clarkson cover "My Life Would Suck Without You" or at last year's Gayo Daejuns with FT Island, Onew, Luna, Junsu, and IU. It's a shame that rock bands aren't as prevalent in the K-Pop world.

Fangirl: I was so psyched when CN Blue exploded on to the scene in January 2009. A cute Korean rock group? Sign me up! But I have to admit my enthusiasm has cooled in the last year. I suppose in order to succeed in Korea, rock groups have to be more pop than rock (ex. The Trax) but that kind of music just doesn't interest me as much.


F.Cuz
Boy Group - CAN&J Entertainment
Members: Kan, YeJoon, Lee-U, and JinOn
Debut Song: Jiggy

Fanboy: I feel bad for this band. They're sort of known as the failure group in K-Pop. At least they're still around and really trying their best to succeed. Sad that the recent car accident set them back again. However, I feel that they need to put out better material. "Midnight Sun" was decent, but can also be considered sort of generic.

Fangirl: I didn't like "Jiggy" much, but their third promoted song "Midnight Sun" is appealing and pretty catchy. But unless this band manages to hit it off in their next promotional cycle, I'm not seeing a bright future here.


Children of Empire (ZE:A)
Boy Group - Star Empire Entertainment
Members: HyungShik, JunYoung, Kevin, KwangHee, MinWoo, ShiWan, HeeChul, TaeHun, and DongJoon
Debut Song: Mazeltov

Fanboy: I respect these guys' dancing ability, because I'm always a sucker for great choreography. As for their music, umm... not my taste. "Mazeltov" just didn't impress me. I can't get past the English. Sadly, I also think there are too many members in this group. It would take me a while to learn who's who.

Fangirl: It's hard for me to take this group seriously when they have such absurdly bad English in their songs like they have in Mazeltov. But I decided everyone deserves a second chance, so I gave "All Day" a listen, and thought "Yeah... I could get into this."


SISTAR
Girl Group - Starship Entertainment
Members: SoYu, HyoLin, DaSom, BoRa
Debut Song: Push Push

Fanboy: I first heard of these girls when Jo Kwon danced to "Push Push". "Push Push" is ok to me, but "How Dare You" is once again not my taste. I'm not a total fan of that "cute" image.

Fangirl: I've heard good things about SISTAR, but I've never properly checked them out until now. My conclusion? Good, but not amazing. "Shady Girl" is charming and "How Dare You" is catchy enough, but I'm hardly signing up for their fanclub.


Infinite
Boy Group - Woolim Entertainment
Members: L, SungJong, WooHyun, SungGyu, SeungYeol, Hoya, and DongWoo
Debut Song: Come Back Again

Fanboy: This group is easily my favorite rookie group out right now. They are, unfortunately, so underrated. But luckily, they're starting to pick up some steam. They deserve more attention. Why? Have you seen them wipe the floor with Teen Top on the dance battle against them? Or how about their Star Dance Battle this year with Justin Bieber's "Baby" and Far East Movement's "Like a G6"? Yeah, see what I'm talking about?

Fangirl: I frequently call this group "the most in sync boy band EVA!" for their incredibly synchronized dancing. "Come Back Again" was one of my favorite songs of 2010, but I was unimpressed with their live performance of the song. All the difficult vocal parts had been pre-recorded. Still, I'm keeping an eye on these guys. They've got something.


Miss A
Girl Group - JYP Entertainment
Members: Fei, Jia, Min, and Suzy
Debut Song: Bad Girl, Good Girl

Fanboy: Once again, I first learned of these girls from Jo Kwon when he and 2AM covered it at the Star Dance Battle last year. He really introduces me to these girl groups. :) Sadly, I found their cover to be much more appealing, because it was so hilarious. As for miss A, the group is decent, but girl groups these days just don't impress me as much as the male counterparts.

Fangirl: It's hard to believe this group has been around for under a year. They're just everywhere! I guess this shows how much it helps to have a powerful management company. I recognize the girls' talent, and the choreography for "Breathe" was refreshing, but I'm not exactly a fan.


G.NA
Girl (Solo) - Cube Entertainment
Real name: Gina Choi
Debut Song: Things I Want to Do When I Have a Lover (with Rain)

Fanboy: I found the Rain duet to be forgettable. Shame, because it's Rain! However, "I'll Back Off So You Can Live Better" is a fantastic song. It's one of my favorite songs from 2010. If she released an English version here in America, it would be a hit. Sadly, I didn't care for her recent "Black and White" song. Do I need to repeat that I don't go for that "cute" image?

Fangirl: One of the most promising debuts of 2010. G.NA is beautiful, talented and personable, and I only see her popularity growing in the future. Like Fanboy, I don't quite go for the cuteness of "Black and White" but "꺼져 줄게 잘 살아" was great.


Dalmatian
Boy Group - IS Entertainment
Members: Inati, Dari, Day Day, Jisu, YoungWon, and Daniel
Debut Song: Round 1

Fanboy: I don't have a whole lot to say about this group. They don't particularly "wow" me, but I found their two recent singles to be appealing.

Fangirl: Dalmatian's debut in 2010 completely passed me by, but since their mini album came out last month, they have been flying up my favorite list at an exponential rate. Each member is talented and they sound great live (Daniel's voice is to die for). If The Man Opposed perks your interest like it did mine, I recommend Dalmatian's live performance of Officially Missing You, which they remixed themselves.


Co-Ed
Mix Group - Core Contents Media
Members: SooMi, ChanMi, HyoYoung, HyeWon, Noori, KwangHaeng, YooSung, TaeWoon, SungMin, and KangHo
Debut Song: Too Late

Fanboy: Hmm... I like the idea of a mixed-gendered group. It's something refreshing. However, the execution of this group's stages is not what I envisioned. I would prefer that they take a different approach. I liked their music video for "Bbiribbom Bberibbom". That was sort of what I had in mind. Too bad their performances don't encompass that. The stages make me think of "Grease" or some kind of musical. Sigh.

Fangirl: I have no particular love for this group (I think the concept is way too gimmicky and many of the members aren't very talented), but I find their music constantly stuck in my head - especially Bbiribbom Bberibbom.

Fanboy:

When I first started listening to K-Pop, the first thing I noticed was the random sprinkling in of English. Personally, I like it, because it gives me something to sing along to. It's less effort for me to go out of my way to learn the Korean. However, there are always songs that have English lyrics that are awful or just plain hilarious.

Here's my list:

• DBSK - "Purple Line" - "Really wanna touch myself" -- Ok, this one is the standout English to me in all of K-Pop. I like this song, but every single time I listen to this song, this line catches me off guard every time! "What did he say?!"
• Super Junior - "Boom Boom" - "Twinkle twinkle little star" -- I like this song, but I hate this English. Mainly because I hate the song.
• Xiah Junsu - "Intoxication" - "Stroke you like a arpeggio" -- Haha, best pick-up line ever!
• BoA - "Be the One" - "Shake your heart!" -- Actually, this is my favorite BoA song, but this line is very strange. I try to think she's saying, "Shake it hard!" ... See? Makes so much more sense!
• JYJ - "I.D.S." - "I want you in my plans" -- Ok, so this does make sense, but I try to think that they're saying, "I want you in my pants," because I think that is so much funnier.
• SNSD - "Hoot" - Self-Explanatory...
• Rain - "Rainism" - "I’m gonna be a bad boy" -- This song easily has the best beat ever. Sadly, I cringe every time Rain's opens his mouth to start singing the English. It's so off-putting. :'(
• BEAST - "Shock" - "Every day I shock (shock) Every night I shock (shock)" -- Umm... what? This makes no sense to me. Not to mention, it sounds like they're saying, "Shuck." Sigh.
• Shinhwa - "Wild Eyes" - "if you wanna man like a Stronger" -- I think they're trying to say, "Stranger," so yeah, this is a total fail.

I consider myself a huge SHINee fan (hence why my Fanboy color is light blue. Mainly because I couldn't do yellow for BoA...). However, as much as I love their music, they seriously have the worst track record in English lyrics. Here we go...
- "Ring Ding Dong" - "Fantastic Elastic"
- "Lucifer" - "Loverholic Robotronic" & "Her whisper is the Lucifer"
- "Stand By Me" - "Together make it love." - I seriously thought they were saying, "Together, making love". Half of these boys are underage! (At the time of the song's release)
- "SHINee World" - "SHINee makes love right now!" - Hold up, what did these underage boys say?
- "A.Mi.Go." - "Cold heart, baby! Cold eyes, baby!" - I actually thought they were saying, "Cold hot, baby! Cold ice, baby!" Either way, it's still somewhat random even though the boys are "frozen in place" by her.
- "Romantic" - "Still I have romantic in my heart"

Ok, do I need to keep going with them? I think you get the picture by now. English lyrics in K-Pop can both be appalling and comical.


Fangirl:

Yes, the "Purple Line" quote really is infamous! It's thought that they meant to say, "I really want to get in touch with myself" but kinda failed. EPICALLY.

Pretty much every rap by Yoochun fits into this category too, as they are often penned by the man himself (Cassies affectionately refer to it as "Chungrish"). I think the best of the bunch comes from either "Shelter" or "My Girlfriend". Allow me to give you a sample: "My dear baby listen to the whistle/ little missile whisper of fiscal/ A theory of porno, oh no?" and "Maybe my love is bigger than Ginger bread man's vitality". HAHAHA.

The best comment I ever read about BEAST's "Every day I shock!" line is this: My theory is that Yoseob thinks he's pikachu so he can use thundershock attack. Hahahaha, thank you MelB for this gem!

I actually don't mind Rain's "I'm gonna be a bad boy" in "Rainism". I think it's the "magic stick" part that kills me!

More songs:

• Rainbow - Gossip Girl - "I wanna gushup gurr, I wanna gushup gurr, I wanna gushup, the sekshi and pretty"
• BEAST - Beautiful - The issues I have with this one are covered thoroughly (and hilariously) by Eat Your Kimchi. Make a lub baby!
• Kara - Pretty Girl - This whole song makes me cringe but the "If you wanna pretty, everyone a pretty" just tops it.

I think the prize for funniest and worst English (and... Yiddish) in K-pop simply has to go to ZE:A for "Mazeltov". It's one of those "must be seen to be believed" so I urge you to see the English subtitled music video. The English is so embarrassingly bad and so hilarious. The intro always makes me laugh - "It shut it down, love. It shut it down, blind. It shut it down, passion!". Then there's the inane list of the days of the week, the fact that they clearly have no idea what "Mochul tob" means, the "Latin girl, Mexican girl, Korean girl, Japan girl" line - it's too much! Hahahaha~! XD

What are some of your favorite 'Engrish' lyrics in K-pop?

Fanboy:

Well, when it comes to a Big Bang music video, I expect a lot from these guys, because their past work has been quite impressive. "Haru Haru" = Amazing! However, once again, I seem to have gone in with too high of expectations with the quintet for their long-awaited comeback.

The music video honestly didn't blow me away. It was neat to see them in a different light. But, it also seemed sort of lazy. There wasn't a definite story in the first music video release. At parts, I was reminded of an old Backstreet Boys music video where the members stand in one spot and overact their lip-syncing as they stare off in one direction and/or at the camera.

TOP seriously needs to change his hair color for this MV and promotional cycle. He just seemed so out of place. And Taeyang really needs to change his look too. He's had the same image for years now. Dude, aren't you due for a change?

I will say this, the song has now grown on me. What helped give it that boost was their live performance of the song. I was very impressed. Why couldn't they carry that concept into the MV? Where was Seungri's skirt in the MV? No where! (Granted, he would stick out in Vegas if he was sporting something like that...Hmm... come to think of it... maybe not. They would just get a different sort of impression of the Big Bang stud.)

Speaking of studs, Daesung is really stepping out in the original music video release by making out with a chick in a hotel. Getting all hot and sweaty and stuff. As they say, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." (Side note: It was refreshing to see him get the spotlight this time.) However, it was nowhere near as provocative as Seungri rolling around half-naked in bed with that chick in the "Strong Baby" MV. Honestly though, this is still pretty tame compared to American music videos (Hello, Christina Aguilera!), but I like how YG pushes the boundaries with their MVs. Unlike some other companies... (*cough* SM *cough*)...

The music video for the song was just ok to me. The original MV is an improvement with the new scenes and Daesung's "bed scene". Not a standout MV when I compare it to their past work. I mean, they flew all the way to Vegas to do this? I expected more. But I think this song will continue to grow on me, and who knows, maybe the music video too.


Fangirl:

What a relief to see that the music video broad-casted by SBS two days ago was merely a butchered version of the original music video! My thoughts about the MV had been along the lines of "You went all the way to Vegas for that?!" But thankfully my fears were averted when YG finally posted the original music video this evening.

That's not to say I think we have a masterpiece on our hands. I didn't like the daylight scenes filmed in the empty lot filled with signs. How much better would this MV be if those scenes had been filmed against shining Vegas lights instead? Then when they cut to the desert sunrise around 2:50, it would have had twice the impact. That way for most of music video it would have been nighttime ("Tonight" - ya follow?) until we hit the climax and then boom, it's dawn.

This music video is less story-based (Lies or Haru Haru), and more atmospheric (Don't Tell Me Goodbye). I personally have no problem with that, but I can see how Fanboy would miss the narrative style that has worked so well for Big Bang in the past.

I also wasn't feeling some of the new looks the Big Bang members were sporting. Shoulder pads, GD? Really? And TOP's Spock hairdo has got to go. But Daesung in a simple pair of jeans and a plain white dress shirt rolled up to his elbows looked simply amazing. And those sweaty bangs hanging over his eyes...

*cough* Excuse me, I seemed to have lost my train of thought. Where was I? Oh yes, fashion -

Yeah, Taeyang probably should change his look. The faux hawk does suit him, but he's had that look for two odd years now. It's time to change it up, Youngbae. And personally, I'm glad that Seungri's skirt from the performance of 'Tonight' didn't make it to the MV. That concept simply baffles me.

I would rate this music video above 'okay'. It's not my favorite Big Bang music video ever, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.


What did you think of the music video?