On this episode of OMK!, we're diving into the love life of our favorite fashionista and #1 diva of Big Bang, Kris's hidden talent, and more upcoming shows and events to look forward to these next few weeks!
News:
As we all have seen on Instagram and Twitter, Big Bang's G-Dragon has been posting many statuses that seem to relate to love. Is it his love life that he's reflecting upon? Is he just in a love song type of mood? What exactly is going through the mind, and heart, of our Jiyongie?
Meanwhile, creeping into all Exotics' hearts is former Exo member's, Kris', angelic voice in the OST for his latest Chinese Drama, Tiny Times 3. Kris shares this unknown talent in the OST titled, Time Boils The Rain.
Another member that has been up and active lately, particularly on Instagram, is Exo's maknae, Sehun. He posted a blank picture on his Instagram on July 22, warning sasaeng fans to stop trying to hack into his SNS accounts.
As a fan, no matter which fandom you belong to, we should try to realize that as much as we love these idols, they're people, too, who need their privacy and respect.
Shows:
On a lighter note, here are some new and exciting shows to look forward to:
Show Me The Money 3 Concert: Samsung Card Hall in Blue Square, Seoul on September 20th @ 7:00 pm (KST)
2014 Korea Day in New York: New York University Skirball Center & La Guardia Place on Friday, August 15th @ 3:00 pm
Two events will be going on during the 2014 Korea Day in New York; Korea Day Booth Events will be from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm and the NY K-Pop Fest will be from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm.
Korea Day Booth Events will consist of 10 booths: K-Pop, Korean Traditional Culture, Korean Tourism, Korean Dramas, Korean Cosmetics and Beauty, Korean Traditional Medicine, Korean Health Services, Health Tourism, Korean Cuisine, and Korean Ingredients.
The NY K-Pop Fest's Final Showdown will be the preliminary round to the World K-Pop Festival. The winner of the Final Showdown will have the opportunity to participate in the World K-Pop Festival stage this upcoming October in South Korea.
Hi guys! Sorry I was not able to update everyone on the last bits of news for KCON, in terms of the last artist line-up and ticket sales. I am currently on a trip in Korea and cannot update the blog regularly, BUT I will still answer any questions you guys might have in regards to KCON. So be sure to leave me a comment if you do have any questions or concerns. :)
And if you'd like to follow my travels within Korea, you can follow me on Instagram or Twitter, @aegyoanika.
I will be fully up and running once again next Tuesday, July 15th!
Hello everyone! As usual, long time no talk! & I know, I always apologize for the lack of posts, but I'm slowly learning how to be a better blogger/YouTuber.
Today, I'm bringing you the essential things you need to know about KCON 2014, if you plan on going. :)
What? KCON is the biggest Hallyu event that occurs in the United States.
Q: Will the artist line-up be the same for both concerts?
A: No.
Q: What is the full line-up going to be?
A: The full artist line-up has not been revealed yet, but will be announced BEFORE tickets go on sale.
If you guys still have questions about KCON, all of their official pages will be linked at the end of this post, or you can leave a comment & I will answer your concerns. :)
Thanks for stopping by! Please make sure to follow this blog & subscribe to my YouTube channel for more K-Pop related posts & videos. :)
Hi guys!! It's been such a long time since I last posted anything! I hope you all missed me as much as I missed you. :)
Since it's been awhile, I am excited to announce that this will be the first of many Kpop related videos. I know I already started a few of the OMK! updates, here, on the blog, but I also intended on starting a video series for this segment, so here's the first episode.
This is the first YouTube video I've ever created so pardon any awkward moments or weirdness. I promise it will get better! ( ^ - ^ )
Today's episode covers the recent release of the official GOT7 fandom name, I GOT7, as well as mine and other netizens' opinions.
Please be sure to let me know your thoughts on this week's topic and also any tips or suggestions you have for me to improve upon this new series.
Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow this blog!
Hello everyone! I was not expecting to have this posted today, but I could not sleep, so here's, yet, another "MV Breakdown!"
Of course, you all already know how much I love Bangtan Boys, so naturally I have a breakdown of their latest music video, "Just One Day."
Now, this video is very different from the usual side of the boys we're used to seeing: a very tough, manly, and hard-hitting image. The music video highlights a sweeter and softer side to them that definitely gives fans even more of a reason to fall for them! ( > v < )
Let's start off with the whole ambience of the video.
The setting is very, very simple, just a white background, chairs (for each member), and shadows. Watching the video for the first time, I was definitely caught off guard because the background was so plain that all I could focus on was the boys themselves, which is an ingenious way to highlight them. You have no choice, but to pay attention to them because there's nothing else to really look at. The shadows, one of a clock and the other of bars (which I interpreted as a window), represent a sense of passing time, just like when the sun is setting -- hence the lyrics "if only I had just one day," a very limited timeframe. The only change in scenery is the spotlight sequence where Jimin, V, J-hope, and Jungkook are dancing, which, again, is a great way to highlight their dancing skills.
The white background also creates a feeling of sincerity and purity for the video. They're singing about having a chance to get to know this girl and how much they would cherish spending time with her, so this atmosphere of sincerity and pure intentions makes the song that much more meaningful. (This theme of "sincerity and purity" is also accentuated through their outfits.)
The song, itself, stays quite true to their style, a Hip-Hop/Rap sound, but leaning more toward an R&B feel. What I've really enjoyed about this album, that reflects a lot of old school Hip-Hop, is the simple beat of the songs that allow the lyrics to shine.
Their outfits emulate the school/teenage love theme of the album with their uniform-like cardigans, collared button-ups, and ties. The second set of outfits also mirrors their usual edgier, street wear looks, but with more of a hipster influenced style for a more cleaned-up, put together image.
Lastly, and my favorite part of Kpop videos, the choreography.
I really enjoyed the choreography for this song/video because it leans more toward lyrical Hip-Hop versus the typical, blunt movements of a traditional Hip-Hop dance style. The choreography reflects a lot of what the song is about from simple things such as holding their hand to the ripples and isolations/ticking to imitate time. I also appreciated Jimin, V, J-Hope, and Jungkook's solo dance sections because their advanced techniques are both aesthetically pleasing and shows off how talented they are.
Overall, I really enjoyed this video for its simplicity. It truly allows us to focus on each member and their talents, plus we're given another reminder of how good looking they are. ;) The essential aura of the video, "sincerity, innocence, and purity," makes you love the song even more because it makes you feel like they really mean what they're saying. Come on, who wouldn't want BTS to serenade them? ( > 3 < )
As always, thank you for reading! Let me know in the comments what you think about Bangtan Boys' latest music video, or just what you love about them, in general. :P
Please make sure to follow this blog for more Kpop related topics!
Hi guys! Did all of you remember to wake up for those concert tickets? I hope so, and congrats to those that got theirs! :)
For those of you that, unfortunately, could not get a ticket, here's some good news; you still have a chance!
On Monday, March 31st, at 10:00 am PST, the LA Kpop Festival will be holding a contest on their Facebook and Twitter pages for a chance to win a pair of Pit Tickets!!
The only requirements explained, so far, are to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
Despite the fact that Ticketmaster was quick to sell out on tickets, the LA Kpop Festival announced yesterday that should more tickets become available, they will be sure to update everyone via Facebook and Twitter.
Many fans were also quite upset that a lot of people were selling the tickets they obtained for ridiculous prices, some up to $250+, in which the LA Kpop Festival also noted that they do not condone the sale of concert tickets.
There have also been a few kind fans out their who were generous enough to simply give their extra tickets away to those who were not able to get one.
( ^ - ^ )
[Side Note: In my opinion, we all just want a chance to see our favorite idols in person. Especially as international fans, it can be very difficult for us to come across a great opportunity such as this free concert. So for those who are trying to make a profit off of this concert, do consider those who want this just as bad as others, but cannot afford it. Another thing to consider is that those who are willing to pay for these tickets are condoning the behavior of those who sell them. It's understandable that all of us terribly want to attend the concert, but both sides are at fault. This whole practices seems a bit immoral, in my honest opinion. Just saying.]
They also announced yesterday that there were physical tickets still available at the HwaGae Traditional Market in LA.
Other, unofficial, ticket information floating among netizens is that Ticketmaster will most likely release more tickets in the future since they are known to release tickets in waves. This first distribution could have been used to obtain a general idea on the amount of interest for the concert. Many netizens also do not believe that the 100,000 capacity of the coliseum has been filled.
All we can do now is cross our fingers for more opportunities to obtain tickets!
For more updates on this upcoming concert and other hallyu related topics, make sure to follow this blog. :)
Also, let me know in the comments down below how you feel about the sale of concert tickets. Do you think it's okay? Or not? Or maybe you just don't care. Leave your opinions down below because I'd love to hear them! Feel free to share any other information you have on the concert, as well.
Hi guys! Along with K-Pop, I love K-dramas and anime so today's review will be on the most recent drama that I finished, which is actually a Japanese drama, not Korean…
Anyways, the drama is "Future Diary: Another World," and my friend and I were completely obsessed with it!
There are 11 episodes, which is significantly shorter than Korean dramas, but, I believe, Japanese dramas tend to have second seasons, unlike K-dramas. This was also the first J-drama I've watched, so I can't name too many significant differences between the two. One thing that really stood out to me is the speed of the plot development. Since J-dramas are much shorter, everything happens one after the other, and this style definitely kept me watching because each episode was so shocking that I just wanted more. This drama was also based off the popular manga-turned-anime, Mirai Nikki.
Genre: Romantic Thriller
I would say this drama was a romantic thriller because there is a romantic relationship between the two main characters, but the situation that they find themselves in is very complicated. It's not your typical, the families hate each other conflict, but they're in a serious, life or death mission. There are a lot of plot twists that keep you on your toes and definitely keep you guessing because once you think you've figured it out, something else is thrown at you. (Hence why we finished the drama in 3 days; it was just too intriguing!)
Synopsis:
This drama is about a boy, Hoshino Arata (Okada Masaki), who ends up with a Chronus Seed Corporation smartphone, and soon learns that his new phone has the capability to tell him his future, the Future Diary. Later on, he meets a girl, named Furusaki Yuno (Gouriki Ayame), whom he discovers also has a Future Diary. They uncover the sick reality that they are merely two of seven other unwilling contestants that must participate in a sadistic game -- where they must use their Future Diaries to kill each other -- in order to be awarded the prize of their "ideal future."
Overall:
For an overall rating, I'd give this drama a 9 out of 10. It was wonderfully heart-racing and captures your full attention. The storyline was well-written, and was a very intriguing and thought-provoking concept. The only thing that I keeps me from giving this drama a perfect 10 is the character development. It could just be the difference is styles, and the time crunch since there are only 11 episodes, but the growth of Hoshino Arata seemed a bit rushed for my liking. Other than that, I highly recommend this drama for anyone who is looking for something a little different from the typical love story, but still has the aspect of a heart wrenching couple relationship.
For more drama reviews/recommendations, don't forget to hit that follow button in the upper left hand corner. :) Also, leave a comment down below telling me how you liked or didn't like this drama, or any recommendations you have for me to watch next.
Tickets will be released on TICKETMASTER on Saturday, March 29 at 10:00 am PST!!
The tickets are free, but there is a small service fee of $0.75.
To reserve your tickets in person, also at 10:00 am PST, it's a first come, first serve basis at the HwaGae Traditional Market (940 S. Western Ave. Los Angeles, CA). 5,000 tickets will be distributed at this location.
There is a 2 ticket limit per person.
Make sure to RESERVE your tickets!
The concert is only 2 weeks away! :D
For more info on the concert, check out my previous post here. :)
Hello, hello everyone! You're probably wondering, "Otteoke?! What happened to the KBS Open Concert?! Why haven't you updated anything?!"
Yes, the concert is less than a month away and ticket information has, still, yet to be released. As promised, as soon as official information regarding the distribution of tickets is announced, I will inform you guys. :)
I wouldn't let you down, lovely followers. Lol (Source)
So far, floating around forums and comments, some netizens believe that the tickets may be a "first come, first serve" type of distribution -- where you would either have to physically line up to obtain a ticket or be one of the first to reserve one online.
Some people are also wondering, "If it's a free concert, why do I even need a ticket in the first place?"
Just imagine the chaos if everyone simply showed up on the day of the concert and tried to stampede their way into the coliseum. The venue only holds 93,000 seats and can accommodate about 100,000 people; everyone would trample each other like a bunch of sasaeng fans trying to catch a glimpse of their bias. (Nobody wants to be a sasaeng fan, but that's a different story.)
Though is it a plausible outcome, I highly doubt KBS America and the L.A. Korea Society would pull out such an extravagant announcement without something to back it up. It would be very poor publicity on their part considering all the hype and promotions that has been built around it, from their official website to the Facebook event.
I am considering whether or not this could be tactic to build up the anxiety and excitement for the event to ensure enough people would show up to fill their venue. They could also be working on gaining two more idol groups to add to the line up, since only 12 out of the 14 performers have been revealed so far. Maybe someone quite exclusive?
Until more information is released, we will just have to stay on our toes!!
If you have any questions regarding the event, feel free to leave a comment down below or tweet me your questions, @aegyoanika. :) Also, let me know if you have any other information to share with all of us or just your thoughts on the delay; I'd love to hear what you have to say!
To stay up-to-date on all things hallyu, please click that follow button in the upper left hand corner. \( ^ - ^ )
Hi guys! It's AegyoAnika back with another post, but this one is a bit different. Today I'm introducing a new series to this blog, which I'd like to call "OMK!" (And if it wasn't obvious already, "OMK!" stands for "Oh My Kpop!" Haha)
Now you're probably wondering, "What in the world is 'OMK!' going to be about?" Well, generally, when something shocking happens, people respond with "Omg!" so on this series I'll be bringing you the latest Kpop news occurring in the hallyu community, from events to scandals to comebacks. (See what I did there, now? Haha)
For this first post of the series, I'm extremely excited to announce some Kpop events that will be taking place in the United States these upcoming months!
[Quick Disclaimer: Because I do reside in the U.S., the events that I will be covering will only be those taking place here in the States.]
Only about a month and a half away is the FREE KBS "Open Concert" in collaboration with the L.A. K-Pop Festival!!
KBS America and the Los Angeles Korean Association have teamed up to present a free (Yes, you hear right. Free.) K-Pop concert in L.A. on Saturday, April 12th. The event is in commemoration of the 111th anniversary of Koreans in America. The concert will be held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which is said to hold up to 93,000 seats and 100,000 audience members. The festival will begin on April 12th at 11:00 am, and the three hour long concert will begin at 5:30 pm.
While ticket information has yet to be released, 14 top idols are said to be attending the event, a few of which have already been released. The released line-up, so far, include Sistar, Girl's Day, CNBLUE, SHINee, 2PM, Infinite, Dynamic Duo, Lena Park, Kim Taewoo, Song Sohee, Seol Woondo, and Joo Hyunmi.
For further information on the Open Concert, you can follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
The following month, on May 3rd will be the "Korea Times Music Festival" at the Hollywood Bowl. Two acts that have been released for the event are Crayon Pop and Dal Shabet. More acts are to be announced, but tickets are now on sale.
To get your load of K-Pop stars sooner, Jay Park and 4minute's HyunA will make an appearance at the SXSW Music Festival from March 11th to March 16th.
So remember to mark your calendars!
To stay up-to-date on the latest K-Pop happenings, please follow me here, on Twitter, or on Tumblr! And if you have any information you'd like to share, leave it in the comments down below. :)
**I'll also be sure to post how to obtain tickets for the Open Concert as soon as information is released.
Hi guys! Today's MV Breakdown features Bangtan Boys' comeback single/music video "Boy In Luv."
Let me tell you, I was extremely excited to see their comeback because I immediately fell in love with them during the middle of the 2 Cool 4 Skool era, & have enjoyed seeing how far they've come since then.
Moving onto the actual review, the very beginning of the video threw me off a bit because I thought the melody that was playing was what the song was going to be like, that or it would be the song that Jin was listening to. Granted, that doesn't really make much sense, now that I think about it, since we did get to hear a small preview of the single from Big Hit, but I don't know, I was just confused at first.
As soon as the beat dropped & the first couple lines were chanted, I thought, "Yes! Now this is the Bangtan that I was expecting!" I really like how the beginning of the song is like a chant because it adds such an eerie, but cool feeling to the song & the video right before the guitar kicks in & blows your mind.
Now, the song itself is about a guy who is smitten over a girl & is, basically, determined to be her love. The lyrics, & the video itself, come across a bit contradicting because the diction portrays the singer, aka the guy, as very confident in being able to make the girl his, but at the same time, he doesn't treat the girl the way you would expect a person to treat someone they like.
A big controversy that I've noticed over the video is the way the girl is being treated, particularly during Suga's part & when Jin pushes her into the locker.
First off, fans shouldn't judge the members off of what they're told to do for the music video. They, generally, don't take part in the artistic direction of the video, that's all up to the director. In both the showcase & in the behind the scenes making of the music video, Jin apologizes to the girl multiple times & she's fine with it because it's just business.
Another point is that a big theme, other than teenage love, that they are going for is to come across as a manly man. Although I do not condone this "tough guy" behavior for interacting with women, it's what they're using to showcase the boys as manly guys in the video.
What's interesting is that the video & the lyrics depict the dual-sided view of love from a guy's perspective. The guy believes he's a big shot, macho man that can get any girl he wants, but now that he's found someone he has actual feelings for, he doesn't know how to behave. This explains why in the music video Suga & Jin don't treat the girl very well, because the only thing they know how to do is be the cool, tough guy.
The confusion that the guy is facing is reflected in the lyrics, as well.
"You make me so angry and mad for no reason I’m serious but you make me into a loser, who picks fights with you Why do I care so much about you? You’re making a big boy act like a little kid."
From being someone who has a strong outer appearance, he's faced with a girl who makes him as weak as jello.
"I’m getting nervous, I’m getting nervous
Who are you? Are you that great? Why do you keep teasing me? Just stop now, hold up, hold up."
The scene during the bridge of the song seemed out of place to some people because of how strong the song & video are compared to the corny spotlight & rose scene, but it actually ties in with the confusion the guy faces in how to deal with the girl he likes. At this point in the video, he finally realizes that he just needs to tell the girl what's on his mind, how he truly feels. (You'd be lying if you didn't admit this made you fangirl like crazy. ( > v < ) )
On a lighter note though, one part of the video that I found to be really odd & somewhat awkward is when Jimin & Jungkook are both in the bathroom just casually talking to each other. Do guys really do that? (If you're a guy reading this, please let me know in the comments below if this is normal because I thought it was really weird.. Haha)
Other parts that didn't exactly fit into the storyline, in my opinion, are when they're in the basketball court & Suga is just chilling on top of the basketball hoop or when Rap Monster makes fireworks appear out of nowhere. I guess you can say that the ending scene was their way of impressing the girl, but I still thought it was quite random.
I was particularly impressed with the choreography because it's a lot more hard hitting than what they've done in the past, which perfectly fits in with their new image. My favorite points in the choreography are the level changes & the intricacy the footwork adds to, what I like to call, the "cool guy matrix/crotch grab."
Overall, I really, really like this song because of the rock infusion it has with the hip-hop sound. I'm not completely familiar with the sound of old school hip-hop, but I've read & heard that the strong, rock feel combined with hip-hop is exactly what it's like, so that's pretty cool. It's such a climatic song that I can't seem to get over it. The video showcases the choreography well & fits into the theme of teenage love (no duh, they're at school). The depth of the storyline & how it's played out in the music video is also very impressive.
& Before we end this review, we should take a moment to appreciate how good all of them look in this video! They always look good, but I am in love with this "real man" image they're going for.
This review ended up being so much longer than I expected, but thank you so much for reading it! I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Bangtan's Boy In Luv music video. :)
Leave me a comment telling me what you thought of the music video & their new comeback image. Until next time.
