Thursday 31 January 2013

Minegishi Minami, the No Dating Rule and my thoughts

Wait... What?

What happened between the time I have been sleeping and going to college? No, seriously, WHAT HAPPENED?

No no no no no... This seriously isn't happening, is it? Guys... Guys...?


I pretty much woke up to this news... I came home from college, went to sleep because I felt tired and had a raging headache, and then when I awaken after a few hours this is what I first see as a piece of news from my feed on blogger; Minegishi Minami has been demoted to Kenkyuusei and has shaved her head.

... She was caught in a scandal. And this is what has happened to her because of it.

When I saw this news, even before I watched the video, I wanted to cry. I don't know why, but I wanted to. It might be because Minegishi is the Idol I never wanted to see in a scandal, or it could be the fact that she was one of the first few AKB girls to grab my attention. Either way, I wanted to cry... and after watching the video I want to cry more, because she looks like she is in a lot of pain and is trying hard to basically 'repent' for the crime that her fans and AKB management thought that she committed.

Okay, maybe crime is going too far, but still... actually no, it's pretty similar. Minegishi and any other girl involved in a scandal are basically treated like they have done something wrong, like they are a shame on society and their group. My emotions are all riled up right now, so if I am being in any way offensive, then try and forgive me... or just hate me.

I don't think that I have been so hateful of the 'no-dating' rule before now. I have no idea why, but Minegishi getting caught in the scanda, shaving her head (whether she did it herself or not) and being taken down to Kenkyuusei makes me wonder what this no-dating rule does to these girls; I know that it's hard for them to have to fight urges and basically give up their entire lives to their groups, devoting themselves to their purity and their fans... I get that. Everyone has commitments in their life, not as sacrificial as an Idols, but we all have commitments that mean we can't do certain things sometimes... but it all seems so horrible. Demoralising, even. Actually my sister once mentioned that it is pretty much like 'oh, no virginity? You're trash then' when an Idol is involved in a scnadal, and to be honest, it is.

In a way this is slut-shaming on the Idols behalf.

I bet you're wondering why it's Minegishi's scandal who has made me think this way right now, but honestly, so am I; it could have been any Idol who made me think this way, but it just so happened to be Minegishi because... well, I never expected it, and honestly, she seems like the one person you would never see in a scandal. That, and she looks like she is in so much pain and turmoil with herself right now.

... I'm upset and shocked by this, and honestly, I have no idea what the hell I am saying in this post... all I can say is that this is a post I never expected to make or a scandal that I thought I would ever see.

All I can say is that right now I hate this no-dating rule more than ever. It's horrible, and if Minegishi's appearance right now does not show fans how cruel and demoralising the rule itself is, then... well, I don't have anything to say, but it upsets me that the rule has done this to her. It looks like it has destroyed Minegishi.

Wednesday 30 January 2013

Say Hello to the Angels of Ass! AOA'S 'Get Out' PV Request Review!

Aaaaaand my opinion is my own. Don't like it? I don't care! Kinda like you don't care about what people think about yours. Snap and BUUUURN!

So after all of that glorious yummy, deliciousness that is Matsushita Yuya I will be continuing the Request Chronicles with Shayna's Requests! This time around it is all about K-pop!


Shayna commented that she has always wanted to see what I think about K-pop, so unsurprisingly what does she list me? K-pop~ Of course she did mention 'anything by the Wonder Girls', but because I am lazy (ohoho) and she actually listed some songs, I have decided to use the songs listen... unless, of course, I decide to try out Wonder Girls instead of one of her three requests... Okay, four, but I am only doing three. Because I can.

So the first of Shayna's requests is by the Korean girl group AOA, or Ace of Angels if you want to take the long route. AOA is made up of eight members, five of which play instruments and make up the band portion of AOA and seven of which make up the Idol portion. An interesting aspect of AOA is that the group is seen as a '7+1' unit as member Youkyoung is only a member of the band portion of the group and does not appear in any of their dances.

Another interesting thing about the group is that they have a back story which explains their concept and reason for becoming a group. They are all angels, with Youkyoung being a half-Angel and half-Mortal (hence being only a part of the band) and after looking through a crystal ball at the human world, the Angels all fell in love with the music of humanity. The half-angel, half-mortla Youkyoung (Y) was the Key Keeper and became curious about the human world, so used the key to visit the world with the other Angels who also had an interest. And that is the story.

Looking at the background and concept of AOA was actually really confusing at first, but now that I know more about it I think that it's pretty cool and really intriguing. I like that they have a reason for Youkyoung only being a part of the band, though of course it does lead me to question Why?... But that's for another day because right now I need to focus on this.

The Review... And how much I LOVE THIS SONG!!!

Oh my Lordy... Shayna... Well done. I applaud you on suggesting a song that I really really like... My Lord, girl, if I get into K-pop then please pat yourself on your shoulder and tell yourself that you started it with this song...

IF...

Now, if you will excuse me, we have a pic spam to get on with...


Well this looks interesting... I like the style of the books!


Magazine layout? Well this has been used before and can look tacky if done wrong, but we'll see I guess.


Well hello there beautiful lady! What is your name?


"Tch... Wo d'ya think ya are?"

Wait... cute girl... You intrigue me... What's your name?


Magazine layout again! But what is this I see here? Pink and blonde?


And a chihuahua? Well bless my cotton socks, this reminds me of either Barbie or Legally Blonde!

to be honest I wasn't sure who she was at first, in fact I guessed Barbie.


White outfits? Well thank goodness they can pull off the look, because I certainly can't...


Wait, who are you? Your eyes intrigue me.

... Your eyes remind me of how widely spaced apart a fish's eyes are, actually. Not to be mean, but that genuinely intrigues me! xD


I am liking this magazine aspect of the video more and more. It's pretty cool!


O-O Well Helllllllooooo LEGS!!!!


"... Heh? Where are you lookin', Bitch?"

Oh shit, she saw me!


"Ayyyye don't worry about, doc."

WINKU GET~!


Ooooh I get it! She's Lara Croft, Tomb Raider! DUH!

I played that game so damn much as a kid and watched my siblings play it, too. Memories!


... Well hello Ass!

Now truthfully; this was actually the first scene I saw in the entire video because I listened to it before I watched it. True story bro.


Wait... why do I recognise you...? Who can you be...


OMFG it's Leeloo from the Fifth Element! OMFG!

You make one sexy-ass Leeloo, girl! Go Youkyoung!


Awww, now aren't you an adorable bundle of smiles and hair!


And here's the band, guys! Don't they look awesome?


Hm, this setting works really well too. Love the clothes!


Wait... is this Juliet? It looks very beautiful and somewhat romantic in tone...


"Hey, you... Yeah, you. How do you like K-pop now?"

I like it very much right now, Legally Blonde impersonating chick.


It IS Romeo and Juliet! The balcony gives it away... and the ponytail.


"Hole in one."

 WINKU GET!


"My lips are dry... will you moisten them for me with yours?" And no one denied her this

You're a purdy one, too~


o-o well hello there flexible ladies!


"Bitch, where you lookin'?"

Again... flexibility. And sexy bodies. Nng!!!

This is where K-pop truly wins all, it really is guys.


I recognise this get-up...


Why hello girl who intrigues me with her eyes! Also hello Harry Potter! Welcome back childhood~~~


But I do wonder why she is wearing a hufflepuff scarf and a Gryffindor tie. Hermione, have you been fraternizing with Cedric Diggory? -hands on hips-


"ErEeeew..."

Oh, you don't like the thought of Hermione being with another person? Well TOUGH!!!

PS: Attitude, GURL! -snaps fingers-


I see Ass, Ass, Ass...

Seriously, you guys should just be named Angels of Ass. It would work for you.


"What the fuck did you just say?"

Oh shi----


Hey, I didn't mean it Kinda so why don't you, er, go back to Killing Bill, heh heh?

... No?


Still... DAYUMN that body!


Breakfast at Tiffany's!!!!


And yet I have never seen this film. Some things are just so damn easy to figure out, though.


"Betcha can't figure out mine, y'know?"

Huh? What's yours?

Also, I love your dip-dye hair!


Wait... what?

I was actually stumped on this one... Hahahahahaha stumped, and there's a plant...


But it's Mathilda from Leon: The Professional! This girl got one seriously good character!


Oh yeah... dat ATTITUDE and ass

... Call yourselves Attitude and Ass!!!


"How about you go and shoot yourself in the head? Or how about I do it for you...?"

So that's a no then?


"Hole in one, pervert."

WINKU!!! I spy a damn WINK again! I swear, this video knows me.


"Oh look, a penny..."

Attitude is back! I love the Diva faces they make!


"Heh... we rule, you drool... like a Wota."

You are so pretty. Wait... they are all pretty!


Wait... no! Don't shoot, I'm innocent! Innocent I say!


"Good night, pervert..."

Noooo!!!!


I love Legally Blonde, it's such a good film and an equally awesome musical! Never watched it...?

What have you been doing with your life!?


Awww, Mathilda! Or whatever your name is... Well, whatever, you show that plant your love!


You actually make a dang good looking Leeloo, girl! I actually wish that I had capped more of you...


Hopefully you haven't screwed up the Poly juice potion, Hermione, or you're gonna look like a cat again...


Oh shit, she's still coming for me! Girl, I am NOT Bill! I am Chiima! Go find him and deal with Bill, not me!!!


I just love this shot, no other reason why I would have it really.


"Romeo, Romeo, where fore art thou Romeo?"

I love Romeo + Juliet as a film and the actual script is good, too! Only problem? 3 days is an unrealistic amount of time to fall in love... Lust overwhelmed them, it seems.


Those LEGS!!!!!

And that attitude, girl! Work it!


You know, I might just start following you girls and become your fan... might...


Wait, the magazine's finished? Well dangit... It seems like we may have to take the pictures advice and GET OUT, guys. Let's go!

So Review time; I never know how to begin these things because I am pretty much heading right out of a picture spam. Most bloggers review everything before the pic spam and then give you that pleasure of relaxing and enjoying the pictures they have capped. Well not me. I have to be difficult, and honestly, it is sometimes difficult to think up what to write after the pic spam because... well, it just is.

So I'm going to start with my expectations of this song and video, and honestly, I had very little expectations. I did not think that I would like this because it's K-pop, and whilst I do enjoy it sometimes, it is very rare that I take to a song so well that I want to listen to it on a constant loop and even learn how to sing along to it. This is one of those songs. I had low expectations and pretty much came out wondering why the hell I don't listen to more K-pop.

Congratulations, Shayna. I am one step closer to appreciating K-pop more thanks to you. Feel proud, girl. Feel so damn proud of yourself.

Heck, I might even review this single if I manage to track it down and listen to all the songs. I am really digging Get Out as a song and I wonder why I have been neglecting K-pop for so long if it can sound as amazing as this song does. 

Now when I first listened to this song (my expectations still at an all time low) I did not watch the video; I wanted to surprise myself and wait until I had figured out what I thought about the song. Whilst listening to it I was actually talking to Nia and linked it to her, and low and behold the first clip I ever stumbled upon with this song happened to be this one;


Now I don't know about you, but that little snippet kind of made me think 'wow, so this song is going to be overly ass-filled? Greeeeat' and I kept thinking that way until Nia messaged me back saying 'Omg there are film references, this is my forte!' or something along those lines. I was surprised, mostly because I had originally thought that this song was going to be all about the ass. Well it wasn't, and when I finally watched it I came to realise that not only was the song awesome but also the video. I also revelled in the fact that I have watched nearly all of these films bar one and was able to recognise most of the characters. It also makes me want to watch some of these films again because it's actually been a few years since I have seen a few of the titles in this music video.

The video is actually really good, as you would guess; it's well put together and has extremely good pacing. I love that at one point you get a sequence with the drum beat that cuts to a movie reference to fit the pace of the beat with the images used. It's a simple but extremely effective way of editing, one that I like a lot, and worked for the song and video. I also love the amount of scenes we get; each girl gets a distinct and recognisable character and other scenes including the dance sequences are equally as good. In fact the dance is pretty fun to watch, but not as fun as the character scenes in my opinion.

... I should just say that I like all of it and be done with it, right? Naaah...

I think that after watching this video a few times my favourite part has to be with the girl who plays as the character Mathilda from Leon: The Professional. I have not seen that film in years, but to sport such a strong character and to bring that character in at such a powerful moment in the song was amazing and also great timing. It showed the strength of that character and just brought along a lot of attitude and strength to the video and the song. It's probably the most memorable moment of the entire video for me when the girl just belts out this amazing rap and kills the scene as Mathilda. It's just epic on all levels in my opinion.

The video is really good and for people who love films, especially films with strong female leads, this is a great video to watch. The only real problem I had with it though is that I do think Youkyoung was not shown enough or given enough to do as Leeloo. She did great at looking lost and confused, but I would have loved to have seen more. The other girls had props that they could play around with whilst Youkyoung just had a wall and her beautiful figure to bring us in. Luckily she did capture my attention, but her scenes looked pretty bare sometimes and I wished that she could have had more to do.

.... They should have just brought Dallas in, you know? Omg DALLAS!!! -drools-

But yeah, great video. I really love the different shots and scenes and there is so much going on that you will not get bored. The shot changes are wonderful, the dance is pretty fun and the movie references are a great add in and fit the girls really well. If you have not watched this video then I highly suggest it.

Now the song... well, considering this song is the first thing that properly introduced me to AOA, I consider this song the thing that could have either made me like or hate AOA. Luckily enough I am pretty much in love with this song because, in my mind, it is amazing. It's incredibly catchy and has this incredible beat that makes me want to dance and jump around like an idiot. The song also has an incredible amount of attitude as well in my opinion in how the girls sound and how the music is arranged, I can just hear it. It sounds like the girls put a lot of feeling into it and just made it theirs instead of what a composer made - especially that rap part. My lord the attitude over-kill in there! Saying that I love it is probably an over-statement, but really, I can't help but fawn over AOA and their amazing amount of energy and attitude in this song, and again, dat rap! <3 My lord, that rap.

Wait, is it even a rap? Oh who cares! She sounds Ace! Of Angels

All I can say is that this is an epic song and a really great way tp introduce a non K-pop fan to K-pop. Get Out has certainly peaked my interest in the Korean music market a little more than what IU did, actually, ad I am extremely happy that Shayna suggested this song for the Request Week when I posted it last year because it really makes me wonder just why I have not been listening to K-pop at all yet.

... Maybe this is the year that I will truly learn to appreciate and get into K-pop, eh? Who knows...


Angels of Ass, the girls who may be the secret weapon to getting Chiima into K-pop. Who woulda thunk it?