Utada Hikaru(宇多田ヒカル) -Fantôme Album Thoughts(J-POP)

       I don't want to overload this blog with music posts but so many new albums are coming out recently. Especially from female artists in Japan. More posts related to other topics are coming soon. I just started watching a new drama too but for the moment, let's be blinded by the light that is Jpop legend, Hikaru Utada's return to music.

TRACKLIST:
01. Michi [道] [03:36]
02. Ore no Kanojo [俺の彼女] [05:04]
03. Hanataba wo Kimi ni [花束を君に] [04:39]
04. Nijikan Dake no Vacance feat. Shiina Ringo [二時間だけのバカンス featuring 椎名林檎] [04:42]
05. Ningyo [人魚] [04:16]
06. Tomodachi with Kobukuro Nariaki [ともだち with 小袋成彬] [04:23]
07. Manatsu no Tooriame [真夏の通り雨] [05:39]
08. Kouya no Ookami [荒野の狼] [04:35]
09. Boukyaku feat. KOHH [忘却 featuring KOHH] [05:05
10. Jinsei Saikou no Hi [人生最高の日] [03:11]
11. Sakura Nagashi [桜流し] [04:41]

   After six years of absence and after Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts has used "Simple and Clean" so many times that her bank account exploded, Utada finally announced that she was going to return to music. Just in time for her to provide a new theme song for Kingdom Heart's next installment.(Come on, your not fooling anyone here.) You can't help but wonder what kind of Utada we will get this time after all the event she has gone through in the past six years. The horrible death of her mother, marriage, and the birth of her first child, would make for great subject for Utada to take the pen to the paper. She has done just that, stating that this album could only be made now and another album like it would never be made again. Which is where the album's name "Fantome" might have come from. It sounds like the word phantom, a mythical being thats there one minute and then gone the next.

   Utada is mostly labeled as a Jpop, RnB, Dance Electronica artist. For me she can't truly be labeled in one category. Many of her albums have a experimental style thats not afraid to test the boundaries of whats normally popular music in Japan and whats just artistry. Fantome stands on this boundary then jumps over it only to stand on it again. She seems to be over trying to be a chart toping artists and wants to just make music that expresses her feeling as a new mother as well as the love she had for her late mother. Plenty of tracks sound like the old Utada we love with tracks like "道", "花束を君に", "真夏の通り雨", etc. Don't let the familiar sounds fool you because Utada still shows growth in maturity within the lyrics and the way she sings. I hear the vocals of a women who has a lot to sing about but she also feels free in this release of expression. Fantom's style variates from funky RnB tracks, ballads, to dance pop. I was glad to hear  "二時間だけのバカンス" with Ringo Shiina as the album's main single. The track is a great up beat drum number that utilizes both singers voices in a productive way. You never know what your going to get when you listen to a Utada album.  I could have sworn that she mixed two different genres of music in one song and played it off like it was the most natural thing in the world. 

 Utada's vocal darkness is what she's most know for. Even when she sings happy songs, that deep tone gives a slight edge to the song. Her mother also had this same vocal quality. If you didn't know, Utada's mother was a top selling artist too so she comes from a musically inclined family. Her voice fluctuates from low to high then high to low in controlled succession. Both ranges are beautiful to the ears. Much of her discography can't sound complete unless she sings it. No offense to the artists who did her tribute albums but their Utada's songs for a reason. 

  The biggest problem I believe everyone is talking about is how Utada will be received in today's Japanese music industry.  "Jpop is dead" isn't a phrase you should believe in unless your an over obsessed Kpop fan. Japanese CD selling market is falling fast which is the reason for artists having such low sales in recent years. Its sad that Japanese doesnt know how to handle this problem but they better learn fast. Japanese people's taste in music also constantly changes. Idol groups were once dominating the charts but now they barely get the top spot. Anime soundtracks, voice actors, rock bands, and girl idol groups are whats popular right now. Utada will do fine because she will be that artist to bring something fresh to Japanese audiences that have been waiting for her return. One con about the album to me is that it might be too slow for listeners who like a more active sound but on the other hand her lyrics will resonate with listeners who are tired of hearing songs about plain old love. I have songs on the album that I like more than others. I also felt that some songs were too short and could have been a little longer. 

   As a fan, I'm very happy with "Fantome". I can't wait to play the album a few more times so I can learn the words to sing along. I'm pretty sure this album will get the a top ten spot on the charts if not the top spot just because of who she is. I'll be cheering her on while humming "二時間だけのバカンス".  iTunes sales show that the album is doing great in the US and in France. Now lets see those CD sales in Japan. *** Fingers Crossed***

Aimer(エメ) - Daydream Album Thoughts(J-Rock)

Tracklist:

1. insane dream
2. ninelie with chelly (EGOIST)
3. twoface
4. Higher Ground
5. for ロンリー with 阿部真央
6. 蝶々結び
7. カタオモイ
8. Hz
9. 声色
10. closer
11. Falling Alone
12. us
13. Stars in the rain

     THE ROCK QUEEN OF ANIME ROCK THEME SONGS IS BACK WITH HER FOURTH ALBUM!!!! whew...... ok ok ok! I was out of breath there but i'll be alright because Aimer is one of my favorite female singers right now. She's been releasing amazing single after great single that I knew this album was going to be epic. So epic that I would have to sit down in a chair to keep from falling over. 

     Aimer has hired a bunch of other Japanese artists to help her with the creation of "Day Dream". Some artists I saw it coming. Such as One Ok Rock's frontman Taka, who has expressed great interest in Aimer after the release of her last album "Dawn".  Others were a surprise because Aimer is getting huge in Japan right now and you think she would work with only A list artists.(One Ok Rock and Rabwimps are headlining acts but yeah...) Aimer's vision must be foremost in her mind.

       "Day Dream" contains four new tracks along with previously released singles and a track contained on a single. Aimer's albums are known for their dream like artists themes only she can produce. If you look at each of her album covers, you will see different set themes that range from landscapes to abstract images. Her album titles all also relate to the process of sleeping and waking up. For example: Sleepless Nights, Midnight Sun, Dawn, Daydream etc. She's a musical artists that likes to express emotion with imagery. Not one of her music videos has ever had her in it until recently.  Knowing all of this about Aimer, I couldn't help but wonder what direction she would go with her next album.  The direction is  a lively road that sends damage to everything that gets in the way. "Insane Dream" is the baby that was born from Taka and Aimer jumping on the mic together. An American listener might think of the song "Bring Me To Life" by rock band Evanescence when listening to "Insane Dream". The melody for both tracks are different but the vocal pattern of Aimer and Taka during the chorus puts me in mind of the classic hit rock jam. Taka brings a edge to the song with his screams that Aimer couldn't do by herself. She does help bring a dark vide with her mid tonal deep range. "Twoface" is Aimer entering into puck rock territory with high energy guitars and a touch of Aimer's signature piano playing in the background. A new risk was taken with this album as Aimer worked with such fierce bands who are defiant and bold. An aspect of each artist is present in each track. I could tell you who produced what track without looking just based on how the track sounds. She allowed a change to take place with her music while keeping bits and pieces she felt would work well with her new sound. The qualities she's know for are her ability to create solid beautiful melodies no matter if the style is rock, ballad, or Jazz. Daydream is a lot more hard hitting than her other three albums and I'm I'm not complaining. I did kinda of miss Jazz Aimer that seemed to appear in the mist of her other albums. Jazzy her didn't make the cut this time but instead you get ballads and mid tempo songs that are in noway boring. In fact, She shines the most during her calm moments where she regroups and goes all out again. The track "HZ" was the closest we get to a Jazz number and this is still different for Aimer. Its more jumping up in the air fun than sitting down lounging and drinking coffee. TK from the band Ling Tosite Sigure( He did the opening theme for the anime Tokyo Ghoul season one.) produced "Us" for Aimer and this was the biggest shocker collaboration for me. TK and Aimer always seemed to be in different worlds so to see that they would be working together was a real treat. "Us" is a Tk song from beginning to end. The part where she starts to sing/ chant sounds like "Unravel". TK would be singing "Us" if Aimer wasn't. The key it goes in is totally TK's range because his vocals are high but Aimer proved that she had the vocal chops. "Falling Alone" was produced by Taka. I could say with confidence that this is the best track on the whole album. I loved it when it was released as a digital single and I love it even more as apart of "Daydream". Taka produced the perfect song for Aimer. It sounds like it would be put in a series with her other songs like "Brave Shine", "StarRing Child", "Last Stardust" etc. Its so hard hitting but calm in all the right places. 

          Aimer's voice is like a half burnt waffle that still taste good even though its burnt. The voice consist of a deepness but not too deep that you can't tell that its a female. I heard she had vocal issues in the past and thats why her voice has that unique tone quality. She sings in a very controlled manner and sometimes if she holds a note too long, a charming shaky vibrato comes out. The high part of her voice is where all those pretty sounds come from. Each album seems to show improvement in range compared to where she began. another quick thing that I noticed is recently she uses mostly male background singers. She already as a stand alone type of voice but hearing a man sing behind her seals the deal. "蝶々結び"has a duet toward the end with a male singer that was a surprise at first listen along with the tempo change. Loved every bit of what I heard. "カタオモイ" is also another track that is harmony city. Gosh, this girl is too talented. 

       My only dislike about the album was Aimer's English Pronunciation. She sounds very clear at times and I understand what she's saying then at other times I have no idea what she's saying. I don't like when people say the term "Engerish" because its rude and you have to understand that English is not always a person's first language. But if your going to sing in English, Your pronunciation should be good enough that a native speaker can understand what the song's lyrics are. Japanese people love English so they don't care if they can understand what she's singing about or not. I'm just nitpicking a little bit. She sound really good during songs like "Closer" and I love that she's going for of more bilingual sound.(If she actually speaks or is learning English that is.)

"Daydream" can't be anymore solid than this. Aimer continues to show that she never disappoints. I hope she keeps this streak up! Does anyone else know what she looks like? I have a mental image from the pictures that I've seen but she seems to be more mysterious than anything. 

Jung Jin Woo(정진우) - In My Room(정진우 미니앨범) Mini Album Thoughts(K-Music)

Track List:
01. 집에 있을게 (With Villain)
02. B side U
03. 광신도
04. Leftover
05. Bonne nuit

    I don't watch a lot of Korean singing shows. In the future I do want to get more involved with watching Korean talk shows. You might find me watching "Unpretty Rapstar" or "Show Me The Money" sometimes but recently these shows have gotten boring to me so I distance myself. Jung Jin Woo was on the show Kpopstar which I only know because Michelle Lee was on this show a few years ago. It seems that a lot of great talent comes from KpopStar though.

  "In My Room" is this kid's first mini album and its a chance for him to pull in new fans. He also would be satisfying the people who liked him on KpopStar. I'm not sure what style he performed on the show but on the album has a RnB/Pop style. The song selection is strong with drive in your car ready hits that would make any car ride a great one. You can definitely hear the American influence with the production and choice places that autotune is used. Jin Woo and produces knew what kind of sound they wanted causing this album to not seem like a cheap knock off of another culture's experience. He could have strayed down the wrong path and come out with a heavy autotuned album talking about how he sleeps with a lot of girls and wears a lot of bling bling. However, A great love for RnB is shown along with adding a Korean take on the genre. "광신도" is such a good track that shows Jin Woo is an artist that can be original under all that thug style that "B Side u" was trying to give off. Both tracks are two sides of the same coin. I just want him to do music that speaks his feelings. Forget trying to please people with fake gimmicks. My eye roll overtime I see a Korean artist try to be thug with experiences that they have never ever had the chance to take a part of. 

   The vocals are like a mix between a young boy and a sensual RnB singer. He is still growing as a singer and thats very apparent. Thankfully, The style on this album isn't vocally challenging. Power is shown during vocal runs and falsetto notes but for the most part, Jin Woo's voice is more smooth toned and light. The fast paced vocals during "B Side U" were nice to listen to as well. Many Korean singers have this type of singing mastered like its their bible. I actually want to hear a Korean male RnB singer break this trend. Years of listening to Taeyang's songs have made my ears numb. In a good and bad way. 

 This was a great debut mini album. I want to hear more. His style will either sink or swim musically as time goes on. Solo artists tend to not get recognition in the Korean music industry unless your different, been around a while, or just got the looks to carry your career. Pure talent is a factor too but we all know looks matter a slight bit more. Jung Jin Woo better keep taping into whatever makes him unique. Those comparisons to Zion T are not alright and need to be proven wrong. (It might seem like a compliment at first but it will get annoying after awhile.)

The Lost Choices(어떤 살인) Korean Film Thoughts

  Here we are again with another film I bought on a whim. I was looking around online for more Korean films to watch and talk about only to find "The Lost Choices". The direct translation of the film is "A Kind of Murder".( This is my translated title as I speak Korean. You might find another direct translated title, "Some Murder" which is also correct but also a very boring translation.) My next inclination was to check out the trailer which I loved but I was still skeptical. The last time I imported a indie Korean film, I felt it wasn't worth the wait that I had to go through but thats the risk of an East Asian film/drama collector.

 "The Lost Choices" was directed by Anh Yong-Hoon as his first film and stars Yoon So-Yi with Shin Hyun-Bin. Acts of rape plus the creditability of the rights of people with disabilities is the main focus of this film. A girl and her parents are involved in a car accident that killed the parents and left the girl with a speech disability. One night while walking down a dark street in Seoul, Gangsters appear and forcefully rape her. She tries to go to the police tattered and broken but they brush her account off as a lie because of her stutter. Soon she is raped again in her home and thats when enough is enough. The girl decides to take matters into her own hands.

 The performances were nothing short of powerful. Shin Hyun-Bin takes her character to new heights as she try to find her way in a world that is against people like her. She is not only a person with a disability but she is also a women. Both don't create a great mix in certain situations. Korea can be behind on how to deal with people with disabilities so that causes these citizens to go without good paying jobs. Shin Hyun-Bin's presents in her acting that her character has gone through this many times before. She finds a job but its not under the best circumstances. On top of that she is alone without a family. Her life just goes by day by day as she does her best to survive. The events that happened to her were like a punch in the gut signaling that she would never truly be happy because noone would take the time to help her no matter who much she cried out. Then when Yoon So-Yi's character does try to send out a helping hand, its too late. Yoon So-Yi plays a female cop that was put on the rape case but she doesn't get truly involved until things have escalated out of control. She has bones in her closet that fuel her actions to the point that Shin Hyun-Bin's character could have been her little sister. The chemistry caused my eyes to stay glued to the screen to find out how everything unfolded.

  The plot pulls you in then drags you into the mud in a good way. This film was not made to make you feel good.... well... that is unless you like revenge. I'm going to be the truthful guy here and say that I was rooting for her to get her pay back but I don't support violence. Gender roles is also a big part of the film's plot. I felt like the female characters were shown in a more vulnerable way to showcase how its easy for them to be the target of men with not so pure intentions.  It was no mistake that most of the male actors played men who had absolutely no respect for women at all. Only the young male cop that worked along side Yoon So-Yi seemed to be on the right side of justice. I could also relate to the issue dealing with rights that one has in Korea. Because the girl was a female and she had a disability, The police discarded her clam. The something happens to foreigners and people who are gay. There are no rights protecting these people and if something happens, The police either believes the Korean person or does nothing at all. Actions need to be taken to change this issue. "The Lost Choices" did a fantastic job making the viewer see that there is a problem needing to be resolved. I can see it and I hope you do too.



  Shooting for the film looks like a ton of other gritty Korean films. The director is not shy to show the bad parts of Seoul where the low income people live. We Americans would say the Ghetto. Dark streets, dirty apartments, dirty factory, dirty bus stop, one room apartment etc. All seems very charming right?(If only you could hear the sarcasm in my voice.) No filter for the weak of heart and it gets worse. The rape scenes are one of the most unsettling thing I have scene all year. No, its not because of the graphic nature of the scene. The way it was shot disturbed me. The camera literally becomes the eyes of the girl that is getting rapped and you see EACH ONE OF THE GUYS FACES AS THEY RAPE HER. They all had smiles on their faces too. She was rapped by three men so thats a totally of three times then one extra time after the fact. So really four times..... I CAN'T EVEN DEAL WITH THIS...... I get emotional just thinking about what she must to have been feeling.

  "The Lost Choices" was a great emotional thrill ride that will have you gripping your pillow till the ground breaking final scene. I'm going to be watching this film again after some time has passed. Without a doubt, this film goes on the list for one of the top K-thrillers of 2015.


PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS FILM DOES DEAL WITH THEMES OF RAPE AND VIOLENCE. WHILE THE SCENES OF RAPE ARE NOT THAT GRAPHIC, THE VIOLENCE MAKES UP FOR THAT SO DO NOT WATCH IF YOUR UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN.

Ray Ma(馬天宇) - The Flower In Hand(手花) Mini album Thoughts(Mandopop)

                                 
Track List:
01. 手花  
02. 一人一旅途  
03. 我也曾經像你一樣 (原唱：黃渤)
04. 黑名單


    I had seen a pretty looking man wearing a long white wig but I never researched to see what movie he was from or who the actor was. This singer turned actor is known as Ray Ma(馬天宇) in Taiwan. I had no idea who he was and only listened to his EP because I liked how the cover looked. He began his career in one of those TV competitions like so many other Mandopop singers. Ray Ma ended the show with sixth place and soon released an album that blew up the charts and the internet along with it. People called him the true champion because he had out sold his TV show mates. Later he tried his hand at acting where he found most of the fame he has today. That cute face is sure to look good across television screens. Ma came back a little while ago with new music to appease his fans that missed his singing.

    "The Flower In Hand" was a pleasant surprise as an introduction to his music. This man has a long discography of music that makes him a seasoned professional. The EP was smooth sailing without any bumps in the road. Production value is quite high without trying to hard to be something its not. A raw acoustic guitar sound is the core of the four tracks but other elements are also at play.  Violin playing is placed at specific parts of  one of the tracks that brings out the song's overall sound. The Violin isn't over used but there to give the song support. I also noticed another instrument, the hand drum. It keeps the beat whenever the drums are not and give the songs a stripped down raw feel along with the acoustic guitar. All of these aspects make for a simple relaxing sound thats not too boring. Even though all four tracks are set at a mid tempo beat, I still found myself interested in each track. I think this happened because each song had the right amount of catchy sweet goodness on top of great instrumental production. Great job on production semi ballads that didn't put me to sleep! Not only that but it was done in the length of four tracks. Hell just froze over...... no, really. It did.


    Ray Ma's vocals are like the surface of a pond after a terrible storm has passed and the water is in a state of calm. He doesn't try to over sing or under sing. The vocals are right smack in the middle of both options. Focus was more about making feel good music that influences the listener. Props also have to go to the singers that performed background vocals on the tracks. One female voice is right there all the time when a nice vocal harmony is needed then she pulls back and lets Ma lead. You know when a singer has good intentions with his vocalization when its not about hitting difficult notes or belting out a note, only singing a song straight and letting the meaning sink in. This was what Ray Ma did with "The Flower In Hand".

   I'm tempted to backtrack and listen to Ray Ma's other albums because I must have missed out on some good music. This EP is for people who like new take on relaxing music. I would suggest listening when you have an off day. Now, lets stare at Ray Ma's very attractive face and let the relaxing began!!!!!!

The Kingdom(王国) Japanese Novel Thoughts

    Mystery and Thriller Author Nakamura Fuminori has created quite a buzz in the last few years with his english translated versions of his novels "The Thief",  Evil and The Mask", "The Last Winter We Parted", and "The Gun". I was told by my local bookstore that "The Gun" wasn't released yet but it would come out in December. Who knows how true this is since the novel is supposedly out online. Fuminori was mostly been praised for "The Thief" more than his other releases as this was his first novel to be translated into English language. Major novel reviews such as The Wall Street Journal and Time Out Chicago highly commented the novel even placing it on the Best Fiction of 2012 list where it made the cut. I picked up this book just because I saw it was a new Japanese author and I wanted to support his work. I'm so glad I did because I have bought most of his releases since then. "The Kingdom" is Fuminori's most recent novel to be imported stateside.


 Yurika is a women who poses as a prostitute in a world of underground crime in order to blackmail important top business men. She meets these men seduces them and then drugs them so she can take pictures only to give these picture to the man she works for.  Somehow a game of cat and mouse plot begins with Yurika taking on a job that might cost her life. People from a past she wishes to forget also suddenly resurface.


   The trait I love about this novel and "The Thief" is that you are pushed into the world of the two main character's from the first page. Fuminori doesn't' give the reader time to warm up to the characters. He only puts you in the cross fire right away and leaves it to the reader to choose who they feel about a character through the choices they make. The world is described with shocking clarity using the eyes of Yurika. This world is unforgiving and doesn't care about the next person. Its a dog eat, dog world. If you can't  stand on your own two feet then you will get trampled by the dogs trying to eat. Our leading lady is attracted to this dark world and is also controlled by it. Each turn of the page made this kingdom seem more like a separate world from the normal life in everyday Tokyo, Japan. I felt like I was on the inside looking in at a world that Yurika wasn't apart of. Maybe she was never meant to be apart of that safe world in the first place. Every detail of Tokyo told on the pages of "The Kingdom" warned the divide of two worlds. The world that people went out at night into the bustling city of Tokyo to enjoy their life. Then there's the other world that is frozen solid like a piece of ice where once the ice is completely frozen, you will never get out unless someone melts the ice for you. I'm sure you guessed, Yurika is encased in this icy world.


   Any emotional connections that the reader could possible feel from Yurika is destroyed by her personality. She has a lot of emotional mental issues that has marked by her desire to dominate men. Her background is also a very bleak one making the reader understand why she acts the way she does. I had a love hate relationship with her. She very unlikable but I also felt really sorry for how her life turned out. You kind of get confused at times as to if she really wanted her life to be that way or if after a while everything started to spin out of  her control. She wants to remain in control but her past comes back to hunt her causing her to realize that her life had meaning after all. Yurika's fight to survive was inspiring for a character as unlikable as her's.


  The reference content in "The Kingdom" weighed down the story. Yurika was a character that was well learned in different history involving certain time events and famous women.(Mostly prostitutes  like herself.) Sometimes the writing of her thoughts had to do with the story and other times her facts just diverted from the real action. A deep meaning is present in between the lines that I understood but most of the time I would see a sentence leading into a history lesson and my eyes would roll to the back of my head. I didn't read this book for a history lesson. I want to get back to the real conflict.


  "The Kingdom" is like the sister novel to "The Thief "only one is better written than the other. "The Thief" had a more likable well thought out character along with a engaging storyline that keeps the pages turning until its conclusion. This novel has a few of the same traits and is a page turner but falls short to live up to the "The Thief" because the story's content isn't as good. As I was reading, I kept thinking that this was the female version of the "The Thief" only to have that confirmed by the Author's note at the end of the book. I would suggest reading both back to back if you can. That might make "The Kingdom" more enjoyable for you than it was for me. I didn't hate the book but its my least favorite Fuminori novel. I also had the misfortune of reading this novel two books after reading the "The Thief" so its wasn't fresh in my mind. With all this being said, I'm looking forward to reading his next book titled "The Gun".

Clazziquai(클래지콰이) Travellers Album Thoughts(K-indie)클래지콰이 프로젝트

Tracklist:

1. Travellers (inst.)
2. Dangerous
3. #Curious
4. Sweet life
5. Speak of life
6. Make up break up
7. Night flight
8. Sleeples night
9. Sweety Fruity Jelly
10. Aurora

     Seoul South Korea based Indie electronica group Clazziquai is back after two years break. The group consists of Alex, Horan, and DJ Clazzi as the producer behind the sound board. I'm guessing these boys and girl kept busy while they were  away from music as Alex and Horan have babbled in every other area of entertainment under the sun. Clazziquai rose to fame after doing two songs, "Be My Love" and "She is" for the mega popular 2004 Korean drama hit, "My Name Is Kim Sam-Soon". I suggest you go watch this drama if you consider yourself a Korean drama fan. You won't regret it. These songs are probably their most popular to date but Alex and Horan didn't stop there. Alex took this chance to stick his foot into acting appearing in a handful of dramas as well as Korean talk shows. He also released a solo album that was one of my absolute favorites growing up. While Alex also showed a love from cooking, Horan also started making moves by appearing in a few dramas and hosting her own radio show. She and Alex both have done several songs for dramas solo and together. DJ Clazzi also released a solo album featuring many different artists from Idols to indie artists. Horan finally had a her own solo mini album last year which wasn't to my liking but I was proud of her. "Travellers" is Clazziquai's eight album to date.

  I know what Clazziquai is about without really knowing what to expect when listening to their music. If that makes sense.... ok.. IT DOESNT!  They have shown on numerous occasions that they have the ability to shift their music style to a fresh new vide while still keeping that indie electronic sound as the music's core base. Traveller's lands right in the middle of spectrum. A almost there but not quite when it comes to the Clazziquai from the early 2000s. It seems like DJ Clazzi was going for a more soft sound that would relax listeners and make them think about that four letter word L-O-V-E. Songs like "Dangerous" give us that strong flowing eighties style layered with mid tempo precisely placed beats.  DJ Clazzi is one of the best DJ on the Korean club scene and he proves this to us time and time again. This man knows how to make a turntable sing. His edit ad-libs with the music and Clazziquai's vocals are what made their music so groundbreaking. I remember when I took a day to watch all their music videos and having a thought that this group is showcasing a style that is the beginning of an era. I love their wild dance fiasco days but they don't seem apparent on "Traveller" Most of the trackless is very tame to say the least. "Curious"  is the only track that reminds me of the energy filled sound they use to have and this song is still kind of tame. A part of me is a little disappointed but the other part of my loves certain parts of the album. This tame new style is just so comforting and comes forth more strongly in the second part of the album. "Speak of Love" and "Aurora" are the two best slower numbers of the album. Alex and Horan's hormones make any song perfect. 

  Alex has always been the leader of Clazziquai to me because his vocals take the lead but people might say that DJ Clazzi is the leader because he makes that music. Horan is that equivalent of a backup singer but her voice is good enough to sing alone. I'm so thirsty for a new Alex solo album. Its been years and a OST digital single is not enough. "Traveller's" gave me a momental satisfier with his vocals smooth like a warm lump of butter placed on a stack of pancakes that slides off the moment the syrup hits the pancakes. Horan's vocals are like the sweet syrup that melts the butter on the pancakes. Alex has a voice with a tone thats so good that he can make a listener feel. He could only sing with a singer that has just as good of a tonal quality such as Horan or Ji-sun( former lead singer of band Loveholic soon to go solo. She's Clazziquai's label mate.) Horan's voice seems to be destined to be heard along side Alex. The puzzle pieces fit perfectly! I don't know to what extent that I would listen to Horan sing alone though. I have enjoyed some of her solos in the past however she doesn't stretch her vocal range like Alex does when singing alone. 

  "Traveller" makes me have my hand halfway off the fence while the rest of my body is hanging in the breeze. I love about five of the ten tracks just because of catchy hooks. Vocals on the album as a solid ten if I was giving a rating. The overall style just isn't the same Clazziquai that used crazy DJ edits and constant catchy hooks that got stuck in your head for days going forward. I hate to say this but it feel like they are getting older and their music is losing momentum along with time. Not to say I will ever stop listening to them. 

  

Saving Mr. Wu(解救吾先生) Chinese Movie Thoughts

    Saving Mr. Wu is the second Chinese film that I took the time to watch in 2016. The first was The Mermaid which I made a post about a week or so ago. Wal-Mart always tends to get the newest films from Hong Kong especially if they have to do with fighting or gun violence. Saving Mr. Wu was no exception as the movie is a dead give away to a certain mindless American audience who only care about Chinese cinema when stereotypical gun violence or Martial Arts are the main focus. I'm not one of those people so Mr. Wu didn't sell to me right off the bat but I decided to buy it just because of the cast. I also had a glimmering hope that this film would end the trend of  boring films that have been coming out of Hong Kong for the last few years.

  The film all star cast includes Andy Lau, Liu Ye, Wu Ruofu, and Wang Qianyuan. Wu Ruofu was actually apart of the real live events that inspired this film and its amazing that he even took on such a role that might bring back those horrible memories. I know I wouldn't have but this film did very well in the box-office so he's not complaining. A top rate actor gets kidnapped by some thugs who use the actor to get a large sum of ransom isn't a mind bending plot but the the film itself can be very frustrating at times.


   A lot could have been done with Saving Mr. Wu's plot but director Ding Shin decides to take this simple plot and add many layers that are like a puzzle that the viewer has to put together based on the time each event happened. As a result, you are taken bank and forth in time to be shown why a specific other event happened. The police also get their spotlight when the film is not showing you whats happening with Wu and his kidnappers. The plot presents itself like its a race against time but the overall products felt more like hide and seek turned into just come find me. The timer idea has been done in many other forms of cinema but its did make for an excitement enhancer for a good while until the usefulness began the run out. Mister Wu stopped seeming like he was endanger after awhile..... until the conclusion anyway.

  The film is shot in an urgent in the moment type of style. I thought of the hit American show 24 when watching Saving Mr Wu as the angling and shooting are the same. One moment your focused on one thing then the next your watching the camera change focus quickly to show you something else. The camera is like a person who doesn't know what to do with him or herself in a life or death situation. Its just always moving in a vigorous way. Not a smooth clean sort of way but a SPONTANEOUS WILD sort of WAY! Then those shake camera shots will make you dizzy and make your head hurt all at the same time if you look too close. Don't make the same mistake I did. Be a leader not a follower. All of these features make Saving Mr. Wu look stylish and brings out the emotional turmoil of the situation at hand. I just wish that the camera wouldn't move so fast.

   Tony Lau needs to stop acting out dead give away roles. He knows this role was not a challenge for him at all. The story needed to call for his character to be tied up and blindfolded because I could have done this role in his sleep. I'm sure he didn't even go to the casting call, or memorized his lines. He just showed up on set ready to film..... I'm only half way joking but he did an amazing job. He character went had several transitions during the film that really made everything exciting and fun. I didn't whether to feel sympathy for his character or be suspicious of him. He barely moved from one spot the whole film until the middle make but his acting made me feel like he was in control of what was happening more so than his kidnappers. The actors as thugs were just that, THUGS. Violent and aggressive however they had least showed some humanity during interactions with Wu. Liu Ye plays the lead cop on the Wu kidnapping case. He's straightforward and brutal in his performance creating fear in the hearts of all who get in his way. I loved his questioning scenes when he was across the table with a suspect. Those scenes as the most intense scenes of the film second to the scene involving Wu. Cold frozen face glares are not looks that I want to get from a police office at any given point and time. Much less in the confines of an investigation room. Lets keep our records clean people. Saving Mister Wu also has great visual action sequences that I didn't care too much about. I'm just not an action packed type of guy unless the plot is engrossing.  Others might enjoy it though.

    I'm going to put it like this honestly, I didn't like this film at all and I started losing interest as I watched and I hate when this happens. The film didn't bring anything new to the already drying out action genre in Hong Kong. The plot is a little confusing on top of that. I've been there and done that with these types of films so i'm not impressed. I was very happy once I saw the credits start to roll. Not to say that you and others reading this won't like this film. I really hope you do.

Nightmare Teacher(악몽선생) Korean Drama Thoughts

   I'm trying to increase the number of posts I have talking about Korean drama but I don't watch that many. Let me tell you a little bit about my background with Korean dramas. I don't normally watch them online unless there is absolutely no way for me to buy what I want to see. I've been buying my Korean dramas since the early 2000s and I must say the production and scripts for Kdrama has greatly declined in quality over the last decade. Many great Kdrama still exist out there but you have to dig through the bad in order to get to the good. I know some people wont agree with me and i'm ok with that. everyone has their own taste when viewing Kdrama, Its just that having a good looking guy in a drama is not good enough to over look the more than mediocre storyline or the bad acting that some of the super popular dramas tend to showcase. We thankfully still have the good dramas like Nightmare Teacher who isn't afraid to take the lead and bring a who new take on the Korean drama genre. (CAN I GET AN AMEN???) 

   Nightmare Teacher's lead cast includes Eom Gi-koon, Kim So-Hyeon, and Lee Min-Hyeok of Kpop Idol group BtoB. All the other cast that was featured in the drama also helped to make the show exciting as well but I'm not going to list all their names here. I saw your hard work though guys and girls. 

  The plot tells the viewers about a class full of students who want for selfish desires. They each one by one go to visit their home room teacher's office to make their desires come true. The teacher will answer their requests but at a price that each student will never see coming. 

  I fell in love with the plot line when I read it the first time and the promotional poster is so different for a regular Korean drama that I had to watch this one! My first grand surprise was how short the episodes for each episode was.( About 14 minutes and some seconds.) Everyone and their mother knows that Korean drama episodes are normally long as hell. I was prepping myself to be ready for sitting in front of the laptop screen for X amount of hours wondering where those hours of my live really should have gone. Especially if the drama turns out to be a totally flop in the end. Nightmare Teacher does not play games with it's audience as the drama has only 12 episodes to show us the crazy and then resolve all the lose ends. It takes about two episodes to resolve each case but you are given a foreshadow of where each student ends up after meeting with their "teacher". From episode one you don't feel any build up to the main conflict. the viewer is automatically thrown in the fray and left to figure out what was going on. The show will make you feel like you've been watching forever but you just started watching. There is not dragging out the story, only good old plain directness in the flow of the plot. Each student's problem teaches the viewer a valuable lesson as to what is really important in life and asks the question would you sacrifice something dear just to get what you want? Then when you get what you want, are you truly happy? None is without problems in this world. I don't care how smart, good looking, or popular you are. All of that comes with its own share of hardships. Instead of trying to look good in everyone else eyes, learn to find your own self love. Self love will be that barrier against the pressure of trying to put up a front to please others. How many of these other people are actually going to be there for you at the end of the day anyway. None of them. Exactly.  Nightmare Teacher constantly drives at this point in the mist of the drama' s eerie antics. 

   The drama is shot like so many other school inspired dramas with shots that show the classrooms and hallways in their full glory. Nightmare Teacher doesn't really take you to see any other places except for the school grounds and other areas in the school. No other locations are needed because you are too busy focusing on the student's lives in school. Their lives outside of school are not important to progress the story. You won't care either... believe me. A creepy feel is what sets this drama apart in how the camera films scenes. Even when the camera is focusing on the students, it always feels like someone or something is going to jump out and grab them. Nightmare Teacher isn't this kind of drama either but that teacher will give you the creeps. The camera makes sure to catch him in all his creepiness as he seems to be always a step ahead of those poor unaware students. Shots filmed in his office make the whole room look like an unworldly place that none should be in. In fact at certain times the whole school look this way even in the daytime. A camera shot at specific angle can make a roof ledge look super high so much so that the scenes done on the roof made me feel uncomfortable for the characters. Someone seems to always be too close to the edge including the camera man filming. 

  Actor Eom Gi-Koon is our teacher who is surrounded in mystery. He has a very happy relaxed personality and always appears to students who are suffering with problems of their own. He's a little too perfect. What creeps me out is that he's always smiling. He also seems to make his entrance with anyone sensing that he's coming. I enjoy watching him act with the students as that driving force that sells a good bargain only to pull the rug from under the buyer in the end. The most he does his sit back about watch what he causes unfold until he has to pick the pieces latter. Eom knows how to lull the students and the viewers into his trap. Too bad the viewers see he's not too nice before the students do. The students who came in contact with Eom's character in his office had the best performances. Each actor and actress came into their character with so much depth full with emotion that the drama would not be as half as good as it was if it wasn't for them. Kim So-Hyeon and Lee Min-Hyeok also kinda got overshadowed because while they had their own stories, the drama only gives you enough about them to know that they are friends on the verge of dating. Hyeok's character makes it crystal clear that he likes So-Hyeon's character as he stays by her side for most of the whole drama.( There your romance people...) His character is designed mostly just for this fact. Hyeok does try to bring a fun loving youthful side to his character by making him a little loud and outgoing as he takes pictures of every interesting thing that happens inside the school. Both actor and actress have a good enough chemistry that I could see them as friends but Hyeon is more withdrawn in expressing her emotions. she shows just enough to get her point across then again other times it seems like she forcing herself. Nightmare Teacher is another drama where the performances make the drama shine and I'm loving it.

  I'm writing this post before I watch the 12th and final episode because the show is so good that I don't think the ending will ruin the drama for me.... lets hope not anyways.... fingers crossed. I think I'm in for a shocker!!! If the ending is bad then I will edit this post but if you don't  see any mention of the ending then I liked the result.  Don't worry about this drama being a horror because its not. It has super natural elements but the scariness is mild compared to full production Korean horror films. Nightmare Teacher is more of a thriller mixed with a super natural edge and romance. People who like to beige watch will finish this drama in a day or so. This drama is a short bittersweet ride into the dark corners of the human mind. 

  

A Midsummer's Equation(真夏の方程式) Novel Thoughts

    THIS IS MY SECOND NOVEL POSTS! WOOOOO! I wanted to talk about all my east asian pop culture interests on my youtube channel but the idea didn't work out the way I envisioned it would. Creating videos about these subject are nice but I didn't feel like I was helping people. Also, the videos always turned out to be too long.  None wants to watch a long video from a youtuber unless they make interesting content. So I decided to write blog posts instead.

     Higashino Keigo created an amazing series of novels known as the Galileo series that tells the story on a scientist named Manauba Yukawa who helps the Tokyo police solve cases using science and his quick wits. The novels inspired a two season drama, and two films which stared J-Rock legend Fukuyama Masaharu. "A Midsummer's Equation" is the third book in the series(by of way that America is releasing these novels.) that is the base for the live action film by the same name. I watched the live action movies before I found out that there even was a novel version. Most people don't know of the films state side because Suspect X and Midsummer Night's Equation never had official releases here.(I'm a collector so I Import.)  So I went in reading these novels already knowing the answer to the outcomes but I don't recommend you do what I did. You will enjoy the novels more if you go in being completely blind.


    The Galileo series isn't your normal run of the mill murder mystery stories. If your a constant reader of the genre, you know that mystery is all about who done it and finding out who did what. Higashino goes against this concept completely hands the reader the names of the people who did what right away. Direct clues point the arrow directly at our main characters, a family who lives in the country ocean cove of Japan while running a rundown old Hotel. A boy named Kyohei comes to stay with the family for the summer and there he meets out scientist Yukawa who is there for an ocean sea project. The daughter of the hotel owner's family is involved in trying to protect the ocean from the under sea science project so she creates a group to try to stop it. In the mist of all this drama,  a long retired detective who came to stay at the family's inn at the same time as Yukawa is found dead on the rocks near the ocean. Now the battle of wits began as the readers try to figure out how this man died? Was it an accident? or was it murder?


  Higashino creates stories that don't focus on who did the murder is but HOW the murder was done and WHY. He is not afraid to let clues slip on who was involved in the murder but you won't care too much. Your mind will be more focused on how the murder was done and why. Yukawa is always a step ahead of the police but he doesn't get involved in cases unless it connects with science.  It can become very nerve wrecking when Yukawa is acting like he is on to something but won't let the cat out of the bag during the novel till the end. Instead he leads the police in the right direction while being up close in the action since he is staying where the murder took place. The mystery also leaves space for the reader to have his or her own guess to what happened but don't think too hard. These novels take you around the world and back again then down the street and around the corner. By the time you get a bite on the truth your too shocked to function properly.

   "A Midsummer's Equation" is told from different character's perspectives so you know what certain characters are thinking during certain times in the story. A select few character's thoughts are very important to uncovering the truth while other characters are just there to entertain the reader with their mindless thoughts. All the character's have personalities that are more self centered than most. Its only natural thanks to human nature but Higashino also is the master at building strong emotional bonds between people. There is a recurring theme in his novels about one doing everything in their power to make sure a loved one is happy even at the expense of their self. Love can be a very powerful emotion that can cause humans to do out of the ordinary things without using reason. What people tend to forget is that love has to be a two people sharing emotion in order to get the full amount of happiness you deserve. Causing your self to suffer while the other person is happy is not love to me. Love is a two way ordeal no matter what kind of relationship it is. Emotional character's also make for some of the most smartest murderers that you will ever come across in a mystery novel. I have never seen murder cases this complexed outside of a Galileo book. My head hurt after finishing this novel and I would read it all over again.

   The plot pretty much followed the live action film or shall I say that the live action film followed the original novel. A few minor details were changed for the film but the performances did the novel so much justice to the point that I was imagining the movie scenes as I was reading. It was really fun and I enjoyed the novel even if I knew what was going to happen. Each chapters vary in length with earlier chapters being only about one or two pages long. As you read through the book, the chapters go from two three page chapters to five page chapters resulting in a quick read depending on your reading speed.  I read a chapter a night only because I wanted to enjoy the story slowly. The different character's and story flow will make you want to keep reading all the way to the final page. Just know that this novel has some of most bittersweet relationships ever.

    I recommend the whole series of Galileo from the movies, drama, and novels that started it all. When the new novel is released, a post will more than likely appear on here so be ready. Stay away from the two films until you read their novel counterparts then check them out. Truthfully, I have yet to finish watching the drama in its entirety. One of these days I will when I have nothing else better to do.

                                              THANKS FOR READING!!!!!

 

The Mermaid(美人鱼/美人魚) Chinese Film Thoughts

   " The Mermaid", that stars Deng Chao, Lin Yun, and pop star Show Luo; had the highest grossing opening in Chinese history of films and went on to break numerous records at the Chinese box-office. I had heard nothing about this film until the dvd popped up in my local Wal-Mart and I stood right in-front of the dvd rack looking up the trailer to see more of what this film could be about.

  A rich play boy meets a girl whois actually a mermaid that has come to assassinate him ignored to save her home and kind from being destroyed. The two form a relationship but outside side forces on both sides threaten to drive them apart.

  Our plot seems like a serious one doesn't it? You would think that this film would come in with the flood gates ready to open as its waters swoops up the audience in a dramatic cyclone. Wrong. The plot goes completely south away from this feeling and tries to make the audience laugh with slap stick comedy that makes you wonder if you walked in and saw something that you shouldn't have. A good portion of the film goes from silly to hysterical while the scenes fly by. I had a hard time identifying who the main character's were in the beginning since the film has no problem introducing you to a whole cast of character's without any real back story. Many of the female actress also tend to look similar in appearance so much so that the film had me saying,"IS THAT THE FEMALE LEAD?" "IS THIS HER??" Films that attempt to balance different genres like comedy, romance, and action are fine if every genre has an equal stable balance. Starting off the film with mindless comedy may not have been the best choice in my opinion. It kept taking away from the seriousness of the bigger conflict at hand. The Mermaids are being killed in the ocean by man made machines and it needs to stop. Watching a rich guy and a very strange acting girl try to make you laugh for more than a few scenes is not helping the problem. Some aspects were funny but I was also jerked out of living truthfully in an imaginary circumstance every time the two character's found themselves in laugh out loud positions. A scene of them singing was thrown in there for a second and I started to pray that the film wouldn't turn into a musical. Films have pulled that less than interesting move in the past. Lets say it wasn't pretty. By the middle of the film all the funny bone have been shook out of the plot and things become a lot more serious as the conflict hits center stage like a deprived baby that was left in the house for hours by its mother. My eyes went from looking at my phone to being glued to the screen to witness some of the best special effects to come out of China in a LONG time. The action part of this film is what kept me watching while the romance was a side dish.


  Performances based on acting ability is hard to address during the opening stages of "The Mermaid". Anyone could have done most of the scenes as you don't need real acting ability to play funny. You can be coached or even play off of whoever is acting with you just as long as your not stiff. The Mermaid scenes were the only scenes that showcased real acting ability with all the extras playing the mermaids along with the queen of the mermaid tribe and Show Luo playing the lone octopus. Show Luo's character was like the second in command who was so hyper active that I think if he got any more hyped up he would explode from the ADHD he never knew he had. This is Lin Yun's first film as a lead role. She has little to no acting experience but you can't really tell at all. Deng Chao and other actors she worked with handled her with the upmost care so she can bring out her character to the best of what she had. Not to mention all the actors and actresses had to act with CGI effects that they couldn't see at the time. Thats not an easy skill and I have to applaud everyone for performing to the best of their abilities.

   Shooting for this film also had to been a hard stressful ordeal. If it rains then your screwed because there goes your beautiful shot of the ocean. I love how "The Mermaid" was shot like its trying to prove something to the viewers who witness the ocean or the rich life of the main male character. The camera makes sure to film from above to get a revolving view of the sea with straight forward conviction. You can just hear the shot saying, "Look at me". The audience is being taught that the ocean is to be enjoyed instead of destroyed without using words as well as an actor. CGI effects have to be discussed too. Mermaids in itself is an stand out concept even if  it has been used constantly in other forms of story telling. You can never go wrong with using mythical creatures along with an original story concept.  A great amount of good CGI was needed to make "The Mermaids" come to life on the big screen. The mermaid scenes used the most CGI wowing viewers into a state curiosity about the world of the characters. One of my favorite scenes in the whole film is when the battle for survival comes and the mermaids must protect themselves. It was so fun to watch to the point that I was on the edge of my bed.( not seat. B-E-D.)

   I had a push and pull relationship with "The Mermaid" as a viewer. My teeth cringed a little bit while watching the first half of the film. I decided to turn the whole film off and watch at a latter date. A need to continue watching tugged at me thought. Maybe because the trailer was so good that I wanted to believe that the film might get better. Thankfully, "The Mermaid does get its act together and finishes strong enough that I would revisit the film again. I'm happy that I stuck out the film until that end. "The Mermaid" isn't a bad film by any means but juggling around three separate movie genres isn't a mermaid's forte.