Dragon Pony( 드래곤포니) - POP OUT Mini Album Thoughts (K-indie/Pop Rock)

 

  Dragon Pony is my new Korean artist find! Recently, Their music video came up in my recommended and I wasn't going to check them out at first. However, They also had done a live performance that was raking up views at the time so, I decided to give their video a go. I'm glad that I did because these guys showed me that new artists are not to be slept on. Pop Out is the band's debut album under Antenna Entertainment. They were also perviously known as Saehamamo.

Disc

01 POP UP

02 모스부호

03 꼬리를 먹는 뱀

04 Traffic Jam

05 Pity Punk

   Pop Out is named after the band's title track which is is a blend of upbeat rock with a slight edge of pop that would be relatable to a mainstream audience in South Korea. I would describe the whole album as garage pop rock that feels at home among the likes of Day6, CN Blue, Ft Island, and more. they're music feels a bit more youthful than the latter though. A ballad feel is added in toward the end of the album because there wouldn't be a Korean act without at least one ballad.... This track titled Traffic Jam is all about a slow burn of build up in the band's instrumental as the song gets louder until the end. Pity Punk is my favorite track on the album due to the vocal performance and the tempo change midway through the track. 

  The vocals are really good here thanks the all the songs being created around them. I haven't felt this good about a K-rock band since Day6 was first starting out. Let's hope that they keep up their streak of good musical releases. So far everything fits perfect for Dragon Pony. Pity Punk has been on constant replay since I heard it. 

82Major(에이티투메이저) - X-82 Mini Album Thoughts (K-pop/Hip Hop)

 

    82major is a South Korean Boyband that made their debut in 2023. I didn't know anything about them during their debut but, I did stumble upon them on Youtube. Their unique video Thumbnail made me click really fast and "Choke" pulled me right into these guy's musical world. X-82 is their newest mini album to date. 

    X-82 marks 82major highlighting more of a rap focus on this album. Their last album had choruses full of vocal harmonies that supported the groups strong force of rap. This time around the tracks are more hip hop based with less singing. Stuck was the exception with the track's smooth vocal runs in the chorus. I really thought this adds a cool vibe to the song. As an album, all the tracks are very adventurous for the current Kpop landscape. Not a lot of Kpop boybands are releasing mostly Hip Hop only albums. Plus, they guys seem to naturally love hip hop as an artist expression and not as a costume for a concept. The Wu Tang Clan shout out in the lyrics was everything! 

    I loved this album as well as their last release. 82major is on a good path so far. I would like to hear more in the future. A full album better be in the works. 

Kimi Ni Todoke(From Me To You): Soulmate君に届け 番外編～運命の人～ Japanese Manga Thoughts

 

   Kimi ni Todoke: Soulmate is a spin off series made after the ending of the original series. Kimi ni Todoke was a very popular long running manga series that spawned a an anime, a live action film, and a Netflix TV Show. Soulmate was completed in three volumes. 

      High School rivals turned friends go to college together. One girl, Kurumi is healing after her first love(which is now her friend Sawako's boyfriend). As love blossoms around her, she must find herself before she can come close to having a soulmate. 

   Let's cut right to the chase: Kurumi isn't a very likable character. If you read the original series, then you know the drama she brewed up and for Sawako to take her as a friend was such an amazing turn of events in the original story. I still don't really like her but Soulmate puts more in perspective within her inner dialogues. We see her have a lot of self doubt when she starts to have feelings for Sawako's cousin. We see her be a complete bitch as a defense against hurt. I think this was suppose to be her sympathy ark to a lot of fans of the series. However, I didn't really feel anything for her character. I was very indifferent to her as I read through each volume. The only thing that I felt for was her self reflection of where she went wrong in her action then and now. What I did love about this spin off story was the update on Sawako's life as a side character. Sawako's cousin as a new character was cool too. He was like a male version of Sawako which I adored. My favorite parts of the story were volumes one and two. 

   The art style is the same as the original series. I've always loved the kick back at home feel of the art and panels. The creator loves using random prints in the background of her panels as well. 

    You will enjoy this series if you're an original fan of Kimi Ni Todoke. If not, then you won't get too much out of this. Kimi No Todoke is a long series so maybe watch the Netflix show to get a feel of the story in a nutshell. 

Perfect Days Japanese Film Thoughts(2023)

 

   Perfect Days is a film that was a collaboration between Japan and Germany. The film was directed by Wim Wenders while the script was written by him along side Takuma Takasaki. Academy Awards gave the film a Best International film nomination but the film didn't win. Still, Perfect Days was haled as a massive award wining project by other film associations; With lead actor Koji Yakusho being praised for his performance.

    A simple account of a Japanese man living out his normal days as a bathroom cleaner. 

    For a film to take such a simple story of just following a man's life while also making the content interesting was so amazing for me. Perfect Days isn't really about much while, still being crafting so much in the simple lines of very day life. There's a looming mystery of our main character since he doesn't have much lines. He's also very aloof most of the film. Watching him interact with others as well as live is so captivating for some reason. I think that this film would be this good but, I was surprised. By the conclusion of Perfect Days, you find out that everything isn't so "perfect" for our leading man. He still continues to live on though. The final two scenes are probably the most powerful in the whole film. 

     One aspect of Perfect Days that really supports the film's progression is the soundtrack: which is mostly classics by African American artists. These songs fill the main character's workdays as he listen to them as he drives along. Feeling Good By Nina Simone was a great selection to end the film with that shot of the city in the setting sun. A lot of the camera shots use outward shots or shots that convey events without doing too much in a scene. Less was more for this film and it worked wonders. 

    Koji Yakusho carried this whole film on his back and didn't seem to break a sweat. He conveyed so much to the viewer without dialogue or support from costars. He really showed that he has the talent to be engulfed in a character's existence to being out that character's very essence.   

    Perfect Days is a film that everyone should watch at least one time. It's a film that will allow you to take something away from what you see. I wish more film were like this. 

Chanyeol(찬열) - Black Out Album Thoughts (K-pop/K-indie)

 

  

   Chanyeol is a singer that is with the label SM Entertainment under the boy group Exo as well as their Chinese sub group. He's known as a singer, actor, and rapper. Finally, news of his solo career broke into the media. Not long after, he released his first EP titled Black Out. 

💿Track List

01. Black Out *Title
02. Hasta La Vista
03. Ease Up
04. Back Again
05. I’m on your side too
06. Clover

    One thing I can say is that I'm glad that SM allowed Chanyeol to have full creative control over the sound that he wanted to produce for this album. Black Out doesn't sound like music that you would get from a normal idol. Instead, you get music that leans more into the indie music scene. Chanyeol has stated in the past that he is a huge fan of pop punk rock music from bands such as Green Day and this defiantly can be heard in his debut. Black out as a title track is a mid tempo pop rock song that's mainstream feeling enough to appeal to the masses yet, underground enough to be artsy. He also adds his influence of rap into the track list, creating a pop rock hip hop hybrid that actually works in his favor musically. All of this man's love for the music that inspired him as an entertainer is here. I'm not mad at this album at all. I knew when I heard Black Out for the first time that his debut solo album would be something special. 

     Chanyeol might not be a singer that's been singing since birth however, I can hear that hard work that been out into his craft to keep up with the naturally gifted. His rapping is decent too. You know how Idol labels will make a singer a rapper if they feel like it fits that group's image? At least Chanyeol plays his role well. 

   Chanyeol and D.O.'s solo albums are some of my favorites from EXO's members. Kai isn't bad either. I just don't listen to him as much. 

Love Life(ラブライフ) Japanese Film Thoughts(2022)

 

   Love Life is a Japanese film released in 2022 by director Koji Fukada and stars Fumino Kimura, Kento Nagayama, with Hirona Yamazaki. The film was met with positive reviews after its debut at many foreign film festivals. Much like Fukada's other films, viewers praised this film for its deep dive into human emotion through loss. 

   A wife is caught between a rock and a hard place after her ex husband comes back into her life just when tragedy strikes her newly formed family. It doesn't help that the cracks in her relationship with her husband and his family also start to show. 

   Love Life is a very very mature like a disfunction after the loss of a loved one. That loss is what really causes the disfunction to show. Even though, some people might try their hardest to hide the cracks, they're still there and will just get bigger over time. All the characters have emotional issues which are shown from the very first scene of awkwardness. You feel so weird that it makes you question what happened. Then, more scenes come that make you kinda cringe and you began to realize that they foundation that this family was built on started out wrong in the first place. Sadly, a child is caught in the crossfire of the disfunction. I guess the two parents come to an understanding that this is some kind of new normal  for them because the film ends with acceptance in a way. What was really enjoyable about this film was the back and forth between what was right or wrong. There really was no real concrete answer. Cheating is wrong, Abandonment is wrong. Breaking up a relationship before it gets to the alter is wrong too. However, if a relationship can survive this much then, you have something fruitful. 

    This film makes some great use of filmography to covey the progression of the story. I loved the slow motion of the plane gliding through the tub of water, or the far off shot of the final scene. Fukada wades in emotional pain from the camera lens.  

    The whole cast is good at crafting what is unsaid in their performances. We get a lot of self control until one character reaches a boiling point. Man... Do these characters have their moments. Sometimes you have to let out how you truly feel. 

Given( ギヴン) Vol. 1-9 Japanese Manga Thoughts

 

  

   Given is a 2013 Manga series created by Natsuki Kizu. This series broke a lot of barriers for the boys love category and still have a large fanbase to this day. It took a couple of years but Given has finally reached it's conclusion. Between this time fans have been blessed with many goodies such as a live action drama, audio CDs, an anime and an anime film. I will say with the upmost confidence that Given's anime has some of the best band theme music since maybe Nana...... 

  Honestly, Given doesn't have a complicated story...... What's a bit complicated is the relationships that take place between the characters. Music is the central theme as the story is told in arks that highlight each relationship. We mostly get boys with emotional baggage trying to start a band, which doesn't sound interesting however, Kizu weaves emotions into music very well. 

    Given isn't overly sexual like some other boys love series. There's a sensual theme of sex but never in a fetish sort of way. You know like sometimes gay men are seen as sex machines when that's not all gay men's realities or experience. You as the reader instead get a simple yet emotional story about guys trying to find their way in life. Also, while struggling to communicate their feelings to the one they love. That's where music comes in, of course. I enjoyed the emotional rollercoaster that was this series. It was like you ride through the different character emotions as the seasons change around you. All the characters are relatable in this way as well. 

   I'm huge on musical themed anime that have to do with the building of a specific sound. Both this anime and Nana have some of the most emotionally themed music I have ever heard from an anime production. I actually cried when watching the anime film during the performance scene because you can feel Mafuyu's desire to reach someone with his singing. It was just a such a powerful scene. The live action does a good job too.... From what I can remember. 

   Let's hope that North America also gets the continuation called Given Final Mix. Japan already has it so we should also be getting an English release soon. Check out this series if you're a music lover or a Yaoi fan.  Enjoy some of the music below! 

Blind War(盲战) Chinese Film Thoughts(2022)

 

    Blind War is a film that was directed by Huo Sui Qiang. the film stars Andy On, Yang Xing, Waise Lee, Yaqi Zhang and more. I don't know a whole lot else about this film except that people have mixed reviews. I've been an Andy On fan for many years so it was a no brainer that I would check this film out for him at least. 

    A police officer loses his eye sight after a failed attempt to stop a terrorist attack during a court case. In the attack the cop loses his partner as well. Though he has lost all will to live, his daughter helps to keep him going until she is kidnapped by the same terrorists. Little does he know what the widow of one of the deceased terrorists is also closer than he thinks and wants bloods.

   Action packed from beginning to end, Blind War's shining moments are not in the action. There's a lot of touching moments between father and daughter however, the magic isn't even in these moments in my opinion. What really made this film an interesting watch was seeing a man who once could see, find his footing in a world with only sound as his guide. I loved the scenes where he used the bouncy balls to train his ears. The twice his ears would make when he was focused on something made the whole situation believable too. All of the action sequences are great until the gun shoot outs start to get on your nerves a little. Well, they got on my nerves.....   However, The female villain was a cool addition, even if the concept was kind of done before. The acting made up for it. Blind is a film that isn't a perfect film at all. Some perfection is in the film's wonky interior though. 

   Andy and Yang Xing carry the whole film on their shoulders. Their scenes together are the best performances you will get outside of Andy acting solo. The stunt director did an amazing job as well. 

   Blind War is one of those action films that does the job and not much else. If I even know what that means..... There's things to like here, I just wouldn't call the script a solid 10 out of 10.