Steve Yoo(유승준) - Another Day Mini Album Thoughts(K-Hiphop)

    Steven Yoo also known as Yoo Seung Jun is a singer that was very popular in the 90s until the late 2000s  when he was involved in a scandal where he became an American citizen to escape South Korea's military service. He was born in South Korean but moved to America at an early age. South Korean government deemed Yoo a deserter of the country then banned him for many years, only letting him back in the country for his family member's funeral. Yoo has apologized constantly on various media to the point that it has become very pitiful. It's not like every single netizen ever planned to forgive him anyway. China became his safe heaven where he continued to be in entertainment. Another Day is the singer's first comeback in years. The mini album was to be released last year but was delayed out of fear of backlash.

	TÍTULO		DURACIÓN
	Another Day		3:37
	People Don't Know		3:21
	Rat-A-Tat-(Tat) [feat. TOY]		3:35
	Califonia (feat. Pinnacle)		3:19

   Another Day is an album that has music that is Steve Yoo's answer to the war that he has had with himself over the years. Each song has a piece of the realization that he has done all the repenting that he could do. There will be people who will accept him back while others will continue to call him a coward online. Another Day is the named after the title track of the same name. The pop ballad number signals an emotion of new beginnings with the score's piano intro and med tempo beat that compliment Yoo's voice though it's rise and falls in dynamics. Each component fits harmoniously together including a lyrical meaning about a new beginning of learning to love himself again. People Don't Know is a rap song with a flavor of Hip Hop mixed with electro pop describing Yoo's thoughts as he picks himself up off the ground. In reality, most people know how he tried to make things right. It's more like hateful people don't give a fuck. I liked the switch up between rapping compared to Another Day, also the track had a more current vibe of the music for today's times. Rat-A-tat-tat(tat) was just another rap song that gives an American hip hop style straight from California. The featured rapper really added a street hood sound that's not often heard in Korea. Mostly because Korean born rappers never had the American ghetto life experience….. They play pretend like they about that life though. California is a more brighter version of Another Day with a tropical pop production. Very good decision to end the album on a high note. I'm all for Steve's feelings of liberation.

  This new album was a revisit of all the talents that Steve Yoo keeps under his sleeve or in that muscle bound body. His vocals are crystal clear like his long break rejuvenated Yoo's energy as an artist. South Korea is really missing out on an amazing artist that paved the way for a lot of the Kpop groups out here being successful today. BTS included…..

   I loved the hell out of this mini album. My only gripe is that the album was too short. Yoo should've came back with a full album and really made people mad…. Alright. Let me stop teasing y'all now.[INSERT ME LAUGHING.]

Detective Dee Three Film Collection(狄仁杰之四大天王) Thoughts

   Detective Dee is a mystery fantasy series of films that began in 2010, with the third film being released in 2018. All three of the films did very well in the Chinese box-office. Hence the reason why three films have been made. The films are loosely based off of historic figure, Judge Dee from the Tang Dynasty who was a political hero…. not a detective but I'll take it for what it is.

   Each film tells the story of Detective Dee as he solves mysteries that seem the keep having connections to the rulers of China at that time period. The first film called the Mystery of Phantom Flame, introduced the end result of Dee which was interesting character development. Somehow I read somewhere that these films were supposed to be full of mysteries that Dee solves. One would have thought wrong in the way that the film unfolds on screen. Phantom Flame got a whole lot of praise from critics and in Chinese media where I couldn't see the hype after watching the film nine years after it's release. Dee spends more time fighting off "mysterious" enemies than he does actually solving mysteries. Can we also talk about how some Chinese films grasp for a love connection between characters all most too much to the degree that the romance doesn't feel real. Instead the dynamics of the relationship comes across as forced in the story. Plot progress doesn't give any room for the viewer to work out who is causing the conflict in the story either. It just tells you before getting back to watered down comedy mixed into Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon action. I feel asleep of this film a couple times then crawled my way toward the second film titled Rise of the Seas Dragon. You can see the improvements made in the second installment that should have already been in the film. Detective Dee actually has detective traits in this film. The plot takes the time to highlight this fact making the film more cohesive in the idea of the main concept of it's storytelling. On top of that, the mystery of the sea dragon was actually a solid conflict that needed viewers to watch the full duration of the film to kill curiosity. I'm not sure why this film wasn't the first film. I'll actually be the first one not afraid to say that Mystery of the Phantom Flame wasn't needed if we are to judge based on quality of film. Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon is my favorite film out of the three films. Everything about this film flows together to create an exciting film without any conflicts. Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings follows right behind Rise of the Sea Dragon seemingly. No, events pick back up right where we left off. I was a little bit disappointed since I was tired of seeing the corrupt Queen by the end of the last one. Things take place in the palace again as everyone fights over the super strong ass sword that was rightfully given to Detective Dee for saving the palace in the last film. Throw some more "mysterious " looking villains in the mix and there's the whole film. I'm choosing to gloss over the forced love connection that was put in there too. The last installment relies similar traits of the first two films minus the terrible lack of mystery. Heavenly Kings excels in the mystery of the evil forces at bay and I'm afraid to say that this is the only thing that keeps the film from sinking down to the bottom of the ocean like Dee almost did in the previous film. The story is too simple compared to all the action that transpires. Think Martel Arts for dummies and meat heads…. That totally should be a title of a book![INSERT ME LAUGHING.] I could have forcibly swallowed this final film had the ending not been so in a rushed to get to the credits. We all know another Detective Dee will be made probably in another two years. Can't say I'll be watching it though.

  Timelines of Detective Dee can get kind of blurred based on the film's scripts. Andy Lau plays the first version of Detective Dee which is the oldest of the three. I thought he did alright in this film. It's not the type of role that brings out an A performance in an actor. Andy is very well known which is why he go so much praise for really no reason other than is status as a popular entertainer. Not saying he isn't talented in his own right… just not for this role. Carina Lau plays an excellent two faced Empress as the role calls for her to act in many different forms as well as revolving situations. Her awards are much deserved. Mark Chao is the true Detective Dee. No if ands or buts about this. He embodied what I was expecting from Andy Lau: A serious take on being a detective. Mark gave me the perfect balance of smarts, whit, and courage as the character of Dee. Casting accomplished a huge clean up when they got him for the last two films. His acting made the last two films easier to digest. What my biggest question outside of the acting is, what order are the film suppose to go in based on the origin of Detective Dee? My guess is that the last two films are events that happened before the events of Phantom Flame. Kind of confusing right?

   The special effects of the last two films looked pretty up to par for the most part. I liked the look of the dragon but the sea monster was breathtakingly ugly as hell…. A blind person could look at the village and the palace to see it was a set. At least it looked halfway believable. Detective Dee isn't one of those bad looking films. It's a nice taste of old China in a fantasy.

   These films could have been better even with the improvements made in the last two. I would recommend watching the second film only. Forget the other two unless you have the time to waste.

GLIM SPANKY(グリムスパンキー) - Looking For The Magic Album Thoughts(J-rock)

Tracklist:

• 01 - 4 Dimensional Desert
• 02 - Love Is There
• 03 - Tv Show
• 04 - ハートが冷める前に
• 05 - The Flowers
• 06 - In The Air
• 07 - 愚か者たち
• 08 - Hello Sunshine
• 09 - All Of Us
• 10 - To The Music
• 11 - Looking For The Magic

  Glim Spanky's fourth album, Looking For The Magic comes after the band had a good last year releasing singles for movies and commercials. I'm not going to say a whole lot about the album. I've made another post about this band before where I raved about them. I silently always root for them when I check the Japanese music chart still. This album and Stand Alone barely just made the top of the charts at number ten which I was happy to see. Looking For The Magic is  slight departure from the band's signature sound. They decided to try something new in their style by using a more eighties power pop vibe in songs such as Hello Sunshine. Tracks like Tv show revisit their normal style that fans know them for but just performing eighties punk rock inspired music isn't going to sling them into mainstream success. Note the chart performance of some of their singles….. 愚か者たち is such a good hard slamming rock tune inside and out only to not make the top ten spot on the charts. We all know this as a fact. leading to the reason why many bands change their style. Sales aren't everything on the other hand... I know what you're thinking... Glim Spanky makes the musical style change seem like another part of their body of work. It's not an awkward change, just might not be a change that appeals to every rock fan listener. Other good qualities about the album is the growth in the band's ability to create music contain memorable choruses that flourish in vocal performance. All of Us and To the Music are some gems of Looking For The Magic that make the album worth of a listen. Plus these tracks have the qualities that I mentioned above.

  Gilm Spanky's lead singer has a voice like she has a really bad cold that has symptoms of a sore throat. Depending on what she sings, her voice gets soft and gentle. During powerhouse rock numbers, her vocals growl loudly as if she's raging against the world.

   Looking For The Magic isn't their best album. It's a breath of fresh air to see them try new things though. Nothing worse than a one trick pony.

   

Ayaka(絢香) - 30 y/o Album Thoughts(J-pop)

   Ayaka has been sliding around over the past few years under the radar. She been making moves, she's a mother with a family and she left her label(Warner music Japan) after two albums and created her own indie label called A-station where she releases her own music herself. What's amazing about her is that she didn't lose an ounce of popularity after going off on her own. She's a good business woman who knows how to give the right amount of promotion for her music. As a result, her albums still burn up the music chart even as indie releases. 30 y/o is Ayaka's fifth studio album to date.

CD Tracklist

1. Colorful!! (カラフル!!)
2. Neon Light (ネオンライト)
3. Pamala (パマラ)
4. Sentiment (センチメント)
5. Kotonoha
6. Woman
7. Daisy (ディジー)
8. 365
9. Sakura (サクラ; Cherry Blossoms)
10. Ai Kotoba (あいことば; Love Words)
11. Heart Up (ハートアップ) (ayaka & Miura Daichi)
12. Glory (ayaka & KREVA)

   


     30 y/o is the kind of album where you let the chips fall where they may. I say this because Ayaka is the type of artist that doesn't have much else to prove. Her biggest obstacle is finding a good way to reinvent herself as a singer in this ever growing changing scene of Japanese entertainment. Ayaka comes correct in her new sound as well. unleashing a new age pop and soul genre in 30 y/o that kind of makes you want to scratch your head but you get use to it as Ayaka's voice guides you through the album. The production is very artsy with violins, guitars, horns, saxophones, and a slight EDM beat that directs it all. Ayala also wouldn't be herself without her signature ballads gracing her albums. They don't make a real appearance until the back of the record but I'll say that she knows how to make a ballad bow at her feet. The duet with Pop King Miura Daichi sounds similar to the past duets she did with another group named Kobukuro, only a updated version. All of these tracks fall under the pop rock acoustic category. Glory featuring Keva brought a soulful excitement that interested me right away too.  I liked 30 y/o for the art of the music, however, I didn't find any music that was as catchy as the releases she had under Warner Japan. Rainbow Road(her last album) didn't have this  either even though I like both albums for a different reason: the dynamics of Ayaka's voice.

  Ayaka has always been a powerhouse vocalist for as long as I've been a fan of her music. She's defiantly one of those singers that can sing well in the studio and live on stage. Her live performances are just as good as her recorded albums which is something a lot of singers in Japan can't claim.

   I appreciate that Ayaka is still going strong as an artist that came out in the early 2000s who isn't Hikaru Utada or Amuro Namie until she called it quits.[INSERT ME LAUGHING.] I still look forward to hearing that voice. I'm sure I will be hearing her sing for more years to come.

 

Sam Kim(샘김) - Sun And Moon Album Thoughts(K-indie)

    Sam Kim is that guy singer that has been making music for a little bit, He's been doing his thang in the Korean indie scene and grew a decent fanbase as a result. A couple of artists have shouted out his music on their social media but I believe he got his start on one of those Kpop sing competitions that I never watch. I do keep up with this guy after finding some of his music over the years, even listened to his first album but nothing sold me into becoming a hardcore fan of his. Sun and Moon is his newest album.

Track List:
01. Sun And Moon
02. It’s You (Feat.ZICO)
03. Make Up (Feat. Crush)
04. 그 여름밤
05. The One
06. Would You Believe
07. 무기력
08. If

    I've never been a huge fan of Sam Kim's music. Its not that he isn't goo at music. He actually is fantastic at music. The thing is that I always heard the good vocals and the good lyrics in his songs, however, none of his songs stuck with me after listening to them even once. No melody to hum to in my mind or nothing. So, I stopped really expecting much for the guitar soul singer. Kim has studied up on what it means to be soulful in the groove of his music. One could wonder how much of it is learned then how much of it he actually feels. This side of him comes out as genuine when he opens his mouth though. Sun and Moon still represents Sam as that soulful boy with a few things done that show he is maturing as a musician. He has all the components except for the content that will have listeners singing along after hearing him on television. Sun and Moon as second title track for the album rewrites these wrongs when the song plays out in a big, solid, chorus for Sam's vocals to sail over a catchy rifts. There's enough fun melody here that you can sing along to all day. You will be singing it all day because the track is catchy as hell. Sam does a song with Rapper Zico(Block B) that brings the guitar acoustics to an old school RnB level. Zico isn't my favorite person for reasons that I choose not to discuss. Can't deny that he's a rapper that can flow well with any genre of music. Maybe I'll make a video about the reasons why one day… Crush and Sam might as well sign up to be the God fathers to all the babies in Korea being made to their collaboration track. Nobody was ready for all that cool smoothness in those vocals that snatches panties. I'm not even a big fan of Crush either... Anyway, Sam's still the soulful singer who plays guitar beautifully. A lot of the content on Sun and Moon went over better with me since the tracks have clever melodies that make you put them into memory. Feelings are put into the words that make you feel Sam's heart while he lets the smoothness of his voice paints a vivid picture for all to see. Sun and Moon might be his best album to me.

    Sam's vocals are always never the problem. He's very good at what he does. My issue had more to do with his music not appealing to me until now. His vocals have an RnB John Mayor feel to them.

   If you're a new fan of Sam, Sun and Moon is a good album to introduce you to his music. Korean American's always bring something new to South Korean music. It's really fun to witness.

Yokai Rental Shop(妖飼兄さん) Japanese Manga Thoughts

  I've only read one other work by Mashiba Shin and that was called Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun that was released in the early 2000s. I believe that this was his only work to be translated into English. It might have been his only series period until Yokai Rental Shop…… Well, research has proven me wrong, Mashiba has released a total of five series that all tend to have a mystery, fantasy element in the stories. Yokai Rental Shop is his most recent work to date.



   A man finds a strange shop that his half brother is suppose to work at. He goes inside to find a boy covered in bandages from head to toe. He calms to be the man's brother and the keeper of Yokai: mystical beings that have different abilities. The shop he owns rents out the Yokai to customers for a fee……

   Yokai will automatically be compared to Nightmare Inspector since English speakers have only read one of Mashiba's other work. Nightmare Inspector being that other work. Fans of that early series have a very narrow scope of what Mashiba can do as a Manga creator, so we all look for similarities. The first half of the series has a lot of little qualities that match and It was a bit of trip down "memory road" kind of experience for me. I basically liked Yokai Rental Shop for the exact same reasons I kept picking up a new volume of Nightmare Inspector every two months all those years ago. Fantasy elements of story telling that deal with relatable human issues turned into gripping storytelling presented as you flip each page. Yokai continues that style of story telling by presenting new cases when a new costumer comes to the shop to rent out Yokai. They are rented a Yokai depending on the problem they have. What these costumers fail to realize is that there's a price for playing around with these creatures. As soon as you don't follow what rules you're given, the power you're given goes sour really fast. The manga makes each case interesting because you want to know more about the peoples's problems, then their demise. I know it's kind of a dark thing for me to say but, You know that the costumer is going to screw up. Waiting for these moment builds a upmost feeling of anticipation. Yokai Rental Shop uses less time to get you into learning about the characters. Readers might feel a little bummed out at the shift in story after volume two. The series is four volumes which is five volumes shorter than Nightmare Inspector. Family drama takes over the second half of the series which blows all similarities to Nightmare Inspector out of the water completely. The story is still good because of the good balance of mystery and fantasy. Mashiba even finds a way to tie one of the last costumers into the final showdown. Things become a dark page turner that manages to land upon a positive conclusion. Nightmare Inspector was much darker in terms of story content but both series stay stable in creating rememberable characters, heart wrenching tales, and comedy in the darkest of subject matters. I still don't know why Mashiba Shin's work isn't more well known. Yokai Rental Shop could have lasted a few more volumes if you get my drift. [WIPES TEAR FROM EYE QUICKLY.]

  Matshiba's artwork has always been top of the scale. This guy knows how to use a drawing utensil set. Yeah, I know that he should know how to because he creates manga. We have a lot of people out here who create manga who can't draw well. Characters are created using lines drawn with a stern sharpness that comes outs in the character's chins and jawlines. I love the inking that is done inside the panels. Designs done in this inking gives the manga a gothic look, especially since manga are normally printed in black and white.

  Yokai Rental Shop is a great follow up manga if you were a fan of Nightmare Inspector like I was(new readers will enjoy this series too.). I hope that more of Mashiba Shin'a works are translated into English. More people will become fans of his works if they are available to read officially.

Gen Hoshino(星野源) - Pop Virus Album Thoughts(J-soul)

    Gen Hoshino was really the male solo breakout star of last year. This guy came out of nowhere to claim the title of king of sales for a male solo artist in Japan. Outside of idols or former idols anyway.. and even then,  I believe that he gave the idols a run for their money with his sales. He used to be an actor that wasn't too well known. I can think of two films that I know him from(Love Exposure and Drag me to Hell..) and that's about it. Gen soon traded in a script for a microphone though. Each of his releases gained momentum until he got to the top of the singles and album charts. Pop Virus is his latest release that debuted at the top of the charts with two hit singles tied to the highly anticipated album.

TRACKLIST

01. Pop Virus
02. 恋
03. Get a Feel
04. 肌
05. Pair Dancer
06. Present
07. Dead Leaf
08. KIDS
09. Continues
10. サピエンス
11. アイデア
12. Family Song
13. Nothing
14. Hello Song

   Gen Hoshino has a very bright demeanor when he performs. Its a brightness that shines out positivity in all of his music. This is one of the reasons that he is so popular in Japan. Many Japanese people see his music as a huge pick me up when they aren't feeling it in the course of life. Pop Virus doesn't live up to it's name of being a strictly pop album like the name tries to entitle. Hoshino's music has never gone down a road of being just J-pop. He instead used this album to continue to dapple in happy sounds that don't have one sole genre. Two of the singles used to promote Pop virus have a made in Japan sound that is heard in the instrumentals as traditional Japanese instruments make appearances in the tracks, however, the instruments don't take over the tracks enough to makes listeners think they're watching a Japanese period drama. The album's producers also like the mess around with keyboards and synchronizers for a light hearted beat that signals that the night is long. Violins are the last instrument that seal the deal of the experimental production that Gen Hoshino loves to stick together in his albums. Pop Virus comes across to me as an soulful modern Jazz album doused in Pop ideals. There's a lot of Jazz, pop rock, and groovy house RnB tracks that keep listeners in a sensation of being in the arms of a loved one. A problem that I had with Pop Virus is that the tracks get too relaxed in a formula of being chill. Maybe it was just me because, I was searching for that track to made me want to spin around in circles similar to his last album; Yellow Dancer but none of the track quite got to that level. Tracks such as Get a Feel and Present overdosed me in funky soul instead so, I'll take that for now.

  I think it would be cool to hear Gen Hoshino lay down the vocals for a more techno pop track. Hmm, I have a good feeling that the track will still be somewhat soulful since Gen brings a soulful influence when he opens his mouth to sing. He's taken Soul and Jazz into the mass mainstream again as a male solo artist in Japan….. Don't worry, I'm well aware of what JUJU has done for Jazz in Japan over the years as well as the greats from the 2000s such as Mika Nakashima. He just took different musical styles and put a bouncy Genki vibe on is strictly for Japan, which works simply because he has a voice like the butter melting off your fresh out of the oven pancakes, yet full of punch at the same time. I definitely enjoy his vocals a lot.

   Pop Virus isn't Gen Hoshino's best work to date. The album is good enough to be a decent highlight of his career though. Check out all the singles tied to Pop Virus if you don't want to listen to the full album. Here's the newest single below:

Memoir of a Murderer(살인자의 기억법) Korean Film Thoughts(2017)

  Memoir of a Murderer is a 2017 South Korean film that is loosely based off of the real life Hwaseong serial murders that occurred from 1986 to 1991that inspired the novel by the same name written by Kim Young ha. Many other popular forms of entertainment have also used these murder cases as inspiration to tell their stories. The film stars Sol Kyung Gu, Kim Nam Gil, and Seol Hyun of idol group AOA. It was the first film to earn two million ticket sales in 2017.

   A man was once a murderer. He killed people because of the rage within himself that he couldn't control. Now this man is older and lives in the countryside with his teenage daughter. He lives each day battling with Alzheimer's disease. A man that works for the local police department shows up one day claiming to be dating the man's daughter. Little does the daughter know, there's a deep darkness that will overtake her family. Their past, present, and future, is about to be put to the test.

    Memoir of Murderer is a movie that discusses the topic of mental health in the undertone of the events in the film. I've never watched a film where I have felt so helpless in my life. Helpless to a degree of sitting there watching events unfold that easily be seen coming then avoided. The plot isn't anything different in terms of setting up the building blocks of the story. Women murder cases that are still unsolved in a country town in Korea. We have been here, seen this concept of storytelling before, but the charm that attracts most viewers is the issue of mental health that the main character suffers from. Everything is seen through his eyes, making Memoir of a murderer a fearful ride for viewers. I'm the kind f viewer that likes to take a guess at what will happen before the film gets there. Sometimes I'm right and sometimes I'm wrong. The thing with this film is that there's so much backtracking on what is reality and what is the Alzheimer's messing this his head. You actually get to the point where you sit back to just let the film play out because your head starts getting shooting pains from all the mind mazes the plot takes you through. A thrilling game of cat catch the mouse is in this film too. Figuring out who the supposed "cat" is suppose to be makes this film exciting. You think you know until this film makes you doubt your decision. I was honestly afraid that the plot of going to bust out a huge shocker toward the end, which the film does. Its just that the ending isn't presented in the way anyone would expect. Concepts of mental health rage supreme in the hands that pull the rug out from under you as the credits begin to roll. Many questions will be raised as you think about what you have seen. I thought a lot about mental health after watching Memoir of a Murderer. The great quality about this film is that your mind can make you think that something is only one way, leaving out what actually is reality.

   I started paying a lot more attention to Kim Nam Gil after watching Memoir of a Murderer. He was all the rage years ago when he was in that Korean drama called Bad Guy but I wasn't interested in watching that kind of drama at the time. I might just go back and watch it now that it's a few years old.[INSERT ME LAUGHING] He's the kind of actor that looks mean until he smiles. His smile holds a lot of emotion depending on what character he plays. The character he played is very contaminated with evil that's sneaky and mind bending. Not to mention he was doing the most while wearing that police uniform! Sol Kyung Gu is a veteran at every role he takes on. I don't have to address him even. Anyone who loves Korean cinema knows how talented of an actor he is. His character has these scenes where the side of his face shakes. I don't know he does that but he must have freaked his family out practicing that in the mirror for hours. Seol Hyun is on her way to being a well seasoned actress. Her role in this film was interesting especially since she's an idol, however, she had a good rhythm when she acted with Sol and Kim.

    Scenes shot for Memoir of a Murder adds to the spookiness of the film's atmosphere. I don't know if the film was always shot in the countryside or not. Some shots looked like the city. For example, the above head shots that showed the road and buildings. Of course, there's scenes of the roads along the riverbank in the country and my favorite scene of the forest made of bamboo. My second favorite scene consist of the snowy forest that leads to the train track tunnel that's also a reference to the other dramas and films that were inspired by the infamous Hwaseong murders.

   Memoir of a Murderer could easily be on the list of the best Korean films of 2017. It's defiantly one of those films that you need to see if you like Korean cinema or thrillers. The film has the perfect blend of mystery and thrills to keep you hooked.