Asian Ink

Mirotic By DBSK (Japanese Version)

2008-10-19T03:54:00.000-07:00

I'm neither Japanese nor Korean but I love both pop cultures. That's why DBSK (also known as Tohoshinki in Japan) is one of my favorites. DBSK has released a Japanese version of their hit single Mirotic, to please their Japanese fans. Honestly, after comparing both versions, I'd have to say that I still prefer the Korean version because the lyrics sound more fluid and natural. Check out the video below...

Edit: Unfortunately, the video was removed from YouTube. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it.

Nobuta Wo Produce (Japanese Drama)

2008-10-19T01:47:00.000-07:00

Nobuta Wo Produce is a Japanese drama based on a book by Gen Shiraiwa. The following is a synopsis from DramaWiki:

Kiritani Shuji is the popular guy who gets along with everyone, from the jerks to the nerds to the just plain weird. The one person Shuji cannot stand is Kusano Akira. To Shuji, Akira is just plain annoying. He laughs, talks and acts funny. Things heat up when a new student comes to school. Her name is Kotani Nobuko, a girl who has no self confidence at all and is content at being made fun of and bullied in school. Shuji and Akira come to an accord that in order to make use of their "youth" they will "produce" Nobuko as the next popular girl. One of the conditions, however, is that nobody should find out that they are working together as a team to make this concept possible. Unveiled here is the story of true friendship between three unlikely candidates who would not have been friends if not given the special circumstances.

This drama wasn't what I was expecting. I actually expected the cliche story of an unpopular girl being made over and being the most popular girl in school. Something like Rachel Leigh Cook in She's All That. I was surprised to find out that this series is nothing like that. If you want something candy coated then this is not for you. This is a serious drama about friendship and acceptance. I'm giving 4 stars to this series.

Side note: It is interesting to note that Yamapi, the guy that plays Akira in this series, is one of the singers in NEWS, the band I wrote about in my last post.

Summer Time and Weeeek by NEWS

2008-09-25T09:03:00.003-07:00

I discovered the group, NEWS, by just browsing and trying to find artists similar to the ones I already like. The search was a success! NEWS is a 6-person Japanese pop group from Johnny and Associates. Their style is light, uplifting and fun. Check out two of their singles, Summer Time and Weeeek to see (and hear) exactly what I mean...

These are two more great songs to add to my music collection! I give these 5 out of 5 stars!

Mirotic by DBSK

2008-09-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

DBSK's first single, Mirotic, from their fourth Korean album was finally released this week. Mirotic is a song that in my opinion, doesn't sound like anything they've ever released before. It's kinda dark, unlike the light upbeat tracks from their past albums. I like it... it's catchy, mysterious and addictive! I'm giving it 5 out of 5 stars. Check out the full MV below.

Hana Yori Dango Season 1

2008-09-14T01:04:00.000-07:00

Based on the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango (or Boys Over Flowers), this Japanese high school drama about a working class girl studying in a school for the rich and famous. Makino Tsukushi is the only poor student at Eitoku Gakuen, the school of the ridiculously rich and privileged that is ruled by Flower 4 or F4, a group of four boys who come from extremely powerful families. If a student gets on the F4’s bad side, he/she gets a red notice and is bullied and driven out of school. Makino hopes to pass her days quietly-- without drawing any attention to herself-- but one day, she stands up to Domyoji in defense of her friend. The next day, Makino gets the dreaded red notice. Even though she is harassed, Makino decides to keep going to school because she is a “tough weed”. She declares war right back on the F4. Her resolve gets the attention of her crush Hanazawa Rui and oddly enough, rouses romantic feelings in her worst enemy, Domyoji Tsukasa.

Although the plot is a bit out there (I mean, there is no way something like this would happen in real life right?) that's what makes a good drama. What I like about this drama is there's always something interesting happening. The story is quite unpredictable and definitely not boring. There are some dramas that I've watched and lost interest halfway through. But this one I watched straight from start to finish in just one day (it was one of those lazy weekends).

Even though Hana Yori Dango is just 9 episodes long, I feel like I was able to know and understand the characters well. It wasn't difficult to like all the characters even though they had their imperfections. I mean, Makino's not the typical pretty girl yet I can see how the male characters in the story like her. Domyoji's not exactly the all around good guy yet I still was rooting for him. This is a great drama. I definitely recommend it... 4 and a half out of 5 stars!

DBSK's 4th Korean Album

2008-09-09T01:29:00.000-07:00

DBSK is releasing their 4th Korean Album on September 24! After a long hiatus in Korea and conquering Japan for nearly 2 years, they're finally coming back. So far, there's still no clues about what their first single will be like. Here's a little teaser image for the new album.

Full House (Korean Drama)

2008-09-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

Full House (2004), a 16-episode South Korean TV drama, was the first ever Korean drama I've watched. I loved it! This drama actually started my semi-obsession with Asian dramas, but I think this is my ultimate favorite among everything I've watched. It's a feel-good romantic comedy with a helping of drama every now and then. This series had me crying buckets in a good way.

Here's the plot of the story: Han Ji-Eun (Song Hye Kyo) lives in a house called Full House, built by her father. She is an aspiring novelist. One day, two of her friends, for money reasons, trick her and sell her house - when she returns from a vacation, she discovers it has been sold to Lee Young-Jae (Rain), an actor who has just shot to stardom. Though they don't get along with each other, they agree to live with each other and Ji-Eun works as his maid in order to buy her house back. Out of a misunderstanding and Young-Jae's ill-fated try to make the love of his life, Kang Hye-Won (Han Eun Jung) jealous, Young-Jae marries Ji-Eun. They set up a contract for the marriage to last six months...

Of course, I don't want to give everything away so I'll stop there. Anyway, what's great about this drama is that you get immersed into the story. Don't get me wrong, the story is fairly simple; there are no complicated twists or huge plot hooks to keep the audience watching. But I was still drawn into the story mainly because I loved the simplicity of it all. Everything is laid out to the audience. And I don't exactly know how they did it but I really felt every emotion the characters felt. The fact that its ending is great doesn't hurt either.

I give this 5 out of 5 stars all the way!

Nakatsu from Hana Kimi

2008-09-04T09:48:00.000-07:00

I think the best performance in Hana Kimi (Japanese drama) by far is by Ikuta Toma as Nakatsu Shuichi. He's hillarious when he needs to be funny and tear-inducing during the tender moments. Don't take my word for it. Here are a few of Nakatsu's funny moments you won't want to miss...

You may watch entire episodes of Hana Kimi (Japan) at Crunchyroll.

Hana Kimi (Japanese Drama)

2008-08-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

Cute, funny and lighthearted... that's what I think about the Japanese tv show, Hana Kimi, which is based from a Japanese manga series of the same name. (There's also a Taiwanese version of this show, but I haven't seen it yet. Most reviews I've read seemed to prefer the Japanese version to the Taiwanese version.)

Anyway, this series is about Mizuki Ashiya, a Japanese girl in the U.S., who one day sees the young athlete Izumi Sano compete in the high jump on television. She begins to idolize him, and decides to move to Japan to attend the same school as him. However, Izumi goes to an all-boys school, so Mizuki disguises herself as a boy to achieve her dream of being with her idol.

Believe me, the cross dressing female slant has been done time and again in Asian tv shows. Despite this, the show still feels fresh and intriguing to me. Unlike other Asian dramas, Hana Kimi's plot is not too heavy with heartwrenching drama. But, it's still got that certain something to keep me hooked. In this series, the plot doesn't drive the story; the characters do. There are a lot of characters in this series, all of them with their own distinct personalities that add to the interesting mix... something for everyone.

I could talk and talk about this series but you really wouldn't know exactly what I mean without watching it. Crunchyroll has this on their website, so I say, go ahead and watch this. I definitely give it 5 out of 5 stars!

The Many Looks of Yoon Eun Hye

2008-08-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

Yoon, Eun-Hye (윤은혜) is a South Korean actress, singer, and model. I think she's super cute. She debuted as a member of the popular girl group Baby V.O.X, staying with the group from 1999-2005. After her stint as a singer she moved on to acting, receiving popularity and fame from her role as a crown princess on the drama Princess Hours, also known as "Goong", as well as her role as the main protagonist in the highly successful drama, The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince.

SHINee

2008-08-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

I don't really know how I'm supposed to pronounce this Korean group's name but nonetheless, they're a five member group formed by SM Entertainment. They just released their first mini-album and full length album this year and I think the songs are more or less awesome. They're pop-ish but not to the extent of being bubblegum pop. I especially like the "Love Should Go On", "Replay" and "The SHINee World" tracks. Below are the tracklists of the two albums:

누난 너무 예뻐 (Replay)
Released: May 23, 2008
Label: SM Entertainment
Producer: SM Entertainment
Tracks: 5
1. 누난 너무 예뻐 (Replay)
2. In My Room
3. Real
4. 사.계.한 (Love Should Go On)　
5. 누난 너무 예뻐 (Replay/Boom Track )

SHINee World
Released: Aug 29, 2008
Label: SM Entertainment
Producer: SM Entertainment
Tracks: 12
1. The SHINee World (doo-bop)
2. 사랑의 길 (Love's Way)
3. 산소 같은 너 (Love like Oxygen)
4. 너 아니면 안되는 걸 (ROMANTIC)　
5. 그녀가 헤어졌다 (One for Me)
6. 화장을 하고 (Graze)
7. 마지막 선물 (Last Gift) (In my room-Prelude)
8. 내 곁에만 있어 (Best Place)
9. 혜야 (Y Si Fuera Ella)
10. 눈을 감아보면 (Four Seasons)
11. In My Room (Unplugged Remix)
12. 누난 너무 예뻐 (Replay)