Oreos & Peanut Butter

K-Pop: Parasocial Relationships

Fan photo of Jeong Yunho at a fan sign. I do not own this image, all credit goes to the original fan who took this photo and ATEEZ.

Hi! It’s Annie!

I think we can all agree that this past week in K-Pop has been an entire mess. More and more controversy came out by the day; some idols wrapped in controversy are more wrapped in questions now as people don’t know how to react to new evidence while others have been dismissed by the public. And as the K-Pop community got hit with problem after problem, I saw many people express their disappointment in some of their favorite idols. Which makes sense if it comes out that an idol may have done something potentially disappointing. But on top of these doubts, I also saw people wondering how much their favorite idols are hiding or even berating those who said they were disappointed in some of their idols. For years and years we’ve seen the reactions to the word parasocial be overwhelmingly negative. And every time a controversy along these lines comes out, the immediate reaction to parasocial relationships have been even more negative. Fans of groups like K-Pop boy or girl groups are often berated by society for being so attached or for singling out any celebrity to begin with. And the more controversy comes out, the more I severely question these ideas. So I’m going to take the biggest arguments against parasocial relationships and argue against (and sometimes for) them. Because I don’t think the wider view of parasocial relationships at all describes what they are actually like.

“You don’t really know them!”:

There’s a point to this that absolutely makes sense! The nature of a parasocial relationship is that you don’t know that person in your daily life. They are someone you are a fan of who you may see in concert or on a screen but you haven’t officially met them. And there is something to be said about that. If you haven’t met a person you can’t reasonably speak to what they might absolutely say or do. This is why it is utterly unacceptable to assume anything about the identity of an idol; such as what their sexuality might be. It is also completely irresponsible to dive into their personal lives, because they don’t present that information to the public for a reason. You are not part of their personal lives, so you should not look for that information. You are not entitled to it. However, people say the above statement a lot in other situations, such as when an idol does something reasonably bad or when a fan states that they have a crush on their favorite idol. This is where I stop agreeing with the above statement. It is entirely different to have a crush on someone and to reasonably believe that you will marry them. In fact, in our daily lives we all agree that there is a difference between these two. If you have a crush on someone you go to school with or work with, do you immediately believe that you will absolutely marry that person someday? No! It’s a crush. So why does this mindset suddenly not apply when it comes to idols? A lot of people will argue and say that you don’t know that much about them and definitely not enough to have a crush on them. But how much do we really know about the people we have crushes on in real life? If your crush on a person is not obsessive in nature (such as calling this person your husband or wife un-ironically), I really don’t see how this is harmful. You can have a crush on a person, want to date them, and still accept that you don’t know everything about them. We do all of this all the time in our daily lives. We often don’t see what people we work with daily are like at home, we only see the social side to them. I can’t see how idols are different. And while it is true that you are much less likely to date an idol than someone you see daily, that doesn’t mean that dating possibility has ever had anything to do with having a crush on someone. We don’t only have crushes on people we believe absolutely we will date. As long as you are not being harmful towards the idol or anyone else over your crush and you have acceptance over your chances, I can’t say why people think having a crush is wrong. Sometimes feelings are fickle. Do what makes you happy as long as you aren’t harming others. Let people fantasize if they want to! There’s nothing wrong with it!

“See, you can’t trust someone you don’t know!”:

This is my response to those who feel that disappointment after an idol does something wrong is unearned; or even for people who start questioning other idols after one goes down. Yes, you don’t know them in reality. But K-Pop specifically is in this weird niche where we actually see a lot of their lives off stage. This may not be a good thing, but it is the truth of the matter. We see them in variety shows where they play games or go out and do things that feel more personal than just answering simple interview questions. Idol groups are constantly posting content, including behind the scenes videos or lives where they simply go on camera to answer fan questions or hang out with their fans. With K-Pop idols, the relationships between celebrities and fans (for better or for worse) has never been closer. This is part of the reality we have to accept and that means changes to the parasocial norms society has known for so long. We see so much of these idols that not everything that we see can possibly be a lie. Even when an idol does something controversial and potentially awful, we have to accept through what we see that human beings are nuanced. There is not an entirely bad or an entirely good human being. That means we are seeing some of the real sides to our idols, even though we aren’t seeing every side of them. To be perfectly honest, we don’t see every side of most people. Only the people we are really really close to see all the sides of us. Even in daily life we are sometimes blindsided by people we formerly had good opinions of. This is not unique to celebrity interactions. Just like in daily life, sometimes you will be wrong about people. But, good news, sometimes you will also be right about people! Sometimes people are good people, and we can’t start questioning every idol because we were wrong about one. It’s part of life and it doesn’t mean that you won’t ever be able to trust again.

“You’re giving the corporations what they want!”:

It is true that boy and girl groups often market themselves as attractive and boyfriend or girlfriend material in order to draw in more fans and have more loyal fans. This is part of the marketing of groups like this and I’m not going to lie and say that it isn’t. But there are two things that come to mind when people say this. Firstly, if this is part of the marketing why are people surprised and fans berated when fans say they have crushes on these idols? Doesn’t that just mean that the marketing is working? On the other hand, marketing is involved with every product. It is part of every industry and, yes, can sometimes feel a little slimy. But does the marketing somehow make the product bad? No! While it is true that idols are being marketed this way, that doesn’t mean that the idols are bad or are hiding everything from the public because they are being marketed. Marketing itself is just a means to get people to connect with a product, and while on the outside it can look bad, it can also do things like create a community. Marketing is needed to get good things out to the greater public. Idols are not tricking their fans for being marketed this way. Again, we are in a unique position to see a lot of their lives and some idols don’t even respond to being flirted with by fans. Because that’s their personality and it really is up to them. But I don’t understand why marketing is being held against idols and their fans. If you buy a box of Oreos because you saw them in your favorite television show and got a craving, you have also just given the corporation what they wanted. Does the Oreo now taste worse because of this? No! This is not a line that needs to be drawn to push down fans. In fact, it’s pretty nonsensical.

“You can’t put them up on a pedestal!”:

This one I don’t have an argument against because I completely agree with it. All too often people forget that idols are human beings. We shame idols for making mistakes or swear them off after a story blows up. And if they’ve done something particularly awful, then it makes sense. But sometimes it’s a slip of the tongue or a fan going to talk to them on an off day for them personally. We have to acknowledge that these are not fictional characters that we are supporting that we can write fan fiction about and freely believe whatever we like about their lives. Just like all of us, these are actual human beings that are absolutely going to make mistakes. These are human beings who have mental and physical health issues they are also going through. These are human beings who cannot work themselves into the ground and absolutely need breaks sometimes. So, yes, you need to remember that your idol would not be the perfect boyfriend or girlfriend. Because just like any human being, they are not a perfect person. But we also need to put behind us this idea that every fan sees an idol as perfect or that the only reason they have a crush on them is because they feel they would be perfect. Everyone views their crush, celebrity or otherwise, with rose colored glasses. Does that mean we see them as perfect? Absolutely not. But we all view them how anyone would view their crush or their partner in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. It’s another completely human thing that we do. If you are absolutely shattered when your idol makes any sort of mistake or constantly saying that your idol would never argue with anyone or would never do something you consider to be a faux pas; maybe reevaluate your relationship to your idol. But if you accept that your idol is probably flawed and understand that your idol is going to have bad days, then congratulations you’re probably ok.

What I’m trying to say here is that parasocial relationships are not and have never been inherently bad. It’s ok to be disappointed at idols sometimes or to feel close to an idol or even to have a crush on an idol. Parasocial relationships are called relationships because they are a type of relationship that most everyone will have in their life. And these relationships are now more common than ever with how popular social media is. If you believe your idol can do no wrong, that they would be the perfect partner to you, fully believe that your idol belongs to you, or dive into their personal lives, then you need to reevaluate. But if you support your favorite idols because you believe what they stand for, feel close to them because their music and videos were there during a time where you needed them, or start developing a crush on an idol, then I don’t see an issue here. Feel free to tell those who tell you that you are in a toxic parasocial relationship to knock it off! I see so many people dance around this issue because they have a crush on an idol and don’t want to admit it to people who will call them toxic. Or don’t fully address parasocial relationships because of the negative connotations. Be self aware, but you don’t have to doubt yourself. Parasocial relationships can be immensely good things. It can make people feel less alone, give people hope, and build up communities. And your favorite idols want to have relationships with you too. Part of the reason people are creative (and the reason behind social media) is because they want to connect with other people. We as idol fans are those people! And we are doing ok; but we would be doing much better without the public constantly questioning us.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

K-Pop: ONEUS

Promotional image of Kim Youngjo (Ravn), Kim Gunhak (Leedo), Lee Keonhee, Yeo Hwanwoong, Son Dongju (Xion), and Lee Seoho from ONEUS. Copyright goes to RBW Entertainment.

Hey! Hallie here!

So this post was initially meant to celebrate my new obsession with ONEUS and my slow progression into joining their fanbase, TO MOON. Ultimately this post will still be about that, but first we need to talk about the elephant in the room. Ravn, the eldest of the group, was recently accused of irresponsible behavior towards women and abusing his ex-girlfriend. We at this blog currently have no interest in supporting Ravn. There’s a lot of evidence coming out both for and against Ravn, but that evidence can’t be properly studied by the general public. To put it plainly, we don’t know what happened. And though this is leading many TO MOONs to throw their undying support behind Ravn, I will not negate the feelings of victims of assault by doing this. I simply hope that RBW Entertainment does its best to get to the truth of the matter. All that said, we do have an interest in supporting the other members of ONEUS who are unfairly being negatively impacted despite having nothing to do with this situation. So below I’m still going to go into everything I love about each member of ONEUS and the particular songs I’ve been obsessed with recently. However, I will be leaving out Ravn at this time. So with the more difficult situation already addressed, let’s get into the happier stuff!

The Members:

Seoho: Lee Seoho is the second oldest of the group and one of the group’s main vocalists. He’s definitely the vocalist that gets the most center time, especially when it comes to choruses. This is probably because of his extremely strong vocals, which are both some of the most striking and the highest in tone of the group. Additional to his singing talents he’s also good at acrobatics, which definitely adds to the captivating way he executes choreography. He’s known for being a bit of a trickster at the expense of the maknae line, Keonhee in particular, but he’s also known for being the mood setter of the group. He’s apparently very laid back and works to make all of the other members happy whenever possible. While he’s not always the most vocal of the members in interviews, he’s always up to join in on a joke. The song I recommend for Seoho is actually ONEUS’s newest success, “Same Scent”, which features a lot of Seoho in each chorus and really plays to his strengths with the lighter, seductive tone of the song.

Leedo: Kim Gunhak, or Leedo, is the youngest member of the hyung line, a main vocalist, and is considered a sub rapper though he contributes to the rap line enough to technically be a main rapper. He’s contributed lyrics to two of ONEUS’s albums and is such a talented dancer that he picks up choreography faster than the other members. He’s easily recognizable in songs because of his deep voice, though his singing is a bit lighter in tone than his speaking and rapping. He’s also very noticeable amongst the group because of his muscular physique. He’s passionate about working out and keeps up with it frequently outside of his Idol activities. Though he can easily get shy or embarrassed, Leedo is most often genuine and sweet. He also loves kids. This is Annie’s ONEUS bias so she’ll probably talk about him more in the future! For Leedo I’d recommend “Bring It On”, which starts with a really fun rap verse from Leedo and features his intimidatingly deep voice in every refrain.

Keonhee: Lee Keonhee is the oldest of the maknae line and a main vocalist. His voice is slightly deeper than Seoho’s and carries a large amount of range and power. He’s also one of the more graceful dancers amongst the group. He’s recognizable amongst ONEUS due to his height, being the tallest of the members. He’s often the butt of the hyung line’s jokes, but he very much plays along and enjoys joking around. He’s known for being a bit more vocal in interviews, for being helpful to his hyungs, and for being a source of positive energy. He’s also known for his huge appetite. Keonhee offers constant support to the members of ONEUS, and also offers constant support to other groups around them. He’s been seen supporting ATEEZ in particular many times in lives and in person. Keonhee is my bias in ONEUS! I can’t wait to spend way too much time talking about him in the future! For Keonhee I’d recommend listening to “Come Back Home”, where Keonhee’s power is well utilized in the more desperate sounding chorus.

Hwanwoong: Yeo Hwanwoong is a sub vocalist and the main dancer of ONEUS. He’s viewed as one of the most talented dancers in fourth generation K-Pop, partially due to his experience street dancing, and partially because of his control over his body. While most of the members have contributed something to their choreography, Hwanwoong is most likely to add to the choreo. His voice can be recognized by its lighter tone and clear quality. Hwanwoong is another more outspoken member of ONEUS who enjoys joking around. He considers himself a free spirit and enjoys displaying how excitable and energetic he can be. He also comes across as very sweet and attentive to the other members. He’s the most biased member of ONEUS and his natural charm makes it easy to see why. For Hwanwoong I’d recommend “No Diggity”, where he gets the entire opening to display his vocals in a fun, unhinged way. Seriously, watch the MV for this and see how he performs it. It’s so good.

Xion: Son Dongju, or Xion, is the maknae of the group as well as the visual and a sub vocalist. His voice is the deepest aside from Leedo’s, and displays a lot of flexibility and range. His dancing is also well polished and expertly loose. Though he hasn’t spent as much time training as the others in the group, which is responsible for his lack of lines compared to the other members, he’s extremely skilled. He’s silent and a bit shy in interviews, but he’s much more prone to goofing off behind the scenes. He’s even been known to bite the other members as a joke. Aside from that though, he’s often teased for nagging the other members and attempting to keep them on track. On his off time he relatably dislikes working out but enjoys playing the piano. I genuinely hope that he starts getting more time to be centered in future songs, but for now the song I’ll recommend for him is “Luna”. This is probably the title track he is most prominently featured in. The richness of his voice really stands out here.

And that’s all for now! The music ONEUS creates gripped me the minute I heard my first ONEUS song. Their songs are so lyrical, and quite a few of them take inspiration from traditional Korean music. My favorite song form ONEUS at the moment is “Luna”, which is the perfect blend of traditional Korean music and ONEUS’s unique sound. The choreography is even partially a traditional Fan Dance. Speaking of choreography, ONEUS also boasts some really gorgeous choreo. While it might not be as technically impressive as a group like ATEEZ, I appreciate their more graceful and simple approach. There’s something really refreshing about the focus on beauty ONEUS goes for, and it’s really drawn me to them. I hope it draws you to them too! Even if this Ravn situation is scaring you away at the moment, I really think you should give this group a shot. All of the members are so talented and they deserve to be recognized for their work!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Books: The Love Triangle Trope

Screenshot of Jeong Yunho in ‘Imitation’. Copyright goes to KBS2.

Hi! It’s Annie!

I’ve been watching and reading a lot of content lately that involves the love triangle trope and, after thinking about it a little, I thought that this trope deserves an entire post. Not only is this one of the most common tropes in media right now, but it’s also one of my least favorite tropes. And that’s not to say that I dislike every show or book that has a love triangle! Unfortunately I usually find love triangles to be largely unneeded, unrealistic, and not well executed. But every once in a while I’ll see a love triangle that actually seems to make sense. I’ve found that there’s one pretty big difference between love triangles that I don’t mind so much and love triangles that are the reason why this is one of my least favorite tropes. So to make this fun, I’m going to use K-Dramas as an example for one and some of the books I’ve been recently into for the other! So here’s my post dedicated to everyone’s favorite, or least favorite, trope, the love triangle!

Bad Love Triangles:

Love triangles have been around forever, but if you mention the trope most people will probably think of ‘Twilight’ at some point. And though the fight between Edward and Jacob was very public, I actually don’t feel that this was a bad love triangle. For the main character, there wasn’t even really a choice there. For me, I’m not the biggest fan when characters are directly in between two characters and especially when it is completely unneeded to the plot. The biggest example I currently have of a bad love triangle is actually the recent sequel to a book I’ve reviewed on this blog. I absolutely love ‘Tokyo Ever After’ by Emiko Jean! It’s an amazingly adorable mix of ‘The Princess Diaries’ and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ with a swoon worthy romance and a heartwarming coming of age twist. The book works perfectly as a one-off and even seems to wrap up completely at the end. I’ve been really hesitant to pick up the sequel that Jean released, ‘Tokyo Dreaming’, because I heard pretty early on that the book introduces another love interest and therefore, a love triangle. One of my immediate issues with this is that media, whether it be film, television, or books, seems to think that representing the growth of a healthy relationship is boring. If it isn’t the initial chase and the couple getting together, then a piece of media usually feels like they have to throw some other form of drama in rather than show the couple actually as a couple. This was a perfect example of that. The bodyguard-princess relationship in the first book was cute, but this book saw (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD) Akio breaking up with our main character and her falling for her tutor that she’s in a fake relationship with instead. At the end of the book Akio is suddenly back and claiming that he made a mistake.

I know a lot of people like Eriku, the sweet tutor from this book, but I personally thought that Eriku lacked some depth. I felt we were told more about Eriku than we saw him actually do anything. But that aside, the romance also didn’t have the chemistry from the first book. This sequel book claims to be more about the main character finding herself, but I couldn’t see how a love triangle helped with this agenda. Especially because Akio comes back in the end and she chooses him anyway. I’m always a sucker for a sweet second lead (a point I’ll get to in a second), but this time I just missed Akio and his relationship with Izumi from the previous book. This could have easily been Izumi navigating her relationship with Akio while figuring out what she wanted to do, but it seemed like the author didn’t feel navigating a new relationship was dramatic enough. Which I would strongly disagree with. And at the end of the book when she was choosing between her two love interests, it felt less like her figuring out more about herself and more like an odd unrealistic stretch to a story about suddenly becoming a princess. As usual, I found this to be one of those love triangles that are completely unneeded and just another reason to throw drama at the main couple. I would, personally, rather just see the main couple be a couple.

Good Love Triangles:

Most K-Dramas involve some kind of love triangle, but usually the love triangle makes the slightest bit more sense because the person in the center isn’t equally involved with both of them. Because why would somebody lead on two people at once? Though, sometimes the main character not even considering one of the guys who has a crush on her can be painful to watch if you like that character. I am exceptionally guilty of having second lead syndrome. While the main lead is usually more brooding and typically attractive, the second lead is usually the sweet, caring, golden-retriever, one. Which I tend to go for more often. But here, the end goal is pretty obvious. For example, in ‘Imitation’ (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD) Maha is always interested in Ryok and only sees Yujin as a friend. Obviously, I’m biased here, but Yujin has been there for her from the beginning and is rightfully absolutely gutted by Maha’s indifference. ‘Imitation’ actually brought even more of a realistic edge to this by having Yujin so desperate for Maha that he neglects his friendship with Hyunji and ends up hurting her before realizing that he’s been more interested in the idea of Maha than an actual relationship with her for a while. When Yujin finally realizes that Hyunji has been in front of him the entire time, he has to apologize for hurting her in the process of trying to start a relationship with her. I would have chosen Yujin if I were Maha; but I like that she never wavers on her own views of friendships and relationships. In the end, it makes sense for Maha to continue to like Ryok despite her other love interest and it benefits her relationship with Ryok in the end.

There’s always going to be that one K-Drama where the second lead is the obvious choice in every way and not just one that a member of the audience might prefer. In ‘Bride of Habaek’, (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD) Habaek uses Soah and becomes an absolutely unbearable partner who does little but insult her constantly. The second lead here is Hooye, a demi-god with a complicated past and is very sweet despite his dangerous powers. Though Hooye is in love with Soah, and Soah helps Hooye in some important points for him, she is never swayed by anyone but Habaek. Though this decision to pair her with Habaek rather than Hooye was not a decision I supported; this doesn’t mean that I dislike the structure of this love triangle. Rather than her be equally as interested in Hooye, I would have much rather he been the first love interest rather than the second lead. I don’t mind having another character who has feelings for someone in the relationship, but in the end a true love triangle only seems to detract from the story of the main couple. And let’s be honest, not many people actually experience a true love triangle. In my romances I much prefer to see something that feels like it could possibly happen and actually see a focused story follow the different aspects of one relationship. I don’t particularly care for the relationship being constantly tested by drama. I want to see how the couple actually acts as a couple!

I still think that one of the only shows that I’ve ever seen that actually depicted a couple as a couple after they got together is the C-Drama ‘Meteor Garden’. The drama actually followed the couple from before they got together to well after and didn’t throw any unneeded drama at them until the very end. Meaning there were some really cute moments of them actually in a relationship. Some K-Dramas without love triangles do this too, but it’s really difficult to find a show or a book that acts like a couple as a couple is interesting enough. To be fair, my favorite book, ‘Pride and Prejudice’, does not depict the characters as a couple at all. But the book I recently read and loved, ‘Float’ by Kate Marchant, did leave a bit of time at the end for the couple to just be cute. And can I just say that those were my absolute favorite moments of that book? Blake reading her the book because he was sad she was leaving was one of my absolute favorite scenes. It’s cute and I wish more media would realize that it’s cute! I wish we could see less love triangles and more couples being cute and coupley.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

BTS: Happy Birthday, Jimin!

Official photo of Park Jimin from BTS for his photo book. Copyright goes to Hybe Entertainment and BTS.

Hey! Hallie here!

It’s Jimin’s birthday in Korea! There are actually two birthdays being celebrated in groups I follow (Happy Birthday to you too, Jongho!), but on this blog we’ve made it a tradition to give each of the BTS members a wholesome birthday post. Jimin, as one of the most wholesome members of BTS, definitely deserves a post celebrating all the things we love about him for his birthday! Jimin has recently been hard at work on his solo music, but in the meantime he’s been doing ‘Run BTS’ episodes, preparing for the upcoming concert, and ensuring us ARMY know how much he loves us. In order to show my appreciation, here are only a few things I love about Jimin!

His Kindness:

It’s really hard to talk about Jimin without mentioning how huge his heart is and how openly empathetic he is. He’s always the first one to rush over whenever a member is hurt or distressed. He was the first person to comfort Taehyung both when he got in a fight with Jin backstage at a concert, and when he was dealing with the loss of family members. When Jungkook was hurt onstage, Jimin refused to leave his side. He’s the best at not only offering sympathy, but wiping away tears and trying to get the other members of BTS to laugh. You can’t help but wish Jimin was there to help you through your distress every time he helps the members out. But he is there for ARMY, and he shows it constantly. There’s much to be said about his ments during concerts and his interviews. He takes those opportunities to remind us that he’s there for us and that we should love ourselves. But he shows his love through his actions too. He’s frequently on Weverse interacting with fans and reminding ARMY to take care of themselves. He’s gone into posts where ARMYs confessed they were struggling with their mental health to tell them that they aren’t alone. He’s gone into posts from ARMYs struggling to find food that won’t upset their stomach with suggestions of things to eat so they won’t go hungry. He even encourages other members to post there more often when he can’t be as active on Weverse. Jimin is one of those idols that seems to have a lot of love to give, and he can always be seen giving it to both his members and fans. It feels like ARMYs genuinely matter to him, not just as support, but as people. And that type of care is so rare to see from a celebrity.

Duality and Defying Gender Norms:

I praise a lot of idol’s duality on this blog, but I think Jimin is probably the king of duality. He embraces both cute and intimidating concepts fully. Jimin loves bright colors and flowers, which he uses frequently to demonstrate the ways he views himself. He slots very easily into cute content because of this. It’s really not uncommon to see his wide smile onstage, and he’s always one of the first of BTS to strike a cute pose. But then Jimin can switch to sexy in no time at all. Suddenly his vibe becomes more dark and sleek, focused more on form-fitting pieces in different shades of black and white. His impressive dance skills become sharper and his eyes kill with intensity. It’s hard to look away from, and it’s just as much his style as the cute themes. It certainly reflects his solo music, which goes from something sweet like “Promise” to the infamous “Filter”. But it also reflects his self image. For the ‘BE’ album, he opted to go for a room full of flowers for his photoshoot, but the outfit he wore was sleek and black to reflect more of the clothes he likes to wear. At the same time this represents his duality, it also represents his love of androgyny. Because regardless of what type of theme he’s going for on-stage, he really doesn’t care for gender norms. And that’s so admirable. It’s so cool to see Jimin embrace slimmer fitting clothing, corsets, and skirts. He’s taken the time in interviews more than once to question what masculinity even is. His view on what it means to be a man feels healthy and confident. So confident that it’s become part of his brand to attract anyone of any gender and any sexuality with his stage performances. It certainly works on me.

His Performance Capabilities:

I can’t finish this post without talking about the main performance elements Jimin brings to BTS. Like every other member of BTS, his presence stands out and the work he puts into the group deserves praise. His voice is always recognizable as the highest register of all the members. Because of that, he’s able to balance out the other members very well, and carries many BTS choruses with his beautiful voice. A song I go back to frequently to hear his notable contributions is “Disease”. Jimin wrote the bridge for this song and it makes the ending of the song so addictive. It builds the song’s momentum beautifully, and is made perfect by Jimin’s gorgeous voice. Of course, you can go to his solo songs as well to hear the impact of his voice. My favorite remains to be “Filter” simply because of how well the seductive feel of the song suits the sweetness of his vocals. But beyond his clear vocal talent, Jimin is also known for his dancing. He’s the contemporary dancer of BTS and has classical dance training. It shows in BTS’s choreography, but it’s best seen in dance breaks or solo dances. His “Black Swan” dance is infamous for his mesmerizing gracefulness. We also got to see him perform a traditional Korean Fan Dance for the beginning of “Idol”, another example not just of gracefulness, but of androgyny considering this dance is usually done by women. We’ve also seen him dance “Boy Meets Evil” with J-Hope which, while not contemporary, he did completely blindfolded and still managed to remain completely in sync with Hobi. Every time I watch that particular dance I have to replay the video at least three times so I can fully appreciate how otherworldly Park Jimin’s talent is. There really is nothing you can do but be in awe of Jimin.

That’s where I’m going to end this birthday post! I really wish Jimin the best with his solo album. According to Namjoon he’s been making a good amount of progress on it. I know myself and ARMYs everywhere will rush to listen to it once he’s finished. I also hope, though, that he takes his time and makes sure he’s not putting pressure on himself to release something before he’s completely happy with it. I also hope that, despite all the work he’s doing right now, he gets lots of rest! BTS is currently less active right now because all of them really need time to focus on their mental health, and Jimin is no exception. I know around now he’ll be doing last minute preparations for the upcoming concert, but after that’s done I hope he makes up the time he spent working on his birthday by resting. He deserves it! We love you, Jimin! Happy Birthday!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

K-Pop: Today’s News Blow Up

Screenshot from the “Say My Name” MV of (from left) Choi Jongho, Jeong Yunho, Park Seonghwa, Song Mingi, Jung Wooyoung, Kim Hongjoong, Choi San, and Kang Yeosang. Copyright goes to KQ Entertainment and ATEEZ.

Hi! It’s Annie!

I think the general K-Pop drama has been a little quiet for a while. Probably too quiet. For many of us that were hoping that this moment of bliss would last forever; that moment was broken this morning. And for those of us who were expecting the bomb to drop sometime; that was also this morning. I seriously can’t remember the last time I woke up to this amount of immediate K-Pop drama. And I have to say, I didn’t miss it. Though pointing all of this stuff out is absolutely necessary! The part that I didn’t miss was not the fighting against injustice part; it was the part where, for a while, K-Pop got a break from all the scandals and news articles, and people weren’t this disappointed. But stuff like this is going to happen every once in a while and I’m obviously going to go over everything that I woke up to this morning and my personal opinions on it. I’m getting tired of people not taking accountability and these are situations I want to call out myself. If you are triggered by possible racism, maybe skip the first two stories. (This warning only applies to POC.) Otherwise, I’m just going to get straight into it.

Crush and Racism:

Most people know by now that the most recent BTS collaboration was done by J-Hope and Crush. “Rush Hour” has gotten masses of views and the dance craze has taken K-Pop and the internet by storm. For those of you who don’t know, Crush is an artist that just got back from military service and he recently made a comeback and started going on tours. At this point everything was happy and fine, at least from what people could remember (I’ll get back to that in a second), and Crush gained even more fans from his collaboration with J-Hope. Not long ago, a video dropped of Crush at a concert high-fiving fans. The video immediately struck netizens as odd, however, when he seemingly pulled his hand away from two fans only to then start high-fiving the other fans as regular. On closer inspection people realized that the two hands he skipped over were significantly darker than those around them. Another video released confirmed that these two fans were Black women and a video from another angle showed that they weren’t being pushed, they were not throwing themselves at him, they were simply standing as normal and he skipped over them. Netizens, rightly, demanded for Crush to explain his actions in skipping these two fans and his apology and official statement was released this morning. His PR team needed to have looked over his apology so much better than they did. His apology should have been so much more specific than it was and should have taken accountability for the slight. If you are one of those people who are saying that people should have known from his actions before; leave people alone. A lot of his fans are new and most of his racism was a while back and got buried. There is no reason to shame anyone here.

Update: More videos were released made by unbiased fans that show he skipped over more than just the two fans and was doing a skip in multiple sections. Chances are, like Crush said, these were due to crowd control. The women who also posted the video have been proven to have a history of accusing multiple idols of racism because of not specifically interacting with them, even though they were in a crowd. I understand if you still feel either way about this, but I think this is a sign that we can put this behind us and stop worrying about it.

ARMY Involvement:

J-Hope liked Crush’s apology post earlier. A lot of ARMY are trying to bury the story and therefore Hobi’s involvement in it. Or, in the very least, are attempting to bury any criticism against Hobi for liking the post. I don’t think that’s right. BTS are human beings. They aren’t perfect. And we need to be able to both see that they make mistakes and have an open dialogue with them for when they make mistakes. Do I think Hobi is racist? Absolutely not! So if you are an ARMY who has been helping bury the Hobi criticism with supportive posts, maybe instead turn your efforts to boost Black voices. Because, no, Hobi didn’t do the worst thing he ever could have done by liking it; but he also isn’t a child that needs to be protected from his mistakes.

ATEEZ and “Say My Name”:

Now to the usual negative news we see if ATEEZ is involved. ATEEZ has been publicly stolen from once again. We’ve seen them stolen from several times before and it’s no secret why. ATEEZ has some of the most eye-catching imagery and choreography, and a decidedly unique concept that’s become increasingly popular. Atiny already knows, but ATEEZ’s signature dance move is probably the driving move that made the choreography for their song “Say My Name” so iconic. Recently, Vata, a choreographer, copied this move by adding it into his choreography for Zico’s song “New Thing”. He did not credit ATEEZ or the original choreographers, and he presented the work entirely as his own. Atiny were quick to spot this and call him out and it seems that even ATEEZ has known about his plagiarism. Recently at ‘Daegu K-Pop Concert’, ATEEZ both performed “Say My Name” and seemingly addressed the plagiarism in their performance of “The Real”. The first part of the dance break was given to Wooyoung who did the biting sign (a common signal used to call people out for copying) and then proceeded to do the driving move in “Say My Name”. He continued to show the biting sign when Yunho took over the second half of the dance break, also coming onto the stage with the “Say My Name” move. Seongwha could also be seen doing the biting sign afterwards. Today, one of the the original ATEEZ choreographers who created the move, Anze Skrube, came out also stating that he felt it was absolutely plagiarism and asked for credit to be given where it’s due. We’ll see if Vata responds but, as I said before, this is not the first time we’ve seen someone steal from ATEEZ and I doubt this will be the last. ATEEZ has carved a space out for themselves with such fresh and new ideas that we’ll continue to see people also attempt to capture that lightning in sometimes immoral ways. I just hope that ATEEZ and their hardworking staff will be credited from here on out.

I always hate having to deliver the bad news in this way, but it’s important to take K-Pop with all of its facets. In order to see K-Pop as a whole, we all have to acknowledge the good as well as the bad. If we don’t acknowledge the bad; it won’t get better. And it would be awesome to keep seeing K-Pop become better and better! But I also understand if you woke up this morning and became tired, upset, and disappointed by the news. Just remember that there is just as much good in this industry as there is bad! Let’s keep supporting the good and trying to make the bad better! And if you want to talk about it, our comments section is always a safe space for anyone who wants to express any of their opinions. Except for racist ones of course. That will not be tolerated and should no longer be tolerated and swept under the rug in K-Pop.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Book Adaptations: ‘Good Omens’ Season 2

Poster for season two of ‘Good Omens’ featuring Michael Sheen as Aziraphale and David Tennant as Crowley. Copyright goes to Amazon Studios, BBC Studios, Neil Gaiman, and the Terry Pratchett Estate.

Hey! Hallie here!

Like every other giant ‘Good Omens’ fan, I was impatiently anticipating the New York Comic Con panel that happened yesterday. This is my favorite show to ever be made and it was all I could think about for the past two weeks. I even rewatched the series and reread the book in anticipation for this panel. And the panel did not disappoint. We have so much new information, first looks at some of the new characters, a new poster that looks absolutely adorable, and new plot details for the upcoming season. We also know the season will be six episodes and will be coming out in summer of 2023! It’s less than a year away! Along with the information we learned from the panel, we heard some things from Neil Gaiman in interviews and on Twitter later in the day, so overall there’s lots to cover here. And, of course, I need to talk a bit about the controversy that’s surrounding the way the convention handled this panel when it comes to the viewers that joined via live stream. Let’s get into this!

New Characters:

We all already knew Aziraphale and Crowley were returning. There would be no ‘Good Omens’ without them. But this time we’re getting mostly new characters for them to interact with! I say mostly because it’s confirmed that we’ll be seeing Gabriel, as played once again by Jon Hamm, and also Beelzebub, this time played by Shelley Conn due to the busy schedule of Anna Maxwell Martin. Shelley Conn looks amazing as Beelzebub and they promised many more flies, so I’m very prepared to be delightfully disgusted by her. Amongst the new characters we have the angel Muriel, played by Quelin Sepulveda, who’s set to play a central role in the story of the season. She’s described as being gullible, a bit naive, and very excited to be visiting Earth for the first time. Apparently she’s been in Heaven at a desk for the last 6000 or so years, hoping for something new to happen and being somewhat incompetent at her filing job. She appears to be the angel that was talked about in the first blurb about the plot Neil Gaiman gave us, which is the angel that appears at Aziraphale’s bookshop without her memories. However, we heard nothing about her losing her memories in this panel, so there’s really no way of knowing how that plays into the character. Next we have two characters who sound as though they’ll be sharing a lot of their screen time. The first is Nina, played by Nina Sosanya, and the second is Maggie, played by Maggie Service. These actresses were both in season one as Sister Mary Loquacious and Sister Theresa Garrulous respectfully, and apparently the cast and crew got so close, and Neil Gaiman liked them so much, that he decided to write major roles for both of them. The characters are indeed named after the actresses so, according to Neil Gaiman, no one could argue with him about who would be playing those roles. Nina owns a coffee shop across from Aziraphale’s book store titled “Give Me Coffee or Give Me Death”. She also struggles quite a bit with her love life. Maggie owns a record shop right next to Aziraphale’s book shop, so close that Aziraphale is actually the landlord of the building, and she’s apparently very close with Nina. And finally, the lovely Miranda Richardson, who played Madame Tracy in season one, is returning to play Shax, the demon who takes over Crowley’s job on Earth. This cast sounds like so much fun and I can’t wait to meet the new characters!

The Plot:

The characters were the main focus of the panel, so what we know about the plot is pieced together from parts of the panel and various other interviews. We know the show will take place mostly in Soho where a mysterious angel, who is most likely Muriel, will enter Aziraphale’s bookshop without their memories. We also know from the tagline on the poster, “Something’s going down in the up”, that something will be going wrong in Heaven that the other characters will have to deal with. Neil Gaiman hinted at both a lot of time in Heaven and Hell, and a lot of time travel in this season, with various scenes exploring Aziraphale and Crowley throughout the years much like the cold open of episode three we got in season one. Though we don’t know much about the plot, Neil Gaiman was generous in sharing what the feel of this season will be. For one, he said the focus will be romance. Romance between who hasn’t been clarified yet, but for fans like me I’m just going to point out that Aziraphale and Crowley’s wings form a heart in the season two poster. I’m actually crying. In the panel he also mentioned that we’ll learn a lot more about Jane Austen than we knew before, which knowing what kinds of books she’s famous for, definitely feels in line with the romantic theme. Overall Neil called this season quiet, gentle, and romantic. In the same sentence he confirmed that he’s planning a season three which will be just as chaotic and high-stakes as season one, so he says this will be more of a reprieve in between the chaotic seasons. If you’re hoping for more than three seasons though, you’ll be disappointed to know that Neil is planning only three. Season two is made up of unique ideas from Neil meant to lead up to season three, which will be more of the content Neil talked about with Terry Pratchett for a hypothetical second book. Personally, three seasons sounds perfect. Not too short, but not so long that it risks getting bad or redundant.

The Season Two Clip and the Controversy:

We don’t have a trailer yet, which Neil said will come out once more VFX are complete and once the release date is a bit closer. What they did show at New York Comic Con was a clip from the new season. The clip starts with Maggie and Nina while Nina deals with relationship problems. The two then see Muriel dressed in an old-fashioned constable’s uniform walking to Aziraphale’s bookshop. When Muriel enters she meets Aziraphale, who immediately knows she’s an angel based on the odd way she’s acting. He attempts to help her with her ruse by urging her to accept some tea, at which point Crowley enters and becomes almost immediately exasperated by her. He asks Aziraphale for a private word and the two disappear behind a door. Before they close the door Muriel becomes distressed because she’s supposed to be keeping an eye on the two of them, but Aziraphale assures her they’ll tell her what they talked about later. According to those who were at the panel and saw the clip, the highlights of the clip are the interactions between Crowley and Aziraphale. Evidently Crowley walks in carrying plants, which have started the rumor that Crowley’s moving in with Aziraphale, and then sits on the arm of Aziraphale’s chair so he can lean on him. Though I haven’t seen the clip, I’m pretty sure we were already shown the two in this position in the first official image they released of the duo for season two. The problem with this clip is that it wasn’t shown to anyone online. That isn’t abnormal for a big convention such as this one, but considering that some of the people who were online payed for virtual tickets to the convention, you would think at least they would have been able to see it too. But no. They essentially wasted their money for the same experience that those who watched the live stream for free were getting. And the situation was made worse when the live stream cut off only minutes into the Q&A segment that Michael Sheen, David Tennant, and Jon Hamm joined via Zoom. Neil Gaiman has said that he’s trying to get the panel fully released because of the mistake, but he’s also adamant that the clip remain a mystery to most of us. It makes sense for a first look at a comic book convention, but I do feel bad for everyone who paid for the live stream.

That’s all the information we got from the panel! Aside from the new information they spent a lot of time reminiscing about season one of the show. It was really nice to hear about how Michael went from being asked to play Crowley to being asked to play Aziraphale. It was nice to hear about how close the actresses who played the satanic nuns got. In fact, it was nice to hear about how much the entire cast missed one another. I feel bad for the actors who weren’t able to return to the show due to scheduling conflicts, but the amount of actors returning makes me extremely happy. I can’t wait for season two! It’s less than a year away!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Update: For those who wanted to see Michael Sheen, David Tennant, and Jon Hamm’s Q&A, it finally went up! It’s only a few minutes but it’s a really funny watch. Jon Hamm also gave us so much information about Gabriel that they cut him off, but based on what he said, it sounds as though Gabriel is the angel who lost his memories. That definitely bodes badly for Heaven and sets up a really interesting dynamic for the show!

K-Pop: ‘Dreamcatcher’ Songs For Halloween

Screenshot of Lee Gahyeon and Kim Mini (JiU) from the ‘BEcause’ MV. Copyright goes to Dreamcatcher Company and Dreamcatcher.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Last post I said that I would probably do a post entirely dedicated to Dreamcatcher songs for Halloween, and this is that post. I can’t think of many groups this perfect for Halloween. From the debut of the group as we know it now, they’ve based most of their concepts on creepy and horror themes. A stark contrast from how the group initially attempted to debut, a couple members less and under a different name. They went from exceptionally cute and girly to the only group doing what they were doing at the time. Many of their MVs depicted them as dolls, trapped with only one not getting out in the end, in haunted houses, or even as mirrored versions of themselves attempting to take the place of the real ones like the movie ‘Us’. They’ve done entire Halloween concerts in amazing and hilarious costumes before and continue to go all out every Halloween. I can’t wait to see what they do this year! But for this post I’m going to focus on their creepiest songs and the accompanying MVs that go with them!

‘BEcause’:

One of the things that I love about this MV is that it almost creates an entirely different world to operate out of. The song ‘BEcause’ is a simultaneously fast paced and haunting song that details a love so creepy that it’s absolutely obsessive. The singer is very possessive about the person that they love and will do anything to have them and keep them. The way this is depicted in the music video is in the way of taking over another person’s life. Specifically, it depicts a very demonic looking JiU attempting to steal the life of Gahyeon, and sometimes even the other way around. The entire MV takes place in dark hallways or what looks to be an abandoned amusement park, haunted by the remnants of people who used to be there and were possibly taken over. Gahyeon is chased throughout the MV by an unknown force that may or may not be JiU while the haunted forms of the other bandmates show up. JiU appears to be running away from a similar force within mirrors. The story could go either way. Maybe Gahyeon is living the life intended for a trapped JiU or perhaps a mirror JiU is the one chasing the terrified Gahyeon. Either way, at the end Gahyeon sits rather dazed on a throne while JiU stands at her side. I thought the lyrics of obsession in love were cleverly changed into this metaphor for taking over someone’s life. This is probably my favorite ‘Dreamcatcher’ song right now too. I just can’t get it out of my head!

‘Deja Vu’:

This is one of their most creative MVs and one of my favorites too. The song is about holding pain over something that has happened that made somebody they love impossible to retrieve. The MV depicts this perfectly, instead depicting a kingdom. At the beginning of the MV we see Yoohyeon sit on a throne as black shoots out from behind it as if covering the kingdom in darkness. We then see the kingdom how it used to be, with a very pure looking JiU as ruler and Yoohyeon, a loyal knight to her dressed in black. This is interspersed with shots of JiU in a coffin, which foreshadows what’s to come. Yoohyeon suddenly turns on JiU and kills her, taking the throne for herself. Throughout the MV we also see the opposites of that where it looks like a paranoid Yoohyeon is afraid of JiU coming back to assassinate her and take the throne from her, starting the process all over again. While Yooheyeon seems to long for a time where she wasn’t the paranoid Queen and everything was alright before JiU died, we also see her maliciously take to the throne complete with an evil smile. I’m still so blown away with how much story they packed into this MV. I want an entire series based off of this plot, please!

‘Chase Me’ and ‘GOOD NIGHT’:

This is a two part story. ‘Chase Me’ is an ominous song that encourages the listener to come and find the girls as the lyrics laugh about the outrageous ways they’ll mess with the listeners mind. The MV depicts a man walking through a house as he tries to rest but is faced with images of the girls whichever way he turns, making it difficult for him to leave. He attempts to follow the girls and make them stop as he’s tormented by them, even taking an axe to chop down a door that he sees an image behind. With two of the girls flashing in and out together in the hallway and the man with the axe, it’s clear that the MV takes a lot of inspiration from ‘The Shining’. Some shots depict the girls using witchcraft to torture him and at the end we see a picture of the members of the group, confirming their apparent deaths in this universe. The next MV takes place where we left off, with the man with the axe attempting to chop down the door of a room. Upon his entrance he sees a study where he takes down a rather creepy book. The lyrics talk about the fun of trapping their prey like a doll forever, while he continues to be tormented. But then the script is apparently flipped. It seems as though the girls are trapped until they can take revenge on whoever this man is, making me wonder if he was the one who killed them in the first place. The girls are able to escape at the very end by trapping him in a mirror from which he can never escape.

‘Red Sun’:

This is a dance style MV where the lyrics once again ominously promise the listener will be trapped forever in a torturous existence. What really makes this MV creepy is the red bathed light over their all black costumes and the choreography. The choreography mostly is reminiscent of casting spells and witchcraft while Yooheyon is thrown around almost like a doll throughout. The eerie choreography mixed with the lyrics makes it one of their more eerie MVs despite not having a full storyline and only focusing on the extremely well thought out dance.

‘BOCA’ and ‘Scream’:

While Dreamcatcher started out mostly with creepy based songs, they are now more known for their important messages in their lyrics. ‘Odd Eye’ is about actually making a change rather that just claiming utopia, ‘MAISON’ tackles the dangers of climate change, and ‘BOCA’ is just as important. This one talks about bullying and the power of words as well as addressing the mental health issues in South Korea due to bullying. The MV shows the girls in a subway type area while they are being chased by faceless people. This horrifying imagery is meant to depict how people feel free to say cruel things when they are faceless on the internet. The second setting is a fantasy setting with a tree full of life and surrounded by water that they all seem to be attempting to protect as deities in gorgeous gowns. This life tree comes up again in other MVs, mainly because it’s shown to be burned and destroyed in ‘Scream’. The message as well as the creepy faceless people, makes this a must watch for everyone. ‘Scream’ follows ‘BOCA’. The guardians are still there but the tree has died after people completely forgot to say good things. The song is about the horror of increasing hatred and the song even compares this hatred to the devil, encouraging the listeners to open their eyes and stop the hate. Not only is the rock sound of this song amazing, the apocalyptic feel and darker theming really drive home the message while making this a perfect Halloween watch.

‘Dreamcatcher’ is really close here to releasing a brand new album. Considering their deep messages and the fact that it is actually in October; I really can’t wait! This is when ‘Dreamcatcher’ is at their most powerful, so I don’t think we can even expect how powerful this comeback will be. Their last album gave them their very first win, so hopefully we’ll see even more awards with this new one!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Star Wars: ‘Andor’ Episode 1-4 Review

Screenshot of Diego Luna as Cassian Andor from the Disney+ series ‘Andor’. Copyright goes to Walt Disney Studios and Lucasfilm.

Hey! Hallie here!

I’ve finally found enough time to watch the episodes of ‘Andor’ that dropped on Disney+ so far! The reactions to this series have been really interesting. I’ve seen a majority of positive reviews that not just praise the series, but feel as though it’s the closest we’ve gotten to the feel of the original trilogy since ‘Return of the Jedi’. On the one hand I understand this reaction. The original trilogy had a lot to say about society through its depiction of the Rebel Alliance, and none of the other Star Wars content have really matched that deep and dirty look into what it means to rebel against a giant political power. Except for the movie ‘Rogue One’ which provided those themes in a much more real and dark way, but didn’t have the time to fully flesh out many of its ideas and most of its characters. ‘Andor’ feels like a second try at ‘Rogue One’. A means of going for the same things ‘Rogue One’ was going for, but finally with the time to do it complete justice. But at the same time, is a series with the same feel as ‘Rogue One’ really the show to appeal to fans of the original three films? SPOILERS AHEAD!

Characters:

We’re dealing with a cast of morally gray characters so far and there really are no exceptions. First there’s our lead, Cassian Andor, who within the first few minutes of the first episode kills two Imperial security contractors even after the second one begs for mercy. While he doesn’t start off the series a member of the Rebel Alliance, he still very much hates the Empire, and the moves of small rebellion (Mostly stealing) he makes against them still require him to cover his tracks. And that doesn’t always mean he’s making moral decisions in order to do so. Really, the Cassian we meet at the beginning of ‘Andor’ is reckless and prepared to sacrifice a lot, even the people around him, in order to demonstrate his dislike for the Empire. I can definitely sense character development upcoming for him, though it isn’t like his childhood trauma doesn’t already explain some of his behavior. Our other main character so far is Luthen Rael, a spy who recruits Cassian to join a ragtag faction of the Rebel Alliance. Along with being extremely intimidating and suspicious, he also lives a double life working amongst the senators while giving threats to people as impressive as Mon Mothma. As for other characters, we’ve gotten quick looks at Bix Caleen, a badass who helps out Cassian but hasn’t been seen since her boyfriend was killed, Syril Karn, our villain who was interestingly fired from his job only four episodes in, and a younger Mon Mothma, who believes she can change things as a senator but is failing to do so. It’s a mix of characters with questionable morals and motivations, but the reasons for why they do the things they do are pretty clear. They just aren’t easy to connect to, especially not right away.

Story and Tone:

‘Andor’ so far is telling a slowly paced origin story of the Rebel Alliance. We’re talking, back when the Rebel Alliance could only spare eight people per faction at most. Cassian, due to his anti-Empire ideals as well as the way he frequently gets in trouble with the Empire, manages to get himself in the position of having to agree to work for Luthen Rael as part of the Rebel Alliance. As of now in the story, he’s in one of the previously mentioned small factions while they prepare a heist. That isn’t much plot progression for four episodes, but this is an extremely character-driven show that’s focused mostly on Cassian’s relationship with his adopted mother, his memories of losing everyone he knew as a child, and the friends he brushes off in modern day. It’s very effective at making the audience feel as though they know Cassian as well as they’d know a best friend. But it’s all a lot of doom and gloom. Which is where ‘Rogue One’ comes in. While both ‘Rogue One’ and ‘Andor’ go for a “there’s hope for the future” sort of message, both are pretty dreary in tone. That isn’t a dig at either. It really does make sense to show the harder parts of being part of the Rebel Alliance. But that isn’t going to appeal to every original trilogy fan. The original trilogy was made for kids, and as such, mixes in the harder war concepts with mystical powers and lighter characters. It isn’t cartoonish by any means, but it’s completely different tonally. So if you heard reviews of ‘Andor’ and aren’t expecting something depressing because of the feel of the original trilogy, here’s your warning.

Anti-Establishment:

Since I’ve been really going after the tone of this show, I should shine a light on why so many people are praising ‘Andor’ for going back “to the roots” of Star Wars. While I don’t dislike the most recent Star Wars trilogy, it had nothing to say. It didn’t have the corruption of the Republic and the Jedi’s fall from grace due to their position of power like the prequel trilogy did. It didn’t have the full on war against fascism that was presented in the original trilogy. It had all the fun stuff and nothing else. ‘Andor’ doesn’t have lightsabers or the fun elements you can find in the sequel trilogy. But it does have an anti-establishment message that makes us look at our own society and the ways that groups are being oppressed around the world. I’d argue that means more than any lightsaber fight could ever mean. But that doesn’t have to mean it’s your cup of tea. If you’re into more of the fun stuff, that’s ok! It’s good to be aware of what you like! But it’s so important to have media that challenges our society, and ‘Andor’ proudly joins the Star Wars content that has always strived for that.

After all of that, what’s my opinion of the show? It’s well written, well acted, and well executed. It’s slow moving, but it does a lot for its main character. It could do more for the side characters, but we’re only four episodes in. Its story is admirable and refreshing to see after the sequel trilogy. But it isn’t really my thing. I love seeing content tackle societal issues and the ways in which we view life, but I’m not always a fan of the more depressing shows that do these things. From the gray color palette to the brutal fight scenes, I’m just not always in the right frame of mind to truly get enjoyment out of ‘Andor’. But that doesn’t mean that it’s by any means bad. I feel it deserves a lot of praise. I just might not be the best person to give it.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

K-Pop: Halloween Performances

Behind the scenes still of (from left) Jeong Yunho, Park Seonghwa, and Choi San for the ‘Black Cat Nero’ MV. Copyright goes to KQ Entertainment and ATEEZ.

Hi! It’s Annie!

It is officially October which obviously means that it’s Halloween time! This is the month we all wait through September for, though I know many of us already started celebrating in September. My Halloween traditions for the month of October have changed drastically over the years. While some of my movie marathons are the same, I’ve definitely upped my game when it comes to choosing Halloween costumes and especially when it comes to music. I don’t think I ever had any must-listen songs for Halloween before getting into K-Pop, but now there’s a list that will haunt me all month. Literally. October only just started and I already have some of them stuck in my head. So, I’m going to go over some of my favorite Halloween K-Pop songs, their performances, and why they’re so iconic. This list will probably mostly have ATEEZ on it, though there will be a few groups. This is only because ATEEZ is well known for being the K-Pop Kings of Halloween despite the fact that most of them absolutely hate horror, which is relatable. So without further ado, here are my top picks for K-Pop Halloween watching/listening.

‘THE BLACK CAT NERO’-ATEEZ:

This song was originally sung by Kim Jongkook and his K-Pop group ‘Turbo’. Kim Jongkook was one of the judges on a competition show ATEEZ was on, and they covered his song as part of the competition to go with the general “legends of K-Pop” theme. This performance ended up getting a standing ovation from the judges and the watching audience, and the originator’s love for this cover led to a surprise collaboration over this song. Many K-Pop groups release Halloween performance videos around this season, it’s been around for a few years now, but not many of them take it to this level. Most Halloween performance videos depict our favorite K-Pop artists in costumes doing a dance practice; which is always adorable and I absolutely love it every time. But ATEEZ actually went full MV style on this one and the creepy song definitely fits the vibes. The description of the video cleverly hid the involvement of Jongkook by only giving him a special thanks and he actually doesn’t pop up until towards the end of the video. Instead we spend most of the video with a very vampiric looking ATEEZ (red lips, scratch marks, and hauntingly pale eyes) in what appears to be a church. This inter splices with them in a red light bathed graveyard. This song is definitely more hardcore than you usually expect from ATEEZ, with electric guitar being the most heavily utilized instrument in the background and more of an emo-rock feel to it. Just when you think the music video is over, Jongkook claws his way out of a grave to join the last chorus. The absolute Halloween themes along with the electric guitar have made this a Halloween tradition for every Atiny.

‘Wonderland’ (2019)- ATEEZ

This might be one of the most memorable performances that ATEEZ has ever done. If anyone commits to Halloween it’s them. While they have so many Halloween performances to choose from, I think this one might be the most popular. ‘Wonderland’ is quite possibly the most famous ATEEZ song and this features that song inter spliced with really creepy moments for the group who are all dressed as what I can only assume are demons. Hongjoong straight up looks like the Joker with how creepy his smile is throughout this, Seonghwa looks otherworldly with his wide eyes and contacts, Yunho almost looks like a zombie, San reminds me of the Mummy, and the others have pale makeup and almost skull like designs as well. The song is mixed with creepy music breaks for one of the members to do something generally scary. Hongjoong heads the first one where they all tilt their heads menacingly like dolls while Yunho picks it back up with thunder flashes. The second music break features Yunho eating what looks like a human finger before Seonghwa picks everything up again with thunder flashes and doll like movements. The song ends with them falling back on the floor dying, like how they started, though Hongjoong tears out his heart, smiles, and then twitches around a bit before actually joining the others. It is thoroughly creepy and though this was only a few years ago, this was surprising for a K-Pop group’s Halloween performance at the time. This performance alone set standards for future K-Pop Halloween performances and I seriously couldn’t be more proud of them. Also, I want to give Jongho props for sitting down and still looking creepy and belting for this performance through an injury.

‘Deja Vu’ (Vampire Version)- ATEEZ

This is also shot like an MV, because ATEEZ at the point of last year when this was made, had already fully embraced their role as the Kings of Halloween. Here they are more obviously dressed as vampires with pale skin and even black lips for some of them. They all wear puffy shirts and a few of them even don capes to make their more Dracula-esque vampire look complete. The beginning of the music video showcases them all separately in their garb before shooting to the actual dance video. I feel like ‘Deja Vu’, while not creepy in theme, already feels like it could fit in with Halloween very well. The song also has the lyric “I feel an endless thirst” which goes so well with vampires that it isn’t even funny. The song ends with crow sounds and seriously who told Seonghwa he could look that good in a corset??? There’s so much I could have chosen for ATEEZ. Their performance at the 2020 MAMAs felt very Halloween, especially with the mix of classical music and it ending with the very demon looking King Hongjoong sitting atop a throne. But I decided to stick with only direct Halloween performances for this post.

‘GOGO’ Dance Practice -BTS:

There are a couple of really iconic dance practice Halloween videos for BTS. I almost picked ‘War of Hormone’ because their costumes are more creepy overall. Especially Yoongi as Chucky. I swear, I will never get that image out of my head. But for the sake of not being too repetitive I only wanted to choose one dance practice and there’s still some controversy over ‘War of Hormone’ which is rightful. Especially because Namjoon doesn’t even really like the song anymore. This dance practice is my favorite anyways though, because it’s absolutely hilarious. It begins with all the members in a heated game of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ where they are all trying desperately not to be the last one standing. When Taehyung loses we finally see what this game was about. Six of them are dressed up as the seven dwarves while Taehyung dances in the middle as Snow White. Though Taehyung dressed up as Snow White is funny, I think the most hilarious part of this dance practice has to be how much each of the other members lose their very large costume slippers dancing to this song. Their reactions to wearing the costumes are also hilarious. Namjoon keeps whipping his head everywhere because of the hat that he’s wearing, Yoongi is laughing almost the entire time, Jin loses his slippers the most because he keeps tripping on them, Hobi looks annoyed at the slippers on several occasions for preventing his regular movement, Jimin has the same issue though he keeps laughing instead, Jungkook is completely unfazed, and Taehyung seems to be enjoying himself with far too serious facial expressions and tossing an apple around. By the end both Hobi and Namjoon have lost shoes, Taehyung bites the apple and falls on the floor causing everyone to fake cry, and Hobi stands over them all grinning maniacally with a money gun. I laugh so hard every time, it’s perfect.

‘GOOD NIGHT’ (Busking)- Dreamcatcher:

Dreamcatcher are certainly the Queens of Halloween and they do Halloween all year round. So when they come out with things specifically for the season, it’s always amazing. When it comes to songs, literally any ‘Dreamcatcher’ song will usually have a Halloween vibe to it and most of them are meant to be creepy. Around this season I find myself listening to ‘Scream’, ‘Red Sun’, ‘BEcause’, and ‘GOOD NIGHT’ especially a lot. While any of these songs or performances would be amazing, I’m sticking to the direct Halloween stuff. Dreamcatcher has had Halloween concerts, my favorite of which featured SUA dressed as Hell Boy and performing a cover of ‘Maria’. But since I’m not recommending entire concerts and it becomes increasingly hard to find videos of that concert specifically, I decided on this one. Dreamcatcher has been known to busk in amazing costumes on Halloween. This performance features Jiu as a bloody Alice, SUA as a scratched Red Riding Hood, Sihyeon as the Joker, Yooheyon as a jester clown, Gaheyon as Snow White, Handong as a Jiangshi or a Chinese hopping vampire, and Dami as a police officer. What really makes this, is that the song already has a creepy sound to it and the doll like choreography fits perfectly with the season. But my favorite part is the end, because our girls prove time and time again that they are professionals. After the sound goes completely out towards the end of the song, Jiu leads the confused others to complete the choreography while watching Insomnias sing the rest of it. I love this fandom! I may do an entirely different post about Dreamcatcher’s songs this month because they have so many and creepy is literally what their group does.

I cannot wait to see what each K-Pop group comes up with for this Halloween. Obviously I’m waiting excitedly for ATEEZ’s usual Halloween spectacular. Hopefully there will be more out this season to add to my growing traditions list!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Video Games: ‘Spiritfarer’ Review

Screen capture of Daffodil, Gustav, Atul, Gwen, Summer, and Stella from ‘Spiritfarer’. Copyright goes to Thunder Lotus Games.

Hey! Hallie here!

I really like to consume cozy media once we start getting into the Fall weather, and that includes video games. So earlier this month I decided to look for a calm, cozy game to help me get into the Fall mood. I was also looking for something that could replace ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ for me now that I’m at the point where the game is tedious and not very replayable. While searching on TikTok for cozy game recommendations, I found ‘Spiritfarer’, a game that involves foraging, farming, and crafting as well as cute animals, but has a larger story and message to get across on top of that. Plus, you actually get to hug the animal creatures in the game! Naturally, I was sold. I took my time with this game so I could really appreciate the calming nature of it, but now I’ve finished it and I really can’t wait to talk about it! Before I get into this review know that I will mark spoiler areas, and also know that this game deals with the heavy subject of death. Avoid this if that’s triggering for you. Let’s get into this review!

Story:

I feel like the story is kind of essential to explaining everything else, including the way this game works, so I’m going to jump right into the deep stuff. In this game you play as Stella, a girl who’s constantly followed by her cat Daffodil, after she’s recruited by Charon, the ferryman for the dead in Greek mythology, to take over his job and ferry spirits into the afterlife. Throughout the game you meet various spirits, all of whom become some kind of animal once they join you on your boat, and you help them come to terms with their lives until they’re ready to go through the mysterious Everdoor and pass on into the afterlife. This entire scenario is one of the reasons why this game is so sad. You get to know all of the characters you encounter very well, but you also know from the moment you meet them that you’ll have to say goodbye to them. And though some of the characters seem happier or more content right before they go through the Everdoor, others seem to deteriorate until it feels like the Everdoor is their only option.

SPOILERS: For example, Summer is a snake you meet early in the game. In life she was the wife of Stella’s aunt, but she battled with cancer and died at an old age from her illness. By the time she goes through the Everdoor, she’s come to terms with the cancer that killed her and is ready to move on. But later you meet Alice, a hedgehog who you slowly realize is struggling with the dementia that she struggled with in life. By the time you take her through the Everdoor, you have to help her walk from location to location, and the only way she’ll let you help her pass on is if you wear clothing she associates with her daughter so she’ll mistake you for her. Other characters invoke tears by other means, though. Stanley, an eight-year-old boy who appears as a mushroom, is immediately sad simply because of his age. And by the end of the game you realize Stella herself, who worked as an end-of-life nurse that either helped or personally knew all of the lovely characters you meet throughout the game, is also in the process of trying to pass on to the afterlife.

The game isn’t all doom and gloom, though. It’s sad simply because it deals with the concept of death. But all the characters are bright and funny, with distinct personalities that are fun to learn and even more fun to interact with. The game even has a goofy sense of humor that’s best unveiled as you travel around the game map and interact with background characters. And though the story does always come back to the sad parts about death, it is far more focused on admiring the lives of each character you meet and the people they strive to become even after death. So get out the tissues, but know this game won’t be as downright depressing as other games are.

Gameplay:

Like I said above, this is a foraging/farming/crafting game. But it definitely introduces enough new elements that it feels unique. Essentially, you’re given a large, customizable boat so you can ferry spirits into the afterlife. All the empty space on your boat is there so you can build what is basically an entire floating town. Amongst the things you can build on the boat are houses for every spirit you encounter, a kitchen, a farm, an orchard, a sawmill, and so much more. In order to get the materials you need to build these things, you need to sail your boat across the map to discover the many islands littered across it. On some islands you can buy the equipment you need from a greedy raccoon (That sounds familiar), while in others you can chop down trees, pick berries, and locate rare stones that you need for your endeavors. None of these islands feel similar, and all of the major locations have fun spirits to meet and stories to discover as well. As the game goes on you’ll be relying more on the materials you can grow or make yourself on your boat via easy mini games, but the game eases you into that nicely so you don’t feel rushed into building crafting stations for your boat.

Speaking of missions, all of them come from the spirits on the boat, who have various requests you must fulfill in order to help them pass on. Some missions are better than others, mostly because some characters are more likable than others, but none give you so many missions that you feel like a spirit is overstaying their welcome. Another nice thing about this game is, despite how much of the gameplay relies on gathering materials, it never feels grindy. None of the spirits will ever ask you to get a ridiculous amount of materials, and the materials you find or make are always plentiful enough that you don’t have to spend too much time gathering them. In other words, this game isn’t too difficult and doesn’t make you do anything that you don’t feel ready to tackle. It gives you plenty of things to do and plenty of missions to accomplish, but it lets you choose how much you want to do and how long you want to spend on each task. You don’t even have to ferry all of the spirits you meet to the Everdoor in order to complete the game. Just most of them. It’s a very mellow game that you can easily take at your own pace.

I loved ‘Spiritfarer’. The art style is gorgeous and hugging the characters in this game was so cathartic. It’s probably the most calming game I’ve played in a while. I love story-based games, and this is definitely one of those, but within the structure of the story it allowed me just enough freedom that I didn’t feel I was being pressured into anything. The game gave me time to explore, make things, sleep, play games, and chat with the spirits on my boat without making me feel like I had to rush to the next thing. And some of the characters I met are characters that will stick with me for a long time. This isn’t the happiest game, and there were definitely times I had to walk away from it for a while to process my emotions, but it isn’t the saddest game either. It’s just the right amount of meaningful, and that isn’t something you get from a cute platformer like this very often.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie