My Two Cents (more like analysis) on Kris vs SM lawsuit

Right now, the internet just exploded regarding Kris filing a lawsuit against SM. There are so many theories surrounding, from different point of view. As a blogger, who enjoys kpop so much, I feel the need to add in my two cents despite my finals are just 3 weeks away.

Make sure you grab a bottle of water or something to eat because this is going to be super long.

Long time ago, which is actually exactly 2 years ago, I wrote an entry about what young people should be considering if they are deciding to be an kpop idol. Kpop idol life is nothing but a road of sweat, blood and tears before they finally hit the mega stardom. Their pay are horrendous. Their working conditions are dreadful. There is no guaranteed success or even debut.

My take on Kris’s case is that he has finally snapped from everything. Here is why.

I’ve been following EXO-M’s schedules for quite some time now and the way SM plans out the schedules is very shocking for me. The boys did a performance in Nanjing and then they had to drive to Shanghai to do a televised interview(performance?) and then they were flown back into Korea. After a few days, the boys were back in China, this time round Beijing, this was around Luhan’s birthday. Then, they went back to Korea, only to go to LA to attend a festival a few days later. This does not end here. All of them were flown out to Shanghai to do a comeback/fanmeet showcase on Mother’s day. Do note that Tao was in high fever when they were performing one show and he said it on camera that he’s fine despite the presenter saying he was running a high fever.

Would you be able to keep up with that kind of schedule? No, I don’t think so. I’m sure the idols are trained hard on days when they don’t have performance schedules.

This is where I felt like SM’s management team is doing poorly in terms of planning. Before EXO made a comeback with ‘Overdose’, SM clearly stated that M will promote in China while K will promote in Korea. My question is, why couldn’t they keep M in China instead of flying them out here and there ever so often when they have said M will promote in China? 

Are you getting your head around this? Good. Let’s move on.

I like SM produced bands but there is something unsettling about their management team and this comes from their history of handling their boy bands.

• Shinhwa
• Super Junior/Hangeng split
• TVXQ/JYJ split
• EXO/Kris lawsuit

I couldn’t help but notice something here. Apart from Super Junior/Hangeng case, all of the groups that split away from SM had a member who was raised abroad. Andy Lee and Eric Mun from Shinhwa spent time abroad to study. Yoochun from TVXQ is the same. Kris is Chinese by race but remember that he is Canadian by nationality.

This is going to be a speculation so please don’t take it to the heart entirely. I have a feeling that the members who decided to split away from the company have issues regarding the terms and conditions (13 years contract, anyone?) and that they are the usually the ones who were raised abroad. So…they have the rebellious spirit when they feel like they are being treated unfairly.

It’s about time that SM, and other management teams, review the way they manage their artists because kpop is gaining attention from the international music scene. It’s not good for the overall image of the company if this kind of lawsuit happens after every few years. Idols are human beings and they need to be provided with favorable working condition as well as a team of staff who is there for their overall well-being.

I do not, and might never, know whether Kris or SM is at fault for this matter, but when the same thing keeps recurring over and over again with different groups, I cannot help but side-eye at the management team because I don’t exactly have to be a genius to recognize a pattern.

Taking all the facts into account, I have decided that I will stand on Kris’s side because he is brave enough to speak up and do something about it rather putting on a perfect facade and hiding away all the pain that happens to behind the lights and screen. Again, I will probably never know why Kris actually decides to leave, whether it’s personal issues or general discontent towards SM, unless he speaks up about it.

Kris’s new of filing the lawsuit has shaken up the Internet. He’s there on twitter, tumblr, weibo, Facebook, pretty much everywhere I have my social media account.

Despite what I hear from other people that Kris is nothing but a useless member, I believe that this shows that he has presence. He has this magnetic pull to him that majority cannot ignore whenever he is on stage. His height, his looks and his language abilities add to the fact that he is a valuable asset to EXO, like every other member. I might be biased towards Kris though. His departure will have a huge hit on EXO as a whole. The whole thing feels like 2PM + TVXQ split which happened years ago.

Some might say Kris is being selfish for causing a chaos like this during their promotion just a few days before their first tour. I think this is a good time for Kris to make an impact on the point he wants to state and draw attention to the matter as a whole. If he had done this after their first tour, it is more likely that his effort will not be in limelight like this and if he is unlucky, he might be secretly thrown away like a piece of tissue paper. Some might say this is backstabbing and biting back the hand that fed you, but let’s think about it, even the most loyal dog will bite back at you if you corner it while beating it continuously. There is a limit to which an individual can take. Once that limit has exceeded, there will be rebounds.

Now that the damage is done and I feel like it’s irreversible at this point, there is not much the fans can do now rather than support who we believe in and watch as the event unfolds. I hope SM could give in this time round and negotiate with Kris on the terms and conditions in his contracts rather than nullifying it. Then again, I am not familiar with legal works so I am not sure whether you can retract your lawsuit at this point now. It hurts to see a band split like that and no band is ever the same after is has split and I speak this from my years of observing kpop fandoms. Everything just feels off when a part of the band breaks away.

[update:] the latest report said that Kris is suffering from myocarditis  . If being an idol is just too much to sacrifice for like this, it is definitely not worth it to continue down the path of physical and mental exhaustion.

If you have read everything above and reached here, congratulations and thank you so much for reading my rant/analysis. This is my personal view on the matter. You may have different take on it, which I would like to hear if you are going to be liberal about it.

Kris Wu Yi Fan, have strength! There are a lof of people who are rooting for you.

x
Rosie

 

 

 

Full House Thai

The Korean hit series Full House holds a special place in my heart. The arrogant Lee Young Jae, the happy-go-lucky attitude Han Ji Eun, the Mr.Nice Guy Yoo Min Hyuk and the antagonist Kang Hye Won made the drama into a hit series back in 2004, which was exactly 10 years ago.

Not so long ago, I found out that there is a Thai adaptation of the series, which will be in 20 episodes in contrast of the 16 episodes that the Korean series had. I am not going to lie, I was a bit skeptical about the drama because it’s a remake and let’s face it most of the remake or spin-offs hardly have an impression on me so I went for a drama-thon with so many doubts.

12 episodes later….. 

I take it back. This remake is really good. It’s very, very impressive.

First of all, let me take you through the cast.

Lee Young Jae is now called Mike in the Thai adaptation and he is played by Mike Pirath Nitipisankul, who is also called Mike D.Angelo (from his twitter and tumblr) He’s on instagram with the name m1keangelo. (I am getting so good at stalking celebrities online, which is slightly worrying)

And he looks like this

EXO-M fans, hold your hats. This is not your Kris Wu oppa. This is his older brother from another mother and father. They are two different people. Don’t believe? See it for yourself in the comparison picture below.

The resemblance is shocking. Isn’t it? I was very surprised too.

Han Ji Eun is now called Om-Am. And it’s played by Aom Sucharat Manaying. She is totally cute to the boot. Short, loveable and has an aura of a friendly person in the drama.

And she looks like this.

She’s really adorable. So petite and loveable!

Back to the drama review.

First of all, they did not follow the exact scripts of the previous drama, which is definitely a relief because there is a difference in cultures of both dramas (Korean and Thai) as well as the time that the drama took place in. The script writer made a few changes here and there but still stuck with the same personalities for characters with a few changes in the plot here and there.

Why would you enjoy it?

Full House is essentially a feel good drama that is very light, fun and filled with sweet moments. I doubt anyone would want to watch a drama that was made 10 years ago unless they lived through the drama together or has a special place for the drama in their heart. Even if you want to watch the original one, the resolution will be awful and the fashion is going to be out of place in your eyes (trust me, skinny jeans are not the rage back in 2004)

Full House Thai is the same but this is closer to modern day and something that you can relate to. It’s aesthetically pleasing with really good choice of setting. I particularly love the house that they filmed in and how clean and white they look.

Mike and Aom are relatively good actors. The first few episodes are going to be a bit awkward for you because that’s what I felt like when I started watching the series but the awkwardness melted away with time and it turns into awesomeness of pure fluff. Their chemistry is great especially during meal times scene.

One of the things I want to complain about the drama is about how they do not use the other cast as much. Because I only see Guy and Min only at the scene when they want to make each other jealous so I think the plot probably would have been better if they added a few more scenes with them to solidify the relationships between the characters but hey, I don’t know much about dramas, plot and scripts.

Fun fact: In Korean version, Young Jae and Ji Eun went to Thailand for their honeymoon. In Thai adaptation, Mike and Om-Am went to Korea for their honeymoon. It’s a little something but I find it very amusing.

I highly recommend you to watch it. You will definitely enjoy it if you are such an easy target for cute, romantic comedy with the slightest touch of antagonist in the series. I was tempted to write out the synopsis but I won’t spoil the fun for you. Go and check out the drama if you are looking for something a little different from Korean dramas. Maybe you will end up liking it. How do you find it? Ask Google. Just type if “Eng Sub Full House Thai” and you will see a lot of entries.

Have fun. And if you want to stalk the drama on social media #fullhousethai is way to go. I hope this series hit jackpot with international audience. It deserves it. 

Love,
Rosie

P.S. Thank you for Mike’s International fan club on Facebook for pictures.

God Granted Key’s Wish

First of all, I feel like I come out and blog when SHINee members go on We Got Married. My apologies. I do have a soft spot for that show for many reasons.

Right. If you are a Locket Freaks (That’s Key‘s self-announced fan club name for his fans on instagram, exclusively. But I’m not happy with Freaks though. I’m much happier with Lockets. Maybe it needs a little bit of getting used to), you will probably know that Key has declared his love for the show. I also believe that he is a good fit for the show since he has such an animated on-screen personality; fun, sassy, witty and motherly at times.  If you would look at his appearance on the show with APink’s Eunji alongside Taemin and NaEun, you can see he’s such an entertaining soul.

So, God decided that he put Key on the show and to make it even better, he’s on the global edition segment. I’m glad he is on that because I would like him to tackle the show with someone who is not Korean.

Who is the wife? It’s Yagi Arisa. I am not sure whether a lot of kpop fans will notice her but I’m sure you will definitely know her since she is one of Vivi’s main models. That is if you read Vivi… (please don’t judge me! lol.) She’s 95-er so definitely a lot younger than Key who is a 91-er. I nearly flipped out from terror when I found out her age…and then I realized she is 18. Yeah, talk about horrible maths skills. Japanese and French descent so I am pretty sure both of them will be very interesting. How do I know? Well, click.

What do I expect? I was expecting lots and lots of bickering since Key can be a nagging individual. But once I learned that it’s Arisa, my expectations melted away. Observing from how she looks during photoshoots, she gives off a very pure, quiet vibe. BUT! You can never tell. They might turn out to be one of the noisiest yet adorable couples in WGM history alongside Joongbo. 

Since the show is on global scale (and I hope it gets decent viewership), of course there will be a language barrier. But I am not too worried about that since I am pretty sure that Key know Japanese from his years of promotional activities in Japan and I believe he is pretty quick to pick up on languages due to his talkative nature. I am not worried about that.

Will I be watching? Definitely but not on week to week basis. I’ll be watching on a marathon scale so that I don’t feel the withdrawal symptoms. Lol.

Would anyone be watching? What are you thoughts on Arisa? Do you like her? Do you not like her? If so, who would you think Key should have been paired up with as his virtual wife? Or should they have him put on the Korean show instead?

Let me know if you have something to say! I’d love to read opinions.

Love,
Rosie

Edit: someone has came up with the shipping name and it’s Kibuagi (read: Kibu. Ahgi. Connect them together)

If I were an Idol

Do we all not wonder about this question? “What if I were an idol?”

I sometimes do, especially on days when I have nothing to do but sit around and ponder. It’s quite fun, really. No, you are not allowed to judge me. lol. As I have said it so many times, it is fun to let the imagination run wild.

By writing this post, by no means I want to be an idol seriously. Why not? Well, you’ll know at the end of this post. So, scroll away for answer but if you want to read my quirks, read on.

If I were an Idol –

I think I will be the member without much musical talent. I can be taught to sing in tune but I do not possess a raw vocal talent like Onew and Jonghyun. I can dance well, especially latin dance and pop dance so I will probably become the member who dances well. I have a strong belief that I will be the ‘jack of all trades but master of none’ because I am interested in so many thing. So, my position could vary from – main dancer/ sub dancer/ sub vocal aka the useless member. Okay, I can sense the possibility of being asked by the company for me to fix my face so that I can become the face of the group.

Actually, I want to be a travel reporter like Anthony Bourdain by going to different cities on unusual adventures and experience the culture there with a twist of an idol. Yup, that is totally me.

Shows I want to go on – We Got Married and Running Man. Hands down. I want my WGM partner to be either Key or Kris. I find those two very interesting(plus both of them are gorgeous in my eyes!) and it would be interesting to do a television show with them. Lol. Talk shows are not bad too but I will have to be extremely fluent in Korean to play clever word puns. Like, duh! Well, most of the shows are scripted so yeah..scratch that out. I don’t want to go on talk shows anymore. And no, I don’t want to go on Immortal Song and embarrass myself.

Acting? God no. I’ll end up laughing nonstop with the thought of the whole thing being very amusing to me.

Then again, I don’t think I’ll ever want to become an idol seriously. I mean, the long endless working hours, everyday trip to gyms, strict diet on day to day basis (if I want a custard tart, I want to eat it without the guilt), the constant fear of paparazzi and sasaengs, the mental strength to face netizen’s ruthless comments if things were to go wrong and last but not least, little to no freedom as a person.

Being an idol, or a celebrity, is a trade-off. You trade your life and soul in exchange for fame and money. It’s such a huge payment, really.

Anyway, if you were an idol, what type of idol would you like to, or have the potential to, become? Multi-talented like Key? Musically passionate like G-dragon? Or someone bursting with vocal talent like Jjong and Dubu?

Comment away, people. Comment away.

x
Rosie

K-wave Festival 2013

Yeah, I went to the Korean wave festival in Melbourne today.

My main reason to go to the festival was because of Eatyourkimchi, who are my favorite bloggers living in Korea. It’s very amusing to watch them on Youtube and see things about Korea, and sometimes Southeast Asia, from their perspectives. They were having a meet and greet event and unfortunately, they couldn’t meet every single one of their fans due to time limitations so tickets were given out. I swear I have never been this desperate to get a ticket to meet them. Lol. They are like my non-related relatives for me because I stumbled upon them on Youtube back in 2008 and ever since then, I followed them because 1, they have similar sense of humor like me. 2, watching them makes me feel like I’m back home for some odd reason.

The downside of the meet and greet ticket was that it was not sold but is given away so you have to bet on your luck to get them. I screamed bloody murder to get a ticket and that kind of shows my level of desperation. And of course, I got the tickets! Oh yey happy days!

Simon and Martina are not different from how I see them on screen. They are very friendly, bubbly and witty. Martina is seriously pretty and so adorable! Her pink hair just brightens up everyone’s mood, or at least it had that effect on me. Simon, on the other hand, is a very soft huggable person. How do I know? Because I hugged them! HA!! I was so glad I could meet them in person! It’s like “ermehgard, I’ve been following you guys for year and now you appear in front of me!”

Oh, I saw DarrenTP and JohnnyUnleashed from Youtube too. I only found out about Johnny at the event. He’s really, really cute like a bunny rabbit. In fangirl term, he’s so precious. Lol. Darren is way taller than I imagined and I really like his small pony tail. Of course, their dance covers were really good.

I saw Miryo from Brown Eyed Girls too!!! She is totally adorable and cute to boot. She’s not the usual fierce rapper we see on screen. She’s really sweet and very dainty.

So, that was the highlight of the event. Let’s move on to other performances of the event.

There were, of course, dance covers, singing covers, performances and last but not least, food.

Thanks to the festival coordinators, I am now addicted to Janggu, a traditional Korean drum. It could either be the guy who performed with such passion or that the actual piece he played was really good. Dudes who can play musical instrument are sexy

Thankfully, there were no kpop groups attending the event because I just cannot imagine with level of screams if there was a group attending. They just scream their hearts out even if it’s a dance cover and it never fails to startle me whenever the fangirls go into scream-o mode. There were local dance crews and artists who do kpop covers. I thought I was a pretty hardcore fangirl but no…there were people who are are different levels from me. If I have to speak in terms…I’m at elementary school level while most of them are at Ph.D student level. That’s how the enthusiasm differs.

I’ll never be at that level. I mean, I even find it very hard to follow SHINee closely these days.

The performances were okay. I don’t want to sound like a music snob and provide detailed review about all of them. But, here are a few complaints I have.

Dancers. Please, be enthusiastic. Or at least pretend to. If you are not, don’t dance at all. Put some sass and force. Some were really good but some of the dancers were just plain awful. They had dead-pan, uninterested faces and their moves were like lazy limbs frolicking on stage. It was a pain to watch them suffer on stage. It’s not that I can dance better. I can’t dance in public to save my life. I take my time out to watch you guys and please, make it worthwhile for me because you chose to perform for people on the stage.

There were good cover singers, who had raw talent that just need to be polished but some made my ears bleed. Again, not pointing out individuals.

I know they are covers but even if it is, put your heart and soul into it because if you are genuine enough, you will definitely shine. Don’t do it because you want to be popular or because other people do it. Do it because you really want to.

There, I’ve said it.

It was admiral to meet people who share similar interests like me. It’s good to be in the crowd which radiates energy. I hope there are more events in the future because I would totally go there.

Now that I have a taste and feel of how a kpop event is like. I am kind of imagining scenarios when I finally get to attend either SHINee or EXO concerts. I’ll need VIP tickets so that I get extra privileges, ear plugs to filter out the fangirl screams and something to keep myself calm so that I don’t faint from excitement after seeing the idols in flesh, especially Key, Kris, Luhan, Tao, Suho and Kai. 

Did any of you who stumbled on my blog went there? What are your thoughts? Please let me know if you went!

Until next post.

Love,
Rosie