Girl Groups in Korea!

Unlike before, girl groups are flourishing and dominating the Korean music industry. They call it the "Golden Age of Girl Groups" because there are so many of them and they're getting popular and popular day by day. Girl groups in Korea have members that have very strong characteristics and their cute/pretty faces and slim bodies attract not only boys, but also girls. Today, I'll talk about some of the most famous girl groups in Korea!

1. SNSD or Girls Generation

"Girls generation…… tell me your wish « myKoREanStaRs." myKoREanStaRs. N.p., 21 Nov. 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. .

Girls Generation is most definitely the most popular girl group in Korea right now. Each member is very talented in acting, singing, and dancing. Every song they release easily win first place in the K-pop chart and they've been chosen as the best artist in Korea last year.
Their most famous song, "Gee":

Girls Generation's most recent song, "Run Devil Run":

They made a big change on their image this year!

2. Wonder Girls:

"Wonder Girls Signed on as Exclusive Models for KTF Ever CF « Wonder Girls Wonderland." Wonder Girls Wonderland. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. .

The Wonder Girls has many hit songs. Recently, they've moved to the United States to expand their field but I'm sure that they'll easily be on the top of the K-pop chart when they return. They made a big hit out of a song called "Tell Me" and continued the popularity with songs, "So Hot", "The Fool" and "Nobody". They're the group that led to the trend of hook songs in the K-pop industry. Hook songs are songs that have a repetitive melody that makes the listeners strongly attached to the song. These songs are often very addictive but I think you get tired of it pretty easily. However, I think hook songs are pretty fun!
WG's hit songs:
-Tell Me

-So Hot

-Nobody


3. Brown Eyed Girls:

"download Brown Eyed Girls - Vol. 3 - Sound - G (Repackaged Album) [2009.10.29] rapidshare megaupload | www.dimazdizon.com." dimazdizon.com | Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indonesian Mp3 Free Download. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. .

Compared to other girl groups, the Brown Eyed Girls are very old. However, this factor of the Brown Eyed Girls led to their success. Unlike other girl groups, who have the cute and lovely image, they have a sexy and more mature image. They made a big break with the song, "Abracadabra".


4. 2NE1:

"2NE1 – I Don’t Care « LocaBuzz Latest Craving." LocaBuzz Latest Craving. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. .

This group is a very unique girl group. It's been their first year after their debut but they have lots fans! They're fans are mostly girls unlike other girl groups. This is because their songs created an image of a strong girl and many girls look up to them as role models of a cool woman. One of their song, "I Don't Care" is a good example.


5. Kara:

"Honey by Kara « Biraincute’s Blog." Biraincute’s Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. .

Last but not least, it Kara. Kara has five members and they're all very cute and lovely. I think Kara has a very feminine and cute image. Kara fans say that that's Kara's biggest, most powerful attraction. Kara also has many fans in Japan and almost one third of them are girls! This is very unusual for a girl group but Japanese female fans say that they admire them and look up to them because they're so cute and pretty. However, Kara recently changed their image with the new song, "Lupin".

[Before] Cute&Feminine Kara:


I'm looking forward to other, new girl groups too! For example, 4minute, t-ara, and f(x). I wish they continue their successful reputations.

Reasons for K-Pop Boom!!

Why K-Pop? You might wonder.. Ten years ago, Japanese music was the most sophisticated and popular; however, now things have changed. Along with Korea’s rapid development in technology, trends move extremely fast. Some trends can include fashion, arts, food, and the most famous of all, Korean music, also know as K-Pop.
K-Pop (Korean Pop Music) has been heavily influenced by pop music in the U.S. and partially some Japanese (but not a major one). Korean music industries are small and therefore competitive. Due to such fierce competition, before Korean idols make their debut, they go through a long period of training period. If they are not trained, they cannot survive in the industry. First of all, as I mentioned, the market is extremely competitive and numerous Korean citizens, even the common people, have amazing singing and dancing skills. Therefore, if a singer does not seem professional on stage, the citizens do not embrace them. In order to attract fans and gain popularity, idol stars in Korea must have the talent and the looks.
On the other hand, popular Japanese idols have don't have high quality skills in singing. This is because Japanese people don't consider idols as artists/singers, they consider idols as entertainers. The main role of an idol in Japan is to make people happy and to be on television shows. This perspective is very different from that of Korea, where idols are also expected to perform at the level of an artist and also be a good entertainer.
Another possible reason of the K-Pop boom is the small Korean music market. Along with the fierce competition, Korean idols have to expand their market to Japan and other Asian countries. Although the Korean music industry is full of amazing artists, they all cannot profit from Korea's small music industry. Moreover, since illegal downloading is widely spread in Korea, Korean artists cannot earn much profit by selling albums just in Korea. Therefore, many artists aim for the Japanese music market or the Chinese/Taiwanese markets. In order to succeed in these foreign markets, K-Pop stars must produce high quality music and perform well on stage.
With these reasons being said, K-Pop stars having such a dominant role in the whole Asian music industry is not an unusual result.

The "Hallyu" Boom

The word "Hallyu" (한류-韓流) means the "Korean wave", which refers to the influence/boom of Korean pop culture all over the world. Currently, Korean pop music (a.k.a. K-Pop) is dominating the whole Asian music industry. Starting from the closest countries Japan, China, and Taiwan it also reached the southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and so on. Korean artists' albums are sold a lot and there are fans all over Asia. Songs by Korean artists are often found within the top 10 songs of the local music charts in other Asian countries and music videos from Korean artists have millions of views on youtube. The views are from people all over the world and Korean idols are more popular than the idols of their own country.
Korea was just known a small country on the east coast of China, but now Korea has become the country with the most influential culture in Asia. China and other countries often rearrange or even copy Korean pop music and their performances. Moreover, Korean dramas, movies, food, and anything related to Korea is gaining great popularity all over the globe. Well.. how did this Hallyu become so popular all around Asia? In my blog, I will talk about the trends of Hallyu, the reasons for such great popularity, and I will introduce some key artists leading the Hallyu wave. Moreover, I will analyze the political and social impacts of Hallyu in East Asia.

Eita&Kimura Kaela is Getting Married!

http://blog.naver.com/choco221?Redirect=Log&logNo=110087251385

Eita, a very popular Japanese actor is getting married soon. His fiance is Kimura Kaela who is a very popular Japanese singer. She is a very talented musician and she’s been going out with Eita for about a year. They’ve just announced that Kimura Kaela is pregnant with Eita’s baby for five months already. Having a baby before they get married is getting really common in Asia. Before, Asians used to be really conservative and they thought getting pregnant before getting married was a very bad thing. They reacted as if they did something illegal but now they’re more open minded. Just like Eita and Kimura Keala, couples like Kwon Sang Woo and Son Tae Young, and Jang Dong Kun and Ko So Young in Korea got a baby before getting married. The news of Eita and Kimura Keala’s marriage is spreading all through out Asia because Eita is a rising Japanese star, who is also very popular in Korea. They’re both also fairly young to get married, Eita is twenty-eight years-old and Kimura Keala is twenty-six. Currently, Eita is starring in a drama that I’m watching, Hard to Say I Love You. I wonder how Eita’s marriage would affect the drama because Asian stars tend to loose a little bit of popularity when they get married. However, I really support their marriage and they look so cute together. They’re such a good couple!

Very cute commercial starring Kimura Kaela!


My favorite commercial of Eita!


They're both very cute and handsome. I wonder how they're baby would look like!

Super Junior!

http://twitpic.com/1lnj7j

Super Junior is a very famous idol group in Korea made up of thirteen members: Leeteuk (leader), Heechul, Yesung, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, Kibum, and Kyuhyun. On May 13th, Super Junior is releasing their fourth album, Bonamana. However, only ten members are part of this album because Kangin is serving military service that's required by the country, Kibum is focusing on his acting, and Hankyung is currently in a conflict with the entertainment company, SM Entertainment. Since Super Junior has many members, each member has very different talents, which makes SJ attract more fans.

Since there are so many members in Super Junior, I'll just introduce you my favorite member in Super Junior, Siwon!

http://blog.naver.com/ourloves7?Redirect=Log&logNo=20101076531

The was born on February 10th, 1987 in South Korea. He is very well known in Korea for his handsome face and his great body! Currently, he is starring in a drama, "Oh! My Lady" and it's doing very well. The drama's towards the end now and I'm really proud of him for finishing the drama! I think he's the best member in Super Junior! (even though some fans might argue with this.. but it's just my personal opinion!)

The video below is the teaser of SJ's fourth album, Bonamana!


(Click to go to SJ's official web page!)

Personal Taste!

http://yatotchronicles.blogspot.com/2010/02/watch-personal-tastepreference-online.html

Personal Taste(also known as Personal Preference) is a drama that brings the hottest issues among women these days. Especially the main character, Jin Ho Jun (acted by Min Ho Lee, biggest rising actor) attracted lots and lots of fans. This drama is a drama about a middle aged woman (Gae In Park, acted by Ye Jin Son)who is too kind and naive and a guy who is very cold and ambitious. In the beginning the woman thinks that the guy is gay. Even though he is not, the guy pretends to be because of a special reason. However, the woman becomes to like him and struggles a lot because she thinks he's a gay man.

This is the trailer!

Ye Jin Son:

http://bonitasia.blogspot.com/2009/04/son-ye-jin.html

Min Ho Lee:

http://keryn-pink-paradise.blogspot.com/2010/03/personal-taste.html

This drama caught my attention because my favorite actress, Ye Jin Son is starring as the main character. She's one of Korea's most famous actresses! Min Ho Lee, who is starring as the other main character, is the biggest rising actor in Korea right now. He made a huge break out from the very famous drama, Boys Over Flowers. He attracts many fans in Korea with his handsome face and his height. Koreans are obsessed with height, including my parents, so being tall in this country is a very very good. Fortunately, Min Ho Lee's height is 187cm or about 6.1 feet. I actually hateMd Min Ho Lee when I watched Boys Over Flowers but I became a huge fan after watching a few episodes of Personal Taste.

My favorite scene from Personal Taste! I hope you enjoy!

My Favorite Actresses in Korea and Japan!

Korea
1. Ye Jin Son
I really like how she has a pure and cute image. I really love her eyes when she smiles. If you're interested in her, you should watch her recent drama, Personal Taste. I really recommend this drama because it's really funny!

2. Ji Won Ha
She became famous all around Korea with the drama, The Bali Story. This drama actually created many famous star actors, such as: Ji sub So and In Sung Cho.

3. Se Kyung Shin
Se Kyung Shin is a rising young actress in Korea. She just turned twenty years-old this year. She recently starred in a really famous television show, High Kick Through the Rooftop. She made her debut in a music video of a legendary Korean pop singer, Taiji Seo in 1998.

Japan
1. Erika Toda
I really like Erika because she has a really pretty face, she's very good at acting, and she seems to have a very good personality. Compared to most Japanese women, her voice is low and husky voice. I think this makes her really unique actress in Japan.

2. Keiko Kitagawa
I think Keiko is the prettiest actress in Japan. I first saw her in a drama, Buzzer Beat and she was just gorgeous. Her long hair, big eyes, and small face made her look like a well made Barbie doll. She made her debut as a model of a magazine and slowly moved on to become an actress. Although she is not very good at acting yet, I think she has a lot of potential of becoming the number one actress in Japan soon. I'll be supporting her until then!

3. Yuko Takeuchi
Takeuch Yuko is actually not very young; she turned thirty years-old this year! However, she is still gorgeous. She is very famous for the movie Be With You.

Most Loved Star in Taiwan, Jay Chou!

"주걸륜." naverblog. N.p., 22 Dec. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2010. .

Jay Chou is a very famous Taiwanese celebrity. He's was born in Taiwan on January 18th, 1979 (I have the same birthday as him!). He is very talented; he works as an actor, singer, song writer, director, and a producer. The most important thing is that he has succeeded in all of the areas listed before. I got to know him while I was studying Chinese. I started learning Chinese about three years ago and while my Chinese teacher was teaching me about Chinese culture, she told me about Jay Chou. I became his fan after watching the movie Secret. Jay Chou directed, co-wrote, and played as the main character in this movie. Isn't that amazing?! This was Jay Chou's debut film as a director in 2007 and it was a big hit. It won several awards and with this movie, Jay became an even bigger star in Asia. He was already known as a successful musician but he took another step and it was a success. His courage and continuous passion towards improvement and new, inexperienced things made him really attractive. Honestly, I don't think he's good looking but his thoughts and attitude is surely very attractive to everyone. I believe these aspects of him led to his big fame and popularity. I think Jay Chou is an amazing celebrity!
(Click here for more info. on Jay Chou!)

Movie
Secret movie trailer!


It's an amazing love story!

These are my favorite scenes from the movie, Secret. Enjoy! (The person wearing the black jacket, who plays the second is Jay Chou!)

As you can see, Jay Chou is a fabulous pianist. It's himself who's playing all that!


I love this scene! Aren't they so cute?

I strongly recommend you to watch this movie. I've watched it three times already and it's fun every time I watch it!
(Click here for more info. on Secret!)

Music
I want to introduce some of my favorite songs by Jay Chou!
1) 我不配 (I'm Not Worthy)


2) 最长的电影 (The Longest Movie)


3) 東風破 (East Wind Breaks)



Jay composes all the songs his sings, which is fairly rare in Asia. It's amazing how he is capable of doing so many things. I love his voice: it's really sweet and comforting. There are much more songs by Jay other than these three. If you're interested, you can ask me through the comments!

Jay is an amazing celebrity. I wish you got to learn about him through this post!

Hana Yori Dango (花より男子)

As I informed you before in the previous posting, today, I'll introduce you to a drama that is very popular all around Asia. This drama, "Hana Yori Dango" was made in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. The original story was made as a comic in Japan but as it became popular, it was made into dramas all over Asia. I'm a really big fan of Hana Yori Dango so I read the original comic and watched all the different version it. It's a really fun love story and especially entertaining for teenage girls like me!

Synopsis: "Boys Over Flowers" is a love story between a boy who seems to be perfect, who is from a very wealthy family (Domyoji Tsukasa) and a normal girl from a common low class family (Makino Tsukushi). In the drama, there are four boys called the F4, who are sons of very rich families. The leader of F4 is the one who falls in love with the very poor girl but there are many events that separate them from loving each other. The story is about a series of conflicts and hardships that the two main characters go through to reach their happy ending.

F4 (Flower Four) - Four boys who are from extremely wealthy families (most popular boys in the school).
1. Domyoji Tsukasa
He falls in love with Makino(the main character) in the story.


2. Hanazawa Rui He's Domyoji’s best friend but they run into a conflict because Makino likes Rui in the beginning of the story.


3. Nishikado Sojiro
Makino's best friend, Yuki's admirer. He doesn't believe that true love exists.




4. Akira Mimasaka
A member of F4.





This is a video comparing the actors/actresses and the scenes from the three versions!



My favorite version of Hana Yori Dango is the Japanese version. It had a beautiful scenes and actresses were very good in acting out their parts. On the other hand, some of the actors and actresses in the Korean and Taiwanese version weren't experience which made their acting seem very awkward.
This is one of my favorite scene from the Japanese version! It's really beautiful!


Hana Yori Dango is a very famous comic/drama all over Asia. I wish more people watch or read this fantastic dramas or comic. If you're going to watch the drama, I recommend watching the Japanese version! I hope you enjoyed!