Asian Candy Pop

Midweek Update

2009-09-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

This is your midweek update for the third week of September, giving you some of the latest news in one post so I don't have to make a ton of them.

Our first mention is the sweet-amazing G-Dragon. Why is he here, you ask? No, not because of his four consecutive wins on Music Bank for his performances of Heartbreaker, no, not because of the rumored chemistry between him and 2NE1's Dara, but because of four--yes, four--plagiarism accusations from Sony ATV.

Sony ATV holds 10% of the rights to Flo Rida's "Right Round" and 100% of the rights to Oasis's "She's Electric."

But it's not just "Heartbreaker" and "Butterfly" that are under fire, but also Big Bang's "With U" and 2NE1's "I Don't Care." I can't quite remember what "With U" supposedly plagiarized, but "I Don't Care" was claimed to plagiarize "Just Go" by Lionel Ritchie.

Wow. The 2NE1 and Big Bang songs totally threw me for a loop. These plagiarism charges have put a smear on Big Bang and G-Dragon's solo career. But I doubt there will be any negative publicity for 2NE1; too many hardcore 2NE1 fans for that to happen. >.>

Secondly, we've got the issue of 2PM's former leader, Jae-bum.

A recent poll from popular Korean celebrity gossip blog POPSEOUL! has shown that there are quite a few 2PM fans who are no longer going to support the group because of Jae-bum's absence. Out of 2,858 votes (as of 5:50 PM U.S. Central Time), 64% of them said that they're no longer going to support 2PM.

It makes me feel sorry for the other six boys who are working so hard to keep their fans happy. Which leads me to believe--was 2PM really just a Jae-bum show?

Well, this is all I've got for the midweek update. Remember to vote in our Eye Candy Poll! October is a month abounding with dark and playful fun because of the upcoming Halloween holiday. So our poll is of the hottest visual J-Rock stars! You've only got six days left to vote, so vote before your time runs out!

Tae-Goon is one Sexy Beast. :P

2009-09-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Oh yes. Yes he is.

Tae-Goon (also called "The Second RAIN") is releasing his third single titled "Betrayed." The MV dropped on September 16th.

Alright, I'd never heard of Tae-Goon before. Nor did I know that he's already released three mini-albums prior to this. But damn! This guy's got it going on! All of Rain's style in the form of a cuter guy and a more fluid dancer. Not saying that I don't love Rain, but Tae-Goon's starting to put him to shame a little bit.
*stares at Tae-Goon's picture* Actually, to me, he looks like the product of throwing Christofer Drew Ingle (of NeverShoutNever!) in a blender with Rain to make a new person. And boy, the outcome is gorgeous!!!

"Betrayed" is an absolutely amazing song. Check out the MV for it here:

~Anime Candy: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni~

2009-09-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is a psychological horror dojin game that evolved into a successful TV series and manga series, created by 07th Expansion (who also made the dojin game Umineko no Naku Koro ni)

The story follows a young boy named Keiichi Maebara, who is a new arrival to the rural town of Hinamizawa. There he meets Mion Sonozaki, the resident tombody, Rena Ryugu, the girl who thinks everything is adorable, Rika Furude, the preistess girl, and Satoko Hojo, the local prankster. He becomes fast friends with all four of them, and soon joins their after school game club.
But after hearing about a dismemberment murder that happened four years prior to his arrival, things around Hinamizawa become much more sinsiter, especially after the unveiling of Oyashiro-sama's curse. For the last four years, one person has died and one person has gone missing on the night of the Watanagashi Festival. As Keiichi's suspicions grow, he learns that maybe...he can't even trust his friends...

The Higurashi no Naku Koro ni anime series contain the following arcs: Onikakushi-hen, Watanagashi-hen, Tatarigoroshi-hen, Himatsubushi-hen, Meakashi-hen, and Tsumihorobishi-hen. In each chapter, there's a new set of victims and a new set of bad guys. Meakashi-hen and Tsumihorobish-hen are considred "answer arcs," as they show what happened in Onikakushi-hen and Watanagashi-hen in new light. The "answer acrs" for Tatarigoroshi-hen and Himatsubushi-hen won't be revealed until the second season of the anime, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is a very violent, gory, graphic anime series. If you're squeamish, then you should avoid this series, or at least watch the censored versions. But if you watch uncensored, be prepared to see people stabbed, bashed to death with lead pipes/baseball bats, disemboweled corpses, fingernails getting ripped off, people getting tasered, people getting their heads split open...and I think that's it. So either way, this series is definitely rated R on TV airplay, and if you're watching uncensored, it's probably NC-17 for series of extreme violence.

The opening theme song for this season is "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" by Eiko Shimamiya.
The closing theme song for this season is "why, or why not" by Katakiri Reika? (I don't know her name, so yeah.)

Series Rating:

4/5

Recommdended Episodes/Arcs:

The entire Meakashi and Tsumihorobishi arcs. They're just pure win.

~Nipaaaaaaaaaaah!

Jae-bum...quits 2PM?!!!!

2009-09-08T04:43:00.000-07:00

My heart goes out to him right now.

After some Korea-bashing comments were found on his MySpace page, netizens were sent into an uproar. But the thing about it is--these comments were from three/four years ago. Not only that, but this was when he had just arrived in Korea and was having difficulties adjusting. It's only natural for a person to vent their feelings somewhere, and MySpace is a common outlet! The poor dear!!
Jae-bum made a public apology for his words, but apparently the netizens don't seem to care. They've already blown the entire situation out of proportion, ruined an innocent man's career, and successfully run him out of the country. People have made petitions for him to commit suicide!!! If that's not blowing things out of the water, then I don't know what is.

Jae-bum has left Korea yesterday evening, and arrived here in the States at about midnight this morning. He's going to Seattle to stay with his family while JYP will discuss his future.

As POPSEOUL! said, we need to stand by him! Here's the link to a "SUPPORT LEADER JAY PARK" petition (http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/supportleaderjaypark) that I think we all should sign. Already 5,000 people over the goal in three days.

We need to show Jae-bum that we all love him, and that he shouldn't quit the group (and I'm not even a 2PM fan.)

JAE-BUM FIGHTING!

UPDATE:
Do you want to know what's worse? The fact that the netizens responsible for leaking those archaic MySpace comments...are trying to apologize! It's a little too late for apologies. The damage has been done, not only to his career, but to his self esteem, too. Poor Jae-bum. Poor, poor boy. I'm not even a hue 2PM fan, and this just hurts my heart. If I could, I'd definitely give him a hug and try to comfort him. It's what I'd want someone to do for me.

[thanks to POPSEOUL!]

~September Eye Candy: G-Dragon~

2009-09-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

Shabang! :) I've actually gotten Eye Candy up on the first day of the month for the first time, like, ever! :DDDDDD

This month, we've got the leader of Big Bang...G-Dragon! This cutie has been through a lot recently! He released his first solo album, Heartbreaker (click the title to see my review for it.), and got a lot of plagiarism accusations, although only one of them was serious.

Now anyway, enjoy the pictures of the luscious G-Dragon, and don't forget to vote in the poll for October's Eye Candy! October is going to be the month where Japanese visual rock stars abound, as I'm choosing the hottest ones to go in the poll! Vote! :D

(Teehee...he has cute pink boxers. :P)

(He looks so "fabulous" in this one. ;D)

(Because I love you guys and GD, I've added this extra pic.)

Girl Groups Galore!

2009-08-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

2NE1 and 4minute have awoken the devil.

Since those two girl groups made their debut in the summer, they've been followed up by a plague--and I mean plague--of other girl groups.
Let's make a list, shall we?
There's Twiny, Flying Girls, Honeysh, f(x), and TEN who have all come out on the Korean pop music scene.

I'm gonna talk about Twiny first. The members of this group are Seo Kyeong and Sung Hee. They're another girl group going for the whole "cute-and-sexy" look. But apparently, cute-and-sexy is in style, so record labels are going to sell it for all its worth. The girls also sing dance music (no surprise there.) I haven't heard their debut song, "Flutter", yet, but I really want to.

Both of these girls have been continually bashed for their skinniness. I think that a person gains weight on their own time, and that people should leave them alone. >.> But then, the girl in the blue's wrists looks awfully bony...

Flying Girls are next on my list. Out of all of the girl groups that I've seen debut so far, these girls have got to be my favorite. They had Brown Eyed Girls rapper Miryo to do the rap part in their debut track, "Girl's Hot."

Their debut is a mini album called "Girl's Hot" and consists of three tracks--"Girl's Hot," "Plus Minus," and "Love." It's set to be released on September 7th. Well, three original tracks at once--that's a lot more than what I've seen these other new girl groups come out with. Hooray for Flying Girls! I have a feeling that they're going to produce some great music--"Girl's Hot" sounds great!

Honeysh is third on my list. They received a lot of controversy over the content of one of their teaser trailers, which invloved a close-up of one of the members' breasts (although, she was wearing a pink checkered bikini top), and showing one of the girls making out with a guy.

Honeysh also works in the dance genre, with fun dance tunes that you want to, well, dance around to. I don't really have much to say about Honeysh, besides the fact that they're also trying to use the "cute-and-sexy" look to their advantage. Although, they might be trying to add more "sexy" than "cute."

f(x) is the newest addition from SM Entertainment. They're...probably going to be a little bit different from the rest. They've got a different look, that's for sure. It's...I don't know how to say it. A little bit darker, I guess?

And then there's Amber, an androgynous tomboy who looks a lot like Mickey from the Mirotic days.
Their song, Lachata, has been leaked, and I just took a listen.
Actually, they're nothing that stands out; pretty mediocre, I'd say.

TEN is the last girl group I'm going to talk about in this post.

They've gotten a lot of buzz for their "homosexual marketing" tactics (via two girls holding hands and two girls in their underwear hugging). Apparently, they're going for the sexy look, too.

They've gotten a lot of comparisons to girl group t.A.T.u., who also used lesbian marketing to their advantage, and were a big hit in their time. Is TEN their Korean successors? Let's hope so! t.A.T.u. produced some great music! (In my eyes, anyway.)

Well, now that I've written up some information about each of them, let's list debut singles/mini-albums/studio albums now!

Twiny - Flutter (Single)

Flying Girls - Girl's Hot (Mini-album)

Honeysh - Shall I Get Married (Mini-album)

f(x) - Lachata (Single)

TEN - Cheer up (Studio album)

~Review Candy: G-Dragon - Heartbreaker~

2009-08-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, well after all of the plagiarism accusations and a personal love for the album, Heartbreaker has topped my list of "things to review." But first, before we go any further, let's list all of the accusations in order from "most serious" to "least serious."

-"Heartbreaker" accused of plagiarizing "Right Round" by Flo-rida
-"Butterfly" accused of plagiarizing "She's Electric" by Oasis
-"Boy" accused of plagiarizing "Not Ur Girl" by Katharine McPhee
-Concept art accused of plagiarizing a Lee Jun-ki photo shoot
-Album art accused of plagiarizing Spiritualized's 2001 album art "Let It Come Down"
-"The Leaders" accused of plagiarizing "Drop It Like It's Hot" by Snoop Dog
-Album title "Heartbreaker" accused of plagiarizing Kanye West's album title "808s & Heartbreak."

That's a pretty bad list of accusations. (The last two accusations I've just heard randomly through forums, and are not widely supported by a large fan and/or anti base.)

But what does Sony ATV music have to say about this? (This company owns 10% of the rights to "Right Round" and 100% of the rights to "She's Electric.")

All 10 composers to "Right Round" have not all expressed their opinion on this issue. We have sent samples of G-Dragon's songs to the parties involved for the two songs "Right Round" and "She's Electric." There are indeed similarities between "Heartbreaker" and "Right Round" and "Butterfly" and "She's Electric," but it's hard to say if it's plagiarism at this stage. We will all go with the final decision of the composers to the songs. (Information from K Bites)

So now, we just need to wait and see what the composers of the songs say before it can be considered plagiarism or not.

Now onto the review!!

Tracklist:
1. A Boy
2. Heartbreaker
3. Breathe
4. Butterfly (feat. Jin Jung)
5. Hello (feat. Dara)
6. Gossip man (feat. Kim GunMo)
7. Korean Dream (feat. Taeyang)
8. The Leaders (feat. Teddy and CL)
9. She's Gone (feat. Kush)
10. One Year Station

The opening track A Boy definitely gets you hooked from first listen. It's one of the "funkier" songs on the album, with an interesting series of electrobeats in the opening. G-Dragon's voice sounds wonderful on this, and the melody of the chorus is addictive.

Heartbreaker is the title track and the second track of the album. It's the focal point of the whole G-Dragon plagiarism deal. But beside this well-known fact, G-Dragon's voice blends beautifully with the electronic sound of the music and sounds wonderful! The bubbly chorus makes you just wanna dance. The MV is absolutely amazing, though! For me, the song isn't complete without its surreal music video partner.

Track three is Breathe. The first few seconds of this song was played on the music video for Heartbreaker. This song is definitely one of my favorites, with its uplifting chorus and catchy verses.

Butterfly is completely different from every other track on the album. It's purely acoustic, minus a few electrobeats at the beginning of the chorus. G-Dragon wrote the song to describe the feelings of first love. It's definitely a pretty good song for that, too. The powerful lyrics combined with the music reminds you of the one you love the most. As GD says, close your eyes and think of them.

Hello is my favorite track on the album. The chorus is definitely the catchiest off the entire album, and you always wanna get up and dance to it. The spoken intro is golden. This song features Dara...and her voice totally steals the spotlight. When you get to her part in the chorus, you just want to keep listening to her for the rest of the song. G-Dragon can't really compare to Dara here.

Gossip man was the first full track from the album that was leaked. It's relatively nondescript, but it can also get stuck in your head from days on end. The beat for this song is like just about every other one on the album--you wanna get up and dance to it.

Korean Dream is a great song, for sure. The first thing you'll notice about it is that it's a collaboration with fellow Big Bang member, Taeyang. The melody is so, so, so great. My favorite part? "One, two, step and turn left, to the right 바로 서!. Ladies and gentlemen." =3 I absolutely love the chorus. =P

The Leaders is track eight on the album, and a collaboration with other popular YG singers Teddy and CL. It seems much shorter than it is, really. I didn't even think that it was nearly four minutes when I first listened to it. The song really wouldn't be anything without CL in it. Once again, the 2NE1 girl steals the show. I love the spoken parts at the end. ^^ This song has such a great beat--perfect for blasting in the car.

She's Gone is one that I never really listen to; it's not much of an attention grabber. It has a nice enough beat with it, but it isn't one that I would have put on the album. ^^;;;

One Year Station is another upbeat dance track. The melody is really cute, but around this point in the album you're getting tired of upbeat dance tracks. ^^;;;; Either way, it's still pretty nice.

Overall Rating:
4/5

Recommended Tracks:
Heartbreaker
Butterfly
Hello
Korean Dream
The Leaders

Enough Already!

2009-08-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Only a few more days until the release of G-Dragon's first solo album, "Heartbreaker," and he's already going to end up the most searched person on Korean web--not because of interest in the album, but for interest in the five plagiarism accusations that's tacked to this album.

First off, there's the most well known and the most serious "Heartbreaker" plagiarism accusation. After thirty seconds of the song being released, and netizens began talking about the similarities, Hollywood bigwigs got involved with the accusation of G-Dragon plagiarizing Flo-rida's "Right Round." Yes, I'll admit--the electrobeats in the first verse of both songs sound strikingly similar. But it's only thirty seconds of a song that could range from three and a half to five and a half minutes.

Secondly, "Heartbreaker" and "Butterfly" have both been accused of copying "She's Electric" by Oasis. Now, I've compared this song to the teasers for both of these songs, and they sound nothing alike. So that isn't a valid charge, really.

Thirdly, "Boy" is said to be plagiarizing "Not Ur Girl" by Katharine McPhee. Okay, before I say anything else, I must make this comment--would G-Dragon even know who Katharine McPhee is?! I mean, seriously. I don't think that the songs sound too similar, either.

Fourthly, the concept art for the album is accused of copying Lee Jun-ki's photo shoot for "JStyle," in which Jun-ki also sported white hair, smokey eyeshadow, and extreme paleness. One striking difference, however, is G-Dragon's use of unqiue style and splashes of color. If you compare the two photos, you'll see that there's enough difference with G-Dragon's that it can't be plagiarism.

Fifthly, the cover art for "Heartbreaker" is said to copy the cover art for American band Spiritualized's 2001 album "Let It Come Down." Now, how likely is G-Dragon to have intentionally copied them, if I live in the United States and I've never heard of Spiritualized in my entire life?

The only things that haven't seemed to have gotten any criticism or plagiarism accusations are his leaked track "Gossip man" and his preview for "The Leaders" which features Teddy and CL.

I feel very, very sorry for G-Dragon with this whole thing. I can tell that people have been trying to come up with charges against G-Dragon. However, I think that a lot of these accusations are invalid, since there's plenty of difference to a lot of these things.

I, personally, am mucho excited for G-Dragon's album! Patiently (or maybe not so patiently) waiting for the release! =3

~Eye Candy: Tsuyoshi Domoto and Reita~

2009-08-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, I totally apologize for being so behind in "Eye Candy." I forgot to post for Tsuyoshi last month, and I'm running out of time for Reita this month. I've cut the Eye Candy poll for September a little short (by mistake), and now that there's only six days to vote, I might as well keep it that way.
The previous total for the poll before I changed the layout was: G-Dragon = 2 votes, T.O.P. = 3 votes. Now we've got three votes for G-Dragon, three votes for T.O.P., and one vote to Taeyang.

Now, we've got Reita, the super-hot bassist (?) for the awesome J-Rock band, the GazettE.

I promise, promise, promise that I'll do better on getting the Eye Candy posts up! For September, I won't put the pictures up right after the poll closes; there will still be a lot left of August, and I might just run part three of the poll. >.> But I won't post Eye Candy until the first or second day of September.

Remember, the current Eye Candy standings are this:

Taeyang = 1
Seungri = 0
G-Dragon = 3
T.O.P. = 3
Daesung = 0

1 Week Left!!

2009-08-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, just one week left until the release of G-Dragon's solo album! I've got this marked on my calendar and I'm counting down the days!
G-Dragon has *recently* replaced Seungri as my favorite Big Bang member. T.O.P. has got second position. **sigh** I never realized how great that G-Dragon actually was until I re-listened to Big Bang's Since 2007 album and heard his cover of "This Love" by Maroon 5. Ah-may-zing. =P

Okay, so, to my knowledge, G-Dragon has released two *titled* teasers of two of the tracks on his album--"Butterfly" and "Heartbreaker."

"Butterfly" is an extremely beautiful acoustic track that has been getting rave reviews from fans all over. G-Dragon describes his song as "the fluttery feeling of love when it first begins." He also says that this is a song to close your eyes and think about the one you love when you listen to it. And that's exactly what I did, and it fits! ;)

"Heartbreaker" is a very upbeat electro track that I loveloveloveloveLOVE! However, it's been getting a ton of plagiarism allegations. I, personally, don't care about Flo-rida or "Right Round" or whatever it's called. Whatever it is, G-Dragon can pull it off better than Flo-rida. ^-^ Either way, this is also the title track for his album, and it's going to be the main single. It's a really great song.

Here are YouTube embeds of "Butterfly" and "Heartbreaker." Take a listen for yourself, and see what you think about them!

Ninja Assassin Trailer Released!!!

2009-07-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well. It looks like the trailer for Ninja Assassin has finally been released! So, I watched it in high definition...and I'm loving it. I think that it's undoubtedly going to be a great movie!

However, it's success in the box office will be one of those things that we'll just have to wait and see. This movie will premiere five days after the second film release in the uber-popular Twilight saga. Boo. Hiss.

Most of us are already thinking that Ninja Assassin won't do to well in the box office because of the release of New Moon. That's probably true. But then again, the reasons behind choosing November 25th for a release date range from college students being on holiday to guys ditching their girlfriends (who are undoubtedly watching New Moon) to see an action flick. And that second reason is probably the most true. I went to see Twilight on opening night (when I was still a fan) and saw a ton of miserable guys.

But either way, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. But what do you guys think?

Click the link to view the trailer for Ninja Assassin: Ninja Assassin Hi-Def Trailer!

"Fear not the weapon, but the hand that wields it."

~Review Candy: 2NE1 - The 1st Minialbum~

2009-07-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

After listening to this mini-album, I wanted to do a review for it. Although I'm not one to write music reviews, I feel like I just had to do it for this mini-album.

Track List:

1. FIRE
2. I Don't Care
3. In The Club
4. Let's Go Party
5. Pretty Boy
6. Stay Together
7. Lollipop (bonus track)

Okay, let's start with FIRE. This track is definitely the best on the entire album. It has that strong, independent, catchy, "I-wanna-dance-to-it" sound. This was 2NE1's amazing debut track, and I was hoping that they're style would stay so strong like this.

Sadly, my hopes amounted to nothing as the second track of the mini-album, I Don't Care, immediately goes into a softer, slower pop/dance sound. It sounds just like your mainstream pop music--there's very little individuality with it. I was horrified when I listened to it for the first time.

In The Club is a little bit better, except for the fact that it's also a slow pop/dance track. Actually, it reminds me of a cross between Bi (Rain)'s songs Only You and My Way from his Rainism album. =D Honestly, this song sounds like it belongs on one of his albums. Either way, 2NE1 seems to pull it off pretty well. It's great for playing in the car when you're driving around with your girlie friends on a girls' night out.

As I hear Let's Go Party, my hopes for this album are falling...falling...falling. It's ANOTHER slow track! Apparently, 2NE1 loves those types of songs. I'm listening to it, and slowly falling asleep, and wanting to change the track. This song is pretty easily overlooked (and rightfully so) and it seems to get old--especially if you've listened to I Don't Care and In The Club before it.

After getting entirely tired of slow tracks, I get a great surprise in the form of Pretty Boy. This is another strong, upbeat track, just like FIRE. With the strong, sharp staccato trumpet notes that you hear throughout the background, along with the group's rap-ish vocals, it's definitely a great song, and gets five stars from me.

Aaaaaand...we fall back into slow tracks. Stay Together is pretty nondescript. It sounds like a normal, relaxing R&B tune. Actually, it's pretty mainstream R&B--especially in the United States. If 2NE1 ever debuts in the States, Stay Together should be their debut single, I think.

Now it's time for the bonus track, Lollipop. I absolutely adore this song. And since I'm a huge fan of Big Bang, hearing them in the song just makes it even better for me. It's easy to dance around to, and has such a catchy beat. If you're anything like me, you'll listen to it over, and over, and over again.

Overall Grade:
C+
3/5 stars

Best Tracks:
FIRE
Pretty Boy
Lollipop

Rain...fat? Oh, puh-leez.

2009-07-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

*Many thanks to POPSEOUL! for the picture, and the whole "Rain is a chunky monkey" post.*

Seriously, Rain is fat?

Sure, he might be a little bigger since the filming of Ninja Assassin, but the poor guy does have the right to let himself go a little bit. After eight months of only being able to eat certain foods and having to work out non-stop, the guy should at least be allowed to put on a little more flesh.

It's probably the just the leather pants that don't do his physique justice. And that hat. >.>

But still, he looks fine. At least he looks healthy instead of anorexically skinny, as opposed to a lot of celebrities now days. He probably hasn't worked out in a while, and his muscles have lost their tone. But I'm pretty sure that as he gets back in the swing of things and his Asia tour progresses, he'll be looking better than ever. ;)

Gackt's On A Roll!

2009-07-09T17:39:00.001-07:00

Over the course of June to August, Gackt will have released five--yes, you counted correctly, five--new singles. Over the course of January to August, he will have released eight new singles. Around the end of 2008, he released two other singles. Ten singles after the album Diabolos. Is anyone expecting a new album? I hope there's one in our future!

As of July 1st, Gackt has been a solo artist for ten years. =3 And he has had such an amazing career, being with Malice Mizer before his solo career for quite a while, and then going solo for ten years. It makes you wonder how old he really is! ;) Gackt decided to ring in his tenth anniversary with a single countdown--one new single every week in June. Week one was Koakuma Heaven, week two was Faraway ~Hoshi ni Negai wo~, week three was LOST ANGELS, and week four was Flower.

His next single is called The Next Decade, and is set to release on August 5th.

There's YAOI in the Higurashi! =D

2009-07-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

Just felt like pointing it out. ^^

Well no, it's more of a joke than anything else. That and I just think that SatoKei is really cute.

And I think that Satoshi's "precious one" in the song "YellowsicKING" from the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Character Case Book Volume 3 (Jeez, what a mouthful!) is Keiichi. I think the whole "The person who can listen to my wish is only you, Keiichi!" part. n___n

SatoKei = Kawaii. Seriously! Look at 'im up there, aren't they adorable! *points up to Character Case Volume 3 Cover* Haaaaaaaau!

And now, for the ultimate Higurashi Randomness: I present to you--Higurashi/Zim parodies and Rikatei!

(Admit it--"Dib drank the last soda" was perfect synching. And Hanyuu's minimoose squeal was cute, too.)

(Guess who made WAFFLES!!!!!)

(There's waffle in 'im! YOU'RE LYING!)

(I gonna hug you!)

(Rika overload! Nipaaaaaah~!)

2NE1's New Song-- "I Don't Care"

2009-07-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

OMG.

"I Don't Care" sounds completely different from "Fire." So different. *shudder*

I knew that they were supposed to have a more "feminine" sound, but this is ridiculous. They had such a great debut track; when they chose the "feminine" style, their music is just going downhill for me.

I don't really like this song. It has a good vibe, but sounds really, really generic. Bad generic.

Check it out for yourself.

Well. Talk About Real Exposure!

2009-07-01T14:44:00.001-07:00

*Many thanks to POPSEOUL! for this info*

It looks like the Wonder Girls are going to be opening for the Jonas Brothers for the entire United States leg of their world tour. So, instead of opening for fourteen shows, the Wonder Girls are now opening for forty-four. Talk about impressive!

Apparently, the audiences really liked the Wonder Girls. Because of this newest revelation, the Wonder Girls are going to be performing in areas that don't have such a huge Asian population. Now this is true exposure in the United States! I think that the Wonder Girls have totally crushed BoA's promotional stuff, and the Girls haven't even released their debut album yet! =D

Go Wonder Girls!

~Lyric Candy: Koakuma Heaven~

2009-06-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

*Many thanks to Amaiakuyume at LiveJournal for translating this! I sort of mushed together the literal and text speak translations*

This is the English translation to Koakuma Heaven by Gackt. This song is definitely as perverted as Vanilla. =D

Brushing back curly hair,
I move up and down with wet lips.
Being greedy, round three, four, five
Because I'm an expert with my mouth. (*＾ロ＾*)

The missing affection is in the thickness of your wallet.
I'm being patient (yes!) m (_ _) m

Being in love, too, isn't comfortable
I'm doing my best (yes!) (-__- #)
Trying our best no matter what's what
Because we're good girls, yes! ♪

Along with the pounding music
Wet hips go upside down★
My favorite number is 6 (*・Д・) 9
Yes...no, no, no I'm careless \ (^o^)/

In my very best set pose
"A real boyfriend?! Wow I'm searching! ! (^__^) !!"
(It's true!)

I don't hate it so much that it's unpleasant
I'm just in trouble (yes!) (¯ロ¯；)
Trying our best at something over and over again
Because we're good girls, yes! ♪

Being in love, too, isn't comfortable
I'm doing my best (yes!) ｖ（＾＿＾）ｖ
Trying our best even if something's no good
Because we're good girls (aren't we?)

Even doing it deeply, I'm not young
I'm doing my best (yes!) （¯ロ¯；）! !
Trying our best even if something belongs to someone else,
Because we're good girls, yes! ♪

(I love how Gackt had incorporated the smiles with the lyrics)

Tell Me It Isn't So!!!

2009-06-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

*Many thanks to K-Pop Jjang for the information!*

It seems as though, in addition to being their opening act, the Jonas Brothers and Wonder Girls are going to have some sort of partnership going.

The Jonas Brothers are going to be writing and composing the songs for the Wonder Girls.

This will turn out awfully. If the Brothers are composing the Girls' songs, I assume that the Girls will take on the Brothers' style. They're going to work together to come up with ONE--count it, one--electronic house number. I would rather listen to English re-makes of all of their Korean songs than listen to songs of theirs that the Jonas Brothers produced. No offense to the Jonas Brothers, I love them and all, but if they compose the Girls' songs, they will probably push their musical style onto the Girls, and we can say goodbye to their awesome techno '60s throwback sound. =(

At first, it sounded like the Girls were going to do well in the States, but this spells disaster.

But maybe when those rabid teenage Jonas Brothers fangirls find out that their Love Gods (hehe...stole that from Nodame) wrote the Girls' songs, maybe they'll be more apt to pick up a copy of the debut album?

~Download Candy: Koakuma Heaven~

2009-06-28T12:52:00.001-07:00

Koakuma Heaven is the first single in Gackt's 10th Anniversary Countdown. I absolutely love this single, because the A-side, Koakuma Heaven is so freakin' fun to dance around to. I hear that in stage performances, there's a screen that tells the audience when to clap and such, and that band members take turns playing DanceDance Revolution to this song.

But there's one thing to say about this song: Just. As. Perverted. As. Vanilla. And just as fun, too. It seems that Gackt's catchiest songs are the one about sex. But oh well! Koakuma Heaven is great to jump up and dance around to. I advise that you give it a listen.

1. Koakuma Heaven 2. My Father's Day 3. Koakuma Heaven (Instrumental) 4. My Father's Day (Instrumental)

Download from MediaFire here.

In the second cover, I love the girl's eye makeup, and wish that I could put mine on like that. But strangely, the girl on the cover reminds me strongly of Gackt himself. It's the eyes and she shape of the lips. But could it really be him...?

Wonder Girls Get Exposure

2009-06-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well, it looks like the Wonder Girls have already gotten some exposure in the U.S. before their tour with the Jonas Brothers kicked off. The Seattle Times has written an article about the Wonder Girls on their website. Whether it was in print or not, I don't know, because I don't get the Seattle Times. BUT--it was featured in the "Music and Nightlife" section of the Seattle Times website. It's pretty good exposure, and even if many people don't read the post, at least their name has gotten out there.

And apparently, they've decided to sex-down for this tour. Take a look at this quote from the article:

"And unlike racy American girl groups such as the Pussycat Dolls, the Wonder Girls are much tamer, with '60s-style matching clothes and hairstyles."

And check out this quote from Yenny:

"Asians like more cute and pretty girls, they're more like conservative. Americans like more sexy and funky, like Lady GaGa."

Hopefully the Girls won't be like Lady GaGa who did those poses on the cover of Rolling Stones. But it seems like the Girls are going to keep their act tame...probably only for the length of the tour, I suppose.

On a completely unrelated note...

Rain was on CNN! =) He was on their explaining about how Michael Jackson influenced his music and his dancing style. "He was my idol," Rain had said. Wow. Poor Rain--his idol died on his 27th birthday. =(

~Download Candy: Paranoia~

2009-06-25T19:57:00.001-07:00

Okay, let's face it--Paranoia isn't set to be released until July. BUT--it was released in March on the I've Sound Departed To The Future Special CD BOX. Now isn't that cool for us? Paranoia is an amazing song--you should definitely give it a listen.

1. Paranoia
2. To lose in amber (I'VE at BOKUDAN 2009 live version)
3. Paranoia (Instrumental)

Download from MediaFire here.

~Download Candy: Super scription of data~

2009-06-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Super scription of data is the newest single from Eiko Shimamiya. It's the opening theme for the third season of popular psychological horror series, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (Rei). And honestly? It's quite an awesome single. Like Chikai, Super scription of data has an upbeat A-side and a more calming, relaxing B-side.

1. Super scription of data
2. electric universe
3. Super scription of data (Instrumental)
4. electric universe (Instrumental)

Download from MediaFire here.

~Eye Candy: Gakuto Camui~

2009-06-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

You might be asking, why aren't there many shirtless pictures of Gackt? My response to that? Because Gackt looks sexy, no matter what! All he has to do is look at the camera the right way when he's taking a picture, and most fangirls melt when they see said picture. He just has that certain, I want you, let me take you look about him, doesn't he? ;D

*sigh* Gorgeous, ain't he? Be sure to vote in the poll for July's Eye Candy--and I'll actually get it out on time!

New Koda Kumi Single! :D

2009-06-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

Alright! Koda Kumi is releasing a triple A-side called 3 Splash on July 8th, 2009. The song that's promoting the single is titled Lick me♥. I haven't seen the PV, just listened to the song. Apparently, people don't think this single will amount to much. Personally, I like Lick me♥ and can't wait to hear the other songs. Here's the track listing:

1. Introduction
2. Lick me♥
3. ECSTASY
4. Interlude
5. Hashire!
6. Interlude
7. Lick me♥ (Remix)
8. ECSTASY (Remix)
9. Hashire! (Remix)
10. Outroduction

Lick me♥ is supposed to be the pop number. ECSTASY is your dance number. Hashire! is the rock number. People aren't too psyched about how things sound for this one, but let's just wait and see what happens.

SoHee is NOT a Soprano

2009-06-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

...and apparently her English isn't too spiffy either.

Wonder Girls - "Nobody (English)"

Hum...this makes me think that JYP and Disney should get along fine. SoHee is NOT a soprano, and JYP gives her soprano notes anyway. Just like Selena Gomez isn't a soprano, yet Disney gave her those uber-high notes on the "Wizards of Waverly Place" opening theme anyway. Dang! Who knew those two have so much in common! Maybe this might actually work...

At least SunMi's English is passable! ^_^

*thanks to .nodame. over at asianpopattack for the link!*

Paranoia Info

2009-06-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

So apparently, the Eiko Shimamiya single Paranoia is not a rumor after all! This single will only be released in a CD+DVD edition, and will also be included in the I've Sound 10th Anniversary 「Departed to the future」Special CD BOX. The track listing for this single has also been released.

1. Paranoia
2. To lose in amber (I'VE in BOKUDAN 2009 live version)
3. Paranoia (Instrumental)

It's slated to be released on July 29, 2009.

~Download Candy: After School - DIVA~

2009-06-12T14:12:00.001-07:00

DIVA is the second single from Korean girl-group After School, in which the new member, Uee (Kim Yoo Jin) is introducted. It's a really catchy song! You should give it a listen!

1. DIVA
2. DIVA (Instrumental)

Download from MediaFire here.

Gackt Set to Release Four New Singles!!

2009-06-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

To celebrate his tenth anniversary as a solo artist, Gackt is releasing four new singles for the "10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY COUNTDOWN" collection. Well, the voters definitely DID choose a great month for Gackt to be named as our Eye Candy! (Which reminds me...that post needs to go up soon..)

The first single is titled Koakuma Heaven. It's alternate title is THE 1st HEAVEN. It's set to release on June 10th, 2009.

1. Koakuma Heaven
2. My Father's Day
3. Koakuma Heaven (Instrumental)
4. My Father's Day (Instrumental)

The second single is titled Faraway. The alternate title is THE 2nd HEAVEN. The set release date is June 17, 2009.

1. Faraway ~星に願いを~ (Faraway ~Wish Upon A Star~)
2. Oblivious ~顔のない天使~ (Oblivious ~The Man Without A Face~)
3. Faraway ~星に願いを~ (Instrumental)
4. Oblivious ~顔のない天使~ (Instrumental)

The third single is titled Lost Angels. Its alternate title is THE 3rd HEAVEN. Its release date is June 24, 2009.

1. Lost Angels
2. No Reason
3. Suddenly
4. Lost Angels (Instrumental)
5. No Reason (Instrumental)
6. Suddenly (Instrumental)

The fourth single is titled Flower. The alternate title is ANNIVERSARY DISC. It is set to release on July 1st, 2009.

1. Flower
2. In Flames
3. Flower (Instrumental)
4. In Flames (Instrumental)

Eek! I am so super-duper excited for this!!!!! :D Could there be an album coming up in the future?

Ninja Assassin Movie Poster and Release Date!

2009-06-12T09:45:00.001-07:00

Bi (Rain) is the lead role of Raizo in the upcoming action movie Ninja Assassin. The movie had originally been slated to be released on June 1st, 2009, but the date was pushed back to November 25, 2009. I wonder why they're releasing it on a Wednesday, though. Aren't new movies usually released on a Friday?

The rating for the film has also been revealed. It's rated "R" for stylized, graphic violence throughout and strong language throughout. Apparently, Rain does not do a striptease *cry* (via the rating not mentioning anything about nudity), but it's got a lot of gory action, so that's good enough for me. ^_^ I've been psyched to see this movie when I heard it was released. I still hadn't caught Rain's part as Sanjo (?) in the Speed Racer flick.

From what I've heard, this is going to be one of the best action movies of 2009. A lot of people were impressed by the stunt reel that went up on YouTube a while ago.

Wonder Girls Set To Tour With Jonas Brothers!

2009-06-12T09:13:00.001-07:00

It has been announced that Korea's Wonder Girls are to be breaking into the American music business by being the opening act for Disney's Jonas Brothers. They will be opening for the brothers for thirteen of their concerts in seven cities. That's saying quite a lot. I've looked at their tour dates, and there are about fifteen places they're going.

You might be thinking, "Wonder Girls, opening up for the Jonas Brothers, selling their souls to Disney? That won't get them anywhere!" Well, Disney is one of the most powerful companies in America. There is no easier way to break into the American music scene than touring with a Disney group. If the preteen fans of the Jonas Brothers like the Wonder Girls, then they've got a solid fan base there. They have people who will buy their merchandise, their records, and tickets to their concerts.

But how long will the Wonder Girls last under a Disney contract? The girls have got some pretty high sex-appeal, which is pretty inappropriate for Disney. In fact, sex-appeal is one of the things that seems to make Miley Cyrus want to break away, along with Ashley Tisdale. For Miley, you can sort of tell by the way she presents herself in public (via her, a 15 or 16 year old girl wearing an evening gown fit for an adult to these awards shows), and all of those controversial pictures of her--especially the one on that Vanity Fair magazine cover. Ashley Tisdale had wanted to take a new direction with her music by using the song "He Said, She Said." However, Disney didn't like the lyrics in the chorus (Baby I can see us moving like that, touching like that, kissing like that) and made her write a clean version for promotional purposes. It frustrated her, but she did write a clean version. But that still doesn't mean that her unclean version of the song wouldn't be used. It was put on the album, which was marketed mainly to her pre-teen/teen fans, and the clean version didn't make an appearance on the album. Did I mention that that version was also put on DanceDance Revolution SuperNOVA 2? Tisdale is still trying to take her album in a new direction, what with her upcoming album, Guilty Pleasure.

If the Wonder Girls keep their act sexed-down, then they might be able to last under a Disney contract. If they stay with Disney for a while, garner a huge fan base, then when they decide its time to break away and "grow up," they might have fans who follow.

The Wonder Girls are releasing two English digital singles, Nobody and Tell Me this fall. Their debut English album is slated for October, I think.

~Download Candy: Eiko Shimamiya - Chikai~

2009-05-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

Chikai is Eiko Shimamiya's most recent tie-in with the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni series. The A-side of this single is the opening theme for the second live action movie, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Chikai. (<--from what I've seen in previews, Higurashi Chikai focuses on Tsumihorobishi-hen. Of course, I haven't seen the movie, so correct me if I'm wrong.) I don't know if OXISOLS, the B-side is the closing theme or not.

1. Chikai
2. OXISOLS

Download from MediaFire here.

New Single From Utada Hikaru!

2009-05-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

Japanese pop singer Utada Hikaru is releasing a new single on August 21st, 2009. It's called "9 Sai no Omoide" or "9-Year-Old Memories."

Rumor had it that this single would be the opening theme for "Kingdom Hearts III" (if there is such a thing), but apparently that is untrue.

~Download Candy: Dir en grey - UROBOROS~

2009-05-04T15:46:00.001-07:00

UROBOROS is the newest album from J-Rock group Dir en grey. Oh how I love these guys!!! >.< *squee* UROBOROS focuses less on the heavy metal elements that Withering to death. and THE MARROW OF A BONE did, however, heavy metal elements are ever present. They were more experimental with their style this time, even trying out different instruments, such as a mandolin. Overall, a very good album.

1. Sa Bir
2. Vinushka
3. Red Soil
4. Doukoku to Sarinu
5. Toguro
6. GLASS SKIN (English)
7. STUCK MAN
8. Reiketsu Nariseba
9. Ware, Yami Tote...
10. Bugaboo
11. Gaika, Chinmoku ga Nemuru Koro
12. DOZING GREEN (English)
13. Inconvenient Ideal
14. GLASS SKIN (Japanese)
15. DOZING GREEN (Japanese)

Download from MediaFire here.

~Download Candy: Eiko Shimamiya - hologram~

2009-05-04T15:41:00.001-07:00

hologram is the first mini-album released by Eiko Shimamiya. Overall, it's a pretty good mini album. I highly recommend Sukarabe no Inori ~brown sugar style~

1. Sukarabe no Inori

2. Koi wa Itsumo

3. Mastery

4. Kodemari

5. Rojou no Christmas

6. Sukarabe no Inori ~brown sugar style~

7. Sukarabe no Inori ~brown sugar style~ (instrumental)

Download from MediaFire here.

~Two New Eiko Shimamiya Singles~

2009-05-04T15:36:00.001-07:00

On June 24th, Eiko Shimamiya MIGHT be releasing two new singles! *squee* They are titled Super scription of data and Paranoia. Super scription of data is the opening theme for Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei, and we don't know what Paranoia ties in to.

After June 24th, Shimamiya might possibly have released four new singles since the release of her second studio album Hikari Nadeshiko. Does this mean that she could be releasing a new album soon? Well let's certainly hope so! I've been waiting for a new Eiko album for over a year! *squee*

~Download Candy: Kalafina - sprinter/ARIA~

2009-05-04T15:24:00.001-07:00

sprinter/ARIA is the second single by Kalafina. I absolutely love both of the songs~! Everything that Kalafina touches is a work of art. I'd love to see Kalafina and Kanon Wakeshima do a song together; it'd undoubtedly sound great. Kalafina's music sounds much different from all of the other songs out there.

1. sprinter

2. ARIA

3. oblivious (instrumental)

Download from MediaFire here.

~Download Candy: Eiko Shimamiya - O~

2009-05-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

O is the first full-length studio album by Eiko Shimamiya, who is probably the best j-pop singer in the entire world. This is one of those albums that draws you in with the first track, and has you keeping the album on repeat for days on end. :D

1. O
2. Egao wo Misete
3. Canarian no Kanaderu Yume
4. Mune no Cross
5. Kyuudou no Hito -Remix-
6. Taiyou
7. I need you
8. Sora no Mahoroba
9. Ginga no Ko
10. Recovery
11. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
12. Doko ni mo nai Michi

Download from MediaFire here.

~Download Candy: BoA - Eien/UNIVERSE~

2009-05-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

Eien/UNIVERSE is the latest Japanese single from BoA. The actual single title is Eien/UNIVERSE/Believe in LOVE, but since I hate the last track, I just decided not to include it. :D It's actually a not-so-bad single, with UNIVERSE being my favorite track, since it features VERBAL.

1. Eien
2. UNIVERSE

Download from MediaFire here.

~Download Candy: BoA - BoA~

2009-05-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

First not-so-good English album from Japanese/Korean singer BoA. Well, I personally didn't think that it was good, but opinions vary, and some people might absolutely love it.

1. I Did It For Love (feat. Sean Garrett)
2. Energetic
3. Did Ya
4. Look Who's Talking
5. Eat You Up
6. Obsessed
7. Touched
8. Scream
9. Girls On Top -English Version-
10. Dress Off
11. Hypnotic Dancefloor

Download from Mediafire here.

~Download Candy: Kanon Wakeshima - Shinsoku Dolce~

2009-05-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

Shinsoku Dolce is the debut album from Mana-produced singer/cellist Kanon Wakeshima. Her music is more dark-themed, and features the cello in every one of her songs. She combines modern to classical in a musical blend that almost everyone can enjoy.

1. Sweet Ticket
2. Shinku no Fatarythm
3. Kagami
4. still doll (album version)
5. Maboroshi
6. Ennui Kibun!
7. Suna no Oshiro
8. Monochrome Frame
9. L'espoir ~Maho no Akai Ito
10. Kuroi Torikago
11. Skip Turn Step
12. Shiroi Kokoro
13. Sweet Dreams

Download from Mediafire here.

~Eye Candy: Bi (Rain)~ May 2009

2009-05-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

Our eye candy of the month is Rain, that sexy Korean "world star" with the fiiiiiine abs and rest of the body. :P

Now, don't try to tell me that his abs aren't perfectly lickable!