Movie wonder- Taichi 0 (zero)

HELLLOOOO everyone! Yes it has been a very long time indeed! This blog is so dusty that I can practically see dust bunnies hopping around... *cough cough* SO as a quick spring cleaning process for this blog, let's start off with a movie review of one of the most interesting Chinese movies of this season- Taichi 0 (zero)

I have been a fan of Chinese kung fu movies for as long as I can remember~ The epic movie series 'Wong Fei Hung' was the spark of it all! All the super cool moves, the action and the unique character creation were enough to drive this Chinese movie junkie nuts!!! A few years ago my mom introduced to another movie called 'Shaolin' featuring Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse (one of my all time favourite actors :D weee). This movie reignited that love for kung fu action in movies to a higher level (probably the highest!!) not because of the killer-rific action but because it had a great storyline to the movie as well. The movie I'm about to introduce in this review shares this attribute of 'Shaolin' but with a more comical side to the storylines.

Taichi Zero is not your average kung fu blockbuster~ It has a comic side, a game side (those that you can find in RPGs and fighting games like Street Fighter) and a romance side too~ The places in the movie were introduced using those 'on-screen' naming techniques which are used in maps for RPGs. The post office was labeled the 'post office' in the movie itself, not as a map, but when the post office came into the screen! All the places and characters were introduced the same unique way~

The fighting scenes were exactly like those in combat games! It included the character's life gauge and a KO statement in the end when the hero got beaten up~ Very clever technique really~ Who would have thought to incorporate the gaming experience into a kung fu movie!? That is what I call creative ingenuity!

In terms of storyline, this movie caught me at the very beginning itself! The war which was then followed by the historical introduction of the main character was so cleverly intertwined that I just has to remain in my seat (despite the rising urge to go to the loo~) It was thrilling, funny and sad at the same time! I applaud movie beginnings that give me a mix of emotions!

The undying determination of the main star Lu Chan (played by Yuan Xiaochao) in search for the Chen style kung fu master is truly praiseworthy~ Viewers may find Lu Chan's character rather bimbotic and annoying at first, but his naive personality is cute and endearing once the story progresses. Oh did I forget to mention that he has this special 'horn' on his right forehead??? This horn looks like a mini devil horn, which gives Lu Chan the special ability to learn kung fu or should I say mimic it, at very fast rates! You could say that this horn is a gift from Kung Fu Heaven~ it's a very rare gift and it is normally attained by individuals. Lu Chan's was on his forehead since birth, a sign that he is in for greater things in life~ (kung fu wise~)

The story's love parts were rather mixed up at first~ As usual the hero of the story does not attain that love at first sight moment with his soul mate to be, Yu Niang (palyed by Angelababy). In fact the actress has another love fancy at first, her fiancee since birth Fang Zijing. But as Fang transgresses to the 'evil' side, love between these two lovebirds ends rather abruptly... In fact this Fang Ziying guy has another love interest while he studied abroad; the British military representative Claire. Tsk tsk tsk~ shame on you Fang Ziying! :p

Taichi Zero's multiple character focus is quite confusing at first but viewers would get the hang of it as the story progresses further into the main plots. The characters of the movie comprises of the uncle labourer, mahjong lady fighter, the young feisty girl with pigtails, tofu warrior, uncles of many generations, cousins, brothers and more~ Each character has their own unique kung fu style and character in the movie~ It is enjoyable to watch both the main character as well as the side casts due to this colourful blend of village personalities~

Kung fu in Taichi Zero is not the HIT HIT KILL style of kung fu~ In fact kung fu is displayed in a rather smooth and peaceful kind of art that takes lots of practice, skill and patience! The fighting scenes in this movie was not too bloody either... in fact now that I recall it... it isn't boody at all... During the final battle scene ( I know this may lead to spoilers~), the kung fu experts of the Chen village used VEGETABLES to fight off their enemies whom were equipped with GUNS! Imagine that! VEGGIES vs GUNS! Now kids, please don't underestimate the veggies on your plate! They are hard hitting stuff that can break jaws and bones! Ouch indeed! This unique portrayal of a battle was entertaining and hilarious at the same time; making this movie hit a 5 star rating on my movies list in 2012.

I hope I have not provided you guys with too much spoilers~ I truly loved this movie as a whole and there is just so many things I would love to say about it! But I'm keeping a quarter of the things I wanted to tell to myself so that you can watch and enjoy this movie for yourselves to find out! So what are you waiting for~! Rampage those movie cinemas and watch Taichi 0!!!! A movie filled with comical and gaming entertainment for all~

 

Long lost brothers/ sisters?????

Someone once told me that there are 7 other people in the world that looked like me :o
That also meant that there are 7 other people in the world that could possibly have the same faces as our beloved idols.

Here are a list of some K idols and their twinnies~ :D It does not reach until 7 similar faces unfortunately :p I only have pairing ups so I hope you guys enjoy this~~~

First twins of today are~~~~~~

TADaAAA~! Presenting our Goo Hara from girl group KARA and Japanese Pop Queen Namie Amuro~~~~
These two girls have the same facial features and even the same body size. They both also like to keep their hair long and the colour is also somehow freakishly similar at times. Freaked out? Don't be~ Hara and Namie may look alike but their personalities are quite different. Hara is the sweet charming idol we all know and love, while Namie Amuro is a sexy and fierce pop japanese star that millions adore :)

Second lookalikes of the day

 U-Kiss's Kiseop and Block B's Jaehyo~
Both poses are super cute no?? These two Ulzzhangs (a korean term for hot and sharp featured individuals) are very fair and handsome idols. If Kiseop cuts his hair a bit shorter, I can tell you that these two would look Exactly alike. They are also very skinny and have nearly the same heights as well (Jaehyo is a bit taller). However, Jaehyo and Kiseop play very different roles in their groups. Jaehyo is one of Block B's lead vocalist while Kiseop is sometimes a rapper as well as a background vocalist for his group U-Kiss. I wonder what blood type Jaehyo has though...Kiseop is a Blood A individual (as shown in their variety show U-Kiss Vampire). If both of them have the same blood type, it would be a very interesting similarity as well don't you think?  :p

*Blood types often portray a person's character as well as personality. The Japanese refer to blood types as a very important aspect for picking their soulmates.

3rd pairing~

What do you think of these two stars? Do you know them???

On my left is After School's Jooyeon~

On the right side is Japanese model Chiaki Kuriyama!!!

The first feature that caught me as a similarity for these two stars were their lips. Their eyes also have the same shapes. The same goes for their noses. Chiaki Kuriyama is very often seen with bangs and so is Jooyeon.

Anything else that you can find as a similarity between the two lovely ladies???  I'm pretty sure there are more but my poor little eyes can't find them at the moment. (T.T)

Couple num. 4

Two short haired beauties and again both of them come from different places. The first picture on top belongs to KARA's Nicole, while the second picture is japanese actress Ueto Aya. One thing that really makes the girl's alikeness stand out is their unique eyes. Both Nicole and Aya have an eye bigger than the other eye. (Don't believe me? Check out more of their photos) Aside from their eyes, two of them have the same nose structure and rather quirky yet sweet smiles. :)

The last twins of the day are~

 

Han Geng of Super Junior and Hwang Chansung of 2pm~!

Yes I do admit that they do not look too much alike but there are still some twin-ness in them. Firstly, I think it is the nose and face structure. Han Geng may not have big eyes like Chansung's but with the right hairstlye and pose, I'm pretty sure these two would look the same from certain angles. In fact, they already look similar to me from the front. What do you guys think???

So here we are~ My twin special for the week. I hope you guys enjoyed this eye-candy match ups. I did my best to find similar pictures and poses but trust me, it was a very difficult task indeed. Phew~

Cheerio Kpoppers and till we meet again~

B.E.G Comeback!

ABRACADABRA!!! The sizzling hot ladies that brought you the sexy wave dance are back!!!!

Brown Eyed Girls or otherwise known as B.E.G have now returned with their latest track 'Sixth Sense.' The girls have adopted a very tough edgy look for this comeback and I must say that it suits the girls very very well indeed. The leather, animal prints and military outfits fit in well with their new concept as it gives the girls a seductive yet powerful vibe to reconquer top music charts. 

The opening to their new song is awesome as it gives that 'Don't mess with me' feeling~ Gain and Narsha start this song with high notes which strikes me as a very bold move indeed cause it shows that these girls dare to give IMPACT to their listeners (something BEG is really good at) even at the very beginning of their song. The cello and orchestra-like music accompanying BEG's title track has drawn it's listeners into imagining a sort of action movie scene taking place and that to me is a super bonus for this track.

While I was listening to this song, the beat itself seems to be alive because it is THAT powerful. Through this song you can feel something developing inside of you either it is hatred, vengeance or even something stronger. I'm not saying that this is a good thing to feel but it just shows how influencing this song really is. 

My only criticism of this comeback would have to come from the song's music video. Yes, some really good songs have not very impressive MVs to balance it out and sadly to say, BEG's Sixth Sense MV is one of them. I have seen haters commenting that the video clip is too sexy for their taste but the sexy part has always been an aspect of BEG. Even back with their other hit singles Sign and Abracadabra, sexiness has often been portrayed and yet their songs are still at the top~ Therefore, I do not find the sexy part of this vid too much but I actually think that it portrays BEG's strength to stand out. 

I am always baffled by how the rappers seem to have the least face time in Kpop vids. Similar to Sixth Sense, rapper Miryo does not get much screen time which is really a shame since she looks FIERCE and hot in this clip. Plus, if you watch the video a couple of times, viewers would realise that there are some scenes that are replayed over and over again such as Narsha's in the middle of the ring of 'cages'? scene. Not that I dislike it being replayed but I personally think that the MV lacks variety in that sense. (Sorry BEG fans)

Now for the fashion aspect~ As mentioned earlier, the leather, animal prints and military outfits go well with the girls. The red jacket GAin can be seen wearing goes very well with her pale white skin and Narsha's black leather skirt with rounded studs looks gladiator-ish suitable for that fighter spirit she is trying to show in this video. Narsha's leopard print shorts also is a highlight for her part as it represents the wild side she portrays in the confined room.  Miryo's brownish red outfit too is very classy and it suits her reddish short hair style. The dress Jea was wearing when she was in the water was not really that flattering to me but the white purplish gleam it gave made Jea stand out in her scenes. Colour choices play a very crucial role when setting up music videos and in BEG's latest one, the colours were made to suit the characters of the girls as well as to mix really well with the gloomy settings. 

 I certainly feel that BEG would conquer top KPop charts again with this comeback. Although it may not have been as big as Abracadabra's but still this new song would go far. Welcome back Brown Eyed Girls and we are glad to see you performing again~ <3

   

An old favourite of mine :)

Ever heard 2pm's 'Follow Your Soul' anyone??? This song is still one of my ultimate favourites from the group even though it was released back in 2010. Now for a trip down memory lane~~~

The first time I heard the song, I knew I was hooked. The melody was sad and lonely but it was truly beautiful at the same time. I kept wondering to myself, "What kind of MV would suit this type of song???" as the music video was not released yet, so I was stuck imagining things like someone being separated from their loved one or some guy trying to get a girl he likes but inevitably fails.... yes my imagination kept making up things and sometimes it went too far~ hahaha

I think the main highlight of the song would be it's chorus. "Pick up my heart~~~~~~ Follow your soul"~~~~ It somehow made me feel the longing of a lonely heart wanting love and I seriously felt "wow such passion can be heard from this song!"

I also loved the piano opening and piano sounds at the background. It sort of gave this pleasant sweet feeling alongside the sad lyrics. The combination is superb because it did not mean that an entirely sad love song was created but it was a sweet gentle and sad love song instead. :) This little difference is crucial in creating dynamic love songs and 2pm has done it! Well done boys~

The music video's release made me super hyped but not much fans enjoyed it probably because they could not understand the girl's true role in the video. At first, I too had difficulty trying to understand why did they use the same girl to act as a girlfriend for all 6 boys. But it only hit me later that the 2pm boys were the girl's past boyfriends. Wow lucky girl if you asked me hahahahaa. I was not totally syched with the dance either. Sure it had some cute moves but it wasn't a strong 2pm choreography. Oh well, not every song must have a cool dance, plus the other sweet moments in the MV was enough to cover for it's weakness. 

I loved how each boy had a special way of treating their girlfriend. From gardening, to coffee house dates and also dance pratices together- all these are perfect bonding moments to have with your loved ones. Seeing these cute scenes made the song even sadder because it shows such a happy past that is only a memory to the girl. She has to move on and open her heart to someone new but she feels alone when she recalls all the wonderful memories together with her past lovers that she can never regain. 

  Some comments my friends gave when they saw the MV was:
Friend A: "Chansung looks greedy in the video~ Chan Chan ah don't eat the food before the girl does ya???"
hahahahaha true enough Chansung did look a tad bit hungry. But don't we love 2pm's maknae for that???

Friend B: "Did Khun BRUSH the girl's teeth???? She must be really ummm pathetic no????"
Well I personally feel that some couples do the extreme of things together. Brushing each others teeth may be one of them and I don't exactly find it wrong nor does it show any sense of patheticness in the girl. I mean, I think that it is really a sweet gesture that any boyfriend would want to brush his girlfriend's teeth (no matter how weird it may seem keekeeekee)

Friend C and D: "Is that JUNHO?!!!! AHHHHH SOOO freakin HOTTT!"
I could barely see my laptop screen with these two huddling a few mili-CENTIMETRES in front of my computer hahahaha. Yes, fans are very dedicated, enthusiastic and hyper people. :D

So there you are~ A special review of the past 2pm song 'Follow your soul.' Blogging about this is itching me to go listen and watch the MV~ So cheerio folks~ See you again next time on KPOPpa~

Song Of The Week (B1A4 Beautiful Target)

HEy hey hey everyone~ This week's song of the week on KPoppa is none other than B1A4's Beautiful Target!!!!!!! (big claps, trumpet noise)

Fom top to bottom haha: Baro (Rapper), Jinyoung (Vocals), C.Nu (Vocals), Gongchan (Youngest), Sandeul (Vocals)

Have you guys heard it yet??  If you haven't you're missing out on one great Kpop Song that has a mix of cuteness and catchy-ness~ ;)

Well for starters let's get on with some comments on the song as a whole shall we~~~~~

Song Length: 3 minutes 17 seconds

Beautiful Target is indeed a very refreshing song with a catchy melody. The background lyrics "Like it like it like it"  is so addictive and makes your head bob everytime you hear it~ The raps by rapper Baro and C.Nu mixes well with the more suttle ballad like voices of Sandeul and Jinyoung. Maknae Gongchan's singing intervals during Jinyoung's parts are also mixed very well.

Many may find the song a bit unorganised in terms of melody when they start hearing it due to the sudden rap after beautiful melodies or the sudden transition from rap to ballad or ballad to rap, but hey that's kpop~ Ballads and rap fuse into one song and here in Beautiful Target you get a whole range of it. Once you get used to these transitions, the song actually becomes a song set on replay a couple of times hahahahaha.

B1A4's latest song as well has very cute and short verses that are easy to sing-a-long to. Among them being "You Zoom Zoom Heart Like a Rocket" which may not be grammatically right but is still very cute when sung :) The lyrics are sweet as well which is typical of love songs but in this song the catchy beats make these lyrics give you that Awww and HAhaha moments together. Definitely a song to hear when you are feeling down or when you need a good mood BOOSTER~

Overall, "I like it!!!" As you shall hear a couple times in the song, so please do do do listen to this wonderful piece by B1A4~

The MV
The Music video of this song is one of the cutest I've seen so far this year. The boys outfits are hilarious and colourful but I must admit that their style is very eye-catching. In fact I loved the outfits the boys wore especially Gongchan's Tiger jacket and Pink 'Boxing Gloves' heheheehehe. We don't get much dance time in the MV but we get a whole load of story time instead. Jinyoung's little experiment that somehow 'created' the girl of his dreams and the boys reaction upon seeing the girl was really funny.

The settings of the MV itself is creative and vibrant. We have scenes from a house, to the streets, to a moving fire-truck, a news centre as well as a jail. All the scenes showed B1A4's multiple cute personalities which would certainly charm anyone that watches this music video. (*o*)

  A combination of a great song and spectacle MV makes B1A4's 'Beautiful Target' KPOPpa's Song of the Week. I hope you all have enjoyed this review and please support these rookies (B1A4). Other songs I would recommend by these boys are OK (their debut single) and Wonderful Tonight which is in the same album as Beautiful Target (IT B1A4) (^,^)v

KPOPpa!!!!

HELLO Hello fellow kpoppers~ This is blogger Kim Jay Rin here~ You may call me Rin or Jay :D It's really nice to meet all of you (^^)

This blog as you can see here is one that posts (as well as comments) on Kpop music and fashion~ The selection that you may see in this blog may not suit your interests at times as I shall not 'only' comment on recent Kpop stuff but also on rather old things as well (let's say... things from the year 2009 or 2010) The reason why is as follows~
1) I do have specific groups that I'll like to promote in this blog. Among them being 2pm, U-Kiss, B1A4, BEAST,T-ARA and probably a few more. I'm not being bias towards any group and will try my very best to give sufficient and interesting news on your fav artists/idols. Just give me time as I am a new blogger on Kpop :)

2) Why the old stuff and not all new?
Well now, the answer is that I believe some past Kpop songs/news/etc do deserve some more reviews. Great stuff in the past don't always receive the recognition that they deserve (for example, 2pm's song 'Follow Your Soul' which I think is a very beautiful song but is sadly not very popular). Old can be as good as new don't you think so???? Besides curious fans as well as newbies into the kpop world would like some history of their idols to be known at times~ Thus the decision for some old personal reviews on this blog.

Among the things I shall be posting in this blog would be:
- Song of the week
- Artist of the week
- Recommended songs
- Weekly style updates
- Fashion Glories and Sorries
- (and more to be added soon once I get ideas~ hehehehehe)

Please feel free to follow me and do give me reviews or comments on anything in this blog so that I can make this BLOGGIE here alive and a happy place where all kpop fans (as well as critiques) smile and be entertained~

I will start posting up a few stuff now~ So dear viewers please enjoy yourselves~~~