FT Island in Animated Film "Toriko"

I haven't been posting a lot in the past couple of months since I've been busy at work, so I apologize. I'm slowly starting to get back into trying to post at least a couple per week. And of course, in order to do that, I have to keep up with the news.

Well, as I was browsing through the internet, I came across a news article about FT Island. (I have to confess, I pretty much only look at K-pop and Asian culture news when I'm trying to relax.)

Seems that they will be again lending their musical talents to another anime (this time a movie) called "Toriko". They will be singing the ending song to the movie. The anime is by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro and will feature this character, Toriko, on his adventures all around the world.

FT Island will also be featured in the movie as themselves. They have really handsome likenesses to each member! Some anime don't stay true to the real people, but I really like the way the artists drew them. (see photo)

I believe this will be the first time they will be featured in a movie of this sort. The last time they had a hand in an anime was when they had done the song, "Neverland" for the opening theme song to the anime series, "Ozuma" in early 2012.

So proud of these guys!

Source: TenAsia

FT Island's Lee Jaejin Practicing Hard

What's FT Island's bassist and vocalist Lee Jaejin practicing so hard about these days?

He's working hard to tone his singing, acting and basketball skills in his new musical, "High School Musical". He has been cast in the male lead as "Troy". His label mate, and AoA member ChoA, has been cast in the female lead as "Gabriella".

FT Island's Jaejin and AoA's ChoA practicing as the young leads.

It will be interesting to see how this will differ/be similar to the American version which had starred then sweethearts, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. High School Musical is about a group of teenagers trying to find a place for themselves in their school and personal lives. For instance, Jaejin's character, Troy, is an all-star basketball player who seems a shoe in into a great basketball school with full scholarship. ChoA's character Gabriella is a sweet kind of nerdy girl who is very shy. Both come out of their shells when they meet and discover sports and books aren't all there is in life. There's a love for music that transcends cliches, cliques and the norm. I hope these points all come out in the musical.

They seem to have all the elements in there. Cute leads and from what I've seen from different sources, they've kept some, if not all, of the original songs from the original movie. What I want to know is can Jaejin dance?? FT Island members are known for their looks and their singing and playing abilities, but not their dancing!

One thing this blogger knows for sure, Jaejin's voice is perfect for a young crooner like "Troy". His sweet mid-tone range will sure to make any girl swoon. Expectations will sure be high! Jaejin, hwaiting!! Saranghaeyo! kekekeke.

The musical will premiere on July 2nd at the Blue Square Samsung Card Hall in Seoul and will run till September 1st.

Source: AllKPop

Review: We Got Married Global Episode 3- The Rules and First Meal

All right, they've met their husbands/wives, they've kind of gotten to know each other a little better, they've moved into their new homes, what's next?

It seems you can't just move into a place without some sort of rules or guidelines. And they've got to eat at some point, too, right? Having that infamous "first meal" as a married couple is special. It tells you a bit of what the person likes/dislikes, their types of taste, etc. It looks like episode 3 begins moving in that direction. (Pardon me if I miss any details. I am trying to give an overview. And I watched this almost two months ago, so my apologies.)

Hong Ki and Mina
To start off their period of wedded bliss, Hong Ki has listed a few things that he thought Mina should know about him. He called it the "How to Handle Hong Ki Manual". In it he asked that she would "love him more than he loves himself", he welcomed "skin ship" from her first (meaning touching. Not groping! But holding hands and hugging, all the G rated stuff.) and to not be too surprised when she sees how hairy he is. (Hong Ki is extremely shy about his hairy legs and doesn't like to show them very often.)

When it is Mina's turn, she tells him she prefers the hairless male, especially with no facial hair and that she hopes he will be the first to initiate skin to skin contact. Whoops! Sorry HK! She went on to say that she likes "plain" things (I think she meant simple, as in with no adornment. Non-flashy.). This pretty interesting because Hong Ki is known for his flamboyant attire. Mina loves to read so she also suggested that he read an entire book at least once a week. (Hmm..this sounds familiar. YongSeo couple ring any bells??)

Later they attempt to have their first meal together. Since Hong Ki lost a game earlier, he got to make dinner. As he is prepping to make Korean style spaghetti, Mina pointed out that she still needs to tell him her wish. Hong Ki let her have anything she wished so she requested that he sing a song for her. A special song. To this, Hong Ki agreed and points out that he is a very good at singing. (Hmm...someone bragging again?)

When the "spaghetti" is done, Mina comments that it isn't spaghetti, but ramyun. LOL. Much to Hong Ki's chagrin. He re-collects a little bit of his cool by showing Mina how to fold the lid of the ramyun cup into a little bowl that you can eat ramyun noodles from. Mina jokingly says that they are really a newlywed couple now, and it feels like they're poor. Again, much to Hong Ki's embarassment.

Mina wishes that they would be comfortable enough to call each other by nicknames and they decided to make up nicknames for each other. Hong Ki suggested "ramji", the 2nd part of the Korean name for squirrel (daramji). Umm..no, Hong Ki, she wasn't having it. I mean really, would you want your husband to call you a squirrel?? She suggested a romantic one, something like "yeobo". Hong Ki didn't seem to like that one. Guys, so picky when it comes to endearments! Since they are in a younger man-older woman relationship, he remarks that he should be calling her "nuna" and Mina seemed accepting to that. Especially if he says it "winningly". However, Hong Ki isn't the type to call older women that, but he still tried it out. Eventually they settled on "Hongchan" for Hong Ki and "Nuna" for Mina.

As Mina is unpacking the suitcases, Hong Ki decorates their room. Once it is ready, he asks Mina to change and he brings her into the room with his hand held against her eyes so she wouldn't be able to see. At the unveiling, she gasps out loud, in front of her is a fairytale like campsite with two billowy tents, bedrolls and stuffed animals all in white. They fall asleep across each other under the "stars".

Cut to the next day and they are at the market. Here, they are shopping for all of their essentials for the house. Hong Ki has Mina trying different types of food like "duck". As they shopped around, they proclaim to everyone that could hear that they are "married". This was a little like bragging since they seemed to like each other so much. Hong Ki confessed it was nice to hear people say to him that they thought "his nuna"  was pretty.

They look around some more and Hong Ki found....a squirrel! Of all things, a squirrel in a market?? Hong Ki leaves Mina for a little bit to "use the restroom". Ha! He in fact circles back around and buys the squirrel for Mina as a little present. I couldn't read Mina's expression here. She looked happy, but she also looked like she didn't want it? Maybe it was the personal reference??

Regardless of how she felt, she accepts Hong Ki's present and they shop around for a TV. The come across the Samsung Smart TV, which to me, looks like a humongous Wii. They fool around on it a little while and Hong Ki ends up purchasing the TV. But as he is paying, he asks if he can split up the bill into monthly payments. LOL, it looks like even idols have to be mindful of how much things are!


Taecyeon and Gui Gui
While Hong Ki and Mina are enjoying their new home, Taecyeon and Gui Gui are settling into theirs. They pull out their individual Ten Commandments and share them with each other.

They go through their commandments and almost instantly hit a snag. Gui Gui is a morning person and wanted Taecyeon to have breakfast with her. However, Taecyeon isn't having it. He'd much rather sleep in than eat breakfast, especially if he has a busy schedule. (I'm totally with him on that one!) Despite Gui Gui's pleading, he didn't budge and they agree to not agree.

After a fiasco with Taecyeon's robot models, Taecyeon shares a pair of couple mugs with Gui Gui. The mugs are supposed to help the couple share their feelings with each other. They have a pair of mugs for different expressions: happy, sad, mad. Taecyeon, I must admit, did a pretty good job with his. I think he must have watched a lot of anime when he was younger and must be pretty artistic because he drew pretty well. I couldn't tell what the heck Gui Gui was drawing. It was a pretty far stretch.

Later that evening, they unveil their ingredients for their first dinner together and Gui Gui unveils her...chicken! (She waved it very happily in front of Taecyeon.) She would be making chicken soup. And despite the fact that she bought the chicken, she didn't seem to know how to make it. She had trouble cutting the chicken so Taecyeon kindly stepped in to butcher it. When they are done, Taecyeon reveals a nicely presented platter of kim chee fried rice complete with a fried egg on top. Gui Gui, on the other hand, is still cooking and had asked Taecyeon to taste her food. And this is how bad it must be, he instantly made a face and walked away saying that she wasn't "good at cooking". He adds a bit of seasoning to her soup, and finally they are ready to partake in their first meal as newlyweds together.

I can't even describe the hilarity when they start to eat each other's food. You will have to search for the We Got Married Global channel and see part 2 of this episode. Poor Taecyeon! It's like he's being tortured! He changes between the feeling mugs so quickly as Gui Gui tries to poison him, I mean feed him. LOL!

After dinner, they both bring out presents for each other that they brought to the house. Taecyeon unveiled his present....the shoes that Gui Gui wanted from the Shoe Cafe! And she called him a "scrooge". She was extremely happy! So happy, she calls him "yeobo". LOLOL! You don't call a guy that unless you are extremely comfortable with them or they are actually yours. Taecyeon was caught off guard! He exclaims, "where does she learn this??" Umm...Korean dramas dear...

She gives him her present and it is pajamas of her favorite character from Toy Story. Don't ask me to remember what it was called. But I have never seen adult pajamas like those before. =P Poor Taecyeon, whose so used to being so masculine, watches as his masculinity is stripped away as she donned the pajamas on him. They took a photo to capture the moment. LOL! End!

Oh yea... My thoughts: I loved this episode. I think there could be a whole discussion on skin ship in different cultures. Whether it would be as accepted if it were the girl who wouldn't mind being the first one to make contact. 

I really feel bad for Taecyeon. I feel he's gotten the short end of the stick. Gui Gui is gradually stripping any amount of masculinity away with each of her antics. But he's such a nice guy, he lets her. It's almost like a parent trying to entertain a child at times. It will be interesting to see how long he will last.

Review: We Got Married Global Episode 2- Home Sweet Homes

After a short week away from each other, the global couples meet up to check out their new homes where they will be living together while they are "married". (Note that they haven't gone through a ceremony yet, so they aren't "married" yet.)

At Home- Hongki and Mina

Taecyeon and Gui Gui fool around on the piano playing "Heart and Soul".

Their home is a two story condo equipped with a stage, skull designed accessories and a unicycle that Mina demonstrated to Hong Ki. Not to be upstaged (because he's so competitive), Hong Ki shows that he can be good at something too, like spinning a tray. Mina countered with a toy (not sure what it's called exactly) where you try to catch a ball on a string into a little cup. 


The stage was to represent a neutral zone where one would be able to talk freely to the other person and let out any grievances.


Their bedroom is a cute size, but it was empty. Hong Ki explained that he wanted to decorate it together, but Mina was clearly expecting it to be furnished.


They later take out little albums they have brought along of themselves. It is cute to see how little Mina had changed over the years. Hong Ki likened her face to that of a chipmunk. Hong Ki shared family photos and a photo of himself when he had done Taekwando.

They each shared little things they have brought to help warm up the house. Mina brought her little dolls she had handcrafted herself. Hong Ki had brought all the important trophies he and FT Island have won over the years along with a suitcase full of shoes, and clothing that looked more appropriate for appearances than everyday wear. He also brought his favorite energy drink so Mina could try it, but it didn't seem she took it very well.



At Home- Taecyeon and Gui Gui
Taecyeon and Gui Gui arrived at their home full of expectation. Gui Gui asked Taecyeon to carry her like they do in the dramas to the bedroom. (Awkward!) There she asked Taecyeon to join her on the bed. And after a lot of hesitation, he did. Both went through a photo shoot of sorts to fulfill popular romantic scenes from dramas.


They continued their photo shoot downstairs and even managed to get outside to play in the snow. Without any protective layering. Yes, I know. Crazy.


Once back inside, they opened up their suitcases and began to share what each brought to warm up their home.


Gui Gui brought some goodies/snacks from Taiwan for Taecyeon to try. (He politely refused since he wasn't that hungry yet.) She also brought couple aprons, which was very cute. One was a Wonder Woman design and the other Superman. She asked that Taecyeon use the Wonder Woman one, but he wasn't having any of it, so they switched. And finally, she brought out her pajamas of her favorite character from Toy Story. (I still do not know who it is, but it's the blue and green alien one.) And she made them wear the pajamas. LOL, this was a must see!


Taecyeon shared his toys that he turns to when he gets super stressed. These aren't actually toys, but they're collectible models that you put together. They were models of robotic planes from Gundam (at least that's what it looked like to me). And no, I didn't mean Gangnam. As Gui Gui had been marveling at these models, she accidentally broke a limb off of one, twice. Oh the look of horror on Taecyeon's face when he saw that! He looked like he was going to have a meltdown! Eventually though, he did calm down and managed to put the models on the side. But not before he told the crew to keep an eye on them. =)

Thoughts: It was interesting to see the difference in layouts for the two homes. Hong Ki and Mina's were two stories, with the bedroom and kitchen right next to each other. Whereas Taecyeon and Gui Gui's home, although also two stories, the bedroom was upstairs. That's a lot of carrying to do! 

Hong Ki and Mina's home feels more like a home fitting a bachelor like Hong Ki. It was very entertainment centered. I didn't get any girly touches at all in there, which I for one would have liked if I were Mina. You could tell that she was disappointed that the room was empty.

I absolutely love the piano in Taecyeon and Gui Gui's home. I always dreamed of having a keyboard as big as that. It looks so much fun to play! And the living room was right next to the yard where they could see the falling snow. I wouldn't have wanted to play out there in the cold, but oh well.

Hong Ki and Mina's photos from their school days are so cute. Mina really does look the same, whereas Hong Ki...well...he did look a little chubbier back then. But he looked more normal back then. Less like the "fashionista" he is now.

Taecyeon and his models. Wow. I never would have thought. I was surprised, yet found it endearing, despite my first thought of "isn't he too old to be doing models?". And Gui Gui and her alien pajamas! OMG! The fact that they even sell pajamas in a size for adults is absolutely hilarious. Poor Taecyeon! After the shoes, the hot chocolate, the igloo, the bridal carry and "oppa's", I can already see that he is in for a rough time. My heart goes out to him.

Aliens? Really?

Next up: Married life rules/requests and their first meal together!


(I do not own any of the images. All credit goes to their rightful owners.)
     

Review: We Got Married Global Episode 1- The First Meeting

Ok, I've seen people searching for Lee Hong Ki and his marital status on Google. And I must say that there are lot of you interested in him. (Myself included.) And, yes folks, he is "married". On a reality show called "We Got Married Global Edition" that is.

He is part of a pair of celebrity couples that are filmed in dating and married life situations. The series originally started with just Korean couples, but now they have branched out even further to Japan and Taiwan. You may recognize this show as a lot idols have participated in it. CNBlue's Jung Yong Hwa paired up with Girls Generation's Seohyun as the "Goguma Couple" or "YongSeo Couple". And 2PM's Nichkhun had paired up with f(x)'s Victoria as the "Khuntoria" Couple.

Global Pair #1: Ok Taecyeon (K-Pop Group 2PM) and Wu Ying Xie aka Emma aka "Gui Gui" (Taiwanese Actress/Singer)

Global Pair #2: Lee Hong Ki (K-PopRock Band FT Island) and Fujii Mina (Japanese Actress)

Their First Impressions
Of Mina- she had sent photos of different parts of her face and legs to Hong Ki's cell phone as a way of giving him hints about how she looked like. Hong Ki was very intrigued and thought she had a very nice smile. And her eyes turned down exactly the way he liked in a woman.

Of Hong Ki- for some reason, Mina already knew her who her husband was going to be. She's a fan of FT Island. While she was at the salon getting her hair done, she even sang a bit of FT Island's song, "Love Love Love" (Sarang Sarang Sarang) to the stylist helping her get ready for their first meeting.

Of Gui Gui- it was a first time for everything for Gui Gui. It was her first time to Korea and her first time getting "married". She was dressed in all white for her first meeting and showed up with a very bright expression. She doesn't really understand Korean, but her English is not bad, so she was able to converse somewhat with Taecyeon (He understands English since he was raised in Boston, Massachusetts for about 7 years.)

Of Taecyeon- Taec was very nervous meeting Gui Gui and he hoped that they would like each other. Gui Gui found him handsome, but misunderstood him a little bit at their first meeting.


First Meeting
The Bookstore- Hong Ki and Mina
Hong Ki arrived at the bookstore earlier than Mina and explored a bit. After buying a drink, he sat down to write a note to his soon-to-be-wife.


When Mina arrived, she tiptoed gently towards him so she wouldn't startle him. When they realized who the other was, they both hid their faces in embarrassment as they greeted each other.

Hong Ki was very surprised to find out that Mina could converse in Korean since she is Japanese. He was also very surprised to know that Mina knew of him (even though he didn't know her) and that she was a fan of FT Island. Mina surprised him with a little off-key rendition of "Love Love Love" (Sarang Sarang Sarang) and he was touched that she knew the words. He thought that she could've easily just said the lyrics, but instead, she sang it to him. (Side note: Some artists are particular about their songs and don't like people singing it to them. I'm glad that Hong Ki wasn't like them.)

Hong Ki had challenged Mina to a game of skills by presenting her with a postcard puzzle. He told her that if she put together the puzzle, he would grant her one wish. Mina blazed through the task and put it together in no time. Plus, she read the warm message he had written on the back. Her wish? To have him sing to her, which Hong Ki politely declined at the time since they were in a bookstore.

They found that they had many interest together and that Hong Ki could have had a special "sense" about her tastes. (He ordered her a caramel macchiato, which happened to be a favorite of Mina's. It also happens to be a favorite of Hong Ki's.) Overall their first meeting was very nerve wracking, but very pleasant.

The Shoe Cafe (Chougabi Shoe Cafe)- Taecyeon and Gui Gui
An intrigued Taecyeon arrived at a shop that sold shoes and coffee?? Eh? I guess anything goes in Korea. When Gui Gui arrived, it is apparent that there would be a language barrier. Although Gui Gui can speak English, she can't speak it very well. Not to mention, most of her knowledge of the Korean language and culture came from watching Korean dramas. For example, as they sat at a table getting to know each other, Taecyeon ordered a warm drink for the both of them. Gui Gui was puzzled as the hot chocolate was placed before them. She thought that it was strange for Korean's to be drinking a drink so large at that time of the day. She thought that the mug of hot chocolate was to be drunk in the same way one would take shots of liquor. She kept on saying "one shot" to Taecyeon and proceeded to down the whole drink. She encouraged Taecyeon to do the same. And a befuddled Taecyeon, who didn't want to be impolite, downed his hot chocolate. Later, Taecyeon explained that it wasn't supposed to be downed, but rather sipped at your leisure.

Another example was when they had moved to the shoe room floor. Taecyeon had asked Gui Gui to "window shop". Not understanding what "window shopping" was, Gui Gui's eyes fell on a pair of silver flats that she loved instantly and immediately asked Taecyeon to buy it for her. Taecyeon had to disappoint her by explaining that "window shopping" meant you could only look, not buy. And a disappointed Gui Gui felt he was being tight with his money. Overall, it was a very hilarious episode of Taecyeon trying to explain to Gui Gui in English so she could understand, and Gui Gui trying to get used to the Korean way of things.

After the kerfuffle regarding the shoes, they hit the slopes for some fun in the snow.


The couples had a short hiatus away from each other and return a bit later to find their new homes.

Thoughts: I have to say that these couples are so cute! Gui Gui can be a little annoying with her "oppa" name calling, but she is still adorable. And it's interesting to see how Taecyeon and Gui Gui communicate with each other. I'm glad that Taecyeon is so patient with her. He really breaks down English so she can understand better.

As for Hong Ki and Mina...isn't this kind of cheating? I'm sorry, when I think of Global couples, I think of couples that don't know the same language. Where's the fun in actually being able to converse in the same language? I'm just kidding. I'm not upset, but just surprised. There will be cultural differences that I'm sure will come out down the road. Although I must say...as a FT Island fan, my heart is breaking. Mina is one of the lucky girls that will actually get to know Hong Ki personally.  *Sigh* Ok, I'm over it. I am thoroughly enjoying the series so far and can't wait to see it through to the end.



More to come! Hwaiting!

(Images are not owned by me. Credit goes to their rightful owners.)

Updated Review: TvN's Flower Boy Series

Caution: May contain spoilers for those that haven't watched these dramas.

I was actually staying far away from anything that said "Flower Boy" in the title after watching "Boys Before Flowers" and "You're Beautiful". To me, anything that came after that was just following the trend.

And then, I heard TvN was putting out a series of dramas aimed towards the teen/young adult audience. I thought, "Oh hell no.." I saw recaps of "Flower Boy Ramyun Shop" come and go. News hyping up "Shut Up Flower Boy Band" piqued my interest, but not enough to watch. Then I started see wallpaper of Park Shin Hye and Yoon Si Yoon, and I thought, "Oh, geez, why not already?" It starred "Go Minam" and "Kim Tak Gu" so how bad could it be? Well, I am going to be absolutely honest in saying that what I thought would wow me, didn't. And the one that I just dismissed, I loved. Go figure.

Flower Boy Ramyun Shop
The first drama in the "Oh Boy!" series. It was about a hard working and down on her luck young woman named, Yang Eun Bi (Lee Chung Ah), who is at a point in her life where she has decide what she really wants to do. One day, she attends a fair being in held at her college and bumps into a handsome man. They converse briefly, she out of pure friendliness, he out of irritation. She spots her boyfriend across the way and goes to greet him when she realizes that he isn't alone. It turns out that he had been cheating on her while she was faithfully waiting to spend time with him. They lash out at each other and she's dumped. To save face, she exclaims she already has someone else, too and runs to get into the car of the handsome man she met earlier. They drive off a midst water balloons being hurled at his car by her ex's furious girlfriend. He takes her to the river and isn't too nice to her as he scolds her for basically being a fool and leaves her there.

She studies to be a teacher and lands a job at a local high school where she bumps into spoiled pretty rich boy Cha Chi Soo (aka as the handsome guy) played by Jung Il Woo. He was a HIGH SCHOOLER! She realizes this and spends pretty much most of her time there avoiding him. But alas, opposites attract and because of this they get into so much trouble. She comes to many points where she is almost fired, especially after physically disciplining him in front of his class. She is saved from doing anything further from a man claiming to be her HUSBAND. None other than "He Was Cool" actor Lee Ki Woo played Choi Kang Hyuk, the man Eun Bi's father promised her hand in marriage and left the family's ramyun shop to. And from there the love triangle was born.

After being fired from her teaching position finally, Eun Bi brings the ramyun shop a facelift with Kang Hyuk. Chi Soo joins them in order to be closer to Eun Bi along with a couple of other handsome faces from the neighborhood.

In the end, lovable and absolutely handsome, Choi Kang Hyuk, the one that Eun Bi turns to in time of need, crying and helplessness...doesn't get the girl. Go figure. She ends up with formerly spoiled, and eight years her junior Cha Chi Soo.

And that was the last straw for me. I loved that this showed the whole senior-junior relationship between an older woman and a younger man. That spoke reality to me. But Jung Il Woo's character was so over the top overbearingly selfish and childish, it felt really overacted. And that really killed my appreciation for this series. The love triangle was cute. They had pretty good looking actors, especially with Lee Ki Woo, so that was  great. But I could not enjoy it because of Cha Chi Soo. Sorry Jung Il Woo fans.

Flower Boy Next Door
The third installation in the "Oh Boy!" series. Portrayed a reclusive young woman name "Go Dok Mi" played by Park Shin Hye. She stays sequestered in her apartment, away from the world. She takes joy in viewing the outside world through her one window and her binoculars which she uses to spy on her neighbors. One day she gets caught by gamer "Enrique Geum" played by Yoon Si Yoon (Baker King Kim Tak Gu). He storms over to her apartment intending to break down her door only to be cut off by her neighbor, "Oh Jin Rak", played by Kim Ji Hoon. Through some intentional and chance meetings, Enrique gradually breaks down Dok Mi's barriers. He finds out she suffers from a traumatic event in her high school years where she was mistakenly ridiculed for having a relationship with her English teacher. The culprit was her former best friend who was jealous of Dok Mi and wanted to have the English teacher. (She was planning on sleeping with the teacher after graduation) Dok Mi never recovered from that until Enrique came along and healed her and eventually healing her heart. Despite of his feelings for Dok Mi, Jin Rak lets her go and Dok Mi and Enrique live happily ever after.

The good about this was that it had some pretty decent looking people. And the traumatic event Dok Mi was suffering from was different from what I've seen in other dramas. The bad? Dok Mi. And at times Enrique. And Dok Mi's best friend. Dok Mi just moped and moped and moped. It got tiring, it slowed things down, and got boring after a while. Enrique was so bubbly. Too bubbly. At times it worked, and sometimes it didn't. So much sunshine was blinding after a while. And the best friend? I have to say, not evil enough. Yeah, she was devious in high school. But as an adult, the was just annoying. Always getting in Jin Rak's face trying to get him to notice her. Not doing much else to Dok Mi except pretend to still be her friend. Sorry, didn't think she was necessary.

Shut Up Flower Boy Band
This was the wild card. The one I least expected to find anything interesting about. This came out on top to me. It spoke to me. Maybe it's because I'm a musician and I can relate to some of the stuff they went through, I dunno. But I will watch this again.

This was the second installment in the series and focused on the trials and love of a group of punk high school kids who happen to have good looks. It's too much to put all the characters in prose, so here's a breakdown:

Sung Jun- Kwon Ji Hyuk (guitarist and leader)
L/Kim Myung Soo- Lee Hyun Soo (2nd guitarist, the Ice Prince. Member of K-Pop group INFINITE.)
Lee Hyun Jae- Jang Do Il (drummer, mysterious and soft spoken member, son of a gangster. Drummer for K-Rock Indie group, Mate)
UPDATED 6/27/13- Found out that two members of Mate are currently in service with the army and have decided to disband as of March 2013. Lee Hyun Jae has been picked up and will be debuting in Japan under the group "Eden". 
Kim Min Suk- Seo Kyung Jong (keyboardist, mama's boy)
Yoo Min Kyu- Kim Ha Jin (bassist, playboy and resident hot head. Got this role by winning a reality audition show.)
Jo Bo Ah- Im Su Ah (the Muse, daughter of a businessman that goes bankrupt. Rookie actress.)
Jung Eui Chul- Yoo Seung Hoon (school shining idol and leader/keyboardist for arch rival Strawberry Fields)
Kim Jung Min- Bang Woo Kyung (faithful groupie who has a crush on Ji Hyuk)
Kim Ye Rim- Ye Rim
Kim In Seo- Yoo Hae Ri (CEO of HR Entertainment and Seung Hoon's sister)
Ma Dong Seok- Shilba/Teacher Silva (Teacher out to get the pretty boys and manager)
Kim Hyun Jun- Park Pyo Joo (Strawberry Fields bassist and resident spoiled brat)
Kwak Jung Wook- Jung Maro (Strawberry Fields guitarist)
Jung Jin An- Jo Deo Mi (Su Ah's best friend)

Whew! You got that??

The story starts off with a band called "Eye Candy" performing at an underground club. They are interrupted in the middle of their set and have to scatter in different directions in order to escape the police. This set the look and tone of these group of guys as devoted musicians trying to play their music, but because of this they are not accepted into every day society.

The guys group up later on their way to school where they are apparently once again in trouble. (Again, the whole not accepted into society bit.)  As luck would have it, the high school these guys attend is being shut down and they are told by their teacher that they will be shipped off to another high school. When the boys get their letters of transfer, all are relieved to find out that they will all be attending the same school, Jung Sang High.

But oh boy...when they get there, they are in for a surprise. Jung Sang is nothing like the high school they went to. It's clean, dignified and prestigious looking inside and out. It looked more like a "resort" than a school as one of the members pointed out.

The boys try to fit in, but being that they are a little rough around the edges, of course they don't. They clash with the administration and the other students. Drawing scorn and pity. They are called out to a Battle of the Bands (for a practice room?) by a rival group, Strawberry Fields, who is led by the school's golden boy, Yoo Seung Hoon.

As luck would have it, or rather bad luck, Byung Hee is killed after being hit by a truck late one night after being beaten by school mates. This throws Eye Candy into deep depression and it was unlikely they would continue. But what kind of story would that be if that were the ending? They managed to practice, record a demo for a competition Byung Hee had signed them up for and stood united. Unfortunately, right before the performance, Byung Hee's "muse", Im Bo Ah, runs into a bit of financial trouble and loan sharks come after her at the high school. (Her bank executive father was hiding under disgrace after going bankrupt and the loan sharks came after her since they couldn't find her dad.) Her knight in shining armor turns out to be Kwon Ji Hyuk, who takes her out of school right before the performance and thus forfeiting Eye Candy's chance at winning the Battle of the Bands. Sigh, never that easy.

Eventually, the group forgives Ji Hyuk. But the damage is done. Since Eye Candy didn't win the battle, they are once again looked down upon.

Ji Hyuk finds out that Byung Hee had entered them into a competition at a music festival and the band prepares feverishly for it.

The day of the big music competition arrives and the members are pumped that they would finally be able to perform Byung Hee's song to the world. All the members are there except for Hyun Soo, who is running late after picking up his sister and dropping her off at home. As he rushes off to the competition, he is almost struck in the crosswalk by a van who is driven by pop idol Ye Rim's manager. He hurts his hand, but picked out the glass and continued to hurry on to the competition barely making it in time. As Eye Candy took the stage, the crowd cheers and are soon in a frenzy. Just as the guitar solo begins, Ji Hyuk notices that Hyun Soo is bleeding all over the frets of his guitar. He grabs Hyun Soo in a hug to stop him and hustles him off stage before resuming the song onstage. The onlookers and judges were puzzled, but put that aside.

Again, as with the practice room, Strawberry Fields wins the competition. Impressed with Eye Candy's performance, the CEO of HR Entertainment has the idea to put a video of the group on their website along with the video of Strawberry Fields and see who fares better.

People's Choice went to....Angu Jonghwa or Eye Candy!

As a result of the numerous views online, Eye Candy's popularity grew, eventually dwarfing Strawberry Fields. And the members begin to reap the benefits of their fans new found love, they are offered a contract to produce their first single. They eventually earn the respect from their peers and the administration at Jung Sang, but of course, there were pressures that go along with fame.

As they struggled under the attention, they learned that friends will not always be on the same side. Love sometimes had to be sacrificed, but the love of music will always be something to fall back to.

Lee Hyun Jae as Drummer Jang Do Il

Infinite's L as Guitarist Lee Hyun Soo

Sung Jun as Leader Kwon Ji Hyuk

I really loved this drama. It wasn't too frilly and it showed, at times, a more serious side (dealing with death, abandonment, fighting, heart ache) than most dramas with teens. The cast was wonderful. Rookie actress Jo Bo Ah did fine in her first leading role. Sung Jun, Lee Hyun Jae and L of Infinite were definitely something to write home about. All gave varying depths of emotion to their characters showing different sides. Sung Jun as Kwon Ji Hyuk showed such aloofness and torment at times, I felt bad for him. Lee Hyun Jae's Jang Do Il showed showed that even drummers can be a lead and snag a girl at the same time. And Infinite's L showed such dark anger, he certainly played the role of "Ice Prince" well. The entire group was certainly multidimensional and showed lovable characters. (Even Yoo Min Kyu as the temper flaring Kim Ha Jin.)

This is a drama I would definitely recommend watching. For me, I am re-watching it. Yes, the guys were that good looking and the cast was that talented.

And in case you're wondering, yes, the guy did get the girl. =)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these pics. Rights go to their rightful owners.

Get Ready To Get "Married"!

Or, at least watch stars live a "married life". I'm especially keen on watching how it goes with FT Island's Lee Hong Ki and Japanese actress Fujii Mina.

The first episode of the global edition of "We Got Married" premiers today. Although, I don't think you can call this global since it's only a couple of stars from Asia. But since this is the first time they're pairing up couples from outside of Korea, I guess it makes sense? Hey, these are the same guys that consider a world tour all of Asia and some of Europe.

To help promote more interest in the show, Lee Hong Ki tweeted a cute little picture (see below) of himself, Mina and a Primadonna (FT Island's official name for their fans in their fan club) wearing a yellow FT Island hoodie. (Yellow is the official color of their fan club.) He's stuck right in the middle of a tug of war, I mean pose, between the other two. Perhaps to suggest he's not only married to his fans, but now to Mina?

Anyone up for guessing what their couple name will be? We've had Brangelina (Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) and YongSeo (Jung Yong Hwa and Seohyun). How about "HongMin"??

How will the fans react? I can't wait to recap!

Shall we see how international cultures clash?