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we have yet another blog for
you all! we hope you enjoy
our recs this week! #BRT
[ eve ] - zoo ‘sm artists’
after thinking of what to recommend this time, i noticed a trend that came up a while ago. superm made a huge success with the different collaborations between their groups, called “2021 SMTOWN” featuring artists like nct, aespa, exo and older groups such as shinee, tbxq and snsd. i personally have heard a few of their songs but didn't pay much attention to it until i saw one of their songs, “zoo” by taeyong, jeno, hendery, yang yang & giselle, literally BLOWING UP on tiktok, instagram and many other social media platforms. for some reason people enjoyed the choreo to the point where it became a challenge, slowly becoming more and more popular. that’s why i’d love to talk about the choreo and see what's so good about it! :smirk_cat:
Before starting off, I first of all want to mention how much of a great job the choreographer has done together with taeyong. If you didn't know, tae actually contributed a lot to the choreo and together with Bada Lee - seriously one of the best choreographer in korea - they have created THE perfect hip hop choreo. I’ve seen quite a few of her choreos since she contributed to karina’s mama 2021 stage opening and choreos from songs such as “peaches” by kai , “savage” by aespa or “maverick” by the boyz. If you have seen those choreos, then her style of dancing is noticeable in all of those choreos. However, I think it is quite interesting to see that she found someone that has a similar one as Taeyong is also known for having a very unique, sharp yet swaggy dance style.
That particular swag is very present in the pre chorus and the refrain of “zoo” as the movements are rather sharp but match every beat of the song without making it look too busy or to slow. They managed to create a perfect balance of fast and slower movements which can be seen during the pre chorus.
While first having powerful and faster moves, they get slower and much more fluid while either giselle or hendery are rapping. I particularly liked how they made a small break seconds before the chorus drops and adding a little move such as the piece sign to it which makes the drop even more powerful together with them switching the pace. While all of this seems to be very powerful and unique, I also liked how they balanced the solo parts of every idol. Everyone had enough time to rap and got a small part where they could be seen either alone or in the center of the group & even the centers during the choreography changed a few times.
Now, the reason why I believe that it blew up that much is because of the uniqueness of the song and the choreo. The song itself is very catchy, especially the prechorus with the chosen movements. Compared to the usual kpop choreos, I feel like this one matches the song very well and doesn't feel like it's just another choreo of a kpop song. Especially on stage, it really feels like they are dancing the song, or rapping the choreo - however you wanna see it 🤝 I personally enjoyed it a lot and would love to see more collaborations between girl & boy groups! :heartbeat:
[ sania ] - strangers from hell
TW: This series contains blood, knives, stabbing, dark themes, killing, mental health, animal death/death in general, violence
This series- So I actually stumbled upon this series accidentally when I was looking for something interesting to watch. It had been quite some time since I watched something that was dark-themed, more on the psychological side and just seeing the casting - I had really high hopes and expectations for this particular series, and it did not disappoint at all. For those of you who know me, you will know that I love my dramas - but those with the combination of dark, mystery, thriller and psychological themes are undeniably one of my favourite types which is why I was super excited to watch this series after reading its description. It's hard to express my emotions regarding this series, because it really does set you on a rollercoaster - at the end of the series, you'll feel a strong adrenaline rush but in the best way possible. It's funny because I know that some people say that the first episode starts off slow and could be boring to some people, and honestly I can see why. The first 25 minutes or so are kind of dead essentially, but I would never regret giving this series a chance and that ending is simply to die for. My goodness- If I had to compare this series to something, I would definitely have to mention one of my favourite movies/books of all time - "The Shining". It's got a very strong psychological, mental theme going on which is being combined with eerie, dark themes and mystery/thriller, and honestly - if you love a good dark series; I would highly recommend this one. OCN is a company that has always busted out great series and this one was honestly no exception. From "Black" to "Voice" to "Rugal" and to "Dark Hole", OCN has always just excelled at these types of series/movies and "Strangers From Hell" is definitely on par with those other popular ones.
"Hell Is Other People", also known as "Strangers From Hell" is a 2019 South Korean television series starring Im Si-wan and Lee Dong-wook. It is based on a Webtoon series of the same name, written by Kim Yong-ki and aired for 10 episodes. The story revolves around a young man named Yoon Jong-woo (portrayed by Im Si-wan) who moves to Seoul from the countryside, after landing an internship at a huge company. Struggling financially and finding it difficult to find a place to stay, Jong-woo stumbles upon Eden Studio - an ominous cheap dormitory owned by Eom Bok-soon, an old lady. Although he is not thrilled by the quality of the place and its abnormal residents - including Yoo Gi-hyeok (a mysterious and cold resident who lives in room 302), twin brothers Byeon Deuk-jong and Byeon Deuk-soo (who respectively live in rooms 306 and 307 - with Deuk-jong being mentally handicapped and Deuk-soo having better intelligence than his brother) and Seo Moon-jo (who is a dentist), Jong-woo decides to stay at the residence until he has enough money to move out. However, throughout his stay - mysterious occurences start happening in the studio which results in Jong-woo to fear the studio's residents.
Honestly- I want to rewatch this particular series again and also just take this opportunity to praise Si-wan and Dong-wook for their acting. I mean, the whole cast did a great job but these two individuals in general just surprised me. Dong-wook in particular, his character was just- Wow. The way he portrayed him just gave me goosebumps and it made me happy because a lot of people think that he is a one-trick-pony and that he can only pull off certain roles - but you know what I think? He can really pull off dark series and I hope he will act in more during the future. This is the same with Si-wan because honestly, I don't usually like idol-turned-actors because I just feel that idols don't get the same amount of sufficient training as actors do. Acting is not as easy as one might think, so I was worried about Si-wan's performance but my goodness did he do a great job. I was so utterly impressed by his acting and just like Dong-wook - he proved that he isn't a one-trick-pony either and can act as well he can sing. Don't even get me started on the OST. We have Yaori and The Rose singing the OSTs and wow- I honestly wish I could tell you how good they are but I do believe that actions speak louder than words - you'll have to listen yourself, but one word? Phenomenal. If I had to rate this series overall - I would give it a 10/10 without a doubt. OCN dramas supremacy,.
[ sania ] - war of the son
TW: This series contains blood, assault, abuse, dementia/mental health mentions, death penalty, death, violence
This is actually a series I watched when it was first released, but I found myself rewatching it after some time because I was just so impressed with Nam Goong-min and Yoo Seung-ho. This is also the first series I watched of Nam Goong-min and it really allowed for him to become one of my favourite South Korean actors. It's been a decade since I watched my first K-Drama and I will tell you right now, villainous characters are the most difficult to pull off. It's not easy to make yourself seem evil - you have to put your soul, mind and heart into it; just like Nam Goong-min did in this particular series and he just did the perfect job. You know those characters who you end up detesting because of how evil they are, but you cannot help but fall in love with the actor for doing a great job? Nam Goong-min is the prime example of that because my goodness, the number of times I wanted to throw something at his little smug face in the series is probably infinity. But this series really made me respect him as an actor, which is why I am super excited to be talking about it today.
, also known as ": War of the Son" is a South Korean thriller series starring Yoo Seung-ho, Park Sung-woong, Park Min-young, Nam Goong-min and Jung Hye-sung. It aired in 2015 for 20 episodes and the cast won many awards both individually and as a team. The story revolves around Seo Jin-woo (portrayed by Yoo Seung-ho) who has a special condition called hyperthymesia which allows him to every single day of his life in perfect detail, a complete contrast to his father Seo Jae-hyuk who has developed Alzheimer's disease, making him lose his memories. One day, Seo Jae-hyuk is convicted of murder - but due to his memory, he is unable to if his innocent or not. Jin-woo, who firmly believes his father is innocent, goes on a path and vows to prove his father's innocence. Four years later, Jin-woo becomes a lawyer after he was deceived by his father's original lawyer - so that he can put the real criminals behind bars. However, bribery, corruption, power and betrayal make it a really difficult path for him to reach justice. On top of that, Jin-woo is also slowly developing Alzheimer's disease and slowly losing his memory - will he able to prove his father's innocence before he loses all of his memories of the real killer?
This drama really hit close to my heart, primarily due to the fact that I tend to forget things easily and worry that I will also develop something like Alzheimer's and forget about the individuals who I love and care for the most. The way Yoo Seung-ho acted was just beautiful - it really makes you emotional because it's hard to see your loved one being convicted of something they didn't do, but you can't do anything to stop them. He really did nail the character of Seo Jin-woo and gave a strong, realistic appearance to the character. I feel as if a lot of actors and actresses don't really provide a realistic stance when it comes to their characters - but with Yoo Seung-ho, you could tell that he had built a strong connection with the character of Jin-woo; hence why I thoroughly enjoyed watching this series a lot. Certain parts were definitely cliché and you could probably guess what is going to happen during those parts - but honestly? I still loved watching this series and Nam Goong-min's performance would get 10/10. In of the actual series, I feel as if I would have to give it an 8.5/10 because I do think that some of the cliché parts could have been altered but it was not a bad series at all. I really enjoyed watching it, and will definitely be rewatching it again one day.
[ sania ] - the man from nowhere
TW: Blood, extreme violence, killing, child labor, mature/dark themes, organs
When I was choosing which films/dramas I wanted to recommend for this edition of BRT, I knew I had to recommend a film that is just a classic in the South Korean music industry and one that a lot of people would feel intrigued by - hence why I decided to pick "The Man From Nowhere". It has been a hot minute since I watched this film, but it is definitely one that has left a long-lasting impression on me - which is why when someone asks me for a South Korean film recommendation, "The Man From Nowhere" is one of the first ones that I choose to mention because of how amazing the cinematography is. It doesn't surprise me that the film was once South Korea's highest grossing album because each aspect; the plot, the casting- everything was just perfect, hence why I have seen this film multiple times, and remakes of the film have been made.
The Man From Nowhere, also known as "Ahjusshi" is a South Korean action thriller starring Won Bin. The story focuses on a mysterious and shady man Cha Tae-sik (portrayed by Won Bin) who embarks on a bloody rampage when the only person who seems to understand him is kidnapped. Cha Tae-sik is a quiet individual running a pawnshop - his only friend is a little girl named So-mi (portrayed by Kim Sae-ron) whose mother Hyo-jeong is a go-go dancer and heroin addict. In the beginning, Hyo-jeong steals a large pack of heroin being sold at the bar she works at and she hides it in a bag, giving it to Tae-sik for safe-keeping. Her action attracts the attention of a ruthless crime lord Oh Myung-gyu who tasks his cronies/subordinates to go and get the drugs. The lackeys find Hyo-jeong and torture her in front of her daughter demanding her to give the drugs. They then try to overpower Tae-sik who defeats them immediately, but this makes the lackeys realize Tae-sik has a soft spot for So-mi so they kidnap her, and the story unfolds from there.
I feel as if a lot of people sleep on this film, which is so disappointing because if I could I pick just a single film that I would recommend - it would have to be this one. Won Bin is one of South Korea's top actors, and this film ed that fact immensely. His acting was just so top-notch, to the point it felt as if I could feel every single emotion that was going through his heart. This film is definitely darker than most movies that I've seen, but Won Bin did a perfect job at executing his character. The action scenes in particular deserve a lot of praise, because they just looked so realistic and I know for a fact that he isn't an individual who uses stunt doubles. It just really made me ire him more as an actor, because it's not easy doing all of these action scenes by yourself and each one was done perfectly, conveying the emotions beautifully. If I had to rate this movie, I would give it a 9.5/10. It does not surprise me that the film had many remakes because every aspect - the cinematography, the casting and the overall plot was just amazing.
[ miri ] - p.o & ukwon ‘winner’
for this week i got yet again another block b member which in fact is p.o as well as yukwon again. i how excited i was when i found out about these collabs so many years later, but like especially this song is so stunning and powerful. i never thought that a collab with chanmina could happen, but they suit each other so well. especially when their confidence and insane charisma is thrown together. this song has such an intense and fierce as well as actually loud instrumental to it which hits so different whenever i'm listening to this. it's just that this song shares such a confident feeling while it's like a perfecty song to bodyroll to, especially because of this extremely collected melody. i mean like the beats they've added and the different layers to this make it sound so intriguing and addictive. plus them going on an on with their rap parts as well as yukwon's vocals in between, p.o's deep voice tone and chanmina's charisma sounds so stunning. they all hold such insane power while this song is something for everyone who needs new positive energy and confidence while believing in yourself more than ever. also besides everyone having done so well and the instrumental being one of the best ones i've ever heard, i shortly want to focus on p.o. because like as i said his deep voice is as always so mesmerising to listen to yet it also suits the concept they've went for. i also can't get over his unique rapping style as well as the pure confidence to how he's delivering it. plus he owns this mv and release visual wise, because the glasses and these outfits are too pretty. anyway i just truly recommend this for a quick boost of excitement and confidence
[ miri ] - lost & found - taeil ft. keita
another member i didn't talk about yet is taeil. i first thought about picking one of his 'king of masked singer' performances, but then i ed their project-1 and his collab with keita from w-inds, so here i am. as someone who always enjoyed the music from w-inds a lot ever since they've found them and absolutely being in love with keita's vocals. i can't believe how perfect this collab is. i mean like keita not only shines as the duo with ryohei, but also by delivering such powerful and unique vocals with his solo releases. he easily is one of my favourite vocalists while there's just something so mesmerising about the way he sings with such ion and strong emotions. plus taeil also being a vocalist i find so impressive makes this to such a memorable collab. i also think that their voice tones, vocal ranges and singing techniques fit so well together. that's especially to witness when they go back and for with their vocal parts and end up singing together at times in the end. it actually feels a little surreal to listen to two incredible vocalists delivering such a stunning and beautiful performance and putting one into a trance just by the elegance and strength of their vocals. besides that, i'm so in love with taeil's japanese pronounciation while i can't get over how emotional yet at the same time comforting this sounds. i simply am left so speechless by this performance while it's something i feel so proud of. and like if you're in need of an unforgettable vocal performance this is definitely the perfect one for you and i can only recommend everyone to experience this insane portrayal
[ miri ] - at last - jaehyo
he's the last block b member i'm talking about. so for him, i decided on one of his solos in fact 'at last' which is part of the 're:montage' album which they've released back in 2018. considering the fact that he's an impressive vocalist this is such a beautiful and calm song which points out his stunning vocals. i mean like the way he sings with such strength and strong emotions while having such a clear voice is so intriguing. plus i'm in love with how this sounds rather emotional while the piano as well as drum create such a soothing melody. also that combined with his insane vocal range as well as pretty voice tone sounds so beautiful. i actually don't have proper words to describe this, but i in general find his vocals so enjoyable to listen to while experiencing the sadness in his voice and the overall song definitely hits me in my feels. that was actually a contrast in emotional reactions, but anyway it's such a beautiful song while i feel so impressed by the control he has over his voice. i mean like the way he sings with such a charming voice tone and controlled vocal range is so captivating. and i tend not to enjoy slower songs with focus on vocals a lot, but he and also the other immediately made me fall so much in love with the uniqueness and power to their vocals. i simply recommend this to everyone who's in need of an emotional song while being able to relax yet feel emotional
[ antonia ] - woozi ‘ruby’
this is my first section since my hiatus but i'm very happy to be back and i hope you enjoy reading it. so this week's recommendation is 'ruby' by woozi and istg there's something about seventeen's solo songs that just hits different :fire: 🤲🏻. don't ask me why but even before listening to this song i knew that i will like it AND I WAS DAMN RIGHT :joy: :heartpulse: . when i first listened to it i was a bit surprised by the classical music in the beginning and i thought oh maybe it's going to be a ballad which made me a bit sad because i expected something different (how this song actually was kshsks) and i am honestly not the biggest fan of ballads because i prefer songs you can listen to 24/7 and for ballad i really need to be in the mood for them. anyways when the classical part was over and the song officially started i was so happy because it was exactly how i imagined it to be and omg woozi slaaayyyed :relieved: :hand: 🏻. the only bad thing about this song is that it's too short. when i first listened to it and it ended i was like i need more! so since the song wasn't longer i just had it on repeat for days because i couldn't get enough kshsjsk. i just love everything about it, the vocals, the instrumental.... :sparkles: :cupid: also can we talk about his iconic 'shit this is red too' AHSJHDSJ. sooo if you haven't already watched the mv or listened to the song i highly recommend you to do so. you will definitely not regret it. it's already one of my favourite songs of 2022 and we are only in january kshsj :joy: :heartpulse:
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Comments (2)
Okay but the drama recommendations are seriously on another level 🤩
the War of the Son and Strangers from Hell are some of my ever favorites 🥰 I gotta go and watch "The Man from Nowhere" next now ahh,, your description just got me so interested!!
I see some Block B appreciation too, "winner" and "at last" are such good songs 🥰🥰 pls y'all got so much taste, I be in love
if you guys aren’t checking out sania’s drama recs by week 11 what are you doing?