Unbreakable Tradition

We've been inundated with cheerful summer party music recently. As much as I love getting into the feel of the season it was awesome to find a video that really broke that mold. And a whole bunch of other ones as well....

So this week we're talking about Kim Hyun Joong's Unbreakable!

I’m no expert on traditional clothing or weaponry, so you’ll have to forgive the technical terms here, but let me know if you have the names or any info on what is being used.

Overall impression:

Ruby: So I know that this video was probably a bit of a surprising choice but I have such a weakness for anything even vaguely reminiscent of  traditional east Asian clothing - furisode, yukata, hakama, obi, hanbok (no surprise here…) - and I’m all over it. I’m also a sucker for the fighting arts and use of weaponry in the dance, so this video was a happy experience for me. Aside from that though, I also loved the way they played with the modern clothing in some cases to reflect their counterparts. It gives me the fashion tinglies.

 

Traditional swordsmen bring artistry in movement into the video

Those beautiful sleeve extensions highlight the dancers flips and tricks.

Matt: Mmhmm! This video is definitely loaded with cool visuals that combine to create a surprisingly strong and eclectic overall style. All of the visual and artistic components blend together in a really enjoyable mix of modern and historic culture to surprise and entertain audiences. A good example of the cultural complexity of the video can be seen when a dancer wearing a historical Korean mask underneath an urban-style bandana performs a modern martial-arts-inspired dance while simultaneously painting an aggressive dragon on the wall behind him in a style heavily reminiscent of ancient Eastern calligraphy.

 

the dragon beginning

Paint and dance and so many feeeeeeeeels

Other promotional Materials:

Ruby: What other promotional materials….. I mean he released some half naked photos to promote Round 3, his album. But really he hasn’t done much else to promote. Maybe Mattmatt can find some other videos I missed but I’m at a loss. He has recently been on a show called Barefoot Friends, which is quite fun. We found out all about his apartment. It has skulls and booze and designer clothes and that's about it. If that's not good pr I don't know what is.

NAKED TEASER TIME

barefoot friends. they take their jobs really really seriously.

Matt: Hahaha… agreed. On another note, I actually did manage to stumble across some other promotional material. Kim Hyun Joong recently uploaded one of his dance rehearsals to his official YouTube channel. The video brings the choreography to the spotlight, which is good considering that in the official music video, the more complex movements are drowned out by cut scenes to women in traditional dress, Hyun Joong stepping out of a flashy sports car, or the aforementioned dragon painting scene. His live SBS Inkigayo Comeback Stage can also be found online. Its visuals mirror the music video’s main scene, including elements such as the historic emblem cutout on the backdrop and the modern hoodies and gold chains that adorn the established singer and his talented backup dancers. Although it’s worth watching for the live vocals if nothing else, it doesn’t diverge from the fashion and visuals established in the music video.

stage performance featuring the same sports wear from the mv

Continuity:

Ruby: I guess this is where the video could have gone horrible no good very bad wrong, but it didn’t. I really think they made an effort to use the traditional and modern clothing in parallel. We have these harem pants paired with the idea of flowy skirts and hakama and the slit-side sweatshirts with the happi jackets. Even the hats and hoods with writing give the impression of the headbands and headwraps traditionally worn. Yeah, the button down and wife beater were not the best choices and ripping off ones shirt is not classy at any point in history… but I have a lot of respect for the people who coordinated this. I bet there was a lot of thought put into each outfit and I appreciate that a lot.

 

The beautiful traditional dress with extended sleeves

and the sweatshirt, split up the sides to reflect shapes of items like the happi coats.

Matt: Definitely. I don’t have much else to add, except for the fact that the contrast between black-and-white cinematography and color cinematography was also very well balanced. Mirroring the contrast between tradition and modern culture shown in the video, the color usage and overall videography was also very well thought out. A+ for continuity!

 

the black and white take contrast to a whole new level

Band’s Overall Image:

Ruby: So this is extremely consistent with Hyun Joong’s other big Korean single, Breakdown. And that's all fine and good, dark alley gangster dance clothes are fantastic. But lets be real. He spent the beginning of his career of the leader of the group SS501, who were the ultimate flower boy, sweet-heart boy band. I know he’s grown up a lot and I respect that, but I think for me he will always be the playa bartender who can’t pick up a chick to save his life.

Breakdown era KJH

DOUBLE S FIVE OH ONE, DOUBLE S...

Matt: Again, there’s not much to add here. The video is consistent with his solo work, but not so much with his pre-solo-debut material. That’s to be expected. As for his new image, I love it. This video may not look like the product of “the ultimate flower boy, sweet-heart boy band”, but it’s still darn good ^_^;

 

once upon a time, he was such a cutie pie.

Trends in K-POP:

Ruby: So this video is in some ways spot on with the trends. Fake tattoos, and sports wear are really peaking right now. Guys with six packs taking off their shirts has been in for a long time now. coughraincough…. not that I’m complaining. I guess I wish that playing more than alternative fashion was in. They did a nice job of keeping it accessible by staying with trend for one look and then pairing it with something off-trend and stylistically really interesting, like traditional clothing. Even the altered version of the traditional clothing that appear in the video are really refreshing.

 

Bi Rain in his famous shirt removal dance.

Exo wolf's sports wear

Matt: Yup. Fake tattoos are definitely appearing all over the place. Just take a look at Brown Eyed Girls’ new music video “Kill Bill”.

Fake tattoo from Brown Eyed Girls "Kill Bill"

lots of fake tats in this mv

Conclusion:

Ruby: The video really split down the middle of painfully predictable and really fresh and interesting. Using the rhythmic dance of the taiko drums in conjunction with the clothing and the modern song really was completely unexpected but immediately understandable. And for me that's the ultimate goal. I wish they’d committed to it fully rather than half-assing it. I appreciate that they made it accessible to more people but for me it took away from the cooler aspects of the video. I wish they’d gone further with their metaphors and references. 

 

this is really cool looking, very modern but not at odds. 

for me, outfits like this were really out of place

next to scenes like this.

Matt: Really fresh video. Really cool concept, and really great execution. Unlike Ruby, I don’t think it was half-assed at all. To me, the juxtaposition of the different elements (some of which were, admittedly, simpler than others) is what makes the video so captivating.

 

the traditional meets the new

with breakdancers in ribbon hats

and dudes in weird masks!

Daily Dose of Daebak:

Kim Hyun Joong... in the red light district..... *smirks* because there haven't been any prostitution scandals in kpop recently..... (too soon?)

Hi, there, horsey. The man on your back is terrifying ^_^   

Leave us some love in the comments please! If you want, tell us if you prefer the traditional or modern clothes!

This video was awesome. Like, I had so much fun screencapping it and I just couldn't pick. I love the aesthetic. seriously.

But seriously

wow.

See ya

Rachael AND MATT 

Junsu's Incredible Wardrobe

Recently we've really kicked off summer. 2ne1 brought us to the beach and No Min Woo got us all pumped up for a massive rock and roll party! Leave it to Junsu to combine those two and toss in a little of his own special skills to top it off! Of course, this week, we're talking about
Incredible - Xia Junsu
get your party suit on and click here (or just watch below)

The video was released on two channels (loen and cjes both released the video) on July 14th 2013 and as of July 22nd had a combined 915,749 views. 

*as a side note, I'm flyin' solo this week, Em is still away so we're trying out singleton writing*

Overall impression:

Ruby: So Junsu’s solo work is always a little bit off-kilter. I don’t think anyone is going to forget Intoxication anytime soon. So. There’s that. There was A LOT of clothing in this video. Junsu changed a buttload of times and then he had a million and a half backup dancers who were all decked out for a super funky retro rave disco beach party. That is the technical term. Generally I found the fashion to be too much for me. I like parts or concepts but it was really massively overwhelming. I mean in a way it worked since I think they were going for chaotic summer nutso party. But there were parts of it that I was like, I just don't get it. Mesh tank top and a button down…. Why.

Secret filming location. I swear.

I mean i don't really understand where any of those pieces were designed to be worn.
Except the bra. Which was made to go under shirts. so.

I. just. I mean. He's wearing his suit pants, mesh and pastels.

Other promotional Materials:

Ruby: The video teaser featured what I found to be the coolest part of the mv in itself. It was a good representation of the mv itself and it definitely intrigued me. I guess you could also consider 11 am, his mv before this was also sort of a preface to this. It’s incredibly simple and a really nice counterpoint to the insanity of Incredible. Actually it kind of looks like they got the order wrong. Maybe 11am was the aftermath of his crazy beach party. There was a showcase where he performed several songs. He changed accordingly, wearing a silver and black tassel-dangling suit for Tarantellegra but the red patch jacket for Incredible.

Now this is pretty.

must've been a wild party dude

Red coat with appliques and a newsprint tie.... oh blurry screencaps.

Continuity:

Ruby: I feel wrong discussing continuity in this mv. There is zero continuity. Okay well, maybe I’ll give it ½ a point for the main girl, she seems consistently like pastel hipster and I like that. Although she is really really out of place. I mean who wears lacy shorts and hipster headbands to the neon spandex flashdance cat mask party? Then again, Junsu was also clearly struggled with what to wear and his initial choice of black pants a white shirt was very wrong and later rejected.

FLASHDANCE

Don't worry guys, she's a pretty stalker.

Crap, I misread my own dresscode.

Band’s Overall Image:

Ruby: Junsu likes to be the sexy pop star when he’s not performing with his group, JYJ. I mean, Tarantellegra and Intoxication were equally as racy and provocative. I mean 11am was much more reserved, which was a big change for him. I guess he might be trying to work maturity into a very risqué image that he’s maintained throughout his career. He’s 26, so I can understand him wanting to emulate his age and experiences in his life. I would miss Junsu if he decided to be conservative or cutesy, but it good to see him take on a more serious role as well. Thus 11am and Incredible were well paired.

Junsu in 11am, very simple and never changes.

And then there was Tarantellegra,

Trends in K-POP:

Ruby: There were so many many things….. Can gold suits not be a trend? No no no. There was another video released recently where they wore something similar. All I can think of is pornstar-oppa. We see the return of oddly patterned suits, something SHINee is well known for. Maybe Junsu borrowed one of Jaejoong’s mesh shirts. I guess the randomness in itself is a trend right now. Like 4minute.

Tarantellegra teaser!

Porn. Star. Oppa.

And then there was more gold fabric.

Conclusion:

Ruby: I like the song and I like the video in a way. It was one of those, this is terrible and I love it. It's a mess and its very confused and I shouldn’t like it. But I do. I found Junsu’s outfits sort of unimpressive but the chaos behind him is kind of wonderful. For me I think I’ve enjoyed some of his other mv’s more but this was quite interesting and it’s summer, so it's a good time to have crazy-butt parties and go wild.

But I mean in all honest I paused the video more than once just to be like, what the hell are you wearing. dear god.

This part was cool.

but then I was like, dear god where did you even find that!?!?!?!

Daily Dose of Daebak:

FISH HAT and CAT MASKS

SHAKE YOUR SPACESHIP CANDY

So tell us what you would wear to Junsu's massive beach party!!!!

Or just leave lonely me some love :(

see ya soon!

Ruby...... 

Summer Lovin' with 2ne1

So I don't know about any one else, but it is hot where I live. I got myself to wondering when kpop was gonna turn out that amazing summer beach song that just screamed summer and sun. Seems like 2ne1 listened to me, so this week, we're reviewing

2ne1 Falling in Love! If ya haven't seen it yet, get yourself some lovin' here.

This video was released on July 7th 2013 and as of July 15th, had 6,057,499 views. This is the first of several videos 2ne1 will release, one each month, until October.

ALSO, HEY GUYS! So this week, since Em if off globe trotting and staring down massive internet fire walls, WE HAVE A NEW ADMIN! SAY HI TO MATT. (he's a really nice guy, i swear :P)

Overall impression:

Ruby: This MV had 2ne1 written all over it. They keep a consistent stylist, Yang Seung Ho, who lends their MVs a super distinctive style. With the song, they went for a reggae feel since its summer, and the clothing changed accordingly to be a brighter, more comfortable and more revealing style. It’s breezy and funky with cool accessories and rather simple hair and makeup. Yes, there are some exceptions, like really sick nails and I definitely saw some pink hair, but overall they kept their cat eye makeup and pretty natural looking hair. There were 3 major outfit groups with a beachier look, all white outfits, and a set of street clothes. There were a few misses... (Dara's shiny shirt)... but for the most part it worked really well.

Awesome nails and hand jewelry? It's da Bom... ;)

CL and her golden locks and heavy eyeliner. 

Yang Seungho and CL just hangin' out. He's in the group called NUTHANG,
google it. seriously. 

Matt: Agreed – this music video is quintessentially 2ne1. Quirky, fun, and energetic, their latest single is in keeping with the energy of their previous endeavors. Still, it’s been about a year since 2ne1’s last release (“I Love You”), and I have to say, given the quality of their previous singles, I was expecting something a little bit more… interesting. The reggae vibe of the song is definitely fun, but it lacks the catchy hooks and impressive vocal range of songs like “I Love You” and “I am the Best”. At the end of the day, however, 2ne1 still manages to entertain with their exceptionally creative style and videography. I thought that the white and gold motif Ruby mentioned earlier was particularly entertaining. It’s not every day that you get to see pink haired Minzy sitting in a throne sipping from a golden soda cup with similarly gilded men arranged around her throne like statues. (… or maybe it is? I don’t know. I’ve never actually met her.)

Ahem. I asked for DIET coke. *Queen Minzy demands*

She's gotta be a Queen. She's got gold man statues with chain veils....

Other promotional Materials:

Ruby: The photo teasers and the video teasers used the same outfits from the videos. It looks like they posed for the photos separately from the video, however.  Nonetheless, they paired the same clothing and settings without fail. It’s nice and consistent and gives a lot more detail to the clothing. Since it is a dance heavy video, sometimes the more complex patterns got muddled, but the teasers give them clarity. So points for that! I guess I would like to have seen more elaboration, ya know?

Teaser for a summer of fun!

Matt: I think that their clothing is definitely worth noticing, but I’d have to agree with you in that the music video is so busy that it doesn’t exactly highlight the group’s fashion choices. It’s definitely a dance-heavy performance, which is what I think makes their live promotional events so interesting. It’s nice to be able to see the dance without too many camera switches.  Live, not only can audiences see the dance much clearer, but they also have much more time to digest the visuals of the performance – my favorite part of their live promotions would have to be CL’s black and white eye-themed two piece jumpsuit, which can be seen during the second half of the live performance mentioned above.

Live stage outfits are a bit different

Continuity:

Ruby: It’s as continuous as any 2ne1 video ever is. Luckily for them, they have such a consistent and well-developed aesthetic so it feels like a cohesive whole; it’s just that that whole has to be a 2ne1 video. I mean, it’s all quirky, with heavy layers and lots of skin, but not much beyond that stays the same. Still, it was bright and fun and full of details, and with relatively few outfits, the inconsistencies weren’t noticeable.

Very identifiably 2ne1, even if I don't love the outfits

Matt: I don’t have too much to say here that you haven’t already said - - - it’s not exactly visually cohesive, but that’s 2ne1’s unifying concept, which creates a sort of counter-intuitive continuity.

It's okay Bommie, it is very confusing.

Band’s Overall Image:

Ruby: …. Well I kind of jumped the gun here. Oh well. But this is very 2ne1. They have a very distinct look, although it communicates slightly differently in different videos. This is a spunkier version, but you can see Ugly or I Love You in it. It’s definitely different than their “Fire” or “I am the Best”, but it’s still them. I guess I would say it’s got a lot to do with layering, conflicting patterns and textures, heavy cat-eyes and prominent accessories. And that's just been their thing since the beginning really. (Yes, I mean the very beginning…. Lolli-lolli-oh-lollipop!)

Ugly outfits are definitely one extreme as well...

I Love You outfits are closer, i think, but more wintery/formal

Matt: The video is stylistically consistent with the rest of their performances. Yep, starting with Lollipop. Thanks, Ruby… now I have that song stuck in my head. Haha ^_^; In terms of sound, though, this song seems a bit off. I’m not exactly a fan of their reggae style. I’ll always prefer their catchier and more melodic “Ugly” and “I am the Best”.

LOLLI-LOLLI-OH LOLLIPOP!

Trends in K-POP:

Ruby: There have been so many rookies this year that have taken up what people are calling the “2ne1 style”… Usually what they’re referring to is a girl group that dresses with punk or grunge inspired clothing rather than the cutsy/girly or sexy image. The mismatched style has many mutations within kpop, and this is just one of them. But when it’s paired with a less feminine look, its always associated with 2ne1.

GI's "Beatles" is one debut this year that was deemed very 2ne1-esque.

Matt: Going in a completely different direction, I think that the short, clean cut of CL’s beach dress has been increasingly popular in K-Pop music videos over the past year or so. Think of the form fitting, simple dresses shown in Hello Venus’ “Do You Want Some Tea?” or SISTAR’s “Alone”. CL’s dress  is incredibly similar, only… with a fisherman’s net. Hence… she’s at the beach… ? Anyways, the simple, short dresses, either boasting bold geometric patterns or bright solid colors, have been making their way into the Korean music scene with a frequency that only seems to be increasing.

CL's fishnet sun-dress.

"Do You Want Some Tea?" from Hello Venus with their cute lil' dresses. 

Conclusion:

Ruby: 2ne1 is preparing to release a crap-ton of mvs. Like one a month until October or something. So this is really a kick off to their biggest comeback ever. In that role I think it worked really well. It was new, but familiar and identifiable. It sets a good tone for the months and songs to come by allowing for variation but maintaining their well known image.

BOM WANTS YOU TO KEEP ON THE LOOK OUT FOR 2NE1

Minzy is pleased by this.

Matt: Solid visuals, but not as solid a sound as I was expecting. We’ll both definitely be looking forward the videos coming out in the following months, though, I’m sure.

I mean who wouldn't want to party with these dorks uber cool pop-stars

Daily Dose of Daebak:

Ruby: LEE SOOHYUK AND HONG JONGHYUN WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? Handsome boys…… ;3

Matt: GOLDEN GAMEBOYS… WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? Handsome toys……

Leave us a comment and tell us what you want to see 2ne1's comebacks this summer feature for fashion! Or anything at all! We'd loveeeee to hear from you :3......

Thanks again Matt! 

Stay cool in this heat guys! (idk, but its hot where i am so...)

<3 Ruby and Em (AND MATT)