For this edition of the Monthly Writer’s Review, MoonSoshi9 and letaengbutt will be taking a closer look at “All About Girls’ Generation “Paradise In Phuket” DVD Preview” and the “All About Girls’ Generation: Paradise in Phuket DVD”, more commonly referred to as “AAGG”. The preview photobook was released on the 8th of February 2011, while the DVD was released on 30th June 2011.

The DVD contains 6 discs worth of videos. The first disc is the variety show which the girls recorded in Phuket, titled “Real Treasure”. The second contains clips of what the girls did on their own during their free time in Phuket, while the third has the self-talk time by all the girls. The fourth disc contains all the music videos by Girls’ Generation as well as bonus clips of the girls’ individual “Hoot” recordings. Disc five contains various behind the scenes films and disc six is a compilation from SBS of Girls’ Generation’s live performances on “Inkigayo” as well as some variety shows.

All About Girls’ Generation “Paradise In Phuket” DVD Preview 

letaengbutt

This was actually the first Girls’ Generation photobook that I purchased and I’m really glad that I bought it. The first thing that struck me was how simple the cover is. I love the pale colours and the really plain cover page because it looks so sweet and calm. Another thing that I really like is how the contents of the book is arranged chronologically. The timeline from when the girls are at the airport, through the days in Phuket, and finally when they end off the trip is a rather interesting way to arrange the photos.

The photos are all amazing. I really like the fact that not only are there professional shots of the girls, but there are photos taken by the girls themselves too. The candid polaroids, as well as the self-taken photos from Tiffany, Yoona and Seohyun’s cameras are so fun to look at because you can see how much fun the girls are having. Lots of the photos in the photobook show off the girls’ beauty and they come out looking really relaxed and fresh. Couple that with high quality, large photos and you’ll get a very happy SONE.

One thing that I particularly liked was the fact that there were lots of captions with the photos which were in Japanese, Korean and English. This made it so much easier to understand what the photos were about. Also, there was a mini interview as well as individual messages at the end of the photobook. The interview has got to be one of my favourite parts because they express their love towards the other members, as well as to fans and it makes me shiver, but in a good way.

8/9

MoonSoshi9

The DVD preview photobook is quite interesting. Instead of pages of nothing but pictures like many other photobooks, it basically does what the title of it says. It previews the DVD! It follows the time of the girls in Phuket, from their plane ride to their leisure time, “Echo” music video shoot, beach photo shoot, variety show, and lastly their personal messages. The size of the book itself is also quite big so you can really see each picture nicely.

What really struck me about the book was how much text there was. All of the captions for pictures are in Korean, Japanese, and English, and most of the book has quite a bit of explanation and flavor text which I really enjoyed. The beach photo shoot is where the photobook really becomes a true photobook. The entire section is just page after page of beautiful pictures of the girls. The feel of the pictures is very natural, and all of the members come out looking really fresh and pretty like their debut style.

As gorgeous as the girls look in the pictures, the best parts of the photobook for me were actually each member’s mini-interview and personal messages. All of the members say what they feel to the other members and also to the fans. It’s quite different reading their words as opposed to watching them say it in the actual DVD. After I watched the DVD, I could really tell that the preview photobook did a great job of showing off what’s in the DVD but in a totally different style through photos and words.

8/9

All About Girls’ Generation: Paradise In Phuket DVD

letaengbutt

The booklet that contains all the DVDs, as well as a mini photobook is very, very pink. The large, fold-out book has a side dedicated to individual portraits of the girls and they all look so incredibly gorgeous there.

I had a really good time going through all six discs. Of course, I started off with the one that I was most excited about, and that was the first disc with “Real Treasure”. The variety show, sort of like a mini “Amazing Race”, was fun to watch because you get to see the competitive streak of some of the members. The girls all have different personalities and it shows very naturally throughout the show. Apart from that, I also found a new motto thanks to Jessica’s laziness (which I highly approve of!), “Never run, even if you’re late!”

The second disc which showed what the girls did during their free time was fun to watch. The girls all went their separate ways though there were some who bumped into each other, such as Hyoyeon and Seohyun. One of my favorite discs is definitely the third disc, which contained all the video messages from the girls. Watching them profess their love for each other and also to their families and SONEs made me love them so much more.

The fourth, fifth and sixth disc actually seemed more like fillers to me than anything else. I enjoyed watching the new “Echo” MV and individual “Hoot” clips, as well as the behind-the-scenes footage, but apart from that, everything else was basically old stuff.

All in all, I think that this is something which fans definitely have to get. It’s a great addition to my collection of Soshi merchandise and I don’t regret getting this, or the photobook, at all.

Packaging: 8/9
Contents: 7/9
Overall: 7/9 

MoonSoshi9

Perhaps it’s fitting that the variety show included in “All About Girls’ Generation” is called “Real Treasure”, because this DVD set is a treasure chest of Girls’ Generation goodies. It’s six discs containing a variety show, music videos, performances from SBS’s “Inkigayo”, behind-the-scenes footage, and personal messages from the members. The DVDs come in a large sturdy fold-out that includes a photobook insert. I think Tiffany may have had a hand in designing the packaging because everything is very pink.

The variety show, “Real Treasure”, is really fun. The girls are tasked with finding things at their resort and are split up into teams. Hilarity ensues as the girls compete with each other, and we see a lot of their personality, like Jessica’s love of air conditioning and dislike of running. Girls’ Generation members are always entertaining, but put all nine of them together on a variety show and it is just non-stop fun.

The next discs are focused on the individual members. Each girl gets free time at the resort and we get to tag along with them as they roam around and have fun, eventually meeting up with all the members for the photo shoot on the beach. There’s really no point to all of it other than just relaxing with the girls, which is pretty cool. But then, I think we get one of the best gifts as fans with their self talk videos on the third disc. Each member sits down and just talks to the camera. They all leave a message for the rest of Girls’ Generation, but they also leave a message for fans. You can see their love of both each other and for SONEs. All nine videos are very endearing, and after I watched all of them I felt much more attached to these nine girls. The self talk videos are the highlight of “All About Girls’ Generation” for me.

Along with all the music videos from “Into The New World” to “Hoot” and even “Beautiful Girls”, which was used in the 1st Asia Tour, we get a new music video with “Echo” that the girls recorded while in Phuket. It’s really cute and fits the style of the song well. There are also individual clips from the “Hoot” music video that really made me understand how hard the members work when filming. They are filmed with one shot in the elevator, so you really get to see the effort they put into it. Since it’s one shot, you also get to see some interesting footage. One of the moments that made me laugh was a bug flying around during Sunny’s clip that scared Jessica and she started swatting at it, making Tiffany laugh. All the while Sunny is just dancing in front of the camera looking all serious. The solo clips are a fun bonus.

A lot of behind-the-scenes footage is also included from music video filming and various events, but perhaps the best clip is the footage from Girls’ Generation debut on “Inkigayo”. They are very candid before and after their debut performance, and it is really heart-warming to see backstage footage from their beginnings. The girls are so hopeful for their start and for what is to come. Looking back now after all their success, it is really a special piece of Girls’ Generation history. Lastly, performances from “Inkigayo” and other SBS appearances are included on the final disc.

“All About Girls’ Generation” is a fantastic addition to any SONE’s collection. The only drawback is that it is a set of DVDs and not blu-ray, so the video quality is not the best, but SM seems to have no plans to release a blu-ray version. Lately it seems incredibly hard to find, but if you can find one, I definitely recommend getting “All About Girls’ Generation”

Packaging: 6/9
Contents: 9/9
Overall: 8/9 

Written by: letaengbutt@soshified, MoonSoshi9@soshified

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