25 replies to this topic

[takenine]

THE LONG VERSION
 
Hey all!  Welcome to my humble thread of randomness; this exists purely because I promised it would.  Perhaps I'm lacking in vision or... something, but hopefully it'll come sooner or later!  Promises are promises are promises.
 
Here, I'll be "reviewing" (aka talking pointlessly about) a lot of the official Soshi merchandise I have, as well as some dramas, I suppose!  Please do not expect awesomeness.  For merchandise, I will be focusing more on the physical aspect rather than the musical critique.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you stick around! 
 
And if all that was too much for you to read, then perhaps my reviews aren't for you.  But since I want to keep this valuable part of my audience in my reading base, I'll be including wonderful, thought-out, short summaries for all you lovelies.  Here it is!
 
THE SHORT VERSION

I no know how to review. Halp.
 
 
Index (not in chronological order; highlight for rating)
 
[ALBUM] Girls' Generation (2007) --> 8/10

[ALBUM] The Boys - English Version --> 6/10

[ALBUM] The Boys - Korean Version --> 8.5/10

 

[DRAMA] The K2: Episode 1 --> 7/10

[DRAMA] Unstoppable Marriage --> 6/10

[DRAMA] You Are My Destiny (see below) --> 6.5/10

 

[MERCH] All About Girls' Generation: Paradise in Phuket --> 9.5/10

[MERCH] All About Girls' Generation: Paradise in Phuket DVD Preview Photobook --> 7.8/10

[MERCH] Girls' Generation 2012 Official Diary --> 6/10

[MERCH] Girls' Generation Complete Video Collection --> 7/10

[MERCH] Girls' Generation Limited Edition Special Stamp Collection --> 4.5/10

 

[SHOW] Kko Kko Tours - Tiffany --> 5/10

[SHOW] We Got Married - Taeyeon and Hyungdon --> 4/10

 

[SINGLE] MR.TAXI / Run Devil Run --> 6.8/10

 

[SONG/MV] Party --> PAAAARRTTYYYY

 

 

Coming eventually maybe, in no particular order
(requests taken)

Spoiler

Requested: Jessica&Krystal; currently watching... slowly... very slowly...

 

ITNW 1st Asia Concert DVD + CD
Love & Girls Single
Flower Power Single
1st Photobook in Tokyo + DVD
2011 Girls' Generation Tour
Japanese First Album Repackage: The Boys
Twinkle
I Got a Boy
Paparazzi
Oh! Japanese
Girls' Generation: Japan First Tour
Girls and Peace: 2nd Japan Tour
Girls' Generation II: Girls and Peace

Holiday

 

GGTS

Hello Baby

Happy Shares Company

Intimate Note

WGM: YongSeo

IY

Kko Kko Tour: Yuri

 

 
 
Mods feel free to edit and change anything according to your whims or all the rules I break 
 
You're not famous until some n00b reviews you.
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
[DRAMA] You Are My Destiny

 

Spoiler

cr. Wikipedia

 
I’m starting off my first review on a drama, just because I’m not home home, and I don’t have access to the rest of my Soshi goods.  I have a bit of free time right now, and I promised I’d write a review of some kind, so here we go!
 
I’ll try to make this as short and sweet (and hence shallow? sobs…) as possible, since I don’t want to bore anyone with episode by episode reviews, as I feel I’m apt to do.
 
Background
 
First of all, a little background.  “You Are My Destiny (너는 내 운명)” (not to be confused with the Taiwanese drama “Fated to Love You”) aired from 2008-2009 on KBS, amid other huge hits such as “Temptation of Wife” and all that.  There are a whopping 178 episodes, and stars none other than our lovely Soshi actress, Yoona!  Reviews can be mixed, but our lovely lady did quite well, with ratings peaking at 41%.  Wow!
 
I officially started (actually, I remember seeing my mom watch this on TV before I even knew it was Yoona in the drama. I watched a few clips with her and settled on the "wth is happening you watch this by yourself @.@" conclusion...) watching this drama in, hm, 2010 or 2011 I’d say.  I had basically run out of shows to watch at that point, so I thought I’d give it a go. 
 
Short Synopsis
 
Emphasis on short.  I really did try.  Basic plot spoilers!

 

Spoiler

The main family (well technically that's a lie; there's always side stories and of course the other lead's family... but it's obvious all the families become one huuuuuge family in the end so mehh) in this drama is the Kims; there’s grandma, the dad, the mom, two sons, and a daughter.  The daughter is basically perfectness, and Mom is super proud of her.  Sadly, doctor daughter passes away in an accident (caused by Yoona’s character? *gasp*), but Mom doesn’t know about this yet!  She goes through denial and depression and crap.  Stuff  happens. Saebyuk (Yoona), a blind girl, gets doctor lady’s eyes as a transplant, and decides to go find the donor’s family to thank them.
 
Mom goes berserk.  For forever.

 

And after a couple of episodes of this crazy, I stopped.  I stopped for maybe…  a year?  Honestly, especially if you’re someone who doesn’t watch that many dramas, this part might be the hardest to get past.  I couldn’t stand that Mom was so omg overly-emotional, but if you can get past that one part, it’s all good. 

 

Spoiler

Eventually Mom and company accept Saebyuk, and she starts living with them as their new daughter.  Cut to the main lead’s family.  His name is Hose (no, not like a garden hose…), and he’s super rich.  His family is in charge of designing stuff, actually kitchens, which so happens to be Saebyuk’s dream.  Anyways, he’s a great catch, so Saebyuk’s new aunt is all “Hm, he’d be great with my daughter.”
 
Cousin’s seen Hose and totally has the hots for him, but she can’t be bothered to go on some set-up date with some random guy.  She’s too busy going out of her way to meet Hose-but-I-don’t-know-you’re-Hose!  Typical.
 
So Cousin gets Saebyuk to go on these little dates for her.  Saebyuk and Hose have also met before in typical K-drama fashion.  Needless to say, after a little ice, Saebyuk and Hose get along quite nicely, and our OTP is born.

 

At this point, I’ll take a break to talk about our OTP.  Saebyuk and Hose.  Yoona and Jaejung.  The actors have a 10 year age difference, but honestly I couldn’t tell.  It’s obvious that he’s older (Yoona, after all, was totally a kid), but I think they played off each other well enough that it was believable.  If I must commend this drama, it’d be for this part of the plotline.  Our OTP get along in stellar fashion from the beginning of the drama (well, the relative beginning).
 
Usual dramas have our two leads hating each other’s guts for a good portion of the drama; in this one, we have them disliking each other for a tiny bit, and then falling for each other and letting each other know fairly quickly.  It’s perfect!  Though, of course at this point we’re only less than 20 episodes in; this happiness can’t last.

 

Spoiler

Cousin decides to drop the ball; Hose is all “you think I liked this girl for her name, you crazy??” at first, but more stuff happens and everything falls apart. 
 
New adopted brother (the younger one) likes Saebyuk as well, so well crap.
 
Hose and Cousin get together for a bit, break up, and then Hose and Saebyuk get married in episode 140.  Cousin fades as the antagonist, and now it’s mother-in-law vs Saebyuk.  Seriously living hell.
 
But wow!  Saebyuk’s real mom (who ditched her as a kid) shows up.  She’s rich, she’s proud, she’s dying, and she beats the crap out of mom-in-law for beating the crap out of Saebyuk.
 
Saebyuk is all angsty about Real Mom’s return, and despite being a consistently optimistic person throughout the ENTIRE series, she chooses now to become an angsty little idiot.

 

Rather than accusing Saebyuk of having an entire character reversal, I’m going to call this part simply… realistic.  As realistic as these dramas can get, at least.
 
Saebyuk is an inhumanly optimistic and bubbly girl; I may be cynical, but I don’t think anyone can pull it off (besides every other single drama lead in the existence of dramaland), so when she throws a hissy fit in front of Real Mom, I think it’s just her letting out the pent up rage on someone who kind of deserves it (though mom-in-law deserves it so much more) and, more importantly, Real Mom is someone who lets Saebyuk do it to her.
 
This little insert of humanness into Saebyuk’s character is nice, though I do think it could have been done in a better way.  The way that it unfolds in the drama makes Saebyuk seem like a stubborn, uncaring, spoiled… brat.

 

Additionally, it warms the viewers up to Real Mom.  Granted, she did "abandon" (she had her reasons) Saebyuk so that's a big mark against her character, but for the story to work out the viewers need to have some sympathy for her.  So when she's the pillar of support where Saebyuk can cry and be a baby to after being bullied by everyone else in the existence of everything, then plus points for her.  

 

Spoiler

Saebyuk gradually warms up to Real Mom, but then *gasp* mom-in-law has leukemia

 

For the love of all typical drama tropes, I kind of wish this one didn’t happen, but it really is a huge plot device so…  I’ll let it slide.

 

Spoiler

Mom-in-law has a rare blood type.  Technically we’re talking bone marrow, but please.  I stoopit so I calls it blood.  Of course.  OMG Saebyuk is a match!  But mom-in-law is all “Ew, Saebyuk’s blood in my veins go away.  My little sis will rescue me!  In yo face.”  So Saebyuk is all “Fine be that way.  I’ll still donate anyways.”

 

And then *double gasp* Real Mom has leukemia too and needs a blood donor and *triple gasp* Saebyuk is the Chosen One. 
 
But omona mom-in-law’s little sister is a… mean lady, and doesn’t want to donate.  Saebyuk is in a dilemma!  Since she finds out Real Mom has leukemia, the hate goes out the window.  Leave it to fatal diseases to make people stop hating each other.
 
Real Mom is all “save your mom-in-law, I stronk”.  So Saebyuk does; mom-in-law eventually has her eyes opened and is all “OMG MY ENEMIES SACRIFIED THEMSELVES TO SAVE ME I’M A JERK.”  So she goes to Little Sis and begs her to donate marrow, and Little Sis finally agrees.  But it’s too late.  Real Mom dies, mom-in-law is depressed, Saebyuk cheers her up, and THEY LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER.  This is obvious because they all take a huge family picture at the end, and that of course means eternal happiness.

 

Seriously, drama?  Deaths could have been avoided here!
 
Smooth Segue (totally not a Segway, as I originally typed…)
 
There was… a lot of unnecessary angst.  But would I say watching it was worth it?  Hm, yes.  It wasn’t even Yoona anymore; I think I did watch for the actual characters.  Yoona did a bit to get me through the “I’m going to tear my hair out” part (which was a good ¾ of the thing…), but it really wasn’t thaaaaat bad. 
 
Characters
 
The characters weren’t bad either, as far as family dramas go.  Everyone had quite developed side plots, and I’ll admit I found all of them interesting at some point.  Cousin annoyed the hell out of me (as did adopted Mom and Grandma and… basically everyone), which I suppose just shows how great of an actress she (and all the others) can be. 
 
Saebyuk is your typical happy-go-lucky, naïve girl who grasps a sense of burdened reality by the middle and end of the drama.  Yoona did a pretty good job; she cried, she laughed, she joked, she angst-ed.  There’s a reason why the older generation in Korea still remembers Yoona as Saebyuk, and love her for it.
 
Hose is a nice main lead as well.  I’m not an expert in these things, and he’s not really anything for a lot of fangirls to drool over, but he’s quite decent in his own cute way (I guess?).  My beef with him is the part after he gets married to Saebyuk.  He sort of fades into the background, doesn’t show up too much, doesn’t stand up for his wife, and is just… there.  Meh.  Other than that, he’s great.
 
Everyone else was a bit annoying at some point.  Perhaps the only character I didn’t hate at some point was Real Mom, but that was only because I was too busy relishing in her revenge-but-not-really-revenge.  Then again, if you want revenge, it’s “Temptation of Wife” you should be watching.
 
It comes to the point where all the characters can be such butts, that when they aren’t, you swoon over and love their little nonexistent hearts for it.
 
Given the length of the drama, character development is huge.  In shorter dramas we have much less time to work with, but if you’re a huge fan of character development, dailies are for you!  That being said, the character development is still a bit jumpy, with people being stubborn jerks until some final blow, then of which they do a complete 180 turnaround.  There's no middle ground with some of these characters.  Let's call them passionate.
 
Overall: we have our typical drama characters, most of whom are annoying.  The happy, the mean, the stupid, the funny, the serious.  Nothing really special, but nothing drop-dead terrible.  Considering that this is Yoona’s breakout performance, I’ll have to rate this pretty well just because I watched for our OTP.  In a world filled with second lead syndrome, that’s huge.
 
8/10
 
Plotline
 
Story-wise, in typical Korean family drama style, YAMD goes quite long (longer than most, actually), with the typical unnecessary extended family plotlines.  Then again, what can you expect from a family drama?
 
The story hangs itself heavily on Korean culture; you have to go in knowing a little of it to understand why people are always making mountains out of molehills.  It’s because these molehills really ARE mountains (that being said, some of this stuff is just cray cray).
 
The side stories were yeah.  I could do without many of them, but if you’re in an unusually sentimental mood, Cousin’s storyline after she fades as the antagonist is a little cute, since it starts focusing on her nuclear family bubble.
 
The main story stagnated quite a bit in the beginning and the middle, with our lead couple getting absolutely nowhere.
 
Still, luckily, for this particular drama I actually stayed pretty engrossed with the main couple (something that doesn’t happen too often with me), so if you’re watching the drama just for Yoona, do not worry!  The main couple has just enough chemistry for it to be worth your time.  If you’re willing to spend 178 episodes worth of time to watch, that is.  Each episode is around 35 minutes long, and they’re not too hard to zoom past (subbed by our very own SSF subbers; check it out here!)
 
In a way, this isn’t really a family or romantic drama, just one showing different stages of Saebyuk’s life.  Oh right.  It’s a daily drama. 
 
We have her “I need to get somewhere in life and achieve these dreams” stage, her “I like this guy but I stink so I can’t get him” stage, her “I’m a married woman” stage, her “I hate my mom stage”, and finally her “my life is perfect stage”.  Like most dramas, all these stages last a billion gazillion episodes (well, actually around 30+) except the last one.  That one LITERALLY lasts 10 minutes.  If you don’t like a particular arc then I’m sorry.  There’s hope for the next one though!
 
If you want to go and dissect why things happen, that’s when things start falling apart.  Leukemia and more leukemia and donors and crap?  Please drama.  We spend a good majority of the drama just waiting for the ball to drop on the characters.  Then again, what drama doesn’t use dramatic irony as a cliffhanger?
 
For the record though, I wasn’t expecting the little sister arc.  WTH aside, I think that added a bit more poignant sorrow to the usual tragic storyline, so since I’m trying to be nice, plus points for that.
 
7/10
 
Pacing
 
This is important in dramas!  At 178 episodes, there’re plenty of places where this could and did go wrong.  There were numerous places where the plot totally draaaaaaaaaaaaagged like an upside-down turtle stuck in molasses with four broken legs, but there were high points as well.
 
SORRY GUYS MUCH LAG
 
5.5/10
 
Music
 
Unlike PMI with that hauntingly beautiful piano song, or “Moon Embraces the Sun” with its opening, there wasn’t a particular song that “stuck out” to me in this entire series.  None of the songs were bad, but I think they just fulfilled their drama OST roles.  Nothing more, nothing less. 
 
Still, they are wonderful little pieces of work.  Just nothing that sticks in your head forever.  That being said, that didn’t stop me from listening to the ones I could find on YouTube… 
 
You can actually still find the OST for sale on YesAsia and such
 
6/10
 
Effect on Soshi
 
Considering her experience and her age, Yoona was amazing.  “You Are My Destiny” was steroids to Yoona’s and, subsequently, SNSD’s, images.
 
Keep in mind this was 2008-2009; SNSD wasn’t the powerhouse as they are today.  Gee was released on January 5, 2009, and YAMD ended on January 9, 2009. 
 
Considering the 9 month hiatus SNSD was on, YAMD was huge.  It opened up Soshi’s audience to a different age group; no matter what we think of the drama, we should probably thank it for its effect on Soshi’s popularity.
 
9.5/10
 
Conclusion
 
Overall, I would go ahead and call this drama a makjang for its addictiveness.  Maybe it sucked at some points, maybe it was amazing at some points, but it was dang addictive.  Never mind my rating, if you start and you can hang in there for a bit, it actually gets a bit addictive.  There's a reason why I started the drama all over again immediately after finishing it... The answer?  I have no life.
 
YAMD really isn’t that different from your typical drama.  If you like dramas and you don’t mind dailies, I would tell you to give it a shot.
 
I couldn’t finish it on my first try, but eventually I got through it.  All in a matter of three days, as well.  Unlike some Soshi dramas (I’m looking at you CM… >.>), once I got past the initial “I’m annoyed” part, YAMD was a nice drama to watch.
 
I have to add some sentimental bias to the rating, just because this was one of my first dailies, it was addicting, and, well, Yoona.  If I were writing this off the fumes of YAMD, I would give it a rave review.  So, with that in mind, go ahead and watch it!
 
6.5/10

 

(BUT WAIT! you cry THAT'S NOT THE AVERAGE CAN YOU EVEN MATH???

 

Weights, my friend.  (Random, unknown, subjective) Weights.  And no.)

 
SHORTLY
 
Why’s Yoona holding her eyes like that. Who’s that guy what do they like each other.  Who’re they.  What’s happening.
 
Why does everyone hate each other.  They're so mean omg.  That's terrible.  Let's fast forward.  Hahahaha guy's little sister is Yuri.  It's YoonYul omg
 
That’s a lot of vegetables. 
 
Why do they all love each other now.  What is happening.  Who died? What.  Is Yoona pregnant.  Scandal!  I don't understand.  This drama sucks.
 
Rating: 999/10!!!1!!111!!
 
In all seriousness though, I liked this particular drama at the time.  I really did.  Watch.

Edited by takenine, 04 February 2017 - 10:16 PM.

[lucyy]

Thank you for the review on this drama! I've been itching wanting to watch this drama for some time but never got around to it, because I always forgot about it or was too lazy to get past all these 178 episodes.

Your review caught my eye and convinced me to try and watch it again. Your choice of words are very interesting and the short version of your review on YAMD was daebak xD

I'll go and watch it now~

Looking forward to more reviews from you ^^

Edited by LucySONE2, 20 April 2014 - 06:36 AM.

[GGFanJan]

Omo, you have a review corner! Nice! I'll be your faithful reader, I promise! lol

 

I haven't watched YAMD. I thought about watching it, but the number of episodes is pretty scary. I may pick it up because of your sophisticated review after all, haha! But I don't have time to watch it at the moment, so it will have to wait.

 

Looking forward to more of your reviews, keep up the sophistication yo!

[takenine]

@LucySONE2 Thanks for commenting!  The drama's a big one to tackle, but hopefully you'll find it worth your time (if you ever get around to it )
@GGFanJan  I'll be keeping you to that promise >.> The extreme sophistication continues
 
 
***apologies in advance for my craptastic phone camera; the thing is ancient, and I’m obviously a world class photographer, so obviously these pictures would come out amazing!  I’ve left all my stuff at my parent’s home so I sadly can’t retake them right now.  I took allll these pictures in advance, so they're kinda lame
 
***also, since I don’t have the all this stuff with me on person, sadly my reviews will be a tad bit more shallow >.<  I suppose I'll update when I get home, which won’t be for quite a loooong while

 

***edit: updated! Yeah they still suck.  This is as good as they're going to get
 
[MERCH] Girls' Generation 2012 Official Diary
 

Spoiler

original links: 

http://i.imgur.com/xtwftVJ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/LaPB6Dm.jpg

cr. me lol

 
There honestly isn’t that much to review about something like this, but that never stopped anyone!  Onward!
 
Girls’ Generation’s 2012 Official Diary is a cute little red book with a nice pink ribbon to bookmark your spot.  It has an elastic band to keep everything in (since we’re obviously stuffing all this… stuff… in it), and it comes with 9 super nice photocards of the girls.  Feast your eyes on the ewness edit: amazingness of quality.
 

original link: http://i.imgur.com/Mt522AY.jpg
cr. not worth a credit

 
This diary can actually still be bought on sites such as YesAsia, but of course its general “usefulness” could be rated a 1.  After all, it’s a “diary” (well, planner) for 2012, so it’s not much use to us right now.  I'll get to the 1 later.
 
As a planner in general though, the diary is nicely spaced.  As you can’t see in my amazing pictures that will hopefully be replaced eventually can totally see now!, there’s actually more space on the right page to jot down notes and such.  Basically, there’re small boxes on the left side for the days of the week, and then the right is opened up for anything you feel like writing.  That’s the “diary” part of the thing, I suppose.
 

original links:

http://i.imgur.com/QDT2h4u.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6EOdbUR.jpg

cr. mmhm

 
The feel of the diary is quite nice; kind of… grippy, for lack of a better word.  If you’ve ever felt those nicely bound imitation leather books, that’s kind of how it feels.  You CAN can’t really see it too well in the lovely pictures, but “Girls’ Generation” is emblazoned on the front.  The inside of the diary has absolutely nothing to do with Soshi with the exception of the end, but it definitely doesn’t look, feel, or seem like a second-rate diary/planner than SM just slapped Soshi’s name on.
 

original links:

http://i.imgur.com/ozyxpY8.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZWOqQsh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/hnug8ZT.jpg

cr. kinda don't want to be credited :/

 

The diary also has handy dandy note pages, graph pages, more pictures, and a map of the Seoul subway.  How useful!   Hence the 1.

 

original link: http://i.imgur.com/gSbIVoM.jpg

cr. yay

 
Availability

Still pretty easy to find.  Ranges from around 16$-25$ USD, depending on where you look.  There was an app for it, did you know?

 

Conclusion
 

Would I suggest you get this lovely collectible?  There really isn’t a reason for you to get it since it’s outdated, but then again, all of Soshi’s other stuff don’t really have a use for it.  And looking at my diary, it’s 2014 right now, and it obviously still hasn’t been written in yet.
 
Usefulness aside, if you have the money to spend on a simple collectible like this, then go for it.  It’s really a lovely item, just not really useful in any way.  The design and the feel is nice, and the little random extras add up to make the diary quite endearing.
 
If it were still 2011 or 2012, I’d suggest you get this little gem (given that you’d use it? in that case, it would've have been pretty and useful!), but time has passed.  If it weren’t for the photocards, I’m not entirely sure if I’d suggest it at all.  The subway map is a random addition but nice nonetheless.  After all, despite the quality of the diary, it’s really just a book with Soshi’s name on front. 

 

If you’re into collectibles and photocards, then this gem is for you!  Otherwise, there’re plenty of other items you can waste wisely use your money on!
 
6/10

 
SHORTLY
 
It’s pretty and feels nice.
 
Preeeeeecioussssss/Precious

Edited by takenine, 26 January 2015 - 12:03 AM.

[takenine]

Updates:
 
1. Edited the Diary pictures and review. So pretty
2. Double posting.  Please don't report me.
 
Edit: WOW Da Funk!  You're a meanie face.  Go back to your own section.

 

[SHOW] We Got Married - Taeyeon and Hyungdon
 

Spoiler

We Got Married has just about always been a popular show (well, that can be debated), and I’m sure most of us have watched at least some parts of the show before, especially since YongSeo is just so… huge.
 
But there’s another Soshi WGM “pairing” that is often more overlooked, and that would be the DoTa (no, not that DoTA) couple: Jung Hyungdon and Taeyeon.
 
This pairing would definitely be the lesser watched of the two, and I suppose it’s quite obvious why this one is not as popular amongst fans and, well, the general public.
 
After all, Jung Hyungdon is a good 11 years older than our Kid Leader, and he’s honestly not anything the average fangirl would swoon over.  He was already on a prior season of the show, and he was actually dating another woman while filming. 
 
At this time, the show had a bit of a different format than it did in YongSeo’s day; the couples basically “roleplayed” certain couple situations.  It didn’t try to hide the age gap at all; rather, it went out of its way to emphasize it.
 
Despite all this (and the now infamous picture of “Jung Hyungdon and bride Han Yura” that floated around for a bit ha), the show is not without its merits, so I thought I’d talk about it a bit.
 

The picture of infamy with SSF icon in the corner, even:

cr. midweek.com
 

Background
 
The DoTa pairing was announced on January 7, 2009, and there was quite the uproar because of the age difference.  Nevertheless, the couple stayed, and the first episode aired on January 25, starting in the 42^nd episode of Season 1.  The pair would last 13 episodes, ending on April 26, 2009. 
 
Episode Highlights
 
There are few enough episodes that I feel it wouldn’t be too much of a burden to be a bit more detailed with them.  Enclosed in spoilers, of course!
 
Episode 42

Spoiler

No hiding of the age difference here.  The episode starts out immediately with a clip of a young girl watching a comedian on TV: pan up to her face and 7 years passes: it’s Taengoo!  She explains why she chose Hyungdon (he doesn’t know which Soshi girl will be his wife).  Meanwhile, Soshi in the apartment realize which guy is coming.  Squeals of horror.  Their faces ha.
 
Soshi being Soshi, they decide to test the guy and make him guess who the girl is.  Long story short, they overwhelm and scare him rather than just test.
 
Hyungdon nominates Yuri as his bride. Oops.
 
Notable mentions (since Soshi shows up!):
1. They list their most treasured of treasures, and Jessica brings her dog’s urinal. 
2. Nerdy mention. Hyundon and Yuri go shopping; Sunny says “it’s dangerous to go alone!!”
3. The infamous Seohyun junk food line. This is what happens when you go shopping with health nuts Yuri and Seohyun.
4. Tiffany is kicked off the possible bride list because of her cooking
5. Jessica slams Hyungdon’s cooking.
6. Soshi lists his good points. “I thought you’d smell, but you don’t.  I really like that.”
7. Soshi rates him overall.  He fails epicly.  Fails fails fails D:
8. Jessica Jessica and more Jessica

 
As for our starring couple, their interactions and all that seem awkward and forced at best.  For this first episode at least, I’m not feeling the match. 
 
Episode 43

Spoiler

The couple visits a tea house. They go fortune telling. IT’S A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN OMOMO.
 
Taeyeon tries feeding Hyungdon fruit. “Pretend it’s meat!!” Nope.
 
They go fishing in the ice. Specifically, at the Trout Festival. Hyungdon is scared. Taeyeon is disappointed. He’s made to join a competition where they catch trout with their bare hands. Men, women, kids are catching fish.  Hyungdon huddles in the corner until someone pushes him in, then stares aghast before climbing back up.  He huddles again, finally goes in the water, but then crawls back out.
 
He is fail.  They go try again, this time just Hyungdon and the crowd watching.  He runs out again, and goes into the hot tub.  It’s too hot.  He runs out.
 
Taeyeon says it’s okay.  After a while, he runs back in, herds a fish into a corner (with lots of people at his back to help), and catches the thing with his shirt.

 
Personally, I was very not impressed the first time I watched.  Points for catching the fish in the end though.
 
Episode 44

Spoiler

The couple visit novelist Lee Wae Soo.  He married a lady much younger than him as well, so they go to him for advice and to sing karaoke.
 
They make their final decision (whether to be a couple or not); Taeyeon is as cryptic as ever with her triangle, as opposed to an “X” or an “O”.  Basically, whatever Hyungdon says is the answer.  Easy way out.

 
This episode is a bit boring imo, but full-speed ahead! They’re officially officially a couple.
 
Episode 45

Spoiler

Taeyeon and Hyungdon go take wedding photos.  Hyungdon is not excited.  He hates photos.
 
And to make his day much better, the scary sisters-in-law show up as well!
 
Hyungdon is made to dress up in Gee-themed clothes.  He is surprisingly confident.
 
Notable mentions:
1. Relive the moments of impish Soshi bond
2. Once Hyungdon opens the door and sees Soshi, he closes it.
3. Never-ending Soshi bullying
4. Hyungdon vs Jessica continues
5. Infamous Hyungdon and Yura bride SSF screenshot

 
The two are finally acting a tiiiiny bit more naturally, though a huge part of it is Soshi.  The other girls are carrying, yo.
 
Episode 46

Spoiler

The entire cut is at the exercise park. The couple exercises.  Cramps everywhere.  Taeyeon is a dork.  They comedy.

 
Hyungdon and Taeyeon start to tease each other.  Not bad, not bad.
 
Episode 47
 
I consider this episode a must-watch.
 

Spoiler

Hyungdon rents a place for the two of them to lounge in.  They’re awkward.  Cue banana phone skit.
 
Soshi (Seohyun, Jessica, Sunny) shows up to alleviate the awkward.  Pudding + Jelly couple is born.
 
Soshi prepares a self-sufficient wedding.  Hyungdon is skeptical but wait! We have everyone here.
 
Sunny is MC, Jessica is flower girl and band and audience and both mothers, Seohyun is officiator and both fathers.
 
Hilarity ensues (see notable mentions).
 
Afterwards, our couple joins the other two couples on the show for a friendly match-up, which is in the next episode.
 
Notable mentions:
1. Soshi messes up the confetti so the couple goes on the floor and gathers it up
2. Yuri shows up in the form of the socks on Seohyun’s feet. Hyungdon shakes her foot.
3. Sunny is called out for not paying attention.
4. Seohyun explodes with laughter and spits in Hyungdon’s face.
5. Jessica opposes the marriage, claiming to be Hyungdon’s girlfriend.  Cue Temptation of Wife music. What a drama addict.
6. Hyungdon parents are full of praises for their new daughter-in-law; Taeyeon parents are full of sobs.
7. Jessica calls the groom a pig.

 
Focusing on the couple themselves, I thought the little banana phone role play was nice.  They’re starting to play off each other like friends.
 
Episode 48
The standard couple vs couple vs couple games.  Not much to say about this.  Our couple is a bit of a fail
 
Episode 49

Spoiler

Hyungdon becomes Soshi’s manager for the day (they have a Thailand concert).  We see other famous artists.
 
Soshi celebrates Hyungdon’s birthday, Chocopie cake and all.

 
I liked Hyungdon’s enthusiasm; usually he’s rather tepid and lukewarm, but he really did make a lot of effort.
 
Episode 50

Spoiler

The couple gets a house!  It’s a pretty nifty house, full of randomness and randomness.  More randomness.  It’s quite funny. Soshi gets their own room of toys. Taeyeon brings posters of other guys.
 
Hyungdon and Taeng assemble a stool. Not very pro, are they.  They cook and write each other’s faults down.

 
They tease and “fight” a lot.  If there’s anything that says couple about these two,  it’s their petty little arguments.
 
Episode 51
 
Another must-watch.
 

Spoiler

Pudding and Jelly have visitors (Kangin couple).  They do their best to make the other couple jelly. 
 
Later on, the couple goes on a walk.  Soshi (Jessica, Sunny, Yuri) shows up!  More tests for Hyungdon. 
 
Finally, Soshi spies THE tower, and they go bungee jumping!  Omo.  Hyungdon is scared.  Hyungdon is super scared.  He lets the girls jump by themselves.
 
Sunny goes first and swims through the air.  Yuri is a bit scared and runs off the platform.  She flaps around like a bird.
 
Next is Taengoo sans Hyungdong since he’s still scared.  She flops around like a limp doll and covers her face. 
 
Meanwhile, Jessica waves from the ground. Ha.
 
Notable mentions:
1. Flasher Jessica
2. Jessica actually plays badminton
3. Yuri enjoys scaring Hyungdon. She laughs evilly in to the air.
4. Soshi bungee jumping, yo

 
I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised that Hyungdon refused to bungee jump, but it doesn’t really help the couple vibes, you know?  It sure helps the comedy vibes though, which is mainly what our couple has evolved into.
 
Episode 52

Spoiler

The same other three Soshi girls visit the house.  It’s a housewarming party!  They sing, play games, eat, the whole lot.
 
The other other couple (Shinyoung) visit, and they’re jealous as well.

 
Nice to see the couple work together hosting their party, to make this brief.  I wouldn’t say this is a must watch, though Soshi shows up if that’s what you’re watching for!
 
Episode 53

Spoiler

DoTa goes with the Kangin couple on a little trip.  Kangin’s wife Yoonji is annoyed that Kangin keeps calling her Taeyeon haha.
 
The trip is a bit of a fail, but Taeyeon is cute (drunk??) nevertheless.
 
Hyungdon gets cocky and bets their apartment over a game.

 
Hm just how reliable is Hyungdon anyways?
 
Episode 54

Spoiler

Trip continuation.  More apartment betting.  Hyungdon wins the first (it’s food haha), but Kangin demands a rematch.  He wins the next, and then Hyungdon demands another rematch.
 
This time, though, it’s Taeyeon vs Yoonji!  Eating peppers dipped in wasabi, then staring contest.  Taengoo is declared victorious ;_;
 
Another rematch.  Flicking game (kinda like marbles).  Winner takes all.  Losers sleep outside.
 
DoTa loses.  They decide to start a hidden camera and are the most depressed and sad people in the history of everything.  Taeyeon cries.  Yoonji is in a panic.  Oh noes.
 
The acting makes Yoonji cry.  Hidden camera taken too far.  Oops.
 
The couple goes back to their apartment and say their farewells.  Recaps and reminiscences galore.  END!

I think the couple may have grown on the audience more if it were a bit longer, but it seems like the two were happy to have it over with in my opinion.  Hyungdon was found to be dating another woman anyways, so it’s honestly better the way it was. 
 
The Attraction
 
What is awesome about the DoTa couple…  I’ll be upfront and say that I wouldn’t watch the whole thing from start to finish again (besides the first time and now that I’m reviewing it), but there are definitely parts that I would and did re-watch over and over again.
 
Jessica.  Jessica everywhere.  *cough TaengSic cough* Her reactions and responses are stand-outs for this show; Soshi shows their relative disapproval quite well throughout, but Jessica goes out of her way to bully Hyungdon.  Need I mention the mock wedding episode?
 
This couple is full of jokes and events and randomness that has almost nothing to do with the couple; the Soshi girls go bungee jumping for goodness’ sakes.  Who wouldn’t want to watch that?
 
The Watch-ability
 
If you can’t set aside the idea that this shows Taengoo “married” to a much older man, then this probably isn’t for you.  The “romantic” or even married aspects of it, whenever they do pop up, seem forced at best.  Some people can see the connection, but personally I can’t see much chemistry from them aside those coming from laughs and humour.  If we wanted to be mean, I would call Hyungdon annoying, but honestly speaking everything is just for laughs.
 
I’ll be frank: even though I’ve watched this numerous times, I could never really grow to totally like Hyungdon.  I’m pretty neutral about him, but I don’t feel he’s sincere.  Of course, he’s a comedian and he’s mostly there to just make us laugh so that plays a part.  But honestly, most of the time I wasn’t laughing because of him.
 
YongSeo would be for romantics (as most of the more recent WGM couplings are); DoTa would be for humor.  If you want to think it in this way, it’s more of a crack pairing than anything.  The show may have gone out of its way to set up some sort of aura of romance, but in all honesty, I would say the DoTa segment of the episodes is basically for laughs.
 
Effect on Soshi
 
Granted the initial response was tepid (to say the least), but this show did open the door to the idea of Soshi dating: them dating less-than-ideal men (from the fans’ point of view, at least) even. This was actually a wonderful stepping stone, since, yes, Soshi is on a dating/marriage show, but “it’s obviously not serious, right?  I mean, look at them!”  That kind of thinking.
 
This aired during the Gee season, during the start of Soshi’s massive popularity.  Reality shows = recognition = popularity.  I’m not saying WGM CAUSED SOSHI’S POPULARITY because that would be quite far-fetched, but I’m sure these static, hilarious public appearances helped.  Taeyeon and Hyungdon were the stars of the show, but the other Soshi girls appeared quite quite often.  And were quite quite silly.  If that didn’t help boost their popularity, then I’m not sure what could.
 
On a side note, the soundtrack is greatly Soshi-based.  Lots of Soshi songs.
 
Conclusion
 
I found a lot of the episodes skip-able, to be frank.  The couple is cute in a silly way, but I don’t really see many people seriously shipping them, even if Hyungdon weren’t in another relationship. 
 
My recommendation?  If you just want the highlights and don't care tooooo much about the Hyungdon aspect of it, the fake wedding and bungee jumping episodes are the way to go.  My final review is a bit harsh since the show is rather funny, but I personally couldn't get thaaat into it   Let's put it this way: I wasn't sad to see it end.
 
4/10

 
SHORTLY
 
What silly sillies.  Can we have more Jessica?
 
Jessica/Taeyeon

[takenine]

Another post. How high can we go?  At this rate, I should just merge everything or delete my thread for breaking rules! D:
 
Hm, does one post and everything in spoilers work... Alright, if I review another [MERCH] next, it'll be an edit!
 
[MERCH] Girls' Generation Limited Edition Special Stamp Collection
 

Spoiler

original link: http://i.imgur.com/aTFhkMW.jpg

cr. ma camera

 
This was released in August of 2012 amid the huge Soshi hype of their "The Boys" comeback and 5th anniversary.  The release of this collection marked the first time a K-pop artist appeared on a South Korean postage stamp
 
There isn't much to say about it aside from the pictures.  It comes in a nice pink envelope; once you open it, tada the stamps!
 

original link: http://i.imgur.com/P9SQuwk.jpg

cr. ain't ma carpet lubly??

 
There's a stamp for each member, taken from their teaser pictures with their signatures to the side.  In addition, 5 other stamps are included in recognition of their other huge releases.  I'll admit: they're super neat.  The Genie stamp, in particular, is one of my favourites; sure it's just the cover art but somehow it really pops out, in my opinion.
 
Availability
 
Despite the huge hype and the noted fact that these things flew off the shelves as soon as they were released (reportedly, half sold within the first hour), apparently you can still get these at places such as YesAsia (last time I checked at least, which was a few minutes ago today, 29 August 2014).  They used to be out of stock, but now they're not.  Limited ain't so limited, eh?
 
Cost at the moment is around 29$ USD (for 14 stamps!!??)
 
Conclusion
 
Frankly speaking, just about no Soshi-related item we buy is really "useful", so I won't even begin to look at that aspect anymore.  Would I suggest you get this item?  Well perhaps, but it's not on "top priority", if there is such a list.  If stamp collecting is your thing, by all means this is for you.  Personally, mine just sorta sits there with a lot less appreciation then I could be giving it.
 
I'm not quite sure how about the whole stamp designing process and such works, but I would definitely rate them higher if the selected images were something other than the standard teaser images and album covers.  Compared to other collectibles, I wouldn't rate this all that highly.  That, however, doesn't diminish the fact that this was a big step for Soshi, considering they were the first K-pop artists to be on an official Korean stamp.  Plus points for that, but... dang if these 14 small squares of paper ain't expensive.
 
4.5/10

 
 
SHORTLY
 
Do I really want little pictures of images I've seen a thousand times and very likely have bigger versions of it already?  BUT OF COURSE!
 
Greed/King Midas

[lucyy]

Hello hello~!

Popping in a comment of encouragement since you seem a bit 'low spirited' with the lack of comments. 

I've been reading your reviews for a while but seriously did not know what to comment xD

Of course, I've already posted here before (yes I did finish YAMD [it was pretty good btw~]), I was just curious to how you were doing and came to visit ^^

I really really really really  enjoy your entertaining, yet thorough reviews :3

Upvoted everything because you really really really deserve it, with all the time and effort you put into writing these~

 

and wow, so many reviews to *once again* look forward to ^^

 

ITNW 1st Asia Concert DVD + CD

Love & Girls Single
Flower Power Single
1st Photobook in Tokyo + DVD
2011 Girls' Generation Tour
MR TAXI single
Complete Video Collection - new pics taken
Japanese First Album Repackage: The Boys
Twinkle
The Boys Korean + English
I Got a Boy
Paparazzi
Oh! Japanese
Girls' Generation (First Album)
Girls' Generation: Japan First Tour
Girls and Peace: 2nd Japan Tour
Girls' Generation II: Girls and Peace

 

Holiday

All About Girls' Generation: Paradise in Phuket + Preview Photobook - new pics taken

takenine hwaitingg!

 

 

EDIT: I second GGFanJan's request :3

Edited by lucyy, 29 August 2014 - 06:37 AM.

[GGFanJan]

Hello! Sorry for not keeping my promise of being a faithful reader.

 

Anyhow, I really like your reviews, they're well written and fun. ^^

 

Oooh, the stamps, they really look neat. I don't think they're really worth the money though lol

 

As for Taeng's WGM, I've seen a few eps but I didn't really find it that much entertaining tbh so I never watched the whole thing. I really loved the scenes with all the girls though. ^^ And the bungee jumping episode was fun!

 

Keep up the good reviews. And if you ever find the time for it, I would really like to read your review of Jessica&Krystal.

[katiecSNSD]

I know I said this to you yesterday, but I love your reviews! They are so funny, but they're also informative. I especially like your You Are My Destiny review - that was great.  I haven't watched it, but now I want to!

 

Anyway, good job. I'll definitely keep an eye on this thread.

[soshi9otaku]

The humor in your reviews really make them worth reading ( other than the fact that they are REVIEWs hahaha)

anw i find that the only thing good to come out of taeyeon's wgm is that we got to see her in the gorgeous wedding dress

[takenine]

A super late update to a dying thread.  Sorry, guys!  I've been a bit busy ><  Your comments are always 100% appreciated
 
[MERCH] Girls' Generation Complete Video Collection

Spoiler

original link: http://i.imgur.com/Ls7YtkU.jpg

cr. a professional photographer

 
Where do we begin...  Well, here we are, reviewing this "Girls' Generation Complete Video Collection"!  Mind you, this "complete" is rather obsolete, since obviously they don't contain more recent releases.  
 
First of all, the design!  As you can see above, it's this... circular thing.  Stylized to resemble one of those old tape thingy things.  Film can thing.  Yay technical terms.  Pretty to look at, though a bit harder to put on display, to be quite honest.  Unless you lay the thing down, it just rolls around and never "stands" at a proper place haha.  The girls always end up upside down!1!!!!1!
 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/C0ier8D.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/3QaWDtu.jpg

cr. shiny stuff

 
Onto the actual discs.  As mentioned before, it's no longer "complete", but it does contain all their MVs up to 2012 and 3 performances from their Japanese 1st Tour, as well as a bonus DVD with the girls talking about their memories and watching (and reacting) to their own old music videos.  Oh, Soshi.
 
Unfortunately, subs are not included so... let's hope you don't need them.  The interview only comes with the limited edition.  Included is also a fabulous booklet of the girls looking perfect while watching some movie that probably isn't really there.
 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/zLagDJ5.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/X9zvkd9.jpg

original link 3: http://i.imgur.com/ZjUclsF.jpg

cr. pic spam

 
I won't be reviewing the MVs since they're for another topic, so I'll just be raving about the cool things that comes with this circle thing.
 
Next, we have this fabulous poster (if you managed to get the limited poster edition)...

original link: http://i.imgur.com/wum7b2H.jpg

cr. paperweights

 
 
...and some other nice little trinkets.
 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/kpuevYl.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/DLcN2lL.jpg

cr. unprofessional photographer

 
We have a phone jack, a projector pen that displays a random member's face, playing cards, and these 10 cute little postcards advertising different concepts.  We'll get to the latter soon, but first pictures!
 
Nothing much to say about the earphone jack plug.  It's a really cute GG-themed trinket; excellent for collectors, though I'm not sure about the actual use.  Depends on if it matches your style, really.
 
I got Seohyun for the pen  Mind you, I've never tried to see how the pen works, so I can't really say anything about that.  I'm assuming each member's image is the same as the one featured on the cards (see below).  Sunnnyyyyy~

original link: http://i.imgur.com/80Z0iWl.jpg

cr. wow blurry much

 
The cards.... were a bit of a let down.  Except for the hearts suit and the jokers, the rest of the cards had nothing to do with Soshi.  Quite a disappointment.  They're still quite pretty, though.  I like the pics (Sunnyyyyyy), and the quality is still rather nice.

original link: http://i.imgur.com/qPFRDgQ.jpg

cr. running out of smart things to say

 
And the 10 cute postcards!  This was actually my favorite part of the whole package.  I love the designs.  They're super cute, and, if it so entertains you, you can even hang them up like cute mini posters.  

 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/XkhH8qX.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/xTlyox0.jpg

original link 3: http://i.imgur.com/goEacb6.jpg

cr. spoiler abuse

 

Well... that's about it.  Pictures are worth a thousand words, you know?  I don't think I can really say much more, besides show you what you're getting if you buy this item.  Which I've done.
 
Availability
 
As of 26 January 2015, apparently the "First Press Limited Edition" (the one that comes with the interview) is still available on YesAsia for about a whopping 116$ USD.  Blu-ray is, of course, more expensive.  The interview-less editions are also available, so you're not missing out on anything besides the poster if you're buying now rather than.. a couple years ago.
 
Conclusion
 
The actual DVD footage is really something you could easily find online or in other releases (say, the actual album they're from), so if you're buying this, usually it would not be for the actual MVs.  Still, if you'd like a collection of all their MVs up to 2012 without the hassle of buying each album, this is for you.  I do think this whole "COMPLETE COLLECTION OF MVs" thing is a bit redundant (consider AAGG which is much more worth it imo), but whatever floats your boat.
 
Personally, I got this in a moment of insanity because of the little random thingies that came with it.  The playing cards were a huge "meh", but somehow, I really liked the mini posters a lot.  They weren't real-life photos of the girls, but I appreciated the art, and it had that nice movie-esque style to that really fit in with the product as a whole.
 
7/10, but only for the bonuses and Soshi's reactions

 

 

SHORTLY
 
We've honestly seen all these MVs before.  Oh, but it comes with a pen and playing cards?  Sold.
 
Repeated/Redundant


------------------------------
 

Hello hello~!
Popping in a comment of encouragement since you seem a bit 'low spirited' with the lack of comments. 
I've been reading your reviews for a while but seriously did not know what to comment xD
Of course, I've already posted here before (yes I did finish YAMD [it was pretty good btw~]), I was just curious to how you were doing and came to visit ^^
I really really really really  enjoy your entertaining, yet thorough reviews :3
Upvoted everything because you really really really deserve it, with all the time and effort you put into writing these~
 
and wow, so many reviews to *once again* look forward to ^^
takenine hwaitingg!
 
 
EDIT: I second GGFanJan's request :3

 Thanks for dropping by!  Wow, you finished YAMD!  I'm impressed~  Thanks for reading
 

Hello! Sorry for not keeping my promise of being a faithful reader.
 
Anyhow, I really like your reviews, they're well written and fun. ^^
 
Oooh, the stamps, they really look neat. I don't think they're really worth the money though lol
 
As for Taeng's WGM, I've seen a few eps but I didn't really find it that much entertaining tbh so I never watched the whole thing. I really loved the scenes with all the girls though. ^^ And the bungee jumping episode was fun!
 
Keep up the good reviews. And if you ever find the time for it, I would really like to read your review of Jessica&Krystal.

 Hello hello buddy!  This is such a late reply, I don't even know.  They're definitely not worth the money xD  I'll see if I have time to review Jessica&Krystal; honestly I haven't watched the whole thing yet (gasp), so I'm slowly jotting down my initial impressions.  We might get a mini review of each episode as a result of that... but not promises haha
 

I know I said this to you yesterday, but I love your reviews! They are so funny, but they're also informative. I especially like your You Are My Destiny review - that was great.  I haven't watched it, but now I want to!
 
Anyway, good job. I'll definitely keep an eye on this thread.

 Thanks for the comment, and sorry that it took so long to update!  Haha I'm glad you want to watch YAMD now, but hopefully you'll start when you have time and not when things are going crazy
 

The humor in your reviews really make them worth reading ( other than the fact that they are REVIEWs hahaha)
anw i find that the only thing good to come out of taeyeon's wgm is that we got to see her in the gorgeous wedding dress

Thanks for reading! Taeng definitely looks great in a wedding dress; maybe I'll review Seo's WGM sometime, and we can rave about how pretty she looks in a wedding dress too ha

[takenine]

Here we are, back again with another review because I don't have the time for it

 

[SINGLE] MR.TAXI / Run Devil Run Single

 

Spoiler

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/t4sNQ8B.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/hZl4M9C.jpg

cr. reflections ftw where are the detective netizens

 

Ah finally, a review related to what Girls' Generation merchandise is (supposed to be) all about!   Unfortunately, I am definitely not good at review songs and music, so I will still be focusing on the product itself.  You can listen to the songs on YouTube and make your own judgments...
 
I'm kicking this off with the first GG CD I ever got: the MR.TAXI / Run Devil Run Single.  Mind you, this is just the CD + poster version, this actually being a present and bought after it was initially released.

 

First, the CD itself.  There are a whopping whole two songs on this single.  Take it as you will, it being a single (shouldn't it be called a double? Haha lame joke) and all.   

 

If you're buying this single, please know that you are getting just two songs.  However, if you do the evaluation and find it worth it, I do highly recommend these songs.  MR.TAXI and Run Devil Run are super catchy songs, some of the stronger Soshi songs, in my opinion.  MR.TAXI is Soshi's first original Japanese song (there's a Korean cover version that was released later if you prefer that).  The Run Devil Run that was included in this single is also the Japanese version.  It has a different sound to it, it being sung in a different language, but I really like it.  These being pretty big title tracks, I don't believe I would have to describe it much more.
 
Oh, though if you have a decent sound system, the bass is extraordinary.  Very nice A++++

 

original link: http://i.imgur.com/bmqzL8O.jpg

cr. guess

 

Also comes with a lyrics (in Korean and Japanese, which is nice) pamphlet that's useful if you can read it, with nice pretty pictures on the other side. 

 

Spoiler

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/0x8BsGr.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/2y4KNiz.jpg

original link 3: http://i.imgur.com/zpkdqSv.jpg

original link 4: http://i.imgur.com/dLuft1i.jpg

cr. boring pictures in a spoiler

 

The CD is packaged in a standard plastic CD case, so if you're fooling around with the CD a lot, there are no worries: it's not going to break.  No special packaging or anything outside the normal.

 

The version I got also came with a nice fanchee poster, which might be my favorite part of this entire thing besides the nice songs with the extraordinary bass (um, what else is there here to like? Oh hush you).  It's a more advertisement-style poster (lots of Japanese posters are like this, from my experience?), and it really gives off a more "this is a limited and nice poster you need me please love me" kind of feel.  We're being very technical over here.

 

original link: http://i.imgur.com/EJiskDx.jpg

cr. me

 

Availability

 

Most of the versions of this particular single are sold out (on YesAsia), with the exception of the normal Japanese version.  It's a little less than 12$ USD at the moment.

 

Conclusion

 

The songs and the poster are super nice, but, as with all singles, I wouldn't consider this a necessary buy, especially at this point when it doesn't even come with the poster.  There may have been more temptation to get this when it first came out, but at this point, it's not a factor.  You could get albums with these songs that also come with more songs and more goodies, so.. in terms of whether or not you should buy this, I would say no.

 

That aside, as for the single itself, I do like the release very much.

 

6.8/10

 

 

SHORTLY

 

Pretty poster

 

More posters please.

[tjsthysysIN]

Dayum, you have so much merchandise. Truthfully I just skimmed through the text, focused on the images and read the SHORTLYs. I am so jealous happy for you.
 

Sunny = Me                                                |                                 TaeNy= You + Your collection

You've got to give me your photographer's number. She is really good, hired a professional?
cr: fanpop.com

Edited by tJsthysysIN, 09 February 2015 - 05:27 AM.

[takenine]

I have some time on my hands.  Short, quick review go!

 

[ALBUM] Girls' Generation (2007)

Spoiler

First (double meaning haha so smart) album review!  And which better album to talk about that Soshi's very first album: Girls' Generation (2007)?  As usual, I will be talking more about the product itself than the songs, though I may throw in random commentary that you already know.

original link: http://i.imgur.com/AMqQOA7.jpg
cr. photographer that I hired

 

Girls' Generation (2007) was released on November 1, 2007, and contained 11 tracks.  Its repackage was "Baby Baby", and that included three additional tracks: "Kissing You (Skool Rock Remix", "Let's Go Girls' Generation (Short)", and "Let's Go Girls' Generation (Long)".
 
The entire album, in my opinion, is very smooth and more on the relaxed, ballad-y (if that's the right word? They're not all actual ballads, but not necessarily something anyone could rock out dancing to, though obviously it's possible and it happens haha) side when compared to their more recent releases.  It really seems to match the girls-next-door feel that they had when they first debuted, before the Goddesses-of-Kpop image kicked in.  If I remember correctly, some of these songs were used in Taeng's WGM.
 
1. Girls' Generation
 
Girls' Generation is the first song on Girls' Generation's debut album Girls' Generation.  Ha.  This song is actually where Soshi gets their name from, so it's a really special song.  The music video is also quite nice; Soshi playing in a band!  Well, the definition of actually "playing" probably still needs to be determined, but the idea is quite nice.  I only wish there would be some kind of an actual band performance by Soshi; wouldn't that be nice?
 
2. Ooh-La-La!
 
This song is a super fun one, even without reading the lyrics.  Happy and fun.
 
3. Baby Baby
 
This song was the lead single for the repackage; I'm sure you've probably see a performance or two of it.  
 
4. Complete

 

One of the most important songs to the Sone fandom.  You make my life complete.  'Nuff said.

 

5. Kissing You
 
Lollipops.  There's so much to say about this song, but lollipops.  

cr. en.korea.com

Yeah, that's right

 

Spoiler

cr. snsdkorean

 

 
6. Merry-Go-Round

 

There are probably other things I can say about this song, but I believe this is the first song with extended English lyrics at the beginning.  The first of many amazing (what I mean by that is up to your interpretation) English introductions.  

 

7. Tears

 

This album actually allowed the girls to show a bit more of their vocal abilities than other albums, in my opinion.  From a personal opinion, I can't really say this song did that, though.  Honestly I didn't really like this song that much; something about it threw me off.

 

8. Tinkerbell
 

Genie (Tell Me Your Wish) Version 0.5

 

9. 7989
 
The first (and only, for this album) album-song from Soshi that wasn't just all the girls singing.  Taeyeon sang this song as a duet with Kangta, who also wrote the lyrics and the music.  The "79" part would be Kangta's birth year, and the "89" part would be Taeyeon's.  
 
10. Honey / Perfect for You
 
Honey is actually one of my favourite songs on the album, though I'm not exactly sure why.  They say Taeyeon suggested "Honey" as the fan name before we became Sones.  Though lately "(소원)" is appended to the back, so perhaps you could say this song is dedicated to us, the fans.
 
11. Into the New World
 
The debut song.  Everything that needs to be said about it has probably already been said.  One of the best debut songs to go with from any Kpop group, if I do say so myself, especially when you consider the combination of intense vocals and dance.

 

With all that out of the way, onto the album itself!

 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/reH3kxj.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/oFGzBe6.jpg

cr. not me

 

Girls' Generation (2007) is a cute little pink (of course) album that portrays the girls as dolls.  The album itself is actually a lot shinier and smoother than I expected (preciousssss).  There aren't a lot of fancy additional little trinkets that comes with it, though there is a small photo/lyric album that comes attached to the CD case.  You can't take it out, if that's what you're wondering.

 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/3yeAQg6.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/QASLEha.jpg

original link 3: http://i.imgur.com/N56q9Pe.jpg

cr. oh, just that hired person again

 

Availability

 

The first Soshi album.  Despite being the oldest, I believe it's still pretty easy to get this album wherever you look... probably especially because it's the first and oldest!  Apparently it's still on places like YesAsia for about USD$13.99.

 

Conclusion

 

The songs are super nice, but to be honest, the style isn't exactly my cup of tea when you look at it from the big picture.  Granted, I'm not so musically cultured, but a lot of them sound the same: just about all of them have the same feel.  That being said, this is a wonderful debut album, and, yes, nostalgia plays a big part in my evaluation.  

 

8/10

 

 

SHORTLY

 

More pink stuff?  Of course we want more pink stuff!!

 

Tiffany/Pink

 

------------------------------

 

Dayum, you have so much merchandise. Truthfully I just skimmed through the text, focused on the images and read the SHORTLYs. I am so jealous happy for you.
 

 

Sunny = Me                                                |                                 TaeNy= You + Your collection

You've got to give me your photographer's number. She is really good, hired a professional?

 

The SHORTLY sections are the only parts worth reading, of course.  My photographer?  Oh, he's absolutely wonderful.  Absolute professional.  Certificate and all.  Oh yes.

Edited by takenine, 29 December 2017 - 10:09 AM.

[GGFanJan]

Another nice review, good job. ^^

 

This album is probably my favorite Korean(full length) album, because imo it's very consistent. Unlike their following albums, where they'd mix cute and fierce sounding songs, this is pretty much cute songs throughout. And they're all very relaxing, that's why I like this album so much. Pretty much a perfect album to wind down to.

[takenine]

[MV/SONG] Party

 

Spoiler

Party is Soshi's first Korean single release of 2015, coming right after the Japanese "Catch Me If You Can" single.  Unlike CMIYC, however, Party does not feature comparatively dramatic dance moves, but it does have its other charms, which I will now proceed to divulge in easy list-format for all my lazy, non-existent readers!

 

1.  This summer MV takes its party-themed fan service to the next level, flashing shots of the girls relaxing on the beach, partying it up in clubs, and riding around in the water.  It's Echo 2.0 (as well as Beep Beep 3.0, Holler being 2.0), as the concept has upgraded to include themes for fans of all ages/preferences to enjoy.  

 

2.  Party features world-renown guest stars such Mr. Flamingo Float, Tequila, Lemon Soju, and Mojito; this MV, coupled with water driving and questionable (yet realistic, I suppose) life choices, has all the ingredients for quite the memorable party time.

 

3.  Tiffany's starting English lines instantly tells us that Party is indeed a Soshi MV; it's one of the 238052 requirements to be a Soshi MV, and it fits that one to the T(iffany).

 

4.  The very beginning of the song itself is similar to the OST of the immensely popular, life-changing, terrific, groundbreaking, and wonderfully produced N64 game Beetle Adventure Racing.

 

PAAAARRTTYYYY / Vacation

 

---

 

Jokes, guys, jokes.  Back to your regularly scheduled programs sometime, perhaps maybe hopefully.

 

------------------------------

 

Another nice review, good job. ^^

 

This album is probably my favorite Korean(full length) album, because imo it's very consistent. Unlike their following albums, where they'd mix cute and fierce sounding songs, this is pretty much cute songs throughout. And they're all very relaxing, that's why I like this album so much. Pretty much a perfect album to wind down to.

I personally prefer a nice (not too much though) mix, but I can definitely see where you're coming from.  This album really sets the mood, and I don't think they could've done a much better job with their debut album.  

[takenine]

[MERCH] All About Girls' Generation: Paradise in Phuket

Spoiler

Coming up next on the review pallet is one of my favourite items! This pink behemoth is a must-watch and a must-see (or a must-get, depending on your hoarding tendencies/financial situation) for avid fans.  While not as big (or heavy, thankfully...) as the 1st Photobook in Tokyo (also much more DVD than photobook; FPIT is immensely more photobook than DVD), AAGG is still fairly large at approximately 29cm x 29cm x 1.5 cm (or 11" x 11" x 0.5" for all you American fans).  

 

original link: http://i.imgur.com/fZ3RxW2.jpg

cr. my computer

 

The collection comes with six DVDs (totaling around 715 minutes of goodness), as well as a mini photobook with pictures taken of the girls during their trip to Phuket in Thailand. There is a larger preview photobook that was made as well, which I will discuss in a later review (probably the next one? I guess).

 

The item itself opens up into three panels, as you can see in the pictures.  There's no risk of the photobook falling out, since it has its own little spot built in the middle.  It's pretty well put-together, though the material that the actual thing is covered with gets white with age even if you don't touch it (mostly where the bends are), so if you're anal about those kinds of things, treat it with care!

 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/1eyxvec.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/yCi8Yrc.jpg

cr. my carpet looks like its different colours

 

Given AAGG's thin size, the small photobook it comes with isn't too special, but it does have some really nice shots of the girls enjoying their time on the beach.  Nothing more, nothing less.  It does have Echo's lyrics in the back, though!

 

original link: http://i.imgur.com/i7OpGzM.jpg

cr. hi Sunny

 

Moving onto the real reason why AAGG is such a steal (not really, it's pretty expensive...)!  The DVD content!

 

original link: http://i.imgur.com/KbtX6yS.jpg

cr. what is this, a pictograph for Minish?

 

Disc 1 - Variety in Phuket

 

As the name suggests, the first disc is just what you expect: Soshi variety in Phuket.  In this flagship portion of AAGG, the girls are separated into teams and set off on a treasure hunt for REAL TREASURE!!!  It ends with them finding platinum and becoming the richest people on the planet.  At that is how Soshi became rulers of the world, in just a few minutes.  Okay so maybe they don't find that kind of treasure, but this hilarious variety doesn't disappoint: the girls are still as crazy as every with their snarky remarks.  And since they're competing against each other, they certainly don't hold back.  Maybe you could view it as a mini Soshi version of Running Man??

 

Disc 2 and 3 - Free Day and Self Talk in Phuket

 

The next two discs tell the story of each individual girl's free day, though sometimes the other girls have cameos as well, since... well, you just can't get rid of them.  They're everywhere!  Lurking behind trees or just appearing out of nowhere!!  The third disc is where each girl is sat down, and she discusses her feelings and thoughts and all that.  They talk about each other, their personal journey to where they are now (at the time), and how they made it.  My favourite parts of this disc is when the other girls appear (again) and maybe wreak havoc on the interview.  

 

Disc 4 - Music Videos

 

If you haven't bought any Soshi albums and don't have your own (bought *cough*) version of Soshi's MVs, here is really a good place to wipe a lot of them out.  This was released in 2011, so you could probably view it as Girls' Generation: Complete Video Collection Version 0.5!  It's actually REALLY comprehensive, containing different versions of the same MVs and individual Hoot clips.  Aside from the "standard" MVs, AAGG also includes the two Gee Colour and White versions, 2D and 3D versions of Genie and RDR, the dance and story versions of RDR, the Hoot dance version, Beautiful Girls, and Echo (another AAGG special).

 

Disc 5 - Making Of

 

This disc offers a unique behind the scenes view of music videos or photoshoots.  What that means, of course, if watching the girls talking, laughing, and being silly fools.  One particular BTS clip of note would be Soshi's RDR Manito Game, as well as that part where they refer to the drama Temptation of Wife (how many times have I referenced this (amazingly terrible) drama??).  

 

Disc 6 - SBS Show Collection

 

Performances, performances!  23 OF THEM.  This is actually pretty rare and uniquely AAGG: music show performances!  Inkigayo performances where we get to see the Girls' do that winning thing, Dream Concert performances, Idol Big Show (ahhh), and even three Chocolate performances/talks.  Do you know how many fans would bite if SM actually was able to DVD-ize all of the Girls' performances and/or shows?  I would cry... for your wallets.  

 

Availability

 

This item is unfortunately out of print, but it's possible to find on other sites such as Amazon and eBay and other similar sites.  At the moment, Amazon has used ones listed at around 40$ USD, and new ones for around $153 USD.  A price to benchmark around, however, would probably be 80$ USD, if you're wondering.  

 

Conclusion

 

It might be a little on the costly side, but seriously if you have the money and you can find it (please don't buy it if you don't, really), I would personally say AAGG is a great buy for the avid SONE.  It's almost 12 hours of hilarious or spazzy Soshi screen time, with an awesome mini photobook to boot.  It's a comprehensive overview of the Girls' personal and professional growth as individuals and a team from 2007 - 2011.  AAGG is an amazing progression as the Girls' go from innocent, apprehensive rookies (mushroom Tiffany, anyone?) to sexy, mature, and confident women.  

 

9.5/10

 

 

SHORTLY

 

Lots of Soshi videos to rot (ROTS: Reviews of Total Sophistication, coincidence? I think not!) your eyes out on.  

 

Glasses/Contacts

[takenine]

[MERCH] All About Girls' Generation: Paradise in Phuket DVD Preview Photobook

 

Spoiler

It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here!  A review on the "accompanying" photobook to the previously-discussed AAGG: the DVD Preview Photobook!  Measuring in at about 21cm x 24cm (or about 8" x 9.5"), this book is smaller than the dimensions of AAGG, but it still manages to pack a punch.

 

As usual, these pictures that I've scrounged up are rather disappointing, even more so since photobook pictures are SUPPOSED to be pretty (do yourself a favour and Google prettier preview Preview PB pics).

 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/UCIE6f3.jpg
original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/1Gf1cto.jpg

cr. what?

 
This pretty book is split into 6 official parts, or "days" as they call them: in the airport, photo sketch, Echo MV, Pajama Party, Real Treasure, and Memory.  There's also a talk and some extra member-taken photos at the end, but we'll get to those in a bit.
 
The Picture Parts

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/j7Ss7Wp.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/80Nly5a.jpg

cr. these blurry things are pictures?

 

The airport pictures are super cute, designed in a very scrapbook-esque fashion.  As for the main "meat" of the pictures, they're more of the photoshoot-type variety that you expect, with glorious pictures of the Girls looking perfect.  Of course, considering the size of the actual photobook, the pictures are nowhere near as glorious when compared to, say, the 1st Photobook in Tokyo, but they do the job.  Some of the pictures are similar to those in the mini photobook that was included in AAGG, but worry not: if this photobook is something you're considering investing in, the pictures are definitely different enough to be worth your money.
 
Towards the end (or rather, at the very end) of the photobook, there are random member- and paparazzi-taken photos; they're a bit small and crowded and (imo) strangely collage-d together, but they're worth a glance through.  They are, however, awfully, awfully small so keep the hype down.  
 
The Variety Parts

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/c7ALopK.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/ZHUHGDx.jpg

cr. hey these isn't half bad

 
Skipping around the sections a bit, we finally come upon the "Real Treasure" section.  This part basically recaps, in picture form, a lot of what happened during the Girls' little variety show that was included in AAGG.  There are, of course, a lot of BTS silly photos as well.

 

The random little comments that accompany many of the pictures throughout are also quite cute.
 
The Text-Heavy Parts

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/esOS4r0.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/o5txnRq.jpg

cr. Uhaha!! Unintended Dandyu was unintended

 
Now we've arrived at the not-so-photobook-y part of the photobook, the interviews!  This is the part where the Girls' are asked lots of deep questions, and, naturally, they answer them.  Wow, imagine that.  However, true to the photobook's name (it's a DVD preview, after all), a lot of these questions are included in AAGG as well, though in live interview version.  
 
Also included in the photobook are little letters from the Girls to each other, which I found rather sentimental, cute, and very mushy, depending on my mood.  
 
Another thing I'd like to note, in case you're worried, or haven't been looking at the pictures at all (really, I should be more worried about people looking only at the pictures and not the text), all the photobook's text comes in not one, not two, but THREE languages: Korean (obviously), Japanese, and dun dun dun! English.  So if your Korean or Japanese is not up to par, worry not!  Here comes a rare item that caters to your needs.  Oh SM.
 
Oh, there's this nice pretty poster-thing in it as well.  Feast your eyes~

 

original link: http://i.imgur.com/QEqcrZ2.jpg
cr. grainy quality is grainy

Availability
 

This item is, unfortunately, out of print in all your "usual" haunts (namely, YesAsia, CDJapan etc), but you would likely be able to find it used on Amazon or eBay.  At the time of this posting, Amazon has a used one listed for around 40$ USD; for reference, however, a new one at time of printing would cost somewhere around 30$ USD.  

Conclusion

 

This photobook does what it sets out to do: it previews AAGG.  However, it functions quite nicely as a stand-alone product as well.  If you're unable to get AAGG but manage to get your hands on this little baby, don't be too disappointed since this PB is nice in its own right.  Viewed negatively, SM just released the same material twice in different forms, and we, of course, bought both.  Granted, they advertised it as such, so there's no one to blame besides ourselves.

 

Big positives are the balance between lots of pretty pictures and lots of interviews/letters, coupled with the fact that these interviews are in English (unlike, say, the Holiday PB).  

 

Heck, if you're not impressed by its pictures or the interviews or the poster, then just take advantage of the trilingual aspect of the PB and practice your foreign languages.  

 

7.8/10

 

 

SHORTLY

 

Buy the same material again?  Buy it in Korean?  Buy it in Japanese?  Buy it in English?  Well, OBVIOUSLY

 

May I use the same money I paid with previously/No

[takenine]

[ALBUM] The Boys - Korean Version

 

Spoiler

Coming up next on the album review list is one of the legendary ones: The Boys (in non-sequential and illogical fashion, as things are done here).  Personally, this one is a big nostalgia album for me, since it was the first Korean album that was released after I joined Soshified.  That trivial detail aside, The Boys is also Soshi's first venture into the American music scene, and, while conclusions about that can be mixed, The Boys was still a wonderful time to be a Sone.

 

I'll be reviewing both the Korean tin version and the CD that was released in the United States immediately after.  Let's get to it!

 

As usual, aesthetics are first and actual song reviews are lazy afterthoughts!  Such is the sophistication here.  No more pretending that my reviews contain any substance (unlike the meager effort in the first album review, where I even put the songs first).

 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/j4KPjqn.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/kvo8nqt.jpg

cr. photographers

 

The version I got came with two posters: one group poster, and then one randomized individual Girl poster.  As you can see here, I got Sunny!  The posters are nice and big; my only gripe about them are the material they're made of: pure papery paper.  I appreciate the more glossed over posters, as they look better and are somewhat more durable.  I get really anxious handling these; I feel as if I'm going to rip them if I touch them.

 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/GMmo8KQ.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/H4tNfBV.jpg

cr. differing picture quality continues

 

As for the album itself, the Korea version comes in a nice, cute little tin case.  I've seen people actually convert these tins into little bento boxes, which are quite cute if you're the kind of person likes to do those kinds of things.  It's pretty durable, and it certainly sticks out of the crowd compared to other albums.  The individuality gets a little awkward, though, if you try to store it on a shelf like other CDs; it doesn't exactly fit nicely, and it's quite obvious that the CD tin was meant to be presented like I have in the pictures, not from the side as a CD album would normally be stored.

 

original link: http://i.imgur.com/xAsHsn0.jpg

cr. goodies!

 

Inside the album, you get the CD (of course), a random photocard, and lyrics and 10 photos that are all bound together in a thicker paper material.  You slide these out, by the way, if any of you are wondering.

 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/maoP9d2.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/hD0eItb.jpg 

cr. so pretty

 

Fany Fany Tiffany!  

 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/UGaC263.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/O1bnKaW.jpg

original link 3: http://i.imgur.com/pWYkE1V.jpg

original link 4: http://i.imgur.com/1iCH5sm.jpg

original link 5: http://i.imgur.com/OSlxLNZ.jpg

cr. pic spam

 

These are the larger photocards that come with every album and lyrics, with the symbols representing the fairy tales that The Boys concept is based upon (one that I really like, actually).  Maybe it's a bit of personal bias coming in, but I really think SM did an absolutely fabulous job with the concept and how the pre-promotion process went.  It was a lot of fun figuring out what all the cryptic themes and messages meant and such.  On the backs of these photocards are the Girls' little messages.

 

original link: http://i.imgur.com/6R35yD8.jpg

cr. oops this is me

 

Pardon the blur; the pictures start to go reeeeal downhill from here.  The CD itself is so incredibly, intricately decorated, much like the whole album and concept itself.  It's very shiny and reflect-y and pretty and oh precious *_*  I will, however, note that the CD is a bit hard to get out.  It's super snug, and you'll never worry about it falling out.  I just worry about breaking the thing trying to get it out!

 

Now for the part we've all not been waiting for, at least as far as this review goes.  The songs!  (I kid).

 

1. The Boys

 

Seriously, if you haven't heard this song, where have you been?  Under a rock??  (Why haven't I seen you then)  I'm sure you've heard all the Teddy Riley namedropping stuff before, but look here I've done it again.  Anyways, the song style is definitely different from all of the Girls' previous releases, and to this day it remains a fan favourite.

 

2. Telepathy

 

A rather upbeat, happy track.  I would say that it kind of fades away when compared to the rest of the songs, but a good song in its own right when not compared.  Also, prepared to have the Girls' "Telepasy" stuck in your head for the rest of your life.  They'll know if it's not (cough telepathy cough).

 

3. Say Yes

 

Listen girl!  Uh, I mean boy.  Boy.  Oops.  (I know you know the reference)

 

4. Trick

 

A huge fan favourite.  Huge huge huge.  I'll admit it isn't one of my favourites in the same way; I don't exactly see the hype personally.  You can stone me now.  And because we're so in-depth about these reviews, I'm going to give no reasoning whatsoever.  I would, however, line up the style of this song closer to The Boys (the song) than a few of the other songs on the album, but The Boys (the album) without a doubt has a completely different flavour from all the other previously released albums.  If you asked me for a song that embodied The Boys aside from the title track, Trick is a huge contender.

 

5. How Great is Your Love

 

Omo, who wrote these lyrics??  Some Sooyoung person?  Dun dun daaaan!  Yep, that's write (ha.ha.ha), our very own Choi Sooyoung wrote the lyrics to this particular song.  This one is the resident ballad of this album, and it's quite nice, yes nice.  If anything, check it out for our songwriter Sooyoung's sake!

 

6. My J

 

Are you saying "J" is NOT Jessica???  Why else on earth would she be the one to start the song!!!?  Honestly, I don't know who the "J" is, but I've heard that the composer is actually the "J".  I know, this little tirade had nothing to do with an actual song review.  Humour me.  

 

7. Oscar

 

Another fan favourite, and another contender for a song that really represents The Boys album.  It definitely has that different dynamic sound to it.

 

8. Top Secret

 

This one is a mix of the "more normal" songs (when compared to other albums) and the more "The Boys-sounding" songs, if that makes any sense, which it doesn't.  What am I talking about??  It's top secret (actually, I don't know).  All I know, is that this is a wonderful song, and you should probably stop missing out and get in on it!

 

9. Lazy Girl

 

Okay, this one is probably one of my favourite songs on the album just because THAT'S TOTALLY JESSICA (and maybe every other girl, ever; us lazy Sones in general maybe...).  Anyways, there's enough English in this song (namely, "I'm a lazy girl so lazy girl"), that you can get the point on the first listen without even reading the lyrics  But do read the lyrics, as they're actually awfully cute, as this song is.  A cute inclusion into an otherwise dynamic album.

 

10. Sunflower

 

I called How Great if Your Love the resident ballad, but Sunflower is also a ballad, just not so touted since its lyricist isn't a certain Choi Sooyoung, probably.  On a purely musical sound, however, I might prefer this one to the other.  One look at the lyrics, however, and you'll see they're not really songs that can be compared (in a good way, for both songs).

 

11. Vitamin

 

Rounding of the album is Vitamin, the last song to the exceptional album that is The Boys.  After the mellow (and rather depressing) Sunflower, this song recharges us back to work.  I mean, we need it, after having already been called lazy.  Soshi is our vitamin!  Now work.  Go.

 

12. Mr. Taxi (Korean Version)

 

Extra Mr. Taxi single inclusion that often happens in albums.  Coincidentally enough, I've already reviewed this song (talk about unplanned planning), so yay!  Note, however, that this version is the Korean version.

 

Availability

 

This being a Soshi album and a "primary" item, it's not hard to find this album at all.  It's easily found on YesAsian and CDJapan (and any other sites you'd prefer to use, of course), with the price hanging around 15-20$ USD.

 

Conclusion

 

This is actually a terrific little package of an album, and as far as albums go, I highly recommend it.  Make sure to give the songs a listen through if you value songs over the actual physical thing (imagine that!  Crazy!!), but I would still recommend the songs anyhow.  Pretty good with the bass turned up if you're in the mood to create a disturbance of the peace.  

 

8.5/10

 

 

SHORTLY

 

You mean all that above wasn't short enough??  People these days, gosh.

 

The Boys/Boys

 

-------------------------------------------------------

 

Thus rounds off The Boys.  

 

But wait!  There's more!  Continued below because this is getting long way too short.

[takenine]

[ALBUM] The Boys - English Version

 

Spoiler

Nope, not quite done with me yet!  Coming in right behind the Korean version, is, of course, the English release of The Boys.  As many of us already know, The Boys was Soshi's first official venture into the English market, so, naturally, that comes with an English album!  Such a novel feeling, being able to pick up a Soshi CD at your local Best Buy (not that I know that particular feeling, but insignificant details haha).

 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/iu3K3vi.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/MDU2YRC.jpg

cr. definitely taken by me

 

The English version is nothing too fancy; really, it's just the regularly packaged version of the Korean edition, as you can see.  On the plus side, it fits with all the other CDs you may (or may not) have.  

 

original link 1: http://i.imgur.com/a1tyWlu.jpg

original link 2: http://i.imgur.com/pZ6TTA6.jpg

cr. maybe taken by me

 

This version comes with a mini booklet of lyrics and a few photos.  I'm sure if you've bought any kind of CD before, you know what I'm talking about.  These photos are basically the condensed version of the larger photocards from the Korean version, minus the messages and the size.  Definitely better than the Mr. Taxi CD (though, one can argue the different origin and concept/style that both items possess) inclusions.  

 

original link: http://i.imgur.com/p12umEX.jpg

cr. not taken by me

 

The CD design is the same as the one in the Korean edition.  In terms of the actual item and the packaging, you could basically say the English version is the Korean version in smaller, more economical form.  

 

Note, however, that there are different songs on the two versions, which could (rather, should?) change your opinions on which version to choose (if you're not going to get both or not already sold on the Korean version).

 

The first 13 songs on the CD are exactly the same as the other, with the exception of the order of the Korean and English versions of The Boys being switched.  Makes sense.  Now comes the extra songs.  Which aren't different songs at all; just remixes of a song you already have.  Yes, you read that right.  On the English edition, you get not one, not two, but SIX versions of The Boys.  FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!!1!

 

14. The Boys

 

Where have I heard this one before?

 

15. The Boys (Bring Dem Boys)

 

This song sounds familiar

 

16. The Boys

 

Is this CD on repeat?

 

17. The Boys

 

Or is it broken??

 

Seriously, all jokes aside, the songs are the same, but they do sound different.  They're remixes, after all!  They each have their own individual feel, and I'll leave it up to you to decide which is your favourite.  Remixes feature artists like Snoop Dogg and are done by artists Clinton Sparks & Disco Fries, Suzi, David Anthony, and Teddy Riley.

 

Now for the English version of The Boys.  It is... interesting.  Definitely not something I expected, but.. I got used to it haha.  Note that Tiffany (yes, our very own Tiffany Hwang) helped with the lyrics.  Honestly, I'm not too sure what to think of them, but why don't you give it a listen and come back to tell me what you think!  

 

Availability

 

You can still get this from Best Buy for about 10$ USD.  Walmart has it listed for 9$, but its information is listed as unavailable at the moment, so I wouldn't hedge all my bets there.

 

Conclusion

 

original link: http://i.imgur.com/cekfQaO.jpg

cr. definitely not me

 

Like I said before, this is basically the condensed Korean version, with a couple of remixes added in.   As the Korean version being the more "legit" (for lack of a better word) edition to get, I feel compelled to compare these two products here.  If you're a remix type of person, you could probably consider getting this, but, if I had to give a recommendation, I would definitely choose the Korean version.  There are just so many more goodies (um, photocard addicts, anyone?).  The price is fairly similar (a difference of around 5$): consider the extra photos, photocard, and tin you're getting.  Maybe those extras aren't exactly worth 5$ in your books, but I do think that 15$ is still a pretty good price to pay for what you're getting in the Korean version.  All this being said assuming, of course, you're willing and able to spend any money on these things in the first place.

 

As for the product itself, it's a wonderful first release into the English market, but other than that.... It's really nothing special.  It's basically just your CD with the lyrics and teaser pictures.  Honestly, you could probably buy two versions of the Korean edition because PHOTOCARDS.

 

6/10

 

 

SHORTLY

 

Where's my photocard!

 

Best buy / 2 PHOTOCARDS?