for the hallyu wave you crave
While 2012 was a disappointing year for dramas, it was actually a pretty good year for young actors/actresses. There were quite a few solid rookies this year, and a few breakout performances by some not-so-rookies. Some, like Kim Soo Hyun and Song Joong Ki firmly established themselves as rising stars, while child actors like Kim So Hyun(not related) and Yeo Jin Goo showed just how talented the next wave of actors/actresses will be. Here, we’ll take a moment to recognize those who make their living by being people other than themselves.
2012 is finally over and we’re still here so I guess the Mayans were wrong all along. For the most part, it was as pretty disappointing year for dramas. Several dramas that I had high expectations for fell flat(Big, Dream High 2) and many were pretty mediocre. There were a few brights spots(King 2 Hearts, Gentleman’s Dignity), but I’m hoping that 2013 will bring qualities dramas compared to last year.
For obvious reasons, not all songs that get released can be promoted on music shows. Artists pick the song that they think will do best and that’s their main track. Here I’ll discuss 5 songs that may not have been promoted but I still very much enjoyed.
2012 for me was the year of the soloist. Most of the major groups put out songs this year, but most were fairly uninteresting for me(Secret’s “Talk That”, T-ara’s “Love Dovey” being among the few exceptions not mentioned below). Of course, we can’t fail to mention Gangnam Style which blew up far more than anyone could have possibly anticipated, which again only highlights how good of a year it was for soloists. When my friend in Peace Corp is telling me he’s even hearing it on local stations in South Africa, you know you’ve yourself a world-wide sensation. Here I’ll discuss what I considered the best 10 songs of the last year.
Overall Score: 7/10
Character Development: 8/10 ( would’ve liked more on Lee Yeon Hee’s character, but still pretty good)
Plot Development: 7/10 (Progression was done well, but did bog down at times)
Acting: 5/10 (I liked Uhm Ki Joon, but every other main character dragged this down)
Soundtrack: 6/10 (nothing spectacular)
Enjoyability: 8/10 (enjoyed the premise of it, but i wanted more of Daniel Choi)
Ratings
Overall Score: 8/10
Character Development: 8/10 (As expected from the writer of 2 of my all-time favorite dramas )
Plot Development: 6/10 (Everything was fine until the plot got serious, then it just got boring)
Acting: 10/10 (Great cast and chemistry all around)
Soundtrack: 7/10 (I actually liked most of the songs, but no real standouts)
Enjoyability: 8/10 (first half of the drama was great…second half, not so much)
Ratings
Overall Score: 5/10
Character Development: 5/10 (I expect better from the Hong Sisters)
Plot Development: 3/10 (So much wrong with this plot, it’s hard to pick a place to begin)
Acting: 7/10 (Thank you Lee Min Jung and Gong Yoo for making this mildly watchable)
Soundtrack: 6/10 (B2ST’s OST was my favorite of the bunch)
Enjoyability: 4/10 (only because of Lee Min Jung and Suzy)
Yes, technically some of these songs were released on November 1st in Korea, but it’s Halloween here so it still counts! Happy Halloween everyone!
It’s been a while since my last post since I’ve been really busy with real life stuff, but this album is definitely worth posting about. On Oct 16th, Ailee released her first mini album “Invitation”!
Five years ago, an unknown group of nine girls took the stage and began their singing careers. Now, those same girls are one of the most popular girl groups in the world. Happy 5th anniversary to SNSD!
