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Double (Japan Version)
CHAGE & ASKA
CHAGE & ASKA. For some 27 years, those two names have been virtually inseparable, and there's something comforting about their longevity and consistency. The iconic duo's first full-length album in five years, Double comes with four new songs and six singles from the last few years. Nothing fancy to be found here, just good music. After so many years in the business, CHAGE & ASKA's brand of eminently likable laid-back, low-key pop rock continues to sound fresh and energetic every time. Opening song "Paparazzi" (Track 1) is a meanderingly playful mid-tempo track written and composed by ASKA. Both the lyrics and singing style carry a mockingly mischievous edge that adds to the fun of the song.... [read more]
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Lee Seung Gi Vol. 2 - Crazy For You
Lee Seung Gi
As K-pop keeps getting more, well, poptacular with the likes of Rain, SE7EN, TVXQ, and company, there's something universally likable about Lee Seung Gi's catchy ballads and clean-cut boy-next-door demeanor. Inevitably, much of the appeal lies in the youth: his awkwardly endearing appearances on X-Man, his roguishly immature role in Famous Chil Princess, and, of course, his debut song "You Are My Woman" about loving an older woman. Having long passed my teenage years, however, what attracts me more is the music, classic ballads interpreted in a new generation voice. (Perhaps this feeling of "classic" is what the inexplicably unfashionable cover is trying to convey; his other two headshot... [read more]
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A Cruel Attendance (AKA: Educating Kidnappers)
Kim Su Ro
| Lee Seon Gyun
| Kim Young Min
It's been a while since I've been so pleasantly surprised by a film, admittedly because I had next to no expectations coming into the film. A Cruel Attendance starts off in fairly familiar Korean comedy territory, basically frenzied and middle-aged. Kim Su Ro plays Dong Cheol, a debt-ridden salaryman scrapping to meet the interest deadline and keep a plucky face for the family. Every month, he sprints into the bank at the last minute to barely make his payment, along with his soon-to-be-partner played by Lee Seon Gyun. As misery loves company, the two become friends of sorts, and their unfortunate situation makes for some amusingly poker-faced comedy as they exhaust their financing options.... [read more]
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Eric Kwok (CD+VCD)
Eric Kwok
A well-known songwriter and a member of the sorely missed disbanded group Swing, Eric Kwok has been one of the few bright lights in the Hong Kong music scene in recent years. Two years ago, he released the Eric Kwok Collection, an album of demos and reinterpretations of songs he wrote for other people, and since then I've been waiting patiently for another album. It finally came at the end of 2006, and the wait has definitely been worth it. Eric Kwok's music always strikes me as being happy. Not in the typical Canto-pop way, but in a carefree, jazzy, light-on-your-feet way, and this new album completely captures that feeling. Titled "Cantonese Album", the album is, obviously, in Cantonese,... [read more]
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Aachi & Ssipak
Yim Chang Jung
| Shin Hae Chul
| Ryoo Seung Bum
| Hyun Young
Though most definitely not on the level of My Beautiful Girl Mari and Wonderful Days, Aachi & Ssipak represents a wholly different kind of breakthrough for Korean animation. Comically violent, unabashedly crude, and hilariously profane, this film is not one for the kids. But for those not turned off by some indecent exposure and, literally, toilet humor, Aachi & Ssipak is an incredibly fun ride, easily one of the most entertaining films of 2006. All the people who think that our natural resources will last forever should watch Aachi & Ssipak for a very uncomfortable backup plan. In the Kool-Aid-colored world of the future, natural resources have run dry and society is sustained by fecal... [read more]
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The Outsiders (Vol.1-20) (End) (US Version)
Joelle Lu Ming Jun
| Blue Lan
| Dylan Kuo (Actor)
| Ady An (Actor)
If the Young and Dangerous series was ever adapted into a TV drama, it would probably look something like The Outsiders. Though ostensibly an idol drama, The Outsiders transcends the limitations of the genre and its inexperienced cast with mature themes, a surprisingly uncompromising story, and a gray look at the triad life that is as dark as it is romanticized. High art, this is not, but it's 20 episodes of well-made entertainment. And my, they sure have nice hair. As the S.E. Hinton-inspired title implies, The Outsiders is first and foremost a story about youth from the wrong side of the tracks. The drama follows the lives of three longtime friends as they grow from delinquent students to... [read more]
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The Happiness of Katakuris (Hong Kong Version)
Takenaka Naoto
| Takeda Shinji
| Sawada Kenji (Actor)
| Matsuzaka Keiko (Actor)
Who knows what the folks at Shochiku were thinking when they asked Miike Takashi to direct their New Year's family film? And who knows what Miike Takashi is thinking ever? But the result was a fabulous sight to behold. A gleeful remake of Kim Ji Woon's black comedy The Quiet Family (1998), The Happiness of the Katakuris is so ridiculous, it's downright lovable, especially when you realize it is most definitely a heartwarming fun-for-all-ages film by Miike standards. Made in 2001, the same year that Miike unleashed Ichi the Killer on an unsuspecting world, The Happiness of the Katakuris takes the cult director's singularly bizarre vision to a grossly underrepresented genre - the black comedy... [read more]
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JSA (Joint Security Area) (DTS Version) (HK Version)
Lee Byung Hun (Actor)
| Lee Young Ae (Actor)
| Song Kang Ho (Actor)
| Park Chan Wook (Director)
Before delusional cyborgs and angry people seeking revenge, director Park Chan Wook announced his entry into the ranks of the region's greats in 2000 with Joint Security Area, a tightly wrought, politically charged story set on the North Korean border. To put things understatedly, North Korea is a common theme in South Korean films. From action thrillers to politically incorrect comedies, South Korean filmmakers spend quite a bit of time re-imagining their northern counterparts, obsessing over hypothetical political developments, and trying to make sense of the complicated roller coaster relationship on the peninsula. JSA opens with both sides of the border caught in a dicey political... [read more]
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Throw Down (DTS Version) (Hong Kong Version)
Aaron Kwok
| Louis Koo
| Tony Leung Ka Fai
| Cherrie Ying
The world of Throw Down can only be described as judo jiang hu meets contemporary Hong Kong. Johnnie To's amusing tribute to Kurosawa and the hard-boiled samurai flicks of yesteryear, the film is an engaging, whimsical action melodrama filled with quirky, earnest characters floundering about in odd, yet oddly compelling, situations. Aaron Kwok plays a wide-eyed judo enthusiast who wants to challenge former judo champion Louis Koo to a duel, but instead finds a mumbling, stumbling, drunken man, a shadow of his former self. Refusing to leave without a match, Kwok stays on at Koo's bar as a saxophonist alongside a sexy-cute aspiring singer, played by the sexy-cute Cherrie Ying. For Kwok, Koo,... [read more]
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Qing Chun (China Version)
Wang Fan Rui
Wang Fanrui is an unknown name outside of China. Within China, he is still largely unknown, but his impressive debut album, Qing Chun ("Youth"), has found its admirers, me for one. A poetic fusion of folk rock and British-influenced electronica, Qing Chun is one of the best albums to come out of China in the past year. I first came across Wang Fanrui's Qing Chun in a dusty music shop in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. And by came across, I mean it was one of many albums enthusiastically shoved into my hands by the shopkeeper. Despite having to stand through her sales pitches for everything from Jolin Tsai to Il Divo, I do have to thank her for introducing me to Wang Fanrui. Released by TR Records,... [read more]
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Urusei Yatsura - Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer (Collector's Edition) (DVD) (US Version)
Oshii Mamoru (Director)
| Akio Wakana
| Katsu Hoshi
Oshii Mamoru and Urusei Yatsura? It is now almost hard to imagine that Ghost in the Shell director Oshii, the master of cyber punk and artful alienation, first made his name with Urusei Yatsura, a hectic off-color anime series about a lecherous high school student and his turquoise-haired, leopard-bikini-clad alien girlfriend. When Oshii embarked on Beautiful Dreamer, it was his second go at a feature-length Urusei Yatsura film, and he did things a bit differently this time around. While the first film was a competent, fairly faithful adaptation of the manga, Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer was an entirely different and beautiful beast. Manga writer Takahashi Rumiko and die-hard Urusei... [read more]
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Alone in Love (English Subtitled) (SBS TV Series)
Gam Woo Sung
| Son Ye Jin
| Gong Hyung Jin
| Oh Yoon Ah
If you're yet to give Korean dramas a try, or looking for more than the same old tricks, Alone in Love is a worthwhile excursion. No terminal illness. No amnesia. No long-lost relatives. No co-habitation. No older-sister younger-brother romance. No brother-sister romance. No fated-since-childhood romance. No contract romance. No European locales. No rags to riches. No evil stepsisters. With all the Korean drama cliches stripped away, Alone in Love starts out in a simple yet starkly unfamiliar territory - after the love, after the "happily ever after". Gam Woo Sung and Son Ye Jin portray a divorced couple who continue to meet and bicker as old friends years after their separation. Despite... [read more]
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12A (Special Edition) (CD+DVD)
Endy Chow (Singer)
| Zarahn (Singer)
In Hong Kong's pop-idol-oriented, karaoke-driven market, rock is not an easy road to take. In the last 20 odd years, other than the legendary Beyond, few bands have even left an impression on the mainstream audience. For any band to get a release on a major label, in this case Warner, is rare. Zarahn's young, energetic, and slightly messy rock numbers aren't exactly earthshattering, but 12A is certainly an earnest, commendable foray into commercial rock. Like most bands, Zarahn consists of a bunch of dopey guys, and in this case, one of them happens to be Endy Chow. Since his debut three years ago, Endy Chow has not exactly hit it big, but he has made a name for himself as a rockish... [read more]
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Crying Nut Vol. 5 - The Cow of OK Pasture
Crying Nut
The original Chosun punkers have long lost their indie edge, but their rocking irreverence is as welcome as ever. After a long hiatus (courtesy of the South Korean army), the band regrouped last year and released their fifth album, The Cow of OK Pasture, earlier this year. There must be something about that military service because three and a half years after their slightly disappointing fourth album, Crying Nut is back in top form for The Cow of OK Pasture. The album is everything you can expect from Crying Nut: loud, infectious rock tunes, rowdy lyrics, and manic energy. Their riotous grassroots folk punk - complete with accordion! - has grown a lot more polished and inventive with this... [read more]
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GOLDEN BLACK (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)
Guitar Wolf
There's noise. There's music. And then there's Guitar Wolf. One of the few Japanese bands to have attracted a cult following both locally and overseas, three-man band Guitar Wolf sure can make noise. A lot of noise. Their style of rocking, self-termed "Jett Rock 'n' Roll" after music icon Joan Jett, is an amalgam of garage, punk, rockabilly, Ramones, hard rock, and noise. A lot of noise. Think punishing distorted guitars and feedback, fierce drumming, howling vocals, nonsensical "lock 'n' loll" lyrics (when you can hear them), and raw sounds (of the recorded in a kitchen sink variety) - all delivered with intense angry cheer. Piercing eardrums since 1987, Guitar Wolf consists of Guitarwolf... [read more]
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Terra 2001 (Japan Version)
the brilliant green
"You chose red and I chose blue, did what we had to..." Every time I hear the brilliant green's Maybe We Could Go Back To Then, I feel a slight ache in my heart, a flash of times past, people and places left behind. All the reluctant separations that accompany life expressed in a simple thought. There is something about the brilliant green that lingers. The music is mellow, merry, and easy to listen to, but a familiar melancholy underlines all their songs. The lyrics are adorably simple, yet disarmingly deep with a quirkiness that is uniquely identifiable as buri guri (the brilliant green's nickname). Many of their songs are in English, and buri guri is definitely one of the few Asian bands... [read more]
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Little Universe
Sodagreen (Singer)
Taiwanese band Sodagreen casts a little light of happiness on my daily commute with their second full-length album, Little Universe. Following up last year's equally excellent debut album, Sodagreen continues to make music that is light, airy, and utterly enjoyable. One of Taiwan's more high-profile indie bands, Sodagreen has attracted a degree of attention in the last few years, and this album is another good reason why. Unlike Chthonic, Tizzy Bac, Won Fu, or other more specialized bands that cycle in and out of mainstream favor in Taiwan, Sodagreen's niche is with their music and not with their genre. With six members and at least that many instruments to account for, Sodagreen still... [read more]
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H.O.T vol. 5 - Outside Castle
H.O.T
Has it been five years already? In 2001, H.O.T. broke up at the height of its fame over a contract spat, breaking the hearts of countless teenaged girls in Korea and putting to end an impressive reign in K-pop. Muffled in all the hoopla though was that H.O.T.'s disbanding was a true loss for the Korean music scene. Formed as the most pre-fab of groups in 1996 by idol-making machine SM Entertainment, H.O.T. was so poptacular, it is easy to overlook their musical contributions. However, in the group's five-year span, H.O.T. made music that exceeded the boundaries of mere pop. Seo Tai Ji and Boys will always be the most iconic, but, for better or worse, it is really H.O.T. that set the formula... [read more]
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Cherry Filter Vol. 4 - Peace N' Rock N' Roll
Cherry Filter
Cherry Filter is perhaps the epitome of pop rock done right. They are raw enough to pass as alternative, radio-friendly enough to please the young 'uns. The music is tight, loud, expressive, familiar yet fresh - and it is all belted out by an attractive female vocalist with an interesting voice. Lead singer Youjeen dances between strong balladic vocals and what amounts to even stronger melodic screaming. She seems to sing straight from the throat most of the time, bringing a low roughness to her voice that gives the band's rock numbers an edgy finish. Basically, she sounds like she is slowly destroying her larynx for the sake of music (and really, shouldn't we all?). With The Third Eye... [read more]
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