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EVERYONE...

Today is the world mental health day. If you are suffering in silence just know this blog will be there for you and will be here to listen and support you. Also, please if you were searching for a sign to not give up. THIS IS IT. 

Pls, reblog to maybe save a life. 

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THIS IS HAPPY BTS. REBLOG FOR GOOD LUCK AND A HAPPY FUTURE. DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE.

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😩

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This is giggling bangtan, reblog it for good luck and eternal happiness, don’t risk it.

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SUBS FOR BTS CSAT SHOUTOUT VIDEO UP!  If you want anything else subbed, drop a note in my DM :)  xoxo

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An ARMY’s Thought

Many of my friends know that I am an avid ARMY (BTS fan). Last week, one of my close friends and I were talking about the concert that I recently went to, and stumbled upon the topic of idolization of BTS. As he looked at the numerous posters that occupied my dorm room walls, he asked me whether I would ever be able to criticize the group if they ever exhibited potentially controversial behaviors. I confidently answered yes, but knew internally that it would take a lot for me to find fault in my favorite group that frankly takes a large part in sustaining my life at Dartmouth. That subconscious thought was challenged today. My roommate and I watched an interview BTS did with Buzzfeed UK over dinner. Here is the link to the article/video: https://www.buzzfeed.com/…/which-member-of-bts-are-you-quiz…. You can watch the whole thing or skip to 1:25. To provide a little bit of context, BTS took the “Which Member of BTS Are You?” quiz to see if their results actually matched up. I do want to make the point that I know this quiz was not to be taken seriously, as how can answering a couple of questions (such as, “What type of house is your dream house?”) predict which 1 out of 7 complex individuals you are. Anyways, one of the questions was, “Pick a Karaoke Song.” Among the list were songs like New Rules, In My Feelings, Love Lies, and This Is America. J-Hope, the last member to pick a song, chose This Is America, and immediately started singing and dancing the hook. One of the members (unclear who because the camera focused on J-Hope) replaces the lyrics “Don’t catch you slippin’ up” with “Did you order donkatsu” (Tonkkasŭ shik'yŏnnya) in Korean. Other members proceeded to follow up and repeat this melody/Korean phrase, seemingly unaware of their actions. Truthfully, the Korean phrase sounded so similar to the original lyrics that my roommate (who is a non-Korean-speaking African-American female) did not even catch that they were replacing the lyrics upon first watch. However, I noticed this and promptly paused the video. I explained the situation to her and then asked for her thoughts. She was mainly frustrated because she felt that the song, which has a serious message, was not being taken seriously by BTS. She was also bothered by the fact that only a select group of ARMYs (socially aware Korean-English bilinguals) would notice and understand what happened in those fleeting seconds. In an NPR analysis of This Is America, Music Hip-Hop journalist Rodney Carmichael stated, "I think in a lot of ways what Glover is trying to do is really bring our focus and our attention to black violence, black entertainment [and] the way they're juxtaposed in society.” The song has further highlighted the ongoing process of publicly discussing concealed racism, and as someone living in the United States, I appreciated the song’s impactful message. Because of this precise reason, when BTS started casually replacing the lyrics into a trivial Korean phrase, I felt that they were being disrespectful to both the artist and the work itself. Contextually, I understand that BTS was not mocking or meaning harm in any way, and they were just having fun while singing a bop. However, as they have become very influential public figures, I think they should be more cognizant of their actions. I say this because the reason why I appreciate them as artists is because they advocate for important societal issues, such as discrimination, mental health, abuse, etc. As a group who partly gained respect for taking a firm stance on such issues, I think the actions they took in the video were not entirely appropriate. Even in the recent speech that RM (BTS’s leader and someone I adore) made at the United Nations General Assembly, he said, “We have learned to love ourselves, so now I urge you to ‘speak yourself.’ No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin color, gender identity: speak yourself.” Because they have such a huge international following, I personally feel that it would be valuable for them to have basic awareness of worldly issues. Basically, practice what you preach, BTS. I do want to acknowledge that people may think that I am an easily offended individual; some may defend them by saying, “They were just having fun,” “They don’t speak the language,” “They may not be aware of the depth and complexity of social issues in the United States specifically.” However, the frustration is that while there appears to have been no malicious intent, I felt the impact of their actions. If you want to share your thoughts, please be respectful and civil. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

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tag urself

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“Taehyung is out there getting thicker and THICKER by the minute. This is just too much. I’m — ”

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Jin's turtlenecks

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This is for ARMYs that want to register for the Global Fanclub during recruitment period, but don’t know how to do so!

IMPT: Please CREDIT me if you are going to use this!!

I tried to outline the process!! If you have any questions, please lmk!!

International shipping takes about 15-20 business days, and is a little costly. With shipping + membership, it’s about ₩75,000, which is about $65. D: But you get a lot of exclusive membership goods, which accumulates to more than the $65...

Here are the links that are above (since you can’t click on them): Daum Fancafe: www.cafe.daum.net/BANGTAN Interpark English Website: https://goo.gl/Lilsxs

Good luck!!

P.S. excuse me what was the Blood Sweat and Tears Japanese MV cryyy :’)

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Me before finding out that IM GOING TO GO SEE MY 7 ANGELS AT SAITAMA IN JUNE OMG /dies/

passion

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Link and comment any BTS videos you want [ENG SUB]bed! Taking any and all requests for one week! Bonus: tae giving all the armies some luuuurve

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some <golden> moments from the BTS 'Not Today' MV Shooting vid

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When jimin visits you without notice

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Wow it’s been a while! Thanks for being patient with me :-) I have finished school and summer has officially begun!! ….which means compiling a couple of my top dramas into a post so everyone can fangirl with me!

In lieu of an introduction (because none of these dramas really NEED an introduction…they are all fabulous!), I am just starting out by saying these dramas are all 15/10. They break my scale…which says a LOT because I have ridiculously high standards xD

Ouroboros (2015): The most recent out of all of these and definitely the BEST drama I have watched in general. It is of mystery/suspense genre and has 0 romance (well… there is something between Ryuuzaki Ikuo- played by Ikuta Toma & Hibino Mizuki- played by Ueno Juri, but very minimal), which first sounded not so appealing, but BOY do Ryuuzaki Ikuo (Ikuta Toma) and Danno Tatsuya (Oguri Shun) kick that skepticism out of the window. Even for a pretty high-level Japanese speaker, I thought the crime terminologies were more difficult to understand but it was super enlightening, super dramatic, super charismatic, super wonderful, and everything good in this world. (I have permanently fallen for Toma because of this drama and there is no turning back…!!!!)

Hana Yori Dango (2005-2008): Just by looking at the span of years, you can definitely tell that this one is like the Bible of Japanese dramas. It is the absolute classic romance story: rich guy [Domyouji Tsukasa (Matsumoto Jun) cracked me up so much with his developing acting skills] and poor girl [Makino Tsukushi (Inoue Mao) didn’t get annoying unlike many dramas I’ve watched with the whole ‘poor girl’ storyline] fall in love and things don’t can’t work out. There is a season 1, season 2, and a movie chronicling Domyouji & Makino’s relationship.

Nodame Cantabile (2006-2010): Nodame Cantabile looks like such a long series, but the truth is that season 1 aired in 2006, 2 specials in 2008, Movie Part I in 2009, and Movie Part II in 2010. Definitely an understatement to say it was a popular series. If you are a music lover, you are in for the biggest treat of possibly, your entire LIFE, and if you’re not, you’re going to BECOME a music lover. I think Ueno Juri’s portrayal of Noda Megumi and Tamaki Hiroshi’s portrayal of Chiaki Shinichi absolutely perfectly embodies the manga from the first second of the drama to the last second of the movie. I have nothing to say other than it is one of the best series ever!

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e: Ikemen Paradise (2007): I watched this one before I watched Ouroboros and didn’t think much about the Toma-Shun friendship, but WOW I even rewatched this drama once I finished Ouroboros. This hilarious story is about a girl named Ashiya Mizuki (Horikita Maki) that disguises herself as a male to get Sano Izumi (Oguri Shun) to high-jump again. Another important character is Shuuichi Nakatsu (Ikuta Toma) who becomes Ashiya’s best friend & confidant about Sano. This one’s about gr9 friendship, hilarious Nakatsu moments, and pretty irritatingly predictable story line (but super great nonetheless). ***Not to be confused with the new Hana-Kimi that aired with a different cast in 2011.

Rich Man Poor Woman (2012-2013): This drama includes season 1 and a special. You can probably tell by now but I have a very happy bias towards Oguri Shun. I think he’s a very talented actor. Anyways, Rich Man Poor Woman is a romance story about Hyuga Toru (Oguri Shun), who is a very wealthy and successful IT CEO, and Natsui Makoto (Ishihara Satomi), an elite Tokyo University graduate who struggles to find a job along with millions of recent Japanese Todai alumni. Natsui somehow begins to work for Hyuga’s company (there will be an explanation as to how she ends up working there) and the relationship takes its tumbles but is a happy ending? You tell me ;-)

Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo (2013-2015): Another one of those classic dramas!! This ItaKiss has a spinoff because of the Tokyo setting, but follows the same story of Aihara Kotoko (Honoka Miki) falling in one-sided love with a popular guy at school, Irie Naoki (Furukawa Yuki). Honoka is hilarious- sometimes a teeny bit TOO much, but I enjoyed both season 1 and 2!

Hotaru no Hikari (2007-2012): Okay this is another one of those seemingly long series but the first season was in 2007, the second season was in 2010, and the final movie hit the roads in 2012. I started watching this drama casually, as I knew there wasn’t going to be an Ikuta Toma or MatsuJun, but I found out that I like Naohito Fujiki more than I thought I did. Let me just leave this drama at it’s absolutely HILARIOUS and pretty heartwarming. Hotaru Amemiya (Ayase Haruka) became my absolute fave after this drama.

Kyou wa Kaisha Yasumimasu (2014): Following the Ayase Haruka streak, this one is one of my absolute fave among the fave. First of all, let’s talk about Tanokura Yuto (Fukushi Sota) and his fabulous PRESENCE and also the other lead, Asao Yu (Tamaki Hiroshi). Two VERY talented & attractive males along with a klutzy 30-year-old single lady. Bound to be a heck of a ride.

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (2010): Last but certainly not least, YNSH is a little bit of a different drama than the rest. It is romance, but you can almost say that it’s GOTHIC romance (as strange as that sounds for a drama). Nakahara Sunako (Oomasa Aya) is a gothic girl that only wears a black cape around and thinks normal people are too “bright” to stare at because of this one incident in the past. However, there are 4 beautiful men (not even surprised, right?) that live in her house to try to get her out of her shell, INCLUDING the leader of the pack, Takano Kyohei (Kamenashi Kazuya)!!!! He is so great! Also, another perk is that the opening song/theme song is sung by KAT-TUN and it’s SO catchy. You’ll be singing it all day.

This is the end of the list that I thought off the top of my head, but there are SO many more good dramas out there! Some that you should check out: Shiawase ni Narou yo (2011), Dear Sister (2014), Buzzer Beat (2009), Last Cinderella (2013), Kurosagi (2006), Summer Nude (2013), Proposal Daisakusen (2007)… if I think of more, I will update!

LASTLY, I am watching Youkoso, Wagaya e (airing right now, 2015) starring Aiba Masaki and I’m loving the suspense!

P.S. Always appreciate those follows~ Please keep them coming <3

Love always, Christina xxx

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Hello, it’s been a little while! I’ve been keeping up with Sota’s blog and it looks like there are only staff updates about TV Appearances. He is probably extremely busy with [Strobe Edge] promotions, so when he does update us, I will be right onto translating!

I present to you today, my recommendations of “Seishun Eiga”s which typically describes the High School Romance genre. Because many dramas / movies are based on manga in Japan, the Japanese theater greatly embraces Seishun Eigas. It’s almost a “stepping stone” for rising actors / actresses to be a part of these dramas / movies. 

First up! Bokura ga Ita Zenpen & Kohen (2012): This 2 part movie (Zenpen- 1st part, Kohen- 2nd part) chronicles the 10-year love life of Yano Motoharu (Ikuta Toma) and Nanami Takahashi (Yoshitaka Yuriko). I know it sounds really draggy and boring making two movies about one pair, but this one does a fantastic job. Bokura ga Ita is one of the few movies that I felt developed the characters, their feelings, and the different events that shape the characters in a touching manner. Yano made my heart soooo happy I watched the movie 8 times.

Hanamizuki (2010): This one is a slightly older one and fair to say that it was the first batch of Seishun Eigas. Again, this chronicles the 10-year love life of a couple, Sae Hirasawa (Yui Aragaki) and Kouhei Kiuchi (Ikuta Toma). This movie completely tackles a different setting from Bokura ga Ita, so rest assured that these first two are not the same story.

Kimi ni Todoke (2010): Another one of the first gen Seishun Eigas. This one is about a handsome & popular boy, Shota Kazehaya (Haruma Miura), who falls in love with a girl, Sawako Kuronuma (Mikako Tabe), who is bullied by the class. Kazehaya brings Kuronuma out of her shell, and the rest is history. 

Kiyoku, Yawaku (2013): A fairly new one. This one is about two characters, Kanna Seto (Masami Nagasawa) and Roku Akazawa (Masaki Okada) who have lost a significant person in their life as they struggle to carry on with life and eventually love again. TBH, I watched it because of Masaki Okada, and thought it was a well-done movie.

High School Debut (2011): I was like ??? while watching this movie because it was sooooo manga-like silly & hilarious. Haruna Nagashima (Ito Ono) wants to find a boyfriend in high school because she had devoted her entire middle school life to softball. You Komiyama (Junpei Mizobata) is a popular upperclassman who ends up mentoring Nagashima, but instead, falls in love with her.

Sukitte ii na yo (2014): SUPER recent movie. The storyline is a little bit similar to Kimi ni Todoke, as a popular boy at school, Yamato Kurosawa (Sota Fukushi), brings a bullied girl, Mei Tachibana (Haruna Kawaguchi), out of her shell. Even though the underlying theme is the same, this one develops the female character greatly and chronicles her journey as she is coming out of her shell and really learns about loving another person. After watching “Kyou wa Kaisha Yasumimasu”, I went straight to this movie to see Sota Fukushi. Didn’t disappoint me at all. <3

Some others I haven’t watched yet: Koizora, Halfway, Boku no Hatsu Koi o Kimi ni Sasagu, Tada kimi wo Aishiteru. 

Will be doing one for top dramas I’ve watched throughout my years of jdrama experience soon (this one shall be extremely hard....)!

Christina xxx