After more than a year of immersion in Kpop, I’m starting to regain faith in American music videos. Korean mvs are still fun to watch, and many of them feature eye-catching choreography and styling, but most of them [the most popular, anyway] follow a strict formula. While tolerably interesting, they leave little room for genuine video-making creativity. This one is surprisingly good for a rap mv, and the new FarEast Movement “Rocketeer” video is oozing with creativity as well.

Yes, of course there is the inevitable comparison to Lady Gaga but who cares, really. These two mvs are really interesting to watch, what with a million costume changes, artistic energy and not to mention a HOT PINK LAMBROGHINI.

Also, this woman’s booty is astounding. I’m only feeling meh about the actual music though. Maybe it’ll grow on me.

I was going to comment on how 13-3 is even worse than 7-1, but there are still so many of them that Hangeng is the only one I miss … Anyway, I love the dramatic intro. How happy am I that Leeteuk is finally revealing his body? [Sorry for Shiabs woshippers.] Ryeowook looks even more skeletal than usual, which simply will not do. At least Sungmin is looking better than usual [this dark look suits him]. Wow, am I really going to go through all 10 members? Last one: Eunhyuk looks like a pirate, and it scares me.

As weird as this mv is, at least it improves the song, which initially just sounded like a rehash of “Sorry Sorry.” Apart from all the shuffling-around-while-crouching, I couldn’t identify some distinctive move except for the big jump in the middle, which nobody will be able to replicate without a slow-motion camera.

"Sorry Sorry," is that you?

LOL MY FAVORITE PART

I spy nasty-azz gym shoes

We have lift-off!

Crouching...

More crouching...

Last one!

The first thing I thought of when I saw the set was Harry Potter: Diagon Alley. Why do they have freaky-looking people in this mv? It’s pretty weird to see non-Asian people in Asian music videos, so those freaks & those two children are rather off-putting. What’s up with the arms sticking out of the walls and the old man at the end [apparently the old man is Junsu]? It’s good to see DBSK together again, of course, but this video is like a fever-induced dream, and the song is rather generic. It’ll probably leave a stronger impression if they ever perform it live.

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Apparently shooting mvs in alleyways is popular nowadays. I’ve never bothered learning anything about the 4minute members before, so I don’t know if this is just a one-time solo track. How many successful female rappers are there in Kpop, I wonder? She’s not bad at it, and her dancing is eye-catching if repetitive. The English lyrics need some work — how do you pop your collar when you don’t have one to begin with? Actually, I’d recommend turning off the CC because the lyrics don’t have much direction.

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What’s going on here? This couple broke up but they’re acting like shy strangers who follow each other around awkwardly?

Okay no, I’ve figured it out. The man and woman were both heartlessly abandoned by their former lovers and have just now [miraculously] rediscovered each other as childhood playmates. Am I dense toward this kind of serendipity because of my refusal to watch dramas and romantic movies? It’s still weird that they followed each other around. I wonder who replenishes the supply of colorful balloons every day at the foot of the red tower.

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Ooh, we finally get to see Nichkhun’s older brother in action! This is the first time I’ve seen a Thai mv, so I’m not sure if the audio is supposed to be distorted like that. The only aspect of Nichkhun that I dislike is the size of his eyebrows, and NichChang certainly resembles his brother in that quality:

The singer’s hairstyle is really not doing her any favors; her ears stick out as much as Taecyeon‘s. I thought there was some kind of intimate stalking going on in this mv. What a creeper! Following her around, abducting her by taxi — it’s all too much. I suppose these aggressive tactics are eventually successful, but people should be wary of putting this situation on a pedestal. That said, I kind of like this song; I wonder from where it can be downloaded?

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This brand new hip hop trio sounds like it’s named after a delicious snack, and their mv looks like something I could’ve made myself. The woman looks freakishly pale in some shots, like the legs of my cousin in China who wore pants all through the 90+ degree summer heat because she didn’t want to tan. [The difference between her arms and legs was like the sun and moon.]

Does this kind of scene belong on AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com?

As I’ve expressed many a time before, I have a problem with rappers who fill their videos with useless pointing and gesturing. What’s the purpose of a mv if that’s all there is to see?! Anyway, the song is not bad, and I wish Chocotree the best of luck in this coming year.

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At first I was surprised that this mv seemed to lack a studio-recorded track, but the beginning is just an intro The song gets better; it’s actually pretty good for one that wasn’t produced by a major company. It’s very reminiscent of John Legend, whom I adore. Although it’s not riveting, the mv is likable and of good quality.

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