SHUPERMEN

I fucking LOVE the little diddly vocal shit they're doing at the end of this. Seriously. When Yesung comes in at 2:50 my face split into a huge grin, especially as it's not in the live versions they've been doing.

BUM BUH BUM BUM, BUM BUM.

BUM BUH BUM BUM, BUM BUM.

So SuJu is back and tearing it up, with mostly kick-ass performances of SUPERMAN and Mr. Simple, for which I think SUPERMAN kicks everything's ass. It's just so fucking LOW and WAY MORE MASCULINE than pretty much anything I've ever encountered in Kpop (sans TOP's Turn It Up, that's the other one), especially in the genre of stuff produced by/for boy bands.

And then they go into Mr. Simple and that's cool too.

Yeah, Mr. Simple is the cousin of Sorry Sorry and Bonamana. Yeah, it's got weird lyrics that do not match the vibe of the choreography/music. Yeah, SuJu is pushing the easy-to-follow choreography really hard in all their interviews in an attempt to recreate the popularity of Sorry Sorry.

Do I still like the song? Yes.

Do I still love SuJu more than life itself? Hells Yes. (Even with Leeteuk's horrific hairdo. But sometimes its the faux-hawk and it is the hottest thing everrrrrrrr.)

They are kick-ass performers, you've got to give them that. Comparing their musicbank/inkagayo stages to other (admittedly newer) groups is just sad. There's so much more charisma, personality, and professionalism in their performances that there really is no comparison (unless we're talking about BigBang, but they're the other heavy hitters).

STOP TOUCHING YOUR FACE!

SuJu you have my heart, but please. PLEASE. I mean, I'm kind of just 8000 times amused at your "ubersexual" concept (seriously - that's officially their concept: "UBERsexual". I just keep laughing. I think omona_queer blog put it best when they described all their teaser photos as Pimps from the 80s), but the random face touching needs to exist only in this teaser video. Not in the actual video.

SPEAKING of the teaser, though.... and disregarding his face-touching shot, this is maaaaaybe the hottest I've ever seen Leeteuk look. He's all mohawked up at the beginning (he's the 5th one to appear). I'm excited for the hairdo. Also, is this teaser sung by Yesung? I'm assuming it is, although it could be someone else - either way, it's pretty gorgeous. Hurrah for Mr. Simple! I started listening to the new album last night, and after I catch up on my Daily Show episodes, I expect it's all I'll listen to today at work.

Here's some of those teaser photos, just to really give you the idea of how ridiculous their "concept" is (also, unfortunately, features the WORST hairdo i've ever seen Leeteuk have. Uhhhhg it's sooooooo bad).

Yesung. Pimp Yesung. Alright. I can dig it. I mean, it's totally crazy, but other than the fact that his face is all washed out and he looks like a ghost, he looks pretty hot in his pink spotted tank top and leather glove thing. And black neck muffler.

Sungmin. I can SO dig it. But that's pretty much my response to Sungmin at all times. With or without a bedazzled gun hung in his pants.

Siwon bein' his Korean Ken-doll self. And SM Entertainment knows how much the ladies loves them some Siwon-abs, so they just decided to stop teasing them. His facial expression is pretty awesome, though.

Ryeowook. What's best about this picture is the fact that I'm pretty sure this is the most masculine I've ever seen him look. For real. Who knew Ryeowook would look so good in bicycle shorts?

Leeteuk. Oh, Leeteuk, what have they done to you? This picture makes me sad. And I hope those ropes are really trying to be an undercover visual support of gay rights. That's the fantasy I'm living with that makes it so I can look at this picture long enough to comment on it.

And Heechul. Top hat, tie, AND a leather harness? Why not. You're motherfucking Kim Heechul. Milky-white skin will get you everywhere.

SuJu Introduction (for real, yo)

So. Super Junior.

My induction group into the continually-addictive world of Korean entertainment.

They make pop music. Some of it is ridiculous. (And like, REALLY ridiculous in the best ways.)

Some of it is Amazing. All of it is shit you want to dance to.

There are many members in Super Junior. For a long time they were the biggest boyband in the world. There are also many groups in Super Junior.

Let me list them for you.

LEETEUK - Leader of super junior and eldest member. PERFECT FACE. He has no problem being super-corny, which I love - he's always the first guy into the giant animal suits when given the opportunity. He's also got an absolutely ridiculous laugh. Let's not lie: i'm kind of in love with him. He's .... just kind of perfect.

HEECHUL - DIVA. Fabulous asshole. Hysterical. Master of androgyny. Heechul acts ... well... American, maybe? He's not respectful the way he should be, and he should get in trouble for it, but because he's Heechul, everyone just kind of rolls their eyes and laughs and admires his balls. Because he pretty much just does whatever the fuck he wants to do. He also learns girl-group dances like nobody's business.

YESUNG - The voice! king of FAIL! He's gotten better in the last couple of years, but he was just insanely awkward on tv shows, etc. for the majority of SuJu's early famewhoring days. But his voice is amazing, and he's the vocal base of a lot of SuJu songs. Also, he dances like a tard, which is mostly funny not because it's so bad, but because he doens't seem to have any idea how bad it is. He just gets this mildly offended/sad look on his face when his band members start laughing hysterically and trying to pull him off the stage after he dances. OH! And Yesung is like, bizarre and creepy. Used to sneak into the other members' rooms at night and watch them sleep. And likes to touch that indent in people's upper lips. He's just so fantastically bizarre.

KANGIN - May be the only suju member who actually acts masculine. Occasionally acts like a dick. Is the only member of SuJu I'd trust with the ability to actually lift me off the ground. Kangin is now in the army - partially because it's required, but also seemed like good timing after he'd shamed himself by getting in trouble (DUIs or something else drinking related) multiple times.

SUNGMIN - Likes pink, and defends that personal preference. Is the King of aegyo (acting obnoxiously cute). He is also more built than people give him credit for - martial arts SuJu master # 2 after Hangeng, twirls sticks like none-other. He also has an absolutely crazy cupid's bow of an upper lip. He and Leeteuk duke it out for first place in my SuJu bias list.

HANKYUNG* (aka Hangeng) - Gets a lot of shit for not speakingKkorean perfectly, as he's their original Chinese member. He's also superhot. And for some reason, Heechul really likes him and takes care of him (and teases him the most as well), which just seems so out of character for Heechul but is awesome. Hangeng does have pretty amazing stage presence.

EUNHYUK - The DANCING MACHINE. He was actually the reason I was first transfixed by SuJu - because his dancing in the It's You movie is absolutely captivating in it's utter perfection. He also reminds me of (young) Edward Furlong, who was the first actor I ever had a crush on. He also has the goofiest most adorable gummy smile you've ever seen.

SHINDONG - Takes shit for being the "fat" one, and takes it with grace. Especially since he's really very very average by American standards. Also, Shindong is an awesome dancer, and he's really good on the variety shows with impromptu comments that are actually funny. He did (or does) MC for a children's TV show, which also seems totally appropriate.

SIWON - Asian Ken Doll. King of hand gestures. He loves god a lot. I guess Siwon tries to make nice with everybody. Mostly I think he's funny for all the hand gestures, but otherwise I kind of ignore him because he's so overly stereotypically perfect looking that I'm kind of turned off. He models a lot, and makes more money than any of the other members because of it (and his family was already loaded to begin with).

DONGHAE - Acts like he's 7 years old. All the time. He's maybe not... super.... quick. ....
To catch on to what's happening. But that is definitely part of his charm when paired with his super wide-set eyes. He is also an amazing dancer. And he really really likes Eunhyuk, and they're adorable together.

KIBUM - Cares about acting more than singing with SuJu :( I feel like I don't know enough about him to describe him much, but he's still awesome by default.

RYEOWOOK - So pretty. I do kind of think Ryeowook is the most effeminate member of SuJu - and he sings similarly. He does have an amazing voice, and SuJu songs would be sorely lacking if he weren't around. He's just tiny and adorable.

KYUHYUN - VOICE LIKE BUTTER. Youngest member. Mischievous and snarky in the best ways. He's just so fucking adorable, but then he's also actually a bit tall and masculine looking - which is a bit rare in the kpop world. Well done, Kyu, well done.

HENRY** - Has chubby little cheeks that Ryeowook likes to pinch? He plays violin! And speaks english really well, which is nice, since after Kibum went awol SuJu's pretty lacking in the English skills department. (He's Canadian!)

ZHOUMI** - I used to get him confused with Siwon. Now I don't. His legs are very, very long. (I.E. Zhoumi is so tall that I never invested much time in him.)

I kind of want to do a post about each member individually, because they're all fabulous in their own way. And they're all fabulous together. Really, kind of the best thing about SuJu is the endless library of youtube clips available to watch of them just being fame whores and interacting with each other. And I will. Someday. I'm still in the process of compiling images, clips, etc. (Mostly for my own fangirl archival purposes, but under the guise of posts for this blog.)

But for now, here's a clip of Heechul dancing with his cat. Because when you go on a radio show, you bring your cat, right?

SuJuSubGroups:

SuperJunior-M

(M for Mandarin?) The Chinese touring group. They're super-popular and recently expanded. I don't get the hats. But Kpop stylists are INSANE:

SuperJunior-H

(The "H" is for Happy. Seriously.) The exploit-the-adorable-asian-factor group:

SuperJunior-T

(T for Trot. It's a style of traditional Korean pop music.) The cracktastic WTF group:

SuperJunior-KRY

(KRY for Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, Yesung.) Ballad group of the best singers in SuJu:

AND THAT'S SUPER JUNIOR. IN A (large) NUTSHELL.

* SuJu got some drama, yall. Hankyung is actually Chinese - and he had a nasty ass contract that he eventually got out of and returned to China and is now doing his own solo stuff. But we (and by "we" I mean all the crazy SuJu fangirls, or "ELFs") still love him and wish him the best. (But also want him back. Come back Hangeng!)

**The other stars are for Henry and Zhoumi, who were not part of the original group of 13, but were added later as part of Super Junior-M which is SuJu's Chinese subgroup. Many ELFs weren't happy with the additional members, but I feel like thats pretty much faded. Especially because with Hangeng being gone, and Kangin gone in the army now, and Kibum MIA because he's pursuing his acting career - SuJu just seems too small with only 10 members, and so having Henry and Zhoumi there helps round out the numbers. Also they're awesome. And Henry actually legit speaks English 'cause he's Canadian, and it's pretty great to actually hear one of them speak English in songs without sounding... well. Like they sound. :P

Have I mentioned

How adorable they are?

Also, how much I LOVE choreographed dances?

Leeteuk kind of kills me in this last one. They're all unbelievably adorable and cute to the point of being vomit-inducing, but.... oh Leeteuk, you have my heart forever'n'ever. And Sungmin just holds on to that pink whatever-it-is the Entire Fucking Time. That's impressive.

Edit: after further watching - that pink whatever-it-is is actually sewn onto Sungmin's outfit. I like thinking about the costume rack holding all of these outfits - hahaha.

They're so FUCKING adorable

Part of the reason I can't resist K-pop (and perhaps Super Junior in particular) boys is the unbelievable level of adorable they maintain at all times. I know much of it is fanservice, but doubt that all of it is. I like to believe they're generally happy, silly, and personable boy(girl)s.

Seriously. And they sometimes sleep in a pile of adorable boys and you just can't help but want to snuggle with them. (Also: LOOKIT their pajamas.)

So.... they're just all androgynous and snuggly and kind of maybe gay (I can dream) and it's just perfect. Ir-re-sis-ti-ble. Really, watching kpop idols is really only comparable to looking at baby animals - it's that level of undeniable adorability.

this video was pretty much made for me.

It's got Leeteuk front and center.  Lookin' all gorgeous.
And then it's got Sungmin, bein' all adorable.
AND he's got a corndog.
Seriously.  What more could a girl ask for.  :D

I heart Dorks.

So....  Leeteuk's sister and Yesung should get together and have dancing!fail parties, right?
And she can teach him how to really own that shit.
Seriously though, I kind of think they're perfect for each other.

So for those of you not in the know (as I have yet to really expand on them), Super Junior is a Kpop boy-band with 13 (sometimes 15? sometimes 10?) members.  They all do different things and have different talents, but Yesung is one of the top singers in the group.  He is also the most bizarre.  The rest of SuJu are all guys who you think would be really cool and popular in high school or something at least within their own groups.  Yesung, not so much. He's the weirdo musical theater kid.  And I love him all the more for it.

My K-Pop introduction

In September of 2010, I flew down south to attend my cousins wedding. During that time, I bonded most with my other cousin, her younger sister, who was 16. We mostly hung out in the kitchen doing prep work for the reception and showing each other various crap we liked online.

She attends a high school with a significant Korean population. Her brother is friends with a lot of teenage Korean boys, to the extent that I'm pretty sure he curses in Korean now. I'm not sure if it was from him first, or from someone else that she knew, but her brother ended up learning ALL the hand gestures to this song:

It is pretty hysterical to watch a 14-year-old conservatively-raised Christian boy act that out. And it gives me hope that perhaps she and her brother don't have the negative associations towards homosexuals that I assume her parents do (but I'm too afraid to ask, as it would kind of crush me if their response was negative or derogatory... I feel I need to be ready to educate before I inquire).

Anyway. My cousin, in typical internet surfing fashion, then stumbled onto this in the sidebar:

"They just have this crazy thing for big groups of guys doing synchronized dances!"

We watched that video dozens of times over the 5 days I was there, gushing over their awesome dance, how ridiculously good-looking and feminine-looking the were, and their ridiculous lyrics ("He's no shupa-man, he must be mama-boy"). She eventually downloaded the song. I was hesitant, as it was not in English and I wasn't sure how into it I could get if I couldn't sing along. Anyway, I left for home not thinking anything much of it.

Upon my return, I decided I should show my friend the video (as we are both rabid ABDC fans), and so looked it up on my own to see if I could send her the link.

Then I, in typical internet surfing fashion, stumbled onto this in the sidebar:

Hooooooooly Shit. Did you just see that? Watch it. Seriously. The way its choreographed SO WELL to the music blows my mind.

Also, in retrospect, its obvious to me why I wasn't instantly hooked at my cousin's house - Super Girl is by Super Junior - M (their China touring group, kinda), which is lacking most of my favorite members. I've come to love them all, but really Eunhyuk and Leeteuk are probably the most responsible for this obsession. Eunhyuk is the dancing king - I have a hard time watching It's You and not having my eyes inadvertently drawn to him. (He's usually in the front row, and he's movements are fucking PERFECT - like Gene Kelly perfect. He's also the one with the little dancing solo and the crazy chest pops.) Leeteuk is just perfect in every way, but I'll expand on that at a later date.

And that's how it began. Then I kept clicking the sidebar recommendations until Kpop completely consumed my life. ^_^