Too Perfect- Super Junior M

I’ve started this review like 4 times now, but technical difficulties with the MV keep stalling me~ But, late as it is, here is the review!

Lyrics: 6/5
Think “Bonamana” and you’ve got the attitude of the song. The pace is a little different, but it’s still pretty great. The song is about being in love with someone and letting them know. They talk about the girl being “Too Perfect” in their eyes, like a vision, and how they won’t let anyone but them be by her side. It’s part a confession of love and part a description of how they plan to proceed with this love. There is a bit of confusion with some of the lines as to if they are calling the girl “too perfect” or saying they are too perfect in her eyes… I think the translation might be a little off.  It has the same arrogant feel as “Sorry, Sorry” and “Bonamana”, and it’s just as addicting. I think it wasn’t written by the writer of those two other SJ hit songs, because he tends for repetitive feels, but it’s hard to say without hearing the Korean version.

“Being too impatient is wrong/ trying too hard for love will make it shatter/ Being too slow is wrong/ I’ll move forward or step back as you wish/ oh too perfect/ I appear in your eyes/ I won’t let anyone take my place by your side/ your brows and eyes/ your silhouette/ your neck and shoulders/ your charm/ your everything from head to toe/ I’ve already fallen for you”

Dance: 6/5
This dance is a lot harder than anything Super Junior has attempted so far. It’s powerful and strong, and even watching the members in the background shows a higher level of skill. I think this might be because now 3/4 top dancers of the Super Junior family are together in one group: Henry, Donghae and Eunhyuk (Shindong is the only one missing).

Hangeng, the former leader of SJM specialized in ballet, and his dances tended to have a jazz kind of feel. A lot of SJM’s dances had the same slick feel, and this time the style seems to take after the stronger and more rugged approach of Eunhyuk and Henry (Donghae’s style follows the lyrics more).

Story: NA
There isn’t even a story in the set here. Everything is made to show off the members, and no shots are devoted to anything else. I like the sets they are on, and I understand why they chose to show off the members of SJM 2.0 rather than go for a story MV or anything.

Other Things

There is a really cool scene where the members jump into the air and ZhouMi has his solo with them frozen around him. I think it was shot really well, and that’s got to be my favorite shot in the MV.

I’m not against Siwon or anything, let me start with that. I like that this MV doesn’t feature him as much as the other ones did. You see more Henry and Kyuhyun here, two members who tended to be pushed to the side (when they weren’t doing a solo). Siwon is featured heavily in the beginning (that old SJ superstition that if he starts a song it will do well), but you see more of the others.

I don’t like that they featured Eunhyuk so heavily. Again, I have nothing against him, but if they wanted to show off the new members they should have divided it between him and Sungmin more, or Donghae too. Sungmin tends to have the least face time in MV’s of SJ members, and I was kind of hoping to see him more here.

The hats… (sigh) why the hats… At least take ZhouMi’s.

Speaking of ZhouMi- someone please give him a sandwich? I swear that boy got skinnier, and I didn’t think that was possible.

I like Ryeowook a lot more in this MV. ONCE AGAIN (hopefully for the last time) I have nothing against him! He’s one of my favorites! I just think in this MV he really nailed the expressions and pulled off the tough guy look really well. Though not as well as Kyuhyun, I have to admit I was distracted by him even while writing this ^^

Guyliner. Yes. This was a good decision. (Thumbs up)

The MV has disappeared from SM Entertainment’s YouTube page (sment@youtube). I’m not sure what’s going on there, I can only assume they are  releasing the Korean version soon- between the Chinese and Korean version they tend to have only one.

Announcement- KYA!!!!!!

The fangirl in me is totally dying right now (in a good way). So I tagged this video in the “Artist Profile” and MV section of each of the groups involved.

SM Entertainment just announced the formation of a new project group. This group, from the sounds of it, is more of a collaboration group and not an actual full-time group, so don’t get too worried, but it will definitely be performing so you’ll get to see a bit of it!

The new group debuting in less than 10 days is “S.M. The Ballad”. This group is comprised of a new singer named Jino (18), TRAX’s Jay, SHINee’s Jonghyun, and Super Junior’s Kyuhyun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The idea I’m getting from the press release about this (which pretty much just said they’d be releasing a CD the 26th) is that this is going to be like the Super Junior Sub Groups. No one is leaving their initial group. So don’t worry!

U (Chinese Version)- Super Junior M

This is the debut MV for the widely popular sub-group of Super Junior. It is a re-make of Super Junior’s first smash hit by the same name.

Lyrics:
The song is about being madly in love with a girl and being unable to get her image from their eyes. They ask that she lets them be the one to love her and says that they will make her love them and only them. It is a seduction song, pure and simple.
“Cause I can’t stop thinking ’bout U girl/ you are my most beautiful dream/ No I can’t stop thinking ’bout U girl/ I want our hands to be held tightly together”

Dancing
The song has some of the original choreography from Super Junior’s version. A lot of the dance is very similar, but still different. The hip thrust is still there, it was known as the key point in the original song too. There are two dance solos, one by leader Hangeng and the other by new member Henry. I like to watch Henry’s more, since he is dancing while playing the violin (his specialty) ^^

Story
There isn’t a story through the MV. You mostly see the group performing or the members dancing. There is a girl in the MV, but she is only in a few shots. The MV was filmed in-studio and also in Incheon International Airport in Seoul. The two locations look amazing, particularly the airport. Before I watched the behind the scenes I would never have guessed that is what it was!

Other Interesting Things
This song made “Only 13”, the members of Super Juniors fanclub who protested Henry and ZhouMi being added to the sub-group, act up. While most of their protests were during Dont’ Don (in which Henry was a “Guest Member” of Super Junior), they still caused some trouble during this.

“U” became instantly popular in China, as did Super Junior- M. They swept all music awards they were nominated for and won several “Best New Group” awards on top of that.

U promotions showed a unique side of the members not seen in Korea. Because of the language gap the members could not freely speak. Usually active members Kyuhyun and Ryeowook were nicknamed the “Silent twins”, and Ryeowook is still called out on programs for spacing out during recording. Normally serious member Siwon showed more and more of his playful side, and silent and reserved member Hangeng finally found his voice in China. Donghae rose to the language barrier and used it as a way to flirt with the fans- with every introduction on a program he refers to them as his “darling babies”.

Super Junior- M’s popularity after “U” promotions was so high that they were invited to perform at the “Dream Concert”. Only 13 fans were further enraged when they were introduced as “Super Junior” and Henry and ZhouMi came out on stage amongst all Super Junior members (see Rant #1- Only 13 Controversy for details on the issue).

The MV features future F(x) leader Victoria as the lead girl.

Me- Super Junior- M

This song was released with SJM’s “U” promotions, but it continued to gain popularity even during “SuperGirl” promotions.

Lyrics:
The song is about loving someone and how wonderful it is to be with them. It is a song dedicated to Super Junior- M’s fans. the word “Me” in the song can be taken as meaning “Me” such as in English, or the Chinese 迷 , which is pronounced as “me” and means “fan” (as in a fanclub member, not the inanimate object). The song is very happy and upbeat.
“I will quietly pray/ to see your smile once again/ It’s gonna be (迷) Me/ throw away your troubles and run/ It’s gonna be (迷) me/ listen to my real heartbeats/ pull you into my arms/ what is more important/ wonderful like a fairy tale/ it’s gonna be (迷) me/ want to tightly grab you/ it’s gonna be (迷) me/ the omen of happiness/ will be known the next second/ at least touch the wet edges of your eyes/ sleeping quietly next to me/ it’s gonna be (迷) me”

Dancing:
The dance for this is very cute and easy. It starts with air guitars and pretty much holds the same attitude through to the end. It’s very light and cute.

Story
There isn’t really a story to this MV. The members each find a giant letter and bring them together to spell “Super Junior M”, but it isn’t really a story so much as tricking the members into setting the set up themselves.

Other Interesting Things
This was filmed at the same time as “U”. I think it is the only time I’ve seen a group use the same costumes for two music videos. It was released only shortly after “U” and is still considered a debut music video, hence them spelling out the band name.

There is a Korean and Chinese version to this music video. The Korean and Chinese have no real differences in set, but when the members are in pairs the member dancing to the one singing changes moves between the two videos. You’d have to watch to understand.

Korean Version

Chinese Version

Korean Version With English Subtitles

Chinese Version With English Subtitles

SuperGirl- Super Junior- M

Don’t make that face, I just sat through reviewing 4 English MVs in a row, I’m going back to the style I like more- foreign ones!

Lyrics: 5/5
Chinese Version
I like this song~ and it didn’t get a point off for being about secretly being in love with your friend because the beat is faster and it is more aggressive. The song is, like I said, a confession to a friend who you love. It isn’t sappy though, it’s a fast dance-style song. It kind of has the feeling of an argument, like the singer is almost angry that the girl hasn’t noticed how badly her boyfriend treats her. It points out things he has done wrong and says they will make sure to treat her as the amazing woman she is.
“Sometimes when you think of the flowers he gave you/ throw them, quickly throw them away/ and that charming smile of his/ forget about it, quickly forget about it/ his gentleness will still make you go crazy/ wake up, quickly wake up/ good things about you are full of mystery/ please let me keep them as a secret/ oh my super girl/ you are my baby girl/ he can’t see your beauty/ the charm behind your ordinary self/ oh my super girl/ I am your super man/ the look in your eyes fascinates me/ I am willing to do anything for you.”
Korean Version
The Korean version is similar in lyrics, but a little stronger. It says the man is cheating on her and calls him a “jerk” for how he treated the girl and how she should never beg him for love. It says he “gives jewels instead of affection” and talks about how anyone who doesn’t love her is a fool. The Korean version is more like how the argument progressed, as it sounds a little more angry at the man than the Chinese version.
“Leave that jerk (leave him leave him)/ Learn to appreciate yourself more (now learn, learn)/ before love, you come first (I will get it, get it)/ if later he dwells in self pity, well it was his fault/ oh my super girl/ you are simply my baby girl/ the guys who don’t appreciate you are stupid/ oh my super girl/ for you I’m Superman/ don’t stay trapped inside his prison of love”

Dancing: 6/5
I love the dance for this song, it’s fast and together. There are some simple areas added so the fans could keep up, and I think overall it was a brilliant move.

Story: 5/5
It’s rare for an MV to have a solid story playing in the background, and I think this was a first for Super Junior- M. The story playing is about a guy who is a total dork (white shirt, bow tie, suspenders, thick glasses, and side-parted hair). One day he hears a party going on at a neighbors apartment and decides to join. He goes around having fun filming the cool guys at the party (Super Junior M members excluding leader Hangeng, who plays the dork) having fun. He sees and falls in love with a girl in a red dress, who is detached from the fun as she is always sadly looking at her cell phone or standing on her own (she is played by SNSD member Jessica). He tries to film her too, but she pushes him away. Upset, the geek leaves and changes into a cooler image. He returns, gets everyone to dance with him (they are doing a more informal version of the SuperGirl choreography) and uses the dance to attract the attention of Jessica and make her happy. It sounds kind of shallow, that he had to change completely to get her to notice him, but it still fits well with the story in the lyrics.

Other Interesting Things
I really love what the director did as far as the story in the background. Like I pointed out earlier: the lyrics between the Chinese and Korean version are a little different, with the Korean version taking a more aggressive stance. However, the story fits perfectly with both versions. For that the director gets major points.

Another thing I love in this is the shots. There are normal stable shots, or shots that spin around, but some of the zooms are really cool. You’d have to watch to see, but I really like the overall style.

There are a couple of areas where members expressions kind of flatline or look like they are concentrating too much, but for the most part they work. The members also seem to differ on their opinion of how long they need to hold their hands out for the “learn to appreciate yourself more” bridge (when the leader is changing from dork to cool guy), so it’s a little disjointed there, but otherwise it’s good.

The promotions for this song were cut short by leader Hangeng’s lawsuit against SM Entertainment, and it is a real shame, I would have liked to see more of the group. With this song, however, they did their first (and so far only) appearance on Korean television, having been guest judges in an episode of “Star King”.

Chinese Version

Chinese Version With English Subtitles

Korean Version

Korean Version English Subtitles

Don’t Don (Money/Insanity)- Super Junior

This MV is incredible, and my current total favorite. Not just the style of the MV or the camera angles make it memorable, but I think it is more famous for the story behind it and what the group had to overcome to even get this released (Discussed further in the “Other Interesting Things” Section).

Lyrics: 5/5
Even the title says a lot about this MV! Don’t Don is a fast rock-style song about money and society and waiting for the chaos to be over. The title is a play on korean words. While “Don” means Money, “Dondo” translates to Insanity. The title there for is both Money and Insanity, though it is most commonly referred to as “Don’t Don” and not by any translation (As in “Don’t put so much power into money” I guess). The lyrics are hard and blunt, and there is no romantic story involved at all, which is refreshing.
“Money, Insanity/ it’s a world all about money/ you, confined in a hole, what is your mind? (You’re outta control what Is your mind?)/ please look around, you can see the gazes of despair/stop, bangin’ my head, my eyes gone red”

Don't Don's dancing lends to the tough image of the MV

Dancing: 5/5
The choreography for this song is hard and powerful, a lot of stomping and jumping, but they do it perfectly in sync with 12 boys (13 at one point). The dance is extremely powerful and leans majorly towards popping. Also, it was done in army-style boots with thick souls, which were heavy and cannot have been easy to keep up in!

This deserves its own paragraph: the MV features a “Guest Member” named Henry who has a violin solo near the middle of the song. This boy dances WHILE playing the violin! The choreography is understandable softer here (no jumping), but he still has a very powerful dance and performance. It fits perfectly with the MV and he even performed live with them in nearly every single show, giving the same powerful feel.

Story: NA
Most MVs don’t have stories, but this one has more of a set. They filmed in an old abandoned warehouse and used an extreme amount of explosives in the background (One member, who was resting in their van, rushed on set after an explosion because he thought there was an accident). There are some shots of fleeing the building as it burns and being chased by cars, but they do not occur enough to form a full story.

Overall: 4.9999/5
The MV is very nearly perfect, except for one little face management issue. After his solo “In this comedy-like world”, the singer (Ryeowook) goes back into the dance and flatlined his expression from the fierce scowl to a look of pure concentration on getting back to the choreography. That little half a second blip isn’t enough to take a full point off, and this MV is so great I’m tempted to give it a 6/5, so I’ll just take off a little tiny bit.

Other Interesting Things
Ok, as promised: the story behind this MV. “Don’t Don” is the title song from the groups second album, which was given the nickname of being “cursed”. The album was first delayed by a car accident involving a member who lost control on his way back from the funeral for another members father. He broke his leg badly and almost bit his tongue in half. After his return the album was back on track. But before recording was finished there was another car accident involving four members and two managers whose car flipped on the high way and skid. The leader was hospitalized and received 170 stitches to his back and forehead. More critically injured was the groups youngest member. He sustained, among other injuries, a broken rib which punctured his lung and it was unclear for some time if he would survive, let alone ever sing again.

Kyuhyun (Left) made his big comeback in Don't Don, though he does not appear often in the MV or live performances

After three months in the hospital the youngest member (Kyuhyun) was released, and just two months after that he made his comeback with the group even though the company wanted him to rest more. He performed onstage only for a short period in the song (immediately before the violin solo) and sat backstage for the rest of the performance. Later he even admitted to being in great pain while singing.

So why is this song part of a “Cursed” album? Because of two horrific car accidents which delayed it by around 6 months.

The controversial (but hot) "Guest Member" of Super Junior, Henry

Now onto my second mini-rant! Yay, these are fun. There was another reason this MV was such a huge deal (other than the return of Kyuhyun I mean). Remember that extremely talented dancer/violin soloist Henry that I mentioned? Well, his presence in the MV and in live performances caused a hissy fit among the fangirls. They thought he was coming in to either replace Kyuhyun or that his presence meant a member would be leaving. Either way, he received extreme prejudice from many of the fans. Silent protests, and shouts during live shows are still an issue (he is currently a member of Super Junior- M, a sub-unit of the main group, though he is still their Don’t Don violinist). For more on this rant- see the rant section!

Blue Tomorrow- Super Junior M

Ok, this is one of my FAVORITE MV’s of all time, even though there is no dancing and the song tells most of the story.

Lyrics: 5/5
This song is about loosing the one you love, and not being ready to let go. It is a slow ballad and it’s absolutely beautiful. The lyrics talk about remembering the good times of a relationship lost. They reflect hope that in the future (tomorrow) things will go back to the way they were. It is a heartbreaking song, and completely amazing I think.
“Beside me, the loneliness is spreading/ my sight, became blurred by tears/ the sentence “I love you” is kept at the bottom of my heart, at the tips of my lips/Until tomorrow, you will leave my side/ Until tomorrow, I’ll be wishing alone to the shooting star/ like the ending of a movie/ who predicted how we would end up to be like this?/ The promises that were shattered into pieces/ The yesterday that is impossible to piece back/ Yet I am still hoping for a miracle to happen, oh no/ But you became further and further away”

Dancing: NA
There is none! While this group usually dances, this song contains no choreography, like most ballads.

Story: NA
The story is not told through any video within the MV, but it is in the lyrics. The MV shows the men sitting miserably or standing staring off into space with mournful expressions.

Overall: 4.9999/5
Muted colors, somber expressions, everything in this MV is brilliant. It lost a very small point because of a change in expression (I’m picky about that). After shedding his tear, the leader (Hangeng) smiles slightly. This doesn’t seem to fit with the pace of the song, which never really turns cheerful. But it could just be me, maybe others won’t see that as a happy smile, but as a somber one. You choose.

Other Interesting Points
I love the costumes. They are muted colors, the sharpest one being a faded light blue. I think they convey the tone of the MV strongly, and work extremely well.

Camera angles during the MV are incredible. The director likes to line up two who are singing consecutively, shoot the first one in the background with the foreground out of focus, then snap the focus onto the closer one and blur the background. This fits the song well, and it is cleanly done, which gives the whole effect pretty well. Unfortunately in one of these shots the guy coming into focus was looking away from the camera, so all you get is the back of his head~

This MV was shot within the same three day-two night period as the groups other MV “SuperGirl”, which is very upbeat and includes hard dancing. Despite how exhausted the group must be, it doesn’t show in their faces and they are completely focused on the song. Unlike in many MVs, the people who the camera are not on do not go blank-faced and lose their expression, each member acts as though the camera remains on him. This keeps the theme going and is brilliant.