"Oh My Girl - A-ing MV reaction: The voice of summer."

"Oh My Girl - A-ing MV reaction: The voice of summer."

by:

The Vole

So when I first got through watching this MV I pictured a meeting room filled with people and someone shouting(In Korean)

"Quick what are the things that define summer?"

And then a quick flurry of answers from almost everyone in the room.

"Swimming pools"

"The Beach"

"Eating Fruits"

"Reggae!"

"Seashells and flowers by the beach"

"Islands"

"Cool , Breezy outfits."

"SNSD's Party"

People collectively looked at the person who gave the last answer and said inwardly why the hell not. What do the girls have to lose , right?

So they took all of this , weaved it into a ball and twisted it around so that it still feels like summer but it was something that resembled a slumber party full of the 8 most aegyo filled girls this side of the world. 

When news came out that OMG was coming out with Summer Special , Miracles(OMG's fandom name) were treated to a teaser of YooA and Mimi(The lead dancers) sitting by a pool with really cute swimwear. Many did not believe that this would be their main concept since it was too obvious and fans were treated to the twists when the teasers for the videos came out.

The girls wanted to be the official voice of summer that is currently in full swing in Korea. Though back here in the Philippines we are experiencing Typhoons almost every other week it is great to know that in some other part of the world people could have a fresh summer. And OMG wants to continue on the reggae trend that was started by the recently returned Wondergirls. 

So in the opening of the MV you see the girls eating fruits and I do hope no one makes a silly gif of Arin playing with that banana. Well to make you totally forget that image in your head you see Arin in an MGM frame where she does the A-ing pose , which seems like she is pushing a button or your nose in a really cute way. I am sure a lot of Miracles have come near their computer screens imagining just that.

If you totally forgot what time it is the Reggae duo of Skull and Haha will remind you. It is summer time and this is the hottest tune you would ever hear. And even if this is a remix of Papaya's Listen to my Words OMG has stamped their own flavor on it that you would let it just slip into your brain and let it linger there for the rest of the day.

The song is about a girl who keeps talking about her relationship with a boy and is actually played by several of the girls starting with Arin. If you are ever curious why YooA is acting like she doesn't want to listen by covering her ears consider yourself filled in.I am beginning to believe that the real title of the song is Annoying , A-ing for short. I have no way to confirm this of course because I am basing my opinion on a hastily translated version of the song into English. Let me just state the there is absolutely NOTHING annoying about this song.

Hyojung and Seunghee's vocals are topnotch especially the latter who's line "We are going off somewhere , The white ocean is calling us" would be something that you would be singing again and again.

Mimi's rap break with Skull and Haha is pure ear candy and there is no denying the leaps and bonds that her rapping has reached. Miracles who complained about the lack of rap parts on Windy Day will not be disappointed here. WM does listen to it's fans.

Arin , Jiho , Binnie and Jine get equal vocal time and if you already love their visuals prepare to love them more because they were all posed her to reveal their charms.

And what about YooA? Aside from acting crazy she is featured in some of the iconic scenes of the video like the lifeguard  seat scene where she is looking through a telescope. Pure Aesthetic genius with the pink smoke effects. And she once again shows her well timed dancing and even does a solo ballet performance albeit only for a few seconds.

And the dance? I eagerly await the live performances because OMG has always been known for their precise and powerful movements. Dance steps that look really beautiful and easy to do at first glance but turns out to be rather complicated when you try it which is a testament to how each member is an established dancer who knows how to work well with each other.They make it look really easy!

Remember those twists I was telling you about earlier? The MV has a pool but it was painted in so that the girls seemed to be floating on water as they danced gracefully.

And instead of going outside the girls made artificial islands and what looks like an underground terrarium of sorts where you are cool and out of the sun at the same time. Jine on the sand is beautiful to look at and has been the cover of some youtube channels.

There would be comparisons to SNSD and their song party but then again OMG did state that they idolized their sunbae's but despite the comparisons OMG is OMG and hopefully will emerge with their first win after promoting Liar , Liar  since Late March.

Arguably the best Vocals and Visuals. Unique Concepts and Dances. Aegyo and Fan service all through out. Catchy Reggae beats. Will OMG break through? Will this be the song that makes them rise? If you are reading this you are also a factor in their imminent win. 

OMG the voice of summer. Miracles Fighting.

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The Vole disclaimer: I do not own any of the pictures.

"Primary - Bawling Feat. Ohyuk MV reaction"

"Primary - Bawling Feat. Ohyuk MV reaction"

by:

The Vole

This MV was actually published more than a year ago(March 23 2015) on youtube with music maker Primary pairing up with the soulful singer Ohyuk to produce what is for me one of the most moving songs that you will ever hear in your lifetime. The 4 million views says that this has not hit it off with a lot of people and I might never know why.

The lyrics translated are as follows:

On top of the long rail

I’m standing with you like last time

I swallow with my dry throat

And cool down the cold sweat on my back

just a little bit

just a little bit

Then I asked you about your day

I open my ears to your typical story

Trying to find an excuse to let you know that I changed

and we play

bowling bowling bowling bowling

bowling game again

that ball just

running running running running

running out again

Picking up the ball again

Writing down the score

Yeah, we’re sad

sideway, we take

You walked on a different path

But I didn’t match my steps with yours but matched my eyes with yours

You know, actions before words

there’s a lot of pins

you’re the one of them

Now I’ll ask you for a chance

In the silence

Trying to find an excuse to let you know that I changed

and we play

bowling bowling bowling bowling

bowling game again

that ball just

running running running running

running out again

Picking up the ball again

Writing down the score

Yeah, we’re sad

I wasn’t innocent

But had clean intentions

I didn’t know anything

We lost our minds

Because we didn’t do anything

It’s nothing

I didn’t know anything

We lost our minds

and we play

bowling bowling bowling bowling

bowling game again

that ball just

running running running running

running out again

Picking up the ball again

Writing down the score

Yeah, we’re sad

and we play

The story of the song revolves around a chance meeting of ex-lovers where the guy is reminiscing about their not so innocent past.

The MV opens up with a rolling shot of the camera on tracks and immense shots of Apartment complexes that seem to surround Ohyuk on all sides. Ohyuk starts singing on a couch on a rooftop.The mere distances and expanses of the places seem to engulf you as the singer takes you through the emotions of sadness and longing in the song. If you are not hooked by the first sad horn notes or the first sounds of the snare drums coming on then Ohyuk will most likely do the rest. There has been talk that Primary always saves his best work for this particular guy and Bawling seems to be the best of the best of cuts.

From mellow vocals to haunting horn sections to the wonderfully rhytmic drumbeats you feel the proportions of how sad the narrator is that he was not able to show how he has changed at all. The ex-lover would never know how much he has changed at all.

In a place where everyone should be hyperconnected you see how alone one can feel in the city and this mood permeates the MV until the very end as even when you see sunny colors they are still grey and subdued. 

The latter part of the MV shows Ohyuk walking but it does not show if it is towards or away from the girl that represents the person he wants to talk to and as the last roll seems to unfold you see Ohyuk still on the same rooftop , still on the same couch as in the beginning. Stuck in that loop of sadness that he cannot escape.

"San E - Like an Airplane MV reaction"

"San E - Like an Airplane MV reaction"

by:

The Vole

San E is a korean rapper and I was introduced to his work via one video called Like an airplane.

Now there are two MV versions of this song. The normal version where it features San E chilling in the park among tall housing projects surrounded by his all male friends until they reach the hotel where the girl he was talking to in the beginning of the MV lives.

Then there is the "boring" version which you will find by typing in Juicy Candy X San E on youtube. Nothing to see in this video except for two girls who are in a hotel room doing really mundane things like waking each other up a bit too vigorously , brushing their teeth while singing to the song , choosing clothes for each other , laughing at a joke that we could not hear over the music. Stuff like that. Nothing much to see really.

It has been said that Korean videos always draw a line between sexy and things that are beyond sexy.Ff you would look at 33 seconds into the boring version of this song you would see that line perfectly. Perfectly.

Kidding aside I have this song on loop and I cannot complain because it has the simple and fun message of lets have fun and let your friends be my friends. The beats are simple and catchy and I often find myself singing Haengi Haengi that someone asked me. "We just ate what the hell are you hungry for?"

Times like that I sigh and wish I could fly away like an airplane.

"Kisum - 2 Beer - MV reaction"

"Kisum - 2 Beer - MV reaction"

by:

The Vole

Kisum is a 22 year old female rapper who participated in several rap competitions in South Korea.I have not watched her in action before but one day I saw one of her videos for 2 beer appear on my suggested pages. I clicked and instantly liked her song.

The first part of the song is the chorus which goes:

Two Beer that feels just good

I can't go to the second round

I have to go out at 5 tomorrow morning

I have so many many many things to do...

So like Japan , Korea is knonw to have an after work Drinking culture where co-workers hang out to get to know each other better. Here , Kisum is saying that she 2 beer is great and enough for me. I can't go to the 2nd round( these sessions really last for as long as the one leading it allows) because she needs to wake up at 5am. She politely excuses herself and that reason is that she has a lot of things to do.

Yes. She really has a lot of things to do and based on the MV for the song some of them are the following:

1) Walking slowly while going up to an apartment complex.

2) Walking slowly while going through a tunnel and railroads.

3) Walking slowly while having a gorgeous view of the Han River and the traffic that eventually builds up on the bridge behind her.

4) Walking slowly while going through a derelict playground in the middle of nowhere.

5) Walking slowly while going past a moss covered dam that is blurred in the background.

Based on this the character that she portrays here loves to just hang around in places where only fierce pretty rap stars hang out. Don't get me wrong here I love this MV because of its simplicity , just Kisum walking with the occasional pink smoke for effect. The shots are effective in conveying her journey and this song is just perfect for those times that you want to drive or walk alone with its catchy basslines and well placed trumpets that paint an ear delicious cityscape feel. 

Not to mention that Kisum has fierce eyes and that contrasting helpless mode when she wants to convey it. The song says that Kisum wants to have a world of her own and with the way that she walks she calmly claims where she is at just like that.

"Magic Life: Dealing with Poison"

"Magic Life: Dealing with Poison"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

For those of you who know me( I am counting about 10 hands right now) , you are probably reading this and saying to yourself: "Oh there he goes again talking about Poison and Infect and How poison counters are the best."

I agree. Those things are the best and I will keep making decks about them and keep writing about them but for today I just have to talk about a different kind of poison. Something that does not include counters but feels just as heavy and much worse. This is the poisoning one does to ones mind.

After watching the wonderful Documentary about Magic:The Gathering pros entitled Enter the Battlefield I was moved by the story of one Chris who has always been on the brink of Hall of Fame voting and who in the 1990's dominated magic tournaments. His story goes like this , in a match up where he was about to win he had unwittingly decided not to play the card Inflame which was in his hand. The result was devastation as he lost the game and with it the chance of becoming a Hall of Famer or at least the chance of it in his mind. 

From this time on the shock stayed with him and he had carried the card Inflame in his wallet for a good number of years as a constant reminder of his loss. Maybe this was his way of coping with the situation and that through facing this disappointment he will go on and move forward.This is a very mature thought process but one that I have to disagree with.

Carrying this card is poison. Inflame Inflames that memory and lets it linger rather than help him. I do not know the guy but I am trying to put myself in his shoes. He was obviously pretty upset and the trauma of that day haunts him even now. He might have improved but in my book one should not drink the same poison day by day in hopes to get immune to it. Something will eventually die both physically and metaphysically. 

The same applies to us who play with different stakes in Magic. We play for Glory , For Pride , For rewards. We all have different reasons and though some of us succeed and go on to greater things like Protour and World Magic Cup  , the harsh reality is that most of us will not. And there will be really close matches that will always be in our minds when we play but don't let those things define you. Do not let it poison your passion. Failing is as much part of the process as is winning. I respect Chris's approach with his problem but I offer you something else. To let your focus be on the things that make you want to play the game and not on the things that almost make you want to quit the game you love.

Standard is already expensive and the stakes are always high so you may not notice it but you are already poisoning yourself with too much negativity that you are weighed down by it even before you draw your first card. Empty your mind and see what you are capable of doing. Be in every play. Be there with your opponent and let the things that weigh you down fall away.

And whatever you do. Never bring the card that burned you.