First off, huge thanks to Luv, who, aside from making me fantastic headers for this site, is responsible for the photos above and the first clip below — which is remarkable for its fairly clear audio given how loud it was in the club. Thanks also to happyroach at soompi.com for her awesome close-up photos of the event.

Onward.

American-crossover hopeful Se7en held his album preview party last night at the Hollywood club Highlands, where he performed three songs from his upcoming debut album.

In a nutshell? If you’re a Se7en fan, the event was probably a success because you got to see him performing up close and personal in a relatively small club atmosphere. No way you’d get this close in a performance in Korea, or Asia. Promotion-wise, the party was packed and people were screaming with excitement when Se7en took the stage, so another plus there.

If you’re me, though, neither a Se7en fan nor hater, merely curious to see the atmosphere and wishing him well despite being rather dubious to his crossover appeal, the event was a mixed bag.

 
Clip: Se7en performing the second song of the night, “Money Can’t Buy Me Love”:

 
More SE7EN pics and clips >>

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And here it is. The last episode!

I have to say, for a series I was only half-interested in for the first half of its run, this was a really good finale. I was simultaneously impressed at how much I liked it, and sad that the rest of the series couldn’t be this good. If I had to put it to a phrase, I’d say it was “quietly moving.” Which isn’t to suggest it’s boring or uneventful, but you see people dealing with their choices and consequences in a deep, thoughtful way. And the end, in case you were worried, is happy enough for me!

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SONG OF THE DAY

Infinity of Sound - “Spring.” (This song was played in Episode 5. New pop group composed of triplet sisters making eclectic music with traditional musical instruments.) [ zShare download ]

Also, if you thought Episode 19’s recap was long, this one’s a real mother! Seriously, it’s monstrous. (I just couldn’t bring myself to leave things out.) You have been forewarned.

GOONG S Final Episode >>

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And here, we are, the penultimate episode! Only one more left after this… so you know what that means. Lots of anguish and heartbreak, to make the happy ending appropriately satisfying. Or at least the ending had damn well better be happy and satisfying, because all this grief can’t be for nothing.

SONG OF THE DAY

J -”전하지 못한 말” (Jeon haji mot-han mal, or “Words I Can’t Express”) [ zShare download ]

Second Moon - “얼음연못”(Ice Pond) Apparently this song was used in both Goong and Goong S? Anyway, a very nice song, although I think there’s still another Second Moon song I’m missing… [ zShare download ]

I tried doing a “proper” recap this time, so be prepared for a super-long post after the jump cut!

GOONG S Episode 19 >>

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It’s interesting how writing about Goong S has actually made me more interested in the series… It helps that the show is nearly ending, so there is less reason to be critical; if I’ve stuck around this long, I’m just here to enjoy how it ends.

SONG(s) OF THE DAY

Theme song “Miracle” by Howl [ zShare download ]

Second Moon - “밖으로 닫힌 창.” The title (”bakkeuro dadjhin chang”) translates roughly to “Closed window”; it’s one of my favorite instrumental tracks, calm and slightly sad to balance out the upbeatness of “Miracle.” [ zShare download ]

GOONG S Episode 18 >>

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So I’ve been pretty lukewarm about Goong S overall, but I did say it was occasionally charming, and it looks like they crammed most of it into Episode 17. There was a lot to enjoy about it, and not just because Hoo and Soon-yi went on their first date. Yes, my cheesy romantic inner girly-girl couldn’t help but enjoy all the Hoo and Soon-yi scenes (lots of screencaps to follow!), but there was more to it.

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SONG:

Norah Jones - “Shoot the Moon,” song played in last scene between Hoo and Soon-yi [ zShare download ]

GOONG S Episode 17 >>

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