Beanie level: Errand boy

Top 20 K-pop of 2021 [20-11]
This list is the epitome of my k-pop identity: a shawol multi-stan (don’t tell Taemin). I always have cut-remorse (sorry girl groups/solos; they had some awesome releases, but these songs just were so strong to me); but I highly recommend (G)i-dle’s I burn album and Epik High’s Epik High is Here, too.

20. Damage – Just B
19. Dad – D.O
18. Oort Cloud – Younha
17. Conversation – Twice
16. Make Up Your Mind – Ailee
15. Sad Kids – Taemin
14. Celebrity – IU
13. Period – Purple Kiss
12. Luna – Oneus
11. Eeeny Meeny – U-Know

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Top 20 K-pop of 2021 [10-1]
10. Unthinkable – FT Island: the emotion in Hong-ki’s voice is matchless
9. I Really Want You – Shinee: my go-to pick me up this year
8. Back to You – Ha Sung Woon: great rhythm and melody
7. Happy Birthday – Oneus: light sultry; their voices and melody pull you in
6. Us – Moon Jong Up: not so light sultry; so catchy
5. The Real – Ateez: this really defines Ateez; this humble confidence
4. Waterfall – B.I.: this whole album is great; I love the repeating ohs
3. Helium – Key: Hey, girl. What’s up? All in English. So what. This counts to me cause it’s still very k-pop and is the epitome of Key’s sass and artistry
2. Atlantis – Shinee: this whole album was great; while other songs on the album are probably technically better, this just makes me so happy any time it plays and feels so Shinee and fresh
1. Way – Onew ft Punch: this song reached to my soul. Onew and Punch’s voices are great together. I side-eyed the final build up originally, but it comes in sooner than originally thought and now I love how it just all builds together.

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Finished Memory (one with Junho, not the one with cats, though he\’d approve)! It was a good, though not easy, watch. I really loved the trajectory of all the characters (except the ML\’s dad; always frustrating to see dramas salvage scum parents). Seeing all the levels of evil was really interesting too. It was not a perfect drama but it was a good melo that had some really interesting commentary on grief, forgiveness, and what it takes to live as a better person. Now I\’m wrapping up the kdrama Life on Mars. I\’ll definitely need some fluff after all this.

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I earned 1 whole bean this year…At least it makes it easy to choose (Imitation)…
If I were to count just all k-dramas/webseries/variety, I would get only a semi-pathetic 16.

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Finished Jewel in the Palace! I loved the 1st half, but once the FL was bent on revenge for the entirety of the 2nd half and it was more politics than her learning her craft, I got frustrated. The ML was awesome though. And, he really rocked that facial hair.

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It would be quite the shock if someone forgot to put \”Cha Cha Cha\” after \”Hometown\” before they started watching.

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    Hahaha so true.

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    To differentiate the two I refer to HOMETOWN: CHA CHA CHA as: CHA CHA CHA and Yoo Jae-myung’s drama as: HOMETOWN which I am hoping will be available on Viki.

    (Also for obvious reasons I am referring to POLICE UNIVERSITY as POL U rather than PU.)

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@waadmay Imitation behind the scenes: Ateez version! Figured you might not run into this unless you’re an Ateez fan. They’re so cute being so nervous but having fun.

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My life motto (Jewel in the Palace; 7 episodes down 47 more to go!)
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I got to start my day with Shinee at their 13th anniversary vlive, so I thought I’d share one of my favorite videos. Shinee knows each other to the core and they often use that to harrass each other.

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    This is one of my favorites too! Onew’s impression of Key gets me every time!

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Revenge Note 2 is so bad. All the writer had to do was copy+paste from the 1st season with different actors. I just don\’t get how you can completely ruin the world you had already built.

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Shinee is baaaack (back back back back)!! Another month until the full release but a great, new b-track to tie us over <3

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My kdrama rankings for all the kdramas I watched in 2020. The blue highlighted ones will still have points going towards them for Stickiness (how well I remember the drama after a month or so). Once I condensed my list to just this year, I was a bit surprised by the rankings, but I would still agree with the order/scores (though take note that there are a number of ties). Life and Weather were the definite highlights of this year.
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Top 20 K-Pop Songs of 2020 [Pt. 1]
I think I’ve listened to more music this year than ever before thanks to @kaleidoscopic and @infinitize. My picks are still pretty surface level, but these are the songs that stayed in my brain, that I found unique, and/or really captured something special to me.

20. Where the Sea Sleeps – Even of the Day (Day6): A sweet ballad with a heartwarming music video
19. What Do I Call You Now – Taeyeon: sweet sounding song that packs a punch
18. Wish You Were Here – SuperM: If the first line doesn’t hook you, then nothing will
17. The Melody – Super Junior: A nostalgic song appropriate for their 15th anniversary
16. Amnesia – Kai: The melodic rhythm is so entrancing
15. Wannabe – Itzy: A fun anthem with fun choreography
14. Play – Chungha: An upbeat, catchy song confidently delivered
13. Better – BoA: Queen is back in her natural habitat
12. All That Love – Changmin: A catchy beat by a veteran performer
11. Abracadabra – YooA: I really like her range of tones and wow, a female rap that isn’t that pitchy Nikki Minaj-style.

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    The rest of my list. I listed out like all possible songs I thought good this year then eliminated a number of them that didn’t quite make it to “great” then ranked, so I ended up technically with a top 38. Here’s the rest:
    21. 2 Kids – Taemin
    22. Swear – E’last
    23. Burn the Floor – Super Junior
    24. Then, Now, and Forever – CN Blue
    25. Inception – Ateez
    26. With You – SuperM
    27. Happy – Taeyeon
    28. What Are You Waiting For – Somi
    29. LMM – Hwasa
    30. Idea – Taemin
    31. Back Door – Stray Kids
    32. Dangerous Woman – SuperM
    33. Fault – Zelo
    34. Paradise – Eric Nam
    35. Nineteen – Natty
    36. Ex – Stray Kids
    37. Remember – Winner
    38. Afraid – Day6

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Top 20 K-Pop Songs of 2020 [Pt 2]
10. The Stealer – The Boyz: Their choreography is no joke. The song is well suited for them and the choreography elevates it even further.
9. Strangers – Taemin: A haunting tune where you can hear the longing in his voice with a hint of dementedness
8. Zombie – Day6: A perfect anthem for 2020. The monotone sound works in this song because of the great vocals and performance.
7. Think of You – Taemin: This song is just completely “odorable.” The music video and lyrics just make you smile all day.
6. Big Chance – SuperM: [This feels little like cheating since this song is actually all in English but since it was still technically a Korean release, I let it contend for a spot] Such a catchy song! The harmonies are beautiful and their voices really shine here without all the electronics and overly-complicated structure of their title tracks.
5. Hello Stranger – Kai: The difference in tone between his singing and rapping voice is very distinct. It makes this song ever the more interesting.
4. Answer – Ateez: Another solid anthem song from Ateez. This song hooks you from line one and brings you along for the ride.
3. Eight – IU: A song of grief but cathartic in its beauty and rawness, making us fell not alone in grieving for any young person we have lost, celebrities or not
2. HOLO – Lee Hi: A perfect song for such a tough year, reminding us that this too shall pass
1. Criminal – Taemin: This is pure art for those who want art and a perfectly catchy song for those who just want to jam out. You can’t deny the charisma and talent Taemin demonstrates in his Never Gonna Dance Again series.

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I\’m tempted to not watch Ep 12 of Gumiho until it returns in 2 weeks, but since I rarely live-watch, I should get the full experience of suffering through the pain of (self-made) pre-emptions.

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I mean I don\’t blame the Imoogi for wanting LDW\’s body. Not a bad choice at all really.

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    I’ve been wondering about the obsession and now that you’ve pointed that out, totally agree lol

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      Really I wonder too. He’s not the only mountain spirit so why him? I feel like there must be something else that makes him particularly special.

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        The imoogi said Lee Yeong “took his place”, so it sounds like there’s a grudge there…
        On the shallow side of things, if I were a demon, I’d totally choose Yeon’s body! Imagine being able to binge on ice-cream for eternity without consequences

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        Being played by LDW is special xD

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When we get back into shaking hands, this could be our new greeting. (From Miss Hammurabi)
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    …and hand out med cert instead of business cards 😅

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My motivation to watch FoS is at like -100 knowing it has a second season…I think I\’ll just wait for season 2 to be over then watch both back to back. Hopefully, I can continue to avoid spoilers.

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    Season 1 is completely self-contained if that helps. It stands alone perfectly.

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    You have little chance of avoiding spoilers

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      I know :/ My original plan was to watch season 1 before season 2 started but then failed at that idea. I did avoid spoilers though for season 1 pretty well so I have hope. Text spoilers are pretty easy to avoid. It’s the screenshot spoilers that are harder to not see.

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I have been well-fed with k-pop lately with Ateez, Hyo’s “Dessert”, Seventeen’s “Left and Right”, Somi’s “What Are You Waiting For”, Eric Nam’s “Paradise”, Hwasa’s “LMM”, Lee Hi’s “Holo”, etc. But my UB is baaaaack and I am now 1000000% perfectly happy.

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How do y’all survive live watching shows?? I can’t believe I have to wait another week for BSR after that ending!!! I just love these two. The OTP romance is just perfect.
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    I love them too. I’d love to remake this one and totally change a certain character though.

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      Right? I really wish I could just tweak (well really completely rewrite) the side characters. Both leads’ best friends really are the worst part of the show. I still cringe anytime he’s on the screen.
      The parents are hit and miss too, but at least they have some deeper moments.

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