Girls Generation Make You Feel The Heat! My SNSD Collection (So Far)

My SNSD Haul!

SO, continuing my chronicled descent (ascent?) into the K-pop Madness that was initially sparked by KARA, I now enter the SECOND phase of K-pop Obsession, this time with the lovely ladies of SNSD- GIRLS' GENERATION!!
   After falling in love with the girls and their variety shows, specials and music I knew that this group was another "keeper" that fueled a need to get my hands on whatever CDs I could find, and was happily able to locate a dealer in Korea with an ebay store who hooked me up with the goods straight from the source… and O MY GOSH, did those GOODs turn out to be GOOD!
  Upon receiving my SNSD care package, the first thing I noticed was that there was a separate parcel- a tube for the Bonus POSTERS! HOLY CRAP, can you DIG IT?! Ah, the joy of unpacking that box of Girls Generation goodies...Though the SNSD albums I picked up may not look like much in the above picture, trust me when I say that besides the terrific music and  stunning pictures of the girls within each release, a whole treasure trove of GOODIES was packed within!

Girls Generation First Album, Gatefold + Booklet

The first two albums GIRLS GENERATION and GEE were your standard (non-limited) releases, but both featured thick picture booklets with terrific glossy shots of the SNSD members, and as someone who doesn't own much  stuff "image-wise" of the girls, It was a thrill to immerse myself in pages and pages of  pictures of the girls! Flipping through the books, little did I know it would only get better and better!

First Mini Album Gee

Gee Inside Booklet

Breaking open the wrapping of SNSD's first Mini album OH!, I didn't even have to go searching for any bonus stuff, as the collectible card featuring all 9 members fell right out and into my lap! Once again, this CD contained a nice thick picture book of the girls, and then but I didn;t have time to stall as I moved onto the NEXT CD...

OH! CD, Booklet and Collectible Card

DJ, Put It Back On! Next we have the song that stepped up the girls from mere idols to sexy goddesses and first introduced me to their music, the majestic TELL ME YOUR WISH~GENIE, featuring another wonderful  glossy picture booklet and featuring one of the SEXIEST covers SNSD's ever put out! The cover featured luscious Yoona and the inside booklet cover featured YURI! As this was a period of time when I REALLY liked how each member looked, the Booklet's pics were a MUCH CHERISHED item indeed!!!

Tell Me Your Wish~Genie CD

Tell Me Your Wish Booklet

Then we've got the amazing MR. TAXI CD (a repackaging of The Boys, see below), which came wailing in with a mighty 13 huge glossy postcard set, a cool 16x24 poster of the CD cover, and if things couldn’t get any better, the bonus card of the random member was none other than…JESSICA!!!! Yes, If there was such a thing as luck on my side, it was here now! LOL!

Mr. Taxi 18x24 poster , Booklet, Glossy Postcards and Jessica Trading Card!

Mr. Taxi Postcards (back) and CD Gatefold

Then  we’ve got their RUN DEVIL RUN album (which technically I kind of had since it was more or less their “Oh” album with  Run Devil Run” thrown on), Got it just 'cause, what a wonderful surprise to find that each CD came with a fold-out randomly chosen poster of one of the members, and once again I lucked out as this time I was rewarded with SNSD’s reigning Dance Queen Hyoyeon!

Run Devil Run CD, Booklet and Fold-Out Hyoyeon Poster

And now we come to the BIG TIME regarding what we call the "Bonus" stuff, simply put, SNSD's HOOT  and THE BOYS albums push the envelope once again of what quality goods really are! 
Opening the amazing HOOT! "Spy Themed" gatefold, you're already presented with two terrific gifts: a 5x7 sticker sheet of the girls (with individual die-cut circles around each member should you only want to stick your fave!) and a glossy bonus trading card of a random member (who turned out to be YOONA, doing her best Diana Rigg!)

HOOT! Cd, Stickers, Yoona Trading Card and Postcard Book

I had seen pictures of some of the HOOT bonus postcards (one of Yuri) and was hoping the edition I bought still included them...little did I know that they were actually part of the thick Postcard Book , each postcard actually a page in the booklet (with perforated edges to remove), these cards are SO DAMN nice, I wanted to scan 'em but the thickness of the pages made it difficult, and there was NO WAY IN HELL I was gonna tear them out! In the end I simply took a picture of the book where you can clearly see the colorful, James-Bond styled Swinging Sixties designed cards!

BEAUTIFUL 36x24 HOOT! Poster 

If those wonderful cards weren't enough, there's also the POSTER included with this EP...a HUGE 36x24 sheet printed on thick paper of the girls in "austin Powers" mode, SO COOL!!
I have to say that this poster would be something worth buying, so AMAZING to get it for FREE!

Elegant, Collectible Tin for "The Boys" CD

But for bonuses beyond bonuses we must give the crown to the incredible First Pressing of THE BOYS. Released in a beautiful collectible tin, the points were already ratcheting up for this one, upon opening and checking out the contents, was presented with a trading card of randomly selected SEOHYUN and a pack of 13 glossy postcards featuring the girls all done up in various states of cosplay, from retro, techno to classic portrait!

    Then there’s the two external bonus POSTERS which I have to say were soo soo fricking g0rgeous, I was just beside myself with happiness, sooo beautiful! The first one was the poster featuring a randomly selected member, in my case it was the lovely "kid Leader" Taeyeon all done up in an old Victorian styled outfit, and keeping with this theme, the OTHER poster was this GORGEOUS 24x36 poster of all nine girls done up in similar fashion, looking so pretty and elegant- MAN, what a PRIZE!

The Boys CD, Postcards, Booklet, Seohyun Trading Card & Taeyeon Poster

Gorgeous 36x24 Poster for "The Boys"

Just Fantastic! And if that wasn't enough, for some reason, the dealer ALSO threw in a poster of the Girls' First Asia Tour album, if not for any reason than to prove that this SNSD order went beyond the call of duty for GOODIES and to show how SNSD was the GUIDING LIGHT for AWESOME  Fan Appreciation!

Please Stand By

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog posting to bring you this clip of Hyoyeon scaring Jessica as they listen to a recording of a Haunted School story.

We will resume regular blogging tomorrow. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

Puri Puri Still Rockin' in 2012!

Just finished watching Princess Princess sweet but brief concert performance they did for the ALL THAT LOVE~ Give&Give Charity Event, and I have to say that while a bit rusty (and can you blame them, it's been 16 freakin' years), the power of those five girls is still there and watching them do the classics like "Diamonds", "Oh Yeah!". "M" and the almighty  "Seven Years After" was still as gripping as ever! Okui Kaori, Nakayama Kanako, Watanabe Atsuko, Konno Tomoko and Tomita Kyoko- THEY'RE BACK!

Was magic to see all five of them together going through the moves once again, and I have to say that there were quite a few times when it looked like I was watching an older video of them in their heyday, the poses and gestures were almost dead on same! That's what years and years of honing your act will burn into your subconscious and it's like they'd never forgotten it!

Even better than the performance though was the sweet lil documentary they shot covering the five memebrs lives as they worked out their schedules to begin performing again, and it was like seeing old friends (and could conceivably be called "Platinum Days Make III)- the clips of them interacting with each other and rehearsing in the studio are the best! And LOL, watching Kyoko as amother of a couple of rambunctious kids had me cracking up!

I'm sure they'll be fireing on all cylinders come November, so Japan better look out!

A Surreal SNSD Experience

Girls Generation on Late Show with David Letterman

And speaking of Shojo Jidai, I finally got around to seeing that performance from earlier this year when the girls appeared on the LATE SHOW with David Letterman here in America! Don’t know if if was more surreal to hear the words “Girls Generation” coming out of Dave’s mouth as he introduced the band (and having Regis Philbin comment “Whoa!”), seeing him actually holding a copy of their “The Boys” CD in his hand…

Dave with Bill Murray looking on

…Or watching the performance and afterwards when Dave’s done thanking them... 

 and as they’re wrapping up the show, seeing Bill Murray talking to Seohyun and Jessica!

I was like rubbing my eyes thinking, “This is a merging of two worlds that I never thought I’d ever see cross!” LOL

Talkin' 'Bout My (Girls) Generation!

Like my love of the Beatles widened my horizons to appreciate all those other British Invasion groups like the Rolling Stones, Kinks and my all time favorite group The Who all those years and years ago, like my Love of Idol Group CoCo introduced me to the amazing world of J-Pop with acts like Ribbon, Moritaka Chisato, Amuro Namie and Princess Princess, so have amazing South Korean group KARA brought me on board to the magic of K-Pop! And thanks to online community, forums and streaming sites, (as well as a small group of dedicated friends), I’ve been getting into a whole slew of new K-Pop acts to love, and KARA aside, the group that has pulled far and away from the pack and have stolen my heart is (you guessed it) Shojo Jidai/SNSD, the mighty GIRLS GENERATION!

Though I’ve liked their music for awhile now, it was watching their antics on variety/reality/music shows via streaming video sites/online forums where I feel like I really got to “know” the girls, and though I’ve already stated how much I lustlove Jessica, I can now firmly state that I truly love each and every member of this group, and see how every person is a valuable component that make this group such an unstoppable force. You’ve got the hip chicks, the chicks with amazing vocals, the girls with the dance skillz and of course the sexy n gorgeous ones as well, making for a package stronger than the sum of its parts!

Having said that, I’ll admit that some of the girls are closer to my heart when watching them either on shows or onstage, when checking them out, I’ll inevitably find myself searching out the screen looking for my favorite members, and though of course opinions like this aren’t set in stone (and, as with all idols, is ever-changing and mercurial), I thought I’d take the time out to praise some of my cherished SNSD princesses, if not for any other reason than (Like my earlier KARA post) so that my friends will know who I’m talking about when I bend their ears about them!!

5. Hyoyeun

If there was one SNSD member that I could say I remembered from the first time I saw the group perform, it would have to be the group’s self-proclaimed “dancing queen” Hyoyeon. At the time, I noted her as “That girl in the group with the really hard features”, funny how those same looks were what attracted me to her later on! 

In fact, I got so hooked on her looks that when I began watching the more “recent” videos, I had a hard time getting used to her “lightened eyebrows” look. Watching her in all those variety shows, I fell in love with her strong, tomboyish personality, (love watching her give her fellow members “the business”!), love that raspy voice of hers when she's talking, and man, can she bust a move!

4. Tiffany

Though she was just about the last member I learned to recognize on face value, pretty Californian born Tiffany has risen to become one of the girls I constantly fixate on! Actually, Fany (as they call her) was just another one of the girls in the background to me until I watched the “Hello Baby” reality show, and then...

Above and Below: Pretty Tiffany showing concern in "Hello Baby"

...I dunno, there was something about how she looked that  reminded me of all those girls I had crushed on in elementary school, indeed, she looked like she could have grown up right here in Hawaii! Additionally, her uneasiness and vulnerability around taking care of a baby really warmed me to her! After that, I always looked out for her!

3. Seohyun

Watching the Intimate Note special, I was immediately touched by adorable Seohyun’s sweet and innocent demeanor. Amidst the raucous and lively girls of SNSD sat this quiet and reserved girl who to me gives off a decidedly “Christian” vibe, with her gentle way of talking as she speaks about conscientious living and eating healthy, and it was fun to see her talk about how she’s “not interested in guys right now”…

...such a good girl, and even onstage, she’s the one that reminds me most of the old Pony Canyon acts with her genki gestures and cheery smile! And if that wasn’t enough, Seohyun’s got a stellar set of pipes-WOW can she sing!

2. Yuri

Everyone reading this already knows who I’ve long rated as my favorite member of SNSD (see below), but if there was anyone who could challenge Jessica for that top position of Number One, it would have to be the beautiful Yuri, coming in at a VERY CLOSE second!! 
Though I consider Jessica the “Babe” of SNSD, for total statuesque SEXINESS, the prize would have to go to the fantastically Model-looks of bronze stunner Yuri! 

Girls’ Generation is noted for the cool dancing featuring those LONG, Long Legs, and the person who personifies this most MUST be Yuri, and watching her either struttin’ down the runway in concert or simply crossing her legs during interviews can send me into seventh heaven! 

Yuri, Yoona and Sooyoung

Seohyun and Yuri

On stage, she commands a “Goddess” aura, and yet, offstage she’s generally one of the more laid-back and silly girls, and it seems like every time I see her, she’s impressing me with her cool athleticism, gentle kindness and warm camaraderie with the other members, always playful with a twinkle in her eye, and OOOH that smile of hers could sail a thousand ships…! Though Yuri’s at 2nd place right now, don’t be surprised at all if one day soon she makes the move for first!

1. Jessica 

I don’t know how much more I could gush about our delicately girlish and feminine Ice Princess here that I haven’t already blathered about a hundred times, but I’ll tell you something I HAVE noticed…When I first got into SNSD, I though that Jessica was going to be the “Kimura Takuya”,“Ishikawa Rika”, or “Matsumoto Jun” of the group; that is, the standout attractive one that EVERYONE inevitably chose as their fave…in this short time I’ve been immersed in SNSD, I’m finding this not to be the case, and among the fans of GG I’ve talked to, not ONE of them even counts Jessica as a member they LIKE, much less their FAVE, additionally, I’ve been discovering that (at least among selected online community) a lot of hostility seems to be aimed at her :(  …Nobody be hatin’ on my ‘Sica! 

Luckily there are enough videos of fans coming up to her and just GUSHING all over her about how much they love her and how gorgeous she is, extending the LOVE! Heck, if I could, I’d be doing the same! Yep, she’s my Number One, Troo Dat!

Stay Tuned for further developments with Girls Generation!