You're Sleeping On - A Review Series

[Japanese Schoolgirls]

A Review/Recommendation Series

Welcome to You're Sleeping On - a series where I try to give my own recommendations whilst reviewing them at the same time to see if this band, this series, this movie or this game is the one to satisfy your media cravings. I take something I like that doesn't get much attention and post them here with my own take at the media so you can gauge for yourself whether to take up this one thing that you're sleeping on is worth tuning into.

So, why not take the plunge with me?

[Japanese Schoolgirls]

You’re Sleeping On : Netflix’ Street Food

You eat it, you crave it and sometimes you even watch videos on how to make it. However, the one thing that can kill your enthusiasm for this documentary series about Asia’s street cuisine is how cliche it may seem at first glance. The style is definitely portraying the message that ‘street food can be glamorous and be held to standards akin to that of restaurant food … or even better’ with its neatly organized overhead shots of the food that undoubtedly has been overdone in many shows in the genre. The cinematography doesn’t try to break any ceilings in the industry but at the same time, the tone that the camera work has set perfectly accompanies the subject matter of the series - the food and the story behind it.

I think that’s why Street Food stays on top of its predecessors; it doesn’t put all of its attention into the actual food that’s already been done in many a documentary that’s available on Netflix or any other streaming sites for that matter. As a matter of fact, you’ll realise that food becomes less of a centerpiece as you go on through the series but rather is a connection between the viewer and the narrators of the series which are the creators and peddlers of the food. Street Food’s decision to tackle the question “What’s the story behind this food?” easily made it a unique series that sticks out like a severely sore thumb among the common rabble.

A unique angle is one thing but if you execute poorly, then it is nothing more than just a gimmick but the series has exceptionally allowed the viewer to empathize with the men and women who paved the way in street food culture. Their tales are extraordinary and can hook you in with just their plots. An elderly man is letting a recipe die with him as he doesn’t want his children or future generations to suffer from the health complications caused by the cooking method of his creation. This is merely one of the many tales told in the series but its distinctive essence already has you by your belt buckle and you’re spiraling down a tunnel of curiosity. What was the recipe? What made cooking this food so deadly that he has consciously made the decision to literally take the recipe to the grave?. Pondering over these questions is more than enough to keep you tuning into every minute of the series’ episodes. But at the same time, the vendors and street chefs are relatable as the series doesn’t shy away at portraying the emotions of the narrator. You can truly empathize with them.

The mysterious cooking method that imposes serious health risks into its cooks

Another beautiful thing about this series is that they don’t showcase the already famous to the layman … well, except for the Thailand episode where they have Jay Fai, the most popular street food chef. Other than that, their choices are eye-opening with regards to the industry. These are men and women you may not have heard of unless you really have delved into the field of street cuisine. So in a sense, this could prove more educational than other series that only look to find the most quirky street food without actually denting the iceberg that is street cuisine.The structure is mostly clean with one street chef being the major focus and the tales of two others transitioning in between chunks of the major story to serve as a break in between. I honestly think they could have done better with the transitions as to not disrupt the emotions portrayed and felt in the major stories but they’re alright as they are.

With all of that being said, come for the street food, stay for the emotions.

[Japanese Schoolgirls]

You’re Sleeping On : Netflix’ Winter On Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom

Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom takes the viewer deep into the events that occurred during the Euromaidan protests of November 2013. There’s no declining the suspense that comes along with the theatrical ride as you downright injected to the perspectives of the protesters. It’s gritty, it’s vivid and the film doesn’t hold back on showing you the brutality that occurred during the protests. Winter On Fire also doesn’t let up - there’s hardly a transitory point where you can take an emotional intermission before stepping into the next chapter of Euromaidan and I love it. It gives you the utmost feeling of fear and worry for the protestors and at the same time, it makes you despise the Berkut for what they have done during the protests. To say it was an emotional rollercoaster at the very least is an understatement of what it truly provides.

Seeing how many (including me) may not have known of the event, the film definitely sets up the fundamental information you need to know to comprehend the situation of Euromaidan at the beginner level so you’re not lost when the metaphorical doodo hits the fan. Winter On Fire’s pace is fast as if to replicate Euromaidan’s tempo shift but not too fast that viewers are left straggling and barely catching up with the big picture. The perspectives provided by the interviews with the protestors and the videos captured on the actual days are breath-taking as you see the very frightening sights that you would experience as someone who’s on the grounds of Euromaidan when the protests happened. Vivid imagery is abundant and the truth is definitely not bare for all to see whilst you see the police force utilise violent tactics and pure brutality to try to overcome the courage of the protestors. And at the end, you can feel an over encumbering load be lifted off your chest as the success of the protests is portrayed

I will not dwell too much on the political aspects of Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom as politics will truly be subjective but what is one thing that is objective is that the cinematography is top-notch and engulfs you. Even if you do not agree with the politics of it all, you just have to see it if you want to witness humanity and inhumanity in their purest forms. This is a documentary for the politically-empathetic and apathetic. That is all.

[Escade]

I'm actually really excited about this series! Adding more things to my "To Watch" list

[Japanese Schoolgirls]

You’re Sleeping On : YUKIKA (Teramoto Yukika)

A very well-known fact about me is that I love music, especially that of the Korean variety. Now, before you cut me off and grumble about how everyone and their grandmas are raving about K-Pop, let us take a step back. There are a lot of genres that exists in the Korean music industry and blanketing every single one of them as K-Pop just because it’s Korean is a big no-no. This recommendation may very well be riding the massive hallyu wave that is steered by modern day singers and groups like Blackpink, BTS and TWICE but this singer’s vocal style and overall theme is uniquely enticing that it separates her from the common rabble and I say this as someone who is a massive fan of TWICE.

Teramoto Yukika was an actress, a model and now she is a singer and a great one at that. This former girl group member has even done voice over work for some animes and games so to say that she is a greenhorn at voice-related tasks is a mistake you’ll be making. Regarding her singing career, it is relatively new compared to soloists who are already familiar to the audience like IU, Kim Taeyeon and Chungha to name a few, since it literally just started this year. However, this does not stop her attempt to break the ceiling as she introduces a style … or rather, a concept that has not been adequately explored in the Korean music industry - city pop.

“What in God’s plan is city pop?”, you asked me as I pirouette across the room to some funky jazz vibes. Well, city pop is a sub-genre of pop music that originated in Japan during the 70s to 80s era. To describe it in words would be to call it a combination of funk, jazz, and R&B and would find its place amongst the rank and file of vaporwave and future funk. So, imagine a very unique and almost untouched sub-genre as the main backing for your concept and you have YUKIKA who owns this concept pretty much as if she pioneered it. It’s very fresh and the manner upon which the concept is executed doesn’t shy away from its Japanese inspirations which leads to some major reminiscences about the greats of Japanese city pop like Maria Takeuchi and Junko Ohashi … Plastic Love, anyone?

Her beautiful voice synergizes very well with the chill ambience that the music exudes - a soft spoken vocal that doesn’t fight with the instrumental but rather harmonizes with it. Her vocal work is definitely one of the brightest points in her portfolio and you’ll fall in love with how smooth and silky that voice is. I’m no vocal coach but you don’t have to be to figure out that she’s got the techniques and skills to pull off what is needed for singers of her genre and she doesn’t strain to uphold that standard. YUKIKA’s a classic act and a must-hear even just on acapella.


NEON, her first single as a soloist.

She only has two songs so far as a soloist, NEON (네온) and CHERRIES JUBILES (좋아하고 있어요). Both are examples of how great Korean city pop would have been if the industry focused more in that particular sub-genre. She even does an acoustic version of the latter and I reckon it’s the better version of CHERRIES JUBILES as this is where you would see the unfiltered talent that [b]YUKIKA[b] has as a singer.

If for some reason, you’re hooked into city pop then do take a look at another example of Korean city pop, Yubin’s Lady (숙녀).

Big shoutout to Escade and the support they have given to my series. If you enjoy gameplay and would like to know more about the people who make up the community, check out their Gameplay Magazine series!

[Escade]

Another great article! I'm definitely into K-pop but also appreciate the package of good vocals and aesthetics. I like the city pop vibes you linked to me earlier and would love more recommendations (as it's harder to find not as well-known but cool stuff).

I recently discovered K/DA from League of Legends (and already loved Jaira Burns so <3) and wonder what you think of that (having a K-pop group within a popular game that has real world singers tied to the characters).

[Japanese Schoolgirls]

You’re Sleeping On : Disenchantment

Elfo, Tiabeanie and Luci indulging in their favourite drinks

Disenchantment is an animated series by Matt Groening, the fellow responsible for one of the longest-running shows in TV history - the Simpsons. It follows three main characters - the human Princess Tiabeanie, an elf named Elfo and Tiabeanie’s personal demon Luci. The names may be a tad bit too on the nose but it has quite the charm to it. From first glance, one can already conclude that it is set around medieval times with the inclusion of giants, dragons and magic to add in elements of fantasy. The series in itself doesn’t take itself too seriously. The medieval times’ horrid realities are displayed in a humorous and relatable way so you would know the overall vibe straight away. There are some serious undertones that emerge as the series goes on but they are there to emphasize major turning points of the plot so don’t expect a fair split between solemnity and comedy.

What I love about Disenchantment is that it’s a combination of a wide setting and a genre that’s widely known yet underutilized, at least in my opinion. If you are to give a series that primarily uses fantasy and medieval, many would point out to Lord of The Rings, Game Of Thrones and maybe Eragon … maybe not Eragon since even the die-hard fans wanted to forget the film exists but I digress. They are series that allow you to emulate the gritty realities that one can face when injected into such environments. We haven’t had enough shows that poke fun at the troubles people faced in those antiquated time periods nor do we have enough examples of medieval-fantasy and comedy blending well together, at least in terms of animated series.

Now, you don’t have to jump in and hope that you can indulge in Simpsons-esque humour because you can tell straight away that not only the artistic directions are distinct, so is the style of humour. Once again, Simpsons having been a very long-running series, there will always be chances where it lends its delivery of comedy to Disenchantment but the settings, the characters involved and the personalities they own establishes enough grounds for unique punchlines and hilarious content. That is to say, there is a wide array of humour for everyone to enjoy and the series at the time of writing only has two seasons. So, it’s not like you will be racing to the ninth seasons. It’s worth a watch if you want some snickers and giggles.

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Another great article! I'm definitely into K-pop but also appreciate the package of good vocals and aesthetics. I like the city pop vibes you linked to me earlier and would love more recommendations (as it's harder to find not as well-known but cool stuff).

I recently discovered K/DA from League of Legends (and already loved Jaira Burns so <3) and wonder what you think of that (having a K-pop group within a popular game that has real world singers tied to the characters).

Regarding city pop, there are more nuggets of goodness if you are ready to invest some time. Thankfully, Youtube has made it possible for city pop to be more accessible than ever! If you’re seeking more city pop then look no further than Junko Ohashi’s Telephone Number 1984. It’s got a great vibe and everything. Junk Ohashi really sells that jazzy ambience very well with astounding vocals. Another go-to track in my opinion is Anri’s Shyness Boy and Last Summer Whisper. They’re just amazing tracks that let you simmer in the atmosphere that city pop engulfs you in. Korean city pop is a bit hard to come by but Wonder Girls’ I Feel You is a good place to start.

I feel like it’s great that unique collaborations like this came about and it really shows the versatility of singers and how they can use purely just their vocals to portray another character. Champions like Ahri and Akali already have established personalities so it would be a difficult

[The Seeker of Power]

I'm in love with disenchanted. Agree with Commu's comments in this one

[Japanese Schoolgirls]

You’re Sleeping On : Dreamcatcher & Raid Of Dream

Raid of Dream's album cover art

I’m a huge fan of KPOP so you should have seen this coming. I pride myself in having a thread that serves to give things that are slept on a chance to be viewed by an audience such as the arts forum but even I have committed the cardinal sin of sleeping on media from time-to-time and Dreamcatcher was one such victim of my slumber. That was until T-ara, one of the trustworthy curators of the genre itself came to me and slapped me awake.

Dreamcatcher is a girl group consisting of seven members - Siyeon, Yoohyeon, Handong, SuA, JiU, Dami and Gahyeon. At the time of writing, they had recently released Raid of Dream, their 6th album with Deja Vu as their title track. Other tracks include the intro, The Curse Of The Spider, Silent Night and Polaris. For this recommendation, I will be sticking to the album despite the other albums being great sources for good listening as well. PIRI, GOOD NIGHT, Chase Me and Breaking Out are quick recommendations if you’re keen on jumping into Dreamcatcher right away.

Dreamcatcher members - Gahyeon, Dami, Handong, SuA, Yoohyeon, Siyeon, JiU (from left to right)

In an extremely saturated industry, how does Dreamcatcher separate itself from the other groups? One of the biggest draws that the group has is their unique musical style - incorporation of rock and metal music. I have listened to a lot of KPOP in my years and I am very confident in saying that I haven’t heard of anything past or present that bears a close resemblance to Dreamcatcher’s unique musical identity. That’s how different they are to the rest of the crowd. It’s no doubt that TWICE, Red Velvet, LOONA, GFRIEND, G-IDLE, CLC and the other girl groups that I can list down but won’t for the sake of brevity have their own identity as well but there are still resemblances that you can associate multiple groups with. Producers and songwriters can only twist and turn the bubble pop sub-genre so much to differentiate it from other concepts so groups that resort to familiar themes that work and sell suffer from a form of homogeneity when it comes to music. That’s where Dreamcatcher rises up to the occasion since rock and metal is a path less-traveled or not traveled at all in the KPOP business. It's a unique concept that catches the ears of the consumers. It's the definition of hook, line and sinker in the modern KPOP market. That's how great of an identity it is.

When it comes to vocals, it’s subjective but I have grown to like everyone’s vocal talents. They’re not lacking in that regard, that is for sure. Siyeon’s and Yoohyeon’s voices stand out to me but the group’s combined vocal range will ensure that you’ll appreciate the energizing vocals that accompany the blood-pumping rock and metal harmony. The synergy between the vocals and the harmony is present within all the tracks that they have released thus far and neither are overpowering one another. In essence, it’s a sweet balance that you might not find in other groups that tried to break the ceiling with new niches.

To say that they’re akin to a Korean BABYMETAL is doing both groups injustice. BABYMETAL has their own unique sound and so does Dreamcatcher. The idea of mixing great female vocals, rock and metal music are where their similarities end so you might be in for a big surprise if that’s your conception before diving into Dreamcatcher.

The album Raid of Dream is a great 5-track album (4 if you exclude the intro). Deja Vu is as empowering as it can be. The Curse Of The Spider is a rollercoaster that deviates between slow and fast paced guitar riffs and melancholic melodies in a fashion that is well done. Silent Night runs at a relatively slower pace but the soft vocals that accompanies the track creates an emphasis on the chorus. Polaris is their non-rock/metal track of the album and this is where you can appreciate their vocals if the rock music's over encumbering. Personally, my favourite is The Curse Of The Spider but I have also learnt to appreciate Polaris’ change of pace. Try to listen to the album from its original order (best done in Spotify) to really feel the overall vibe of the album.

I slept on groups so now that you don’t have to. You’re welcome.

Just kidding.

[Japanese Schoolgirls]

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I've become a huge fan. I laughed out loud once during the final episode of the second series....

I'm in love with disenchanted. Agree with Commu's comments in this one

I have enjoyed Disenchanted and became a huge fan as well. Only time will tell when the third season will be released but I'll be eagerly awaiting.