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Saturday, December 26, 2020

Lovelyz: Lovelinus 5th Generation Fanclub Membership Review

The second half of August has been quite busy for Lovelyz and Lovelinus! The girls are making their long-awaited comeback on September 1st, and in the middle of the daily teasers for this upcoming mini album, on August 21st at 2PM KST Woollim also announced the release of the Lovelinus 5th generation fanclub membership open! The application period is from August 21st at 2PM until September 20th 11:50PM KST and can be purchased through VLive.

There are two package options:
  1. Official Fan Club Membership Fee (WELCOME KIT included) for $29.60 USD (delivery fee excluded)
  2. Official Fan Club Membership Fee (WELCOME KIT excluded) for $21.15 USD
Applying for this membership was really straightforward and all in English. Unfortunately shipping ended up being $46.10 so the total was $75.70 USD. Woollim's fankit shipping calculations are usually really over exaggerated especially if the fankit contents don't weigh much, but it is what it is...

There is already a Lovelyz+ channel on VLive where the girls would hold exclusive VLives on that platform. On September 22nd, a post on Lovelyz' VLive channel stated that the Lovelyz+ channel will end on November 4th, 2020 at 3PM KST and content from this channel can't be viewed after this deadline.

The estimated arrival date range is from December 19th, 2020 to January 18th, 2021.

On October 8th at 2:05PM they announced via Twitter additional recruitment from the 8th at 2PM through the 21st at 11:59PM KST. On the 19th at 2PM, they announced via Twitter the welcome kit inclusions, which contains the following:
  • Official Fanclub Card
  • Photo Book
  • Photo Card
  • Hand Cleaner
  • Hand Sanitizer Tissue
  • Plastic Bandage
  • Mask + Strap
On November 19th, Vlive made the announcement that the welcome kit production has begun and to make sure the shipping address is correct. On November 26th, Vlive made an announcement that the welcome kit is preparing for delivery and will be shipped soon.

On December 11th, I checked the status of my welcome kit within the V App and it updated stating that it has shipped, and it included the tracking number. It is via USPS Priority Mail Express International and the tracking history began on December 9th. My package arrived on December 16th.

Packaging
My welcome kit came in a waterproof bubble mailer, which I'm grateful for because it's been raining a lot lately. This differs from Woollim's other welcome kits from this year, where even the external packaging of Goldenness and Ketchy welcome kits were decorated with the fandom name.
And here is the actual welcome kit. The contents came inside a thin cardboard box, which unfortunately got a bit crushed.
The packaging of the welcome kit is really cute, entitled "Compact Emergency Kit" with images of the included contents. The official fanclub card comes in a clear plastic bag that is taped really tightly to the top of the kit.
Opening up the welcome kit reveals a cute pattern on the inside. At the very top is the Vlive slip in case the goods arrived damaged.
And the remaining contents are inside a drawstring bag.
The top of the drawstring bag has this generation's Lovelinus logo.
Opening up the drawstring bag reveals the contents inside the emergency kit. I like how the type of product is printed on the sides of the boxes.
All of the contents of the welcome kit include the drawstring bag, fanclub card, photocard set, pack of hand sanitizer tissues, pack of band-aid, hand sanitizing spray, reusable mask, and strap.

Official Fanclub Card
The fanclub card is hard plastic like a credit card and your Vlive App number and name (as found in your "Profile Info") are printed on the top left. This muted orange is used throughout the welcome kit.
The backside of the card has a designated place to sign, along with the Woollim authentication seal, and general information.

Photocard Set
The photocard set came in a clear resealable plastic bag, in this order (Mijoo to Jiae, then Sujeong to Kei). The photocards have a glossy finish.
The backside includes the member's printed autograph and message.

Hand Sanitizer Tissue
The pack of hand sanitizer tissues comes in a resealable pouch.
The bottom of the packaging has product information in Korean.

Plastic Bandage
Here is the packaging of the plastic bandage set.
The backside of the box has information in Korean.
The package comes with 10 band-aids, packaged in pairs. The design is all the same, with this generation's Lovelinus logo.

Hand Cleaner
This hand sanitizing spray comes in a box.
The backside of the box contains information in Korean.
The item itself comes in a plastic spray bottle. The liquid is watery and smells like cleaning chemicals.
When I opened the lid, there was already a bit of the cleaner that spilled out. The liquid had also dried up on the box - you can see the darker orange line under "HAND CLE".
And you can see the dried up liquid on one of the flaps too.

Mask
The mask comes in a box.
The backside of the box has information in Korean.
To my pleasant surprise, the mask also comes with a filter! Instructions in Korean are also included.
Here is the backside of the filter packaging.
And here is the reusable mask, with "LVLZ" on one side and the mask company on the other side.
I tried on the mask without the filter, and it was pretty snug on my face. I also really like the material, like a stretchy, breathable goretex. Please excuse my appearance, I don't get out much since we're in quarantine.
The mask does have a weird pointedness to the nose area, which is apparent in profile view.

Strap
The strap is meant for the mask and is made of lanyard material with plastic ends. One side has "LOVELYZ 5th OFFICIAL FANCLUB" in purple on orange while the backside has this generation's Lovelinus logo in orange on purple.

Photobook
The front cover of the photo booklet has a group picture of Lovelyz, along with a castle design. The castle seems a bit random especially when the overall theme has been emergency health (and the sides of the castle look like rulers to me).
Here is the back cover.
The photobook contains 50 pages, including the inside covers, and begins with a group photo. This welcome kit (the photocard set and photobook) contain images all from 1 photoshoot specifically for this kit.
The following 40 pages contain 1 individual member photo per page, totalling to 5 photos per member.
I really like how each 2-page spread has a different layout, mixing up the styles.
The outfits remind me of afternoon tea attire, and the layout of this page really matches that Victorian aesthetic.
I really like how they maximized the pages throughout the entire photobook - whether it be using the entire page for the photo, or making the photo large and in portrait mode and adding a fun border.
The last 4 pages contain 2 photos each.
Here are the remaining photos of this last set.
And on the backside of the back cover are the members' printed messages to Lovelinus.

Overall, the welcome kit for the Lovelinus 5th Generation Fanclub Membership is really thoughtful in accommodating the current COVID situation. Majority of the inclusions are great for proactively being hygienic, and the photocard set and photobook are nice additions. The emergency kit packaging is also really cute. However I'm the type to preserve my goods and display them if I can, so I definitely won't be using the hygienic products, and I'm not sure how to display any of these items...regardless, with COVID going on, I hope that we can get the most out of Fanship content and here's to the opening of 5th Generation Lovelinus!

Monday, December 21, 2020

Nam Woo Hyun: 식목일2 (Arbor Day 2) Concert DVD Review

Infinite's Nam Woohyun held his second solo concert, 식목일2 (Arbor Day 2), August 10th and 11th, 2019. Woollim released the DVD and kit video version on January 4th, 2020. On a side note, Lovelyz held their summer concert the weekend before Woohyun, but the bluray and kit video versions for that were released on March 6th, 2020. I bought both versions of Arbor Day 2 in Myungdong back in mid-January (when I went to Korea for Golden Child's first concert!), which I briefly blogged about here. Below I'll unbox the DVD version and in the future I'll unbox the kit video version.
The packaging is really high quality. The box set has a thick plastic sleeve cover and the box itself is quite sturdy and has a canvas-like feel.
The backside has the video info and holographic KOMCA and Woollim seals. Info:
  • Region Code: All
  • Video: NTSC 16:9 / Wide Screen
  • Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
  • Subtitle: Korean / English / Japanese / None 
  • Duration: 120 mins (Disc 1) & 103 mins (Disc 2)
The box is held together by 2 magnets. The design is just so pretty and matches the concert's nature theme so well.
Opening up both flaps reveals the contents of the DVD set.
From right to left (top to bottom when inside the box) are the digipack, photobook, photocard set, and clear polaroid set.
Here is a better look at all of the contents of the DVD set.

Photocard Set
The DVD set includes these 4 photocards. All have a glossy finish.
The backside of the photocards all have the concert name and leaf logo.

Polaroid Set
Included in the DVD set are these 2 "Polaroids". They're thick plastic clear cards that resemble Polaroids.
The quality of these cards are really pretty. I love clear cards like these; they're so pretty to take pictures with against different backgrounds.

Photobook
The spines on both the photobook and digipack match the exterior box, with the leaf logo and concert name.
The photobook also has a canvas-like finish, and has the leaf logo embossed on the front cover.
The back cover is very minimalist, with the leaf logo in the center.
The photobook has 104 pages and is broken out into sections. The first section is entitled "Live", and majority of the photos are within this section. This is such a beautiful photo, especially with the mix of both yeobong versions.
I'm still not used to seeing type of styling on Woohyun!
The shots of Woohyun with Inspirits are just so beautiful.
The page layouts are all different.
There are a variety of photos, including closeup shots from various stages.
Rocker Woohyun giving off bad boy vibes; he can pull off any style!
This 2-page spread is absolutely beautiful.
The photo on the right, this is just such a beautiful shot.
And this photo with the support project is so touching.
This next section, "Backstage", contains 4 pages.
Next is "Rehearsal", which also has 4 pages.
There is another section for the "VCR Making", containing 8 pages.
And lastly is the section "Nam Woohyun's Summer Camping Alone", containing 16 pages of photos.
These are some great shots of Woohyun in action!

The last 2 pages display the concert credits.

Digipack
Here is the digipack. The lettering is really pretty, in a blue metallic overlay. The front cover has a pretty impressionist painting of plotted plants, matching the Arbor Day theme. The back cover has the setlist for both discs.
Here is the design of the 2 discs as well as inside the digipack. The background shows Woohyun reaching for some flowers. Here I'll give my personal highlights from each disc below.

Disc One (Concert Part 1):
  • The concert filming is from the final day, Day 2.
  • The opening VCR was very simple, with Woohyun in nature (like the digipack), as well as in an indoor setting in black and white.
  • The concert began with "Stranger".
  • During the first ment, fans were screaming over Woohyun drinking water. Woohyun joked that who does 2-day concerts, it should be 50 before we can call it a concert. He explained the meaning of Arbor Day (which had already passed): we can still plant trees of memories and our times in our hearts. He celebrated holding this concert in a larger venue that Arbor Day 1. A staff member fixed Woohyun's audio equipment on his back, and it scared Woohyun. Then a few minutes later Woohyun was surprised when the staff member had already left. Woohyun mentioned Yeobong 2, and made sure that everyone was using the same color so they won't be scolded by others.
  • During the second ment, Woohyun teased the audience by drinking water, faking drinking, fake pouring it, always gaining reaction from fans. Woohyun said he's most attached to "Scent" and "You're My Lady". He said that today's reactions are lukewarm but yesterday's they'd cheer even if he just touched his hair or turned around, picked up his bottle of water, or moved his left foot. He asked each section what "Scent" and "You're My Lady" have in common, crouching down to be more at eye level like having a warm conversation with fans. He called out people's answers, like "songs are both good looking", "ballads", and "sexy". He crouched down and suddenly covered his chest with his hand, saying that because kept looking there. He finally gave the answer, that he composed and wrote both songs. He then asked what songs they wanted him to sing, and he'll consider it for Arbor Day 3. Someone said "Timeless", and Woohyun kept putting it off, saying it's an Infinite song and his voice was different back then. Then he sang "shi" (the first syllable of the song) and asked the band to play, and he really sang a great portion of the song! He didn't prepare this performance but was surprised that the lyrics were even on the teleprompter.
  • During "Flower", he handed out flowers to the front row.
  • He performed "Cactus" with Inspirits! Woohyun wanted to start singing again but Inspirits kept singing. Woohyun was so touched he cried. It was such a touching stage.
  • During "I Love You", Inspirits started singing and surprised Woohyun. Woohyun took over during the chorus and Inspirits shouted the fanchant.
  • Next was the VCR "Nam Woohyun's Summer Camping Alone Ep. 1", showing Woohyun doing a mukbang with ramen, and Woohyun talking to strangers and a cat because he felt awkward being alone. Then Woohyun tried rock climbing and indoor surfing for the first time while on the campground.
  • Woohyun performed "Crying Baby"; the choreography with the backup dancers fit really well with the "hold my hand" lyrics. The stage ended with Woohyun sitting in a grand chair. There were generally no props at the concert except for this chair.
  • After "Crying Baby", it segued really well into "I Swear", with "I Swear" beginning with Woohyun sitting in the chair. And during Dongwoo's featuring, they showed Dongwoo on the screen rapping!
  • During the next ment, the audience cheered for Woohyun picking up his bottle of water again. Everyone was saying that they wanted Woohyun to spray water into the audience, but Woohyun said that he wouldn't want to do that to everyone's beautiful and handsome faces and he wouldn't want that to happen to him if he were in the middle of enjoying a show. Woohyun asked why people like "I Swear", and they answered because it's sexy. Then Woohyun said he's sexy and did body rolls. He asked a different section for their answer, saying that we need to be becoming one before he can complete the concert but this isn't really becoming one.. It really does feel like he's having a genuine conversation with the audience. Woohyun asked Dongwoo to film that rap video, and he's grateful that Dongwoo always helps for his concerts. He talked a lot about the camping VCR, and why people might travel alone. Fans started giving out their answers, and Woohyun said that the best answer was "to Seoul to see Nam Woohyun". He picked a fan wearing red, since everyone else was wearing black or white and because they were matching in red. Then he asked people around that fan to be quiet so he could listen to her response on where she traveled alone. Woohyun said summers are for That Summer so he'll perform the "4th story" now!
  • Woohyun performed a good chunk of "She's Back"! He performed the choreography on the extended stage while the backup dancers danced on the main stage. Then it transitioned to "That Summer"! And lastly he performed "Man in Love"! It looked like he was really having fun, jumping on the extended stage. Then during the chorus he and the backup dancers danced on the extended stage. Woohyun rapped Hoya's part!
  • During the next ment, Woohyun teased fans again by fake drinking water. Then he sang "She's Back" again and did part of the rap! And then the same for "Man in Love"! He started testing fans' knowledge of the lyrics for "She's Back", and what verse it's in. He also sang "That Summer", then let fans continue singing, then tested them on the lyrics they just sang. He said he was emotional during "Cactus" because he'll be sad once this is over. He said that we can listen to his CDs but he can't listen to us afterwards. He was sad that Arbor Day 1 didn't have a DVD but is happy that this one does. He searched "Cactus" on SNS after Arbor Day 1, but only found videos of him, not of his view of the audience. Earlier he kept saying "Water. And me." Now he said "Mic stand" and pointed to himself as if he were thinking "And me" and laughed.
  • He performed "I Hate"! It was such a mood change from "Gravity" which he had just performed. He even poured water on himself.
  • They showed the VCR "Nam Woohyun's Summer Camping Alone Ep. 2", where he BBQed, talked about how he had just finished his last musical performance, and how he usually doesn't cry but he did seeing the front row cry. He then called his longtime friend, and then his mom, because he felt lonely camping alone.
  • The mic was especially designed for Woohyun; it has his name on it!
  • The next ment, Woohyun said he was so excited he accidentally poured water into the audience, so that's why he did it to himself during "I Hate".
  • He performed "Smile"! At the end the backup dancers surrounded Woohyun and he pretended to hit each dancer's head as if they were a drum set to match the music.
Disc Two (Concert Part 2):
  • Woohyun introduced the band. The keyboardist played "Back", and Woohyun sang it with Inspirits until the dance break. Then the guitarist played "Come Back Again", and Woohyun danced the intro and sang with Inspirits until the end of the chorus. Then the drummer played the intro of "Man in Love".
  • Woohyun introduced ADDM; I knew this was Dongmin but I never knew ADDM stood for Amazing Dancer Dongmin! He came on stage and the two danced the choreography of "Stranger" together.
  • Woohyun was shocked when the staff member adjusted Woohyun's audio equipment again, then he said it's signalling that it's the last song. His comments about the staff member were really entertaining ("Oh, watch where your hands are", "Oh ticklish!").
  • Woohyun performed "Hold on Me" with Tag! Woohyun and the backup dancers danced on the main stage while Tag was on the elevated stage in the background; he looked so cool. Then he came on the main stage for the second rap.
  • During the ment during the encore, the banner projects were enacted. Woohyun said he gets energy from fans' banners and swaying lightsticks, just like how fans get energy from Woohyun singing and dancing. He was teary-eyed at the end.
Disc Two (Making Film):
  • 47 minutes long.
  • Broken up into 5 sections.
  • First section: July 29, 2019 - VCR filming for the opening VCR in Namyangju.
  • Woohyun filmed a self cam showing the camp ground. He explained how yesterday he finished his last musical performance. The staff member was using a Lovely Day 2 paper fan. There was an interview on the campsite. Clips showing Woohyun rock climbing, indoor surfing, and enjoying BBQ with the staff.
  • Second section: August 8, 2019 - band / choreography practice
  • Woohyun's wearing his branded bucket hat! Another self cam, where Woohyun talked about wanting to do a new arrangement for "Song For You" while he was walking from the studio to the van to the Woollim building for dance practice with the ADDM dancers. It was cool seeing a glimpse inside Woollim.
  • Third section: August 9, 2019 - rehearsal on site
  • Woohyun talked about how Arbor Day 1 was more calm with ballads, but this time it's more exciting with dance songs, which he feels is better suited for the summer. He also had his mic stand customized. He thought "Stranger" is the most anticipated stage by fans, then he talked about the outfit for that stage. They showed clips of that rehearsal. He thought "Crying Baby" is the next most anticipated stage since it's another dance song. He said his concert is about 3 hours long, comprising of 2 hours of performances and 1 hour of talking. He said that there aren't many chances to communicate with fans so he tries to talk more at these events.
  • Fourth section: August 10, 2019 - first day of Arbor Day 2
  • They showed footage of the rehearsal, festivities outside the venue, inside the venue with fans,and the dressing room. Golden Child's Tag had an interview backstage! He talked about his purpose for being here and his message to Woohyun. Next Myungsoo came into the dressing room! He questioned Woohyun's dyed hair and leopard print shirt. Woohyun asked if Myungsoo would go on stage like he did for Myungsoo's fan meeting, but they settled on having the spotlight on Myungsoo in the audience. Myungsoo asked if there's a dress code because a lot of the audience was in pink. Woohyun was shocked because during Vlive the fans had suggested a dress code so Woohyun said "pink" at that time, but to only wear it if they wanted to. Woohyun continued talking to the camera while getting his hair and makeup done. Woohyun was really funny, saying his concept is "man from the wild is being released on a stage". He said his shirt is too unbuttoned and then he started buttoning it up, saying that it's too bad if you don't like (him buttoning it up) because it's a 15+ show. You can see Tag sitting in the corner of the dressing room during this part. They showed concert footage from this day.
  • Fifth section: August 11, 2019 - second day of Arbor Day 2
  • They showed footage of festivities from outside the venue, inside the venue where banners were being placed on seats, and Woohyun's rehearsal. Then they showed Woohyun walking down the hallway while singing loudly, saying that the echoes here make his voice sound really good, then he apologized for being so noisy. While getting his hair and makeup done, Woohyun was monitoring his concert on a laptop while singing. He said that his pants had ripped, just like during his debut. He said that he's getting more emotional with age, and that he's unsure if he'll cry at today's show. He was even practicing the choreography up until the last moment before the concert began, as he was being raised on the platform to get onto the stage. They showed concert footage, then footage from the support project and Woohyun taking group pictures towards the end of the concert. Woohyun was crying as he was leaving the concert stage and walking through the hallway. There was an interview at the end. He said that he's happy because he planted memories in fans' and his heart, which was the purpose of Arbor Day 2. He said that "Cactus" was the most memorable stage because of the fan's voices. He said that he was emotional because he was worried if he'd be able to experience this again. He was appreciative of how fans followed his every move, like while drinking water. He said that he doesn't have anything like that at home, with how his cats ignore him and how he looks scruffy at home. He promised to be back with Arbor Day 3 though he doesn't know when.
Overall, the packaging of this DVD set is my favorite among Woollim DVD sets! The quality is really good, the design is minimalist but has a really beautiful aesthetic that matches perfectly with the concert theme, the inclusions are nice (especially the Polaroid set), and of course it's just great having so much Woohyun content on hard copy!