How I Store Kpop Goods (Photocards, Clear Files, etc.)

Part of what I love about Kpop is the additional goodies that Kpop album include, such as photocards and postcards. After getting into Kpop, I fell in love with collecting random memorabilia besides photocards and postcards, such as mini posters, A4 clear files, as well as fansite goods. I started collecting stuff like this about two years ago, and it wasn't until last year that I figured out a decent way to store these types of things. Here I'll be writing about how I store my Kpop goods. I mostly collect Infinite memorabilia, so I'll relate this post mostly to Infinite's merchandise (and somehow they managed to be mostly of Myungsoo).

So many Kpop albums now don't just include a standard sized photocard, but they're getting more creative and they're getting to be postcard sized and even A4 sized. I didn't want to just leave my photocards in the albums, so I decided to buy art portfolio books in several dimensions, to best fit my various sized cards. My smallest dimension one is for 4" x 6" postcards, which contains 60 sleeves. I bought this, which is actually just for postcards and not specifically to hold art, for $2 at Daiso, a Japanese $2 store, but sadly I haven't seen this product for a year or so now.

I use this one to store all my small photocards, as well as my 4" x 6" postcards (above); the small photocards can slide around a bit in their sleeves since they're so small, but the postcards fit so well. In this sleeve is one of the bookmarks from my You're Beautiful OST album; many of the paper goods from albums will fit in this size.

You can see that many of photocards fit in this book, including the typical trading card sized photocards like Infinite H's, 4" x 6" postcards like from Infinite's New Challenge and from Myungsoo's endorsement for Shara Shara, and Infinite's Natuur Pop postcard set.

My remaining three are official art portfolio books, that I bought at my university bookstore in the art section. I bought them all from the brand Itoya, and they all have 24 sleeves and are more expensive for much fewer sleeves, at about $10 to $20 each.

The smallest book I have of the art portfolio books is 5" x 7" (above), which is perfect for postcards slightly larger than the 4" x 6" postcards. This size is perfect for Infinite's Destiny postcards and the postcard set from the drama My Lovely Girl.

The next size up that I bought was 8.5" x 11" (above), which is also A4 sized or regular printer paper sized. I have a set of IU and Infinite bromide mini posters that are just slightly shorter than A4, and fit perfectly in this book. This is also perfect for A4 photocards, like Infinite's She's Back photocard on the bottom right, or cards just a bit larger than the standard postcard size, like Infinite's Be Back on the left.

And lastly, I have an 11" x 14" book (above). I have several A4 clear files, which are meant to store A4 sized paper, meaning that the clear file itself has to be larger than A4. The top is from Infinite's Rally 1 in 2013; the one of the left is the folder containing all the files. The bottom ones are clear files from Infinite's That Summer Concert 2.The clear files (and the folders they came in) are a bit smaller than the full dimensions of this book, so they slide around a bit if I'm flipping through them quickly, but this is the best I could do.

Also the mini poster included in Infinite's IDEA Photobook are just slightly taller than A4, so I had to put it in this book as well. On the left is the backside of one of Infinite's Natuur Pop endorsement clear files.

And of course the next size up would probably be my posters, but for those I just frame them up and display them on my walls or sadly roll them up into a poster tube.

Some people would rather store photocards in binders like collecting trading cards, but that seems too complicated for me and I'd be too inclined to collect every photocard from each album to complete the sets. Also because photocards come in so many dimensions, it'd seem too difficult to find sleeves tailored for each one. I've settled on my method with these art portfolio books, but I just recently ran out of room in my 4" x 6" book and have photocards waiting to be put in sleeves...maybe I will try the binder method some day, just for the smaller photocards, and have the larger cards in these books. The only downfall about the way I organize my cards, however, is if I get a new photocard and have to change the order of my cards, since the sleeves can't be moved like binder sleeves.

You're Beautiful Jang Geun Suk Special Edition OST Review

Since You're Beautiful was the drama that brought me into this world, I figured I had to complete that OST collection and buy this Jang Keun Suk Special Edition.

Despite being a thin cardboard album, it still cost 12,000₩. The tracklist is printed on the back cover:

1. 어떡하죠 (What Should I Do) - 장근석 (Jang Geun Suk)
2. Good bye - 장근석 (Jang Geun Suk)
3. 말도 없이 (Without Saying) - 장근석 (Jang Geun Suk)
4. 약속 (Promise) - ANJell
5. 여전히 (Still As Ever) - ANJell

The second and third tracks are on the You're Beautiful OST 2 while the last two are on the You're Beautiful OST 1, so the only new song is the first track, which is already in the original OST but sang by the original singer. Oddly enough, the lyrics book lists the artist of "Good bye" as ANJell, though it actually is Jang Geun Suk, as printed on the back cover.

Inside the album, the left has credits while the right has information on Jang Geun Suk's character from the drama. Tucked tightly inside the left flap is the lyrics booklet and the CD is in the right.

One side has five photos of Jang Geun Suk from the drama's main photoshoot, and the other side has the lyrics and song credits, along with more closeups of Jang Geun Suk. All of these photos show his many disgusted facial expressions reminiscent of the drama.

Here's the CD. In the end, I probably didn't have to buy this CD as I basically have all the songs already and the photos are obviously only of Jang Geun Suk. But I'm happy to add to my You're Beautiful collection.

My Mini KR Multimedia Haul!

A few weeks ago I visited KR Multimedia, a tiny kpop shop with a huge selection of merchandise, located just outside of Vancouver, BC. You can read my review about this shop here.  I didn't buy much, but I was able to find, in my opinion, rare items.

I bought two items for myself.  The first one is an official poster of IU and Infinite for Elite school uniforms.  I am such a fan of both that to see this collaboration, it was a no brainer to buy this!  I've never personally seen an Infinite endorsement poster.  This poster is priced at $16 (Canadian), which is a few dollars more expensive than KR Multimedia's other posters, but there is a 20% discount off posters when buying official albums.  This poster is folded accordion style and comes with a nice slip to hold it together.  The dimensions are about 24 inches by 16 inches.

One side is of IU showing off her cute innocence while modeling several cheery school uniforms.  Included is a copy of her autograph and a QR scan that takes you to a minute long YouTube video of IU speaking at an informal Elite interview.

The other side is of Infinite in neutralized school uniforms and showing aegyo.  Each panel consists of one member, a copy of his autograph and a QR scan like of IU.  I love this poster 1) because of how adorable everyone looks, 2) because it's like a documentation of everyone's signatures (especially Sungyeol's before he changed his to the 3-sectioned style) and 3) because this is an official poster that's not commonly found of Infinite!

Here's my poster all framed up!  It's sitting beside my desk so I can easily get distracted and daydream about having Infinite as classmates.

My second item was a pig rabbit bag from the drama You're Beautiful that is roughly 16 inches tall.  This unstuffed animal is very plush and has bendable wires inside the ears for shape.  The strap is just one long strap coming from the sides of the head, so it's meant as a crossbody bag.  The head, arms and legs are fully stuffed while the stomach is empty and lined and has a zipper in the back to store little items.  I'll probably just stuff some blankets in the stomach to make for a stuffed animal rather than a bag.

Overall I'm so thrilled to have found about KR Multimedia and I'm very happy about my purchase.  A poster of adorable Infinite in school uniforms is an amazing addition to my poster collection.  If only I could display both IU and Infinite, but of course Infinite wins.  Also pig rabbit has so much significance to me as You're Beautiful is the drama that started 'My Seoul Obsession' and the only pig rabbit I found was for ridiculous prices online.  I'll definitely head to KR Multimedia again for more interesting and unique finds!

Kinokuniya Bookstore in Seattle

Kinokuniya Bookstore is a Japanese bookstore located throughout the world.  Each store carries Japanese books, as well as Japanese and Chinese magazines, Japanese CDs, travel guides, stationery and more. 

This Seattle location is the only Kinokuniya in Washington state, and it's located in Chinatown's Japanese grocery store Uwajimaya.  There are two entrances: one is from the corner of 6th and S Weller, and the other (pictured above) is from the inside of Uwajimaya.

And inside the store, there are signs of Kpop!  There are recent album promotion posters lining the stairway up to the second floor.  The only Kpop posters I found, and by Kpop I mean Jpop music by Kpop artists, include Girls' Generation's "Love & Girls," Jang Geun Suk's "Nature Boy" and SHINee's "Boys Meet U."

The second floor carries Jpop CDs.  Among this collection are some sparse Jpop CDs by Kpop artists.  The first section of CDs displays the new releases, which is where I found most of the Kpop artists.  Here I found Donghae & Eunhyuk of Super Junior, SHINee, Girls' Generation and Kim Hyun Joong (not shown in picture).  In alphabetical order I also found FTIsland's latest album, Rated FT, and more Girls' Generation.  To give a rough idea of just how expensive these CDs are, I'll list the prices.

This is majority of the Korean artists' Jpop CDs in the store.  As you can see, the prices are quite high and the store only carries well-established artists.  These are the listed prices and discounts seem to rarely happen.

Also upstairs is the travel section.  Here is a shelf with Korean travel guides in Japanese.  What drew me to this one book were Pig Rabbit and Jang Geun Suk on the cover, reminding me of my first drama, You're Beautiful.  Inside includes an abundance of pictures and locations, including this section filled with lots of Korean beauty stores like Nature Republic, Holika Holika, The Face Shop, Etude House, SkinFood, and more!

Downstairs is where all the magazines are.  The Kpop section is my most favorite area in the store!  This photo displays the entire Kpop boyband and actor magazine section, and as you can see there is a large variety.  These Japanese magazines showcase the hottest Kpop stars and Korean actors.  The magazines that caught my eye were one of Infinite (first magazine in the fourth row from the top) and of actor Song Joong Ki (second magazine on the top row).  These magazines do seem a bit pricy, with some being roughly $15.  While I prefer not to listen to Jpop (because if I can't understand Korean nor Japanese, I'd prefer to listen to music of the artists' native language), I have no preference with magazines because pictures are the same in any language and either way I can't understand the writing.  So I'm always inclined to buy a magazine while I'm here!  I did end up buying the Infinite magazine, which I'll review soon.

I come to Chinatown very often, but I only step into this bookstore maybe once a year.  What turns me off about Kinokuniya are the unreasonable prices (I understand that these our shipped from overseas, but finding these items online is much cheaper) and the very limited selection of Kpop.  But if I ever need a quick Kpop fix, I'd come here!

KDrama: You're Beautiful and OST 1 & 2 Reviews

As the drama that exposed me to Korean culture, You're Beautiful has always been one of my favorite dramas. This 2009 drama stars Jang Geun Suk, Jung Yong Hwa and Lee Hong Ki as they find a replacement singer for the idol group, A.N.Jell. Their ideal replacement, however, is in the hospital and his twin sister, played by Park Shin Hye, must take his place and pretend to be a boy band member for the time being. But what happens when she starts developing feelings for one of her band members? And what happens if someone finds out she is in fact a girl?

The Pros

• The music, both performed by members of A.N.Jell and the background music, is phenomenal
• Flower boys Jung Yong Hwa and Lee Hong Ki steal the show
• A.N.Jell is such a cute and creative band name
• The stuffed animal Pig Rabbit is so adorable
• Cute story line that allows the audience to get a glimpse into idol lifestyle
• 16 episodes is a perfect length for this light-hearted drama

The Cons

• Jang Geun Suk is always a pain for me to watch because of his ugliness (sorry)
• The romantic scenes were creative, but the stiffness and non-chemistry feel between the actors made these would-be cute scenes into awkward scenes

Overall: This drama is in my Top 5 favorite dramas because of its music, story line and Yong Hwa and Hong Ki.

OST Part 1 (Chinese Edition)
[UPDATE: On a trip to Hong Kong three years later, I found this shop again! It's called Swan & Co., and I wrote about it here. This will make more sense once you read the next sentence.]
In the summer of 2010, I traveled to Hong Kong and found a hidden shop that sold kpop CDs. This was the time that I had just started watching You're Beautiful just a month before, so I was ecstatic to find You're Beautiful OST Parts 1 & 2!  Inside each album comes with a lyrics book adorned with photos from the drama, as well as four bookmarks of each member of A.N.Jell.  Each part also comes with a DVD of special features, including the concert that A.N.Jell had to perform for the drama's last episode!  Oh, how I treasure these goodies so <3

Part 1 focuses A.N.Jell's two main songs, "Still (As Ever)" and "Promise," in two versions, each sung by A.N.Jell's lead singer Jang Geun Suk and by Lee Hong Ki.  Geun Suk offers a flowy, angelic voice while Hong Ki gives a more raw, edgy version to both songs.  This CD also includes two versions of "Without Saying," an emotional song sung by Geun Suk and Park Shin Hye.  Part 1 also offers Shin Hye's fun and uplifting song, "Lovely Day."

OST Part 2 (Chinese Edition)

This CD covers songs from You're Beautiful that are more emotional and deep, including "Song For a Fool" (unfortunately not sung by Jung Yong Hwa), "Without Words," "What Should I Do" and "Goodbye."  Part 2 expresses songs that reflect when Geun Suk, Yong Hwa and Shin Hye were feeling heartbroken.  These songs aren't as catchy as the upbeat theme songs of Part 1, but Part 2 offers a completely different tone that is still worthy of checking out.

I hope you watch You're Beautiful and fall in love with it as much as I did!