Infinite Ranking King DVD Review

Infinite Ranking King is a variety show that aired from May to August 2012, featuring the members of Infinite as they perform various physical and mental tasks to determine the ranking of certain titles, such as Fashion King and Courage King.  There are eight different categories and an awards show finale spanning 15 episodes.  Ranking King is definitely my most favorite variety show of Infinite because it shows the dynamics of the boys and expresses their personalities through surprising activities.  A physical copy of Infinite Ranking King is only available as a First Press Limited Edition Japanese Version so it's not a common product, but the set comes with more than just DVDs.  Here's my unboxing and review of one of my most favorite Infinite products.

On the outside iis a flap with three sides.  The front side shows caricatures of Infinite, the bottom gives information on the DVDs in Japanese and the back flap shows a screencap of the first episode and each member's photo from the Fashion King episode.

This set contains, from right to left, a sticker sheet, a photobooklet, a DVD box and a T-shirt box, which all snugly fit inside a cardboard box.

Here are the stickers.  They are of Infinite's charicatures used to pre-rank and post-rank the members for each category.  These were designed well because I can easily tell who is who by the distinct features, but honestly speaking, they do look a bit creepy.

The Special Booklet is only 22 pages long, but full of beautiful photos.  The first two pages cover Infinite's history in both Korea and Japan, dating from debut to the end of 2012.

The next two pages show which ranking each of the 15 episodes covers.  This is extremely helpful because each ranking has an odd length of air time, meaning they aren't equally divided, so it helps to know if there are multiple rankings in one episode or if one ranking spans over more than one episode.  While it's all in Japanese, the rankings are color coded and there are screencaps to easily figure it out.

The following pages give two pages for each member profile, with the main photo being from the Fashion King photoshoot.  This section is the bulk of the photobooklet, and though small, I love the photos because they always bring the happy and fun memories from watching Ranking King.

The last pages give a collage of scenes from every episode and a very colorful 'special thanks' section.

I'm a bit disappointed with the DVD box itself, because it's just a transparent box with a piece of paper slipped into the front as the cover.  It seems cheaply designed.

Inside is a piece of paper with Infinite's most current Japanese discography and box sets.  This even includes Infinite's first full Japanese album, which was released on June 5, 2013, while this Ranking King DVD came out in May, 2013.  The backside advertises for the Japanese DVD sets of Myungsoo's drama Shut Up Flower Boy Band and Hoya's drama  Reply 1997.

There are 5 discs, adorned with the members in their Fashion King photoshoot clothing.  Pictured are four discs, with another disc between Sunggyu and Myungsoo.  Each disc contains three episodes.  The first disc also contains a trailer for the Sesame Player DVD (which I now want because of watching this trailer...) and for this Ranking King DVD.  On the main menu of each disc, you can choose Japanese subtitles or none, and there is also a 'chapter selection' per episode, four scenes per episode.

I suggest to first watch Ranking King online (YouTube) with subtitles to fully understand the dialogue, because there are only Japanese subtitles for the DVD, and to watch what was originally aired.  I noticed some non-Infinite background music has been removed (ex. in the Strength King episode, "Gee" and "You Raised Me Up" were both removed).  For the most part, the DVD version appears to be the same as the broadcasted version.  Watching the DVD version is still just as enjoyable to me, if not better because the different episodes aren't as confusing and flow better.  Also watching without subtitles is manageable because so many tasks are physical rather than mental or verbal, and without subtitles allows you to focus on Infinite more rather than keeping up with reading subtitles.

Lastly, included is an original T-shirt box that includes a random tee, folded inside a bag with a resealable flap.  While I love Ranking King, it was the added T-shirt that fully convinced me to buy this set.  I wanted an official Infinite shirt to wear to their One Great Step concert!

There are seven different designs, one of each member from the main photo of their Fashion King photoshoot.  All shirts come in an adult size medium, which fits very loosely on me.

This is the T-shirt I received!  I'm so happy to have gotten Sungyeol's, because his personality really shined during the Fashion King episode and [spoiler] I honestly thought he deserved a much higher ranking that episode.

Overall, the Ranking King DVD is one of my most favorite Infinite items ever!  I can always watch the episodes over and over again, gawk over the photobook and admire my precious Sungyeol shirt.  While it does cost more than most other Infinite products (this is roughly $100 USD), it is a very special piece in anyone's collection.

The Thieves Movie Review (and Running Man Ep 102)

I pre-ordered the highly anticipated Korean blockbuster, The Thieves, from Amazon (it was directly from Amazon, so it was very trustworthy and arrived the day of the release date, February 12th) over a month ago and it has finally arrived!  I first had my eyes on this movie when the trailer just came out last year, and was so bummed that there would be no way for me to actually watch the movie.  But The Thieves has been brought to the US in select theaters in October 2012 (when I say select, I mean obscure theaters too far to drive to from the city), and finally has been released on DVD.

Out of the entire cast, why must Kim Soo Hyun be cut?  (referring to top right)

The DVD box itself is very minimal, only containing the DVD.

After being completely awestruck by Kim Soo Hyun's brilliant performance as the lead in The Moon that Embraces the Sun, I couldn't wait for his next move.  Soo Hyun has been evolving exponentially as an actor, as seen from his role in Dream High to his role in Moon Embracing Sun.  I started researching Soo Hyun's role in The Thieves and though he isn't one of the main thieves in this film, he did have some screenshots captured from the trailer that were very noteworthy.  Here's the trailer, with English subtitles:


Throughout watching this movie, I could not stop getting emotionally involved with the characters, because they were all so moving!  The movie opens with a thrilling scene that already puts you in an action mood.  In order to steal a precious diamond, a group of Korean thieves teams up with a group of Chinese thieves (mainland and Hong Kong), combining multiple cultures.  I love how there is communication in Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese and a little English, yet it still works really well.  There a flashbacks that offer background stories for some characters, which create depth and give each thief their own personal motive for stealing the diamond.  The one downfall about this movie is after the actual heist, it dragged on for quite some time and started to lose the thrill and momentum that the movie had otherwise.  I did like how the storyline was continuously unpredictable and had many unexpected twists.  Because the movie did escalate so brilliantly, I am very satisfied with the exciting ending.  Overall, I was very entertained by this movie and will definitely watch it again soon!

As I've said before, I purchased The Thieves purely because of Kim Soo Hyun, and he definitely did not disappoint!  I was quickly shocked when Soo Hyun began speaking in Mandarin, showing off his many skills.  His character is much more mature than his country bumpkin Dream High role of Song Sam Dong, and is equally high caliber to his role in Moon Embracing Sun.  Soo Hyun has showed so much growth as a mature, adult actor, and this movie has showcased his skills.  Overall, if you're a fan of Kim Soo Hyun or like heist movies, I definitely recommend you to check out The Thieves!

On a related note, Kim Soo Hyun guest starred on the variety show Running Man's 102nd episode that aired on July 8, 2012, with that episode's theme based on The Thieves and referencing Moon Embracing Sun. This episode's mission is a bit different from other Running Man missions, because Kim Soo Hyun is on a secret mission to oust the Running Man team, who has set out to steal golden turtles, which is mimicking The Thieves plot. Even the opening scene appears like a robbery movie, with Boss Soo Hyun answering an important call And receiving his secretive mission and "weapon." If you're a fan of Kim Soo Hyun, want to see his personality outside of dramas and movies, are a fan of The Thieves or other robbery movies, or just like interesting Running Man missions, check out this episode!

Running Man Ep 129: 2013 Winter Olympics & Idol Special Edition Review

I have always wanted to watch the famous variety show Running Man, but it wasn't until I saw the outstanding list of idols that I finally tuned in to the show.  For those who are unaware of the show, Running Man is an SBS variety show that stars the Running Man Team that must compete in challenges to beat the opposing team.  Episodes have different missions, locations and guest stars, making each episode unique and all the more entertaining to watch.

One of the most recent episodes, which aired on January 20th as Running Man's 129th episode, is the 2013 Winter Olympics and Idol Special Edition.  It was quite a treat to have so many stars on the opposing Idol Team, which includes my biases Jung Yong Hwa and Lee Jong Hyun of CNBlue, Choi Min Ho of SHINee, Sulli of f(x), Kim Myungsoo of Infinite and others, such as Hwang Kwang Hee of ZE:A and Lee Joon of MBLAQ.  To my surprise, the Running Man Team also has a celebrity: Lee Kwang Soo, who starred in Nice Guy alongside Song Joong Ki (who is a former member of the Running Man cast).  With such a star-studded cast, they could be eating watermelon or peeling an orange for all I care, I'd watch this any day! Luckily this episode was much more entertaining than that though.

This episode is filled with enthusiasm, funny remarks and banter among both teams.  The "Opening Ceremony" hilariously introduced each member of the Idol Team, immediately illustrating Kwang Hee as a sort of buffoon and Yong Hwa as an ace, after all he is the guest who has starred in the most Running Man episodes.  Not only is the show humorous, it is also adorable in scenes showing friendly Min Ho and Sulli interactions, especially after they starred in 2012's drama To The Beautiful You. The music montage is also fun, offering the latest hits from the guest stars during very fitting scenes. While Myungsoo competed in a race, Infinite's "The Chaser" played.

While watching variety shows, I'm always surprised at how down-to-earth and human idols are outside of seeing them performing. I love how these types of shows exposes more realistic personalities not seen onstage.

Of course this show isn't fueled 100% by guest stars. The Running Man cast all offer different personalities and humorous antics, creating an all-around entertaining cast. The written commentary is also laugh out loud funny. I'm sucked in right away and can't get enough of Running Man!  In all, the show can't stop me from cracking up!

Here is a link to view this episode in full, with English subtitles: http://www.dramafever.com/drama/3970/40