Lovelyz has released their fifth mini album, Sanctuary, on November 26, 2018, following digital summer single "Wag-zak" back in June and instrumental album release Muse on Music back in September. With the release of Sanctuary, this is the first time Woollim is releasing different versions of a Lovelyz album. Here I'll be unboxing the limited version of Sanctuary.
I pre-ordered both versions along with two folded posters from Ktown4u for just under $51 USD shipped, and they shipped out on the 26th. On December 12th my albums and posters arrived in perfect condition, wrapped securely in four layers of bubblewrap inside a cardboard box.
This era contains two photoshoots and comes with two external first press posters, one from each shoot. The first poster is from what I call the wedding photoshoot; the image is of the group as winter brides in beautiful wedding gowns surrounded by a calming garden. Their concept has matured so much in four years, from schoolgirls to brides! The second poster is from the sparkly outfit photoshoot; the image is of the girls in sparkly black dress inside an indoor garden. The posters are again a bit grainy (why does Woollim keep doing this...) and are a few millimeters shorter but longer than Woollim's typical exterior first press posters.
The album cover design is very indie and has nice metallic accents. This era also showcases a bird as Lovelyz' new logo, which is centered on the front cover.
All four sides of the album have matching pink accents as well, with the top and bottom displaying "LOVELYZ" and the left spine "SANCTUARY".
The right spine displays "THE 5TH MINI ALBUM". The album exterior has a heavy, sturdy canvas texture. The album is quite large, about 7.375" by 10.5" by 1".
The back cover shows a similar design as the front, but without the metallic accents. The tracklist is displayed as well.
The limited version is designed like a rigid box style and is very sturdy to safely hold the contents inside.
From top to bottom (pictured left to right) the contents are the "photobook", followed by two posters, the photocard and bookmark, loosely placed at the bottom of the box, and at the very bottom is the CD.
The photobook consists of 80 loose leaf pages that are double-sided.
The photobook pages are held together by a paper sleeve. The backside has the leaf motif.
The photobook is divided up evenly among the two photoshoots, with the sparkly outfit photoshoot first, followed by the wedding pictorial.
Each member has a set of four individual photos per photoshoot.
There is at most one image per page. While most images are fully enlarged to completely fit the page, there are a few horizontal pictures to mix up the formatting.
The limited version also includes eight "special film" sheets, or transparency sheets. These sheets are randomly placed throughout the photobook.
From top to bottom and left to right (sparkly outfit Sujeong to wedding pictorial Babysoul) is where the transparency sheets were placed. These images are all individual member shots from the sparkly outfit photoshoot.
A group image finishes off the first portion of the photobook. These outfits really remind me of "Twinkle" era, fitting for the holiday season.
The second portion begins with the new album logo.
This section then continues with the same formatting as the first section where each member has a four-page set.
I can't get over this photoshoot. These wedding dresses are absolutely gorgeous and the members wear formal attire so well.
I absolutely love this picture of Sujeong on the right; the way her headpiece and dress sparkle in the light adds to the luxurious feel of this photoshoot.
Another group image completes the second portion of the photobook.
There is another page dedicated to this era's logo, followed by the song credits and lyrics.
Each track has its own page for the song credits and lyrics.
There is one more group photo within the photobook. All three group images within the photobook give off a serious vibe, different from the happy and joyful feel of the exterior posters.
There are three pages for the Thanks To section.
The last page of the photobook is for the album credits and ends with the leaf motif.
The limited version also includes two non-random folded posters inside the album, one from each photoshoot. I usually dislike posters with a collage of individual images, but this one is really well done! It matches the album cover well and has an indie feel.
The second poster is a group image from the other photoshoot. Both posters have a matte finish and are back to having grainy resolution, with dimensions 27.5" by 20".
The bookmark has the new Lovelyz logo as the centerpiece. The front side has a reflective silver finish. It is 3.75" tall and 1.75" at the widest.
The backside of the bookmark has a matte white finish. The bookmark slit is perforated so you have to break the perforation to properly use it.
All of the inclusions within the limited version are different from the inclusions within the normal version. The limited version comes with one random photocard out of eight. I pulled Jisoo.
The backside has Jisoo's printed message and autograph. These cards are glossy and have the same dimensions and roundness as the photocards from
A New Trilogy and
R U Ready?
To my great disappointment, my photocard came with a long scratch mark. This is the first time I pulled a damaged item straight from inside the album. Small inclusions like the photocard and bookmark should have been placed in between the photobook pages or posters instead of directly on top of the uneven surface of the CD where these items could shift around and get damaged.
Lastly the CD sits in the bottom of the box. There is a thick layer of cardstock that makes up the bottom of the box, and it has an indentation to secure the sides of the CD. A foam circle holds the CD in place.
I'll discuss the tracklist in my normal version posting.
And finally, a select few first press albums from both the limited and normal version contain a "special Polaroid film", basically a random Polaroid of the members. I wasn't lucky enough to pull one in either of my albums.
Overall, I absolutely love the limited version! The packaging is really elegant and the inclusions are abundant. The two photoshoots are so beautiful and show off a more mature, elegant side of Lovelyz. I'm not a fan of all the tracks (it usually takes me some time until I like all the songs) but I am absolutely in love with the title track (Sweetune!) and have it on repeat often. The one downside to this album is that I received my photocard damaged, but it is what it is. Coming up, I'll be unboxing the normal version soon. I'm really happy Lovelyz were able to come back before the end of the year and am looking forward to what 2019 has in store for them!
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