Infinite: Be Mine Single (Type B - Pop Art Version) Review

Infinite released their second Japanese single Be Mine in April 2012. There is 1 normal version and 3 limited versions: Type A (Solid Version) which I reviewed here, Type B (Pop Art Version) which I'm reviewing now, and Type C (Innocent Version) which I reviewed here. Finally, I have completed the limited version set with the addition of the Pop Art Version!

I ordered this Pop Art Version on Amazon from Japanese seller EXP-JAPAN (Shipment from USA), based in Kentucky, and fulfilled by Amazon for about $27 USD on December 28th, 2017. You can find the link here. I always feel uncertain ordering from Amazon because they lack details in which version they're actually selling. Luckily the album image is correct and it was the Pop Art Version that I received. The expected delivery is from January 4th, 2018 to January 8th, 2018. My package shipped on the 3rd from Indiana and arrived on the 6th in a padded paper envelope and the album was in a clear sealed bag inside. While the packaging could have been more secure, the album exterior does look like it arrived in perfect condition.

The dimensions of the packaging are roughly 7.5" by 5.5" by 0.5", similar to majority of Infinite's album sizes. The exterior case is a clear, thin, flexible plastic with an opening on the top. I believe the sticker emphasizes Infinite's 99.9% synchronization as well as the contents of this version.

The backside of the exterior packaging displays the standard L postcard. The backside also has a sticker showing all 8 regular postcards and the 7 random postcards that are available with this version.

Here is how the side of the album looks like where the contents come out of its casing. I like how intricate even the details of this album are, with the wording on the side of the CD casing embossed.

The contents of the album open from the top and include the CD casing, followed by the booklet, then the 9 postcards (of which are facing the back side).

Here are the 8 standard postcards that come with every Pop Art Version. The order the cards came in is the regular L postcard, followed by the regular postcards of each member from oldest to youngest, then the group postcard, followed by the random member postcard. The postcards all have a matte finish on the front. The regular member cards are all closeups.

Here is the random member postcard. I got Sungjong! All random photocards are a half-hour shot of the members.

The backside of all 9 postcards are matte silver and prone to fingerprints.

Here is the photobooklet, which contains 10 pages.

The back of the booklet contains the album credits.

All 4 versions contain the into track "Over The Top" and the Japanese versions of "Be Mine" and "Julia". Inside the booklet contains the Japanese lyrics for "Be Mine" and "Julia". This is such a cute and manly picture of Infinite <3

There is also one page per member that includes their name in Japanese, printed autograph, position within the group, birth date, and blood type.

This is the CD casing. The text and the members are embossed and the entire exterior of this casing is glossy.

The back of the CD casing is just as cool. The Infinite logo, paint splatter, and tracklist are all embossed and glossy as well.

Inside the CD casing contains 2 sheets of paper. 1 sheet is a ticket to a promotional event for April 21st, 2012.

Here is the backside of the event ticket.

The other sheet shows Infinite's Japanese releases up to April 2012.

The backside of this sheet shows the 4 versions of this single, along with all the standard and random photocards from each of the 3 limited versions.

Here is how the inside of the CD casing looks (without the 2 sheets). The famous Infinite logo has a cool pixelated design that covers the entire inside and is on the CD-R as well.

Overall, I'm so happy to have finally collected the 3 limited versions of Infinite's Be Mine single. The Innocent Version was one of my very first Infinite albums and is so meaningful to me. For me to finally have all 3 and go full circle is even more meaningful.

Infinite: Be Mine Single (Type A - Solid Version) Review

Infinite released the Japanese single to "Be Mine" back in April 2012, and I gave an overview of the albums in my review of Type C, the Innocent Version here. I also blogged about Type B - Pop Art Version here. I really don't want to repeat everything about these albums again, so you can either check out my previous post or also feel free to ask me questions^^ All four versions of this single are a lot more expensive now, but I managed to buy Type A, the Solid Version and the only version that comes with a DVD, for $35 new from samurai_media_JPN4US, a Japanese independent seller on Amazon.com. It took exactly two weeks to arrive since I ordered it, and it came well packaged in a padded paper envelope twice the album's size and then in another bubble wrap envelope.

As you can see, the Solid Version is the rocker image. It's definitely so different from the Pop Art and Innocent versions. The album is about the same dimensions as most of Infinite's other albums, except this version is just a bit thicker than the Pop Art and Innocent versions because this also comes with the DVD.

The seller stupidly put their own stickers on top of the album sticker, which covered up precious information! Luckily I was able to remove the more obnoxious sticker. And of course L's postcard is used as the back cover^^

Here is the back sticker, which shows all seven member postcards, the group postcard, and all seven random member postcards. Also included is information about the DVD, like it's 60 minutes long (!) and that it's for Region 2.

I never noticed it, but on the side of the album, there's the album info and version specification as well. I always put that side face down, but maybe that's supposed to be the side that you display.

Because of the way this album is packaged, I used an X-Acto knife to slice down the side with the opening in order to preserve the stickers. From the backside, the contents are the postcards (the individual members starting with L and then oldest to youngest, the group card, then the random member card), the booklet, and the CD and DVD case.

Here are all nine postcards in the order they came (left to right, top to bottom), and as you can see I got Hoya's random card. Also, this group card is a different image than the cover. These cards are a bit hard to put back into the casing and the edges easily get damaged sadly.

The front is matte while the back is a glossy gray.

The booklet has a rustic front cover and all the credits and other information on the back cover.

The first page includes a group photo and both disc's tracklists.

The booklet is 10 pages long and has a page for each member that includes their profile information and a page for each of the song lyrics. I was never drawn to this rock concept especially with their hair so messy and unnatural, but then I turned and saw L's page and just died! It is worth it just for this picture. (I keep saying L because this is really...L, not Myungsoo!)

This is the case for the CD and DVD.

The backside of the case has the song tracklist.

This case is really nice; the Infinite logo and splash of paint are not printed on the box, but it's like 3D and has a plastic coating over it. The Innocent Version just has everything printed onto the case.

Inside the case are two sheets of paper. The first sheet contains all four versions of this album, including all of the possible postcards. The backside has Infinite's Japanese discography and DVD list.

Another sheet I believe is for a promotion event in Japan.

Inside the case lists the tracklists for both discs. I'm surprised at how much content is on the DVD; included are the three versions of the "Be Mine" music video (Japanese, Korean, and Korean dance), and Infinite Japan Story, which is a feature about Infinite promoting BTD in Japan! I'm happy to see such a long special feature on one of Infinite's album DVDs. I could only get through part of Day 1 because my DVD player doesn't function well, so sadly I couldn't watch most of the contents. Here's what I'll say: the main menu has the scene selection and the option for Japanese subtitles. Because there are no English subtitles, it's hard not to just go onto YouTube and watch a subbed version instead. The Infinite Japan Story is the behind the scenes and footage from the promotional events for the Japanese version of BTD. It is broken down into days 1 to 7. They mostly spoke in Korean to the camera, though at times they'd practice their Japanese or practice singing BTD, and of course during their events, like a press conference, they spoke (though sometimes cutely stumbling) in Japanese. I loved seeing the members being themselves and having fun.

Overall, just that one photo of L in the booklet is all I need to make the album worth it, but in general the album is worth it. The DVD is really nice and there are so many things that Inspirits reference but I never knew where it's from (ie. during the press conference Myungsoo introduced himself as a vocal of Infinite, and that he likes udon. I didn't actually know this until they dramatized this part in the DVD, so I watched the English subbed version on YouTube and found out lol). I hope someday I'll get the Pop Art version to complete the limited versions of Be Mine.

Note to self: I really hope this is the last time I change my watermark, people will start thinking that none of the images are mine...

[Update] Dealing with Amazon Customer Service and Infinite's Over TheTop 1st Full Album

I realized I never finished about what happened to my Infinite Over The Top album, which I blogged about here. Just over a year ago, I had ordered a new OTT album through an individual seller on Amazon.com, but it had arrived clearly looking used. I posted this photo on my previous post about this; here you can see the crappy wrapping, how it's brittle, hard, and loose whereas Kpop albums always have soft wrapping that winds around the album like saran wrap. Of course this broke my heart and once again made me want to quit being an Inspirit for fear of having not-perfect albums, but I persevered and fought my way for justice (the cheesiness).

Amazon's policy is for the customer to first email the individual seller, and if the seller doesn't reply within a few days, you can contact Amazon's customer service directly. This seller of course ignored my complaint, so I called Amazon explaining exactly the problem, and how I could tell that this was not a new album as it was stated to be. Amazon said that they would try to contact the seller to work things out, but if it doesn't go through, Amazon itself will fully refund me, so Amazon would take the loss. After calling Amazon again, they told me that I can keep the album or dispose of it, and that they had fully refunded me my money exactly how I had paid for the product (via gift card and credit card).

Though I got my money back, I felt so upset for having a tainted Infinite album; if I already have this album, I'd also feel wrong to buy another, more legit, OTT as well. I still opened the album, and was frustrated by seeing the usedness of the inside: the CD had a stamp with Chinese and Japanese characters on it; I asked my mom, and it said something like "you have permission to use this." And lastly, my album isn't even first press despite this album having such limited quantity: first press has Sungyeol's name misspelled in his "thanks to" section, whereas his name is spelled correctly in mine.

By now this seller has such negative reviews on Amazon, and currently doesn't have any product listings, probably because the seller is now banned from the website. I hope my pervasiveness has helped customers from becoming victims of this horrible seller!

Oddly enough, a week later I received another package from this same seller. I think he accidentally sent me another package while the first one was still shipping, so before this whole fiasco. I opened it, and it was another OTT without the slipcase and with the homemade wrapping. I looked inside, ant this time there were two of those ridiculous stamps! I did play both CDs to make sure they worked, and they did (since apparently I'm allowed to -.-).

I definitely don't want to sell either of these albums, because that would be like ripping off another Inspirit. I don't think anyone would want to tarnish their collection with such an album like mine. I'm so sad since OTT is an especially important album to Infinite and Inspirits.

Moral of the story: basically, my albums are legit, they have the authentication sticker, and they're missing the slipcases; if I had bought this album marked as used, I wouldn't have made as big of a fuss.never settle on a product's condition that wasn't stated, and you should try to fix it by contacting the company you bought the product from! Though it may be aggravating to deal with, it is worth it to know that you tried your best in resolving the problem.

So I've had both of these albums for just over a year now, and I guess I was so ashamed about it being tainted that I never reviewed it. But I guess I will finally review it soon~

[Update] Infinite: Koi Ni Ochiru Toki 1st Japanese Full Album Review

As new official Infinite products seem to be on hiatus (as in Woollim isn't releasing any new albums or DVDs for awhile), I decided that I want to try and collect all seven random member photobooks from the Japanese full album, Koi Ni Ochiru Toki! I originally bought a new album in Japan and received Hoya, which I traded for my friend's Myungsoo. Though I have my bias's book, I love this concept and photoshoot so much, and the fact that the random element is an actual book instead of a photocard, that I decided to try and collect more! Here is my original review of the album, and in this blog post I'll describe my game plan for collecting all seven photobooks and continue my review of the album.

I prefer buying new albums, but because I want to collect specific books and ask sellers which member's book they're selling, I decided to go to the used market on Amazon. While there are few sellers on eBay selling specific member's photobooks, they're offering ridiculous prices so buying used from Amazon seemed best. I emailed many sellers for which members they had, some of who ignored me, some who said they don't have access to their warehouse, and others who gave me the member and immediately hiked up the price three-fold. I'm pretty hesitant buying from an independent seller on Amazon (as I've had way more than my share of bad experiences), especially because the random member photobook may be missing from the album. Yet I gambled with the cheapest seller, SHINJITU JP, who also never responded to my email. I paid just under $16 and my used album arrived exactly two weeks after shipment.

My album arrived in a paper envelope lined with bubblewrap, and there was a thin cushy layer around my album that was taped onto the album itself...luckily it didn't leave a mark. But of course the first thing I checked before opening my package was whether or not the random photobook was inside-I gave my package a shake and everything seemed to be there! Overall the exterior casing had a few nicks, but the photobooks were in excellent, practically new condition!

I'm pretty meticulous when it comes to documenting my Infinite merchandise, so that's why most of this post is pointless. But anyways, my album came with, in order from top to bottom: the CD/DVD case, the regular photobook, the advertisement slip, and lastly the random member photobook. The only thing that's missing is the lottery ticket.

And if it wasn't for this album, I wouldn't have known that the perforated exterior case is also a slip that goes over the album! So the real album covers under the cover slips look like this, with a simplistic front and with a group photo from the regular photobook, the CD and DVD tracklists and technical information on the back.

Of course the first thing I checked after opening the package was which member did I get...I got Woohyun, the one I wanted the most! Admiring every page of pure amazingness, my hands were trembling so much in happiness that I finally got what I had wanted. While all the member photobooks include photos from all three photoshoots (white suits, black and white suits, pastel suits), the number of pages per each shoot is different. Excluding the front and back covers, Hoya's and Woohyun's are 6, 4, 8, and Myungsoo's is 6, 6, 6.

Here are the covers of Woohyun's photobook. Like the front cover, the rest of the photos from this shoot show Woohyun calm and distant, and then the last shoot is more cute and fun.

Mostly every page has its own photo, but for some reason that one photo of Woohyun was wasted...it's still a gorgeous photo though^^ Then there are the black and white photos, which are cute as well. Many of Woohyun's photos (5 to be exact) are full body, and many more (8) are half body...I was hoping for more close-ups. Included are Woohyun's profile information and printed autograph, and the last two pages are fun poses!

I never got around to posting about Myungsoo's photobook, but it's never too late! Here are the front and back covers.

I cannot get over the first photoshoot; it is just pure perfection. These pages show Myungsoo being cute and charming, and also expressionless L! Included again are the profile information and printed autograph, and the last two pages are so cute!

Again, I cannot state how esctatic I am to have both Myungsoo's and Woohyun's. Part of me wants to continue collecting the rest ASAP but then I feel like I won't cherish my top 2 as much as I do now...we'll see^^

Infinite: BTD Single (Normal) Review

As I had previously mentioned in my BTD Type A post, Infinite's first Japanese single, BTD, was released in three first press editions. I also reviewed Type B here. Here I'll cover the BTD Normal Edition.

I ordered this new album for under $19 from TOKYO LINE, an individual seller based in Japan through Amazon.com. My package was shipped the following day and arrived safely in eight days! My CD came inside a paper envelope lined with a layer of bubble wrap. 

And here is the album! This single comes in a typical CD case. Lying on the side is information in Japanese. The side of the CD case itself, without this slip of card stock, also reveals the black patterned siding. The album cover is the booklet cover as well. This image shows Infinite looking stern and tough in their sleek white and metallic, crocodile-textured suits. I never noticed Dongwoo's belly button is exposed! The background is a continuation of the crocodile pattern.

Type A has a white theme while Type B has a black theme, yet this normal edition incorporates both color schemes. The left siding is black while the right is white, which adds a unique touch.

The backside of the CD continues the pattern. It also has the tracklist, which includes the Japanese, original and instrumental versions of "BTD" and the original remake (meaning the Korean version) of "Can You Smile." The backside also shows the silhouette of the group image, as well as typical CD information, including the release date of the album (November 19, 2011). The backside of the card stock slip also has the same information, and it also includes the typical "Infinite's 99.9% synchronization."

The back of the booklet, which can be viewed at the top left, is the same pattern with the white Infinite logo intruding. The CD itself has a different design from the CD in Type A. The design underneath the disc is interesting as well, further showcasing Infinite's most used era logo.

This booklet is only six pages long. The first two pages contain the tracklist, another group photo and the Japanese lyrics to "BTD." The following two pages contain the Korean and Japanese lyrics to "Can You Smile." The last two pages have the Korean lyrics to "BTD," credits and Infinite in their black suits!

All normal editions of BTD should come with this same group photocard. This image is the same as the album cover, except this card also has the reflective shadows. Because I already have Type A, I bought this album solely for the group photocard. Lately I've been really obsessed with collecting photocards and Infinite rarely has OT7 cards, so this was a must! The backside is the same as all other BTD photocards, listing the members' names.

Overall, despite being like a typical CD and not like a lavish Kpop or Jpop album, it is still very nice! While these songs can be found on other Infinite albums, the group photocard was the selling point for me. The image on the photocard isn't in BTD Type A (only a cropped version of this photo), and also for that, I'm glad I got this album.