K-POP Book Club - A Literary Review with life lessons

This is not current news or relevant to anything in particular aside from me stumbling across the screen captures in a untidy folder of all kinds of forgotten and unwritten blog post fodder. I'd even edited the screen captures together already, in a "here's one I made earlier" type affair.

Super Junior's Miracle Show (aka "Human Network Super Junior’s Miracle") was a TV show broadcast in 2009 presented by Super Junior members Leeteuk, Shindong, Eunhyuk and apparently also Sungmin and Kangin (although 2009 was when Kangin met some trouble with the law... and Sungmin isn't in the only episode i've seen).  The premise of the show is SuJu "plant hopes and dreams for teenagers troubled with hardship by giving them support and encouragement" and find role-models and mentors for these trouble youths (I'm guessing bar fights and hit & run accusations didn't make Kangin the ideal role model...)

I'm not sure if it always follows the same formula, but the feeling I got was this is still very much an idol variety show, with amusing talk segments, silly games and challenges with the added heartwarming sentiment and human life story angle thrown in their for good measure. It's also interesting becasue Leeteuk, Shindong and Eunhyuk are the MCs, there's no comedians and comediennes shoved in to bulk up the numbers or help out with some amateur idol hosting,  of course this is because those three are basically pros, successful radio shows, years of tv experience (compared to current influx of rookie groups stumbling over their cue cards) and they even have their regular comedy "Teukigayo" spot on "Strong Heart" (another very popular celebrity talk/variety show) - I suppose wisdom and experience really do come with age, but i'd like to think SuJu are just naturally gifted. If only Heechul had been there.

Ok the real reason I chose the watch this show was because the other idol guests were MBLAQ, SHINee and Brown Eyed Girls. Its rare and exciting enough to get a fourway idol group interaction but somehow this combination struck me as a MUST SEE situation, despite the fact that all of them are missing a member during filming. In case you're wondering, BEG's Ga-in is filming elsewhere, MBLAQ's Joon is sick with a cold (why oh why couldn't it have been Thunder...) oh poor Joonie, at least they let him have a day off as this was 2009 when MBLAQ are relatively newbies (they have to give full rookie style member introductions) not like these days where the poor boy works through his insomnia, casually mentions he's bipolar, performs a day after a random vomiting fit and falls off a stage during and elaborate twirl (he's had a tough time) and finally SHINee are missing Minho (sorry but its not the greatest loss, its not like they're filming Dream Team) as he's at school - nice to know they make it their sometimes.

After some introductions and the mandatory promotional dance performance we meet the first kid who wants to be a news reporter. Everyone is on their best behavior for his 5 minute interview and giving encouraging nods and sympathetic "ahhs" to his story and his good grades and good intentions and after imposing on him a forced dance lesson of Brown Eyed Girl's Abracadabra "hip dance" the entire cast unites in a "HWAITING!" cry and promises to find him a suitable mentor, before sending him on his way for now.

Time for an idol talk segment and really, its a good one.  "scholarship quiz" - "it raises your IQ!" oh really?! Discussion time - Narsha define's "mentor" for us, Taemin describes the programme we're watching for us, and then something I really did not see coming ...

"What book became a mentor for you?" 

Now I don't want to undermine anyone's intelligence here, but I had never considered a k-pop literary review appearing in a tv show,  i'm still coming to terms with seeing T.O.P reading / holding a copy of and pretending to read "Mama Makes Up Her Mind" in the "Knockout" video:

Whether or not he can read that is besides the point, its a hip hop video and that screen shot above is promoting two things, firstly - MCM Luxury monogram leather goods, and secondly - LITERACY.  Way to go T.O.P.

Anyway back to the Miracle Show.  BEG's Miryo talks about a book called "You're Lonely, Aren't You" which helped her through a difficult time in her mid twenties and gave her hope. Now we turn our attention to Mir. What kind of books does Mir read?

Mir reads Death Note, an excellent manga of course, but what valuable lesson has Mir learned from the teachings of Death Note?

I see.  Let's move on...  but not before a quick joke at the expense of G.O and his creepy debut image, moustache and all:

G.O then introduces his mentor book Lee Oisoo's "Even women don't know women" which despite its title is apparently about "how people can become poets through tough ordeals". MBLAQ fans may recall the group actually go visit Oisoo at his home in their first reality show, so I wasn't too surprised by G.O's poetic revelations. And as the cast imply,  he's got a moustache, he looks a bit like an author, so y'know, he probably reads and stuff.

As for SHINee, this is when things started to get interesting...

Key starts us off in full Mother Teresa mode talking about Kim Hyeja's "don't hurt them even with a flower" that helped him to overcome an attitude problem, realise he was a happy person and worry about all the helpless children in the world.  God bless you Saint Key.

Is your mind blown yet?

Taemin chimes in with "I read Bernard Werber's - les papillion des etoiles" (I looked it up, French philosophical science fiction, I don't think its been translated into English, just french - korean..), I would love to know if this is a set text at school or something he just picked out for himself on his weekly sunday browse at the bookstore,  either way, Minnie has some brilliant philosophical advice for us all:

The wisdom of a 16 year old pop star. Justin Bieber doesn't even know where Germany is and Taemin's gaining life lessons from French Sci-Fi. You lose Bieber.

Of course Jonghyun reminisces about reading Kafka in high school, i'm not even making this up... and still somehow they manage to turn it around to talking about perving on a girl's bathroom...

Finally what is Onew reading at the moment? Jo Hyeryeon's "Future Diary" (Korean comedienne) and of course he too is learning valuable lessons about modern society,  and in particular such a heartfelt message of optimism:

He is then made to deliver a video message to his future self and then book club is over.  I was going to stop the post here but I feel like you also need to know about the idol's troubles segment, or at least you need to know that Key admits to being a bitch on national TV:

Please be my friend Key, please. I don't even mind if you phone me up and tell me i'm fat like you did to Nicole. I know you're just being honest, and that's why I love you.

Shindong gives Key some great advice that he puts to use, kind of relunctantly, later in the show - basically Shindong suggests any criticism of a girl can be smoothed over if you end it with "...but you're still pretty", when the second average normal person youth looking for a mentor arrives she tells us she wants to be come a Herbal Doctor, "one who combines intellect with looks" priceless Key cuts in with "just go for intellect..." Shindong prompts him "and..." and Key finishes "...but you're still pretty".   GOLD DUST MOMENT.

You think this program is over now? they just go off in two teams and look for a mentor for these kids? no no no. This is South Korea and that would be no fun, they must play "Sudden Wealth Jump Rope" - "Let's Earn our Travel Allowance", charades whilst skipping rope to amass petrol money for their bus trips to find the mentors...  yup.  You should probably watch this for yourself, i'll just mention highlights include Taemin's dance animal impersonations and a questionable action as G.O mimes Lord of the Rings.  I'll admit I didnt even look for the next episode to see if they found any mentors for these kids and helped them with their dreams,  I kinda felt like this show wasn't really going to surpass its own brilliance of k-pop book club, Baby Dino reads Kafka and SuJu/SHINee/MBLAQ/BEG skipping games.     and Key you can be such a bitch... but you're still pretty.

You can watch the entire episode I watched here in parts 1 2 3 4 5 (book reviews in 2 & 3, skipping charades in 4 & 5)

- BUNNY