‘YO-Kai Watch’: Japan’s monster craze set to go international

TOKYO (AFP) ― Move over Pokemon, a legion of new cutesy monsters is haunting Japan and set to break out all over the world after trampling the competition at home. “YO-Kai Watch” is a nexus of manga comics, anime cartoons and computer games that revolve around the life of a school boy and the monsters ― “Yokai” ― that he summons with his wrist strap.While the name is unfamiliar in the West, it’s already very big business in Japan.“We bought a lot ― about 20 items ― as we can rarely buy them,” Sh

CartoonSept. 15, 2014

Alan Turing biopic wins top prize at Toronto fest

OTTAWA (AFP) ― “The Imitation Game,” a biopic of British code-breaker Alan Turing starring Benedict Cumberbatch, won the Toronto film festivals top prize Sunday, confirming its status as an early Oscars contender.Morten Tyldum’s World War II-era drama also stars Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode and Allen Leech of the hit television series “Downton Abbey,” and features a rare German Enigma code machine from the war.“There was something very subtle, uncompromising and unusual about (Turing) but also

FilmSept. 15, 2014

Crying Nut, No Brain to drop collaborative album

Crying Nut and No Brain. (Drug Records/Roxta Muzik & Live)Two of the most popular local rock bands, Crying Nut and No Brain, will be releasing a collaborative album for the first time in their near two-decade long careers, according to an announcement by Mirrorball Music on Monday. The upcoming EP is titled “96,” representing the year that the two bands first met. Although the album’s exact release date has not yet been revealed, it has been announced that the EP will feature the bands performin

Sept. 15, 2014

BEAST to release anniversary album next month

BEAST. ( Cube Entertainment)Shortly after returning to the limelight with the release of their latest EP “Good Luck” in June, the six members of BEAST are slated to drop another album in commemoration of the group’s upcoming anniversary, according to a press release from Cube Entertainment on Monday. During the group’s “Beautiful Show” solo concert last month in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, the members hinted to their fans of a possible new album. BEAST’s agency has now officially confirmed that th

Sept. 15, 2014

JYJ to hold free concert on Seoul street

JYJ. (C-JES Entertainment)K-pop boy band JYJ will hold a free concert on a major street in downtown Seoul on Oct. 5, the group’s agency said Monday. The concert is part of the upcoming “2014 Gangnam Festival,” designed to promote hallyu, the overseas Korean pop culture boom, Gangnam-gu Office said. It will take place on Yeongdong Road in front of the Korea Electric Power Corp. headquarters in Samseong-dong. Over 33,000 fans are expected to turn up, turning the area into a giant outdoor concert v

Sept. 15, 2014

2PM vs TaeTiSeo next week’s K-pop scene

Fans are aflutter as both 2PM and TaeTiSeo are set to release new albums next week. Boy band 2PM already released its new single, “Go Crazy” on Monday, and the Girls’ Generation subunit TaeTiSeo plans to reveal its newest single “Holler,” which has more cheerful mood than previous hit song “Twinkle,” on Tuesday.Fierce competition between the two groups is expected to dominate the nation‘s music charts.2PM totally changed its image for its latest release. The group used to show off its charisma,

Sept. 15, 2014

Lee Hyori boasts a stylish look in Berlin

Lee Hyori revealed on Monday a stylish look in a photo shoot with magazine COSMOPOLITAN. The photos, taken in Berlin, show various fashion styles from a feminine look to sexy. Lee also mixed and matched trendy outerwear with a dressy wardrobe, highlighting her keen sense of fashion.(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Sept. 15, 2014

TaeTiSeo‘s selfie heralds their imminent comeback

Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon released a selfie that she took with Tiffany and Seohyun on Monday, a day before TaeTiSeo’s new album release. 　“If you knew anything would come up, it would be us, thanksta!” Taeyeon wrote on her Instagram. The trio, the Girls’ Generation sub-unit dubbed TaeTiSeo, are to drop their second EP “Holler” on Sept. 16, more than two years after the group unveiled its debut EP “Twinkle.” 　The group will hold a showcase of its latest EP on the same day at Seoul Olympic Park’

Sept. 15, 2014

Lee Min-ho exudes romantic attraction as Guess Jeans model

 Guess Jeans released a fall advertisement featuring Hallyu star Lee Min-ho, with the theme of “Some Jean.” The theme refers to the ambiguous relationship between two people as they begin a new love. In the picture, Lee portrays an attractive man who is in “some,” stimulating the romantic fantasies of women all around.  　By Yoon Ji-soo, Intern reporter (thankque@heraldcorp.com)　[Photo credit: Guess Jeans]

Sept. 15, 2014

Park Shin-hye wants to try ‘action’

Actress Park Shin-hye revealed her willingness to try action scenes during her Asian tour interview with the Taiwanese press on Saturday.“It has been a year and a half since I last visited Taiwan, but the place feels really familiar,” Park was quoted as saying. “I stayed here for four months, participating in a Taiwanese drama. During the stay, I became accustomed to the culture and fans here.” The actress was also asked by the Taiwanese press how she would like to challenge herself in dramas or

Sept. 15, 2014

Rain cannot feel 12-year age gap with Krystal

Singer-actors Jung Ji-hoon (Rain) and Jung Soo-jung (Krystal) attend the press conference for SBS's new rom-com "My Lovely Girl" in Seoul, Monday. (OSEN)Singer-actor Jung Ji-hoon, commonly known as Rain, said he does not feel the 12-year age difference with f(x)’s Krystal, declaring himself an old fan of the girl group member.“We have had such a great teamwork that it made the 12-year age gap totally forgettable,” Jung said in a press conference for SBS’ new rom-com “My Lovely Girl” that was hel

Sept. 15, 2014

Rain seeks to break rosy illusions about celebrities via ‘My Love Girl’

Singer-actor Jung Ji-hoon (Rain) attends the press conference for SBS's rom-com series "My Love Girl" in Seoul, Monday. (OSEN)Rain said he wanted to shatter the rosy illusions about being a TV celebrity through SBS's new rom-com "My Lovely Girl" by showing behind-the-scenes experiences that celebrities undergo. With 12 years of acting under his belt, the singer-Hollywood actor asserted that the drama realistically portrays many of the hidden realities, such as the heartbreaking hardships of that

Sept. 15, 2014

‘My Lovely Girl’ blends K-pop eye-candy and romance

Actors attend the press conference for SBS's new rom-com "My Lovely Girl" in Seoul on Monday. From left: actors Jung Ji-hoon, Jung Soo-jung (Krystal), Cha Ye-ryeon, Kim Myung-soo (L), Park Young-gyu, Kim Jin-woo and Haeryeong. (OSEN)SBS’s new rom-com “My Lovely Girl” perhaps is one of the most anticipated K-dramas for K-pop fans this fall. Directed by Park Hyung-gi and written by No Ji-seol, the Wednesday-Thursday drama stars several singer-actor hotshots, including Rain, Krystal from f(x), L fr

Sept. 15, 2014

Suzy boasts feminine and graceful charm

Suzy, a Korean idol and actress, posed for fashion magazine Ceci. She boasts a graceful and beautiful figure in the photo shoot. She captures the readers’ eye in one picture with her deep gaze while holding a flower. 　By Yoon Ji-soo, Intern reporter (thankque@heraldcorp.com)[Photo Credit : Ceci]　

Sept. 15, 2014

Apink gains tremendous popularity in Japan

Apink gains tremendous popularity in JapanThe girls of K-pop girl group Apink held a showcase in Osaka on Saturday, to the passionate support of fans, the second of its kind after the event in Tokyo.The group was staged at Namba Hatch concert hall in Osaka, with about 4,000 fans packing the venue.Apink held its debut showcase in early August, and the group will reveal its debut single “NoNoNo” on Oct. 22.“Apink has gained tremendous popularity, with more than 50,000 fans applying for the first s

Sept. 15, 2014

Super Junior hits grand slam with ’Mamacita’

Idol group Super Junior won the first place trophy on SBS’ “Inkigayo” on Sunday, hitting a grand slam in Korean music programs.Competing against the nominees Sistar and Winner, the group’s title song “Mamacita (Ayaya)” from its seventh full-length album won the first prize.“We thank all of you, especially our managers, who are putting up with tight schedules, and our (entertainment) agency families,” member Donghae was quoted as saying.The idol group has now won a first prize on every Korean mus

Sept. 15, 2014

Joo Won perfectly resembles manga character

(KBS)The official posters for KBS’s new rom-com, “Cantabile Tomorrow,” were released on Monday, showing the resemblance between the lead actor Joo Won and the original character from a Japanese graphic novel.In the posters, Joo Won is dressed up in a black tuxedo and white shirt, a trademark outfit for the maestro of an orchestra. The actor perfectly matches the original character Shinyichi Chiaki from the Japanese graphic novel “Nodame Cantabile” by Tomoko Ninomiya. The Korean heartthrob plays

Sept. 15, 2014

Rain thanks fans for food truck gift

(SBS)Singer-actor Jung Ji-hoon, commonly known as Rain, thanked his fans for sending a food catering truck to support the actors and production staff of SBS’ new drama “My Lovely Girl,” the broadcaster said on Friday. Gureum, an official fan club of the heartthrob’s Korean fans, ordered a meal truck to feed 80-some actors and staff at the filming site in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday. Jung will be returning to the K-drama scene with “My Lovely Girl,” his first drama in four years. The dra

Sept. 15, 2014

Style goes digital at London Fashion Week

LONDON (AP) ― What to wear to London Fashion Week? The hottest designer heels, the latest fall jacket ― or perhaps a tech accessory like Google Glass. Hundreds of models, stylists and fashion insiders descended on the British capital Friday as the five-day whirlwind of catwalk shows kicked off, bringing the usual heady mix of glamor, parties and beautiful people. This season, however, organizers are also focusing on pairing technology with fashion, launching a series of talks and projects with G

Arts & DesignSept. 14, 2014