The Fangirl Lane

Tag Archives: MBLAQ in Japan


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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 475

Every day, I find myself saying a prayer for G.O. I don’t ask for much outside of his health and happiness. But, I do pray that he not dwell on the past nor worry about the future. The crazy thing is, the bulk of this countdown series has been an exercise of dwelling on the past. Well, maybe it is a different kind of dwell. It is more of a revival or revisiting of moments in time G.O has shared with us from the very beginning of his career to today. Yes, some of the memories are tinged with sadness. The majority of them however are treasures. Today is the anniversary of MBLAQ’s first stage as a trio when they appeared at the Omiya Super Live Show in Japan back on 6 June 2015. Nostalgia once again sets in, and I must go back.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 441

I have to be honest, I am finding it difficult to concentrate on what I want to write about for this post because that picture up there is mesmerizing me to the point of distraction. For me, there is so much perfect going on in that picture from G.O’s gorgeous profile, elegant and graceful hand, to the black suit jacket and tie (I don’t know what it is about G.O in a suit that just unhinges me, but it does). Framed by the glow of the stage lights, he looked so at ease as he moved through the choreography of 전쟁이야 [This Is War] back on 17 May 2013 during MBLAQ’s Japan Mona Lisa Event. Today, I open The J-Files treasure chest to look back on the short and oh-so-sweet promotion of the release of MBLAQ’s Japanese version of Mona Lisa.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 415

There is just something about 열쇠 [Key]. It seems to be one of those songs that digs deep into G.O and takes ahold of every fiber of emotion welling inside of him. From the Broken promotions to the final performances of the song into late 2014, you see it in his eyes when he sings it and without question, hear it in his voice. 열쇠 [Key] is a somber song filled with pleas to help ease the pain of a broken or closed heart and probably has one of the most poetic and touching choruses of any of MBLAQ’s songs. And yes, G.O is the commander of that chorus. Today’s Fan-Camming Friday moment is a G.O- focused cam taken during the performance of  the lyrically beautiful 열쇠 [Key] at MBLAQ’s July 2014 Summer Vacation in Tokyo.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 401

Quietly and gently today, I want to revisit the tender Still in Love. I remember being so excited about the release of this single back in February 2014 because I had just joined the fandom and I was getting to experience the release of new music from MBLAQ for the first time. True, it was not as exciting as the upcoming Broken promotions that followed, but for me it was very special in any event and I guess it kind of prepared me for the bigger stage and excitement of the group’s comeback. Plus, you have to remember, my attention by then was securely focused on G.O as I was preparing to travel to Seoul to see him for the very first time. When I listen to Still In Love, I am transported back to those early days of first discovery. Sigh….so special. Anyway, before I get too overly sentimental here (too late!), let’s travel to Osaka and a focused fan cam of G.O as the group performed this sweet ballad back on 13 March 2014. It is Fan-Camming Friday after all!

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 378

I am sure all A+ can agree that MBLAQ’s gentle pop song homage to their fans, You’re My + is one of their best, and for various reasons. For me, it is one of those MBLAQ songs where I can hear an audible smile, as it were, in G.O’s voice while he sings. Moreover, in this song, G.O gets plenty of sing time and when that happens, I always rank it among my favorite group songs. You’re My + is a good choice then to place it firmly in the Vocal Virtuosity category. Yes. And even though I am certain they have performed the song live often, I am choosing a particularly poignant live performance to showcase it: the first stage as a trio at Omiya back in June 2015.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 364

By early 2012, MBLAQ had released their fourth mini album and were really conquering all of Asia. Indeed, they had won the hearts of Japanese fans. In March of 2012, they released a compilation CD of some of their best Korean songs (to date) for the Japanese market which included a Japanese version of You’re My +. The album was entitled Blaq Memories ~ Best in Korea. With it came an album cover/booklet photo shoot and with that photo shoot, a short film, MBLAQ Blaq Memories ~ Off Shot Movie. For today, Day 364, I would like to share a few golden G.O moments from the Blaq Memories photo shoot and movie.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 308

In looking back over the 308 posts in this series thus far, I have come to the conclusion that I really can babble on quite a bit about G.O. It’s funny. When I decided to take this journey, I told myself I was going to keep it simple. A picture, a video, a small commemoration, so long as I was consistent and posted something daily. But now, this series has become very much a labor of love for me and I find that I just cannot keep it simple when it involves G.O. I will do my best today however to try and contain the feels as I honor the absolute vocal virtuosity captured in 말하지 말걸 [I Shouldn’t Speak] at MBLAQ’s performance in Yokohama during the Blaq% Tour, 9 September 2012.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 277

Yes, so I missed MBLAQ’s Japanese debut also. Sigh . . . It would have been a great way to celebrate my birthday month in May of 2011 as debuts bring all kinds of treasures. Those treasures manifest themselves in the form of a song, album, MV, live promotional appearances, even fan meets or fan signs. It would have been all kinds of birthday bliss. But alas, I arrived late. I still can relive the excitement though, right? MBLAQ debuted in Japan with Your Luv, a song I happen to think showcased G.O’s indelible voice and potent charm.  Continue reading →


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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 272

After MBLAQ’s rather successful Blaq% Asia Tour in 2012 (and particularly so in Japan), it was decided that the group would release a Japanese version of Mona Lisa and it was sensory overload. The one thing a physical CD can give us over its digital counterpart is beautiful packaging coupled photo books and photo cards that are artfully produced and which become treasured artifacts. For Day 272 of G.O’s service, I feel like revisiting the Three Shades of Japanese Mona Lisa.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 244

I carry around a notebook (everywhere I go) that has now become quite tattered wherein I have been keeping track of each and every Countdown post ~ yeah, I am pretty old school. When I began this series, I wrote down each day of G.O’s service and have been gradually filling in each line (day) with an idea or thought for a post for that specific day. A long while ago, I made Day 244 a Fan-Camming day and next to it simply wrote: Omiya. I have many fond memories of that lovely day in June. It was also a day filled with an avalanche of feels. When the newly minted trio performed 말하지 말걸 [Don’t Speak], hearing G.O sing it live once again reminded me that the song and his performance of it will forever remain in a class of its own when it comes to feels. Seriously.

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