This Week in Kpop: October 4-10, 2015

This Week in Kpop was a ray of sunshine in these dreary fall days, friends. Topped by the delightful return by Kpop's own Akdong Musician. Sure, it may seem like a cruel tease, but this special video was just what the doctor ordered! But enough with the introductions! Let's get started already!

AKMU Returns! 

Sometimes you don't realize how much you've missed someone, until they've returned. With Akdong Musician's special video commemorating "Hangul Day" the first real sign of them all year, we're seeing now just how much Kpop needs the sibling duo. Their incredible debut album, Play, was released in April of last year (AKMU won our rookies of the year for 2014), so when you really think about it, it's not entirely unreasonable that they haven't released a new song immediately after their tour de force.

If they were, say, American idols, they'd probably still be promoting from that very first album, and there would be no expectation of new releases for years. But Kpop, as we know, is a different beast with a far different cycle, and even though it's unreasonable to expect a new album every year, to not use Akdong Musician in even cameos or collaborations, just to build on their killer momentum, is something close to a crime.

Remember Hi Suhyun?

Of course you do. Suhyun and poor, forgotten Lee Hi's subgroup was pure gold and a perfect follow up after Akdong Musician's early success. We know that YG is notorious for taking their time with their artists, but why not have another subgroup release, with Hi Suhyun or maybe a different one featuring Chanhyuk, carefully placed between Big Bang releases? Just look at the year SM is having compared with YG. When was the last time SM didn't have a major release circling music shows? They're throwing every artist they have out there. We know that Big Bang's MADE is a special circumstance, but did it really have to be at the expense of the rest of their lineup?

But ANYWAY, we're just happy that we're getting a special release here, because better late than never, right? There's really nothing like AKMU (in popular Korean music), and their bright energy and playfully raw personalities give an authenticity (or, at least, the illusion of authenticity) to their releases that are irresistible. It helps that this song, even at a brief two minutes and some change, is a fun, energetic jam, just special enough to give us that extra push to the final months of 2015.

Clash of the Girl Groups: Oh My Girl vs. Melody Day

Okay, okay, we're not making these two girl groups clash - we just wanted to call attention to two groups that you maybe haven't heard of yet. We're especially impressed with Oh My Girls' "Closer," which is just a beautiful song, but was paired with a visually stunning, fairy tale-esque music video. Their debut release, "Cupid" was more standard fare, but was another great song, so maybe it's safe to say that Oh My Girls is the real deal here.

And what about Melody Day, who debut in 2014? Well, they've had a solid 2015 too. Did you hear/see "#LoveMe?" We even missed it when it first came out, but now it's our groove. "Speed Up" doesn't reinvent the wheel here, but is a fun song with a catchy hook. So, yes. They're the real deal too.

Lil Boi and Basick's "Call Me" (featuring Hwa Sa)

Talk about jams and real deals! Lil Boi, Basick, and Hwa Sa shine here with a release that will cause you to jump out of your proverbial seats. We're loving that Mamamoo's Hwa Sa is a part of this collaboration, as her sultry voice really makes the chorus pop. What else is there to say? Just watch this already!

Critical Kpop Podcast - Episode 6: Guys' Night In

"But wait," you're saying, "Why haven't they discussed Taeyeon's solo debut? What type of hacks are these Critical Kpoppers anyway? More like Critical K-Crap!" Well, first of all, calm down. Stop being so quick to judge! Second of all, we've talked about Taeyeon's release extensively already - in the return of the Critical Kpop Podcast. She's not the only release we tackle, friends, as our Guys' Night In covers a wide range of topics, from Ailee to iKon. Why not take a listen right here? 

October 4-10, 2015 

And that was This Week in Kpop! Are you as happy as we are for getting more AKMU? Or are we getting too worked up over a two minute special video? We can't help what we feel, but we'd love to get your take! We'll be back next week, but until then - have fun and be safe! 

Critical Kpop Podcast - Episode 6: Guys' Night In

On today's episode of the Critical Kpop Podcast, it's guys' night in! Join Tim and Zander as they pop open a beer and discuss which "buttons" a debut solo release should push, comparing Taeyeon with Goo Hara and Amber. Also reviewed is new music from Ailee and iKon. And who has had a better year: YG or SM? Listen and find out!

Critical Kpop Podcast - Episode 6 by Critical Kpop on Mixcloud

You can subscribe to the Critical Kpop Podcast on iTunes, or check this and future episodes out at www.mixcloud.com/CriticalKpop. You can expect a healthy serving of news, reviews, and critical analysis in every episode. The Critical Kpop Podcast is the only podcast that invites you to LISTEN HARDER.

This Week in Kpop: September 27-October 3, 2015

This Week in Kpop is LOADED. There's just TOO MUCH KPOP for This Week in Kpop! We don't even know where to begin, so we'll begin with a tease and a queen...

Taeyeon Teases!

Of course we have to start with Taeyeon here. The Queen Bee of the ultimate Kpop Queens, Taeyeon is finally going to get her solo release. It's a long time coming. A long, long time. Fans have wanted Taeyeon to branch off on her own for so long that Taeyeon may have inadvertently stole much of Amber's thunder when she was featured on "Shake that Brass." But with a voice like Taeyon has, the glamour, and the undeniable (unavoidable) presence she exudes (she only sings for what - twenty seconds in "Shake that Brass?"), Taeyeon is at risk of overshadowing just about anyone.

So what happens when she gets her own release? Tears of joy? Certainly, from her legions of fans. But we're hoping for something more in the lines of Taemin's solo release last year, something that will really let loose a side of Taeyeon that maybe we're not as familiar with, instead of the quieter, more bland (sorry/not sorry) release from Amber earlier this year.

The teaser gives no indication of what direction this release will go, except for the possibly of some retro-looking film cut with beautiful closeups. But we're expecting big things, because how much bigger can you get than Taeyeon?

GOT7's Big Year

How great of a year is GOT7 having? "Just Right" was just what we needed after experiencing increasingly vapid and visual-conscious releases all year - while also being catchy, addictive pop. So what do you release after alternatively slaying and emotionally sucker punching their fans? "If You Do," dummy! Where "Just Right" was uplifting and light (with an important message), "If You Do" is sleek and sexy, dark and lovelorn, with a ridiculous English interlude, the terrible girlfriend daring GOT7 to break up with them because, "I don't care," and "I'll just go to sleep."

In short, "If You Do" is more in line with a traditional Kpop release, and that is by no means a slur (we are a Kpop site, after all). It also helps that "If You Do" is just as good a song as "Just Right" (two sides of the same coin here), and we're loving the sharp, leg-centric choreography as they dance on ruined earth. You don't need us to declare that GOT7 is the real deal. But, LISTEN. GOT7 is the real deal.

Lovelyz' "Ah Choo"

Oh, Lovelyz. Only you could get away with having "Ah-Choo" in your chorus! This video has so much syrup that we almost drowned in sugar, but the song itself is enjoyable, and if you're into super sweetness, you'll love this. Even we have to admit that there are some cute vignettes in this video, though, again, we'll never quite understand this sphere of the Kpop world. We'd love to have someone write a comprehensive piece on the appeal here, so if you're itching to prove their greatness, feel free to send us a proposal for an article already! Goodness!

iKON Slays?

Now, this is what we're talking about! "RHYTHM TA" is more of the jam we were waiting for from iKON. While there are still some balance concerns between members, and a lot of comparisons to "Good Boy," this seems like a more exuberant release than the more sedated "My Type." iKON is just killing it on the charts, so maybe we're being too critical here? They are rookies, after all. That being said, even "Airplane" seems more soulful to us than "My Type," and we're glad that YG is rolling out these videos so we get a fuller picture of what iKON is all about (though we would have released "RHYTHM TA" first). There's no doubt about one thing: With YG's backing and support, and the talent they hold, they're going to be a huge Kpop group for years to come, friends.

Ailee is Back!

Ailee is back, but is she better than ever? We covered her in last week's quiet This Week in Kpop, and we wondered if she'd get the killer song that her talents deserve. And she does, kind of. We're still getting a "Don't Touch Me" vibe from "Mind Your Own Business," but no matter how you look at it, "Mind Your Own Business" is a far superior song and concept. The video, even though it doesn't go far beyond the standard "vengeful lover" Kpop trope, is a lot of fun, and Ailee shows a lot of personality here, especially when she doesn't quite pull off the badass she's trying to be (slinking into her carseat when the police arrive).

What the real gem here is "Insane," with a simple music video and an old school vibe. It probably won't get the hype of "Mind Your Own Business," used here as a peripheral release, but we're loving the simplicity here, both in song and video!

Don't Sign a Petition Against TGM. Register a Complaint.

You've heard about the disastrous events TGM Events has put on in America? Well, the real question is how can we hold them accountable? You can sign as many petitions as you want, but we have some ideas how we can hit TGM where it really hurts! You can check that out here.

MV of the Month: Red Velvet's "Dumb Dumb"

Your prayers are answered! Red Velvet gets our MV of the Month for September with "Dumb Dumb!" But how does it rise above all others? You can find that out right here!

September 27-October 3, 2015

And that was This Week in Kpop! We had a lot of releases that we rushed by, so probably missed some good points! Anything you want to add? Feel free! That's it for us - until next week! Until then, have fun and be safe!

Don’t Sign a Petition against TGM. Register a Complaint.

My heart goes out to all the Kpop fans out there who are pulling their hair out over TGM Entertainment’s handling of the BTS Highlight Tour, the Kim Tae Woo concert, or the Eric Nam tour (I'm one of them). I feel terrible for the bands who have been forced to disappoint some of their most loyal fans. And, frankly, I’m tired of TGM Entertainment getting away with it. It’s time to get up off our collective asses and do something. No, not sign a petition. It’s time to really do something.

Signing a petition isn’t a bad thing. It’s just not going to accomplish anything in this case. The problem with Change.org is that it is built on a model of swarm culture. Once a petition gains hundreds of thousands of signers, it typically garners enough media attention that the inequity they seek to address becomes politically burdensome to the organization in question. I’m sorry to say, but 10,500 signers (last checked October 2) is not going to register as even a blip on the radar. The story has been picked up by a few Kpop news sites, but it’s depressingly under-reported. Even if this petition manages to give TGM a black eye, it’s nothing that a successful marketing campaign couldn’t overturn in a matter of days. In this instance, Change.org isn’t going to bring any change.

There must be a better way. And there is! So sit right down in front of your computer and follow along with me. Step one. File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. The BBB, while not perfect, has been mediating disputes between customers and businesses since 1912. The BBB should not be confused with a government agency; it doesn’t have the kind of power that many people assume. It is, however, very successful at mediating disputes and pressuring companies to practice honest business.

As of the writing of this article, TGM Entertainment is not yet in the BBB system (don’t worry, I added them). In the next few days, you should be able to search for TGM Entertainment in Los Angeles, CA (where they are registered), and file a complaint. In the meantime, if your search returns no results, you can still file a complaint here. You’ll need a bit of info about TGM. Here’s their business filing for the state of California.

Please note, I do not post this in any attempt to “dox” anyone. I condemn the practice of doxing or using any information to make another person fear for their safety. The information that I am posting is the actual business filing for a limited liability corporation.

The best email and website I can find for TGM are hello@tgmevents.com and http://tgmevents.com. The website is especially useless, but it’s good to include in any complaints.

So, after you’ve either selected TGM or added their info, list your complaint. Be as detailed as you can in your complaint, but do not put any personal info into the narrative description. After you submit your narrative, there will be an opportunity to release your order number, ticket purchase price, etc. to the BBB, should you choose. Make sure you save your BBB narrative, as you can reuse it in steps 2 and 3!

Okay, we filed complaint number one. Guess what’s next? Another complaint! This time, with the California Department of Consumer Affairs. This is actually the more important of the two so far, as this department does have the potential to revoke a license or penalize TGM in some way. File your complaint here. Use the same TGM info listed above, and complete the form. That simple.

Step 3. Guess what, it’s another complaint form! This time, we’re hitting up the State of California Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General. In other words, the lawyers. This is specifically a consumer complaint against a business. Start your complaint here, and once again, fill out your info, TGM’s info, and copy and paste the narrative. And there you have it.

Straight talk, here. These steps are not guaranteed to produce results. I can’t promise that anyone will get their money back. But I can promise that the Better Business Bureau, the California Department of Consumer Affairs, and the State of California Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General will all do everything in their power to resolve your issue with TGM Entertainment. At the very least, TGM will have three very powerful agencies knocking on their door asking for an explanation. That’s a lot more than I can promise with Change.org.

[Update: This article has been updated to correct the number of petitioners signed on Change.org.]

Zander Stachniak is a southern-born, Chicago-based writer who first discovered Kpop through ShoutCast Radio. His biases are f(x) and Block B.

MV of the Month: Red Velvet's 'Dumb Dumb'

Admit it. You know you can't get the song out of your head. Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb, Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb, Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb...

And that's just one of the reasons why Red Velvet's "Dumb Dumb" has received our coveted Music Video of the Month for September! Get out the cheese puffs! Trash the office! Red Velvet has finally arrived!

Make no mistake, "Dumb Dumb" is a pop fantasia. While the song is by no means a masterpiece, and some have even bemoaned "Dumb Dumb" as another messy SM release, what works for this song is that this chaos builds so beautifully and quickly that before you know it, Irene's rapping Michael Jackson song titles while billie jean is splashed on the screen. And, if you have a heart, you're loving it. And if you don't love it, listen to the song again. Watch the video again. If you still don't love it, we have to ask: Do you even have a heart?



Because "Dumb Dumb" might be a mess of a song, but it's a mess in the way that Pollock made a mess of the canvas. And yes, we're calling this pop art, and ten years from now, we'll stand by this. And still you doubt. Have you even seen the music video?

Take a still, just about any still, and you can frame it on your wall. It's not just the poses, those glamour shots. Red Velvet bursts with charisma and confidence even when they don't crack a smile. While "Happiness" impressed, and "Ice Cream Cake" blew so many people away (it didn't wow us, personally), amidst all of the mayhem of "Dumb Dumb," we feel like this is the first time we're truly seeing Red Velvet as the superstar idols that they're destined to be.

We're talking personality, friends. And this video is loaded with it.

And maybe, just maybe it started with Yeri joining the group? While we've been big Joy fans since Red Velvet's inception, and the group seemed fine with just four members. Yeri has brought a youthful energy and charisma that balances perfectly with the rest of the girls. In fact, we'd argue that her inclusion has shot that infusion of personality into the group, and not just because she has killer stares or can brighten a room with a wink.



But, really, it's not any one member that can be completely attributed with Red Velvet's rise. While our heart beats for Joy and everything that she does, Irene is a killer rapper, Wendy's energy is electric, and Seulgi is a bonafide dancing queen.

Everyone has a chance to shine here, and if anything is missing from this video it's more of the hyper-ecstatic choreography, but don't worry, we got you covered! WATCH NOW.

We haven't even discussed what the video may mean - probably because we have no idea! Everything with the robot girls and factory work reads like a meta-commentary of manufactured pop and the beleaguered "studio system." While that's all well and good and a theory that could fill pages and pages of your undergrad dissertation (let alone two or three articles here at Critical Kpop - which you can write and send to us, we need more writers already!), we somehow doubt that SM Entertainment would be so provocative, or self-aware enough to question their own means of production.

But...maybe?

Perhaps SM is saying something between the lines, and we would be the first to make that observation, but even if there's not a single cohesive narrative here or even an inkling of societal commentary, "Dumb Dumb" is a triumph. It's ecstatic, it's mesmerizing, and now we can finally say that Red Velvet's "Dumb Dumb" is our MV of the Month for September! 

This Week in Kpop: September 20-26, 2015

This Week in Kpop was definitely a snoozer compared to last week and its massive releases! But that didn't mean nothing happened, Jack! I fact, there's a certain Queen who's here to reclaim her throne...

Ailee is Back!

THE QUEEN IS BACK. Well, almost. As we've said, this week was the polar opposite of last week and the massive releases all clumped together. But we did get sufficiently teased by Ailee's upcoming album, Vivid, her first full length album...ever. Somehow, we didn't realize that she hasn't had a full album yet, but we have high hopes here, since Ailee has the vocals and the charisma to be a superstar for decades, friends. What should be encouraging is that "Mind Your Own Business" looks sufficiently ridiculous in the best Kpop ways possible - and we're digging the possible anti-authority vibe of the teaser and smashing cars for no reason (probably: REVENGE). We love our Kpop with a little 'tude.

BUT what we do worry about is Ailee getting that killer song that shoots her through the roof. "Don't Touch Me" was a popular release and all signs point to an upward trajectory for her career, but we felt that the song, besides incorporating a Gospel feel, fell a bit flat as a major pop release.

The song certainly didn't stick with us like "I'll Show You" or "U&I" or even "Heaven," and certainly didn't hold a memorable hook that stuck with us for the whole year. The attitude, the vocals, the charisma were there. But the song was middling, passable, and, honestly, kind of boring. We say this out of love. Ailee is one of our favorite idols EVER. She even starred in our Fan Fiction!

All we're saying is that Ailee deserves a better release than "Don't Touch Me." Ailee deserves a slaying release-sing along in bars-mega hit that will stay in your head for years and years. And we have high hopes. Fingers, toes, and eyes are crossed.

Brown Eyed Girls are Back Too??

BROWN EYED GIRLS ARE COMING BACK IN OCTOBER. WE REPEAT: BROWN EYED GIRLS ARE COMING BACK IN OCTOBER!! With the producer of "Sixth Sense" and "Abracadabra," one of the best Kpop releases OF ALL TIME. Did you forget? HOW COULD YOU FORGET?

Shame on you. 

Gary's "Joa" (featuring Jay Park) and "Get Some Air" (featuring Miwoo)

Gary released not one, but TWO music videos this week, with "Get Some Air," besides some melodramatic crying, winning out with a more complex jam than the more smooth and scandalously steamy "Joa." Miwoo really brings life to the song with a killer chorus and Gary's flows are, as always, on point. "Joa" has a video that's a bit distracting with the racy sex scene in the middle of the video (but this a Gary video, so what did you expect??). But why compare? Both of these songs are strong releases on a quiet week. Enjoy them already!

Berry Good's "My First Love"

Berry Good made some news this week with their ballad, "My First Love" and their tearful performances of music shows. Apparently, the songwriter/composer of this song, Ju Taeyeong, wrote this while he was suffering from a blood cancer, and has since passed. While we've never been a fan of ballads, but this song, perhaps because of the illness of the composer, or the affections of the singers, or maybe just with our changed perception of the release, seems more soulful and emotionally resonating. Worth a listen, friends!

Amber's "Beautiful"

We missed this special video for Amber's "Beautiful," which came out of nowhere, but still. No matter how you feel about "Shake that Brass," and we were notably unimpressed, "Beautiful" is a powerful song with a great message. We're glad that SM released a music video for it, special or not, even with possibility of being lost in the shuffle with Red Velvet and Super Junior. Watch this! Now!

Throwback Discussion: VIXX's "Error"

This week we brought you a little something different, bringing a conversation between Hafsa Tameez and Gayathri Ravindran on last year's spellbinding "Error" music video by VIXX. What do the uncover? Find out here!

September 20-26, 2015

And that was This Week in Kpop! Yes, it was a quiet week! But we're still and so are you, and that's all that matters! Until next week, have fun and be safe!

Throwback Discussion: VIXX's 'Error'

Hafsa Tameez is a Pakistani-born, nowhere-based interior designer/ professional procrastinator/ self-entertainer. Stumbling onto Kpop as a socially-awkward shy recluse, she was immediately hooked. After making the irrevocable mistake of taking a philosophy course in college, she now loves analyzing the world of Kpop with Gayathri. While she adores far too many Kpop groups, her favorites have always been SHINee, Vixx, Exo, Mamamoo and Spica (though BTS is swiftly reeling her in).

Gayathri Ravindran is an Indian-born, Dubai-based Multimedia Design student currently 4 months away from graduation. She discovered Kpop through the irresistible charms of the one who calls himself Nichkhun, after seeing him on Running Man one too many times. Last year something possessed her to take a philosophy class, then two more and now she spends her free time analyzing Kpop culture with Hafsa. Currently following way more groups than she has time for including 2PM, SHINee, Vixx, BTS and Exo. Not a big fan of girl groups, although she is very excited about Mamamoo and The Ark.

This is what happens when k-pop takes over your life and you decide to take a philosophy class...

Hafsa: OK I know we’re almost a year late to the party but can we talk about VIXX’s Error? Like great music video and all, but what just happened? I tried looking it up, but in an interview all Hongbin said was that it was a simple love song. :/

Gayathri: LOL! Yeah. It certainly isn’t just a plain old love song. Honestly, the producers and everyone behind the concepts don’t get enough credit sometimes.

H: Ok. So when you first saw the MV, what did you think it was about? What were your first thoughts?

G: “OMG oppaaaa !! :o Waaah it’s such a coolio song!” xD But then I started to pay attention to the video. I was mostly focused on the girl and her story to be honest. I get what you mean though. I know Hongbin’s character turned into a cyborg (I mean he took off his shirt and everything, which yass thank you Director-nim), but is she a cyborg or full robot? At first I was convinced that the song was about ethics in the context of AI and all that jazz.

H: I know Hongbin is a cyborg and she is a robot. I don’t get why she was “illegal,” but it made me think that the song and video are about identity.

G: I guess it is possible. Hang on, let me see if I can find a video with the English translation of the lyrics and then we can dissect it.

H: I’m just noticing Hongbin standing there staring at Ken…

G: Plot twist: he loves Ken and the girl was just a trial run for his diabolical master plan all along.

H: XD what even?! Anyway, the lyrics talk about the fact that he just wants to be alive, and to live; but he can’t because he erased his ability to feel emotion. What does emotion have to do with the state of being alive?

G: So is he bringing her back because he wants to be able to feel again or because he loves her? But if he can’t feel then how does he know he even loves her anymore?

H: If you listen to the whole song. I don’t think he was successful. So his love for her was never the question.

G: ahh right. Yeah I see that.

H: So basically, he is reducing his existence to mere breathing and eating with the sole purpose of enduring :/

I hate it when Ravi starts rapping. He starts making all these philosophical points and I’m just here like o.O And that’s when you get past that ‘hat’ and the epic “BURN” at the end XD

G: Hear hear. I find that they are making very conflicting points in the lyrics. First he (i.e Hongbin and Co.) tell us that he is erasing his ability to feel emotion, growing numb essentially, because emotion hurts him and he doesn’t want to feel that. But then it’s the memories that don’t stop, these very memories that he says he has “no confidence of winning over that”. I’m supposing this is the memory of her dying and leaving him.

H: So I’m picking up on 2 key points in the song lyrics: emotion and memory

G: Right so basically he made himself a cyborg to get over her but he can’t so he decides to embrace it and bring 'her' back as a way to let himself feel the memories again?

H: No. I think the memory of her dying, and the realization that he is alone and grieving is the reason he takes away his own ability to feel emotion. Basically, turns self to a cyborg. Have to say, not exactly a great plan for a guy who can build a robot that eerily resembles his ex-lover to a t. Ah wait I get it. It’s a cycle! He takes away his emotions to escape the pain from the memories, but the memories won’t let him forget, so he keeps making himself less human by killing his own emotions. Epiphany yo!

G: See what bugs me though is the whole recreating her thing. Like did he always plan to do that? Since before he made himself a cyborg? Or is he doing that because all he has are memories of her so he's doing it just to figure out what these memories mean?

H: I don’t think so. I think he recreates her once he comes to the realization of his own vicious cycle. The lyrics say that he decides to rip out the memories since his memories are the cause of his suffering.

G: Right. I mean he looked completely unemotional when he is making the robot that looks like her. Guess that makes sense since by that point that he has "ruined himself" by taking away his ability to truly be "alive".

H: Right. Since they established that being truly alive is tied to ability to feel emotional experiences. I think here is where I understand what he is doing; he decides to rip out the memories that torment him. Which means, he recreates her, but erases all memories of her ever being dead. So she is made with partial sense of self, considering half her memories are not there. It seems that she doesn’t know that she dead and the dude chooses not to remember that little detail.

G: And that’s why it’s an error or illegal or whatever. She’s not even real.

H: Wah. "Deeper than dreams inside dreams." Yes please go all inception on us. Because we need this to be more confusing than it is -_-

G: LOL! So what he really wants is to forget that she's dead. But he cannot. So the next best thing is to make a robot version of her that doesn’t know she's dead so he has an excuse to pretend?

H: hahahaha. That is some next level role-playing man XD But essentially, that’s it. Sadly for him, it doesn’t work.

G: :’’ so tragic

H: Because if him trying to forget and not feel pain makes him less alive and less human, then not giving her all her memories makes her not human at all. I was looking at the memories he gave her, and he only gave her the memories of their love and relationship together.

G: Right! That was my problem with her from the start. So it’s not the same girl at all. Finally, makes sense. Also think I understand why “love is a lie to one person in the end” now. What I’m getting is that the way they define love is being able to love and be loved in return.

H: I got that too. And Hongbin had that until she went and died. Now he is left alone. So he brings back the part of her he is incomplete without: the love she has for him. But that’s where he made the error: if she has no complete memory, then she cannot know why she even loves him to begin with. What made her love him? What is their relationship to her?

G: So, identity. In summary, in that context, the sense of being alive is not the fact that you eat or breathe, but rather that you can feel emotion. And your memories help in that department. You feel love and all, but you also experience pain. Your memories of who you are and where you have been are what make you, you. Basically, your memories of your life and experiences allow you to experience and share the emotions unique to you.

H: So was it real for Hongbin when he dies in the end? For him it was about being able to love and be loved in return. He recreated her with the ability to love him. But by that definition of humanity and life, I guess it wasn’t a real love in the end was it? He seemed pretty happy to die with that though.

G: Well, I mean it could have been to him because he didn’t actually consciously have that realization did he? Those Men in Black came and tried to take her away. She's not real anyway so they couldn’t have really hurt her. But the fact that he chose to run away with her and commit cyborg suicide instead of letting her go tells me it was real enough for him.

H: I don’t think it was about hurting her. I believe he knew that it would have hurt him to lose her again. He was still in love with the idea of her till the end. Maybe that’s what he meant when it says that he has ruined himself. That he can’t really tell the difference. Do you think he knows on some level that it’s not real? Was that why he was willing to die?

G: As in he wanted so badly to convince himself it was real that when something happened to threaten that belief he couldn’t deal and decided this was the best way to retain that idea? That makes a lot of sense. Basically, I think we’re saying memory constitutes a person’s identity. Is that what Error is about? Dude, mind-blown!

H: It’s a very Humean philosophical approach to self-awareness, this idea that a chronological sequence of connected memories allows us to formulate this construct of identity.

G: #HumeFTW! And here Hongbin thinks it’s a simple love song! XD