i'm into a huge variety of music genres and sometimes i watch films and play video games. if i'm feeling inclined, i sometimes write reviews in my notebook and collect physical media of albums i really love.

here you can find a digitised version of my short reviews, as well as my media collection. expect movie spoilers for films i discuss!!

if you have a recommendation you think i would like, please email me at: yuunxue@proton.me!!

luck...or something

a friend convinced me to listen to the new hilary duff album. i didn't expect it to be so beautifully melancholic and painstakingly relatable.

"the optimist" is the standout track to me. as a child of divorce with a less than adequate father, i found the way she casually drops "i wish i could sleep on plans and that my father would really love me" to be brutally real. like, it really does become something that feels as simple and easy to talk about. i bring up my life's situation with my father in casual conversations easily. sometimes, you almost forget that it's something other people don't experience and might even feel concern for you when they mention it.

this is the first album of hilary duff's where she has a co-writer credit on every single track, and the honesty and self reflection shows. the album is a deeply human look at her experiences. the existential dread in the line "i'm worried that I've felt everything i'll ever feel" is something that stuck with me since i first listened.

I've seen a lot of people call it unlistenable "adulting" slop, but i can already imagine what kinds of people wrote those reviews. suggesting this album is riding the "adulting" TikTok trends is reductionist and a clear misunderstanding of the record. this is stripped back confessional pop.

the production is clean and compliments her youthful voice.

rating:★★★★☆

lil fantasy vol.1

chaeyoung, my twice bias wrecker, released her solo album today and i think it may beat out aboutzu by tzuyu as my favourite twice solo album. it has this indie/alternative almost shoegaze sound that i wasn't expect from twice's lead rapper. it has the vibes of warpaint, magdalena bay and other music i listened to back in sixth form.

chaeyoung's art direction is expectedly excellent. the mv's and teasers for this album have a strange and otherwordly quality to them just like her illustrations, which take centre stage in the design of the physical versions. i am particularly fond of the self portrait on the CD of the digipack (i got both the digipack and album version).

my favourite tracks are avocado, band-aid, ribbon and BF. the production on ribbon is a little strange, which i was naturally attracted to. all the songs on the album were written by chaeyoung and it is extremely refreshing to see a kpop album with this level of artistic control from the idol and her contributions are nothing to scoff at.

overall, lil fantasy is a cohesive and dreamlike exploration of chaeyoung's artistic growth and journey. in an interview with rolling stone, she said that one members success is a success for all of twice and that she is only in competition with herself. her track girl aims to empower other shy girls - talking about her own experiences. she also added my guitar to this album, which fans have desperately wanted a recording of since she first showed it off.

i personally really love this album and am very hopeful for a lil fantasy vol.2 some day.

rating: ★★★★★

gonna love me, right?

the forklift certified queen dayoung released her solo debut today. it features three tracks:

• body
• number one rockstar
• marry me

i didn't listen to too much wjsn, but i knew she had insane pipes and she absolutely did not disappoint. my favourite track is marry me, because i particularly enjoy the production and the vibe of the track. it's witty and a fun take on love, loss and cheating. number one rockstar brings me a particular amount of joy, because it has a nostalgic quality. it reminds me of the kind of music you would find in a 2010s AMV or a speedpaint which has made me want to make a vocal synth cover. body, of course, is a total bop. it's catch and fun and captures the end-of-summer vibe quite well. i hope we can get more from her in the future.

i'm sad that there was no physical release for the single. i'd quite like to own it and contribute to sales numbers, not to mention i would love to get some photocards of dayoung. i can only home future releases will have physicals.

rating: ★★★★⯪

시절, 우리가 좋아했던 소녀

i mostly watched this film because dahyun is in it and i like her a lot.

'you are the apple of my eye' is a 2024 remake of a taiwanese film of the same title, which itself is based on a novel by giddens ko. the general way the story was presented felt like a less soul crushing and gender-centric notes of a crocadile by qiu miaojin (fantastically depressing lesbian novel).

the story revolves around goo jin-woo (jung jin-young) and oh sun-ah (dahyun) and their one-note friends navigating the highs and lows of life from adolesence to adulthood. an almost relationship blossoms between the two leads as they help eachother blossom in different ways. sun-ah helps jin-wooh become more motivated in his studies and he helps her to loosen up, showing her that she can be loved for her true self and no the idolised version of her she presents to their classmates. interestingly, the classic mid-story conflict is never truly resolved, as sun-ah's phone battery dies before the two are able to properly reconnect. sun-ah, thus, marries someone else and jin-woo, while sad, is incredibly happy for her. he does not pass up the opportunity to finally kiss her, though. even having to kiss her new husband first, where it is revealed he is wearing the shirt he wore in the first scene with her, evidenced by the same stains in the back from where she would poke him with her pen to get his attention.

generally, this is a fairly by the numbers coming of age plot, save for the ending. the two main characters were decently written and i found both of them relatable in different ways. sun-ah's perfectionism and self imposed pressure to succeed, as well as getting lower grades in the one test that actually mattered. i really felt that. for jin-woo, his lack of ambition and motivation were what made me relate to him the most. the supporting characters, however, were about as characteristically deep as the seven dwarves. each of them are defined by one singular personality trait. for example: taewon was horny, sungbin was the love rival, donghyun was fat (yes, that's his only trait. seriously), byeongju was sleepy and jisoo wanted to become a kpop idol.

all the performances were decent. i found them all to be generally believable, though sun-ah's groom was kind of a nothing burger, but he also only had one line, so i wouldn't say it was the actors fault.

if someone asked me if they should watch this film i'd tell them to. i would say it's a decent film with some heartwarming moment, but i wouldn't exactly tell anyone they desperately needed to watch this film. mostly due to the fact it doesn't subvert genre expectations very much. the ending is slightly subversive, which makes it feel more realistic, but otherwise it's fairly by-the-numbers. i think dahyun fans would definitely enjoy it, and would call it a must-watch for them. she looks stunning and does a good job portraying sun-ah.

generally, i liked this film. i found it enjoyable and earnest. i haven't yet seen the taiwanese film it aims to remake, but i am interested to see if that version follows the same criticisms. i am also interested in reading the book and have added it to my ever-growing reading list. i thought the scene where he gave her the love bracelet was very good, as well as the entire phonecall during his time in the military.

so, in summary, the film was a nice, cute, easy watch and i might show it to my fiance who enjoys those kinds of cheesy romance films, but generally wouldn't revisit it otherwise. i am flad i watched it, however, and look forward to seeing more of dahyun's acting career, such as "run to you". i am also looking forward to seeing her bandmate jeongyeon's acting debut in new recruit.

rating: ★★★☆☆