As a huge Inspirit, I’m so glad that I was finally able to get my hands on the normal edition of Infinite’s 5th Mini Album, Reality. I actually got a pre-loved copy of the Limited Edition last year, but it took me forever to get the normal edition. So, since I have both on hand… Read More The Kat’s Cafe’s Unboxings: Infinite’s 5th Mini Album Reality (Limited & Normal Ver.)
This unboxing was a pretty historic one for me as this was the very first NCT album I ever bought, and Kick It was my very first NCT 127 comeback. It’s quite interesting because NCT 127, aside from EXO, are two kpop groups that I never thought I would get into. However now I know… Read More The Kat’s Cafe’s Unboxings: NCT 127’s Neozone- T Ver.
sStray Kids are some of the rookies that really impressed me when I was discovering more groups last year, and I guess it can be seen how much I like them as I’ve been starting to really build up on my Stray Kids album collection. This one is an oldie from them, but its an… Read More The Kat’s Cafe’s Unboxings:Stray Kids’ Mixtape
I can’t believe that we have finally reached the end of the road in Road to Kingdom (yes, pun intended). While I am still not happy with Mnet and their editing to create more drama, all I can say to the seven groups that were on this show is that they all did well, and… Read More Road to Kingdom: Episode 8-The Final Round (Spoilers!)
For some reason, I have a really bad habit of procrastinating buying the other versions of an album (if there are three or more versions) if I don’t get them all right away. Case in point, I bought Stray Kids’ Cle: Levanter Limited & Levanter versions when it was first released, but it took me… Read More The Kat Cafe’s Unboxings: Stray Kids’ Cle:Levanter
When the Stray Kids Unlock Tour in Manila was announced, I knew that I wanted to attend it as I knew that watching Stray Kids live would definitely be an awesome experience. However, due to the circumstances that are happening now, the concert was moved to June 20, 2020, and is now postponed, with a… Read More The Kat Cafe’s Unboxings: Stray Kids’ Lightstick
I can’t believe that this Thursday’s episode, is the final episode of this series. I am very happy though that they opened up the voting to international fans as well, and that Mnet will be live streaming the finale on their YouTube channel. However, before we get into that, let’s take a look at what… Read More Road to Kingdom: Episode 7-Round 3 Part 2 & Elimination (Spoilers!)
Hello everyone! How have you all been doing? I know I’m VERY late for my May 2020 Haul post, but I promise you, it’ll be worth the wait. This post is actually a pretty historic one for this site as this will mark the very first Kpop Haul post that I filmed, edited, and posted… Read More The Monthly Kpop Haul #12
As of the moment, it is a goal of mine to get the official lightsticks of at at least my top ten favorite kpop groups, and most especially if they are an ultimate group. Last week, I finally received my Yeobong Version 2, or the Infinite Lightstick Version 2, and I decided to make a… Read More The Kat Cafe’s Unboxings: Infinite’s Lightstick Ver. 2
Hello everyone! Kitin a.k.a. The Kat here, and today, I have some interesting news to share with you guys. As the title already says, I have officially opened The Kat’s Cafe’s YouTube today, and I kicked it off with a little teaser trailer of the things that you can expect to see here. I have… Read More Update: The Kat’s Cafe’s YouTube Channel-Now Open!
To be honest, I was bracing myself for the elimination in Episode 4. But instead of doing it there, they moved it to Episode 5. I’m pretty sure it was more for dramatic effect, but I would have preferred to see the elimination happen in Episode 4, if time permitted. In any case, most of… Read More Road to Kingdom: Episode 5-6: Elimination & Round 3 Pt. 1 (Spoilers!)
For this episode, I had been preparing for an elimination as I knew that there would be an elimination after Round 2. To be honest, I would much prefer if the entire show didn’t have elimination at all so that the groups could really concentrate on the performances without worrying too much about rankings, like… Read More Road to Kingdom: Episode 4- Round 2
Ever since it was announced, I have been looking forward to watching Mnet’s “Road to Kingdom”. The show is the prequel to the show “Kingdom”, which is the sequel and the male version of “Queendom”, which aired last year. “Queendom” was a competitive reality show in which six girl groups battled against each other. For… Read More Road to Kingdom: Eps. 1-3 (90 Sec. Challenge & Round 1)
Ever since I first watched Park Seo Joon in “Fight for My Way”, I knew that this was one actor that would always be on my watch list. So, it wasn’t surprising that I had my eye on “Itaewon Class” when it was announced, and I got more and more intrigued in it after Kim… Read More TV Review: Itaewon Class (Spoilers!)
Lately, there have been a lot of different offerings when it comes to online concerts- free streaming concerts that are either official (like BTS’ Bang Bang Con) or fan created ones, past concerts that are available on VLive (usually paid in the VLive+ options), and upcoming paid concerts online (such as the Beyond Live concerts… Read More The Kat’s Kpop Experience Presents: Open the Rolling Hall #1 (Onewe, W24 & D.Coy)
Technically speaking, this is the first haul post for me during this lockdown period, as the previous haul post was done just as the quarantine started. I’m not sure how things will be during my next haul post, but we’ll see when June comes along. In my last haul post, I asked whether you guys… Read More The Monthly Kpop Haul #11
I’ve been meaning to get into saeguk’s or historical dramas for quite some time now, but I also felt that I needed to ease myself into it. This journey began with me watching “Chicago Typewriter”, followed by “Mr. Sunshine”, and now, after “The Tale of Nokdu”, I think I’m quite ready to delve more into the… Read More TV Review: The Tale of Nokdu (Spoilers!)
After getting into Infinite last year, I knew that I was definitely going to end up checking out other Woolim artists as well. I do like Lovelyz and Rocket Punch, but the other Woolim group I ended up falling for pretty hard was Golden Child. I was curious in them especially as Daeyol is quite… Read More The Kat’s Kpop Experience Presents: Golden Child 1st Concert: Future & Past (YouTube Livestream)
The past few weeks and the past month has been a roller-coaster ride, from some things that happened in my own personal life, to the Enhanced Community Quarantine that’s being enforced now where I live. I’m pretty sure that most of you are also practicing social distancing, and have been home bound if you are… Read More The Monthly Kpop Haul #10
The first season of JTBC’s political drama “Chief of Staff” was one of the few dramas that grabbed audience’s attentions last year, and many couldn’t wait for the second season to drop in November 2019, after the first season’s initial run from June to July 2019. Boasting a lot of familiar faces and some new… Read More TV Review: Chief of Staff S2 (Spoilers!)
It feels as if it was just yesterday that we entered 2020, and now, we are entering the second month of the year! February 2020 was pretty jampacked with Kpop releases and comebacks, and even more so for me as some of my favorites came back, and I was also able to attend my second… Read More The Monthly Kpop Haul # 9
One of the many Kpop groups that I got into last year was Seventeen, partly because a co-worker of mine kept on suggesting that I try listening to them. And sure enough, just a few seconds into watching “Don’t Wanna Cry”, I was hooked. Several music videos, “unhelpful guides” to Seventeen on YouTube, VLive Videos,… Read More The Kat’s Kpop Experience Presents: Ode To You in Manila
I know I’m posting this in February, but welcome to the very first Kpop Haul Post of the year! I was really planning on posting this a few days earlier, but deliveries have been a bit sparse as the ports are quite clogged up with boxes and shipments, and I know that this will probably… Read More The Monthly Kpop Haul 1.8
To be honest, I couldn’t quite believe it when they announced last year that Infinite’s L or Kim Myung Soo would be having a fan meeting in Manila on January 12, 2020, at the New Frontier Theater (the same venue where I watched Gfriend last year). At that point in time, I was very much… Read More The Kat’s Kpop Experience Presents:2020 Kim Myung Soo Come With Me Fan Meeting in Manila
First off, Merry Christmas everyone! I hope that you all spent a great Christmas with your friends and loved ones. Also, advanced Happy New Year to everyone as well! I hope that 2020 will be a great year for all of you, and a better year for Kpop, especially as soo many unfortunate things happened… Read More The Monthly Kpop Haul 1.7
October was a pretty loaded month in terms of debuts and comebacks, but more than that, it seems like October 2019 and the first few days of November were not good to the industry at all. If you are a Kpop fan, I’m pretty sure you know what I’m talking about. I honestly don’t know… Read More The Monthly Kpop Haul 1.6
No matter what era you grew up in, there’s no denying the influence that pop-culture has over that era, which also influenced you as well, no matter how big or small that was. And this could take many forms, from movies to tv shows, all the way to music. Music has a way of leaving… Read More Movie Review: I Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story
In this complicated world, sometimes its easier to watch things that are black and white, where your bad guys are deliciously evil and where the good guys strive to do the right thing no matter how many hits they may take. These tropes help us renew our own faith in humanity, and maybe, even in… Read More TV Review: Watcher (Spoilers!)
With monster ratings, a lot of hype, and somewhat touchy subject matter, “SKY Castle” was one of those dramas that I felt was going to be a great one; and one that I wanted to watch as soon as it came out last year. While I may be very late to the party, this drama… Read More TV Review: Sky Castle (Spoilers!)
With this post, I’ve finally caught in terms of haul posts. So, you’ll be seeing my October haul sometime in November. This month’s haul was a mix of new releases and some old ones. I also got my very first concert merch purchase shipped to me this month! As for the comebacks for the month… Read More The Kpop Files: The Monthly Kpop Haul 1.5
Back when I was first getting into Korean dramas, another drama that caught my attention was “You’re Beautiful”. Based on the fact that I did enjoy the cross-gender genre thanks to “Coffee Prince”, my younger sister and I decided to give that one a go, and it introduced me to a very young Park Shin… Read More TV Review: Memories of the Alhambra (Spoilers!)
With this post, I’m finally caught up with my Kpop hauls for both July and August on this blog, although, it will take a while for me to catch up with it on my IG, so wait a little bit, but it’ll definitely get there. I also forgot to talk a little bit about all… Read More The Kpop Files: The Monthly Kpop Haul 1.4
When I was first getting into Korean dramas, years ago, one of the actresses that caught my attention and has been a bit of a favorite of mine is Shin Min Ah. While I haven’t seen everything that she has done, I absolutely loved her in “My Girlfriend is a Gumiho”, which was one of… Read More TV Review: Chief of Staff S1 (Spoilers!)
The last two months have been pretty busy on all fronts, and before I knew it, it was already September, which meant that I missed out on posting my July and August Kpop Hauls. So, starting from now, I’ll be rectifying this by posting some catch up haul posts, and hopefully, after this, I won’t… Read More The Kpop Files: The Monthly Kpop Haul 1.3
This year, as readers of this blog can tell by now, has been the year in which I finally got back into K-pop full time. However, last August 25, I was able to fulfill a little bit of a dream that I’ve had ever since I got into the Asian pop music scene many years… Read More The Kat’s Kpop Experience Presents: Go Go Gfriend in Manila 2019
If you have been following this blog for some time, you would know that the the OCN crime drama “Voice” has a very special place in my heart as it was one of the first few kdramas I watched when I was getting back into Kdramas in full force. Since then, I looked forward to… Read More TV Review: Voice 3: City of Accomplices (Spoilers!)
If you have been following this blog for a while, then you would know that 2PM’s Lee Junho has a very special place in my heart as he is the actor/Kpop idol that pushed me back into watching Kdramas and into listening again to Kpop. Aside from this, he is an extremely talented actor who… Read More TV Review: Confession (Spoilers!)
When it comes to watching Korean dramas, everyone knows that once you make the decision to watch that drama in its entirety, it means that you have made a commitment that will last you sixteen to twenty four episodes, each of which might be a little bit more than an hour long. However, as Korean… Read More TV Review: Trap (Spoilers!)
Last April 24, 2019, moviegoers and fans of the MARVEL Cinematic Universe (MCU) were able to finally breathe a sigh of relief, as “Avengers: Endgame” lived up to its hype and finally completed the twenty-one film arc that is now being referred to as the “Infinity Saga”. However, after that, there was still one more… Read More Movie Review: Spider-Man: Far From Home (Spoilers!)
As promised, here’s the second part of my very first ever Kpop haul, and this post finishes off everything that I got in the month of June 2019. So, without further ado, let’s delve into what I got for the groups Infinite and Seventeen. 1. Infinite’s 1st Mini Album “First Invasion” As soon as I… Read More The Kpop Files: The Monthly Kpop Haul #1.2
Aside from my love of tv & film, one of the reasons why I started this blog was to share my passion for my various fandoms with you all, as fandoms have been a huge part of my life, as once I get into a fandom, I hardly let them go. So, because of that,… Read More The Kpop Files: The Monthly Kpop Haul #1.1
Mental health representation in various forms of media, although still a work in progress, has definitely come a long way; and the same is true within the realm of Korean dramas. They definitely have gotten a bit better at portraying and tackling mental health issues over the years, regardless of the genre. And thankfully, this… Read More TV Review: Clean w/Passion For Now (Spoilers!)
Ever since it was announced, fans of both the MARVEL Cinematic Universe (MCU), and fans of the character itself, were eager to see how the studio would be handling not just this character but how they would treat their first ever full-fledged female supheroine origin film with “Captain Marvel”. The result was a nostalgic enjoyable… Read More Movie Review: Captain Marvel (Spoilers)
In September of last year, fans of animation and “Avatar: The Last Airbender” were able to sink their teeth into the amazing first season of “The Dragon Prince”, which was released on Netflix. Created by some “Avatar” alumni and then some, this new animated series gave children and adults alike a whole new world to… Read More TV Review: The Dragon Prince S2 (Spoilers!)
One of the unique things about storytelling in any medium is that it can also be a powerful venue and springboard to talk and delve into issues and topics that are important and serious but are too uncomfortable to normally talk about. While darker and more serious topics and issues have been cropping up in… Read More TV Review: Children of Nobody (Spoilers!)
From the moment I watched the trailers of “The Green Book”, I knew that this movie would be something special, and would probably be one of the few Oscar films that I actually made a conscious decision to go and watch in the cinema. I am not sure if it was the premise and the… Read More Movie Review: Green Book (Spoilers!)
Historicals, whether it be a drama or a movie, when done right, are powerful motivators for their audience to learn more and appreciate history. Personally, I do have a soft spot for this genre, but when it comes to Kdramas, I have yet to make the deep dive into saeguks or historicals. My gateway to… Read More TV Review: Mr. Sunshine (Spoilers!)
During my formative years when I was a child, my mother made sure that most of what I consumed was very kid-friendly, and this also included a lot of edutainment shows that were big in the early ’90s. This trend also translated to my younger siblings, and to computer games as well. Because of this,… Read More TV Review: Carmen Sandiego (Spoilers!)
Stories that deal with time travel and the innate desire to change one’s past for a seemingly better future is a trope that we’ve seen in stories over and over again. However, no matter how many times the trope is used, we humans have an innate curiosity to see how indeed things would change and… Read More TV Review: Familiar Wife (Spoilers!)
As someone who grew up on the original “Mary Poppins”, I was cautiously optimistic about “Mary Poppins Returns”, aside from the fact that I thought that Emily Blunt looked fantastic as the titular lead of the movie, which is something as she is filling the legendary Julie Andrews’ shoes here. The result is a fun… Read More Movie Review: Mary Poppins Returns (Spoilers!)
