RAINY DAY ~ Season 3

SEASON THREE

Original Japanese hard-subs only. If English translations or English-subbed episodes become available, we will bring those to you.

— All editorials written by Stephe ^@@^ @ Cloud USA

If you share anything (including the videos, the translations, or my RD write-ups) from this page, PLEASE credit accordingly. Thanks so much!

» You can find Season 2 here (Page 1) and here (Page 2).

» You can find Season 1 HERE.

EPISODE 30. Asia broadcast 10/22. Screen caps courtesy of hime (姫).

It is with a ridiculously heavy heart that I view this final episode of RAINY DAY Season 3.

I mean, come on. In the whole scheme of things, this is only little over half of a season (we usually get at least 50 episodes), and there is so much more Rain activity from last year and this year that hasn’t been visited yet, it hardly seems that this would be the end. We are of a mind that perhaps Rain and Mr. Eternal Cameraman had a lot more to do with the post-production editing of the show than we previously thought, if things are coming to a screeching halt with Rain enlisted. Hm. Really, Mnet? What a crying shame. Lame.

Anyway…

We are back on the Best Rain stage, with him launching determinedly into “My Way”, the autobiographical song that he wrote himself some years ago. Wahhhh… the “My Way” montage backing him up on the JumboTron (Baby JiHoon, FanClub JiHoon, debut/Bad Guy JiHoon, “Escaping the Sun” Rain, Legend of Rainism Rain, and his other faces during his ten-year career) is wonderful, what we can see of it. How very, very special.

Ninja Assassin. “Rainism”. Classics meets Pop with Jan Vogler. Rain’s World Tour. “Nan.” His 2010 MTV Badass Award win. The making of the “Love Song” music video in 20-degree weather. ADIEU!2010 with Rain. It’s all there.

Without missing a beat, we trade one show for another and are whisked off to the day of his free street concert (October 9) at the Gangnam Hanryu Festival. One thing that always makes me grin during any concert is the way he plays with the audience. Haha. If they’re not loud enough, if they’re not attentive enough, if they’re too vocal, if he expects a certain answer… one way or another, he’s going to get ’em under his thumb and keep them there. 🙂

After a final look at his Best Seoul concert interview, we are suddenly at the Uijeongbu 306 Troop Battalion gate and JiHoon is enlisting into the military. Over a thousand fans and Media are watching there on the scene, and hundreds of thousands more are watching at home. It is a somber moment indeed, and this footage brings many of the conflicting feelings from that day (October 11) rushing back… and so I absolutely love it when he sticks That Tongue out, with his silly self. kekeke

It’s amazing to see him stand there, with the strength of a lion, as his hyungs and his fans continuously cry and cheer him. He keeps his face from changing until the last moment, when he steps down from the porch and simply can’t take any more of their pain. Bless him.

(Incidentally, I believe his goodbye RAINY DAY message was filmed backstage while he was waiting to go on stage at one of his Live Charity Shows in Japan, this past September.)

How very appropriate that RAINY DAY played “Love Song” as this final installment came to a close. “What can I do? What should I do?” Indeed, that is what Rain has been asking himself while contemplating being separated from all of us, and that is what we’ve all been asking ourselves while thinking about being separated from him. I think that Rain and Clouds have both discovered that what we should do is simply carry on, because everything’s going to be okay. It might not have seemed like it at first… but it certainly looks that way now. 🙂

Thanks for sharing this season with me, dear Rain fans.

— Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com / www.cloudusa.org

(Video source: happyyyrain torrent / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 29. Asia broadcast 10/15.  Screen caps by 姫 (Hime).

Happily, we jump right back into the RAIN The Best Show Busan tour stop that we left last week.

On stage, Rain has transformed himself into our Psychedelic Funktastic tambourine-beating Seoul Child of the 70s, and after a Q & A session with the audience, launches into the very mellow “Busan Woman”. Hit those woooo-woooops, JiHoon! Only you can do it like that. Haha.

Heh, look at all the fresh women in the audience keeping time to the beat, joining him in his “Fresh Woman” callisthenics. Left, right, left-right! That is cute as all get-out. Just a sea of arms working it out! Great shot, RAINY DAY. 🙂

And then… “Ahhh, yeah! Two thousand eleven—this is Disco!” LOL! I never in my life thought I’d ever hear anything like that, 2011 and Disco in the same sentence. But leave it to Rain, by golly. Borrowing from Forrest Gump, he’s just like a box of chocolates… you already know what half of the pieces are before you take a bite, but the other half could have just about anything in them.

(That afro reminds me of my own, back in high school. I kept that sucker blown out. Gimme that hot lips T-shirt, Gori!)

After the sexy Retro-cool dance break, we’re off into “I’m Coming” commando-style, the lounge-ified “Love Story” that makes you want to jump into Rain’s steam shower with him (go ahead, freeze the video at minute marker 6:09 or 6:10 and just imagine seeing THAT face at a most opportune moment, I dare you, dear HEAVENS @_______@ pardon me while I wipe the sweat off my brow), an Adidas-suited “It’s Raining”, and an out of the vault “Chajayo”, where hopefully he didn’t put somebody’s eye out the way he was javelin-throwing those little bouquets. 🙂

And then along comes the part that will forever make me think about fan cams of Jang GeunSuk—the infamous encore shuffle dance. With that infamous shuffle dance music. LOL! And “September”, where the Crew was introduced and got to show out a bit. We’re delighted that RAINY DAY included the Men and the Women here, even a little bit, because they seldom got any cam time in all the fan cams we saw, and they deserved some.

(We’ll never get tired of back flips from KyuSang. Keep ’em coming, buddy. ♥)

(LOL at Rain looking like he’s some chick at the end of a Soul Train line.)

After jump-jumping and totally thugging out, Baby Boy heads back stage and takes his poor punished body to the mat, bless him. But look at it this way… if he wasn’t exhausted after each and every performance, he’d be highly dissatisfied and thinking he wasn’t doing enough. You know him. He wouldn’t have it any other way. He either gives us his all, or nothing.

See you next time, dear fans!

— Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com / www.cloudusa.org

(Video credit: happyyyraintorrent / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 28. Asia broadcast 10/8. Screen caps by 姫 (Hime).

Last week, as you recall, we finished up with a very cool run-through for a RAIN The Best Show concert, and my oh my… this week we start off backstage with our Superhero and his SuperCrew all dolled up and in costume. But is this a dress rehearsal, or is it the actual first Korea tour concert stop in Busan? By all the fans screaming from a short distance away, more than likely it’s the show itself. Let’s find out!

OMG. We are practically under the stage and the audience is THISCLOSE. This is Best Busan, folks! After a quick but serious rally cry, Rain gets a few last-second good luck wishes, including a hug from his dad at minute marker 1:25.  “아버지 …”  (abeoji) “Father…” ♥ ♥

A little more warming up, and it’s GO Time.

What can it possibly be like to have an entire arena of fans scream like mad while they’re watching your virtual superhero video on the JumboTron and you’re not even out there yet? Or when you simply put on your sunglasses? One of these days, I’m going to ask him that. 🙂

The harder, rock-and-rolla gritty “Hip Song” that we so love the sound of leads us into favorite “Touch Ya”, which catapults us on into the meat of the show. Of course, Rain didn’t let the Busan audience off easy—he made them scream for him until the sound was loud enough to satisfy him, haha. (They should have known that was coming.) After a Q & A session that included finding out where fans were from, we are treated to a partial compilation of four of the songs Rain performed that night…

The smoldering hot “In My Bed.”

“Escaping The Sun” done Golden Boy style.

A particularly soulful “Only You.”

The hauntingly beautiful “You Know,” that never fails to make us think of drama SangDoo.

Next weekend’s episode will more than likely pick up where this one left off. At least I hope so. RAINY DAY usually includes little insights and surprises that a fan cam can’t, and when it comes to RAIN The Best Show, that could mean just about anything. See you then, Rain fans! 🙂

— Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com / www.cloudusa.org 

(Video credit: happyyyrain torrent / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 27. Asia broadcast 10/1.   Screen caps courtesy of 姫(hime).

Sit back and relax, dear Rain fans. We’re continuing our journey from last weekend, through the casual rehearsal for the RAIN The Best Show 2011 Korea tour concert.

(Yes, JiHoon, inspect the safety harness for that platform thoroughly. Your life depends on it!)

Virtual superhero intro, check. Live band, check. Lighting, check. So far, so good. And it doesn’t matter how many times I see the virtual intro and Rain’s demeanor in that thing, as if he is coming down from On High and he KNOWS we’re going to be under his spell the entire time, I never get tired of it. Watching his creativity play out day to day is so darned entertaining!

And so “Hip Song’ and “Touch Ya” go off without a hitch. And “You (make me crazy)” and “I Love You Again.” The Men Behind the Man are looking GOOD.  The Women are GORGEOUS. Hmm. I never knew that the Union Jack could look so s-w-e-e-t on the side of a man’s thigh, but then it is JiHoon‘s thigh, right? Just an observation. 🙂

Lord, the choreography of “Don’t Stop”, as it flows out of Rain’s long body, has been a favorite of mine for years. Rarrr.

Ah! We get a treasured glimpse of the song most special to the Best Busan stop—popular vintage Kpop hit “Come Back To Busan Port” (or Return To Busan Port), made famous by 61-year-old Kpop legend Cho YongPil, considered by many the most influential figure in Korean Pop music. It really was a magnificent idea, and so thoughtful, to include something so personal to a host city in its concert. Nice job, Rain!

And then… yes! A look at some rehearsal time for “September”, the U.S. R&B 70s hit from the legendary Earth, Wind & Fire (not to be confused with “September 12”, that’s a whole other puppy). Don’t you just love the way he belts out “Septem-baaaaaaah!” Heheh.

Looks like, for all intents and purposes, this Best Korea casual run-through is over, which means we may be somewhere else next Saturday. Any ideas as to where that will be? See you then, Rain fans!

— Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com / www.cloudusa.org

(Video credit: happyyyrain torrent / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 26. Asia broadcast 9/24.  Screen caps courtesy of 姫(hime).

Yes, this past RAIN The Best Show Seoul concert weekend threw us all for a loop, so much so that we had no time to even think about RAINY DAY, didn’t it? But, of course, we love our RAINY DAY episodes and so a little voice in the back of our heads didn’t let us completely forget it.  We’re really glad to finally be watching it now. 🙂

And so… we start off with Rain down in a hole. Literally. A hole in a RAIN The Best Show 2011 Korea tour rehearsal stage, as he watches the JumboTron intro for “I’m Coming.” The intro passes inspection, the Crew comes in, and a casual “I’m Coming” run-through ensues. JiHoon is completely in the creative mode that we all love to watch. He certainly knows how to use those long, fine dancer’s arms of his, even while deep in thought, doesn’t he?

After “Don’t Stop”, the Man is lifted into the air during a “Love Story” fine-tuning. Alas, a poor mic stand pays the price as Hoon unintentionally gives it the ol’ heave-ho. Well, that’s different, isn’t it? Usually he’s so gentle with them, and attentive, and downright seductive. Usually he has every Cloud across creation wishing she were a mic stand… 😉

Wow, our favorite guitar player is tearing “Love Story” up! And check out Mr. I Am The Guitar Police, conducting a very important and impromptu inspection and looking quite sheepish. JiHoon, what are you doing? LOL!

Ah. An instrument switch, and then on to a lounge-like, acoustic “Love Song.” A very special version indeed. ♥

There sure are some serious ab-checks going on. First Rain, and then the Gori-fied one… anybody else gonna give it a go? Gotta make sure The Goods look good for the Clouds, yo.

“My Way”, check. “Rainism”, check. Okay, the Crew is trying to levitate you with spirit fingers, dear, but you’re not cooperating. Heheh.

SECOND MARKER 8:23! Are you kidding me, RAINY DAY? It was barely a second and if you blinked, you missed it, but what an edit! Did you time that on purpose? You almost put my eye out. Wowzer. @_@ Moving on (not that I want to!).

FOR ANYONE WHO HAS ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE RAIN TAKE A QUICK SHOWER: There is a golden moment as Mr. Multi-Tasker not only runs through “Nan” but also uses it to freshen up after a hard day’s perspiring. And I couldn’t care less that his clothes are on. ^________^ *pause* *rewind*

“It’s Raining”, check. “Chajayo”, check. *scream* Chajayo! *scream* JiHoon, you sneaky devil. Thanks for pulling this song out of the archives, dude!

Hmm. Eh… Hongshi? You okay? LOL!

And with Hongshi’s funkier than a monkey dance, we are out! What a cute episode. Please join me next time, Rain fans. 😀

— Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com / www.cloudusa.org

(Video credit: jackjihoon @YT)

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EPISODE 25. Asia broadcast 9/17.  Screen caps courtesy of 姫(hime).

Ahh. This week, we head back to the time of The BEST Rain 2011 Asia Tour, specifically when Rain hit Singapore on May 22 for his concert stop there. He pauses and has a word with us in the corridor before heading into the panel room for his press conference, and then all the photographers waiting for him get a shot at a long awaited photo op.

As you may recall, in Kallang (Singapore), Rain initiated a water conservation movement with authorities and citizens in that country and incorporated his BEST concert into that movement. He was also presented with a national water authority certificate by PUB’s official mascot for his efforts. (Wow, I may only be able to pick up a word here or there and not understand what he’s saying, but all of that handsomeness as he’s being interviewed makes the visuals well worth my time!) He looks quite content and pleased with the way his year has gone as he speaks here, and perhaps little jet-lagged from traveling from Germany. As we segueway a bit into a scene from inside the opera house in Dresden, it appears the interviewer was asking about his May 19 Classic Meets Pop joint concert with the wonderful Jan Vogler, at the DMF.

Thank you, RAINY DAY, for including those little snippets of sit-down interview time.

Then, we’re whisked backstage at BEST Singapore with Rain and Crew, right before show time. FYI: The fan sign at minute marker 5:52 says “Singapore” (sing-gapol) with a little cloud symbol underneath. Singapore Clouds in tha house! 🙂

And there he is. “Are you guys ready?” Oh, yes they were. They reacted to “I’m Coming” with all the screams and passion they could muster.

LOL! @ 7:11 and 7:14. Such a character. You just never know what he’s going to do or say at any given moment, in any language, at any time. It is literally a crap shoot. Hahaha! 🙂 He did throw in my favorite English phrase of his as he continued to swagger around the stage, and I love him for it. “I’m gonna show you… everything.” That is a loaded statement if I ever heard one. Ha!

After Rain launches into “Harudo/Not a Single Day”, RAINY DAY edits in a few quick scenes from the rest of the Asia Tour—BEST Beijing, BEST Thailand, BEST Macao, BEST Taiwan, more Singapore, BEST Shanghai, and BEST Guangzhou—and then reminds us that RAIN The Best Show 2011 Korea Tour is to come. No problem, folks. We are watching and waiting!

— Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com / www.cloudusa.org

(Video credit: rainsnow / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 24. Asia broadcast 9/10. Screen caps  courtesy of  姫(hime).

Oh holy goodness, everybody. You just might have to help me hold it together this episode, because right off the bat, right after the main theme, what do we hear? One of my favorite songs in the world, that up until the RAIN The Best Show 2011 Korea tour, I’ve only heard when I played the album.  I never in my life thought I would ever see or hear Bi actually sing “The Empty Space” (아쉬운 빈 공간 / Aswiun Bin Gonggan), track #10 on his second album How To Avoid The Sun, released in October 2003, anywhere at any time. What a treat, RAINY DAY using “The Empty Space” as this week’s sub-theme leading into the action. *squeeeeee*

And here is yet another treat—getting another sample of what the band has done to “Hip Song”, how they’ve turned it grittier, harder, dirty and grimy and worthy of completely rocking out to. The original pop version makes you want to move and groove, all right, but this version makes you want to throw on some studded leather and do some major head-banging all the way to the end. The band tears it up and the song just gets down. Awesome!

We really like seeing the band up close and personal too, dear RAINY DAY. So please do that more often. Thanks. Even drummer Hyoung-Ju Ha got a nice close-up doing what he does best! (Thanks for the info on @WonderKIK, Dulcie.)

Ah, see? At minute marker 1:33, remember to throw in the head-banging. 🙂

LOL at SungTak hyung‘s “Oh crap, I’m in the shot” moment at 2:05. LOL!

And so we tool along with Rain into this episode, with his magic shoes firmly on his magic feet, to snippets of “Touch Ya”, “You (make me crazy)”, and “In My Bed”. Sing it, Hoonie—wah!—while the Men stay strong and limber with a bit of spot conditioning while waiting for their cues. Goodness, but he is kicking the door down with “In My Bed”, isn’t he? That’s some serious rehearsing right there. ♥

Our favorite guitarist switches instruments for “Escaping The Sun”, and soon after that we are into “Only You”—

Whoa. Hold it right there. Pause at minute marker 5:10 or any of the next few seconds after that, because our newspaper boy is giving us a v-e-r-y nice upper lip whisker alert. Hm.

Okay, you can take it off of pause now. If you want to. 😛

(The extent of my contribution to the translation of this episode comes at 6:14, when JiHoon quickly stops the band with a familiar “Ah! Sorry-sorry-sorry, I’m sorry” (미안,  미안 해, mian, mianhae) as they launched into “You Know”. And where he is insisting something be done faster/quicker (빨리빨리! ppalli ppalli!) at 8:29. LOL)

Wow, now that Flight: Close To The Sun filming is done, his hair is starting to grow out pretty fast and he’s letting it. Not that I care either way. It looks great regardless.

After more snippets of “Fresh Woman”, “I’m Coming”, “Love Story”, and “Chajayo” (찾아요, I’m Searching/Looking) another old favorite on album three It’s Raining from October 2004, a soulful vibe starts coming from the band and you know you’re about to see the part of the episode that’s been most talked about this weekend—Rain rehearsing Earth, Wind & Fire’s vintage 70s hit “September”. Ha! The band is right on the rhythm. He seems to enjoy himself tremendously and so do we! 😀

One. Awesome. Episode.

See you next weekend, Clouds and Rain fans!

— Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com / www.cloudusa.org

(Video credit: jackjihoon @YT)

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EPISODE 23. Asia broadcast 9/3.

Last week, we left off with Rain and Jan Vogler’s rehearsal for their Classic Meets Pop joint concert at the Semper Opera House, during the Dresden Music Festival last May 2011, one of the most interesting episodes of RAINY DAY to date (in my opinion, anyway.) This week, rehearsal is done, Rain and Crew amuse themselves backstage waiting for Zero Hour, the clock ticks down, and…

It’s show time. The Real Deal. The audience swells, and Jan and JiHoon go to work. 🙂

Nice audience shots during “Rainism” really show those of you, who haven’t seen images from inside the Semperoper yet, just how deep and wide and high up the people were in that place. It was a packed house, which really came as no surprise with those two powerhouse names on the marquee! As Mr. Charisma and his Dangerous Crew headed into “It’s Raining”, the audience of Rain fans AND Vogler fans AND DMF-goers didn’t hesitate to amp up the volume. Haha. They just couldn’t help it. Rain fans dominated, of course, but that’s what we do. 🙂

One of my favorite parts of this episode (and any fan cam from this event) is when Rain and Jan are on stage together, chitter-chattering with each other and the audience and being downright giggly about their collab. RAIN: “Okay! We just do it!” That was when the two handsome maestros headed on into another one of my absolute favorite things from that night—a beautifully cello’d “Escaping The Sun.” OMG. Without me having to find a fan cam that shows Vogler along with Rain during the number, which was the point of the whole performance, by the way, thank you very much. OMG.

Check out Jan silently grooving to the Rain beat until it’s time to play his cello in the downpour. So cool.

And then we’re right into cello’d “Love Song”! *in heaven* Oh, how I would love if there was an official release of this version. As it is, my fingers are crossed that an official DVD of the whole joint concert, along with the entire DMF Europe/Asia sharing of cultures, will come available.

Nice touch, RAINY DAY, letting us see “Love Song” from JiHoon’s point of view, letting us see some of what he saw as it happened. He and Jan knew, after “Love Song”, just what a special, historical thing they had done on that stage. It was written all over their faces.

Uh-oh. The amazing, emotional, being-a-part-of-history moment I was experiencing has just been completely dissipated by Rain killing “Hip Song” from the side at minute marker 9:10.  Good gravy! @__@ LOL That “Hip Song” was certainly one for Rain’s record books, too. And after all the accolades, some autographs, and a peace-out from Rain, we are done.

Big thanks to our German, Asian, and global sisters who were there at the DMF to give The Man and the Men so much love. Thanks to all the Dresden Music Festival-goers  who supported Classics Meets Pop and helped make the concert so successful; because of the diverse audience in the Semper Opera House that night, no one can say that “only Rain’s fans” appreciated his performance. Any naysayers can stick that in their pipes and smoke it.

And thanks to the German media for giving Rain’s European debut the press it deserved.

(Video credit: happyyyrain torrent / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 22. Asia broadcast 8/27.

Holy Moly! We’re — we’re in Dresden! Santokki, indeed! Hello, Mr. Vogler. Good to see!

*calming it down a bit*

Oh, cripes, there goes my blood pressure right back up a few seconds into the first scene, with a dark-suited JiHoon strolling down a Dresden street in the daytime on May 18, on his way to his photo call with Jan and Jan’s MCM-clad cello. 😀 And after the photographers are all satisfied and the photo call is done, we are off to his Classic Meets Pop joint concert rehearsal. This reeks of awesomeness because 1) we’re getting everything from a Backstage Pass point of view, and 2) we get to ogle him in The Gray Tux That Nipped and Tucked in All The Right Places. Sooo cool.

Jan truly is spectacular on the cello, even while Rain is teasing him from across the stage. He isn’t world renowned for nothing, let me tell you. I hope and I pray that one day I’ll be able to attend a Vogler show in person. *sigh*

Oh my my my, peeps… do you all remember back last summer (2010) when JiHoon was in China doing his magazine spread for ELLE? And how one of the interviewers in an article (I’d have to go back and look up which one) mentioned how he comfortably spoke to the photographer in English for a good part of that photo session? Well, that came flying back up in my memory as I watched him conduct this Dresden rehearsal partly in English and in Korean, and if I do say so myself, his English here sounds pretty damn good. MORE than good. As Arsenio Hall used to say, Makes you go hmmmm!

*grinning at the THE KING OF THE WORLD IS COMING, TAKE COVER intro on the opera house JumboTron*

Boy, dig that deep concentration on his face as they run through “Rainism” until he’s satisfied with it. You know he had to be just a tad nervous on top of everything else, being somewhat out of his element like that. Or rather, bringing his element onto an unknown and unpredictable landscape. Bless his heart. “It’s Raining” seemed to go smoothly, and it made me smile to see how some of the tension seemed to leave JiHoon during the times he and Vogler had their heads together about something or other. Vogler had a terrific effect on him (and vice versa!), which is wonderful because it means they weren’t just posturing for the cameras. They genuinely believed in their collaboration for the Dresden Music Festival. They knew that they really were making a difference.

OMG, listen to that cello come in during “Escaping The Sun”! OMG. *strikes a dramatic pose with a hand to my forehead* As Vogler then plays another intro and leads into “Love Song”, I honestly don’t think I can take any more. It’s just too much. Too much of a beautiful thing.

Oh thank heavens that’s over! I was about to explode from over-stimulation of the Pop Classical kind. More than likely, we’ll pick up here next week, so I’d better get myself together and be prepared to “fight the feelin” again!

GREAT episode, JiHoon and RAINY DAY. Until next time, fans!

(Video credit: happyyyrain torrent / rainsnow / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 21. Asia broadcast 8/20.

Wow. We start off, Rain fans, where we left off—back in the thick of things on the stage at BEST Macao, and Rain is changing up the “Love Song” notes that we’re used to hearing into something truly sexy. Not bad for only :41 seconds in. It’s a bit early in the game for me to be swooning, so ease up a bit, JiHoon honey. Heh. (Oops, golden ab tease! LOL)

Okay, what kind of sly@ss look was that at minute marker 2:18? What the heck was he up to there, aided by an interpreter, I might add? Gawd, there’s no telling!

Towel time! But he only has to wipe down for a second because his MENtholatum Icy Charcoal Face Wash and Water Tank Lotion is keeping this mega-icon oh-so-fresh-and-so-clean, remember? *expecting a check in the mail for giving MENtholatum OcHyPo products a quick plug*

*not holding my breath*

Slowly the audience falls into “Nan”, and as usual I am mesmerized by the lovely back flap of the Man’s MCM trousers—that is, until he rips his wifebeater and the water starts flowing. I tell you, if one song has served Rain well for many years, it’s “Nan.” The mileage he’s gotten out of it is incredible, and I’m pretty sure he can still get more. If you ever get tired of watching a beautiful sight like momzzang Rain in the rain crying his heart out, well… you might as well be dead. That’s my buck-fifty. (That goes for the ceremonial donning of the Rainism jacket, too. “Watch this…” indeed! Just try to pry my eyes off of this, darling.)

A tip, dear RAINY DAY production crew: We know this is only a 12-minute show and that, when it comes to concerts especially, we’re only going to get partial songs, but for pete’s sake, you didn’t have to jam “Rainism”, “It’s Raining”, “Na”, “Bad Guy”, and “Instead of Saying Goodbye” into a barely 4-minute span. All of that quick jumping around in the footage and stopping and starting makes the editing too herky-jerky to enjoy. Just pick a couple of songs, spread those out better, and don’t worry about the rest. We already know what songs were in the show anyway.

Ahhhh, here comes the icing on the cake, a little bit of Jump-Jumping from a back-of-the-stage point of view! And right here is where I fall out laughing because if I thought Rain losing his ever-loving mind was hilarious from the front, it’s even more hilarious from the side. SungTak is about to bust a gut, and Gori just eggs Rain on as he hits the ground and goes to town.  LMAO!

After a final smile and bow to the audience, Rain heads on off to his dressing room with his Thug self, and probably proceeded to happily pass out. I know that’s what I would have done after all that hard work! 🙂

And we are out for this week, folks, after a job well done in Macao by the Man and the Men and Women behind the Man.

I wonder where we’ll be next week? Hmm, any guesses?

(Video source: happyyyrain torrent / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 20. Asia broadcast 8/13.

Ah-hah—we’re still in mid-concert at Rain’s BEST Macao, and what a great way to start off… as the Man heads backstage for his famous Presto Change-o Clothing Teaseroo. ㅎㅎ Haha. *settles back in my chair and gets all comfy*

Don’t y’all wish that, just once, some kind soul would sneak up behind the cameraman, “accidentally” lose their balance and slam into him and as a consequence the camera suddenly swing back around before it’s supposed to and—BOOM! Boxers, briefs, or birthday best! *hears the choirs singing in heaven*

Talk about a shot heard ’round the world. The fan cams would circle the globe faster and more times than Christopher Reeve at the end of Superman 1. Ah, well… a Cloud can dream.

(Yes, yes, Rain would be mortified and I’m just kidding. Sort of. I’m certainly not wishing such a thing would actually happen. Not really.) *whistling Dixie*

*wondering if anyone is buying that crap*

And this is where we roll (on roller skates) into the sleek, retro-fitted part of the show. Matter of fact, if I were one of the Crew, that’s what I’d really want to do most—zip around on skates and generally have hellafun while Rain did his thing with the crowd. And I would have convinced him to pass me the bearskin to wear for part of “Fresh Woman.” For real! Ha, check out that Hoonie pout as he gets down during the sexy retro break that we all love at the end of the song. Straight-up attitude. ♥

Ah! We get some of that grittier, rocked out “Hip Song”! *thanks the RAINY DAY gods profusely* Dang, was that a smooth Superman move at minute marker 7:51 (when Jihoon snatched his vest off mid-step) or what? There should have been a HUGE “S” on his shirt underneath that thing! I love seeing the Women behind the Man out there tearing up “Hip Song” just like the guys. Awesome-Oh.

A little “Don’t Stop” and a little “Love Story”, and we are out of there, my friends.

See you all next episode! *giggle*

(video source: jackjihoon @YT)

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EPISODE 19. Asia broadcast 8/6.

(screen cap by Stephe @CloudUSA)

We left off last week with rehearsals for BEST Macao at the Cotai Arena (in mid-May), and we didn’t know if we would return for more prep time OR get down to the nitty-gritty of the actual BEST concert. Well… the first thing we see as this episode opens is Rain busting out of his dressing room on the 14th like a cat semi-on-fire, dressed to the nines in concert get-up, blazing a trail down a backstage arena hallway to—where?

When it comes to finding out, we don’t have long to wait. It’s the Living Doll Mail Order Caper. Which ended up a little something like this. ROFL!

The Men are already waiting for the Man to get his butt in the room for the shot, as it appears that there isn’t much time for the caper to go down. Someone tells JiHoon to speed it up and everyone to get in place as he finally arrives [빨리 빨리 빨리 빨리! (ppalli ppalli ppalli ppalli!) Hurry hurry hurry hurry!]. The Man and Crew hop to with their incredibly handsome selves, and bingo! The Living Doll Mail Order Caper spread ’round the world is born. LOL!

Of course, everyone is all “General Hospital” and favoring their knees and joints and stuff after climbing down out of those semi-lockers (you would think they’d been up in those things for an ice age or so, the way they were, like, dying ㅎㅎㅎ hahaha wow). I mean listen to those heart-wrenching groans! Come on, man up, poor babies LOL! Of course, the picture puts JiHoon in stitches and delights all the guys. And it should have. Let’s face it, out of context, that was one really buzzworthy shot!

And then our superheroes and superheroines rush to the stage because the fans are ready and BEST Macao is ON.

Let’s just sit back together and watch JiHoon do what he does so well… command the stage and wring every bit of emotion possible from his audience, shall we? Be back in few…

Wow. What a charmer. But that’s nothing we didn’t already know. 🙂

And so after partial footage of “Harudo”, “I Love You Again,” “Only You”, “One” and other hits we dearly love, this week’s episode comes to an end. Next week we could continue at BEST Macao, or be in an entirely different spot. Only RAINY DAY knows for sure. Be here, and we’ll find out together.

Until then, Rain fans! 😀

(video source credit: happyyyrain torrent / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 18. Asia broadcast 7/30.

We left off last week in the middle of rehearsal for Rain’s BEST Macao concert stop on his Asia tour, and it is there where we pick back up again. Which is just fine with us!

Let me say right off the bat that I dig the totally rocked out way the live band plays “Hip Song”. They add something that gives it such a fresh new flavor. Makes me want to plant one foot forward and do a little head-banging. Awesome. They seem to be pretty attuned to Rain and his vision of how things should go as well, without a bunch of hiccups. He talks, they deliver.

I also dig the way he adjusted his own delivery of the “Hip Song” lyrics to match up with the band’s version. He went louder. Harder. Grittier. And from the fan cams we’ve already seen from BEST Macao, it worked. Beautifully! The rocked out version of this song is something that I hope we continue to hear for a long time to come.

Watch JiHoon go from instrument to instrument, laying down the invisible track that he’s played in his own head. He’s almost like the conductor of an orchestra in the middle of an epiphany.

Oh wow. That was cool—the guitar player coming down and joining Rain at the “Love Story” steam shower. WOW. Not only does the guy play some smokin’ mean strings, he’s good looking to boot!

Well there you go—proof positive that you can’t have guys and lasers in the same place at the same time without a “let’s see what happens when I do this” session. LOL! Rain: Look at my green lasers. I got green lasers. Look at them. Hyung 1: But I can stand on it, though. Hyung 2: Big deal. I can put my arm though it. Hyung 3: I can stop it with my hand! Hyung 4: Huh. Watch this. (stops the beam with his crotch) Rain: Look at my green lasers. I got green lasers. Look at them. 🙂

Will we get more rehearsal next episode, or get into the concert itself, or receive something totally unexpected from the RAINY DAY gods instead? We shall see, fans. Cheers, until next week! 😀

(source: happyyyrain torrent / courtesy of ratoka @YT / tip: Benamoo)

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EPISODE 17. Asia broadcast 7/23.

We finished up with the TIME Gala and being in a New York state of mind last week. Well before that, we were ADIEUing. So where oh where will we land now? Any guesses?

Ah! BEST Rain Macao, the third stop on Rain’s BEST concert tour of Asia! Okay. 😀

(Oh lord, it’s that shirt that drove me abso-freakin-lutely nuts because it cut Rain off at the hips and made him look stunted or something… but hey, that was then, I’m over it now, and he was as handsome and personable as ever while speaking to the Media at his press con, so no problema.) RAINY DAY spends only about three minutes on Rain’s Macao press conference before taking a station break and bugging out, and that’s just fine with me. As you may recall, the AP Article Shot Around the World stemmed from this event, you remember the one, where the writer claimed that not only was Rain being surly and evasive about his upcoming military enlistment (which made about as much sense as a dog flying under its own power) but that he also dissed America and planned a future only in Asia (which made about as much sense as a rock flying under its own power). Yeah. Somehow, the Rainiverse weathered the storm that the writer’s own conclusions produced, and went on about its business. These days, the less I think about that hot mess, the better for my health, frankly.

Moving on.

LOL! For a second there, with all the running going on, I had a Fugitive flashback. But I don’t think fashion plate “JiWoo” would be caught dead with a scarf on his perfect hair. (He beat some of Mafia Daddy’s guys down just for messing it up, remember.) Ah, we’re at a Macao rehearsal, and of course, Rain is horsing around… backstage, on stage, off stage. Heh. Remember when he tweeted those pictures?

And so the Man, the Men, the Women, and the Crew get down to the bidnez of putting the show together. “Everybody get ready… Me and my boys… smellin’, fellin’… you know how we do it—” There is a really nice energy on that stage. Looks like he was really ready for that show.

What the—? Hold the bus. One of the Women was really late for her cue and about broke her neck trying to get to the King and his throne. ROFL! I haven’t seen a woman move that fast since Flo Jo! Rain just about busted a gut laughing. LMAO!

Minute marker 7:20 starts one of those special Rain moments that only happens once in a blue moon: (hippity hoppity) “How you doing… yeah, it’s been a long time…” (hoppity skippity) “I luv you alllllllllllllll my fans…” Yadda yadda blah blah, this is rehearsal, make something up as I goooooo, just get down the damn staaaaage… ROFL

*scream* “One”, y’all! *scream*

After a bit more rehearsal time, we’re out. I really enjoyed this go-round. Nice job, JiHoon. ♥ See you next episode, fans, where I’m hoping we’ll get some of the real thing in Macao. Be here, or be square!

(video credit: happyyyrain torrent / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 16. Asia broadcast 7/16.

So, picking up from last week’s limo ride to the TIME 100 Gala venue…

Mr. Calm-Cool-and-Collected arrives at Lincoln Center, alights from his sleek transportation, and begins his walk as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People for 2011. Those of you who remember our previous posts “It rained pandemonium on the TIME 100 Red Carpet, Part 1” and “Part 2” know that I used that word—pandemonium—correctly. That was exactly what it was! Things were relatively quiet, even with the major stars posing for pictures on the TIME Red Carpet, until Rain showed his face. His arrival signaled mayhem, bedlam, a figurative volcanic eruption of sound, and NOT just from Rain fans.

CloudUSAers and New York Clouds were there, all right, but in small contingents. What contributed even more to that amazing wall of sound were other female and male spectators and the Media, who were almost rabid in their desperation to get a good glimpse of him and a good picture. It was almost frightening. I wasn’t even there, they weren’t shouting my name, and I still had the urge to take off running before the hordes broke loose or something. LOL! Wow.

(I have to stop here and, once more, thank Gigi_rou, Diva, Stormy, and Tara for making the trek to New York so that the rest of us could live vicariously through them, and for being so sweet as to share time with lone Rain fan novaries when they ran into her. That goes for Scorpiola, and for Cuckoo too. Thank you so much, all of you, for your pictures, fan accounts, and videos. You truly made the Rainiverse a happy place!)

And now we are inside the building, headed for the main part of the Carpet. *gasp* There are some Rain fans waiting in there too! WOW. There’s Ronnie Yang in his smart bow tie. Both men look wonderful. Rain’s stature immediately sets him apart, of course, as he is head and shoulders above just about everyone there. Gosh. So handsome. I tell you what—if I’d been the woman checking him into the event, I would have been thinking, No, no, Mr. Rain, do not help me with your wristband, dear… let me just take my time and fumble with it a bit so that this moment is drawn out for as long as possible the thing is on really well. Hehe.

(Listen to that! Doesn’t matter how far he walks into the place. Around every single corner, he hears Rain! Rain…! Even male voices. Bi!!!) After graciously signing an autograph, he looks a little nervous as he and Ronnie get closer and closer to the point of no return, a place he hasn’t been to since 2006. And who wouldn’t be jittery, honestly, considering the star power waiting for him to come down that Carpet and through the Gala door? Holy smokes. Bless his heart. 🙂

The familiar smile comes back when he’s talking to KBS. I had to laugh myself when it looked like his checker wanted to smack the KBS guy upside the head and say, “Wrap it UP, dude, so I can get this man inside the flippin’ event, if ya don’t mind! WTH?” LOL! And again, the army of photogs along the Carpet are like a pack of hungry wolves, barking their commands, determined to get the shot. Ronnie comes to the rescue and gets our Man safely into the elevator going up, but not before perhaps one of Rain’s filming crew calls out a final “JiHoon-ssi! Mr. Rain!” and gets a last shot before he disappears from sight.

Later, the Gala is over, and there is time for a bit of reminiscing on the now-empty Carpet and a few autographs before heading for his hotel. As he sits in the limo and chatters with us some more, Rain looks pretty doggone delighted. As well he should. (What the devil is he saying? *huhuhu!* It hasn’t been eleven whole days but I am crying like a mofo because I just don’t know! *sniffle*)

And with that, we are done and gone. See you next Saturday, fans! Care to place any bets as to what he’ll be doing in the next episode?

(Source: happyyyrain torrent / ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 15. Asia broadcast 7/9.

As you recall, Episode 14 left us at the Blue Fin bar and eatery in Times Square, NYC, where Rain and friend Ronnie Yang (CEO of CABA Entertainment) were enjoying a hardy breakfast. The TIME 100 Gala was only hours away! So let’s head back there now…

We pick right up where we left off, with Rain wielding his self-cam and tearing into his sashimi. And then bingo-presto, we’re back outside on the streets of Times Square, with the King of Asian Pop surveying a far land that is primed and ready for conquering. (Go get ’em, Rain!) As passersby stroll in and out of the camera’s frame, completely unaware of the star mega-wattage that is on the same street with them, Rain has a Q & A session right there on camera. A wonderful thing, when it comes to the visuals. All of that handsomeness is quite blinding. It’s an absolutely frustrating thing when it comes to everything else, however, because WE HAVEN’T A CLUE WHAT HE’S SAYING. And what he’s saying sounds important.

Translating even five minutes of something isn’t as easy as a lot of people think it is. I can vouch for that truth because I’ve translated/recapped an hour-long telenovela (Hispanic drama) episode on Univision for my telenovela community peeps before, and even though it was great fun, I also thought it would kill me. (It’s suddenly really nerve-wracking when a heck of a lot of people are depending on you to relay what someone else says without making a mistake. There tends to be marathon sessions of rewinding and obsessing over muffled words and what isn’t clear, and sweating bullets over the words you don’t know and have to look up. It takes a while to finish. Thank goodness I was able to do a good job.) This is why I never give rain bird and other folks a hard time if it takes them a while to translate something, or if they don’t translate it at all. To fans, it just magically appears—tada!—but the reality is it takes a real chunk of a translator’s time.

With that said… why in the world, with all the thousands of Rain fans that speak Korean and English, haven’t other folks jumped in to translate the show as well and help sisters out? Why has it been left on one person’s shoulders all this time? If Terri or I knew Korean, you know we’d have been on it like the devil on a sinner, yo. This is one episode where we really need to know what the heck Rain is saying!

Moving on.

I loved how, as he was casually strolling on the sidewalk  (and hopefully finding something he liked for his upcoming album) and we looked at the sights with him, there was a nice insert of Ol’ Glory a’waving in the wind. Sort of a sign of things to come, yeah? 😀

A third of the way through the episode, we leave the early morning streets and—new scene! The Man is in tux-mode, and we are off to the TIME Gala. Oh, my gosh. CloudUSAers Diva, Stormy, and Tara (and new USAer novaries) were there, outside the Lincoln Center venue! It’s still exciting to think about that, even after two-and-a-half months. Haha!

The on-camera question and answer session continues all the way to the Gala. In the car, he seems to be chatting about things like his 2006 TIME journey, Ninja Assassin, the MTV Movie Awards, and either the President or Mrs. Obama, as NY drivers whiz by at 90 MPH and almost take the paint off the side of the limo, but doggonit. It really sucks not knowing what he’s telling us all. I feel a bit of an angry cry coming on. *huhuhu!* 😦

Well, my goodness! A bright spot in the whole episode… in addition to Rain’s Gala pics with Bruno Mars and Sting, RAINY DAY also included the picture that Chanee Vijay’s husband took and that natural design blogger Chanee tweeted from the Gala that night, not knowing that she would unleash a tidal wave across the Rainiverse. LOL! Love the smiley face on you, C.V.! 🙂

Rain gets to the Red Carpet, and we are out. More at the Gala next week (I hope), so until then, take care, everyone.

(video credit : happyyyrain torrent / rainsnow / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 14. Asia broadcast 7/2.

Ah! An unexpected treat, fans. We start off with Rain inside his van, self-camming for us. And anyone who wasn’t living under a rock two months ago can tell by his MCM fashion that this is where Rain left South Korea (via Incheon Airport) on his way to the TIME 100 Gala in New York City. Oh, heavens. Does this mean that in an upcoming episode, we might get a few personal glimpses inside the Gala venue, from Rain’s point of view? Wouldn’t that be something?

Let’s keep our fingers crossed as we go on with the show!

(Pardon me, but gosh, he’s handsome. I know, I know, understatement of the year, right?)

How many times has he done this, stood outside of Incheon, on his way to some foreign locale? Hundreds, if one were to count. Rain looked well seasoned to the scene and completely confident on the way to catch his plane, and he should have. After all, he already knew exactly what was around each corner he would turn in that airport and how to handle it. He could probably do it in his sleep, meeting the press included. *adorable little girl alert, Rain is doomed* 🙂 Somehow I can’t imagine such a tiny young’un pining away until her mother got her the Back To The Basic mini-album, where Rain is hot and half-naked and tempting and completely momzzang and singing of love and making a woman emotionally and physically his. Which means that album is probably her mother’s. Which means her mother is a smart cookie. Heheh. 😉

And so Rain makes his plane and that’s when he, for the second time, whips out the self-cam that KBS gave him. LOL! Remember, everyone, the john-versation heard around the world? Hahaha! Q: “How do you pass time on a plane?” A: “I gorge myself, then I take a tremendous crap, and gorge myself again. Just kidding.” ROFLMAO. I think I’ll probably remember that on my death bed, Rain. It just gets no more hilarious than that, dude. ㅎㅎㅎ ROFL!  (For an English translation of a portion of his dialogue throughout this entire episode, you can revisit KBSWorld’s subtitled Star Date clip HERE.) What in the world was he asked when he blushed like a schoolgirl, though? Probably something about him being sexy. What’cha wanna bet?

The Man arrives in NYC, blows through JFK and into his transportation, and of course, it’s really raining. 🙂 On the way to the hotel, he talks about being nervous, not sleeping, his poor face being swollen as a result (aww), and a few other things… before we suddenly find ourselves in the bright light of morning the next day, with him scarfing down a good sashimi breakfast. He seemed quite preoccupied with his forehead. And quite chatty. (And a little gassy or hiccuppy or something 😛 ) Which kept me grinning. So doggone cute. 🙂

Rain was also looking for inspiration for his next album that morning, which should be dropping around September now… I wonder if he saw anything in New York that he liked for it? In any case, he was happy to show us a nice mini-panorama of Times Square through the window of the establishment where he was eating (The Blue Fin… thanks, Terri!). He really should do self-cams more often—he’s so full of personality, and fabulous at it.

That’s it from Rain in NYC for this week, all, but there’s more to come. I can’t wait to see what additional goodies Rain’s camera might have gotten for us. A Cloud can dream, right?

If any English translations or summaries of this episode come available, we’ll be sure to add one here. Tah for now.

(video source: happyyyrain torrent / rainsnow / ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 13. Asia broadcast 6/25 (Rain’s birthday).

We’re in the middle of ADIEU!2010 with Rain, on New Year’s Eve, and the fans are showing enthusiastic participation during “With You.” Dear heavens. Just look at all of those people! The audience is massive. It’s just incredible. *pausing a moment to crack up at the rollerskating crew* Wow. How can you not have a great time performing in that get-up? LOL!

Song change. “Let’s gooooo!” Fresh Woman! With the ultra-sleek, ultra-sexy, retro-fitted Rain dance break at the end of it. Check that attitude right around minute marker 3:08. I’m too sexy for this bear skin, yo.

*gasp* Oh dear. *tries not to hyperventilate when Rain starts into Love Story*

OMG. They go RIGHT INTO THE STEAM SHOWER with his poodle hair flying every which way. No warning. No prep. No nothing. Are you trying to kill me, RAINY DAY. *zones out*

That was insane.

Moving on.

Well dog-gone-it, grab a quick breath because here comes “Love Song.” Ai-yai-yai. I’ve seen the Golden Abs countless times, so why, when the shirt went over the head, did I STILL go *gasp*? What the heck is up with that? *shaking my head*

Wow, what a cocky moment at minute marker 5:46. Just look at that. “Nan” is coming up and he knows he’s going to slay the fans with it. He knows it. You just want to smack him, the ham. LOL! 😛

Enter the Rainism coat, the Rainism music, the accompanying graphics on the JumboTron, and Rain’s own green laser show. Oh, to be able to see this whole thing uncut and in person. Perhaps one day… a Cloud can hope. For the rest of the episode, we’re treated to snippets of “It’s Raining”, “Bad Guy”, “Instead of Saying Goodbye”, killer confetti, jump-jumping, and—finally!—Rain’s full-on face after he watched the loving surprise tribute to him made of pictures and messages sent by Rain fans from all over the world, and put together for the concert by The Korean Cloud. Ah. His reaction to the fans (his honorific bows in all four directions) still kind of gets you right there, doesn’t it? Aww. ♥ ♥ ♥ That’s a 3-Hearter, for sure.

He still looks a bit emotional (not to mention good and tired) when we go backstage with him after the final bow.

I enjoyed this episode. So much so that I’m about to watch it again for good measure. Until next week, fans!

(Source: happyyyrain torrent / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 12. Asia broadcast 6/12.

Well, check it out, fans. We have our same favorite Dread Pirate/Majestic/Asiad theme, but new sub-theme footage accompanied by “Touch Ya.” Very cool.  Last week, when the episode ended, we had just gotten into one of the two ADIEU! 2010 with Rain New Year’s Eve concerts… and so let’s return there now.

“You (make me crazy)”, where the King sits on his throne and reigns over all that he surveys, has always had the makings of a saucy little number, what with those lyrics (the song was released on the Vol. 5 Rainism album in October 2008). I remember being so surprised when I saw the “You” choreography for the first time, during last summer’s ZEPP Japan tour, because I never expected it to be one of the songs in the show (I mean, good gosh, he has so many)… and I was really pleased because that choreography was every bit as spicy and sexy as it should have been. It did—and still does—the song justice, no matter how many times I see it. Yowzah.

(Haha. I suspect our PoodleHead likes “You” every bit as much as I do, from the way he throws down through the whole thing here. He even cuts loose with a few hard Round The World butt swings, which I distinctly remember doing down the Soul Train Line a time or two myself back in the day.)

When he takes a few moments to cool down and talk to the fans, he looks as happy as they sound. Aww. 🙂 And when he launches into “Not A Single Day/Harudo“, his voice is as rich and smooth on those lyrics as always. Makes you want to simply listen without moving. Without breathing. Because either one might spoil the exquisite sound coming out of his pipes. Know what I mean?

Ahh… let me take my long-sleeved shirt off right here, only because it’s hot under these stage lights, of course. And let me pull my black tank shirt not just out of my camos, but way up past my abs for a sec. Only because it’s hot up here. Of course. Yeah. Uh-huh, Rain. 😀 *trying to concentrate on Harudo despite JiHoon’s deliberate sabotage*

Any worry that Rain might have had during the ADIEU rehearsals about the concert certainly dissipated with the fans’ enthusiastic and warm response to his performances. And it seemed that he wanted to be close to them, to connect with them, eye to eye (quite appropriate, with eyes being the window to the soul). There was something in the way he reached out and touched people that made me feel a weight had slid off of his shoulders. Let me commend the fans he shook hands with along the side of the stage! As excited as they were, they still seemed to hold themselves together. And bless Rain’s heart for pausing in his singing for a moment to simply concentrate on graciously greeting them. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… what a guy. ♥

And just like that, we’re into “One.” Everybody scream, because you know what’s coming!

Heavens. Moving on.

Now that was COOL at minute marker 10:04, when he tried to grab the One up in his arms as the spring-loaded elevator door in the stage lowered her down. Big points for that move, JiHoon! I noticed it before, but from this angle, the movement looks terrific.

So… as the Man cutely and expertly plays the audience like a fiddle (Louder… louder… Have some armpit sweat? No? You sure? ROFL) and gets ready to slide into “Escaping The Sun”, we are out of there until next week.

Loved the episode, Rain. Please keep ’em coming our way!

(video credit : happyyyrain torrent / rainsnow / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 11. Asia broadcast 6/11.

It’s time for ADIEU! 2010 With Rain, his end-of-year New Year’s Eve blowout party concert where he and the Crew give 2010 the ol’ Heave-Ho. Laters, 2010… hellooooooo 2011. And what better way to do that than with die-hard fans?

Of course, as is proper for any world class artist, crew, and viewers-at-home, we all get loosened up before hitting the stage. Rotate… rotate… stretch… s-t-r-e-t-c-h… Must get all the kinks out in order to not pull a muscle, screw up a move, or outright break something during the actual performance, yeah? (Aww, he looks so cute, Mr. Task Master Ring Leader ^_~ … sort of takes me back to high school gym class, and Shorin Ryu karate class, where teacher would choose a classmate to lead warm-ups, remember?)

And so Rain warms up his hard-working thighs, SungTak warms up his broad shoulders, Gori warms up his hair… and we’re done! Everyone meets in the middle for The Pep Talk (where Rain usually reminds everyone to do their very best, to be extremely careful, not get hurt, have a good time and let’s go get ’em), one-two-three break!, and they are ON. Of course, there is a quick autograph, fan meet, and a final mirror check of The Adorable Cuteness on the way to the stage.

“It’s JYP, again. Are you ready, Rain?”

“I’m ready.” And indeed he is as the figurative ADIEU! curtain comes down and Rain launches into “I’m Coming.” Holy Toledo, Baby Boy not only looks fabulous, but truly happy. Bounce that hair! Bounce that hair! I’ll tell you who else looks fabo—the beautiful Women behind the Man. They are on point, and frame him like champs. *applause, applause* It doesn’t matter how many ADIEU fan cams or news clips we’ve seen (only a million)… watching Rain from another point of view is always like watching him new. I cannot explain why that is.

Then we’re through the Mission Impossible headbanger rock break and on into “Touch Ya”, one of the best ways to start any concert. The Men look wonderful during this song! They always do. My favorite parts are the very beginning, when Gori, Hongshi and Rain start off, and then going into the second verse, when the two cuties KyuSang and YongDeock frame Rain and simply throw down. You may recall that this was where Rain totally freaked the fans out by unexpectedly leaping atop a half-wall and giving folks some love. Just look at his smile, will you? ♥ ♥

Loved this RAINY DAY episode. Cannot wait for next Saturday. Signing off and saying ADIEU for now…

(Credit : Happyyyrain torrent / ratoka @YT)

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EPISODE 10. Asia broadcast 6/4.

Aaaaah! Cue the music, and let’s pick up right where we left off—with JiHoon looking oh-so-foine in his Hollister Cali long-sleeves (and other strategic attire to protect him from the elements inside that frozen gymnasium) during a final straight run-through for the ADIEU! 2010 concert. And, just like last week, our Magic Feet is as cute as a button and looks absolutely fabulous from head to toe. (Do all men fill out Hollister shirts like that? Naw. This is a special case, yo.)

Hooo-kay now… during “Only You”, those pop-thrusts were live-performance worthy. Mama appreciates that, dear. More than you’ll ever know.

I’m sure you all recognize the setups for “I Do” (with the couple chairs), “My Girl” (with the single chair), and that you realize “Fresh Woman” is coming up as well, seeing as the Crew has their roller skates on. (And of course someone is back there trying to pull a Kim YuNa on ice—an arabesque and a heel-stretch. Notice I said trying. :P)

Haha! Big points to some stage crew for acting as the concert audience. They “throwed” their hands in the air on cue, and probably waved ’em like they just “don’t” care. 🙂

“…5…6…7…8—” (a rather lively launch into Fresh Woman)

“소리 질러! (soli jilleo!)” Scream! No problem, Rain—it almost always makes me scream to witness what makes you so different from many, many other dancers… the way you use every single joint in your body to dance, from your fingertips to your toes and anklebones and everything in between. Even in a casual rehearsal such as this one, fans, it’s possible to see every joint in him that pops, even when he only moves it for a split-second. Michael Jackson did that, beautifully. Someone else who does it, I’ve noticed, is JunHyung of BEAST/B2ST. (That boy is something else, with his shoulders and neck and wrist bones and fingers popping like Rain’s. The sheer joy of music and dance combined that shines in JunHyung’s eyes reminds me of what I see in Rain’s eyes as well. As if music flips some kind of internal switch. What a talent.)

And this, friends, is where we part ways with RAINY DAY for this week. If a translation is made available, I’ll bring that to you here. Next time, we might finish up this rehearsal or possibly move on to the actual concert, so… See you then!

(Credit: happyyyrain torrent / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

°

EPISODE 9. Asia broadcast 5/28.

Asia broadcast, 5/28. Cue dread pirate/patriotic/asiad theme… Cue hip hop/down with O.P.P. sub-theme… and let’s get started!

We’re still rehearsing for Rain’s ADIEU! 2010 New Year’s Eve show, but we’ve changed locations. We’ve seen Sun Music Studio, and the concert venue stage, and now we’re in what looks like a gymnasium. It’s giving me flashbacks to senior high, for real. Well, blow me down. Right off the bat, we have the Man playin’ (but not slayin’… sorry, Rain *grin*) on one of those fancy-shmancy TouchPads, as one of the Crew is zooming about on roller skates… roller skates. Looks like fun—I wouldn’t mind giving that a try myself (the Touchpad, I’ve got the skating down).

Jump, jump! in a really fly parka. Nice look, 비! Is it me, or is Rain just cute as all get-out here? He’s just… CUTE. It must be cold as heck in there, because everybody is bundled up like they’re on a frozen tundra. Granted, this is happening between Christmas and December 31, so I expect it to be that cold outside… but inside? *shrug* Maybe it’s necessary for the equipment this go-round. Maybe this is a last-minute location and there was no time to heat the building before they got there. Maybe there was no heat in the budget. Whatever. No one looks particularly pained about it, so it’s all good.

And so, everyone takes it all from the top one more time, in anticipation of having everything dead-on perfect for ADIEU. Watch Rain as he works straight through the concert rundown, and please tell me, if you can, how in the world a Man all zipped up in a big @ss coat can still make his movements sharper than a tack? How? In Rain’s own famous words, it’s amazing.

Ah, and we get to see that cool head-banging break that comes right before “Touch Ya.” 😀

“You… you make me crazy… Round two—” Oh CRAP, my throne’s way the hell up THERE! *run, run, run, run, collapse in chair* ROFLMAO

Okay, that “Harudo” extreme close-up at minute marker 7:42 just about killed me. Wahhh. He’s finally getting a bit warm from all that jumping around and the parka comes off. LOVE that black sweater! Oh—the black sweater comes off too… LOVE that Hollister Cali shirt. Such a fashion plate, even during rehearsals, aren’t you, Hoonie?

(As you can see, this is a straight run-through that doesn’t stop for anything, even when he almost destroys a microphone. The thing was only half-working anyway.)

Goodness. Hollister shirts and Rain chest-pumps go together like bacon and eggs, yo. Nice. (Y’all know I just about passed out laughing when I saw that he AND the Hollister dog were identical poodle-heads. I mean what were the odds of that. ♥♥)

The countdown clock says Happy New Year!, Rain does some silly foot-shuffling in celebration, flashes that gorgeous smile, makes a funny, and we are out of there until next week. See you then, fans! 🙂

(Video credit: yunitan1 @YT)

°

EPISODE 8. Asia broadcast 5/21.

I am still flying SO high from Rain and Vogler showing out at the DMF, and from the utter excitement of meeting new classmates face to face while digging into my first Korean lesson in The A.T.L. today, that I can hardly concentrate on doing this episode. Let’s see if I can find some quick inspiration…

*hitting play, absorbing RAINY DAY intro filled with JiHoon*

Okay! Suddenly got my second wind. Let’s do this thing! 😀

*jaw drops* Oh heavens, we’re still right in the middle of the “Nan” (I) rehearsal… *zones the heck out*

Okay guys, water looks good, let’s get past all the crying and suffering real quick… (fast Nan whine)(fast Nan whine)(faster Nan whine) Okay let down the coat for Rainism yeah— LMAO! Well so much for suffering over some chick. Moving on. 😉

Ah, we’re getting a truly nice view of the control boards beyond the stage, where lights and sound and magic happens. And we get to see our Magic Feet fine-tuning the new laser-light show that he’s inserted at the very end of “Rainism.” Sounds like that took a lot out of him as we then launch into “Na” (Me/Myself). Aww… and Baby Hoon is all over the JumboTron. Be still my heart. ♥ (That’s a really good thing to see, too… in more ways than one. *smile*)

Heheh. With a gathering of coils beneath the spring-loaded elevator, Rain is soon living—and flying—like Superman as “Bad Guy” gets going. How in the world was he singing so smoothly through that “flight”, people? Wow. He continues marking steps and taking mental notes right on into “Instead of Saying Goodbye.”

You can tell which parts of the concert choreography Rain really digs right off, because he’ll be marking steps and moseying along and not looking particularly enthused, and all of a sudden BAM! Holy Moly, Batman! He’ll just start breaking it down hard like nobody’s business. Which is what happened with that new hot, steaming, wonderful 90s dance break that’s in the latter part of the song—Rain comes to life like gangbusters and starts slinging his joints out of whack, and the Crew, which is finely attuned to his every move, gets in the groove right along with him.

*full arm hip swing… full arm hip swing*
*roll and stomp it… roll and stomp it*
*Pop it Lock… Pop it Lock*
*sling it left… sling it right*
*roll, ROLL… roll, ROLL*
(pause and let the ladies get down)
*stir that coffee*
*bring it to the front*
*harlem shake harlem shake harlem shake harlem shake* BOOM

*moseys off in deep thought*

*gives The Goods a JumboTron check*

I don’t mind saying that whole interlude was my favorite part of the episode. Might as well tell the truth and shame the devil. 🙂

Erm, wait a minute… I said that before seeing what came next. Love. Story. Where Rain proceeds to, every now and then, sow his wild oats. @__@ Pardon me a moment while I grab a shot of Irish Creme. Be right back.

Okeedokee then, this puppy’s a wrap. Until next week, fans. Cheers!

(Credit : happyyyrain torrent / ratoka @YT)

°

EPISODE 7. Asia broadcast 5/14.

We pick up in the middle of the ADIEU! 2010 rehearsal for “Fresh Woman” with the really fun JumboTron graphics of a cartoon city that never sleeps. (YongDeock is sporting the heck out of that young hip Korea haircut with the sides buzzed clean. Looks so cute on him.)

Ah! The new Fresh Woman Disco-down dance break! Love that sexy choreography.

These RAINY DAY episodes are straight-up evidence of just how much goes into seemingly effortless-looking shows. I mean, Heavens to Betsy, just when you think a million kinks have been worked out, here comes one more. Without patience and stamina, there is no way to survive this process. It’s a good thing Rain and the Crew have plenty of that to go around. “This is Hip Song, rock tonight…” I like the casual way Rain brings the song in with his boys before the music starts… it’s very pep rally-ish and gets everybody hyped up before the band kicks in.

If Rain was water in a faucet (eh, did I really say that? If “Rain” was “water”… LOL), he’d be running alternately hot and cold in this episode. One minute he’s deep in thought and only marking the steps, and the next he’s full out jitterbugging to whatever. Hmm, to be a fly on his wall, privy to whatever he was thinking during that whole time…

Next, we get a little bit of “Don’t Stop” before launching into “Love Song” with Rain and mic rising out of the stage floor by spring-loaded elevator. (Oops, call the sound EMTs because his head mic is down for the count.) I must say I grinned all the way through this part. It was just so… precious. From him trying to make his NY Bling ball cap stay down over his voluminous poodle-do, to the adjustments to his retro mic, to dropping in and out of his “Love Song” character at will and comparing abs with the Gori-fied one on the Big Screen… it was almost as if Rain had put his “eternal” cameraman out of his mind and was simply living in the moment. And we got to watch him do that. Cool.

Oh-em-gee, here comes the treat of a lifetime… “Nan” in rehearsal! Look at that. The Man’s spine is elastic, the way he’s moving it around, and—

*gasp* *rewind and replay* ♥ *rewind and play again* ♥ ♥ Well, all right, JiHoon. Minute marker 10:37 is worth two snaps and an Irish Creme on the rocks, yo. What are you trying to do, make me speak in tongues? @__@

And on that lusty note, I am out of here, fans. There’s some Irish Creme in my refrigerator that’s calling my name. Whew. Until next Saturday…! 😛

(Video credit: jackjihoon @YT / tip: Benamoo)

(English translation by rain bird @rain-eu.)

1:05
Rain : What’s up with this?

1:11
Rain : The echo of music is just a bit excessive.

2:16
Rain : There are too many howling sounds.

2:24
Director : I’ll check the mike right now before continuing.

2:28:~2:32
Rain : When I say as “Let me appear on the stage again”, the camera continuously has to pan across the room along with me.

2:40
Rain : The shoot has to take place more smoothly, maintaining a constant pace.
(Rain repeats it until they could remember it.)

3:05
Rain : Is the mike ready yet?

3:08~3:14
Rain : One two three, One two three, One two three…….

3:16
Rain : I’ll get right to it.

3:37
Rain : Just a moment! Don’t play the music, please.

3:39~4:19
Rain : When I make a gesture while singing the intro of the song, please gather together around me and do the same things as me.

5:11
Rain : Something’s not quite right, is it?

5:21
Rain : Can you turn the volume up a little?

8:57~9:03
Rain : Oh please oh please..I love you.

9:20~9:28
Rain : What’s up with this cap? I think it doesn’t apply to the performance.
Is this the right cap? But it’s torn.

9:31~9:35
Rain : Do something about it ! Is it torn intentionally?

10:55~10:57
Rain : I’d like to rate you (‘Kyung Ho’ who is the youngest manager) the best person throwing a towel of all time beyond both ‘Yl Kwon’ hyung and ‘Cheol Won’ hyung. (The two are older managers) [LOL! ^@@^]

° 

EPISODE 6. Asia broadcast 5/7.

Oh! As I hit “play”, we pick right up where we left off last week—in the middle of the Presto-Change-o-Clothing Teaseroo. Works for me. Let us continue to watch how the ADIEU! 2010 with Rain concerts, that took place this past New Year’s Eve, came to be.

(Hair rehearsal! The Hair contracted with J.Tune is also being tested. Sling it around, JiHoon. Make it bounce. There you go. ♥)

First up is working out the details for “I Do”— the two chairs being set up at center stage are a dead giveaway. As Rain strolls around half-singing, casually taking care of whatever issue and/or multitasking, it seems that he’s decided to take it easy (after all, he’s done this song and all his others a ga-trillion times and could do them in REM sleep). But we know better, don’t we, fans? We know that, in actuality, Rain’s sharp senses and mind are trained on every single thing that’s going on around him, even when it looks like he’s not paying attention, right? In fact, I dare say that because he’s not singing here, his mind is seriously honed in on something, listening to it, feeling it, and if whatever it is hits him wrong at any moment, we’ll know. Because he’ll say something. And it will be fixed.

Oh ho. Two seats become one, so this must be where “My Girl” comes in. Yep—here comes the self-cam/Rain-fancams-the-fans section… haha. That was one of the cutest parts of the Rain Loves ZEPP tour, wasn’t it? 🙂

Hoookayy… so, either someone made a quick run out to the nearest HMart, or— LOL what’s up with the shopping cart, folks? The little bitty bear could be a stand-in for the actual whopping big bear that gets given away, but… The. Shopping. Cart? Rain is like, Duhhhh for real?? keke. SungTak and Company are probably just trying to get the Man to smile and loosen up a bit, and I don’t blame them. He seems awfully preoccupied… probably worried about ADIEU going off without a hitch.

I’m used to seeing SungTak hyung “all up in the KoolAid” (because let’s face it, he’s a lot more than a dancer when it come to Rain) but in this episode he seems even more involved, and I’m glad. I’m really glad that Rain has him for help, for assurance, and just to bounce ideas off of anytime, anywhere.

Aaaah. The piano intro for “Love Is” is lovely. And before long, it’s time for a retro-fitted, Discoed-down “Fresh Woman” rehearsal with “left-side”, “right-side”, and roller skates… roller skates.

With that, we’re out for this week! I’ll see if a translation has come down the pike… See you all next time. 😀

(credit: rainsnow /happyyyrain torrent / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

(English translation by rain bird @rain-eu.)

0:30~0:40
Rain : Let me introduce a wonderful couple today.

0:53~1:03
Rain : Hyung! Images are appearing clearly? (OK) How about the LED? Is everything unfolding in a very natural way?

1:04~1:15
Rain : When I say, “Where is this man?”, please let his image shown on the screen…

Now let me invite the man to come on stage.

1:18~1:22
Rain : Which direction is he going on stage from?

The man who always gives answers to his girl friend in monosyllables, is coming on stage with her. [LOL! ^@@^]

1:30
Rain : Please kiss each other whenever the word ‘I Do’ comes out while I sing my song.

1:42
Rain : Are you ready? Please play the music.

3:26~3:56
Rain : This time, let me invite a female fan to come on stage, who will be chosen through the images to be captured by a camera.

4:10
Rain : I‘m lifting my camera and pulling female audiences into focus. By the way, It doesn’t work.

4:23
Rain : Supposing I chose one female audience.

4:27
Rain : Have a seat, please.

4:38~
Rain : I’m going to begin a date which is just between ourselves.

6:30
Rain : I think it would be better to just carry it.

6:38
Rain : Thank you for coming out, and here’s something for you.

6:52~7:00
Rain : Just a moment, hyung! Coming out from below would be better.

7:09
Rain : I’ll sing a song suitable for the atmosphere this time.

9:00~
Rain : Step!! step!! scream!! step!! step!! Your voices are too small!

9:27~9:35
Rain : Yunkyung! (stylist), confirm that I’m supposed to change my clothes by this time. Where are you? Yunkyung! [Okay, I thought he was being surly here when I read it, and I was going to READ him the riot act about being rude to staff, but in going back and watching this part, there is NO irritation in Rain’s voice at all. Cool. My bad. 🙂 ^@@^]

9:41
Rain : Please use a sound effect in this part. Eureka!

9:53~9:56
Rain : At this point, you shouldn’t have to come out.

10:02~10:07
Rain : Please come out after me. Come out..come out..

10:09~10:47
Rain : I’ve always been dissatisfied with what I play alone. Please hold your hands up! Let’s dance together. Right hand, left hand..once again.. Left hand, right hand, left hand, left hand. Once again. Let’s make some progress in dancing this time. Twice to the left, twice to the right, twice to the left, and then scream. Once again.

10:58
Rain : This time, let’s try more quickly.

°

EPISODE 5. Asia broadcast 4/30. We’re at Sun Music Studio, watching Rain rehearse for his upcoming ADIEU! 2010 With Rain concert that happened in Seoul this past New Year’s Eve.

No translation yet, but let’s continue on from last week… *PLAY video*

Rain has begun the part of the show where “Only You” comes in, and there seems to be a brief discussion about background music (BGM)—

Whoa. Hold up. Someone in post production seems to have borrowed a teleporter from the Starship Enterprise, because with an abruptness that makes my head spin, we cut for—something? a commercial? program ID?—and then beam directly into a future stage rehearsal of “Escaping The Sun.” Surely this has something to do with the conversation we just beamed out of, right? I suppose we’ll see. *shaking my head* Well, let me pay some attention to my handsome, Adidas-jacketed Poodle Head while I wait for some clarity on that.

Yeah, fluff that hair out, baby. ♥

Ahh. There we go…! Looks like RAINY DAY is immediately showing us the result of those “Only You” background music suggestions and how the band put those into play once they got on the stage. And this works out much better because, back at the studio, either Rain or the band or something was off-kilter during that song intro, but here everything matches up after a few false starts. Cool.

My goodness! Cuteness is running rampant across that stage, isn’t it? Retro Rain is cuter than a doggone button, I tell you. And the Men… ain’t enough holy in Toledo to keep me from eyeballing all of THAT buttered popcorn there. LOL at how when somebody’s steps aren’t on point, JiHoon’s Eagle Eye swivels right around and sticks on ’em. Get it right, and with a quickness, or he will give you a helping hand. For real. 🙂

“Ho… ho… ho…” It’s time to head to Da Club. The stripper poles are out and ready for some buffin’. If you know what I mean. The song… “I Still Like You.” Give us a little THRUST, Rain. Just a few teeny ones. Yeah, like that.

And of course, they’ve got to get the Presto-Change-o-Clothing Teaseroo down pat, so that a slip-up in timing doesn’t leave our Man suddenly exposed on the Jumbo Tron. (Wouldn’t be any skin off our backs, though. Ha.)

And we are out for this week, fans! 2011 Rain’s World rules! *checking for translation now*

(Credit: happyyyrain [torrent] / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

(English translation by rain bird @rain-eu.)

0:56~1:16
No no no..
What kind of bridge video clip will appear?
(Director : I’ll let you know tomorrow)
Please tell me what you’re planning to show me.
When am I supposed to appear on stage while the bridge clip is being played?
Kungho (his manager), record all the progress of this rehearsal and then stick the content on the noticeboard in the performance venue.

1:22~1:32
The bridge clip should be played with the background music when I sing ‘I Do’
Probably percussion will also be all right during the performance.

3:12~3:23
I think the instruments are out of tune. Once again please?

3:28
Taehowan (music pd), please allow sufficient time to tune up and do exactly as I said.

3:42
Let’s do that over again on the supposition that the song has ended.

4:28
It’s a little late for both of you to get the beat right while I’m doing dance movement.

4:31
Do you think you’re doing just fine?

4:35
Oops, we shouldn’t come forward in this part!

5:41
If I come forward, get to the front more, please. (to a dancer)

8:55
Minkyung (a feamle dancer), you are supposed to be here by this time.

9:37
Why hasn’t this light been off ?

9:46
Let’s not be too hasty here.

9:54~10:19
There’s nothing in the backstage area. Please add even a bunch of flowers to the scene. The settings should be provided more.

10:20~11:23
You are supposed to be already here before I get to this area..(to a female staff)
Camera has to continue to film me by concentrating on my upper body while I change my clothes.
While the camera is being focused on me constantly, I’ll come out on stage again after changing my clothes.

11:24~
Do you see what I’m talking about? (to the camera operator)
The shooting should start soon after ‘I Like You Again’ song.

 °

EPISODE 4. Asia broadcast 4/23. It continues raining as we pick up where we left off last week…

It’s about 2:15 (probably PM) at Sun Music Studio now. SungTak helps Rain a bit with his thought processes before he launches into “I Do.” Dancer/Choreographer SungTak, who I absolutely adore, is one of his dearest hyungs, one of his 7 Rainmakers, and has been with him since the beginning of time his earliest JYPE days. SungTak has been instrumental in the choreography for “It’s Raining” and lord knows how many other Rain projects. I truly don’t think a day will ever come when the man isn’t in Rain’s Crew and there by Rain’s side. It’s a forever thing, yo. And I like it.

(Love that mirrored column Rain is standing close to, because we keep getting shots of his eternal cameraman. Haha!)

“JiHoon the Jokester” is never far away from Rain even in rehearsals, as we’ve been seeing since this season began. Who the heck is he sneering at while singing? Well the guy is sneering right back at him, so that’s good. LOL! (Wasn’t he “ordering” this guy to get coffee earlier? LOL)  Enter the “I Do” girls. Let me pause a moment and just listen to the master sing… The band is a little too loud at one point and has to bring the volume down…

Aaaand we’re into “My Girl.” Yeah. He almost starts off in the wrong place but quickly corrects himself, and we don’t care anyway, do we? Because he works so darn hard all the time to get it right. ♥ “My Girl” has to be fine-tuned big time because there will be a fan on stage with him. Gosh, I’ve said this before, but this band is just tops. They sound so good.

We get a small portion of “Love Is” next, right before “Not A Single Day” (Harudo). Woah… four of his most gorgeous songs, back to back— My heavens, just listen to that voice wrap itself around Harudo after he tests that mic. Goodness gracious me! *turning the sound WAY up*

And that is where we end for this week. Boy, serious hair fetish fans got their money’s worth in this episode, wouldn’t you say? ‘Til next time!

(credit : happyyyrain (Torrent) / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

(brief translation by rain bird @rain-eu.)

0:30~1:02
” I think my performance has always been going on one-sidedly.
So I’m trying something new.
Are there any couple who belongs together around here ?
Please kiss whenever I sing ‘I Do’, OK? ”
(Somebody says “I can’t bear to see them kissing ! “)
Hyung, if no one appear on stage on the day, any of you should do so.

1:02~1:12
” Please deeply kiss each other on your lips whenever I sing ‘I Do’ ”
” Are you ready? Well, let’s try that. ”

3:02
Please keep playing the music while I’m talking to them.

3:41~3:53
” Until now, it was a very nice couple.
Thank you for coming out. Good-bye.”
Please prepare a gift for the couple.

3:54~4:23
” It’s time to be with you.”
Some props are needed.
” I’ll invite a fan onstage to sing for her.”
Can I get a high chair for the fan?
” Who shall I pick? ”
Let me suppose that she is on stage.

4:24~4:33
“What’s your favorite song?”
“Let me sing this song for her.”

6:54~7:03
“Thank you for coming out, and please go down the stage since you’ve received many gifts. Hurry up !”

7:09~7:26
“Two fourth of the show has finished. Let me sing my favorite song this time.
This is a love song.”
Please make a preparation to sing it.

7:30
Please install a stand mike in front of the stage.

8:16~8:26
“An eventful year is drawing to a close, but I think I am fortunate that my drama was completed well, and I missed you.”

8:36
That’s not a protruding stage, is it?

8:40
I hope the compass of my mike keeps up.

8:48
Please remember what I’m supposed to keep mentioning.

8:55
Please don’t take up the main yet.

8:59~9:05
“Do you happen to know this song?”

10:34
Please start the music soon after I mention.

 °

EPISODE 3. Asia broadcast 4/16. Oh my gosh, I just love that new intro… it’s so powerful and masterful and all kinds of -ful. And the new sub-intro is terrific too. Hey… hey…! Hey… hey!Nice job, RAINY DAY post production folks!

As we start off, Rain and the Men are casually marking the steps to the end of “Escaping the Sun”, which you know they’ve done about a gazillion-billion-trillion times. I dare say they could do this in REM sleep without so much as a bobble. And then we go right into marking choreography for “Only You” (same deal, done a billion times, they are old hat at this and could do it in their sleep). Oh—oh wow, just listen to that live band. They are giving that song an awesome sound. Wow.

(Cap courtesy of Scorpiola)

(Am I the only one finding it hard to not do the “Only You” choreography along with JiHoon? bomp… bomp… bo-bo-bomp clap… bomp bomp bomp clap… Oh good grief, get a grip, Stephe…)

Ooops! Track glitch. No go. Try it again, Crew. (This up-close-and-personal time I’m getting with the Men themselves is too delightful for words, let me tell you.)

Ohhh, sing it, Rain. SANG that SONGGGG and let it do what it do! ♥

He is so percussive, heheh… it’s hard enough for Rain to keep still whenever music is playing in general, but where percussion instruments are prominent (like a drum, for instance), that body simply has to hit that beat some kind of way. He can’t stop it. (Stop grinning, Stephe. He’s just trying to help the band get the bridge to “Only You” down pat.)

“Hey. Hey. Ho… Ah-hah… I love you again.” And just like that, we’re into the next song. And all I will say about this part is that there are some lucky-@ss women in this rehearsal. *gulp* *enthralled* Moving on.

And then we’re out of there, after a little more fine-tuning. Well, not quite. We’re out of there after 40 extra seconds of some martial arts laser fun that reminds me more of the ADIEU! 2010 concert intro than anything that happened at ZEPP. Rain all in black, in the dark, with green lasers… Hmm. {Edited to Add: Well doggone, I am s-l-o-w. It’s the laser break he inserted at the end of “Rainism” during ADIEU. No one else mentioned that either, though. Heh!}

(Source: happyyyrain (torrent) / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

(English translation by rain bird @rain-eu.)

0:52
Rain : You’re going too fast!

0:53
Dancer : We’ll perform to the music when you play accompaniments for us without watching us.

4:50~5:32
Rain : 2 beats should be added to this part “I wish you would find it’s hard to be with him” of ‘Only You’ song.

5:41~5:45
Rain : ‘I Love You Again’ will begin soon after ‘Only You’ ends.

9:37~10:16
Director : At the end of this song, I think the rhythms are a little fast.

Rain : Are you saying to me?

Director : No. I mean, for the band to do so.

Rain : I think they’re doing just fine.
I’m sorry to bother you, but would you try to make the first part’s volume of ‘Only You’ song be louder? The volume is still low, but I have no idea why. That’s because the mixing is being processed ? Please try going by an ensemble.

10:42
Rain : Why that should be….

10:45~10:47
Rain : Then, the video image will be on the screen.
Let’s take a five-minute break.

°

EPISODE 2. Asia broadcast 4/9. We continue on from where we left off last week—at Sun Music Studio, rehearsing for Rain’s ADIEU! 2010 concert in Seoul.

It’s a typical day in the studio—if any day with JiHoon could be called typical, that is, and “You” is being fine-tuned by the Man when all of a sudden we get to see him launch into an almost a capella intro to “Not A Single Day/Harudo” …Doesn’t matter how many songs you’ve heard Rain sing over the course of your own personal fan journey or how many times—the sound is simply mesmerizing regardless, rich and hypnotic, even during a simple rehearsal. How does he open his mouth and produce such beauty on the ears? And is it just me or does the sound get even more rich as he transitions into grown-manhood?

Awww.  Mr. Perfection. He’s going to do it as many times as it takes to get it right for his fans. ♥ I hope someone was taking plenty of notes because The Man was being as detailed as all get-out. He knew exactly what he wanted when, where, why, and how.

(Gori is still teasing me with that awesome Warhol t-shirt. It would serve him right if I just snatched it off of him and went about my business.)

OMG! *gasp* It’s “One” in studio. “One” in studio, y’all! Pop it, Rain. Back him up, Men! You know this has got to be the hottest version of Musical Chairs on the planet. Aiiiigoooooo. Of course, they try a couple of similar intros. And do we care which one they eventually picked? That would be a hell-to-tha-naw. (NO.) Heh. You’ve got to grin at those little mini-grinds they did, being in polite company and all. 🙂

Hongshi was in rare form, yo. LOL! Dude looked like he was at a rodeo come grind-time (ride’em cowboy), not to mention the Yawnnn… hyung’s so tired, I’ve gotta stretch really big, all the way over into Hoon’s face incident. And of course that could not stand, no one is allowed to usurp Rain’s jokester title under any circumstances, and so he goes around the room reclaiming it. Haha. (Huh… was he singing with a Southern twang just then? “I’m yo maaa-yan, yeur mah guu-ral…” And did he almost miss the chair and land on his @ss? ROFL! )

Okay, by a show of hands… who wouldn’t mind Rain teaching them the choreography for “One”? (don’t anyone dislocate their shoulder throwing that hand up, now)

And then it’s time to rehearse “Escaping the Sun”… if people will lower their conversations and stop cutting into his concentration. How rude. 😦 Things do get going after it’s quieter, we get a taste of the song beautifully retooled for the changes in Rain’s voice, and then… we’re out! Until next week!

Terrific episode. Enjoy!

(Source: happyyyrain (torrent) /Brief translation by rain bird / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

(English translation by rain bird @Rain Europe)

0:53 Rain : Hyung! I’ll sing this song (Not a single Day) to just the background music soon after I say, “You know this song?”

1:34 Rain : Let me do it once more.

1:41~2:01 Rain : Please turn on the background music while I make a comment. “Hi, everyone. Are you fine? Nice to meet you. Thank you for coming to my Adieu concert. You know this song?”

3:10 Rain : At this very moment, my chair has to come out.

3:20~3:56 Rain : At this point, the rhythmical beat of the drum has to be played. When the piano is played, the chair is already supposed to come out.

8:23 Rain : What’s the next?

Staff : In the first part of the show, there is your comment, but in the second, there is a countdown.

8:40 Rain : I’ll make a comment, so please turn on the background music.

8:45~9:12 Rain : Are you now recording this?

Recordist : Yes.

Rain : The edited soundtrack will be sent to them tomorrow? I think the work is coming along very well, thanks to the recordist. The recording is going on, right? If the soundtrack hadn’t been recorded, I’d have started again from the beginning.

Dancer : It could have been a disaster !

Rain : I’m doing it once because of the recordist.

9:15 Rain : Let’s try to do it anyway. (He makes a comment before ‘How to Avoid the Sun’) There is one of my favorite songs. it is ‘How to Avoid the Sun’

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EPISODE 1 [Full]. Asia broadcast 4/2/2011. Oh gosh, fans. How happy am I?

I moped around like some sick cow back when it stopped Raining on Saturdays.  Those RAINY DAY withdrawals were a bi-yatch—I didn’t know that a new season would start up this soon. Oh, halleluia. Halleluia! Let’s get right to it.

Dig that fancy new intro! Rather majestic, isn’t it? Almost regal, as if announcing the arrival of a king. (Or a prince.) 🙂

Instantly we’re back in Beijing in mid-March, where JiHoon announced the start of his The BEST Rain 2011 concert tour, only now he seems to be either announcing a new season of RAINY DAY or welcoming the Japanese fans to it. And he looks awfully pleased to be doing so. Aww. ♥ Oh my, the graphics in this thing are wonderful as we hurtle into a brand new chapter of Rain’s adventures behind the scenes…

*putting on the brakes* Whoa! Hold up! *looking cockeyed at my monitor* Did His Majesty just bebop into Sun Music Studio in his New Balance shoes, keeping time with a live band playing “Touch Ya”, and signal his own entrance with the bang of a GONG? O____O We’re not even two minutes into this thing, and JiHoon is cracking himself up. *incredulous* LMAO *pulling myself back together* WTH?

Ah, this appears to be an ADIEU! 2010 recording studio rehearsal… sweet. His hair is lighter but still shows shades of JiWoo as he does what he always does best—relay his vision for the upcoming show, and get feedback. I wonder if it’s 1 in the afternoon or over in the morning… everyone looks kind of fresh, so it may be 1PM.

Oooh, I’ve got to stop writing and listen while The Man and the Men and Women are marking choreography and JiHoon is singing live… that voice is calling me and I cannot resist its spell. Woah… does he look great here or what? That white shirt against that great skin, that hair a’shinin’… “Smellin’, feelin’, you know how we do it…”

(Look at the concentration on his face. The Japanese RAINY DAY subtitles give him “two hearts” LOL!)

(Okay Gori, give me that Andy Warhol pop art t-shirt! I’m digging on that!)

Seeing the live band behind the performance is so cool. And notice how dancer/senior choreographer/hyung SungTak has been with Rain for so long that he’s completely attuned to what request is going to come out of Rain’s mouth (minute marker 6:42). And so we’ve touched on “I’m Coming”, the Mission Impossible dance break, and now we surge on into “Touch Ya.” Mark it, Rain. Mark it, Gori. Mark it, Hongshi. And… go.

(my, that white shirt fits really well)

And now for “You.”  Boy, are the Men getting an eyeful of the Women, or what? LOL! They be looking hard at that. Until Rain doesn’t like something in the audio and says hecks no. Hold up. Well, the problem will have to be resolved next week, because time is up for this episode.

I’m thrilled to be immersed in this show for a third time. Thanks, JiHoon. And I am so very grateful to the person who shared this episode with all of us. See you for epi 2, fans!

[Rain (Bi) TV]110402 Rainy Day Season 3 EP 01. (torrent file: happyyyrain / courtesy of ratoka @YT)

(English translation by rain bird @Rain Europe)

0:17~0:45
Rain : Hi, everyone. This is Rain.
Are you healthy and doing well?
I’m also doing just fine.
Rainy Day Season 3 will finally start.
Please give me your love and support.
My unprecedented features could be shown to you this time.
I hope to get a lot of support from you, and please be always healthy and happy.
My Rainy Day Season 3 will be coming to your TV screens shortly.
Thank you.

Rain Story #1 (Rain rehearsing for his Adieu Concert in Seoul at the last day of the year 2010)
– In winter 2010-
1:28
Rain : Good evening!

1:54
Rain : This is our second rehearsal, right?

2:20~2:35
Rain : Let us go from the ‘I’m Coming’ part.
Hyung! Please don’t forget to tune on ‘Not A [Single ^@@^] Day’ music while I make a comment after ‘You’.

2:43~3:01
Rain : You should know that no one knows what’s going to happen after my comment.
Just as I maintain good eye contact with my audience unfolding my arms while I’m talking, my next song will start.

3:02
Staff : We’re ready to help you get started as soon as you want.

3:06
Rain : OK! Let’s start from the I’m Coming’ part.

6:37~6:52
Rain : Hyung! Can you play this tune on your guitar instead of that keyboard?
Is it possible for you to do so?

6:57~7:03
Rain : Please let us start from this choreography (head banging) immediately following ‘I’m Coming’

11:09~11:36
Rain : Why is this part, ‘While walking along the road’ in ‘You’ song, left off of the sequence?
Staff : It’s been omitted in most of the accompaniments.

Rain : But the music was played during my concert in Japan last time.
Staff : It was just a music record tape at that time.

Rain : I think I have to record the part.
Staff : The omitted part can be recorded.

Rain : Let’s start again from the first part.
Staff : You mean that it is the first part of ‘You’?
Rain : That’s right.

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