[REVIEW] SHINee shines in SHINee World Concert DVD
A futuristic cosmopolitan entrance. A sea of sky blue. A resounding chorus of "I wanna know you!" opens the unique concert experience that is "SHINee World: The 1st Concert in Japan."
SHINee World is the first full-length solo concert of Hallyu idol group SHINee. The SHINee World concert is legendary in K-Pop circles because it marked the unprecedented success of SHINee in Japan with little promotions. The "SHINee World" DVD features highlights from SHINee's Japanese concerts in Tokyo and Nagoya.
The SHINee World DVD provides Shawols, SHINee fans, a close encounter with Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Taemin, and Minho. Some say that it is better to own the DVD rather than watch the actual concert since the performers can hardly be seen from afar. I did not go to Japan to watch SHINee but the "SHINee World" DVD gave me that experience and more. Let me share with you some of my favorite moments from the "SHINee World" DVD.
High Energy Performances
The "SHINee World" DVD contains a total of 25 complete performances including SHINee's top hits like "Replay," "Juliette," "Hello," "Ring Ding Dong," and "Lucifer." The boys also performed fan favorites including "A-Yo," "AMIGO," "Quasimodo," and "Stand by Me" from "Boys Over Flowers."
The boys exuded the energy expected of a young idol group. Watching their performances from the awesome entrance to their signature dance moves made me appreciate their talent even more. Some say that when it comes to dancing, SHINee is one of K-Pop's best. They certainly have the unique dance choreography down pat. Watch out for their cool chair choreo for "Love Like Oxygen," bright moves for "Replay," fun and playful dance for "A-Yo," and hot flying laser lights performance for "Lucifer." I was specially surprised by Minho, who admittedly is not my favorite SHINee member. He gave an unforgettable performance, which made me develop a newfound respect for him.
"SHINee World" also revealed the power of SHINee's singing talents specially members Onew and Jonghyun. The boom mics carried their strong vocals throughout the massive venue. I honestly don't think all songs were sung live but this is expected of a 3-hour long performance. Although visibly tired, the boys did very well for their first concert.
My favorite performances were for the ballads including songs like "Romantic," "Obsession," "Graze," "Quasimodo," and "Life." These songs were performed in perfect subtlety further highlighting the quality of their voices. It is too bad, though, that the DVD did not have Onew's "Nessun Dorma." That would have been really cool. I guess we just have to get the audio CD to get a copy of that.
Cool and Fresh Fashions
Fashions contribute a lot in building a visual experience and the SHINee stylists outdid themselves with the costumes for "SHINee World." From hairstyles to footwear, each SHINee member was given a unique style descriptive of their personalities.
I specially adored the costume design for Taemin, SHINee's maknae and principal dancer. His costumes for "Replay," "A-Yo" and "Ring Ding Dong" were spot-on in complementing Taemin's dancing. The costumes flowed with his performance beautifully. Key's colorful and fun fashions were also eye-catching and coordinated well with his hip-hop rap performances. In "SHINee World," fans will see the members sport their signature "SHINee" pastel look as well as semi-formal looks for the ballads.
Emotionally-charged Videos
One reason why true SHINee fans must own the "SHINee World" DVD is the fact that it contains the full-length, high-definition versions of the various emotionally-charged background videos used in the concert.
SM Entertainment, SHINee's management, is known for creating memorable concert transition videos and they did not skimp on "SHINee World." The DVD had all the videos including the crying montage for "Quasimodo," the pensive video for "Romantic," the cute semi-animation for "Replay," and the cool tough guy intro for "Ring Ding Dong," among others. The videos shown on the massive LED screen enhanced the concert experience, taking the viewer to another world—SHINee world.
In "SHINee World," Onew, Jonghyun, Taemin, Key, and Minho succeeded in giving fans an exhilarating experience. I have seen many K-Pop concerts and I cannot say that this is the best there is. Nonetheless, for their first effort, SHINee surpassed my expectations. Of course, for their fans, this concert is a defining moment in establishing SHINee as Hallyu stars.
"SHINee World: The 1st Concert in Japan" will be released in the Philippines on April 14 through the joint CD+DVD launch of Universal Records and Polyeast Records. The "SHINee World" DVD is the imported Japanese version retailing for PhP2,200 for the 2-DVD set. Seems pricey but that is still cheaper than buying from some online stores (This would be a great graduation or year-end present for a Shawol!). The "SHINee World" CD retails for PhP600 for the 2-disc set. For more information about these releases and the launch event, click here.
