#the way they made this hard for me by only releasing one good mv

[9w1ft]

Re: Carolina Herrera and Karlie. We’ve discussed this before, but a lot of people don’t know that Karlie is not simply the face of a perfume in the same way that Timothee Chalemet is the current face of one of Chanel’s perfumes, or Joe Alwyn did an ad for Tom Ford Beau du Jour one time. Good Girl perfume was created especially in conjunction with Karlie being the face of it. She’s not just the face of it, she is the Good Girl. It’s a whole other level of business partnership and branding. It’s been going strong for 7 years, and Good Girl continues to be one of the best selling perfumes in the world. You can be walking down the street in Slovakia or Shanghai or some place, and there’s Karlie The Good Girl on a billboard. Every airport with a duty free in the world, and most Ulta Beautys and Sophoras in the US have her picture showing. CH also happens to be the first runway she walked at fashion week when she was 15. She absolutely would have influence over what they do and we’ve seen it over and over again, including this year and last (remember Karlie did her pink smoke effect before Taylor filmed hers in the LH MV, and the midnight version of GG was developed and announced well before Taylor announced Midnights, and this stuff goes way back to the first ads which had subtle references to This Is What You Came For, and another one where she said “Don’t call me kid” long before Taylor released Illicit Affairs.) There is absolutely no way anyone will ever convince me these things aren’t pre-referencing Taylor’s work, or Taylor’s work is referencing these ads. And the only way this is possible is if Karlie knows ahead of time what’s coming (usually months ahead) and/or Taylor is referencing Karlie ads later. The only reason the former would happen is if they are on good terms (very good terms and Taylor is ok with it) and the only way the latter happens is if Taylor’s obsessed with Karlie.

thank you for typing this out for me i almost typed it up but was like, i’ve written about this, so i went to find a post and then i couldn’t find it immediately and then i started about my day and such and forgot 😆

i think if you’re new its hard to appreciate or grasp what brands are important to karlie. like i remember distinctly way back when when i first got here in 2018 looking at taymojis and people freaking out about there being a stiletto taymoji and how it was a kaylor reference and the photo people were using to talk about why it was a reference was —to me— just a pic of a carolina herrera ad where karlie was wearing a stiletto and i remember thinking to myself, come on guys it’s a shoe, what’s specific about a shoe?? but i was lacking the context of The Swift Life app being released in late 2017 (meaning it was being built/prepped throughout 2017, likely early 2017 with all the other rep promo) in combination with karlie having been made the face of what was then the new carolina herrera good girl perfume just the year prior (mid 2016), which was a big get for her at the time, and that the perfume bottle is stiletto shaped. now, looking back, i understand what about that taymoji was sus, given all this extra context. karlie now being the face of a perfume was a big achievement for her. and the achievement happened to be shoe shaped. so why not celebrate that? etc.

so anyway, if anon is feeling anything like the way i did, but are somewhat interested in kaylor anyway, i would suggest just sticking a pin in stuff like this and moving on for now and maybe coming back to it a half year or year from now after gaining a little more perspective and seeing if your perspective has changed

[jmdbjk]

Episode 4: Disconnected

Beyond the Star, produced by HYBE Media Studio

Namjoon gives a brief recap of their rise from debut, through the struggles of the next few releases and then they take off with Wings, Fire, Blood Sweat & Tears, Fake Love, and Idol and all their accolades and awards.

They open this episode with behind scenes from filming the ON MV at Los Angeles' Sepulveda Dam. It was hot that day.

[did you say something Jimin? ahem... anyway]

Regarding the previous years to this point in time, Namjoon says he may not have made the best choices all the time but he believes he made the best choices he could at the time. Yoongi says they compacted 20 years into 7 years at the expense of their physical well-being.

Namjoon says he tried to prove himself to the world but now sees that what he's left with are the choices he wanted to make at the time with all his effort and he learned a lot from them.

Jungkook says he lived a life fit for himself, that if he had forced himself to do something that didn't suit him, it would not have been good. He did what he wanted to do and experienced a lot. All decisions he made for himself and which helped him grow.

In other words, they chose to work hard and run full speed ahead and we know that led to an almost burnout situation.

Namjoon states the lyrics of the song ON are what they mean: they've been through it and are on the other side, they made it to the other side together. Bring the pain, bring it on, it will only make us stronger.

It is heartbreaking to hear them talk about how much work they put into the MOTS tour, how involved they were with equipment and production decisions. Yoongi said it had been a while since they'd been this excited about preparing for concerts.

Things were planned that we never knew about. A large-scale gala for TV promotions?

And then the news early 2020. Jimin was asking if there was any chance the concert would ever go ahead as planned...

During the two years or so of the pandemic, each member dealt with the social distancing, self-quarantining, loneliness and lack of live performances in their own ways. They did a lot of nothing during this time. The footage shown here was not of them during the first months of the pandemic. There were no cameras set up during that time. They used footage from times when they COULD film safely to help represent how they were during isolation. Looks like Hobi and Jungkook in the hotel suite after the Grammy Awards and footage of Jimin in his apartment in late 2021, etc.

There were long periods of time when everyone, including you and me were asked or required to abstain from going outside, to isolate away from others, to not socialize with more than 5 or 10 people at a time, even with our families.

Bang PD reflects that BTS were at the peak of their careers, they lived to perform, and had to overcome the feelings of helplessness and that's how he believes they've grown as humans.

So they innovated...they produced the first online ticketed concert: Bang Bang Con. Over 750,000 viewers watched.

It was reported on the news that BTS was once again changing the industry.

And then on August 21, 2020, they released a song to enjoy with the fans:

If The Most Beautiful Moment in Life was the turning point, Dynamite was literally the explosion that shot them into the stratosphere.

Dynamite broke records of every kind: on Youtube the MV set a new record of over 3 million peak viewers during its premiere, almost doubling the previous record, and set a new all-time record for the biggest music video premiere on the platform and the most viewed YouTube video in the first 24 hours, earning 101.1 million views and setting three new Guinness World Records.

In the U.S., Dynamite debuted a #1 on the BBHot100, and is BTS' first #1 single in the US. The song became both the longest-running number one on the Digital Songs chart by a Korean artist and the longest-charting song by a Korean artist on the Hot 100, when it spent its 18th non-consecutive week at #1 the Digital Song sales chart and 32 weeks on the Hot 100, three of those weeks at #1.

Hobi said it was overwhelming that their sincerity had reached all parts of the world. Jin said it was a song to simply enjoy with fans.

Bang PD said he knew what this would mean for their future and what a positive impact it was.

Yoongi said they did the song in the hopes of giving everyone strength during the trying times of the pandemic. Namjoon says because of the situation (the pandemic) they lost so much (cancellation of the MOTS tour) so during that time, the strength of music and performances were their way to give comfort and support to the fans.

With the ongoing pandemic, they had to adapt. In October 2020, they produced Map of the Soul ON:E ... two online concerts that had a record-breaking 993,000 paid viewers from a total of 191 regions across the globe. It was performed at the Olympics Gymnastics Arena. It was elaborately produced. It was expensive. Lots of man-hours went into it.

They said they enjoyed doing it, they worked hard but it was a challenge because the missing element was a live audience... Army was missing. It would never replace a live concert's energy but they were still thankful they could even do it to begin with. It would be another year before BTS was in front of a live audience again.

Overnight on Nov. 24, 2020 they gathered in front of the television in their dorm to watch the 63rd Grammy Awards nomination announcements. Only four of them were there: Jimin, Namjoon, Jungkook and Tae. I had heard the others had schedules the next day and needed to sleep.

They had never known how the Grammy nominations were announced, this was their first experience and when BTS was announced you could feel their astonishment through the screen. The first Korean artist to ever be nominated.

During the Grammy Award broadcast (done remotely), they also performed their own song, Dynamite.

Alas, they did not win but they'd made so much history and broke so many records in 2020, the year of deep lows and the highest highs.

They felt motivated, knowing they still had room for success and had something to strive for.

They were proud to show the world that there are singers like them from Korea and that Army and BTS exist.

#bts beyond the star #jimin #jungkook #hobi #yoongi #namjoon #jin #taehyung

[kanmom51]

JM Wlive 10 Feb 2023

cr./ to the creators of the media used by me in this post.

Where do we start?

Maybe with JM starting his live at 19:01 or 7:01 pm.

If numbers are your thing, well we get them here with the 1 and 9 and by using both 19:01 and 7:01 we can get the 11/8.

Just a little fun. Intentional or not.

So, what did we have in the 1:40 hr. live?

JM came to us with another arts and crafts live. I think that having that distraction, literally doing something with his hands, puts him at ease, which makes it easier for him to navigate the live without a constant need to look into the camera or even the comments.

JM starts off by telling us his album is on it's way, probably to be released in March.

This out today:

JM also hinted to look forward to something coming today, and et voila, we had his TikTok dance clip drop.

JM gave us something to not only dream about but also, just maybe, to actually look forward to:

..."wait a little..."

Just how little, is the question that comes to mind. Lol.

Is it something new, the dating requests? Or is it just a JK and JM new thing not only answering the question but also answering it similarly?

JM:

and:

JK:

JM was asked about his fighting with Tae.

Nothing or no one to fight over. Disappointing to some?

JM was also asked about Jin, whom he referred to as cool, and like JK, he confirmed that Jin is doing ok and at times is in touch with them in their group chat.

JM being the usual sweetheart that he is:

JM talked a bit about Sachwita and Yoongi, how well he's doing and how he hopes he will appear on the show when his album comes out.

Someone asked JM if he can motivate them:

We got a lot of JM mentioning JK, telling us stories involving JK, starting with thinking he saw JK's name in the comments.

JK didn't comment, but I can just imagine him sitting at home watching JM's live:

going all:

Same here JK. Same here.

Some of the songs we got during the live:

Vibe

Astronaut

Euphoria

And we know how JM looked out for JK during his Euphoria rehearsals and performances.

And we were lucky to get JM singing Euphoria too.

JM was watching the Euphoria MV

and talked about how well everyone did and how cold it was while filming.

That that

So, this was the cute/teasing version JM's talking about?

Lauv

Ok, so we all know they love Lauv's songs. Past and present. JK was singing Never not going to the loo in his live, lol. While JM had Better than this going in his live.

Flower works

Both JK and JM had Flower works going during their lives (respecting their hyungs doing their songs during their lives).

JM mentioned JK once more while talking about multitasking. I tell you, this man has JK on his brain.

JM made a couple of flowers to add to his previous lego flowers and then moved on to create a Valentine's teddy.

End product - Valentine's bear minus a nose, lol. Funny pick for someone who doesn't think much or care for that day.

I want to almost end my post with Sam Smith's Unholy.

Cause peeps, all claims that Jikook don't know the actual song (well, it was a claim made about JK, but same same to me), they don't hold water. Unholy clearly on JM's playlist. When it came on I was rofl. Literally.

What did we have there?

We had Unholy on JM's playlist.

We had JM's giggle as it came on, and then knowing that Jungkookie sang it in his live.

We had JM turning it off perhaps, so Jiminie-like, but then also continuing to hum it, lol.

So either he watched the live, either live or after, or he's on sm and saw posts about it or he heard about it from the horse's mouth?

And talking about Jungkookie...kind of felt JM had a hard case of Jungkookie on the brain during this live, the amount of times he mentions him, the way his whole face lights up, and the smile on his face... beautiful.

Finally, just for fun and giggles, but also a warm fuzzy feeling, let's end this post with just under 30 seconds of JK and JM mentioning the other in their lives:

I'm finalising my post after JK's boxing workout Wlive we are all gushing about.

Now I need to go count how many times JM's name was mentioned in that one and we need someone with good editing skills (not me) to go add those to this clip, which at just under 30 seconds doesn't even start to come close to the amount of times these two have mentioned each other in their last lives, all while the other isn't even there in the room with them, even when the other isn't even commenting in their live either (JM).

#Jimin #JM #PJM1 #PJM1 is coming #JM Wlive #JM live #Jikook #Kookmin #Minkook #Jungkook #JK #Youtube

[shutupyesyoushutup]

Albums by bts member Chapter2

1. INDIGO

Namjoon(RM) is a very creative person and he have that I don't care attitude in a good way. He made that album in a way he wanted by collaborating with the artist he love and admire. Every song from that album is different and yet it have that connection, that's what I got from listening to it. Every song has character and is actually listenable. It was giving indie kind of vibe but also pop. Rm as an artist is never afraid of trying different things and that's what we expect from every artists.

2. JACK IN THE BOX

Jhope is always that fun rapper in the group. His rapping is always a joy to listen to, I was in love with Arson when it released. This album is very different from his mix tape but still he's that Jhope what we expected. He did not disappoint at all.

3.FACE

Jimin is always the underrated one. We all know if we follow bts he was always the stood out in the band, he always capture everyone's attention. He is the performer of the group. His first album, he made a benchmark which is even bts as a band hard to reach to. Even though the album was an EP it is the best one close to indigo. His style of singing is brilliant in the album and he even tried little rapping too which elevated the songs.

4. DDAY

Suga tried to reciprocate his previous album. Dday was fine I wouldn't say it is his best one, yes some of the tracks were good but it was lacking some things. I particularly loved snooze from his album the main track was okay but it didn't capture me like the later members'.

5. LAYOVER

We would expect some self written products from all of the bts members it was disappointing in that aspect. But overall the album is so Taehyung(V) coded. It was exactly like all of his previous solo songs. I will categorise it as a smooth traveling tracks, it's a little monotone for me. I loved it also the way it was a visual album, it is good.

6. GOLDEN

While the others kept their identity in their albums I would say Jungkook disappointed. Bts as a band always had a credibility for writing their own songs or working along the song even if you don't participate in the writing process, he just fizzled them. He took what he was given and made an album. The only song which is okay is yes or no. Every tracks were just generic pop songs.

ASTRONAUT

Jin is yet to have his first album, but before his enlistment he gave his fans a beautiful, touching song. The song was announcing Coldplay and Jin at the same time. The MV is one of the best in bts solo and it was emotional to listen to. From that single I wouldn't expect any less from Jin's upcoming album.

#bts #kim namjoon #kim seokjin #min yoongi #jung hoesok #park jimin #kim taehyung #jeon jungkook #bts armys #bts jin #jimin #v bts #bts jungkook #rm #bts jhope #suga of bts #indigo #jack in the box #face #agustd dday #layover #golden #astronaut #music #albums

[randomobsessionsofa30something]

My top 15 kpop albums of 2023

It's been a year since I posted something. At this point, I feel I'm only writting to keep a record for myself of my favorites of the year. Still, if anyone cares to read this, know I've posted my favorite korean music and dramas of the year every year since 2016. First up, my favorite albums of 2023.

15. Heize-Last winter. I've honestly been in a Heize break for almost two years because I felt her songs started to sound too much alike but this album got me excited for her music once again. It has bearly been a week since it came out so I did hesitate including it but I think it portrays my favorite style of hers so at the end I was like "yeah, it deserves a spot". Forget me not feauturing BIG NAUGHTY's beautiful vocals is my favorite song of the album. However her title, a collab with 10 cm, is a close second. Picnic of the Night gives us a more uptempo beat and Chan's sweet vocals are so relaxing. I think I will be listening this album a lot in the next few months.

14. PENOMECO-Rorschach (Part 1). Ever since Penomeco entered my radar I have loved pretty much everything he has released. I do prefer his more chill music but this year he brought us more of his hip hop side and released two mini albums called Rorschach, both could have easily made my list but I think at the end of the day I like the album he released in april a bit more, and he does have two songs with Zico in this one, which did tip the balance for me. As I said, I do like his more layback music so my favorite song is Margiela feauturing Paul Blanco. The album starts with strong beats with Boy Pablo (2019) and stays on track with his title song Rindaman feauturing Zico. His other collab with Zico: Pew! is also a fiery song. As is Bubble. He slows down for his other three songs and they all are such a great listen.

13. TREASURE-Reboot. I think TREASURE has had really bad luck, from their delayed debut to the ups and downs lately. The thing is I've always prefered those groups I actually feel excited to listen to their whole albums and TREASURE has really delivered in all of them as far as I'm concerned. People keep saying YG is holding them back by making them have the typical YG songs like BONA BONA or STUPID on this album but since I'm a fan of those kind of songs so I really look forward to it. However it was the songs by their subunits I actually liked the most MOVE is just such an exciting song and THE WAY TO by the vocal unit is just my kind of ballad. To be fair listening to Jungwoo and Jihoon sing is such highlight for me on all of their songs. I just love their tones.

12. Taeyeon-To. X. 2023 was a year where I really got into Taeyeon's discography. So I was really excited for this comeback. The title To. X is a fun midtempo break up song. I would have liked Melt Away more as the title but I did love both songs. This is also a recent release so I moved it up and down in my list a lot. I'm also having a hard time picking a favorite song. I also enjoy listening to Fabolous with the quorky beat and witty lyrics but I think I actually liked all the tracks equally.

11. VIXX-CONTINUUM. VIXX has changed a lot over the last few years but somehow this album with only Leo, Ken and Hyuk sounds very much like VIXX used to sound in 2015. They really stand on their own and all of their voices are amazing. However I've always had a soft spot for Leo and his vocals in Lilac are just heavenly. Probably why I love that ballad so much. I was actually surprised with Hyuk's low vocals that give a needed twist to Leo and Ken's power vocals. All five songs in this mini album are so good. The title is Amnesia and the MV aesthetic is obviously inspired by the movie Dune.

10. NCT DOJAEJUNG-Perfume. This release kind of blind sighted me. I never thought Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo would come together in a subunit so in that sense they reminded me of the time I heard EXO CBX was debuting. I really love the title Perfume. It's one of those rare times the title is actually my favorite song of the album. I thought they would do a ballad for their title but the fact it was an upbeat sexy song was unexpectedly right. Doyoung is my favorite NCT vocalist so listening to him this whole album was such a joy. Jaehyun's vocals can be a bit overlooked in NCT127 just because Douyoung and Taeil are so amazing. Listening to him have more time in this album to shine was exactly what I wanted. I love Jungwoo's personality and honestly I was afraid he would get a bit lost in this album but my worries were unnecessary. Often I found his low notes were that little bit of spice the songs needed in this album. I loved all the bsides but Dive and Strawberry Sunday were specially a fun listen. And of course they had to do a traditional SM ballad (Ordinary) which is just beautiful.

9. D.O.- Expectation. I'll never stop wishing for EXO's Kyungsoo to do an r&b album but his heart is in easy listening heartfelt songs so I can't complain. I'm just happy to get anything from him as a solo artist. This mini album has so many pretty songs. I do is my favorite hands down and one of my most played songs of the year but Lost (both the acoustic and the regular version) is such a fun song to listen to and could have easily become the title. The vocals and the melody are so powerful. Ordinary days and The view also have a fun melody. The title Somebody is really catchy and the MV is so sweet.

8. TXT- The name chapter: Freefall. I have to confess I haven't gotten into TXT's content. I just came to like them gradually in the last couple of years and there was so much to catch up on that I haven't really get to know the members at all but the albums are a different story. Deep down is my favorite of the album but Happily Ever After is also a highlight. The title Chasing the Feeling gave us a fun retro beat and the chorus was really addicting. I also found Skipping Stones to be an interesting song. Love the guitar and bass on that one and the vocals by Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huaningkai are just heavenly. And of course the collab with The Jonas Brothers was a bit unexpected yet exactly what I didn't know I wanted.

7. Zion.T-Zip. This was almost out of my list because I just listened to it a week ago, but I had to add it. Zion. T is just so unique and entertaining to listen to. His collab with AKMU called V is my favorite. But as expected, this is a no skip songs with great use of instruments, beats, vocals and occasional rapping. He even released three MVs for this comeback (Stranger, V and Unlove). The album is 10 tracks long yet only sums up 26 minutes. Thank u featuring Yun Seokcheol is also a highlight.

6. V-Layover. To be honest, I was not excited for V's solo stuff. I was expecting a lot from Jungkook and Jimin but not from him. I don't know why. So it was so surprising when I actually wasn't excited with the songs they released but I really loved V's album. It's my fault really because I do tend to overlook Taehyun's vocals when listening to BTS. The sound he went for it's exactly my kind of music. Layover just feels sophisticated. Blue is definitely my go to song with its fancy r&b sound and Love me again has my favorite beat of the album. Slow Dancing is so sweet and For us takes you in a journey. The album is only 5 songs but from the first listen I knew it would make my top 10 of the year.

5. NCT 127-Fact Check. For me, this is the first NCT127 no skip album. I liked LIMITLESS a lot but even that one has a couple of songs that are just not for me. NCT 127's titles are either a huge hit with me or they rub me off, this time around I found Fact Check so addicting. I love Space's melody but Misty is my favorite overall. Everyone's vocals are on point but Taeil is such a wonder to listen to on that one. Love is a beauty is also a great ballad. Parade might be a hiphop heavy song but Doyoung's beautiful vocals really stand out to me. And Angel Eyes gave me a bit of NCT U's With you vibes. I love Mark's parts in Je ne sais quoi then again everyone sounds so good in that song.

4. Taeyang-Down to Earth. Taeyang came back with a bang. Every song on the album feels so big. I wasn't a fan of the title VIBE featuring BTS's Jimin on the first listen, but it really grew on me. The chorus just pops in my head from time to time out of nowhere. Shoong featuring Blackpink's Lisa is amazing, and the performance video is crazy good. Seed is the power ballad of the album. Nightfall featuring Bryan Chase is also a highlight with its retro pop beat and beautiful vocals.

3. Taemin-Guilty. The void Taemin left while he was in the military could not really be fulled by anyone else. He's just different. And yes, a lot of it is the performance but the music always comes first. This album is only six songs but they all are so good. Not gonna lie, the first time I heard The Rizzness I was confused because the strong beat and rapping surprised me. I didn't know if I liked it but it really grew on me after hearing it a couple of times. I'm obsessed with She loves me she loves me not and its playful melody plus it's definitely my most played track of the album. Not over you and Blue takes us in a dreamlike journey.

2. Red Velvet-Chill Kill. I was surprised to realize this is the only album from a girlgroup I liked this year. I even forced myself to listen to some albums of the most popular girlgroups right now but it's just not my kind of music. However this album is straight up my alley. A Velvet R&B album. I hadn't enjoyed a Red Velvet album so much since The Perfect Red Velvet. My favorite Red Velvet comebacks are always the one with a creepy twist so Chill Kill was on point with that strong beat paired with a sweet chorus. Knock knock (who's there) is a seemless follow up to Chill Kill. Underwater is one of my favorites for sure but these days I keep going back to Nightmare. Iced coffee and One Kiss have catchy chorus while Wings is uplifting with beautiful vocals.

1. EXO-EXIST. My Spotify Wrapped top 5 songs belong all to this album. It's actually the first time it happens. Despite me being an EXO-L, some pop or indie songs are usually in the mix, but I guess I missed EXO. They just did all the things I love in an EXO album: r&b, beautiful harmonies, and fun beats. I keep changing my favorite song of the album. At first, it was Regret it just because the production is so great. Then I was like, actually, all the falsetto and runs in Cinderella makes it my favorite. Yet I kept feeling No makeup was the perfect r&b EXO song, so I thought: that one for sure! But of course, the title Cream Soda is so catchy, and the chorus is expectacular, so obviously, that's the one. Nevertheless, Love fool is so much fun to listen to, and I do love Sehun and Chanyeol's verses in Another Day. Then why is my most played song of the year Let me In? And what about Hear me out that makes me happy every time I listen to it? Don't even get me started on Private Party's lyrics! Anyway, you get the idea, so just do yourself a favor and check out this album.

#kpop #exo #shinee #penomeco #khiphop #taeyeon #zico #snsd #nct dojaejung #doyoung #junwoo #jaehyun #bts #v #red velvet #kdrama #bigbang #taeyang #taemin #treasure #the black label #sm entertainment #hybe #zion.t #txt #nct #nct127

[ishusi]

Ishu how are we feeling about the April Fools day unit swaps

I'm going to take this as a invitation to rant about them bc I have so many Thoughts on them (I'm so sorry)

First thing

(warning:all caps) HARUKA?????? LIKE THE MOMENT SHE STARTED SINGING MY JAWS DROPPED. SHE SOUNDED GORJEOUS. I REPEATED TIMESTAMP 1:28 SO MANY TIMES I HAD LITERALLY ASCENDED. RUI TOO AT 0:33 THAT WAS AMAZING. AKITO'S GROWL WAS SO GOOD. AND THE ART IS SO PRETTY THE LIGHTING THE OUTFITS THE VOCALS THE HARUKA (I really like haruka idk if you can tell). THIS WHOLE COVER HAD ME STARING AT MY SCREEN IN SHOCK. 17382947193728/10

Oughh this song...this might be my NayutalieP bias showing by this was ADORABLE. The little chibis were amazing. They really just added some of the best characters and had them sing one of the best songs in the game. The one thing that stuck out the most to me was the MIXING OMG. They all blended so well and Emu/Mizuki's vocals had me ascended. Those little symbols that represented each character was so cute (count pearl and Kohane...). I know a lot of people wasn't a big fan of the devil manners and alien alien covers but honestly their definitely my top 3.

Honestly at first I had kinda mixed feelings about this. But then I listened to it and omg. Yes. The mv is my favorite, besides maybe the Alien Alien one. I never knew I needed Toyamino in my life before this. Honestly I was never a big fan of booo, especially the MMJ cover (I'm sorry 😔) but this cover is just. Yes. Minori's chibi was so cute and THE OUTFITS??? Yeah definitely a fav.

Man, I have so many feelings about this. I love Setsuna Trip so I can't really bring myself to really hate it. Shiho absolutely ate and left no crumbs. Airi slayed just as hard in this as in the original minoairi cover. I love how everyone yells "Hah? More guitar!" I saw that some people really disliked Kanade in this but I don't think she sounded too bad! Her voice was sometimes drowned out by the music and the other voices sometimes though...but she really harmonized well with Airi and Shiho. The art and MV is so bright and flashy it makes me feel like I'm at a disco party. Kinda reminded me of an anime opening lol. Overall I think this cover was a bop

Honestly I have no really strong feelings about this. I mean Honami sounded so angelic in this and everyone harmonized so well. This was one of the rare times where the Vocaloid actually mixed really well with the others. The MV is definitely my favorite (besides maybe Devil's Manners). The art is so pretty (Mafuyu my beloved) and the purple lighting??? Yeah I'll take this. No strong opinions I just think it's really pretty. Would sleep to this.

SHIRANAI SHIRANAI BOKI WA NANIMO SHIRANAI

They really just took my favorite characters and Vocaloid and made them sing one of my favorite songs. This entire cover was targeted to me. The strong vocals really made the chorus Pop Out. They all sounded so pretty please SEGA release a full version it would be a crime to not. Also the mv made all my girls look GORGEOUS. I love how dynamic(?) it is (lots of motion, idk what's the word for that). Amazing. My skin is clear. My crops are watered. My grades are up. I have 20/20 vision. The sun is shining. And it's all thanks to this cover.

So I think my rankings for the songs would go like this:

1. Devil's Manners

2. 6 Trillion Years

3. Alien Alien

4. Booo

5. Setsuna Trip

6. Meru (😔)

Overall I think that this year's April fool's covers were WAY better than last time. The only covers I really liked last year were happy synthesizer and positive dance time. This year I LOVE all the covers, even Meru and Setsuna Trip. 74827391/10 wouldn't mind another unit shuffle tbh

#iShu* asks #i think i went a little overboard #project sekai april fools

[kpodcast]

What makes a good concert setlist? I've been to three concerts this year, and watched the Eras tour movie, and I don't think there's a perfect formula. I saw Twice in Dallas this year, and I'm going to look at their setlist to see what patterns we can identify.

We're going to talk just about song choice, not the videos or chatting, and I'm going to exclude the encore songs since those changed every night, and the solo songs (except POP, see notes).

Here's the full set list:

SET ME FREE I CAN'T STOP ME GO HARD MORE & MORE MOONLIGHT SUNRISE BRAVE First Solo Set Feel Special Cry for Me FANCY The Feels Second Solo Set - including POP! Queen of Hearts YES or YES/What Is Love?/CHEER UP/LIKEY/KNOCK KNOCK/SCIENTIST/Heart Shaker Alcohol-Free Dance the Night Away Talk That Talk When We Were Kids CRAZY STUPID LOVE

As is becoming the norm, I decided to look at MV views and Spotify streams for every song at the concert.

I think any Kpop fan knows a few of these songs - Feel Special, The Feels, FANCY are the ones I would guess - and the average Twice fan probably knows most of them. But, there are some more deep cuts, ones that I didn't know, like BRAVE and GO HARD.

Some other things to note about the concert:

Feel Special, Cry for Me, FANCY, and The Feels were performed with a live band

YES or YES through Heart Shaker were performed as a medley, with only a verse or chorus from each song.

With all that in mind, what can we determine about setlists from Twice's concert?

Off the bat, I see that the graph shows some lulls - GO HARD and BRAVE at the start, Queen of Hearts before the medley, and both When We Were Young and CRAZY STUPID LOVE to finish off the show. I think lulls in the show are important, as someone who is pushing 30, I need time to rest. It also gave Twice time to rest! There were a few songs where the choreography was really designed around them sitting for a while, which is important when you're planning a 3 hour show.

Also, as previously mentioned, their most well known songs were all done with the live band. This took their most popular songs and gave them a new twist and made them exciting. I have never screamed Cry for Me like I did with the live band. It kept people engaged with songs that they've likely heard hundreds of times already. If you haven't seen it, check out Jihyo's incredible a cappella solo for Feel Special.

And then the medley. I loved the medley. I thought it was such a fun and smart way to incorporate some of their older songs. You can see on the graph those seven songs are among the most popular, and Twice has likely performed them hundreds of times in the years since their release. The medley was a way to, again, keep the audience engaged and give Twice a new way to interpret and perform these songs and play with the choreography as well.

I have so many thoughts about setlist choices! How venue and size makes a difference in song choices and interaction with the audience, how each song flows to the next, how recent releases and future teasers affect song choices, it's all so interesting.

How important do you think the order of the setlist is? Do agree that there should be lulls in the set? I've seen iKON and DKB as well and would love to share some thoughts on their setlists as well if anyone is interested!

As always - some notes:

Views and streams numbers were pulled in early November

I used the Cry for Me choreography video views in place of MV views, since there is no MV for Cry for Me

Just straight view/stream counts is not the clearest way to gauge popularity, since older songs will have more views due to age. I may release an updated version of this post with views/streams over time!

I left in POP! since it was released on the Twice channel, and as of writing this post I realize that I should have included Nightmare from Jihyo as well as it was released after the concert

#kpop #suji stats #admin suji #twice

[gaymer-hag-stan]

Daily reminder that while Hwayoung is in no way innocent and was actively an asshole to Core Contents Media staff members and playing coy about whether she was actually bullied or not, she is absolutely not the sole reason for T-ara's downfall and should not be painted as such.

I want to clarify some misconceptions people seem to have about the situation. At points I will be using other groups as reference points (NOT to pit them against T-ara) and also using my own opinions and speculation at certain points, which I will make clear to point out from the actual facts of the story.

For all intents and purposes, yes, Hwayoung is a nepo baby. Her father is rich and he was also friends with Kim Kwang-soo, the CEO of Core Contents Media, T-ara's old company (now known as MBK)

Hwayoung wanted to be an actress but Kim Kwang-soo thought it would be better to be part of an idol group to gain popularity first and then launch her own acting career easier. It is not unusual to use idol groups as a launching point for later solo music projects or acting so all makes sense up to here.

It should also be noted that T-ara had already worked hard to make a name for themselves. They released Bo Peep Bo Peep and Crazy Because of You, two massive hits that both sold over 3M digital copies and were on the rise to become one of the most popular groups of their generation. They faced fierce competition, having debuted alongside the likes of 2NE1, f(x), 4Minute and After School (2009 was such a strong year) and initially faced severe backlash for their debut performance of Lie. They even had to literally perform in the streets outside of malls during Bo Peep Bo Peep promotions to get people to listen to their song. The internet wasn't what it is now back days so they also couldn't rely on their fans spamming everyone online to listen to their songs or artificially increase views by watching the MV again and again.

So the original six girls had built a strong bond by training together (Jiyeon, Hyomin and Eunjung at least, Qri, Soyeon and Boram were kind of last-minute additions after Jiwon and Jiae quit) debuting and promoting together for a year and facing backlash and severe working conditions together. I imagine Hwayoung being added after they worked to make themselves known might have been a "yeah ok I guess" moment for OG T-ara. K-pop fans seen to be easily annoyed by constant lineup changes too so adding or losing a member after the group has already become famous is never a good thing.

Like I said, Hwayoung wanted to be an actress, but for the most part she played along with the idol part. That being said, I fee like CCM never made an effort to present her as an actual member of T-ara in their songs, the title tracks at least. She always felt like a featured act to me or a backup vocalist, not an actual member. You could argue Qri and Boram also got very few lines, but it's not just that, Hwayoung was supposed to be the new rapper or whatever so that Hyomin and Eunjung could start getting more singing lines now that they had someone else to do the raps but... In the first two singles Hwayoung participated in, What's Wrong and yayaya, Hyomin and Eunjung are still mostly doing the raps and Hwayoung gets a few adlibs, basically... So what was the point of making her the "rapper" then 😬 And then after that Hyomin and Eunjung stopped doing the raps completely but Hwayoung was still only doing adlibs and 2sec raps in the bridge. In Roly-Poly all the girls have mostly equal parts. Even Qri, Boram and Hwayoung, who usually got very few lines have the same amount of lines. But while Qri's and Boram's parts are actually memorable (Qri has the intro and the start of the second verse and Boram sings in both verses) while Hwayoung, who actually sings in both verses and the bridge, is still only doing adlibs and 2sec raps. In contrast, let's take 2NE1's I Am the Best, that released around the same time. CL actually sings more than an entire minute of the song, but because the parts of the other three are still memorable, it doesn't feel like she's hogging the entire song. Each of them has their moments.

But like I said it's not just about the amount of time you sing, Bora was consistently the most popular member of SISTAR and she, basically, got the same type of lines as Hwayoung after 2011. Hwayoung's styling and stage presence also fell off. She's taller than the entire group (I don't remember if Eunjung is taller than her but I think she's not) and she wasn't a very skilled dancer so it showed on stage. On top of that, her outfits, hair and makeup always looked like shit to me. But then again, the stylists and staff members said she was a nightmare to them so maybe it was intentional after all lol. But my point is, if you have a member that's not good at singing, dancing, is the rapper but doesn't actually rap and is dressed and styled worse than the rest of the group, when in theory she's the daughter of your friend, you're essentially making her yourself to look like the outcast.

What's ironic is that by 2012 things seemed to have been slowly changing? Her styling looks considerably better, she actually got sizeable parts in Day by Day and she was even picked to be a part of the We Were in Love collab with Davichi, where she also got lines and it became a hit so maybe if she hadn't started slacking things would have improved for her?

Then again, as I said Hwayoung had zero interest in being an idol, she wanted to be an actress, an she was literally the only one that CCM never booked an acting gig for. All the others (sans Areum) were acting. Even predebut Dani, who was supposed to become T-ara's ninth member, got to act in Day by Day's MV, so I'm not sure how important to her the fact that she got decent raps that lasted for more than 2secs in two songs would be. Not to mention, that she actually got back to sharing the raps as, in the unreleased version of Sexy Love, she's only doing the rap in the bridge and has to share it with Areum. Maybe Shinsadebt Tiger just hated her 🤣 I'm betting that if she was still in the group by Number Nine she would only get the "I'm addict I'm addict parts" 🤣😭

Now, it's also worth mentioning that T-ara were BIG in 2012. It was the peak of their popularity. They were the third most popular girl group in Korea, behind only Girls' Generation and 2NE1, and the third most popular K-pop girl group in Japan, after Girls' Generation and KARA. Jiyeon was winning popularity polls against Yoona. Yoon. A. They were still going strong and might have even overtaken 2NE1 too, especially considering how YG stopped promoting them properly around that time and with CCM wanting to turn them into a nine-membered group they were, essentially, declaring open war against S.M.. They had five different singles sell over 3M digital copies (Bo Peep Bo Peep, Crazy Because of You, Roly-Poly, Cry Cry & Lovey-Dovey, I actually think maybe We Were In Love did too?) which, before 2012's SK Music market inflation prices, was considered an astonishing feat. For reference, the only other girl group to have ever had five singles sell over 3M digital copies is 2NE1.

Take all this into account along with the fact that they were constantly flying back and forth from Korea to Japan to keep up with their extremely demanding schedule and, honestly, I can't really blaming Hwayoung for finding an excuse to weasel out of a few performances, we all would, be honest.

The thing is, that the Budokan performance wasn't just any performance. It's a very prestigious Japanese venue and even it it wasn't it's still a concert that people paid money to see. Idols may occasionally half-ass or lipsync performances on music and other TV shows but concerts are where they give it their all (or at least second gen idols did 👀) and all the other girls actually wanted to be idols so, maybe it wasn't a big deal to Hwayoung, but the rest of the girls had every right to be pissed about it.

Shading her on Twitter, while hilarious, was probably not a smart idea, because it was essentially the beginning of the end. Before that no one was really paying attention to Hwayoung's relationship with the rest of the group, and if she was actually being such a menace to the stuff, sooner or later someone would speak, and even if there were doubts about whether OG T-ara and Hwa were friends or whatever, no one would really question a possible expulsion from the group and company if it was a known fact that she was being rude to the staff.

And that was actually the official line by CCM. Hwayoung has been fired because she can't work well with the staff. But because of the Twitter thing and Hyoyoung, Hwa's twin, also (kind of) directly antagonizing T-ara online and Hwayoung agreeing with her, people started speculating and finding previous "evidence" of bullying.

CCM's silent approach didn't work. I get that maybe KKS didn't want to publicly announce that his friend's daughter was as asshole and a liar and the rest of the group was kind of done with it but why on earth would you literally throw your main (and let's be honest here, only) moneymaker under the bus like that? Why shoot yourself in the foot? I don't get it.

To Hwayoung's defense, she literally said "they didn't bully me, stop harassing them" at first... Before settling for a conveniently vague "I was going through hard times" line every time she gave an interview afterwards, but the first time she actually outright said she wasn't a victim of bullying.

But people didn't really care about that. T-ara's fall from grace was never in defense of Hwayoung. Hwayoung was not a very popular member to begin with so it's not like her individual fans were actively campaigning against T-ara, this is in no way a Jessica's individual fans vs. OT8 SONEs type of situation. They definitely lost a lot of the more "casual fans" and lost a lost the general public, but Sexy Love and Number Nine still charted within the top 10, so their core audience was still there.

My personal opinion, which is half fact and half speculation that is still based on facts, is that while they probably did not create a rumour, companies like S.M. and YG whose profits were being reduced by competition from CCM could have easily influenced it's spread. We all know how S.M. treats their former artists and YG also tried to block coverage of 2NE1's Coachella performance to reduce its impact and didn't they literally force Naeun out of Apink? Is it a stretch to assume they might have been a little too eager to help remove competition? But maybe they didn't even have to involve themselves personally.

Misogyny in the K-pop community was at its PEAK in that era. SONEs and 2NE1's fanwars with constant slut and body-shaming of the rival group's members, S.M. associate producer, Teddy Riley, LITERALLY calling the Wonder Girls flops and saying SNSD are better, Krystal and Sulli's and Amber's individual fans CONSTANTLY at war with each other, HyunA and Suzy's fans trashing the rest of 4Minute and miss A.... Need I go on?

Like I said, T-ara were on the top with GG and 2NE1, and their respective fans did not miss the chance to throw them right off when the opportunity presented itself in the form of a fabricated rumour. What's worse is that this is not even the... Worse fabricated rumour. SONEs started a rumour that HyunA left the Wonder Girls because of a PREGNANCY... She was FIFTEEN... Luckily this did not affect her career in any way.

So, next time you want to talk about T-ara's "bullying scandal", do remember that it was a combined effort of misogyny in K-pop, enforced by entertainment companies and fans alike, Korea's obsession with idols having squeaky clean images and never doing wrong (the women at least, a boy group would have EASILY gotten away with all of that), gross mismanagement by Core Contents Media and Kim Kwang-soo, nepotism, Hwayoung taking advantage of a tricky situation, and Hyomin, Jiyeon, Eunjung, Soyeon and Boram (because remember, like Switzerland, Qri was neutral during the War) deciding it was a good idea to ratio Hwayoung on Twitter after not wanting to sing "I likey likey this, I likey likey that" for the nth time.

#T-ara #Jiyeon #Hyomin #Eunjung #Qri #Soyeon #Boram #Hwayoung #Areum #K-pop #Core Contents Media #Kim Kwang-soo #Girl Groups #South Korea #Korea

[milgramimaginesblog]

Muu discussion

I was going back and reading the tls for the first trial voice dramas and?? Theres a lot we didn't see in Muu's one, or we just overlooked. (spoilers for second voice drama if you hadn't read the tls yet)

Cos like around 3:54, we hear how when Muu says "I did kill them" she says it in a low voice? That, in my own interpretation, had a bit of resentment behind it? Before she goes back to that 'innocent and did no wrong' attitude.

I would've understood the resentment behind her words If we just looked only at her first MV, but with the second trial MV and Voice drama out, I truly believe that her words only held resentment towards her Victim (Rei chan??) because she made Muu lose everything she worked so hard for/gained.

And in her first MV, if we take the line "My sorry spells must be wearing off" with this scene in mind:

(sorry for the low quality)

I believe it's the scene where Muu confronted Rei about it all. Begging forgiveness, crying a lot just like how we see in the first trial voice drama, and just... Yeah 💀 and when Rei didn't forgive her, ykw she did!!!

But heres the thing: Muu says in her first trial that "As of now, I don't have a clear memory of what happened after I did it." but if we go over to the second MV of hers, to the part of her 'breakdown'

1:44 ⎯ we see how she reacted after her murder, or after she committed it. ITS LIKE?? Hysterical and ofc crazy, but I feel like she's relieved after doing it??

And going back to the first voice drama, in 9:07, we see Muu acting or trying to act like how her followers did back then?? Just assuming this part tho.

however, 9:27, is what I believe made Muu want to look beautiful and pretty though?? If it's eye catching to Es and to us, she must've thought we'd forgive her. 'cause in Yuno's second voice drama, she mentions after extracting the song (or after Es had gone to sleep, ?? Don't remember sorry) she heard us talking and discussing the verdict for her, and in Futa's it's confirmed he also heard the same thing at around the same time...

So if we assume Muu had started hearing our voices around the time her first MV released, then maybe what we've discussed, as well as what Es has told her... greatly affected her to the point she's acting like this now. "Not my fault" cos we truly believed it wasn't her fault.

And i also like that in the first voice drama, the way Es started having a panic attack(?) and pushed Muu away, she started victimising herself?? Small detail but it's interesting to see after now knowing everything. AND ENTIRELY OFF TOPIC ABT THIS WHOLE RANT ... THE WAY JACKALOPE CAME TO CHECK ON ES IS CUTE STOPDO IMS 😭

anyways back to the rant, love how Es pointed out that after Muu cries she quickly switches up?? Laughing at how silly Es is for talking to jackalope.

14:39, "good-for-nothing police" 🤨 im telling you IM TELLING YOU!!! THERE WERE SO MANY SIGNS WE OVERLOOKED HERE.

16:12, 💀 GIRLKOFMDNCDD GIRL!!! WHAT THE FUCK . SEE THIS IS WHY WE NEED TO LOOK INTO THE VOICE DRAMAS MORE BEFORE VOTING ISTG even Es surprised . girl . girl we fucked UP

ONE LAST DETAIL I NEED TO TALK ABT... is the voice dramas name, the first one is "Crying B" which was... odd at first ngl, but then the second drama was named "Queen B"... HOW TF DID WE NOT MAKE THIS CONNECTION IM LOSING MY MIND

MAN IVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT MUU THE MOST HERE IN #☆MILGRAMDiscussions BUT ITS SO??? INTERESTING TO ME HOW WE WERE SO EASILY TRICKED INTO FORGIVING HER.

#☆MILGRAMDiscussions #milgram #Milgram Muu #muu kusunoki #Youtube

[catboy-jaebeom]

week seven of #got7revival: the moment that made you an ahgase

this question is incredibly hard to answer, because I don't think it was one single moment, it was a couple that made me think "okay, yeah, maybe I'm in this deeper than I thought" and then didn't turn back around, lol, because I didn't feel I really wanted to. so, here's a few moments during the last one year and eight month since I got into kpop and GOT7.

late-March 2021

I am looking for faceclaims for my original characters and Pinterest offers me the famous pictures of Jaebeom and that shoot on the rooftop with his anti-eyebrow piercing and the nose ring, and I am gone. my friend A shows me another one of them and kinda looks up GOT7 out curiosity and sends me some of their songs; I spend the next few hours — and days — on a deep dive into the rabbit hole, and the rest is history.

July 2021

A sends me the bodyshop ad Youngjae did for that white musk perfume. I'm out with friends at the time and in the inner city, shopping district. about twenty minutes later I've bought the shower gel of that line. I tell another kpop friend ( a veteran army and atiny ) that I think now that I've actually bought a product simply because one of my kpop boys has promoted it ( and of course because I actually love the smell ) there is no going back for me. she laughs but agrees.

late summer 2021

curious about Jinyoung's acting efforts, A and I watch He Is Psychometric and love it, and then start with The Devil's Judge ( which I have yet to finish, yes, I know, gods, where has the past year gone to wjkddk ). I also watch Yaksha on release date in April the following year.

mostly winter 2021

Mark releases a couple songs and I remember writing a whole Text on how My Life has moved me. ( tho I've never sent it to him or anything, but man, My Life. )

April 2022

for my ahgase anniversary I create a fan twt account, and my first tweet is something along the lines of "now that we might be getting a comeback soon, I might as well." mind you, that was before they ever confirmed anything, but that was definitely one of the moments where I realized that, yes, I'm definitely in this for the long run now.

May 5th 2022

the Yugyeom concert in Berlin!! my very first kpop concert ever, and my gods was it good. I won't forget meeting so many kind ahgase who immediately adopted me when realizing how baby I was in terms of being an ahgase. and I definitely won't forget Yugyeom performing and dancing and speaking English ;; it was a great day.

May 21st – May 23rd 2022

comeback weekend !!!! I talked about that already in my Fave Era post, but the fun we had not only on that weekend but also in the weeks leading up to it with all the concept pictures and the teaser for the album tracks and the MV, and then when we edited all those hardhats onto our icons and all. what a good time that was, wow. also when JayB managed to transfer the rights for GOT7 and all the music and all that, I remember I was so incredibly proud of him, of them, and of me in a way because I had clearly picked the right group to stan.

September-ish 2022

since I kept talking about GOT7 and other kpop groups to one of my mutuals on here, he asked to listen to them, whether I could send him some MV or song to listen to, one that I recommend. ever since, I keep throwing him new videos and have made playlists and share exciting news with him, and I feel if you're at the point where you can casually and calmly recommend their music to someone else and it feels great to see them like your group, you've definitely earned your place, right?

Honourable Mentions

somewhen in April last year I was watching one of those things you didn't notice in ____ videos, and finally realized that Mark is in fact the oldest and not the maknae. yes, he fooled another one. that was also the moment I realised I finally knew all of their names and could attach them to faces so that was nice.

when I listened to the mindset clips Jaebeom had made, and felt so very comforted and understood. him sharing all of that is something very precious to me, I feel honoured he did that and that we are able to hear it. I think he's helping so many people with it.

that afternoon a few months ago when I went through yt and watched a lot of X reacts to GOT7 for the first time videos, and let me tell you how much fun it was to, like, see them fall in love, vibe with the songs, and point out certain members like I had a year prior. also the amounts of time people already knew Jackson but nobody else kadkkfkdd.

anyway, thank you @def-jaes for hosting this GOT7 revival this was so so so much fun! especially to see everyone come together and create !! we should do that more often <3

#got7revival #got7 #leafmiilk does stuff

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

I'm here to once again complain about kpop redditors. Does kpop reddit suck? Yes. Have I found a better place to read kpop opinions? No. Twitter is a mess, Army Twitter isn't generally very critical of BTS, in any way, and tumblr still isn't the best place for kpop discourse. So, since I don't know many kpop fans, reddit it is.

Now, on this specific occasion I want to comment on the discourse surrounding BTS's solo careers. There are several bad takes I keep seeing that make me question if those people even know BTS.

V is more interested in an acting career / V is not interested in music. He did one (1) drama and has only in passing mentioned acting again, so why are people fixated on him acting and why do people think he doesn't want to do music? He has the most solo songs out of the vocal line, almost all of them self-written, and he's always recc'ing songs and sharing snippets of stuff he wrote. Does that seem like something a person with no interest in music would do?? On the same vein...

Jin wants to be an actor. / Jin isn't interested in music. He would rather shoot variety content. He literally said in the 2022 Festa that what had interested him in acting in the first place was the opportunity to try different things, but since he's already doing that as an idol he doesn't have an interest in acting anymore (he didn't say it couldn't happen though). Also, Jin did variety to make Army happy and to promote his music. He's too shy and loves to perform on stage so I doubt he's going to ditch music to become a full-time variety entertainer. He's also written several songs. Just because he's not as full of passion for music as some of the other members, or because he also likes food, alcohol and gaming, that does not mean he wishes to quit being an idol. He's worked too hard and come too far for kpop stans to say he'd rather just act.

J-Hope will be the most successful long-term. / J-Hope has the most solo potential. I know redditors love to hype up the least popular members in a group, but this is bullshit. So far, there is nothing that indicates J-Hope will be the most popular member. People used to say this because he released fun songs like CNS, but JITB is not GP-friendly. Yes Hobi is a great dancer, has great stage presence, is a good rapper, is charismatic, etc. but every member has qualities and if J-Hope isn't the most popular member among Army is it really likely that he will become the most popular member worldwide? Imo, apart from CNS, he hasn't made a lot of music that would appeal to a very broad audience, he hasn't even danced much as a solo artist, and his personality isn't any better than the other members. I don't know the future, but the amount of people who even now say J-Hope will be the most successful member long-term makes me think this is another case for over-hyping the "underdog" and undervaluing the "overrated" members.

Suga is only successful in SK. / Suga will only be successful as a producer. That That was a hit and Suga didn't just produce the song, he featured in it and is one of the reasons why the MV and song are so great. He also featured in Girl of My Dreams which did well internationally and has been receiving international coverage by attending NBA games and now the Valentino collab. Plus, D2 was really successful considering it's a pre-Dynamite release and is not pop. Suga has amazing stage presence, many people love his fast and aggressive rapping the most among the rap line, he's real, honest, and straight-forward in a relatable way, he talks about real issues in a relatable way, he's great at promoting their sponsors, he's charismatic and masculine yet cute, he knows how to make exciting yet accessible music, etc.. Stans often say he will be the most successful of the rap line but since popular takes are frowned upon they also say he will only be popular in Korea or that he might just become a producer. In how many different ways must the man tell you he wants to be on stage and making music for a really long time for you to get it?

JK may become the most successful soloist but only because he makes generic pop music. / He works better in a group and only his collabs were successful. / He's boring, shy and doesn't know how to promote himself. I know Jungkook is so popular no one wants to give him proper credit, but he only makes generic music, really? I agree that some of his music is generic, but in the end that is what people like (tons of legends made generic music but it's not considered generic anymore because it's old) and stans seem to conveniently forget all the other songs he's done: Euphoria? A bit generic, yet very successful and pretty timeless, but Begin and My Time? Not generic, that's 2 to 1. Still With You? Not generic, very popular all things considered. Magic Shop? A bit generic, but one of the most popular bsides that BTS themselves love to perform, with nice lyrics and concept. Stay? A bit like Magic Shop but it's the only unit song they still perform and imo one of the songs in BE that aged the best. My You? Aanother fan song. Fan songs tend to be a bit generic and sentimental but he only wrote the lyrics; My You wasn't supposed to become a real song and he was only given 3 instrumentals to choose from. Left & Right? As generic as Bad Decisions and Vibe, and not a solo or self-composed track, but no one calls Jimin generic for those songs. Film Out and Your Eyes Tell? Fans literally rave about those songs, but often seem to forget that it was Jungkook who wrote them for his mixtape. Love is Not Over? Beautiful, not generic, written by Jungkook, and he also wrote parts in Run BTS, Telepathy, Autumn Leaves, Run, No More Dream. Stay Alive? One of the least generic OSTs ever, but I guess it doesn't count because he didn't write it? Dreamers? Sounds like a FIFA song but grows on you like crazy. People love Waka Waka and no one calls it generic. Dreamers is like the new Waka Waka so why is it generic instead of a bop? Because Jungkook has great pop vocals, admires Westen pop artists and has some generic songs and song covers (mostly collabs or unofficial releases), he's being pigeonholed. It's not that I disagree that his current style, or image, is mostly pop and very GP-friendly, but the same could be said of BTS in general, yet we know they have range and aren't just basic or whatever. Saying Jungkook will only become successful because he writes generic music as if he doesn't have the ability to write different styles or as if BTS aren't popular because they also appeal to the GP is just condescending. Also, JK isn't the only shy artist out there and he's had to represent BTS by himself many times; he can do it. Left&Right wouldn't have broken any kind of records if not for JK and Dreamers and Still Alive did pretty well under the circumstances (one being the soundtrack of a boycotted WC with almost no promo and the other being a webtoon OST). Lastly, JK not promoting himself is also a weak argument since that's mostly Hybe's responsibility and he hasn't even debuted yet. Anyway, I just think there are too many double standards when it comes to Jungkook.

#bts #jungkook #v #jin #suga #jhope

[himi-wiz]

Btw is no one talking about this on tumblr but Verbal Justice has been out for a week ago and I was waiting for a post to scream about it but no one made a post and I couldn't stand not talking about Nemu, Ichijiku and Otome-sama.

Immaculate vibes! Gosh the rhyming especially Otome's bars, I am worshipping. So. Hard.

Here are some thoughts on favourite parts and screenshot with gorgeous visuals.

NEMU. BELOVED. MY GORGEOUS DARLING YOU ARE STUNNING IN THIS. TELL THOSE BOYS TO BUZZ OFF YES. 🥺💀🌹💕

Gosh her flower motive always gets me, such a beautiful world she strives for especially in comparison to her brother Samatoki's work as a Mafia Boss which is like, a life full of death, darkness and corruption.

ICHIJIKU <3333 PLEASE STEP-- I mean, please continue to tell us how you'll wreck wretched men and put them in their place, yes ma'am. Lash out at the despicable patriarchal system you despise with all your heart's content, I'll support your ventures. Muah. 🥰❤💖💖

THEY REALLY MADE OTOME A GOD AND I CAN'T I AM ON MY KNEES HELP-- Sorry Dice, your mom's way too powerful. Good luck, dude.😔

Jokes aside the visual editing for this is crazy good, especially how she's both coated in shadows and the amber glow of the sun while rapping about her rise to power? What a Queen. Urgh. 🧎‍♀️🙏🌅🔥🔥✨

Admittedly Verbal Justice is not my fave melody line, the verses slap but the chorus is a bit slow with a haunting mantra-like repetition that can get grating unlike Femme Fatale. I understand it's intentional considering like saviour/path to God references though and it was fun though not something I'll slap onto a playlist I'll listen everyday unlike Magic Transistor or Hoodstars. Also Giga-P's never known for having a bad chorus so tough competition to beat there.

BUT YOU KNOW THE CRAZIEST THING ABOUT THIS.

THE SONG WRITER. THE LYRICS COMPOSER IS THE QUEEN OF J-HIPHOP HERSELF URASAKI AKIKO AKA AWICH. AND CHAKI ZULU IS ALSO ONE OF HER TOP PRODUCERS SHE WORKS WITH.

I'M SO DAMN IN LOVE AAAHHH

KING RECORDS ALWAYS PICK SUCH GOOD CHOICES FOR COMPOSERS, CREEPY NUTS, GIGA-P & REOL, TEDDYLOID, SHO KIRYUIN.

If only I can figure out how to access the other composers too. Invisible manners for example are tad hard to find in English but they do have a tumblr and twitter updates at least.

Awich's recommended discography:

Queendom is an autobiographical song about Awich's life story here and it's well worth a watch, phenomenal storytelling and I adore it so much.

And so it's like doubly amazing they got the Queen herself to make lyrics for Otome who's in a similar position of climbing to power with her own smarts, resolve and words for a better world in her homeplace like Awich returning to Japan where she moves hearts with her voice too. But well, there are clear differences there storyline wise when Otome is set up to be one of the top villains/antagonists. Very understandable sentiment tho.

And speaking of origin stories, Awich did do a collab with some Oikinawan youths, SugLawd Familiar and CHICO CARLITO called Longiness Remix. comments say they're (I think SugLawd Familiar in particular) in high school? Seriously?? And it's a jam!

(Here's the full song MV, no eng subs yet tho.)

And an article briefly explaining the video details!

I might do a couple of explanation posts on hypmic producers I adore sometime.

With that I'm out, cheers and stan women with amazing music hehe~

#chuoku #awich #awich queedom #jhiphop #jrap #hypmic #hypmic party of words #party of words #music #japanese music #hypmic introductions #random jazz from himi #himi actually says something wow #women musicians #言の葉党 #otome tohoten #nemu aohitsugi #ichijiku kadenokouji #king records #hypnosis mic #huh apparently there are a lot more tags to hypmic than i thought. #oh so people did talk about it I'm just looking at the wrong tags lmao #i posted this because some anon said i wasn't talking about women enough #so I'm talking about women #i like women #very much #girls!!! #urasaki akiko #akiko urasaki

[shadowetienne]

Etienne’s Top Fives of 2022: Kpop Edition - Boy Groups

We’re on to Boy Groups as I continue down my list from the roundup post. This has in some ways been the hardest category to narrow down, specifically the order of 2nd-4th and who got the 5th spot (there’s a reason I’ve got 2 honorable mentions).

If a boy group has had subunits or members doing things solo, I consider that part of the group’s body of work for the year as long as they’ve also done some full group stuff. If only a subunit has been active, they’d probably get considered a boy group for the sake of this, and if only solos have been active, then they’d go in with solos.

The list with representative MVs is under the cut!

There were so many boy groups that did at least something that I enjoyed this year, including some that I hadn’t enjoyed anything from up until now. I think that part of the reason decisions this year were hard was that this was just an outstanding year for releases overall. Here’s a list of groups with songs that stood out for me this year in about the order that I heard them that didn’t make the list below: Up10tion (“Crazy About You” / "What If Love"), Onewe (“Universe” / "Montage" / "Still Here"), Drippin (“Villain” / “Zero” / “The One”), AB6IX (“1, 2, 3”), BtoB (“The Song”), Nu’est (“Again” disbandment song), Kingdom (“Ascension”), Ghost9 (“X-ray”), Just B (“Re=Load”), TXT (“Good Boy Gone Bad”), MCND (“W.A.I.1” < first time I’ve liked one of their songs), Vanner ("Rollin"), E’last (“Creature"), Omega X (“Play Dumb” < first song I’ve liked by them), TheBoyz (“Sweet” / “Timeless” / “Whisper”), Golden Child (“Replay”), Epex (��Hymn to Love”), P1harmony (“Doom Du Doom” < first song I’ve liked by them), and CIX (“458”).

Honorable Mention: Stray Kids

“Maniac” https://youtu.be/OvioeS1ZZ7o

If you’d asked me a few months ago, Stray Kids probably would have been making my top 5 hands down. I saw them live and they were amazing! They did a lot that I liked early in the year musically. I... didn’t like Maxident and especially the MV for “Case 143″ at all though (there’s... one song I thought was OK on the album), and it probably impacted their place here. I still love them! They’re among my top groups, but I was reminded that their music is hit and miss for me. It is good going back and listening to “Maniac” and remembering that I do love a lot of their music. I really wish that Maxident hadn’t felt so rushed for me because it definitely dampened my appreciation of their overall body of work for the year. They are incredible live though! And I appreciate that I’ve gained friends both on here and in real life over them.

Biases: Han, Lee Know, Seungmin

Honorable Mention: Ateez

“Halazia” https://youtu.be/SszP3hlQ55Y

Ateez came into this year for me riding the high of “Turbulence” that is probably to date my favorite of their songs, and I had high expectations. Their music so far this year has been interesting, but noting has quite caught me the way some of last years releases did. They were in very tight contention for making it into the 5th place, thus why I have these honorable mentions. I am very interested to see where they take their music and storylines next, and “Halazia” (linked above) was probably my favorite thing that they did this calendar year, it’s definitely an interesting sound and it may honestly grow on me further with more listens.

Biases: Seonghwa, Yeosang

5) Cravity

This has been a killer year for Cravity! I loved “Adrenaline” and enjoyed “Vivid” earlier in the year. They had a song all in English that I liked with “Boogie Woogie” (a rarity for me, often understanding lyrics impedes me ability to enjoy songs that I like auditorily). “Party Rock” (above) was definitely my favorite of their releases this year! It gets stuck in my head, it’s so catchy. I definitely replayed it a ton right after it came out too! Cravity has flirted with being on these lists since debut, but I think that the last time they made it on one was their rookie year (granted, they’ve not been around that long). I think that they’ve finally started to hit their stride, and I’m really hoping for more of them embracing this sound!

Biases: Jungmo, Minhee

4) Oneus

I’ve liked them since debut to some extent, and I’d properly fallen for Oneus as a group with “Luna” last year, but “Same Scent” and the entire Malus album was kind of what tipped them over from a group that I loved to one of my top groups. I had Malus on repeat for weeks. They’ve had a rough go of the past few months (don’t really feel like talking about this, I do have opinions, but it’s not a conversation I’m interested in having at this time), but they’ve had amazing performances since then. And I thought that they couldn’t make “Same Scent” better than it already is, and then they just recently released the traditional version (https://youtu.be/pIVfLX8zW00 warning has flashing lights), and it somehow makes the song even better. I love how they use traditional instrumentation and sound in their songs somewhat regularly!

Biases: Seoho, Leedo, Hwanwoong (I am aware that’s over half the group, no I will not narrow it down)

3) OnlyOneOf

I’m breaking my own pattern a little bit by putting “ズルい女“ (their Japanese MV) as the representative song, but it was my favorite of their full group pieces this year, and I think that it shows their choreo and how they make music, even covers, their own really beautifully. The real thing that put’s OnlyOneOf this high on the list is their body of queer work with the member solos this year in the “be” / “undergrOund idOl” series. “skinz” was important to me conceptually, but it’s one of my least favorite OnlyOneOf songs, and I feel like “ズルい女“ is more interesting to me than “Suit Dance.” I like their songs as a body of work immensely in general though! For the biggest reason that I put them on here, see the “be” series:

Yoojung’s “begin” https://youtu.be/MBx_9nygxaQ

KB’s “be free” https://youtu.be/WkKU-9VnNRU

Junji’s “be mine” https://youtu.be/fzEZeQBvVA0 (close contender for being my favorite)

Rie’s “because” https://youtu.be/6u_nwPzf3pI (my favorite, I love this song so much)

Mill’s “beat” https://youtu.be/H6qN9QFrOJs

Nine’s “beyOnd” is upcoming early in January 2023

They are exquisite storytellers in their MVs, and they have committed to telling compelling queer stories. They have incredible cinematic references throughout their MVs, and I just can’t praise their work enough as a whole! I have made so many posts about their storytelling and queer elements in their work, if you want to see more of my thoughts on them, just go digging through my OnlyOneOf tag.

Biases: Rie, Junji

2) Enhypen

It’s funny to me looking back that Enhypen didn’t make it onto these lists earlier. I was aware of them, and knew that I had some connections to them that made them appealing to me. (The one that I talk about more is that I watched Sunghoon and followed his career as a figure skater, I think that he actually made onto one of my figure skating lists when he was in juniors. There’s another one that’s more important, but that I don’t talk about as publicly.) I love the sound that Enhypen’s been living in recently, but they’ve overall had a sound that I’ve enjoyed from the start. I am very excited to see how they keep developing in the future! While I linked “Blessed-Cursed” above as my representative song for them (I’ve been going back to it consistently since it came out in January, it well deserves the spot), I want to also emphasize how much I loved “One In A Billion” (https://youtu.be/_ATqY9GFRh0) and “I Need the Light” (https://youtu.be/Pfq37N3eA7g) both of which are (at least kind of) OSTs.

Biases: Jay, Sunoo, Jungwon

1) Seventeen

Seventeen have been my favorite boy group since they debuted, and they show no signs of stopping that trend any time soon. I’ve loved their releases this year, among them another solo from Junhui with “Limbo” (https://youtu.be/k0sKWlEhVRk) which was a change from his usual emotional ballad fare, but let him show off his dancing and make an MV that was just incredibly gender. I also have a new favorite Seventeen song, dethroning “Home” in it’s long rein, with “Shadow.” I got to see them live this summer, and Redeim only partially managed to capture me losing my mind over them performing “Shadow” live. Their albums this year have been spectacular, and as always, I cannot wait to see what they decide to do next. I hope that I get to see them live many more times in the future (and if you get the chance to do it, they’re an experience).

Biases: Junhui, Wonwoo, Woozi

I would love to chat about any of the groups on this list! I had such a hard time narrowing this down to 5 this year, and it probably would have been easier to do a top 10. There was so much good music this year!

#Etienne's Top Fives of 2022 #Kpop Edition #Boy Groups #personal #Kpop #Seventeen #Enhypen #OnlyOneOf #Oneus #Cravity #Ateez #Stray Kids #I honestly probably would have had an easier time making a top 10 for boy groups this year

[hoebaring]

Diamond Heart (2) | Park Jimin

Jimin POV

"Yes hyung, I'll fix that next time."

"Ok Jiminie, but remember our performance is less than a month away. After all, it needs to be a Grammy-level performance." 

"Yes Hobi hyung, I remember." I replied, as I strolled outside our dance practice room, for a much-needed break.

Trust me, Hobi hyung has been saying this for three months. It is true that we are nominated for the first time, and our performance of Dynamite needs to be amazing. However, I think Hobi hyung is getting a little, just a little, too excited. Nevertheless, I am also extremely excited for the Grammys. I sincerely hope we win the award; I know ARMY is highly anticipating this and such an accomplishment would obviously gain us the admiration and acknowledgment of many around the world. I saw Namjoon hyung walking towards me. He is probably here to remind me about our schedule or something. 

'Oh my god, when will this day end?'

"Jimin, we have our Dallyeora Bangtan's shooting today after lunch. Let's meet up in the shooting room at 2:30, okay?" he said. 

"Yeah okay hyung." I replied. 

"Oh and also, Taehyung said he was waiting for you in the cafeteria. It seems like he wanted to eat lunch with you."

"Ohh ok, I'll go right down hyung."

I started walking to the cafeteria. Normally, everyone goes by themselves for lunch, since they are always busy with their individual work, but I guess Taehyung is free for lunch today. 

"Hey Jimin. You look worn out ... Did you practice extra today?" Taehyung asked me.

"Yeah, well, I needed to practice. What did you do today?"

"I finished recording my part for Film Out. I still have to practice for the Dynamite performance. Oh god, I seriously have no idea when we'd get a break Jimin."

"Don't ask me Tae, I'm waiting for that too." I replied. 

After we grabbed our lunch, both of us made our way to the film studio. We were the last ones to go there, and the time was only 2:15. 

"Were you guys waiting for us?" Taehyung asked.

"No hyung, it's only been five minutes. Don't worry, you weren't late." Jungkook answered.

"Yeah okay, now since everyone's here, let's get started guys." We heard the cameraman say, from behind us. 

❀❀❀❀❀❀❀

"Okay, I'm so tired today guys. I need to go home and-" Yoongi hyung yawned midway.

"-sleep." 

His eyes were drowsy, as he threw himself on the blue couch. He also looked like he had a headache. 

We worked so hard today, with the Grammy performance in a month, the Film Out MV also releasing in a month, and our Run BTS shootings going on, we are completely exhausted. Everyone were very busy today, and all that we wanted was to go home and relax. 

"Hyung, let's just call it a day, huh?" Namjoon hyung suggested.

"Ahh, yes, please hyung, let's do that." Jungkook requested. He worked the most among all of us; he did everything on the same day, dance practice, recording, shooting. He even took some English lessons today. He must be the most exhausted among us.

"Yes Namjoon, let's just pack up for today." Jin hyung also chimed in. It's rare for Jin hyung to say he's tired, so when he says that, he must be really, really tired.

"Okay guys, let's go then. Should we clean up?" Namjoon hyung asked the staff. We try to clean up after ourselves, since we make a big mess on every Run BTS episode shooting. 

"It's okay, you guys sound really drained. Go home and get some rest, we'll take care of this." one of the staff member said. 

'Whew, thank god. I mean, I'm not lazy, I'm just extremely tired today.'

"Thank you so much everyone. We'll make sure to owe it up to you someway." Namjoon hyung said, as we all bowed and left the room one by one.

"Okay guys, I'm going home. See you tomorrow!" Jin hyung said, before he left in his car.

"Yeah okay hyung, I'm also leaving guys. Good night everyone." Yoongi hyung muttered, before he too left.

"Bye hyungs, meet you tomorrow." added Jungkook, as he got into his car.

"Ok bye guys, I'm going to head home too." I spoke, as I bid goodbye to them. 

I walked towards my car and sat inside. I asked my driver to drive us home. Neither am I in the mood to eat dinner nor do I have the energy. I had a heavy lunch anyway.

❀❀❀❀❀❀❀

I entered my apartment and tossed my jacket on the couch. I walked as quickly as possible to my bedroom and threw myself onto the bed. I am way too tired today, but I guess it isn't new to me.

I've been coming exhausted almost everyday recently. Working late has become my routine. It's not that I like overexerting myself, but I don't necessarily have another choice. Don't get me wrong, I truly love my profession and I'm highly passionate about music and dance. But it just gets too tiring some days.

However, I'm okay with working this hard, because it's something I love doing. I love music and working on it. I enjoy improving in that aspect, and constantly try to get better with my singing and dancing skills.

Maybe that's how it is for everyone. When you do something related to an activity you love, you never feel the strain. Since you love it, you would try to get through as many hurdles as possible, to achieve what you want to. You treasure the thing you love and pursue it as much as possible.

Maybe that's why I treasure music so much.

If only I could have treasured other things as well.

#jiminff #diamond heart #bangtanff #bts jimin #romancefanfic #btsidolau #fluff

[mgjong]

★ Intro Post ★

| She/Her | 19 | Lesbian | INTP | Hi, I am Mg and I scream about characters and stuff!

➤Current hyperfixation: MILGRAM

In this blog: ➜ Art and text reblogs, mainly pertaining to the current fandom ➜ Analysis and videos/AMVs (rarely) ➜ Rambles ➜ General simping and the occasional vent

DMs are always open, feel free to tag me in stuff! If there is something you need me to tag, please inform me. My blog is a safe space for all kinds of people as long as you are civil and not a bigot <3

Fandom specific info, tag guide and post masterlist below ⤵

》》 About me

➜ I go by Mg but you are free to use whatever nickname you want ➜ 19 so not a minor. University trying to kick my ass but idgaf ➜ I am just... very gay, apologies for that, I love women ➜ English/Portuguese/Spanish (awful speaker but I understand) ➜ I am a cat person. This is very important and not ironic at all ➜ I am very shy and it's hard for me to initiate conversations but if I start talking I can't shut up ➜ I have some trouble understanding social cues so if something I said wasn't worded correctly or something I did came across in a way that made you feel uncomfortable, please reach out to me. I am trying to grow as a person!

》》 Milgram Specific Info I joined this fandom early September, exactly one week after TPM's release. I haven't been here for that long but it has been a blast. Can't wait for trial 3 to destroy us all! ➜ Characters: My favourite character is Kotoko. My posts and reblogs are usually about her. Literally can't leave my brain Having said that there is no character I dislike and I love discussing all of them so if you ever want my opinion on someone feel free to ask. I love reading theories about every character ➜ Ships and Pairings: All ships in this blog are tagged so you may filter at your own discretion. While I understand this is not exactly the right series for it I do indulge in some shipping My favourite pairing is 0610 and I won't shut up about them Other pairings I like include 0507, muurei and 0909 I am open to most other ships to varying degrees, just don't ship adults with children please. I love most platonic pairings, especially 030910 (they are siblings your honor), 0010, 0710, 0104, 0206, 0810, etc. ➜ Voting: I will be voting everyone innocent on the third trial regardless of what they do. We will be definitely pushed to vote guilty and I am not falling for that. JOIN THE T3 INNO ARMY TODAY!

》》 Other Info ➜ I write sometimes and have an AO3 but haven't posted anything in a while ➜ I have a youtube channel where I post my videos unlisted ➜ My discord is literally mgjong so feel free to add me there! (Just give me a heads up first so I know who you are) ➜ I have a side-blog... which I won't link here for your own good. I am sure you can easily find it if you try <3

》》 Post Masterlist This is not everything under "my posts" only the stuff of relevance.

Disclaimer for my Kotoko posting

➜ Videos and AMVs Hated by Life Itself - Milgram AMV Kotoko's ear phones voice lines (VERY BAD QUALITY, low sound) ➜ Theories and analysis Lucky and Kotoko's relationship (Thoughts on Deep Cover) Analysis on the start of Deep Cover Overanalysing Kotoko's answers #1 Overanalysing Kotoko's answers #2 Overanalysing Kotoko's answers #3 Overanalysing Kotoko's answers #4 Overanalysing Kotoko's answers #5 Overanalysing Kotoko's answers #6 Kotoko iiya/118 cover propaganda!!!

➜Meta Kotoko and Projecting Rant about characters treated by fandom Liking vent posts

➜Rambles, memes, shipping Small ramble on question 18 Yelling about Deep Cover (before the MV came out) Post that sparked a debate about... Kotoko's chest size... Kotoko girlboss to girlfailure spectrum meme 0610 day hopes and dreams (before they were crushed) Calling out a friend in tags ft 0610 April fools!

This post is still a wip

PS: GO CHECK OUT @polarmary I AM HERE TO HYPE THE ART SHE MAKES FROM OUR SILLY IDEAS!

Tag guide? What tag guide, I only use these two:

#my posts #asks

[rebelwhodoesntknow]

I think Sena's voice has really improved over the years but yeah she was really young and inexperienced in Stars, I like her singing but it was definitely a little rough

I always wondered why they didn't release dolls!!! It's not like they releaased figures (except ones that were way too delicate for their target audience + too expensive), they really missed the mark there. Literally I would pay so much to hold a tiny version of the sweet dreams star pr are you kidding me?? 😭💗

Ahhh I actually really like Raki... I understand people dislking her 100000% because she DID like. Personally design her own Jeweling rare which is supposed to be purely made from magic, not designed by anyone, she designed her own star wings which can only be gifted by the system, same with the wings for her zodiac coord like Ichigo gen. So it's not just that she took most of her inspo from existing coords, she just kind of broke all the rules somehow and nobody in-show was like THATS IMPOSSIBLE????

But Idk I like her! I love her design, her voice actor (also voiced Wakaba) is great, I honestly wish she got more songs. I think it just made sense for her to be there. Even if Parade was just meant to get excitement + money back up for Planet's release, there was some love put into it for people who grew up with the series, and everyone kind of takes care of Raki. She's an excited kid obsessed with the idea of Aikatsu in general and tbh I see myself when I was like 13 diving into all of it, she's like a representation for new and old fans that just love it and want to be a part of it. She wasn't supposed to be a super fleshed out character, just kind of a tour guide along the show

OR IM PROJEVTING TOO MUCH AFBKSNDDJF But fr I don't mind her! The first anniversary album actually has her cover one of Mizuki's songs because it was her voice actor's favorite, she was a huge fan of Aikatsu when she was little and she won a singing contest to voice Wakaba in Friends!!🥺💗 Even if it wasn't the biggest role, I'm really happy for her, I feel like even that says something about what Raki meant

I love that kids still write letters about shows, I also follow Super Sentai and every so often the staff mentions kids keep writing to them asking them to redeem the villains because they like the actors too much LOL

Hinaki & Yume's voice actors actually had a unit irl too for a little bit, Min☆na, they've disbanded now and the song's werent my vibe but good for them!!

DONT BUY THE AIKATSU GAMES ITS SO EXPENSIVE + THEYRE REGION LOCKED. You can play them on a PC on Citra though, and if you turn up the graphics quality it looks sol so much better than on a console- basically like you're playing the akari gen DCD!

If you're interested, I can send you the roms, it will take a couple days though I'll have to find my hard drive 💗

I have all of them! Only 2 are worth playing imo, most don't have many songs or coords but these are powerhouses

Aikatsu! My No. 1 Stage features every single Ichigo/Akari gen song up till the last like 15, stages and dances included, it's crazy. It had a good amount of coords for most brands, only a couple for dolly devil and mecha panic but there's a lot of fun mix and match stuff you can do! The dressup system is the same as the arcade game so you can swap PRs and everything.

The gameplay is really simple, short visual novel-style stories to unlock songs, play songs to unlock coord cards. The outfits you use do effect special appeals too!! I play it sometimes, but mostly I mess around with outfits in MV mode and just watch

The other game is Aikatsu Stars! My Special Appeal. This is the only stars game sadly, and it doesn't have a lot of songs, but there's a few cute new animations in the mvs (i.e. in tsu•ba•sa, you can't have just one character, so before the song starts your two backup dancers help you out of the throne, idk its just cute)

It does have 1,000 outfit pieces though...! A lot of the brandless coords were included this time. No berry parfait, but all the other brands before it are included (one PR per brand) and nobody from venus ark (😭) but it looks nice and again, it's fun to play with outfits!

The gameplay is the same as the other game. And in this one you get to make your own character with a few customization options for hair & eyes!

Honestly, I don't think playing to get all the coords is worth it, it really takes a long time and you're just repeating the same thing over and over to get it (and usually get duplicate pieces which don't do anything)

I have a save file for each game, with all songs & coords unlocked though! If you're interested in trying either of them I can send those too with the roms (And if you haven't used citra I don't mind explaining how to add the saves!)

THIS IS A WHOLE ASS ESSAY

ITS OKAY IM HAVING A GREAT TIME TALKING ABOUT THIS and I hope you are too fhfjf

Yeah I’ve seen the figures before and they’re always ridiculously expensive and I’m like ‘oh come on I’m broke and want to be an idol here’ plus they didn’t even have the coords which is like the best part??? Come on???

I think I like ( while knowing very little about Parade) seeing Raki more as a superfan/vehicle for idol display rather than a full fleshed character, although I really wish she didn’t just straight up break the aikatsu system. I saw her star wings outfit and was definitely confused by why the wings were on her in her whole performance. If anything, she should have gotten them when she made her true PR and actually debuted her brand. I do think her va’s origin is super cute though!

Unfortunately I have never used Citra before and am very new to emulators (I’ve used melonDS like three times maybe) so I would definitely need help with whatever rom stuff you’re mentioning lol, I am not good with that stuff at all. I’m not too bad at rhythm games, though, so I think it would be really fun to try the games out! Maybe that’ll be better than trying to teach myself Idol Activity from the stage videos on YouTube lol!

#aikatsu