Hi! It’s Annie!
So, there’s a lot that I missed and a lot to talk about when it comes to ATEEZ. And most of it is so wholesome that I may or may not have cried. But, that aside, though I will mostly talk about the wholesome stuff, there is some other news I at least want to touch on briefly in this post. But let me just say, the ATEEZ content that has been coming out recently has made me so incredibly happy. With the world still dealing with the pandemic, I find this to be one of my biggest serotonin boosters throughout the entirely of quarantine. And when ATEEZ returns they always make it big in some way or another. There’s also the fact that we know that they have filmed more stuff that hasn’t even come out yet. On top of all that, some recent news has also come out about Monsta X that I also want to immediately address. While there aren’t as many new releases that I missed here, that doesn’t mean there isn’t some major news. So, now that I have thoroughly geeked out about all of this, let’s get into the actual stuff I missed!
MINGI!!!:
Obviously, the first and most important order of business. On San’s birthday a little while ago, several members of ATEEZ posted on their official Twitter for the event which is very normal. What stuck out, however, was one of the posts was from Mingi. And I think that was our first true sign that Mingi was coming back. We did see that he was at Jeju Island at the same time the rest of the members were there, but I wasn’t entirely convinced we should expect a soon comeback for him at that point. And then a few days ago Jongho did a Vlive where he said to expect good news the following day. And, of course, the day after we got the news from KQ Entertainment that Mingi would be officially rejoining the group. I definitely cried. They did confirm that Mingi has been working with ATEEZ for a while, basically trying to get used to things again and making sure he was healed enough to rejoin. Mingi did a Vlive not long after this where he confirmed that they did film things on Jeju Island that will be coming out soon. This Vlive was also incredibly emotional. ATEEZ has gotten a lot of new fans since ‘Kingdom: Legendary War’ came out. (Because, let’s be honest, their stages slayed.) And those fans aren’t too familiar with Mingi in real time. I became a fan of ATEEZ right before Mingi left, so though I got some of him in real time, I didn’t get much either. Mingi formally introduced himself to the new ATEEZ fans and I would honestly be surprised if someone watched that and didn’t cry. Mingi is amazing and sweet and I’m so glad he’s back. I really can’t wait to get to know him better!
San’s Hiatus:
Even though we have Mingi back, we still aren’t seeing all eight of them together. This is because San was recently diagnosed with Covid 19 and is taking a break for his health and to make sure he doesn’t spread it to any of the other members of ATEEZ. Hopefully he will recover soon and be back sooner than we think, but I can’t help but feel KQ Entertainment is doing ATEEZ a disservice. But this goes beyond KQ. Several companies have all-cleared fansigns and other public events for idols using only barriers and no masking for the idols. This includes ATEEZ. This is not sufficient protection for anyone. And every time an idol ends up with Covid, my first reaction is to go back and look at how many public events their company has been forcing them to do. South Korea is still severely lacking vaccines, and I do not feel comfortable with companies beginning to act as if things are ok again. I want to see them back to their regular activities as much as the next person, but I would prefer for them to stay safe. I hope San gets well soon!
Dreamers:
ATEEZ’s new Japanese single is adorable and definitely a mood booster. The music video adds an entirely different level to it, but even listening to it brings comfort. The song is about ATEEZ being together with their fans and feeling what their fans feel. It promotes this insane amount of connection between them and all of Atinys as well as telling all of us that we aren’t alone. And the song doesn’t feel sad either. It has a fun summer-y vibe to it that just makes you feel happy. And the music video shows all of them playing on the beach and in calming scenarios, just giving you the feel that you are not alone and that having fun again is just around the corner. The behind the scenes photos from the music video only added to the more cute and fresh vibe. So many of the pictures depict the members uncontrollably smiling and laughing on the ocean-side. They either are candid or feel very candid and just looking at them makes you happy. This is definitely one of my favorite songs to come out of quarantine and it gave me so much comfort.
Shownu’s Enlistment:
As of today, Shownu of Monsta X has officially enlisted for his mandatory service. I know we’ll all be sad to see him go. Especially because he will most likely miss Monsta X’s upcoming tour in 2022 and that means we’ll have to wait even longer to see him in person. But he’ll be back before we know it! And Shownu doesn’t seem too upset about having to go, which is definitely more comforting. I just can’t wait for him to come back and hope that he stays safe and healthy until we see him again!
Kiss or Death:
Next week we’re getting new Monsta X music and I still haven’t been able to comprehend it. The Sherlock style outfits and the teaser that came out today only made me more excited. I love the train and vintage feel of this one. I just know this is going to be one of their most memorable MVs! And we know by pictures that Shownu is a part of the song and the music video even though he won’t be able to promote it with the rest of the members. It’ll be nice to see more of Shownu! There’s not much to talk about until the music video releases, but I am so excited for this!
I was originally only going to talk about ATEEZ in this post, but with Shownu leaving today and the teaser for the MV dropping, I figured I might as well just make this a dedicated news post for both groups. I really can’t wait to see the new stuff that both groups will be releasing soon from ATEEZ’s unreleased footage on Jeju Island to Monsta X’s brand new music video. Seriously, I missed so much when I was on vacation. I felt like every day I opened Twitter and there was something new happening. And while that was always a mood booster for me, it definitely means I have a lot more posts lined up than I usually do! With all this stuff coming out I can only hope that I’ll be able to keep up! I have never been more happy to have so much to write about, I seriously can’t wait!
See you across the pond!
Sincerely, Annie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 