K-Pop: ONEUS Going Forward

Screenshot of (from left) Son Dongju (Xion), Kim Gunhak (Leedo), and Lee Keonhee on Vlive. Copyright goes to ONEUS, RBW, and Vlive.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Sorry for the late post! So, a lot happened to this group recently and there’s a lot that I want to talk about and a lot that I really don’t so much. But I feel that some of it needs to be talked about because this group really deserves the publicity they were getting before all of this happened. The first thing, of course, is that if you at all were considering getting ONEUS tickets, they are on sale and these boys deserve to be supported. We don’t want the five remaining members to go under or not see support because of anyone’s mistakes. Whether you’re blaming the company themselves, the accuser, or even former members; the five remaining members don’t deserve for this to affect them. My sister and I got our tickets the minute they went on sale and I can’t believe how good our seats are. This is probably the closest I’m ever going to be to a K-Pop group and the fact that I’m seeing them, never mind that close, is still blowing my mind! But, that aside, there’s a lot of arguments over who is right, who is wrong, and how we should act towards the company and the group going forward. And I don’t want to get too involved in the argument. There’s a lot of straight up fighting going on that I really don’t want to get involved in, but I am going to talk about how we got here and maybe some things to consider going forward.

Ravn Leaving:

We already have a general news post where I discussed the allegations against Ravn. I’m sure everyone already knows anyways, so I’m not going to mention them again here. What I am going to say is that we’ve gotten an update to the investigation. This update said that they were essentially still investigating, but they had found that some (not all) of the evidence was fabricated. They were not specific so we don’t know what exactly they’re saying was proven wrong, but so far they did say they found “false information and malicious editing”. Not quite sure what that exactly means yet; but we’ll probably have to wait to really figure it out. If they even say. But we also know that Ravn has left the group officially amidst the allegations in order to not hurt the other members of the group with the continuing controversy. This is what the company says anyways. We know from experience that a company saying that a member left voluntarily is not always true. Either way, this leaves ONEUS without one of their major writers and composers. They do have other members who work on writing and a full team behind them as well, so hopefully they’ll be able to continue forward with strong and unique music. Contrary to what some believe, Ravn was not the leader. ONEUS decided not to have a leader and to split the responsibilities; which is an incredibly smart move considering how many current K-Pop leaders struggle with all the responsibility.

First World Tour:

ONEUS had planned to embark on their first official world tour before any of this happened and they are continuing on as scheduled. As excited as I am to see them, I think the members should have a little bit of a break before they move forward so much. This hit them hard very quickly and I doubt any of them have finished processing. However, I’ve seen several people say that because of decisions regarding the controversy, they are planning to boycott this tour. I think that’s a mistake. I understand being upset about this and it’s difficult to figure out how to express to the company the extent of your anger no matter what side of this argument you fall on. My opinion is this; the five members who will be touring do not deserve to be negatively impacted by any of this. And if people boycott their first world tour, no matter what happens, it could mean that they don’t get to do one after this. I think that they have enough popularity to get through this, but we shouldn’t just abandon them. And if you’ve decided to not go to their concert only because Ravn isn’t there and you think the group will be awful without him; that’s solo stan behavior. Each of these members are amazing on their own and amazing together in collaboration, and each of the other five will continue to be amazing. If, for example, Namjoon were to suddenly leave BTS, I wouldn’t cease to go their concerts. Because I absolutely love the other six members! Don’t be a solo stan!

Concert Etiquette:

I already see so much fighting, and also fighting specifically about how people should and should not act at the concerts coming up. Here’s my advice. Just have fun! They are doing these concerts to have fun with us and they will probably be a good distraction for them after everything that’s happened. We want to have fun with them and show them that we’re still there for them! There are people who are planning on wearing red roses to the concerts in honor of Ravn and that sounds like a great way to pay tribute! But please do not get into fights with TOMOON who might not be wearing the roses. And, on the other side of that, do not fight with the fans who are wearing the red roses. What I think both sides of this fandom is missing, is the fact that both sides of this argument are understandable and perfectly ok. If you have chosen to wait out the investigation and are wary of Ravn right now, that’s fine. If you are devastated by this and want to continue to support Ravn, that is also ok! This is a complicated situation and I can’t say that there’s a correct way to react. I think showing a little respect to each other at the concert is the best we can do. I don’t want to see any fans fighting at any of the concerts for any reason. And also, let’s not assume how the members are feeling and shout out anything regarding this situation unless the members seem to be ok with it or start it. Mentions of Ravn could make them feel sad and (wrongly) like they are incomplete without him, or they could make them feel comforted. I don’t mind keeping his name in the fan chants (unless, perhaps, the investigation ends very badly or the members say differently), but I do mind yelling at them while they’re on stage. Which honestly isn’t a thing we should be doing in general at concerts. Just, don’t harass them or yell things at them unless prompted. This should be a general concert rule anyways.

General Etiquette:

Respect the group as five. I’m not saying you have to completely accept the group as five; but you need to at least respect the group as five. What we don’t want to do is make them think that they will be forever incomplete in their careers. Mentioning that you still love Ravn could be very comforting! But asking them about Ravn in every fan sign, or them continuing to receive harassment about him, or interview questions about him, might make them think that we don’t respect the group anymore if he’s not in it. We saw this when Wonho left Monsta X and it not only affected the members of Monsta X, but it later also affected Wonho when he started his own solo career. Wonho has discussed how he doesn’t think that Monsta X should be constantly questioned about him and how he doesn’t want to be constantly questioned about Monsta X. Again, it is perfectly ok to not fully accept this right now. But you have to respect the group as five for the sake of the members. So be careful about the wording of the signs you bring to the concert. In fact, considering the small venues, please don’t bring signs at all and if you do please make them very small. Many of us will be sitting on a flat floor and we want to be able to see.

Update: Leedo in his ending ment for a recent concert asked fans to address the group as five from now on. This is the wish of all five members. Please respect their wishes.

This is a difficult time for ONEUS and TOMOON. But we can’t give up and we can’t stop supporting our boys. Let’s all be understanding of what they might be feeling and also what each member of TOMOON might be feeling. Because there’s been a lot of misunderstanding and fighting. Right now we have a scandal and toxic fandom behavior driving away potential new TOMOON. Let’s be welcoming and try to navigate this positively and warmly. Let’s be excited about their first world tour; because the boys deserve to be excited about their tour as well! I still can’t believe I’ll be seeing them so close! Leedo, that close!! Will I even survive???

See you cross the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

BTS: Jin and “The Astronaut”

Screenshot of Kim Seokjin (Jin) in his music video for his new single “The Astronaut”. Copyright goes to BIGHIT Music and Jin.

Hey! Hallie here!

Jin just released his highly anticipated solo track and collaboration with Coldplay, “The Astronaut”! He’s been talking about this solo project for a while now, and his recent reveal that he’d be working with someone he was close to and greatly admired led ARMYs to correctly guess that he was working on it with Coldplay. While he’s released solo tracks before, this one hits particularly hard for ARMYs. This is the last song that Jin will release before he enlists in the military, marking an almost two year absence. He also chose to make this song about his eternal love for ARMY, which 100% made me cry when I watched the music video. I have tons to talk about here, including the beautiful song, amazing MV, Jin performing the song live with Coldplay, and just my overall gratefulness for Jin. So, with the acceptance that this will likely be an emotional post, let’s get into it!

The Song:

This song is the perfect mix of Coldplay’s calming and cosmic sound mixed with the soulful, vocal focus that Jin goes for in his solo work. The song starts out with a calming guitar and background synth that feels very comforting and very Coldplay, but it doesn’t feel like the song is completely taken over by Coldplay. Once Jin’s vocals kick in we get a lot of Jin’s style. The synth quiets and we just get Jin’s gorgeous vocals paired with guitar, which easily fits in with Jin’s love of ballads. This song sounds more lighthearted than some of his other ballads with the bouncier guitar and verses, but the chorus, which brings back the synth in full addictive force, has so much power and emotion that it can easily bring you to tears as much as any of his other solo songs. Throughout parts of the song you can hear Chris Martin’s powerful vocals in the background, never overtaking Jin’s but adding a depth and even urgency to the chorus and verses that is much appreciated. As for the lyrics, they convey an unending love for someone that’s similar to paradise for Jin. Something so strong that his devotion for them overcomes everything else and provides him hope when he feels lost. And Jin already confirmed that the someone he’s directing this love to, is all of ARMYs. Jin said this song invokes an astronaut who crashes down on Earth and decides to stay to be with his loved ones. Jin is, of course, the astronaut. Hurtling through space, sometimes feeling alone and lost. And ARMY is the family he found that he wishes to stay with. It’s so touching, and so well conveyed in both the large amount of Korean and English that this song includes. This is a masterpiece. I’m in complete awe of both Jin and Coldplay for the pure magic in this song.

The MV:

This is such a cute MV, but before I get fully into it I want to talk about the sets. Because some of these sets are very obviously in LA, and as a Universal Studios Hollywood passholder, I can tell when the Universal lots are being used. So imagine my shock when I recognized both Wisteria Lane and New York Street, large permanent sets on the Universal lot, in this MV. I’m actually so angry at myself now. He was at a place I frequent and I never even got a hint of his presence. But I digress. This MV tells a pretty cohesive story. It starts out with Jin in a field looking at a spaceship. From there we see Jin in what looks like a childhood bedroom. He even has drawings of himself as an astronaut with his name on them. All of this reveals to us that Jin is the astronaut from his concept. He crashed down on Earth in his spaceship. But he doesn’t seem happy overall to be back in his childhood bedroom. Also, note his crossword puzzle where he’s filled in “ARMY”, a tribute to the fans, and “Moon”, a particularly influential solo song he released. On his TV a reporter (Hello, Chris Martin!) reports on a beam of light outside that we later see coming from the spaceship, essentially calling Jin back to it. But he ignores it, instead going out to help a little girl learn to ride her bike.

As the MV goes on we see Jin walking down a city street looking very alone. At one point he catches his reflection in the helmet of an astronaut, which solidifies his somber attitude. But when he spends time with the little girl, taking pictures with her, drawing with her, and looking very proud when she learns to ride her bike, his somberness seems to melt away. Finally, Jin lets the spaceship fly away. In a few shots we see him hitching a ride away from the site, finally smiling, and a picture he’s drawn of Earth with the word “home” next to it. At the very end of the MV he fills the word “family” into his crossword, gives the camera the most radiant smile I’ve ever seen, and leaves to play with the little girl on her bike again. It’s the story of the astronaut who decides to stay on Earth, but here we see Jin struggle with loneliness and depression over the aimlessness that he’s felt. But then we see him spend time with this little girl, who appears to be the stand-in for ARMY, and his pride in her and joy in spending time with her becomes a new purpose for him. It’s such a touching MV that I love more and more with each watch.

Jin and Performing with Coldplay:

Jin needs an entire section to himself. Obviously. To get the superficial out of the way, Jin looked incredible in this MV. From the cozy sweater to the well-fitted suit, I’d say he had some of his best MV looks here. And his long hair looks adorable on him. But yes, Jin is leaving. Obviously he won’t be gone for that long of a period, and he won’t be doing anything dangerous within the military. All members of BTS are far more likely to be given promotional or background work because of their large status in South Korea. But we still won’t see as much of him as we usually do during that time. I’m both incredibly proud and incredibly sad about it. Jin wanted to enlist. When his enlistment date was pushed back a little bit ago, he reaffirmed to the public that he didn’t want to be exempt. He even said that he was frustrated with people on the internet for bashing him about not wanting to go because he had every intention of going. Politely, screw those people. I’m so proud of BTS, and Jin, for finally putting their foot down in this dance the government has been doing around BTS’s enlistment by deciding to go themselves. But I’ll miss him. Today Jin got to perform his song with Coldplay as well, which marked his last live performance before he goes off. It was a mind-blowing performance with incredible live vocals. Chris Martin is a lovely soul and the way he interacted with Jin was so welcoming. The hug they shared onstage was beautiful, and though I loved how Jin shared the mic with Chris, I loved even more that Chris encouraged Jin to take the whole stage for himself. He’s said this song was more of a gift to Jin than a collaboration, and you could feel that affection for Jin. Just as much as you could feel Jin’s adoration for Coldplay, a group he’s loved for a very long time. I really can’t wait until they fully release the performance on YouTube!

Jin taking his last project before his enlistment to show his love for ARMY is making me bawl. Full on ugly cry. He’s always been really open about his depression and how influential ARMY has been on him during his dark points. He has so much love for ARMY, and as an ARMY who’s been comforted through my own depression by Jin, I can confidently say we reciprocate that love fully. There’s a connection between ARMY and BTS that feels unyielding. Jin has used so much of his career, not just here but in songs like “Moon” too, to thank us for that bond. And I can’t express how much I want to thank him for it as well. Between creating the series ‘Eat Jin’ for people who struggle with eating disorders, to making some of the funniest jokes I’ve ever heard, he’s a presence I won’t forget. We love you Jin! We’ll be waiting for you!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Books: ‘Harry Potter’ Things Fans (Mostly) Made Ok

Screenshot of (from left) Tom Felton and Emma Watson in ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’. Copyright goes to Warner Bros.

Hi! It’s Annie!

I absolutely love ‘Harry Potter’, particularly the movies now because the writing and the author of the books are obviously extremely problematic. I have stopped buying merch and I really implore everyone reading to do the same. But because I’m more of a fan of the way the movies and actors brought the characters and world to life (and not the things the author wrote or voiced), I’m more ok with things within the fandom that I wasn’t before. This is only because people in the fandom have made these things ok or the actors gave me a new perspective. The fandom has made countless things within this fandom better. Including making people feel wanted and offering a sense of belonging, even between houses that were pitted against each other in the books. So, I’m going to get into the things that the fandom has made better for me that I may have disliked before. MAJOR SPOILERS ahead!!! I also won’t be talking about how fans made the house system better because we already have a full post on that!

Draco Malfoy:

I used to absolutely hate Draco for the way that he treated particularly Harry and Hermione. He reminded me of a bully that I had when I was in school and he always did little more than disgust me every time he appeared. I rejoiced when Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Mad-Eye Moody, transformed Draco into a ferret. He was a presence that I absolutely couldn’t stand. As someone who is older than High School age, now working sometimes at a High School, and looking back at my own years, I see Draco in a very different light. He was a child brought up by awful parents and constantly spewing everything that he heard at home. Something you get from children of all ages. And while this by no means exempts him from what he did say, I think Draco was well on his way to making some form of turn around. After all, he didn’t give away Harry and his friends in the seventh book or movie and he ended up not being at all able to kill Dumbledore. I think Draco deserved to have a redemption arc. He deserved to be the example of people who have done bad things that can change. I’ve also been more inclined towards Draco since I’ve started following the career of Tom Felton, who is a major feminist and very sweet. Was Draco a nasty little weasel in his school years? Yes. But I don’t feel that this means he cannot be redeemed. It’s a shame that the scene where he throws Harry his wand in the final movie ended up on the cutting room floor. Draco was one of the only children of the Death Eaters who actually ended up questioning his parents because he knew what it was like to be under Voldemort’s thumb. I feel that should have been given more time.

Hermione and Draco:

When it comes to canon, I’ve said before that I pretty much hate this couple. For years I couldn’t fathom someone ending up with somebody who bullied them. And, honestly, in a way I still can’t. After everything Draco did to Hermione it feels odd. But there are a couple things that can change my mind about this, depending on the situation. Firstly, when people suggest they might have happened in the future, I like the idea of them much more! I’m not as big of a fan of suggestions that they may have dated during their time at Hogwarts before the war, because that feels awful and not realistic for their characters at all. But a lot can happen in the years after you leave school and it also gives Draco time to mature. The other reason that made me start to see this couple as possible is the close relationship between Emma Watson and Tom Felton. Up until the last couple of years, I don’t think the public really understood just how close Emma and Tom have always been. Tom’s friendship was important to Emma on set when she felt like she had no one on her side, and Emma has now helped Tom tell his story through his new autobiography. I think we all swooned just a little when we saw the reunion between Emma and Tom in the recent special. Their friendship is cute, and it makes you almost want at least a friendship between Hermione and Draco. Even if it does happen sometime in the far future. If you still aren’t convinced, I highly recommend watching the behind the scenes footage of them filming the Yule Ball segment in ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’. Watching Tom and Emma dance together is beyond adorable! Most fanfiction writers actually make Draco way more respectful of Hermione and her intelligence than Ron ever was anyways! There’s also the added bonus that Rowling probably hates this ship.

Percy Weasley:

Percy was another character that I used to not be able to stand whatsoever. I have several times said that I wish Percy would have died to complete a redemption arc rather than Fred. While I still don’t think Fred should have died and I think that this would be better plot wise, I don’t dislike Percy as much as I used to nor am I as convinced that he should have died. I think the dislike of Percy comes from the fact that everyone knows a Percy. Somebody who doesn’t like to be wrong, always believes that they are the smartest person in the room, and takes constant pleasure in telling other people that they are wrong without having the knowledge to support that assumption. Percy is a character who is personal to all of us in a not very pleasant way. But the behavior that Percy exhibits is also a universal sign of feeling inadequate and insecure. And Percy actually has every reason to feel insecure. Molly Weasley is an absolute jerk and I feel like only some people are beginning to notice this. Yes, Molly is very sweet for taking in Harry. But Molly also constantly compares her children, has favorite children, is an absolute monster-in-law to Fleur, makes baseless accusations against Sirius because she gets jealous over Harry, mistreats Hermione for a lie written in the paper, and is a relentless gossip. Percy grew up being compared to perfect Bill and Charlie. He is relentlessly teased by his siblings for boasting the only accomplishment he perceives himself to have. (Though I understand why Fred and George do it and honestly don’t blame them.) Percy is still annoying, but you can’t really blame him. And I am absolutely in love, like plenty of other fans, with the fact that Oliver and Percy were probably roommates. Can you imagine the chaos? Fans were completely right to point out how rough Percy has had it. And why Percy deserves our love far more than Molly.

Fans have pointed out how characters like Sirius, Draco, Percy, Lavender Brown, and Fleur are characters that deserve some empathy and respect after having been widely disliked. Sirius never did anything but try to help his Godson (who he did not think was James), Draco actually was changing by the time the book ended, Percy was understandably insecure, Lavender was just a naive teenage girl who never actually hurt anyone, and Fleur absolutely cared about Bill and never should have been doubted by the family in the way she was. But characters like Molly, James, Dumbledore, Ron, and Snape are all incredibly messed up and are far less deserving of all the love they get. Molly was a choosy mother, James was a straight up bully, Dumbledore used Harry and many others without showing much regret, Ron bullied Hermione perhaps even more than Draco (and his brand of bullying was seen as ok), and Snape was a straight up abusive teacher. While none of these things change the events of the books or movies, they are amazing conversations to have that have actually made me feel more welcome in the fandom. So, once again, I want to thank the fans for making this fandom what it is. It was never Rowling that made this fandom amazing, it was always the fans.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Sci-Fi: ‘Doctor Who’ and David Tennant

Screenshot of David Tennant as the Doctor in ‘The Power of the Doctor’. Copyright goes to the BBC and Bad Wolf.

Hey! Hallie here!

Hopefully everyone who sees this post has actually seen ‘The Power of the Doctor’, or in the very least, knows the role Tennant played in said episode. Because already, the screenshot above is a huge spoiler. So right off the bat, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! Seriously, do not read this unless you’re caught up on ‘Doctor Who’. We haven’t talked about ‘Doctor Who’ much on this blog. This was one of Annie and I’s biggest obsessions in high school, but Moffat’s era of ‘Doctor Who’ slowly drove us away. I’ve still really loved this series since then, and I’m prone to constantly revisiting the Tenth Doctor’s seasons particularly, so this regeneration definitely didn’t fly under my radar. David Tennant is back! And he’s also been named the official Fourteenth Doctor which will last through a three-parter that airs in November…of 2023. So yeah, unfortunately we have more than a year until ‘Doctor Who’ returns. But in the meantime David Tennant is promised to be our lead in to our official new Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa. So in honor of Tennant’s return to ‘Doctor Who’, let’s dive into Ten’s return as well as why Tennant’s Doctor is still the best Doctor the series has ever seen.

The Best Doctor:

David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor was a breath of fresh air after Nine. That isn’t to say Nine was bad. Nine was a very interesting Doctor that perfectly suited the re-introduction of the series. But Nine was also a Doctor burdened by the recent loss of the Time Lords. One who very often struggled to show empathy, and struggled with the shift between his childlike excitement for something new and his almost bloodthirsty anger for what happened to Gallifrey. Ten was instantly charming when he arrived, not just because he looked more approachable, but because he wasn’t the snappy, cagey Doctor we had seen. He was delighted by chaos but with an empathy that was so much fiercer than Nine’s. He still carried a lot of pain, but he made such a point of bringing happiness to everyone around him that it mattered so much more when that pain came through. And though his judgement could be swift and sometimes cruel, he ultimately understood why humans were better than him in that regard and was amazed by them for it. David Tennant’s acting also greatly contributed to the likability of Ten. Tennant could deliver fast, witty dialogue better than any actor who’s been the Doctor before or since. He was effortlessly funny and delivered the Doctor’s monologues with seamless brilliance. These things have become a staple of the Doctor, but David Tennant was the first to perfect this characteristic and, in my opinion, remains to be the best. Ten felt safe, warm, intelligent, and sometimes terrible, all because of Tennant’s amazing acting. He played each element of the Doctor so perfectly, he’s become most people’s favorite Doctor. And that’s for a very good reason.

Why He Deserves to Return:

While I very obviously think David Tennant is the clear choice for the best Doctor, that doesn’t always mean that fan favorite actors should return. Especially after they’ve closed out their character’s story in a satisfying way. But while I do think Ten’s story was satisfying as it was, I think there’s still room to expand on it. Tennant’s Doctor left at a very turbulent point of his existence, more so than any of the other Doctors we’ve seen in New Who. Ten was in the middle of an entire existential crisis that put the Doctor at his most terrifying right before his regeneration. He had seen hints that he would regenerate for a while, but he became convinced that he could outrun it. Pair that with the Doctor losing contact with Rose and then having to wipe Donna’s memory, and you had a Doctor wracked with grief and determined to stop time from taking anything else from him. And thus we had the “Time Lord Victorious”, a name the Doctor adopted when he decided that, as the last of the Time Lords and the technical “winner” of the Time War, he should be allowed to control time itself. Of course, he found he couldn’t outrun his regeneration. Especially after he realized that it would not be brought on by a large event, but simply by saving someone he cared for very much, Donna’s grandfather Wilf. As he regenerated he famously uttered the words “I don’t want to go,” ending his story on the extremely somber note of the Doctor realizing how much he feared his own regeneration. Now we have the opportunity to get closure for both him, and his last companion Donna. Given how much happier or more peaceful other regenerations have been, I think Ten deserves to come to terms with his regeneration and put this part of the Doctor fully to rest.

Speculation About His Return:

Let’s be honest, though I do think Ten deserves more closure, I think there’s more to Tennant’s return than just the opportunity to give Ten a more peaceful ending. David Tennant is the most popular Doctor from ‘Doctor Who’. So if ‘Doctor Who’ is going to take more than a year off to get its new seasons together, they need something really good to keep fans on board for the amount of time they won’t be receiving content. David Tennant is the perfect person to bring in those fans. As is Catherine Tate, who’ll be returning as Donna. The companions don’t have as clear-cut of a favorite amongst fans beyond Sarah Jane, but all fans can agree that Donna had the saddest ending of any companion. She didn’t die or face any grievous harm, but her character basically reset to the way she was before she met the Doctor. She had gone through so much character growth and had become a close friend to the Doctor, and she ended the story with no memories of her best friend and all that growth completely wiped from her memory. As I said before, she also deserves closure and audiences have been wanting to see that closure for a long time. And bringing back both David Tennant and Catherine Tate gives fans the opportunity to remember why we loved Russel T. Davies so much before diving into his new content. It almost works as an advertisement for his return. That said, I have questions about Ten and Donna’s comeback. If David Tennant is being declared the Fourteenth Doctor, does that mean this version is slightly different from Ten and merely shares Ten’s characteristics? Or will this basically be a resurgence of Ten? And will we see Donna get her memories back? Or will she just be along for the ride as she was in her first episode? Clearly I’m expecting us to essentially get the old Ten and Donna back, for nostalgia’s sake if nothing else, but these are strange circumstances.

There’s so much of the three part special to look forward to. There’s the return of characters we love. There’s the promise of a new, mysterious figure named Rose. And there’s a new, exciting Doctor played by the brilliant Ncuti Gatwa. Of course, we’ll also be able to see Bernard Cribbins once more since his death reprising Wilf. It seems so far away but I’m already excited for it! All they had to do was a throw back to the Doctor noticing his teeth first and I knew I’d wait any amount of time to see Tennant’s return. Between this and ‘Good Omens 2’, 2023 really is an amazing year for Tennant fans.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

K-Pop: No More After This, Ok?

Screenshot image of (from left) Jung Hoseok, Min Yoongi, and Kim Namjoon performing alongside backup dancers in Busan. Copyright goes to Weverse, HYBE, and BTS.

Hi! It’s Annie!

So I’ve been waiting until the end of this week to post this in case anything new came out. At the same time, I’ve been more or less keeping off of social media because it’s been like a war zone. Not long after I posted my last K-Pop news post, even more news blew up. And that has only continued throughout the week. I had prepared my ‘Parasocial Relationships’ post ahead of time, so I hadn’t even realized how relevant it would be by the time of actually posting it. But, like many, the news over the past few weeks has been exhausting to me. I don’t think I’ve seen so many situations blow up one after the other in this way since I started becoming a K-Pop fan. And though we do get the occasional blow up, usually we also get a while of break. I’m hoping this while of break will come up soon because we need it. But, to help even out some of the other news, I will bring up some more happy news to try and keep things a little lighter. Anyways, I’m going to get into the K-Pop news! And this is your TRIGGER WARNING: the first story I will talk about does contain abuse.

ONEUS and Ravn:

If you haven’t heard of the group ONEUS, go ahead and check out our recent post on them! Not only is their music absolutely beautiful and unique, but they are also one of the most underrated groups in K-Pop right now and the other members don’t deserve to be taken down because of the potential actions of one person. That aside, the allegations against the eldest member Ravn are pretty intense. Not all that long ago, a netizen claiming to be Ravn’s ex-girlfriend claimed that Ravn was a regular womanizer, an abuser, and a cheater. She claimed that he threatened her life during an argument that she had apparent audio footage of. She also accused him of cheating on her with several women and having a known reputation with women that is kept hidden from the public. Just to make things more understandable for people living in America, things like womanizing, though not illegal, are more serious allegations in South Korea than they would be here. As is cheating, which is hard to fathom considering how much the internet has been blowing up lately about American celebrities cheating. But, while those allegations are still not good in any possible way, the most important allegations here are the ones of abuse. The company claims that they are currently looking into the validity of it. Some people claim that the video and audio footage are faked and that the woman is a sasaeng stalker. One building the woman claimed to be her home looked much like ONEUS’s old dorm, but it’s hard to tell. There seems to be no current conclusive evidence either way and I’m sure we’ll receive an answer soon. This is too much in the public eye for the company to just brush it off, fortunately. The controversy around Ravn only grew when netizens found him seemingly begging fans for expensive gifts. Such as getting him a plaque on a park bench at a popular park, or mentioning expensive items that he claimed he could not go to the sale of. Though this is not illegal, it does feel pretty slimy and I have no idea why he would do that. We’ll have to see how this ends up, I’m personally really confused about the situation and don’t want to give too many of my own opinions. I believe that victims deserve to be heard, but after the major bullying scandal last year where several artists were targeted, it feels as though it’s really difficult to tell what is real. Especially with everyone weighing in with their opinions.

The asking for gifts thing still makes me uncomfortable; but that aside, I want to stress that this is not an opportunity to withdraw your support from ONEUS. Even if Ravn did do all he was accused of; the other members had no part in that. There are five other members of this group who are probably going through a really rough time right now and deserve our support. You can withdraw your current support of Ravn without withdrawing your support from ONEUS. Anyways, Ravn has been withdrawn from all future activities until this is completely sorted out. They are even marketing their tour with only pictures of the five members. I also want to stress that now is not the time to shame ONEUS or their company for not supporting Ravn. I understand it’s difficult if he was your bias or you were really attached to him, but just like we can’t assume that he’s guilty, we should not also assume that he’s innocent. Be supportive of the company actually responding well and making sure they do their jobs and look into the allegations. And also be supportive of the group getting through in the way they need to right now with only five members.

BTS Military Enlistment:

This is probably the most widespread news. This was even covered on news channels who accidentally used pictures of groups that weren’t even BTS (I am not kidding about this). BTS officially announced that they will be enlisting in the military. This was after the government once again extended the date of when they would decide if Jin should go, which was most likely done so that they wouldn’t end up having to decide and make an enemy of anyone. BTS did announce that they would all be going essentially at the same time. Jin will release a single before going first and then the others with all enter over the course of several months based around the releases of their own individual work. But, by this time next year, they will all be in the military most likely. Though this is disappointing and sets a precedent that South Korea does not apparently view K-Pop as being as important as classical music despite the money it makes them; I am proud of BTS for making this decision. Not only have they once again shown themselves to be humble kings, but they took the decision into their own hands and singlehandedly ended the drama. There have most likely been negotiations going on behind the scenes as well about their service as we already know it won’t look like most mandatory military service. They have already been given explicit permission to perform and do activities while they serve; something that has been looked down on and strictly dealt with in the past. But considering how many billions of dollars South Korea currently stands to lose by sending BTS to serve, this is probably because they are hoping to cut their losses as much as possible. And because they are all going around the same time, they’ll be back as OT7 before we all know it!

Disappointing Releases:

The other blow up that has been currently happening in K-Pop is widespread disappointment over some recent releases. This has been specifically targeted at girl groups such as Black Pink and ITZY. Despite being the current top girl groups, neither of their recent releases were met with positivity from either critics or fans. This has caused more fan wars as fans try to defend their groups by pointing to other groups as being worse or defending the released song itself. I can’t say I completely stan any of the groups currently involved in this controversy, so I am really looking at this from an outside perspective. But I guess we’ll see how it goes! I know that more worry has stemmed because of BTS going into the military. Many are worried that the general public will turn away from K-Pop, especially when releases from larger groups flop in this way. I would personally like to think that K-Pop has been pulled enough into the public eye to more than survive this. More and more groups are getting much higher numbers of international fans. But really, only time will tell if K-Pop will remain in the eye of the general public. I know for a fact that I’m not leaving it any time soon!

ATEEZ Japan Comeback:

Here’s some of the happy news, along with ONEUS’s tour which I’m hoping to see in February! ATEEZ has officially announced a new Japanese comeback. Though we don’t have a track list yet, the promotional photo released today looked fantastic! I just hope that they get some rest soon because it really does seem like they’ve been releasing content nonstop for too long at this point.

I know some of the information and news is scary, but really all of this is only temporary. I don’t think we’re going to see the destruction of any of these groups because of a lack of popularity any time soon. I personally believe that all of these groups will come back stronger and better and we, as fans, just need to stick it out with them! There is still hope!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Studio Ghibli: Which Couples Would Actually Stay Together?

Screenshot of Sophie and Howl from ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’. Copyright goes to Studio Ghibli.

Hey! Hallie here!

Studio Ghibli movies are films I constantly return to, especially when I’m in the mood for comforting entertainment. This week has made that especially true, both because it’s been a rough week for me and because it’s finally getting cool enough to get me in the mood for some of my more cozy Fall traditions. So today I’m looking back at some of my favorite Ghibli films to see whether or not the romantic couples we’ve seen in these movies would last beyond their time on screen. We’ve done a similar post on Disney couples in the past, but this one will be a bit different. Namely, not all of these couples have been confirmed to be romantically involved. Miyazaki has always been much more focused on crafting strong friendships between characters that could or could not be interpreted as romantic. This is especially true when it comes to child characters. So know going forward that while all these couples could be interpreted as romantic, I’ll be talking just as much about whether a friendship would last between some of them. Also, if for any reason you want to avoid plot points for any of these movies, SPOILERS AHEAD!

Shizuku and Seiji, ‘Whisper of the Heart’: This is one of the Ghibli movies where the romance is pretty obvious. While Shizuku and Seiji are still pretty young, the entire story is about the two developing their crush on one another through supporting each other. They even promise themselves to each other at the end of the movie, though they do so because they decide to spend the near future apart. While their romance would be easy to scoff at given that these two are both still very young, the entire movie’s goal seems to be to prove the credibility of their relationship. They do start out their relationship with immaturity. Shizuku initially finds Seiji infuriating because he specifically goes out of his way to insult or irritate her, meanwhile he also checks out books before she can though she doesn’t know it’s him at first. But as the relationship goes on they very quickly put these first awkward moments behind them. Shizuku discovers that Seiji has a passion for making violins, admires him for it, and decides that she should also have something that she’s passionate about to ensure that she can come to a relationship with Seiji as a fully-developed person. We rarely see romances in media address the idea that the healthiest romances occur between two fully-formed individuals rather than two people who “complete” one another. It’s so nice to see something like this in ‘Whisper of the Heart’. And while I wouldn’t say their relationship is fully developed by the end of the movie, there’s certainly hope for the future. There’s even a moment at the end of the film where Seiji attempts to ride his bike up a hill with Shizuku on it to prove to her that he can support her, but she instead hops off and helps push the bike to prove to him that she can be just as supportive in their relationship.

Final Verdict: Yes. They will definitely last once they actually get together.

Pazu and Sheeta, ‘Castle in the Sky’: These two are left pretty ambiguous over whether or not they’re a couple by the end of the movie, but there are definitely parts of the film where it feels like they care about each other romantically. Pazu most certainly has a crush on Sheeta the moment that he meets her, and he puts everything on the line to protect her. Unfortunately, Sheeta isn’t quite the hero that other Studio Ghibli heroines are. She very often plays the damsel in distress, which makes it feel like Pazu contributes much more to their relationship. I’m not saying Sheeta’s completely useless. Pazu is the one to help Sheeta escape from pirates and rescues her from the clutches of Muska not once, but twice. But Sheeta also plays a role in the defeat of Muska and does all she can to keep Pazu out of harms way, although admittedly sending Pazu away wasn’t the most effective way to protect him. In any case, both spend a lot of the movie trying to keep each other from harm. This relationship definitely reads as though Pazu is more interested in Sheeta than Sheeta is in Pazu, though. While he’s invested in finding Laputa because of his father, he’s much more devoted to helping Sheeta realize her goals and stay away from the people who might hurt her. Meanwhile, Sheeta’s definitely most interested in finding out what she can about her ancestors. Pazu is a supportive and sweet potential partner for Sheeta, but Sheeta doesn’t really prove she’d be a great partner in turn.

Final Verdict: A solid maybe. I’d like to believe Pazu deserves someone just as excited about him as he is about them, though.

Ponyo and Sosuke, ‘Ponyo’: These two are extremely little kids. As such, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that they have romantic feelings for each other. They clearly care about one another a lot. Their mothers obviously seem to think they’ll get together at some point in the future. But while I find the way that Sosuke looks after Ponyo endearing, or the way Ponyo fights against her father in order to get to Sosuke heartwarming, they’re really little. They love each other in the same way many little kids love their friends. I can absolutely see them continuing to look after each other in the future. But especially since the movie ends with their mothers agreeing that Ponyo will now live with Sosuke and his mom, it sounds much more like the two are being set up to be raised as siblings. And their love for each other could just as easily turn into a sibling-like love.

Final Verdict: It’s hard to determine, but I’m going to say not as a couple. They would stay together as friends, though! I think it’s more likely they’ll end up sibling-like.

Chihiro and Haku, ‘Spirited Away’: Chihiro is quite young, though nowhere near as young as Ponyo or Sosuke. Haku, as a spirit of the river, is pretty much ageless. There are definitely moments in this movie where it feels like they may have romantic feelings for each other, but they could just as easily be friends. They do very clearly care for each other. Haku risks his existence at the very beginning of the movie to protect Chihiro from the other spirits and get her a job. And Chihiro spends much of the last half of the movie healing Haku’s wounds, worrying about him, and helping him escape Yubaba. They’re very gentle with each other and very cute together. But she’s a kid. And he’s the spirit of a river she once got swept away in as an even younger child. I love these two, but they can’t even see each other unless Chihiro rather unfortunately stumbles into the spirit realm, or Haku rather metaphorically appears to Chihiro in the living world.

Final Verdict: No. I think their determination to keep in contact would make them good friends, though!

Kiki and Tombo, ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’: Tombo and Kiki very obviously have crushes on one another. Tombo takes large chunks out of his day to try to cross paths with Kiki. He often ditches his friends just so he can spend the day with her. He asks her how her work days are and worries about her when she falls sick. When he invites her to a party, he has literally no hard feelings over the fact that it turns out she can’t make it. Tombo is completely smitten and in awe of her. Kiki’s much more subtle about her crush. She initially finds Tombo’s constant desire to be around her kind of irritating, but whenever pressed about him she would instantly start blushing. She also accepted his invitation to a party immediately despite having expressed irritation with him only days beforehand. And, of course, there’s something to be said about the fact that Kiki drops everything at the end of the movie to rescue Tombo, and even finds within herself the ability to fly once more after weeks of losing her magical abilities, in order to save him. In the future I do think Tombo would have to be a little less doting in order to keep Kiki comfortable in the relationship. He’d also have to get rid of so many of his friends because, oh my gosh, how can you listen to the way your douchebag friends talk to your crush and not intervene? But, in the end, I think they’d be able to work something out.

Final Verdict: It would take some work, but yes!

Haru and Baron, ‘The Cat Returns’: Haru admits she has a crush on the Baron, but whether or not those feelings are reciprocated is never revealed in the movie. As a pretty low-stakes movie, I can’t say there’s a ton of examples of these two showing care for each other under extreme circumstances. The Baron does protect Haru a few times from the King’s forces in the Cat Kingdom, leading to some romantic moments where he carries her bridal style through a chase scene or steps in front of her during a sword fight. But really, it’s up to Haru to find self confidence in order to escape the Cat Kingdom and stop herself from turning into a cat. And in the moments where the Baron helps her out, like when he manages to sneak into the castle to dance with her and remind her who she really is, the Baron really only sees himself as being helpful or heroic. It’s Haru who perceives these things as romantic. And can you blame her? The English voice for the Baron is Cary Elwes! Who wouldn’t fall in love? By the end of the movie Haru tells the Baron that she’s developed a crush on him, but his only response is that he admires a woman who speaks her mind. Which really isn’t an answer. Maybe the Baron just knows humans and cats shouldn’t be in a relationship.

Final Verdict: No. But thank you, Cary Elwes, for making me have a crush on a cat.

Ashitaka and San, ‘Princess Mononoke’: Ashitaka and San are another couple where it isn’t completely clear whether or not their relationship is romantic or platonic by the end of the film. That said, there is evidence that seems to point to a more romantic relationship. For one, there’s their first real interaction, where San nearly kills Ashitaka but stops when he comments that she’s beautiful. From that moment on the two place a lot of trust in one another. They place their lives in each other’s hands on multiple occasions and both deliver at keeping each other safe. Ashitaka, as the wisest party in the story and as the hero, is given more moments to protect and help San. He saves her from being corrupted, stops her from getting into a deadly fight with Eboshi, and consoles her when Moro, her adoptive mother, dies. But, in turn, San helps Ashitaka see the importance of keeping the forest and the spirits inside safe. Unlike with other couples on this list, these two don’t feel like they help each other because of major crushes or undying devotion. Instead, the two have a lot of respect for one another in the way a healthy couple would respect each other. At the end of the movie the two separate, with San going back to help nurture the forest and Ashitaka helping out the humans with the promise that he’ll return to San and the forest. But even this separation feels like a mature relationship in action, with both parties having clear paths that are different from one another (We’re back to the concept of two people complimenting each other rather than completing each other), but knowing they care about each other enough to come back together.

Final Verdict: Absolutely. Their relationship is amazing, especially for one that just started.

Howl and Sophie, ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’: Yes, I saved my favorite one for last. Howl and Sophie are the most blatantly romantic couple in all of Studio Ghibli. They have one of the only kiss scenes in any of Studio Ghibli’s films. But the fact that they’re an obvious romantic couple doesn’t instantly make them good, so let’s look into this more. Sophie starts out extremely exasperated by Howl. Howl’s selfish and shows himself capable of easily insulting others without even noticing he’s doing so. He also gets in the habit of throwing dramatic temper tantrums, resulting in one of the only scenes where Sophie gets so angry at him that she leaves to cry. But Howl’s well meaning, and Sophie knows this. The very first time he meets her he saves her from some men who are heckling her in the street, and whenever he sends her out to do something dangerous, such as sending her to the castle to talk them out of recruiting Howl for the war, he never sends her without protection. In fact, he goes himself to ensure she remains safe. He even gets over his cowardice to fight back against the war occurring because he wants to protect Sophie. But Sophie gives as much as she gets. Not only is she one of the only people who can keep Howl on the right track, she’s also the only person who figures out how to return Howl’s heart to him. My favorite thing about their relationship, though, is the way they encourage one another. Sophie struggles with self confidence throughout the whole movie, and Howl always offers words of encouragement whenever she disparages herself. He even sounds shocked when she does so. And Sophie, though exasperated by Howl, knows he’s not at heart as bad as he believes, and tells him so. Neither character is perfect, but they help each other become better. And neither enter into a relationship until they better themselves, making their relationship feel mature.

Final Verdict: Hell yes. Did you expect anything different?

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

K-Pop: Parasocial Relationships

Fan photo of Jeong Yunho at a fan sign. I do not own this image, all credit goes to the original fan who took this photo and ATEEZ.

Hi! It’s Annie!

I think we can all agree that this past week in K-Pop has been an entire mess. More and more controversy came out by the day; some idols wrapped in controversy are more wrapped in questions now as people don’t know how to react to new evidence while others have been dismissed by the public. And as the K-Pop community got hit with problem after problem, I saw many people express their disappointment in some of their favorite idols. Which makes sense if it comes out that an idol may have done something potentially disappointing. But on top of these doubts, I also saw people wondering how much their favorite idols are hiding or even berating those who said they were disappointed in some of their idols. For years and years we’ve seen the reactions to the word parasocial be overwhelmingly negative. And every time a controversy along these lines comes out, the immediate reaction to parasocial relationships have been even more negative. Fans of groups like K-Pop boy or girl groups are often berated by society for being so attached or for singling out any celebrity to begin with. And the more controversy comes out, the more I severely question these ideas. So I’m going to take the biggest arguments against parasocial relationships and argue against (and sometimes for) them. Because I don’t think the wider view of parasocial relationships at all describes what they are actually like.

“You don’t really know them!”:

There’s a point to this that absolutely makes sense! The nature of a parasocial relationship is that you don’t know that person in your daily life. They are someone you are a fan of who you may see in concert or on a screen but you haven’t officially met them. And there is something to be said about that. If you haven’t met a person you can’t reasonably speak to what they might absolutely say or do. This is why it is utterly unacceptable to assume anything about the identity of an idol; such as what their sexuality might be. It is also completely irresponsible to dive into their personal lives, because they don’t present that information to the public for a reason. You are not part of their personal lives, so you should not look for that information. You are not entitled to it. However, people say the above statement a lot in other situations, such as when an idol does something reasonably bad or when a fan states that they have a crush on their favorite idol. This is where I stop agreeing with the above statement. It is entirely different to have a crush on someone and to reasonably believe that you will marry them. In fact, in our daily lives we all agree that there is a difference between these two. If you have a crush on someone you go to school with or work with, do you immediately believe that you will absolutely marry that person someday? No! It’s a crush. So why does this mindset suddenly not apply when it comes to idols? A lot of people will argue and say that you don’t know that much about them and definitely not enough to have a crush on them. But how much do we really know about the people we have crushes on in real life? If your crush on a person is not obsessive in nature (such as calling this person your husband or wife un-ironically), I really don’t see how this is harmful. You can have a crush on a person, want to date them, and still accept that you don’t know everything about them. We do all of this all the time in our daily lives. We often don’t see what people we work with daily are like at home, we only see the social side to them. I can’t see how idols are different. And while it is true that you are much less likely to date an idol than someone you see daily, that doesn’t mean that dating possibility has ever had anything to do with having a crush on someone. We don’t only have crushes on people we believe absolutely we will date. As long as you are not being harmful towards the idol or anyone else over your crush and you have acceptance over your chances, I can’t say why people think having a crush is wrong. Sometimes feelings are fickle. Do what makes you happy as long as you aren’t harming others. Let people fantasize if they want to! There’s nothing wrong with it!

“See, you can’t trust someone you don’t know!”:

This is my response to those who feel that disappointment after an idol does something wrong is unearned; or even for people who start questioning other idols after one goes down. Yes, you don’t know them in reality. But K-Pop specifically is in this weird niche where we actually see a lot of their lives off stage. This may not be a good thing, but it is the truth of the matter. We see them in variety shows where they play games or go out and do things that feel more personal than just answering simple interview questions. Idol groups are constantly posting content, including behind the scenes videos or lives where they simply go on camera to answer fan questions or hang out with their fans. With K-Pop idols, the relationships between celebrities and fans (for better or for worse) has never been closer. This is part of the reality we have to accept and that means changes to the parasocial norms society has known for so long. We see so much of these idols that not everything that we see can possibly be a lie. Even when an idol does something controversial and potentially awful, we have to accept through what we see that human beings are nuanced. There is not an entirely bad or an entirely good human being. That means we are seeing some of the real sides to our idols, even though we aren’t seeing every side of them. To be perfectly honest, we don’t see every side of most people. Only the people we are really really close to see all the sides of us. Even in daily life we are sometimes blindsided by people we formerly had good opinions of. This is not unique to celebrity interactions. Just like in daily life, sometimes you will be wrong about people. But, good news, sometimes you will also be right about people! Sometimes people are good people, and we can’t start questioning every idol because we were wrong about one. It’s part of life and it doesn’t mean that you won’t ever be able to trust again.

“You’re giving the corporations what they want!”:

It is true that boy and girl groups often market themselves as attractive and boyfriend or girlfriend material in order to draw in more fans and have more loyal fans. This is part of the marketing of groups like this and I’m not going to lie and say that it isn’t. But there are two things that come to mind when people say this. Firstly, if this is part of the marketing why are people surprised and fans berated when fans say they have crushes on these idols? Doesn’t that just mean that the marketing is working? On the other hand, marketing is involved with every product. It is part of every industry and, yes, can sometimes feel a little slimy. But does the marketing somehow make the product bad? No! While it is true that idols are being marketed this way, that doesn’t mean that the idols are bad or are hiding everything from the public because they are being marketed. Marketing itself is just a means to get people to connect with a product, and while on the outside it can look bad, it can also do things like create a community. Marketing is needed to get good things out to the greater public. Idols are not tricking their fans for being marketed this way. Again, we are in a unique position to see a lot of their lives and some idols don’t even respond to being flirted with by fans. Because that’s their personality and it really is up to them. But I don’t understand why marketing is being held against idols and their fans. If you buy a box of Oreos because you saw them in your favorite television show and got a craving, you have also just given the corporation what they wanted. Does the Oreo now taste worse because of this? No! This is not a line that needs to be drawn to push down fans. In fact, it’s pretty nonsensical.

“You can’t put them up on a pedestal!”:

This one I don’t have an argument against because I completely agree with it. All too often people forget that idols are human beings. We shame idols for making mistakes or swear them off after a story blows up. And if they’ve done something particularly awful, then it makes sense. But sometimes it’s a slip of the tongue or a fan going to talk to them on an off day for them personally. We have to acknowledge that these are not fictional characters that we are supporting that we can write fan fiction about and freely believe whatever we like about their lives. Just like all of us, these are actual human beings that are absolutely going to make mistakes. These are human beings who have mental and physical health issues they are also going through. These are human beings who cannot work themselves into the ground and absolutely need breaks sometimes. So, yes, you need to remember that your idol would not be the perfect boyfriend or girlfriend. Because just like any human being, they are not a perfect person. But we also need to put behind us this idea that every fan sees an idol as perfect or that the only reason they have a crush on them is because they feel they would be perfect. Everyone views their crush, celebrity or otherwise, with rose colored glasses. Does that mean we see them as perfect? Absolutely not. But we all view them how anyone would view their crush or their partner in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. It’s another completely human thing that we do. If you are absolutely shattered when your idol makes any sort of mistake or constantly saying that your idol would never argue with anyone or would never do something you consider to be a faux pas; maybe reevaluate your relationship to your idol. But if you accept that your idol is probably flawed and understand that your idol is going to have bad days, then congratulations you’re probably ok.

What I’m trying to say here is that parasocial relationships are not and have never been inherently bad. It’s ok to be disappointed at idols sometimes or to feel close to an idol or even to have a crush on an idol. Parasocial relationships are called relationships because they are a type of relationship that most everyone will have in their life. And these relationships are now more common than ever with how popular social media is. If you believe your idol can do no wrong, that they would be the perfect partner to you, fully believe that your idol belongs to you, or dive into their personal lives, then you need to reevaluate. But if you support your favorite idols because you believe what they stand for, feel close to them because their music and videos were there during a time where you needed them, or start developing a crush on an idol, then I don’t see an issue here. Feel free to tell those who tell you that you are in a toxic parasocial relationship to knock it off! I see so many people dance around this issue because they have a crush on an idol and don’t want to admit it to people who will call them toxic. Or don’t fully address parasocial relationships because of the negative connotations. Be self aware, but you don’t have to doubt yourself. Parasocial relationships can be immensely good things. It can make people feel less alone, give people hope, and build up communities. And your favorite idols want to have relationships with you too. Part of the reason people are creative (and the reason behind social media) is because they want to connect with other people. We as idol fans are those people! And we are doing ok; but we would be doing much better without the public constantly questioning us.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

K-Pop: ONEUS

Promotional image of Kim Youngjo (Ravn), Kim Gunhak (Leedo), Lee Keonhee, Yeo Hwanwoong, Son Dongju (Xion), and Lee Seoho from ONEUS. Copyright goes to RBW Entertainment.

Hey! Hallie here!

So this post was initially meant to celebrate my new obsession with ONEUS and my slow progression into joining their fanbase, TO MOON. Ultimately this post will still be about that, but first we need to talk about the elephant in the room. Ravn, the eldest of the group, was recently accused of irresponsible behavior towards women and abusing his ex-girlfriend. We at this blog currently have no interest in supporting Ravn. There’s a lot of evidence coming out both for and against Ravn, but that evidence can’t be properly studied by the general public. To put it plainly, we don’t know what happened. And though this is leading many TO MOONs to throw their undying support behind Ravn, I will not negate the feelings of victims of assault by doing this. I simply hope that RBW Entertainment does its best to get to the truth of the matter. All that said, we do have an interest in supporting the other members of ONEUS who are unfairly being negatively impacted despite having nothing to do with this situation. So below I’m still going to go into everything I love about each member of ONEUS and the particular songs I’ve been obsessed with recently. However, I will be leaving out Ravn at this time. So with the more difficult situation already addressed, let’s get into the happier stuff!

The Members:

Seoho: Lee Seoho is the second oldest of the group and one of the group’s main vocalists. He’s definitely the vocalist that gets the most center time, especially when it comes to choruses. This is probably because of his extremely strong vocals, which are both some of the most striking and the highest in tone of the group. Additional to his singing talents he’s also good at acrobatics, which definitely adds to the captivating way he executes choreography. He’s known for being a bit of a trickster at the expense of the maknae line, Keonhee in particular, but he’s also known for being the mood setter of the group. He’s apparently very laid back and works to make all of the other members happy whenever possible. While he’s not always the most vocal of the members in interviews, he’s always up to join in on a joke. The song I recommend for Seoho is actually ONEUS’s newest success, “Same Scent”, which features a lot of Seoho in each chorus and really plays to his strengths with the lighter, seductive tone of the song.

Leedo: Kim Gunhak, or Leedo, is the youngest member of the hyung line, a main vocalist, and is considered a sub rapper though he contributes to the rap line enough to technically be a main rapper. He’s contributed lyrics to two of ONEUS’s albums and is such a talented dancer that he picks up choreography faster than the other members. He’s easily recognizable in songs because of his deep voice, though his singing is a bit lighter in tone than his speaking and rapping. He’s also very noticeable amongst the group because of his muscular physique. He’s passionate about working out and keeps up with it frequently outside of his Idol activities. Though he can easily get shy or embarrassed, Leedo is most often genuine and sweet. He also loves kids. This is Annie’s ONEUS bias so she’ll probably talk about him more in the future! For Leedo I’d recommend “Bring It On”, which starts with a really fun rap verse from Leedo and features his intimidatingly deep voice in every refrain.

Keonhee: Lee Keonhee is the oldest of the maknae line and a main vocalist. His voice is slightly deeper than Seoho’s and carries a large amount of range and power. He’s also one of the more graceful dancers amongst the group. He’s recognizable amongst ONEUS due to his height, being the tallest of the members. He’s often the butt of the hyung line’s jokes, but he very much plays along and enjoys joking around. He’s known for being a bit more vocal in interviews, for being helpful to his hyungs, and for being a source of positive energy. He’s also known for his huge appetite. Keonhee offers constant support to the members of ONEUS, and also offers constant support to other groups around them. He’s been seen supporting ATEEZ in particular many times in lives and in person. Keonhee is my bias in ONEUS! I can’t wait to spend way too much time talking about him in the future! For Keonhee I’d recommend listening to “Come Back Home”, where Keonhee’s power is well utilized in the more desperate sounding chorus.

Hwanwoong: Yeo Hwanwoong is a sub vocalist and the main dancer of ONEUS. He’s viewed as one of the most talented dancers in fourth generation K-Pop, partially due to his experience street dancing, and partially because of his control over his body. While most of the members have contributed something to their choreography, Hwanwoong is most likely to add to the choreo. His voice can be recognized by its lighter tone and clear quality. Hwanwoong is another more outspoken member of ONEUS who enjoys joking around. He considers himself a free spirit and enjoys displaying how excitable and energetic he can be. He also comes across as very sweet and attentive to the other members. He’s the most biased member of ONEUS and his natural charm makes it easy to see why. For Hwanwoong I’d recommend “No Diggity”, where he gets the entire opening to display his vocals in a fun, unhinged way. Seriously, watch the MV for this and see how he performs it. It’s so good.

Xion: Son Dongju, or Xion, is the maknae of the group as well as the visual and a sub vocalist. His voice is the deepest aside from Leedo’s, and displays a lot of flexibility and range. His dancing is also well polished and expertly loose. Though he hasn’t spent as much time training as the others in the group, which is responsible for his lack of lines compared to the other members, he’s extremely skilled. He’s silent and a bit shy in interviews, but he’s much more prone to goofing off behind the scenes. He’s even been known to bite the other members as a joke. Aside from that though, he’s often teased for nagging the other members and attempting to keep them on track. On his off time he relatably dislikes working out but enjoys playing the piano. I genuinely hope that he starts getting more time to be centered in future songs, but for now the song I’ll recommend for him is “Luna”. This is probably the title track he is most prominently featured in. The richness of his voice really stands out here.

And that’s all for now! The music ONEUS creates gripped me the minute I heard my first ONEUS song. Their songs are so lyrical, and quite a few of them take inspiration from traditional Korean music. My favorite song form ONEUS at the moment is “Luna”, which is the perfect blend of traditional Korean music and ONEUS’s unique sound. The choreography is even partially a traditional Fan Dance. Speaking of choreography, ONEUS also boasts some really gorgeous choreo. While it might not be as technically impressive as a group like ATEEZ, I appreciate their more graceful and simple approach. There’s something really refreshing about the focus on beauty ONEUS goes for, and it’s really drawn me to them. I hope it draws you to them too! Even if this Ravn situation is scaring you away at the moment, I really think you should give this group a shot. All of the members are so talented and they deserve to be recognized for their work!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Books: The Love Triangle Trope

Screenshot of Jeong Yunho in ‘Imitation’. Copyright goes to KBS2.

Hi! It’s Annie!

I’ve been watching and reading a lot of content lately that involves the love triangle trope and, after thinking about it a little, I thought that this trope deserves an entire post. Not only is this one of the most common tropes in media right now, but it’s also one of my least favorite tropes. And that’s not to say that I dislike every show or book that has a love triangle! Unfortunately I usually find love triangles to be largely unneeded, unrealistic, and not well executed. But every once in a while I’ll see a love triangle that actually seems to make sense. I’ve found that there’s one pretty big difference between love triangles that I don’t mind so much and love triangles that are the reason why this is one of my least favorite tropes. So to make this fun, I’m going to use K-Dramas as an example for one and some of the books I’ve been recently into for the other! So here’s my post dedicated to everyone’s favorite, or least favorite, trope, the love triangle!

Bad Love Triangles:

Love triangles have been around forever, but if you mention the trope most people will probably think of ‘Twilight’ at some point. And though the fight between Edward and Jacob was very public, I actually don’t feel that this was a bad love triangle. For the main character, there wasn’t even really a choice there. For me, I’m not the biggest fan when characters are directly in between two characters and especially when it is completely unneeded to the plot. The biggest example I currently have of a bad love triangle is actually the recent sequel to a book I’ve reviewed on this blog. I absolutely love ‘Tokyo Ever After’ by Emiko Jean! It’s an amazingly adorable mix of ‘The Princess Diaries’ and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ with a swoon worthy romance and a heartwarming coming of age twist. The book works perfectly as a one-off and even seems to wrap up completely at the end. I’ve been really hesitant to pick up the sequel that Jean released, ‘Tokyo Dreaming’, because I heard pretty early on that the book introduces another love interest and therefore, a love triangle. One of my immediate issues with this is that media, whether it be film, television, or books, seems to think that representing the growth of a healthy relationship is boring. If it isn’t the initial chase and the couple getting together, then a piece of media usually feels like they have to throw some other form of drama in rather than show the couple actually as a couple. This was a perfect example of that. The bodyguard-princess relationship in the first book was cute, but this book saw (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD) Akio breaking up with our main character and her falling for her tutor that she’s in a fake relationship with instead. At the end of the book Akio is suddenly back and claiming that he made a mistake.

I know a lot of people like Eriku, the sweet tutor from this book, but I personally thought that Eriku lacked some depth. I felt we were told more about Eriku than we saw him actually do anything. But that aside, the romance also didn’t have the chemistry from the first book. This sequel book claims to be more about the main character finding herself, but I couldn’t see how a love triangle helped with this agenda. Especially because Akio comes back in the end and she chooses him anyway. I’m always a sucker for a sweet second lead (a point I’ll get to in a second), but this time I just missed Akio and his relationship with Izumi from the previous book. This could have easily been Izumi navigating her relationship with Akio while figuring out what she wanted to do, but it seemed like the author didn’t feel navigating a new relationship was dramatic enough. Which I would strongly disagree with. And at the end of the book when she was choosing between her two love interests, it felt less like her figuring out more about herself and more like an odd unrealistic stretch to a story about suddenly becoming a princess. As usual, I found this to be one of those love triangles that are completely unneeded and just another reason to throw drama at the main couple. I would, personally, rather just see the main couple be a couple.

Good Love Triangles:

Most K-Dramas involve some kind of love triangle, but usually the love triangle makes the slightest bit more sense because the person in the center isn’t equally involved with both of them. Because why would somebody lead on two people at once? Though, sometimes the main character not even considering one of the guys who has a crush on her can be painful to watch if you like that character. I am exceptionally guilty of having second lead syndrome. While the main lead is usually more brooding and typically attractive, the second lead is usually the sweet, caring, golden-retriever, one. Which I tend to go for more often. But here, the end goal is pretty obvious. For example, in ‘Imitation’ (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD) Maha is always interested in Ryok and only sees Yujin as a friend. Obviously, I’m biased here, but Yujin has been there for her from the beginning and is rightfully absolutely gutted by Maha’s indifference. ‘Imitation’ actually brought even more of a realistic edge to this by having Yujin so desperate for Maha that he neglects his friendship with Hyunji and ends up hurting her before realizing that he’s been more interested in the idea of Maha than an actual relationship with her for a while. When Yujin finally realizes that Hyunji has been in front of him the entire time, he has to apologize for hurting her in the process of trying to start a relationship with her. I would have chosen Yujin if I were Maha; but I like that she never wavers on her own views of friendships and relationships. In the end, it makes sense for Maha to continue to like Ryok despite her other love interest and it benefits her relationship with Ryok in the end.

There’s always going to be that one K-Drama where the second lead is the obvious choice in every way and not just one that a member of the audience might prefer. In ‘Bride of Habaek’, (MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD) Habaek uses Soah and becomes an absolutely unbearable partner who does little but insult her constantly. The second lead here is Hooye, a demi-god with a complicated past and is very sweet despite his dangerous powers. Though Hooye is in love with Soah, and Soah helps Hooye in some important points for him, she is never swayed by anyone but Habaek. Though this decision to pair her with Habaek rather than Hooye was not a decision I supported; this doesn’t mean that I dislike the structure of this love triangle. Rather than her be equally as interested in Hooye, I would have much rather he been the first love interest rather than the second lead. I don’t mind having another character who has feelings for someone in the relationship, but in the end a true love triangle only seems to detract from the story of the main couple. And let’s be honest, not many people actually experience a true love triangle. In my romances I much prefer to see something that feels like it could possibly happen and actually see a focused story follow the different aspects of one relationship. I don’t particularly care for the relationship being constantly tested by drama. I want to see how the couple actually acts as a couple!

I still think that one of the only shows that I’ve ever seen that actually depicted a couple as a couple after they got together is the C-Drama ‘Meteor Garden’. The drama actually followed the couple from before they got together to well after and didn’t throw any unneeded drama at them until the very end. Meaning there were some really cute moments of them actually in a relationship. Some K-Dramas without love triangles do this too, but it’s really difficult to find a show or a book that acts like a couple as a couple is interesting enough. To be fair, my favorite book, ‘Pride and Prejudice’, does not depict the characters as a couple at all. But the book I recently read and loved, ‘Float’ by Kate Marchant, did leave a bit of time at the end for the couple to just be cute. And can I just say that those were my absolute favorite moments of that book? Blake reading her the book because he was sad she was leaving was one of my absolute favorite scenes. It’s cute and I wish more media would realize that it’s cute! I wish we could see less love triangles and more couples being cute and coupley.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

BTS: Happy Birthday, Jimin!

Official photo of Park Jimin from BTS for his photo book. Copyright goes to Hybe Entertainment and BTS.

Hey! Hallie here!

It’s Jimin’s birthday in Korea! There are actually two birthdays being celebrated in groups I follow (Happy Birthday to you too, Jongho!), but on this blog we’ve made it a tradition to give each of the BTS members a wholesome birthday post. Jimin, as one of the most wholesome members of BTS, definitely deserves a post celebrating all the things we love about him for his birthday! Jimin has recently been hard at work on his solo music, but in the meantime he’s been doing ‘Run BTS’ episodes, preparing for the upcoming concert, and ensuring us ARMY know how much he loves us. In order to show my appreciation, here are only a few things I love about Jimin!

His Kindness:

It’s really hard to talk about Jimin without mentioning how huge his heart is and how openly empathetic he is. He’s always the first one to rush over whenever a member is hurt or distressed. He was the first person to comfort Taehyung both when he got in a fight with Jin backstage at a concert, and when he was dealing with the loss of family members. When Jungkook was hurt onstage, Jimin refused to leave his side. He’s the best at not only offering sympathy, but wiping away tears and trying to get the other members of BTS to laugh. You can’t help but wish Jimin was there to help you through your distress every time he helps the members out. But he is there for ARMY, and he shows it constantly. There’s much to be said about his ments during concerts and his interviews. He takes those opportunities to remind us that he’s there for us and that we should love ourselves. But he shows his love through his actions too. He’s frequently on Weverse interacting with fans and reminding ARMY to take care of themselves. He’s gone into posts where ARMYs confessed they were struggling with their mental health to tell them that they aren’t alone. He’s gone into posts from ARMYs struggling to find food that won’t upset their stomach with suggestions of things to eat so they won’t go hungry. He even encourages other members to post there more often when he can’t be as active on Weverse. Jimin is one of those idols that seems to have a lot of love to give, and he can always be seen giving it to both his members and fans. It feels like ARMYs genuinely matter to him, not just as support, but as people. And that type of care is so rare to see from a celebrity.

Duality and Defying Gender Norms:

I praise a lot of idol’s duality on this blog, but I think Jimin is probably the king of duality. He embraces both cute and intimidating concepts fully. Jimin loves bright colors and flowers, which he uses frequently to demonstrate the ways he views himself. He slots very easily into cute content because of this. It’s really not uncommon to see his wide smile onstage, and he’s always one of the first of BTS to strike a cute pose. But then Jimin can switch to sexy in no time at all. Suddenly his vibe becomes more dark and sleek, focused more on form-fitting pieces in different shades of black and white. His impressive dance skills become sharper and his eyes kill with intensity. It’s hard to look away from, and it’s just as much his style as the cute themes. It certainly reflects his solo music, which goes from something sweet like “Promise” to the infamous “Filter”. But it also reflects his self image. For the ‘BE’ album, he opted to go for a room full of flowers for his photoshoot, but the outfit he wore was sleek and black to reflect more of the clothes he likes to wear. At the same time this represents his duality, it also represents his love of androgyny. Because regardless of what type of theme he’s going for on-stage, he really doesn’t care for gender norms. And that’s so admirable. It’s so cool to see Jimin embrace slimmer fitting clothing, corsets, and skirts. He’s taken the time in interviews more than once to question what masculinity even is. His view on what it means to be a man feels healthy and confident. So confident that it’s become part of his brand to attract anyone of any gender and any sexuality with his stage performances. It certainly works on me.

His Performance Capabilities:

I can’t finish this post without talking about the main performance elements Jimin brings to BTS. Like every other member of BTS, his presence stands out and the work he puts into the group deserves praise. His voice is always recognizable as the highest register of all the members. Because of that, he’s able to balance out the other members very well, and carries many BTS choruses with his beautiful voice. A song I go back to frequently to hear his notable contributions is “Disease”. Jimin wrote the bridge for this song and it makes the ending of the song so addictive. It builds the song’s momentum beautifully, and is made perfect by Jimin’s gorgeous voice. Of course, you can go to his solo songs as well to hear the impact of his voice. My favorite remains to be “Filter” simply because of how well the seductive feel of the song suits the sweetness of his vocals. But beyond his clear vocal talent, Jimin is also known for his dancing. He’s the contemporary dancer of BTS and has classical dance training. It shows in BTS’s choreography, but it’s best seen in dance breaks or solo dances. His “Black Swan” dance is infamous for his mesmerizing gracefulness. We also got to see him perform a traditional Korean Fan Dance for the beginning of “Idol”, another example not just of gracefulness, but of androgyny considering this dance is usually done by women. We’ve also seen him dance “Boy Meets Evil” with J-Hope which, while not contemporary, he did completely blindfolded and still managed to remain completely in sync with Hobi. Every time I watch that particular dance I have to replay the video at least three times so I can fully appreciate how otherworldly Park Jimin’s talent is. There really is nothing you can do but be in awe of Jimin.

That’s where I’m going to end this birthday post! I really wish Jimin the best with his solo album. According to Namjoon he’s been making a good amount of progress on it. I know myself and ARMYs everywhere will rush to listen to it once he’s finished. I also hope, though, that he takes his time and makes sure he’s not putting pressure on himself to release something before he’s completely happy with it. I also hope that, despite all the work he’s doing right now, he gets lots of rest! BTS is currently less active right now because all of them really need time to focus on their mental health, and Jimin is no exception. I know around now he’ll be doing last minute preparations for the upcoming concert, but after that’s done I hope he makes up the time he spent working on his birthday by resting. He deserves it! We love you, Jimin! Happy Birthday!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie