15 Essential K-Pop Reality Shows: Boy Group Edition

1. The 2PM Show

2PM in general is excellent at varieties, and watching both Idol Army and Wild Bunny will bring the nostalgic feelings for former member Jay Park (and of course the unforgettable episode where Nichkhun x Minho became a thing), but The 2PM Show features the member as more veteran idols on the scene with a clearer ability for entertainment-- the show is hilarious from beginning to end, and luckily they're willing to throw their idol images away pretty quickly for the most amusing results.

2. SHINee's Hello Baby

Ring Ding Dong era SHINee in charge of taking care of an adorable little boy? YES! This variety showed off their cute paternal side (or lack thereof, in some cases), and how much they were able to hit it off with their young charge through several challenges and unexpected turns. I mean, who doesn't want to see SHINee playing in kigurumis, receiving baby kisses, and reenacting Korean legends with each other?

3. EXO Showtime

This show fell right at the height of EXO's post-Growl boom in popularity, and before the loss of two EXO-M members, Kris and Luhan, so I think this one will always hold a special place in fans' hearts, particularly those who were attached to the OT12 line-up. I was admittedly a bit ambivalent about EXO's early variety skills, but Showtime proved they had plenty of captivating charms and had grown more into their celebrity status. I'll always have fond memories of EXO Showtime's memorable moments such as the invention of Sehun's and Baekhyun's trend words, Kris's longing for the Galaxy, and their scary walk through the haunted house.

4. Infinite's Ranking King

Is it really possible to choose only one Infinite variety for this? They're all brilliant, and while I leaned for a moment towards This(Diss) is Infinite, "The Chaser" episode of Ranking King on its own is one of the best variety moments for boy groups of all time in my humble opinion. The concept of ranking the members brings out everybody's competitive spirit, and of course we get a lot of good natured Sunggyu teasing in the process! Whoever decided to unleash the boys on an entire building to play a shooting game with each other was a genius. 

5. Crown the Clown

C-Clown's take on "reality TV" is one of the most refreshing: English speaking member Rome takes control of the camera, filming his members just doing whatever, then edits it creatively, posts English subs, and sends it right off to Youtube for the audience's enjoyment. The members of C-Clown are just weird enough to make it work, and Rome is genius with his edits, making even the most simple interactions downright hilarious with his sound effects and captions. And anytime the horse mask comes out, prepare to die.

6. MTV B2ST

Rather than being an amusing set of challenges, MTV B2ST was a documentary style show that delved into B2ST's formation and early days in the industry. It's heavier stuff, but an amazing look back into the past of one of Korea's current top acts. Their beginnings were humble since they were looked upon as a group of recycled members, which makes how far they've made it since all the more amazing to realize.

7. MTV Diary: BTOB, VIXX, MYNAME, JJ Project

Hundreds of episodes featuring 4 former rookie groups taking self-cameras of themselves doing pretty much whatever they feel like can seem a little daunting, but if you watch them between other shows and don't overload yourself, they prove to be an interesting and funny look at the individual members adapting to their lives as rookie performers. Each has completely different colors from the other, but they're all fun to watch. 

8. IGOT7

GOT7 is quickly following in the footsteps of their 2PM sunbaes when it comes to good variety sense. IGOT7 follows closely to the format of The 2PM Show (even repeating a few of the challenges), but the uniqueness of the characters in GOT7 keep it fresh, particularly the international members who offer a twist, particularly the loud and rambunctious Jackson.

9. WINNER TV

Even if you didn't follow YG survival show WIN, WINNER TV was a fun initiation for WINNER into the K-Pop industry, showcasing their behind-the-scenes work on their music as well as fun hidden cameras, parodies, and even the occasional challenge. WINNER has a very clean sense of variety where nothing is over the top, but its still very entertaining to watch. YG is very light on variety appearances, so might as well enjoy what reality TV you can get from them!

10. Super Junior's Exploration of the Human Body

Super Junior learns about the functions of the human body... by testing out questions on themselves. How could such a flawless setup go wrong? SuJu makes it even better by bringing DBSK in for a little bit of DBSJ feels, and including a mouth-to-mouth breathing challenge featuring the members themselves. Add that to SuJu's early era hair and the fact that Hangeng is still in the line-up, and the whole thing is golden.

11. BTS American Hustle Life

In comparison, American Hustle Life is a much more modern reality where BTS goes to America and are mentored by hip-hop rap producers to up their rap game. It's one of the most interesting varieties since it forces the members to overcome a language and culture barrier (RapMon is the only member fluent in English), particularly since BTS has several aliens among their line-up... V, I'm thinking of you

12. MBLAQ Sesame Player

An even better pick now that we're losing MBLAQ's original line-up :( In spite of their current difficulties, the group's five members always had great chemistry with each other in their shows, and one of the highlights of the show was when they trapped members in the bathroom and forced them to answer questions honestly (or at least in the way the asker wanted to hear) or risk having fart bombs thrown at them. The way they handled each other's personalities was clever and fun to watch, and will definitely be missed by fans!

13. Teen Top 100% Rising

This one is a favorite of mine. I was originally a Teen Top fan, but transferred a huge portion of my affection to 100% when I met them through this show. The premise is that both groups engaged in face-offs to become "hot issues" by challenging records set by other idols-- of particular importance to 100%, who were undebuted rookies at the time and could use some positive press. The show also had a sequel following 100%'s debut pitting the two groups again with new challenges and building the groups' competitive spirit and labelmate bond.

14. U-KISS Kiss of Chef

Another throwback! This one featured the original line-up of U-KISS + Kiseop picking up cooking skills so they could run their own charity restaurants as both cooks and the wait staff to earn money for good causes. While educational because of the amount of cooking tips you can pick up from it, the number one thing about Kiss of Chef was the Elvin vs. Vinseop shipping that went on, of course!

15. B.A.P Killing Camp

This one gives me a sort of odd feeling in light of the group's lawsuit against TS-- I mean, the poor boys were being overworked, and their so called healing camp that they visit in this variety pretty much winds up being boot camp, but it's still fun to watch these boys in action, particularly since Daehyun doesn't wind up muzzled like he does in Ta-Dah! It's B.A.P.

Album Review: E-Girls' "E.G. TIME"

Now that there are a whole slew of Johnny's Entertainment and 48 Project groups repping each agency, it's a rare week when one or the other isn't topping Japan's Oricon chart. I don't have too much of a problem with this set-up: both agencies are excellent at what they do, and Johnny's at least has a decent amount of variety among their line-up. On the downside, competing agencies with equally talented groups don't have much of a shot in the spotlight in comparison as far as taking a huge cut of physical sales for singles goes.

LDH, a co-ed performance geared agency, has been shaking things up by making a credible dent in the charts this year with their stronger-than-ever line-up of performers: their top group EXILE, EXILE's sub-unit J Soul Brothers, GENERATIONS, E-Girls and its many sub-units (Dream, Flower, Happiness), and the all-encompassing EXILE TRIBE. The massive female idol collective E-Girls has yet to reach the sales level of any 48 project group-- unfortunately, in my book, since they bring a fresh EDM flair and vocal talent that I think rivals several of the 48 groups-- but they've had a solid year with several excellent singles both within E-Girls and within their sub-units, particularly Flower, capped off by the release of their third album, E.G. TIME.

Did they bring the beats with their latest release? Let's check it out!

-Introduction-: Though it's one of the shortest intros I've ever heard, this one still manages to get the listener into a concert mind-set with the pumped up cheering and "E.G!" chants from the audience. Of course, you expect a good anthem to follow, so thankfully, the next track is...

E.G. Anthem -We Are Venus-: This single came out early this summer as a sort of character song for the different divisions of E-Girls to celebrate their girl power and many charms, from their fierce electro-pop vibes to their flowery girl group sweetness. This song also saw increased international attention for the group among J-Fans, and for a good reason, too: even if you can't see the visuals and breath taking dancing present in the MV, it also happens to be a powerful, feel good listen, which brings out the best in the lead singers' vocals while still delivering a fun, poppy tune. I think a common misconception is that all female J-Pop is of the school-girl-and-bathing-suits variety, but E-Girls brings something new to the table by presenting a sound that's a little more edgy and self-empowering. "We are Venus" is the perfect kind of anthem to broaden J-Pop's horizons and kick off the album on the right note.

Mr. Snowman: The album's second track is also a familiar single, one we've heard more recently as their holiday release this November. It's a more upbeat number compared to Flower's seasonal offerings-- Koibito ga Santa Clause and Shirayukihime-- but better suits the happy spirit of E-Girls, even though it doesn't sound particularly Christmasy other than the snowman-themed chorus and occasional sparkly snowflake sound effects. Aya in particular gets plenty of time to shine on this track, so it's vocally on-point, and is all-in-all a much better danceable winter song than some of the classics. Why not take "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree" off rotation and put this on instead?

Music Flyer: This track was one of my favorites from the new numbers on this album, namely because it takes what I love from J-Pop artists such as Perfume and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu including the electro-beats and dance-ready sound and peels off most of the electronic vocal frills we generally get from that brand of J-Performer in order to let the vocals do as much as work as the instrumentation. I honestly don't mind the vocoders, autotune, and Vocoloid-esque quirks in that branch of mainstream J-Pop since it's used in a way which makes it fun to listen to, but I also appreciate how E-Girls leaves most of their electronic tricks to their backing track and EDM breaks, since as Happiness, Dream, and Flower have all shown us, there's real vocal talent in their ranks. "Music Flyer" is an overall appealing electro-pop track, and I just can't help but love how LDH groups boost these kinds of tracks with their vocal power as well.


Move It! -Dream & E-Girls TIME-: Since Dream was the center unit for this song, I was almost expecting a "Darling"-esque slow number, up until I saw the E-Girls was also mentioned in the title, as well as the dance single indicator of "Move It!" And move it they do! Dream showcases their dance vibe as adeptly as they perform their ballads, and "Move It" makes for yet another dance track you'll want to jam along with. E-Girls' energy levels have taken a huge step up even from their Lesson 1 and Colorful Pop days-- though singles like "Gomenasai no Kissing You" and "Follow Me" had infectious beats, the vocal powers in tracks like this one have also been amped up to their max.

Rock and Roll Widow: The cover of E.G. TIME features a girl wearing a 50s style Varsity jacket, and the classic rock and roll vibe of the era is echoed in this track, a cover of Japanese vocalist Ryudo Uzaki, which kicks off a "Revolution" reminiscent guitar opening and continues on with several throwback features including some Motown-esques harmonized "ooh oohs" and hookyness that could give "Let's Twist Again" a run for its money. All the same, there's still a very modern vibe to the song to keep it from sounding campy, and it instead comes across as a fun nod to the era while still keeping E-Girls true to their trademark contemporary style, and not borrowing too much from how Uzaki originally performed it.


High School Love: This summer single is one of E-Girls' most relatable numbers since it tackles remembering young love, old friends from school, and having a blast reuniting with all the people who used to take up such a big part of your life. I hit my own five year reunion this year, and while I never considered high school to be the best years of my life as many say, I think you have a new appreciation for the people you met and time you spent there with a little maturity. This song managed to speak to me in that way, so I really enjoyed that it was slower paced and less dance-y than their previous tracks. It's great for nostalgia, and very well sung to boot.

Odoru Ponpokorin: This cover of B.B. Queens' hit from the 90s children's anime Chibi Maruko-chan is a love it or hate it type song. On one hand, it's super catchy, fun, and spirited, which is what appealed it to many Japanese fans when the original was first released. On the other hand, it's a bit repetitive and kind of kitschy for a group with a more mature sound than other female idol groups. I am actually in the love it camp on this one. I loved the B.B. Queens' version, and since the song has remained beloved through the years, I'm not at all surprised that there was a revival. E-Girls' did a great job of keeping its original cute style while bringing a few modern touches, and while I do prefer their EDM style, this kind of track also fits into their catalog for me.

Jiyuu no Megami ~Yuvuraia~: This song was used as a commercial background track, and like many songs written specifically for commercials, it- um- has lyrics that call to mind the plot of a commercial. The girls sing it well and it has a nice beat, but it didn't interest me as much as their earlier tracks, other than wondering what the heck "Yuvuraia" meant. Any ideas?

Ureshii! Tanoshii! Daisuki!: The girls move back into cover territory with their updated version of Dreams Come True's classic B-Side from their "Ureshii Hazukashi Asagaeri" single release. There's a reason why this song is consistently chosen for their greatest hits collections: it's as great of a feel good falling in love hit as they come. E-Girls does a good job of bringing the classic appeal of the song (and the divine sax solos) to a modern audience and giving it a more feminine sound. It's not exactly a song as suited for such a quick revival as "Odoru Ponpokorin," but since it's a good cover, there's little reason to complain.

Again: "Again" is a more relaxed number that would be right at home on any of the sub-units' albums, but having all three unit's main vocalists working on it polishes it just right. It's not as exciting as the E-Girls' dance tracks or as breathtaking as some of the ballads that have come from these singers, but it makes for a relaxing listen and falls at just the right place on the album.

Chocolat: I won't lie, I'm a sucker for these kinds of songs about longing for a lost love, so this was completely up my alley. Comparing such a feeling to chocolate sounds a bit weird, but the lyrics make it work, so I'll share some bits of it that I liked the most:

"The feeling of being in love is exactly like chocolate
Though it is a little bittersweet, it melts
Sweet and painful, missin' you...

Our meeting and our separation is just like chocolate
A flavour which never disappears,even if we cannot meet
Sweet and painful, missin' you"

Kibou no Hikari ~Mirai wo Shinjite~ (Dream and E-Girls Version): This track is the album's closer and the one pure ballad of the album, so it makes sense to put the Dream unit at the center (not to say that Flower and Happiness don't also slay their ballads, but this track in particular is well suited to the foursome's vocal style. It's a beautiful track, and it's nice and long so you get a lot out of it. Once again, this is what I love about E-Girls and their units: their singing is always on-point, and they're not just young pretty faces in uniforms. Their talent is strong, and their emotional delivery on songs like these are just as amazing as their electro-pop numbers.

E.G. TIME also includes newly arranged versions of "Gomenasai no Kissing You" and "Follow Me". They aren't huge shake-ups from the originals, but are still worth a listen if you like those singles, since there are a few nicely done new twists to them.

Overall, E.G. TIME is a worth a high B+ ranking, the downsides being that they released so many songs this year that almost the entire tracklist was already familiar, and what wasn't a pre-release single typically fell into cover territory if it wasn't a re-arrange of an earlier song. That being said, all of their singles this year were excellent and held up for multiple listens, and the energy of their dance songs have definitely taken a step up from their previous releases, and their sound is better than it has ever been. It's one of their best albums to-date, and once again, these girls deserve major props for bringing new freshness to the female idol genre and absolutely killing it with their dancing and vocals.

MV Gif Attack: Oneway Edition

This round of MV Gif Attack features JJCC's "Oneway" (minus the extreme flashing light scenes for people with medical conditions)

Dear Anti-Fans: 5 Reasons Why J-Hope is Better Than You

There is no part of the K-Pop industry I hate more than anti-fans, the immature sect of netizens who see the existence of something they don't like as a perfectly valid reason to sabotage it and tear it down. Anti-fans usually stick to leaving hate messages, but some are so vile they catch the attention of the artist-- such as Suzy's recent issue with someone telling her that she hoped she died in a car crash? Really? After what happened to LADIES' CODE this year, people are really going to go there? Unfortunately, anti-fans have been guilty of even worse-- such as attempting to poison DBSK's Yunho, and hacking into Jay Park's SNS account and leaking his messages to the public.

I was nothing short of furious when anti-fans began harassing BTS, particularly J-Hope, RapMon, and Jin. For one, joking about RapMon and Jin having Down Syndrome is funny how? And then trending that J-Hope should be kicked out of BTS? Oh no no no. NO. That is our boy. Every single part of BTS is needed. So from A.R.M.Ys to pressed haters, here is exactly why J-Hope is better than you:

1. He raps better than you can

Oh, so J-Hope is worthless, right? Worthlessness has never sounded better to my ears. You may need to clean out yours if you think he doesn't regularly slay his rap parts. I'd like to hear you do better-- but probably never will, because you can't T^T

2. He is funnier and kinder than you are

While you're making jokes about people with Down Syndrome, J-Hope is charmingly making us laugh our tails off on Rookie TV, American Hustle Life, and all of BTS's amazing television appearances. While you're insulting people's pride, he's putting a smile on people's faces. I wonder which of you will have a happier and more joyful life?   

3. He has a better support system than you

Congrats on trending hateful messages! And those comrades of yours? You must be so happy to roll with people who have nothing better to do than to bash someone they've never met and is happily living his dreams! Meanwhile, J-Hope enjoys the company of swag BFFs who could probably get more girls AND boys if they wanted than you could in a lifetime. Not to mention his A.R.M.Ys who took your hate and raised you an endless amount of love for BTS. I truly envy you your jerk friend circle, though. Truly.

4. He spreads hope, not hate

Your charming hate messages are about articulate as all the troll trash you find on the internet. BTS and J-Hope yawn as they compose lyrics to encourage young students, amateur hip-hoppers, and people who don't fit perfectly fit into society.

5. He will never, ever stoop to your level

I'm so sorry J-Hope had to look at your vile words, but even if he was hurt, he took the high road. He's just going to focus on getting better and becoming a more valuable part of BTS while you sit at your computer and troll. Have a nice life :D

Random Playlist: UT LOVE- Boy Group Edition

This random playlist highlights great songs from some of the industry most unappreciated boy groups (only including groups with more than one single out, since it's hard to say which rookies are 'underappreciated' if they only have one track)

Spotlight: Ghost, SPICA

SPICA is one of the best girl groups of K-POP-- we all know that their vocals are verging on flawless, and that collectively they can out-sing much of their competition without batting an eyelash (though eyelash batting is more than welcome). But no matter how much K-POP fans compliment them, a lot of it seems like lipservice-- after all, these ladies are still in the position of fighting for standing in the industry while arguably less talented groups are flying ahead of them with sexy videos and more generic sounding tracks (shade, sorry). So let's stop with the lipservice and actually start giving them their due with MV view, votes, social media support, and buying their music, such as their latest breath-taking single "GHOST". International fans can sometimes pass up ballads in favor of dance tracks (I clearly remember several people complaining about WINNER's debut being a slow tempo song, as if those are any less special or enjoyable), but this one is a must-listen AND a must-watch. You might want to grab a few tissues for the video, while you're at it: it's a heart wrencher.

30 Simple Pleasures of K-Pop

2014 has been one of the more stressful years of K-Pop, but never fear: the little charms we love about the genre are still around, if you put your angst aside. Forget about fanwars, scandals, and disbandments, and take the time to indulge in these beautiful joys of K-Pop!


1. Cross-group Promotions

2. Pajama episodes of reality shows

3. Derping

4. Blush inducing fanfics (and the idols who read them)

5. Engrish

6. Fanservice

7. Crazy Videos

8. Crazier Hair

9. Kim Heechul

10. Kigurumi dance routines

11. Cross Dressing

12. Evil maknaes

13. Fans-who-peacefully-troll

14. Shipping

15. Fandom Creations

16. Parodies

17. Dorky Challenges

18. (Over)Reactions

19. Dance Practices

20. Aegyo

21. Kung-fu Pandas

22. Girl Power Girl Groups

23. Reality Eating Shows

24. Onew Condition

25. Butt Rankings

26. Group Bonds

27. First Wins

28. MV Parodies

29. Fangirling

30. Memories that Transcend Everything Else