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.

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

Album Review: VIXX's ERROR

Oh, how K-Pop be killin me these days. I started out with the steady bias groups of TVXQ-SHINee-U-KISS-Big Bang, and the cozy sub-biases of 2PM, Teen Top, Infinite, B1A4, 2NE1, and miss A, and then the past few years came by and catapulted NU'EST, 100%, MYNAME, and JJCC into my life, and now VIXX and BTS are also trying to snuggle right into my ulti-bias roster. Needless to say, I was eagerly waiting on ERROR to see if VIXX would further their standing in my fangirl heart, and sure enough, the boys didn't fail to deliver.

Let's take a closer look at the overall mini!

Steel Heart-- Intro: This is the lead in to title single "Error," and features some of the mechanical noises of the steel heart from the "Error" video being created, as well as some dub step to pump you up if you like dub step (which I usually don't, but hey, I'm a NU'EST fan and I liked DBSK's "Catch Me," so apparently I'm not as picky as I think). It's a decent intro, intense VIXX style, but am I the only who thinks it sounds like someone is saying "FART!" before the dub-step breakdown? I can only hope they are really saying "Heart."

ERROR: The real slayage starts with "Error," which stays true to VIXX's taste for dark concepts with a breathtaking video featuring a tragic romance between Hongbin and KARA's Youngji where Hongbin resurrects his lost love as a cyborg, but still struggles to hold onto her in a world that won't accept his actions. The whole video is goosebump-inducing (other than Ravi's hat -shudders-) and is as well worth the watch as all of VIXX's other efforts so far. You also get an extended instrumental break that isn't in the CD single, so give that video a watch!

The song itself shows a lot of polish. Ken and Leo of course have rangy vocals well suited to VIXX's often moody concepts, and every high note they hit is beyond glorious. N, to me, has also been impressive. He excels the most at dance, but his sub-vocal support is quality enough that he never gets overshadowed, and he always has memorable parts in VIXX's catalog. Hongbin also sneaks in some pretty deep voice lines in, and though he is dominantly a visual, his vocals are improving nicely from his MyDol days. Hyuk takes on the more traditional support role with more minor parts in the song, and I would have liked to hear more from him since he is one of my bias members. Ravi doesn't let his hat get him down, and delivers his unique rap style in a clearer way than is usual for him-- he isn't always the best at enunciating, but here he does a much better job.

Overall, it's one of their best singles when you pair the vocals with the atmospherics, and shows the level of skill level that has managed to launch VIXX past some their other 2012-debut competitors. 

After Dark: This track is has the more traditional electro/dance sounds of K-Pop and is in particular flattering to Ravi, though technically Ken and Leo get the most show off moments since they perform the chorus and have plenty of support moments on the verses. It's an enjoyable song, and probably could have also served as a title single, but the overall nature of "ERROR" strikes me more as the kind of style only VIXX excels at. 


Youth Hurts: Truthfully, Leo and Ken's falsetto slay the life out of this slower paced track, but it's well-balanced to give Hyuk, Hongbin, and N their chances to shine vocally, too. I liked Hyuk's part in the second verse in particular, which is nicely followed up by a killer high note by Leo in the same verse. I loved the lyrics in this one, too: "Everyone looks at us and says/We're at our best age/That there's so much to experience in the world... Don't speak too easily/Don't envy us/Our youth hurts so much". Preach, VIXX, preach.

Time Machine: Perhaps VIXX did take a time machine, because this one hits a little too close to their overall sound on "GR8U" for comfort. They sound great, of course, but production should have been a little bit more careful in reusing such a similar tone-- that's Brave Brothers' job! Still, I'm not going to say no to Ken/Leo high notes, and fans do seem to be into time machine concepts after the hell of 2014 (not that a lot of the years they want to go back to were any better for K-Pop. JYJ and Hangeng... how soon we forget).

What U Waiting For: This one is a Ravi original, and I sincerely compliment Ravi on having a good grasp on his group-- this song embraces the standout VIXX aesthetic, gives everyone their chance to show off, and is super catchy to boot. I hope he continues to build his role as a writer in the group, because this shows a lot of promise and is fairly infectious for a composing debut!

Overall, I'd put VIXX in the A-/B+ range with this. "ERROR" was phenomenal, as was "Youth Hurts" for me, and "After Dark" and "What U Waiting For" are both solid upbeat tracks to round out the album. "Time Machine was the only one I was disappointed by, namely because it pulled too much off of "GR8U" and other current songs. Overall? A job very, very well done. VIXX's ascent to the top of my list continues.

Pre-B1A4 Road Trip in NYC Gif Spam!

BECAUSE I'M EXCITED FOR B1A4 NOW, AIGHT?