Kpop has done things were 'cute' and 'gangsta' overlap, there's been other examples of aegyo mixing with straight-up awesome, but nothing else I've ever seen does it quite like this; nor nearly this well. Most other versions of an attitude that resemble this one use aegyo to straightforwardly mix in a dose of adorable, but this release takes that a leap forward by avoiding straight-aegyo, for the most part, and using a more sophisticated weave of more traditional imagery to convey the idea that the object of the narrator's affection is a singular point of exception in his world. Every single detail in the visuals plays off the notions in the lyrics, leading to an achingly cute final product that takes its message more seriously than I would have ever guessed just by glancing at the colorful screencaps.
           It also has something very important in common with Beyonce (but we'll get to that later).

          From the set aesthetics and the basic styling, it looks like Just Tell Me can't possibly be anything to terribly spectacular. MYNAME isn't really a band with a track record of deeply meaningful or profoundly impacting releases, so when combined with a concept that looks to be more of the same old, hiphop-grunge-but-still-clubbing-chic that's been flooding the market lately there was really no reason to suspect that this release would be incredible. Honestly, there were a dozen pressing reasons to think this release would be anything but awesome, including the fact that MYNAME has already had a comeback this year, and they've had activities in Japan, so theoretically they haven't had much time to spend on this; not to mention the fact that the concept seems blandly unoriginal and the the Choreo from the teasers has some moves that stand out as painfully frequent instances of recycling moves.
          HOWEVER, to anyone who believed the teasers or who concluded on a cursory examination that it really is just another sex-focused grungy hiphop club thing: YOU GOT PLAYED. The whole thing is one big joke on us and the best part of it is that our expectations were used against us by preparing us for something mediocre, but what they gave us was something FABULOUS. Unfortunately, there are still a ton of people who are taking the release at face-value and as it's easily the best thing MYNAME has ever released, I will not suffer it to be maligned by people who won't give it more than a cursory look to allow the true elegance, sweetness, and complexity to unfold.

THE PRODUCTION COST OF "FLOWER" IS THROUGH THE ROOF, BUT DID JUNSU GET ENOUGH BANG FOR HIS BUCK? THE MESSAGE IN IT IS A HAZY, SILENT SCREAM TO THE VOID, MADE WITH FLASHY SYMBOLS AND GLITZY VISUALS BUT WHAT IS IT REALLY SAYING?

          The last time I posted in this section was for the 2013 rookie assessment. Even though I haven't been here analyzing the year's events (distracted by things like graduating from college and whatnot), I've still been playing close attention and this year's crop of rookies was actually quite presentable. I've been pretty impressed by what I've see this year, so here's the groups that really caught my eye this year (in more or less order of debut):

         To be honest, I almost forgot about Got7, but in a good way. I hardly thought they'd only debuted this year, I've gotten so used to hearing about them and seeing them around when I was in Korea that I totally forgot they weren't old hands at the industry. Honestly, I haven't liked any of the songs they've released with their MV promos, but at the same time I've loved a ton of the music they've had on their releases, but haven't promoed.

          Now BigFlo's debut with Delilah wasn't overwhelmingly wonderful, but it was a fairly solid debut and I found myself getting it stuck in my head. Their follow-up in Bad Mama Jama was similarly unimpressive, yet catchy and cool enough to linger around in my memory. All in all I didn't peg them as the future of Kpop, but I think they've got a good chance of being a part of it, even if they're not leading the wave. LipService served up almost exactly the same story with Too Fancy, but I found theirs a bit more impressive due to the fact that a girl group was rapping in a way that didn't make them sound like little kids. They almost undid their work in their YumYumYum follow-up, but the cutesy there was more satirical than anything else.

        Domino Game was a fairly impressive way for Kiss & Cry to hit the Kpop scene. Great vocals and some epic styling, and of course a killer beat. The Choreo was fabulous and the MV was glam as hell, so these girls seem to be a complete package. 1PS is quite lovely as well, though I wasn't quite as enamored with their debut as I could have been. Sonamoo was fantastic, but considering their rep as the female BAP, I was honestly expecting more. I mean the wardrobe was fantastic, it's nice to see girl groups in real cargo pants for once, but the girls were still more like underworld accessories than actually fearsome gangbangers.

         Next on my agenda is the girl group that I've decided to hand the crown to. Wings is a duo that easily makes this year's top rookies in the girl group category. They have some incredible vocals and some absolutely heart-wrenching concepts that are carried out with a beautiful flair for the poignant understatement of true drama. Both Hair Short and Blossom have fantastic visuals that tell wonderfully empowering stories while not losing out on things like choreography and glamour shots. Their vocals are strong and dynamic, and beautifully flushed out with a full-bodied ring of lightness. I have no qualms at all about handing them the title of my favorite rookie girls of 2014.

         The only other girl group that caught my eye this year was Mamaoo, which I thought for sure had the honor of being my favorite in the bag. I mean, Mr Ambiguous is a fantastic track and the girls are some of the best female performers I've seen in Kpop for years. The only thing Wings won them out on, truthfully speaking, was the MV. The message and the way it was delivered in both videos by Wings was outstanding. Mamamoo's tracks were great but their MVs were... classy and colorful and lovely, but they didn't really make me think about my life or the universe. Piano Man, like their first MV, was gorgeous, but it wasn't revolutionary, so Wings is the one that wins it.

The current reality of the situation is that South Korea is a fully wired world, the State’s citizenry is continually bombarded with digital media. For many of South Korea’s industries, this has posed a serious problem. Adapting to the sudden demand of the market that a productbe everywhere at once, all over the internet, has been difficult for the slower-moving companies, especially the ones like grocery stores that had never before needed to advertise.
Now, nearly every industry is clinging to the one industry tht boomed under the new pressure: Kpop. Read HERE.

            Peter Pan’s very first appearance was a side note in J.M Barrie’s 1902 novel The Little White Bird,which was conceived as a partly whimsical fantasy story and partly comedic social commentary, both with extraordinarily dark undertones. Peter Pan’s story started out as a just a few short chapters (Chapter XIV – XVIII) in the Little White Bird, a section which was later adapted into its own novel (Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, 1906). The Peter Pan story was transmedia from its very beginning as the very first authorized adaption of the story was Barrie’s 1904 play, Peter and Wendy (which was adapted to take the story back into novel format in 1911, Peter and Wendy).

For the full article, please visit the ENGL359 - Transmedia Fiction Course Blog.

At first glance, Rocking seems to be more of the same, but is it? Not at ALL. As one of the catchiest songs to have been released this summer, and as one ingloriously (and incorrectly) placed in the category 'apparently blithe and simple', I decided to take a closer look (in all honesty, it was more of a violent reaction of righteous indignation than a level headed decision, but the point still stands). Rocking is the best thing Teen Top has ever released and I will not suffer it to be maligned by those who won't look closely enough to see that between the complex meaning built into the choreography, the variegated meaning of the lyrics, and the over all visual blast of color and movement, it's one of the top ten music videos released by anyone this year at all.