ICYMI IN CASE YOU MISSED IT // JULY 12 - JULY 18

[Polaris_Tae]

JULY 12 - JULY 18


Hello Hallyuplussers and welcome to another edition of In Case You Missed It! In this format, we hope to break down a week's worth of news, releases, charts and more into a single easy to digest article. This week was full of announcements for upcoming releases as we saw multiple high-profile and mid-tier artists announce their upcoming music plans. In addition to this, we sadly saw a number of concert cancellations as coronavirus decided to make its presence known once again. Despite this depressing news, we hope that you had a great week and sit back once again as we bring you another week's worth of updates!

BY POLARIS_TAE


MONDAY:
#1- To start off the week, we received even more comeback announcements! Kangta, DREAMCATCHER, Ayuni D, AKMU & Hirate Yurina will all be returning this July. Kangta released a remake of H.O.T's 'Free To Fly' on Wednesday, Hirate Yurina released her new single, 'Kakegae no Nao Sekiai' on the 14th of July, while BiSH's Ayuni D, KAMI WA SAIKORO WO FURANAI & n-buna released a collaboration single, 'Hatsukoi' on the 16th of July. Then on the 26th of July Akdong Musician will be releasing their latest collaboration album, 'NEXT EPISODE'. DREAMCATCHER has also announced a comeback scheduled for late July. Then in August, ASTRO will be returning with a new album on the 2nd & BLACKPINK's Lisa will be making her solo debut. The artist reportedly filmed her music video earlier this week and is expected to release her solo debut later this summer. Which release are you most looking forward to?

#2- Two new artists will be joining the UNIVERSE fandom platform next week! WEKI MEKI & soloist Wonho will be opening their very own UNIVERSE platforms on the 19th of July. Make sure to sign up for the platform if you want to catch all of their UNIVERSE updates!

#3- WM Entertainment has announced that former IZ*ONE member, Lee Chaeyeon will be participating in the new Mnet dance survival show, 'Street Woman Fighter' as a contestant in the 'WANT' dance crew. Make sure to catch the show when it premieres on the 24th of August.

#4- SNSD's leader Kim Taeyeon has received another exciting endorsement opportunity! The artist has been selected as the newest model for 'Youngman Pizza'. Congrats!

#5- Now moving onto the Japanese Entertainment industry, we have two pieces of news related to the film industry! The film 'Rurou no Tsuki' recently announced its lead actors! Hirose Suzu & Matsuzaka Tori are set to star opposite each other. The film depicts the story of a 9-year-old girl whose life completely changes after meeting a 19-year-old student on a rainy day near her aunt's house. Meanwhile, the TOKYO REVENGERS LA film has topped the Japanese box office with over ¥515 M. Congrats to the filmmakers on achieving such a fantastic feat!



TUESDAY:
#1- On Tuesday, we received even more updates about upcoming Kpop releases! Kim Sejeong will be releasing a Kpop remake of the Japanese song 'Baby I Love U' by TEE. Then in August, Weeekly will be returning to bless us with brand new music, while it's been reported that WINNER's Song Mino is currently for a new album which is scheduled to release sometime in September. Meanwhile, JYP will be forming its first Japanese boy group through season 2 of their 'Nizi Project' survival series. We can't wait!

#2- Various concerts and showcases were postponed or cancelled this week in response to the rising number of coronavirus cases throughout South Korea. BRAVE GIRLS & former WANNNAONE member, Kim Jaehwan had to cancel their respective offline concerts, 'ALARM' as a result, while GOLDEN CHILD & N.Flying have postponed their concerts to a later date. What are your thoughts on the impact that Covid-19 has had on everyday life, where even putting on a concert can have various health-related risk factors attached to it now?

#3- The fan messaging service 'DearU Bubble' has added Hyolyn to their list of users after it was announced that she had joined the platform earlier this week. Later, it was announced that APINK, as well as Kang Hyewon will also be joining the platform. Be sure to follow them to catch all of their incoming updates!

#4- Now, onto health-related news and it's been revealed that TREASURE's Doyoung has sadly tested positive for coronavirus. We hope that he recovers soon and doesn't experience any adverse reactions to the virus. While still on the topic of coronavirus, the upcoming girl group, SKYLE had to postpone their scheduled debut after it was discovered that a staff member had also tested positive for the virus. Meanwhile, it's been announced that AKB48's Kashiwagi Yuki has been discharged from the hospital after receiving surgery to remove the intramedullary spinal cord tumor. She began public activities again on her birthday, July 15.

#5- Onto the final piece of news for Tuesday, and it's been announced that South Korean rapper BewhY will be enlisting in the military for his mandatory military service on the 23rd of August. He's expected to join the Korea Coast Guard. We wish him luck!



WEDNESDAY:
#1- Comeback announcements started to slow down as we reached the middle of the week. Three artists will be making their comeback this August, ONF will be back with a new album in early August, Jeon Somi will return on the 2nd of August with a new album, while Sunmi has announced that she also plans to return this August, with the comeback date recently revealed as being the 6th. We also received news that OH MY GIRL plan to make their return to Jpop in September with the group's 2nd Japanese single. We can't wait to hear all of these upcoming releases!

#2- It has been announced that BLACKPINK will be the next artist to join the social media platform weverse! They'll be joining the platform to communicate with fans on the 2nd of August. The following day, it was announced that former IZ*ONE member Kwon Eunbi would also be joining the platform. She'll be opening her page on the 19th of July. Make sure to sign up for the platform so you don't miss a single update!

#3- DAY6 (Even of the Day) will be holding an online concert 'DAY6 (Even of the Day): Right Through Me' on the 8th of August. Make sure you have nothing in your schedule that day so that you can catch them live!

#4- T-ara's Park Jiyeon has decided to part ways with her management company, Partners Park after deciding not to renew her contract. We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavours.



THURSDAY:
#1- MONSTA X will be the latest artist to release a new single under the banner of UNIVERSE MUSIC when they drop their new single 'KISS OR DEATH' exclusive to the platform on the 26th of July. Then, in August we'll be receiving new releases from both CIX & TXT! CIX will be returning with their first full-length album, 'OK Prologue: Be OK' on the 17th of August, while TXT will be returning at a currently undisclosed date during August.

#2- It's been announced that Namie Amuro, who retired from the Japanese Entertainment industry in 2018 has been awarded Japan's Dark Blue Ribbon medal, which is a medal to honour an individual who has made exceptionally generous financial contributions for the public good. The former singer has also received a trophy that is given to individuals who donate over 15 million yen.



FRIDAY:
#1- ONEUS has announced that they will be holding a special project, 'ONEUS THEATRE'. Throughout this project, the group will be showcasing their video-based content in a movie-like concept as stage geniuses. Are you looking forward to this project?

#2- SF9's Chani will be stepping down from his position at MBC's Show! Music Core after over two years with the program. Following this announcement, it's been reported that NCT's Jungwoo & STRAY KIDS' Lee Know will be joining as the new hosts for the program. We wish Chani the best and look forward to seeing who replaces him in the coming weeks.

#3- The upcoming global webtoon platform, Kakao Webtoon has announced that they've hired everyone's favorite soloist, IU, as their spokesperson. The service will launch globally this August and will provide readers with even more webtoons to discover! We look forward to seeing IU's face all over our browser soon!

#4- SM Entertainment has confirmed that they'll be pursuing strict legal action against those seen to be committing acts of defamation or sasaeng-like behaviour. What do you think about this action? Is it a step forward for the company? Or do you think it's too late for a company that has continuously ignored the issue of saesangs for over two decades?



SATURDAY:
#1- Show Me The Money is still going strong as they prepare to launch the 10th season of the rap competition on Mnet! The reality show has announced two of its judges for the upcoming season as WINNER's Song Mino & AOMG singer/producer Gray. Meanwhile, ITZY's Chaeryeong will be joining Mnet M2's Studio Choom as their 'Artist of the Month' for August. We can't wait!

#2- We learned of more positive covid-19 diagnoses on Saturday. Seo Inyoung, as well as BTOB's Minhyuk, have both tested positive for coronavirus this week. They have both temporarily halted their future activities as they work on recovering from the virus. We wish them the best!



SUNDAY:
#1- The individual boy group member brand reputation rankings were announced for July! BTS' Park Jimin continues his #1 streak for another month, while 2PM's Junho & BTS' V took 2nd & 3rd place respectively. Later, the individual girl group member brand reputation rankings were also announced! aespa's Karina placed 1st for the month of July, while BLACKPINK's Jennie & BRAVE GIRLS Yujeong rounded out the top 3. Did any of your biases manage to rank this month?

#2- WJSN's Dawon and Yeonjung both featured on DJ Koo's winning performance on KBS' popular show "Immortal Songs". Did you enjoy their special appearance?

BY DRAGON OF THE WEST & POLARIS_TAE


#1. ATEEZ - DREAMERS
VAs the first sign of an official release since Kingdom ended, ATEEZ recently released the music video for "Dreamers", their upcoming first Japanese single. The song also serves as the fifth ending theme for the reboot series of popular anime show Digimon Adventure. For this track, the group are still without rapper Mingi who has been on hiatus for health reasons, and his boisterous vocal is definitely missed here. However, Seonghwa does his best to fill in the gap, and offers a surprisingly credible rap. That being said, "Dreamers" is not a rap-heavy track, and is much more concerned with painting a satisfying melody. It vibes along a swelling energy that feels optimistic and satisfying, and matches the group’s solid vocals. If there's one area to nitpick, it would be the hook, as this could be much stronger than it is. Overall, it's a well-packaged song with a groove that fits well for what its intended to be.





#2. ROCKET PUNCH - BUBBLE UP!
In a move that should have honestly come a lot sooner, Rocket Punch have finally made their Japanese debut. Their first Japanese EP Bubble Up! will be released in early August, while they recently dropped the music video for its lead single of the same name. "Bubble Up!" is well-suited to a certain facet of J-pop taste. It’s bright and cute, but not overwhelmingly so, and feels like they're operating firmly in their comfort zone, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The melody blends sing-song phrases with shots of heartier refrains and is clearly evidenced in the chorus, which makes room for both styles. It’s not a remarkable track by any means, but its brisk pace and fun energy go down easy. Although the song benefits from its relatively straightforward nature, it lacks punches that would make it stick out in an oversaturated market.





#3. RAIN x MONSTA X x BRAVE GIRLS x ATEEZ - SUMMER TASTE
The 'Pepsi x Starship' collaboration project has been going on for years now and has led to the release of eight singles. Most of these have been collaborations between two or more artists, but latest single "Summer Taste" goes a step further, pairing performers from three idol groups (Brave Girls, Monsta X & ATEEZ) with K-pop veteran Rain. The song is upbeat and energetic, as you'd expect from a summer-themed single that's essentially a commercial for a soft drink. Built upon a high-octane EDM backbone, "Summer Taste" moves swiftly between segments. None of its hooks land particularly well, yet due to the nature of the song, you’ll hardly get enough time to even notice. The performers manage to bring some personality to the track, but ultimately, this is exactly what it's meant to be — CF track.

BY NARA


#1. (G)I-DLE Soyeon's MV for 'Beam Beam' has already reached 10 million views on YouTube when it was just released last week. Don't forget to give it a watch!

#2. BTS have sold 1.97 million copies of their single 'Butter' in just one week. It is so far the highest selling album this year in terms of first week sales! In addition, their MV for 2019 hit 'Boy With Luv' has surpassed 1.3 billion views on YouTube. Congrats to them once again!

#3. Snow Man's 3rd Single 'Grandeur' reaches 1 million sales! They're the first Johnny's group who sold more than 1 million copies of single albums three times in a row. Huge congrats to them!

#4. Congrats to BLACKPINK Rosé as her MV for 'On The Ground' has surpassed 200 million views on Youtube! Have you checked out this epic MV yet?

#5. 'Woowa' by DIA has surpassed 5 million streams on Spotify. Congrats ladies!

BY POLARIS_TAE

Here are all the awards that were added to the system this week! You can request them here (don't forget to follow the instructions in the OP)!

The Events Team hosted one game this week!

Stannie hosted another round of Telepathic Artists! Ultimately Team Geniuses at Painting and Describing took the prize. Congrats!

The July +Card & Orb giveaway is currently ongoing. Users have until the 30th of July to enter themselves into the lottery so make sure to add your name to the list for a chance to win!

The Orbs & Special Items page was updated this week with new prices and items. Prices for everything aside from unique awards, adoption papers, divorce papers & collectors stamps have risen with inflation. What do you think about the new prices? Are you okay with them, or does it make orb items even more out of reach for you?

Shop+ fans, our Shop+ Team worked hard again this week to stock our digital shelves with only the best items. Make sure to get your hands on them as soon as you can.

The Translations Team helped us to understand one article this week! Vanilla Cupcake translated an article about the South Korean 'Blood Sucking' entertainment company, TS Entertainment finally closing down. Make sure to check it out when you have the time!


+

Hallyu+ is actively recruiting for staff. If you want to contribute to the forum's growth and join our amazing team, don't hesitate and apply now!
We are searching for new members for the following teams GFX, Tech Admin, Translations and SM Team - Press Division.


That's it for this week! We hope to see you again with even more great updates. Now, with that said, what was your favourite (or least favourite) aspect from the last week in the Asian Entertainment Industry? Be sure to let us know in the comments!







GFX BY @yerm
PROOFREAD BY @Dragon of the West
FEATURED ARTISTS Rain, Sakamoto Hazuki (Wasuta), Wooyong (ATEEZ), Dahyun (Rocket Punch), Yoo Jaesuk​

 

[Stannie]

The Orbs & Special Items page was updated this week with new prices and items. Prices for everything aside from unique awards, adoption papers, divorce papers & collectors stamps have risen with inflation. What do you think about the new prices? Are you okay with them, or does it make orb items even more out of reach for you?

Yes, I think the new prices are lovely

Make sure to get your hands on them as soon as you can.

Asfgh this is the cutest collage, bye

Thanks for the updates~

 

[UMJI MOODS]

ICYMI is eternally appreciated.
Thanks as always.​

 

[Polaris_Tae]

Yes, I think the new prices are lovely

Thanks for the updates~

I think I'm getting scammed.
I was less than 10 orbs away from gif stamp #3 before the prices got hiked sjsjjjs

 

[kimsguardian]

thanks for the updates, you guys are always the best

 

[Chomiczewska]

​

PUPPY INVASION!

 

[Stannie]

I think I'm getting scammed.
I was less than 10 orbs away from gif stamp #3 before the prices got hiked sjsjjjs

You could've used coins to buy 10 orbs then bought the stamp before the inflation. Don't blameberry me for your flop!

 

[Polaris_Tae]

You could've used coins to buy 10 orbs then bought the stamp before the inflation. Don't blameberry me for your flop!

I'm hoarding all my coins so I can get on the richest users list.

Buying orbs is for people with money to spare

 

[Happy]

Thanks for the updates! :hearteu: