ICYMI IN CASE YOU MISSED IT // MARCH 4 - MARCH 10

[Polaris_Tae]

MARCH 4 - MARCH 10

Hello Hallyuplussers and welcome to the latest In Case You Missed It update! This is the format where we work to break down an entire week's worth of East Asian news, charts, releases and more into one easy-to-digest article! This week, we saw a slew of comeback announcements from idols such as BTS' V — who is currently busy serving in the military — to aespa & BLACKPINK's Jennie. Meanwhile, several artists and companies came under fire this week spurring multiple controversies respectively. All this, and much more in this week's update. So make sure to continue reading if any of this sparks your interest!

BY POLARIS_TAE


MONDAY:
#1- We began the week with a few comeback announcements! BoA & BTS' V will be making their return with new material this March. V will release a new digital single, 'FRI(END)S' on the 15th of March, while BoA will make her return at the end of March. Meanwhile, RIIZE were later confirmed to make their comeback the following month in April. Are you looking forward to any of these upcoming releases?

#2- Now moving on, we have a new female vocal group survival program preparing to premiere very soon! The new program — 'Girls on Fire' — has just revealed its list of participating producers. The program will include a total of 6 producers including Apink's Eunji, DAY6's Young K, Yoon Jong-shin & Dynamic Duo's Gaeko. Will you be tuning in to watch this upcoming program?

#3- On Monday, it was announced that Big Planet Made — home to artists such as Viviz & Nu'est's Ren — had reported Kakao Entertainment to the South Korean Fair Trade Commission. A spokesperson for Big Planet Made further stated that they had secured testimonies that stated that Kakao had demanded distribution fees of around "20% from general companies, while charging around 5-6% to affiliated companies such as SM." What are your thoughts on this reported industry practice?



TUESDAY:
#1- We had various announcements related to contract expirations at the beginning of the week. On Monday it was shared that two VIXX members — Leo & Ken — had decided to not renew their contracts with Jellyfish Entertainment. Then the following day, it was announced that SHINee's Onew & Taemin would be leaving SM Entertainment following the expiration of their contracts. The pair will still reportedly be contracted under SM for group activities with SHINee, however, their individual activities will fall under separate agencies, which in Taemin's case, has been reported to be Big Planet Made. The idol stepped out on Wednesday to address the news via the Bubble SNS messaging service. The SHINee member did not confirm or deny having a professional relationship with Big Planet Made but instead shared that he thought the "news was surprising" and that he would have liked to tell the fans himself as he "didn’t want you to worry about unnecessary things." Finally, the idol shared that he believes that "There will be even better things in store for the future ㅎㅎ Please continue to look after me as a member of SHINee and as Taemin."



WEDNESDAY:
#1- Streamer & former DIA member, Somyi, is reportedly facing a one-year prison sentence after falsely accusing her management's CEO of sexual assault. The former idol reportedly filed a complaint against the CEO back in January of 2023 only for the case to later be dismissed. The former idol later appealed the decision which led to a deeper investigation into the incident. This included a deeper investigation into the CCTV footage relevant to the incident. The prosecution concluded that Somyi had fabricated the claims of sexual assault to pressure the CEO into breaking up with his girlfriend at the time. Meanwhile, her lawyer has stated that she shouldn't be held accountable as she was under the influence of alcohol and inebriated at the time. What are your thoughts on this situation?



THURSDAY:
#1- A few idols came under fire this week. Yuehua shared that TEMPEST member Hwarang would be taking a temporary hiatus in order to reflect on his actions after the idol was discovered clubbing. In addition, the idol would be departing from his MC position on KBS Show Champion with the MC line-up set to continue with two hosts, XDINARY HEROES' Gaon & EPEX's Keum Donghyun. Now moving on and Fantasy Boys' K-Soul also came under controversy. The idol went live to gossip about his fellow Fantasy Boys members including divulging the relationship status of another idol, as well as equating Kpop fans to domestic abuse victims. The following day the idol took to social media to apologise for his actions. K.Soul is currently on hiatus due to the deteriorating health of both his father and grandmother (the former of which has since passed).



FRIDAY:
#1- We received numerous comeback and debut announcements later in the week as well! For debuts, former WayV member Lucas will be making his solo debut this April. While BLACKPINK's Jennie, Cherry Bullet's Bora & aespa will all be releasing new music. BLACKPINK's Jennie will be collaborating with BROCKHAMPTON's Matt Champion on a new song titled 'Slow Motion'. Cherry Bullet's Bora released a new OST for the Studio U+ drama 'Branding in Seongsu' on Thursday. Then in March, aespa will be singing an OST for the Apple TV+ program 'Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock' on the 29th of March. Are you looking forward to any of these upcoming releases?

#2- H1-KEY had some exciting news for us this week! The group has just been appointed as ambassadors for the Korean Employment Agency for the Disabled. Congrats!

#3- The Seoul High Court came back with its ruling on Blockberry Creative's appeal against Loona's Chuu on Friday. It was shared that the court ruled in favour of Chuu regarding the non-validity of her exclusive contract with the company. What are your thoughts on the outcome of this situation?

#4- On Friday it was announced that 'Dragon Ball' creator Akira Toriyama had sadly passed away. The mangaka died of a subdural hematoma (a bleed in the brain) on the 1st of March. He was 68 years old.



SATURDAY:
#1- SNSD's leader Taeyeon shared some fun news this week! The idol announced the opening of her official TikTok account. She's already been posting regularly on the account, so make sure to check it out if you'd like to keep up with even more Taeyeon-filled content!

#2- Japanese celebrity couple Masaki Suda & Komatsu Nana welcomed their first child together this week. We congratulate the pair on the new addition to their family!

#3- It was reported on Saturday that a former idol group member — who has been rumoured to be TST's Choi Wooyoung — had admitted in court to illegally filming an ex-girlfriend without her consent while getting intimate. It's been reported that the former idol had illegally filmed her over 18 times throughout their relationship. But that's not all, as Choi has also been accused of illegally filming a second woman without her consent while she was undressed in his room. It's been reported that he used silent cameras and microphones during these acts so that the victims would not know that they had been recorded. The court case is still ongoing and the next update is set for sometime during May. What are your thoughts on this issue?



SUNDAY:
#1- There were no relevant updates on Sunday

BY POLARIS_TAE & DRAGON OF THE WEST


#1.TEAM SHACHI - ENRAN
TEAM SHACHI — formerly known as Team Syachihoko — is a four-member Japanese idol group formed in 2012 by Stardust Promotions — known for its groups such as Momoiro Clover Z, M!LK & Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku — based out of the city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture. The group was formed as the younger sister group to both Momoiro Clover Z & Shiritsu Ebich Chuugaku — and formerly, Takoyaki Rainbow — including the same colour-based format as the groups. The group has a concept of 'Super tough, strong energy, positive exciting soul from Nagoya'. They made their return with an exciting new single, 'Enran' on the 4th of March from their latest album, Waraukado ni wa fuku kiru. With this release, the group has sought to blend traditional music with a futuristic atmosphere through the release of the group's music video. According to the TEAM SHACHI member Oguro Yuzuki the music video for 'Enran' has a "very deep meaning". We enter a futuristic city called Neo-Nagoya in the music video during the preparations for 'Enran' on the horizon, which is a once-in-a-thousand years festival as each of the members gather throughout Neo-Nagoya to celebrate the upcoming festival. This is seen through the symbolism of each of the group members standing and performing atop very distinct Nagoya landmarks: Oguro Yuzuki is on the Oasis21 Shopping Mall, Nao Sakura on the Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER, Haruna Sakamoto is atop Nagoya Station's Gold Clock & Honoka Akimoto is at the Nagoya Castle. As for the lyrics, the members sing about not being able to do anything during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now that the panic surrounding coronavirus is mostly resolved and things have gone back to normal we can now freely participate in exciting activities such as festivals. Overall it's a great release that, to quote Oguro Yuzuki, you should watch "50 times" before bed!





#2. SEKAI NO OWARI - TIME MACHINE
Sekai no Owari is a 4-member Japanese pop band based out of Tokyo, Japan. In their early years, the group was known for their Alternative Rock sound. However, throughout their time together as a group, their musical style has since evolved to employ various elements so as to not restrict themselves to any one sound. The band's name, Sekai no Owari — literally End of the World — was created by the group's vocalist and former leader Fukase Satoshi. Before launching the group, the singer was admitted to hospital while suffering from a compound of mental illnesses including comorbid illness anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well as a childhood diagnosis of ADHD. He has stated in the past that he created the band to be able to stand on his own two feet once again. This can particularly be seen through the artist's description of Sekai no Owari's name origins. When asked to describe the group's name Fukase is quoted as saying:

"I was facing mental illness that came from a developmental disorder in my teens. Everything I had disappeared, and It literally felt as if it was the end of my world. I started the band to stand up again. The end is always a beginning of something new".

The group made their return this week with their latest release, 'Time Traveller', which is a touching and wistful ballad where Fukase sings about wishing to go back in time to erase all of their painful memories of a loved one. When first listening to the song, you may think that the lyrics are more generally about the loss of a loved one. However, once witnessing the song with its accompanying video, I found that it wasn't so one-dimensional. Instead, the song portrays a story of forceful separation — via state intervention — through the story of a parental figure (played by Fukase) and their child. I found this story to be highly relatable as forced separation and be observed many times throughout modern society. This can be seen through incidents such as the one shown through the music video, or even events such as the separation from land and family that is ongoing in conflicts such as the Israeli invasion of Palestine. Overall, it's a great release that anyone who has experienced a sense of loss can relate to on at least some level and we're looking forward to even more great music from the group in the future!





#3.IMASE - SHINE OUT
After a little less than a month since the release of his easy-listening ballad, 'Koigoromo'. One of my favourite Japanese soloists, Imase, has made their return with a new single this week! The singer is back again this week with another EDM banger in the form of 'Shine Out'. Unlike last month's release, 'Shine Out' has more in common with his 2022 smash-hit 'Night Dancer'. One of Imase's most prominent stylistic choices throughout most of his discography is his heavy reliance on a mix between regular singing and falsetto that you almost can't tell the difference between the two. This is most effectively seen within the chorus of his hit 'Night Dancer' where he consistently switched between singing and falsetto throughout almost the entirety of the track. Now moving on to 'Shine Out' and this release, similarly to 'Night Dancer' takes inspiration from the EDM genre, but rather than leaning into the city-pop aesthetic like 'Night Dancer', it instead displays an operatic sound to go with the inspirational nature of the song. As for the lyrics, the artist talks about his dreams being just out of reach despite having an immense passion towards them. Throughout the song, we see the artist steel himself to become the person who can achieve those dreams, while also disregarding outside opinions on his goals. Overall, it's a great addition to Imase's already stellar discography.




#4. GIRLS² - MAGIC
Girls² is an 8-member Japanese idol group from LDH Japan — known for groups such as iScream and formerly E-Girls — who made their return this week with 'Magic' from their 2nd full album, We Are Girls² - II - which is scheduled for release on the 20th of March. We covered Girls² in September of last year for their collaborative single album, Rock Steady alongside fellow LDH girl group, iScream and its accompanying single release, 'The Finest'. the group's 2nd LP, We Are Girls² - II - is set to coincide with the group's 5th commemorative anniversary celebrations and will consist of a total of 15 tracks — alongside the bonus track, 'Centimeter' Ozaki Taiiku Remix — including various tracks from prior releases such as 2023's 'I Wanna Sengen' & 'Rock Steady' alongside new releases such as this week's 'Magic'. Now moving onto their latest release, 'Magic' is an experimental pop single that works well to showcase each of the member's individual charms. The song opens with an uplifting instrumental for the group members to announce themselves with a bang through the chanting of 'MAGIC, LIKE MAGIC'. The song — similarly to the album — acts as a celebratory single to commemorate their anniversary, while also adding a new and exciting release to their discography. Throughout the single, there are two major tonal shifts: one within the bridge — both vocally and instrumentally — accomplished in order to display the stunning vocal tone of the group members, and another one around 15 seconds later to allow for a dance break. Other than these two tonal shifts, the song stays fairly consistent throughout, with an overall bright and upbeat tone to bring the member's charms to the forefront. Some of our favourite tracks from the upcoming album include December 2023's 'I Wanna Sengen', the iScream collab 'Rock Steady', the old-school E-Girls sounding 'C'mon Neo Zipang!!!' & the EDM APOKI collab 'Countdown'. Overall, 'Lucky' is a great release, and we'll be looking forward to the full album's release later this month!





#5. DAESUNG - FALLING SLOWLY
Big Bang’s Daesung has released a new digital single titled “Falling Slowly”. Similar to a lot of 2nd gen idols, and unlike a lot of current-gen idols, Daesung has a very distinctive voice that’s easy to recognize, while also having superb vocal skills which shouldn’t come as a surprise given his role as the main vocal of one of K-pop’s most iconic groups of all time. “Falling Slowly” is a mid-tempo track that’s easy to listen to, but suffers the fate of being quite unmemorable with average production behind it. Which is a shame, since someone of his stature and ability deserves much stronger material. While this song is inoffensive, it doesn’t hold a candle to some of his other material, especially his high-energy Japanese releases.





#6. ICHILLIN' - ON MY LIPS
ICHILLIN’ started 2024 on a high with a duo of pre-release singles — 'Bite Me' & 'Demigod' — which seemed to signal that they were all but set for a change in direction to a hip-hop concept with attitude-driven tracks. It therefore comes as an unfortunate surprise that 'On My Lips', the title track of their 3rd mini-album Feelin’ Hot, seems to be a massive backwards step. It sounds like just about every other song released from unknown girl groups in the last few years with mediocre production that even makes the three-minute runtime feel like a struggle to get through. It’s disappointing to see their company drop the ball in this way after their strong start to the year, and one can only hope that this is just a minor blip for them.





#7. SONG - IT'S CALL
iKON member Song — formerly known as Yunhyeong — has released his solo debut album titled It’s Call! which is led by the title track of the same name. In what might seem like a surprising decision, he has decided to go down the trot route with this song, as 'It’s Call' is packed with tons of energy and a bundle of silliness which sticks true to the trot sound, and with its punchy chorus being an absolute earworm, it all just blends together in a way that’s difficult to dislike. With K-pop's musical direction becoming more and more Western-centric with each passing year, it always feels like a breath of fresh air whenever some artists decide to pay homage to more traditional Korean music styles, especially trot, and I for one hope that this continues. If trot isn't something that fancies your tastes in music and you'd prefer a more calmer sounding song, some of the b-sides on the mini album might be more to your liking particularly '.I.L (I'm in Love)' and 'Miss you'.

BY DRAGON OF THE WEST


#1. There's even more achievements for PLAVE this week as they become the first virtual group to get music show wins on Show Champion and MBC's Show! Music Core, the latter of which makes them the first boy group who debuted post-2020 to win on the show. They have also surpassed 1 million total album copies sold in Korea and Japan, joining ZEROBASEONE and RIIZE as the only 5th gen groups to do so.

BY POLARIS_TAE

The Events Team came back this week to share the top 10 2024 Hall of Elites this week! For the 4th year in a row, @Chomiczewska took their rightful place on top! Check out sm maid's post to find out if you placed within the top 10 for 2024!

For this week's H+ Station Chart update! Taeyeon's 'To.X' took the #1 spot, while TWICE made their debut on the chart with 'ONE SPARK' at #8. Make sure to check out our chart to see where all of your favourite songs ranked!

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This brings us to the end of In Case You Missed It for another week! Let us know what you found the most interesting over the past week, or was there a new music release that you found yourself enjoying? As always, our staff teams — Social Media - Press, Blog Team & Awards — are actively looking for new staff So if you would like to contribute to our social media team by contributing to articles just like this one, want to help in the creation and management of Awards for our Awards Team, or would like to help out in getting the blog up and running with content such as blog posts, dedicated artist profiles, OP GFX contributions, or just with the overall running and design of the site, then feel free to apply via the linked application forms above! With that said, we'll see you again next week with another exciting update!

GFX BY @yerm
FEATURED ARTISTS Daesung, Joonie (ICHILLIN'), Taemin, Sakamoto Haruna (TEAM SHACHI), DJ LOVE (Sekai no Owari)​

 

[Polaris_Tae]

If you're a clown hater...

 

[UMJI MOODS]

Great reporting as always. Thank you.

 

[RussianRoulette]

For the Thursday update, K-soul said that he saw an idol who recently won in an awards show in a relationship. Of the sources I found he never said a fellow Fantasy Boys member was in a relationship.

 

[OutroTearTheFirst]

Yuehua shared that TEMPEST member Hwarang would be taking a temporary hiatus in order to reflect on his actions after the idol was discovered clubbing.

oh the horror

thanks for the update!