ICYMI IN CASE YOU MISSED IT / MARCH 8 - MARCH 14

[Beefy]

MARCH 8 - MARCH 14


Hello Hallyuplussers and welcome to another great edition of In Case You Missed It, where we make sure to give you a weeks worth of news of all things related to Asian Entertainment! This week we saw fantastic releases by WayV & BLACKPINK's Rose while we also received news of even more great comebacks to come in a week where Brave Girls dominated the Korean charts with a three-year-old song and securing their first-ever music show win. If this week wasn't the week for underdogs, we're not sure what is! Now with that said, let's jump into another fantastic article!

BY BEEFY & POLARIS_TAE


MONDAY:
#1- According to member Yujeong, Brave Girls were actually discussing their disbandment just a couple of weeks prior to the viral success of 'Rollin''. She finished the interview with the encouraging statement, that you should follow your dreams no matter how old you are! We are extremely happy for the group, and if you want to check out her full interview just click on the linked thread!

#2- WM Entertainment announced that they will be taking legal action against singer TANK for his alleged diss track about Oh My Girl's Seunghee. We are happy to see the company stepping in and protecting its artists.

#3- Actress Son Yejin was selected as the new muse for fashion brand 'BAU by Bride and You'; and makeup brand CLIO has shared that they will continue their brand deal with Stray Kids without member Hyunjin.

#4- Stone Music, KT, and Genie Music will be releasing remakes of songs from the 90s and 00s for the project 'Rewind: Blossom'; the artists participating include IZ*ONE, EXO's Baekhyun, NCT's Doyoung, B1A4's Sandeul, and more! We are very excited about this project!

#5- Rookie boy group P1HARMONY will be joining their labelmates Cherry Bullet on the global community platform Weverse! Their company FNC Entertainment will be joining Weverse at a company level so we can expect more of their artists to join soon!



TUESDAY:
#1- SHINee's Onew, GOT7's Youngjae, DAY6's Wonpil, LOVELYZ's Kei, Kang Hye In, and Lee Ah Jin will all be starring in the upcoming musical 'Midnight Sun to Star'! With such an amazing lineup, we can tell we're in for something good!

#2- Nishino Nanase will be the lead actress in the new Amazon Prime Video drama 'Hot Mama' with Chiba Yudai, Itaya Yuka, Yokota Mayu, and many more; the first episode will be airing on March 19! In continuation of upcoming television releases, Sony Pictures is developing a movie about a demon-slaying KPOP group. Will you be tuning into either release?

#3- Now for some news on releases. WJSN will be making their long-awaited comeback in late March, and NU'EST will making theirs in April with their second full-length album! Finally, Jellyfish Entertaintainment confirmed that Kim Sejeong is preparing to make her comeback on an unconfirmed date! Which release are you looking forward to?

#4- TVXQ's Yunho was investigated for violating social distancing regulations. SM Entertainment quickly released a statement claiming he was simply visiting a friend's restaurant and lost track of time. Yunho himself also quickly released a personal apology for his violations.

#5- Soloist Wheesung was sentenced to two years of probation for the illegal use of propofol, and if there are any violations he will have to go to prison for one year. We wish him the best.

#6- Stray Kids recorded MNET's 'KINGDOM: Legendary War' without Hyunjin for their second recording, the first episode will air on April 1. How do you feel about this development?

#7- Super girl-group TWICE has been selected as the faces for 'Kyungnam Pharms Vitamin C Lemona', according to the company they selected for their domestic and international popularity. We congratulate them on their new brand endorsement!

#8- Shofar Music will be renaming themselves to Shofar Entertainment, the company is home to BOL4, Sweden Laundry, 20 Years of Age, Boramiyu, WH3N, and many more.



WEDNESDAY:
#1- Sadly, boy group 1TEAM announced that they will be disbanding on March 14th due to all the members terminating their contracts. Then MNET confirmed that IZ*ONE will be disbanding in April and that the members will be returning to their respective agencies. Both groups' presences will be missed, and we wish all the members the best with their future endeavors!

#2- SM Entertainment confirmed that Red Velvet's Wendy will be making her solo debut next month in April! We're very excited to see what she'll be putting out!

#3- Now let's see what's going on in the world of television! We start off with the news that Brave Girls will be appearing on Running Man! Then following the recent controversy, actress Pyo Yejin will be taking on April's Naeun's role in the SBS drama 'Taxi Driver'. We are looking forward to both Brave Girls and Pyo Yejin's appearances on their respective shows!

#4- Thankfully, MONSTA X's Shownu has tested negative for COVID-19 following an undetermined test result. We are extremely happy to hear that he is healthy!

#5- Dal Shabet's Woohee announced that she'll be holding a solo fan-meeting on April 24th! Will you be attending?



THURSDAY:
#1- We begin Thursday with a slew of news related to comebacks and debut announcements! Later This month we'll see SF9 returning on the 18th of March with their own 'Virtual Play Album', which will be released in partnership with Genie Music. As for upcoming debuts, on the 15th of March, we will be welcoming a new girl group, CooKie to the Kpop industry. The group is said to have an average age of thirteen. Now on to releases announced for April! ASTRO will be making their first comeback of 2021 with their second full album 'All Yours' set to release on the 5th of April. Also in April will be the return of Lee Jinhyuk who will be returning for his solo comeback. We can't wait!

#2- Thankfully, Kakao Entertainment and global music streaming service Spotify have come to an agreement regarding the licensing and distribution of multiple Kpop albums on the streaming platform. This means that songs under the distribution of Kakao will soon return to Spotify. We anxiously await their return!

#3- The EBS kids show, Boni Hani will be ending its 18-year run On the 26th of Marc; meanwhile, the Kpop related podcast company, DIVE STUDIOS has announced that PENTAGON's Kino & ASTRO'd Jinjin will be hosting their very own podcast show, 'UNBOXING' from the 17th of March. Will you be tuning in to their new podcast series together?

#4- A number of upcoming online concerts were announced this week! Kim Woo-seok will be holding an online fan-meeting on the 28th of March titled, 'KIM WOOSEOK 1st ONTACT FAN-MEETIN: N423'. The following day SHINee announced that they would be holding their first online concert via Beyond Live tilted, 'Beyond LIVE - SHINee: SHINee WORLD' which is set to take place on the 4th of April. Will you be setting some time aside for any of these concerts?

#5- Following the confirmation of a disbandment date earlier this week, it was reported that IZ*ONE's Miyawaki Sakura would be signing with BigHit Entertainment. Following these reports, BigHit released a statement explaining that "nothing had been decided" yet. Do you think that BigHit will be a good fit for her?



FRIDAY:
#1- On Friday we received even more comeback news! DKB will be returning with a brand new release on the 30th of March. We also learnt that BLACKPINK Rose's debut solo album would be released entirely in English. The album has since been released. What are Your thoughts on this creative decision?

#2- T-ara's Jiyeon will be returning to the tvN variety show 'On & Off' on the 23rd of March. Joining her on the show as guests will be her fellow T-ara members Qri, Eunjung & Hyomin. Are you looking forward to seeing them together again?

#3- BTS was in the news again this week for all the best reasons! BTS' Suga proved his generosity by donating KRW 100 million to the Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Centre in Daegu in celebration of his birthday! It was later announced that BTS was selected as the new models for the home appliance rental company, Coway. Congrats on the new opportunity and we thank Suga for his generosity!

#4- Kim Hyanggi has announced her departure from Namoo actors after 10 long years with the company. The actress will now be joining the management of Jikim Entertainment. We wish her the best of luck in all of her future endeavours!

#5- Johnnys & Associates has announced that V6 will be disbanding in November after Morita Go announced his intentions to leave the company and pursue an acting career. Following a discussion between each of the members, they concluded that it would be best for the group to disband, stating that: "it’s not V6 unless its these six people." What are your thoughts on this announcement? V6 debuted in November 1995 and has been together as a group for over 20 years. They will surely be missed.



SATURDAY:
#1- Following reports that TVXQ's Yunho had allegedly fled from police after violating social distancing regulations, SM Entertainment has stepped up to deny all accusations relating to the report.

#2- The boy group brand reputation rankings have been released for another month! BTS once again continue their reign on top; while NCT & SHINee round out the top three! Did your bias groups manage to rank this month?

#3- Sato Shiori, formerly of Keyakizaka46 has announced the opening of her YouTube channel! Make sure to subscribe if you haven't already!



SUNDAY:
#1- The girl group brand reputation rankings have been released for another month! This month, BLACKPINK took the top spot; while Brave Girls & IZ*ONE took 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

BY BEEFY


#1- ROSÉ - ON THE GROUND
Blackpink's Rosé finally made her long-awaited solo debut with the title track "On The Ground", written entirely in English, from her single album R! "On The Ground" is a contemporary pop song with a unique chorus that shares the singer's journey to self-discovery. The single starts off with the mellow strumming of an acoustic guitar, which is a sound we all most likely expected from Rosé. This same strumming is continued throughout its verses, as we hear Rosé reminisce about her life before her rise to fame; with lines like "I used to have a hole in the wall with a mattress". The pre-chorus takes on a warmer layer thanks to a hearty and soothing guitar melody. This leads us to the chorus, which follows the group's usual formula. We are met with a beat drop filled with 'whomp whomp' synth and nothing else. It creates an interesting contrast from the other portions of the song and is a fun change-up. Rosé's charismatic and emotive vocals are the highlight of the track, as they add plenty of life and energy into a very subdued instrumental! Unfortunately, the track is less than three minutes long, and we would've loved for it to continue on for a bit longer. The other song on the single album is "Gone", which was teased at their concert earlier this year; it's a slower and catchy acoustic track. So if you're not feeling her title track make sure to give her second song a listen too! We really enjoyed this track, and are looking forward to what comes next in Rosé's career!





#2- WAYV - KICK BACK
WayV made their first comeback following NCT 2020 with the track "Kick Back" from their third mini-album of the same name. The group continue on with their space opera concept and make a return to a familiar sound for this comeback. "Kick Back" instantly grabbed us with a dark and abrasive bass-line before verses with vocals and rapping with plenty of attitude are introduced. The pre-chorus of this track is definitely one of its standout portions. Here WayV amps up the dramatics - thanks to the group's godly vocals and the instrumental taking a break on the dark bassline in favour of strings and light percussion. The chorus initially starts with the repetition of the song's title "kick kick back", before launching into SM's signature vocally layered chorus structure. This second part of the back is extremely an extremely pleasant listen, and who doesn't appreciate a nice vocally driven chorus? Another standout portion of the song is its bridge, once again the group's vocal line is put on centre display and they serenade us with their passionate vocals. It feels like the song ends rather abruptly after building up so much energy, but we are met with one last instrumental break down as an ending. The lyrics actually make references to their previous tracks with the lines "there's no time or space to be lost" and "stop the rule of time", which builds upon the group's shared universe. Kick Back has quite a bit of diversity so there's definitely something for everyone! A personal recommendation are the Latin hip-hop track "Action Figure" and "Horizon" which features the group's vocal line Kun, Ten, and Xiaojun! We highly recommend that you stop and give WayV's new release a listen!





#3- HIKARU UTADA - ONE LAST KISS
Queen Hikaru Utada is back with the single "One Last Kiss" from her first EP of the same name. This track is the lead single for the movie 'Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time', which is the fourth and final movie of the franchise. Utada Hikaru released a single back in 2007 titled "Beautiful World" for the first movie of the franchise, which makes this rather meaningful. So after delays due to COVID-19, we finally get a chance to listen to this lovely and unique track! "One Last Kiss" is an atmospheric pop track, which takes on a more ambient and softer sound compared to her previous releases. The song's atmosphere is created by the light tapping of piano keys and percussion, making everything seem like it's spread out or sparse. Despite its quiet nature the song steadily builds up energy and slightly releases it in its catchy chorus. The song pushes the groovy bassline upfront just in time for the chorus, so when it's paired with the extremely catchy "o-o-o-o-h" we have a memorable and euphoric section. The lyrics are heartwrenching as she begs for "one last kiss" from a loved one, and repeatedly tells them that they're "unforgettable" and " I love you more than you’ll ever know". We could interpret these lyrics as being a send-off to the series itself, which would make this track even more agonizing for long-time fans of Evangelion. "One Last Kiss" serves as one last goodbye to this iconic franchise, and we will make sure to stream this release in its honour.





#4- BDC - MOON RIDER
The rookie trio BDC made their return with the groovy track "Moon Rider" from their second EP album The Intersection: Discovery. The last release from the group was five months ago with September's "Shoot the Moon", for this release they continue with their interstellar concept. A funky and savory bassline leads us into the song, and it serves as the foundation for the rest of the track. The verses are moody and subdued compared to the song's absolutely bombastic chorus. During the chorus, we are hit in the face with nothing but groove as the bassline fully kicks in and other retroelements are added. The first part of the chorus makes an impact with the line "we gon dive into the night", and in its second half falsetto is incorporated as a contrast to the catchy "moon rider" line. It all culminates into a chorus that's near perfection, and we can guarantee it'll be stuck in your head after just one listen! After the first chorus, they smoothly transition into a rap section which matches the pacing of the song nicely and makes for a pleasant listen. As for the album The Intersection: Discovery has three other tracks that greatly vary in genre from one another; so despite its length, it has plenty to offer. We would like to recommend the track "Chemical" which is a soft trap-pop song, it's a fun and enjoyable listen. Overall, this was a great comeback from the group and we will definitely be looking out for their next release!

BY NARA


#1- Brave Girls' 'Rollin' continued rising up the charts this week and landed #1 on Melon! Later in the week, it achieved a Perfect All Kill on the charts! Huge congrats to the group and hope this bop has longevity on the charts!

#2- Stray Kids' MV for 'God's Menu' has surpassed 200 million views! Congrats to the group!

#3-BLACKPINK continued to make charts news this week both for the group and for the solo debut! Rosé's first single album surpassed 400k pre-orders which is the highest number ever for a female soloist! Moreover, the group's MV for 'How You Like That' hit 800 million views on YouTube, and its corresponding dance practice video has surpassed 600 million views!

BY POLARIS_TAE

Here are all the awards that were added to the system this week! They are Event Specific awards related to our ongoing Card Captor Hallyu+ event. You can purchase them in our Shop+ and request them here!

Our Events Team was busy this week blessing us with the new Card Captor Hallyu+ event!

Stannie held 'Put Your Records On.' Where players were required to submit a song that they felt best matched the theme of each round. The game is still ongoing and a winner is yet to be announced.

The Events Team has a scavenger hunt in the form of the Daily Card Thread which will be running throughout the duration of the event. Users are required to solve complicated riddles giving us clues to the thread that a Sakura Card is hidden in order to receive great prizes!

Our GFX team blessed us with a new theme this week for our Card Captor Hallyu+ event. Have you been using this fantastic theme? If not, you can change themes here!

Shop+ fans, our team was busy again this week adding new and fantastic items to our virtual shelves! Make sure to purchase them when you can!

Our Shop+ also added a number of event-specific items to our shelves. These are obtainable by participating in our Daily Card Thread.

The Social media Team published one article this week!

Polaris_Tae gave us their thoughts on Cherry Bullet's "Cherry Rush".


+

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, Public Relations - Video & Outreach Divisions, Translations and SM Team - Proofreaders.



This brings us to the end of another In Case You Missed It. We'll see you at the same time next week for more great updates! Make sure to leave a comment if anything piqued your interest.





GFX BY @yerm
PROOFREAD BY @Polaris_Tae
FEATURED ARTISTS Yujeong (Brave Girls), Yangyang (Way V), Rose (BLACKPINK), Onew (SHINee), Nishino Nanase​

 

[kimsguardian]

thank you for the updates!

 

[UMJI MOODS]

Another fabulous update.
Many thanks.​

 

[MedicationHelps87]

As always we appreciate the time and effort put in to keep us informed and up to date. Thank you!
And Rose's on the ground was a personal highlight to me.

 

[ARandomFan]

 

[anh]

thanks for the updates!