Idol Fandoms 2020: K-pop idols

 Rounding out this series of posts with the K-pop idols that I follow. And when I say follow I mean I have actually taken the time to learn more about the groups (like learning the names of the members), pay attention for when they have a new release and watch non-music video videos of the group.

The oldest group that I still follow that is still technically together is 2PM. Of course currently the group is on hiatus as not all of the members have finished their mandatory military service but they will be all out next year. I look forward to the group's return then and am finding things to enjoy from the members' solo activities. I am completely in love with Jun. K's This is not a song, 1929 right now for example. But I do hope that by this time next year I will have some new 2PM songs to be just as in love with.

As someone that loves pop-rock you better believe I am a Dreamcatcher fan. I love their music and style, especially since I am a sucker for fantasy concepts. And their self-made MVs are a thing of dorky beauty that do so well to showcase the members' personalities that does not always shine through with their high budget official music videos.

I have had a soft spot for JYPE groups as some of the earliest K-pop groups I got into were from the agency, the already mentioned 2PM, Wonder Girls and Miss A. So I have always kept an eye out on the idols with the agency but no group really grabbed me until Itzy debuted. They are my go to group for songs that make me feel confident and they are just amazing performers to watch.

Last year I was trying to see if I could find more K-pop groups to get into and ended up coming across Tomorrow X Together and found myself enjoying their music. It was also nice to see a K-pop boy group going for a fresh and cute concept instead of the usual cool concepts most tend to go for. TXT just felt like a breath of fresh air. Since they are a young a rather new group I look forward to seeing them grow as their careers continue and hope more people find them as they are so talented already and their performances are really technical and impressive. 

Other than that I am on the fence with Treasure. I think I will have to see how much I enjoy future releases from them even though I have enjoyed what they have released so far. But their releases are pretty slim with only two singles that are only two tracks each. There are a few other groups that I just listen to their music and that is just it, but there is always potential for me to get more invested in them. Until then though they will remain off this list.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER's 1st minisode

TOMORROW X TOGETHER are set for a new release on November 6th, 2020. The release is a minisode, an episode to go between their Dream Chapter of releases that have come before and the next chapter that will come after to keep with their concept. 

The full name of the release is Minisode 1: Blue Hour and it will be released in three versions, R, AR and VR. Each version will come with a photobook, CD, paper sticker, lyric paper, behind book, and photo card. For pre-orders only there is also a poster and limited photo to be included.

The CD is listed as having five tracks, but there are no titles for the songs yet. 

I actually went and pre-ordered a copy of the Target exclusive edition for this release. I honestly cannot get over the fact that I am even able to purchase this through a major chain store like Target, as I am so used to having to import releases. I hope going forward the rest of TXT's releases are released like this, as my bank account will definitely be less empty if I do not have to pay overseas shipping fees.

NHK World's Songs of Tokyo line-up

The line-up of artists that will be performing on the NHK World Japan Songs of Tokyo 2020 program have been announced. The program will be hosted by Murakami Shingo from Kanjani8 with Horan Chiaki as co-host. 

NHK World Japan announcement with full list of performers.

NHK World Japan is an app available in iTunes and Google App stores globally. So the artists that have been selected are those that are thought to have global appeal, which makes the number of anime related guests no surprise. The acts I am looking forward to are BABYMETAL, Hyde, NEWS, Perfume and SixTONES. 

Though out of all the acts listed the only one I am surprised to see on the list is NEWS. I love the group and all, but I am not sure if they would be considered one of the Johnny's groups with a strong international fanbase. Especially with the lack of international promotion. Though perhaps this is the start of Johnny's promoting them internationally, which I would love. 

Of course I cannot help but amuse the thought that this is happening for NEWS after Tegoshi Yuya leaving and complaining about how Johnny's not pushing for a more international exposure was one of the reasons he wanted to leave. I doubt Johnny's is being that petty and is more looking at it as NEWS is going to have another restart after a membership change so it would be good time to do something new with them to go with that.

New Era's release date

The release date for SixTONES upcoming single, New Era, has been announced for November 11, 2020.  With this release it looks like we have a release pattern in what to expect to be how SixTONES' singles as like with their previous single, Navigator, this single will be released in the same manner of two limited editions and a regular edition.

New Era [CD+DVD / Limited Edition]

SixTONES

The first limited edition will have a CD with the title track and an exclusive B-side track to this edition. It will also have a DVD that will have the music video, making of footage for it and solo angles of the music video for all the group members.

New Era [CD+DVD / Limited Pressing]

SixTONES

The second limited edition is also a CD and DVD combo. CD has the title track, an exclusive B-side track and the TV size edited version of the title track. The DVD has another version of the music video for the title track. It will also be a limited run with the pressing of this version stopping January 2021.

New Era [Regular Edition]

SixTONES

The regular edition is just a CD with the title track, two exclusive B-side tracks and the instrumental version of the New Era. It will also have a 20 page booklet.

New Era [Bundled Set of 3 Editions]

SixTONES

All three versions have slipcase covers and come with clear files as first press bonuses.

It is nice to have a release date now and nicer still that the only information missing are the titles of the B-sides that will come with this release. I do hope that like with the previous single it is a mix of new songs and songs from their Junior era for the B-sides. 

Now that we have the release information hopefully next we can finally get to hear a preview of the title track.

Idol Fandoms 2020: NiziU

I have to confess I completely forgot to put this group on my previous post about J-pop idols I follow. And to make up for the oversight they are getting their own post. Because yes, I do consider NiziU to be a J-pop group as so far everything points to Japan being their original market they will be debuting in.

It was on a whim that I started to watch the Nizi Project on youtube as I tend to like JYP groups and I thought the idea of a J-pop group being created with a Korean idol company (in conjunction with Sony Music Japan) was interesting. The girls won me over as I watched the project and I definitely want to support them. Especially as I really enjoy the pre-debut songs they have released. 

I am also very interested in how their debut single will do, as the pre-release single seems to be forever in the top 10 on Japan's iTunes charts. Plus the fact they have performed on music programs in Japan not only can be a good sign that they have interest behind them but also helps promote them to those not familiar with them before. November still seems so long away so I hope it will be an early November release if plans do not change.

Sexy Zone Not Found

 Johnny's has announced that Sexy Zone will be releasing a new single on November 4th, 2020. The title of the single will be Not Found, which will be the title track as well. It will come in two limited editions and then a regular edition. In fact this single looks to follow the same pattern as their previous single.

Not Found [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type A]

Sexy Zone

The first limited edition comes with a CD and a DVD. The CD has the title track as well as an exclusive B-side song that has yet to be titled. The DVD has the music video for the title track as well as the making of footage, plus the dance shot version.

Not Found [w/ DVD, Limited Edition / Type B]

Sexy Zone

The second limited edition is another CD and DVD combo. The CD is two tracks, title track and an exclusive B-side song that also currently has no title like the rest of the B-sides. The DVD will have a special video which from what I can gather from the title is the group members having a barbecue together.

Not Found [Regular Edition]

Sexy Zone

The regular edition is just a CD but comes with two exclusive B-sides as well as the title track. 

I am so excited for this release. It will be great to see the full group once more. And considering the release date I feel certain the plan was to have Matsushima So perform something at the Yokohama Arena with the rest of the group if everything was going well with his return to a full idol schedule again. Of course all that is on hold for now with it being difficult to gauge what can be done with the pandemic still going on. But I can see them doing an online concert like other groups have and what could have been can probably be seen then.

Yet overall I am just happy that So is back and will be getting all three versions as my way to show support. 

Idol Fandoms 2020: Other J-pop

 Outside of Johnny's & Associates and Hello! Project I do not follow many J-pop idols. I am more invested with with non-idol J-pop acts outside of those but I am always open to checking out new artists so there are exceptions.

As of now the biggest exception is the idol group Chu-Z. I've been following them since the release of their first album in 2014. They have gone through a few member line up changes and are currently a nine member unit. Though the concept of the group of being able to switch between cute and cool still remains and is a part of why I continue to enjoy the group. I also love that the members have been overtime finding their own way to help contribute to the group, like Luna writing songs for them and Miku getting acting work that helps not only raise her profile but also of the group.

I am not sure if BABYMETAL really fits into the idol category anymore, but I will keep them here for now at least. Still love this group, but I am a sucker of rock, especially when it mixes in other genres so it almost feels like the group was made for me to love.

Other than that there are no other groups I can really say that I follow. Though I do enjoy the music of Wasuta, but have not delved any deeper than that for them. 

SixTONES' New Era

 It has been announced that SixTONES have an upcoming single with the title track called, New Era, which will be used as the opening of the upcoming anime series Yashahime" Princess Half-Demon. The single is being released in November, though the exact date has not been announced yet. There is no preview of the song yet, so it will most likely first be heard with the airing of the first episode of the series on October 3rd. 

Johnny's Net announcement

I was hoping that we would be getting one more single from SixTONES before the end of the year so I was glad to see the rumors about this were true. I hope like with Navigator the single has a mix of new and Junior songs as the B-sides for it. 

While I do not see anime tie-ins being some of the bigger tie-ins for a song seeing how people have reacted to this news has shown why Sony/Johnny's seems to be going this way for SixTONES. Internationally anime is one of the most well known and popular cultural products Japan has so it makes sense that a group Johnny's wants to have an international presence would use that as an advantage. It does not take a lot of searching to notice people bringing up the fact that V6 did the OP for Inuyasha so having SixTONES doing the OP for Yashahime seems fitting. So these theme songs are a good way to get the group noticed overseas at least. 

That said, Sony and Johnny's really need to at least get the single title tracks for SixTONES up on international streaming sites. While having the music videos on Youtube is great, music streaming plays too big of a role in people's listening habits to be ignored and could help with building the traction from these songs' tie-ins.

As a side note, one part of this that I find interesting is that it looks like this series has Sony Music Japan as the music label sponsor for this series, compared to Avex being the music label sponsor of the Inuyasha anime. As not only is SixTONES doing the OP theme another Sony artist, Uru, is doing the ED theme. Of course in the end it does not mean much outside of the fact that any artist that will be doing any possible future OP and ED themes will be Sony artists, so SixTONES will be the only possible Johnny's.

Idol Fandoms 2020: Hello! Project

Since two of the groups I was mainly following in Hello! Project, Country Girls and Kobushi Factory, has been disbanded I have not been following H!P much. 

Still enjoy Morning Musume and with my kamioshi, Oda Sakura, still with the group I still try to keep updated on what is going on with them. Though it is frustrating that the group releases so little music-wise. On the other hand is does make it easy to keep updated with them because of that. 

I want to get back into Angerme, as while Wada Ayaka was a big draw for me for the group there is no doubt there are current members of the group that are well worth paying attention to. Sasaki Rikako has really stood out to me recently and there are so many girls in the group that just so much potential.

And without Country Girls and Kobushi Factory to follow I find myself paying more attention to Juice=Juice as Inaba Manaka and Inoue Rei have filtered over to the group and I liked both of them in their original groups. Plus their music recently has been more in line with my tastes so it really works out.

As for now that is where I am going to tap out for H!P. Even with the few groups since I have so many other groups from other agencies that I also follow it feels like enough. Or would be if H!P gave any of their groups some kind of regular release schedule.

NEWS' Worldista Tour coming home

 The next release for NEWS will be the home video release of their WORLDISTA tour from 2019. The release will be on DVD and Blu Ray and in two versions for each, a limited edition and a regular edition. They will be released on October 21st, 2020.

NEWS Live Tour 2019 Worldista [DVD Bundled Set (Limited Edition + Regular Edition)]

NEWS

The limited edition comes with premium packaging, a 32-page booklet, VR goggles (to be used with a smartphone) and a VR movie ID. (The VR videos will only be able to be accessed from October 20th, 2020 to December 31st, 2020.)

NEWS Live Tour 2019 Worldista [Blu-ray Bundled Set (Limited Edition + Regular Edition)]

NEWS

The regular edition comes with six postcards and the same two DVDs as the limited edition which has the same video of the concert itself.

I am surprised that Johnny's would be releasing something that Tegoshi Yuya is in. So it makes me very curious on how much he is going to be featured in the release. With the regular edition coming with 6 postcards I have the feeling that those will only feature the three remaining members, such as each member getting featured on 2 of the postcards each. It also makes me curious to how the video for the concert was edited. But I guess that will be answered when this gets released next month.

And while the limited edition VR feature seems interesting the fact that there is only about a two month window to actually use it. And of course there is no assurance for overseas fans they will be able to access it. 

Plus side though is that the regular edition is easily the least expensive NEWS concert release in years. 

Either way it is safe to say this is bound to be the final release of NEWS as four members. I look forward to it as the new era for the group can truly begin after this. 

SixTONES on TrackONE

 One of the benefits for SixTONES fans now that the group is debuted is that we will finally be getting their concerts released to home video. So it should come as little surprise that the group's TrackONE -IMPACT- concert has been announced to be released October 14th, 2020.

TrackONE -IMPACT- [Bundled Set of 2 DVD Editions]

SixTONES

It is being released on both DVD and Bluray, and in two editions, a limited edition and a regular edition. Both have the concert footage on one disc then have a second disc with different footage. The limited edition has a documentary from their previous tour Rough xxxxxx and a 48 page booklet. The regular edition has clips from the Rough xxxxxx concert tour and a 8 page booklet. 

While it is exciting to be able to be able to purchase a concert DVD/BD for me it feels even more exciting to see the group cross another step in their post-debut career with this release. And considering they sadly will not be able to tour this year it is nice for fans to at least have a concert video to watch at least to help fill that void.

For me, I will definitely be picking up at least one of the versions of this release. I always like to get the first concert video release from a group, if just to be able to look back years later to see how things have changed.

New Mutants thoughts and opinions

Living out in not very populated areas can have its advantages and the one I took advantage of was that I could potentially go to the movie theater again without many people to be there with me to see New Mutants. I was proven correct as the showing I went to on Friday consisted of myself and four other people for a room that typically holds around 50 people. That said in the future I will try to aim to be the only person in a viewing so I can feel safer about sitting in a room in a public business for well over an hour.

All that aside, I enjoyed the movie, even though it is far from perfect. As an X-Men fan there was plenty to enjoy if I did not get too hung up on the movie being more in the spirit of the story it was based on and not a more direct adaption. Because there are some large departures from the source material with pretty mixed results.

Since it has been a couple of days since I watched the movie I do not feel right doing a review. I do want to just get my thoughts out though, thus this post. That said it does mean getting into spoilers so keep reading at your own risk.

Spoilers under the picture.

The movie feels like someone was given a written rundown of the characters and the comic book story line and then were left to interpret it however they saw fit. And I shy from calling it like fan fiction as some of the choices made with the movie does not feel like it comes from someone who would be a fan of the comics and/or comic book characters. Take for instance the decision to make Dani and Rahne lesbians and in love with each other, even though shipping for the characters in this movie would favor Illyana to be lesbian and Sam and Roberto being a gay couple. Not to mention some questionable casting choices.

I honestly did not even realize that Sunspot was in the movie, as I assumed it was another character from the X-franchise that they were using, until I saw a tweet bringing up that Roberto was being played by a light skinned Latino actor instead of a darker skinned one to reflect how he looks in the comics. And after seeing the movie there is really no good reason why the director could not have decided to have a darker skinned actor play the part. And the fact that the movie gives us a glimpse of Roberto's girlfriend from Brazil in a photo with him and she is darker skinned makes this casting decision more confusing.

Dr. Reyes is such a weird choice to even be in this movie as there is almost nothing about her comic counter part, Cecilia Reyes, that is reflected outside of the fact they are both doctors and their power set. In fact in the credits the character is listed as just Dr. Reyes,which seemed pretty spot on. Though her casting does give us a second time a dark skinned Latinx character in the movie is cast with a light skinned Latinx actor. Which is just not a good look at all.

Then there is the fact that some things just do not hold up if you take a moment to think about it. The biggest glaring example of this is Illyana and how in the world she is trapped there when she can teleport. At first the movie just shows her armored arm and soul sword, so one can assume that is the extent of her powers, but then it introduces limbo and the fact that Illyana can teleport herself there. It could possibly try to explain that she has to return to the place she disappeared from but later she can be seen teleporting to a different location. Why she does not just teleport through the force field keeping everyone on the grounds is never once given anything close to an explanation. And that is not even the only major thing about her that is not explained. In the movie she has a puppet Lockheed that she carries around then during the big battle at the end Lockheed becomes an actual dragon for a while before turning back into a puppet again. Not once is it explained or even really remarked/reacted to. It just happens. And if it is to be explained that it is a part of Illyana's magic powers it gets more puzzling as magic is never set up in the movie, let alone in the Fox X-Men movie universe.

The jump to Dani having no control over her powers to being able to gain complete control over them to save the day at the end came off as weak. It just feels like there is a step/scene missing to show that she even has the potential to gain that control before mastering it all. It is a pity there were no reshoots, as this could have been a quick fix that could have been done then.

That all said for the things I liked, Illyana just steals all the scenes she is in. I loved Sam, especially since he was never made into a stereotype. Loved the Dani/Rahne romance. It is just so sweet. Also loved that the movie looked to be the first step to introducing Mr. Sinister. Of course that introduction will not happen now, but it did a great job setting it up. Also loved the use of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer clips as a way to foreshadow plot points. It was nice short hand that helped keep things moving with everything the movie was trying to cover. Loved just seeing the teens just interacting together and bonding. I love stories about friendships.

Overall not a bad movie even with its flaws. Something I think most will be happy enough to just enjoy as a rental or on a streaming service.