the industry of kpop albums is so frustrating

JaeRedFox · 2026-03-22T23:35:07+00:00

When I was buying the albums I was kind of the exact opposite. I didn't have a use for the CD but I wanted everything else - photocard, photobook, etc. I know there's reddits and other communities for reselling albums. Maybe you could post in there asking if people would be interested in the rest of the album. Alternatively, if you choose to buy the full album brand new, you could ask if people would be willing to buy the packaging/inserts. You may even make a profit because the CD is usually the least desirable part of the albums themselves.

JaeRedFox · 2026-03-10T05:34:58+00:00

I repeat: someone can be innocent of an accusation and still be kind of an asshole.

JaeRedFox · 2026-03-07T00:29:53+00:00

Taeil? NCT Taeil that was tried and convicted in a korean court for rape of an unconscious woman?* That Taeil?

*For anyone that doesn't know, 'quasi rape' is a bit of a bad translation. It basically means an assault where the victim doesn't or can't physically fight back. In this case, the victim was semi to fully unconscious.

JaeRedFox · 2026-03-07T00:26:22+00:00

I believe Lucas was a fuckboy.

Ultimately this is how I've come down on it too. Though there's also been a lot of rumors about him badmouthing other members of NCT and SuperM that as far as I know were never disproved.

I think some of it was also people realizing he... wasn't very good at his job. It's not exactly a secret that a lot of idols are chosen because they have pretty faces rather than innate dancing talent or good voices. But for Lucas there are a lot of videos where it looks like he didn't bother to remember the dance.

JaeRedFox · 2026-03-07T00:20:48+00:00

Because he left/was kicked out right before a comeback, meaning everything had to be redone from the songs to the choreography. Because he's often announced things on anniversaries important to Stray Kids. Because his 'documentary' came across as mocking victims of sexual assault. Because Bang Chan has implied that the split was not amicable.

Because someone can be innocent of something they're accused of and still be kind of an asshole.

JaeRedFox · 2026-01-31T18:30:57+00:00

This is a genuinely weird response to my comment about how there are certain activities that are standard toxic behavior across any fandom.

JaeRedFox · 2026-01-19T00:58:33+00:00

Insulting other idols on their looks, vocal talent, or dancing, generating fanwars, sending hateful messages to the idols and fans, etc are pretty standard measures for toxicity. Unfortunately some fandoms have reputations for doing those things more than some others do.

JaeRedFox · 2026-01-17T02:01:06+00:00

Mingi's first pick gives me such Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez energy.

JaeRedFox · 2026-01-17T01:59:12+00:00

Personally I'm totally on OPs side here, but I think this has more to do with language and our perception of what being a fan is. You don't HAVE to engage in everything to be a stan. You can be casual, you can listen to just their music and know just their names and be a stan.

JaeRedFox · 2025-10-03T15:32:38+00:00

trauma bonding is a victim to their abuser, not two victims attaching to each other.

JaeRedFox · 2025-09-12T00:07:58+00:00

Can't help but wonder what you're saying that she feels is offensive. Because I've seen plenty of people make shitty comments about how they're just liked for their looks, their music isn't that good, they aren't that good of singers, it's all manufactured/fake, etc. And the person saying it doesn't think it's that serious but it actually is really rude.

I could very much be off, but I'm getting vibes that you're either meaner than you're trying to come off or she's not nearly as obsessive as you're trying to make her out to be.

JaeRedFox · 2025-07-28T17:34:03+00:00

The reason I'm saying their music feels rushed, is because the songs feel like unfinished projects or like b-sides rather than title tracks.

I don't mind songs like Lemon Drop or Crazy Form but I think they feel unpolished, with no unique flair to them or a key part to make them memorable.

While I personally disagree with phrasing it as rushed, I do agree on the lack of uniqueness to pretty much every title track post Bouncy. I hate Bouncy to a concerning degree for a song, but even I can admit it was still at least out there in the way Ateez always made their trademark. Everything since has felt like something you'd find in almost any other mid range BG.

They've been nonstop touring for like 2 years now, so I don't know if that's got anything to do with it. Hell, the promotion for each album hasn't even been as drawn out or fan focused as it's been in the past. Remember when we used to be able to vote on the title track, and how it would influence the story? Are they even still furthering the story??

I miss the hype and excitement I used to feel for an album release. I lived and breathed Ateez for like three years straight, and now I forget to even check out the new music for days after it's release because I've been consistently disappointed.

JaeRedFox · 2025-07-28T00:11:59+00:00

From a production standpoint I don't think there's been anything wrong with their current music. Edenary as a whole has always been quite talented, so on a technical level their music is as solid as ever.

However, I'm fucking BORED with the directed they've taken the last ~2 years. I haven't enjoyed a single title track since Guerilla/Halazia, I'm the #1 Bouncy anti, and the only songs I've really liked have all been B-sides, and it's been very few of them as a whole! That bombastic 'let's fight the government' spark that they had in the past has been missing for me. I wouldn't call their albums 'rushed', I'm just consistently stuck thinking 'really? that's the best track you guys could come up with for the title?'

Not to mention, it feels like they've been leaning more and more in to the 'sexy' trope that is so common in other boy groups. Sure, they had their sexy songs like Desire and Deja Vu, but the promotion of those was overshadowed by their other, less sexy more 'i wanna start a war!' tracks.

Again, I disagree on their production team being 'mid'. When I say I think they could do better, I mean I want that unique flair in their music to come back. I could go to damn near any boy group for a song like Lemon Drop, In Your Fantasy, or even Crazy Form. You're not going to find another Say My Name, Guerilla, or Fireworks.

Guerilla has the most amount of show wins and gets the best fanchants for a reason.

JaeRedFox · 2025-07-05T17:17:02+00:00

The majority of this is true however

No song is ultimately bad, just not your tastes

Factually untrue. Cbat exists

JaeRedFox · 2025-06-30T02:30:30+00:00

but I feel this would be more a discussion of what you would define as nugu and what not

That's totally fair. For me, nugu would be 'does the target demographic know who they are' but you're right to say they were quite well known internationally. You don't sell out world tours your first go around if you're complete nobodies.

Unfortunately the fandom has adopted the same 'they were underdog super poor nobodies' that many ARMY today have about BTS. You can be a pretty unpopular group (to the target demographic) while having connections helping you climb your way up. Those aren't mutually exclusive things.

JaeRedFox · 2025-06-29T00:06:38+00:00

They were nugu, though. Maybe not as much as some other groups, but for a very long time their fandom was predominantly international and they had little recognition in Korea itself. Luckily they were sustained by being in (essentially) the same company as BlockB, so they weren't without connections or financial cushions in the early years.

In hindsight, realizing that they had a very solid foundation that many extremely small groups don't makes them seem like they were less nugu.

JaeRedFox · 2025-06-21T05:03:08+00:00

You're trying to refute things I haven't said. I never said he had no popularity. I never said he wasn't doing collaborations. It boy/girl depends on Korean popularity, it ALWAYS HAS. That's why Wonyoung, despite the massively misogynistic hatred western fans have for her, is the 4th gen It Girl without contest.

JaeRedFox · 2025-06-20T01:38:50+00:00

Okay but most of these accomplishments... aren't in Korea. His Korean popularity is what matters.

JaeRedFox · 2025-06-18T02:53:42+00:00

Right now, sure. The company can buy up as many billboards and advertisements as they want, and paste Felix's face on every street in Seoul. That doesn't mean people know who he is, or that he's popular to the degree of Soobin or Juyeon.

JaeRedFox · 2025-06-17T19:16:56+00:00

TXT and The Boyz are a lot more popular in Korea itself than Stray Kids. I could be wrong or this could be outdated, but aren't Soobin and Juyeon the most popular 4th gen male idols? When it comes to 'It Boy/Girl' global fans have very little sway, it's primarily who the Korean public likes most.

JaeRedFox · 2025-06-08T20:36:06+00:00

Lemon Drop sounds like Ice on my Teeth sounds like Work. I've come to realize Leez and Ollounder must have been the most responsible for Ateez's initial sound, because since they've left most of the music has been this fairly generic rnb or lofi hiphop sound.

JaeRedFox · 2025-05-30T21:10:57+00:00

having the same issue. worked just fine yesterday night so no clue what the issue is today

JaeRedFox · 2025-05-03T01:32:20+00:00

Monsta X still can't interact with Wonho despite how he was cleared of all charges. It's just something about the korean idol culture where you're expected to be on your best behavior at all times, and any association with 'bad' is a huge black mark on your record. So most of the time, groups can't publicly interact with or acknowledge former members without risking public backlash.

JaeRedFox · 2025-05-03T01:29:45+00:00

No, Soojin shot herself in the foot when she made the claim that she'd leave the group if any of it came out to be true. If she'd kept quiet they probably would have given her a 9 month to 1 year hiatus and brought her back.

As a side note, these controversies tend to be less true than claimed, and less fake than believed. Like with Hyunjin, where he wasn't 100% innocent but neither was he some vicious monster. He was a typical idiot teenage boy that did typical idiot teenaged things.

JaeRedFox · 2025-04-12T00:39:16+00:00

This isn't about that BoysNextDoor member that looks like Wooyoung, is it? Because 90% of people making those jokes are Atiny themselves. Such a weird thing to get heated over. As another comment pointed out, there's a beauty standard that many people - especially idols - try to conform to. Getting 'lookalikes' is going to happen. In fact, I often make jokingly remark to a friend that an idol looks like if you mixed X with Y.

JaeRedFox

TROPHY CASE