Author: Rahul M

The Korean Business Research Institute has revealed this month’s brand reputation rankings for dramas! The rankings were determined through an analysis of the consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, community awareness, and viewership indexes of 20 popular dramas, using big data collected from October 11 to November 11. “Typhoon Family” topped this month’s list with a brand reputation index of 6,128,421. High-ranking phrases in the drama’s keyword analysis included “Lee Junho,” “heart-pounding romance,” and “Kim Min Ha,” while its highest-ranking related terms included “relate,” “good review,” and “overcome.” The show’s positivity-negativity analysis also revealed a score of 91.56 percent positive reactions.…

tvN’s upcoming drama “Pro Bono” has unveiled new stills of Lee Yoo Young in character! “Pro Bono” is a chaotic courtroom drama about a materialistic judge obsessed with success who unexpectedly becomes a public interest lawyer. Lee Yoo Young plays Oh Jung In, the newly appointed CEO of top law firm Oh & Partners. Having earned her position after a lifetime of grueling tests under her father—the firm’s founder, who was once called the king of the legal world—she holds a deep attachment to and strong sense of ownership over the firm. Immediately after becoming the new CEO, Oh Jung…

Ha Jung Woo’s upcoming film “The People Upstairs” has released new stills! Directed by Ha Jung Woo, “The People Upstairs” tells the unpredictable events that unfold when a couple living upstairs (Ha Jung Woo and Lee Ha Nee) and a couple living downstairs (Kong Hyo Jin and Kim Dong Wook) sit down for an awkward dinner after a series of nightly noise disputes between floors. The stills show neighbors Mr. Kim (Ha Jung Woo) and Jung Ah (Kong Hyo Jin) sharing a kiss while Jung Ah’s husband, Hyun Soo (Kim Dong Wook), looks on in shock. Meanwhile, Mr. Kim’s wife,…

It’s that time of year again! While December is filled with year-end countdowns, I like to take a look back at some of K-pop’s biggest agencies during November. Before reading (especially if you’re new to the blog), it’s helpful to know that my grading focuses most heavily on music releases and how comebacks are managed and delivered to fans. Scandals and non-musical factors can certainly impact an agency’s grade, but the biggest criteria will always be the music itself. Following SM Entertainment‘s analysis, it’s time to dive into HYBE Corporation. As usual, the thoughts below are my own and aren’t privy to…

SBS’s upcoming drama “Dynamite Kiss” has unveiled new stills of Lee Seo Jin and KIm Kwang Kyu’s special appearances! “Dynamite Kiss” is a romantic comedy that follows the story of Go Da Rim (Ahn Eun Jin), a single woman who disguises herself as a married mother to land a job, and Gong Ji Hyuk (Jang Ki Yong), her team leader who falls for her. While filming the drama on Jeju Island, Jang Ki Yong and Ahn Eun Jin appeared on Lee Seo Jin and Kim Kwang Kyu’s variety show “My Grumpy Secretary,” where Lee Seo Jin and Kim Kwang Kyu…

When last we heard from Xodiac, it was in the form of four-member sub-unit UNIT-X early this summer. I had to look up this review because I couldn’t remember the song at all, and that’s probably because it was a cover of an old SS501 track. Now, the group is back as a whole with new single Alibi. They’ve gone from sweet to suffering with this one, draped in chains and singing over a lurching beat with orchestral traces adding a sense of muted drama. I’ll never say “no” to a dramatic boy group track, but no matter the arrangement…

Rookie group Close Your Eyes completely reinvented their sound with last month’s pre-release SOB. While I initially balked at the cringe lyrics and heavy vocal effects, that song eventually won me over through the sheer force of its dance beat. However, I still enjoy the guys best on smooth, vocal-focused tracks like their killer debut All My Poetry. Thankfully, new title track X brings them closer to this sound. X splits the difference between Poetry‘s mid-00s r&b flavor during its chorus and more rhythmic, hip-hop phrasing during its verses. Close Your Eyes’s sweet spot is definitely the former, as this…

Years the Unpretty Rapstar: Hip Pop Princess Contestants Were BornUnpretty Rapstar: Hip Pop Princess (언프리티 랩스타 : 힙팝 프린세스; or simply Hip Pop Princess) is an ongoing South Korean-Japanese survival show created by Mnet. Consisting of 40 contestants, 20 from South Korea and 20 from Japan, the show’s aim is to create a new hip-hop girl group. Below is a list of the known birth years of all 40 Hip Pop Princess contestants.☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆2004Koko – September 22005Yoon Sooin – July 21Hanabi – August 25Yoon Chaeeun – December 102006Hina – May 29Han Heeyeon – June 102007Miyabi – May 3Yun Seoyoung – May…

The upcoming film “Concrete Market” has dropped its intense main trailer! Set in the aftermath of a massive earthquake, “Concrete Market” takes place in the only apartment complex left standing, where a marketplace called “Hwanggung Market” emerges. As survivors begin trading goods in their own ways to stay alive, an unpredictable power struggle unfolds within the isolated community. The newly released trailer spotlights the film’s unique premise: a post-quake world where canned food replaces money as currency. Within Hwanggung Market, Tae Jin (Hong Kyung) works under Park Sang Yong (Jung Man Sik), the powerful figure who controls the market. But…

AHOF has won their first music show trophy for their new title track “Pinocchio”! On the November 11 episode of “The Show,” the candidates for first place were AHOF’s “Pinocchio,” ARrC’s “SKIID,” and xikers’ “SUPERPOWER (Peak).” AHOF ultimately took the win with a total of 9,610 points. Congratulations to AHOF! Watch their win and encore below: Performers on today’s show included AHOF, ARrC, xikers, TEMPEST, Jang Haneum, 82MAJOR, DKZ, XODIAC, Gyubin, XLOV, RESCENE, AM8IC, NEWBEAT, moker, and LesliE. Check out their performances below! AHOF – “Pinocchio” ARrC – “WoW (“Way of Winning” (feat. Moon Sua and Siyoon))” and “SKIID” xikers…