I’ve written at length about survival series, along with my distaste for them and the culture they foster. Learning that Road to Kingdom would feature eliminations was a gut punch. That constant threat of danger is meant to make the series more thrilling, but all it does is frustrate.
It’s absolutely cruel that these groups who need a spotlight won’t necessarily get to see the entire series to its conclusion. And it makes the show less enjoyable to watch. If you come into it supporting a certain group (like I do), it’s hard to enjoy the other acts because they just feel like competition – despite the fact that I love all the groups on the show, and have for some time. It’s a disservice to everyone. Even if you don’t have a horse in the race, the constant ranking pits these groups together when the real spirit should be one of collaboration. After all, those were the moments that made Queendom so enjoyable. Fans and viewers have been vocal about this.
Anyway, this is all to say that I thought the ranking this week was absolutely ridiculous. Honestly, it pissed me off, and pretty much ruined the whole episode. I get that taste is completely subjective, and that others are likely irritated or excited with the results for different reasons. But strictly on a performance quality standard, I couldn’t believe the results.
REMAINING ROUND ONE PERFORMANCES
Pentagon – Very Good (original by Block B)
Truthfully, this left me a little cold. I mean, it was solid and had a lot of energy, but I kept waiting to be surprised. Very Good is a really hard song to cover because Block B have such a distinctive personality, and I think it would have been better to totally transform it rather than just add jolts of intensity. I was shocked that it ended up ranking so high.
The Boyz – Danger (original by Taemin)
I’m in two minds about this performance. I mean, they get my instant praise for picking Danger – truly an underrated jam. It’s a good fit for The Boyz, and they did a great job. Obviously, from a technical level this was stunning. Lots of stunts, and they were all pulled off with flair. But, the performance as a whole didn’t quite hit me in the way that my two favorites did. I fully admit that some of this might be down to bias. The Boyz have been the series’ anointed ones since before Road to Kingdom even aired, and I always find myself naturally rooting for the underdogs.
Stacked against last week’s performances, my ranking for the first round would have been:
7. Pentagon
6. VERIVERY
5. ONEUS
4. ONF
3. The Boyz
2. TOO
1. Golden Child
The actual ranking was… not that.
ROUND TWO
This time we get a “reinterpret your own song” mandate, which is probably my least favorite kind of round because I’d rather see these groups perform material they’ve never attempted before. Oddly enough, we only got to see one stage on this episode. I would have preferred that MNET pad the last twenty minutes with fun (this is supposed to be fun, right?) behind the scenes material and kept all the performances to a single airing. But, what are you gonna do?
Pentagon – Shine / Spring Snow
Another Pentagon performance this episode? Well, this was a lot better than their first one, mostly because they did two of their best songs. The luggage choreo was clever and I liked the arrangement of Shine. However, I’ve got strong feelings about the enlistment concept. As touching and nice as it was, I don’t think this was the place for it. It kinda seems like cheating within the context of a competition? I mean, none of the other groups could have had that same emotional trump card, and that’s not really under their control. But then again, that’s why this shouldn’t have been a damn eliminations-based competition in the first place. I’m sure MNET was rubbing their hands with glee at all the added drama.
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Pentagon’s emotional half of the performance made me cringe, it was too forced. If it was natural crying it would have been fine, but it really dug into my skin the way they forced out a cry. It’s not like he is dying or something, so it was too much for my taste. The beginning half was nice and brought some freshness to the competition though.
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It really hurts to read that it seemed like their crying was “forced” to you. If you look at the individual fancams, you can tell hui was trying to hold it in even during the shine part of their performance, and just finally broke down during spring snow. The reason why they were crying so hard is because their leader (Hui) depended on Jinho so much since debut, and to see him enlist (in the middle of the actual show) was too much. (Also this is their last proper performance as ot8 for a very long time). Both the songs included in the performance also mean so much to the boys, shine representing both their most happy and dark times (when dawn left), and spring snow representing them looking towards the future with hope. I can see how it might be too much for your taste since you’re not a fan, but I just wanted to explain why they reacted that way.
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Charlotte I agree 100%
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I know they went through many hardships I’m watching them since Pentagon maker but I agree that seeing how other bands reacts on enlisting their emotional reaction is quite new. I’m not saying it’s wrong or forced or whatever but it’s really something new. I never saw a band bonded this much to each other. But I have to say they played it out as a card even if it were for the fans or for themselves, they used it well. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to make a sad moment useful, they are surely sad I would be as well. They did that for their band’s future and they did well.
Still it was a strong card to play out and other bands couldn’t pull it out.
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I think the hardest part for me is that all the performances on this show are VERY good and it’s so incredibly hard for me to rank. I think every performance this round was incredibly well conceptualized/story-lined, performed, sang, whereas on Queendom there was a clear gap (like it was easier to choose) each round on who performed better or worse. So many times when making my own ranking it just came down to nit-picky things just to get a ranking out but objectively speaking they’re all well put together.
I think the boyz (i wanna say they were so creative in the storytelling & had the most crazy stunts) & golden child ( it was so beautiful! And they realized that tough =/= impactful) are my favorites though
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Totally agree. Tbh I feel like most of them are too close to be ranked objectively, thus leaving a lot of frustration when other’s tastes don’t matchs ours.
For ex. Golden Child’s perf is the one that I liked the least (I wasn’t touched by the dance and got annoyed by the pace), but it feels bad putting them least as the performance was very polished.
Anyway great performances, let’s not mind of the rankings and eliminations (even if they hurt) and focus on the positive
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And here comes what you said, I was so sure I’m high favore for The boyz but Golcha’s performance turned me towards them and rooting for them ever since. But you are right that it is hard to rank them evenly because many of the groups not used much items like Too and yet they put me in awe with their Rising sun choreo and rearrangement.
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I think our rankings are pretty opposite. haha Including all seven, mine would be:
1. VERIVERY – Mansae
Was never as strongly attached to the original as most people. I enjoyed the playfulness of it that highlighted the group’s talents.
2. TOO – Rising Sun
Great song already, so hard to mess that up. The dancing and everything was on point, although I felt like the track was missing the rawness of the vocals from the original.
3. ONF – Everybody
Not quite on the level of the original, but I do like the energy of the performance. Not quite into the makeup though.
4. The Boyz – Danger
Great performance that utilises all the members. The chorus is also really great and it was great hearing them actually showcase their vocals a bit more.
5. Pentagon – Very Good
I enjoyed the performance and I liked that they could bring their fun personalities. Some parts were a bit fuzzy though.
6. ONEUS – Warrior’s Descendant
Not one of my favourite H.O.T. tracks. It wasn’t bad, but I felt it was a weird song to blend the concept with.
7. Golden Child – T.O.P
I like the group and I like the original song, but I actually didn’t like the remix at all. The performance was really cool and interesting, but I never felt it built into anything. I think it has to do with the melody not quite reaching the same intensity as the music.
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Final rankings:
1. The Boyz (It’s just full of excellent tricks that adds onto each other)
2. Golden Child (Why, yes. I ended up replaying this one more.)
3. Oneus
4. TOO
5. ONF
6. Pentagon (In the end, the added hui’s samples kinda buried the guitar behind it which is a bummer.)
7. Verivery
And lol, you could tell mnet couldn’t wait to air the tearful performance. I get the feeling tho, pentagon aren’t that stable as a group right now and, they very well could get disbanded by the time each of the members finished their enlistment. This is gonna be their last full group performances for a while.
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Seems like Woollim groups are just destined to have their dues underpaid.
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You’d think I’d be used to it by now, right? Nope. Stings every time.
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I’ve been lurking on this blog for a long time, but I’ve never felt like I had anything I wanted to add to the conversation until now.
Pentagon is my ult group, so while it hurts to see some negative reactions to their Shine + Spring Snow performance, I think you hit the nail on the head by bringing up Mnet. I teared up a little (maybe even a lot) when watching their stage, but at the end of it all, I had a bad taste in my mouth. I realized later this was because I was worried people would see it as a sympathy grab to help give them more votes. If Road to Kingdom didn’t have eliminations, I doubt as many people would be talking like this.
That being said, I’m not sure I would call this “concept” a trump card. The fact that most people preferred the first half of the mashup makes it clear how easily appealing to emotion can backfire. One of Pentagon’s members even mentioned during the episode that their performance this round might not be as competitive as it could have been. That made me pretty frustrated with Road to Kingdom. This was Jinho’s goodbye stage, after all, and I wish Pentagon could have sent him off without the threat of elimination looming over their heads. But, like you said, putting something like this in the context of competition does seem a little inappropriate. I’m choosing to blame reality TV on this one, however.
… Anyway, it’s a bummer that you didn’t care much for Pentagon’s first round performance, but I can see where you’re coming from. Even with my own biases in place, they were pretty middle of the road for me (I preferred ONF, TBZ, and possibly TOO’s performances to theirs). I just really hope they can gain more momentum and continue on to the end. I’d love to see them in Kingdom, but I think a lot of groups deserve it just as much!
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I’ve never really been that big of a Pentagon fan. I think their music is really solid and they have great members. I enjoyed almost all their title tracks and have seen their b-side performances on those weekly shows. Spring Snow was always a highlight in their discography to me and personally it felt like the song that represented them the best, especially with a choreography that was reminiscent of their career. When I discovered that this would be their final performance with Jinho I was hoping they wouldn’t just do an average but hard-hitting performance. They started fairly strong with Shine, and I thought the suitcases were a nice touch, but it was nothing amazing. After the minute mark I was fully invested, but I also wanted them to perform Spring Snow just one last time.
And then it happened. And it was the better than anything I could have imagined. It hit all the right notes but it hurt even more because Yanan and E’dawn couldn’t be there. It was the perfect farewell and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry a little.
Throughout the performance I just forgot what the term ‘elimination’ was, I just saw eight boys pouring their heart and souls out one last time.
But honestly, realizing this was a reality show, it doesn’t seem to fit. And it isn’t appropriate as Aitimbre said, but I’ll allow it because it’s hard enough to lose a member and even harder in the middle of a reality show.
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A great recap. I was rooting so hard for Golden Child, was really frustrated to see them rank so low. I thought their performance was gorgeous, especially considering that everyone’s trying to be over-the-top tough these days.
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You nailed it. I think the reason this show is making me so upset, beyond what I mentioned in the recap, is that it feels like a microcosm of my current frustrations with K-pop as a whole. Dark, tough guy (insert trap breakdown here) concepts get rewarded even when they all blend together, while something different, with greater focus on vocals and overall continuity, gets shafted.
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It seems the industry haven’t figured out this is the reason people stream their music but don’t listen to them, and decides to double down on its “there can only be 1 king who takes it all” mindset
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I haven’t watched the whole show except for these clips here and on other kpop sites. Do they do the other contestant’s reaction shots in the dressing rooms? I believe that was the most astonishing for the viewers on Queendom, how supportive the groups were of each other.
If there is a clear winner in Kingdom, it is the stage in the round with the fantastic camera work. (Stage in the long?) That aspect is so well produced that the groups’ choreographers and directors get a huge sand box to play with. It must take hours to rehearse with the camera. One take with multiple cameras? or are they deluding us and it is multiple takes knitted together because something on the technical side went awry? Is there a live reaction in the dressing rooms possible? Who knows. I think that super amped up production values mean that it is harder to tell who was objectively a better performed, more creative stage. In Queendom it was a little more obvious.
I liked both of the first round stages this week. I also love both original songs too.
I have no idea how to rank them all. I’ll just pass on that.
The Pentagon Shine/Spring snow stage was wildly uneven. I enjoyed the Shine part, suitcases, clever. I didn’t know how Ennio Morricone fit in. The crying part I could do without. And then it was happy clappy for the final minute.
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Why yes, they still have the reaction shots. It’s an mnet survival show staple.
And you hits the nail in the head with the sandbox comparison. You might think this show would be relatively cheaper considering it’s not the main one but, they actually made a final stage level of set pieces. The added quarantine aspects leads to them making a unique viewpoints through camera too that probably won’t fly with live audiences.
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Yes that’s a fair point with the camera. As much as I saw from fancams they are working with a close moving cameraman mostly and they had to choreograph him in. It’s actually harder for the boys since they have to make a 360 degree choreography but it’s harder for us well to decide who was actually better yes.
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What happened to Pentagon ? Sad to see their recent performances have becoming rather insufferable. Hui’s incessant ad-libs are plain annoying.
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I was so upset I ordered Golcha’s physical album, fanship and lightstick (but it was sold out), normally I just buy digital…
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Good for you! They need all the support they can get 🙂
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Oof, that Pentagon performance was tough to watch. There was an immediate emotional sucker-punch when I realized what was happening, but then… I don’t know, it just didn’t feel like the place for histrionics. It’s probably mostly the elimination format that made it seem so cloying, but the emotional ups and downs felt so ham-fisted, I couldn’t wait for it to end. Those songs deserved better.
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I suppose I’m somewhat biased in favor of Pentagon since I’ve been a stan almost since debut, but I can’t really blame them for doing this stage. I do agree it’s the wrong time/place, but a final performance is a one-time-only event, so this was their only opportunity to make it special.
That said, I think they’re hugely underperforming on this show, none of their stages have impressed me. I expected Very Good to be a lot better than it was – I think they took it too serious and as a result, much of the fun was drained out of the song. In the end, it was only Very Okay.
My top 3 was 1. The Boyz, 2. TOO, 3. Golden Child. I don’t understand how Golcha ranked so low – it was one of the most creative stages and wasn’t overly reliant on backup dancers like ONEUS and ONF.
By the way, super unpopular opinion, but ONF ruined Everybody lol idk how they managed to make an already noisy song even noisier. The shirt ripping was too hamfisted too imo.
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As much as I like the Pentagons as people and feel their dire need, I’m almost against them in this show (an annoying side-effect of the elimination format, I know.) Pentagon have been showing the weakest performances in both the preliminary and 1st round, even though they’re doing the dark moody and macho strength concept. The vaunted re-arrangement of Very Good that fans are gushing about was actually quite cacophonous and unpleasant, and they didn’t have much in the way of choreography either.
I feel like they’re getting an unfair advantage here by dint of seniority and now, probably, by pity (although that one can go either way.) I don’t know what the Korean public will think, but the other contestants seemed completely caught up in the mood and are all surely going to rank Pentagon high again.
The thing is, I don’t really see a satisfying voting system either; except for judges, perhaps. Public votes will go to the ones with the largest fandoms; the contestant’s votes will go to Pentagon sunbaenim.
I was actually quite surprised, though, since I was expecting everyone to throw TOO under the bus at the first chance, but I guess the performance was undeniably strong. So ONEUS seem to be getting the short end of the stick. (I’m surprised by their under-performance though. I’d have thought they’d be a strong contestant; certainly stronger than TOO or Verivery.)
If I may do a bit of forecasting, I think TOO’s luck is probably going down again next episode, since neither the public nor the contestants seem impressed by Magnolia, which they’ll sing again, while ONEUS might rebound with Lit.
As much as it feels frustrating to know they’re the sure winners (I’m just expecting someone else to win the finals so we can get two teams on Kingdom), I think The Boyz are doing a great job and deserving their spots. Instead of just doing dark and tough (like ONF, which I’m finding rather insufferable) they’re going for sleek performances.
And I know this is called The Bias List for a reason, but I’m seeing a hard confluence of biases in your putting Golcha in first place. Their performance was solid, and so deserves a solid 3rd place instead of that measly 5th, but the song didn’t allow for much vocal showcasing like Rising Sun nor did it have a choreo to make justice to Golcha’s skills, like TBZ’s Danger. Credit where credit’s due though, their arrangement of the song was probably the most organic and pleasant of the lot.
So, overall, my ranking would be:
1. The Boyz
2. TOO (although their rendition was slightly too soft for me. Except for the high note, which is probably better than even Changmin’s original, IMO.)
3. Golden Child
4. ONF
5. Pentagon
6. ONEUS
7. VERIVERY *sigh, but I gotta be objective. *
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Okay, I actually thought no one would feel the same with me about the ‘Very Good’ performance. For me, the energy felt very… choppy? Like it would build and break off. For instance, when the dance break in the middle started I didn’t think the beat was very strong and it sort of killed the energy a lot. I had high hopes for it so I was disappointed by the final result. “Pentagon is performing my favourite Block B song and the teaser looks great, so I’m considering it my 2nd favourite performance before they even perform!” I told my younger sister. I watched it and surprisingly felt indifferent (to be fair I just learnt that Golcha were 5th place, so I might have been bitter) but I kept feeling that way even after I watched it again in a better mood.
VeriVery’s cover confused the hell out of me. Like what part of ‘Mansae’ even screams ‘NAVY!’ to you? If it was Boom Boom/Hit it may have worked.
I’m constantly switching TOO and Golcha’s positions as 2nd and 1st respectively, but I’m starting to like TOO’s more than Golcha’s because I’m still a sucker for high energy. I think Golcha will do better for My Song as they appear to be more unique this time. Besides, Joochan’s bringing out his violin which means this must be a big deal.
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Every performance was at least good in my eyes if not great. In my mind you could argue very nearly every stage as first place and I wouldn’t fight you on that. That being said I still completely hated the rating. Here is mine:
1) ONF (I wasn’t familiar with ONF before, but boy do I want to be now. They blew me away, from the Vixx style/Mama intro, to the arrangement, to the vocals, I was enamored by the entire stage. I also loved the throne and king imagery at the end, it was simple, but it hit me hard. I have rewatched this stage over ten times now and have only grown to appreciate it more. I sincerely hope ONF makes it to the end, the world needs to know of their talent.)
2) Oneus (Ok I’m not going to lie I am extremely biased when it comes to Oneus and I love them dearly. I tried my best to be more objective but no matter how I think about it I have to put them here. This was easily one of the most detailed stages I’ve ever seen. Everything from the line distribution to the subtlest move served a purpose that only served to enhance the stages overall storyline. I mean did you see Seoho playing dead after that amazing fight scene choreo, probably not. Sadly, that’s one of the things that I think hurt this stage the most, there is just so much you would miss if you only watched it once. It even took me about five views to realize the graffiti was in English and I could read it. I also loved the rapping throughout the whole stage, and I am heavily biased towards vocals. I loved every second and I am so proud of what they accomplished here. Even though I am biased I will never consider Oneus being ranked last as anything other than downright criminal.)
3/4) Golcha and Too (I seriously cannot rank these two against each other. Both were about equally astounding in my eyes but for different reasons. I think I prefer Too’s overall staging, but I think Golcha had the stronger concept. Even if I didn’t love their debut I will definitely be looking forward to Too’s future works, and Golcha already had me hooked a few months back. I am on the verge of becoming a goldness and the underappreciation of Golcha on this show has only brought me that much closer.)
5) The Boyz (For me this stage belongs here. I loved the fact that they covered a soloist’s song and that “Stairs” stunt was absolutely ridiculous. However, this stage just didn’t quite wow me as much the four above it.)
6/7) Pentagon/ Verivery (These two stages were definitely my bottom two but as with Too and Golcha I’m not really sure which one I preferred. Verivery did a really good job but something about their overall concept just felt a bit odd as if it didn’t quite mesh the way they wanted it too. Pentagon was also very good (no pun intended) but to me it lacked they creativity of the others. It didn’t really bring anything to the song that felt new to me. Regardless of my personal placement these two have still left a strong impression in my mind.)
Overall, the creativity of each of these seven stages wowed me through and through and I sincerely hope each group can hold onto this level of ambition in future comebacks. I have loved getting to see all the groups I already loved and learn about wonderfully talented new groups; but damn mnet for being eternally stupid and bringing pain into something that could of been so beautiful if left alone. I shall continue to watch but I truly dread the upcoming eliminations.
P.S- As a kpop fan with no kpop lovin friends I love this blog and I’ve loved it for a while. So, thank you for that. This is my first comment and it was a long one. Road to kingdom was the thing that finally pushed me over the edge. It left me with far too much in my own head to keep quite anymore.
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Welcome! It makes me so happy when a longtime reader makes their first post. You’re always welcome to leave your thoughts, whether they be positive or critical. And, I know how you feel. I wasn’t originally planning to write this recap until the morning after watching RTK, but I ended up pounding it out right after the episode ended. I needed to vent frustration, and this can be a great place to do it!
On Golden Child:
Us Goldenness are here with open arms! I’m not one to be super engaged with fan groups, but from what I’ve experienced, this is a lovely, positive and self-deprecating fandom.
Besides their music, which I absolutely love, the thing that will truly convert you into a fan is variety. I’m particularly attracted to idol groups who make me laugh — especially if it’s in an awkward or dorky way. Golcha are my number one variety idols of this new generation. They’re just so funny and good-natured. Plus, they’ve got a web sitcom and a mini youtube movie. What’s not to love?
This site is an incredibly organized place to find everything you could possibly need: https://golchaindex.com/
I’ve been watching their variety since pre-debut, but I’m not sure that would be the best place for a newer fan to start. Maybe Golcha TV or Ring It? Or Ch.Golcha if you’re looking for something more bite-size. I think this episode of Weekly Idol also got a lot of people to notice them:
This is also a good summary video for new fans:
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As an avid fan of Very Good, I wasn’t feeling the performance. The fact that Block B have such distinctive personalities is probably the best way to explain that. I think it would have been better for them to add their own spin on it instead of trying to copy Block B’s feel (or whatever they interpreted Block B’s feel to be…).
Re: Enlistment – I’ve never been to South Korea and I don’t know how friends and family handle enlistments there but this shouldn’t have been in the show, period. Of course, considering that this is Mnet, there’s no prizes for guessing why that was added.
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wow bless this post, we pretty much have the exact same ranking! i was beginning to think i was the odd one out with how much people were praising ONF and PTG. i also share your thoughts on PTG’s second stage. i understand that it was jinho’s last stage and that he totally deserved this dramatic send-off, but i can’t shake the thought that people might vote for them out of emotions rather than an objective evaluation of the stage. but then again, this competition was never objective to begin with…
7. VERIVERY: i felt like this stage suffered from… randomness. i don’t understand why they went for a nautical concept, so there was no underlying thread tying the stage together. there was also a lack of surprising/unique elements and i felt like i just wasn’t particularly impressed by anything i saw/heard. fans peg their ranking to their “bright concept” but imo the stage was just underwhelming and didn’t leave an impression.
6. PENTAGON: i don’t get what the hype was about because the arrangement didn’t sound too different from the original, just noisier (which isn’t a good thing). it was a lot of noise, with not much buildup or variation, so i got tired of watching pretty fast. also, i’m not fond of the abs card at all… sure they can use it, but showing abs just for the sake of it is a turn-off for me. even disregarding that, the stage just felt like a more expensive performance of the original song. i don’t feel like they remade it into theirs or anything, or particularly showcased their own abilities with it. i’m sure they have more to show us with their talents, but i’m not seeing it yet.
5. ONF: i don’t get the cultish intro to their stage. is Everybody a song about cults? i wasn’t fond of the arrangement either… just because the song sounds different from the original, that doesn’t make it better. it just felt like different songs put together into a single song that i don’t want to listen to again. besides that, it was a solid stage with a good dance, just not particularly memorable or pleasant.
4. ONEUS: this group suffered from an over-reliance on their backup dancers. i was impressed by the backflips at first, but after seeing one too many being done and realising that they were mostly done by the backup dancers, i felt cheated. however, i liked the message they were going for and i thought their choice of song was pretty good. at least there was a cohesive theme and it came across during the stage.
3. THE BOYZ: this is where the ranking gets confusing (ranks 1-3 are realllyyyyy close). i enjoyed their stunts and it was undeniably an attention-capturing stage, but it got a bit much and came off as messy/too flashy. but i liked their use of the stage and props, and their theme/story as well. my main gripe is that they didn’t really showcase their dancing/singing abilities – i remembered their stunts more than their performing, which would have helped them in a non-kpop competition probably.
2. TOO: i was really impressed by their performance, especially since they’re rookies. it was a wonderful song selection, and they executed it well with good dancing and singing. honestly nothing much to criticise here.
1. GOLDEN CHILD: i have to admit, i started stanning after i saw this (and jangjun’s hilarity). they’re the only performance i have rewatched after the broadcast, and i can replay it over and over again. there was a cohesive theme, a storyline, the arrangement was unique but still pleasant and matched the stage, the dancing was solid and synchronised (they certainly could’ve pulled off more complicated steps, but i felt it matched the tone of the performance), the singing was great and i loved the high note. maybe i’m old but when i heard the theme “song of kings”, i immediately thought of shinhwa as well. when i saw that they were using T.O.P., i feared that it might be too boring/mellow to compete against the rest, but they far exceeded my expectations. i also LOVED their beautiful intro and use of fans. my personal favourite!
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I also really enjoyed Golden Child’s performance too! It was my favorite out of all of them and I also put them as number 1. I just thought it was so beautiful. The intro was so beautiful with the fans and Y was so graceful. Their performance left me shook and I thought their vocals and dancing were so perfect throughout the performance. Near the end when they were dancing and the black and white feathers started falling, that was when I knew this was my favorite performance. The ending was so powerful. I loved the contrast between the dancers wearing black feathers and the members, almost like black swans and white swans dancing together. After watching them on Road to Kingdom I started stanning them too! My biases are Joochan and Jangjun! 🙂
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Glad to hear it!
(and we share the same biases)
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Ooh nice! 🙂 Also I meant to comment this earlier lol but I also put the same exact ranking as you for Song of King! I was really surprised to find out the actual ranking afterwards since it was so different but they were still all great
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“My song” can also stand for my story and from my point of view, Pentagon’s performance told their story perfectly. A performance is more than just a dance or about singing. It’s about bringing emotion and making people feel something. Out of almost all the groups, Pentagon has done the best job in terms of story telling. It has been a long and difficult road for them, but they have always tried their best to push forward and that’s what this stage portrayed. I know it’s hard to believe, but Pentagon has had so much bad luck in so many ways. Some people are saying it’s unfair cuz they have an advantage by having this emotional storyline and to that I say the other groups are lucky because they aren’t having to deal with losing a member yet. When the time comes for your groups, you’ll understand the feeling and this is coming from someone who stans every single group in this competition.
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Oh trust me, as a longtime K-pop fan I know the sting of enlistment all too well.
Your point’s well taken, but it’s worth pointing out that Golden Child, ONF and The Boyz have all lost members, too. I’d also argue that Golden Child and ONF have both had pretty bad luck, the former suffering a year-long hiatus due to injury and the latter getting sidelined by YG’s MIXNINE mess. They’ve all got sob stories of some sort.
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I appreciate your response! It does put things in perspective. Yes the other three groups have definitely not had it easy as well, especially since they all lost members as well. But most of the former members of those groups chose to leave of their own free will (for what reason, we may never know/perhaps there was pressure privately) as opposed to Pentagon where they were forced to leave from public pressure. I guess Pentagon’s scenario seems the worst cuz they lost two members and now its their third to enlistment. Honestly though, these groups all deserve the best. It was very hard to rank all the performances because each group really put their heart and soul into their performances. The real villain here is Mnet for adding eliminations rather than just letting them all have an equal chance at performing. I just had to comment because it seems like people were upset with Pentagon and the last thing they deserve is people thinking this whole enlistment thing was a ploy to tug at heartstrings and get votes.
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I am very new to kpop and really can’t rank these performances, especially as I am not familiar with any of the originals. But what I can say (as a military spouse and child growing up) is that the comments about using this as a way to gain “sympathy” votes are pissing me off to the extreme! Unless you have been in a person’s shoes at having to send a loved one off (especially in today’s world) to serve in the military, I’m gonna need you to close your mouth and keep the comment to yourself! Regardless of your preference, these boys only had this one shot to have an enlistment goodbye performance because, in case y’all haven’t noticed, there are no other concerts/fanmeets/performances going on right now, so they did what they could do. You don’t have to watch it!
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I literally couldn’t have said it better myself! The performance Pentagon gave was for Jinho, who is leaving for the military. It wasn’t for anyone else! I don’t even know if Pentagon will choose to continue as a group or even be able to after all of them are out of the military so I can only imagine the uncertainty they all feel. That’s why they were crying. The definition of empathy is to understand the feelings of another and the lack of empathy (not just on here but also social media everywhere) regarding Pentagon’s situation is kinda sad. And if this were any of the other groups, I would expect and hope to see empathy for them as well.
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I so agree with elimination of the groups. I think it would be cool to keep them all around so they still have a chance based on points. So reveal the first 2 round points but keep the final 2 rounds secret until the end.
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