I wasn’t going to recap Boys Planet (and technically, I’m still not doing it), but I’m watching the series and thought others might appreciate a spot to discuss it. So, each week I plan on dumping a few of my random thoughts about the show. Again, this will not be a full, detailed recap. But, if you have something you want to mention make sure to include it in the comments!
EDIT: Damn, this is practically turning into a recap, isn’t it??
Thoughts on BOYS PLANET Episode One
Hui and other Debuted Contestants
I’m not a fan of Hui’s participation in this program, both for himself and for the other contestants. It just doesn’t seem fair to compare pre-debut trainees with an idol who has nearly a decade of experience on the stage. It’s apples and oranges and doesn’t make anyone look good. But, such is the nature of these programs, I guess. At any rate, I was surprised they focused so much on Hui’s performance (it was good, but an awful song choice) and barely mentioned most of the other already-debuted contestants. I know he’s the most high-profile person, but does Cube Entertainment have some connection with the show?
*Also, was it just me or did they amplify Hui’s voice a ton during the editing? It was such a drastic shift I had to adjust the volume.
**Also also… is Ciipher no more? I know Rain basically washed his hands of them, but for some reason I thought they’d still be active as a group. Keita was good and I’m rooting for him. Nine years training for this? Jeesh.
Takuto: Part Two
I don’t care if this little sprite got no stars (at least to start with). He seems like the kind of character who would be in a quirky, barely-known idol group that I’d be a big fan of. He’s got a great attitude and he (along with the “My House” zero-star recipients) are already some of my standouts of the show. The entertainment factor goes a long way.
Also, Takuto is apparently rooming with Bias List favorite Seok Matthew during training, which is the weekly sitcom we all need to see.
Sunmi!
That’s all. It’s always nice to see her.
Does Anyone Actually Care about the “K” vs. “G” Rivalry?
I certainly don’t, but the producers at MNET are sure trying to make it a driving force behind this series.
Another Standout
Overall, the performances this week were pretty forgettable, but I thought Nunu Nana from Red Start Entertainment was decent. Side note: I’ve never heard of Red Start Entertainment, but the name sounds a bit sinister.
Signal Song Evaluation
It was a very smart idea to film this in front of judges rather than pre-recorded videos. However, I’m always so surprised at how awful the majority of the trainees sound during this stage. I’m sure editing plays a part, but still…
MNET’s “BL” Pandering
This feels like a new trend for a Korean survival series and it’s about as patronizing as you’d expect from MNET.
The Continued Woollim Erasure
Seriously, what does Woollim Entertainment have to do to catch a break? Apparently it doesn’t matter if they consistently release the best music in K-pop. Both audition episodes completely ignored their trainees. So… in the name of shameless promotion, here’s an unaired audition. It’s nothing amazing, but neither were any of the other performances.
(Plus, Golcha could’ve used the promo!)
Quote of the Week
“My goal is to get one star,” delivered with the utmost conviction and sincerity.
(Narrator: He did not receive one star)
Ugly Trainee Outfits
My god, their jerseys this year are awful. They’re needlessly complicated and the clashing colors are a real eyesore.
And finally…
I couldn’t resist turning this scene into a gif because the guy on the left is me watching K-pop’s current crop of idol comebacks:
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Can anyone confirm who had dark blue hair at the time of the fan meeting? He was wearing blue (as opposed to pink), if that helps to narrow it down.
LikeLike
I think that was Park Hanbin but I could be wrong
LikeLike
Aha! Thank you! This boy seemed more confident than a lot of the others, and he had fans already. Mind you, I couldn’t see everyone (there were A LOT of boys), but this particular boy stood out for his confidence and charisma in front of a huge crowd. Park Hanbin!
LikeLike
Unfortunately, I think Ciipher as a group is on their way out. In early 2022, Rain appeared on a variety show and joked/complained about spending a bunch of money to debut Ciipher. Yet in that same appearance, he said his goal was to make Tan (one of the members who appeared with Rain in a drama) a big star. Fast forward towards the end of the year and Ciipher goes silent on social media with no word of a comeback or any promotions. A month passes by and we get a report that Rain was planning on transferring Ciipher to another company for management. Rain immediately denied the rumor, but the silence essentially continues until we hear that Keita is on Boys Planet and another member (Tag) was a Boys Planet contestant at some point.
At this point, I’m think Rain either a) hopes Keita or Tan blows up this year and he uses their hype to launch a group comeback or b) he moves forward with letting Ciipher go somewhere else or decides to focus on promotions for Keita and Tan at the expense of the group. If I was a betting man…I’d unfortunately bet on the 2nd option as the most likely outcome which is sad :(.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m thinking* (smh I was typing too fast as I’ve really been upset about Rain dropping the ball with this group!!!)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Me, too. Their second EP was not only good but it hinted at so much more.
LikeLike
IMO, what makes your actual recap posts different from this is the structure of these posts you make for these MNET survival shows. In my eyes, these are just points for discussion, which you weeded out from the slow episodes and found great to talk about in your blog. Just my two cents.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree. I don’t know the difference nick feels when making them, but the experience reading it is definitely more brisk and enjoyable
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s good feedback! Thanks 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah I think these are fun. In the future since it’s your blog I think you should do stuff like this more often; don’t worry about feeling obligated to mention every performance etc and just talk about whatever you found interesting 🙂
LikeLike
I’m limiting my exposure to Boys Planet to these almost-but-not-quite recaps and the occasional compilations that get shoved into my face on whatever platform. I just do not have a good enough tolerance for evil editing (or the heartbreak of a killer vocalist being booted out in favor of someone I’m not personally captivated by), but I do like to hear people’s thoughts about the show itself.
I did see a bit of the INX/BL guy, though (wasn’t his big co-star kicked off the last PD101 iteration?), and I was pretty surprised by the edit he got in those clips. Better extremely saccharine reaction cuts than pejorative ones, but they’re definitely laying it on a little thick, as you said. I lost my mind when I saw him — I was rooting for INX super hard back in early 2017, when I first started listening to K-Pop. I maintain that Alright was an awesome debut! I’d be happy for any of those guys to find success.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s right, yoon seobin (I think that’s his name), his BL costar for multiple series, is the very same JYP trainee that got booted from px101 due to bullying rumors. I was shocked when I found that out as well. He must have complicated emotions about all of this lol especially as it does seem he and jiwoong are… close 🙂
LikeLike
oh wow, the nuna nana performance was a standout for sure
I dont really get what Sunmi was there for though XD
LikeLike
Thank you for taking one for the team, Nick, once again.
I am rooting for Takuto, because I am a big fan of the tiny idol group charisma. He seems to be straight out of MCND or MONT. He would sell the shit out of “Ice Age” given the chance.
Hui picked a very Hui-style theatrical piece and went all Hui hitting a high falsetto that gets repeated multiple times from every camera angle. It actually wasn’t a pretty note, and I don’t know what he is doing in this competition either, but he knows how to work the system for that sort of TV edit.
LikeLiked by 4 people
I wouldn’t be surprised if ciipher doesn’t release anything; their sales aren’t the best
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah! You found the Damdadi one! 😀 I really liked that one from the first time!
Ep 2 – I liked Hwanhee and Xiao’s Who performance the most! Hui did a very quality performance but I agree he could have picked another song if he was going for such a vibe.
Other than that everything else was here and there… The team that did The Real had some energy so I’ll give them that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not even watching, but the guy who left Black Level, Hui, Hwanxiao, the two from TO1, and the guy who didn’t debut in Mirae are my favorites.
LikeLike
I need to see that gif scene in context, what the heck is even happening? XD
LikeLike
One of the Woollim trainees, Jang Minseo, already left the show due to a knee injury so that’s probably why you don’t see much of him.
This time around it seemed like there were better vocals, or maybe I lowered my expectations. I really enjoyed Nunu Nana (esp. Kim Minseong, who did the acrobatics) and The Real (Park Hanbin was the standout there). The Mirotic performance was fairly predictable, but I was impressed by IChan’s vocals and thought he deserved more than two stars. I still don’t get all the love for Kim Jiwoong, he seems like an average performer at best.
LikeLike
No shout-out for Kim jiwoong here? I’m surprised! If you’re going to mention BL you might as well get into it. I couldn’t care less about MNET’s framing here, but I think it’s really cool that Jiwoong went up there and introduced himself as a BL actor. For perspective, the last male produce series was filmed in 2019 and I don’t think there was even a single Korean BL series in existence at that point. It’s really cool to see how the industry is changing and becoming more open, when you think about it.
LikeLike
I kinda like and dislike Hui’s theatrical take on Shut Down, the use of strings makes it really fun. I wish he focused more on vocals though, felt like he barely even sung the song. Very strange to see songs become 4th gen bg-ified (Mirotic and Attention being the worst offenders), it shows how much dance performance is valued over vocals. Please, we need to bring back vocals to KPOP.
LikeLiked by 1 person