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thesinglesjukebox · 6 months

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BSS FT. LEE YOUNG JI - "FIGHTING"

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A Seventeen sub-unit, sensibly submitted by Anna...

[5.93]

Anna Katrina Lockwood: The K-pop boy group ecosystem is wilting under the long shadow of BTS' influence, with a bumper crop of dudes trying to fill the market gap by hollering unmelodiously through overly conceptual, poorly-lit music videos. Seventeen are doing none of that -- instead making use of their we've-sold-a-truckload-of-records artistic freedom by releasing "Fighting," from the BSS subunit. This song has that very particular, K-pop-specific campiness I love so much -- not that surprising given they share a label with the sublimely campy Orange Caramel, but surprising when you consider that label is now majority-owned by HYBE, also parent company to BTS' own label, amongst other business dealings. BSS -- short for BooSeokSoon, a portmanteau of a syllable each from the three members' names -- had an initial run five years ago with the vaguely sports-themed "Just Do It," which is of a piece with "Fighting," a song about, uh, getting up in the morning and hyping yourself up for the day? These boys are here to sing for you! It's cheerful, it's kind of nonsense, it's melodic as all hell, and you really need to view the music video -- a charming set piece of juxtaposed scenarios (bedroom in a Starbucks, greenery-filled roundabout leading to a stock exchange, park bench in an airplane) -- for full effect. Lee Youngji turns in a charmingly husky guest verse, leavening all that chipperness despite being haunted at every turn by the relentlessly upbeat trio of Seungkwan, DK, and Hoshi. The boys turn in solid vocal performances all round with nary a hint of irony -- a vibe I find endlessly charming, though I'll be the first to admit this is an acquired taste for most folks. I have longed for this type of song. As is ever the case with Seventeen, "Fighting" was capably composed by group member Woozi. I think it's telling that in talking about this delightful song, I feel that it's necessary to speak on BTS so much, but such is their pervasive influence on the scene -- though perhaps that's soon to change, since as of today, all seven members of BTS are enlisted in the South Korean military. I had a whole segment here comparing HYBE to Sub Pop here, but I think I'd rather focus on "Fighting," honestly. It's great. It's all the reasons I got in to K-pop in the first place. I find it entertaining that HYBE bought Pledis to shore up their boy group stocks for BTS' enlistments, and ended up releasing this goofy thing. Who's influencing whom? [10]

Micha Cavaseno: Was joking with our beloved Ryo earlier in the week about how a friend might say "LOL why is this K-pop thing emulating this pop song from 10 years ago" to which I rejoined them with "Buddy, this might be them emulating a song that emulated a song that emulated that pop song." "Fighting," for example, feels like my beloved "Girl" by Block-B but long in the tooth; completely understandable given it's made by guys who debuted about a year or so after that aforementioned record dropped. Of course, there's some additions (Lee Youngji doing her confident cool girl Childish Gambino thing, a little bridge melody that accidentally reminds me of "A Little Bit of Luck") but I don't think there's a supreme need to remake the wheel when it comes to power-poppy boyband K-pop. Still, perhaps a few stronger pushes away from the standard bearer would mean I'd be more confident in the "Fighting Spirit." [5]

David Moore: If somehow this was released back in 2011 or 2012 and was my first exposure to K-pop, it would have been as effective an entry point to the music as anything else from that time was. But I've somehow gone from having a handle on K-pop to completely losing the plot to finally being excited by current songs that really wouldn't have made any sense at all during the early 10s crossover heyday. Which is to say that I only know what to do with this song ten years ago -- it's like being given a pop quiz that I probably knew the answers to in high school but now have no inkling how to respond. [6]

Oliver Maier: Broken Social Scene sounds different. [2]

Ian Mathers: Ridiculous. [8]

Michelle Myers: Despite its repetitive structure, "Fighting" is a great track because it achieves the optimal balance of fun and virtuosity. DK and Boo take turns wailing like it's 2012, and music shows still require live vocals. Youngji's agile rapping matches their energy. As for Hoshi, "Fighting" just wouldn't hit without his tenacious sincerity. The song is truly his. [8]

Nortey Dowuona: The piano riffing at the last pre chorus after Lee Youngji's excellent verse ("we're playing the crumpled up life like some down on his luck Beethoven"; great line) sounds so damn good. Shame the rest of the song is some soft rock/pop nothing burger. Woozi, Hoshi, s. Coups and Bumzu all share credit for this song, so which one of them chose to add a flattened drill bassline over the papery drums and added that riff? 'Cuz if they did that of their own volition, they chose to have those "Hey Mickey" facsimile drums take on the whole first verse and first pre chorus and be the bedrock of the main song, which I find baffling since it both isn't as vibrant or distinct. The lush piano motif and synth riff of the chorus are beautiful but they don't hit until that Lee Youngji verse, and the song suddenly sparks to life. But right after that it's back to the chorus, then the song just stops. Very baffling choices, made by 4 people. Hoshi's the dance choreographer, why didn't he redo the drums? Did Park Ki Tae, another composer who plays synthesizer and guitar put that riff in there because it might get thrown out? Sigh. [6]

Katherine St Asaph: Been a while since I've heard a boyband track with honest-to-god Radio Disney energy: competently produced yet still somehow janky, and charming for how unthreatening it is. [5]

Brad Shoup: I'm always wary of anything that sounds like spy music, especially boy-band spy music that's prepping me for austerity. [4]

Crystal Leww: Charming work from BSS and Lee Youngji in a year where boy groups in K-pop really felt like a whole lot of blah, but really feels more suited to a pep rally where everyone's a winner rather than something that actually creates hype. [5]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: Essentially an update on TROY's "Green Light" but with the hollow theatricality of a Mamamoo song, down to Lee Young Ji channeling her inner Moonbyul. This isn't smooth or silly enough in the way "Left & Right" was, so it lands closer to the miserable optimism of "Happy." They sing like they're being held at gunpoint, forced to smile. [3]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Relentlessly goofy in a good-natured way, like if an hour's worth of educational skits were jammed into three minutes of run. It's janky but it works -- moving through it all with a pace that implies cardio routines helps! [6]

Michael Hong: Corniness is deliberate of course, just not sure it helps their cause that Lee Youngji raps like she just finished helping a Youtuber with a skit. [5]

Alfred Soto: It has spritz, the wobbly synth bass I dig, and a lyric delivered if not with coherence then with clarity. [6]

Kayla Beardslee: I love Seventeen. They've been my most listened-to artist for two years in a row (and are on track for a third); I amnestied a song of theirs last year just because I wanted to have a chance to write about them for the Jukebox; seeing them in concert last September is genuinely one of my most treasured memories. I could write hundreds of words about what makes this song such a triumphant comeback for the gloriously goofy Booseoksoon subunit five years after their first release, and how I love seeing Seventeen return to what they do best, which is take the art of making people smile seriously. I might even delve into the excellent music video and choreo and how they support the motivational themes of the track (what an unlikely accomplishment it is for professional celebrities to pull off an ode to the everyday office worker without being patronizing!) while never sacrificing its fundamental sense of playfulness. There's an almost alchemical balance between levity and purpose in "Fighting" that only the greatest K-pop songs have ever achieved. I could dig into it, into the amount of times I danced along to "Fighting" in my office this year, into the general existence of Hoshi being Hoshi (and Seungkwan being Seungkwan, and DK being DK). But I think it's a testament to the brilliance of this song that my practically infinite thoughts about it can all be summed up in one simple sentence: This pop music shit is supposed to be fun! [10]

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#BSS #seventeen #lee young ji #music #k-pop #music writing #music reviews #music criticism #the singles jukebox #Youtube

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legendaryrooftopscene · 2 years

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on November 27, 2021, I started watching bad buddy out of idle curiosity, given a mutual's long meta post about the greatest first kiss in cinematic history. i watched all 5 available episodes and fell ass over teakettle for not only the show, but thai BL as well. it is now November 27, 2022. here's everything I've watched, ranked out of 10 (including BL from other countries and some non-BL as well). final count: 116. (92 finished. 18 started/in-progress but did not finish. 6 actively watching that are airing now). I kept copious notes about all the shows I watched so if you're curious why I ranked a certain show like I did, please feel free to send me an ask :) I love talking about my thoughts about things

10/10 (i had fun 100% of the time I was watching or it made my brain produce happy static to think about)

Kinnporsche

Manner of Death

Tale of 1000 Stars

Until We Meet Again

HIStory 3: Trapped

9/10 (great show, great characters, but there was 1 or 2 things I didn't like about the writing/acting/production)

Bad Buddy

Not Me

A Man Who Defied the World of BL

Lovely Writer

My Beautiful Man

A First Love Story

Semantic Error

Cherry Blossoms After Winter

The Sound of Magic

DNA Says Love You

Triage

Old Fashion Cupcake

Roommates of Poongduck 304

8/10 (same as above, with slightly more egregious errors)

He's Coming To Me

Cherry Magic

Keita Hatsukoi

Where Your Eyes Linger

Kei x Yaku

The Eclipse

You Make Me Dance

Long Time No See

Tinted with You

Please Tell Me So

You're My Sky

Love and Leashes

My Only 12%

TharnType Special Episode

HIStory: Obsessed

HIStory: Stay Away From Me

Secret Crush on You

Plus and Minus

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss

Love Stage (Thailand)

We're Both Grooms

Hey Rival! I Love You

Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai

On Cloud Nine

We Best Love

7/10 (flawed but I enjoyed it. a pulp that is a 7/10 has a much higher score than a high-budget/polished show that has a 7/10)

Cutie Pie

BeLoved In House: I Do

SOTUS

Color Rush

Nobleman Ryu's Wedding

Light On Me

Wish You

To My Star

7 Days

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line

HIStory 2: Right or Wrong

Dear Doctor, I'm Coming for Soul

HIStory 4: Close To You

Because of You

You Are Ma Boy

Gameboys

Love from Outta Space

Blueming

Tonhon Chonlatee

Cupid's Last Wish

Close Friend 2

The Ring Goes Missing

About Youth

Mr. Heart

Zero Photography

Takara-Kun and Amagi-Kun

Love in the Air

6/10 (seriously flawed and/or disappointing. usually in the 'I can fix it' range)

Star in your Mind

Theory of Love

Golden Blood

Why R U?

My Secret Love

My Tee

Mood Indigo

Senpai This Can't Be Love

Want to See You

5/10 (everything here I got through on 1.5x-2.0x speed)

Together with Me

Close Friend

Kissable Lips

Puppy Honey

Puppy Honey 2

Love's Coming

Meow Ears Up

The Promise

En of Love: Love Mechanics

Zero Supporter

4/10 (I finished it so i must have liked something about it)

Love By Chance

3/10 (hatewatch)

The Pornographer

TharnType

DFN (did not finish for various reasons. sometimes shows I enjoyed greatly are on this list. some I am still watching at my own pace)

3 Will Be Free

7 Project

Ingredients

Love is Science?

Enchante

War of Y

Ghost Host Ghost House

Lovesick

Big Dragon

Second Chance

The Gifted

Miracle of the Teddy Bear

I'm Tee, Me Too

Even Sun

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Love Between Fairy and Devil

Coffee Melody

Ocean Likes Me

Still airing

GAP

Choco Milkshake

Between Us

I Will Knock You

Remember Me

My Tooth Your Love

#59/116 are thai! I counted bc i was curious #original #not tagging all these shows that would be insanity

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perrypixel · 2 years

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I was fucking robbed of not only being tooth gap buddies with Hunter but also Luz?!?!

Luz with a tooth gap my beloved ❤️

#the owl house #text post

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chocolatemilksmoothie · 2 years

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Labyrinth Runners

Omg I loved this one!! buckle up, there's a lot of little details and a lot to point out

I suspected we might not get an update on Luz and the rest of the owl house members and the suspense there is killing me ngl...

I can already see it, both groups meet and both are like "we have SO much to tell you you're not gonna believe this-"

anyways, baby Willow and baby Gus my beloveds

I love their relationship. they were there for each other before anyone else was, and you can see how deeply they care for one another

Gus is a scary good illusionist, it must be frightening to have that happen

ahh good ol' breathing exercises, always worth a shot

I ADORE that Bump allows more kids to try multi track magic, and Matt got into illusion magic! aww

Among Luz's messages was "don't scare him(them?) away" I think she was referring to Hunter. it's sweet she took the time to write that, but god I hope she's safe

the hearts they are adorable <3

I enjoyed Willow and Amity's plot as well! Amity trying to protect her because he values having her back vs Willow wanting her to see that she is strong and can fight alongside her!

he's been reading about Grimwalkers... oh buddy what have you learned?

it's both sweet and heartbreaking that 1) he thought of hexside as a safe place to hide and 2) he's wearing the Flyer Derby outfit. he really had a good time being a normal kid for a day :')

Adrian. I like his style but I did NOT buy his act. How horrifying that he was tricking students into getting sigils by pretending he was helping them not get sigils. messed up

they really made him a pretentious director. I love it. both he and Terra are scary and full of personality, very fun antagonists to see

Love his design also. Everything about it

Severine... is voiced by Dana right? she was hilarious, go back to the tiny cat coven girl they don't deserve u here

Loved the concept of a trippy labyrinth of familiar places too

throw yourself down the steps to see if they're real, flawless technique

once again Hunter parallels another character. Gus is trusting by nature, which has led to him getting hurt, while Hunter grew up in a competitive, hostile environment where the only person he trusted blindly ended up being a monster. He is being extra cautious. But Gus won't hurt him

God, Belos sent a search party and is pretending like he's all worried. he hasn't told anyone he ran away. but we know what'll happen if he goes back to the castle *shudders*

the acting and animation for the panic attack, the breathing and the hesitation were done with a lot of care. I also like that it's in "Gus' room"

I love Gus I love him lots ok

the banned posters I love my children lmao

HIGH FIVE

I'm so happy Hunter still calls Willow "captain" he respects her a ton

and again, it makes sense he noticed she wasn't the real one. Gus is trusting, and Willow has never taken advantage of his trust, while Hunter is super on edge atm

"put him-" "out of his misery? got it" jesus dude he just kicked you

HIS TEAMMATES SAVED HIM

"dude looks sickly" yeah he's been sleep deprived and mentally abused and probably not eating much it'll do that to ya

oh I love this little ragtag team of rebel witches (+ Gus of course)

Adrien wants to find the Galderstones for Belos. Funny, pretty sure that's an ingredient for a certain thing hmmm ever heard of Grimwalkers?

"in the name of the moon we will kick your ass!"

Gus' ability to make you see traumatic memories is messed up. Dana stop traumatizing the children challenge

Hunter and Gus bonding about how they've been deceived and used. and awww the breathing with whistling ahaha is this because of the tooth gap because same

GUS KEPT THE MIRROR THINGY YES

"what... is... this??" "just go with it" my heart

friends will hug you even if you haven't showered

the Illusion coven head got MESSED UP oh my god

Barcus cracks me up he's so well spoken

and we end with Hunter having a LOT to talk about, but also having a large group of people to support and watch out for him

I suspect they're all gonna start preparing to find Luz and the others and to stop Belos in the Day of Unity ohhhohoho I feel DREAD BABEYYY

this was a dense one, and the first episode without Luz in it. I expect next week we'll catch up with them, especially King, and hopefully by the end of next ep both teams meet up to prepare together...

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