wavenovel Chapter 1157 Impact
Chapter 1157 Impact
Chapter 1157 Impact
May 2017, 5, 20: p.m.
The electronic screen at Shibuya Crossing was playing an advertisement for Hey!Say!JUMP's newly released song. Tsubaki Sato, a freshman in the Faculty of Literature at Waseda University, looked up and glanced at the swaying figure on the screen. Then she lowered her head, continued to scroll through the line, and walked into Tower Records... One of the largest record chain stores in Japan, the huge three-dimensional LOGO of the Shibuya store is a well-known check-in landmark.
But at the moment when Sato Tsubaki lowered her head, the big screen in the distance switched from Hey!Say!JUMP's new song to a new advertisement. The logo composed of cherry blossoms attracted a lot of people's attention, but Sato Tsubaki, who had already walked in, just missed it.
Today she came to buy a single album released in February for her best friend who just became a fan of Kenshi Yonezu, and at the same time she also took the opportunity to see if there was anything about the new songs released by some popular boy bands that attracted her.
As she had been here many times, she went straight to the second floor with ease. Most of the second floor was occupied by the J-pop area. She walked straight to one side, picked up an album of Kenshi Yonezu, and then walked towards the boy group's new songs. From a distance, she saw a striking poster hanging in the distance, on which several members of the third-generation J Soul Brothers were very conspicuous.
Just as she was about to walk over to make a selection, she suddenly heard a strong drum beat, accompanied by a new and intense melody, which nailed her to the spot in an instant.
I turned my head and looked towards the sound, and the entire TV wall on the left side of the J-pop area on the second floor suddenly changed the screen.
Nine figures turned synchronously in the black and white geometric space, and then moved quickly and synchronously, with their bodies opening and closing in a coordinated manner, dancing like a group of knives, movements that were difficult to see clearly, and powerful and sharp movements. Every frame and every second seemed to exude a captivating charm, coupled with the strong rhythm and singing, giving people a shock from the soul.
Sato Tsubaki looked at the dance scene that suddenly switched on the screen, and she felt her whole body's emotions surge. The MV in front of her gave her an extremely wonderful feeling. She had seen many Japanese boy band dances, but had never seen such an exciting and fresh feeling as the one in front of her.
Then the camera zoomed in suddenly, giving a close-up of the member standing in the C position. The handsome short and messy hair matched with the stunning facial features that made Sato Tsubaki unable to find adjectives for a moment, and the makeup style that was very different from that of Japan, the strong visual impact instantly made her eyes widen.
"Ah..."
She was not the only one standing around the TV wall at this time. When the view switched to this close-up angle, two girls who looked like junior high school students next to her couldn't help but exclaimed.
Everyone may have their own preferences for music styles... but aesthetics are more or less the same across East Asia. The appeal brought by good looks can penetrate the barriers of language and culture. Coupled with explosive dance music and just the right packaging and makeup, the two complement each other to form a strong impact.
"This is……"
Sato Tsubaki withdrew his gaze from the two obviously infatuated girls next to him and looked back at the TV wall, focusing on the 'EXO' logo in the upper left corner of the screen: "Peninsula?"
As she likes pop music, she is not ignorant of the news. Although she has not paid much attention to EXO, she has heard of the name before. When she saw it this time, she quickly recalled it.
"..."
But after discovering that it was the Peninsula band, Sato Tsubaki subconsciously scratched the album of Kenshi Yonezu in her hand with her fingernails... Last week, the school professor had just criticized the erosion of Hallyu in the "East Asian Cultural Studies" class, sternly warned about this phenomenon that was rampant many years ago, and urged them, the younger generation, to protect local entertainment culture.
Logically speaking, she should have followed the professor's philosophy and turned away with disdain without looking back after finding out it was the Peninsula band.
but……
This dance, this group dance, is so neat and so cool.
And that close-up of the center position just now... Damn it, how can he be so good-looking and so to my taste? Is this a lie?
"How's it going? Not bad, right?"
Just as Sato Tsubaki was staring at the screen in a daze, a conversation was heard nearby. A young man wearing a Tower Records employee-only T-shirt walked over from the shelf, looked at the two obviously attracted girls, and took the initiative to introduce: "This is the title song of EXO's new album "Electric Kiss/ACT". It sold very well after it was put on the shelves the day before yesterday. It was sold out yesterday. It just arrived this morning."
"If you buy it now, the first limited edition will come with a Shibuya 109 store poster and members' pictorials."
"EXO? Is that the Peninsula group?"
The two girls had obviously heard of this name, and they had no sense of mission to "protect local entertainment culture" at all. They started asking with bright eyes: "What's the name of that particularly handsome member, the one with short hair in the close-up just now!"
"That's member Yuan...Haha, you're not the first one to ask that."
Although the descriptions of the two girls were a little vague, it seemed that this was not the first time the clerk had been asked this question. He immediately smiled and replied, "Since the TV wall started playing their MV, many people have asked this question... But this member is indeed very outstanding, and his posters are also the most requested."
"I like him! Buy him his album!"
The two girls looked at each other, and the one with short hair made a firm decision without any hesitation. The other one didn't refuse either. Hand in hand, they ran quickly to the shelf nearby and happily chose albums. From time to time, they asked the clerk who was following them, as if they were asking how many versions there were and whether there were any peripherals included.
"..."
However, Sato Tsubaki, who had heard the entire conversation, did not move. She still stood there watching the MV on the screen. It was not until the more than three-minute MV ended and switched to the stage scene of another local group that she frowned inadvertently.
There is no harm without comparison. If the dance just now was just more intense, now looking at this slow visual style, she feels a little awkward no matter how she looks at it.
Especially the appearance. Apart from the member named Yuan whose appearance is totally her type, several members of EXO are also quite handsome. Now... the contrast between before and after is even stronger.
"This EXO... is the Peninsula group, right?"
After the MV changed songs, Sato Tsubaki was no longer as focused as before. Seeing the clerk coming over to her side again, she took the initiative to ask, "Is the Peninsula band's album selling well too?"
"Of course... Although they are a Peninsula group, EXO debuted in Japan in 2015 and is still very popular. Besides, this album is all Japanese songs, so it doesn't have much of an impact."
The clerk looked at Sato Tsubaki strangely, especially at her shoulders, as if she was wearing the ladies' shoulder pads that were popular in the last century. Then he nodded and replied:
"It's selling really well. In our store, many customers come here specifically to buy EXO's albums. Some... hehe, like you, are attracted by the TV wall. Their style is really unique."
"Especially after the broadcast of "Music Station" yesterday, more people bought it today, and the performance on the Oricon chart is also very good. In the morning, the sales volume exceeded that of JSB Sandaime, and now it is only slightly behind Hey!Say!JUMP.
"and……"
The clerk lowered his voice a little: "In fact, the album configuration of Peninsula is more cost-effective. The regular edition of Johnny's only has CD, but the first edition of EXO has 35 pages of photos and member message cards..."
He pointed to the shelf, where the price tag read 4200 yen: "Same price as the new one from JSB."
"..."
When she put the single by Kenshi Yonezu that she gave to her bestie, the two EXO albums "Electric Kiss/ACT" that she had just bought, and the huge poster of Yuan that she had carefully selected into the shopping cart, Sato Tsubaki felt that her own heartbeat was louder than the "beeping" of the electronic meter.
The reason I bought two...is because the covers are different, and the clerk said there is a promotion if you buy two, and you can choose the free poster separately.
When swiping the card to pay, I feel a little excited but also a little ashamed.
She was clearly here to buy albums from Japanese boy bands, like Hey!Say!JUMP and JSB Sandaime, both of which were idols she had felt good about before. How come while shopping, she suddenly ended up buying albums from the boy band Peninsula?
Especially since she had attended the professor's class a few days ago and holding the album in her hand, she felt that she had let down the professor's teachings and Yamato's pride.
I walked out of Tower Records with trepidation in my heart, but my eyes kept drifting to the poster in the shopping bag... I was thinking about where I would hang it when I got home, and what I would say if my roommate found out.
At this time, the sound from the large-screen TV placed at the door of the store next door came faintly:
"…Recently, the trend of Korean tourists traveling to South Korea has increased, especially among female tourists, who are traveling in groups. According to data from the Korean Tourism Administration, the number of Japanese female visitors to South Korea has increased by 2017% year-on-year since 37…"
After hearing the broadcasting voice from the other end, Sato Tsubaki was slightly stunned, and his expression changed after a few seconds.
...Fuck the Korean wave, what the hell does it have to do with me?
She picked up the shopping bag, pointed at the two rolled-up posters, kissed them hard, and strode out.
Prince Yuan, here I come!
…………
On May 5, EXO's second Japanese album, the best of album "Electric Kiss/ACT" was officially released in Japan.
The configuration of this compilation album is also very good. In addition to the new song Electric Kiss, there are also Japanese versions of EXO’s two hit songs "Blood Sweat Tears" and "Monster" last year. All of them have been specially localized, including redesigning makeup and costumes, reallocating parts and choreography, reshooting MVs, etc.
For the release of this album, from the earliest planning and song selection to warm-up and recording of various programs, both EXO and Avex have made considerable preparations.
Avex, in particular, is really optimistic about EXO's prospects in Japan. It has repeatedly strongly suggested that SM send EXO to Japan for activities, and after they came, it has made great efforts to promote them. In addition to TV variety shows and advertisements, EXO's name can be seen on many landmark big screens on the ground and in the chain impression halls. The various exposures are no less than those of Japan's local first-line groups, and the investment in resources is enormous.
And with the release of the album, the rewards also came accordingly.
EXO already had a good popularity base in Japan, and this time they are making a full effort to enter Japan. In fact, they are facing two biggest problems. One is that as a foreign group, they will naturally be rejected by the public, and the other is that their music style is very different from Jpop.
EXO's style had already been made clear during the previous planning meeting. Some changes needed to be made to suit the local people's aesthetics and music preferences, but at the same time, it also needed to maintain its own K-pop characteristics, including dance, appearance, makeup, fashion style, etc.
This album implements this concept. After the album was released, EXO's unique group dance, extremely difficult choreography, and outstanding appearance immediately formed a sharp contrast with local male idols.
Since TVXQ and Girls' Generation, there haven't been any decent KPOP boy and girl groups in Japan for several years, and EXO's fierce style has a strong sense of freshness for many passers-by.
After the album was released, it received enthusiastic response from fans who had been waiting for a long time. The sales volume on the first day reached 120,000 copies and ranked first and second on the Oricon chart.
A few days later, with the investment of Avex's resources, exposure in various places, and the broadcast of TV programs, the influence gradually spread, and the sales volume rose instead of falling. Before the first week, the overall sales volume had reached 39 copies. It is currently ranked second on Oricon, second only to the local boy band Hey!Say!JUMP, which released an album on the same day as EXO.
Also returning at the same time, the third generation J Soul Brothers, who had previously mocked EXO in person during a recording program, were inadvertently crushed by EXO, whom they looked down upon. With cumulative sales of 28.5 in nearly two weeks, they ranked third.
At that time, facing their sarcasm, neither Chi Jingyuan nor the members of EXO said anything, but a few days later, their various data were surpassed by a Peninsula boy group that they looked down upon and whose album was released less than a week ago. This was actually the best response.
Various data are actually just one aspect. What surprised EXO or Avex the most is the popularity, or influence.
A few days after the release of EXO's album, the popularity not only did not dissipate, but because of the unique style of their songs and the gimmick of the Peninsula boy band, the attention has continued to rise, and more and more people have begun to pay attention to this boy band.
The most widely discussed topic is the difference between them and local boy bands...or the gap and contrast.
EXO's MVs and stage group dances look uniform and have a strong visual impact. They are in sharp contrast with local idols, such as Johnny's idols, who have the iconic 'free movement'.
In terms of visuals, some fans also gave a sharp contrast online. The stage uniforms of the local boy group J Soul Brothers III are loose T-shirts and jeans.
EXO's suits are specially made to order, with the shoulder line narrowed by 2cm to highlight the special inverted triangle style. The dark pattern on the neckline is the members' zodiac symbols, and each member has a different logo style.
As for appearance, there is no need to mention it. Recently, there seems to be a trend of "aesthetics of ugliness" popular among major Japanese agencies. The male actors and idols they promote are not excellent in appearance, and even average is a stretch.
In Chi Jingyuan's words... "If it were SM, it would be impossible to join the company. Even the adjustment cost would be much higher than others."
I didn't notice it before, but as soon as EXO came, the two immediately formed a very striking contrast, especially when Ji Jingyuan showed up and appeared in the same frame, the comparison was like a stepping down, from height, to figure, to appearance, and then to appearance, an all-round public execution.
After the popularity began to explode, some beauty experts even broke down in their SNS: EXO member Yuan's eye makeup used 3 dark eye shadows layered on top of each other. This "sculptural makeup" will greatly enhance the three-dimensional sense of a man's face. It has now triggered a booking frenzy in Shibuya beauty salons - and our local idols are still insisting on the "bare face look", trying to use their "lively faces" to create a strong "visual impact".
As there has been no new generation Kpop boy band going to Japan for development for a long time, the arrival of EXO has brought extremely novel elements and fierce style to the Japanese entertainment industry, and they have been very aggressive in Japan, where they play with themselves.
However, a week after the album was released, although there are still many discussions online about the comparison between EXO and local boy bands, the popularity of EXO's album has begun to decline, and it is clearly lacking in stamina.
Both the members and Avex have figured out the reason. The song "Electric Kiss" is just an ordinary, fairly good dance song. It doesn't have the potential to become a huge hit. Although it showcases the strong style of Kpop, that's all.
Although this song has attracted many fans who like EXO's style, it is still limited to the Kpop and idol circles, and the effect of expanding the circle is not obvious.
And according to data collected on the Internet, it seems that the Japanese versions of "Blood Sweat and Tears" and "Monster" are more popular than "Electric Kiss".
Even EXO's song "boy with luv" from two years ago became popular again and was toppled to the top of the charts. Ironically and funny, it even surpassed their new song "Electric Kiss" a week later.
However, although the stamina is a little lacking, the performance of this greatest hits album is actually very good, especially the high attention and discussion brought by the 'contrast', which completely made EXO famous.
If before, EXO's name was only known among a small group of K-pop fans, and most other passers-by had only occasionally heard their songs, then this time their popularity has completely spread.
This achievement also met and even exceeded Avex's expectations.
And Avex is not in a hurry because they will soon have a killer move.