#PHILIPPINES KPOP CONVENTION

[dailyexo]

Chanyeol, Sehun - 230520 Back-to-Back Fancon in Manila press conference

Credit: Philippine KPOP Convention.

[cozykarla]

hello! returning to tumblr after nearly a decade away and hoping to restart a blog again 🌸 this'll be my general/catch-all blog though i'm hoping to start some fandom-specific ones once i've gotten back into the groove of things. quick 'about me' for ya:

karla, she/her, asexual, philippines

26 y/o with a mind-numbing day job

just wants to make things for the sake of art

i've got a ton of hobbies but the ones i'm into at the moment are:

playing video games

reading books occasionally

listening to kpop girl groups

attending fan conventions

collecting dolls

finally, here's a long list of old and new fandoms my heart still holds dear (roughly in the order i got into them - below the cut) 💕 hope y'all enjoy your stay!

y2k animated series (totally spies, kim possible, martin mystery, winx club)

barbie

og charmed

castle

ya book series (thg, grishaverse/six of crows, adsom, the remnant chronicles, and many more)

bbc sherlock

doctor who (9th to 11th mainly)

marvel cinematic universe

agents of shield

choices: stories you play

zero escape, ai the somnium files

professor layton

the legend of zelda: breath of the wild

animal crossing

love live!

kpop ggs (loona, dreamcatcher, twice, itzy, ive, gfriend, nmixx)

genshin impact

riverdale

fate: the winx saga

shadow & bone

the umbrella academy

young royals

sex education

heartstopper

heartbreak high

drag race philippines

monster high (g1 and g3)

rainbow high

lol surprise

dislyte

911 and 911: lone star

honkai: star rail

[aspectabundgaze]

Fandom : The Activist

When it comes to acts of activism, in my opinion, nobody is as driven as the Kpop fandom. Kpop fans have been known to use their platform (on social media) and the influences of their own selves as a whole to support various social causes. These fans would leverage social media to raise awareness, raise funds, and coordinate efforts for issues like human rights, climate change, and mental health. Kpop fans are known to be as charitable as their idols as they've organized online fundraisers to support charitable causes. But first things first, what is activism? Liberties, 2023 states that activism refers to an action that is used to challenge those in power to bring change and benefit society for the greater good whereas Cambridge Dictionary defines activism is an act of advocating for better rights, or simply the use of direct and noticeable action to achieve a result, usually a political or social one.

Activists challenge the status quo by use their voice to bring about social, political, economic or environmental reform. There is no single way to conduct activism, any collective action which draws attention to an issue constitutes activism. (Brooks. E, 2023) While traditional forms of activism include demonstrations and protests, activists can also resort to non conventional forms of activism if earlier efforts show no results or is ignored by the majority, such as protesting online, signing petitions and sending it to respective organizations that support the cause and more.

An example of this would be the "Match A Million" campaign done by ARMYs in showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement. This particular campaign was done by ARMYs matching Kpop boy group BTS's $1 million donation to BLM within 24 hours. According to Forbes, 2020, BTS had expressed their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, writing on Twitter/X “We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together. #BlackLivesMatter.” Soon it started a chain of (financial) support from ARMYS from all over the world. ARMYs began trending the hashtag #MatchAMillion, encouraging the fans to donate what they can. The fan led charity group named "One in an ARMY" created a website and a specific page that redirects fans to a page where ARMYs can donate, which is known as ActBlue card, where it tracks donations mades by fans, allowing fans and donors to split their money between 16 groups, such as National Police Accountability Project, Black Visions Collective, Unicorn Riot, Black AIDS Institute, BLACK LGBTQIA+ Migrant project and more, where again, fans can split donations to all groups or donate specific amounts of donations to the groups individually.

Second would be ATINYs. Fans of the Kpop boy group ATEEZ created a campaign on behalf of The Polished Man campaign in 2020, donating over $30,000 as stated in their website. The Polished Man is a campaign devoted to helping violence and abuse against children, with the money donated by ATINYs to help and support trauma prevention and recovery programs towards children who were victims of violence, neglect and abuse, according to KpopMap, 2022.

In 2020, November 11th, the Philippines was hit by a typhoon, known as the Ulysses typhoon. According to user @lenirobredo on Twitter/X, who is also the 14th Vice President of The Philippines, Filipino fans of YG Entertainment girl and boy group, BLACKPINK and TREASURE, known as BLINKS and Treasure Makers, respectively, came out to help with the cause by donating copious amounts of canned food, rice, noodles, and diapers to those affected (Leni Robredo, 2020).

(Image sourced from @LeniRobredo on Twitter/X)

So what does this tell us? In my point of view, Kpop fandoms engaging in activism may and can serve as not only a noble cause but a good PR/Image control for the idols, a potential marketing strategy for a Kpop idol. From my personal observations, especially on social media, Kpop fans can be rather hostile towards rival fans, thus impacting the image of said Kpop idols in a bad light, especially when it becomes a topic in Korean forums. So when fans engage in activities such as donating rice on behalf of the Kpop idol, or come up with campaigns like ATINYs or ARMYs, their actions paint the idols in a more positive light.

References

Brooks, E 2023, ‘What is activism: Definition, types, role, examples, importance’, Liberties.eu, viewed 16 November, 2023, <https://www.liberties.eu/en/stories/activism/44871>

Rolli, B 2020, ‘BTS Army matched the group’s $1 million black lives matter donation, proving the positive power of fandoms’, Forbes, Forbes Magazine, viewed 19 November, 2023, <https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrolli/2020/06/08/bts-army-black-lives-matter-1-million-donation/amp/>

Activism | english meaning - cambridge dictionary, viewed 20 November, 2023, <https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/activism>

[boiceph-blog]

FOLLOW BOICEPH OFFICIAL SNS ACCOUNT! 

FB: facebook.com/CNBLUE.BOICEPHILIPPINES

TW: twitter.com/BoicePH

IG: instagram.com/boiceph

FACEBOOK GROUP PAGE: 

facebook.com/groups/cnblueboiceph

FIRST AND ONLY OFFICIAL FANCLUB IN THE PHILIPPINES!

Founded November. 8, 2009! 

Affiliation: Philippine Kpop Convention (PKCI).

Email: boiceph@gmail.com

[marvincamara]

KPOPCON X

Location: Manila, Philippines

Last March 3 was a day dedicated to kpop fans as we stepped into Kpop Convention X at the SMX Convention Center, SM AURA in Taguig. It was extra exciting for me because it was my first time attending this kind of convention. I just love the vibe of this venue. From fan club booths, amazing lineup of talented artists, fanboys/girls, and kpop music.

We arrived…

[keunayuya]

SB19 performing 'Hanggang sa Huli' in Korean version ✨🍂

Source: Philippine KPop Convention

[haydee-gd]

[030319] SEUNGRI WON BEST MALE SOLO ARTIST AT KPOPCONX

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

*Kpop Convention for the fans by the fans

*The first, the grandest, the most attended, the longest-running, and the most prestigious Kpop fan-gathering event in the Philippines since 2009. It is organized by fans for fellow fans and has also raised funds for beneficiaries such as Gawad Kalinga, the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, and other student scholars, all of which are also this year's beneficiaries. It is THE ULTIMATE KPOP FAN EXPERIENCE.

via @GottaTalk2V1212

[cathylicious25-blog]

My Experiences as a PKCI Officer at KCON9

For more information: https://cathylicious25.com/2017/12/25/my-experiences-as-a-pkci-officer-at-kcon9/

[thewordsbyjackie]

Korean Events

2019 N.Flying Up All Night in Manila

2019 Nu’est Segno in Manila

2019 KPOP World Music Festival in Manila

2019 Samsung Galaxy S10 Media Launch with iKON

2018 MOMOLAND in Manila Press Conference

2018 SEVENTEEN Fanisign with The Saem

2018 SEVENTEEN Ideal Cut in Manila

2018 Season of GFRIEND in Manila

2018 MOMOLAND Media Conference with VIU Philippines

2018 JBJ Fanmeeting in Manila

2017 Park Hyun Sik Fanmeeting in Manila

2017 Park Hyun Sik Press Conference

2017 KPOP Republic 2

2017 Super Pop Con in Manila

2017 EXOr’DIUM in Manila

2016 Monsta X Fanmeeting in Manila

2016 Offroad Fanmeeting in Manila

2016 OFFROAD Press Conference in Manila

2016 MBC Show Champion’s 200th Episode in Manila

2016 SEVENTEEN Love & Letter Fanmeeting in Manila

2016 DEAN ‘130 Mood: TRBL’ Showcase in Manila

2016 MTV Music Evolution Manila

2016 B2ST Fanmeeting in Manila 

2016 EXO’LuXion in Manila

2015 GOT7 Fanmeeting in Manila 

2015 INFINITE: INFINITE EFFECT in Manila

2015 KPOP Fest 

2015 BIGBANG M.A.D.E Tour in Manila

2015 VIXX Live Fantasia in Manila

2015 KISPINOY Grand Launch

2015 Best of Best 

2015 Boys Republic In Manila Press Conference

2014 Philippine KPOP Convention

Local Events

Concha’s Garden Cafe New Menu Media Launch (with Alden Richards)

Mario Mortel ‘imMORTELized’ Media Round Table 

ABS-CBN One Music Popssss Press Conference

‘Para Sa Broken Hearted’ Press Conference

Eastern Carribean Press Launch

Shrimp Bucket Media Dinner

Philippine National Hockey Team 2015 Winter Games Send-Off

Alaska Jr. NBA Philippines 2017

Suzuki Vitara La Union Media Test Drive

Features

7 Thrill-ing ‘THE BOYZ’ Content To Start Your Stan Journey With

The Journey To Becoming Xeno-T

ABS-CBN Studio Experience Opens Its Doors to the Public

The Refreshing Charms of Hyeongseop and Euiwoong

The Different Flavors of Seventeen

Must-Have Applications for Your Daily Dose of Korean Entertainment Fix

Discover More of NCT 127 and N.Flying

Cafe Seolhwa: Spreading the Bingsu Love in Manila

Television Segment Production

Clara Ole

VMV Hypoallergenics HD

Jul B. Dizon

MoneyGram Foundation

Manila Water Foundation

Weather Philippines Foundation

Beefalo

Tomatito

7 Flavors

Balestier

Mamma Mia

Bluesmith

Ni Qua

Stories By Lilypad

For a few samples of my social media posts, please click HERE. 

[greysorg]

Got7 japan cafe international order

Between the 4th and 9th centuries, the kingdoms of Japan became unified under an emperor and the imperial court based in Heian-kyō. Japan has been inhabited since the Upper Paleolithic period (30,000 BC), though the first written mention of the archipelago appears in a Chinese chronicle (the Book of Han) finished in the 2nd century AD. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with more than 37.4 million residents. Japan is divided into 47 administrative prefectures and eight traditional regions. About three-fourths of the country's terrain is mountainous, concentrating its population of 125.5 million on narrow coastal plains. Japan is the eleventh most populous country in the world, as well as one of the most densely populated and urbanized. Tokyo is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans an archipelago of 6852 islands covering 377,975 square kilometers (145,937 sq mi) the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu (the "mainland"), Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Closed on Wednesdays.Japan ( Japanese: 日本, Nippon or Nihon, and formally 日本国, Nihonkoku ) is an island country in East Asia. The company also works with the community to host K-pop dance workshops, showcases, conventions, and more. There’s a small area where you can unbox your album and, if you like, swap an official photocard from their trading wall so you can take home a photocard of your bias. LightUp:K accepts pre-orders and carries some official merch, magazines, and lightsticks. Shelves are organized by agencies (JYP, YG, SM, etc.) and it even sells original soundtracks from your favourite K-dramas so you can relive the feels once again. to ask and you shall receive! heres a tour of our toronto store located at 104 Cedarvale Ave (thank you for the request!) #kpop #store #tour #storetour #kpopshop #kpopstore #toronto #album #kpopalbum #bt21 #lightstick And it’s pretty much your one-stop shop for your music needs. The newest K-pop kid in town, LightUp:K first started online in February 2022 and expanded to a brick-and-mortar store in East Danforth in July. Time: Tuesday and Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm Wednesday 10 am to 6 pm Thursday 10 am to 7 pm Friday to Saturday 10 am to 9 pm closed Mondays LightUp:KĪ post shared by POCHA Fed up with the limited options in Canada and the expense and hassle of shipping K-pop albums and merch, co-CEOs Laurie Dumais and Jo Kim decided to take matters into their own hands. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy something sweet as you shop for a new album to add to your collection. Is your favourite group’s anniversary coming up? Chances are Fantastic, Baby’s hosting an event with photo ops, themed desserts, and special drinks. It not only sells CDs in-store but it also accepts album pre-orders. first TikTok! Welcome to Fantastic, Baby! Cafe!! #toronto #torontocafe #torontosmallbusiness #kpop #cafe #desserts #smallbusiness #giftshop Fantastic Baby stocks Japanese products, cute stationery, plushies, home decor, and K-beauty. Fans fired up as K-pop musicians go shirtless in Canada (PHOTOS)Ī post shared by Fantastic Baby Cafe Named after the Big Bang song, Fantastic, Baby Cafe owner Kathie Hintsa wanted to create a “place designed to make you smile.” After learning about K-pop from her daughter, she now runs this adorable cafe/shop, a K-pop haven on Dundas Street West.Born Pink World Tour: K-pop supergroup Blackpink performing in Canada this fall.K-pop group Seventeen is going on tour and stopping at these two Canadian cities.Yet to Come: Toronto's getting a BTS pop-up store this summer.Time: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday 12 pm to 6 pm Friday to Saturday 12 pm to 7 pm Where: 624 Bloor Street West, 686 Yonge Street Sarah & Tom has two downtown locations and recently opened a third one in Hamilton. If you love plushies, stationery, and anime merch this is the place for you. Stock up on posters, stickers, standees, photocards, and other merch. nothing else as of now~ more should be coming in soon ☺️ -mercedes #Toronto #Kpop JustYouSarah&Tom FINALLY TORONTO GOT RESTOCKS AND NEW ALBUMS IN!! 😩😩 everything in this video is all the new stuff. It’s got walls of K-pop albums by BTS, BlackPink, Tomorrow x Together, STAYC, Enhyphen, as well as more obscure groups like AOA and BtoB. A post shared by Sarah & Tom Toronto Sarah & Tom started around 10 years ago selling novelty gifts from Japan and other parts of Asia.

[dailyexo]

Sehun - 230520 Back-to-Back Fancon in Manila press conference

Credit: Philippine KPOP Convention.

[neighborsfriendsfamily]

Loop is a Planet Savior, and We can be too.

Loop is a Curator of eco-friendly products based in the Philippines. We had a conversation with one of the Makers of Loop Store! A long time coming but here we are, amplifying probably one of the most important messages we’d like you to hear to start off 2022. 

Hello! How’s everything??

Hi Four, things have been hectic and a bit tiring this holiday season, but, nonetheless, very thankful for many things in work and life.

Well I’m super glad we’ve met! Can we reveal who you are? If yes, please introduce yourself and what you do hehe.

Sure! I’m Angela Del Rosario, the co-founder of Loop., a sustainable eco-store based in Quezon City. I am also an avid lover of the outdoors, photography and kpop haha!

HAHA! I’m more of a City boy and an Indie/HipHop kind of dude. Let’s talk about the name, LOOP. Can you tell us the story behind it?

We opened Loop in 2018 with the hope to “close the loop” meaning we wanted to promote the mindset that whatever is produced will stay in use for a long time, and after the end of its useful life it can be reused or repurposed into something new.

Admittedly, this is not exactly what we are doing (yet!) but we are very much promoting a culture and mindset of being mindful of what we produce, what we consume, and how we dispose of it by carrying products that are highly functional, can be used for a long time, and/or better eco-alternatives to existing conventional products.

I love the promise of LOOP, “...we buy what’s better” and that’s just a tiny part of the whole story, and I want you to be the one to explain it haha. Go!

As an individual, I have been growing my “consumerist conscience” since 2016 and what I realized over years of discovering and trying different eco-friendly “lifestyles” to relieve my eco-anxiety is that it is very very difficult to be an “ideal sustainable person” and that for true sustainability to be achieved, a very big part of the solution hinges on the government and corporate/private sector taking action and responsibility.

That being said I will never discount the power of what individuals can achieve collectively. When we buy “better” , whether that’s buying local goods, items made of eco-friendly materials, and/or items that you know you can use for years, we contribute to a culture change. I truly believe this. Honestly, a perfect example is how in 2016/7 people were purchasing and talking about metal straws to save turtles  - it sparked a conversation and kept the ball rolling. 

Now the conversation has evolved and grown to include crucial topics such as climate justice, divesting from fossil fuels, etc. I’m rambling, I think but in just five years the regular person has become so much more educated and that is, in my opinion, thanks in part to many individuals taking initiative to dive deeper after a simple empowering decision to purchase better. It might seem like I’m romanticizing what a purchase can do, but, really, these are very common and frequent experiences of a lot of our customers and of friends. So despite all the doom and gloom, there really is hope.

The stuff you put out in the store, how do you pick them? What’s the process like?

When I was first coming up with the roster of products in 2018, I made a list of essential products like we needed an eco-friendly alternative to shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. I would check if there were any local makers and businesses selling them. If not, we would look to foreign brands or sourcing the items ourselves to fill in the gaps. Initially we had a lot of foreign brands, but, now, we are mostly made up of local brands which is wonderful.

We do set some general standards for what products we carry in the store. Our most important of course is that there needs to be some clear eco-friendly advantage to its conventional counterpart. Is it plastic-free? Is it reusable instead of disposable? Is it made ethically/responsible? If it is made of plastic is it the plastic that can be recycled (ex. 100% PET) or is it made of recycled plastic (ex. 100% recycled PET)? Products are not always able to hit every possible eco-friendly standard while also being relatively affordable, so there is usually a discussion.

If we find that it is the best alternative at this time given the Filipino context, then we’ll carry the item. In the meantime, we always make sure to stay updated with the latest technologies and consult with experts when needed.

The Loop Icon, the one that looks like a half moon? What’s the story behind it?

The half moon refers to us being the other halves that make the Earth and our neighbors’ lives come full circle. Looking out for ourselves means looking out for our other halves.

Loop. is actually the younger sister company of Sip PH which launched in 2016. In 2018, we did a rebrand for Sip PH the same month we launched Loop. and had both brands showcase the half-circle to reflect our ethos.

I know you used to have a store, what’s the plan there now and moving forward?

We launched Loop. in 2018 as a physical store with most of our business really coming from there. Sadly, in 2020 we had to close it down due to the pandemic and transitioned fully online, but thankfully, a year later, we now have a physical HQ that is not my partner’s storage room to fulfill orders.

As much as possible we’d like to operate fully online and achieve stability for our business. When things get better and when it makes sense for us, we’d like to open physical stores and pop-up. In the meantime, we’ll work to provide more accessible products on our web store and, maybe, offer other eco-services that our community will find helpful in their transition to a more conscious lifestyle.

Speaking of forward, what’s the mission for your tomorrow?

For us, we want sustainability to be as accessible and as convenient for Filipinos as possible. Whatever we believe can help contribute to that we will try to do - whether that be providing access to certain products, offering services, or working with the public/private sector on sustainability projects.

Okay! Can you give a super duper inspiring words for our Creators out there?

It may not be glamorous and the path never clear-cut, but I hope you know that your efforts towards your “why” are commendable and that you, in your special way, contribute some good in this world!

Alrighty! Thank you so much for the time!

Thank you so much as well for featuring us and for promoting local businesses’ and creators’ work! __

Written & Interviewed by Four Connect with us NEIGHBORS FRIENDS FAMILY

[trendingph]

Join Happy Hallyu Day 5: A Virtual Fest! | KPOPCHANNEL.TV “Happy Hallyu Day” turns five and everyone is invited to a virtual fest this coming August 28-29, 2021, 7 PM on the Philippine Kpop Convention Inc. Facebook Page! Celebrate Korean Wave with K-entertainment talks, K-pop performances, contests, games, ... https://trendingph.net/join-happy-hallyu-day-5-a-virtual-fest-kpopchannel-tv/?feed_id=333620&_unique_id=611a116dd2f8c #day #fest #hallyu #happy #join #kpopchanneltv #philippinenews #philippinesnews #trendingph #virtual

[keenregine]

Always Keep the Faith Warning. Long post ahead. Whenever I listen to some old Kpop songs, it brings back an entire part of my life that I really miss. It is that kind of addiction that I’ll never get over from. Like never. It all started when I was in 2nd year college. 2009. Way back from liking the famous Meteor Garden, a Korean version of it has been released on the same year. Boys over Flowers. For most people who are not into watching dramas, Korean guys are always foreseen as gay. Probably because of how they dress up, unusual long groomed hair, thin physique and the wearing of skinny jeans. But as I compare it from today’s generation. Even non-Kpop fans are into following these originally Korean trends, whether it could be guys or girls. All these cutesy things. So, what’s good people? Change is constant. Yes, back from 2009. Along with fingerling over this dream boys, I got really curious on who are these people singing on the soundtrack. Then boom, I never stopped. From one group, to another. Until they became my world, my life, my addiction. Let’s go through this memory lane. Most people are wondering why all Kpop fans are going crazy over these groups whom they can’t even understand the lyrics to. It’s actually more than that. They have this sort of connection that lingers to fans, whether they understand the lyrics or not. They give this feeling (at least for me) of satisfaction, of how good they look, how synced they dance and how good they sing. Recognizing each and every member not only from how they look like but even on their own voices. They have this total package going on. My parents didn’t understood me at first. My mom would ask me to torn down those posters in my room because she would never find out who are these random people I’m worshipping and it might get too much in my head that I could get a disease or something. Yup that’s how she explained it. But as long as it goes, they have nothing else to do, but to support me. Because of loving Kpop, I made lot of friends, learned a lot of things, went to new places. First thing I learned was reading and writing in Hangul, I generally like doing things that involves breaking codes. So learning how to read and write Korean actually gave me pleasure. I bought tons of dictionaries, labeled every piece of furniture at home its Korean translation, made a clear book of Kpop lyrics with roman and English meaning, until I learned the basics up to the intermediate. Translating every new words I encounter. I’m a bit proud of myself for learning a new language while having fun. In a span of only six months time. I’m also quite surprised that I still know the lyrics to every songs until now. Awesome. Memory lane. Second, I made tons of new Kpop friends who’s on the same level of fan girl as I am, maybe even more. And I’m so happy. Group text clan was still a thing back then. I joined and became one of the admins. The GMs are always entertaining. Belonging to something where you can relate all the time. I even managed to share this addiction with my nursing block mates, which made it more fun. They would accompany me to every meet ups I arranged and also fan gatherings. Whenever we hang out, they would prefer playing Kpop songs and they would ask me to teach them the steps to any dance I know. Until they had their one biases from whichever group. I miss those carefree, fun days. When I got involved in these new entire world, I never knew that there are thousands or even million people out there, who are way more dedicating their life into Kpop. Like seriously, for those who do not know. If I’m crazy, they are insane. Which is admirable. My very first Kpop event was really memorable, it was the first ever Kpop convention in the Philippines. When I got there it’s like I never want it to end or get out. It was heaven. There are booths of every fandom, merchandise and people who are cosplaying as Kpop individuals. Whenever there’s a random music video being played everyone will start fangirling at the first 2 seconds. I was one of them of course. Comparing the Kpop convention from then to now, like wow. It is now a big shot event, they are now inviting actual Kpop groups, and more people are coming, with tickets being sold out. Third, I went to new many places. With adventures included. Never have I imagined my whole life that I would be that kind of fan that would go to the airport to see the arrivals of our biases. So I did, my parents actually allowed me to go because I was with my close guy friend that time. He was the one to ask my parents actually. My first airport went to disappointment. Of course the security will not allow any non-passenger to access the arrival area. So we have to wait outside. Only to find out they went to a different exit. It was around 11 in the evening. We knew that on the same day, they would be having a guesting on this noontime show. So we went straight to that network at 1am to queue, we planned to be the first persons there. 7am came, gates were opened. Security told us that free audience would not be allowed to watch because it is reserved only for those people who have tickets. Which we didn’t know. Another disappointment. We approached this large filipino one group that would be performing as. Contestants to the show, asking if they could help us sneak in by pretending that we are some props men or something. But that didn’t work out. We went home, I was so tired from having no sleep and constant upsetting events. We didn’t give up just yet. The next day, this group was having their fan meeting on a well known events place. Only fifty tickets were sold. Because it was that intimate. Although we knew, that there is no possible way to get us any tickets, we still went to the event. Without anything. Just hope. Few people also went with the same situation as we have, no tickets or anything. They left early and gave up. One of my friend approached one of the security and begged him to let us in. She lied that we’re doing it for a school project. There were just four of us, so he thought we won’t get noticed. Finally, he gave in and let us in. He led us in a private secured access which ends up on the balcony. And right there is great view of the boys, and the event was just starting when we got in. I cried that time, not only because of getting the chance to see them up close and also how lucky we are. Right from undergoing all those suffering and how we got what we really deserve from not giving up easily. It doesn’t end here. Gonna hit the sack. But wait, funny how I wrote this without ever mentioning not one Kpop group that I love. In no particular order; including those who have disbanded. SHINee (my first ever), Bigbang (my forever), Beast, TVXQ (the legend and gods), Infinite, Teen top, 2am, 2pm, Se7en, 4minute, FT Island, Monsta X, GOT7. If I could write all of my insanity in Kpop, like every tiny details of this devotion. I can actually finish a whole book. And to that wonderful person I’ve met while in into Kpop. Which will bring us to an entire different world again and story.

[angrykpoprants]

First of all I’d like to ask people to stop calling BTS “legends”. They are not legends yet. I’m not saying that they will never be legends, but they aren’t at that level yet… the group is also only four years old.

I am in no way dissing BTS nor am I saying that they are not as good as the other groups and I am not saying that BTS doesn’t deserve what they have. My icon is Jimin for god’s sake...

So lets start with the follower count. BTS has 9M followers, there are 7 of them in the group and the members don’t have a personal twitter account or at least a public personal account. G Dragon has a little over 8M followers. 1 person with a little over 8M vs 7 people with 9M… who is the true global Korean artist? If you do the math its a little over 1M per bts member… G Dragon… one person has a little over 8M. Fans of BTS also like to say that BTS outsold G Dragon in amount of album sales. I mentioned this in a previous post about BTS’s album sales, people should really break it down and in articles they should mention that there are four versions of each album, it’s not like they pre-sold over one million with one version. However G Dragon pre-sold over one million with just one version of the album and its not even a conventional album… its a USB that you have to physically download all of the songs and photos. G Dragon is just one person and bts is a group of seven that achieved somewhat of what G Dragon… just a single person achieved… Do you understand what older kpop fans/Big Bang fans mean now? Lets also do it this way too… we all know BTS’s twitter follower count, lets add the big bang member’s twitter followers together, and it is about 15M all together, just about the same amount of followers that G Dragon has on Instagram.

I would also like to say to the BTS fans that mock Big Bang and 2ne1… If it wasn’t for them and the wonder girls billboard really wouldn’t have cared about kpop all together. Fantastic Baby, I am the best, Nobody and even SNSD’s the boys have garnered more attention,more radio play, and more coverage than DNA (and it seems like they have been getting most of their radio play in NorCal which Asian’s are more of the majority… just to clarify, I am in no way saying that non-Asians don’t listen to kpop). Fantastic Baby was even feature in Glee and Pitch Perfect. 2ne1 gained so much western attention. If Big Bang never got a nomination and walked on the EMA stage in 2011 BTS wouldn’t even be able to walk on a western stage. You have to thank Big Bang for opening the way for BTS to be in the billboard charts and walk on the stage. I don’t care what rank BTS gain on the billboard charts because if non-American fans didn’t change their VPN and overly stream the music video and make a US iTunes account BTS wouldn’t even be able to gain that ranking. how come no one is mentioning how Big Bang is the only kpop group that has 10 music videos with over 100M views?

Why is that when I mention how B.A.P has had the most #1’s on the Billboard world album chart that BTS fans practically make fun of B.A.P, its like the only way for them to feel satisfied with their group is the ranking they have and the views they have which is very sad to be honest. It seems like you are not confident in the group or you don’t feel validation as a fan or validation for listening to kpop. Maybe its because some of the fans are young and can’t afford to buy the albums physically and digitally. I have been in that position before, I started listening to kpop at a young age, the first two kpop albums I got were gifts and that was Big Bang’s Alive and G Dragon’s One Of A Kind. B.A.P’s badman was the first album I purchased on my own, I missed out on all of the Super Junior albums, four B.A.P albums and ten Big Bang albums, but I never felt like a lesser fan, nor did I feel the need shove my favorite groups in other peoples faces. There was only one time that I participated in a “mass streaming” and that was with Super Junior’s Mr. Simple, that was the first ever SM boy group music video to gain 100M views. Though looking back I probably annoyed the crap out of my friends and family for about a month or two… I even would put my phone on silent and stream the music video in class, I even made a playlist and had it loop the music video in my locker while I was in gym class. I am so embarrassed at my behavior to be honest. I also can’t believe that I actually get called a bad fan by only watching BTS’s music video once, I only watch music videos once now. Why? because I actually have stuff in my life to do… I go to cosmetology school which I am super passionate about and I have been preparing for surgery since last year which I’m getting next week 

There has also been one thing that has had me thinking ever since 2014. It seemed like after B.A.P was done promoting First Sensibility, were doing their LOE2014 tour, and after announced their hiatus BTS has started to garner attention and more fame, previously BTS was in B.A.P’s shadow. Now its just a thought, if B.A.P never went on hiatus would BTS even be where they are or would BTS still be in B.A.P’s shadow and B.A.P be where BTS is. 1004 and LOE2014 did gain quite a bit of attention too, they did quite a bit of western interviews the only thing that’s different is that none of the members were fluent in English so there was a language barrier.

I would also wish that the western media that does try to cover BTS stop acting like their fans are literally just S.Korea and the US. Outside of the Korean fans Japan has the most fans, why do you think that they cater so much to Japan, Go on so many Japanese shows, make Japanese versions of songs, and even make Japanese specific albums? Then after that its The Philippines and Singapore, btw western media… there are plenty of other countries that listen to BTS and there are plenty of Asian country that actually use English on a daily basis… just wanted to let you know that.

[coumatous]

The year 2017 has a lot of challenges, a lot of happiness, a lot of memories,  a lot of blessings, a lot of opportunities, a lot of music, a lot of games, and a lot of beats that we’ve been through this year. Let’s make a throwback and give you some thoughts about what happened on 2017 in the world of rhythm gaming here in the Philippines.

  (Artwork by Fu-mi.A – @work3284 via Twitter)

  First in our list is the 6th Konami Arcade Championship 2017. A lot of  rhythm game tournaments happened in JAEPO 2017 last February 2017. The best of the best from Beatmania IIDX Sinobuz, Sound Voltex IV, Dance Dance Revolution A, Gitadora (both Guitarfreaks and Drummania) Jubeat Qubell, Museca 1 + 1/2, and Pop n’Music competed for a trophy of the KAC Champion. One of the highlights from the 6th KAC is the Dance Dance Revolution A Tournament where players like FEFEMZ, CHRS4LYF, FUNGAH and O4MA were go head to head to win the crown. They played DEAD END “Groove Radar” Special, Egoism 440 and Paranoia Revolution in a very close scores. In the end, CHRS4LYF wins the crown and he is now the defending champion of DDR.

    New arcade rhythm games had been released, updated, and will be released here in the Philippines this 2017 including Dance Dance Revolution A, Gitadora Matixx, Jubeat Clan, Maimai Milk and Groove Coaster. Nostalgia also marks up this 2017 as the game had its location test back in the day but not anymore as it become a permacab already. Beatmania IIDX 26 CANNON BALLERS will also be release soon also. These games are now available at selected Quantum branches nationwide.

    Some events happened this 2017, including the BEMANI Game Showcase in Cosplay Mania 2017 held at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City, last October. In partnership with Quantum Amusement Corporation, they did a Freeplay for all BEMANI machines, exclusively for all congoers who visit their booth. All of the rhythm gamers were rejoiced as Quantum announced two Bemani games which will be released back in those days and that is DDR A and Gitadora Matixx. The Sound Voltex Tournament had been an unforgettable experience as all participants are so hyped and many spectators were hyped and cheered for their bet as the champion. That time, some players had an unexpected results, some did a fantastic run and compete with all of their hearts. In the end, Sam Chua declared as the Sound Voltex Champion during the Bemani Game Showcase.

    2017 is not complete without the DDR A Kick-Off Party which is an unforgettable experience for me to attend this event last November 25, 2017 at the Quantum Power Station, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. Old to current generation players were united as one to reminisce the memories of DDR. This is also a celebration for DDR A’s arrival here in the Philippines. That’s not all, DDR PH community brought prizes, some MAX300 challenges, exhibition matches and surprises to make people happy. You can check the full details through this article here on my blog.

    In other news, Sound Voltex also had this EX Track in the Omega Dimension Update that features cool and awesome songs that can be salvaged once you clear it. SDVX also add some Courses in Skill Analyzer this 2017.

    Some games were also on a race to be part of 2017 as DJ MAX RESPECT had been a huge hit for PS4 gamers. More DLCs were being added to the game itself including the recent Clazziquai Edition. In addition to that, the game is looking for content creators that can be a part of their DJ MAX RESPECT Partner Program. You can check some of the infos here. In my opinion, this game had a success run this year and I wish I can play this game very soon.

    Speaking of DJ MAX RESPECT, Neowiz is looking for individuals / composer for finding new music that could be add on DJ MAX and Tapsonic as well. For more details, just click this link below: https://coumatous.wordpress.com/2017/12/07/neowiz-aims-to-look-for-new-music/

  Ride Zero is on the list as well. In just several months, this mobile game had been a trend and tops into the market. It is very addicting and very easy to play as well. You can check some of the infos on how to play it on my Ride Zero: A Spin Off Rhythm Game Like No Other article.

    DJ MAX TECHNIKA Q had a success run, too. As Neowiz had an All Songs Free Play event, New Songs every month and a 4 Lane Play Mode as well. Sounds awesome to me.

    We also featured best players who share their stories to everyone here in Couma’s Corner. These players are CoffeeDeemon, 1075, DJSuperNOVA, /R.W.M.I}{A.I.F/, and Darth Vader. If you’re interested you can check some of the details on how to join in Couma’s Featured Player of the Week.

    There’s a lot been going on during 2017 in Pump It Up. From the collaboration of PIU to EZ2AC and O2Jam, From well-known Jpop & Kpop songs added to the game, and its Content Creation Contest in Music & Character categories. I’m sure that Pump It up has a lot in store next year though.

    That’s not all, osu! Philippines is also a part of the 2017 list as they represent our country from these several tournaments like Summer Mania Tournament, South East Asia League (SEAL) Tournament and osu! World Cups 2017.

    Rayark also had a Free Song Event also on its 6th Anniversary / 6th Birthday. And by that, all songs are free on a limited time last September 2017. That’s not all, during RayarkCon 2017, two of the best rhythm games in the market will be having an upcoming series in the next years. These games are Cytus II and Deemo Reborn. You can see its trailer below:

      I know that this isn’t enough to wrap it all up because there’s a lot of news and updates in rhythm gaming that I didn’t mentioned here in this review. But all I know that these moments that I reviewed will be remembered in this year 2017. Let’s all have high hopes for the upcoming year 2018. We wish to have more opportunities and more memories to remember. Have a Prosperous New Year everyone!

Gimme a Big Beat: A 2017 Review The year 2017 has a lot of challenges, a lot of happiness, a lot of memories,  a lot of blessings, a lot of opportunities, a lot of music, a lot of games, and a lot of beats that we've been through this year.