Revisiting the First Blog Post I've Ever Made

This is the last blog post I'm ever making as a high schooler. That's right, I'm graduating tomorrow and moving on with the next stage of my life. Since this is such a big event in my life, I wanted to do something on this blog to cap off this chapter, but I wasn't sure how to. I thought about reminiscing about songs I loved during my high school career, but then I realized I'd be talking about songs I've already talked about a thousand times. So I thought it would be fun to reminisce about how I've changed as a person and a writer.

I first started blogging at the end of sixth grade, when my friends and I made a blog called The Brick Wall. We would always say random, funny things at lunch, and then at some point, we decided to publish them on the Internet. In hindsight, I think all of us can admit that everything on that blog was embarrassing in some way. I'm still glad that I had the experience. You can't improve unless you start somewhere, no matter how embarrassing that starting point is. Today, I want to react to my first post on the Brick Wall. Funny thing is I already made a similar post in 2015, after I had been on the Brick Wall for a year. The goal is to see all the ways I have changed since 2014. Think of this as being like how Vanity Fair has done the same interview with Billie Eilish for three years now.

Hello, you've reached Music Mondays! I'm not_luna_lovegood, and I'll be here to tell you all about music and stuff during the month of June! When June is over, I'll be moving to Travel Tuesdays and Banana_Elephant will be doing Music Mondays! Since this is my first entry on the blog, I thought I would take some time to introduce myself to y'all!

Okay, so let's preface this by explaining the "days." I had five friends writing on the blog, so we split up duties by assigning everyone a topic for a month and developing a cycle. On Monday, we talked about music, on Tuesday, we talked about traveling, on Wednesday, we talked about whatever we felt like talking about, on Thursday, we did Throwback Thursday, and Fridays, we talked about...cringe...fandoms. We were middle schoolers going through a Harry Potter/Hunger Games/Percy Jackson phase, so we made Friday "Fandom Friday" as an excuse for us to gush about how much we loved those books. I started out with Music Mondays because I wanted to. I have always loved talking about music, and unsurprisingly, that's still what I talk about mostly on here.

First of all, I am NOT the character Luna Lovegood from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, nor do I know her at all. But I can assure you that if I did know her, we would totally be BFFs! Just wanted to get that out there, haha. I don't know how I came up with my username, I was just sitting there in health class and it just came to me.

I initially chose not_luna_lovegood as my screen name because I was such a hardcore Harry Potter fan back then. Luna Lovegood was my favorite character because I loved how unabashedly odd she was. I thought the name "not_luna_lovegood" was incredibly clever at the time, but it's just embarrassing now. My current screen name of Stellar fits my personality a lot more. Stellar is just a random, nice-sounding word. Stellar can talk about anything and it can be believable, whereas not_luna_lovegood is pigeonholed into only talking about Harry Potter. I'm glad I changed my name.

I also feel like my writing style back then was pretty embarrassing. Using abbreviations like "BFF" and writing out "haha" isn't dignified. I also used a lot of frivolous sentences, like "Just wanted to get that out there."

So anyway, I'm gonna list some random facts about me in an attempt to introduce myself.

"Ok, so anyway..." I hate when people talk like that.

1. I am a die-hard Harry Potter fan. Mention Harry Potter around me and I will start screaming and fangirling because I love it so much. #potterheadandproud

Oh god, the word "fangirl" will never not fill me with rage. The concept of girls being fans of things and freaking out about those things isn't bad. Every girl, screw that, every person, regardless of gender, should find something to be passionate about. It's just that single evil word. I'm going to use this word a lot, but it's very cringe-worthy. But then again, I make a ton of references to "stanning" in my daily life, and I'm sure I'll probably look back on the concept of stanning in a similar light. 

As for Harry Potter, I have a...complicated relationship with it. I'm always going to have some respect for it. After all, it helped me connect to many of my friends in middle school. The story itself is great as well. It's just that JK Rowling sort of rubs me the wrong way. It's been over a decade since Harry Potter was released, but JK Rowling loves retconning. She loves thinking she's socially aware by tweeting that certain characters were actually minorities. She just decides that, long after the series was over, that so-and-so is gay or so-and-so is Jewish. It rubs me the wrong way because it just seems like she wants to be seen as progressive. But it's not progressive, instead it's disingenuous. If you really want your characters to be diverse, write them as diverse! This probably sounds pretty confusing, so this quote from "The Problem With J.K. Rowling Making Things Canon Retroactively" by Emma Oulton for Bustle does a great job explaining the problem:

The truth is: Harry Potter was set in a straight, white world. J.K. Rowling has since proved herself to be a big promoter of diversity and tolerance, but by retroactively adding diversity to the Harry Potter canon, she's undermining her own message. Instead of reassuring us that people of color were present at Hogwarts behind the scenes, I'd like to see Rowling acknowledge that Hogwarts in the '90s was pretty whitewashed — and that she can do better.

Long story short: Do I still like Harry Potter? Yes. But contrary to what I thought back then, it's not perfect. I certainly wouldn't call myself a hashtag-"Potterhead" because I can't help but feel like hashtags are sort of dated. I occasionally use them ironically, but that's not what this was. This was dead serious.

2. I love music! I play clarinet in school band, piano, and I'm going to learn guitar this summer. My favorite genre of music is pop, which is what we talk about on Music Mondays.

I think the part of this that I most regret is saying that we only talked about pop music on the blog. That was not the case at all. My friends often wrote about other music-related things on there. For example, Chuckles made a particularly interesting post about the Native American flute, and Banana_Elephant talked about her favorite songs from TV shows. (She mentioned the Pokémon theme as one of those favorites, hell yeah.)

Also, the only instruments I can really play are clarinet and bass clarinet, the latter of which I started playing in sophomore year. The bass clarinet doesn't require a different skillset from the soprano clarinet, it's just bigger and lower. I took piano lessons in elementary school, but I don't remember much from there. I can't read bass clef at all. I have a good ear, so I can teach myself little melodies, but I'm not much of a pianist. As for guitar, I barely even tried. I have a guitar and I took lessons in summer school, but I didn't have any interest in practicing. I would like to learn ukulele, though. It's like a guitar, but smaller and cuter. 

3. I refuse to answer any and all personal questions (my real name, age, address, school, etc.) and comments (I think I know you, I know what your personal Instagram is, etc.). I'm terrified of stalkers. Don't even bother posting personal questions and/or comments because they won't show up.

I don't think I have to worry about stalkers because nobody really reads this blog except for when I make my friends do it. I still won't get too personal, because there is a lot of stuff about me that I just don't want out in the open Internet. Besides, I don't feel like mentioning my address or school or anything will really affect what I write about. I'm not freaked out about mentioning my age, though. I'm eighteen, just about to graduate high school.

4. The idea for the Brick Wall first started about a month or two ago, but it wasn't until about a week ago that the idea became a reality. We were just talking at lunch and saying the randomest things when we thought, "Hey, why don't we start a blog about us saying random things?" And finally, after waiting for around a month, Quidditch_Turtle finally started the blog!

I don't think the Brick Wall really consisted of us saying "random" things. And I'm glad for that. The things we were saying were disjointed, quote-unquote "funny" things that really didn't have anything to do with each other. As embarrassing as we could get on our blog, at least our posts were always some level of coherent instead of us screaming "HEY I HAD A DREAM ABOUT HARRY POTTER AND HERMIONE RIDING UNICORNS IN OUTER SPACE!" or whatever. Yeah, we were in that phase where we thought randomness was the peak of humor. It's embarrassing and I regret it.

5. We came up with the name "The Brick Wall" because of the brick wall near the table we sit at in our school cafeteria. One of the bricks has a piece of masking tape that says "Brick" taped on it. And that's sort of how we came up with the name.

Looking back, I don't think "The Brick Wall" was a very good name. It was just a reference to some dumb inside joke. But more than that, it was just dull. It also wasn't original and makes it hard to Google us. When you Google "The Brick Wall," you just get a bunch of Lego-related stuff. At least Stellar in Neverland is easy to find on Google.

6. I'm not just a grammar Nazi, I consider myself Grammar Hitler. Seriously! Use the wrong "there" in a sentence (We saw the train sitting their as opposed to We saw the train sitting there) or something like that and I will start raging madly.

This was just...extremely wrong and I regret it. No matter the context, it was wrong for me to compare myself to a man who was responsible for at least 11 million wrongful deaths. I'm still a bit of a stickler for bad grammar, but I don't refer to myself as a grammar Nazi. It's in poor taste. I typically use "grammar police," because as cheesy as it sounds, it's not making light of the Holocaust.

7. I love to read and write. Besides Harry Potter, my favorite series are Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Divergent, and The Hunger Games. Right now, I'm writing a story and I'm not really sure how to explain what it's about. I might publish it on another website when it's done.

I already talked about my gripes with Harry Potter, but I also have complaints about all the other books I mentioned, Divergent especially. The premise is just dumb. You can only be one thing: smart, brave, kind, selfless, or honest, and if you’re more than one, you’re as good as dead. I’ve never met one person who is only one of those. And they expect people to be completely fearless or honest all the time or whatever. It makes no sense. With The Hunger Games, I just think it's overrated. It's not terrible, and I did really like the first two books. But from what I remember, Mockingjay was a slog to get through. As for Percy Jackson, I actually have no complaints about the books. It's probably my favorite series of all time, with fantastic worldbuilding and references to Greek mythology, and a blend of serious moments with lighthearted moments that reminds me of Avatar: The Last Airbender more than anything. My only complaints are that the movies were terrible, but there's a Disney Plus series in development, which I have high hopes for. The author of the series, Rick Riordan, is going to be heavily involved, and I know he won't let me down, especially since he's the biggest critic of the movies out there.

As for that story I was talking about myself writing, I think it was about these three girls getting trapped in a hotel or something, and then they met this girl who pretended to be Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter. (I had a one-track mind.) It was inspired by a dream I had in middle school, and I haven't written on it for at least five years. It's dead. As for what I am writing, I'm writing this young adult romance inspired by a terrible experience I had at the homecoming dance my junior year. I'm proud of it because it deals with anxiety and getting over it, but mostly because I'm in love with the guy I created for it. I gave him every trait I could ever want in a man. Too bad he won't be real.

8. I'm a big fan of Disney movies. I love them all, but I'd say my favorite is Finding Nemo (which is actually made by Pixar but I count it as a Disney movie). Finding Nemo is my favorite movie of all time!

Finding Nemo isn't even my favorite Pixar movie. It's Inside Out. I made a list of my favorite movies a few years ago (link here). A few opinions have changed since then (at some point, I'd like to make an additional top ten list of movies I missed the first time), but I'm still proud of it. Also, I'm slightly irritated that I didn't italicize my titles back then. 

9. My favorite color is blue because if I were a student at Hogwarts (school in the Harry Potter series, in case you didn't know that, but you probably do) I would be in Ravenclaw House, and if I were in one of the factions from the Divergent series, I would be in Erudite. Coincidentally, both Ravenclaw and Erudite have blue for their representing color!

Oh god, enough with the fandoms. I was in a phase where I thought liking Harry Potter and The Hunger Games was a valid personality trait. I did get past that, but I moved to the phase where I thought liking Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco was a valid personality trait two years later. And I guess it is technically a "valid personality trait," I just thought it was valid for my love of those things to be the only trait I had. When Fall Out Boy said "You are what you love, not who loves you," I took that way too literally. It's great to be passionate about the things you love, but that can't be your only personality trait. There are many things I'm a fan of, like Pokémon, Ariana Grande, 80s movies, and more recently, kpop, but I'm not solely defined by my love of any of those things. I'm a creative, passionate, honest, and loyal person who will fight for the things she believes in at any risk. I believe in equality for all and I stick to my principles no matter what. I love expressing myself creatively, mostly by writing. I've been through some serious shit, but I've come out swinging. Doesn't that say so much more about me than "I like this book" or "I like this singer"?

Oh right, we were supposed to be talking about colors. Yeah, I truly don't know what my favorite color is. I like certain shades of every color, but I don't have a definitive favorite color. I guess it would maybe be purple? 

10. I would love to be a famous singer, but I sound like a dying cow when I sing, so that will never happen!

I swear, it's a Shakespearean tragedy; the girl who would love to sing, but can't. I'd love to be able to effortlessly hit high notes and belt it out with the best of them, but I can't.  I think this lack of talent is why I tend to appreciate good singers more than anything. More than any cool beat or witty lyric, a great singer is what I notice in a song. If you can sing, I'll like your song at least a little bit, probably. 

So that’s just a little bit about me. I hope you enjoy our blog!

I feel like this is kind of a rushed way to end things, and I don't like it. It's the same "so anyways blah blah blah" dialect I already complained about. And yet, I can't come up with a good way to end this post. Conclusions have never been my forte.

I guess, summer's starting again, so I'll be able to devote even more time to this blog. Of course, I'm getting ready to go to college in the fall, so I'll be spending a lot of my summer doing that. But I won't have any major vacations (my family was going to go to Disney World, but Miss Rona decided otherwise), so I should have a consistent schedule this summer, unless something out of my control happens. I also feel like I've really found an enjoyment in writing my blog that I haven't had since I first started. I'm looking forward to this next chapter of my life and my blog.

Stellar

Kpop Crash Course: Epilogue

This is gonna be a pretty long post, and I apologize for that. But I just felt like I needed something to wrap up Kpop Crash Course. For those who are just now starting to read my blog: Kpop Crash Course is a series where I attempt to learn more about Korean pop music by listening to its most iconic tracks, as determined by this video. It was a four-part series, and these are the four parts. You should probably read them before reading this:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

Instead of a formal essay-type thing where I reflect on all these songs and groups, I'm going to reflect in the best way I know how: three lists. The first one will certainly be the longest, because it's my favorites, and I always get super passionate and wordy when talking about things I love. I'll try to keep things concise, but I'll probably fail.

TOP TWENTY FAVORITE SONGS I DISCOVERED.
Yeah...this was originally going to be a top ten, but if I did that, I would have a lot of honorable mentions or just songs that I really wanted to include but didn't have room for. Instead, we're doing a top 20!

Also, I deliberately chose to not include any of the Blackpink and Twice songs, even though I loved them all. I just wanted to keep it to songs I discovered from doing this series, as opposed to songs I already knew prior.

20. “Overdose” by EXO-K
I always think of “Overdose” and “Monster” as similar songs. Obviously, they’re by the same band, but they also go for similar darker vibes. I think they’re in the same key, too. Although I gave them both 9/10s when I initially discussed them, but I definitely prefer “Overdose” now. It has one of the best bridges I have heard in kpop. The transition from that awesome high note into the rap verse takes my breath away every time. The “someone call the doctor” chorus is also much more memorable for me. But as much as I like this song, it’s not the best EXO song I’ve heard. Foreshadowing!

19. “Energetic” by Wanna One

I'm gonna be honest: I don't really care about lyrics. I'll give credit to particularly great lyrics and criticize stupid ones, but for the most part, I don't care. The best way for a song to impress me is to sound good. I'm much more likely to replay a song if it has a hot beat or great singing. Poetic lyrics are just a plus! Most songs I like, I like because I think they sound good. And that's certainly the case for a lot of my favorite kpop songs, including "Energetic." This song has such a solid dance groove and the 90s house-style piano is my favorite thing. I also love when one of them does a particularly impressive high note, then it pauses before returning. That pause does a lot to keep the song interesting.

18. “Red Flavor” and “Bad Boy” by Red Velvet
I couldn’t decide which I liked more. I’m sorry. But in a way, it makes sense for these two to be tied since they’re by the same band. But more than that, they’re representative of Red Velvet’s dual concept. “Red Flavor” is the “red” half of their discography, being a fun pop song, whereas “Bad Boy” is the “velvet” half, being more mature and R&B-inspired. I think which one I ultimately prefer will come down to my mood. If I want a bop, I’ll go to “Red Flavor,” but if I want to feel sexy, I’ll play “Bad Boy.” They’re both pretty great.

17. “Face” by Nu’Est
I really think I kind of nailed it when I compared this to High School Musical. It just reminds me of “Now or Never” from High School Musical 3. That’s not an insult, I grew up watching those movies and I still love them. “Now or Never” in particular is one of my favorite songs from the trilogy, so the fact that this song reminds me of it is a compliment. Also, the eternal nerd in me can’t stop hearing “jul alji” as “Jirachi”, which is just proof that I am always thinking about Pokémon. One of the members of Nu’Est is named Aron, which is also the name of a Pokémon (coincidentally, one from the same generation as Jirachi!). I’m probably the only person who cares enough to point that out. God, I’m a nerd.

16. “I’m So Sick” by Apink
Something I just realized when listening to this: the vocal melodies and synths in the prechorus remind me of “Into You” by Ariana Grande, and if you know me, that is just about the biggest compliment a song can receive. What really sticks out to me is the “no-o-o-o-o” looped vocal sample throughout. Am I crazy or does the voice almost sound like Taylor Swift? Also, I’m not sure what they’re actually saying, but at one point in the chorus, it sounds like it says “I’m Jonah Hill.” I think I’m just crazy for hearing that. Now that I have all that superfluous garbage out of the way, I’m just gonna repeat what I said before: “This song marks a shift for Apink from a cutesy concept to a mature one. It is to Apink what ‘Fancy’ was to Twice, in that regard.” I love it.

15.”I Wait” by Day6
God, this sounds like a lost cut from Fall Out Boy’s From Under the Cork Tree, albeit with a little more polish. Fall Out Boy are probably my favorite band of all time, so that is a huge compliment. It also reminds me of 5 Seconds of Summer, who I like quite a bit. This song has a perfect mix of pop and rock, as it has some heavier guitars, but it also has great hooks. I love the chanting of “I wait” in the chorus. I haven’t gone super in-depth to Day6’s other material, but I’ve listened to a couple of their songs and I like what I’ve heard! “Breaking Down” reminds me of, like, one of the Japanese Pokémon themes. It’s good!

14. “I Will Show You” by Ailee
Literally my entire reason for liking this song so much is due to Ailee herself. If it was performed by a lesser singer, it would be a 6-7/10, but Ailee’s such a confident, powerful singer that she makes this song as enjoyable as it is for me. She has the type of voice where she could be singing Donald Trump’s tweets and it would still be amazing. One of these days, I'm gonna have to go on a binge and watch some of her live performances. I bet she's great live.

13. “I Got A Boy" by Girls' Generation
Out of all the songs I gave a 10/10 to, this is the one I love least. It’s just kind of a lot sometimes, so I can’t see myself wanting to play it over and over again, unlike the songs that are above it. It’s still absolutely deserving of a 10/10 for me, as it is by far the most ambitious song I covered in this series. It’s one of those songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “Sicko Mode” where it’s multiple songs in one. All the tempo and stylistic shifts make it an interesting listen every time. This song is absolutely bonkers in the best way.

12. “Hush” by Miss A
This song best shows everything I loved about Miss A. They were darker and more mature than many of their contemporaries, but they always kept it classy. They radiated sexuality, but never felt like they were trying too hard. Out of all 100 songs I looked at, “Hush” was the most sensual. It’s about a secret relationship, and the lyrics actually got pretty risque in some places. One of the lines, in fact, is “You’re tastier than a lollipop/I want to bite you.” It’s probably just because I don’t understand Korean, but I think they get away with it because the song is so sneakily seductive. And best of all, Miss A is mature without sacrificing a catchy hook. Miss A disbanded in 2017, but they left us with some girl-group gems.

11. "I Feel You" by Wonder Girls

Something I just realized: the intro to this song kind of sounds like the intro to "Juice" by Lizzo. That's absolutely a compliment, I love "Juice." The production on this song is absolutely amazing. I love that synth riff, the bassline, and the signature 80s drum machine sound. I could probably write an essay about how much I love modern songs that sound like they're from the 80s. One of these days, I'll have to make a playlist of 80s throwbacks. This song will definitely go on it!

10. "Palette" by IU ft. G-Dragon
This song is just...nice. I know that’s really vague, but I really can’t think of a better word for it. It’s like a cozy hug to make you feel better. When I talked about this song in Part Four, I talked about how much I liked the meaning of it. It’s about coming of age and quietly loving yourself through all of the stages of your life. But I just need to emphasize that I’m graduating from high school in a week. This is 100% the kind of song I need at this stage in my life. It also sounds gorgeous. I’ll have to look into IU’s other work one of these days. She just made a song with BTS’s Suga a few weeks ago, and it’s supposed to be a sequel of sorts to “Palette.” I should check it out.

9. “4 Walls” by f(x)
I know, there are a few songs here that originally got a 9.5/10, but are higher than songs that got an actual 10/10. However, the more I listened to these songs, the more they came to be some of my all-time favorite kpop tracks. That’s certainly the case for “4 Walls.” Everything I said about this song originally still stands. It still sounds like something you’d hear in a trendy boutique in the mall, and I love that.

8. "Something" by Girl's Day
This gives “Hush” a run for its money as the sexiest kpop song I have heard. But as much as I loved “Hush,” I like this even more. I love the girls’ sexy falsettos, tight harmonies, and more powerful belting. They manage to hit that sweet spot where they’re singing high and powerfully, but don’t sound like they’re trying too hard a la Christina Aguilera. I also love that little piano scale in the second verse. It’s such a small detail but it’s perfect. Finally, I just want to apologize for something I got wrong. When I initially looked at this song, I said “Although reading the comments tells me this song is about cheating...yeah, I'm glad I don't understand the lyrics and can just enjoy this song for the pop perfection it is.” The comments made it sound like the girls themselves were doing the cheating, but after looking up a translation, I learned that’s not what’s happening. In fact, their boyfriends are cheating on them, and this song is where they tell them they’re jackasses for betraying them. I like that so much more!

7. "Lucifer" by SHINee
I really didn’t have that many favorites from Part One. I think most of the songs just sounded dated to me. And I can’t argue that “Lucifer” and the other song I have from Part One (we’ll get to it) aren’t a little dated as well. However, this song stuck with me a lot. It’s just filled to the brim with hooks. I particularly like the “loverholic, lovertronic” part. It means nothing but it sounds cool. It also blows my mind how this song was the first writing credit for one Bebe Rexha. I like this song so much more than any song actually performed by her.

6."Someone Like You” by Dal Shabet
This is the highest girl group song I have here, which is surprising. I’m surprised my favorite girl group song isn’t from a more well-known name, like Girls’ Generation, Blackpink, or Twice. Yes, I know I purposely left out the latter two, but even if I was including the likes of “TT” and “Ddu-du Ddu-du,” they wouldn’t be higher than this. I can’t listen to this song without remarking that it sounds like a Carly Rae Jepsen song. One of the girls, Subin, even sounds exactly like Carly, at least in this song. The bassline is also very similar-sounding to “Black Magic,” one of Little Mix’s best songs. This just sounds like a bunch of songs I already love, so I was guaranteed to love it based off of sound alone. Even the chipmunk voice, the only thing preventing me from giving it a 10/10 before, doesn’t bug me anymore. I always love songs that sound like they’re from the 1980s, and those 80s vibes have made this song one of my most-played tracks in the past few weeks.

5. “One Shot” by B.A.P.
This song is like something you’d hear in an action movie trailer. I have no words to describe this song other than epic. The production is absolutely massive. It has some powerful guitars, symphonic elements, cocking-gun and siren effects, and the choir! Oh, that choir! It sounds like Super Smash Bros or Final Fantasy or something, and I love it. Somebody needs to make a mashup of this song with “Lifelight” from Super Smash Bros Ultimate. I’m also pretty fond of the guys’ voices. I like Yongguk’s guttural, bassy rapping in the opening, as well as the amazing high note in the background of the final chorus. The lyrics are also pretty motivational, even referencing Martin Luther King Jr. by name. But in the end, I don’t really care what this song is about. I just love it because it sounds so larger-than-life.

4. "Mirotic" by TVXQ
Yeah, this and “Lucifer” were by far the standouts from the first Kpop Crash Course for me, but I’ve listened to this one a lot more. It’s funny because this song sounds incredibly dated and of-its-time. You can just tell from the beat and more grainy production quality that this is from the 2000s. But I love it. This song is a major earworm that frequently loops in my head, but I don’t mind. It’s not just the chorus, it’s all of it. The verses have a creeping melody, the rap verse is memorable, and the distorted “come on, come on” in the bridge always seems to get stuck in my head. This song manages to be dark yet danceable, and it’s easy to see how it set a blueprint for artists like EXO, who are also known for dark yet catchy songs. Really, the only criticism I have for this song is that I’m not entirely sure how to pronounce the title of it. Also, TVXQ is absolutely the best-named kpop group I covered. Once again, it stands for "Tong Vfang Xien Qi," which translates to "Rising Gods of the East." God, I love that.

3. "I" by Taeyeon ft. Verbal Jint
The songs that most stuck out to me were the ones that did something different. Kpop has a very distinctive sound, and although that sound is great in some capacity, I liked the songs that carved their own path. I specifically liked the rock-influenced songs, and that’s where “I” comes in. This song, however, is different even from the other rock-influenced ones, as its style is more in line with pop rock like Coldplay or The Script. The guitars are powerful, but not too overpowering, and they chug at a pleasant rate. Taeyeon is a fantastic vocalist, certainly one of the best I’ve heard in kpop. Her voice is absolutely beautiful, and she sounds so free and confident here. None of the vocalists in Girls’ Generation particularly stood out to me initially, being pleasant but nothing mind-blowing, but this makes me realize that she is far more talented than I may have initially thought. (It’s the same thing that happened with Harry Styles, where I thought he was just okay with One Direction, but once I heard “Sign of the Times,” I realized that he has an amazing voice. And with both of them, I relistened to the stuff they did with their groups and realized that they were always good and I was stupid for not noticing sooner.) But more than just having a lovely voice, she has so much emotion in her singing. You can tell that this song is personal to her. I love the message of feeling free and being yourself after hard times. I even like Verbal Jint’s verse, as he provides Taeyeon with even more positivity. This is just a gorgeous song. I listen to it and I feel like I’m on a different plane of existence.

2. ”Blood Sweat & Tears” by BTS
I really liked this song the first time I heard it, but the more I heard it, the more obsessed I became. Most of what I said when I originally covered this still stands, it’s just amplified. This song manages to be chill and laid-back while also sounding larger than life. I don’t know how to describe it, but it just has a certain grandiosity to it. It’s quite impressive. The members of BTS sound fantastic here. The melisma on the chorus from Jimin and Jungkook makes my heart flutter. I just wish I could sing along to it and not sound like the complete talentless buffoon I am. The bridge is also really great, with the guys (specifically Jimin, who is now my bias from the group) going for some really impressively high notes. However, I never really talked about the lyrics, which are about facing temptation. I like how this song both sounds amazing, yet has substantial lyrics. I especially like when RM talks about how this temptation has “chocolate wings” but “your wings are the devil's.” He's basically saying that the temptation is delicious but dangerous. Geez, what is it with my favorite kpop songs mentioning chocolate? First we had “Fancy” by Twice referencing chocolate ice cream, now we have this. Speaking of Twice, “Blood Sweat & Tears” was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2016 MAMA Awards, but it lost to Twice’s “Cheer Up.” Now, I’m a big fan of Twice, I hope I’ve made that clear, but I think BTS were snubbed. “Cheer Up” is adorable and catchy, but “Blood Sweat & Tears” just speaks to me on a deeper level. As much as I’ve liked pretty much every BTS song I’ve heard, this is their pinnacle. And yet it’s not #1. What could top it?

1. "Call Me Baby" by EXO
We started with EXO, now we’re going to end with them. I think that from the first time I heard this, I always kind of knew that this was going to be my number one. I love how it mixes that 90s boy band style with a modern aesthetic, and it’s catchy as hell. All of the guys sound great, the melodies are instantly catchy, and it just keeps a slick momentum throughout. I can’t listen to this song without bopping along in my seat. Out of all the songs I discovered from Kpop Crash Course, “Call Me Baby” is by far the one I’ve come back to the most. This song isn’t my number one because it’s the deepest song ever, because even without looking up a translation, I could tell that it’s clearly about being in love with a girl. It’s my number one because it just makes me feel good. It’s sort of like my Ariana Grande top 20, where the top two were “breathin” and “Into You.” Whereas “breathin” deals with anxiety and has far more weight and personal meaning to me, I chose “Into You” as my ultimate favorite because it could make me happy whenever I needed it to. Although we should obviously commend artists who have depth in their music, I’m of the opinion that art doesn’t need to be profound to be great. Lightweight songs about love, partying, or any other seemingly unimportant topic more than have their place. The whole thing that makes music great is that it’s subjective. It doesn’t matter if something is “objectively good,” because there is no objective barometer of quality, as much as some of us might like to pretend there is. Despite what the Grammys or Pitchfork or whoever might tell us, the “best music” is simply what we, as individuals, feel is the best. My two runners-up, “Blood Sweat & Tears” and “I” are far more substantial, but “Call Me Baby” is my number one because it makes me feel good. For its entire three-minute, thirty-two second runtime, it triggers the right combination of endorphins like nothing else. I’ve listened to it multiple times a day for about three weeks, so I’m sure I’ll get sick of it sooner rather than later. But for now, at this very moment, it’s my #1. And now for something completely different, list number two:

TOP TEN LEAST FAVORITE SONGS I COVERED.

We can't have a favorites list without a least favorites list. Balance is key! This will only be a top 10 because we don't need so much negativity. I won't have too much to say because I don't like being negative. I just need to clarify that this is entirely, 100% my opinion. I'm not saying these songs are objectively terrible, because, um, what did I just say?

"The whole thing that makes music great is that it’s subjective. It doesn’t matter if something is “objectively good,” because there is no objective barometer of quality, as much as some of us might like to pretend there is."

 The same applies to "bad music" too. I don't like these songs, but I'm not gonna say they shouldn't exist. Obviously, someone out there enjoys them, and if you're that someone, that's great. Keep enjoying what you love!

10."Tell Me" by Wonder Girls 
I had a few songs I gave 4/10s that were vying for this spot, but in the end, I settled on "Tell Me." The reason why it's worse than something like "Rocking" by Teen Top or "Hands Up" by 2PM is because it set off a bad first impression of the group. After listening to this song, I was prepared for the Wonder Girls to be mediocre at best and excruciating at worst. I kept an open mind, but I told myself I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of their songs were bad. That wasn't the case, obviously. Their song "I Feel You" very nearly made the top ten of my favorites list. In fact, it's songs like "I Feel You" that make "Tell Me" even worse. Why did JYP think they should do an annoying, dated, and repetitive song like this when they can do something as amazing as "I Feel You"?

9."Bang Bang Bang" by BIGBANG
At the 2015 MAMAs, this song beat out “Call Me Baby” for the prestigious Song of the Year award. I swear I’m not salty enough to put it on the list just for that, but that does indeed piss me off. I know I just had that spiel about how awards shouldn’t matter because art’s value is determined by how it makes us feel and whatnot, but what can I say, I like it when other people like the things I like. Plus, “Bang Bang Bang” just doesn’t work for me. I can't stand the vocal inflections on the chorus. They just sing it in the most goofy, nasally way. It’s really grating.

8. "Crazy" by 4minute
I'm not opposed to kpop inspired by hip-hop, and I'm not opposed to girl groups doing hip-hop inspired songs. But god, I don't like 4minute precisely for that reason. They have a distinctive style, I'll give them that. Kpop has so many girl groups that start to blend together, and the fact that 4minute's songs are recognizably them is great. I just can't stand that distinctive style. The singing parts of this song are pretty good, but I don't like Hyuna's rapping at all. Her part during the chorus is unbearable.

7."Good Boy" by GD X Taeyang
I can't tell which one, either G-Dragon or Taeyang, but one of these guys has the most nasally, annoying voice. I think it's G-Dragon, as all the ColorCodedLyrics sites are telling me. But that doesn't really make much sense to me, since I thought he was pretty solid on "Palette." The prechorus is okay, if not for the bad T-Pain impression-style singing. The repetition of "I am a good boy" is also confusing. I already made the joke that the phrase "good boy" sounds like they're talking to a dog, but even without that, it's just dumb. After all, they're trying so hard to be super macho bad boys in this song, so why are they proclaiming themselves to be good boys? G-Dragon still has by far the best stage name of any of these kpop idols. What can I say, dragons are objectively awesome.

6. "Up & Down" by EXID
I know I said the sax in this song was pretty good before, but relistening, it's...not? It sounds too artificial sounding. Also annoying is the whooping synth throughout. The girls are a mixed bag too. I really like Solji and Hyerin on the chorus, but the "wi arae" part is insanely annoying.

5. "Very Very Very" by I.O.I.
Thank God this wasn't a Twice song. It could have been. It was written and produced by JYP, who is the head of Twice's label, and Twice's Jeongyeon did say the group started rehearsing it before switching to "TT." While I have a pretty high tolerance for hyperactive sugar rushes, this goes past my limits. The chorus is so repetitive, mostly repeating "neomu" (Korean for "very") and "jakku" (Korean for "keep"). If Twice did end up getting this song, it would certainly be their worst single.

4."Bar Bar Bar" by Crayon Pop
This sounds like the soundtrack of a kids' show from hell. All of the girls from Crayon Pop sound like they're overeager kids' show hosts. The chorus is also mind-numbingly repetitive and annoying. There's also this one noise in the background that sounds like somebody is yelling. Once you notice that, you can't unhear it. The one thing I would praise is the electric guitar presence, but then I heard songs like "Chase Me" by Dreamcatcher that did what this song was trying to do, but did it better. I don't mind overly cutesy kpop (hell, I stan Twice, who are known for that kind of thing), but this is too much.

3."Hobgoblin" by CLC
You know how I said 4minute had a distinctive style? Yeah, this song has that distinctive style, which might explain why I can't stand it. It's not plagiarism, though, since Hyuna did write it. Although parts of the chorus do sound a little like 4minute's "Crazy." The girls sound like they have their noses plugged, and it's really annoying. Other than my #1, this song might have the worst chorus I've heard in kpop. The beat is wonky, but not in a good way, and the melody is really annoying.

2. "Roll Deep" by Hyuna ft. Jung Il-hoon
Now we go from a song written by Hyuna to a song performed by her. The beat tries to go for the same minimalist hip-hop style common in 2014 (think of songs like "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea), but does it even worse. Hyuna's voice is high-pitched and nasally and her inflections are really annoying. When I talked about this originally, I mentioned that it makes me understand why my parents seem so vehemently opposed to female rappers, and that statement still stands. What could be worse?

1. "Bo Peep Bo Peep" by T-ara
You wanna know something funny? At the beginning and end of this song, it has this weird robot voice saying "Don't lose your temper so quickly." Yeah, I'm sorry, but this song is so irritating that I lose it immediately. It's so of-its-time (2009), but is even worse than a lot of the hits from around that time. The beat kind of sounds like "#selfie," the terrible, unfunny breakthrough hit from the Chainsmokers that nobody remembers because the Chainsmokers started making better music in 2016. This song has some of the most irksome autotune I've ever heard. Autotune isn't always a dealbreaker for me, but here, it's just ear-bleeding. The melodies are maddening, especially the "follow me" part and especially that goddamn chorus. It is TWO NOTES. TWO WORDS. I always remember this song as being pretty bad, but when I actually listen to it, it's even worse than I remember. So cutesy it's the sound of my nightmares.

We now have one last list: 

RANKING EVERY ARTIST I COVERED.
For this, I looked at the scores I gave every song by these artists, added the scores, and divided by the number of songs from that artist to find an average. For example, if an artist got a 6/10 on one song, a 7.5/10 on another, and a 9/10 on their last song, I would divide by 3 it would average out to a 7.5/10. I will be counting subgroups and solo projects as part of the main group. For example, the 9/10 I gave to EXO-K's "Overdose" will be counted for EXO, and Hyuna's solo work will count for 4minute. Also, I will not be counting artists where I only looked at one song from them.

22. T-ara: 3.75/10
I mean, “Bo Peep Bo Peep” was my least favorite song I covered in this series, and “Roly Poly” was better, but still mediocre. I hope they have a good song somewhere in their discography, but just going off of the two songs I looked at in this series, they were my least favorite group.
Favorite: “Roly Poly”
Least Favorite: “Bo Peep Bo Peep”

21. 4minute: 5/10
I was not impressed by anything I heard from 4minute or Hyuna’s solo work. I’ll give them that they certainly have a distinctive style, but I find that “distinctive style” annoying and hard to listen to. They’re saved from being dead last because I enjoyed “Trouble Maker” by the duo of the same name, which features Hyuna as a member.
Favorite: “Trouble Maker”
Least Favorite: “Roll Deep”

20. BTOB: 5.5/10
We can chalk up BTOB’s low score to my decision to count solo work as a part of the group’s score. And it’s probably not fair, because I did really like their song “Wow.” Count it as an honorable mention for my favorites list. But I hated Hyuna’s “Roll Deep,” which did feature one of the members. The 1.5/10 I gave that song skews the average. I’m really just counting the solo work so we can get a higher data size.
Favorite: “Wow”
Least Favorite: “Roll Deep”

19. After School: 6/10
I looked at two After School-related songs. There was “AH!” which was specifically by After School, and then there was “Catallena” by their sub-unit, Orange Caramel. They both got the exact same score of 6/10, so what’s the point of doing a “favorite” and “least favorite” thing?

18. 2NE1: 6.6/10
I think of 2NE1 as being like, a precursor to Blackpink. They’re both from YG Entertainment, and they both go for a darker, sexier concept. They’re not bad, I just like Blackpink better.
Favorite: “I Am The Best”
Least Favorite: “Lollipop”

17. Wonder Girls: 7.3/10
Note, although Hyuna was a member of the Wonder Girls, her solo work did not count towards their score, as she left the group before the release of their first song I covered. I didn’t like my first impression of The Wonder Girls with “Tell Me,” but they redeemed themselves with everything else being pretty good to fantastic, especially “I Feel You.”
Favorite: “I Feel You”
Least Favorite: “Tell Me”

16. Sistar: 7.5/10
I wish I liked Sistar more than I did. “So Cool” was really mediocre, and “Alone” and “Touch My Body” didn’t stick with me nearly as much as I thought they would.
Favorite: “Touch My Body”
Least Favorite: “So Cool”

15. AOA: 7.6/10
AOA weren’t bad, but they felt pretty indistinctive. Maybe it’s just that I wasn’t listening to the right songs, but their music kind of blended together with the other girl groups. Plus one of them just had a really annoying, fake baby Britney Spears-type voice. (I think her name is Jimin. Certainly not my favorite Jimin in kpop, if you know what I mean.) Overall, AOA were fine, but I wasn’t in love with any of their songs.
Favorite: “Heart Attack”
Least Favorite: “Like a Cat”

14. Super Junior: 7.75/10
The guys of Super Junior are talented, but I feel like I’d like them so much more if the production in their songs wasn’t so dated. Shame.
Favorite: “Mr. Simple”
Least Favorite: “Sorry Sorry”

13. KARA: Also 7.75/10!
One thing that I didn’t mention when talking about KARA is that, sadly, one of their members, Goo Hara, died from suicide on November 24, 2019. First of all, Rest in Peace to her. Nobody deserves to go through that kind of mental turmoil. Second of all: It’s horrible, but I feel a responsibility to talk about tragedies like this. Kpop idol suicides are far more common than they need to be, and we need to raise awareness of mental health issues in general. A lot of times, people think of famous people as being perfect and having no problems, but they have such high expectations that it takes a serious toll on their mental health. This is especially the case in kpop, where idol groups train for years to achieve perfection. I hope that people in Korea become more aware of the problem and do something before even more lives are taken too soon.
Favorite: “Step”
Least Favorite: “Mister”

12. BIGBANG: 7.9/10
I’m surprised that BIGBANG are higher than, say, the Wonder Girls, since I did hate “Bang Bang Bang” and “Good Boy,” but I guess it’s fair. I did enjoy some of their earlier songs, like “Lies” and “Fantastic Baby” and I adored IU’s “Palette,” which features G-Dragon.
Favorite: “Palette”
Least Favorite: “Good Boy”

11. Beast: 8.25/10
Yeah, this seems way too high. Beast didn’t seem to be terrible, but they weren’t mind-blowing either. I think it’s mostly from the 9/10 I gave to “Trouble Maker” by Trouble Maker, a super-duo featuring Hyuna and the group’s Hyunseung. I only heard one song actually from the group Beast, and it was okay.
Favorite: “Trouble Maker”
Least Favorite: “Fiction”

10. Girls' Generation: 8.4/10
I think Girls’ Generation were the only group to get more than one 10/10, as I gave 10/10s to both “I Got A Boy” and Taeyeon’s solo single “I.”
Favorite: “I”
Least Favorite: “Gee”

9. EXO: 8.6/10
You know, considering that they did make my ultimate favorite song in this whole series, I’m surprised EXO aren’t a little bit higher. Whatever.
Favorite: “Call Me Baby”
Least Favorite: “Growl”

8. Apink: 8.75/10
Apink reminds me of Twice. They started out cutesy, but got more mature over time. Considering Twice's more mature Fancy You and Feel Special EPs consist of some of my favorite kpop tracks out there, I think I would enjoy a lot of Apink, specifically their later work.
Favorite: “I’m So Sick”
Least Favorite: “No No No”

7. BTS: 8.75/10
If you’re going based off of the scores I gave specifically in the Kpop Crash Courses, BTS would be at an 8.6/10. I just changed “Blood Sweat & Tears” to a 10/10 when adding up their scores because I love it so much. I know some of my friends seem to hate BTS, so I should feel shame in liking them as much as I do, but I don’t. I like what I like, and I like BTS.
Favorite: “Blood, Sweat & Tears”
Least Favorite: “Dope” (I still like it a lot, though)

6. Miss A: 8.8/10
Miss A were consistently a delight for me. I liked how they had a more mature, sensual style than a lot of their contemporaries. Plus their rapper, Jia, is just #hairgoals. Do people still say #goals?
Favorite: “Hush”
Least Favorite: “Only You”

5. SHINee: 9/10
I’m kind of bummed I only got to look at three SHINee songs, as they really struck me as a solid group. They were really strong vocally and all of their songs I heard were catchy as hell. I do listen to them with a twinge of sadness, seeing as their main vocalist, Jonghyun, died from suicide in 2017, but I still greatly enjoyed their work. Rest in Peace, Jonghyun, you deserved better.
Favorite: “Lucifer” (I moved this one up to a 10/10)
Least Favorite: I think it would be “Replay,” simply because it was less memorable than “Ring Ding Dong” for me, but it was still pretty solid. We’re at the point where “least favorite” really doesn’t mean much of anything.

4. f(x): 9.5/10
Like with “Blood Sweat & Tears” and “Lucifer,” I moved “4 Walls” to a 10/10 because I just love it. Similarly, Rest in Peace to Sulli. You deserved better.
Favorite: “4 Walls”
Least Favorite: “Electric Shock”

3. Red Velvet: 9.5/10
To quote myself: “I always think of Red Velvet in the same way I think of My Chemical Romance. You see, many fans like to describe Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, and MCR as the "emo trinity," and while I was obsessed with the former two, I never took the chance to get into MCR other than listening to The Black Parade once (it was really good from what I remember). Similarly, Blackpink, Twice, and Red Velvet are the three biggest kpop girl groups, and while I wholeheartedly love Blackpink and Twice, I haven't gotten into Red Velvet quite yet.” I said that a week ago, and while I haven’t gone completely in-depth and watched all their videos in one sitting, but I like every song I’ve heard. It says a lot that “Red Flavor” and “Bad Boy,” aren’t the best songs I’ve heard from them. I already mentioned that I loved their song “Psycho,” but I also love “Russian Roulette.” I’m not doing “Favorite” and “Least Favorite” since the two songs are even for me.

2. Blackpink: 9.5/10 (see what I did there?)
To the surprise of no one, my two favorites were the ones I knew beforehand. (I know Blackpink, f(x), and Red Velvet all got 9.5/10s, so I tried to justify how I ultimately ranked them, but really, it was just personal preference.) Well, I had heard of many of these artists beforehand, but my top two were the only ones I was an active fan of prior to writing this, the ones I had extensive knowledge of.
Favorite: Well, as I’ve expressed many times, it’s “Playing With Fire,” but of the ones I covered in this series, it’s “Ddu-du Ddu-du” over “Boombayah.”
Least Favorite: “Least” is relative, and of the two songs I looked at in this, I like “Boombayah” a wee bit less. I still love it.


1. Twice: 9.75/10
As I said before: “With Blackpink, it's like, I love their music and their attitudes, but I'm so much more attached to Twice.” I’d say Blackpink is more consistent, but I like following Twice throughout all their ups and downs. With Blackpink, I love their music, but that’s just it. I only really know them as artists. Twice are so much more than that to me.
Favorite: “TT," although it's far from my favorite Twice song as a whole. If I were to make a top ten list, it probably wouldn’t go there at all. I will make a top 20 for them at some point, though!
Least Favorite: “Cheer Up”

And with that, we're finished with Kpop Crash Course. I'm gonna miss it, which is why I'm sure I'll do a sequel to it at some point. Maybe I'll branch out and do initial reactions to, like, Spotify playlists. Stay tuned for "Rap Caviar Crash Course," coming to you whenever I get bored.  I'll see you all next week, peace!

Stellar

Kpop Crash Course: Part 4 of 4

I say this with the utmost respect: let's get this over with.

I have really loved writing this Kpop Crash Course series. It's been a great way for me to explore new music, as well as a way for me to learn about the impact that Korean pop music and culture has had on the world. With that being said, I can't wait to move on to new things with my blog. I want the satisfaction of finishing a project, and this is how we'll do it. 

To refresh: In this series, I have been looking at 100 iconic kpop songs in an effort to learn about the genre of kpop by analyzing its most legendary tracks. The song selection is taken from this video: 100 LEGENDARY K-POP SONGS (READ DESCRIPTION) by the channel hele. This same channel has another video with even more legendary kpop songs that I will probably look at during the summer. I listened to and commented on every song, rating them all from 1 to 10. At the end of each post, I list my favorites and least favorites from each selection. This is Part 4, so we will be looking at the 75th to 100th song featured in the linked video. This should be obvious, but these are merely one girl's opinions. If I say I don't like a song you love, don't send me death threats, and if I like a song you hate, don't call me a tasteless idiot. I'll respect yours if you respect mine. Also, I would absolutely recommend you read the first three parts of Kpop Crash Course first, as I reference them a lot. 

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

1. “Stay with Me” by Chanyeol and Punch (2016)
This song is by Chanyeol from the group EXO, and the female singer Punch. In South Korea, one of the most popular types of TV is the k-drama, which is exactly what it sounds like, a Korean-language drama series. A big part of the k-drama is the original soundtrack, or OST, which is a song or album created specifically for a series. This song, "Stay With Me," was created for the k-drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God. As for the song itself, it's funny because I keep comparing it to Chanyeol's work with his group. Whereas the EXO songs I know are very aggressive and upbeat, like "Overdose" and "Call Me Baby," this song is a tender ballad. Both Chanyeol and Punch have very delicate voices and a lot of chemistry in their performance. Chanyeol also demonstrates versatility by singing and rapping. The melody is pretty and almost reminds me of the melody in "Heaven" by Bryan Adams, an 80s song I grew up listening to. I'm the type of person who usually prefers upbeat songs to ballads, so I would probably choose to listen to one of the EXO songs over this, but it's still really beautiful for what it is. 8.5/10
2. “The 7th Sense” by NCT U (2016)
There's a lot to unpack when it comes to NCT, a kpop group that prides itself on having an unlimited number of members. At this point, it only has 21 members, which are split into sub-units based in various cities. NCT U was the first sub-unit, and it consists of six members, although one of them (Taeil) does not appear on "The 7th Sense," their debut single. This song has a very bassy, minimal hip-hop style that wouldn't sound out of place with American hip-hop. The repetition of "open your eyes" is what mostly stands out to me. Another thing that stood out is how one of the rappers (Mark) said "it's a long-ass ride," which struck me because I haven't really heard much cursing in kpop. Weird. This song is fine, but I'm more interested by the NCT's "unlimited members" concept than I am by this song. "The 7th Sense" gets a 7/10. I didn't plan that out, I swear!
3. “Toy” by Block B (2016)
Fun fact: Block B were created for something called "Creating Korea's Eminem Project." I don't know why I find that amusing, especially since this song doesn't sound like any Eminem song I've heard. There's rapping, but the style doesn't particularly remind me of Slim Shady at all. Oddly enough, the artist it really reminds me of is Charlie Puth, and I'm not even sure why that is. I'm also getting Chainsmokers vibes from some of the production at the end. This song is nothing to get terribly mad at, it's just boring to me. Although the lyric "Now you know all you need is me, I'm your toy" just sounds childish instead of romantic to me. 5/10
4. “TT” by Twice (2016)
If you've read any of the other Kpop Crash Courses, then you'd know that Twice are my favorite kpop group. Twice and Blackpink are the only two I've really gone deep into, but I just feel so much more attached to Twice. "TT" was one of the first of their songs to catch my attention because of how well it shows their cute, upbeat personality. This is basically the ideal Twice song. Most of their material is a sonic sugar rush, and this song certainly is that. It's about falling in love, with the "TT" referring to an emoticon used to represent crying. The part that sticks out to me is how Jihyo, the group's leader, sings "Tell me that you'll be my baby" in the sweetest, most earnest tone. I also really love the music video, as it shows the girls in a haunted house, playing dress-up in Halloween costumes. I love how each of the members' costumes shows off their personalities. Personally, my favorite is Tzuyu's gorgeous vampire dress, although I really loved all of their cosplays. This song, video, and group just make me happy. 10/10
5. “Very Very Very” by I.O.I. (2016)
Speaking of Twice, one of the group's members, Jeongyeon, actually revealed "Very Very Very" was supposed to be a Twice song. She said the group had already started rehearsing it, but at some point, the higher-ups decided that "TT" was a better fit for Twice. I absolutely think this was the right decision. "Very Very Very" is in a weird position where I could see it as a Twice song, but if it was, it would certainly be my least favorite single from them. It's almost too hyperactive, too cutesy. It's also extremely repetitive, whereas most Twice singles have more developed choruses. There are redeeming qualities to it, as I particularly like Nayoung's faster rap flow. But as a whole, I just don't like this. It's annoying to me. 2.5/10
6. “You’re the Best” by Mamamoo (2016)
I've heard many good things about the group Mamamoo. I've heard that they're particularly powerful vocalists who openly support LGBTQ+ rights, and one of them (Hwasa) even appeared on a remix of "Physical" by Dua Lipa, which is one of my favorite songs in recent memory. I do think the group name of "Mamamoo" is kind of stupid-sounding, but based off of what I know, I feel like I could totally get into these girls. And this is a great first impression! It has a very retro R&B style. I absolutely love the horns and the little bass lick that plays during the final line of the chorus. The girls also deliver powerhouse vocals. I've said it before, I'm always going to be a fan of impressive singers (I mean, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato are two of my favorite celebrities for this reason, among many other reasons), and the girls of Mamamoo certainly stand out in that regard. I love the retro style of this song and although I'm only going to listen to one of their songs for my project, I can't wait to hear more from them. 9/10
7. “Chase Me” by Dreamcatcher (2017)
For some reason, just from looking at the name, I thought Dreamcatcher were gonna be a boy band, but they're actually a girl group. As for the song, I'm quite impressed. It blends your standard girl-group Kpop sound with the explosive guitars and drums from J-rock. Granted, I don't really know anything about J-rock, but from the snippets of what I've heard, it sounds like this song, except this song is in Korean, not Japanese. It almost sounds like an anime opening, which is awesome. I've been drawn to a lot of the kpop songs with rock elements, so I like this. The girls are also pretty good. I especially like Dami's more soft-spoken rapping. This is interesting, in a good way. 9/10
8. “DNA” by BTS (2017)
Surprisingly, we're only covering four BTS songs throughout this series. I looked at "Dope," "Blood Sweat & Tears," and "Fire" last time, now we have "DNA." I think this is one of their most famous songs, and I think it was the first one I heard from them. They performed it at the American Music Awards in 2017, and I watched their performance, but didn't really think too much of it. Relistening to it now, there's a lot to like about it. I like the acoustic guitars and the whistling that opens the track. I think this song is a good cross between their more explosive songs like "Dope" and "Fire," as it has a strong rhythmic section, but it also has the chilled-out atmosphere I loved in "Blood Sweat & Tears." The boys also sound really good. After listening to four different BTS songs, I've decided that Jimin is my bias from the group. What can I say, I like my dudes who sing high. 9/10
9. “Don’t Wanna Cry” by Seventeen (2017)
This sounds like the Chainsmokers. The production just sounds like something the Chainsmokers would do. All we need is the Chainsmoker guy and some random female vocalist singing lazily about being millennials in love! I kid, the Chainsmokers have some good songs. The production on this song is pretty good. I like the synths on the drop. The guys of Seventeen (which is a huge misnomer, as there are only thirteen members) all sound solid. Much better than the Chainsmoker guy, that's for damn sure. Also, the main lyric of this song, when translated, is "I have a lot of tears, but I don't wanna cry." Story of my life, everyone. 8/10
10. “Energetic” by Wanna One (2017)
I love how the members of this group all have traditional Korean names, like Sungwoon, Minhyun, and Jinyoung, and then there's Daniel. The song "Energetic" is, for lack of a better term, a total banger. This production is absolutely amazing. It has that 90s-house-style piano that just makes me happy whenever I hear it. I love how the song goes from a piano ballad style to a more electropop chorus. I was grooving in my seat while listening. The title of the song is very accurate, as this song has a great energy to dance to. The chorus is quite catchy as well. The guys are also pretty good. Whoever did the high notes at the end (Jaehwan?) really did a nice job with them. What can I say, I like my dudes who sing high! 9.5/10
11. “Gashina” by Sunmi (2017)
Sunmi was a former member of the Wonder Girls, but this is her as a solo artist. I'm very conflicted on this song. On one hand, I really like a lot of it. Sunmi has a nice voice, a lot huskier and deeper than kpop girls usually are. I also like most of the production. The weird pan-flute-y synths in the beginning were unique and I liked them. On the other hand, I straight-up hate the drop. It's certainly memorable, but the tone of it is just grating. This song reminds me a lot of Jennie from Blackpink's solo single, "Solo," but I like that song a lot more. (Probably because I'm biased towards Blackpink, but let's just ignore that.) This song was so close to being amazing, but the drop is just annoying. 6.5/10
12. “Hobgoblin” by CLC (2017)
So, this song was written by Hyuna...yeah. If you've read the other Kpop Crash Courses, then you'd know that I'm not too big on her. She has a fierce attitude and I actually really liked her work with Beast's Hyunseung on "Trouble Maker," but I just don't like anything else I've heard from her, either as a solo artist or with 4minute. Most of the problems I had with the other Hyuna songs are true for "Hobgoblin," as I find this song grating and irritating. The vocals are very nasally and the trap production is too aggressive and wonky for my tastes. The melody is also pretty annoying to me. If you like it, that's great. It's just not for me. 1.5/10
13. “I Wait” by Day6 (2017)
Alright, this one I'm excited for. Day6 are actually a Korean rock band, and considering what I literally just said ("I've been drawn to a lot of the kpop songs with rock elements"), I'm expecting to love this. And I'm not disappointed! This is awesome. This instrumental is almost like something Fall Out Boy would do (I think this song would make a great mashup with "Sugar We're Going Down," to be specific), which is absolutely a compliment. There's also this weird, quirky video game synth in the chorus that gives the song character. I also really love the interplay between the guys' vocals. This is a great first impression, and I'd love to dig deeper into Day6's discography. 9.5/10
14. “Palette” by IU ft. G-Dragon (2017)
IU is one of the few truly solo singers we've covered in this series. I think it's fascinating how kpop seems to be so group-centric. I think the only other solo artists who have never been a part of a group are PSY and Ailee. However, the lack of a group hasn't hindered her success at all, as her song "Good Day" was named Billboard's #1 greatest kpop song of the decade. She also writes her own music, which is cool. The lyrics of this song have a great message about loving yourself, and the details are very personal to IU. She even says "Rather than long hair, I definitely prefer a short bob/Nonetheless, I was still pretty when I sang 'Good Day.'" It has a very wholesome message about loving yourself throughout all the changes in your life. G-Dragon from BIGBANG also provides a verse with a similar theme about how people change. I also really like the atmospheric production and IU's delicate falsetto. This song has a really uplifting message about self-reflection, so I think I'm going to give it a 10/10.
15. “Really Really” by Winner (2017)
I'd say the fact that this group is called "Winner" is a little too ambitious and self-centered, but then again, B.A.P. stands for "Best Awesome Perfect," which is even more self-centered, but their song "One Shot" is easily one of my favorite songs I've discovered from doing this. This song is extremely of its time. It has the same tropical house style that was huge around this time, and if you were to throw it in the same playlist as songs like "Despacito," "Shape of You," and "Something Just Like This," it would fit in perfectly. This song is really honestly kind of making me miss 2017. At the time, I didn't enjoy 2017, but now that things have gotten so much worse (um, hello, global pandemic!), I kind of miss it. As a song, "Really Really" is okay. I'm not huge on the way they sing the title, as their voices almost sound goofy to me, but I don't really have anything against it. It's mostly just giving me 2017 nostalgia that I didn't even know I had. 7/10
16. “Red Flavor” by Red Velvet (2017)
I always think of Red Velvet in the same way I think of My Chemical Romance. You see, many fans like to describe Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, and MCR as the "emo trinity," and while I was obsessed with the former two, I never took the chance to get into MCR other than listening to The Black Parade once (it was really good from what I remember). Similarly, Blackpink, Twice, and Red Velvet are the three biggest kpop girl groups, and while I wholeheartedly love Blackpink and Twice, I haven't gotten into Red Velvet quite yet. I do like their song "Psycho" quite a lot, and I'm intrigued by how they have both fun bops and sultry, mature songs under their belt. And my first thoughts are that "Red Flavor" is the perfect summer song. It has such a strong, percussive rhythm and a bright, energetic style. This song really shows a sassy, fun side of Red Velvet and they all sound really solid here. Color me impressed. Also fun fact: you know how I said "Good Day" by IU was Billboard's pick for the greatest kpop song of the decade? Well, "Red Flavor" was #2 on that list. You could do worse. 9.5/10
17. “Wee Woo” by Pristin (2017)
Just from looking at the title, all I can think of is this:

I'm of the opinion that any opportunity to make a SpongeBob reference should always be taken. "Wee Woo" was Pristin's debut single, and for me, it's a mixed bag. I like the production, with a great disco guitar part and catchy hooks. However, I don't like the girls' voices as much. They're very high-pitched and nasally. It also doesn't seem like there's much to distinguish Pristin from other girl groups. I could see this as a Twice song, but not a particularly good one. Still, it gets points for giving me the opportunity to make a SpongeBob joke. 5.5/10
18. “Bad Boy” by Red Velvet (2018)
Red Velvet is known for having a dual concept inspired by their name. The "red" half of their discography is more fun pop/electronic, whereas the "velvet" half is R&B-inspired, with elements from funk, hip-hop, and jazz. "Red Flavor" is part of the "red" concept and "Bad Boy" is part of the "velvet" concept. I like the dual-concept premise as it gives them more of a chance to show versatility. "Bad Boy" is very sultry and wears its R&B/hip-hop influences on its sleeve.  The chorus is also quietly catchy and the "ooh ooh"s are fun and playful. The girls also give strong vocal performances. I still think my favorite Red Velvet song is "Psycho," but I like both "Red Flavor" and "Bad Boy" a lot and I hope to look up more of their stuff. 9.5/10
19. “Bboom Bboom” by Momoland (2018)
Okay, this one I actually do know. I know nothing about Momoland as a group, but this song is on my playlist because I heard snippets of it and thought it sounded like a bop. It's been on my playlist for a hot minute, meaning that I like it quite a bit. "Bboom Bboom" by Momoland is not anything deep or profound, it's just cute and catchy. Sometimes I just need a cute, catchy song. The "give it to you, nanananana" chorus is an earworm, and the sax line is also really catchy. The song did amass controversy after the Russian girl group Serebro accused Momoland('s producers) of ripping off their song "Mi Mi Mi." And it turns out that they've been accused of copying a bunch more songs, as compiled by this video. Hell, it supposedly "ripped off" "DNA" by BTS and "TT" by Twice, two songs we already looked at today! The "hit it, hit it" also reminds me of "Sweetener" by Ariana Grande, even though this song came out several months before "Sweetener." My point is that this song is not very original. I still like to bop to it, however. 9/10

20. “Ddu-du Ddu-du” by Blackpink (2018)
Time to talk about Blackpink again! This song in particular is currently the most viewed YouTube video by a kpop group, sitting pretty at 1.1 billion views as I write this. Despite the fact that I can never seem to properly write out the title of this song, I still love it. I think this song is the best representative of who Blackpink is as a group. It has trap and EDM influences and the girls all are fierce here. Lisa and Jennie's rapping has so much attitude and Jisoo and Rosé both get chances for their unique voices to shine. The production is also insane. In her verse, Jennie says "When the bass drops, it's another banger." Then at the end, the bass drops and it's crazy, proving Jennie's words to be true. Of the slim number of songs Blackpink has released (seriously, they've been out since 2016 and only have around 15 songs), this is one of my favorites. Not my absolute favorite (for my money, "Playing With Fire" is their best song), but I still get lots of plays out of it. I'm just waiting on bated breath for Blackpink to put out new music. Their Lady Gaga collaboration, "Sour Candy," will be out on May 29th, and it's gonna be a bop, but I want more! 10/10
21. “I’m So Sick” by Apink (2018)
This song marks a shift for Apink from a cutesy concept to a mature one. It is to Apink what "Fancy" was to Twice, in that regard. Coincidentally, this song was produced by the South Korean production duo Black Eyed Pilseung, who produced "Fancy," as well as a bunch of other Twice songs. The production of "I'm So Sick" is its strongest asset. I love the twinkling synths and catchy vocal loops. It also has a strong hook and the girls sound mature and in control. I like my cutesy kpop songs (see "Bboom Bboom" and "TT" for evidence of this), but I like when girl groups demonstrate maturity even more. The only other song I know from Apink is "No No No," which is representative of their cutesy style, but this is so much better. 9.5/10
22. “La Vie En Rose” by IZ*ONE (2018)
With most of these later girl groups, I've heard of them, but never listened to them. That's certainly the case for IZ*ONE. This was their debut single, and I'm really into this. The production is fantastic, being delicate when it needs to be and powerful when it needs to be. I really like the drop, which is centered around a low-key string instrumental (I think the instrument is called the koto, but I'm not 100%). The beat to it also sounds like the beat in "New Rules" by Dua Lipa. I'm also impressed by the girls' vocals, especially the one really high note just casually in the melody before the chorus. I don't really have much else to say, I just like it. 9/10
23. “Latata” by (G)I-DLE (2018)
Like IZ*ONE, (G)I-DLE are another group I've heard of, but never listened to other than hearing snippets of this song. Just from hearing those snippets, this song made a lasting impression in my head. The production is very similar in style to Major Lazer's "Lean On," and it's pretty catchy. I also love the sampled "I love you!" repeated throughout. I don't really care for the rap in this song, because I just think her voice is kind of annoying, but I like everything else about it. One of the girls kind of sounds like Jisoo from Blackpink. Also: the group released an official English version of "Latata" the day I wrote this (May 15), due to their signing with Republic Records (a big American label which currently houses artists like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande). I didn't listen to the English version because I didn't know it existed until two minutes ago. 8.5/10
24. “Love Scenario” by IKON (2018)
There's one thing that really stands out to me about this: COWBELL! I've gotten to play cowbell for a few songs in my pep band career (mainly "Low Rider"), so I tend to get joy from songs with cowbells. Other than that, this song almost sounds unfinished to me. It's trying to go for a mellow vibe, and I get that, but it feels like it needs one more element to put it over the top. It's just overall kind of boring for me, although I do like how they pronounce "scenario." I normally pronounce it "sen-AIR-ee-oh" but they say "SEEN-uh REE-oh." That's kind of funny. 6/10
25. “Shine” by Pentagon (2018)
This is the very last song I'm going to look at for this...until I make a "Kpop Crash Course 2.0," whenever that happens. This song was okay at first, but it got better as I progressed through it. The bridge on this song is one of the best I've heard in kpop. I like Yuto's deeper rapping voice and how the group chants "love you, love you, love you" in unison. Then one of them (either Jinho or Kino, I think) holds out an impressive note and it stops. Then the track explodes back into action. This song is overall okay, but the bridge bumped it up a few points. I'm always a sucker for a good bridge. 9/10

And with that, we've officially looked at 100 of the most iconic kpop songs of all time. The average for the songs in this part is 7.9/10, which is the highest average yet for all of these. I felt like I only found one new song that was instantly a 10/10 for me (the other two 10/10s were songs I already liked beforehand), but overall, this is a consistently good bunch of songs, as there were only two I really didn't care for. Most importantly, I got to hear artists like Mamamoo, Red Velvet, and Day6, who I can't wait to deep-dive into. Let's quickly recap my top favorites:
10/10:
-"TT" by Twice
-"Palette" by IU ft. G-Dragon
-"Ddu-du Ddu-du" by Blackpink
9.5/10:
-"Energetic" by Wanna One
-"I Wait" by Day6
-"Red Flavor" by Red Velvet
-"Bad Boy" by Red Velvet
-"I'm So Sick" by Apink
9/10:
-"You're The Best" by Mamamoo
-"Chase Me" by Dreamcatcher
-"DNA" by BTS
-"Bboom Bboom" by Momoland
-"La Vie En Rose" by IZ*ONE
-"Shine" by Pentagon

And now, least favorites, I guess. Here's every song that got a 5/10 or lower:
-"Toy" by Block B (5/10)
-"Very Very Very" by I.O.I. (2.5/10)
-"Hobgoblin" by CLC (1.5/10)

Man, that's all I had getting a 5/10 or lower? One of which wasn't even that bad!

Next week, I'm going to write a formal epilogue for Kpop Crash Course, in which I'm going to order my favorite songs I discovered from this series, as well as a few other lists. I'll see you then!

Stellar

The Top 25 Most Adorable Pokémon

Let's take a detour from kpop and discuss another aspect of Asian pop culture that has taken the world by storm and is somehow even more adorable!


Yeah, we're talking about Pokémon again. Somehow, this is only the third post I've made about it, considering that I spend a good chunk of my time thinking about my favorite Pokémon. I've said that one of the big things that makes Pokémon so popular is just how stinkin' cute some of them are! In fact, I was drawn to it specifically for that reason. So today I'm going to look at the Pokémon I personally think are the most adorable. This is absolutely not fact, as there is no way to tell what makes something adorable. Beauty, or in this case, cuteness, is in the eye of the beholder.


25. Cufant

One of my personal favorite Pokémon from the second generation of games is the elephant, Donphan. Donphan’s pre-evolution, Phanpy, definitely had a shot at this list because it’s an adorable, playful elephant. But in the end, I had to pick Cufant, the newest elephant in the franchise. Just look at its official artwork! It’s so happy to be alive! Cufant is also quite spherical with a nice color scheme. Elephants are one of my favorite animals, and it makes me happy that both of the elephant Pokémon start out really adorable.


24. Litwick

Inanimate object Pokémon are often an easy target for many fans. People love to ridicule the likes of Vanilluxe, the ice cream Pokémon, Klefki, the key Pokémon, and especially Garbodor, the Pokémon that is literally sentient garbage. However, one exception seems to be Chandelure, which is a gothically elegant chandelier with flames powered by the souls of the damned. Chandelure is one of my personal favorites, but today I’m going to highlight the first stage of its line, the adorable candle Litwick. I think the cutest thing about Litwick is the candle wax dripping near its flame, which looks like adorable emo bangs.


23. Yamper

The most recent games, Pokémon Sword and Shield, are set in Galar, which is a region inspired by the UK. It was practically a given that there was going to be a Corgi-inspired Pokémon, given the Queen of England’s affinity for the dogs. Enter Yamper, an electric type Corgi who is adorably chubby. A lot of the time, making things chubby just makes them cuter, and that’s the case here. It’s also relatable, as its Shield Pokédex entry states: “This gluttonous Pokémon only assists people with their work because it wants treats.” I feel that.


22. Sobble

In each Pokémon game, you get to pick a “starter Pokémon” to begin your journey with. One is grass type, one is fire type, and one is water type. I usually find myself most drawn to the water type, and the water starter from the most recent games, Sword and Shield, is the chameleon Sobble. At first, I wasn’t sure which starter I liked the best, but then I saw memes about Sobble being a sad boy and I never looked back. Its portrayal as an anxious chameleon that cries a lot and just needs a hug really resonated with me, an anxious teenager that cries a lot and just needs a hug. Something about that enormous head and goofy fin just makes me want to love it forever. And when it smiles, it’s just a beautiful thing, seeing a creature who is usually in so much misery be happy for once. Sobble does look a little bit like another water starter who is in my opinion cuter, so I can’t put it too terribly high. It’s still my favorite water type, even if I don’t think it’s the absolute cutest.


21. Wooper

You ever see something that’s so dumb you have no choice but to love it unconditionally? That’s Wooper. To quote Tumblr: “A Wooper is like owning a dog that’s so stupid you just can’t go living without it.” (I tried to find the exact Tumblr post where this came from, but I couldn't, so here's an iFunny screenshot as proof that I'm not pulling this out of my ass. Integrity!) It just looks incredibly dorky in the best way with its lack of arms. It also has a silly little grin that makes it adorable.


20. Dratini

Dratini, Dragonair, and Dragonite were the first dragon Pokémon ever put in the games, and they still hold a place in the hearts of many. I really love all three stages in this line, with Dratini being adorable, Dragonair being elegant, and Dragonite being goofily charming. Today I’m going to talk about Dratini, as I think it’s particularly adorable. It doesn’t have much in common with your standard majestic dragon, instead being an adorable, wiggly worm. I’m just enthralled by its tiny, serpentine glory.


19. Eevee

In a lot of the lists I’ve seen, Eevee seems to be the consensus pick for the #1 cutest Pokémon of all time. In fact, it’s so cute that it’s also become a secondary mascot for the series, if the games Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! are anything to go by. While Eevee isn’t my number one, I’d be silly to deny the fact that it’s pretty adorable. It’s unbelievably fluffy and has gigantic eyes filled with love. Other than it being absolutely adorable, Eevee is also as popular as it is because it can evolve into eight different Pokémon, commonly known among fans as the "Eeveelutions." My personal favorite is the dark-type Umbreon, but I think the fairy type Sylveon is by far the cutest. It’s the most classically feminine of the bunch, and it has a very sweet, loving personality. Consider it an honorary #26 of this list.


18. Squirtle

Squirtle was the OG water type starter, and it definitely set a precedent for the rest of the water starters being really cute. Sea turtles are my favorite animal in general, but a tiny, blue sea turtle with a boatload of personality is too good to pass up. Squirtle is one of the most iconic Pokémon, and I think a good reason for its popularity is how cute it is. It’s also fun in the anime, where it rocks those signature shades and joins up with the Squirtle Squad.


17. Joltik

Ask most people what their biggest fear is, and they’ll tell you it’s spiders. I’m one of those people. There really isn’t any reason for me to be afraid of spiders, but they just creep me out. And yet, Joltik, the electric spider Pokémon from the fifth generation, is one of the cutest critters ever made by the Pokémon team. I think part of that is because, at only four inches, it is the smallest Pokémon in existence. It’s also extremely fluffy. Considering that I’m generally afraid of most bugs, it’s a surprise that I find quite a few of the bug type Pokémon pretty adorable. Honorable mentions to Cutiefly, which literally has a name saying that it’s cute, as well as Snom, a spiky, icy caterpillar that was instantly beloved by Pokémon fans for how cute it is.


16. Teddiursa

I think everybody had that adorable teddy bear from their childhood that they were attached to. Well, here’s the Pokémon equivalent of that. Teddiursa is a small, mischievous teddy bear cub that I’ve always thought was adorable. Its tiny paws and crescent moon are just darling. I would share some honey with it. I also want a plush of it.


15. Noibat

Yeah, I know I probably shouldn’t be talking about how cute bats are when there’s plenty of evidence linking the major pandemic we’re in to bats. And to be fair, I’m afraid of most bats. But come on, Noibat is precious! That giant head on that tiny body is irresistibly cute. It's like a bobblehead. It’s also part-dragon and evolves into the awesome Noivern. Both Noibat and Noivern have speakers for ears, which I think is so fun and creative.


14. Wooloo

From the minute it was unveiled, the sheep Wooloo enjoyed a warm reception from fans. For many fans, Wooloo is the embodiment of everything that is good in the Pokémon world. It’s incredibly fluffy and round enough to roll away from its problems. Its face is also just really cute. Side note: Pokémon has been doing this series of shorts for the new games called Twilight Wings. Wooloo appears in the "Buddy" installment of the series, and it made me cry, so...


13. Mantyke

And here it is from the back, because I must. 

Considering that I used the word “cute” around 40 times in my Ranking the Baby Pokémon post, it’s surprising that I only have two baby Pokémon on this list. Mantyke is the first of the two. Rays are typically not a very cute animal, but Mantyke’s two adorable smiles are adorable. Its actual face has these loving eyes, and then on its back, it has a pattern resembling a smiley face! It’s just a friendly, sweet little swimmer.


12. Fletchling

One trademark of every Pokémon game is the “regional bird,” a bird Pokémon you encounter a lot in the very beginning of the game. Fletchling, the regional bird of Pokémon X and Y is by far my favorite. It’s inspired by a robin, which I already thought to be a pretty cute bird (it is my state’s bird, after all). Fletchling just seems to be extremely small, and the smaller something is, the cuter. I also am particularly fond of Fletchling’s final evolution, the terribly-named-but-epic- nonetheless Talonflame.


11. Piplup

There are three starter Pokémon that are based off of birds, and spoilers: all of them are appearing on this list. First is Piplup, who was actually voted to be the cutest starter Pokémon in a Japanese poll. While I wouldn’t say I personally think Piplup is the absolute cutest, I still think it’s pretty adorable. This little penguin is just effortlessly huggable with the perfect amount of roundness. I’ve also been watching the Pokémon Diamond & Pearl anime lately, and the character Dawn has a particularly adorable and sassy Piplup.


10. Bulbasaur

Like Squirtle, Bulbasaur is one of the three iconic starter Pokémon from the first generation of games. It seems to be the least popular of the three original starters, but it’s always been my favorite. Bulbasaur is a delightful frog-dinosaur with an adorable bulb on its back. To me, it is representative of the quirky charm that makes Pokémon such a magical series. It was also by far the best part of the Detective Pikachu movie, being so lovable it made Bulbasaur haters into fans..

It's just a lovable, pure friend. 

9. Pichu

Spoilers: Pikachu is not appearing on this list. I know, it should be on here, it is the mascot Pokémon after all. Pikachu is famous all around the world for its adorableness. But why would I pick Pikachu when there is a literal baby Pikachu out there instead? Pichu is much cuter than Pikachu for me. Its head just seems so big compared to the rest of its body, and its rosy pink cheeks and sweet smile are adorable. My favorite member of the Pikachu family is Raichu, specifically its surfing Alolan variant, but for Pichu is the smallest, so it is the cutest for me. It’s also really adorable in Super Smash Bros., much like our next entry!


8. Jigglypuff

Jigglypuff is one of the most well-known characters in the series, even appearing in the Super Smash Bros. series. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is where the majority of my affections for this pink puffball come from, as it is the character I use most. Jigglypuff is a very simple design, but it’s cute in its simplicity. I especially like its giant eyes filled with love. In the anime, Jigglypuff likes to sing for people, but its song magically makes people go to sleep. Upon finishing its song and seeing a snoozing audience, Jigglypuff gets angry, pulls out its marker, and draws on their faces. It gets even cuter the angrier it gets. In Smash Bros, Jigglypuff is my favorite character to use because of how easy it is to control in the air. You wouldn’t expect it, but this pink puffball can hold its own against the game’s more menacing players, especially with its Rest attack, which is one of the most powerful in the game. (If only I knew how to properly use it…)


7. Vulpix (Alola form)

In Pokémon Sun and Moon, one new gimmick the games offered was regional variants. They took Pokémon from past games and reimagined them to fit into Alola, the setting of Sun and Moon. My favorite of these regional variants is the aforementioned Raichu, but Vulpix is a close second. Vulpix is normally a fire type, and it’s already plenty adorable as is, but something about the Alola counterpart is much cuter to me. I think it’s because I’ve grown attached to it from watching the Sun and Moon anime (if you are at all interested in hearing me gush about this series, enjoy.), where Lillie’s Alolan Vulpix, Snowy, plays a big role and is a giant sweetheart. It also has even more fluffy fur on its hair, making it that much cuter.


6. Ponyta (Galar form)

Similarly, Pokémon Sword and Shield saw the arrival of new versions of old favorites, and one of them was Ponyta. Ponyta in the original games is a fire type, but the new version is a psychic type unicorn. This makes lots of sense, as the Galar region is based on the UK, and the unicorn is the national “animal” of Scotland. Other than that, it’s just really adorable. It has very pleasing colors, a fluffy and voluminous mane, and a playful personality. I’ve always loved the whimsy of unicorns, but this is probably the cutest I’ve ever seen. The Pokémon website also unveiled plushies of this Pokémon, and, um...I need five of them.


5. Shinx

This Pokémon’s final evolution, Luxray, is one of my personal favorites. Its color scheme of blue, black, and yellow, is perfect, and it manages to look intimidating while also looking friendly and approachable. To make matters even better, its base stage, Shinx, is by far one of the cutest Pokémon in existence. Shinx is an adorable cub with giant, loving eyes and a sweet smile. Its tuft of fur on its head is really sweet and like its evolutionary relatives, its color scheme is incredible. The electric typing has no shortage of cute Pokémon (which makes sense with it being the typing of Pikachu and all its knock-off brethren), but Shinx is, for my money, the absolute cutest electric type Pokémon.


4. Rockruff

I mean, it’s a puppy. I could just leave it at that, but I’ll keep going. The Pokémon world has no shortage of adorable doggos, from the Yorkshire terrier-esque Lillipup to the majestic tiger-dog Arcanine to the aforementioned Yamper, but if you ask me, Rockruff is the absolute cutest. Rockruff is inspired by the spitz dog breed, as well as the Japanese wolf, due to its association with rocks and mountains. Rockruff is so lovable mostly because of its eyes. They are a gorgeous blue color. It’s incredibly playful, excitable, and sociable. Rockruff can also evolve into a wolf Pokémon called Lycanroc, which has three different forms. I personally prefer the Midday Form, as it keeps the gorgeous blue eyes Rockruff had.


3. Mudkip

Mudkip is inspired by a variety of aquatic creatures, namely the mudpuppy, the mudskipper, the axolotl, and the gilled East African lungfish. None of these animals are conventionally cute, so a combination of them realistically should not be the one of the cutest Pokémon of all time. But oh, Mudkip is. And there’s one very specific reason as to why I find it so adorable: that smile! Mudkip always seems to have the biggest smile on its face, and its enthusiasm is contagious. Mudkip is like this big, happy, goofy puppy that is always excited to see you and play with you. It’s also at the center of the definitive Pokémon meme of all time: I Herd U Liek Mudkipz. Cute!


2. Rowlet

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Rowlet is my favorite Pokémon of all time. There’s just something about this perfectly round, bowtied owl that speaks to me. I’m more attached to Rowlet than I really should be, and that’s for plenty of reasons. I like how it acts in the anime. I have a plushie of it that I hug when I’m feeling anxious. I think its final evolution, Decidueye, is rad. But most importantly, I think it’s just adorable. Owls have always been one of my favorite animals because I think they’re cute, but Rowlet takes the cuteness of owls and turns it up to eleven. Its body is a perfect circle, making it great to hug. It has giant, expressive eyes. I kind of love its vacant expression in its official artwork. And of course, I love its bow tie. Rowlet is a dapper little owl who wants to look its very best! That bow tie gives it so much personality. I already touched on this, but it’s also really adorable in the anime, especially when it wears a cloak to look like its evolved form, Decidueye:

He is so proud of himself and I love him. 

The little coconut owl will always have a giant place in my heart, and for a long time, I thought it was the cutest Pokémon by far. But due to recent events, I was forced to admit that there is one cuter...


1. Torchic

My brother got Pokémon Mystery Dungeon for his Nintendo Switch for his birthday a month ago. I chose Bulbasaur as my player character, but I chose Torchic as my partner because my best friend’s favorite Pokémon is its final evolution, Blaziken. After playing the game for a bit, I realized that Torchic is the cutest. It’s incredibly expressive in everything it does, and when it smiles, it’s just adorable and pure and melts my heart. Even outside of Mystery Dungeon, Torchic is adorable. It doesn’t really have much in the way of limbs, which somehow makes it cuter. Its feathers on the top of its head just make me want to pet it on the head and give it treats. And of course, this isn’t relevant to it being cute, but its final evolution, Blaziken, is extremely cool and my second favorite Pokémon after Rowlet. It’s a karate chicken, what part of that isn’t awesome? Although it does evolve into one of the most badass Pokémon ever created, you can’t get much cuter in the Pokémon world than Torchic.

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I kind of a bitch of a time getting all these pictures to format properly, but I overall had a lot of fun writing this. I could talk about cute Pokémon all day. Next week, I'm planning to do the final installment of Kpop Crash Course, which I'm looking forward to. I've had my favorites from the past three Kpop Crash Courses on a loop all throughout writing and editing this. Hopefully we find new favorites! I'll see y'all next week for that.

Stellar