Kingdom: Legendary War (2021)

I really loved most of the performances that came out of KINGDOM LEGENDARY WAR and the little interaction between groups that we did get was golden. Before watching this I never really understood or looked into the MNET hate-train but now I fully understand. The way they did this show was terrible and had I not liked the groups on the show I wouldn't have continued to watch. They truly could have made ROAD TO KINGDOM the official "Kingdom". (Here's my final thoughts on the groups in random order):

BTOB: I've always liked BTOB since I became a Kpop fan, just never really paid much attention to them like some of the other groups in the show. But BTOB has to have some of the best if not the best vocals in Kpop and Kingdom really showed their vocals in the best way
SF9: Before KINGDOM I never really knew anything about sf9 and the probably only knew 3 members but now I know all the members and want to watch sf9 content and get into the group more. Performance wise I didn't really what they were capable of but they are really great performers and not just idol-actors, they really excel in rap, vocals and dance
IKON: I hate to say it because I love Ikon, they were one of the groups I got into when I first got into Kpop but their performances didn't really do anything for me except the last performances was great
STRAY KIDS: I had high expectations from them just from seeing past performances and for the most part they exceeded those expectations, were all their performances my favorite not at all but as a whole they were great (REALLY WISH THEY WOULD'VE HAD HYUNJIN THE WHOLE TIME)
THE BOYZ: I first got introduced to THE BOYZ on Road to Kingdom and have liked them ever since. I know they got a lot mixed results from their performances but I really enjoyed all their performances
ATEEZ: I hate to be that fan but I think I was rather bias towards ATEEZ because I've been a fan of theirs since debut. I really love what they brought to kingdom and they gave it their 100% even when they may not have got all the results they wanted. For me personally and if it was decision ATEEZ would have won (MISS YOU MINGI!!!)

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Is The Crowning Fair?

So the first season of Kingdom (Road to Kingdom) was a lot more of an even playing field. That much was certain when going into this second season. RTK had groups that had semi-established fan bases, but nothing too crazy where they could blow each other out of the water with those votes. Kingdom didn't have this same concept, since obviously certain groups were wayyyy more popular via fan voting than others. Stray Kids was always going to win in that category no matter what, just look at their numbers! If those fan voted sections hadn't counted so much it wouldn't of felt so much like a popularity contest, but it did and it paid off I guess because they won.

To be clear, I'm not saying Stray Kids didn't deserve their win. They worked very hard and had some really solid stages! However, many MANY people watching were under the same assumption that either Ateez or The Boyz were going to win (mostly Ateez) because of how well they were doing! Stray Kids honestly didn't have the best votes among the judges, so that's why it felt so uneven. Either way though, this second season had some amazing performances come out of it! Ones that stood out for me were:

-Ateez "Wonderland" with that kraken arm, like dang that was incredible
-The Boyz doing "The Stealer" with the ballet breakdown
-The trio duet doing that IU song, beauteous harmonies
-Stray Kids doing the deadpool tribute performance
-SF9 doing Taemin's "MOVE" which was so sexy

I hope for future seasons they even out the playing field more for these groups!

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Specific Performances' Running Analysis and Review ~ Summary: HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE, GOOD PERFORMANCES

Here is my opinion on Kingdom: Legendary War as a whole. As you see in the title, this is a running review~which means that I will continue to add more paragraphs and opinions as the show goes on. *Please don't come for me cause it's really not hate. I love every single one of these groups and the effort they put into these performances.


Sigh. Where do I begin? Mnet making this show in the first place was to pit fans against each other because I know for a fact that fandoms are streaming and mass voting their artist. This means that no matter what performance the other artists' performance will be invalid. Mnet made a teeny bit better by adding the "three-vote" rule; this means that you can only vote three groups--no more, no less--and in no particular ranking. This forces the fans to actually pick two other performances that were actually enjoyable. I expect Stray Kids or Ateez to win because of their significantly larger international fanbase than the rest of the groups.
Edit: I also want to say that this show is very unhealthy for the idols participating. They are pulling all-nighters practicing (which may or may not be forced by the company). The amount of pressure on the idols especially SF9 and The Boyz is really showing. This is why I'm not sure this show should go on anymore.
Edit: Also where is all this money coming from? The amount of backup dancers, costumes, makeup artists, props are enough to cost a fortune per performance.
Let's talk about the performances in general. I feel like all the dance-focused groups (so basically all except BTOB) use wayyyyy too many backup dancers. Like to the point where I am seeing more backup dancers than the actual group.

Now onto the single performance analysis. Reminder that I am NOT a professional, nor do I stan or have stanned any of these groups. However, I did watch Road to Kingdom and vouched heavily for The Boyz, so I may be a bit biased in that area.


{Preparation Round:} Everyone brought out a lot more than they needed to. It was a bit overwhelming. Yes, I rewatched all the performance so it would be fresh and fair. Personal ranking: (1-6) Straykids, The Boyz, IKON, SF9, BTOB, ATEEZ
-ATEEZ- "Wave (Overture)"
Pros: They used the stage and lighting very well. The ship formation at the end was pretty pleasing to watch.
Cons: The arrangement was odd as in the "Hakuta Matata" was wayyy too prominent, and the edm addition after that was a bit too much. The fire at the end didn't have much added value and didn't really match the whole concept; it just felt like they wanted to add a "wow" factor.
-BTOB- "아름답고도 아프구나(Choir Ver.)"
Pros (might be biased since I'm more vocally inclined): Stage outfits were just the perfect amount of "extra" for me; they were refined, simpler than the other groups, and much lighter as well~ which gave it a happier mood; Peniel's outfit just Minhyuk did so well considering he is a rapper
Cons: Not really any but maybe because they didn't dance? I'm not really bothered by it though.
-SF9- "Good Guy (The Gloryl)"
Pros: Good use of the prop at the beginning. Tall men in suits hit different. I want to name specific members but talking about how hot they look just doesn't seem fitting for this.
Cons: The first minute was really good but then the rest just seemed like something you would see on any other music show. Rowoon was out because he was injured.
-Stray Kids- "Miroh"
Pros: Good use of props, stage, and lighting~specifically the green lights at the beginning, the daggers, and the point of the dagger into the red lighting at the end. The tricks and flips they did were really cool. The makeup and outfits were all on pointe. Impact felt.
Cons: At 1:03, the fire was kinda unnecessary. Changbin went to fast with his rap and did not match the backing track, causing it to just be wonky sounding.
-IKON- "Rhythm Ta"
Pros: Probably my top two performances in this episode. Bobby looked really cool. Formation and dance on pointe. Swaggy in general.
Cons: None hehe.
-The Boyz- "The Stealer (Epic Ver)"
Pros (hella biased): 0:53 [timestamp in the video] Camera work and creativity with the hands and puppet-like motion was as expected of The Boyz. Floorwork was absolutely stunning. Classical dancing and the body lines made this performance different from other groups. MY FAVORITE this episode. Outfits were great and the arrangement with the keyboard piano was beautiful.
Cons: None also hehe.

{Round 1: TO THE WORLD} Personal ranking: (1-6) The Boyz, BTOB, IKON, ATEEZ, Straykids, SF9
-The Boyz- "No Air (A Song of Ice and Fire)"
Pros (yes, hella biased yet again): I can't express how much I love the imagery that they put in their performances. Their ideas are crazy!!! The whole POV thing was just genius! If I list everything I liked about their performance, it would probably take me an hour to type out, so I'll just leave it at that.
Cons: None babieeee
Other: The behind-the-scenes really struck clear to me how much effort they put into this. The fact that Sunwoo is there facing his fears just made me wanna stan them more.
-IKON- "Love Scenario + Killing Me Mashup (사랑을 했다+죽겠다 Kingdom Ver)"
Pros: There's a reason why 'Love Scenario' was that popular. Also the dance in the chorus with them groovin was probably my favorite choreo yet on this show. The sudden change between light and dark was apparent. They used two of my five favorite Ikon songs so that's a plus. The dance break with Bobby center was effective.
Cons: Camerawork was a bit questionable but it's not their fault. Fire at the end made nice lighting but it had no addition to concept.
-BTOB- "그리워하다 (Theatre Ver)"
Pros (biased because I like softer and more vocal groups): Beautiful. The song was so melodious and just easy on the ears. The concept was mesmerizing. When Peniel rapped with the white boards and dancers behind him-- that was quite creative. And the whole entire setup for the sword-chasing scene was shocking. When Minhyuk starting doing his thing, I was just pleasantly surprised and content because the teeny bit of dancing they were missing in the preparation round was there. Not to mention Changsub and Eunkwangs vocals. Contrary to what I said in the very beginning, I feel like the backup dancers in this case were an additive especially in imagery instead of blocking and stealing attention away from the main characters aka BTOB.
Cons: A bit of awkward dancing (not the Minhyuk part though) but the vocal makes up for it.
-Stray Kids- "God's Menu Mashup (自神: 스스로 '자', 귀신 '신')"
Pros: Amazing dance and stage presence as always. Dark makeup with light outfits were definitely a look. Rapping for Changbin was a lot more solid this time.
Cons: Too many backup dancers that were taking away from the group. Too many props and set that weren't actually incorporated into the performance except for being there to set the mood. (I have an opinion between the Boyz and Stray Kids but I'm lowkey scared of getting attacked so I won't share that here. Edit 2 episodes later: Okay I'll just share it.) I feel like the "puppet show" prop was a bit unnecessary, and it really reminded me of the "painting scene" in Road to Kingdom's The Boyz' Reveal. Here's the biggest one of all~ I feel like 'God's Menu' was a wrong song choice because I really liked the original and the new arrangment just wasn't it for me. Honestly, if they did something related to cooking and have trumpets just like they did in the MV, I would've been a lot more impressed.
Other: Props to Bang Chan for the arrangement. This man works wayyy to hard for his own good. I'm not sure if this is good or bad but the collaboration between the staff and Stray Kids themselves?
-ATEEZ- "Symphony No.9 'From The Wonderland'"
Pros: Glad they stuck with the pirate theme because I think it worked out for the better this time. They were definitely not lip syncing because of Hong Joong's adlib. Jongho's high note was highly impressive and probably the main point of the whole performance. Dancing as expected of Ateez. Very nice outfits and great use of props. The "bone-breaking" dancers and the glowing outfits they were wearing were very cool; I felt like it was an additive to the overall performance. The ship set was just a bit extra but not bad.
Cons: Too many backup dancers once again; I feel like the impact would have been the same without that many dancers. Too many props yet again especially with the things on the ship aka the boxes and whatnot. I didn't really get the purpose of the guns and the sea monster but oh well.
Others: I just love when the idols actually participate in the making of the music so of course I have to mention Hong Joong and the production.
-SF9- "Jealous(질렀어)"
Pros: Chani's part with the girl was sexy. I know this sounds really unprofessional, but I had to say that flat-out. Of course they were too hot to handle. The ending was so aesthetically enthralling.
Cons: Too many dancers. I also feel like they couldn't handle some of the tricks and acro things; instead of fitting in with what the other groups are doing, they should just do their own things with the sexy concept. I also didn't really get the whole storyline and concept behind their performance at all.

{Round 2: REBORN} This round overall was much better and much more enjoyable than the other rounds. Personal ranking: (1-6) BTOB, The Boyz, Stray Kids, SF9, ATEEZ, IKON
-The Boyz- "오솔레미오 (The Red Wedding)/O Solo Mio"
Pros: Excellent concept and stage yet again. They used latin-inspired dance, which is a very difficult concept to pull off. The song arrangement was amazing! The Boyz never ceases to amaze me with their ideas. Although I've listened to "O Solo Mio" before, this version made me appreciate so much more. The dance was really in sync, as with most of their other performances. Although they made a mistake (refer to cons), they handled it very professionally onstage; I didn't even notice what was wrong until it was mentioned afterwards. Lastly, the Boyz looks so good in red.
Cons: Unfortunately, they failed to light up the fire scepter. Although I didn't notice, something felt off to me at that moment in the performance. The lights turned off so I couldn't see the members' faces; if the fire was lit, it would have been a stunning twirling scepter to complete the performance. The member that was supposed to light it up (I'm getting into the Boyz, so I can't really say the member's name at the moment) mentioned it after the performance, and I remembered that he cried and said that he wanted to die. If anyone is reading this review, please send love and support to the Boyz as soon as possible. +IMPORTANT+ This is the point where I stopped watching and had to think about the values of this show; I would honestly be happy if they canceled because I can tell how stressed and pressured these idols are. +IMPORTANT+ I also saw Younghoon fall in the first chorus, but he recovered quickly and continued with confidence.
-IKON- "Inception"
Pros: IKON was enjoying themselves on the stage as always, especially Bobby. The chorus change and dance break was really good. Although there were a lot of backup dancers, I feel as though they did not take attention away from IKON themselves.
Cons: The performance was the least memorable of all. The concept they were trying to convey wasn't that clear, as in if you didn't watch the show--you wouldn't get the whole "dream" concept. The moving props did not add much value to the performance. The watch at the beginning strangely resembles the Boyz' Danger performance in Road to Kingdom.
-BTOB- "Back Door"
Pros: Yeah~~ Minhyuk was hot. Vocals, especially the high note duet with Eunkwang and Changsub, was the best of the season so far. I love how they didn't use much of the chorus and focused more on the pre-chorus because it highlights their vocals more. The 'audience' was well used especially since it reminisces the live audience that most of these groups are missing now in this pandemic. The concept was also easily understandable with the whole 'backstage into concert' vibe; they really made it seem like a concert when Peniel sprayed water at the camera with his bottle and when Minhyuk ripped his shirt off.
Cons: Not much except that part at 1:20 really resembled the part in The Boyz' Intro Performance in Kingdom with "The Stealer."
-Stray Kids- "기도 (I'll Be Your Man)"
Pros: Han's singing was immaculate; by the way, he's my bias and his role isn't even singing *insert screaming emoji*. Han's timing when he kneels and the light turns blue was perfect. Changbin's guttural tone when rapping was crunchily satisfying. I love that I could tell that the vocals were live as I am a very vocally-inclined fan; you can probably tell from the way I reviewed all BTOB's performances. Felix's lines, especially the whisper at the end, were ear-tickling. Seungmin and Han's duet at the end will be the death of me; their harmony was just pristine. Changbin's rap and Chan's falsetto during and immediately following were also really noticeable and complemented the duo well. Good amount of props and backup dancers; a great improvement from last time considering that neither the props nor the dancers took away much attention from them this time.
Cons: Seungmin and Lee Know's vocals were good but not enough to reach Han's level in this performance. The dance break was a teeny bit messy. Chan had too few lines. Sorry in advance but I heard IN's voice crack at the end but I get it...it happens. Finally, the concept was hard to understand; even after watching the show, I still don't get it.
-ATEEZ- "리듬 타 (The Awakening of Summer)/Rhythm Ta"
Pros: The arrangement with the chorus dance break was really good, and the choreography was very enjoyable. The use of the car, mask, and rope was pretty creative. The singer at 1:22 (presumably San if I recognize correctly) did a really pretty falsetto. Yunho right after, at 1:25, had a line that fit him really well. These two parts were my favorite parts in the verse,
Cons: I didn't watch "Money Heist" so I didn't connect with the concept. <- disclaimer in case the props were related to that. I didn't quite like the guns at the beginning. The use of backup dancers, especially at the end took away attention from ATEEZ. The hourglass at the end was also not introduced at the beginning, so I was quite confused as to why they used that prop. The blimp was kinda useless, and they could have done as well without it. I also feel like they put Jongho's high note just for a wow factor, but I didn't quite get the "wow." The verses and choruses have no variation; you can hear this as Jongho has this "oh~oh~oh" part every pre-chorus. They also used a song that was used previously.
-SF9- "The Stealer (The Scene)"
Pros: As the other groups said, I definitely felt their effort and passion to win this time. The fight scenes were very interesting and felt more realistic than the other fight scenes in this season. Taeyang was really hot. Hwiyoung rocked his small part. The dance break was really mesmerizing, and they all looked really invigorating. Jaeyoon's (yet again not familiar with names) fight scene was really entertaining and had impact. The last chorus was my favorite part; they really used their fit and long frames to embody the choreography and give it the strike of sexiness it needed. They really did put their own flavor into this song. Edit: This performance grew on me.
Cons: I could tell they were lip-syncing or at least had a loud backtrack; there is nothing wrong with it as long as the performance dance-wise was really good, but I'm just more vocally inclined. At the beginning, I didn't really understand the duo fighting concept but after watching it a few more times, I was able to understand. The chess prop at the beginning was a bit confusing. More strength could have gone into the glass shattering by Rowoon. They used guns too often, having it in their hands throughout the dance break as well. Having the guns in your hand for too long will cause the effect to be downplayed because they are supposed to have a 'bang' or peak sound when they point the gun at something or someone, but that does not happen. Chani's part at 2:07 was a bit too soft considering he was armed. For Zuho's part, I feel like they should have thought that the editors were going to blur the knife out because it may trigger some people; that part lost its impact. That part also ONCE AGAIN really resembles the POV hands in the Boyz's "No Air" performance. Right after, when Chani's gunman gets shot, they should have made it more clear that Inseong (yet again not familiar with names) was going to kill the gunman and not Chani by perhaps placing Inseong with his gun behind the gunman's head. He should have also dropped the gun after he made the shot instead of carrying through his high note because it was just awkward. Hwiyoung needs lots more screentime and lines; he's my bias by the way. The fire was a bit excessive. The crown should have also been introduced earlier because it was disconnected from the storyline. It also ONCE AGAIN resembles the Boyz's "Danger" and "Reveal" concepts in Road to Kingdom. They also used a song that was used previously, although they did put their own twist to it.


~#~ Please check the comments as this review will not let me exceed a certain word count~ I will add my opinion on more performances as they come out. ~#~

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Kpop survival show that is totally unnecessary.

I personally didn't enjoy this show at all and didn't see the point behind it airing.
To start with the groups they casted...
I know that Msnake had problems casting groups and got rejected by various groups so I kind of understand the messy line-up.
But in my opinion they should just have stopped after Road to Kingdom finished.
I feel bad for The Boyz, as they worked hard to win RTK but I just couldn't see in how far any of the groups that participated in Kingdom have gained anything from Kingdom.
The groups, beside The Boyz, Ateez and Stray Kids, had absolutely nothing to do with each other and I think one could see that.

Starting with BtoB.
I really love Btob as a group and I love their music...But why were they in this show?
They are a 10 year old group that has found their unique music style and place in the industry. They don't really need new fans because they have a loyal fandom.
So what did they gain?
Maybe they did have an amazing chemistry with the Mayfly Team, yeah, but they were a little out of place because of their vocal focused performances. I still loved all their performances but wished a group that needs more attention could have competed on Kingdom instead.

I'm very sorry, but I didn't see why iKON was on this show.
They didn't seem to have the motivation to prepare for the stage and had an overall vibe of simply being there to show that they are still there.
I wasn't impressed by their performances at all and thought that they aren't taking this show seriously.
After their Classy Savage performance which featured Blackpinks Lisa I lost hope of them having a nice stage.
Them bringing Lisa into the game without creatively changing Pretty Savage and her part greatly disappointed me.
It seemed like they were trying to gain fame of Blackpinks success without doing much for it. (Sorry If I understood it wrong, but that's the impression they made on me...)

For SF9...I feel truly sorry for them.
I didn't see why FNC made them participate while they have tons of individual schedules.
They were definitely good and I enjoyed their performances quite a lot. The thing with SF9 was (for me), that because of all their individual scheduels they didn't have enough time to practice together which I think is really sad.
I feel like SF9 deserved a lot better and did a better job than what the ranking gave them.

Coming to The Boyz.
This may be a bit biased as I really loved and enjoyed their performances in RTK and Kingdom.
I feel bad for them being compared to their past performances and getting so muc pressure form everone to be just as good as they were on Road to Kingdom.
They didn't have a proper pause from promotions and survival shows for the last year and it personally broke my heart to see them ranking so low throughtout the whole show.
They didn't deserve to be treated like this after working so hard to earn a spot in Kingdom.

I do sincerely love Stray Kids, their music and performances but I didn't enjoy them as much as I wished to.
I actually don't know how they got all the money for the props and insane stage designs which stood out in Kingdom for all groups but especially fot Stray Kids.
This grand stage design and mass of dancers made their performances seem a bit messy to me and sometimes I couldn't grasp what was going on.
I know that they are going through a though period because of the whole thing with Hyunjin but I expected something that showcases their obviously existing talents more than something showy and centered around two to three members.
Not saying that their performances were bad or that they didn't work hard, they definitely were amazing.

Last , but not least, Ateez.
I wanna start by saying that I think that they are amazing performers and that I'm rarely disappointed by them.
Their stages on Kingdom were grand. Maybe to grand for their own good?
I'm not sure how to say this but I feel like they tried to keep a storyline with this hourglass but sadly they kind of failed to portray the connection despite it being shown at the start or end of their stages.
They had various concepts but for once I wished that they didn't try to do so much..?
i personally could't connect their performances and couldn't enjoy them fully because there was something going on in every corner of the stage, which isn't directly bad.
I just wished they could have had more clear concepts, especially in the final and 3rd round.

Overall I must say that I think that the idea the program was made with. the "Legendary War" thingy was terrible.
I like watching Road to Kingdom and Queendom because they were easy going and not focused on the ranking.
The ranking was also incredibly messy and extremely weird. Why exactly did they have to annouce every single category on it's own and not just the ranking alltogether?
The tenison this method created wasn't only bad for the artists who had to see their name jump from place to place but also for the fans who just worked hard to give their groups great results.
Additionally I didn't get the whole system with the points because the final ranking was totally different from the ranking in the previous round.
Did they add the points they earned in all the rounds to the streaming ranking and final voting ranking or did they just add th final streaming and voting?
Another thing that greatly annoyed me was the stretched episodes bad editing overall.
Some groups got all the screentime while other groups or members got shown for like a second in each episode or only got screentime when they made a mistake on stage.
Other that the Mayfly Team which was made of Skz, Ateez and Btob I didn't feel the chemistry between the teams.
The team It's One seems truly awkward and made me feel like they don't really want to work with each other because they went into the show with different mindsets.
Bobby was too easygoing which was shown in the rap collab with Bobby, Sunwoo and Hwiyoung while Sunwoo was just fanboying and Hwiyoung was either tired or didn't agree to the concept that Bobby kind of forced onto their unit.

This leads me to my final conclusion that the teams didn't really fit each other and that this show had a way too competive vibe which compeletly destroyed the atmosphere of this show.
They should have stopped after Road to Kingdom.

But congratulations to the winnners and fans and thank god that this hell of a show is finally over.
Btob andMelody, iKOn andikonic, SF9 andFantasy, Stray Kids and Stay, The Boyz and Deobi and Ateez and Atiny...
You worked hard.
Good job to everyone

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Truly, just amazing....

WOW!!! First let me say I actually watched Kingdom: Legendary War first. As tends to be the norm, I watched for one specific group I knew of. ATEEZ. I ended up glued to my seat and screen for days binge watching because I loved everyone. I found new Idol groups that I had never heard of. Groups I had only heard on my Pandora, or saw in passing on Youtube or Insta. I honestly, at the time never gave them much thought. But after watching Kingdom: Legendary War. I've found many more groups to enjoy and support.

I'm trying to find a negative about Legendary War, and I can't come up with anything off the top of my head. Max Chang Min was amazing as a host and really seemed to enjoy himself with all the boys. It made the whole show amazing. I will say I really felt so bad for SF9 the entire time. They seemed like they just could not get what they wanted. I will say I've never seen an idol group like them. I do genuinely want to know if someone somewhere just picked 9 highly attractive men off the runway and said "lets sing and dance" I mean how did they come to be?

I very much enjoyed the show. And I really hope to see more of both Kingdom: Legendary War and Road to Kingdom in the future. As I feel it really is a great way to get to know more Idol groups. As well as it's great way to help them grow their fandoms.

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m

the best survival show in my opinion!

Love all the groups, even though i only know BTOB, IKON and Stray Kids at first. At the end,i grew fond of all the groups especially stray kids and the boyz.

Their perfomances and musics are all so great, their ability are definitely infinity. i hope they will all grow bigger and walk on flowery path all along

Their friendships are also so fun to watch eventhough mnet ordered them not to have so much interactions between the groups during the show. and BTOB being the eldest showed a good guidances to all the juniors.
and IKON was so happy to gain so many friends during the show.

AFTER ALL, THEY ARE ALL THE KINGS OF THEIR OWN KINGDOM!

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It is what it is :)

Honestly...what do you expect from a tv show competition. not saying it's rigged, but it's kinda obvious there will be some weird rankings to make things less predictable.

With the controversies being complained - did they not expect big companies to reuse expensive props that have been used previously to stay within the price limit but still make the stage look cool? or have connections with other companies to help them produce props for a lower cost? I'm assuming they added some rules/guidelines for future rounds to make it more fair.

Will say I am BIAS of StrayKids (not one to stream nor even vote, but they are the reason I'm watching). TBF, I recently got back into kpop, so have 0 idea of the other groups (I only really ever heard of IKON cause of their iconic "love scenario" song). All groups are amazing after seeing their stages, and I love the little behind-the-scenes/reaction clips of the members interacting (always cheering each other on and showing so much love for one another).

*Replying to that review of the person saying changbin rap too fast...he purposely did that to show he wasn't lipsyncing. like yeah, maybe it wasn't the smartest idea for new viewers...as non-STAYS will think he was nervous and messed up, but it's whatever. I think with that being said, most of the groups were fairly nervous for their intro stages. Round 1 (episodes 2 & 3), all their stages were amazing, and lots of respect for all the other groups (such talented souls).

Overall, I can't wait to see all the different stages/performances in the remaining episodes.

FANS! please don't hate on one another...as competitive as most of ya'll are, it's all just fun and games. Support your favs. As long as they are having fun and are proud of what they put in, that's all that matters.
For example, I heard other fandoms have been mad at STAYS for continuously streaming and mass voting for the StrayKids, and I'm honestly a bit embarrassed...as I definitely understand how frustrating it may be (unfair). I apologize, but again...just enjoy the show and do what you can to support your favs. I believe they are all winners and are equally as worthy for 1st place.

update: LOVE THE COLLABS!! Mayfly really is the dream team. I feel bad for IKON, TheBoyz, and SF9...hopefully they will be able to get more points in the last few rounds.

Stay safe and be happy <3

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Honestly, I'm not entirely satisfied.

Sure, the groups' performances were great - their singing, dancing, facial expressions, costumes and the enormous effort that each group put into it. They showed us something that we can't see in their music videos (MVs). Things like sweating, crying, making mistakes, stressing and working on performances that we don't normally get to witness, but here we were given something to appreciate. The interactions between the groups and the way the 3rd generation of kpop guided the younger generation was priceless.
But honestly, if it weren't for Stray Kids, who I've been a fan of since their debut, I wouldn't have watched it at all. However, although I cried with happiness when Stray Kids won, I felt dissatisfied with the actual result. Stray Kids did deserve the victory - no doubt about that, because they won thanks to hard work and their creativity. The entire show however focused more on fan voting than "survival". But that doesn't surprise me at all because the bigger the audience, the richer the show is, and the more popular the show is, the more money they make from it. Some may say that Stray Kids didn't deserve to win because they didn't get the best votes from the judges, but those people forgot that this particular episode was intended to give the groups feedback and help them learn from their mistakes, which I really liked as a viewer. The way these groups advanced after this episode was so damn satisfying that I can't even put it into words of wisdom XD.

The most depressing thing about the program were the sad moments where the people self blame themselves for mistakes, as well as the constant stress and anxiety. The fact that they all had to devote literally half a year to this performance, composing and setting everything up while being active idols made it exhausting to watch. Imagine how these six wonderful groups felt? But then came the most amazing part of the show, the Unit Round, during which two groups were formed: "It's One" (IKON, SF9, TheBoyz) and "Mayfly" (Stray Kids, BtoB, Ateez). The performances of these Units amazed me and I literally had to watch the performances several times because of how great they were.

But the ones that caught my eye the most were, of course: 
- Stray Kids - "God's Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" - I don't know what was more shocking: a tribute to DeadPool or a giant tank or the hot abs of a cute brownie boy? 
- Mayfly – “Wolf”, “Love Poem”, “Colours” – I admit I'm crazy for them all! 
- It’s One – “Spark” – I got goosebumps listening to and watching their performance!
- IKON - "Classy Savage" - special moment performed by LISA from BlackPink herself.
- SF9 - "Move" - wow, their performance...!!! so damn sexy!
- TheBoyz - "The Stealer" - I didn't expect a ballet breakdown at all.
- Stray Kids - "Pray" (Stray Kids version of "I'll Be Your Man" by BtoB) - I couldn't take my eyes off the screen because of how captivating the story plot was!!
- Ateez - "Wonderland" - the ship, kraken and Jongho with the flag was really amazing.

The worst thing for me as a viewer was that even though I am Stay 24/7, I am also a multi-fan. Groups like IKON, BtoB which were one of my first groups when I started listening to Kpop along with BigBang, Shinee and SuperJuniora and SF9's whose songs I love a lot and Ateez who I support (especially Wooyoung)... seeing them perform and get evaluated was both exciting and stressful at the same time. Same with TheBoyz who although I wasn't familiar with, I was rooting for them - the most during Sports Day because they were so hilarious XD. 

I watched these groups tremble with fear, have panic attacks behind the camera, exhaust themselves, hurt their bodies and it all was killing me but at the same time it made me proud of all of them. And even though it's not a perfect show, it's worth watching plus it's not a secret I've re-watched it about ten times...

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Someone needs to revoke Mnet’s survival show privileges

There are two things that a good competition show must avoid at all costs:
1. Being too predictable
2. Being totally ~unpredictable~
An obvious outcome lacks stakes and amounts to nothing more than a waste of time, while an obscure outcome leaves the viewer feeling unrepresented and unsatisfied. After all, a well-executed competition doesn’t just pit contestant against contestant, but also viewer against viewer, and viewers against themselves. That “I KNEW IT” feeling you get when you correctly guess the winner, or when the rankings reflect your personal assessment closely enough for them to make sense?
That’s no accident. That’s by design.
And Mnet threw it all out the window.

Stray Kids were always going to win. That was evident from round 1, when it became clear that fanbase size was the biggest determinant of success. To their credit, they did give performances ~worthy~ of winning, but due to popularity privilege, we’ll never know if they rightfully ~should~ have.

As for the rest of the competitors—despite being on more equal footing in terms of popularity, their rankings still lack significance due to their placements being primarily decided by voters who aren’t representative of the general public.
I don’t know about you all, but I am neither a K-pop idol nor an industry expert. It should come as a surprise to no one that the performances I enjoy will likely differ from those preferred by individuals who possess a trained eye. I can’t see what they see unless they explain it to me, which Mnet apparently can’t be bothered to make the time for in their nearly 2hr long episodes, so instead of feeling validated by the rankings, I’m just left feeling excluded and confused.
Which is to be expected, yes. I’ve come to anticipate that much every now and then. We can’t all be right ~all~ of the time… but I’m not used to feeling so blindsided all the time, either.

And don’t even get me started on the selection criteria for the contestants. In what dimension is it fair to require one competitor to earn their spot while all the others get to join with zero barriers to entry?

Ugh. Just throw the whole tv station into the trash.

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My Thoughts

I might end up rewatching the 90-second and Round 1 performance at some point, but for now, I'll start with the two most recent episodes (4 and 5). I'm stealing this "template" from another reviewer, I hope you don't mind!!

*note: someone else has continuously said various parts of performances remind them of The Boyz stages from RTK (implying a bit of copying?). I didn't feel this at all; e.g. timepieces are not uncommon objects to represent the flow of time, use of POV isn't unusual at all, and are crowns really surprising in a show called Kingdom? There were no strange resemblances unless you really looked for them; even if there were, there definitely are more new ideas being implemented than old ideas copied.

*note 2: I also don't pay much attention to distributions and screentime, understanding that 1) this is a competition and what works, works and 2) there are artistic considerations that go into song arrangement and line distribution that don't involve people sitting at their calculators looking at percentages.


{Round 2: REBORN} Overall, this round was better than the past 2, which is to be expected since everyone's starting to really get the hang of how they can put their best feet forward.

-The Boyz- "오솔레미오 (The Red Wedding)/O Solo Mio"
Pros: I loved the latin-inspired theme, especially as it's something they haven't tried before. I enjoy the original song "O Sole Mio" quite a lot. They handled their mistakes professionally as always and safely finished the performance. Their dancing was smooth and synchronized as usual! Pleasant concept and they looked great on stage :) The camerawork was great overall as usual; they had some really great shots and beautiful angles. The bows at the end were a great touch.
Cons [and this is coming from someone who is watching this show because of The Boyz and rooted for them throughout RTK]: Their mistake was very noticeable to me because the scepter seemed kind of pointless and burdensome without the fire effect it was supposed to have. It also wasn't a one-time gimmick but rather a proper that was supposed to last a while, so it was even more noticeable. I feel terrible, however, that Sangyeon had to bear with that pressure and guilt afterwards. Also, I didn't think they added a whole lot to the original song; their actual concept wasn't very obvious (was it just "Latin"??) The cage thing also didn't work for me, especially that part with Juyeon and the backup dancer, which felt kinda anticlimactic, especially during the show. The lighting was questionable and didn't emphasize that amazing dance portion in the intro (not their fault). Sunwoo's rap part was kind of weirdly timed. And although the camerawork was good in general, I felt like the stage overall didn't emphasize how much effort went into the preparation for this stage (e.g. Juyeon standing on members' hands at 2:23, other acrobatics that weren't really shown in the show), and sometimes the camerawork was a bit awkward. In their attempt to get everyone in the shot, the shots for group choreo ended up making the choreo look less impressive. Like someone else said, backup dancers have been a problem in this show so far, but the issue also popped up in this performance. If I looked closely, I could see the female backup dancers doing some great Latin moves, but the camera never emphasized that so in shots where they were in focus, they were at best kind of just there and at worst literally blending in with the stage. Also, some great parts were only visible/noticeable in full version (vocal parts, etc.), making the FV a lot better; in other words, Mnet are snakes.
Overall: It was a great performance but lacked some of the impact I was hoping for. It didn't really leave any lasting images (they ended up being least memorable), which is something I thought they did really well in RTK. Perhaps they are trying to move away from prop usage, as the stage design was definitely less defined/fancy than in the past, but I don't think it's working in their favor. I'm craving a little more creativity in their usage of lighting and space. I understood why they ranked last, sad as I am to say that.

-IKON- "Inception"
Pros: I thought their concept was very clear; the movie is iconic and those who don't get the references, especially on the international stage, are probably in the minority. Even for those who didn't, most of the stage effects were really cool and interesting to watch; pieces of the stage moved continuously throughout the stage, allowing for clear interaction with the stage design, which is something I'm always, always looking for in a great performance. IKON was enjoying themselves on the stage as always, especially Bobby, which is super refreshing to see because Kingdom is often so intense/dark with their concepts and stuff. As someone during the show said, their moves are very clean and streamlined, calculated; I personally enjoy that, but some may prefer a rougher, more organic dance style. The full version definitely shows more of their ad-libs, which I'm a sucker for, and they make the performance more organic. Camerawork was good and lighting was always sufficient and effective!!
Cons: Weird beginning VCR-thing, I thought it was just unnecessary. I wouldn't say I didn't enjoy the remixed chorus, but it was very IKON-style and I don't think it really explored new musical ground for them. I thought the chorus deviated so much from Inception that it wasn't even a remix anymore; it could have been an IKON original song. Personally, I didn't like the camera effect during Bobby's part because I thought it was kinda distracting, although it was pretty effective because Bobby's expressions are great, and his rap was great. The "street lifting up" part at around 2:28 was cool while it was moving, but then I thought it looked kinda awkward just standing there for the second chorus. Didn't really enjoy the dance break; it felt just weird. I enjoyed the effect the backup dancers added to this performance. The ending kind of lacked impact in terms of the performance and music arrangement.
Overall: It was a clean, fun performance and very IKON-like, which is great in terms of establishing their identity but also a missed opportunity to explore the more lyrically intense nature of "Inception". Their story-building definitely saw improvement though, and I thought their exploration of camera effects was a nice touch. Always looking for new ideas to change up a performance.

-BTOB- "Back Door"
Pros: I loved this performance. Right from the opening drone sound, the camera is focused on Stage 1, hinting at the concept in a really efficient way. Story-building was crystal-clear and very, very effective in showing different variations on the same song ("Back Door"). Their goal was to show 4 different characters and they did it, on multiple levels. Musically, they went between 4 genres, and if you look more closely at their expressions, Changsub's character is goofy while Minhyuk's is intense/sexy throughout the whole stage. Just look at their ending poses/expressions and you'll see their characters. The stage was very exciting, start to finish, because it just kept building and building. That moment when the "stage doors" opened was really great. Great vocals, as always; they did a great job of showing their strengths in a new context. I love Peniel's rap omg. Tasteful use of backup dancers to give the ending a really exciting audience feel. I also appreciated that their (amazing) high note wasn't stuck in the middle of the last chorus but rather in the pre-chorus leading up to it, leaving space for their vocals to shine. I couldn't have hoped for a better expression of the backstage-to-concert vibe. And did I mention that Minhyuk is hOT?? He's hot.
Cons: Didn't enjoy that part at 1:20 because while I realize it's a nod to the lyrics, it had a weird effect... Also, the continued use of the knocking sound to transition was fine but seemed a little OP cause they kept using it LOL. Personal preference, but I really like the original version of "Back Door" and the vibe the original chorus has, so while I understand this was how BTOB interpreted it for themselves (and it works!), I personally prefer the original, more choreography-based song. Contrary to other stages, I thought the last chorus actually looked better and more exciting during the show than during the FV.
Overall: I love a good theme and variations, and that's what this stage felt like. It was well done and maintained excitement and freshness throughout the performance with each new genre. The concept was so clear even an idiot would get it, and their acting was on point. The backup dancers weren't overwhelming. As a side note, they got votes from all 5 teams in the group evaluation, which makes sense because they conveyed that concert vibe really well. Since all the other groups are idols, too, they understand that feeling of missing an audience and the excitement of performing in front of one, and I think it was pretty emotional for them.

-Stray Kids- "기도 (I'll Be Your Man)"
Pros: I LOVE THE ORIGINAL SONG so I may be a bit more biased in this. Han showed his singing prowess in this; all-rounder indeed. I was so proud of him!! Seungmin started off well :). I love Changbin's rap part, the lyrics (or what I could glean from them) were also really pretty. The moment Felix's lines start was great; very memorable and effective in moving the stage forward (though I'm always a little sad Felix's voice is kinda just used for that effect all the time). I loved the use of the blood sacrifice prop thing, as well as the heart. Dance break wasn't earth-shattering but it was effective and appropriate for this performance; I enjoyed the use of the breaking pillars. I enjoyed the transition into bridge/verse 1 (since they never used the original verse 1 up till now), and it really suited Seungmin and Chan. Impressive final chorus, and though I.N.'s voice break was noticeable, it didn't really detract much imo.
Cons: I thought the concept was difficult to fully understand unless you had an explanation, especially if you were familiar with the original song as I was. I know their tone was meant to be desperate and pleading, but I wasn't sure if they were just struggling to reach the notes at times lol, so this was more evident in the rap parts than the vocal parts. Seungmin and Minho's vocals lacked a little in comparison to Han in this performance, which is understandable but did create a bit of unbalance. Personally disagreed with Han's choice to belt at 0:40... it sounded a little much for the lyrical intro. I'm not sure about that use of black-and-white filter because it didn't seem very effective; ditto for the blur effect during I.N.'s part. Felix's whisper at 2:23 was hot but he looked kinda awkward doing it. The random demon on the screen kinda made me laugh ngl. That ending bit with the kid seemed unnecessary and didn't really add to anything; the stage could have ended with Chan's last line and been perfectly fine.
Overall: I really enjoyed the arrangement and appreciated that they explored more with vocals this time. Use of stage design and props was good, despite the complicated concept, and though I did notice they had a lot of backup dancers, I don't think they were too noticeable/spotlighted. A lot of really lovely shots were seen in this stage, and their intended tone was effectively conveyed through this more lyrical stage.

-ATEEZ- "리듬 타 (The Awakening of Summer)/Rhythm Ta"
Pros: The intro scene in the car was pure genius (and the part where they get off and Wooyoung shoots the guards). I loved it so, so much. I must have rewatched about 20 times by now. Such a strong, memorable beginning (though I still don't know what that weird spinning light by Hongjoong was... a fan?) The message of anarchy was very clear and 100% a vibe. In fact, it was 100% ATEEZ's vibe; they did a great job of preserving the original energy, rhythmic focus, and natural swag of "Rhythm Ta" while making it completely their own through their expressions, dance style, and arrangement. It's hard to explain, but they did a better job than IKON did with "Inception." Their choreo was great, and their focus on performance really shone in this stage. The choreo didn't repeat between the choruses, which I thought was a great touch. I loved San's riff at 1:22, and I'm obsessed with the way they delivered the following lines too (Yunho + Wooyoung); it suited them really well. In that sense, the whole arrangement suited them really well. Props to Hongjoong and Eden (and the others who helped). Hongjoong's rap worked with the Latin-type music well. My bias is Seonghwa, but every time I see Wooyoung perform my resolve weakens a little. Great use of props; the mask and money flying throughout the performance served not only as reminders of the concept but great stage effects in general. I enjoyed the use of flyers coming from a blimp in the final chorus instead of confetti or something. Also, they looked hot; the concept really suited them.
Cons: I didn't watch "Money Heist" so I didn't fully get all the references (though doubtless I would have been blown away completely if I did), but nevertheless, even without that added context the ideas and concept were very clear. An anarchic speech is an anarchic speech; I thought it added to the concept a lot and gave the performance a defined memorable moment, but not sure about how it added to the music itself. Mixed feelings on that one. The eye at the beginning was kinda weird ngl, but I liked the background audio and flyer props because they really helped introduce the concept from the get-go (especially to an international audience bc they were in English!!) The backup dancers were a little bit distracting in this stage for sure. I didn't think they were totally necessary. Also, the part where San climbs the rope was creative, but a weird transition from the previous chorus. Not the biggest fan of Jonho's high note at 4:00, since it didn't really seem to add significantly to the stage at that point. Looking back on it, the last part with the hourglass does seem a little weird, but it was already introduced in a previous stage, and it's been established that ATEEZ is going with one continuous story, so that made sense (especially in light of the heist/stealing theme.
Overall: A really exciting, well-delivered stage that had a strong concept and tons of personality. ATEEZ's identity was very clear in this song; they didn't overpower the "Rhythm Ta" influence but made their message and presence very pronounced. Some things I did find a bit gimmicky, but lots of creativity was shown in this performance, from San's dance with the rope to the car in the beginning (still not over it).

-SF9- "The Stealer (The Scene)"
Pros: They went all-out with this stage's concept and energy. I loved how they used the drone sound in the beginning to heighten the tension before the two gangs even before the song begins. The fight scenes were a liiitle bit awkward if you looked really closely, but as a whole were well-done and seemed very organic. Loved the use of the guns/assassination, I thought it helped drive the characters they were playing home. The rap wasn't groundbreaking but effective and suited the arrangement and mood well. Also they looked hot?? Jaeyoon please calm down. I really enjoyed their creative use of POV for a fight scene because it helped convey the expression and tone of the second rap verse really well. The rain scene was great and suited the bridge super well, lyrics and all. The following dance break was effective as well, not just serving as a dance break but also showing how they "defeat the bad guys."
Cons: It was a little bit gimmicky with the props, they went a bit overboard with it in my opinion. I did notice they ended up going with suits again, but well, it works I guess. The arrangement wasn't my favorite, especially that part at 1:37; I didn't get the vibe they were going for. The chorus was a bit too EDM-y for my taste and seemed, again, a bit of a weird fit for their concept, and the music cuts off oddly at 2:37 when Chani turns (which wasn't very natural, by the way). The flamethrowers at 3:58 were in rather poor taste, in my opinion, though they made for a good background for the start of the last chorus. Use of backup dancers wasn't overwhelming but wasn't great, either; they just seemed kind of unnecessary except for fight scenes. Chani's part at 2:07 was a bit too soft considering he was armed. I thought the last chorus could have used a bit more aggression in terms of choreography and deliverance of concept/character, but it suited them well.
Overall: I really liked their twist on the "The Stealer" concept and thought they did a good job of conveying it to the audience. Use of props and backup dancers was a bit much, and I'm not so sure about that musical arrangement, but their storytelling, stage design, and camerawork ideas got so much better. Love the creativity they brought to this stage.

----------- Round 2 Personal Ranking -----------
1 - ATEEZ
2 - BTOB
3 - Stray Kidz
4 - SF9
5 - IKON
6 - The Boyz

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