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Welcome to my episode two review of NCT Universe: LASTART.
If you have not read my introduction post yet to this competition reality show, please go back and read it to get a great idea of what to expect from this show.
If you do not want spoilers, please do not continue reading because I will not hide anything in my review. Besides, these episodes already aired a while ago.
In episode one, we left off with the second team ready to perform. I will re-paste some of the information from episode one:
Jungmin (정민) and Minjae (민재), both Korean in decent, singing to "Running on the Sky," which is originally sung by singer Lee Juck
Perhaps, it was the upbeat guitar sounds that made Eunhyuk wanting the trainees to move around the stage and explore, but the trainees both stood in place. It also could be because Key mentioned that this is a popular song for Korean soldiers to sing in the military (since the soldiers are away from home and having a tough time) and also that this is a lively song. Jungmin had an open smile at the beginning of the song so the show captions him with the term, "방긋" or bang geut (meaning an open, bright, silent smile 😃)
Interestingly, Jungmin and Minjae are the same ages as Yushi and Sion, 19 and 21. Both Jungmin and Minjae are of Korean descent.
BoA stated that Jungmin has a unique voice where high notes stood out. Minjae has a stable voice. Jungmin has a good recording voice while Minjae has a great live voice. However, she thought it did not sound like a song. She couldn't hear the story in the way they sang the lyrics.
Key added that singing too stably is not entertaining. They looked like their own profile photos while they were singing. There should be some climax in the song. Their tone is great though.
Eunhyuk asked if they only practiced in the vocal room, but Jungmin replied that they also jumped in place while singing, though their trainer previously told them not to do that. Jungmin demonstrated his jump and dance practice and Minjae looked embarrassed. Eunhyuk thought their performance could be better. They sang in such a boring way and there was so much room they could have used on the stage, Artists at SM not only perform great songs for the audience to listen to, but also perform their songs on stage. They could have done better in performance and showmanship.
I had similar thoughts in that both Jungmin and Minjae can sing well and they both have contrasting styles of singing. Personally, I preferred Jungmin's voice and style because I can tell he tried to give his vocals a rock flair with a slightly scratchy voice, and his voice was dominant. He gave me main singer vibes and I heard his voice loud and clear. I much prefer Jungmin to be in the debut group as he already grabbed my attention with his quirky behaviors. I also appreciated how Jungmin bopped his head to the song when it was not his turn to sing. It's true that he could have given more to the audience performance-wise, but for a first impression, I already remember him in my head as the smiley boy who can sing loud and clear.
Minjae's voice did not vary that much. I would not say it is boring, but it did not catch my attention.
Because I have not heard of this song, I had to look up the original singer Lee Juck and also the lyrics to help me understand the meaning of this song. The song describes a person at the edge of a cliff, but longing, mentally, to run back to somebody who is important to him. Hence, the song is called, "Running on the Sky."
Knowing what the song meant, I should feel a thrill when Jungmin and Minjae were singing, but the thrilling feelings are mild. I should probably expect something as thrilling as PRODUCE 101 season 2's "Playing with Fire" performance where each trainee had their own flair.
Kassho (캇쇼 in Korean, カッショウ in Japanese) and Heitetsu (헤이테츠 in Korean, ヘイテツ in Japanese) dancing to "Shawty Fishin' (Blame the Net) originally sung by Masengo
Both trainees are of Japanese descent. Kassho only trained for six months while Heitetsu trained for ten months. This is not a particularly good sign. SM seems to have selected a lot of starter trainees for this show so I am a little bit nervous unless they are super talented.
BoA thought this song is supposed to be groovy and quite sexy, but their performance was not sexy at all. She also received mixed flirting signals from Kassho. Because Kassho is shorter than Heitetsu, Kassho should concentrate on making his moves bigger. Heitetsu's moves were flustered and he couldn't finish his moves. BoA also caught him smiling, which was unfit for the song. Heitetsu thought for the later part of the song during the climax, he should feel happier, but it seems he misinterpreted the song.
Key demonstrated how to grunt to Kassho's moves. I thought that was hilarious. Using his Japanese, Key asked Kassho to be more expressive and confident. Key thought Heitetsu was awkward from his wrists to his fingertips with straight lines.
Eunhyuk thought that they don't have lots of time before possible debut, so he wants both trainees to get used to the stage and practice on it some more.
Heitetsu had a special talent in which he showed a jumping worm-type move on stage. I suppose this is his last attempt to appeal to the artist directors.
At first, I thought, Kassho was trying to go with a cool vibe. His facial expression never changed from a determined expression. I am immediately reminded of Yushi who previously did not show much expression on stage. This song sounded very mysterious to me so I thought he was trying to give me a mysterious man vibe. Once the main beat hit, Heitetsu, who was dancing behind Kassho, was clearly falling behind on the beat, making it obvious that he cannot keep up. Heitetsu looked like he had knives as hands and he was trying to pierce some fishes when he did piercing hand movements. I wonder if that is related to the song since they were fishing (though I know it's not literal), but it actually didn't match Kassho's moves and was distracting. Kassho is the better dancer here and my eyes mostly focused on him. They both could have accentuate some moves to highlight them with something as simple as an exaggerated neck roll and accent the two by two move, which I thought were highlights of the dance. I also caught Heitetsu smiling. Because of the mood of the song, it is not the same feeling as what Jungmin did at the beginning of his song. It felt out of place. I probably won't give either contestant high points or consider them in the debut group just yet.
Riku (리쿠 in Korean, リク in Japanese) and Ryu (류 in Korean, リュウ in Japanese) singing and rapping to "Fire" originally sung and rapped by Shota Shimizu.
Both trainees are of Japanese descent. Riku trained for one year while Ryu trained for two weeks. Oof. I am really doubting what is going on here as we can't possibly expect a two-week old trainee to debut, right? I better see something extraordinary.
After the performance, the show reveals that Riku throat was not in good condition.
Eunhyuk asked if Riku was satisfied with his own performance, but Riku admitted that he did not take care of his body well since a few days before the performance and therefore he is not fully satisfied with his performance.
Key mentioned that when Riku's throat condition is not good, he can still continue with the same intensity and tone. Riku can work on his balance and controlling his intensity. Key mentioned that he did not hear Ryu's (higher register?) above very well and needed practice to become a great vocalist.
Eunhyuk emphasized how to express one's self on stage, having one's own color, and he finally saw it in this performance. Riku had sharp rapping that matches his appearance, which contributed to his charm. Meanwhile, with a short trainee time, Ryu was able to express his vocals and talents.
BoA first checked on Ryu's determination to be in the show, which was clever and then asked if Riku could sing a song for them. Riku started rapping "Eyes" and BoA concluded that Riku was charming. He has a unique tone that is not discovered yet in SM Entertainment, which was refreshing. Ryu was also asked to sing another song and he sang "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys. BoA then concluded that Ryu could be a great singer if he continues to receive guidance.
Key mentioned he would faint on stage if he had to perform as a two-week trainee. BoA was curious about Ryu's dancing skills.
When their performance first started, I immediately was drawn into Riku's rap and interesting gestures. It is true that he has a good tone and I was curious about what else he could do. He seemed to rap stronger than what I heard in the original song. I looked up the song and lyrics so I could understand and compare it. As a one year trainee, I am impressed that he proved to be worthy of being in the debut team. Because he is the only rapper so far and that I do not find major flaws, I have to give him a spot on the debut team for now. I liked how they moved from their original position to more in front of the stage. This unit was working well. Ryu's vocal skills is not bad at all. I am just worried that he is only a two-week trainee so I can't say for sure if I want him on the debut team just yet. If the two trainees end up being all-rounders who can sing, rap, and dance, I can give them my blessing to be in the debut group.
I saw a lot of news that Ryu is special because he is the brother of celebrity Shirahama Alan. Personally, I do not think that is important, but I do think he might have some type of advantage because of it with exposures to the music business already.
Ryo (료 in Korean, リョウ in Japanese) and Sakuya (사쿠야 in Korean, サクヤ in Japanese) singing and dancing to "Chewing Gum" by NCT Dream.
Both trainees are of Japanese descent with Ryo and Sakuya both training for one year so far. They better be just as good as Riku who trained just as long. How bold of them to choose an NCT song, but somebody has to do it, right? I don't want to cringe yet because trainees from other survival competition shows can butcher the song. Ryo and Sakuya also came on stage with the hoverboards just like how NCT Dream would do it.
After the performance, Sakuya cutely declared that he loves the smell of bakery. That is a star-quality move to say something outrageous to make the audience remember him.
Key loved how Sakuya supported Ryo by rapping and also how well Ryo sang in Korean. The studio became brighter because of this type of bright performance.
BoA noted that this team was the first team who fully enjoyed their performance which meant that they understood the concept of the song well, which made the performance fun and refreshing to watch.
Eunhyuk spotted some weakness in singing and dancing, which could be remedied. Ryo and Sakuya's unique colors and charms are memorable. Harmonizing with the debut team is important so he wants to see them perform with a different concept. It was an overall good performance.
I was immediately captivated by the charms of Ryo and Sakuya. As I am not familiar with the trainees' names yet, Ryo and Ryu's names are too similar so I needed to make a mental note not to mess it up.
There were good and bad sides to each performer. Ryo wore green, my favorite color, so I should be focusing more on him, but I ended up focusing on Sakuya the most when checking on their dance as Sakuya's facial expressions and wider moves are more distinct. I notice a weakness in Sakuya's arm movements that shows he doesn't have too much power in his upper body so his energy levels rose and fell throughout the performance. However, when it came to vocals, Ryu stood out and was a main vocal throughout the song so I heard him loud and clear. Unfortunately, I saw that this was Sakuya's weakness as I sometimes heard him sing, but I sometimes heard him cut off. I am not sure if that was on purpose or not. His strength and confidence is clearly in rapping, but showing weakness in vocals is concerning. He is not yet at the rapping level of Riku. In many ways, both are outstanding and both have room for improvements. Overall, I have to go with the trainee who caught my eye the most and that is Sakuya.
Next, we still have the evaluation of the new IP TF, which consists of:
CEO - Tak Young-Jun
CAO (Chief A&R Officer) - Lee Sung-Soo
Production Center 4 Chief - Chae Jung Hee
Artist Development Center Chief - Yoon Hee Joon (I am not sure of the official spelling)
Training Unit (Lead?)- Lee Seung Hwan
Production Center 4 Responsible - Yoo Jae Yong
Some of the comments were:
Haruta has precise movements.
Anderson has his own dance vibe, natural acting, and lip-syncing.
The song matched Minjae's strengths, but not Jungmin's strengths. Minjae's rhythem was off in some parts.
Jungmin had stable low notes in the second verse.
Kassho hasn't trained for a long time.
Heitetsu doesn't have basic skills in dance yet.
Riku has basic rapping skills.
Ryu did well with his hands in his pocket when the song started. He is capable of growing quickly.
Ryo's voice didn't waver and gave a clean performance.
Sakuya can pass for a Korean with his rap skills.
The top four ranking trainees will be rewarded with a photo shoot of the confirmed members of the debut group. It is a part of SM's practice to check on which combination of trainees look good together to debut.
All the trainees stepped onto the stage and I thought it was funny how Ryo and Sakuya were the only members wearing colors other than white and black. They really stood out.
The ranking results of mission one are as follows:
1. Riku
2. Anderson
3.Jungmin
4. Ryo
5. Sakuya
6. Haruta (joint-rank)
6. Minjae (joint-rank)
8. Ryu
9. Kassho
10. Heitetsu
Whenever Yushi came on the screen, he has this determined look on his face all the time. It is actually heart-stopping for me that he acts so cool. I could be intimidated by this man.
My conclusion so far in my personal ranking for mission one is below and I won't do a full ranking because I am only concerned about the top 4 where it counts:
1. Anderson
2. Jungmin (smiley man)
3. Riku
4. Sakuya
It was tough to name the fourth place because I have Ryu and Ryo both on my radar. The reason that I chose Sakuya is because I believe in his potential. This is only mission one so I expect to possibly have different opinions later on. I was very closely leaning on having both Ryo and Sakuya together, but I am also concerned that maybe they may be too young looking for the debut group and I am again reminded of Yushi's stare. I am mindful of Yushi.
As such, our episode two has come to an end with mission two on the way.
This was my review up to this point. I now have to join the masses to wait for one episode a week. How painful.
Please leave a comment if you would like and we shall continue to episode three of NCT Universe: LASTART.
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