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Hallyu Girl Group Chaos
Four arrivals in less than six months
by: Tanaka Makoto
Korea's girl groups will be arriving one by one at Japan this summer. In commemoration of their debut, droves of fans have been crowding with a quickly rising feverish fervor. The hallyu idols seem to be counting on their charms to lead the way in creating a commotion of hype for their arrival.
On August 11, the charismatic and instantly famous, 5-girl group KARA debuted with their single Mister. Video uploading sites quickly began flooding with their back-bending “Hip Dance”. The same day, KARA gave a surprise live performance in front of the Shibuya 109 building in commemoration of their debut. Despite no prior announcement of such performance, the event was reported by the organizers to have attracted around 3000 people.
The Korean music groups that have led the way in breaking into Japan in the past include DBSK, Big Bang, and such boy bands. However starting this year, it seems the spread of the Korean boom has taken on the shape of girl groups.
Leading the way is the 5-girl group 4minute who debuted last May. Combining rap with hip-hop flavors, 4minute already announced last month the release of their second single.
Following in KARA's footsteps, is the 9-girl group Girl's Generation who on August 11th released a DVD compilation of their music videos. Featuring costumes that heavily emphasize their long and slender legs, Girl's Generation is very proud of the immense success they enjoy in their homeland. On the 25th, they plan to hold an event at the Tokyo Ariake Coliseum for some 10000 people.
On the same 25th, using their “sexy dance”˟ to spread their more adult-oriented sex appeal, the 4-girl group Brown Eyed Girls will also debut. This brings the total number of girl groups to debut in Japan in less than six-months to four.
The personality of the groups differ in slight ways, but their in-fashion electronic tracks, their perfectly coordinated dance routines, and their sexy costumes (along with other such weapons) is something they all have in common.
˟The actual term used is「小生意気ダンス」which literally means “cheeky/impudent dance”. The「」surrounding the term suggests the term is a fixed one used by Brown Eyed fans. I used “sexy dance” since I am unfamiliar with the Brown Eyed fandom.
Here is the source. Please note that I translated everything above the bold text that reads "「かわいさ」より「かっこいい」" since a quick search for "少女時代" shows that they are no longer mentioned from that point on.
