J ポップ is my ライフ!

Jpop is more than just music. It’s a part of my life. Exaggeration? Not so. I can say that besides country music, Jpop is the greatest genre in the world, even more so than Kpop. Jpop triumphs it easily.

Why?

Kpop stars are all about beauty, beauty, beauty that they [the girls] must do cosmetic surgeries. I mean, come on! I know being easy on the eyes are somewhat acceptable, but must you change all part of yourselves? Duhhh~! The guys meanwhile… I can say they all look the same! Repeat: they all look the same, except for some people… That’s still okay. What’s not okay is that many of them look like… girls!

Kpop songs… I don’t know where to start. I know they’re catchy AND I admit I listen to them, but catchy hooks and choruses don’t contribute to a good song. You just sing the same thing over and over again. Besides, many new Kpop artists don’t really have real talents. You can’t help but notice that many Kpop artists sound similar. The songs are similar too! In fact, I feel like Kpop artists [especially idol groups] are actually copying each other. On the other hand, Japan has lots and lots of artists, and they don’t sound the same, and definitely they have the talents! Nevertheless, there are lots of artists/groups [especially those with good grounds and have been around for a while] that stand out and are good.

Bubblegum Pop? Like hello!? I prefer solid type of music rather than... bublegum. One sure thing is Kpop seems to not have their own identity, meanwhile like other Japanese thingy, Jpop is unique and has its own identity. You can't doubt that. Luckily, there are many other Kpop artists that don't sing bubblegum pop, and of course I listen to them. Thank you!

Dance is a part of Kpop, but a good dance is just a good dance. You don’t see dance choreography in a song. Many people love Kpop just because they just like to see the choreography. Still, I have to admit, the dances are the things that are good about Kpop, and make Kpop uniquely Kpop.

Video-wise, Kpop's music videos are all the same, especially group artists’ videos. Dance, dance, damn dance! Always dance. No plots, no messages! And the videos are almost always in studios with makeshift stages. I can’t really see anything else beyond that. Luckily not all videos are like that, but then again, most of videos like that come from solo artists, and most people only recognise group rather than solos. Compare Jpop videos. They have [sometimes, really kawaii] dances, and stories to tell, and are not just confined in studios. You can't help but feeling happy watching Jpop's videos. Perhaps, Kpop videos should have some stories as the complement to the dance?

The songs are all about love, love, love. Isn’t Jpop the same? Not so. Jpop have messages. Kpop, simply put… don’t! Check the translations if you don’t trust me. Still don’t trust me? Watch anime and J-drama. Speaking about K-drama and J-drama, J-drama always has morals and good things to be told. K-drama is always the drama, and when I mean drama, it's about love! I can't stand it! J-drama is so much more better!

Korean music has no diversity. Don’t trust me? Kpop is just Kpop. We never have rock bands from Korea. They’re [almost] non-existent. Jpop is just a catch-all term for the diverse genres of Japanese music. Japan has underground/indie music scene, Rock, Pop, Hip-hop/rap, techno/electronic, and many more. One more thing more-than-worth noted here, Kpop is dominated, really, really, dominated with idol groups. How many idol groups are there? More than you or me can even count. Japan has bands, groups [both male and female], solo artists, and duos.

I don’t want to compare Kpop and Jpop really. I listen to many Kpop artists too, but I love Jpop more because of the reasons above.

Banzai FTW!