I need to write about this stuff to get it out of my head.

First of all, I'm not hating anyone and I'm not bashing either. This is purely what's going through my mind and I'm aware that I'm biased although I try to be as reasonable as possible.

So I watched NCT U debut MV "the 7th sense" and the other one "without you". I scrolled through a couple of millions of comments mainly praising, few sceptical and some downright ridiculous with people already choosing biases and promising to follow them forever.

Something I predicted seems to become true: I've read quite a few "sorry EXO, but this is too good" comments and even army loses members to the new hype.

But seriously: "the 7th sense" is sophisticated and it's an outstanding performance. The guys look equally gorgeous, their dancing is flawless and their rapping the best SM has had so far ... but ...

It's sterile, almost too good, a bit impersonal. I'm aware that it takes some time to get to know the members and to individualize them, but still ...

My impression is that these guys have been trained too well. That sounds paradoxical but I remember that Minho once said that in the beginning they were practicing so much, that the performances were almost automatical and that it took them some time to realize they could relax a bit on stage and have more fun and even be better like that.

I wasn't into kpop all that much when DBSK debuted or SuperJunior so I can't compare. But I remember SHINee's debut and EXO's and I see a development.

SHINee were extremely young. With Jjong and Onew they were well equipped vocally already and all of them made an effort to hone their dancing. Even Onew and Jjong are excellent dancers which you sometimes may forget when they're next to Taemin.

But SHINee promoted as a group. There were no individual trailers only a few performances with their sunbaes and a few pre-debut stages.

However, debuting early meant growing up on stage. That being said SHINee had a hard time but also great opportunities. And their young age probably contributed to their group-dynamics. SHINee members are all individually skilled and successful in different directions but their fusion makes them even more remarkable. That is indeed rare.

Now that were the times when SM and other companies produced groups and sent them on their way.

Then there was EXO. To me it was already risky to put out such a big group with a strict subunit structure. But the marketing was great, the individual trailers did the trick but already at that time, the balance was off. Showcasing Kai more than the others and trying to compensate with Tao didn't really work. 

But anyway, they debuted they were successful. One of the biggest differences compared to SHINee was their average age at debut was much older than SHINee's and fans immediately started to pick biases. 

EXO has suffered because of the members they lost but also because of the unbalanced structure and the concept. 12 people are too many to create group-dynamics where everyone gets along with everybody else or ideally really likes them.

And now there's this even weirder NCT concept that goes beyond that by not even creating a group in the first place. We only get units. This is as impersonal as it can possibly get. In spite of the individual trailers people are confused about the number of people in the one and in the other debut song. And what is it about all the other rookies and units and stuff?

You see what I mean. Of course you will find out eventually and you will certainly get to know and to like members. But it's much more distanced and clinical. 

I love SHINee almost like family and it feels like I really know them. That's probably silly but they have this kind of approachability and loveliness that makes the relationship to their fans a bit special.

When I watched EXO for the first time, their "Mama" MV, I was deeply impressed by the dancing and the vocals. But I didn't like the concept all that much. 

Comparing SHINee's debut stage and EXO's the difference is even more obvious. SHINee were all smiley smiley with this still great bop "replay" that they delivered with their teenager charms that slayed noonas all around ^^.

EXO on the other hand were struggling. The pressure I think was too big and although people exaggerate a lot, their debut stage was indeed not very good. But they grew and became stronger. All three, D.O., Baekhyun and Chen are excellent vocalists, Kai and Lay are among the best dancers in kpop and everybody else has really come a long way already. But even Sehun was already 18 when they debuted. He was not raised by SM or by s. You know what I mean. He didn't grow up on stage as much as Taemin did.

When I watched Taemin's behind the scenes footage from "press it" era I had to think how naturally charming this young man is. But that's a result from the years and years of experience that he already has and as someone put it so beautifully on twitter, during his solo, when the hyungs weren't around, Shawols looked after him, asking if he had eaten, holding his trophies, telling him his schedule and helping him find lost items. That's the kind of relationship SHINee has with their fans.

EXO has a huge fandom with lots of serious fans but a big group of fans who just go with the flow. These may or may not wander off to a newer and thus more exciting group. There are certainly those who are a bit fed up with EXO scandals and some might even be put off by the latest news of Kai dating Krystal.

Still I wonder if this NCT thing is doing anyone a favor. I wasn't even all that impressed by the videos and although "without you" is a solid pop-song it is not anything unique. And as I already said while "the 7th sense" certainly has a unique aesthetic it is lacking in personality and appeal. 

I was in love with "replay" immediately because it is such a melodic and still complex song. The MV is cheesy but that was okay because the guys were so young. The debut-stage was neatly performed and the choreography was matching the song as well as the boys. Although Minho's and Key's smiles were obviously forced, Taemin and Onew made up for it since they smile all the time anyway ^^. And Jonghyun especially was so strong vocally live and all that he left a lasting impression immediately. 

I already mentioned EXO's MV and stage but to round it up: The MV was weird but impressive, maybe overly dramatic, but well. The debut-stage was suffering a lot from the fact that creating the same amount of drama live on stage is much harder to do than in a conveniently edited MV. And there was little room for individuality which made the elaborate teaser stuff meaningless.

Had "Growl" been the debut they would have had a much better start, I guess. But anyway EXO did well after a faulty beginning so it's not a big deal anymore.

I'm really curious though how NCT U will do on stage. I suspect they'll be very professional but will they appeal to the public? Will they capture hearts rather than desires? I seriously doubt it, but maybe I'm just old-fashioned.

Anyway. I wish them the best of luck.