Hello, we are: NCT
I do not own the groups, subs, videos, links, or audio that I am mentioning, featuring in this review, and first impression.
NCT (NCT U, NCT 127, and NCT Dream)
Okay, before I start this, I want to say that I cheated on this group. I had already known about SMRookies prior (I even had the app to get "exclusive" things like pictures and videos from the group) the official debut and I knew most of members at this point. I updated myself about the group frequently, but I wasn't invested in the group as a group. Rather, I was more invested in the individual members so that's why I kept up with the pre-debut things that SM did.
So this review will be biased accordingly.
"To the world, here is NCT!"
NCT, short for Neo Cultural Technology, is a project by SM Entertainment where the group would have an unlimited amount of members that divide in multiple subunits based in cities worldwide. A thing to keep in mind is that the members of NCT mostly consist of SMRookies and that the sub-units have mixed groups in terms of who's in the groups. So far, there are 3 sub-units that have debuted:
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NCT U (April 8, 2016 with 일곱 번째 감각 (The 7th Sense) and WITHOUT YOU)
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NCT 127 (June 6, 2016 with 소방차 (Fire Truck))
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NCT Dream (August 24, 2016 with Chewing Gum)
My thoughts in general: What the hell is going on with these boys? I wasn't here for any of the releases of these units coming out, but I knew about NCT U coming out. I was really excited for that, but NCT 127 had taken me aback and NCT Dream was just something else for me.
I was surprised and not surprised that not all the boys from SMRookies had made these sub-units. SM is known to pick out their groups according to if the person fits the image of what SM wants, but I was also a little worried about several of the rookies who didn't make it into these current sub-units such as Johnny and Hansol. Johnny in particular because he's been training since 2008 and he has loads of talent (well, he's still getting exposure since he did Dj-ing for a gig very recently so yay for him). There's also the issue of the whole "unlimited members" idea. I remember that Super Junior was supposed to be a rotating group with new members being added in, hence "Super Junior 05." However, that plan didn't work because fans were too invested into the current members so the final lineup was completed with Kyuhyun added. I don't know how SM is going to deal with any issues of an NCT member leaving the group. Would fans take it easily or no? I do like the idea of having different stages in different countries. SM is really trying to expand their company, but I think everyone just wants to see how far it will go.
NCT U:
The 7th Sense MV review: So I said before that I knew about NCT U’s debut. I was nearly on the verge of crying. I don’t know why but sometimes I get really passionate about a group’s debut or comeback that I end up crying for some reason. In this case, NCT U had really blown me away. I was not expecting anything from the pictures, but I have to say that The 7th Sense is something else for me. Mark took me by surprise with his rap and everyone was visually on point. The beat was smooth and sensual so much that I could feel it in my body. There was also smaller things like how Mark and Taeyong tried to dominate their scenes, or how at the end before the members walk away, you can see all the members trying to catch their breaths. And speaking of the dance, it fit so well with the song. I loved how the dance ended with a ripple effect.
Okay, here’s a warning before I start to go hardcore on this.
Okay?
Okay.
TEN DOYOUNG AND JAEHYUN LOOKED SO DAMN ING GOOD LIKE WOW I WAS NOT PREPARED AT ALL I KEPT STARING AT ALL THREE OF THEM AND HAD TO REWIND JUST TO SEE THEIR FACES BECAUSE WOW HOW GREAT DO THEY LOOK
Tbh I wasn’t sure about the whole Doyoung with orange hair would work out but BABY YOU ARE ON POINT AND YOU AND JAEHYUN NEED TO TAKE OFF THAT MASK BECAUSE WE CAN’T SEE YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACES
And I’m happy that Ten kept his other piercings because that’s what we all need.
WITHOUT YOU MV Review:
So little me decided to start watching NCT Life before watching any of the MVs. Luckily, I only finished NCT Life in Bangkok and one episode into NCT Life Seoul, but there was a song I was trying to find every time it popped up. And then I watch this MV and suddenly it all makes sense. Upon hearing only snippets of the song from the show, I kept thinking, “This has to be an EXO song I don’t remember? It sounds like something from XOXO but I can’t remember the name of it yet...I will later!” but the thought never came and I started to scramble around to figure it out.
Personally, I like both songs equally because they give me a sense of mood. If I want to listen to something more upbeat but also a little melancholy then I’ll listen to Without You. The MV was also visually stunning and I can already imagine the theories about what was going on in the MV. I kept looking at the girl because she reminded me of Amber for some reason? The breakdown of the song is probably my favorite part, and it’s also the part where my favorite set is. I’m a er for any car ride/vehicle ride that comes up in photos or videos, but the tattoo scene was also really interesting to me. This was also my first introduction to Winwin (as in his acting) and I think he and Jaehyun acted the best. All in all, this gave me a good feel and I enjoyed it also.
NCT 127:
Fire Truck: So I did some more background research and it turns out that NCT 127 is an actual fixed group instead of an open one. But uh, Fire Truck was very interesting to me. Something seemed up with all the imagery in the MV and when SM likes to give imagery, that means there is always a deeper meaning to the song. The song wasn’t that bad, but I’m trying to figure out why they decided to switch from saying “fire truck” in English to Korean. Maybe it was just a style choice. I wasn’t hooked on the rap, but the vocals sounded interesting here. Again, everyone was on point. The dance had several main parts that showcased the members well, especially Winwin. In the end, is it something I’ll listen to in the future? Maybe if it comes up, but I won’t really pick it out.
I will make a mention to Yuta who also did really well in this song.
NCT Dream:
Chewing Gum MV Review: Okay, this title set me off fast because the last time I saw bubble gum in a MV, it was Boombayah by Black Pink. I don’t know why but bubble gum isn’t used that often in an MV from what I’ve been seeing so suddenly having another title similar to HyunA’s Bubble Pop made me wonder about some things. I just watched this without any context on who was in it and I was nearly speechless.
Small note about this that I saw in the comment section of Youtube:
I am a fan of the younger SMRookies and I suppose NCT Dream, and with the members being younger than me, I choose to protect them and stan them. I don’t think I’ll ever see myself ever seeing them in a ual way, even when they eventually grow up. I accepted their more maturer concepts from their dance covers and they are talented, but as of right now with their ages, no. Especially with Mark, who is not legal age yet.
Seeing him crossover in 3 MVs and how he’s adapted to each stage he’s given is refreshing. There are many sides of Mark that I don’t think us fans have seen yet, but this is a nice way to show some of it. Mark is talented and I’m happy that he’s been shown off. The song is growing on me. It doesn’t sound so young and not so upbeat, but their voices are blending in a way where it sounds like I can’t tell who is who? I think it was a little risky to have the boys come out with this since some of the members have their voices cracking. I think the hook is nice and not too overbearing, and the guitar riff in the chorus vaguely reminds me of Seventeen for some reason. I don’t know. It’s weird.
I think the MV did well in showcasing each of the members, especially Jisung, Mark, Haechan, and Jeno. Jisung had some sick moves in the dance and I can already see his dancing getting better and better than it was before. The rest of this MV was all over the place, but it fit together nicely. I was a little appalled at the huge gum at the end. I love gum too, but damn son.
In the end, it’s a grower but I liked it.
Do you have a bias?:
If it wasn’t obvious yet, my bias in NCT U is Ten. During SMRookie days, he was one of the many that I kept up with the most in terms of updates and that app I was talking about earlier (along with Johnny, Jeno, Doyoung, and Jaehyun). At the time, I couldn't choose between him, Doyoung, and Johnny but now I've chosen. I’m happy that he debuted, even under a sub-unit. He looks great on stage and he’s just the sweetest.
NCT 127: Jaehyun hands down. I think the thing I like out of this is that although Jaehyun was also in NCT U, I liked him in NCT 127.
NCT Dream: ...it’s Jisung. Personally, I see a lot of Ten in Jisung for some reason so maybe that’s why I like him so much? But there’s a Youtube comment that explains a good reason to stan Jisung: “He looks like a baby cupid.”
But there’s Jaemin and Jeno, who are also kind boys. Jaemin is really energetic and Jeno is usually the calm one. Hm...I’ll think over this some more.
Overall, I’m not sure what to feel about NCT. I think it’s a good tactic to expand the company but it’s only been a couple months and fans can only hope that SM will actually follow through with their ideas this time. The only small issue I have is the overlap of members in multiple units like Jaehyun, Taeyong, and Mark. I feel that although they’re talented, they’re also working even harder to keep up with all the concepts. But that’s just something I’m concerned about.
It was nice to see the boys debut and I hope the best for them in the future. If anyone is willing to go down this “long ride” then go ahead. NCT has a lot to offer!
tumblrs:
SR16B and NCT-U (note: the team that has done these first two SMRookies and NCT-U tumblrs have decided to take an indefinite hiatus but you can still look at the posts! I put these two here because they taught me a lot about the group upon first discovering them. It's good for those who are just getting into the group and have no clue on what's going on. There's also a whole bunch of tumblrs dedicated to the individual members).
And if you wanna get fancy with it, here is SM's way of introducing the project.
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