IT’S BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.

          Hello, everyone! Soooo, this review is a day late and I actually broke my daily review streak yesterday, but it’s better late than never, right? And plus, the rain is to blame – the sun was intense the whole day and when afternoon came, the sky darkened so fast and eventually heavy rain fell (after weeks of intense summer heat) which caused power lines to go rogue and then a blackout – lol I should stop haha.

Without further ado, let’s get on with the review~

CRITERIA:

Vocals (includes singing and rapping, volume, stability and quality) – 40%

Choreography (team work, creativity, overall dancing performance) – 30%

Concept (how they portrayed the song, visual suitability, center) – 10%

Impact (how memorable the performance is, overall impact) – 20%

TOTAL: 100%

DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional in this field and some technical term usage may be wrong, so please forgive the errrors! This review is purely my objective preference and opinion, and I'd like to hear other's opinion, too! So don't be shy to comment down below what you think :)

SEVENTEEN’s Mansae performances by the Produce 101 trainees

TEAM A

Rapper 1 – Yoo Jinyoung

Rapper 2 – Kim Taedong

Main Vocal – Park Woodam

Sub-vocal 1 – Joo Wontak

Sub-vocal 3 – Kim Yeonguk

VOCALS

          The starting energy was so good, through it felt like it was slowly diminishing, but thankfully they the energy was restored during the dance break. Rapper 2 who started with the “yeah, alright” caught my attention with his deep clear voice. His rapping technique is the clean, idol-style rapping and his enunciation was clear, though at some parts it lacks a little confidence which makes it sound plain. Rapper 1 had this unique sounding voice that if used with proper technique would sounds really great and add impact, but his first part sounded a bit weird – I felt like he was either trying to chase the beat or he was eating his words due to adding to much “swag” in it. His other rap parts sounded better though.

          All their vocalists were really stable, but there were some parts that lack power. Sub-vocal 1’s voice sounds calm and soothing (which is rare) and I commend his stability, although a little more power in his delivery would’ve made it much better. Sub-vocal 3 was also stable, but there were some parts where his stability wavered a bit as he was still catching his breath. The main vocal’s high note was one powerful and clean belt and he was definitely a vocal powerhouse for the team, one or two of his adlibs were shaky (but that’s a tiny detail).

          Because there were only five of them, the choruses sound a little lacking, but considering their number, it was good enough although I was looking for some more depth with a bass. The last line sounded a little plain, and it could’ve delivered with more energy.

SCORE: Vocals – 37.5

CHOREOGRAPHY

      For dance originally done by 13 people, five people dancing to it looks weird at first as you'd actually look for a crowd - especially in the beginning. But overcoming how relatively few they look on stage, they actually did a good job at filling the stage and not making it look empty at all. For the beginning verses, where there were snappy movements, it would've looked better if there was more emphasis on the arms (it would've been lovely to see intricate movements there). Nonetheless, I like how they added the fun feel in the performance and maintained it towards the end.

SCORE: Choreography - 28

CONCEPT

      The overall performance needed a pinch of acting especially for the game parts, and I commend them for having really great facial expressions on those parts! Needless to say, the fun concept they chose was executed well.

SCORE: Concept – 8.5

IMPACT

     I enjoyed watching the performance mainly because of their facial expressions - there was enough playfulness in them and each member showed a different kind of feel which reminds of a group of high school friends -- different personalities but play together.

SCORE: Impact – 18

TEAM A’s TOTAL: 92.0

TEAM B

Rapper 1 – Choi Hadon

Rapper 2 – Jo Kyumin

Main Vocal – Kim Yongjin

Sub-vocal 1 – Kim Chanyul

Sub-vocal 2 – Jo Sungwook

Sub-vocal 3 – Jung Joongji

VOCALS

      The first line was so good! It was oozing with confidence and definitely something that would catch the audience attention in just a few seconds. Rapper 2’s rap parts were all so good – his delivery was clear and clean, and you could really tell that he was confident with what he is doing. Rapper 1’s energy and confidence in his rap was good, but some words were incoherent and would’ve sounded better if they were clearly enunciated.

     Their vocals were stable, but it needed an ounce of energy and a little more practice in breathing and timing. Sub-vocal 1’s voice was stable and he had his own take on his parts, but he sometimes goes off-beat; in his chorus part, he sounded out of breath which messed with his stability. Sub-vocal 2 was good and on-beat, but due to his breathing his parts lose energy and essence. Sub-vocal 3’s breathing technique also lacked, but nonetheless he was stable. The main vocalist had the voice for it, but sometimes he rushes his parts and thereby it loses its impact, but he did a really good job in giving justice to the adlibs and they were really smooth and clean.

    Their choruses needed a little more volume, but other than that, there was variety in their overall sound ranging from deep to high so it satisfied my need for depth in the chorus parts.

SCORE: Vocals – 34

CHOREOGRAPHY

     Dancing wise, this group feels really excited and jumpy especially in their choruses. Although they were not robotically (like every second) synchronized, the jumpy feel they have gave power in their moves - it looked like they were playing for real (in a good way) and having fun at that.

SCORE: Choreography -25.5

CONCEPT

    Their facial expressions looked natural and I could see that they were having fun and all. As I said earlier, they looked like a group of boys playing and inserting some choreographed moves here and there. It was fun to watch them.

SCORE: Concept – 8.5

IMPACT

     Again, this performance looked fun and natural, and their energy in it was great! All it needed was some improvements in their vocal aspect and it would’ve looked a lot better and much more complete. Nonetheless, I like the feel and attitude that their performance gave off.

SCORE: Impact – 17

TEAM B’s TOTAL: 85.0

RECAP: Team A got a total of 92.0 points while Team B got 85.0 points.

SEUL’s JUDGMENT: TEAM A WINS!

     I was actually reluctant to review these performances because there was a clear disadvantage on Team B’s side. They were the trainees left after everyone else chose their groups already so it kinda felt like they were “rejected”. I could see that they worked really hard for this performance and I’m happy that they had an accident-free stage. But really, these two teams worked hard!

       It’s saddening to know that the first elimination is drawing near, and it’s really sad to see the trainees eliminated – some didn’t even get a chance to get some decent screen time. But I do hope we’d see them in the future!

Soo, what do you think of the performances?