I'm addicted to them like that. But I'll try to be as objective as possible.

Well, as usual, I've done some more forum surveying. I concentrated more on the neutral majority than the fans' forums. And it turns out that a lot of them really see BtoB as a depreciated version of BEAST. I tried to look at their point of view but I don't see any similarities. Really. Well, it must take someone who knows a lot about BEAST to be able to say that. Seriously, all the B2UTIES I've discussed this matter with agreed with me. Although Hyunsik's voice does sound like Gikwang's sometimes, well, it's not his fault, is it? I mean, it's not like CUBE altered him or something just so he could sound like Gikwang. But anyway, I really don't see a similarity. I see them as BtoB. Period.

Another thing was that the audience's disappointment when they realized that BtoB didn't really change the world of KPop on their debut just as promised in the teaser. Well, as I have learned from my Marketing subject, it's wrong to exaggerate. But goodness, every other label company says such kind of things on their talents' teasers. And it's not like those groups really changed the world of KPop. But looking at it in another point of view, the fact that some thought that BtoB was really going to change the world of KPop by just seeing their teaser tells us that the advertisement was effective. Pwahaha~ But the only comment I could make comparing the teaser and their debut was that the teaser showed them as powerful dancers overweighing the pretty boy idol image which has been a common trend. Unfortunately, this wasn't really emphasized anymore during their debut. It's great that they could sing and that they look good, too, but if only they tried to stick on their being dance gods like what their teaser has promised, they would've had a much greater advantage. And who knows, they could really have changed the world of KPop to the extent, and in the sense of making us realize that there's more to being idols than just being kkotnams (flower boys) luring you into loving them because of their good genes. It's about talented group of people on stage who are blessed enough that those talents were accompanied with good looks. I'm not implying anything here. Just stating a point.

As I've said, I'll try to be objective so I'll try to point some things they lack, too. Honestly, after seeing their M! Countdown performance, I saw that they're still a rookie group. It's not because they did some mistakes on stage. It's just that I could really feel that they're feeling nervous. Though I commend Eunkwang for being an exception. Among them, I believe he was the most relaxed one. Relaxed without losing the tension required. But Hyunsik, Minhyuk, Ilhoon and Sungjae had good stage presence, too. Their being on a sitcom before actually debuting helped them a lot. Although I could still feel the awkwardness in Ilhoon's actions. It's a cute kind of awkwardness, though. As for Changsub and Peniel, they were obviously not used to the stage. I could see Changsub's distracted eyes which was a little saddening because his parts in the two songs were one of those that needed a lot of feelings. The kind of feeling wherein an idol looks straight in the camera lens and tells you that he's angry at himself for loving you. You know what I mean? It's really unfortunate since he does pull out that look sometimes. With consistency, he'll do great. He just has to get over the idea of him debuting. He needs to believe that they're just as great as any idols are. And now we have Peniel. Boy, this guy is hot. I really like his eyes, next to Ilhoon's. And he's charmingly tall, too. Pwahaha~ I couldn't stop commenting on his physical appearance since he really doesn't have enough lines to show us his capability. Unfortunately, the camera doesn't love him that much, too. I keep looking for him at the video so I could at least see his dance abilities but I wasn't able to see a lot. Although with what I have seen, he does have that potential especially in rapping. CUBE just needs to find a way to put that potential talent into an actual one.

More comments about Sungjae, Ilhoon, Minhyuk and Hyunsik. Let's start with Sungjae. This maknae is good. He really performs well and his part in Insane, the first part after the rap, is actually my favorite. And he is good in acting, too! In the MV, when he threw that chair and shattered the mirror, I was internally applauding. Hahaha! He is good and I really like the fact that when he's on stage, you don't see a rookie in him. He's got the confidence anyone on stage must have. Then we go to Ilhoon. What have I said earlier? Rookie actions, pretty round eyes. But there's much more to him than that. He's got the swag. I don't really know if his actions show his rookie-ness or his teen-ness. I mean he does exude that confidence, too, but there's something in his actions that's telling me that he's doing it in an unnatural way. It's really hard to put that observation into words. Well, it's like he's thinking very hard that he'll show you that's he's cool and confident but the problem is that it's obvious that he's thinking hard. You know what I mean? But I'm not saying this because I think he's trying hard in the bad sense of that phrase. I just want him to perform like he did in their sitcom wherein I couldn't actually tell that he's just 18. I really loved him there and I am hoping that he gets that performance level back. Next in line is Minhyuk. This guy really deserves to be the main dancer. He really dances well plus his stage presence is really good. The only problem I have is that I see a little Hyunseung in him, dance-wise. It is good to have Hyunseung's powerful dance skills but I want him to have his own identity. For example, Gikwang, Hyunseung and Taecyeon are all powerful dancers but you could identify one from the other. If Minhyuk is able to differentiate himself, he'll be really great. But on the brighter side, he's really someone you'll love watching on stage. He really is becoming one with the song and you don't see him just perform. You see him telling you a story and making you feel that the story is his own. All in all, he dances, he sings, he raps and he acts. When he and the group gets past the rookie stage, he'll be amazing. But before I forget, there was this one squealing moment for me. And when I say squeal, it's super squeal. It was when he smirked towards the end of their M! Countdown performance. I really died. His timing was perfect with the camera zooming in on his face. I'm internally squealing again. *______* And last but definitely not the least, Hyunsik. I like this guy. He really emotes when he sings. And when he does sing, he takes away the spotlight from everybody else, in a good way. There are just some singers that you don't care watching when singing since you're too busy staring at your bias. But this guy's different. When it's his part, he doesn't just say, "Listen to me." He commands you, "Look at me. And pay attention." What I just notice about him is his eyes. They're really small that you could no longer see his eyeball. Pwahahaha~ I'm not exaggerating here. Really. Even the eyeliner which should've made it look bigger was a waste. In fact, almost all I could see was the eyeliner. Hahaha! But it's not his fault and I don't hate that fact. I just care too much to comment about it.

Individual comments? Done. Now let's look at them as a whole group. Starting with their live debut. Honestly, with their grand showcase which costed about $100K USD, I was expecting a stage full of props and the like. I was expecting a better wardrobe, too. They looked really plain during their debut in M! Countdown and not even the live orchestra was able to make up for it. Now why am I demanding such an extravagant stage? Well, they're performing together with Big Bang, 2PM and SHINee! They certainly had to do something to at least steal some lingering feelings. I'm not saying that they should've overpowered the 3 big groups since for now, that would be impossible. But a little effort wouldn't hurt, right? And the wardrobe. I was expecting them to wear at least one of the costumes they wore in the MV, preferrably the combat costume or the black-themed one. Debuting is the moment where a group must establish themselves AS A GROUP and costumes would've helped like what it's effect was when they performed Imagine. Well, they did look chic with their urban outfits but uniformity would've been better. Let's now go with the dance. Talking about their ability to dance, they're great. They're very synchronized and they do well with the emotions. But when I watched the MV, I knew something was missing. Then it dawned on me. They weren't the problem. It was the dance itself. I'm not saying the choreography is bad. It's cool, really. But they lack that "powerful signature step" which is very important for fans' recall especially for a powerful song like Insane. I could actually remember the dance step in the chorus of Imagine than the step in the chorus of Insane. And that's a bad thing given the fact that Imagine is a ballad and Insane is a dance track. All I could remember was the dance in Sungjae's part, the first part of the song which has the lyrics, "Maedallineun saineun". Believe me, I really love Insane and I prefer memorizing its lyrics than studying for my Marketing exam but they could've reached a notch higher if only their dance was as powerful as the song. Although I did like the first part, Minhyuk doing the violin thing while the two pairs on both sides were doing their own thing, and the last part where they, in very good synchronization, looked to their right. It was really cool.

I think I've said my piece. And it was a long one. I didn't think I could say such things. Pwahaha~ I know I noticed a lot and maybe, some are thinking, "Who do you think you are to say such things?" I know I'm not a good dancer nor am I a performer to be in the most valid position to comment on some things especially on technicalities but as a part of the audience, and as a fan, not just a mere blind admirer, I need to look at those points. Only when someone sees the group's imperfections and shortcomings yet still decides to support and root for them because he/she believes in them can a fan be called a true fan. At least that's what I believe in. And with that criteria, I'm really a fan of BtoB. Same goes with BEAST. We all know they aren't perfect. But B2UTIES out there are still able to get to see past those imperfections and appreciate them for who they really are.