alright, time for .... WEEKLY PERSONAL RANKING!

today my ranking is:
sf9 > tbz > ikon !!! so excited for next week's BTOB back door rock version!

1. sf9

a whole movie. it's a whole movie and I'm in love with every second of it. the arrangement is a bit weaker than round 1 but hey, they really fill the stage well! I like the overall gang concept so much!

for me, this is the most satisfying kingdom stage after Miroh.

pet peeve:

finally. NONE.

won't be a real fave so far since I still have some fave stages from RTK but hey, this is by far the most exquisite stage in RTK-Kingdom and I love it! The clearest concept too! keep up the game, boys!!

wait let me cry for a bit. finally, there's a stage that doesn't include my pet peeves at all

2. the boyz

after the dissapointing flat arrangement of no air, the arrangers are slowly getting back on their game! the stage is well designed too. utiling the height of the studio, they made a second floor! also, tango!!!

PSA: hyunjae is so pretty. watch him slay the ending.

pet peeve:

1. sunwoo's rap
people with perfect (even relative) pitch would be annoyed as hell because his speaking tone and rhythm will throw you off-track. the flow of the music is really good ... then sunwoo is rapping

i hate getting thrown off-track. it's hard to get it back

2. the mastering

you can afford good stage but not good mastering? i was listening using speakers and the electric guitar was clearly not mixed into the strings well, it really stood out annoyingly. also, the high note ... i don't think it was processed well.

IDK who's pulling-

the high note in tbz performance but I can assure you, the fault lies in the mastering this time. the singer is not to blame, it's fully the mastering's fault

please take care of the audio as much as you care for the stage, PLEASE.

3. ikon
the portrayal of bent buildings from Inception movie is so cool! they really spent their budget on the stage and it's so cool! the lifted road? daaaammnnn

also the vocalists? they slay with the vocals. if there's anything consistent with inception, it would be the vocals

pet peeve:

nah there's only one, and it's still the same problem as previous stage:

concept.

again, kingdom is a competition of "who can deliver their concept in the best way" and ikon just .... throw it away. what story you're trying to tell us? i can't understand anything

Inception movie is a prompt that is meant to be EXPLORED. ateez use it to portray a lost love, while ikon only use it for the aesthetic; what a waste

also, I've always loved the buildup from pre-chorus to chorus, but this time the pretty chorus is replaced with a dance break

while sunwoo rap threw me off-track once, ikon's chorus threw me off THRICE. that .... that's not it ....

well that's all for this week! see you next week with Back Door rock version and stay healthy, everyone!