Whelp, it seems that I have been dragged back into Idol Hell, as well as the KPop wave that has taken over the world. I started listening to Kpop back in 2010, but took a loooong break (A few years to be exact. That’s just how my music tastes works. It’s like a wave for me. I listen to one genre, get sick of it, and jump to another one.). Well, I happened upon this gem recently and thought I should share it with you all.
More below the cut.
Created by SM Entertainment and Maro Studio, Shining Star is the story about a group of girls who aim to become the Muse, the highest title an idol can earn. Many of the songs featured on the show are by SM Entertainment groups, such as Girl’s Generation, EXO, f(x), and BoA. The songs are sung by SM Rookies and featured many different types of idol groups.
The story follows Chae Nara (center), a young girl who dreams of becoming an idol. The series sees her form the group Melody, with See-a (right) and Yena (left), along with their manager Jin (not pictured. I’m just showing the girls).
They are joined by fellow rival group Dolls, lead by Hera (center), who is followed by Lilli (right) and Rose (left). Hera aims to become the Muse and will anything to get there, even resorting cheating when she becomes desperate.
Purple Queen is not far behind them. Casey (center), Curie (left), and Jay (right) are the cool girls and follow their own path to stardom. Full of spunk and their signature cool dance moves, they won’t anything get in their way.
In the cute, colorful group Macaron, Berry (left), Peach (center), and Vanilla (right) have their own sweet vibe and colorful palette and strong drive that will surely be their saving grace in the tough world of idols... right?
Of course, it wouldn’t be an idol series without magical transformations. Much like Aikatsu, Pretty Rhythm, and Pripara in Japan, Shining Star has its own device with the Magic Agent, a device that allows the girls to transform into coords for their performances. They win the coords through Missions that are given to them by their instructors. These teach the girls the importance of being an idol and how much hard work it is to maintain that connection to their fans.
There is also a boy group in Shining Star, called Friday, featuring Eugene, Noah (Hyunwoo), Ee-ree, and Koonta, who are major stars in the series. Their main song is MAMA by EXO and One Star.
The show features songs from various Kpop groups. From BoA, S.E.S, Girl’s Generation, f(x), Red Velvet, and EXO. They also have a few original songs as well that are featured in the show.
I just started watching the series and am eagerly awaiting more episodes to come out in August. Until then, their YouTube channel has the songs and information on each of the characters (if you can understand Korean that is). Their Twitter is also updating until then.
On one hand, See-a joining Melody made her a nicer and more understanding person, but like... I also kinda feel bad for her because she could have been in a group that wasn’t a bad luck magnet but instead she got stuck singing love songs with two dorks and not being taken seriously by anyone despite her strict and hardworking personality
