Chels

I do see what you're saying, because KARA has been pretty much upbeat from the start of Japanese promotions, but a winter song seems the season most suited to a ballad, and maybe they want to start introducing yet another angle that KARA can pull off and do so in a way that isn't tucked away on an album that the general public may never hear? I don't really know what they're thinking, so it's all speculation, heh. But if they wait years doing only energetic songs, it's even harder to just throw in a pretty winter ballad that may contrast 10+ previous singles, rather than just 4. I'm not trying to put KARA on a pedestal, but I guess I expected more. Maybe it's just the groups I follow/have seen on Oricon enough to take notice of, but even the ballads where I'm like "this song is slow and lame" still do about as well as the others, so I could have some bias coming subconsciously into play. But I honestly think it would have stood a better chance if it was at least early November because people aren't really feeling in the Christmas spirit in early to mid October. (Someone needs to tell that to the stores that put their Christmas stuff out before Halloween -- maybe they've been talking with the people in charge of KARA's songs!) And I feel you on the ballad-as-a-promo-track thing, even if I feel like I sound like I'm pushing the opposite in this discussion, lol. I'm normally not into slow songs, but I genuinely like WM, so I personally feel it is a rare ballad that I'm okay with it standing alone as a single. I just wish it had been promoted better, timed better, etc. I guess I feel it's a bit less of an image issue for at least the general public because if they aren't a KARA fan, they'll like the song for the song, regardless of whether the group normally sells upbeat songs (that they may not have liked, or they'd probably be fans)...but that's where promotion comes into play, because if the promotion isn't high visibility, then there's less exposure for the general public. But I think that might be essentially what you're saying? That they're still building their general public fanbase, which is having an effect. And some KARA fans (new and old) may in fact be anti-ballad, which can potentially pose as a problem for selling a ballad, lol. But it seems like most j-pop artists throw in ballad singles on occasion (if they aren't already ballad-centric), whether they're high-selling or low-selling, so it didn't feel like something that would throw people for a loop, considering they've been working the cute image (which, to me, still falls in line with the cute ballad). But maybe it is. But I do agree very much that ballads can be tough to promote, especially out of season, and it needs to be a good song if you don't have the huge followings yet. And while their Korean comeback was of course a cause for celebration, being out of the public eye can be hard on keeping a group in people's minds, so that may have had some affect? Doing something upbeat again then a ballad following may have been better timing, but I don't know. I'm far from being an expert on the matter. Just throwing out some thoughts. I don't know if they're coming across coherently, so I apologize if they're not.

I don't think there's anything wrong with them suiting their style to what works for them in that country (Japan and Korea are two totally different industries, as we all know). You can be cute without being childish/a wide-eyed lamb, so I personally think they're striking a nice balance between the mature and cute concepts. I can't personally think of any time I've heard a Japanese female artist be told to grow up and stop singing such adorable music, lol, but I follow more of the guy groups than girl groups, so maybe it's happened before. Besides, you can sing cute music and still carry yourself with grace and maturity, so from my view, I don't think it makes them look immature/not like women. "Sexy" doesn't necessarily have to be synonymous with "grown up women", which I think is a misconception sometimes. I'm not saying they have to stay ~cute forever~, but I don't think singing upbeat j-pop is out of place for young women who are in their teens to early 20s. It will vary from idol to idol, because like elizher said, Gyuri does give off the mature vibes. But I think she was able to give a sweet but mature spin to the Winter Magic PV, so I think their personalities can come through in a variety of genres. As for me, I would like a mix of both the Mister and Jet Coaster Love types, but considering they're releasing things like STEP in Korea where that style is the big thing, I think it's nice for them to have some releases where they suit Japan's idolpop market. I guess I'm kind of undecided because I love both styles of music and would buy it regardless of whether it was fierce or cute. Ultimately, I want them to do what they think is best for them as a group and what is fun for them (which I don't think I'm alone in at all , given that we all love them here). If they like weaving themselves into the Japanese idol tapestry as Korean j-pop singers singing j-pop when they're in Japan, and Korean k-pop singers singing k-pop when they're in Korea, then that's fine with me. If they want to push the exclusively mature/sexy image in both, that's fine with me, because both suit me, music-wise. I can understand where others are coming from, though, because of course KARA are k-pop at their roots, which is what most people got into, but I think they're in an interesting position/taking a unique route, and I think it's part of their charm that sets them apart. They aren't just repackaging k-pop into the Japanese language -- they're mixing it up a bit and really integrating. <3 Basically, I just want new songs, and I don't feel too picky (with a mix of both being my total ideal). I saw that rumor about it being a compilation or something, which is basically the only thing I don't want. I already bought Girl's Talk, so I don't want GT songs on the new one. And actually, I also don't want an album full of ballads/slow songs. I think they did great with Winter Magic (a rare ballad that I loooove), but I prefer catchy and upbeat, whether k-pop or j-pop. Having a lot of slow songs tends to put me to sleep, heh. I would actually be really curious to hear STEP in Japanese too, even if I'd like new songs even more than a remake of anything. Either way, I'm looking forward to it! I hope we get some sort of confirmation soon. Super Girl is still technically a rumor, right? And just to touch on this (because it's a bit of a pet peeve of mine), with all due respect, I don't think there's anything "weak" about fitting in really well in Japan. J-pop isn't the weak to k-pop's strong , and being suited to Japan shouldn't be considered an insult; in fact, I've always thought of it as complimenting them (that they can fit two different countries so beautifully), though maybe it's a matter of perspective, and it's possible that the people you heard it from were blatantly intending to put KARA down. I don't mean for this to sound combative if it does at all -- I just want to share another way of looking at it if you're feeling upset about those comments. <3 Edit: And I'm still new to KARA as a fandom beyond just the music, so I hope I'm not coming across too strong. I'm just trying to jump in. <3

Do you mean a ballad? Ballads tend to sell really well in Japan and are pretty standard j-pop fare, so I personally wouldn't think it would hurt the girls to do a cute winter ballad on the basis of being a ballad alone. It's a very j-poppy thing to do, and they seem to be generally accepted with that image (at least from my understanding). However, I think promoting Whisper would be a great idea, because then they would know they're getting a bonus upbeat song, and cute/upbeat stuff is obviously popular too.

That's a really good point, that a lot of things are being released at once. Not having a job makes it remarkably hard to keep up with idol releases, woe. It may not have any record-breaking early sales, but I honestly don't think Japan has given up on KARA at all, so I don't think it's something to fret about too much. KARA really fits the Japanese taste, so I feel they have staying power. And on the plus side, for the Kamilias this applies to, the WM single has that gorgeous PV (or the photobook), so even if people are saving for the album/broke from recent releases, it's not impossible that they won't go back and buy the single later (though there is of course a means to buy the PV digitally too), or buy the regular version for the Christmas version bonus track (which will be more in season in about a month), etc. Longerterm sales also tend to reflect the less hardcore fans continuing to buy, which certainly isn't a bad thing. And @kimngocnguyen06, there is nothing wrong with positivity! Edit: @grainy I agree with you too, though. Looking at the STEP album, which was an import obviously bought by hardcore J-Kamilias rather than general public, it charted on Oricon but didn't top the charts by any means. It did quite well for an import, but nothing like their Japanese releases aimed for the whole Japanese public. Of course singles are much cheaper, but KARA sells at a competitive level, and I think their sales are a healthy mixture of Kamilias and casual Japanese fans who legit just like the song. So I agree in thinking the season is still something to take into account.

How interesting. Thanks for the response, and age-related or not, Karaholic seems to have a really nice atmosphere, so it's good with me. <3

I went with Girl's Talk Ver.B, STEP (Special Edition), and the Pretty girl/Honey Special Edition covers. The GT cover has always been so cute to me, the STEP cover has a neat concept and awesome bold colors, and the PG/H cover is just so...pretty. *-* I love the pastel scheme and the lacy-looking font.

I was torn between Seungyeon's hedgehogs and her dog too. Hedgehogs are such a cool pet to have (and Sonic is my childhood), but then I looked at the picture of her dog and AHHHHHH SO ADORABLE, so in a fit of emotion, I picked Puri. Basically I like Seungyeon's pets, even if all of the girls' pets are pretty cute.

I love it! The style really suits her. Not everyone can rock the short look, but I think she does it nicely.

It looks more like a flat stomach with a bit of definition to me, rather than what I would consider to be clear abs, but I think it's a beautiful look. <3

She was so adorable omg! Not that she isn't adorable now, haha, but that's a super cute yearbook photo. She doesn't have anything to be embarrassed about, that's for sure.

Congrats to the girls! That's quite an accomplishment. I was excited when I saw STEP charting on Oricon, even as an import. I hope it continues to sell well!

I like both versions, but I like the original version best. I love seeing them jamming and grooving, and there are still some nice close up shots in the original too. I love the bright color scheme on the whole, though. So pretty!

For me, the Japanese version of "Mister" has a pretty big lead, but Japanese "Jumping" and recently "STEP" are the next two highest. The whole Japanese album has a healthy amount of plays, though, because I was admittedly baited by Girl's Talk.

Wow, congrats to the girls to still be charting! I hope they keep it up for the next month, and I'm crossing my fingers for that double platinum. This is such a great album. I love every song, and I still jam to it in the car all the time. The only thing I regret is that I wasn't a KARA fan yet when there were still LE versions, so I only got the CD itself with no extras. It's rare that I fork over that much money for an album with no extras, but I had to have it, so it was worth the money~