dubious

Found the showcase on NND, my God "Go Go Summer!" doesn't sound right at all in Korean D: Also I wish they made the Day & Night giveaway with Twitter, I'd jump on it in a heartbeat. That said, the video's view count is showing less than a million (960 217) for me right now, so I don't think they'll get the 2M view count by the 24th. I'd say 1.5M roughly, namely since the PV is posted on LOEN's channel as well (and I'm pretty sure DSP is only counting views from the copy on their own channel).

MelOn's streaming doesn't work for me, I was hoping for a YT or NND link. Otherwise I'm stuck waiting until someone can upload a copy for download somewhere ;~; I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks "Iyagi" is the best song on the EP. I hope on one of their comeback stages they use that over "So Good" for the second promo song, or that there's generally some point in time they do the song live.

The Japanese PV looks more stable and properly edited than the Korean one did. I really hate how Universal Japan (and really most Japanese labels) don't like to post the full PV on YouTube though, and it doesn't help that KARA's PVs don't seem to get added to NND either. Song-wise: it sounds a bit awkward given the word fluidity of the Korean version. It gets the plus of me actually understanding the song though.

And the best song on the mini-album gets better. I wouldn't be surprised if at the very least Nicole and Jiyoung served as some motivation behind the song's lyrics.

Ah, they (Orange Caramel) will be fine. If anything it's more incentive for me to even watch Show Music Core this week, as at least if there's only KARA and OC on (which I don't think is the case given a few recent comebacks from other girl groups like Sistar and Secret) that I won't be nearly as bothered by having to sit through all the male groups performing. Plus it gives me a possible second candidate to vote for the show if I send one in :3c Win-win all around really. Also in regards to the showcase, the Korean version of "Go Go Summer!" has me curious. I can't seem to find it though ;~;

"Mamma Mia" didn't come out as bad as I was expecting from the preview, but it's still a bit weak compared to their past singles. Hopefully their next Japanese single* or Korean release (whichever comes first) has a stronger lead track. *Next single after the Japanese version of "Mamma Mia".

I was about to note that Twitter only lets users deactivate accounts (not perma-delete like FB) until I looked at the deactivation warning which notes an account is deleted after 30 days. That said, her username still has an account tied to it, so someone took it after her account was deleted or she reactivated it and wiped it (the former seems more plausible). edit Already found a couple of hate messages on Twitter, and so it begins...

Nope, and I feel doubtful I will meet any of the girls unless they manage to make their way to Canada somehow. That, or I manage to be able to go on a trip to Japan or South Korea, but I don't see that happening anytime soon either

Jiyoung's twitter still exists, it's just not confirmed nor does it even seem to have any posts. Anywho, like Jappy noted there's more than likely going to be people sending some haterade her way. Right now though all I can see are tweets from Japanese fans pointing out her twitter account and/or sending support messages, so either people are keeping calm for now or her twitter is just not known to many yet. Here's hoping things won't get too bad for her though.

True enough, but everything almost seems to point to the fact that things with Nicole didn't work out. Perhaps they're still discussing it, but with how little is really known it just makes it seem like something isn't right there. And no, a temporary member is not bad per se (KARA is in a much better position than other girl groups are), but said member will almost always be associated with KARA whether their departure was by choice or because they were a temporary member. To give an example, if, I don't know... Gyuri decided to leave KARA and make a solo debut, she would almost always be referred to as "former KARA member Gyuri". If she's cool with that, then no problems (and as you noted it would essentially help her out as well). If she wants to completely disassociate herself from her past works though (including KARA and anything she's done with the group), then it becomes a problem because most of us would always remember that she was a member of KARA first prior to leaving. So it just depends on how one wants to look at it in a way.

^ I'd love to vote for KARA (or anyone really) for Show! Music Core (it's the only one I can watch live), but international texts require extra money on my account, and I only put enough on to just keep my phone able to text and call locally. Also is my note that texting will likely incur an extra charge on a person's cellphone bill if they do it (and they're not in South Korea). Didn't realize I could apply for SMC's pre-voting though, thanks for pointing that one out.

I'm pretty sure Jiyoung was leaving regardless, especially since attending a university outside of South Korea/Asia as a whole and still trying to promote with the group would be more taxing on her than just doing one or the other. I do recall Nicole trying to sort things out though, but I was under the assumption that KARA Project was a sign that said negotiations between her and DSP fell through, and that they wanted to officially add new member(s) to KARA as a result. Perhaps that is indeed the case, but that Gyuri, Seungyeon and Hara had not been told that fact. Really it's hard to tell, and the only one who would really be able to say for sure is Nicole herself (as good luck with any labels staff giving out such info lol). Everything I recall seeing on Nicole's twitter account though during the time frame where KARA Project occurred does seem to support the idea that she was officially making the move to solo debut (which in turn meaning that it'd be unlikely that she'd be in KARA). That said: it'd still seem odd to have the Baby KARA member(s) who won just be a sit-in until negotiations with Nicole (and maybe Jiyoung too) were settled, as it would still make their work seem pointless. I mean, while like I noted I'm not happy with Youngji being the end choice, had it been announced, "oh yeah, Youngji is only a temporary member," I would have been more confused. Why make anyone (Youngji, Somin, Sojin, Chaewon, Yuji, Chaekyung and Siyoon in this case) go through the work to get into a group, only to tell them it's not a permanent thing and that they'll be swapping/kicking them out of the group later on? It's poor job stability really, and doesn't even seem worth it in the end even if it's for a spot in a well-known group like KARA. At least with making Youngji a permanent member she has the option to leave (just as the rest of the members arguably do), but has her spot in the group secured and doesn't necessarily have to worry as much about DSP removing her for Nicole, Jiyoung, another Baby KARA member, etc. Just really seems silly that they'd have even made the KARA Project a thing if there were intentions of trying to have Nicole and (maybe) Jiyoung back and to only have the winner of the program be a fill-in until they fully returned. Even worse that they seem to have not mentioned much to KARA3 until things were pretty much already said and done. If anything, what was meant to be an easy and good choice to try and add members to the group is coming out as a mess D: gg, DSP?

lol yes, and hello :> I was about to note it's odd to see a good amount of Canadian users but no Canadian Kamilia thread, but I just noticed there actually is one (I could only find the Ontario one when I looked before) *goes and makes post in thread* edit I've yet to see anything of mine come in bad condition, unless it was something I bought that was listed "as is". The worst I've seen is maybe a couple of scuff marks on the actual mail packaging, but given there's so many things that could cause such markings (especially in the winter what with salt everywhere) I usually just ignore it. The only thing CP has done that kind of annoys me is sometimes try to put something into a mailbox that it clearly doesn't fit into/barely fits in. I caught one mailman trying to do this with a Dialga plush before, and this was also done with my copy of Taetiseo's Twinkle EP (the latter of which was small enough to fit, albeit it left the mailbox's top open). I also don't like it when they leave boxed items sitting out in the hallway*, which they did for a few things I ordered (my copy of PANDORA being one of them). *Mostly an issue as I have my stuff sent to my mom's place and the apartment building in question does not have a locked front door, making it easy for anyone to walk in and take, well, anything.

They're number two on the pre-order list, so if that's "topping" the chart for you then yes. Otherwise, no, they're one position off from it (but still in the top five). edit Just noticed that there is a down icon beside the album's listing though, so I presume on the 9th they might have had the number one position (the chart on site right now that I'm looking at is for August 10th). Also the teaser is kind of meh to me, probably because it doesn't actually have anything of the song itself aside from what's at the end. I'm mainly looking forward to Gyuri's teaser and the main PV teaser (the latter moreso since more of the track will likely be played than what was in the album preview).

Nah, Canada Post is pretty okay at making sure most things aren't ruined when you get them (at least they are where I live). I personally find Yesasia actually does have bad wrapping, as they always put things in bubble mailers which are easy to ruin, especially if a box/boxed item is in one. The two things I've ever ordered from them came in good condition, but I wouldn't have been surprised personally had they been damaged. That said though, 30$ is a pretty good deal for something that's usually 85$. If only I had the money and a DVD player that'd be able to read the discs... ( ; ; )

Arguably YT, as someone had posted a couple of episodes of KARA The Animation there with subtitles (this was about April-May of last year). My usual thing when I'm looking for a subgroup (to find a release from them) is to see if they have a site, and this was what Sweet Melodix brought up. I saw the post restriction to get subbed releases though and couldn't find it openly posted elsewhere, so I just kind of left here without much of a word or even making an account. Around the time KARA Project started though, I decided to join, as I saw a thread for it here and wanted to be able to see what was up with the whole thing (outside of the show itself) and so on.

I wasn't even aware that Youngji (or whoever won KARA Project) was originally meant to be a guest, but that would have been kind of awkward and would have made it more efficient to leave the group as a trio if that was what was going to happen. Plus it would have made the whole idea of voting for someone to be in KARA kind of pointless only to have them be present for maybe one album or so and that's it. I don't get why Gyuri feels the need to apologize (she wasn't the one who decided to bring in a new member lol), but at the same time I'm happy to see she's on the same base with the idea of following an artist to the point of feeling emotionally attached. She was (and still is) one of my KARA biases for a reason :3 That said, I still don't think Youngji was the right choice, but all's said and done so there's nothing that can really be done about what happened in the past. I'll still listen to their tunes, watch their performances, etc., but I'm always going to have a personal opinion that I don't like Youngji. It's not wrong to dislike a member in a group, but at the same time there is still a line to not cross in the process. Dislike a member all you want, but don't start giving the other members of said group problems because of it, since 99% of the time it's not their fault or doing that said person is with them. I guess what I'm trying to say is that not liking Youngji is fine, but outlashing at her and/or KARA as a whole won't solve it nor make her go away. All it'll do is make all parties upset, and result in more stuff like what was in the OP from Gyuri. It's just one of those things one has to deal with, and if you can't, well... I don't know what to say ¯\(°_o)/¯

Only other store that comes to mind (that will definitely ship internationally) is HMV Japan, but they only list prices in yen (with the 8% tax for Japan, which is deducted for international orders) and they only list shipping prices here (also in yen). Other Japanese sites I can think of would require a middleman service to buy from them (and might cost more as a result). The only other places would be Japanese sellers on eBay and Amazon, and I've noticed some will put the price up higher than the general retail price is.

Yeah, their older material did sound better, but at the same time a few of the tracks sound like they'll be good anyway. Iyagi still has my attention even after listening the preview. I'm mainly disappointed in how the preview for the title track sounded.

> main track is a Japanese remake > B-side is a Japanese remake Type C is the only version I'd ever try to get of this single, if only for my dislike of making a single completely out of remakes. Here's hoping they'll have a Japan original for their next single there as at least the A or B-side (and not as a type C bonus track).

Track six has my interest due to Gyuri, Hara and Seungyeon writing the lyrics. I'm actually looking forward to this EP now, if only for the one song.

Yesyesyesyes *echoes on* But yeah, hopefully this gets posted somewhere with some subs. I also want BK to come back, whether it be as a full six group or with the girls all separated into smaller groups/soloists.

Well, looks like my decision is already made on whether or not to buy the single.

I think the issue lies with timing. KARA has not released anything since Jiyoung and Nicole left (so about six months of inactivity), and have only done one fan meet in Japan and South Korea during that time (I'm excluding the TV series they had running because it was likely recorded and done before the girls left). DSP seems to want the full group to make a comeback asap, and logically if you add new members only one would be a good choice to try and prepare for the comeback as well as a concert on top of that. It's possible that two would have also been able to do this (moreso one of the three PURETTY members, as like you noted, they would be able to handle it best of Baby KARA's members), but it seems like DSP wanted to play it safe at best. Also, I can't help but think that if they had added two, some would see it as literally replacing Jiyoung and Nicole for two Baby KARA members, as opposed to just bringing in the one and people seeing it as a new KARA formation as a whole/them returning to their original group number.

My thoughts really on the whole thing. Youngji might be fine as a KARA member, and I think she could get prepared enough for a Korean comeback in about a ~two month time span, but her Japanese skills are definitely not ready for her to join the group for Japanese promotions at this point. This was why I was under the impression that the August comeback would be for Korea only, because it makes the most sense to do when including a new member. The Japanese comeback in the same month should only be for Gyuri, Seungyeon and Hara. As for the process being "lax", DSP picked girls out of their trainee roster, three of which have already debuted in Japan. A "lax" choice would have been auditioning new people altogether and having those people be the candidates for KARA, at which point the idea of KARA Project would have been laughable at best. Picking trainees they already had with the company was the better route to go overall, my only issue is that I wish expert votes had a little more weight to them than they did in the overall vote count as opposed to the fans getting the large majority of the votes.