November 18 - I have finally declared my #sepanx for GOT7 over.
I know... four days was quite a long time. But they were really hard to get over with, especially that I purchased my ticket since August and... who wouldn't?
Although this may be irrelevant or overdue, I decided to make a fangirl version of the article I submitted to the Korean Cultural Center's The Krew. Anyway, I have decided to post it here with bonus commentaries that are in a different colored font. I struggled a bit writing the article because I had to keep my fangirl feels at bay. My friend noted that there were a few inserts here and there, but I still tried to keep the objectivity of the fan meeting which happened last November 14 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
When my friends and I were lining in front of the SVIP entrance of the coliseum, I honestly felt how old I already am as a K-Pop fan. More so, when the fans screamed when JB, Mark, Jackson, Junior, Youngjae, BamBam and Yugyeom opened the show with 하지하지마 (Stop Stop It) from their first full-length album, Identify. This immediately followed with their debut hit, Girls Girls Girls. Oh my gosh! The screams were seriously deafening! (Mark even acknowledged how loud the Filipino fans were during the press conference.) (They were wearing maroon suits and pants! Yeay! One of my favorite ensembles from their recent promotions. Every lady wanted a piece of you, Mark Tuan, especially after that abs flash. Thanks, Yugyeom.)
As the boys were allowed to take a breather, popular radio DJ and veteran emcee, Sam Oh, kept the excitement going as she introduced the members one-by-one. (She even commented how tall and good-looking they really are.) It was difficult to determine who had the most number of fans among the members as all of the fans screamed on the top of their lungs for everyone. When the boys came back to have a little chat, Jackson made a funny remark on how his chair was too high for his short legs. (But I have to say, he indeed looks short. The two youngest, Yugyeom and BamBam, were the only ones blessed in the group with long legs.) Sam continued to welcome them and asked how they felt being in the Philippines. Despite experiencing technical problems with the microphones, all of the members individually expressed how it felt really good to be back. Sam also asked if the boys managed to try any Filipino delicacies, which Jackson enthusiastically expressed his love for mangoes. (He even made a small chant with the fans about mangoes.) Mark, who hails from the United States, added that he particularly liked dried mangoes. BamBam, who is of Thai decent, mentioned that he liked what he thinks is “Peanut Soup”, which Sam Oh clarified as Kare-Kare. Mark (who cutely let out a scream of frustration for his bad mic) jumped in to add that he also likes what is to him “Pig’s Feet”, which quite caused a confusion until Sam Oh figured it was Crispy Pata. (I want to cry hearing Mark's sexy California English live. I absolutely love his voice.) Jackson excitedly volunteered to share a Filipino sentence he learned - “Gusto ko kumain [ng] mangga. (I want to eat mango.)”, which roused laughter from both the host and the fans. (I have to say, I was impressed with the variety of food that they liked. I don't often here international artists liking Kare-Kare and Crispy Pata. Kudos to the hotel they were in for making them try a wide range of Filipino food.)
When asked what they thought of having their first fan
meeting in the Philippines, Youngjae brightly expressed how it feels good and
randomly blurting out “Kamusta? (How
are you?)” to the Filipino IGOT7s. And if they were to give a message to their
fans for their first fan meeting here in the Philippines, leader JB (as
translated by Sam Oh) shared, “Thank you, guys, for always cheering us on, and
he hopes that we all have a great time tonight.” Junior added (as translated by
Sam Oh) how he missed all of the Filipino IGOT7s, and Jackson wanted everyone
to be in one big group hug with GOT7. (You can already see here the slight annoyance in JB's face for his faulty microphone. Good thing he was beside Jackson to help him out.)
After showing their serious acting chops, BamBam shyly treated the fans with a sweet serenade of chorus of Ronnie Liang’s “Ngiti”. His vocals were soothing and his pronunciation was perfect. (Well, Thai and Filipinos are not far from ancestral decent. You can even mistaken BamBam for being a good-looking Filipino! And good choice of a song! I was sort of prepared for another Daniel Padilla cover, which thankfully, he didn't.) Fans hope that all of GOT7 will get to serenade a Filipino song in another visit. But it wasn’t only the fans that were in for a surprise. Local fanclub, GOT7 Philippines, prepared a surprise video message for each of the members. The video also included clips from the countdown event and tear-jerking triple wins from a specific Korean music program. BamBam said he won’t cry but the fans chanted that they want him to, which he laughed off instead. (The video also almost made me cry! The messages were so heartfelt. And then the triple wins! It felt so good to have contributed to their first series of music show victories.)
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| Yes, Mark. Filipino IGOT7s love you, too. |
The boys brought in the fun again as they granted
requests and answered questions from the Q&A fan board. LA-based member
Mark was made to say “Mahal namin kayo.
(We love you.)”, while JB answered that there are still no concrete plans of
his acting comeback after Dream High 2 but will definitely let the fans know
soon. The rest of the boys showcased their talents as Yugyeom and Youngjae
danced along Jackson’s beatboxing, while BamBam performed a bit of “Ooh-Ahh” from the sister group, TWICE. The fan meeting was even made
more memorable as the fans surprised Yugyeom (whose birthday is on November 17)
with a birthday cake on stage and banners by the fans. (In which the boys danced really silly to the tune of the Birthday Song.)
Series of performances from the boys continued as they serenaded the fans with “Playground” and hyped up the crowd with “Magnetic” and “Bounce”, which was originally the debut song of JB and Junior (JJ Project) prior forming GOT7. (Too bad JB's mic made him sound really bad. I love his singing voice, but it came out really nasal.) When the fans thought it was over, the boys returned on stage with a remix version of “A”. (Jackson and BamBam each got a fan's phone and filmed themselves! Waaaaa!)
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| JB with a fan for a Telepathy Game, wherein the goal is to raise the same colored flags without looking at each other. |
JB, Jackson, Mark, Junior, Youngjae, BamBam, and Yugyeom
proved that it was impossible not to fall for their charms as they live up to
their names as “boyfriend-dols”. Fans were randomly selected to play games such
as musical chairs (or more popularly known here in the Philippines as “Trip to
Jerusalem”), Telepathy Game, and a Speedometer Game with GOT7. (My friends and I witnessed how the staff were randomly picking the players among the crowd. The girl beside one of my friends was even picked! Imagine how jealous we were. Hahaha. Why oh why aren't we "lucky" with these things?) Although a few
fans emerged as winners at the end of each game, everyone got to talk and hug
the boys one way or another. They are extremely well-mannered and professional
– definitely the type girls would want to introduce to their parents. (Especially Junior. I repeat, especially Junior. More about that in the members' impressions later.) And
despite being tired, they were still all smiles for fans who had special
privileges of a group photo and hi-touch. They knew how to have fun and be
funny, which wasn’t far from their image in front of the cameras. The future
truly is bright for GOT7 as they continue to bring their A-game whether in
music, dance, and entertainment.
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| This is me drowning in the sea of digital devices. Thank you for the chance to see you up close, GOT7! |
Member Impressions
So what did I think of GOT7 upon seeing them live and face-to-face?
They are as real as how you see them on their reality shows.
I didn't like GOT7 from the very beginning, but they captured my interest when my sister was in the middle of watching their YouTube reality show, IGOT7. They were all loud, playful and funny. They also seem to have such a strong friendship despite where the members came from and how old the members were. They had no pretensions or what-so-ever - it was like watching 7 friends goofing around on stage and performing was just a bonus talent.
JB - I know he was pissed off already with the mic, but his posture made him really look like a grandpa. Also, he really looked like a father watching over his children. He was often on the side just looking at the young ones and smiling at them. I honestly wish he would smile more, because his smile can light up Metro Manila.
Mark - HE'S NOT HUMAN. OH MY GOSH. He looks absolutely handsome as his pictures in the fansites. HE'S SO HANDSOME. I absolutely couldn't get over how good-looking he really was. It was thrilling to see him doing his martial arts tricks live and again, to hear his sexy California English. He's really quiet and shy - he prefers waving to the fans and making cute expressions from stage than giving fan service up close. He also often has his own world - going to the opposite side from where everyone was. And oh yes, that squeal and high-pitched laughter were so cute!
Jackson - Jackson is real as he can be. As mentioned, he is short but he's really good-looking. And looks like he is more buffed up than how he looks on TV. When I touched his hand during the hi-touch, his hand was really rough!
Youngjae - His attempts to speak another language were hilarious. And he is absolutely brighter than sunshine.
Junior - Or what my friends and I refer to as, "The GOT7 Member You Would Want to Introduce to Your Parents" because of his manners (like how he covered his partner's lap with a towel during the game because she was wearing a dress). He also looks so mabango (fragrant). HE'S ALSO ABSOLUTELY HANDSOME. And oh my gosh, don't even get me started with the sexy dance that he did. Hahaha.
BamBam - He absolutely deserves the title of being the "King of Fan Service". He kept on escorting the girls during the games and freely giving them hugs, especially those who lost. He was all smiles until the end. It was clear to see how a lot of girls (young and old) liked him.
Yugyeom - I was surprised how skinny he really was in real life. He looked like he had the same frame as Mark, except he is taller. He doesn't really look that young, but when he smiles, you'll be reminded why he just turned legal. Hahaha.
For a long time since my last K-Pop event, I wasn't among the people who stuck up their phones in the air to film the whole fan meeting. I wanted to soak up everything like a sponge, similar to what was said in an article on berlin-parasites:
"14. When you enter a place, take in the surroundings. Don't look at it from a camera lens. Don't confine memories in an SD card. Don't have proof for every emotion you were feeling. If it was important, you'd remember it even if you had amnesia."
I did, and it lingered on me like a hangover. I guess if I had the option to go to another concert or fan meeting of a K-Pop artist, I would love to go back to GOT7.
Until we meet again, GOT7.
Pictures are all mine except for the members' individual shots courtesy of Bruce Casanova for SMART Araneta Coliseum.
