Let’s go again with another episode of Kpopalypse Nugu Alert!
The nugu train continues for 2023 – we’ve got a lot to get through!
This time Kpopalypse Nugu Alert is going to go old-school with yet another trot collection! Nugudom isn’t just for you young idol people, Kpopalypse is as old and as nugu as anybody so it’s time for me to feature some of the music that people probably wished I listened to, but really rarely ever do except to make posts like these. All songs come with hilariously overacted videos in typical trot style so please enjoy seeing your favourite k-pop stars some people you’ve probably never heard of ham it up.
Usual rules apply:
- Less than 20,000 views on official channels
- Keywords probably not optimised for maximum engagement
- Relevant to Kpopalypse
Let’s do it!
Kilgun – Ace
Let’s start off with Kilgun, who has a video with a fair whack of cast and crew so she might not be that nugu within Korea itself, but she’s probably nugu to everybody else. She’s also got a lead guitarist with a pretty decent guitar tone and some equally wacky slap bass, unfortunately it’s otherwise a pretty generic trot song, but at least it all looks good. The crux of the drama video appears to be “gosh I’m attractive, every man wants me and every woman is jealous” and we get to see guys swooning over her and girls being annoyed at the auto mechanic shop, the gym etc, so much for the sisterhood I guess. Also, never before have I been teased with a “perving at someone changing clothes through a crappy vintage sports car window that you can’t really see anything through properly” scene, but that’s the kind of cutting-edge innovation we’re going to be dealing with in this episode of Kpopalypse Nugu Alert so enjoy I guess.
Youtube views at the time of writing: 6038
Notable attribute: weird hand signal at 4:34, which trot gang is she in?
Nugu Alert rating: high
Nunadool – Ttuttuari
At the start of this song we have a very dramatic scene where the two trot ladies of Nunadool get out of a fancy sports car (sports cars seem to be just as much of a thing in trot videos as in rap videos, not sure why) and walk in synchronisation to some building for no clearly identifiable reason while some pretty average trot music plays. Once inside the building, the ladies turn around for once again no specified purpose, then the music fades out – yes sorry folks that was just the intro. The actual song proper then starts and it’s all downhill from this point in a similar way to how JYP fucked us all over with Itzy’s “Not Shy“, and you’ll be missing the sound of that fairly average intro all the way throughout the actual song’s running length while you’re bashed over the head with relentless trot cheese.
Youtube views at the time of writing: 5909
Notable attribute: plenty of healthy indoor plants in this video, so why did they choose the ugliest and most dying one in all of Bunnings at 0:26
Nugu Alert rating: very high
Lee Boo Young – Only You Don’t Know
I swear that Lee Boo Young is the spitting image of ex-SM Entertainment’s CEO Lee Soo Man, and the story of “Only You Don’t Know” appears to be the story about his partner and how she likes wearing lopsided dresses that have sleeves and shoulder coverage on one side but not the other. In every scene here she’s happy except when she’s wearing clothes that aren’t awkwardly cut off at one shoulder to reveal a bra strap, and even the backing dancers have gotten in on the shoulder exposure action, as soon as she’s wearing actual proper clothes she’s looking totally miserable. Maybe it’s weird how I notice stuff like this but really there isn’t a lot else to notice except Lee Boo Young’s pink suit which really is a visual punch in the face, and the rubbish song which certainly complies with the rule of “the longer the grass is in a k-pop video, the worse the song is”. Anyway hopefully this guy works it out with HYBE soon, NewJeans trot comeback coming soon, we hope.
Youtube views at the time of writing: 421
Notable attribute: a family walks by at 2:02 and you can see the adults turning and walking up to the camera, it’s probably Kakao come to collect
Nugu Alert rating: extreme
Lee Seo Soon – Happy Day
Lee Seo Soon has a pretty fast-tempo track, and when that lead guitar plays it really leaps out. She’s probably aware of just how hard this song goes, and you can really see it in how she’s pacing herself here with the dance moves. You wouldn’t want to exert yourself too hard, and Lee Seo Soon certainly doesn’t, leaving it at some polite hand-waving gestures and gentle nodding. At least she’s probably a film buff, the weirdest part of this video here is at 0:33 where she’s actually sitting on a chair and doing a hand dance, while another version of her sits on a bed, watches and smiles like some sort of Lynchian nightmare. She could be the only person alive who actually understood “Inland Empire”.
Youtube views at the time of writing: 354
Notable attribute: the sign at 2:14 that says “no stupid people” right next to an incorrectly-angled Shure Super 55 microphone
Nugu Alert rating: extreme
