“Milky Boys” (Chilsung Label)
Yee Siyeon: In 2003, KIM JAE JOONG debuted as HERO JAEJOONG, the lead vocalist of TVXQ!, permanently solidifying his place in K-pop history. Now, 22 years later, he’s back to being a trainee. The web variety show “Milky Boys” follows the story of KIM JAE JOONG, a K-pop trainee in a parallel universe where his debut was thwarted by the similarly named HERO JAEJOONG, and so still has aspirations of joining a group 22 years later. Dreaming of becoming “an idol who can do anything—a milky idol,” he reaches out to different active K-pop idols, from INFINITE, who’s been in the game for 15 years, to TWS, who debuted just eight months ago. He asks each of the groups to take him on as their newest, “youngest” member, but the expectations for anyone debuting as an idol today are overwhelming. In addition to mastering how to interact wholeheartedly with adoring fans, KIM JAE JOONG has to adopt the latest slang, keep up with Gen Z trends, train intensively for live shows, and keep himself in perfect shape. Each episode basically serves as its own chapter in the K-pop idol essentials training manual. The rigorous tests he has to go up against in “Milky Boys” give a condensed view into just how much is expected of idols for them to debut, and the show also gives guests an opportunity to show off what makes them special.

Despite being a trainee, KIM JAE JOONG’s 22 years in the business can’t help but show. He flawlessly reenacts the opening of “MIROTIC” and boasts how he “was the very first one to do that” when talks turn to mini fan meetings held for TV performances. TREASURE member Junkyu shyly admits he “was influenced by” the TVXQ! idol while reminiscing about his cover of the group’s song “Hug” on an audition show. At one point, KYUNGMIN from TWS can’t help but slip into honorific language, even though it's out of character within the “Milky Boys” universe. But these peculiar breaks in the show’s alternate reality, born out of the respect and admiration K-pop idols show to those who’ve been in the business longer, don’t interrupt the flow but actually contribute to what makes the series so uniquely funny. We even get to catch glimpses of the real KIM JAE JOONG using his 22 years of experience to help out younger idols in bonus scenes at the end of episodes. When the members of KickFlip worry that the casual tone required in the universe of the show might have come off as disrespectful, KIM JAE JOONG reassures them with, “I really enjoyed that,” and he meets CRAVITY member WOOBIN’s confession that the older idol inspired him to follow his own dreams with a heartfelt hug. In essence, “Milky Boys” humorously upends the traditional hierarchy that’s such an integral part of Korean society, while also revealing the professionalism, admiration, and mutual respect shared within the world of K-pop. Although season two of “Milky Boys” wrapped last week, it’s this “trading places” twist on K-pop that keeps viewers coming back for more.

“THANK YOU SO MUCH” (Southern All Stars)
Hwang Sunup (music critic): They may be known for using silly titles, and it may be their first full album in a decade, but with the band’s 50th anniversary on the horizon, the album “THANK YOU SO MUCH” carries far more weight than such a simple phrase might suggest. Though they haven’t made any official announcement, this could potentially be the 16th and final studio album from Southern All Stars. And though its title is only a starting point, throughout the album, the unmistakable sense of humor and reflective tone that have always defined the band’s music traverse the boundless sea of sound as freely as ever. Considering how long in the making the album has been, we see efforts to align with the times, such as “Koi no Boogie-Woogie Night,” a sleek disco number with electronic elements, and “Gomenne Kaasan,” which departs from the typical band sound to explore their own unique minimalist soundscape. Yet the overarching theme of the album remains the timeless appeal of SAS’s particular brand of pop music, bridging a gap between 40-some years and now in a way that makes it feel as though no time has passed at all. It’s astonishing how timeless Southern All Stars’ music sounds when virtually everything else has changed so much in that time.

Tracks like the fresh-as-ever rock ’n’ roll “Joan of Arc ni Yoroshiku,” the melancholic “Sakura, Hirari” enriched by Keisuke Kuwata’s wistful vocals, and the rhythmically compelling “Utae Nippon no Sora” with its Latin flavor all demonstrate the band’s ability to blend East and West in unexpected ways. And those three songs were all written with their own specific message in mind: cheering on the national team at the Paris Olympics, bringing solace to victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake, and expressing gratitude to frontman Keisuke Kuwata’s hometown of Chigasaki and those of everyone else. Such tracks serve as a reminder of the true emotional core of Southern All Stars, who are as connected to their homeland now as they ever were—a key to their legacy as the “national band of Japan.”

And it’s this enduring affection that keeps their sharp critiques alive, too. For instance, “Shijo Saikyo no Monster” draws on jazz fusion to point to humanity as the monster ultimately responsible for destroying the world, while “Relay~Mori no Uta” is a careful call for reconsideration of redevelopment on the Meiji Jingu shrine’s outer garden near their Aoyama studio that they’ve spent 45 years around. Meanwhile, tracks like “Kaze no Time Machine ni Notte,” where Yuko Hara’s vocals perfectly blend with a touch of leisure-drive new wave reminiscent of “Aoi Sangoshou” in the intro, and “Kanashimi wa boogie no Kanata ni,” a song they wrote before they debuted that pays full homage to gospel, soul, and blues, form essential pieces of the puzzle linking together five decades of musical adventure with the present.

Adding to this is “Kamisama Kara no Okurimono,” a track that namedrops artists like Kiyohiko Ozaki, Kyu Sakamoto, and even TWICE, and expresses heartfelt gratitude to musicians of the past. Such a legacy cements Southern All Stars as eternal icons by addressing themes that transcend time while spanning half a century of pop music history. “THANK YOU SO MUCH” is an instant classic—a look back on an amazing career that demands respect for their bottomless creativity that at the same time makes you worry for a day when they might come to a halt in their footsteps—and one recommended for every music lover to give a listen to.

“Mickey7” (Edward Ashton)
Kim Boksung (writer): No doubt you’ve heard about Bong Joon Ho’s latest film, “Mickey 17,” if you haven’t already seen it. But did you know it’s based on the similarly but not identically named book “Mickey7,” and that their stories are similar but not identical, too?

In Edward Ashton’s sci-fi novel, Mickey Barnes, seeing nothing for himself on Earth but useless history knowledge and crippling debt, agrees to be an Expendable on the icy planet Niflheim, where any deadly encounters with rough terrain or the native “creepers” that result in death just means a new copy of his body is printed. He retains any memories previous Mickeys uploaded, so while he might not know how he died each time, he has mounting evidence of the failures of colonization.

While the major plot driver—that Mickey7 returns to base belatedly to find there’s already a Mickey8—fills the book with serious philosophical and moral quandaries, the book’s strength comes from its twisted humor and snappy, approachable writing. Fans of deep worldbuilding might want to look elsewhere, but the breezy pace keeps the story accessible.

And you’ll want to check out both the book and film because Bong’s movie “Mickey 17” diverges from the novel in notable ways. While the film ramps up the action and adds more over-the-top moments for drama, its source material leans more into Mickey’s inner thoughts. His character isn’t as goofy as in the movie—he’s wittier here—and most characters, like his best friend, play vastly different parts. And that’s to say nothing of the endings.