CIX: My Quickest "Forever Fan" Yet

October 21, 2020

***Unshared post--unrevised. The beginnings of me being a FIX.

I've decided to type up a few blog posts. Actually, I have been thinking about this quite a bit, and I've decided to type up mini blog posts about whatever strikes my fancy. A song... an appreciation post for an actor/dancer/singer/talented person... an interesting thing I've noticed in multiple dramas. Whatever.

This might help me get posts done more regularly. [Clearly did not work--12/15] I initially wanted to just update what I'm learning in the Korean language, but it has since become somewhere to keep track of what I'm watching and listening to... because... why not?

CIX & How I Became a FIX*

Before I got sick, I discovered CIX through a dance compilation video and wrote about just how impressed I was. The dance practices were unique and impressive. I was particularly amazed with the dance practice to "Numb". 

I instantly was like... Bae Jin Young is a good dancer. He's in the middle a whole lot. He also has a pretty smooth, deep voice. But what really sucked me into this group, dance-wise, was Yoon Hyun-Suk. The first real hook on "Numb" in the "Oh, na na na" / "Oh, my, my, my".

Yoon sings it, so he is in the middle. The dance move is super basic and easy... but it looks crazy with those long legs. You can see how much better his looks even in this little gif.

So basically, my eyes tend to go to Hyun-Suk because he's tall. Long legs make dance steps look crazy. And of course, he's a good dancer in general. Quite expressive. He was particularly good in the "Blackout" dance practice as well. But that one part of the "Numb" video kept me watching over and over and over.

*Note: I am not interested in kpop fandoms. At all. They are too toxic for me. I just like the music and dancing.

Where I'm at with Them Now

I have heard all of their songs hundreds of times. I have watched a few episodes of Hello (their first, debut-type variety show). I have watched a bunch of appearances on various shows. I watched all of their first virtual fan meet performances (which just happened like, last week). I've heard their covers.

I have watched all of the MVs at least a few times. I have watched all of the dance practice videos multiple times. I also have a playlist containing only CIX and NCT songs in every version (Korean, English, Japanese, etc). 

There are some songs that didn't make the playlist... mostly the real pop-ballad types like "Revival". Pretty much everything else is in heavy rotation. I'm listening to "Bystanders" right now, in fact.

Favorite Songs

"Numb" is still the song that, every time it comes on, I'm like... "Aaaw... I love this song". It's just got it all. The other favorite by a huge margin is "Imagine". I do not at all understand why that song isn't hugely popular. Where's the dance video and MV and live performances? There's like... nothing.

That song is so good. It's like some really well-produced nod to 80's and 90's funk music. The ending is particularly awesome with the duel hooks: "Just imagine that. Give me a feeling I can't explain, wo-oah". That's just so damn good. So really, I love it because it's just a well-crafted pop funk song, and that is a genre I adore (Confunkshun, Gap Band, Cameo, etc).

Favorite Dance

There are several really unique dances. "Blackout" has some incredibly unique choreography, including several parts performed on the floor. There is a fair bit of group interaction as well, which isn't super common for the kpop dances I've seen (but is super common in dance teams).

My favorite choreo though has to be "Rewind". Again, there is a whole lot of interaction between members and a high level of team work. It also illustrates what is happening in the lyrics and flows with the music beautifully.

I was impressed with, not only the performance, but whoever choreographed it was at the top of their game. It's beautiful. The song is also one of my favorites... it's such a smooth R&B track.

Bias (for Now?)

Easiest choice ever. Yoon Hyun-Suk. What a crazy talented kid. It is no wonder that this maknae made it into the group. It would have been easy to hold him back to groom him more, but he didn't really need it.

He is an excellent dancer. He is a singer with a really decent voice. He raps reasonably well. He also just seems like a nice kid... upbeat, talkative, and easy-going. Given, kpop idols are supposed to seem good and nice and controversy-free. But he really seems to just be a nice, goofy type of kid who isn't self-obsessed (a rarity for idols, I feel like). 

So if he is just a decent singer and reasonably good rapper, why do I think he is "crazy talented"? He will get better as he grows up. All of them are young, but he seems much much younger than the others somehow. It will be interesting to see what he does in the future.

I will say that Bae Jin-Young is also quite impressive for his age. It will be interesting to see how he continues to develop as well. He is also a nice singer and excellent dancer. I have yet to hear his solo work. Maybe I will bump that up the list.

Regardless, I'm an actual fan of CIX. The problem with big groups is that everyone will struggle with something or other... and I feel like that is usually the dancing. With so few members, anyone would stand out if they were terrible. They aren't. It's impressive... and I'm going to be watching for new material.