How I Became a Huge Girls’ Generation Fan (And Why They’re Legendary)

First Encounters with Girls Generation

Since Korean Pop is not often used as Japanese Pop in Japanese anime intros, K-Pop must be accessed by different forms of media such as through CD's or through YouTube. Being a 2000s kid/2010s teen, I was not as into Korean media such as Korean movies as much as I was into anime until I got a bit older. There is a memory I have, however, of being interested in creating a collection of Korean movies because of watching videos of people collecting them on YouTube. Therefore, coming across Girls Generation can be said to have occurred somewhat by accident.

The Impact of "Gee" on my K-Pop Interests

And let me tell you, I have no regret accidentally/unintentionally discovering them. It is through watching their music as a youngster that I learned more about my interests in Korean music that I never thought I had before. Their famous song, "Gee", is more than just a "sweet and energetic" song or a song that is made to appeal to a broader worldwide audience than Japanese Pop songs, it is a song with a creative music video and idea behind it (Girls Generation, 2009). The idea to film the music video in a clothing shop was so creative to me due to all of the vibrant eye-catching background colors (Girls Generation 2009, 0:00-0:25). What else stood out both with the song and music video was the dance moves which I have never seen such well rehearsed choreography before viewing the video.You might think that many music groups have dance moves like Girls Generation, but the dancing of these girls was unique because of how well they promoted their culture through their group effort (Girls Generation, 2009). Collectivism is something known to be central to East Asian cultures and through their song and music video, Girls Generation members illustrated what their culture was all about wonderfully.

Connections Between being a fan of both Girls Generation and Final Fantasy X

"Oh" (2010) was another song from Girls Generation that still impacts my music tastes today. Other than the energy from the song and the music video of them dressed up like cheerleaders, I found the music video to be iconic because it reminded me of a Final Fantasy X, which I started to play around the early 2010s era (Girls Generation 2010, 1:14) (Squaresoft/Kitase 2001). Not quite sure why, but maybe it was due to the coloring of the background and sets in the music video that sort of reminded me of Final Fantasy X. Whenever reading or watching videos online about Final Fantasy X, Girls Generation's song "Oh" seems to come to mind because I am the kind of person who tends to absorb media at later ages in life. In other words, I wish I would have known more about Final Fantasy and Girls Generation younger than 14 because it would have meant being a big fan of both for a longer period of my life. 

"Paparazzi" by Girls Generation

One last song of theirs that is quite memorable is "Paparazzi" (Girls Generation, 2012). The song generally has a more mature feel that the other two I mentioned due to the costumes and the deeper vocals. Therefore it it my favorite out of all the songs I discussed because it feels timeless and relatable at an older age. 

What is your experience with SNSD? Feel free to share in the comment section below. In the next post/episode, we will focus on specifics of K-Pop and J-Pop members themselves through commentary. Check back weekly for more surprises!