JPOP SUCKS?! | 6 Japanese Boybands That Kpop Fans Love (and you will too!)

Many Kpop fans who discover Jpop for the first time have initially negative reactions to the genre and to be honest, I can understand why. Very generally speaking, the two genres have a rather different feel to each other. If I had to explain it very simply:

Jpop = cute, imperfect, innocent.
Kpop = flashy, on point, why is everyone so dang sexy?!

Not that I'm saying that either of these are good or bad. It just depends on personal preference, really.

Part of the Jpop idol culture is watching the members slowly improve from when they're quite young. They may not be the best at singing and dancing right away but that's okay, it adds to their cuteness. Whereas Kpop idols are usually expected to be perfect right from their debut which is what leads a lot of Kpop fans to think that Jpop is "bad" compared to Kpop.

Not all Jpop idols are like this though. There are some groups who I'm sure you'll love even if you prefer the Kpop way of dong things. So, continuing somewhat from my post a few weeks ago about the most accesible Jpop boy groups, here's a list of some of the more "Kpop-like" boy groups.

Literally any EXILE TRIBE group

EXILE TRIBE is a supergroup consiting of all of the members from several individual groups under LDH Entertainment. All of the EXILE TRIBE groups do have a significant "Kpop-like flair" to them so you're bound to find at least one you like.

Da-iCE

Da-iCE is a group that's a favourite among Jpop and Kpop fans alike. Their music is extremely catchy, their members are ridiculously talented, and they're very accessible to international fans. This 5-member Avex group made their debut in 2012 with the self-titled album, "Da-iCE" and have been rising to the top ever since, even having successfully completed a live show over in the US back in 2016.

Ryoga

Ryoga is a 5-member group under Avex that debuted in 2016 with the single "Live For You". They're not a very well-known group overseas yet but they're well on their way to getting there with their catchy melodies and impressive performances.

Choutokkyu

Now, Choutokkyu are probably the least "Kpop-like" group on this list but don't let their colourful outfits and crazy image put you off. Their songs are very catchy and upbeat, and they've already seen a lot of popularity from new fans over on the Jpop Amino. This 7-member EBiDAN group made their debut in 2012 with the single, "TRAIN".

MADKID

MADKID is an indie group that debuted in 2014 with the digital single, "I Don't Care". Their music incorpates many different genres, including trap and hip hop. If you're interested in MADKID then I would definitely recommend following Karu-chan on Twitter; she is the source for everything MADKID in English, haha.

X4

X4 is a 5-member group put together by former soloist Matsushita Yuya, containing both Japanese and South Korean members. They made their debut in 2015 with the digital single, "XVISION". They're one of the few Jpop boybands to have performed in the US.


Have any of these groups sparked your interest? Be sure to let me know in the comments if so! And if there are any other groups you'd recommend to Kpop fans feel free to leave those in the comments too. And if all else fails, a lot of Kpop fans seem to like MeseMoa.