This is a list of MVs, performances, and not-really-kpop-but-kpop MVs I have enjoyed this year. It’s a super indulgent list! Pls enjoy!
Monsta X: Tropical Nights (self-cam version)
This is just a happy delightful mess that shows off their personalities really well. Highly recommend!
Amber Liu: Rogue Rouge: LIFELINE
I love Amber, and I really love this gay dancey MV. It’s melancholy and beautiful. You said time heals wounds, oh, take them anyway.
Excellent break-up song. Don’t give him a second chance, Wheein! Go kiss Hwasa!
This is trot not pop, but it’s amazing. Jinyoung also had a tango version of this at Melon Awards this year and it was also amazing. (JK can confirm)
Am I still bitter about the end result and the fact that the boys clearly got the MV/song budgets? Yes. BUT this MV is really fun and catchy and all the girls get a chance to shine. They’ve all gone back to their groups/acting/solo now. ZN is in Laboum, Euijin is in Sonamoo and Yebin is in DIA.
Okay, this is in Japanese, but it’s by Twice, so… I cannot begin to tell you how hard I would watch this anime. It’s SUPER CUTE!
Android/virtual reality/fame is creepy MV with very catchy music.
K/DA: POP/STARS – League of Legends 2018 World Championship Opening Ceremony
…speaking of creepy virtual reality and catchy music.
Dreamcatcher: You and I Comeback stage at M Countdown
They are witches and Dami is extra witchy! I just really like this entire choreography.
Mamamoo: Starry Night Comeback stage at Music Core
I like all the Starry Night stages but I picked this one for Moonbyul’s daring glimpse of shoulder!
Top Ten Kpop MVs 2018
This is in order of when I knew it had to go on my list. It’s not ranked by best to worst or anything. Just the Top Ten MVs of the year where I like both song and MV, chosen after much deliberation and watching through my entire 200 MV long list several times. This is ofc an extremely subjective list!
It was really fricking hard to narrow it down to 10. So, uh, I made some additional lists which I’ll be posting the next couple of days.
The full list is here: Top Ten Kpop MVs 2018
Okay, I just couldn’t leave it out, okay? It’s ridiculously catchy and I’ve listened to it all year. In addition I think the MV is cute and the infomercial things are funny and comes with helpful names for all the girls! something i always appreciate even if the only ones I remember are Jooe and Nancy.
Duality of the artist! Colours! Literary allusions! J-Hope being awesome!!! I genuinely super love this MV and song and also mixtape. I swear I’m not a solostan! …but also I love this slightly more than I love Fake Love and Idol and Moonchild, and I’m only doing one MV per group, so…
Monsta X gotta Monsta X. It’s really catchy and Hyungwon is a handsome prince. Tarot cards! Torns! Prisons! Greenery! Hot boys being hot! I’m so happy MX seemed to be doing really well in 2018, and I wish them a lot of luck in 2019!
It’s been on repeat since it came out, and this girls’ night out MV is just a delight. #aesthetics! I KNOW ALL THEIR NAMES NOW!
HYO: Sober (feat. Ummet Ozcan)
I deliberated this one for a while and kept moving it on and off, but fuck it, I love it every time I watch it/hear it, so it’s going on the list. Women and body image and dancey and Hyo is just really hot… (look I can combine important topics and shallow thoughts just fine) [English version]
This won out over Siren mainly because I like Heroine the song slightly more, and I like the colours and the little drama clippy style of the MV. The dancing is also very cool. Sunmi is very cool. I like Sunmi.
To be honest I don’t rewatch this one a lot because it always makes me cry, but because it makes me cry it also deserves to be on this list. I read it as a visualisation of how grief is both an individual thing and something that brings people together, and how you can’t stay in the moment, but gotta move on. I’m possibly projecting but I don’t care.
Okay, I knew I would include a Mamamoo MV, but it took me ages to decide on Egotistic. In the end, while I love Starry Night a whole lot, Egotistic wins because this MV is just way more exciting! Big cats and stuff!
I love this song and MV so much for being so summery and travelly. It makes me happy. I wasn’t sure if I was going to include it because there are more exciting MVs out there, but I decided that, hey, this is my list? And I do love it a lot, and I think it suits the song really well.
Look at these adorable super villains! Extremely my #aesthetic. Also I still think Doyeon looks like a cat. …This is not relevant to the MV, I’m just noting it. Honestly picking only one Cute Girls Do Crime MV was hard, but Crush won out by being So Very Much my thing.
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
