For our next third and fourth awards of day 1, we have the very exciting B-Side of the Year and Idol ASMRtist of the year! The first of these came out as we realized there were a lot of good b-sides that got bullied out of the song of the year category, the second came about more as a joke that we all ended up taking completely seriously, and I’m happy for that because ASMR is really cool and a lot of people love listening to it, I’d love to hear which idols you like that do ASMR, because it’s a field I’m not super familiar with yet. If you want to see all the other Manelies, or get to know my panelists a little, check out the hub article.
Scores are listed in the following order, myself, Chelsea, Celina. It’s reverse alphabetical because I’m taking them going through the alphabetized spreadsheets we made backwards.
B-Side of the Year
7. KARD- Go Baby (Scores: 7,1,7 | Average: 5)
This is one of the only instances where a panelist’s number one choice in a category is the unanimous last for the other two. We are all actually pretty big fans of KARD but we all have different songs from them that we tend towards. This one is actually a song that I think we all agree is good, but the chorus is where I struggle to click with it, which brings it down for me. That said, any Hidden KARDs out there, this isn’t the last you’ll see of the group, as they show up again in another Manely category down the road.
6. Fromis_9- Weather (Scores: 1,7,6 | Average: 4.7)
This was my number one, and almost also last for the other two panelists, only stopped by Celina already having KARD in her last place slot. I personally love this song, one of my favorites of the year, although I won’t say exactly where it ranks, that will be for my top songs of the year list. The way this song moves between it’s several distinct but related sections comfortably is impressive, and all across the song it stays bouncily upbeat and fun. The pre-chorus for me is the real highlight, and I love Jiwon’s voice in it. But that’s two panelists first place songs, where will the third end up?
5. Rocket Punch- Lilac (Scores: 2,6,4 | Average: 4)
This song was one of many that we had to vote on, as Rocket Punch had another b-side in contention, Fireworks, that we had to choose between, with Lilac ultimately being chosen 2 to 1. With that said, obviously it was a little divisive so the 4th place finish lines up with what may be expected. This song is in that power-ballad range of kpop where I think ballads are the most listenable, not too slow, not just a normal kpop song either. This song shows just how well all of Rocket Punch’s voices blend together, and the chorus is a good example of pleasant repetition.
4. Oh My Girl- Dolphin (Scores: 3,3,5 | Average: 3.7)
Oh My Girl is 4th after tie breakers, specifically, a 3-way tie for second place. The method of seeing how often a song appears higher than the other songs it’s tied with did not break this tie, as each song beat one of the others 2 to 1, but lost in the other direction by the same margin. Instead we decided to break the tie by highest peaks, which Dolphin lost due to the 3rd place song having a 2nd placement in one panelists list, and the 2nd place song having a 1st placement in a panelist’s ranking. Dolphin is a really fun song, and found a massive amount of success for a b-side, although I don’t think it is Oh My Girl’s greatest b-side, when 1 Step 2 Step is the bar they set, one of my favorite kpop songs of all time, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The fact that no panelist brought it too high or low speaks to how universally agreeable it is, even if it isn’t the kind of song to make a listener completely passionate about it.
3. Dreamcatcher- Red Sun (Scores: 6,2,3 | Average: 3.7)
Dreamcatcher is the kind of group that has great b-sides across the board, so picking one was already a little tumultuous for us I think, because we all had our ideas of what it should be, but Red Sun was a good middle ground that would get Dreamcatcher the best possible score in the category (I often looked at what I thought would be best for the nominee in the case of contentious spots). This song has a kind of magical feeling to it, like a spell is being cast on you by their voices. There are also some cute musical moments, like an extremely short full rest to create an intentionally off-balance moment right near the end, almost like the moment the spell fully takes effect. Overall, a very cool song.
2. Seventeen- Fearless (Scores: 5,5,1 | Average: 3.7)
Celina is a Carat, and so I am happy that we get at least one really good category for Seventeen, even if it wasn’t my personal pick for second on this one. This song has that careful balance between a really strong and aggressive chorus and a gentle almost whispered series of verses. It even has that weird radio filtered vocal section before the final chorus as well, and it all feels like it forms a very complete package. And honestly a message of being fearless, in a year where fear is one of the most powerful emotions across the world, every nation, every culture, may be exactly what we need to hear right now.
1. Ateez- Good Lil Boy (Scores: 4,4,2 | Average: 3.3)
Apparently Celina’s favorites in this category were the most palatable songs across our whole group, as her 1 and 2 were 2 and 1 respectively. We’re all fans of Ateez, they’re definitely one of the best active boy groups, and even their sales are rapidly becoming reflective of that, with the group close to solidifying themselves as a top 5 boy group in the industry, very impressive. This song is exactly what I like in Ateez’s music, a sense of fun, great vocals in the singing sections, fantastic beats throughout, and an absolutely fire Mingi rap. Congrats Ateez for winning the Manely for B-Side of the Year with Good Lil Boy!
Idol ASMRtist of the Year
5. Park Jiyeon (Scores: 5,1,5 | Average: 3.7)
Jiyeon is actually in a 2-way tie for fourth, but being last on two lists is an instant tie-breaker. She has a more soft talking style of ASMR, which I know is far more appealing to a number of listeners in the genre, but for both myself and Celina, we prefer the whispered ASMR, or even the more noise based ASMR, tapping sounds and the like in the case of Celina. That said, Chelsea is a fan of Jiyeon and was happy to put her first here, which is a healthy sign of the varied tastes on the panel.
4. Iz*one Chaewon (Scores: 2,5,4 | Average: 3.7)
Chaewon is very pleasant to listen to for me, and I give her some extra credit here because she typically gets paired up with Eunbi, who is the weakest member of Iz*one at ASMR, although you can tell that she has been getting more comfortable with it. Chaewon just has a gentle voice to listen to in my opinion, and seems to have a pretty good understanding of what good ASMR sounds like.
3. IU (Scores: 4,3,3 | Average: 3.3)
IU only put out one piece of ASMR content this year, which does give her a bit of a negative hit from a few of us, but she is very passionate about ASMR and has a great understanding of it. Her one piece of content this year however, was an office worker scenario, which doesn’t click for me, which is why I ended up putting her a little bit lower than the others. It is likely that with even just one more video this year, that IU may have ended up higher on the list. Let’s hope she gives us two in 2021.
2. Ateez Seonghwa (Scores: 3,2,2 | Average: 2.3)
Seonghwa is definitely the best member of his group when it comes to ASMR, and you can tell he enjoys doing it. He’s got a fantastic voice for it as well, being capable of really bringing out the soothing tones, which I think can honestly be a bit more difficult for men, as society still tends to push us towards being dominant and powerful, rather than soothing and relaxing. I think that his efforts this year have been very good, and in the future as he sticks with it, he could continue to hold this spot.
1. Fromis_9 Jisun (Scores: 1,4,1 | Average: 2)
Jisun loves ASMR, and a lot of different styles of it. As such, she has put out a large volume of ASMR this year, and has covered a lot of different styles and triggers. Although I prefer talking in general, there is content from Jisun for most every ASMR listener, and her only downside in my opinion is that sometimes her volume control is a little inconsistent, which I think can be fixed in post with just a little bit of editing. I’m happy to congratulate Jisun for winning the Manely for Idol ASMRtist of the Year!