The cozy comfort of a much-awaited Saturday morning was settling in when I tuned in to the Coachella Week 2 "Sahara" stage live broadcast. Having witnessed the absolute grandeur of ATEEZ's Week 1 performance at Coachella, I was mostly expecting a reiteration of the same iconic level for Week 2. However, what we got was something out of this world.

One phrase kept going round and round in my mind as I watched this ATEEZ set at Coachella week 2. This is a ritual of love. Love for music, love for performance, and very distinctly, love for each other. ATEEZ's Coachella week 2 performance was not just one of the best performances at Coachella this year, but it was a glorious invocation of the muses. Having studied literature and art for all my life, I cannot possibly think of a better way to describe the breathless brilliance of this performance.

Getting the obvious out of the way, of course, ATEEZ's confidence, panache, showmanship, vocals, rap, dance, and all other technicalities were much more polished than in week 1. The boys were now more aware of the stage, and having had one go at it, they were definitely more relaxed. In Korean, this state of mind where one recognizes scope or room to expand is called "yeoyu" (여유).

Yeoyu is something you see in a seasoned warrior, and when our Captain walked onto the stage that night with his members, ATEEZ looked nothing short of warrior princes coming for the throne. Every single member stood out in their own unique way, with their versatile talents on full display. The visuals were top-tier, as always, the styling - en pointe, and the vibes - immaculate. The rap came across power-packed and smooth, the vocals were resounding yet delicate when need be, and energy was at an all-time high. These men knew what they were doing, even with the slightest gaze they held out to the audience, and the effortlessness of it all elevated the performance to a whole new level.

This time, it was as if ATEEZ was putting their lives on the line and thankfully, the camera work delivered in picking up the detailed nuances of this performance. Even as I write this, I'm taken back to SeongHwa, sword in hand, screaming into the sky to call forth the last ounce of strength he needed to pour his all into his art. When SeongHwa roared, like lightning sent back to the heavens, the lump in my throat threatened to escape, only to be held back by the realization that I was looking at a spitting image of Sung JinWoo from "Solo Leveling". Now, I need that live-action to happen, and I need SeongHwa to play humanity's greatest hunter.

Embed from Getty Images

The very next thing I remember is a singular black tear running down his cheek as he stared right down at the camera. This moment has gone viral and for good reason, too, as artists flock to SeongHwa, having found their new muse.

However, it wasn't just the aesthetics of it all that left an impression. To me, as an ATINY and a Hallyu Journalist, this tear represented how far ATEEZ had come. The unstilted passion, diligence, hard work, and endless struggle they endured culminated in this one defining moment when they were on top of the world. ATEEZ, who started from nothing, created something, and won everything, were declaring to the world that they were just getting started.

The respect ATEEZ had for the Coachella stage, for the audience, and for everyone who supported them, especially ATINY, is what that tear symbolized to my eye, but like all art, this, too, is up to your interpretation.

Brace yourselves, K-Pop fans, as the upcoming month of May 2024 is set to be filled with even more exciting debuts and comebacks. Check out the April 2024 K-Pop Comeback/Debut Schedule.

In this post, you can see the artists’ debut, comeback, K-Drama OST, and special Music all in one place!

Which comeback and debut will have you waiting in anticipation?

Let's find out who's making a comeback this May and what songs they're coming back with at a glance!

You can check the list below!

 

May 2024 K-Pop Comeback/Debut Schedule

May.1

- YOUNITE

6th EP Album "ANOTHER"

 

May. 2

- HyunA

EP Album "Attitude"

- KINO

1st EP Album "If this is love, I want a refund"

- FANTASY BOYS

Single Album 'MAKE SUNSHINE'

May. 7

- D.O. (EXO)

3rd Mini Album "성장"

May. 8

- Kep1er

Japan 1st Full Album "Kep1going"

- &TEAM

1st Single 'Samidare'

- BAEKHO & BIGONE

Single 'LOVE OR DIE'

 

May. 9

- SungJae (BTOB)

May. 10

- Stray Kids

Digital Single 'Lose My Breath (Feat. Charlie Puth)

 

May. 24

- ZEROBASEONE

3rd Mini Album "You had me at HELLO" - Pre-release Song 'SWEAT'

 

To Be Announced

BTOB's Lee ChangSub

EL7Z UP

aespa

BANHANA

ZEROBASEONE

Jennie (BLACKPINK)

ASSEMBLE24 (tripleS)

Seo SooJin (Former (G)I-DLE's member)

G-Dragon (August)

 

Did you finish checking the May 2024 K-Pop Comeback/Debut Schedule? If you are curious about Kpopmap's April 2024 comeback & debut schedule, you can check it out at the link below!

The BL scene in 2024 started off with an absolute hit of a series, "Love For Love's Sake". Outside of this, however, it's been a slow start for Korean BL lovers. But it seems fans' patience have finally been rewarded, as the start of April signaled a rush of BL series. This includes titles like "Gray Shelter" and soon-to-be-premiered "Boys Be Brave". But the very first drama to kick off April's Korean BL extravaganza was "Love Is Like A Cat".

Coming as a joint venture between Korea and Thailand production companies, the BL series features Mew Suppasit, JUST B's GeonU and JM and Kim KyoungSeok. Split up into 12 episodes, "Love Is Like A Cat" follows renowned Thai star, Piuno (Mew Suppasit) and his meeting with a dog daycare director, Lee DaeByeol (JM). Piuno starts off cold and distant, but eventually something special blossoms between Lee DaeByeol that changes the two for the better.

"Love Is Like A Cat" is a comforting BL series that will pluck on your heartstrings, making it easy to become completely vulnerable and soft. It has officially reached its halfway point, transforming into the highlight of many people's week. With six episodes left, it seems like the perfect time to do a mid-series evaluation and see if the highly anticipated BL series is living up to expectations.

 

Pre-Release Expectations

News of the BL series first broke out in 2022. At this time, both JM and GeonU were still considered rookies and Mew Suppasit already had an established career as an actor. While their casting came as a surprise, netizens still voiced their excitement for the upcoming BL series. They took to social media sites, forums like Reddit, and various comment sections to express their thoughts on the announcement.

Afterwards, however, "Love Is Like A Cat" would stay in post-production for a while. They would take this time to polish up the various scenes and edit it in a way that the staff, cast, and fans could be proud of. While there were some wonderings on when exactly the BL series would release, production company, Hanyang Studio, kept fans fed through the reveal of an official trailer. Uploaded onto their official YouTube channel, the short glimpse of the BL made audiences' hearts race and expectations continued to grow higher than before.

Despite having to wait a few more months, fans were extremely patient, confident that "Love Is Like A Cat" would premiere sooner rather than later. With a glimpse of the two main couple's fantastic chemistry and Mew Suppasit's talent in acting and experience in BL, netizen sentiment towards the BL series was quite positive and would continue to remain this way for weeks to come.

 

Official Announcement And Premiere

At the beginning of this year in 2024, Hanyang Studio released new promotional posters for the drama, raising excitement even further. Seeing this, we at Kpopmap saw it as a sign that "Love Is Like A Cat" would finally be making its highly anticipated premiere, prompting us to put together an article on why fans should get excited for the BL series. The tweet of the article itself brought in a total of 676 likes, 862 retweets, and 20 replies, representing the arduous support from fans across the globe.

3 Reasons To Get Excited For BL Drama "Love Is Like A Cat"https://t.co/KHlKBokXDl#LoveIsLikeACat #MewSuppasit #JUSTB #JM #BL

— Kpopmap (@Kpopmap) January 11, 2024

And once the official release date was announced for April 1st, support couldn't stop flowing in. The drama was set to be made available through Rakuten Viki, Heavenly, and GagaOOLala, leaving audiences with a variety of different streaming options to choose from. To many, it seemed like a dream come true to have something tangible and set in stone. And as the Korean BL scene had yet to go into full swing, it was something to look forward to for the entire community.

 

Current Netizen Response

The moment the first episodes started to roll, viewers quickly began sharing their thoughts on the drama. According to Google Trends, interest in "Love Is Like A Cat" over time remained afloat throughout the year, despite nothing official being announced or shared with the public. Then, in the week of March 31st to April 6th, interest reached a record high for the BL drama. This makes complete sense due to the fact that netizens were patiently waiting for its release. And while it had a small dip, there were many people still showing "Love Is Like A Cat" immense love and interest. This is important to note as despite only being released two years after its filming, the BL community has still chosen to avidly follow the series, excited to see how the story unfolds.

Currently, as of April 17th at 1:30PM KST, netizens continue to show a positive reaction towards the BL drama. This warm response only seems to grow as the drama moves forward, increasing week by week. As it stands, 96.4% of netizens look upon "Love Is Like A Cat" favorably and hope to stay with the series until the very end.

In correspondence to this, the more the BL series is mentioned, the bigger and wider its reach has become. With a reach of over 2 million, it's no wonder why so many individuals have been raving about the web series. As clips of the drama circulate throughout social media, more people gradually come to know the beauty of "Love Is Like A Cat" and the heartwarming story it tells. The BL community is understandably hooked, and while there are some criticisms, the chemistry and plot convince its viewers to remain.

 

The Verdict

There was an enormous amount of hype coming into the series, mainly in part due to Mew Suppasit's fame and experience as an actor. However, looking across at his acting partner, JUST B's JM, along with GeonU and Kim KyoungSeok rounding out the cast, despite the episodes' short runtime of 15 minutes, netizens are more than happy with the way its turned out. At its halfway mark, "Love Is Like A Cat" is doing a good job, and while it does have areas where it falls short, audiences remain hopeful that these faults will be rectified by the drama's end.

The verdict: "Love Is Like A Cat" should absolutely be on your watchlist, whether you follow along as the episodes are released, or decide to binge it all at once the moment it's done. The fact remains that you definitely should not miss out on this wonderful gem of a series.

We're excited to see how the rest of "Love Is Like A Cat" plays out. What are your thoughts on the BL series?