Kerotan

Considering that apparently the Forbes Korea list showing them as the #2 money-making girl group of 2013 was actually true (Oniontaker seems to think it's legitimate), I'd say their re-debut and all of 2013 was a great success in terms of money, which I think is pretty important in most businesses.

Apparently it was ranked number #5 on the Gaon Monthly chart with 26,080 copies sold. To put it in perspective, the last girl group with comparable sales this year (as far as I know) was 4Minute's "Name is 4Minute" with 10,847 copies sold last month (and not counting Girls Generation - "2011 Girls' Generation Tour" with 21,607). Most other girl groups don't reach 10,000 sold the first month. So a decline, but definitely a hit, no matter how you look at it, or what you compare it to, unless you think only SNSD level sales qualify as a "hit".

@FreakyFlyBri: I was going to post something, then I realized you pretty much made my points already. Spot on post, especially the part about no one in the US caring about the scandal lmao edit: For anyone curious, the physical mini-album on Hanteo debuted at number 2 with about 3500 sold, then rose to number 1 the next day. Apparently, the Gaon numbers are always bigger (total physical album sales for May should be revealed early next month). So even if it sells half of Mirage and ends up with about 20k in physical sales, that's not a bomb. It's less than what they used to achieve, but I feel everyone and their dog figured this would happen, even if they hoped otherwise. So that, coupled with their recent TV appearances (which all finished without any significant backlash), upcoming TV gigs, and even Boram in a new CF, even if it's all tiny compared to what they used to have, it's pretty much a certainty that CCM won't view this comeback as a failure, regardless of the opinions of fans and antis.

Thanks so much for the translations! I'm glad us fans got to hear all this. It was obvious to many what happened (fight, venting on Twitter). But of course the tweets themselves are alone damaging enough, simply because it was poor behavior, as they admitted. And I imagine all the immature young people using them as scapegoats for the "bullying" they've felt in their own lives (not to mention the freaks who wish them harm) will shut their ears and believe what they want. Wow, but it sure is great to see them on so many tv shows again, more proof that even most of the adults in the Kpop industry knew the whole scandal had no real credibility.

Wow, I remember seeing reruns of that show a long time ago. This is a great idea, that show was so popular, many people from older generations will definitely be curious to see them again. Can't wait to see the full video, it'll be great for the fans who've been waiting all this time. And I'm sure the reactions of the netizens who wanted them to go on "hiatus" or disband will give me something to laugh about.

Yeah, it really is a reason to celebrate! Some Queen's (including myself) were concerned fans would be upset with 10 different versions, since most of their previous singles had 3 versions, but obviously it worked and it shows how devoted their Japanese fans are. (I wonder if anyone else will try this 10 version strategy, I almost hope not for the sake of all Queen's wallets! xD)

Wow, likely part of the reason it's selling so well is because it's an original song and not a remake. I hope they continue that, because these are huge sales no matter how you look at it! So I guess they knew what they were doing with the 10 different versions!

Wow, I call that a successful promotion! It looks like they got tons of fans and people who were just curious about them to attend, which is a great way to expand their fan base. I hope it has great sales just like their last single!

That strange purple thing in the top pic is staring at her in awe lol. XD Great set of pictures, so happy to see her on tv like this!

You're right, I meant her MC gig, I just tend to call everything a "show". I edited what I wrote for clarity, thanks for pointing it out. Sorry for any confusion!

MBC Show Champion will be on tonight (I'm not sure of the time yet), but I don't think I can post links here, so I sent you a PM. Also, MBC has an official Youtube channel where they upload shows including Show Champion, it's "MBCkpop".The link I sent might not work (they keep getting removed), but if you keep checking the shoutbox today, usually someone will post where to watch it streaming live. Jiyeon's MC appearance will be in March, I hope we can watch that, too!

I applaud MBC for having the guts to add Eunjung, it's about time! With Jiyeon's upcoming MC gig, it looks like we'll be seeing a lot more T-ara on the television this year than I expected (still hoping Eunjung gets that movie/CF deal lol).

Great news! 10 versions is excessive, but I imagine they have plenty of Japanese fans willing to buy them all, if Sexy Love was any indication. March feels so far away lol...

Well, the netizens already tried something similar to this with Areum, and nobody cared. It's girls gossiping about looks and clothing. I know this is more sensitive since Soyeon is the target now, but this is not really "controversial" and not even close to "bullying". Netizens won't be able to prove who she's talking about either (though I'm sure they'll desperately try to make something up). I doubt this will be a big issue, just like the pachinko thing that nobody even remembers now. (And the first thing I thought of when I saw the headline was Boram's "Stitch" doll from Lilo and Stitch lol)

Did KBS even say they offered? I thought they only said she was being "considered". xP This isn't that surprising, but it's funny, they all say they would like to hire T-ara, but don't actually have the guts to go through with it. xD Who knows how many shows these stations had planned for them before the controversy. I'll bet the producers are all waiting to see who will be the first to just go ahead and hire one of them. I'm glad they said good things about her (which never would have happened a few months ago), but still, it's obviously wrong to use her name for publicity if they weren't even considering her.