Lifestyle

Here’s your K-pop Starter Pack

In case you want to get into Korean Pop Music

Published

December 3, 2018

Koy Mapolon

The last few years have seen the rise of K-pop in the world outside of Asia, and with really cool bops and tracks, we’re not too surprised. There’s more to it though than the music, and we decided to put together a starter pack of sorts to get you acquainted with the world of K-pop.

K-pop terms

To start you off, let’s go over some terms that you’ll probably encounter more than once as you find your way around

Idol — what you call K-pop artists/stars
Aegyo — what you call idols who act cute (i.e., baby voice, facial expressions, gestures)
Bias — this is your favorite member in a group
Maknae — this is the youngest member of a group, usually seen as the innocent, playful, and sweet type
Sub-Unit — these are units of select members from one or more groups that come together and make music; members of sub-units still promote with their group, but are able to do something outside of them
Comeback — when an idol or group releases a new track, it’s called a comeback and usually starts a train of show appearances, live performances, and fan interactions

Fan Chants and Light Sticks

The K-pop culture is unique and interesting in that it has some specific interactive aspects when it comes to live performances: Light Sticks and Fan Chants.

Idols and groups have their own light sticks, and fans bring them to performances and wave them in the air to show support for their biases. There are times when light sticks are programmable to sync to the songs, essentially integrating the audience to the concert itself, and they make for really good souvenirs and symbols of people’s fandom.

Fan Chants are sections of songs that are yelled by the audience, again integrating them more into the show. Some fan chants are lyrics of the songs yelled alongside the idols, and others are separate sets of words and phrases during instrumental parts or dance breaks. As an example, here are the fan chants to Twice’s latest release, “Yes or Yes”:

Music Shows

Part of K-pop debut/comeback promotions is the music show performances. Each TV station has its own music show wherein idols and groups have live performances and give out awards on a weekly basis. Examples include SBS Inkigayo, MNet M!Countdown, and KBS Music Bank. The performances are also available on their YouTube channels to watch whenever and wherever you want to.

Variety Shows

Another part of K-pop promotions are the variety shows. These give the idols opportunities to show who they are while playing games and having fun in different ways. Like with the music shows, you can find segments on YouTube, and they’re really entertaining.

An example is the popular show called Knowing Brothers (Men in a Mission on Netflix). The concept is a classroom with the students being showbiz veterans, and different celebrity guests come in as transfers. Everyone talks casually, without honorifics, and overall leaves everyone laughing their butts off.

Two other popular shows are Weekly Idol and Idol Room. These shows are kind of like talk shows, but the idols play games and do challenges, as well. With variety shows, you can tell that everyone on set is having fun, and I think that simply adds even more to the amusement of the audience.

V Live

In K-pop, fan interaction is a big thing. They have events like fan meets, fan signs, and something called “hi touches” (you literally high five all members of a group), but they’re also accessible online — an example being the app called V Live. This is a platform where idols can livestream and post videos, kind of like Twitch but for K-pop.

Idols have their own channels, and you can communicate with your favorites through the chat during their broadcasts. You can also subscribe to their CHANNEL+ or VLIVE+ and get access to exclusive content for a monthly fee. This is a really cool way to stay updated with your biases in a more laid back and personal kind of way.

Now that you’re somewhat familiar with the K-pop world, let’s get you some stuff to jam to. Here’s a playlist on Spotify called K-pop Starter Pack with some tracks to listen to as a start. It includes some of the best tracks out there, and it covers different genres so you can get a good feel of it all. Just click shuffle and start your journey!

Entertainment

Prime Video unveils Philippine slate: More originals, licensed titles

1st ever local slate announcement graced by stars

Published

April 16, 2026

Manila Connoisseur

Prime Video unveiled seven Filipino Prime Original series and more licensed and exclusive content to look forward to during the streaming platform’s first-ever local slate announcement in the market.

Additional titles are likewise coming to Prime Video — including new Korean shows — as well as the live broadcast of the NBA Playoffs and Finals 2026.

The launch event was graced by some of Philippine showbiz’s best stars, like Jericho Rosales, Marian Rivera, Sharon Cuneta, Barbie Forteza, Kim Chiu, Joshua Garcia, Angelica Panganiban, Zanjoe Marudo, Ivana Alawi, Janine Gutierrez, and more.

The lineup marks a significant expansion of Prime Video’s investment in the Philippines. This includes collaborations with network giants ABS-CBN and GMA, for premium storytelling that spans drama, politics, suspense, romance, crime, and comedy.

Part of the slate available on Prime Video are:

Linlang
Saving Grace
The Silent Noise
Love Is Never Gone
The Loyalty Game
Honor Thy Mother
Kopino
Behind Closed Doors

A new season of Last One Laughing Philippines, featuring Vice Ganda, will also be available soon.

Meanwhile, these exclusive licensed Filipino films are joining the lineup:

Samahan ng mga Makasalanan
Gabi ng Lagim
Bayaniverse trilogy: Quezon, Heneral Luna, Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral
Bar Boys: After School
Open Endings

Global hits, K-dramas, and anime titles available or soon to be on the streaming platform include:

The Boys
Fallout
The Summer I Turned Pretty
GOOD BOY
Marry My Husband
A Love Other Than Yours
Final Table
Nine to Six
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
Demon Slayer

Viewers can avail of a Prime Video subscription for as low as just PhP 149/month — a great value given all the local and foreign content available to stream on the platform.

Entertainment

Godzilla Minus Zero trailer teases the kaiju’s arrival in New York

The movie premieres in November.

Published

April 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Godzilla Minus One was one of my favorite movies in 2023. Only the second live-action Godzilla in the ongoing Reiwa era, Minus One reintroduced the Japanese version of the legendary kaiju to contrast the blockbuster approach of the American Legendary Pictures franchise. Now, the award-winning movie is getting a sequel: Godzilla Minus Zero.

Set as a direct sequel to the 2023 film, Godzilla Minus Zero takes place in 1949, a few years after the events of the past movie. As the end of the last film portends, the eponymous monster survives the catastrophic attack against it. But as to how it survived and what it’s targeting next, we’ll just have to wait and see.

In a newly released teaser trailer, Minus Zero will once again feature the return of the previous film’s Koichi and Noriko. The latter of which is still sporting the scars of surviving Godzilla’s attack on Ginza. Koichi, however, finds himself back in the cockpit of a fighter plane to unknown purposes.

That’s not all. Godzilla is apparently ditching the Pacific Ocean for the Atlantic. In a brief scene that will surely become iconic as time goes by, the kaiju traipses gingerly but menacingly past the Statue of Liberty.

Thankfully, it’s not a long wait before we find out what the world’s favorite kaiju is up to this time. Godzilla Minus Zero will premiere in Japanese cinemas on November 3 and American cinemas on November 6.

Entertainment

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse gets first stills ahead of 2027 release

Miles races against time

Published

April 14, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

April 2026 new stills | Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse

All Images C/O: "Columbia Pictures"

Sony Pictures Animation has released new stills for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. It offers an early look at the highly anticipated conclusion to its Spider-Verse trilogy. The film is set to arrive in Philippine cinemas in 2027.

Miles Morales returns for the final chapter of Sony’s Oscar-winning animated saga, following the events of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. This time, he finds himself hunted by Miguel O’Hara and the Spider Society. This forces him to navigate the farthest reaches of the multiverse to find a way home.

Written by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and David Callaham, the film centers on a race against time. Miles must save not just his family, but the fragile balance of the Spider-Verse itself.

Closing out the Spider-Verse trilogy

The Spider-Verse series began with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which introduced audiences to a multiverse of Spider-People and redefined animated superhero storytelling with its bold visual style. It went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Its sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, expanded that concept further, introducing the Spider Society—a vast network of Spider-heroes led by Miguel O’Hara—and ending on a cliffhanger that set up Miles’ most personal and high-stakes journey yet.

A multiverse under pressure

In Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, Miles is pushed into the darkest corners of the multiverse. Betrayed by allies and pursued across dimensions, he must confront what it means to be Spider-Man while trying to hold together the people and realities he cares about most.

The film delivers the emotional and narrative payoff to a trilogy that blends coming-of-age storytelling with multiversal stakes—closing out Miles Morales’ arc in what Sony Pictures Animation promises is its most ambitious chapter yet.

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse opens in Philippine cinemas in 2027.