Akiba-kei

Akiba-kei (秋葉系) or Akiba-chan (アキバちゃん) is a Japanese slang term for Akihabara style. Akihabara is a district in Chiyoda, Tokyo where many otaku, or obsessive anime, manga, and video game fans gather.

Definition

Akiba-kei is a Japanese slang term meaning "Akihabara style". It dates back to the early 80s and refers to a subset of otaku who spend much of their time in and around the Akihabara area of Tokyo and are known for their strong interest in "fantasy worlds...anime, manga, maids, idols, and games". Akiba-kei have also been characterized as being "interested in ruminating about domestic items and creating fan works based on these existing elements."

Location

The Akihabara area in central Tokyo is well known as a marketplace of cutting edge technology. In recent years, it has developed strong ties to the Japanese gaming industry, as well as to anime and manga publishers. These ties are one reason why Akiba-kei culture has expanded outside its geographic area, to manifest on the Internet in the form of websites.

Sonyeoniyeo

"A Boy" (Korean: 소년이여, Sonyeoniyeo) is a song recorded by the South Korean singer G-Dragon. It was released as the fourth and final single from his debut album Heartbreaker. G-Dragon stated that the song was released as an answer to the plagiarism controversy that surrounded his singles "Heartbreaker" and "Butterfly" when several people were telling him to quit singing, with G-Dragon answering that he "will not quit."

Information

Although the end of G-Dragon's single "Breathe" included a teaser of "A Boy"'s music video, the single was not released as the following single. Instead, G-Dragon released the song "Butterfly." A couple of weeks after the release of "Butterfly," "Soneoniya" was officially confirmed and released as the fourth and final promotional single for the album. G-Dragon stated that the song's lyrics, which was written by the artist solely, are about the thoughts and struggles he went through as a young boy when he became YG trainee at the age of 13.

Track listing

I Got a Boy

I Got a Boy is the fourth Korean studio album (sixth overall) by South Korean girl group Girls' Generation. It was released on January 1, 2013, by S.M. Entertainment. According to Billboard, the album contains "polished K-pop confections" that combines many different musical elements such as 1980s new wave, electronic dance music, and modern R&B, that would appeal to not just K-Pop fans but also other listeners of popular music as well.

Promotion

Release

This album is really different from our usual ones. It’s like challenging a person’s limits. I’m looking forward to what the fans will think, and because it’s still a secret amongst us, I just feel nervous.

After the group's label S.M. Entertainment revealed the group intended to return in January 2013, MBC announced on December 11, 2012, that the group would be receiving a separate broadcast depicting the album process in preparation of the album's release in January 2013.

The single track, "Dancing Queen", was released on December 21, 2012. The title track, "I Got a Boy", was released digitally on January 1, 2013. The full album was released on January 2, 2013.

I Got a Boy (song)

"I Got a Boy" is a song by South Korean girl group Girls' Generation. It was released on January 1, 2013 by S.M. Entertainment and KT Music as the second single from their fourth Korean album, I Got a Boy (2013). The song was produced by the group's long-time collaborator, Yoo Young-jin, and Will Simms. The track is described as a mix of various genres, from bubblegum pop, dance, electropop to hard rock, minimal drum and bass, and dubstep.

Upon release, the single received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who praised its eclectic sound. "I Got a Boy" also became a commercial success, peaking atop the South Korean Gaon Singles Chart and the Billboard's Korea K-Pop Hot 100. The single became the fourth best-selling K-pop single of 2013 in the United States.

A music video for the song was filmed in October 2012. The visual features hip hop-inspired choreography handled by renowned American choreographers, Nappytabs. The video became an instant success on YouTube, gaining over 10 million views within 55 hours. At the first YouTube Music Awards in 2013, "I Got a Boy" won the award for Video of the Year.