Japanese fans to raise 5 million yen for newspaper ad

[rockerista03.livejournal.com]

TVXQ/DBSK supporters in the motherland and overseas have been riveted by the SME lawsuit for the past few months, and it looks like a certain group of international fans is really stepping up their game.

Five Balloons, a group of Japanese TVXQ supporters, recently created the TVXQ Smile Project, in which members donated money to put an advertisement in a daily Korean newspaper. Its monetary goal for Christmas? A whopping five million yen, which is approximately 64,400,000 won, $54,700 USD, or the price of a pretty nice sports car. I never realized how astronomically high newspaper ad rates were... and why fans would devote so much money to a boy group instead of a charity or something is beyond me, but that's besides the point.

The ad is expected to include the words 'TVXQ Smile Project,' a message about TVXQ's entity as a group only complete with five members, and a promise to forever love TVXQ and wait for them to sincerely smile.

As of yesterday, over four hundred participants collectively donated 1,764,000 yen (approx 22,700,000 won or $19,400 USD). Since this doesn't meet the initial December 25 goal, the members plan to extend the period of donation collections and purchase the ad in mid-January.

2009 is widely known as the Year of the Girl Groups, but it might as well be called the Year of the Fans instead. From forming petitions to changing drama plots, from kicking an idol out of the country to a creating a global movement to bring the same person back, it's become clear that fan support has definitely evolved and rocked the kpop world in many ways.

Source: allkpop

Comments

[tribuo-venerati.livejournal.com]

DBSK fans... (-__-);;

They should devote that money to another village (like the Xiah Junsu village), lol

[tribblenuu.livejournal.com]

LOL comment twins!XDD

[tribuo-venerati.livejournal.com]

How about a YooJaeJunChangho village?

[tribblenuu.livejournal.com]

It must be those rich Japanese ahjummas...

*shaking head*
This is a bit... too much. As much as I love those Dong Bang dorks, I think the members will get the message if the fans just donate the money to another village somewhere and name it under something about TVXQ.:/ This is a giant waste of money, tbh.

[-ochre.livejournal.com]

and why fans would devote so much money to a boy group instead of a charity or something is beyond me, but that's besides the point.

I resent that. The DBSK fans always do stuff for charity.

[rockerista03.livejournal.com]

I agree. I think DBSK and SNSD have the fans that always do stuff for charity.

[xox-roxygurl.livejournal.com]

mte

[rockerista03.livejournal.com]

OT but is that TVXQ in a box?

[xox-roxygurl.livejournal.com]

hehe yup :D the best present i could ever have ^__^

[rockerista03.livejournal.com]

I'D WANT TVXQ IN A BOX TOO PLZ. lol. Or, you know, these people plus a lot more, lol.

[billisamidget.livejournal.com]

IKR? Cassies are really generous; and I'm happy that Cassiopeia and Big East are organized, even if this project seems trivial to some people. That organization will come in handy if TVXQ ever tries to do something really difficult and form their own label.

[xthekimster.livejournal.com]

what a waste of money....that money could be put to better use

[xthekimster.livejournal.com]

i'm not telling people what to do with it.... i'm just saying that in the wider perspective of things, that money could really benefit something greater.

[childishgrin.livejournal.com]

Maybe, but the TVXQ fans are among the most generous when it comes to charity already though.

[glider.livejournal.com]

Man, donate to AIDS research or something.

[pyro-o.livejournal.com]

forming petitions to changing drama plots, from kicking an idol out of the country to a creating a global movement to bring the same person back


well, if you put it that way.. XDD

[czarny.livejournal.com]

........................................................................

[samloves.livejournal.com]

Well wow.

[mistygirl-os.livejournal.com]

but it might as well be called the Year of the Fans instead

Yup.. sure it is

[fuuism.livejournal.com]

Really going all out. For that price they'll probably be able to pay for a full page color ad (maybe two pages) in a national newspaper.

[yumenii.livejournal.com]

Cassies always do stuff for charity (Xiah village, anyone?), why now that they do something for the boys everyone goes ~oh they're so seflish~. Hm. Not really?

[wrongbyright.livejournal.com]

I get the criticism, but it's not like Cassies haven't done far more charitable stuff previously. *shrugs* Newspaper ads are pretty normal for fan everywhere anyway.

[katzsong.livejournal.com]

ikr. Why is it so expensive? Instead of criticizing the fans, I more likely to question the expensive ad. Maybe the Korean newspaper is taking advantage of the foreign fans?

[doovlynsidhe.livejournal.com]

why fans would devote so much money to a boy group instead of a charity or something is beyond me, but that's besides the point.

It's getting to be a little annoying how people are so hypercritical of the Cassies. From what I've seen both Big East and the Cassie's do a TON of charity work in DBSK/THSK name.

If they want to raise money to support the group - more power to them! Back of a little people. :|

[curls975.livejournal.com]

DDDDD:

so much money
















/is poor *cries*

[rinn1e.livejournal.com]

LOL. everyone is saying they should use that money for something else. When you have that much money, I'd like to see you donate them to where it is that you told them to donate.

[xenobia4.livejournal.com]

Why such harsh critism for fans doing something to support their idols? It is their money. And think how many people donated. It's not like it was just 5 people - we're talking thousands, people.

I best 90% of you all don't donate to charities, but spend money on CDs and whatnot. Why not donate THAT money? Back off and leave Cassis alone.

[to-the-wick.livejournal.com]

I'd be less "wow that's pretty wasteful of all that money" if a newspaper ad actually, y'know, did something useful other than get printed for a day. Then again I'm sure it's the only way to actually get a message to the band in the first place, considering I don't exactly trust SM to deliver any fan mail (even after going through it to make sure it isn't creepy stalker or anti-fan crazy).

WATCH OUT--IM NOT THINKING LOGICALLY

[hyperstreak.livejournal.com]

You know, as strange as what the fans are doing, it's really understandable. If they are passionate about that then so be it. Charity is nice but (yeah I know i know that's lots of money they are spending) going this far might, just might, help something and/or at least let the boys know someone is looking out for them.

Don't brick me for this--I'm not thinking logically. I would not spend that kind of money--but then again who knows. If I had all the money in the world, Id buy out theirs and Hankyung's contract so they can be free.

Anyways...Jaejoong has been my muse for almost 5 years and I really would like to see him smile genuinely AND Changmin also (okay all of them but I have my biases)

Yes I'm rambling.

Sorry. I need some liqour.

I'll drink a toast to my boys--that wont cost money. I'll dedicate my drunkenness to them.

Okay. Ill stop now.

Merry Christmas everyone.

[velcro-undies.livejournal.com]

For a real translation without the allkpop idiocy, go here: http://community.livejournal.com/tohosomnia/122642.html. Seriously, almost everything akp translates has been previously translated by someone else who does a better job, doesn't add shit, and doesn't leave shit out.

A few days ago Max Matsuura's blog contained a warning to fans about someone soliciting money in TVXQ's names. http://community.livejournal.com/tohosomnia/120655.html

Then a day or two later, this story showed up in DongAh. So I'm guessing the donations took a hit because of Avex's warning, and the fans contacted the Korean newspaper to try to undo the damage and get more money. (Avex could have been talking about something totally different, of course.)

The newspaper ad thing has become stupid. Once it gets done on a regular basis (as it's becoming now), it won't be effective, if it ever was.