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| yna@yna.co.kr 2023-02-06 10:17:25
SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Yonhap) - #1. When a man who entered the movie theater took off his thick jacket before sitting down, the audience's attention was focused on one place. The number '11' is written large on the back of the red basketball vest over the hoodie. This is Kang Baek-ho's back number in "Slam Dunk" that anyone who spent his school days in the 90s will think of.
#2. In December last year, colorful signs were erected on the road in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, where trendy restaurants and cafes are concentrated. NCT DREAM's new album "Candy" promotion store. The album is a remake of the H.O.T. mega hit released in 1996. Teenage fans, who lined up in a long line in the cold wave, were delighted to see the photos of NCT Dream members wearing bright primary color clothes and fur hats.
Recently, records and films with the concept of retro have been steadily gaining popularity not only in the movie industry, but also in the music industry and broadcasters, where the animation "The First Slam Dunk" has continued to be popular.
According to the movie, broadcasting, and music industries on Sunday, 'The First Slam Dunk', which was released on the 4th of last month, has recently surpassed 2 million cumulative audiences. More than 600,000 copies of "Slam Dunk" comic books have also been sold since the release of the movie, and the time of watching "Slam Dunk" TV animation has also increased significantly on various online video services (OTTs) such as Netflix.
It is said that it aimed fans in their 30s and 40s who watched the sensational cartoon "Slam Dunk" in the 1990s during their childhood. Seven out of 10 audiences are in their 30s and 40s. Unlike when they were young, those in their 30s and 40s, who have purchasing power, also increased sales of overall basketball products, and even derivatives such as "Slam Dunk" limited edition LP and "Slam Dunk Wine" came out.
In the movie industry, news of the re-release of past hit films continues. Director James Cameron's "Titanic" will return to the remastered version to mark the 25th anniversary of its release, and the theater version of the TV animation "Baby Dinosaur Dooly" will also be screened in theaters again in May.
The retro wind is blowing in the music industry, too. It is targeting not only the 30s and 40s but also the MZ generation's taste in the albums that melted the so-called "Y2K" sentiment of the 1990s and 2000s.
NewJeans, a girl group with a retro concept, made a sensation by selling 310,000 copies of its debut album "New Jeans" in the first week of its release. It is the highest sales record in the first week of release among girl group debut albums ever.
While girl groups have recently emphasized “girl crush” with strong high notes or beats, NewJeans has tried to differentiate itself with lyrics and melodies that are easy to sing along with. Some say that stage costumes and music videos are also reminiscent of the girl group S.E.S., which dominated the 1990s, emphasizing the refreshing feeling of teenage girls.
In December last year, the group NCT DREAM released an album remaking the original idol H.O.T’s “Candy” (1996) and reached the top of the music chart, ranking first on the music site Melon’s “Top 100.” The album promotion stores set up by the agency in Seonsu-dong, Hongdae, and Yeonhui-dong attracted more than 3,000 fans on the first day through the fierce cold wave.
“Candy” is a hit song that caused syndrome with fresh lyrics and witty choreography, and NCT DREAMS’s remake is said to have evoked nostalgia for the 30s and 40s who remember the original song and showed a new charm with a retro atmosphere for teenage fans.
In addition to idol groups, songs by Younha, Tei, and Sung Si Kyung, who debuted in the early 2000s, are drawing attention as they are ranked at the top of the music charts. Younha's "Event Horizon" swept the top of the music charts half a year after its release, and Tei's song of the same name, which remade the band Buzz's hit song "Monologue," also reached the top 10.
Drama set before the 2000s, when family love was strong and interaction with neighbors was active, is steadily loved in the broadcasting community.
The tvN drama "Reply" series became a hot topic for those who spent those days, and last year's "Twenty Five Twenty One" was loved as it depicts the growth of young people in the late 1990s when the IMF financial crisis hit. This year, KBS TV will also air "Run Into You," which depicts the beautiful time travel of man and woman trapped in 1987.
There are also dramas based on dramas or cartoons that were very popular in the past.
There are also dramas based on dramas or cartoons that were very popular in the past. MBC TV presents the prequel "Chief Investigator 1963" of "Chief Investigator” (1971-1989), which is considered the beginning TV series featuring crime investigation. It depicts the youth of Park Han-young, who was played by Choi Bul-am in the 1860s, 10 years earlier than the original., "Oh! Youngshimee,” which depicts Oh Young-sim and Wang Kyung-tae, the main characters of the memorable cartoon film Young-sim in their 30s, is also to be aired. The channel has not yet been confirmed.
Experts say that this desire to restore popular culture does not succeed simply by appealing to the memories of people in their 30s and 40s.
Jung Deok-hyun, a pop culture critic, said, "The retro trend is not only consumed by the generation that has experienced the time, but can be consumed widely when the current generation accepts it anew," adding, "The so-called 'Newtro' (New Retro) should have the older generation as a fixed fan base and bring younger generation. In order to do that, basically, the content must be good," he said.
However, some point out that the method of recycling past contents cannot be viewed only positively.
Hwang Jin-mi, a pop culture critic, said, "Recycling already verified works at the overall level of the content market is a lazy project in the sense of not creating new things," adding, "We can enjoy the fond memories of the past and take them well, but we also have to think about critical points."
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Yunhee Cho.)
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