K-pop idols plus metaverse plus audition program equals 'Girl's Re:verse'

Television

Published: 28 Feb. 2023, 18:36

K-pop idols plus metaverse plus audition program equals 'Girl's Re:verse'

"Girl's Re:verse," an online metaverse K-pop girl group audition show produced by Kakao Entertainment [KAKAO ENTERTAINMENT]

If you mix the three of the hottest, yet largely unrelated, ideas together into one entertainment show, will it work?

It did for Kakao Entertainment’s metaverse K-pop idol audition program “Girl's Re:verse.”

The virtual girl group audition program started with 30 members of existing girl groups, referred to as “Girl X,” who came together in the virtual world named "W" and competed in different missions with nicknames, hidden behind 3-D characters, referred to as “Girl V.”

The initially bizarre concept, however, has been gaining traction all over the world, with its episodes being viewed over a million times on YouTube. The show is available only on YouTube and Kakao Page, the entertainment content app developed by Kakao Entertainment.

Having aired 11 episodes since Jan. 2, the show now has 10 contestants fighting for a spot in the five-member girl group: Muneo, Jipsunhui, Seoritae, Ruby, Rien, Sera, Rose, Keuang, Kimserena and Zzaru.

The last episode will be released Monday, in which the show's finalists will be announced.

Producers of Kakao Entertainment's online metaverse K-pop audition program ″Girl's Re:verse″ Son Su-jung, left, and Cho Yoo-jun [KAKAO ENTERTAINMENT]

“There are so many talented idols out there, and we wanted to find a way to show who they are in a way they’ve never been able to before,” said producer son Su-jung in an online interview with the local press on Tuesday.

“We knew that the idea would come across as awkward at first, but we were also hopeful that, just as we overcame our own awkwardness as time went on, the audience could too. In a way, we knew that it could be unlikable for some people, but it would still be interesting."

The contestants on “Girl’s Re:verse” took part in the show virtually, each time putting on virtual reality (VR) gear within isolated cubicles at Kakao Entertainment’s studio. Each time they entered and left the shoot, they were guided by staff at different times, covering their faces, so that their identity would not be disclosed to their competition.

But, being the tight-knit industry it is, some contestants already have an idea of who each other are but only give hints at their identities by saying things like “You were in this TV show, right?” or “I never knew you were like this in the past.”

“One of the most interesting things to watch was that when the staff and all the contestants got together for an after party [after finishing filming the final episode], they did not treat each other in the strict hierarchical manner they would have in other circumstances and just called each other by their nicknames,” said Cho Joo-yun, co-producer of the show.

Scenes from "Girl's Re:verse," an online metaverse K-pop girl group audition show produced by Kakao Entertainment [KAKAO ENTERTAINMENT]

Making a show in the metaverse took more time, money and effort than the producers first anticipated. While in real life, shows can start shooting with the cameramen, on-site staff and the stars, “Girl’s Re:verse” had to prepare separate camera, metaverse and VR staff, leading to almost double the workforce, according to Cho.

“We shot for six hours for the first episode,” said Cho. “Because there is no ‘main’ scene or camera in the metaverse, we had to listen to all 30 contestants’ voice files — which totals at 180 hours — and then figure out which we could use and which we couldn’t."

“We endured at least one technical glitch every week,” Son added. “The things we could have caught in real life were not visible in the virtual world, and that led to situations where we had to stop shooting, like when someone was feeling sick.”

Being the unorthodox show it is, “Girl’s Re:verse” has had its share of woes, especially with copyright issues regarding the 3-D characters.

The show was initially scheduled to run starting Nov. 28 but had to postpone the date because the company failed to clear out copyright fees with the original sellers of 3-D characters. The contestants took part in making and decorating their own characters, which were not made by Kakao Entertainment from scratch but bought from a website where character makers sell their works.

“We were aware of the copyright issues, but we weren’t prepared enough, and we apologize again for the setback,” Son said. “But we figured out the fee problem with every single creator and promise to double and triple check in the future.”

A webtoon series of "Girl's Re:verse" based on the same online show produced by Kakao Entertainment [KAKAO ENTERTAINMENT]

Another controversial element was that due to the anonymity given to the contestants, many did not shy away from using vulgar language when speaking to each other — a stark contrast to the well-refined and limited range of characters they would have showed on television.

In the first episode, for instance, Muneo held up her middle finger. Kimserena suddenly ran to the end of the set when she was given a low ranking, and Barim swore while playing a game.

The real-life names of Muneo and Kimserena have not been revealed, but Barim was revealed to be singer-and-rapper Nada. Identities of the competitors are revealed as they are eliminated, and include Haeyun from Cherry Bullet, former I.O.I member Lim Na-young and Loha and Aurora from Nature.

“Even in other metaverse shows, idols act a little,” Son said. “But in our show, they really let go and show their honest side. That's probably because they took part while wearing VR gadgets that really allowed them to be immersed in the new world. At the end of the day, they were able to transcend the restrictions of the real world.”

The next steps for the final group of “Girl’s Re:verse” have not been released yet.

A webtoon series based on the behind-the-scenes from the show also began on Kakao Page under the titled “Girl’s Re:verse Behind” on Feb. 6, with a new episode uploaded every Sunday at midnight.

“We have not decided yet whether we will reveal the identities of the five final members,” Son said. “We are so grateful for the welcoming reaction we’ve got from the audience and hope people will follow not only the final group from ‘Girl’s Re:verse’ but also the others that took part in the show.”

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]