While Kpop gen4 acts have taken people from one surprise to another, one thing everyone
didn’t expect to see was how experimental and diverse their lightsticks can become.
IVE - Have Bong
Being one of the top girl groups of Kpop with every single track released quickly to top
famous music charts in South Korea, IVE has established themselves an image whose concept
is all about trendy, popular girls of the new era and whose music is ear-worm, addictive
and luxurious.
That’s why when Starship Entertainment announced that they would soon release the lightsticks
for IVE’s fandom, DIVE, everyone was super excited to see a design that is as posh and
fashionable as the girls' image.
However, as high expectations are more likely to lead to great disappointment, which is
unfortunately what happened in the case of IVE when it came to their lightstick, many
fans have asked Starship to let them recreate the design as it looked too basic and boring.
In fact, those who bought other groups’ lightsticks said that the lightstick of IVE
was extremely mistakeable and when fans cheered for them at concerts or public performances,
it’s certain that no one could identify DIVE from other fandoms.
Especially when compared to the lightsticks of Oh My Girl and aespa, some said there were
literally no differences when looking from afar.
Even international fans who often hold a much more loose standards than domestic fans also
complained, saying that IVE’s lightstick was criminally average and questioned why
Starship didn’t just sell the globe and stick and made the rest of it DIY since having
IVE’s lightstick disarrayed was still better than boringly arrayed.
Other said looking at the lightstick Starship made for IVE, they felt nothing but a money
grab and a flagrant disrespect since after all the support fans gave the group through
album purchases, fanmeetings and the girls’ individual projects, somehow they couldn't
even get a proper lightstick design to single themselves out from other fandoms.
However, there were also opinions saying that the lightstick of IVE has perfectly portrayed
the chic and elegant image of the group.
As the act has always simplified everything and only kept the best of the best to bring
into their work, the lightstick should have been praised for wisely capturing this spirit
and for keeping it consistent with the rest of IVE’s image.
The Cupid’s bow placed underneath the logo, the dreamy purple pink light only lit up on
the logo as well as how the on/off button, which is often round, is changed into an apostrophe
as IVE also means “I’ve/I have,” and examples of Starship’s attention to detail
to keep everything about IVE elegantly flamboyant.
LE SSERAFIM - Fim Bong
Having one of the most refreshing concepts in Kpop gen4 girl groups, all eyes were on
LE SSERAFIM when they announced an official lightstick was on its way soon and similar
to the way LE SSERAFIM always tried to test the limits of the Kpop industry as well as
perfect every single detail of their work to its finest, many were extremely delight
to see the official design revelation.
According to netizens, by opting out of the regular globe shape and going for the unique
bat form, the lightstick has perfectly captured the out-of-the-box spirit of LE SSERAFIM.
Not only that, the simplistic yet high-fashioned and powerful yet feminine vibe of the girls
were also portrayed through subtle details such as the combination of a neat font, a
trendy futuristic purple, a metallic-like finish and the petite size that balances everything
out to be not to masculine.
However, as the saying goes as “So many men, so many minds,” though this lightstick
is literally the embodiment of everything LE SSERAFIM represents and it also limns all
these traits in the most artistic way, some still find it weird and questionable.
While positive comments were filled in the comment section of the lightstick introduction
on Youtube, reactions of fans were rather different on Twitter.
One tweet with about 1,000 retweets and over 4,500 likes agreed that the lightstick made
them cry a river since Source Music took the word “stick” in “lightstick” too literally.
Others refused to believe in the truth that this is the official lightstick, jokingly
saying what they saw was probably only half of the lightstick and more surprises would
be unpacked at the last minute.
After seeing the real-life version of LE SSERAFIM’s lightstick, even more fans were let down,
pathetically giving themselves hopes that the light would still be powerful enough for
LE SSERAFIM to identify their fandom in the ocean of people at big music events.
The efforts of Source Music in balancing out the masculinity of the bat shape with the
femininity of the petite size also came across as weird.
According to some, the group has tried a bit too hard to beat the “basic gen4 lightstick”
allegations that they ended up creating something even odder and though they have tried to welcome
the lightstick with the warmest embrace, because not many groups include the fandom’s name
on their lightstick like Le Sserafim did, they still failed to take it seriously.
Some joked that they would definitely keep the “bat” by their door to hit anyone
daring to break into their home, or to hit the zombies when being thrown into an apocalypse,
or give the casts in Twilight to use during their baseball game.
In fact, not only netizens but LE SSERAFIM members also made fun of the lightstick and
in one backstage video, Eunchae was seen using the lightstick as a hair straightener for
Kazuha’s hair.
The video quickly went viral and after seeing it, fans said probably the hefty price of
49,000KRW was worth it after all because the lightstick was so multifunctional.
aespa - Dreamus
Considering the whooping amount of investment SM Entertainment poured into aespa, lots of
fans were confused when the company released the official lightstick for the group as the
design was very basic.
Looking at the combination of a full white handle, a transparent ball, a simple plastic
piece carved out to the name "aespa" and a disc of colorful LED underneath, many thought
they were looking at a lightstick made during Kpop gen2 era where fans were easily settled
for a lightstick design that was utterly dull, technologies for lightstick manufacturing
was super limited and companies’ budget was extremely tight.
MYs were so desperate that some had to self-comfort themselves, saying they were already super
lucky for having a lightstick as some fandoms like CLC’s didn’t even have one until
the act’s disbandment.
However, not everyone managed to hide their dissatisfaction that well and considering
how aespa’s concept has always revolved around the cutting-edge technologies and the
blend between virtual and actual world, obviously the lightstick didn’t represent their color
well.
This lightstick garnered even more negative attention as SM Entertainment decided to create
four different versions for each member, which was believed to be a money-grabbing tactic
that didn’t consider the vulnerability of the girls.
As Karina and Winter are the most famous members, their lightstick versions are obviously going
to be sold the most, leaving Ningning and Giselle potentially feeling left out.
However, there were also positive reactions toward aespa’s design as some believed the
simplistic design combined with the futuristic hue of purple had excellently described the
act’s AI-based concept.
Even the individual emblem deemed to be controversial was in fact wasn’t controversial at all
because one, the color of the lightstick was the same so nothing would look different from
afar and two, when each girl has their solo performances, like what they have done in
the latest concerts, they will definitely enjoy performing more when seeing people not
only supported them as a group but also as an individual.
NMIXX - Mixxstick
While NMIXX’s concept has been the main reason holding the group back in the bloodily
competitive race of Kpop gen4, when the act released their lightstick based on their “mix”
concept, not only fans but netizens also went into a frenzy as the design was so pretty
and unique.
People were also taken aback to see how JYP Entertainment could turn the traditional lightstick
frame into such an aesthetic design.
While most acts would use the transparent globe as a covering for internal main elements,
JYP made the perfect use of the globe, making it a water ball pumped out by the magical
whale.
JYP’s meticulous attention to the making of this lightstick was also shown through
the realistic water mimic of the whale pump and ocean.
Looking from above, the ocean even reflected the light in different colors, creating a
more dream-like and futuristic vibe for the lightstick.
However, the uniqueness of this lightstick doesn’t stop there because as fans later
figured out, there were also some operating mechanisms incorporated into this little masterpiece.
Hoping on the DIY trend of genZ, JYP Entertainment has made both the upper part of the globe,
the whale and its tale removable.
Combining this with the soothing pastel blue light that would well compliment any colors,
the lightstick is said to be the most innovative lightstick in the history of Kpop because
it not only looks pretty in the original form but also in any customized versions decorated
by fans.
Right after some of the very first light sticks were shipped to fans, multiple fanmade versions
of this design have already been posted on Twitter and besides some funnily cute decorations,
there are also versions that are literary works of art.
For example, with these ones, the whale was completely removed to make room for mini stuffed
animals and to highlight the special water pump detail, all of them were put in the hugging
posture with their little hands.
Then, there are elevated versions of the lightstick where tiny colorful flowers were tailor-made
to perfectly fit in the size of the globe.
What’s even more admirable about this version is that this fan has paid close attention
to NMIXX’s concept to create a harmonious blend between her style and the act’s as
this vivid floral concept was exactly what NMIXX used for their opening stage for the
latest promotion.
This version where white was used as the main theme also garnered great attention and looking
at such masterpieces, some joked that NMIXX was indeed a special group as not only the
idols but fans are also super talented in everything they do.
So, why do you think some lightsticks can be that basic while others on the list are
made to be extremely pretty?
Do you know any other unique lightsticks that can easily beat the “basic gen4 lightsticks
allegation?”