Super Junior-D&E – KPOPREVIEWED

Super Junior-D&E has taken over the title as the most active Super Junior subunit over recent years, thanks largely to their annual comebacks that they have been having since 2018. The last time we heard from the pair (Donghae and Eunhyuk) was early last year with Danger, which faired pretty well. And after one year and four months, the pair returns with B.A.D and their fifth mini-album, Bad Blood.

B.A.D is a mix between the funky retro tunes that are slowly creeping back onto our playlists and the now classic trap genre. And it isn’t too bad of a mix. The funkiness comes through quite nicely through the use of guitar in the background. And I feel that the trap that is present in B.A.D is enough to give the song some intensity and fierceness. And everything was pretty sound, until we got to the bridge. And I quite like the bridge (it is one of the best bridges I have ever heard in a long time). But I question the need for the brief pause right after, which was filled with the cheesy ‘Bad…Bad‘. I felt like they could have bridged it better to the final chorus and avoided the whole cringe and cheesy ordeal. Similarly, I would have lost the ‘Na Na Na‘ at the end, which was layered on top of the rest of the track. There was a lot going on already and this additional layer also felt unnecessary. Aside from that, Donghae and Eunhyuk’s vocals are good. There were some good hooks that the pair presented quite well, especially when it came to the two-part hook, which as a whole was catchy. Their rapping packed a punch (as usual from the pair) and helped infuse more intensity and edge to the song.

I liked half the video and felt the other half was pretty confusing and dry. Interestingly, there was no story line to this video, so you might be wondering how I felt one half was good and the other half was confusing. Well, all the sections shot outside in the parking lot had a nice edgy feel to it. This is what I liked, which matched the whole idea of being bad. The whole sequence of them being caught being bad was a little funny. As for the confusion and dryness, that title went to the studio sets they shot in. I felt that wasn’t a good representation of whole concept. The whole idea of horses confused me at the start and I expected them to expand on that whole idea elsewhere in the video (which I don’t think they ever did). The sets also didn’t reflect the edgy vibes of the song and I felt the overly fast flashing lights for the tent they performed in was overkill.

While this is a good routine and the pair can still dance, I wished the moves were sharper and faster. This could have made the performance a little more impactful and not as soft at first glance. As for the best part of the whole routine, I have to vote for the bridge sequence (everything up until the brief pause).

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

Returning to the stage once again is Super Junior’s Donghae and Eunhyuk with their latest mini-album and the title track. Danger. It hasn’t been that long since we last saw them through their ‘Bout You promotions but that was 8 months ago, which can be considered to be a lengthy absence especially in the highly competitive industry of KPOP right now. But Super Junior doesn’t need to worry about this as they have a very loyal fanbase who will continually support them years to come! And I am sure the support extends to their subunits. So let’s have a closer look at Danger.

Danger is a song that boasts energy and edginess due to the nature of the instrumental. It takes on rock, trap and other forms of EDM in the song, creating an atmosphere that is best described as intense. The presence of the fast trap elements in the chorus gives it almost an ethnic vibe, which I think is rather interesting. But while intense is the right word, the song could have potentially benefited by extending this intensity by going a little more extreme with it. I think we are given a tiny taster to that potential at the end when it is built from suspense. But I would have liked it if it were gradual. Moving to more of the members, the rapping at the start was a pretty nice opener and sets up the song well. Donghae follows through with some vocals, which I think was also quite good. Sure, there isn’t anything mind-blowing in terms of technicalities and techniques. But they were rather captivating for a song like this. Overall, Danger is a pretty nice song to listen to.

I think the video matches extremely well with the vibes of the song. The edginess is taken on board in the video by going with its dark lighting and the possible participation in gang-like activities (though I don’t that is the exact words they would use to describe the video). Apart from that, I think the video has some great cinematography, especially the scenes where we can see them in a circle by looking up from underneath. I thought it is quite cool.

Performance wise, it is really good. I think the biggest fear with Super Junior (and many senior groups) is that the choreography standards just continually become more intense. To the point where you don’t know if these senior groups will be able to keep up. But for the main dancers of Super Junior, they do a pretty damn good job. The chorus has t be my pick for the highlight of the entire choreography routine.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10