It is a “Magical Girl Syndrome”!
The group ILLIT released their 4th mini album, ‘Mamillapinatapai,’ on the 30th of last month.
At first, the public reaction was skeptical. With an album name that was unfamiliar and difficult to even read, and a genre like techno, people couldn’t help but wonder if they were trying to summon the 90s techno warriors like Lee Jung-hyun and Chae Jung-an.
Since ILLIT had been loved for their friendly, dreamy image as the “girls next door,” the release of the teasers led to some criticism, with some saying it felt like they were “wearing someone else’s clothes” or that the distinction between them and other HYBE label artists was too blurry.
However, once the title track ‘Its Me’ was fully unveiled, the atmosphere began to shift.
The album’s first-week sales exceeded 410,000 copies, marking a new career high. They not only hit #1 on the Hanteo Daily Chart in Korea but also topped the Oricon Daily Album Chart in Japan immediately after release.
What is even more interesting is the digital chart performance. Immediately after release, the song entered the Melon Top 100 around 80th place, but it gained traction as a “hidden gem” through word-of-mouth, climbing up to 12th place on the daily chart (as of the 9th).
ILLIT’s success this time is a case showing that HYBE’s clever variation worked.
‘Its Me’ maintains the mechanical and repetitive rhythm of techno while blending in ILLIT’s signature soft and dreamy feel to complete a unique texture. This beat exploded on short-form platforms. Recently, the 1020 generation tends to react more strongly to the addictiveness of a challenge or a 15-second short-form clip than the overall structure or perfection of a full 3-minute song. This is exactly what HYBE targeted. They aimed for “memes” by utilizing the strengths of techno’s repetitive beats.
HYBE’s design hit the bullseye. A scene from tvN’s ‘Amazing Saturday’ where Boom sang “I’ll come for you if you don’t come out” to the beat of ‘Its Me’ spread online, and the fever grew as a remix challenge between Wonhee and Boom took place. A collaboration video with the youth Taekwondo demonstration team ‘Little K-Tigers’ also became a hot topic. As a result, ‘Its Me’ hit #1 on YouTube Music Korea’s ‘Trending Music’ on the 10th.
Another point where HYBE sharpened their strategy was differentiation from NewJeans. Since their debut, ILLIT had to fight against significant public opposition after former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin raised allegations of plagiarism regarding NewJeans. Although this was clarified in court and public opinion shifted as they continued their activities, HYBE decided to draw a clear line with this album.
While NewJeans emphasized 90s nostalgia and naturalness, ILLIT put “artificial beauty” at the forefront in this album using techno beats to strongly appeal to a virtual world vibe. This sound actually felt hipper to Gen Z.
Above all, ‘Its Me’ can be seen as the second stage of evolution for the magical girl universe.
While magical girls of the past transformed to protect someone, in ‘Its Me,’ they confidently shout, “I’m your bias,” and upgrade to “fighting pretty girls” who engage in dance battles wearing Taekwondo uniforms. This narrative is linked with the Naver webtoon ‘Summer Moon,’ which features the ILLIT members as protagonists, creating a stronger sense of immersion. This is a point that clearly differentiates them from other label groups like LE SSERAFIM and KATSEYE. HYBE’s clever variation has firmly placed ILLIT as a mainstream group.
