‘Hanil Top Ten Show’ made a comeback after 23 years with the first complete collaboration band Y2K, evoking the emotions of the millennium era.
The MBN entertainment program ‘Hanil Top Ten Show’, which aired on the 13th at 9:50 PM, recorded a peak viewership rating of 5.6% and a national rating of 4.8% (according to Nielsen Korea), maintaining the number one spot in viewership among Tuesday entertainment programs aired on terrestrial, general programming, and cable channels for an impressive eight consecutive weeks. The broadcast featured a special ‘Reply 1999’ segment where the current champion team 1 and champion team 2 competed with representative songs from the millennium era alongside the flower boy band Y2K, which defined that time.
First, MC Daesung called out Y2K, the first Korea-Japan collaboration band, to evoke memories of the millennium era from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, marking the start of ‘Reply 1999’. Y2K members Ko Jae-geun, Yuichi, and Koji performed ‘After We Broke Up’ live, showcasing their first complete stage in 23 years, while the members of ‘Hanil Top Ten Show’ lit up their memory sticks to warmly welcome Y2K.
In the first competition, ‘My Sugar Song Battle from Back Then’, Maijin and Enok took the stage. Maijin, who was particularly excited from the opening with Y2K, expressed her fan feelings, saying, “I watched Y2K a lot since middle school. They were so handsome that it was a sensation back then,” while Enok also represented Y2K's popularity by saying, “When I went to karaoke, I started and ended with their songs.” Maijin chose Hong Kyung-min's ‘Shaken Friendship’, which she was often told she resembled, and perfectly recreated the dance moves, while Enok sang the parents' generation's sugar song ‘Come On, Come On, Come On’, creating a strangely addictive atmosphere, but Maijin secured the first victory.
In the ‘High Note Battle from Back Then’, Jeon Yu-jin, known for her outstanding high notes, and Shin Seung-tae took the stage. Jeon Yu-jin introduced her dolphin-like vocal technique, saying, “My nickname is Pohang Dolphin,” while Shin Seung-tae shared his unique warm-up method of reciting Gyeonggi folk songs. Jeon Yu-jin showcased her storm-like singing ability with Rumors’ ‘Storm’, and Shin Seung-tae demonstrated the ‘Turn It Back Dance’ with ‘Mung’, evoking the whirlwind dance craze of the late 90s, ultimately winning the battle.
In the ‘Gangnam Battle’, Son Tae-jin, Kang Moon-kyung, and Choi Soo-ho performed, expressing ‘strong men’ with their shoulders raised, causing laughter. Son Tae-jin delivered Ko Jae-geun's ‘Love Cowboy’ with a unique cowboy dance, earning praise from the original artist Ko Jae-geun. Kang Moon-kyung, who claimed, “I’m strong too,” and Choi Soo-ho, who asserted, “There’s a strength that emanates from within,” showcased their strong man spirit with ‘Youngilman Friends’, but the victory went to Son Tae-jin.
In the ‘Karaoke Favorite Song Battle’, which swept the karaoke popularity charts back then, Park Seo-jin and Lin took the stage. Lin stirred hearts with ‘Late Regret’, a song that every woman had to sing at least once back then. Park Seo-jin made a shocking transformation into a rock ballader, choosing ‘Emergency Room’, a karaoke favorite among men, and won the battle with Lin’s enthusiastic praise, “It suits you so well. Can you release a song like this?”
Shin Seong and Jin Hae-sung faced off in the ‘Final Battle’ of authenticity. When suggested to break the ice with dad jokes, Jin Hae-sung asked, “If I shorten ‘I really like you, brother’ what would it be?” and playfully answered, “Fluorescent pen,” causing an uproar. Jin Hae-sung showcased his unique deep emotion with ‘I Want to Go to Marang’, while Shin Seong delivered an impactful knee-ending performance with ‘Chunja-ya’, but lost to Jin Hae-sung.
In the ‘Duet Battle from Back Then’, Son Tae-jin and Jeon Yu-jin, along with Park Seo-jin and Shin Seung-tae, promised an epic showdown. Park Seo-jin and Shin Seung-tae expressed the pure youthful emotions with ‘Please Write Love with a Pencil’, saying, “We prepared a song that evokes feelings from the time when there were no cell phones.” The ‘Jinjin Siblings’, returning as Jeon Yu-jin and Son Tae-jin, completed ‘I’m the Wind, You’re the Tears’ with beautiful harmony, earning praise from Koji of Y2K, who said, “It feels like my heart is being purified,” and secured points.
In the ‘Black and White TV Battle’ returning to the 60s and 70s, Azuma Aki and Kang Moon-kyung faced off. While solving a question about the old abbreviation ‘Woosimppoka’, Kim Da-hyun expressed her confusion, saying, “Why do you kiss when you’re bored?” causing laughter. Kang Moon-kyung adorned ‘I Miss You’ with a divine twist, while Azuma Aki sang ‘If Tears Were Pearls’ with fluent Korean and a clear, pure voice, but Kang Moon-kyung emerged victorious.
In the ‘MZ Battle’, Jin Hae-sung and Enok appeared against Kim Da-hyun, the representative MZ of ‘Top Ten Show’, leaving everyone puzzled. Enok raised his voice, saying, “By dictionary definition, MZ refers to those born from 1980 to 2010,” making everyone laugh. Jin Hae-sung and Enok recreated a rhythmic dance with ‘Youth’s Notebook’, while Kim Da-hyun performed ‘Julrae’, released before she was even born, with cute expressions and adorable dance moves, perfectly paying homage to Lee Jung-hyun and earning points.
Next, Y2K took the stage for a special performance, explaining their long-haired flower boy band concept, saying, “Rock bands doing rock music back then had long hair.” In particular, Yuichi revealed a behind-the-scenes story, saying, “It was really hard to sing in Korean. I cried a lot with Koji because I didn’t understand well,” surprising everyone. Y2K showcased their powerful charm with ‘BAD’, reminiscent of the millennium era, bringing everyone back to the emotions of the 90s.
Finally, in the ‘2002 Battle’, which returned to the hottest time during the 2002 World Cup in Korea, Byeol Sarang and Choi Soo-ho took the stage, with Byeol Sarang perfectly embodying the fashion style of 2002, receiving cheers. Choi Soo-ho elevated the emotional intensity to its peak with ‘Fox Rain’, bringing home the victory. After a fierce showdown, the ‘Current Champion Team 2’ emerged victorious, and Y2K expressed their gratitude, saying, “Thank you for giving us the opportunity to perform. We really enjoyed the nostalgic stage with the Top Ten Show members,” sharing their heartfelt impressions of the memorable stage.
Meanwhile, ‘Hanil Top Ten Show’ airs every Tuesday at 9:50 PM.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
