Ordering Rocket Punch Yellow Punch Album and Kwon Eun Bi Color Albums from Ktown4u

I've always preordered my Rocket Punch albums, and as excited as I was for Rocket Punch's "color collection" continuation, I hadn't gotten around to preordering Yellow Punch. When Woollim first dropped teasers on March 21st, 2022 for Kwon Eun Bi's second mini album Color, I was completely floored at the underwater shots. Woollim dropped album details on March 21st at 3PM KST, right when preorders opened. To my surprise, Ktown4u's preorders also opened then, along with a video call event!

This is the first time that Woollim has used Ktown4u to offer a video call event. I was really excited since I trust Ktown4u in correctly sending out orders in a timely manner, that the fanclub discount price applies to Ktown4u's video call event, and that I can order other items along with my Color albums.

I placed my order for one Yellow Punch album, and Ktown4u was still offering the first press poster and preorder benefit accordion book, so I selected one of each as well. For Color, I used the fanclub link to order one set at the discounted price which does apply to the video call event. Color does have 2 first press posters, which I opted for, along with 2 preorder benefit stands, which weren't listed as an option on Ktown's listings (for the regular album and for the video call albums). The video call event also includes 1 random preorder benefit photocard per album out of 4, which I opted for as well.

During checkout, they ask if you would like to participate in the video call event, along with your full name as stated on your passport, birth date, phone number, channel (this is a drop down of possible apps), and channel ID. 

I didn't realize it, but even though Color was released on April 4th, the product listing marks the in-stock date as April 11th. My package shipped on April 13th KST and arrived on April 14th PT. My order was wrapped up securely in several layers of bubblewrap inside a cardboard box.

Pictured above included in my package where the 2 random Ktown4u pob Color photocards inside their own clear resealable sleeves and then inside a ziplock bag, followed by the Yellow Punch pob accordion book in a clear resealable bag, the 2 Color albums, Yellow Punch, followed by the 2 Color folded posters.

To my disappointment, my package didn't include Rocket Punch's poster nor Eun Bi's preorder benefit stands. I checked the product listing for Yellow Punch and posters are still available. As for Color, there is still no option for the stands (not even one that says out of stock), but Ktown's unboxing video does show the stands included as external benefits with the albums...

Here are the 2 random Ktown4u pob photocards I got out of 4.

Here is the backside of the pob photocards. These cards have a glossy finish.

At first I was super excited that Woollim was finally working with Ktown4u to hold video call events, but now I'm much more hesitant since preorder benefits are of course important to me. But I'll try not to think about it this time, and will just enjoy the albums and gorgeous photoshoots^^

Rocket Punch: Ketchy 2nd Generation Fanclub Membership Review

Rocket Punch's 1st generation fanclub membership has already come to an end. The 1st generation Ketchy membership lasted from May 1st, 2020 to May 1st, 2021. On May 21st at 12PM KST, Woollim announced via Twitter that the 2nd Generation recruitment period would be from May 21st at 2PM KST through June 30th 11:50PM KST, with the active period being July 1st, 2021 through June 30th, 2022 via Vlive. That being said, there is a 2 month gap between the generations.

There are 2 package options:

• Official Fan Club Membership Fee (WELCOME KIT included) for 35,000₩ or $31.48 USD ($36.43 USD delivery fee to the US)
• Official Fan Club Membership Fee (WELCOME KIT excluded) for 25,000₩ or $22.49 USD

As a note, I pulled these prices at the beginning of Golden Child's 3rd generation fanclub membership recruitment period, on June 7th. Both Ketchy 2nd generation and Goldenness 3rd generation are offered via Vlive with the same membership prices in KRW, however the exchange rate fluctuated throughout the recruitment period. There was no way for me to pay in KRW so I had to accept the fluctuating exchange rate. For Golden Child's, I purchased their Official Fan Club Membership + Welcome Kit on June 7th at $31.48 USD plus $36.43 USD shipping for a total of $67.91 USD. For Rocket Punch's, I purchased their Official Fan Club Membership + Welcome Kit on June 26th at $30.82 USD plus $35.66 shipping for a total of $66.48 USD.

Both packages include the Vlive Fanship, special events, and advanced booking. The details of the welcome kit were revealed on June 25th at 2PM KST with a photo preview of the MD. Based on the image, the welcome kit includes mostly all paper goods along with a fabric keyring, so it's disappointing but not surprising how expensive the shipping fee is.

Applying for the fanclub membership is very straightforward via Vlive's mobile app. I selected the first option, and it already had all my identification and shipping info filled out, then it routed me to PayPal to complete my one-time purchase of $66.48 USD (membership + kit + shipping to the US).

You can access your fanship by going to Rocket Punch's Vlive channel, then the "My Profile" icon, then "MEMBERSHIP" to view the shipping status of the welcome kit. There is a request period until July 30th at 7:59AM (I'm assuming this is my local time); however there is no additional action needed during this time frame unless you need to change your address. The original estimated arrival date was October 28th through November 27th. Note that the membership number is your V LIVE App number so it's the same for all your fanships.

On June 30th at 6PM, Woollim tweeted that the recruitment period has been extended through July 14th at 11:50PM KST.

On August 13th at 11:50PM KST, I received a Vlive notification that the welcome kit is preparing for delivery and will be shipped soon. I then checked my Fanship and the estimated arrival date updated to August 19th through November 27th.

On August 28th I checked my Fanship again and the shipping status updated to "In delivery". Clicking on the details provided a various tracking numbers and showed that it was shipped out on August 24th. One of the tracking numbers included was for UPS. Checking the UPS tracking, it showed that my package weighs 0.8 lbs.

Both my Golden Child and Rocket Punch fankits arrived on September 4th, in a flat cardboard packaging.

The flaps are quite large, offering several layers of protection. There was also a layer of bubblewrap around the fankit.

Here is the fankit packaging! The fankit comes in an envelope style packaging with a nice velvety texture, and this envelope was placed inside a clear resealable bag. The front of the envelope has a pretty group photo from the set of Rocket Punch's "Ring Ring (Acoustic Version)" music video! I'm really happy that there is physical merch from this music video set; I love how naturally gorgeous this shoot is. Also the logo for this fankit is really cute! It's Rocket Punch's usual logo, but with "ROCKET PUNCH" and "KETCHY" in one of the inner rings, showing the bond between the girls and the fandom.

Here is the backside of the envelope packaging. The membership card is inside a clear resealable bag that is taped to the envelope. To avoid tearing the envelope, I cut the top part of the resealable bag and slid out the membership card. To the right of that is the list of items in the fankit, including the membership card, the welcome card, photo cards, 4-cut photos, mini posters, fabric keyring, and this envelope. And lastly the sticker holding down the envelope flap has the cute fankit logo.

Here is a closer look at the sticker. To preserve the sticker, you can slowly and carefully peel the sticker rather than cutting through it. Unfortunately part of the sticker still stuck onto the pink part of the envelope, so this was the best I could do to preserve it.

Vlive's usual blue slip of paper was also included, with this backside containing information in both Korean and English for requesting to exchange goods.

Here are how the contents looked inside the envelope. From top to bottom are the photocard set, keyring, 4-cut photo set, welcome card, and mini poster set.

The photocard set, 4-cut photo set, and fabric keyring all come in their own clear resealable bags. The mini poster set is held together by a translucent paper ship with the fankit logo in the center. The photos from the envelope, 4-cut photo set, and mini poster set are all from the "Ring Ring (Acoustic Version)" music video photoshoot.

Here is a closer look at the membership card. The card is hard plastic and your V LIVE App number and name (as entered under More --> Settings --> Profile Info --> Name) are printed at the bottom left. The design is really pretty, with the fankit logo in the center. The pastel pink and blue color combination is really pretty as well.

I love how the backside is pink on blue whereas the frontside is blue on pink, adding a nice contrast. There is a spot to sign, along with the Woollim authentication seal, and general information in Korean.

Here is a comparison of both Ketchy membership cards. I like how both have a variation of Rocket Punch's logo in the center.

Here is the frontside of the welcome card. It is rather simple with the fankit logo in the center. This card is made of matte cardstock and is about 4.375" by 6.125".

The backside of the welcome card has each member's printed message.

Here is the photocard set, which was organized by age order. Juri's is so cute with the [Ring Ring] sticker set merch!

The backsides of the photocards have the members' printed messages and signs. These photocards have a glossy finish.

Here is the 4-cut photo set, which was also organized by age order. These are like a sticker sheet with a glossy front and matte white back. The dimensions of each sheet are roughly 2.75" by 3.9375".

Here is the mini poster set. Each poster is made of matte cardstock that's a bit thinner than the welcome card. The backsides are all white. The dimensions are about 5.875" by 8.25".

There are a total of 25 posters. The first is a group shot, followed by 4 individual photos per member in age order.

Here are Juri's, Yeonhee's, and Suyun's posters. All the posters are so beautiful; I can't emphasize enough how happy I am that the girls had an entire photoshoot at this music video site!

And here are Yunkyoung's, Sohee's, and Dahyun's posters.

And lastly is the fabric keyring.The fastener is metal. The fabric strap is woven with "ROCKET PUNCH" embedded on top.  The "C"s have an asterisk design that is being used throughout the fankit.

The backside of the fabric strap is blank. The strap is about 4.25" by 1".

Overall, I'm really happy about the contents of this welcome kit! I love how majority of the contents are paper goods from this gorgeous photoshoot (my favorite of Rocket Punch's to date), and how there is still a "practical item", meaning the keyring. Now if only I can make the most of my membership^^

Pre-ordering My Rocket Punch Bubble Up! Japanese Albums via CDJapan

Rocket Punch as debuted in Japan! On August 4th, 2021, Rocket Punch released their first Japanese mini album Bubble Up! I haven't preordered Japanese albums in a long time, and back then with Infinite's Japanese releases I didn't really focus on various online stores' preorder benefits. This time however, I paid a bit more attention to try and get the most out of my purchase.

There are 3 versions: First Press Limited Edition Type A, First Press Limited Edition Type B, and Regular Edition, along with additional member versions which contain that specific member's outer sleeve to package together all 3 album versions. The member versions are only available to official members of the Rocket Punch Japan fanclub who are living in Japan. That being said, I decided to preorder the 3 versions without even attempting to get a member version.

Some Japanese online retailers include their own preorder benefit, which is 1 of 3 random photocards containing 2 members, exclusive to each store.

I ordered from CDJapan, which doesn't have its own preorder benefit, however I wanted to try them out because purchases here will be calculated on the Oricon music charts, they support international shipping and PayPal, they explicitly state if an item is first press and therefore would come with a first press benefit, and there is an external bonus. The site is also in English, which is an added bonus.

I like how on the item page, CDJapan has tags stating if the album is First Press, Limited Edition, and includes an External Bonus. It also states the availability, along with how many of the initially supplied quantity is left. The first press tag is especially handy for the Regular Edition album, because this may be first press or an additional press, determining if I would receive the first press benefit or not.

Type A's first press benefit is a blue sticker sheet, Type B's first press benefit is a pink sticker sheet, and the Regular Edition's first press benefit is a purple sticker sheet. All 3 have a B2 double-sided ad poster as an external bonus.

Type A is 2,727¥, Type B is 2,273¥, and Type C is 1,818¥. To make the most on combined shipping, I searched through CDJapan's inventory for other Woollim artists, and saw that there was 1 copy left of Infinite's 2016 Season's Greetings at regular price of 5,039¥. I would usually only buy past season's greetings at a discount, but because this one is so hard to come by, there was only 1 left, and I was already making an order on CDJapan, I decided to buy it.

Below are the steps when I was checking out:

1. I entered the coupon code that CDJapan offers: 500¥ off coupon for purchases of 2,000¥ or more for first-time customers
2. There was a note that the default option is for all items in my order to be sent together in one package, but if I would prefer to have the items sent separately and pay additional shipping, I can select this option instead
3. External Bonus Preference is the default, but if I don't want the external bonus, I can check this box. At first I thought it was silly for people not to want the external bonus, but I read on and they mentioned how the external bonus can lead to larger packaging
4. Gift Options: You can select to mark your package as a gift on your custom form. This option is exempt for FedEx and DHL. There is also a callout that selecting this box doesn't necessarily make your package exempt from government fees. Another option within this section is to place your order in a gift bag, with the fee starting at 95¥. A gift message printed on a greeting card may be entered if this option is selected
5. Shipping: There is a nice pre-generated table that shows the various carriers, price, and average delivery time. I was given the options of DHL (4,487¥; 2-3 days), FedEx Priority (4794¥; 2-3 days), and EMS (7,330¥; 1-2 weeks). I chose DHL
6. I paid via PayPal. The total should be 15,844¥, however with PayPal's own conversion rate, it wanted to charge me $150.43 USD. I instead paid the 15,844¥ as is, which converts to $143.83 USD.

I had already placed my order a few weeks back, but as I was blogging the steps for checking out, I went through the motion of placing an order...and accidentally placed another order. It turns out, all the shipping, billing, and payment information is stored on your account, so all you have to do is click "Proceed to Checkout" and then "Place Order" instead of going through steps 2-5 above. I was able to cancel the order within my account page and I received an email confirmation via PayPal of my refund right away.

I received an email from CDJapan on August 2nd, stating that I need to pay an additional shipping fee due to the updated actual order weight and volume. I think this is a bit silly because the CDs are very small and light, meaning it must be the season's greetings released in late 2015 that was miscalculated. The email further stated that an invoice for the additional shipping fee of 3,269¥, and that if I don't reply within 1 week, the order will be cancelled. I received that second email from Paypal invoicing me that additional charge. Within a few hours, I replied to the original email asking to cancel my order. On August 3rd, I checked my order on CDJapan and saw that they had updated the Packaging Type of "long thick box" along with a photo of the type of exterior packaging and the dimensions. There was no button for me to cancel my order from the order page. On August 4th, CDJapan replied with confirmation of the cancellation and I received an email from Paypal with the full refund.

On August 2nd, I created a new CDJapan account so that I could use the first-time customer coupon. Luckily all 3 Rocket Punch albums still indicated that they are 1st press and comes with an external bonus. I placed my order for all 3 albums with DHL shipping; the shipping fee was 3,087¥. On August 4th, I received emails from both CDJapan and DHL confirming my order has been shipped, along with the tracking number. I also checked my order page and the Packaging Type was updated with "medium poster box" along with a photo of the type of exterior packaging and the dimensions.

On August 9th, I received my package! I was surprised at just how well packaged everything was! The cardboard box is quite sturdy and tightly secured. The size of the box was quite large as well, with dimensions 21.75" by 8" by 2.5".

The top had 2 layers of butcher paper. Underneath was more butcher paper crumpled up to fill up the entire box perfectly.

At the very bottom are the 3 CDs wrapped in a layer of bubblewrap and taped securely onto the bottom of the box. To the right are 3 skinny poster tubes. These tubes are 21.15" long and 1" in diameter.

I was surprised at just how secured the posters are! Each album comes with 1 external bonus poster, and each were individually wrapped with tissue paper (including the ends to protect the edges of the poster), placed into a narrow tube, and then with the ends of the tube dented inward so that the posters wouldn't slide out.

Here are how the posters look like out of their tubes. They are neatly wrapped with tissue paper, and there is a barcode sticker indicating that these are the Rocket Punch B2 posters.

And here are the 3 CDs, in perfect condition!

And lastly, I wanted to make sure that the first press benefit sticker sheets were included. All 3 sheets were included within the "Let's Dance" lyrics page of their respective booklets.

Overall, while a bit disappointed about the mishap of the extra shipping charge for the Infinite Season's Greetings, I'm really happy with CDJapan's careful packaging to ensure each item is properly protected. I'll definitely keep CDJapan in mind for future Japanese releases! As for these Bubble Up! albums, I'll be blogging about them in a future post.

Rocket Punch: Ring Ring 1st Single Album Review

Rocket Punch has made their long awaited comeback after 8 months with their first single Ring Ring on May 17th, 2021! The title of this album is breaking a couple traditions, the first where it doesn't follow Rocket Punch's past Pink Punch, Red Punch, or Blue Punch, and the second where Rocket Punch's' first single album since the announcement of the group's fandom name isn't named after Ketchy, like with Woollim's other artists prior to Rocket Punch (Infinite's Inspirit, Lovelyz' Lovelinus, and Golden Child's Goldenness).

I preordered the album from Kpoptown, which you can read about my review here. To my utter disappointment, my preorder did not include the preorder first press gift, but I was able to obtain a set from my friend. There is 1 version of this single album, and there is a 6-piece photocard set as the preorder benefit.

The preorder benefit photocard set came in a clear resealable bag. The photocards have a glossy finish.

The backsides of the photocards include the members' printed messages and autographs.

The album itself comes in a clear wrap. The album format and packaging break away from Rocket Punch's 3 previous mini album releases. The packaging and comic book-like design remind me of the photobook from the Ketchy 1st Generation fankit.

The album packaging is a paper booklet, stapled at the spine. There has been a lot of disappointment over this chosen style, which is totally understandable because it certainly does look cheap. However, the biggest perk for me is that you can open up each page fully so that no photo gets cut off in the spine; I really prefer this because it helps to fully see each page, and it won't cut off anything if there is a 2-page spread. The biggest downside for me is that the spine doesn't signify what album this is, so it doesn't look as pretty while on display along with my other albums.

The dimensions of the album are 5.8124" by 8.3125" by 0.8124" (when you flatten the album). Here is a comparison of Ring Ring with Rocket Punch's latest mini album Blue Punch. As a reminder, all 3 of Rocket Punch's previous album releases have the same packaging and dimensions.

The back cover has a carnival tent-like pattern, along with the tracklist where each song has its own fun font.

The album comes with a random photocard, a random square postcard, and a sticker sheet, all of which I'll talk about later.

The photobook includes 60 pages. The first page mirrors the back cover, listing out the tracklist.

There are 3 photoshoots in this photobook. The first section contains photos from this shoot, with a diner setting. It begins with a group photo. Here is a good example of how we can fully see this 2-page spread and no one gets caught in the spine because of the album booklet style.

Next are the individual member photos from this shoot. Each member has 2 consecutive pages, and is in age order starting with Juri. For the individual member photos throughout this entire photobook, there is 1 photo per page.

I really like this diner setting; it fits the retro concept so well!

Between Suyun's and Yunkyoung's pages are 2 group photos.

While the individual member pages always contain 1 photo per page, they do make the page layout interesting. I like how they are able to accommodate a photo in landscape mode here.

As for Dahyun, I feel like it's such wasted space on the left.

Next is another group photo from the diner shoot.

To close out the section is this 2-page spread with "Ring Ring" song credits and lyrics. The style of copying and pasting each member onto the page is similar to the scrapbook style in Rocket Punch's past mini album photobooks.

The next section contains photos from the denim outfit photoshoot. This section begins with a group photo.

Next are the individual member photos from this shoot. There is 1 photo per member, generally in age order starting with Juri, for 6 pages.

Dahyun is so effortless beautiful! And Sohee pulls off blonde really well; she looks more mature with each era!

The next 6 pages are another set of individual member photos, again in age order.

The last pages of this section are the song credits and lyrics for "I Want U Bad!", along with the scrapbook style of the members.

The last section contains photos from the sparkly outfit photoshoot. It begins with a group photo.

Like the first section, this section contains 2 pages per member, again in age order starting with Juri.

The setting of this photoshoot is generally pretty dark, but with Yunkyoung's silver sequined outfit it's nice to have some subtle contrast as opposed to some of the other members' black outfits.

The photo on the left is so pretty; I like how they mixed up the camera angle.

Next are the 2 pages for the song credits and lyrics of "Ride", along with the scrapbook style of the members.

The section ends with 1 last group photo from this shoot.

Next are 4 pages for the "Special Thanks to" along with each member's thanks to message.

The last page contains the album credits. The CD is within the flap of the back cover.

Flipping that back cover flap once reveals the members' printed autographs.

And flipping the flap once more reveals the CD.

The CD design is really pretty! It's meant to look like a record, and there are even clear, embossed lines that do represent the appearance of a record.

Now I'll blog about the inclusions of the album. The random postcard was found in the middle of the photobook.

The random photocard was found further on in the photobook.

And the sticker sheet was found towards the end of the photobook.

Each album comes with 1 random square postcard out of 6, and 1 random photocard out of 30. I happened to get Sohee for both! The postcard is just under 4" in both directions and has a glossy front and matte back. There is a printed message on the front. The photocard is glossy on both sides.

Here are the backsides of the postcard and photocard. The postcard is simple and has the album logo at the bottom whereas the photocard matches the backside of the preorder benefit photocards.

Here is a closeup of the sticker sheet. Woollim has consistently included a sticker sheet in each of Rocket Punch's albums. This sticker sheet includes stickers of each member from the diner shoot, each member's name, along with random stars and smiley faces. The front has a glossy finish. The overall sticker sheet is just over 5.125" by 7.0625".

This album also has 2 external first press group posters, which I did not order. 1 poster is from the diner photoshoot while the other is from shoot with the denim outfits.

This single album includes the following tracks:

1. Ring Ring - is the title track, with an 80s synth pop style. It starts off right away with that retro sound, which fits perfectly with this album's retro concept. I absolutely love this song and it definitely falls in a close second
2. I Want U Bad - is co-created by RHEAT, who is a part of CODE 9, and PURAVIDA. CODE 9 and PURAVIDA have also worked together on "BOUNCY" and "TWINKLE STAR". CODE 9 has also worked on "Lucid Dream" and "Do Something" while PURAVIDA has worked on "SUMMER PUNCH!". 
3. Ride - is co-created by 1Take and TAK, who together created Golden Child's "What Happened", "If", "Lately", "No Matter What", "Moment", and "Round N Round". Along with "Ring Ring", the girls also promoted "Ride".

During the release of this era's teasers, I was really excited for the newtro concept and even more excited when I heard the teasers for the title track. When I think of "retro-sounding Kpop song", I immediately think of Snuper's "Platonic Love", which is one of my favorite bops outside of Woollim. However with "Ring Ring", it seems like it's missing something, perhaps a really catchy hook, to replace my favorite retro-sounding Kpop song. Overall, I'm still in love with the title, and the 2 B-sides give a nice variety of genres, showing further growth with Rocket Punch's musical style.

Overall, I'm just so happy Woollim is putting more focus on Rocket Punch following the completion of Ring Ring promotions with the announcement of Rocket Punch's Japanese debut coming up just before their 2 year anniversary, after having so many months between the past comebacks. It's unfortunate that Juri couldn't participate in majority of Ring Ring promotions, but hopefully she can join for any Japanese debut promotions.