‘KINGDOM: Legendary War’ is back with episode 9. Last week the group performances started with Stray Kids and iKON hitting the stage for the third round ‘No Limit’. We also got to see the unit performances, you can catch up with our review here.
In this week’s episode BTOB, ATEEZ, SF9 and The Boyz are hitting the stage with their group performance.
BTOB
BTOB started off this week’s performances. In this episode we got to see a bit of their preparation for this stage. They performed ‘Blue Moon (Cinema version)’, and we even got a very cute cameo of (G)I-dle’s Miyeon.
The concept for this performance was very interesting and creative, what seemed to start like a movie ended in an inception-like scenario where none of the realities we saw was the real one.
Originally we saw Changsub and Miyeon act like a couple, when Minhyuk hits the slate, it is actually he that is in a relationship with her. Though at the very end we get another slate hit, where it is revealed that she’s actually Peniel’s girlfriend. The last part was hilarious and unexpected.
The jazzy instrumentation and vocal performance was outstanding, and the jazzy piano solo was super smooth including Peniel’s fake playing. The ‘La La Land’ meets ‘Broadway’ mix for this stage was superb, unique and super fun. Watch it below.
ATEEZ
ATEEZ is next. In the planning for their stage they went into a deep dive of their previous performances and remembered ATINY and their moments together. For this round they performed a remix of their hit song ‘Answer’ and named it ‘Answer: Ode to Joy’.
For this version ATEEZ decided to go for a more theatrical sound with heavy beat drops and their usual incredible vocals. They invited the classically trained vocal group LA POEM, and as expected this group delivered a mind-blowing and rich performance.
The mixing of ‘Answer’ with ‘Ode to Joy’ from Beethoven’s ‘Symphony no. 9’ was interesting, it felt like a combo I wouldn’t mix but they absolutely made it work in this performance and the dance break. LEGENDS!
SF9
Before they went on stage, we got to see iKON and SF9 give the audience some serious besties energy and we love it. For this round, SF9 is performing ‘Move’ by Taemin, and since the preview we have been looking forward to this performance and they delivered.
Before their performance we got some footage of them preparing, and we see Chani’s little phone call with Taemin asking for advice (wholesome content).
The stage began with Chani’s sharp dancing intro and then we got the member exuding sexiness left, right and centre, with some killer movements. There were so many different elements to this performance. The human tree was particularly striking.
The rapping was an excellent addition to this stage and gave this performance its own colors and SF9‘s special touch. The rave-like dance break was super fun, and the screen at the back gave us psychedelic vibes. Though one thing we did want to mention was that it would have been so awesome if they had done part of the choreo in the rain at the very end. It would have been the cherry on top for that performance.
The Boyz
The Boyz closed this round with the performance of EXO’s hit ‘MONSTER’. For this stage, the guys added their own lyrics for the rap verses, and we got to see their very intense and impressive dance practices (Synchronization Kings).
‘Monster (Stormborn)’ was the name they gave to this version. The musical arrangement of the track was awesome, and the electronic dance break was super cool. This stage took a turn with the gigantic snake and Sun Woo coming out of its mouth.
Their performance was absolute killer. Watch it below.
Ranking
At the end of the episode we got to see the initial ranking for this round. ATEEZ took the sixth place; iKON, fifth; The Boyz, fourth; BTOB, third; Stray Kids, second; and SF9 was first.
- SF9
- Stray Kids
- BTOB
- The Boyz
- iKON
- ATEEZ
Next week, the final round will start and the group will perform original songs especially created for ‘Kingdom’. We got a little snippet of the audio. Check it below.
That was it for our Recap of episode 9 of ‘KINGDOM: Legendary War’. Tell us what your favorite performance was in the comments!