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Kara Project: 6 episode Korean talent/reality show that aired in early summer of 2014.Here's your Premise: Kara is a well-known & successful K-Pop girl group that just recently lost 2 of its 5 core members. The group needs to be "re-invented/re-organized" going forward, so a reality-type competition is held between seven music industry wannabes in order to select one who will join Kara as their newest member.SPOILERS AHEAD!Each week's episode follows the same format; basically, the seven girls are given a well-known Kara song & dance routine to learn, then they're off to practice it night and day…at week's end, they have to perform what they've learned on a live stage somewhere. Then, they get critiqued on their performances & voted on by the public and company insiders. Afterwards, its back to their little dorm tent to cry A LOT and offer some words to the camera before its lights out. Then, repeat this scenario until announcing the winner in the live finale. There aren't very many lighthearted variety type moments involved, so if that's what you're looking for in a show, the Kara Project probably won't work for you. There are a few of those moments here & there, but not many…instead, this show leans heavily on the drama it tries to invoke from detailing how tough it is to make it in this business and how much you have to sacrifice in order to succeed.The girls all seem likable enough, though you don't really get to know that much about them aside from some initial intros and snippets of down time footage & self-introspection…there simply isn't enough time for this. None of them are portrayed as someone to actively root against though (at least according to the way the show was edited); it's all "sisters bonding with fighting spirit" when it comes to dealing with them personally & collectively. They go through their trials & tribulations, and eventually, the new Kara member emerges from the group.This show's premise of finding an existing major idol group replacement in this manner is a very intriguing idea. However, I seriously doubt the entertainment company that controls Kara would not know which direction they wanted to go in after mulling the entire situation over for a while, or what particular type of prospect they were looking for after doing so. And, they would almost certainly not leave the decision up to the whims of the voting public. I'm much more inclined to believe the winner was likely pre-determined at some time by the powers that be in order to find the best overall match for the group, and this may have been done before this show even started. You are free to form your own opinion of course, but you might want to consider taking this entire "selection process" with a grain of salt when watching this show.To me, what this show really seems to be is some type of quasi brainstorming/visualization/re-enactment of what might occur if some random idol group needed to be reconfigured or started from scratch, mixed with a reality-drama glimpse about how K-Pop groups are formed and a dose of what's involved behind the scenes. It also serves as a diversionary tactic and marketing ploy in regards to Kara's current situation…i.e. let the die-hard Kara fans cool off some from the initial shock of the group's "breakup", then gauge their acceptance of the proposed plan to move forward, while stalling for time and drumming up renewed interest in the group. It's actually a rather creative means to deal with what was potentially a very messy situation.I am curious to know how much say Kara's remaining members had in this entire endeavor (if any), and what their whole take on this process was. None of them ever made an appearance, or had any apparent impact, on this show. So, you're only left to assume they were just told to lay low in regards to this project, while the company that controls them handles & decides everything, which is fairly typical of how things work in the Korean entertainment industry.Regardless of how "real" it all was or not, everything worked out for the most part…and, I think they made a good choice in the end. As for the girls that didn't win; they got some additional experience & exposure throughout as they await their chance to "make it big". And, if the show is not "real", it appeared that either the winner was not informed in advance, or, she's quite the actress; it literally looked like she might throw up on live TV when she was informed she had won…but, she held it together just long enough though to provide for a short & endearing acceptance speech to wrap things up. This show does leave one very large question unanswered though: Can the winner actually mesh with such an experienced idol group?...I guess only time will tell.Summary: It's part talent/audition/popularity contest blended with some fake reality, drama, and some minimal variety elements. It worked well enough for what it was, and it significantly benefits from its extremely short run time. I actually kind of liked this show, though it is far cry from being great and I have some strong reservations about its overall authenticity…As such, I just can't rate it too high.Bottom Line: 6.5 out of 10 stars on the KTV variety/reality show scale.Addendum (5-27-15): The new Kara girl (Heo Young-ji) appears to be doing just fine for herself, so, Yay! I would be remiss, however, not to mention the passing of the eldest member of this project (who apparently took her own life once her contract was terminated after many years of trying to make it in this industry). This can be an all-consuming and unforgiving business to both those that make it and those that don't….regardless, she deserved better than this. Rest in Peace, Ahn So-jin!
