NCT DREAM : Why the graduation system didn’t work.

*other : how nct dream was made

OUTLINERS:

1. Who’s nct dream? + Love for the members

2. First member graduation
3. How the graduation affected the member
4. Fans demand to erase the graduation system and certainty for renjun, jeno, jaemin, jisung,
chenle
5. Nct dream becoming “fixed”, “rotational” unit

Okay so hi, welcome to this video. This is gonna be an essay video on how nct dream
escaped the graduation system and is now a “fixed” group and how the graduation system didn’t
work. So, just a brief introduction of who nct dream is they are a 7 membered south Korean boy
group with their member mark, renjun, jeno, haechan, jaemin, chenle and jisung. Before the whole
rebranding that happens in 2020 they were once a group where they only consist of teenagers so
when a member reaches 20 years old internationally they needed to “graduate” from the group and
will join other nct sub groups just like haechan and mark in nct 127. With a group slogan bringing
hopes and dreams to the fellow youngsters or even someone older than them nct dream always
showing growth in every comeback they made along with them growing up. They have released so
far 5 mini albums in a span of 5 years of their careers (seriously sm? Only 5 minis? Where’s the full
album?). Debuting with a very catchy bubble gum pop music chewing gum, following after that
releasing a single album called my first and last, summer comeback we young, first 7 membered
comeback GO, another fresh summer comeback we go up, a station release (last song with mark)
candle light, don’t need your love, boom, ridin, a song in NCT 2020 latest album déjà vu which
charted.

They were doing so well doing activities as a 7 membered group and so the first graduation
happened. On 2018 mark reached the age of 20 international age and by that he needs to graduate. i
don’t think there’s ever a proper “graduation” happening but the 2018 videos of “dream would like
this too” and their 5 days mini concert shows called “the dream show” would be his proper farewell
and graduating.

After the graduation the members continued activities as 6 memebred group and even held
their first ever concert as a 6 membered group. Around this time at the concert the members tells us
their honest feelings and concern about how uncertain their future are jeno even expresses this
could be their last stage being together. and so 2020 came they attended award shows, few events
still with the 6 membered group line up and the fans were just confused aren’t they graduating? And
so everyday of the year the fans would trended hashtags asking sm about what’s going to happen
and trending songs on melon every so often basically led by the feelings of uncertainity of these boys
future because they haven’t made any statement yet. And so on April 2020 sm released a statement
that said : !

I think fans have personally grown an attachment to this 7 membered boy group who works
so well together with over the roof chemistry.
 Although NCT Dream was initially formed to follow an aged-based admission-graduation
system in which members would move on from the unit after reaching the Korean age of 20 (19
internationally), in 2020 SM Entertainment announced the admission-graduation system to be
removed, with previously graduated member Mark set to return, and NCT Dream will continue
future activities as a flexible-style group with the seven original members. The announcement was
followed by over half a million copies pre-ordered for their fourth Korean EP, titled Reload, which
was released in April 2020 to mark the shift in their concept. [7][8]

So what happened? Why the abolishment of the graduation system? As the 2020 article
“keepin the dream alive” by kate Halliwell it said “The logic behind SM’s system is understandable: a
replenishing source of talented youths, forever the same age as its target demographic. What it
doesn’t account for, though, is the trumping value of personal attachment—after spending years
investing in specific stars, who wants new ones? After about a year of fan-led discussion and
concerns about the quickly approaching deadline for most of Dream’s ensemble, SM Entertainment
announced in April that it would abolish the graduation system. Sometime in the near future, Mark
Lee will return to the group, which will revert to the lineup commonly referred to as “7Dream.” Why
this doesn’t work? Fans believe they work the best as a 7 membered group and have just grown
attachement to these 7 boys and it’s just cruel that every member of the group has an expiration
date to be in the group while already developing this team work and it’s only happening to them.