Fans are counting down the days to BLACKPINK’s (블랙핑크) long-awaited reunion tour “DEADLINE”, which kicks off on 5th July 2025 (Saturday). However, with just two weeks left until the first show and still no comeback, the public is starting to get cross with YG Entertainment.
Recently, the agency released merchandise details for BLACKPINK’s “DEADLINE” tour pop-up in Japan. For those wondering, K-pop concerts in Japan often have a different set of merchandise than the rest of the tour. Companies will also hold pop-ups to sell more merchandise before the concert to build hype. Unfortunately, BLACKPINK’s recent merchandise list had more fans disappointed than excited.
As it turns out, the products for sale consisted of the usual t-shirts, caps and cheering towels with the group and the tour’s logo. However, the product that angered BLINKS (BLACKPINK fans) the most was a clear bag made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a.k.a plastic, with the BLACKPINK logo. More shockingly, the pop-up sells the plastic bag for 2,500 yen (approximately RM74) each.
Understandably, this sparked a lot of backlash for YG Entertainment. Many fans argued that the company is taking advantage of fans looking forward to BLACKPINK’s comeback by jacking up prices for cheap and bland merchandise. Some also slammed the lack of consideration for the designs, quipping that the label and the tour’s design team are lazy and uncreative.
At the same time, fans are expressing outrage toward YG Entertainment for the lack of updates regarding the tour and BLACKPINK’s comeback. Many argued that the quartet has no new music released for the tour, despite only two weeks left until the first show. While there are rumours that the group will make their comeback in early July, some lamented that it’s too close to the start of the tour.
Overall, BLINKs lamented that the company and the group seemed unprepared for the tour. What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree that everything is too rushed?
