Their determination is humbling
It's becoming a habit now, for me, to watch videos/concerts/shows of TVXQ every night before I sleep, and just now, I watched their latest appearance in the Korean Star Show again for the nth time. And again, for the nth time, the first segment where they were laughing about the things they'd do in their depression when trying to break into Japan just stabs me to the quick. Yunho laughs about how he'd talk to the crows (might I add here, a non-sequitur, that Japanese crows are freaking huge?), and everyone had a good laugh over how Changmin would try to find radio waves with his slipper.
But behind those smiles and the chuckles, the sheer despair they must have been in just strikes me to the core. How low must they have been, to resort to such 'antics'? From the biggest stars in Korea to nobodies in Japan? The pain of crushed egos and humbled into mediocrity, and yet, three years down that painful road, they're the second non-Japanese artist to reach #1 twice (for Purple Line and Beautiful You/Sennen Koi Uta)) on the Oricon chart in 24 years?
How can we, as fans, not learn from them and feel genuine, honest admiration and love for the true strength that makes them TVXQ?
(On a side note, you can't help but wonder, sometimes, whether that 'genuine, friendly and humble' attitude they have is just an act. But you'd stop and realise, no one can maintain a dishonest facade endlessly. And the enthusiasm and warmth they're received with everytime, by other artists and MCs? It's damn hard for me to believe that everyone in the Korean/Japanese entertainment industry can act that good all the time.)