How would you compare Korean all-girl groups such as KARA with their Japanese counterparts in terms of singing ability, appeal and performing styles?

I don't see any difference and I try to avoid Japanese radio. Both have 300 members in each band and no talent. These are bubble gum bands suited for young girls only. Drives me nuts to see the same thing here with guy bands (who all look like girls anyway). Hard for an old hard rocker to like this kind of stuff., though my daughter disagrees with me. Thank God for Ipods and Internet Radio.

Korean girls have much better legs. Not bow legged. However, the girls they choose for the bands such as Kara really look Japanese and not the typical Korean look.

I prefer KARA because they put on a show of being desirable young women, rather than acting like saccharine cutesy-poo children.

I don't see any difference and I try to avoid Japanese radio. Both have 300 members in each band and no talent. These are bubble gum bands suited for young girls only. Drives me nuts to see the same thing here with guy bands (who all look like girls anyway). Hard for an old hard rocker to like this kind of stuff., though my daughter disagrees with me. Thank God for Ipods and Internet Radio.

My thoughts exactly. I too, have a daughter who is so into music, but being a professional musician and listening to music day in and day out, I expose my daughter to real quality music, so she has no interest in any of these bands and actually can distinguish what real talent is. I never avoid or tell her what she can or can not listen to, but she can already tell what's crap and what's quality. As far as sheer looks and beauty KARA has it 100%!! As models, they are cute, but musically, they need to leave the singing to real musicians.

AKB and its offshoot groups are the only ones with more than a dozen members; Kara and comparable groups, both Japanese and Korean, typically have between 3 and 9. I think what Kara, Girls Generation, Wondergirls etc. bring is a much more polished and accomplished overall package, i.e. dancing and better singing, along with the well-produced teen-pop records. Kara's songs are exceptionally catchy bubblegum, recalling the best of the late-'70s disco hits. Sure it's disposable music, but every generation has their pop acts that come and go. AKB trades almost exclusively on kawaii to sell themselves, as most of their members can't really seem to sing or dance. Hopefully the K-groups will serve as a wake-up call to AKB-style J-pop groups to up their game and place more importance on performance, not just presentation. That said, Japanese groups like Speed and (especially) Perfume have a well-defined identity and perform as well as any such group from anywhere in the world.

Korean bands have better looking girls. The music is fresh and catchy, like Wondergirls 'Tell me'. You can actually sing along to their songs. Japanese bands music is a combination of notes with different melodies in one song which doesn't stick in your head. It actually feels like going into one of those noisy game arcades where you hear millions of sounds and play that hammering game. And as Eric Evans says, I hope too that K-groups will serve as a wake-up call .

From a stage/video presentation point of view I like the Japanese groups more. The K-pop dancing is a bit more aggressive, more suggestive. Perhaps their target audience is young men more than young girls. But as a young man I prefer the more modest approach. Some of you say this is too cutesy, I suppose that can be the case with some of the groups mentioned. Musically I accept them all on a song by song basis. My favorite Japanese female singer however is still Anza! But I digress.

Do they play any instruments? Never ever seen any of them play any so question is how can they be called "Band" the word refers to music and instruments not singing, these groups should be referred to as singing groups not Bands.

Oh and by the way they are all pretty corny and sound terrible.

Personally I feel that Japanese bands are created to keep the perverts in Japan happy. No tallent and that lolita smile is what sells their music here in Japan. Look At AKB48 ....... sad just sad no tallent at all.

I can only name one Japanese all-girls group, Morning Musume due to Crunchyroll. I like the Korean all-girls group like 2NE1, Wonder Girls, Black Pearl, Brown Eyes Girls, and After School etc. because they can sing, dance, and the music video are outstanding. The Korean dance choreography are way better than the Japanese all-girls group where they just stand around looking all pretty instead of moving to the music.

The Korean record companies knows how to do business in the States by selling their music on iTunes unlike the Japanese record companies. The Japanese companies have lost out to their Korean counter-part because of their lack of business sense from music, cars, and electronics.

K-pop, J-pop are both plagues, to actually refer to them as music is an insult to MUSIC, the sounds of J-pop are all so similar, its re-cycled now for decades, the world wud be a better place if both DIDNT EXIST!

Just have these tarts pose for spreads in magazines & do videos, but please I beg you stop the INSIPID NOIZE!!!

Do they play any instruments? Never ever seen any of them play any so question is how can they be called "Band" the word refers to music and instruments not singing, these groups should be referred to as singing groups not Bands.

Oh and by the way they are all pretty corny and sound terrible.

I don't think that most Japanese really care if they can play a musical instrument or not. Just as long as they look cute, sexy that's all that matters Musical talent, writing arranging is not of huge or almost any importance to the average Japanese listener. You honestly think they write their own music, let alone play an instrument? Of course they sound corny, their music wasn't put together with much thought about social or real life issues.

I laugh at people with really bizarre definition of what "music" is. Well, then it's pretty damn sad that Kpop is catching on like wildfire eh? Man, that must really burn you up. ha ha. Only thing you presented with your argument is your superiority complex and nothing more. So music has to address social and real life issues? pu ha ha ha ha. You gotta be kidding me such bullshit.

I laugh at people with really bizarre definition of what "music" is. Well, then it's pretty damn sad that Kpop is catching on like wildfire eh? Man, that must really burn you up. ha ha. Only thing you presented with your argument is your superiority complex and nothing more. So music has to address social and real life issues? pu ha ha ha ha. You gotta be kidding me such bullshit.

I bet you laugh at a lot of things. Idiots find many unfunny things hilarious.

Pop music is garbage made for the proles of the world to listen to. The Korean groups are just as rubbish as their Japanese counterparts.

I avoid both like the plague.