MBC variety show "Manitto Club" reflected on the true meaning of gifts and ended on a warm, fitting note.
On the show's final episode, which aired on the 26th, third-season members Cha Taehyun, Park Boyoung, Lee Sun-bin, Hwang Kwanghee, Kang Hoon, Lee Suji and chef Yoon Nam-no staged an unprecedented cheer project for Ulsan Wales, the KBO's first citizen-led club. This project, which alternated dopamine, laughter and emotion, was made even warmer for viewers until the end by the third-season members' family-like chemistry.
On that day's broadcast, the third-season members went all out after a 2-night, 3-day retreat. They showed sincerity by preparing large-scale events ranging from scoreboard events and ad balloon banners to a cheer song and choreography. In particular, baseball superfan Cha Taehyun's meticulous directing, Park Boyoung's passion in writing the script herself, and Lee Sun-bin's choreography guidance created perfect teamwork and produced moving moments.
On the day of the big event, there were unexpected obstacles such as strong winds, but the members' sincerity was fully conveyed to the players. Lee Suji, who handled the opening remarks, began crying while reading the script, and even Cha Taehyun, marked by the capital letter "T," became choked up after watching the citizens' support videos in advance. Although unexpected obstacles such as sudden strong winds that disrupted the ad balloon event and a difficult movement plan were encountered, they were able to successfully finish rehearsals. They also secretly delivered group custom T-shirts engraved with the players' initials, completing their final preparations perfectly.
When the citizens' support videos were played on the scoreboard, the players could not hide their emotional expressions, and the mood surged to a climax as the cheer song made by Hong Kyung-min and sung by the members rang out. Then, when the members revealed themselves and performed the prepared choreography and became Ulsan Wales' "No. 1 fans," pouring out cheer energy, the players exclaimed, "This is amazing," and "It gave me chills and shook my heart," expressing their admiration.
In particular, the spectacle of the cheer song that began with the seven members' voices transforming into a mass chant by the 7,000 spectators filling the stadium gave viewers a thrilling shiver. The members, who shared even the historic moment of the club's first score, showed they were more than variety show cast members and fully embodied sincere supporters. Park Boyoung expressed, "I want to do Manitto regularly," and Lee Suji also said, "I want to help make the world a warmer place."
"Manitto Club" received praise for reinterpreting the meaning of manitto—hiding one's identity to be considerate of someone—in a modern way. Starting with season 1, which featured Jenny and Dex, season 2 drew attention for the chemistry between Jung Haein and Go Youn-jung, and season 3, led by Cha Taehyun and Park Boyoung, generated buzz each season with its original concepts and glamorous lineups. Their journey, in which they became someone's "secret gift" for elementary school students, firefighters and even sports clubs, delivered warm sentiment and came to a close.
[Photo] Manitto Club
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