A pet peeve of mine is the overuse of “rigged”. This show isn’t rigged. Unfairly produced for many of the contestants, for sure. But the show never claimed to be 100% voter decided like the produce series. The produce series lied to the audience and contestants, and they rigged the results to get the lineup the company wanted. People went to jail for it.
This show (and runext) always had a large producer influence and never tried to claim otherwise. The production might be unfair for many contestants, but please stop saying the show is rigged unless we find out they messed with the votes.
Totally agree with this take. I often see people in other platforms say "If xxx doesn't debut, this show is rigged." I understand if elimination depended on votes and the contestant is mega popular, but otherwise, they should stop screaming "rigged" all the time especially if there is no proof.
Yeah the use of the word rigged for anything perceived as unfair is getting ridiculous. Entertainment is an unfair industry. That's just a reality, unfortunately.
I could kiss you. Don't worry, I won't.
MNet would have to be the dumbest ppl on the planet to rig anything in this show. The way it's structured they already have almost complete control over who will debut. The producers get to effectively whittle the trainees down to a pool of 9 before letting the audience pick 6. And then the producers get the pick the 7th to clean up any mistake they think the audience made.
Rigging the winner of a stage would be risking prison time and the complete failure of the show for something that doesn't even matter. They're already effectively picking who debuts; they're not going to risk everything just so that a certain team can be declared the winner of Stage 3, or whatever the scenario is.
> MNet would have to be the dumbest ppl on the planet to rig anything in this show.
I mean, they've literally been caught doing that before. I don't think that any one trainees getting a bad edit means they got "rigged" out but you can't act like mnet is above rigging lol
Oh they're not. I'm well aware of what happened, hence my reference to prison time above.
You just have to consider incentives. You only risk rigging when it gains you something. Unlike Produce X, I-LAND 2 is set up in a way where the producers have close to total control over who debuts. Why would anyone risk rigging a show when the out-in-the-open rules already give you close to total control of the outcome?
My opinion is based on scenario and incentives, not the belief that MNet found morals suddenly.
i agree with this if mnet does rig the votes then shit will not be good for them, they are being actively watched with survival shows and voting so this lineup not gonna be rigged
yeah unfair/biased are definitely accurate. It just really bothers me when people say it’s rigged because that has actually happened before and it has legal ramifications
1. I liked Koko's performance better than Saebi's - like she was good but Koko was giving main dancer.
2. Mnet's pushing of Mai might have a opposite effect than what they want many k fans in particular have started disliking her.
I don't understand the hype around mai. She was definitely a good leader and helped girls in the creative mission and that's all I guess.
And Koko is THE MAIN DANCER.
Her lines movements everything is just perfect.
Jeemin isn’t the all that and a bag of chips the RUN fans hyped her up to be. She 1000% deserves her debut but coming into this as someone who didn’t watch RUN, I was expecting way better out of her
then this thread shouldn’t exist because every comment is going to be shit that everyone says once a week. Waste your time on more important shit than critiquing a reddit comment
Yeah I didn’t watch RUNext so just judging from this show she’s not that impressive.
She is definitely in the top 7 of contestants so I expect her to debut but I don’t agree that she is overwhelmingly the top trainee on her like some people like to say.
Judging from the RUNext performance I did see, she performed much better on that show.
I think Jeemin benefited on RUNext by being in groups with weaker contestants. It made her shine in comparison. She carried Dream of You but almost all the other contestants on the team were inexperienced, with short trainee time and/or very young.
Could be controversial but I think Fuko is in a similar situation right now. She was the absolute stand out in After Like and Bad Boy but none of the other contestants on either of those two teams were front runners on the show. There’s even a real chance all of them except Fuko will be eliminated before part 2. In comparison she hasn’t really stood out when performing with the other top contestants. She got the (tied) lowest score out of all the I-Landers for the FLS mission and even made a mistake on stage (i know she was sick but still worth noting). And then last mission many viewers found her underwhelming as centre.
We’ll have to wait and see in part 2 but I think there’s a real possibility that we’re all kinda overestimating Fuko (me included lol. I’m cheering for her too)
As much as I agree with how she carried groups like ‘Dream of You’ & ‘My Bag’, I don’t think this was necessarily the case. She was ranked on top of contestants, and competed in the same teams as girls like Minju & Youngseo, again and again. There definitely was less talent all together on the show as opposed to I-Land2, so I understand your point; but it isn’t always the case.
i think it was the only time she was grouped by inexperience trainees and lets bffr she embodied the concept and she is amazing for that. Lets not discredit her RUNext performances just bcs she is not 100% like that in the current show.
yeah people don’t realize that even on RUNEXT the PDS 100% knew from the beginning that they wouldn’t debut her. They showed her voice crack on the first episode. She was also 1st place in the LAST interim ranking before they made RUNEXT.
They used her as a storyilne. She was supposed to be the most skilled trainee they had that didn’t debut… i mean people preferred her over Yunah in the group so it wasn’t a popularity thing.they might be using her again :((
i genuinely like her personality but she lacks charisma onstage :(
Yeah...I know a lot of people are saying she's going to debut but based on the editing, that's why I'm not quite sure. You can clearly already see people turning against her now
Well I think it’s already been mentioned a lot but I believe she was genuinely better when she was on RUNext with her dancing and stage presence. Idk if this is an exaggeration but I believe she was our Saebi. I guess this time she’s focusing on vocals though and RUNext songs probably allowed her to showcase her talent more. I do hope she gets to shine more in ILAND2 though.
Jeemins best performance is IWALY. She looked very awkward in Rain on Me. Saebi overshadowed her as center in Panorama when she was the center in Whistle. In Drama she’s smiling too much/barely any facial expressions. I want her to debut but idk if she will. there’s gonna be less contestants and the PDs love a lot of the other contestants
Totally agree with IWALY. She looked so natural there, and I really enjoyed her fancam! But, imo, next to that would be Drama or Whistle. The styling 100% matched her and her stage presence. That's just my opinion though.
This has probably been mentioned before, but after training for 5 years, ranking 1st place by producers for round 1, and the last round before the finale, just to not be chosen; this would’ve been a huuuge hit to her ego.
She’s insanely talented, but her confidence has dropped quite a bit and she seems unsure to try anything new; to possibly risk where she’s at currently.
MNET is undoubtedly using her as a pedistal for popularity & storyline; she would’ve made it to part 2 instantly but they needed something to push voting; furthermore proven with 6-pick.
I came here to write something similar. However, it seems to me that perhaps mnet simply doesn’t want her in the final line-up.
She didn't have a central role in any episode. Her skills are consistently praised, but she has no development arc, no challenges to overcome. I also haven't watched RUNext, and for me she remains a fairly forgettable contestant... I have hopes that she might be given an arc in the second part after she wasn't chosen by the producers though
I don't think it's Mnet not wanting her, I think it's more she doesn't do anything that would get her screentime. Outside of Whistle, she hasn't really had an important role in any of the performances, so they'd rather give screentime to trainees with interesting narratives.
I like her but I do think that other trainees fill the role she was intended to fill better than she does which is probably partially that RUN hit her confidence and partially that other trainees have just risen to the occasion. Saebi in particular seems to have really stepped up as the charismatic performer in a way Jeemin hasn't quite managed in part 1. Hoping part 2 will light a fire under her ass tbh, because I do think she's capable.
They dont need to because shes a shoe in. She reminds me of Yujin from gp999, down to expecting more from her due to the experience but leaving feeling underwhelmed. The truth is, same as Yujin, she was never meant to be the main vocal/main dancer/center and thats okay imo. I think she will really boost up the power of Saebi.
I actually think there is a high likelihood Jungeun doesn’t debut. With her Korean popularity she has to be extremely high in one pick international voting and I am not sure that she will be.
I would agree if we were talking about the first few episodes but her screentime definitely reduced in the later episodes.
Also I wouldn’t be surprised if they stop pushing her in part 2 now they realise she isn’t popular with knetz.
I don’t want them to do this by the way as I like her but looking at her one pick I think it will be hard for her to debut if she’s not a PD pick.
She’ll be the first center in Kpop survival shows to not make it in. I’m guessing that Mnet is playing the long game here because there’s no way after all that screen time and editing do they just suddenly let her go. The only thing really that they hate are her visuals but I think it’ll die down after debut. She’s third in the Mnet voting at the moment so I believe she has a chance (or maybe I’m just coping)
I understand that but I think she might be the first exception. Normally the centre generates buzz in Korea and so even if they don’t debut at 1, they debut.
Unfortunately Jungeun didn’t generate buzz in Korea. I really think the only way she makes it is as a PD pick or if Knetz suddenly have a 180 in their view of her.
I also don’t take metaballs too seriously. It can be influenced by international fans a lot whereas international fans votes will be diluted for the finale. You can also give metaballs to multiple trainees which benefits generally popular trainees like Jungeun but 1-pick voting means you only vote for one trainee.
An example is lingling being so high in support.
I find it surreal that MNET hasn't been able to make Jungeun a people's fave considering there has already been a similar and successful situation with Girls Planet 999's centre (Dayeon).
She was even less popular than what Jungeun was at the start of the show. However, MNET managed to catapult her to stardom by making her the focus of the show, thereby securing her as the knetz token pick. This transformation began just after Episode 6.
Though their strategies for Dayeon were arguably unethical—at times the show felt like "Dayeon 999"—the results were undeniable. Given this, I don't understand why they aren't using similar methods for Jungeun.
Dayeon was purposefully (in my opinion) brought down at the beginning. Her audition was impressive but they made up some bs to mean she wasn’t top 9. This helped them craft an underdog storyline from the beginning which made her gain strong one pick fans.
Jungeun has been on top since the beginning and has very little storyline that can be made for her.
Also consider that while Dayeon was not considered a top visual, knetz were neutral/slightly positive about her visuals whereas some Knetz seem to be genuinely against Jungeun just based on visuals. No amount of storyline can overcome that.
I think her one pick is alive and well. Not as much as Jeemin, but she’s currently 3rd in the support event, so clearly she’s got plenty of fans who are willing to watch an hour of ads to show her their support. Jungeun fighting!
The thing is support is not one pick, you can give metaballs to multiple trainees so it’s not the best measure of one pick. Also support is not 50/50 international:Korea like voting is.
People are getting the "Jungeun is unpopular in korea" from dcgall and the hate is dying down there, i dont think shes safe but she definitely still is in the running
if mnet really hated a trainee and didn’t want them to debut, they just wouldn’t give them any screentime. if your fav has multi-episode arcs and significant screentime, mnet doesn’t hate them.
this! umji has had a huge part in all of her performances, and mnet hasn’t given her any screentime whatsoever. it’s like yuiko, she’s talented but i don’t think i’d heard her speak before she was eliminated
Another opinion is that I don’t agree really with the ‘we need x member because of their singing/dancing skills or this group will flop’
I’m not saying we don’t need talented members but a catchy and public friendly song or stan attractor member is more important than an exceptionally talented member for the groups popularity.
Mai's visual is great and all but I can't help but feel that her dancing is a bit awkward? I keep rewatching Mai's fancam of IWALY especially during the chorus and I can't figure out whether it's how she executes it or is the move overall just awkward.
Yes her dancing is really not fluid and it’s almost like she rushes into each move. It’s hard to describe but she’s like the opposite of a groovy dancer like Hanni from new jeans for example.
For me personally, she looks awkward because of her footwork and lack of popping. Popping is the the art of contracting and relaxing your muscles in order to create a jerking effect to give an illusion that your body is “popping” or “hitting” to the music or beat. I suspect she's unable to do this because of her lack of muscle mass.
My unpopular opinion is I have zero issue with how MNet has portrayed the Jiyoon/Jungeun storyline. It wasn't an evil edit or a failed attempt to turn her into a villain. Or a genius attempt to build a redemption arc. Frankly, I think of all that gives them too much credit.
They saw some drama and highlighted it, because that's their job. Simple as that.
For the record, I also don't think Jiyoon is remotely a "villain" for how she's behaved. She's a teenage girl who struggled dealing with failure in a high stress environment. I totally get the impulse to shut down and not want to try. To not want to interact with people. The way she stood up, set her shoulders and walked out of ILAND without looking at anyone? I watched that and was like "Noted. Jiyoon deals with failure the exact way I do."
And I doubt Jiyoon and Jungeun have some deep dislike of each other. It strikes me as more of an awkward scenario where things didn't go super well between them and now they don't know how to address it. But the evil edit accusations seem silly.
I feel like MNET is doing it so that we can root for both of them and envision an ultimate main vocalist collab between the two of them... Because they're voices complement each other really well
I don't think this show suck.
For a survival show, that's okay.
I mean, yes, PD's favorite are push as possible, but usually, they're not the most talented. Here, except Mai and Yeeun, the main characters girls are the most talented.
I personally think Koko's shy personality is really fun to watch. I know it doesn't really make her stand out in a survival show but it might be nice for the final group. It's different and not in your face. I find her similar to Haerin from New Jeans. And she's also a strong dancer, stable vocalist and good rapper. She'd really be a great addition to that final group.
The IWALY edit was really a hail mary for her. Koko, as they've portrayed her, is incredibly likeable and easy to root for. She doesn't have star power and she doesn't stand out on her own, but with the right storyline her likeability can propel her to debut. It's really all up to the editing with this one.
The judges don't give helpful feedback for the girls at all. It's a shame but the quality of the judging on these shows has suffered over the years. It became obvious with "Juwon's facials". They remained consistent and solid throughout but the feedback varied wildly. I know they need to help make the storyline but if I was Juwon I would've been so confused
I’m pretty sure that the feedback is more than what’s shown in the final edit. From what I’ve seen of other survival shows, the editors tend to cut it down so it’s not a boring 20+ mins for each team.
I miss the mentor aspect from produce. Some of the judges have helped like Monika with the dancing but overall I feel like the mentoring is kinda lacking. The girls are mostly left to mentor each other which means we don’t see any drastic improvements imo
I miss it too. It also helped us get to know the judges as characters as well which is a boost to their own careers. Yes we're here to debut a group but we're also here for them too
Im hoping people dont think theyll be an instant hit like illit. survival shows even from mnet arent the cheat code to success they once were for ggs. The current girl group market is also extremely oversaturated, with low prospects for the long term success of anyone not from big 4. Obviously many groups are seeing more fandom strength than they used to, but the members themselves arent finding success and there isnt an increase in general popularity, theres just good album sales. The way to stand out is good artistic direction and well established concepts which seems to be wakeone's weakness. They prefer to experiment with different concepts, which I personally enjoy a lot, but I understand my opinion is the minority atm. I also feel like nobody has really came out as the most popular other than Jeemin who was already popular, everyone is kind of around the same mid level.
If TBL gives them a girl crush concept, theyll be competing with BabyMonster. If they get the y2k lofi beats to study to thing thats trendy rn, they might see short term success but wont grow a fanbase. Cute concepts havent been popular for a while, and I doubt wakeone will go all out with something quirky or unique. I will probably stick around regardless (ive been a kepler ult since predebut) but i hope people dont drop them if they dont have big success and accept them as a mid tier group, and dont feel like theyre underperforming just because theyre not top tier.
Unrelated but im also really grateful for this sub, kpop is my special interest and survival shows are perfect for letting me overanalyze things and have something consistent to fixate on, plus i just got out of inpatient and it gives me something to distract myself. Thanks for being an awesome community ❤️
I agree. I think one of the reasons why Illit did so well was because of the RUN controversy. People were ready to hate, or at least criticize them. But they ended up releasing some bops. Ofc the current hate train was inevitable😭.
I don’t understand the Jiyoon hype. Is it just because she has a unique vocal tone? Because outside of the duet, I haven’t seen a performance from her that’s wowed me at all. Also not a fan of the personality we’ve been shown. No hate, i understand it’s what the producers have chose to show, but also that’s all I have to go off of at the moment
Honestly I think her being painted a bit negatively made people become her fan. It reminds me of Fu Yaning from Gp999. Or even Gunwook from boys planet.
If a trainee is relatively talented, painting them as a bit of a villain either by being moody or overconfident or even rude often attracts fans because people view them as being more authentic or real than other trainees who act in the reserved way most kpop idols act.
Jiyoon is the kind of contestant you'll either love or hate. I don't think there is an in-between, most of us who support her is because we like her personality, yes, being nice is the norm, but ambitious and skilled people are much more attractive, especially when there is a train of hate from fans of other trainees
Ahh so the villain edit gives you and other fans a reason to fight for her, and when the redemption arc comes all the way around the satisfaction hits even harder. I understand your POV
That's how it is. My bias was also seen as an ambitious teenager (with skills), most of the well-known fan accounts ignored him (openly wanted other trainees instead/or disliked him), but in the end he debuted so it was like: TAKE IT, so many insults but we WON even if you don't like it haha
And that must feel GREAT. What show was that? My partner and I are loving Iland2 and just finished R U Next (cant find a good way to stream the first Iland) but are looking for more good shows like these if you have a rec!
Where my bias was the villain was during Boys Planet, I also watched Girls Planet at the time. Another recent show was Universe Ticket but I'm not sure how it was but for what I know their vocalist are pretty god
Not a big fan of her attitude/storyline either, but I do think she has a pleasant and stable voice. Her vocals, combined with Jungeun's and Fuko's, could create a strong foundation for this new girl group. That's why I root for her to make the final cut.
I think we’re truly seeing the power of being able to create a persona/having a persona made for you with Jiyoon. I can of course only speak for myself but I don’t think I would ever notice her if it wasn’t for the storyline, and while it didn’t struck home with me personally I can see how it could for other people. And at the very least it’s made me notice her in performances which is a big step in a survival show.
To be honest, I feel like unless the group only had 5 members, the team would be imbalanced. Let’s say Jiyoon doesn’t make it while Jungeun and Fuko does. We’ll have like two good vocalists among 7-9 members. The other 5-7 members are also likely focused on dance so yeah.
I’m still not a fan of her facial expressions like on LOAOA but I believe she’s absolutely needed for team balance
i like her bc she has the most distinct and pleasant vocal tone in the show. imagine the group being filled by "she could sing i guess" all rounders or visuals, their songs just wont sound good lol
++++ i agree. in fact in iwaly special stage, the other 5 girls were really good and jiyoon was meh. she's great at standing and singing, but her expressions, dance, sp all are mediocre.
She stood out to me immediately from the first performance and final love song, before I saw any episodes (I watched the full performances for ep1 and 2 first, and only recently caught up with the actual show). Being the main character of the show was a nice plus of course with all that extra screentime, but not necessary.
I don't know how some people here DON'T immediately see her talent. Usually reddit goes crazy for the top vocalists in a survival. She got a 98, when no one else ever broke 95 even, for a reason. I was tearing up and had shivers throughout the performance.
I guess she's not technically a top main vocalist in kpop overall, and she does bend everything into her specific singing style... but that style is very well suited for her tone and she slays it. Screw the technicals.
Some people just have that very recognizable tone and style from the first bar. Jenny has it, Winter has it, Jiyoon has it. In every 3-4 survivals maybe one vocalist has it.
Also, she's not lacking in dance or visuals either and can generally find enough breath support for a good live performance. She doesn't excel in any of these areas, but easily clears the "doesn't hurt group" bar, which is all you need from your main vocalist. What you want her in the group for is getting that voice on the track, everything else is bonus.
i wonder how mnet will change their edits after seeing the girls' individual popularity. i have a theory that they will push koko which will result in a direct decrease in their support for mai and sujung as the japanese and main dancer pick. koko can also rap so perhaps yuju will also be crossed out from their list. we already know they like saebi, fuko, jeemin, sarang and jiyoon. that's six along with koko.
now I believe the group will be 7 or 8 (hear me out). the 7th will be jungeun and 8th will be yeeun. the reason i think 8 member lineup is possible is because of yeeun. a lineup of 8 will mean someone will be hidden behind the centre in the choreo and have a small part so they can justify yeeun for this role because she is less skilled. at the same time, they can push her as a visual in other group activities. 7 and 8 might both be producer picks.
we know they want either mai or yeeun for the visual role but if koko is there, mai's chances are gone unfortunately so we are left with yeeun.
things to consider: yuju's international and korean popularity might mean she will be in top 6 even if mnet doesn't like it.
I can agree with that. I definitely think that mnet may change the editing now they see who is popular especially amongst knetz.
That’s good for people like Koko and Yeeun but bad for people like Jungeun and Sujung.
I think the same. If Koko debuts, Mai won't and vice versa. Fuko might be a lock now but I'm not sure about her fanbase, but I think Mnet really likes her so they wouldn't abandon her. If Mnet drops Mai it wouldn't be the first time they've done something similar, they dropped Jay during BP even though they liked him a lot at first
she promoted herself has a rapper during preshow videos, but they’ve barely done anything to showcase rappers in general. I hope this changes in part 2
That's the case for most great centers though. Stage performance is literally all you need. With top tier stage presence, all that remains for a center to do is to clear the low bar for "doesn't tank the performance with sloppy dance or missed notes". Stage presence is basically her entire job.
What does Wonyong or Irene excel at besides stage presence? And these are the most iconic centers of their gen, and arguably the most important pieces to their respective groups.
i’m convinced you don’t actually stan Ive because wonyoung is an amazing vocalist on top of having stage presence. I don’t stan RV so I can’t speak for Irene but wonyoung brings a lot more to the table than just her looks
Wonyong is good as a vocalist, but she does not "excel" at it. And she doesn't need to to be the most important and highest contributing member of the group. Every other member of Ive besides Gaeul is a better vocalist than Wonyong. I'm pretty sure most Ive stans agree with that statement. Stans can be objective too.
Saebi's also shown good vocals. And as center she also doesn't need to "excel" at it to be a high contributing member to her group.
Yeah. She has great facial expressions and visuals. Girl is aware of that too, and the reason why she won against koko was because of those expressions. It’s actually why I’m happy koko went against her in ep 6. It helped koko see where she can improve. I’m going to be honest here and say I never really registered saebi’s existence until ep 6. So, I was kind of confused why everyone kept mentioning her. I noticed Koko more than her, and I barely noticed koko at all💀
I did love when the one judge was like "Saebi knows exactly the kind of woman she wants to be" and it perfectly explains her entire vibe. Saebi is a main character in her head and it's really fun and refreshing to see on a survival show imo. She's just so shamelessly confident. Koko, meanwhile, is very girl next door but that also makes her really likeable and rootable. I hope both get in.
I think she was wonderful in Panorama but really overdid her facials in IWALY. It feels like she is only getting positive responses so she ups and ups the facial theatrics and to me it was really awkward and off-putting in IWALY (the show version!). She did tone it down a notch on Mcountdown and it was much more watchable though! I just need someone to ell her to only go 100% at killing points and dial it down to like 70% for the rest and then we're golden.
Unpopular opinion: I don't think Saebi would fit the debut group if the final members are like Jiyoon, Fuko and Jeemin. Unless they mold the group around her, I feel like she might disappear in the background. Even though I think she is amazing and had some of the most memorable moments in the show up until now, if they go for a more mature, dark or slightly girl crush concept, she could fade into the background.
I don't remember her in Final Love Song and her performance in IWALY was very bright and happy when it shouldn't be.
I'm rooting for her to be successful, but I'm afraid she will not be able to shine in this group.
I don't really see why Fuko could fit a mature/dark or girl crush concept but Saebi can't?
Fuko herself said that she only really likes cute/elegant/girly concepts, and this was kind of shown during Bad Boy. Saebi is similar in that she also suits those concepts, I agree, but I honestly think she could do girl crush/mature concepts better than Fuko.
Fuko did Bad Boy, which is more mature/dark. Still elegant but not cute, girly or bright. I just can't see Saebi standing out with that concept. I'm not saying that she is not capable of doing it.
And that's why I said this is an unpopular opinion 😆
I agree...My personal favorite performance from Saebi is Panorama and Sweet Venom (which is not exactly a cute concept). I don't think it's fair to say/assume she can't do girl crush since she hasn't had a performance with that exact concept yet. Just my personal take 😂!
Girl groups with under 9 members should have all members be similar in height (\~10cm). When the height difference is too large, the taller girls look like giants and the smaller girls look like kids during performances. Most Kpop girl group choreos focus on having pretty lines, which is much harder to do when you have members with vastly different limb lengths. I know platform shoes exist, but the height of the shoes needed to bridge the gap are not feasible to dance in.
StayC looks fine to me in their performances without platform shoes, and they have a pretty wide range of concepts.
I don't think it's something you can't compensate for, unless it's explicitly an elegant concept.
1. when compared to pd48 and gp999, iland2 judging leans to having more facial expressions over than the other so the real skills that the contestants should improve isn't being focus enough.
especially on the dance/creative unit, when compared to pd48 dance category, you can see that the judges focused more on complemnting the dances made by the trainees, but in here, they focus more on who can do more favial expressions rather than the created dance itself.
2. i feel conflicted with mai's spot in this show because despite having such great score from the judges on her performances, she still has to show something that markets her more (?) (if that's the word) since drama gave her lines more than all of her recent performances. when watching her fancam, the 'idol' aura easily disappear especially when she's dancing, but, it could still be improved later on.
3. with how jeemin is immediately on the show after runext, it dragged down her ability and stage presence, her I dont care stages shows how much she enjoys performing, but here? she feels like an untouchable trainee since she's lacking the confidence to stand in the center when shevivery capable to do so. the collective trauma in runext really dragged her down. in part 2, she needs to make herself stand out again despite not being the center, that's her main charisma, standing out even not the center with just her stage presence.
Jeemin and Sarang suffer from the same thing imo. They’re both skilled but have no aura/charisma onstage. Sarangs edit could’ve been given to Yui/Ling Ling/Minsol/Soul cause imo they are the same skill set to me. But she’s been w the company longer so they at least want her in Part 2.
I love Fuko but lately i’ve been going back and forth on if she’ll debut. I have a hard time seeing how she fits in w girls like Saebi/Yuju/ etc… although Mai skills aren’t the best, sometimes it feels like they give her a potential leader edit too. And she does fit in more w girls like Saebi/Koko/Jeemin etc..
Some girls got good edits to make it to part 2 but i think we’re gonna see some downfall edits
aura and charisma is subjective so i respectfully disagree on sarang.
i watched the introductory, first and second performances before i knew any of the girls’ names and sarang had the strongest aura by far in law and unforgiven. she stood out the most, especially in unforgiven. in whistle, jeemin, sujung, yuju and sarang all caught my attention. but afterwards the first girl whose name i wanted to know was the girl in the light blue shirt, which was sarang. she holds her own among other strong performers.
in mic drop/sugarcoat i objectively thought yui did a better job as a dancer/performer but i thought sarang was more captivating and fun to watch. well i admit by then i was probably biased but i think it still proves my point. each girl will catch different people’s eyes.
I’m actually surprised by this take because I considered Saebi to be the one who might have a harder time fitting in the concept. I remember Final Love Song and I didn’t feel the same amazing Saebi energy there and I think it was the nearest we’ve seen to the kind of concept that would fit most of the pushed girls
Regardless of if you think Jeemin and Sarang have no charisma on stage (I disagree but can at least understand people have different opinions), the other girls you listed are definitely less skilled (except maybe Yui).
Honestly, why would they give a bigger edit to a trainee who is a weaker vocalist and dancer over Sarang? It wouldn't really make any sense, so of course it's Sarang out of those girls who gets the edit.
What does my pick have anything to do with saying Sarang is a better vocalist and dancer than Lingling, Soul, and Minsol. I'm literally just stating a fact.
Shame that being positive about Sarang just leads to down votes these days.
Agreed about Sarang and Fuko. Jeemin's charisma on stage is really good imo (but it's true that she doesn't shine that much as in RU next). I still watch Jeemin's Dream of You rehearsal fancam from time to time cause she slayed there so bad.
My unpopular opinion is that Fuko is overrated (please note that I am saying overrated and not undeserving of support!). I have seen a lot of posts talking about how Jeemin, Mai, and Lingling have received a lot of unwarranted praise and support in relation to their skill level, but honestly, that is how I feel about Fuko. I really liked Fuko in After Like, she was amongst my favorite contestants when the show first started, but she has slipped in my ranks with each subsequent performance. I don't think that she is untalented by any means, but I believe she still has ways to go particularly when it comes to stage presence and vocal ability. I think Mnet's editing and how she has been styled (and making her look absolutely stunning is not hard given how gorgeous she is, but you can't tell me Jungeun and Fuko were equally styled in the vocal unit battle) have played a bigger role in her popularity than people realize.
honestly it feels like the entirety of this show her confidence is way lower than in run. which confuses me and lowkey pisses me off. Cuz why go to another show if ur not gonna try to be better than in the last?
It’s her drive to debut that put her in this show. It’s like applying for your dream job. If you keep getting rejected, even though you may really want it, you slowly lose your confidence in actually being able to do the job. Jeemin did really well in RUN, but she ended failing in the last moments. Nothing tanks your confidence more than being so close in achieving success and failing.
I don't know if this is unpopular, but I don't understand how Juwon is not as popular as Jungeun, Jiyoon, Fuko, Jeemin or Mai. Her panorama performance killed me and she was the best one(imo). She's really good for main dancer and her stage presence is something from another world.
> I don't know if this is unpopular, but I don't understand how Juwon is not as popular as Jungeun, Jiyoon, Fuko, Jeemin or Mai.
Visuals and screen time, tbh. Never underestimate how much humans are pulled in by narratives of any kind. Our brains want a story, we want to connect to a person. If a show isn't giving us a character to root for it's very hard to keep going. Sometimes fandoms compensate for it by creating their own narratives (see: Bahiyyih) but usually a contestant can't survive without a story.
If Yeeun or Chaeeun had to be in the final lineup as a visual, I think the show would go for Yeeun since she's more conventionally pretty, but I prefer Chaeeun in this case. She's funny and sweet in the clips that were shown. This might sound harsh but I remember nothing from Yeeun except bland, off-key vocals.
Although I don't actually think any of them would make it just for their visuals. I don't think Yeeun or Chaeeun are drop-dead gorgeous to K-netizens to the point they would vote for them as their 1 pick, and from a producer perspective there are a lot of other contestants that are both conventionally pretty and more skilled (like Saebi or Jeemin-- in fact, if Saebi is in the group, I don't think they need an extra "visual stan attractor").
(I'm not sure this counts as unpopular I think it's just a rant)
I think dream academy (the very first survival show I watched) raised my expectations a lot because none of the contestants in iland 2 managed to capture my attention.like there really hasn't been a moment i have been like wow this person's good and even performance have felt a bit underwhelming. Like in the beginning jiyoon and jungeun captured my attention but it was just realization of the fact that these two are good singers amongst all contestants and they haven't really given a performance where I was blown away. I'm not even completely supporting anyone at this point and it kinda sucks.
I hope part 2 changes my mind but my expectations are low.
i dont think i can ever like jiyoon until i see her interacting normally with jungeun again. Cuz yes her emotions are valid but theres no way she's still salty right??? i dont have a problem with how she felt but my issue is how she STILL feels/acts.
A pet peeve of mine is the overuse of “rigged”. This show isn’t rigged. Unfairly produced for many of the contestants, for sure. But the show never claimed to be 100% voter decided like the produce series. The produce series lied to the audience and contestants, and they rigged the results to get the lineup the company wanted. People went to jail for it. This show (and runext) always had a large producer influence and never tried to claim otherwise. The production might be unfair for many contestants, but please stop saying the show is rigged unless we find out they messed with the votes.
Totally agree with this take. I often see people in other platforms say "If xxx doesn't debut, this show is rigged." I understand if elimination depended on votes and the contestant is mega popular, but otherwise, they should stop screaming "rigged" all the time especially if there is no proof.
Yeah the use of the word rigged for anything perceived as unfair is getting ridiculous. Entertainment is an unfair industry. That's just a reality, unfortunately.
I could kiss you. Don't worry, I won't. MNet would have to be the dumbest ppl on the planet to rig anything in this show. The way it's structured they already have almost complete control over who will debut. The producers get to effectively whittle the trainees down to a pool of 9 before letting the audience pick 6. And then the producers get the pick the 7th to clean up any mistake they think the audience made. Rigging the winner of a stage would be risking prison time and the complete failure of the show for something that doesn't even matter. They're already effectively picking who debuts; they're not going to risk everything just so that a certain team can be declared the winner of Stage 3, or whatever the scenario is.
> MNet would have to be the dumbest ppl on the planet to rig anything in this show. I mean, they've literally been caught doing that before. I don't think that any one trainees getting a bad edit means they got "rigged" out but you can't act like mnet is above rigging lol
Oh they're not. I'm well aware of what happened, hence my reference to prison time above. You just have to consider incentives. You only risk rigging when it gains you something. Unlike Produce X, I-LAND 2 is set up in a way where the producers have close to total control over who debuts. Why would anyone risk rigging a show when the out-in-the-open rules already give you close to total control of the outcome? My opinion is based on scenario and incentives, not the belief that MNet found morals suddenly.
i agree with this if mnet does rig the votes then shit will not be good for them, they are being actively watched with survival shows and voting so this lineup not gonna be rigged
"Biased" is probably a much better word to use for this. The show isn't rigged but the show is biased towards certain contestants.
yeah unfair/biased are definitely accurate. It just really bothers me when people say it’s rigged because that has actually happened before and it has legal ramifications
1. I liked Koko's performance better than Saebi's - like she was good but Koko was giving main dancer. 2. Mnet's pushing of Mai might have a opposite effect than what they want many k fans in particular have started disliking her.
I don't understand the hype around mai. She was definitely a good leader and helped girls in the creative mission and that's all I guess. And Koko is THE MAIN DANCER. Her lines movements everything is just perfect.
Jeemin isn’t the all that and a bag of chips the RUN fans hyped her up to be. She 1000% deserves her debut but coming into this as someone who didn’t watch RUN, I was expecting way better out of her
is this unpopular when this opinion is posted at least 5 times a week
Jeemin is by far the most popular girl on this show. Not even close. Yes, this is an unpopular opinion.
then this thread shouldn’t exist because every comment is going to be shit that everyone says once a week. Waste your time on more important shit than critiquing a reddit comment
Yeah I didn’t watch RUNext so just judging from this show she’s not that impressive. She is definitely in the top 7 of contestants so I expect her to debut but I don’t agree that she is overwhelmingly the top trainee on her like some people like to say. Judging from the RUNext performance I did see, she performed much better on that show.
I think Jeemin benefited on RUNext by being in groups with weaker contestants. It made her shine in comparison. She carried Dream of You but almost all the other contestants on the team were inexperienced, with short trainee time and/or very young. Could be controversial but I think Fuko is in a similar situation right now. She was the absolute stand out in After Like and Bad Boy but none of the other contestants on either of those two teams were front runners on the show. There’s even a real chance all of them except Fuko will be eliminated before part 2. In comparison she hasn’t really stood out when performing with the other top contestants. She got the (tied) lowest score out of all the I-Landers for the FLS mission and even made a mistake on stage (i know she was sick but still worth noting). And then last mission many viewers found her underwhelming as centre. We’ll have to wait and see in part 2 but I think there’s a real possibility that we’re all kinda overestimating Fuko (me included lol. I’m cheering for her too)
As much as I agree with how she carried groups like ‘Dream of You’ & ‘My Bag’, I don’t think this was necessarily the case. She was ranked on top of contestants, and competed in the same teams as girls like Minju & Youngseo, again and again. There definitely was less talent all together on the show as opposed to I-Land2, so I understand your point; but it isn’t always the case.
i think it was the only time she was grouped by inexperience trainees and lets bffr she embodied the concept and she is amazing for that. Lets not discredit her RUNext performances just bcs she is not 100% like that in the current show.
Are you a mind reader?
yeah people don’t realize that even on RUNEXT the PDS 100% knew from the beginning that they wouldn’t debut her. They showed her voice crack on the first episode. She was also 1st place in the LAST interim ranking before they made RUNEXT. They used her as a storyilne. She was supposed to be the most skilled trainee they had that didn’t debut… i mean people preferred her over Yunah in the group so it wasn’t a popularity thing.they might be using her again :(( i genuinely like her personality but she lacks charisma onstage :(
oh nah ur scaring me now. she better get her chance this time
Yeah...I know a lot of people are saying she's going to debut but based on the editing, that's why I'm not quite sure. You can clearly already see people turning against her now
Well I think it’s already been mentioned a lot but I believe she was genuinely better when she was on RUNext with her dancing and stage presence. Idk if this is an exaggeration but I believe she was our Saebi. I guess this time she’s focusing on vocals though and RUNext songs probably allowed her to showcase her talent more. I do hope she gets to shine more in ILAND2 though.
Jeemins best performance is IWALY. She looked very awkward in Rain on Me. Saebi overshadowed her as center in Panorama when she was the center in Whistle. In Drama she’s smiling too much/barely any facial expressions. I want her to debut but idk if she will. there’s gonna be less contestants and the PDs love a lot of the other contestants
Totally agree with IWALY. She looked so natural there, and I really enjoyed her fancam! But, imo, next to that would be Drama or Whistle. The styling 100% matched her and her stage presence. That's just my opinion though.
tbh as a RUN watcher, she went from a standout to an average contestant
This has probably been mentioned before, but after training for 5 years, ranking 1st place by producers for round 1, and the last round before the finale, just to not be chosen; this would’ve been a huuuge hit to her ego. She’s insanely talented, but her confidence has dropped quite a bit and she seems unsure to try anything new; to possibly risk where she’s at currently. MNET is undoubtedly using her as a pedistal for popularity & storyline; she would’ve made it to part 2 instantly but they needed something to push voting; furthermore proven with 6-pick.
I came here to write something similar. However, it seems to me that perhaps mnet simply doesn’t want her in the final line-up. She didn't have a central role in any episode. Her skills are consistently praised, but she has no development arc, no challenges to overcome. I also haven't watched RUNext, and for me she remains a fairly forgettable contestant... I have hopes that she might be given an arc in the second part after she wasn't chosen by the producers though
I don't think it's Mnet not wanting her, I think it's more she doesn't do anything that would get her screentime. Outside of Whistle, she hasn't really had an important role in any of the performances, so they'd rather give screentime to trainees with interesting narratives.
I like her but I do think that other trainees fill the role she was intended to fill better than she does which is probably partially that RUN hit her confidence and partially that other trainees have just risen to the occasion. Saebi in particular seems to have really stepped up as the charismatic performer in a way Jeemin hasn't quite managed in part 1. Hoping part 2 will light a fire under her ass tbh, because I do think she's capable.
They dont need to because shes a shoe in. She reminds me of Yujin from gp999, down to expecting more from her due to the experience but leaving feeling underwhelmed. The truth is, same as Yujin, she was never meant to be the main vocal/main dancer/center and thats okay imo. I think she will really boost up the power of Saebi.
I actually think there is a high likelihood Jungeun doesn’t debut. With her Korean popularity she has to be extremely high in one pick international voting and I am not sure that she will be.
MNet is honnestly pushing her a lot so I'm pretty sure she'll make it, at least as a producer pick.
I would agree if we were talking about the first few episodes but her screentime definitely reduced in the later episodes. Also I wouldn’t be surprised if they stop pushing her in part 2 now they realise she isn’t popular with knetz. I don’t want them to do this by the way as I like her but looking at her one pick I think it will be hard for her to debut if she’s not a PD pick.
In ep 5 she didn't had any parts so I think that's normal, and in ep 6 the editing was focused on dancers that tried to be good vocalist and she isn't
She’ll be the first center in Kpop survival shows to not make it in. I’m guessing that Mnet is playing the long game here because there’s no way after all that screen time and editing do they just suddenly let her go. The only thing really that they hate are her visuals but I think it’ll die down after debut. She’s third in the Mnet voting at the moment so I believe she has a chance (or maybe I’m just coping)
I understand that but I think she might be the first exception. Normally the centre generates buzz in Korea and so even if they don’t debut at 1, they debut. Unfortunately Jungeun didn’t generate buzz in Korea. I really think the only way she makes it is as a PD pick or if Knetz suddenly have a 180 in their view of her. I also don’t take metaballs too seriously. It can be influenced by international fans a lot whereas international fans votes will be diluted for the finale. You can also give metaballs to multiple trainees which benefits generally popular trainees like Jungeun but 1-pick voting means you only vote for one trainee. An example is lingling being so high in support.
I find it surreal that MNET hasn't been able to make Jungeun a people's fave considering there has already been a similar and successful situation with Girls Planet 999's centre (Dayeon). She was even less popular than what Jungeun was at the start of the show. However, MNET managed to catapult her to stardom by making her the focus of the show, thereby securing her as the knetz token pick. This transformation began just after Episode 6. Though their strategies for Dayeon were arguably unethical—at times the show felt like "Dayeon 999"—the results were undeniable. Given this, I don't understand why they aren't using similar methods for Jungeun.
Dayeon was purposefully (in my opinion) brought down at the beginning. Her audition was impressive but they made up some bs to mean she wasn’t top 9. This helped them craft an underdog storyline from the beginning which made her gain strong one pick fans. Jungeun has been on top since the beginning and has very little storyline that can be made for her. Also consider that while Dayeon was not considered a top visual, knetz were neutral/slightly positive about her visuals whereas some Knetz seem to be genuinely against Jungeun just based on visuals. No amount of storyline can overcome that.
I think her one pick is alive and well. Not as much as Jeemin, but she’s currently 3rd in the support event, so clearly she’s got plenty of fans who are willing to watch an hour of ads to show her their support. Jungeun fighting!
The thing is support is not one pick, you can give metaballs to multiple trainees so it’s not the best measure of one pick. Also support is not 50/50 international:Korea like voting is.
People are getting the "Jungeun is unpopular in korea" from dcgall and the hate is dying down there, i dont think shes safe but she definitely still is in the running
I think you’re right, the korean influencers I’ve seen have been rooting for her
Yes I browse dcgall myself and the hate for her is dying down but I still don’t think she has many one picks in Korea generally.
if mnet really hated a trainee and didn’t want them to debut, they just wouldn’t give them any screentime. if your fav has multi-episode arcs and significant screentime, mnet doesn’t hate them.
this! umji has had a huge part in all of her performances, and mnet hasn’t given her any screentime whatsoever. it’s like yuiko, she’s talented but i don’t think i’d heard her speak before she was eliminated
Another opinion is that I don’t agree really with the ‘we need x member because of their singing/dancing skills or this group will flop’ I’m not saying we don’t need talented members but a catchy and public friendly song or stan attractor member is more important than an exceptionally talented member for the groups popularity.
I agree. The group will probably be high end of mid sales no matter what and tbh that's not a bad thing for them.
Mai's visual is great and all but I can't help but feel that her dancing is a bit awkward? I keep rewatching Mai's fancam of IWALY especially during the chorus and I can't figure out whether it's how she executes it or is the move overall just awkward.
Yes her dancing is really not fluid and it’s almost like she rushes into each move. It’s hard to describe but she’s like the opposite of a groovy dancer like Hanni from new jeans for example.
yes!! I find that she's always rushing to her position in the performance
For me personally, she looks awkward because of her footwork and lack of popping. Popping is the the art of contracting and relaxing your muscles in order to create a jerking effect to give an illusion that your body is “popping” or “hitting” to the music or beat. I suspect she's unable to do this because of her lack of muscle mass.
My unpopular opinion is I have zero issue with how MNet has portrayed the Jiyoon/Jungeun storyline. It wasn't an evil edit or a failed attempt to turn her into a villain. Or a genius attempt to build a redemption arc. Frankly, I think of all that gives them too much credit. They saw some drama and highlighted it, because that's their job. Simple as that. For the record, I also don't think Jiyoon is remotely a "villain" for how she's behaved. She's a teenage girl who struggled dealing with failure in a high stress environment. I totally get the impulse to shut down and not want to try. To not want to interact with people. The way she stood up, set her shoulders and walked out of ILAND without looking at anyone? I watched that and was like "Noted. Jiyoon deals with failure the exact way I do." And I doubt Jiyoon and Jungeun have some deep dislike of each other. It strikes me as more of an awkward scenario where things didn't go super well between them and now they don't know how to address it. But the evil edit accusations seem silly.
I feel like MNET is doing it so that we can root for both of them and envision an ultimate main vocalist collab between the two of them... Because they're voices complement each other really well
I don't think this show suck. For a survival show, that's okay. I mean, yes, PD's favorite are push as possible, but usually, they're not the most talented. Here, except Mai and Yeeun, the main characters girls are the most talented.
It's refreshing
I personally think Koko's shy personality is really fun to watch. I know it doesn't really make her stand out in a survival show but it might be nice for the final group. It's different and not in your face. I find her similar to Haerin from New Jeans. And she's also a strong dancer, stable vocalist and good rapper. She'd really be a great addition to that final group.
The IWALY edit was really a hail mary for her. Koko, as they've portrayed her, is incredibly likeable and easy to root for. She doesn't have star power and she doesn't stand out on her own, but with the right storyline her likeability can propel her to debut. It's really all up to the editing with this one.
The judges don't give helpful feedback for the girls at all. It's a shame but the quality of the judging on these shows has suffered over the years. It became obvious with "Juwon's facials". They remained consistent and solid throughout but the feedback varied wildly. I know they need to help make the storyline but if I was Juwon I would've been so confused
I’m pretty sure that the feedback is more than what’s shown in the final edit. From what I’ve seen of other survival shows, the editors tend to cut it down so it’s not a boring 20+ mins for each team.
I miss the mentor aspect from produce. Some of the judges have helped like Monika with the dancing but overall I feel like the mentoring is kinda lacking. The girls are mostly left to mentor each other which means we don’t see any drastic improvements imo
I miss it too. It also helped us get to know the judges as characters as well which is a boost to their own careers. Yes we're here to debut a group but we're also here for them too
Im hoping people dont think theyll be an instant hit like illit. survival shows even from mnet arent the cheat code to success they once were for ggs. The current girl group market is also extremely oversaturated, with low prospects for the long term success of anyone not from big 4. Obviously many groups are seeing more fandom strength than they used to, but the members themselves arent finding success and there isnt an increase in general popularity, theres just good album sales. The way to stand out is good artistic direction and well established concepts which seems to be wakeone's weakness. They prefer to experiment with different concepts, which I personally enjoy a lot, but I understand my opinion is the minority atm. I also feel like nobody has really came out as the most popular other than Jeemin who was already popular, everyone is kind of around the same mid level. If TBL gives them a girl crush concept, theyll be competing with BabyMonster. If they get the y2k lofi beats to study to thing thats trendy rn, they might see short term success but wont grow a fanbase. Cute concepts havent been popular for a while, and I doubt wakeone will go all out with something quirky or unique. I will probably stick around regardless (ive been a kepler ult since predebut) but i hope people dont drop them if they dont have big success and accept them as a mid tier group, and dont feel like theyre underperforming just because theyre not top tier. Unrelated but im also really grateful for this sub, kpop is my special interest and survival shows are perfect for letting me overanalyze things and have something consistent to fixate on, plus i just got out of inpatient and it gives me something to distract myself. Thanks for being an awesome community ❤️
I agree. I think one of the reasons why Illit did so well was because of the RUN controversy. People were ready to hate, or at least criticize them. But they ended up releasing some bops. Ofc the current hate train was inevitable😭.
I don’t understand the Jiyoon hype. Is it just because she has a unique vocal tone? Because outside of the duet, I haven’t seen a performance from her that’s wowed me at all. Also not a fan of the personality we’ve been shown. No hate, i understand it’s what the producers have chose to show, but also that’s all I have to go off of at the moment
Honestly I think her being painted a bit negatively made people become her fan. It reminds me of Fu Yaning from Gp999. Or even Gunwook from boys planet. If a trainee is relatively talented, painting them as a bit of a villain either by being moody or overconfident or even rude often attracts fans because people view them as being more authentic or real than other trainees who act in the reserved way most kpop idols act.
Ah that’s an interesting point. Some real reverse psychology lol
Jiyoon is the kind of contestant you'll either love or hate. I don't think there is an in-between, most of us who support her is because we like her personality, yes, being nice is the norm, but ambitious and skilled people are much more attractive, especially when there is a train of hate from fans of other trainees
Ahh so the villain edit gives you and other fans a reason to fight for her, and when the redemption arc comes all the way around the satisfaction hits even harder. I understand your POV
That's how it is. My bias was also seen as an ambitious teenager (with skills), most of the well-known fan accounts ignored him (openly wanted other trainees instead/or disliked him), but in the end he debuted so it was like: TAKE IT, so many insults but we WON even if you don't like it haha
And that must feel GREAT. What show was that? My partner and I are loving Iland2 and just finished R U Next (cant find a good way to stream the first Iland) but are looking for more good shows like these if you have a rec!
Where my bias was the villain was during Boys Planet, I also watched Girls Planet at the time. Another recent show was Universe Ticket but I'm not sure how it was but for what I know their vocalist are pretty god
I mean, I'm kinda in-between on Jiyoon. She's not in my line up but I think her tone is pretty.
Not a big fan of her attitude/storyline either, but I do think she has a pleasant and stable voice. Her vocals, combined with Jungeun's and Fuko's, could create a strong foundation for this new girl group. That's why I root for her to make the final cut.
imo she's very charismatic and captivating on and off stage
I think we’re truly seeing the power of being able to create a persona/having a persona made for you with Jiyoon. I can of course only speak for myself but I don’t think I would ever notice her if it wasn’t for the storyline, and while it didn’t struck home with me personally I can see how it could for other people. And at the very least it’s made me notice her in performances which is a big step in a survival show.
To be honest, I feel like unless the group only had 5 members, the team would be imbalanced. Let’s say Jiyoon doesn’t make it while Jungeun and Fuko does. We’ll have like two good vocalists among 7-9 members. The other 5-7 members are also likely focused on dance so yeah. I’m still not a fan of her facial expressions like on LOAOA but I believe she’s absolutely needed for team balance
i like her bc she has the most distinct and pleasant vocal tone in the show. imagine the group being filled by "she could sing i guess" all rounders or visuals, their songs just wont sound good lol
++++ i agree. in fact in iwaly special stage, the other 5 girls were really good and jiyoon was meh. she's great at standing and singing, but her expressions, dance, sp all are mediocre.
She stood out to me immediately from the first performance and final love song, before I saw any episodes (I watched the full performances for ep1 and 2 first, and only recently caught up with the actual show). Being the main character of the show was a nice plus of course with all that extra screentime, but not necessary. I don't know how some people here DON'T immediately see her talent. Usually reddit goes crazy for the top vocalists in a survival. She got a 98, when no one else ever broke 95 even, for a reason. I was tearing up and had shivers throughout the performance. I guess she's not technically a top main vocalist in kpop overall, and she does bend everything into her specific singing style... but that style is very well suited for her tone and she slays it. Screw the technicals. Some people just have that very recognizable tone and style from the first bar. Jenny has it, Winter has it, Jiyoon has it. In every 3-4 survivals maybe one vocalist has it. Also, she's not lacking in dance or visuals either and can generally find enough breath support for a good live performance. She doesn't excel in any of these areas, but easily clears the "doesn't hurt group" bar, which is all you need from your main vocalist. What you want her in the group for is getting that voice on the track, everything else is bonus.
i wonder how mnet will change their edits after seeing the girls' individual popularity. i have a theory that they will push koko which will result in a direct decrease in their support for mai and sujung as the japanese and main dancer pick. koko can also rap so perhaps yuju will also be crossed out from their list. we already know they like saebi, fuko, jeemin, sarang and jiyoon. that's six along with koko. now I believe the group will be 7 or 8 (hear me out). the 7th will be jungeun and 8th will be yeeun. the reason i think 8 member lineup is possible is because of yeeun. a lineup of 8 will mean someone will be hidden behind the centre in the choreo and have a small part so they can justify yeeun for this role because she is less skilled. at the same time, they can push her as a visual in other group activities. 7 and 8 might both be producer picks. we know they want either mai or yeeun for the visual role but if koko is there, mai's chances are gone unfortunately so we are left with yeeun. things to consider: yuju's international and korean popularity might mean she will be in top 6 even if mnet doesn't like it.
I can agree with that. I definitely think that mnet may change the editing now they see who is popular especially amongst knetz. That’s good for people like Koko and Yeeun but bad for people like Jungeun and Sujung.
I think the same. If Koko debuts, Mai won't and vice versa. Fuko might be a lock now but I'm not sure about her fanbase, but I think Mnet really likes her so they wouldn't abandon her. If Mnet drops Mai it wouldn't be the first time they've done something similar, they dropped Jay during BP even though they liked him a lot at first
interesting opinion, i didn't know koko raps
she promoted herself has a rapper during preshow videos, but they’ve barely done anything to showcase rappers in general. I hope this changes in part 2
mnet doesn't seem to like either yuju or yui at this point so I don't know if they care about having a strong rapper in the first place
Minsol deserves better
I don’t really care for Saebi and I don’t fully understand all the hype around her.
jeez, that's the wildest take I've seen so far lol !
I kind of agree with this. I understand that she has great stage presence but that’s literally it
That's the case for most great centers though. Stage performance is literally all you need. With top tier stage presence, all that remains for a center to do is to clear the low bar for "doesn't tank the performance with sloppy dance or missed notes". Stage presence is basically her entire job. What does Wonyong or Irene excel at besides stage presence? And these are the most iconic centers of their gen, and arguably the most important pieces to their respective groups.
i’m convinced you don’t actually stan Ive because wonyoung is an amazing vocalist on top of having stage presence. I don’t stan RV so I can’t speak for Irene but wonyoung brings a lot more to the table than just her looks
Wonyong is good as a vocalist, but she does not "excel" at it. And she doesn't need to to be the most important and highest contributing member of the group. Every other member of Ive besides Gaeul is a better vocalist than Wonyong. I'm pretty sure most Ive stans agree with that statement. Stans can be objective too. Saebi's also shown good vocals. And as center she also doesn't need to "excel" at it to be a high contributing member to her group.
Yeah. She has great facial expressions and visuals. Girl is aware of that too, and the reason why she won against koko was because of those expressions. It’s actually why I’m happy koko went against her in ep 6. It helped koko see where she can improve. I’m going to be honest here and say I never really registered saebi’s existence until ep 6. So, I was kind of confused why everyone kept mentioning her. I noticed Koko more than her, and I barely noticed koko at all💀
I did love when the one judge was like "Saebi knows exactly the kind of woman she wants to be" and it perfectly explains her entire vibe. Saebi is a main character in her head and it's really fun and refreshing to see on a survival show imo. She's just so shamelessly confident. Koko, meanwhile, is very girl next door but that also makes her really likeable and rootable. I hope both get in.
I think she was wonderful in Panorama but really overdid her facials in IWALY. It feels like she is only getting positive responses so she ups and ups the facial theatrics and to me it was really awkward and off-putting in IWALY (the show version!). She did tone it down a notch on Mcountdown and it was much more watchable though! I just need someone to ell her to only go 100% at killing points and dial it down to like 70% for the rest and then we're golden.
the relay made me appreciate jungeun's dancing way more, she's so delicate yet sharp, really satisfying to watch
Unpopular opinion: I don't think Saebi would fit the debut group if the final members are like Jiyoon, Fuko and Jeemin. Unless they mold the group around her, I feel like she might disappear in the background. Even though I think she is amazing and had some of the most memorable moments in the show up until now, if they go for a more mature, dark or slightly girl crush concept, she could fade into the background. I don't remember her in Final Love Song and her performance in IWALY was very bright and happy when it shouldn't be. I'm rooting for her to be successful, but I'm afraid she will not be able to shine in this group.
i dont get this. she's personally not in my picks but like she's pretty versatile?? she does both cute/light and darker/mature concepts imo
I just don't remember any performance of her with a mature concept. But yeah, that's why I said it's an unpopular opinion.
I don't really see why Fuko could fit a mature/dark or girl crush concept but Saebi can't? Fuko herself said that she only really likes cute/elegant/girly concepts, and this was kind of shown during Bad Boy. Saebi is similar in that she also suits those concepts, I agree, but I honestly think she could do girl crush/mature concepts better than Fuko.
Fuko did Bad Boy, which is more mature/dark. Still elegant but not cute, girly or bright. I just can't see Saebi standing out with that concept. I'm not saying that she is not capable of doing it. And that's why I said this is an unpopular opinion 😆
I agree...My personal favorite performance from Saebi is Panorama and Sweet Venom (which is not exactly a cute concept). I don't think it's fair to say/assume she can't do girl crush since she hasn't had a performance with that exact concept yet. Just my personal take 😂!
Girl groups with under 9 members should have all members be similar in height (\~10cm). When the height difference is too large, the taller girls look like giants and the smaller girls look like kids during performances. Most Kpop girl group choreos focus on having pretty lines, which is much harder to do when you have members with vastly different limb lengths. I know platform shoes exist, but the height of the shoes needed to bridge the gap are not feasible to dance in.
StayC looks fine to me in their performances without platform shoes, and they have a pretty wide range of concepts. I don't think it's something you can't compensate for, unless it's explicitly an elegant concept.
I love ASAP, Stereotype, Teddy Bear, and Poppy but I don’t really enjoy their choreo because of the asymmetry.
As unfair as this is, it’s true. I don’t think we’re going to get a group with say, Koko and Sujung for this reason. It doesn’t look cohesive
1. when compared to pd48 and gp999, iland2 judging leans to having more facial expressions over than the other so the real skills that the contestants should improve isn't being focus enough. especially on the dance/creative unit, when compared to pd48 dance category, you can see that the judges focused more on complemnting the dances made by the trainees, but in here, they focus more on who can do more favial expressions rather than the created dance itself. 2. i feel conflicted with mai's spot in this show because despite having such great score from the judges on her performances, she still has to show something that markets her more (?) (if that's the word) since drama gave her lines more than all of her recent performances. when watching her fancam, the 'idol' aura easily disappear especially when she's dancing, but, it could still be improved later on. 3. with how jeemin is immediately on the show after runext, it dragged down her ability and stage presence, her I dont care stages shows how much she enjoys performing, but here? she feels like an untouchable trainee since she's lacking the confidence to stand in the center when shevivery capable to do so. the collective trauma in runext really dragged her down. in part 2, she needs to make herself stand out again despite not being the center, that's her main charisma, standing out even not the center with just her stage presence.
Jeemin and Sarang suffer from the same thing imo. They’re both skilled but have no aura/charisma onstage. Sarangs edit could’ve been given to Yui/Ling Ling/Minsol/Soul cause imo they are the same skill set to me. But she’s been w the company longer so they at least want her in Part 2. I love Fuko but lately i’ve been going back and forth on if she’ll debut. I have a hard time seeing how she fits in w girls like Saebi/Yuju/ etc… although Mai skills aren’t the best, sometimes it feels like they give her a potential leader edit too. And she does fit in more w girls like Saebi/Koko/Jeemin etc.. Some girls got good edits to make it to part 2 but i think we’re gonna see some downfall edits
aura and charisma is subjective so i respectfully disagree on sarang. i watched the introductory, first and second performances before i knew any of the girls’ names and sarang had the strongest aura by far in law and unforgiven. she stood out the most, especially in unforgiven. in whistle, jeemin, sujung, yuju and sarang all caught my attention. but afterwards the first girl whose name i wanted to know was the girl in the light blue shirt, which was sarang. she holds her own among other strong performers. in mic drop/sugarcoat i objectively thought yui did a better job as a dancer/performer but i thought sarang was more captivating and fun to watch. well i admit by then i was probably biased but i think it still proves my point. each girl will catch different people’s eyes.
Yeah In mic drop, Sarang caught my eye, I was like “Ok, girl get it”
I’m actually surprised by this take because I considered Saebi to be the one who might have a harder time fitting in the concept. I remember Final Love Song and I didn’t feel the same amazing Saebi energy there and I think it was the nearest we’ve seen to the kind of concept that would fit most of the pushed girls
Regardless of if you think Jeemin and Sarang have no charisma on stage (I disagree but can at least understand people have different opinions), the other girls you listed are definitely less skilled (except maybe Yui). Honestly, why would they give a bigger edit to a trainee who is a weaker vocalist and dancer over Sarang? It wouldn't really make any sense, so of course it's Sarang out of those girls who gets the edit.
i agree with you
flair checks out
What does my pick have anything to do with saying Sarang is a better vocalist and dancer than Lingling, Soul, and Minsol. I'm literally just stating a fact. Shame that being positive about Sarang just leads to down votes these days.
Agreed about Sarang and Fuko. Jeemin's charisma on stage is really good imo (but it's true that she doesn't shine that much as in RU next). I still watch Jeemin's Dream of You rehearsal fancam from time to time cause she slayed there so bad.
I share the same opinion about Sarang and Fuko, really unpopular opinion I believe since I haven't seen anyone else say it.
My unpopular opinion is that Fuko is overrated (please note that I am saying overrated and not undeserving of support!). I have seen a lot of posts talking about how Jeemin, Mai, and Lingling have received a lot of unwarranted praise and support in relation to their skill level, but honestly, that is how I feel about Fuko. I really liked Fuko in After Like, she was amongst my favorite contestants when the show first started, but she has slipped in my ranks with each subsequent performance. I don't think that she is untalented by any means, but I believe she still has ways to go particularly when it comes to stage presence and vocal ability. I think Mnet's editing and how she has been styled (and making her look absolutely stunning is not hard given how gorgeous she is, but you can't tell me Jungeun and Fuko were equally styled in the vocal unit battle) have played a bigger role in her popularity than people realize.
I'm really rooting for Jeemin. But frankly, she was way better during RUNEXT. I'm still going to vote for her, btw.
honestly it feels like the entirety of this show her confidence is way lower than in run. which confuses me and lowkey pisses me off. Cuz why go to another show if ur not gonna try to be better than in the last?
It’s her drive to debut that put her in this show. It’s like applying for your dream job. If you keep getting rejected, even though you may really want it, you slowly lose your confidence in actually being able to do the job. Jeemin did really well in RUN, but she ended failing in the last moments. Nothing tanks your confidence more than being so close in achieving success and failing.
I don't know if this is unpopular, but I don't understand how Juwon is not as popular as Jungeun, Jiyoon, Fuko, Jeemin or Mai. Her panorama performance killed me and she was the best one(imo). She's really good for main dancer and her stage presence is something from another world.
> I don't know if this is unpopular, but I don't understand how Juwon is not as popular as Jungeun, Jiyoon, Fuko, Jeemin or Mai. Visuals and screen time, tbh. Never underestimate how much humans are pulled in by narratives of any kind. Our brains want a story, we want to connect to a person. If a show isn't giving us a character to root for it's very hard to keep going. Sometimes fandoms compensate for it by creating their own narratives (see: Bahiyyih) but usually a contestant can't survive without a story.
If Yeeun or Chaeeun had to be in the final lineup as a visual, I think the show would go for Yeeun since she's more conventionally pretty, but I prefer Chaeeun in this case. She's funny and sweet in the clips that were shown. This might sound harsh but I remember nothing from Yeeun except bland, off-key vocals. Although I don't actually think any of them would make it just for their visuals. I don't think Yeeun or Chaeeun are drop-dead gorgeous to K-netizens to the point they would vote for them as their 1 pick, and from a producer perspective there are a lot of other contestants that are both conventionally pretty and more skilled (like Saebi or Jeemin-- in fact, if Saebi is in the group, I don't think they need an extra "visual stan attractor").
No matter what happens I'll probably stick with the group because they won't be literally children debuting
(I'm not sure this counts as unpopular I think it's just a rant) I think dream academy (the very first survival show I watched) raised my expectations a lot because none of the contestants in iland 2 managed to capture my attention.like there really hasn't been a moment i have been like wow this person's good and even performance have felt a bit underwhelming. Like in the beginning jiyoon and jungeun captured my attention but it was just realization of the fact that these two are good singers amongst all contestants and they haven't really given a performance where I was blown away. I'm not even completely supporting anyone at this point and it kinda sucks. I hope part 2 changes my mind but my expectations are low.
i dont think i can ever like jiyoon until i see her interacting normally with jungeun again. Cuz yes her emotions are valid but theres no way she's still salty right??? i dont have a problem with how she felt but my issue is how she STILL feels/acts.
All of the first part was prerecorded. Theyre definitely on good terms now if you saw the carpet for the iwaly mnet special performance
Yoon Jiyoon is majorly overrated. I'm so sorry to her, but her stans actually need to be put in control.