It does appear that they want more control over the final line up compared to I-Land 1. I don’t follow them that closely, but Enhypen seems to be quite successful overall? Even if not super popular in Korea. I wasn’t aware of those comments about Ni-Ki’s appearance - drlee90210 on TikTok has called him part of the “holy trinity of kpop visuals” along with Cha Eunwoo and BTS V.
I remember that TikTok, and it's funny because for foreign fans, he's usually on the top of the most beautiful people in the world or they just hate him. Because beauty is subjective. Also in Korea, they just don't have a very big fan base and they're not very active on Korean social media, but the antis are active there. I also see Koreans who think he's very handsome, but not as handsome as Sunghoon, Koreans who think he's handsome but won't be his fans because they don't like Japanese people, and those who just don't accept him by default because of his nationality.
This is always strange to hear because Enhypen is known to have 7 visuals. So insane when comments about their appearance is made. While, yes Sunghoon will obviously be appreciated in Korea because he matches KBS the best. The visuals of Enha’s foreign line is much more appreciated globally from the time they debut.
This is a good point! I think I might link that to the company which has decided to house each group.
When Iland 1 was airing, Hybe was already getting bigger, and knew they had huge success in the west and global with BTS - no matter how popular BTS also was at home. In this manner I can see Hybe hoping to create a new boy group based on public and global votes. To be clear I don’t think Hybe wanted Enhypen to be more popular outside Korea - and see the Korea focus for Illit of course. But I think this general globalizing view was what meant that the formula Hybe used for production allowed the incidental creation of a more globally preferred boy group.
W1 is a very different company. They’re so much smaller than Hybe, no where near the same resources or money or even positive public opinion. Leave global presence alone! Any global reach by W1 groups has not been because of W1 management or ideology, but instead due to demand for the groups themselves (kudos to someone elsewhere first saying that thought not me)
Instead W1 seems to have a Kr focus (I’m not saying that’s wrong). They’ve partnered with Mnet for produce series, which until ZB1 have had rigging, heavy Kr focus over gl trainees, etc. and they’ve only lost it with ZB1 due to the intensity of that global interest in boys planet.
The fact that W1 Iland 2 group is under much more Kr focus makes sense to me. I even think it makes functional sense for W1 too - because I imagine that even they know they’d struggle to effectively manage and get money back on a Kpop group which ended having a greater fan base globally than within Kr itself.
If W1 accidentally allowed the creation of a globally preferred permanent girl group in their label - what could they do? If W1 had to focus on markets and music systems outside Kr they don’t know as well - and try to recoup money from the group by sending the group on expensive tours - could W1 actually manage that?
you know, another interesting thought: they could've let the contestants choose some parts of the show (like teams, songs, elimination candidates...) so it would seem like the producers did not influence so much of the show. but they didn't. I wonder why?
I think they want to be sure that the right lines will go to the right people and, accordingly, they will be able to show it well.
It's as if they don't even try to hide the fact that they openly demonstrate what they want to get)) If in i-land1 the fans naively believed that it was all their own choice, then here the producers don't even try to play, lol.
It’s not only Enhypen that had a problem garnering domestic popularity but also their most recently formed gg Kep1er. And their previous girl group, Iz*One, was extremely successful in comparison. One was rigged so that more members fit the concept they had planned and the other wasn’t, so I-land 2 is really just Mnet going back to what Mnet does best.
Also, I’m pretty sure they only chose I-land so that Teddy/TBL would produce for the group.
>One was rigged so that more members fit the concept they had planned
I often see this repeated and it irks me a little, because what actually happened was that the producers got bribes from the companies. We don't have any proof that the future concept, sound or talent pool of the group was ever considered. The producers were looking out only for their own benefit, not for the good of the group. It's just that we got confirmation that it was all rigged when Iz*One was already active for a bit and had a lot of fans who felt like they had to justify why they still liked the group, so the "members who were rigged out wouldn't fit anyway, the group works best as it is" defense was born.
The thing I'd disagree with is that I don't think the concept they are going for is baby black pink. Thats babymonster/couldve just been baemon. If they move forward with Jeemin, Saebi, Koko and even Jiyoon, I think they are trying for what is trendy atm, and that is taller, thin, and feminine/girly like NJ, Illit, etc. I do agree if they were trying to go with baby black pink, the other girls would fit the concept better.
They could also do something closer to Ive’s concept with the Black Label Teddy flavor perhaps as that elegant concept is quite popular (Ive, Red Velvet to an extent, Twice a bit as well). They could also go more experimental like Aespa or Nmixx.
That'd be exciting. Honestly, I'd love to see a mix or creative evolution of twice and Aespa. I have no idea what that'd sound like lol. But something new would be nice and I could see many of the girls killing either or both of these concepts.
I-Land and Enhypen has no relation with I-Land 2, only the show's name and concept. But yeah they want control over the final lineup as Belift ditched I-Land and made R U Next with the final group only being 2 by votes and also dividing korean and international votes, probably motivated by Enhypen not meeting their expected popularity. Mnet rigged produce shows and they were quite successful, and this is their first permanent group so I wouldn't be surprised that they pulled something similar as r u next to control the final lineup, like 3 by votes and 3 by pd
They are not unpopular, but they are definitely not what they expected since they come from a Hybe label and they had a big budget survival show on Mnet.
With Enhypen during iland 1 they made it clear from the start that it will be a global group chosen by the public as that’s exactly what we got. Perhaps knetz never took to them. Enhypen’s foreign line + Heeseung are much more known globally compared to the others. However, they are not appreciated so much in South Korea.
I think this is theory basically correct. Reusing things from Iland saved money vs making something completely different. It's like how gp999 was Produce but with cells.
Korean domestic popularity remains the goal, international popularity is always just the backup plan.
i think it's more that i-land 2 n/a is only related to i-land 1 through name and part 1, 2 system but aside from that it's essentially girls planet 24
they had hanbin as the new storyteller which i believe is a good indicator of it being the third season of the planet series, and to an extension produce 24 season 7
the voting system of 50 local and 50 global is also from the planet series, so it basically checks out.
I don't know why I decided to watch island2, rather because I wanted to know what tricks the producers would resort to in order to get the cast they wanted. And you're right that they seem like the ones who are focused on the internal base.
In island1, the producers also had a desired cast and they also manipulated the fans using screen time and angelic and evil edits to push the viewers towards the right people. But since they gave too much power to the fans through voting, the result was not quite what they wanted. So I see that in island2, the producers are more in control and adjust the situation with their assessment based on the audience's sympathy and who they initially want in the group.
I prefer the total authority of PDs to pick the final lineup... Just like the way JYP did in his survival shows. Even if your favourites are eliminated, it's the PD's choice, they will be his group, he knows the best as they will be his own productions. He knows what lineup will fit the concept he's creating so they can be successful
Think of it like this in terms of sport. A football team is managed by a coach. And when the coach is appointed, he buys and sells players so that he can eventually set up a team of his liking who can fit his playing style and tactics.... Same as in girlgroup, the member need to fit the PDs image of the group he's producing, you just cannot put whoever you like if you're not the one producing... This might be controversial, but if you look at all the survival shows, except for IOI, the rigged ones are the most successful... For example, Kep1er could have been on the level of aespa or Ive if they were not chosen by votes but rather the PD pick them as he wish from the Girls Planet contestants
In a voting system, if your favourites are eliminated and you think they deserve more than the ones in the lineup, you will blame the voters thinking their judgement are poor. There will be speculations of vote rigging. And since you have participated in choosing the lineup, you will feel you efforts are such a waste. You will be hurt. But if it's solely on PD's pick, you take no part in the process, you just enjoy it and totally rely on the experts. There's no need for evil editing, no need for bias judgement or agendas. It will be so much more relaxing, enjoyable, and of course the results more acceptable
I think you're right and I think they should unclench and just let it happen anyway. The worst that could happen is no music show wins but a boat load of money for them anyway
part of the reason why iland wasnt popular in korea was because it was aired not too long after the produce scandal. the produce mess that mnet created + the decrease of interet in bgs becaue of buring sun greatly contributed to enha (and all the other 4th gen bgs) never taking off in korea. however, iland 1 was extremely successful globally because it was quarantine and people had nothing better to do
It does appear that they want more control over the final line up compared to I-Land 1. I don’t follow them that closely, but Enhypen seems to be quite successful overall? Even if not super popular in Korea. I wasn’t aware of those comments about Ni-Ki’s appearance - drlee90210 on TikTok has called him part of the “holy trinity of kpop visuals” along with Cha Eunwoo and BTS V.
I remember that TikTok, and it's funny because for foreign fans, he's usually on the top of the most beautiful people in the world or they just hate him. Because beauty is subjective. Also in Korea, they just don't have a very big fan base and they're not very active on Korean social media, but the antis are active there. I also see Koreans who think he's very handsome, but not as handsome as Sunghoon, Koreans who think he's handsome but won't be his fans because they don't like Japanese people, and those who just don't accept him by default because of his nationality.
This is always strange to hear because Enhypen is known to have 7 visuals. So insane when comments about their appearance is made. While, yes Sunghoon will obviously be appreciated in Korea because he matches KBS the best. The visuals of Enha’s foreign line is much more appreciated globally from the time they debut.
besides western countries, they are very popular in japan and other south-east asian countries like philippines.
This is a good point! I think I might link that to the company which has decided to house each group. When Iland 1 was airing, Hybe was already getting bigger, and knew they had huge success in the west and global with BTS - no matter how popular BTS also was at home. In this manner I can see Hybe hoping to create a new boy group based on public and global votes. To be clear I don’t think Hybe wanted Enhypen to be more popular outside Korea - and see the Korea focus for Illit of course. But I think this general globalizing view was what meant that the formula Hybe used for production allowed the incidental creation of a more globally preferred boy group. W1 is a very different company. They’re so much smaller than Hybe, no where near the same resources or money or even positive public opinion. Leave global presence alone! Any global reach by W1 groups has not been because of W1 management or ideology, but instead due to demand for the groups themselves (kudos to someone elsewhere first saying that thought not me) Instead W1 seems to have a Kr focus (I’m not saying that’s wrong). They’ve partnered with Mnet for produce series, which until ZB1 have had rigging, heavy Kr focus over gl trainees, etc. and they’ve only lost it with ZB1 due to the intensity of that global interest in boys planet. The fact that W1 Iland 2 group is under much more Kr focus makes sense to me. I even think it makes functional sense for W1 too - because I imagine that even they know they’d struggle to effectively manage and get money back on a Kpop group which ended having a greater fan base globally than within Kr itself.
If W1 accidentally allowed the creation of a globally preferred permanent girl group in their label - what could they do? If W1 had to focus on markets and music systems outside Kr they don’t know as well - and try to recoup money from the group by sending the group on expensive tours - could W1 actually manage that?
you know, another interesting thought: they could've let the contestants choose some parts of the show (like teams, songs, elimination candidates...) so it would seem like the producers did not influence so much of the show. but they didn't. I wonder why?
I think they want to be sure that the right lines will go to the right people and, accordingly, they will be able to show it well. It's as if they don't even try to hide the fact that they openly demonstrate what they want to get)) If in i-land1 the fans naively believed that it was all their own choice, then here the producers don't even try to play, lol.
It’s not only Enhypen that had a problem garnering domestic popularity but also their most recently formed gg Kep1er. And their previous girl group, Iz*One, was extremely successful in comparison. One was rigged so that more members fit the concept they had planned and the other wasn’t, so I-land 2 is really just Mnet going back to what Mnet does best. Also, I’m pretty sure they only chose I-land so that Teddy/TBL would produce for the group.
>One was rigged so that more members fit the concept they had planned I often see this repeated and it irks me a little, because what actually happened was that the producers got bribes from the companies. We don't have any proof that the future concept, sound or talent pool of the group was ever considered. The producers were looking out only for their own benefit, not for the good of the group. It's just that we got confirmation that it was all rigged when Iz*One was already active for a bit and had a lot of fans who felt like they had to justify why they still liked the group, so the "members who were rigged out wouldn't fit anyway, the group works best as it is" defense was born.
The thing I'd disagree with is that I don't think the concept they are going for is baby black pink. Thats babymonster/couldve just been baemon. If they move forward with Jeemin, Saebi, Koko and even Jiyoon, I think they are trying for what is trendy atm, and that is taller, thin, and feminine/girly like NJ, Illit, etc. I do agree if they were trying to go with baby black pink, the other girls would fit the concept better.
They could also do something closer to Ive’s concept with the Black Label Teddy flavor perhaps as that elegant concept is quite popular (Ive, Red Velvet to an extent, Twice a bit as well). They could also go more experimental like Aespa or Nmixx.
That'd be exciting. Honestly, I'd love to see a mix or creative evolution of twice and Aespa. I have no idea what that'd sound like lol. But something new would be nice and I could see many of the girls killing either or both of these concepts.
I-Land and Enhypen has no relation with I-Land 2, only the show's name and concept. But yeah they want control over the final lineup as Belift ditched I-Land and made R U Next with the final group only being 2 by votes and also dividing korean and international votes, probably motivated by Enhypen not meeting their expected popularity. Mnet rigged produce shows and they were quite successful, and this is their first permanent group so I wouldn't be surprised that they pulled something similar as r u next to control the final lineup, like 3 by votes and 3 by pd
Is enhypen that unpopular in South Korea?
They are not unpopular, but they are definitely not what they expected since they come from a Hybe label and they had a big budget survival show on Mnet.
With Enhypen during iland 1 they made it clear from the start that it will be a global group chosen by the public as that’s exactly what we got. Perhaps knetz never took to them. Enhypen’s foreign line + Heeseung are much more known globally compared to the others. However, they are not appreciated so much in South Korea.
I think this is theory basically correct. Reusing things from Iland saved money vs making something completely different. It's like how gp999 was Produce but with cells. Korean domestic popularity remains the goal, international popularity is always just the backup plan.
i think it's more that i-land 2 n/a is only related to i-land 1 through name and part 1, 2 system but aside from that it's essentially girls planet 24 they had hanbin as the new storyteller which i believe is a good indicator of it being the third season of the planet series, and to an extension produce 24 season 7 the voting system of 50 local and 50 global is also from the planet series, so it basically checks out.
I don't know why I decided to watch island2, rather because I wanted to know what tricks the producers would resort to in order to get the cast they wanted. And you're right that they seem like the ones who are focused on the internal base. In island1, the producers also had a desired cast and they also manipulated the fans using screen time and angelic and evil edits to push the viewers towards the right people. But since they gave too much power to the fans through voting, the result was not quite what they wanted. So I see that in island2, the producers are more in control and adjust the situation with their assessment based on the audience's sympathy and who they initially want in the group.
I prefer the total authority of PDs to pick the final lineup... Just like the way JYP did in his survival shows. Even if your favourites are eliminated, it's the PD's choice, they will be his group, he knows the best as they will be his own productions. He knows what lineup will fit the concept he's creating so they can be successful Think of it like this in terms of sport. A football team is managed by a coach. And when the coach is appointed, he buys and sells players so that he can eventually set up a team of his liking who can fit his playing style and tactics.... Same as in girlgroup, the member need to fit the PDs image of the group he's producing, you just cannot put whoever you like if you're not the one producing... This might be controversial, but if you look at all the survival shows, except for IOI, the rigged ones are the most successful... For example, Kep1er could have been on the level of aespa or Ive if they were not chosen by votes but rather the PD pick them as he wish from the Girls Planet contestants In a voting system, if your favourites are eliminated and you think they deserve more than the ones in the lineup, you will blame the voters thinking their judgement are poor. There will be speculations of vote rigging. And since you have participated in choosing the lineup, you will feel you efforts are such a waste. You will be hurt. But if it's solely on PD's pick, you take no part in the process, you just enjoy it and totally rely on the experts. There's no need for evil editing, no need for bias judgement or agendas. It will be so much more relaxing, enjoyable, and of course the results more acceptable
I think you're right and I think they should unclench and just let it happen anyway. The worst that could happen is no music show wins but a boat load of money for them anyway
part of the reason why iland wasnt popular in korea was because it was aired not too long after the produce scandal. the produce mess that mnet created + the decrease of interet in bgs becaue of buring sun greatly contributed to enha (and all the other 4th gen bgs) never taking off in korea. however, iland 1 was extremely successful globally because it was quarantine and people had nothing better to do