IZONE News and Discussion Thread

i loled but well it's the main idol group that they have been following,
so as a fellow idol fan, a part of me kinda understand where the anger is coming lol

 

first excuse my bad english.
they demand to postpone the concert coz the announcement is too sudden and they speculate that the girls founds out about the announcement at the same time as we are by how they suddently stop sending pm etc. they could've announce it after the concert , etc .
and when there's alot of talk of extension even some member says something about project after the concert, etc . even sakura says in her radio that there's gonna be a surprise after the concert .
but now suddently announcement came out of nowhere .
and there's a rumor that starship, yuehua, and 8D dont even attend the 2nd meeting (which i dont get. they're not that big and they'r not even care about hyewon. iirc 8D staff forgot to pick her up after pd48 Final recording and she wait till her parents pick her up at 1 AM) about the extension.
they just dont like the idea that the girls just found out about it and have to perform with some fake smile,etc.
or Mnet done this so they could've get a good scene when the concert end with the members crying (which is terrible)

and there's a talk about a unit after this but i feel bad for the girls that's not gonna be in the unit . they gonna feel guilt,etc

 

Disagree. Akb48 is a competitive group, there are definitely friendships but the member seriously compete for activities, stage time, exposure, etc. Look at the 3 team 8 training camps were they decided opening night team in a competition. NMB48 just wrapped up a unit competition that involved all members. Even dobbon is a competition.

Sure rivalries are fake but the competition is real.

After PD48 competition. Izone became hii hii's korean family. She'll be the most chuffed to return to 2 line behind yukarin. There was no category in pd48 for fishing.

Saku Nako will ease back in to HKT48 with great fanfare I'm sure. The NakoMiko combi has 2 years of catching up to do. Anyone who thinks Sakura has nothing left to do in Hakata doesn't understand at all her promise to sasshi and carrying forward that legacy while bringing all 48 out of the pandemic year with 300+ of Japan's premier idols at her back.

 

Big hit as in the company BTS is from? I thought they just did male artists. Can you imagine Sakura breaking into the Western market?

 

Yesterday, it was news about WM and chaeyeon, today, yuehwa and yena, so, if more news like this goes out, could guess who gonna continue if the sub unit project goes on

 

Compilation video of Chaewon, Yuri and Yujin on King of Masked Singer (from MBC official YT channel):


if the video does not show watch the video here

Balance Game with IZ*ONE (from Deaser):


if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Don't forget that Hitomi is one of the Kanto girl. She has her spot reserved in Bachikoi which broadcasts weekly.
She has her short radio show and she may get again a short tv program for Tochigi.
So won't starve at all for screen time.
Add to that a possible spot in TinTlip.
I wouldn't worry at all for her.

 

Sure, but it's a bit of a come down from performing on MCountdown and headline concerts at SSA.

 

'non-no' magazine has today put up an index webpage to all of the articles and videos they've posted about the group members over the past couple of years:
https://nonno.hpplus.jp/article/67231

 

They have the main label BigHit as well as sub labels that are part of the “BigHit family”

Two girl groups are supposed to debut amongst them this year

Wonder if Sakura would be in any of those assuming this is true (which at this point, no deconfirmation happened, so looking like at least them being in talks with her about joining is indeed true)

 

big if true

anyway the disbandment stuff is unfortunate since I loved Iz*one's music, but I'm so lost on the shitshow about the announcement. I think the problem is the way a lot of internet radicals decided to convince themselves the group was going to be permanent, to the point where its like they didn't realise the group the group was temporary to begin with. I feel like it was the wrong attitude to approach the situation with because while there was always some remote possibility that all the companies might agree to hand over a lot of the percentage of the profit from their talent, it was really just that -a possibility.

 

I think it’s possible there will be a 48G related GG that BigHit will make, and Sakura will be a representative for it

If that were the case, any guesses would be

• NiziU type GG (Jpop group with Kpop style) - About 5-9 girls from AKB48 and so to be in a GG with the Kpop style
• Korean AKB48 sister group - Sakura could be the “research” member and potential leader for say SEO48

Bang PD & Aki-P did visit each other before for a meeting together, and Aki-P was even supposed to produce a song for BTS

So either or wouldn’t be far off imo

 

Big Hit has plans like JYP to create a 'Japanese Kpop group' like NiziU. Very likely Sakura will be in that. Aki-p was supposed to write the lyrics not produce a song. But the Korean left and armies were protesting because Aki-p supposedly had Japanese right-wing history? (not entirely sure)

I'm a bit worried about Korean agencies rushing to create groups in Japan. Will the Japanese style of idols as we know it disappear? Will 48G survive till 2030?

 

i understand the concern here, but also, i don't really feel like it's much of an issue tbh. it's definitely jarring seeing a kpop style group like niziu exploding in popularity in japan in such a short amount of time, but also, i feel like a group like them was bound to happen at some point. 48/46g basically dominated the 2010s in terms of idols and i feel like because of that the brand was massively overexposed, and after a straight decade of it, i think the GP is probably tired of the whole thing. that and, well, it's been a decade, it can't stay relevant forever lol. but with 48/46g having the spotlight for so long, a group like niziu was bound to happen at anytime because something had to change. akb was losing relevance and basically cannibalized their own popularity with their own sister groups and subsequently nogizaka46, and now nogi is also in the middle of a transition with their ace gone. it was the perfect time for a group like niziu to come onto the scene and inevitably blow up in the mainstream. but i don't really think we'll see the complete disappearance of j-idols as we know it now; i mean it's a whole culture, i don't think it'll completely shift in the next 5-10 years, but it'll definitely evolve. kpop has a massive influence over pop music worldwide at the moment, and that influence has been showing in jpop for a while now (groups like faky and e-girls are good examples of this, even if they aren't idols) -- niziu was just the culmination of this, so that combined with the overexposure of the 48/46g brand meant niziu was definitely going to blow up the way they did, and we'll absolutely see their influence on j-idols in the following years.

but that doesn't mean all j-idol groups are suddenly going to go full kpop, i just think it means we might see more of a shift in the culture as a whole. an example of this could be j-idols shifting from the focus on meeting fans and growing as performers, to being more skilled and talented at debut, similar to kpop. so i don't think we'll see a complete change or loss of everything j-idol as we know it, but more just a general shift due to kpop's influence and niziu's huge success on the market in general. it's natural for things to evolve over time, and honestly, after a straight decade of 48/46g dominance in the idol market, even if we see a shift in how j-idols operate and present themselves away from what we have now, 48/46g definitely made their impact on the whole industry, and will always have that legacy behind them.

...but anyway, since i'm posting in the thread, i should probably share my thoughts on the whole sakura thing lol. personally, i not only don't mind if she graduates right after izone disbands, i'd honestly like to see it happen. not as hate or anything, i mean i think sakura's a fantastic idol and admire her very much, but more so that i think she's achieved all she can in 48g. i guess the one thing she can go for is winning #1 in ssk, but that's up in the air with ssk being gone for 2 years, so probably not. but she's been in 48g for almost a decade at this point, and in that time, she managed to become one of 48g's aces and a huge star in the whole franchise. izone was a huge step forward for her career and elevated her in ways her fans and probably she herself could never have imagined while she was in hkt. going back to the group would be the safe option as it guarantees a stable career as an ace for years to come, but also, i think that would not only stagnate her, but even be a step back after her huge success in izone. she can do so much more if she graduates or joins bighit or whatever, and i'd like to see what she could do beyond the 48g system after everything she's already achieved. well, that and also, if sakura stays we'll most likely see her pushed straight to akb center and used to revive the group, which would not only suck for sakura but just the group in general, so yeah lol

 

Of course I understand I'd be devastated as well if I were invested in a group and suddenly before a concert they announce the disbandment. And if it's true the members found it out the moment we all did, I totally understand. But that's a big IF, I mean Sakura already had a contingency plan in Big Hit. I'm sure the members knew as much as 'things are being discussed but the outlook doesn't look great' because we all knew Starship wasn't gonna bend whatsoever with WY and YJ. But boycotting the concert? The thing they worked hard for from the beginning of the year? That seems too much. But yeah as I said I can try to understand where the rage is coming from.. And your English is good.

 

Well yeah I hope J-idols evolve but not totally because they have their own charm and I don't want all of Asia being the same.. It'd be great if Sakura becomes a worldwide star(she already is somewhat) like Girlgroup version of BTS and let people know she was a member of HKT48. If she's put into Big Hit's version of NiziU, I hope at least she rivals them. Before all of that though, she and the J-line should come back to 48G and be active for a while before they move on. I have always had an inkling Nako doesn't want to continue as a Kpop idol. Not Sakura tho.. she seems to love it in Korea and also with their quick food delivery system.

 

Stone Music is one of the biggest label, they've quality trainee too (from the one who appear in Produce48). One of ex-Wanna One (group formed from Produce 101 Season 2) member is debuted as solo artist under them. Honestly, i can see Yuri debuting as solo artist too, she even sing for Korean Drama OST.

yes, Ggumnamu was something temporary like if you know SM Rookies or something similar like kenkyuusei system, they're supposed to debut after 3 years of training, they were introduced in late 2017 by that supposed to debut in late 2020 or so

 

There is something that I want to add and I put it under spoiler because it is quite long.

Spoiler

Actually the rise of AKB48 and their derivative groups are actually quite an anomaly. By the time of 90’s, idol genre is actually on decline. General public expect more variety in the musical genre and more professionalism. Morning Musume is being established based on this trend. AFAIK in the initial phase Morning Musume is more like a girl group rather than the idol group. Besides, they are initially the runner up in the competition to find female rock vocalist for Tsunku group. Interestingly enough I have read that NiziU is being called as “Reiwa era Morning Musume” and SES (SM Entertainment early KPop group) used to cover Morning Musume song when they promote in Japan (it doesn’t feel weird hence the divergence of KPop and JPop idol are 20 years of phenomena). AKB48 is closer in style with pre-90’s idol style and they are being established just to cater the niche culture in Akihabara. I always thought that the concept “idol you can meet” is based on the loss of interest of the public with the style presented by AKB48. Hence they rarely appear on TV. Therefore, instead of appearing on TV, AKB48 provide the different medium in seeing the idol which is in theatre. Thus, the challenge of AKB48 in surviving in entertainment landscape which is not in favour with them is not new.

 

I could see Hitomi getting scouted but one of the K-companies related to IZ*One. If I had to guess it would be between Starship, 8DCreative, and WM

Moreso on Starship because a 3rd IZ*One member and one who’d be a Japanese representative could do good

I could see 8D wanting to get another IZ*One member cuz they’ll need as much hype as possible since it would be their first girl group (and 2nd idol group after OnlyOneOf)

WM seems like it would be right up Hitomi’s ally, so there’s that

Nako I feel would get many love calls, but she prob would want to go back to HKT48 since she’s apparently homesick. Also I’m sure she misses many of her friends such as Miku

 

Is it just me or is the Interpark site countdown showing the wrong time for the concert? I thought it was at Mar 13, 2021 8PM KST/6AM EST?


EDIT: Oh wow, the site before you log in is showing the day-2 time I think..... that's so confusing. Good thing I checked.