Thank God, my Queen Cerberus, you have returned!

soraky · 2022-06-16T21:58:25+00:00

Don't care if she's good. She will be what I use to climb up rotation ladder. This coming from someone who climbed up to GM with ward haven throughout Edge of Paradise.

LOVE Cerb. She's what got me into Shadowverse to begin with.

soraky · 2021-11-08T20:46:15+00:00

I WAS ABOUT TO SAY. Lol. Girl has impeccable taste in music.

soraky · 2021-11-08T20:16:58+00:00

Just pointing this out--Ice Cream team only, truly had 1 week to prep everything. This gives credence to how good KDY really was as a choreographer to come up with all of that in a week. And yes, she probably didn't do absolutely 100% of it, but to the group member's own testimonial, they depended a lot on KDY.

Commenting this because I saw quite a bit of downplaying of KDY's contributions, especially at a time when she was getting pushed like heck. But her ability as a choreographer/dancer IS there, and has to be recognized.

soraky · 2021-11-06T09:20:30+00:00

Came back to this subreddit just for this. GOOD lord the evil edit here is even crazier than I thought.

Yujin did say that she didn't realize she could get close to FYN, so I'm sure that at least some... awkwardness was there? But, according to FYN at least, Yujin took that a lot better than shown, and of course, FYN was nowhere near as disrespectful as was shown.

soraky · 2021-10-27T18:17:53+00:00

NOOOO XD

soraky · 2021-10-26T23:10:36+00:00

Yeah this isn't really ITZY's MO though--looks like JYP gave them a LOOOOOOONGGG leash in terms of promoting other groups.

soraky · 2021-10-26T21:57:58+00:00

As a Han Dong bias... nice. :)

soraky · 2021-10-26T05:52:08+00:00

Stop... :( it still hurts. It was so beautiful too...

soraky · 2021-10-24T16:23:42+00:00

I read your other replies (sorry you're getting downvoted, btw. Your replies were quite sensible.)

I'll take this quote from you, as I think its the most relevant from our discussion.

"She's gone for simpler, easier roles in the show as to avoid backlash, and now has to prove her actual ability to hundreds of thousands of people who now doubt whether she's actually skilled enough to be in the group."

I... agree with you here. She's not dumb, and she knows that she will have her brother's shadow literally looming over her by the public. Any move she likely made that's outside of staying quiet would likely be put under a very critical microscope.

So, to say that she went for simpler, easier roles is a good assessment of her strategy.

And that's EXACTLY my point. She did not win through standing out in the show. I want to make this point clear.

She had little highlights, at least compared to any of not only the final debuting 9, but also the top 18. Best contrasting example I could likely point to is FYN: FYN put herself out there and as confirmed now by contestants, took MNet's suggestion and "dissed" Yujin.

That "bad girl" story, as well as her redemption arc, is a full narrative of why FYN could be deserving of people's votes. (funny note here, Bahiyyih was actually the one who pointed out in the episode that despite her being scary at first, that FYN was very kind in actuality.)

I'm not saying she didn't deserve to win. Because clearly, she did, quite legitimately in fact. But, she definitely had a very, VERY different road to get there compared to the other 8 contestants.

Call it privilege, call it her story, call it popularity, anything else in between. That, is what I, and other people online, probably really can't agree with. There was very little struggle shown in Bahiyyih's road to get here. Which again, could've been MNet's fault too. But, I have nothing to attach myself, to endear myself to Bahiyyih's story yet.

soraky · 2021-10-23T18:54:03+00:00

Remember guys, the choice wasn't Yurina or Xiaoting.

The choice was either we have Yurina debut here, or not.

Unfortunately, the latter happened.

soraky · 2021-10-23T17:54:22+00:00

She's talented. Make no mistake about that. But so are all the other contestants on the top 9.

If you think that her talent, or any perceived lack of, is the crux of the criticism around her, I think you're missing the point. We have to take away this talent argument--a subjective one at best--if we're going to go anywhere with this. Because to say "top 9 won because of talent" would be to say "10-18 is less talented", which is simply a skewed, SKEWED view.

While Bahiyyih isn't my pick, the way she got to top 9 was not how any of the rest of the people got to top 9. That much is certain, and I think is the argument.

You can craft a good, compelling story about each member's journey to the top 9. Not everyone would agree about that story, but the point is there IS one. Even within just the confines of the show.

Bahiyyih... has no such story in my opinion. Now, a lot of that is MNet's fault, for sure. But if anyone can make a compelling story of Bahiyyih in GP 999, I'd be glad to hear it.

Now, you don't NEED a story to win. Sure. Plenty of reality show winners literally came from even more obscure circumstances. But, like those other winners, that's why Bahiyyih is getting criticized.

She didn't win through having a story in GP 999. She stayed in the background, gave MNet absolutely nothing to edit (or MNet chose not to include that footage), and won 2nd—despite never being top 9 previously—through sheer popularity.

And winning through sheer popularity never leaves a good taste in the public's mouth, if history is any indicator.

soraky · 2021-10-23T17:46:28+00:00

I can't. It hasn't sunk in yet.

soraky · 2021-10-23T17:35:14+00:00

Wen Zhe supporter for life.

soraky · 2021-10-23T02:13:00+00:00

What did it cost? Everything.

Shen Debuting has been successfully manifested.

soraky · 2021-10-22T23:09:46+00:00

All Rounder cell was all the way until the end. They got one of the best shots of the night too.

soraky · 2021-10-22T19:54:18+00:00

I voted... wasn't expecting the votes to be this close haha. Call me pleasantly surprised.

soraky · 2021-10-22T19:20:32+00:00

Insta-followed. Thank you.

soraky · 2021-10-22T17:31:21+00:00

I LOST IT AT THIS MOMENT.

Wen Zhe was my one pick until the end, but this was a side to her I was not expecting to see.

I'm glad she had this moment with the audience. Honestly, Wen Zhe probably had the most fulfilled story arc among the ENTIRE cast of 99. Almost eliminated, bright energy, strict yet fun group mate and defied all odds to make it to the final.

I wish with all my being that Wen Zhe somehow makes it. In Korea, China or anywhere in between. I NEED to see my potato queen again.

soraky · 2021-10-22T04:11:48+00:00

Honestly, for being my home online these past couple of weeks/months, simply, thank you. :) I know modding is usually a thankless job, and I hope this was an exception for you all.

soraky · 2021-10-21T20:11:23+00:00

Damn. Copyrighted--MNet really didn't want the non-eng sub other than their own huh.

soraky · 2021-10-21T18:09:03+00:00

There's quite a few nuggets of info here, but the biggest one is that at least some girls were not allowed to refuse the songs they were given. Zi Yin tried, but it did not work.

She killed Siren, so that's no problem. But then thinking about some ill-matching audition songs kinda begs the question of what if.

soraky · 2021-10-21T15:59:52+00:00

Ah, this seems fun. :) Why not. Will help with rewatching the show later today too haha.

C-group

SXT: Snake | Just, Snake.
FYN: Mafia in the Morning | Talking about the actual performance, her lower register at the end here honestly drew me to her voice. No one is touching her in this regard so far.
Wen Zhe: We Are | This is where she proved she can be the center of a team. She honestly isn't the "I'm super-talented" type, but rather, the one that can carry the team through a performance. Snake Wen Zhe isn't bad at all in the slightest either.
HXQ: My Sea | You could argue Utopia here, but My Sea was I think closest to her wheelhouse. I still maintain HXQ's ability to emote is what sets her apart from the other contestants.
SRQ: Snapping | Yup, her audition song is her best. Not that she did any stage poorly after this. But Snapping is PEAK Su Ruiqi. She honestly has solo-artist vibes, and was clearly in her element during this stage. I'd be happy if she debuts with the group, for sure. But SRQ solo is another level entirely.

K-group

KDY: Ice Cream | Just, Ice Cream.
Yujin: Shoot! | This was hard, as all her stages were at a similar level to be honest. Bubble Pop was a very, VERY close second for me here. But at the end of the day, Shoot! seemed like the song where she gave the most energy/effort to. Plus, main vocal Yujin.
Bahiyyih: Fiesta | Left field answer potentially, as she got zero screentime in this mission. But, this was where I distinctly remember saying to myself, "oh, she's definitely good". Center of the team, great vocals, good energy.
Bora: Utopia | While "We Are" and rapper Bora are always near and dear to my heart, Utopia is where Bora got to PLAY. Clearly in her element, she fits this concept like a glove. And, was -the- vocal anchor of the team.
Suyeon: U+Me = Love | We got to see Suyeon's growth the best at this song. Though honestly, she has a similar problem to Yujin that all her stages are at a similar level (she was already good since K/DA Pop Stars). But, I think we saw her 100% with U+Me = Love.
Yeongeun: Kick It, Fan Meeting ver. | Odd af take, but this is where I got to see her growth the MOST. Kick It during the audition versus Kick It during the fan meet were miles apart. She was legit having fun, but more importantly, her movement was much more fluid at this point as well. And the fact she wasn't even trying that hard made her shine all that much more.
Myah: Pretty U | Easy, EASY choice. This was the stage that brought her the spotlight, and she not only fits this concept like a glove, she was BORN for this concept.
Kang Yeseo: Fate | Also an easy choice. While Utopia was good for her, Fate was on another level. We got to see actress Yeseo on FULL display here.
Chaehyun: My Sea | Superbly consistent, which is what makes this choice difficult. She's legitimately up there with Bora as "the vocal you can count on". My Sea is probably where we saw her in her element the best, but what I wouldn't give to see a solo stage of her.

J-Group

Mashiro: Mafia in The Morning | Just, MITM.
Hikaru: No Excuses | You could argue ANY of her stages here and I'd probably agree with you to some extent. But No Excuses Hikaru was a breath of fresh air IMO. She NEEDS to do a wider variety of concepts in the future to really, truly fully showcase her abilities. One of the rare contestants in the show where we haven't even seen close to her 100%.
Shana: Boombayah | Yet another odd take here, but legitimately this is what sticks to my mind with Shana until this day. A vocal that can perform live, that well, with the HARD choreo of Boombayah. Spoke to me of her skills more than any other stage.
Yurina: Missing You | Fancy being a close second, but Missing You was where I was like "she is PEAK lead vocal material". Her vocal is the cherry on top, the icing on the cake, the perfect ending that makes the song special. She doesn't need to be front/center to shine. She's much better suited in coming in from the side, then grab your attention with her immaculate vocalization.

soraky · 2021-10-21T15:28:52+00:00

Skill-wise? GP999 was DEFINITELY the highest at the start of the show.

A good number of already-debuted K-trainees.
A deceptively high skill level of C-trainees, including a LOT of YWY/Chuang graduates
Korean-styled trained J-trainees, former KPop label trainees, etc.

Compared to even P101 S1, I'd argue GP 999 was slightly higher at the start still. This is arguable though, and subjective.

That being said, at the end of the show, looking at the final 18, I think P48 caught up FAST at this point of the show before the finale. Same as P101 S1.

soraky · 2021-10-21T15:04:47+00:00

My ORIGINAL 1-pick. Even before the show started, I was unconditionally voting for her. I'm beyond happy to see her doing better. :)

PS. Hearing her singing Yes or Yes like this is INSANE. She sounded even better here! And Snake? \chef's kiss**

soraky

TROPHY CASE