On Sungmin
I am not going to put this under a read more cut. I’m furious that I even have to write this. As it is, it took me a number of days to be able to be calm enough to write about this without being angry and/or crying. And by this, I mean this. I tried not to take it to heart because 1) the OP was a coward and couldn’t even say it without the mask of anonymity and 2) because it’s just not true. I’m quite sure that this person only said it to rile up fans. Well, guess what? You won. You made many fans like me so upset that we cried, we got angry, and in my case I wasn’t able to do anything for the rest of the day.
But you know what? That’s about all you got. Because you couldn’t be more wrong. Sungmin’s presence in Super Junior is absolutely vital. Just because Super Junior was successful with Devil without him (or Shindong for that matter, but I don’t see you badmouthing him, now do I?) doesn’t mean his presence is redundant. Because by that logic, Mr. Simple’s success without Kangin made him redundant, and Sexy Free and Single’s success without Heechul made him redundant, and Mamacita’s success without Yesung made him redundant. See where I’m going with this? You’re contradicting yourself.
“But at least Kangin is SJ’s main prankster and variety man and attracted many fans with his looks.” The first bit isn’t entirely true – SJ’s main variety line also includes Leeteuk, Shindong, and Eunhyuk, and especially after Kangin’s hit-and-run he hasn’t appeared in NEARLY as many variety shows as he used to. As for his looks, looks are subjective. Sungmin also has fans who like him for his face. All the members do. Moot point.
“They perform vocally just as well as they used to, their overall sound doesn’t lack anything, the same with their choreography, stage presence, mood making, fanservice and public recognition.” That’s called adapting. To reiterate what I stated before, Mr. Simple, SFS and Mamacita were all solid albums despite lacking members. The other members worked their asses up to make up for the loss of a member – and that’s not an easy thing to do. That’s not a fault on Sungmin’s part, that’s just great professionalism on the part of the other members. You can’t find any fault despite the fact that they’re down a few members? Then they’ve done their job.
(Side note: as far as fanservice goes, I personally can attest for the fact that even after his official hiatus began before he enlisted he was still doing things for his fans. Remember White Day? Ex-fans threatened to have the event shut down because initially the participants were originally to pay a small fee, and instead of letting other people’s hatred and spite ruin it for his fans, he paid for everything out of pocket - that’s costs of materials, plus the extra staff he had to bring in to help set everything up, plus all of the gifts that he handed out that day to the participants – and on top of that, he stayed until sundown to have a mini fanmeeting for those who didn’t win a spot in the candy making event. If that’s not stellar fanservice I don’t know what is.)
Also, public recognition? You mean him and Shindong being chosen to do a PSA for Korea’s National Liberation Day? I didn’t realize having a public video released on the 70th anniversary of Korea’s most historically significant moment didn’t count as public recognition, my bad.
“You could argue he’s responsible for aegyo, but he’s made sure to express how much he hates doing it so it doesn’t count” You do realize that none of the members are solely responsible for just one thing, right? Like, sure, KRY are the main vocal line, but Kyuhyun has proven himself an able dancer in his own right, and Shindong has a hell of a voice when SM just lets him sing.
So I know what you’re going to say. “That that’s all fine and dandy but so far you’ve just been defending all of the other members. What makes Sungmin so important? He’s not the best at anything, and clearly SJ is doing fine without him, so prove to me that he’s not redundant.”
Have you ever heard the old saying, “Jack of all trades?” I bet you haven’t heard the rest of it. The whole phrase goes, “Jack of all trades, master of none, but better than just a master of one.” And it’s no secret that Sungmin is an incredibly, incredibly talented man. Here’s just couple of those talents, to name a few:
Magic (it took him three days to learn how to do a trick that took Michael Grasso nearly 30 years to perfect)
The Cup Game (”He doesn’t go on variety shows” you were saying?)
More magic, and some more for good measure
Martial arts and general ninja action
Can play a number of instruments to some extent, including the saxophone, the bass, the guitar, the drums, etc.
What was that you were saying about how he isn’t a great dancer?
He knows his way around traditional performances
Have you actually ever heard the man sing before???
He’s one hell of a musical actor
Not to mention he’s just a supremely decent human being. He’s been doing volunteer work for over 20 years and volunteered with fans at a disabled persons’ vocational training center. He’s a loving husband and son. He absolutely dotes on his fans.
I could go on and on and on and on. You know how any symphony wouldn’t be complete without the harmony? Sungmin is that harmony. He may not get the opportunity to take center stage very often, but it is undeniable that Super Junior wouldn’t be where they are today without his contributions to the group.
So, OP, before you open your mouth again and let nonsense fall from your lips, I suggest you check yourself, and your facts. Because the only redundant thing I saw in your whole post was your argument.
