Another rant about RIIZE.
It is actually sad seeing how much hate the group is getting right now and how many ppl are turning their backs on them in general. I wasn’t a true fan of the group when everything had gone down in 2023, as I was still quite new to the whole K-pop scene and the two groups I was truly tuning into was SVT and SKZ. However, I was aware of the whole situation with Seunghan and the group as it was one of the biggest things happening in 2023 K-pop. The group ended up getting major hate just because of someone having a life pre-debut. So, seeing it happen again is insane to me, especially after becoming a fan of theirs who truly fonds comfort in their chiller content and vlogs.
The way this massive hate train has been snow-balled from the whole situation with Eunseok is just disgusting. I understand the criticism that Eunseok got for using such a word. It was jarring seeing him such a thing about himself. However, there is still that gray area where many Koreans do use that word as a slang way of describing their tan skin since there is no true descriptive word for tan skin in Korean (pls correct me if I’m wrong). I can’t say much about this tho since I’m not Korean, don’t speak it, nor am I affected by the meaning of the word.
But, the way this has spiraled into a hate train to the whole group?
People are now calling Eunseok a racist for using that term despite the fact he has apologized for it and said be was going to do better (though it is not my apology to accept and it was still a bad thing for him to say, but it’s still great he did it and quickly at that). They are calling him homophobic because while on Jewel Box the group was asked who was the least excited about being on the show and the members looked to him. It doesn’t mean he’s homophobic, the hosts of the show are quite touchy and overbearing so who can exactly blame him for not being the most excited to be on that show. Also using the self given nickname he gave himself (Black Shadow) for saying that it was a sign is truly insane.
Also using this as a way to say that Eunseok and all of RIIZE in general were bad dancers/singers/rappers is crazy because that isn’t true. Shotaro is a highly regarded dancer in both RIIZE and was probably one of the best dancers in NCT during his days as a member of NCT U. I’m not saying the NCT dance line is bad bc they truly aren’t, I’m just saying Taro is just a really good dancer that he stood out so much a simply a rookie in an already developed group with even more highly regarded dancers of 3rd/4th gen. The same can be said for Sungchan while being apart of rap line in NCT. He was really good and was able to stand out within the excellence of the NCT rapline while maintaining his own identity and without being over shadowed by those around him. Eunseok was sought out by SM for years with him rejecting them multiple times before he decided to actually become a trainee. Then he ended up training for 6 years before fi ally debuting with RIIZE. Wonbin and Sohee are two of the vocalists within 5th gen K-pop. Anton is genuinely one of the most well rounded members, but even then, all of the members can hold their own in dance/singing/rapping. So, saying that they are bad group is just lying. It’s okay to not like their music or just not wanting to stan the group but saying that they’re bad or this music is trash is just lying.
Also, the whole thing with Sungchan recommending d4vd’s music and Wonbin saying that he wants to ‘collab’ with Chris Brown is just bullshit. The whole situation with d4vd was not global at all. It was something that mainly was seen by Western audiences because of the fact d4vd’s main fan base was here in the West. Not to mention the song that was ‘recommended’ was his most famous song ‘Here With Me’. The song has over 1.7 Billion streams and was everywhere during the height of d4vd’s career because that was his break through song. Not to mention the playlist photo sent out by Sungchan was in March while d4vd’s true arrest was in mid-late April. The playlist was also composed of the all time popular English songs. It was also never directly said by Sungchan that he recommended his song or that he was inherently a fan of his music.
The same thing can be said with Wonbin. He never truly said that he wanted to collab with Chris Brown or that he wanted to it was just said that he liked his style of music. Not to mention it’s sad to say, but many idols listen/find inspiration from Chris Brown. So, if you try to cancel just one for it why not cancel them all for it? Plus, it’s not that difficult to be unaware of what Chris Brown did as it isn’t talked about as much as when it first happened.
This whole hate train that RIIZE is facing is complete bullshit and is something that is honestly just a nothing burger at this point. Saying and creating hashtags asking for RIIZE disbandment or saying OT5 or OT3 (or whatever else is being said) is pointless as they are such trivial things being said/taking place. Other, more popular groups have done far worse and have received far less backlash. There has been many good things RIIZE has done or shown support to throughout their 3 years career. They have donated to multiple charities and have even been talking about being conscious of the planet and wishing for world peace.
This whole situation is just terrible and just sad for both RIIZE and BRIIZE. Hopefully everything gets resolved quickly and people realized how stupid their hate is.
Note: This is quite long but it’s just my general thoughts about the whole situation and where my personal stance is as a fan. I still will be taking a break from the group to see if the hate dies down soon. Also, please correct me on anything if I’m wrong or anything has been misunderstood or misspoken!
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