#kpop rant

[laikaonline]

To all of the engene that want to boycott

Please read this twitter thread, personally I think you can stop after the first 4 paragraphs and still get what the point is, it's a lot but it explains it in detail that I personally can't write because my writing skills are ass

Also please by all means don't boycott Heeseung's debut album our little bambi boy has worked so hard for it

[sanriomilk]

han yujin is still a minor, whether or not he's 18. he is a korean, so to those who post nsfw content about him on outlets like archive of secrets, wattpad, youtube, tiktok, etc. be ashamed that you are posting sexual content about a freaking child. this is no excuse to say things like 'only 1 more year' 'can't wait till he's not a minor anymore' etc. shame on yall for sexualizing a child. just like all of you did with niki of enhypen. according to the korean law, he'll be a minor for this whole year, and even then, he will have some restrictions (korean born citizen speaking here i recently turned 19). its very shameful to see his own fans sexualize him. it's also sad to see the double standards shown towards female idols, regarding how minor idols get treated like actual children, but once minor male idols exist, they get sexualized. they should be treated equally.

[kvonhos]

as a coershot i’m really happy that lngshot won roty, as lngshot being a new group in january and cortis since august. i’m pretty sure they have 10 wins but im really glad coers are taking this positive

im so happy for lngshot!

[looshiee]

*rant post*

I wanted to come on here and say this because i think its getting out of hand how some fans feel entitled to things that go on behind the scenes for enhypen

jungwon, on his last live (i think), essentially told fans to stop bringing up the fact that they USED to be 7 and to focus on how they are 6 members now.

and you can tell their "sick" of people bringing it up, like in that one live where jay told people to stop commenting "enhypen is 7". i feel like its so obvious that they are tired of it because its almost the only thing that engenes are saying

I saw comments on a post (on tiktok) that showed the clip of jungwon telling fans that they are six now that were saying "Fans wouldn't be fighting about this if they made it more clear for us in the beginning" how much more clear could they be? they said he left and he'll be pursuing a solo career, what's so hard to understand about that?

and other fans are saying "well they could have released a video of them all together explaining the situation" ??? they dont need to do that, they said he's gone so that means he's gone

its just so crazy to me how some people feel so entitled to this information, its none of your business. you're a fan, thats all you are, they dont know you and you dont know them, why do you feel like you deserve to know insider information ?

and then other people are saying "well it was so sudden, it wasn't fair" ... yeah sudden to you but the members probably knew about this months before it became public. do people actually think that the members plus heeseung found out about this the same day we did ?

idk, i dont want to come off as rude to these fans but it really isnt any of our business. i understand people really love this group and dont want to be left in the dark about things, but sometimes things happen and WE wont know why

i think instead of dwelling on the past we should just continue to support heeseung and his solo career and also continue to support the rest of the guys and their careers within the group

[beyondtheconcept]

“Could the “CEO phenomenon” be hurting the identity of their groups? (YG, JYP… and now Jay Park?)”

in accordance with copyright laws, no plagiarism or alterations of any kind will be tolerated.

before anything else, we want to make it clear that this is absolutely not hate.

these are simply constructive criticisms and personal observations. people should be able to discuss an artistic direction or a management strategy without immediately being labeled as antis.

and honestly, if we’re taking the time to write this post, it’s precisely because we genuinely think LNGSHOT has a lot of potential.

our main point revolves around what we’d call the “CEO phenomenon” in K-pop: when a founder or producer becomes so omnipresent around a group that the idols themselves slowly start losing their own artistic identity.

since their recent comeback, one thing especially caught our attention: the CEO is now vocally participating alongside the members in the majority of their recent tracks.

at first, this idea could have been interesting on one specific song — bringing a more experienced voice, a different presence. why not.

however, the fact that it has now extended across almost the entire project raises some questions.

because previously, the group already seemed capable of functioning coherently without this constant presence. ideally, a group should also be able to evolve through its own dynamic.

as time goes on, one impression becomes harder and harder to ignore: Jay Park feels extremely present in the overall narrative surrounding the group.

at times, it creates an awkward balance between mentorship and personal spotlight, even if this may simply be part of an intentional promotional strategy.

either way, this omnipresence gradually shifts part of the attention away from the members and back onto him.

at some point, it starts feeling less supportive and more suffocating.

and honestly, that’s where things start becoming genuinely questionable to us.

what is presented as “promoting his artists” sometimes starts feeling more like a personal need to remain constantly attached to their success.

and that changes the group dynamic significantly.

in some content, we’ve already seen members joking or lightly complaining about their CEO’s constant presence.

at first, those moments actually felt refreshing because most idols don’t have that kind of freedom. (and the fact that Jay Park himself highlights this dynamic in videos shows there’s a clear awareness of that image.)

but looking back on it now, it becomes obvious that this subject was already an open conversation among the members themselves.

certain anecdotes shared through fan discussions or content that initially seemed harmless now feel slightly stranger when placed within the broader context of his omnipresence around the group.

taken separately, many of those moments could probably just be interpreted as jokes, a “cool” CEO-artist relationship, or an attempt to create a more relaxed atmosphere than traditional agencies.

but combined with how often the group’s narrative circles back to him, it eventually creates a dynamic that may make part of the audience uncomfortable.

because at some point, you stop watching LNGSHOT as a group building its own identity. instead, it starts feeling like a project where the CEO struggles to fully step back and let the artists grow naturally on their own.

some examples:

the CEO is often visually or stylistically separated from the rest of the group. if it’s not the outfit, it’s the hairstyle. and while it’s understandable for a CEO to occasionally stand at the center during red carpets, casual photos, or special content, seeing him constantly highlighted in teasers, promotions, and music videos naturally raises questions about the intended visual hierarchy.

it’s gotten to the point where even in comment sections, people joke less about “LNGSHOT 4sho” and more about “5sho.” discussions frequently revolve around him instead of the members themselves. that may sound harmless, but for a rookie group still trying to establish strong individual identities, it can become counterproductive. audiences are supposed to emotionally attach themselves to the members, not the founder.

additionally, many introductions and promotional narratives repeatedly circle back to his own journey, his methods, and his role in “saving” or building the group.

the overall image also sometimes feels overly performative. yes, we understand that many idols are heavily restricted regarding their image, food, lifestyle, and behavior. but constantly insisting that they are “different from traditional idols” eventually starts feeling forced rather than authentic.

pushing “anti-industry” aesthetics and provocative messaging this early into their career also risks making the group feel more caricatural than genuine.

while some people argue that this is simply “Jay Park’s way of promoting the group,” we personally think it’s difficult to ignore the possibility that this strategy could eventually hurt them more than help them.

because in the end, most discussions seem to revolve more around Jay Park than around the members themselves.

the rollout for “YEAH YEAH” especially reinforced that feeling for us.

opening the MV with “fck the industry” felt oddly placed.

the industry already knows Jay Park has had a complicated relationship with the Korean entertainment scene and experienced periods of rejection. but why project that frustration onto rookies who literally just debuted and mainly want to make music?

what exactly are they trying to “fuck”?

they barely know the industry yet.

as a result, the message feels disconnected from their actual journey, which ultimately makes the concept feel less believable and less interesting.

similarly, it’s difficult to build an image where the group is portrayed as humble, starting from nothing, promoting themselves in the streets and trying to escape anonymity— only to immediately jump into flexing money and success.

“First month of my debut money in the bank."

even if lines like this are clearly aimed at haters or criticism, within the context of a rookie group still building its identity, they mainly create tonal inconsistency.

instead of feeling like natural growth, it feels narratively rushed.

and as a result, it comes across more pretentious than impactful.

when the group felt less “full of themselves,” they honestly came across more authentic and naturally cool.

beyond personal taste, this is also about perception: artists who don’t constantly center validation or self-glorification tend to feel more spontaneous and easier to connect with.

which is why some of the recent lyrical and conceptual choices feel slightly questionable.

regarding the members themselves, some of them may not yet have had enough room to fully establish a recognizable stage identity.

for example, OHYUL still seems to be in the process of developing his own stage presence, with fewer individually memorable moments compared to other members.

even if this remains subjective, the fact that this impression exists at all suggests there may still be room to improve the distribution of spotlight and the development of each member individually.

in projects like this, it’s important for every member to eventually have a moment where audiences think:

“Okay, I recognize him.”

that kind of immediate recognition often plays a major role in how groups maintain long-term public attachment.

instead of slowing down and allowing each member to build a clearer individual identity, the project currently feels like it’s accelerating rapidly through constant comebacks and an increasingly strong CEO presence within the final product.

meanwhile, some members already seem more established in their artistic identity — Louis, for example, brings a softer energy, an almost angelic vocal tone, and a much more immediate camera presence, which heavily contributes to his visual impact. it’s probably not a coincidence that “Moonwalking” is currently their most viewed MV.

but when it comes to OHYUL, it still feels difficult at this stage to clearly identify a strong artistic or performance signature within the group.

priorities may need to be reorganized more carefully.

the same applies to the artistic direction of their recent music videos, where we’ve personally noticed a certain visual regression — and honestly, this is probably the aspect that disappoints us the most right now.

if you’re making entertainment, then the entertainment itself should remain the priority.

their older releases had visually memorable moments that strongly contributed to the group’s identity.

with “YEAH YEAH,” however, the editing feels far more chaotic: the visual pacing is constant, energetic, and aggressive, but there’s very little hierarchy between shots. everything moves, everything is loud, but almost nothing feels intentionally designed to become iconic or memorable.

as a result, we understand the intention — a rougher, anti-industry, disorganized vibe — but the MV lacks visual anchor points that actually stay in your mind afterward.

that’s probably why, despite its energy, the MV feels less rewatchable than their previous work: you understand the intention, but not the memorable moments.

and once again, certain lyrics feel less suited to the current maturity level of the group.

“This ain’t Carti this ain’t Travis this 4sho”

doesn’t hit particularly hard when audiences are still barely familiar with the members individually.

and that’s frustrating, because we’ve already seen that they’re capable of delivering much better.

with the group’s current direction, it becomes increasingly difficult to fully understand the overall trajectory or end goal of the project.

at this point, the image no longer feels like “a charming rookie group doing the best they can with limited means,” but rather like a group that clearly could offer more — yet doesn’t always seem willing to fully push that effort visually or artistically.

the current direction (“4SHO 4SHO,” “YEAH YEAH”) sometimes feels overly focused on projecting a “larger than life” image far too early.

but strong fandoms cannot be forced.

they are built progressively through time, consistency, and emotional attachment.

which makes all of this especially unfortunate because LNGSHOT genuinely has an “out-of-the-ordinary” identity with real potential.

their appeal heavily relies on vibe, visuals, attitude, and artistic universe.

and if those elements lose coherence or impact, there’s suddenly much less that truly separates them from countless other groups.

ultimately, this post is not meant to attack the intentions behind the project.

we simply wanted to share our overall thoughts regarding the current direction and cohesion of the group.

we genuinely want the best for LNGSHOT.

the group clearly has potential and an interesting identity — which is precisely why some recent decisions feel slightly premature or unbalanced to us.

of course, all of this remains subjective and fully open to discussion.

— 🪽beyondtheconcept 🐠

[thesafecafe]

I don't support Mark Lee, so don't ask. And if you see something on my page about him still, it means I haven't found it to delete yet. Pruning is in progress.

[cherubshert]

We don't know idols...

But

it breaks my heart seeing the way so many kpop fans talk about enhypen. Going based of out of context clips, or short clips in general to judge someone and lump a personality on them is odd.

Idk them yea, they are not perfect, much like every other human, but seeing ppl acting like they're demons that walk the earth is so odd, cause in many videos I've seen they're sweet not only to eachother but staff around them.

And enha is not the only idol that gets this treatment, it happens a lot with wonyoung, people picking odd clips to stir a crowd to think a certain way to make them angry and hateful. Its sick and evil to play with idol's mental health this way.

They're extremely hardworking, and have to deal with losers slandering their name and image to make them look a certain way, its evil. So many people are so comfortable doing this, and if god forbid an idol dies or has a mental healthrelated hiatus, then the discourse of mental health rises, but so many people never fucking learn.

if you don't like a group pls ignore them, there r groups i hate that i NEVER interact with, cause i don't like them and I'm trying to protect my peace, and also to not hurt someone who could be going through something huge that idk of.

Saying this cause of Ni-ki, i don't wanna be a weird overthinking and over protective stan that over assumes, but he's obviously tired, enhypen has been working non stop for a shit fucking ton of time. Hating on him for exhaustion put on him from his company's selfishness is evil and insane. They're ppl, they get fucking tired, that poor boy has said he has insomnia and instead of having empathy you shit on him??? fucking hell have we as a species lost this much empathy???

Stop toying with idol's mental health, cause if anything happens the blood will be on your hands. They're humans deserving of respect, stop being evil, have humanity.

[wooyonyangs-eomma]

At this point I need to have my own newspaper to spill tea! Let me tell yall the tea going on with the W Korea yearly cancer charity event that happened the other day!

Ok first things first I did not know that this event was a charity event. I genuinely thought this was just some party that the magazine holds every year and invited a bunch of idols to attend so color me surprised bitch! Fashion magazine W Korea holds this campaign every year to raise awareness for cancer research. Now get this, in the 20 years that this event has been held only 1.1 billion won has been raised, the equivalent of 775k USD. The event which is for breast cancer specifically had no pink ribbons which are associated with breast cancer. 

No cancer professionals were present at the event either. No cancer survivors were present at the event. No cancer patients were present at the event to speak on their experiences either. Yet who was invited to this event? Per the post that was made by the magazine they had invited a controversial youtuber known for his misogynistic views. He is against Feminism, Black Lives Matter and Workers rights movements to name a few. From what I have seen this youtuber is known for using derogatory terms towards women! And he got invited to this event?! He was seen dancing and drinking with idols and actors! In one video which was posted he was seen laughing along with RM of BTS. As a formal ARMY it is incredibly disappointing especially when he says he is a feminist and now is seen laughing it up with someone who is against feminism.

As we know at events like such they go around and they ask idols for small interviews which are posted online. Instead of asking questions related to breast cancer the attendants of this event were asked what their favorite tiktok trend is. No questions which relate to the event were asked once.

The event also had performances from idols such as Jay Park, ALLDAYPROJECT and Illit. Jay Park performed MOMMAE which honestly why?? I don’t know what song ALLDAYPROJECT performed. I have never listened to their music. What I do know is that it is incredibly disrespectful to perform at a breast cancer event and have an image of a woman's whole ass behind you for the whole room to stare at. The fact that Illit, a group of mostly minors were the only ones at this event who said anything about breast cancer. Thank you to these incredibly smart girls.

Again this is an event to raise money and awareness on the importance of breast cancer, yet all that was shown was images of idols partying, drinking, dancing etc. This did not go well. Now some idols did leave the event early Park Eunbin being one of these idols saying that the atmosphere of the event felt more like being at a bar than a charity event. Rei, who I don’t know what group she is from but she said she did a lot of research on cancer before going to the event. Clearly it wasn't what she thought when she got there.

Many fans are showing disgust with the event. Many cancer survivors are also expressing their disgust with the event. I myself have an aunt who has just finished her last treatment for breast cancer and I am heavily disappointed with everyone who was at this event. I will not be supporting the idols which were at this event going forward. I am a human before I am a fan. As someone who has seen what cancer can do to a person I am beyond words. 

So that is what happened. I don’t know all the idols who went to this event but will be doing research to find out so I can stop supporting them. So far we know BTS, ALLDAYPROJECT, Aespa, Le SSerafim, Jeon Somi, Big Bang’s Taeyang, Grey, Monsta X Hyungwon, IVE Jan Wonyoung, Stray Kids Bangchan and Seungmin, Enyphen Sunghoon, Jungwon and Jake, ITZY Lia and Yuna, TXT Soobin.