r/kpoprants

As a long time K-pop fan- It’s pretty obvious that some of the newer groups obviously will have fans that have never experienced old K-pop and all of the lore that comes with it.

The concept of a member leaving a musical group is a tale as old as time, and K-pop is no exception. Obviously we get an incredibly polished version since members are usually very PR trained, but this is not something that is uncommon.

I understood the immediate disappointment with Heeseung leaving Enhypen because they were a group that I really enjoyed being a fan of. And sometimes there is a chance for members to return to groups if it is something that is the company’s decision with enough public pressure. But at this point, he left the group months ago, and it’s quite clear between the members that he is not coming back in my opinion. Solo careers don’t appear overnight and the fact that he is releasing an album very soon here just further shows. This was something that was preplanned.

Sometimes I think people in fantasize these groups too much because realistically they do have a level of decision and there’s really no reason for the label to want to remove him from the group other than him wanting to leave at some point.

Every post that I see about ENHYPEN always has comments filled about seven members and how they don’t acknowledge the group as it stands. I even just saw comments like that on a post about a blood drive, which is actually ridiculous to comment that type of fandom stuff on.

In my opinion, it’s just really toxic to try and enforce that when the company and the members I’ve come out with their statements and they just want to move forward. People should be allowed to move on and enjoy the music and the boys people always harassing them about it being seven members.

I think it’s just really toxic and at this point it is so dragged out. It’s just a bit immature to drag something like this so long when relieve people should be accepting the group as it is and neither deciding to support them or not rather than trying to force something that is no longer. I got into Exo in 2013 so I can definitely say that engenes would not survive a day in SM where things often happen with no explanation. Sure it could be Hybe orchestrated or maybe it’s something you would rather not believe. ATP though I feel like people have to let it go because it is actually soooo immature and kind of bordering on delusional at this point given the circumstances 😭

Tdlr: You can't talk about politics in kpop without get dragged by commenters, even if you're a fan and despite politics already existing in this space.

I came across some posts recently on here and twitter just commenting on political topics in connection to kpop. Omfg, it is absolute hell! You literally can't say anything without getting absolutely dragged in the comments! The posts I came across, the OPs were getting called haters, antis, losers, pathetic.

They would even bring up personal posts the OPs have made before about friends/ family/ life issues and basically use them to call the OP a loser and make fun of them. That really left a sour taste in my mouth. The conversation is about kpop, why make personal attacks? Why not actually discuss what the OP was asking?

It made me think, I've also made posts about life and needing advice, would someone make fun of that if I made a comment about an idol and their connection to a bad company/producer?? *FYI I don't think someone is a bad person just because they work with certain companies.

One of the posts I came across was something I was also wondering but damn! The OP got torn apart in the comments. It looks like the post has been deleted now. I didn't even think it was bad, they seemed polite and not derogatory toward a specific idol in any way but no one in the comments seemed to care and were doing what I mentioned above.

In a lot of them they also get called fake fans or undercover haters but I don't think (all) of them are. They sound like me and I know for certain that I'm a fan of my faves, but also acknowledge their flaws.

It's not just on here, but twitter too. It actually happened to me back when I used tweet more. I quote retweeted something about kpop and a political/human rights issue and got dragged. Someone brought up a tweet I made months before about feeling lonely (absolutely nothing to do with kpop) and called me a loner. Like wow, thank you for taking a crappy time in my life and using it against me... when we're literally talking about kpop?! Also doesn't address my comments/criticisms.

There's also those who have posted or commented on snark sub reddits. This might be me being naive but some seem like real fans to me but are struggling with feeling disappointed and are restricted from posting elsewhere. I feel like you can spot them because they're not just hating on their looks or superficial things.

I can't lie, I've also posted/commented on snark sub reddit before. Back then I genuinely thought they were just for unpopular opinions about an idol/group, I later realised a lot of them, they really just hate on idols which I'm not a fan of at all and was not the space for me. However, these are some of the only places I've seen that actually display the topic of world politics/human rights (in relation to kpop) and allow criticisms. But is that due to them actually being for the cause or they want fuel to hate on idols and use it for fan wars? I think it's a mixture of both?

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a lot of these accounts are just haters and want to post in multiple sub reddits to get attention. But some posters genuinely seem to be asking questions or making posts in good faith. Or they are genuine fans (at least that's the impression i get from them) but are feeling disappointed by their faves. Which by the way is a completely OK emotion to feel. You're not always going to agree with everything they do and no one, absolutely no one, is above criticism. They're normal human beings just like us, not gods.

However, nearly every post I see, the OP is getting called a fake fan or a hater or told to leave the fandom. They could lay out all the ways they're a fan - concerts they've been to, albums they've bought, which era they became a fan - and they'd still get called a hater. Even if you're not a fan, why aren't you allowed to criticise someone as long as it's done in a polite way?

I don't know if it's because I'm older but a lot of them comebacks seem very juvenile. Just have a normal conversation!

I also think it's insane to say you can't talk about politics, in relation to kpop, in any way. A lot of BTS's old songs are political. Dream catcher have a song about global warming. G-idle have a song about the over-sexualisation of women. I think Blackpink are ambassadors for a climate change campaign. Politics is already in kpop.

So very Black Mirror's Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too. (It's a great standalone Black Mirror episode starring Miley Cyrus. Highly recommend!)

What happens is this popular singer gets in a LITERAL COMA, and they still have her work! (They duplicate her consciousness and put them in dolls).

I swear if Kpop companies have their way, this is what they'd be doing.

An idol can't move her legs? Can't dance? She should be at home! Why is she here?!

What's next? They are bedridden but are here in hospital beds, mikes hung over their beds?

It's crazy that this is so normalized. In the sense that people don't think Twice about it.

If you live in the Philippines i'm sure you're aware that a lot of people stan Mingyu. Most of them are just solo stans and don't even gaf about Seventeen (well you do you).

It's not actually what i want to adresss.
Several times i've seen the term "dugyot":"dirty" in some clips that includes gyu. First it was all fun and games, i also find some clips funny where they be messing around and stuff.
But then it gets too much, they start to adress him as actually a dirty person. There was even a term i've seen them call him which is "sigbin" up to you if you wanna search on google but it's a scary creature. As things get a bit too much i knew it was not okay, gyu is so much more than that and i hate that they make people think its his whole personality.
I didn't react or reached out anyone that stans gyu for only his appearance and looks but i think people go cross over the lines sometimes. Let's not make this reach to anyone from seventeen.

I used to love bts around 2019 but fell out of them around 2022. I've been listening to a lot of their music lately and have been trying to connect with armys across several social media platforms. At first it was fun but I soon learned you cannot criticize bts at all. I don't like every single song they have released and apparently this is a crime. I know you don't have to like an artist's entire discography to be a fan, but I've encountered many people who think like that and it's negatively impacting how I see bts and their music.

It's not just me. I've talked to others who have experienced being called a fake fan, or claims that you can't love bts unless you love everything about them. And of course not all armys are like this, but all of theses negative experiences are making the overall fandom experience simply not fun anymore. I've seen people get doxxed over saying they didn't like a bts album. How fun could it be to be part of a fandom where you're walking on eggshells all the time?

this is most directed at football fans as they tend to deflect this statement. but football fans and kpop fans are very similar and football fans usually see this as an insult when it's true. they spend a lot of money to see men on a pitch and yell over them, but when kpop fans do the same (but for music) it's criticised heavily. not to mention that some fans even collect football cards and sleeve them.. like come on now. and the constant edits I see of footballers is just another point. but yeah the double standards are crazy, just because football is normalised and more globally adapted. anyways it's just funny to see how defensive people get over this when it's true

I have seen so many cases of idols/groups being disrespectful, homophobic, racist, etc. and people claim to hold them accountable and then forget about it in a week. especially if a group is really popular, they get let off so easily (bts & blackpink). and I'm not saying this is the case for every group but clearly people are able to hold idols accountable like they did with kiss of life and they did end up apologising. A lot of people did not accept their apology which is valid, but my point is that people are picking and choosing. Because I know if BTS did the same people would defend them even though they're fully grown men. I think groups like them should've been held more accountable, especially since (personally) I haven't seen a single apology from them. I'm not trying to target them but they're prime examples of this. but my point stands

I've had this friend since the start of high school. I always liked kpop and she always liked Taylor Swift. She's always telling me how weird it is that I collect kpop albums because you get photocards and apparently collecting photocards are weird. The thing is, she collects Taylor Swift vinyls and her goal is to have all of them.

She claims that collecting photocards is weird and creepy because I have faces of random kpop idols in my room. Taylor Swift's face is on all of her vinyls and that's not weird and creepy to her? She has this double standard when it comes to kpop. We're basically doing the same thing but it's a problem when it comes to photocards apparently.

I think you should just own up to your opinions. When I see fans pretend to be locals to praise their fave I cringe ngl. Maybe it's the fact that I take pride in my interests and what I like,but I could never pretend that something I like isn't part of my interests just so my praise is seen as more "valid". Like yeah,I am a fan and I'm gonna praise my favorite group because that's what fans do. At the end of the day,you're a fan for a reason and when people like something they praise it so it's natural to praise your faves as a fan. If someone doesn't like it then it's their problem.

The opposite is also ridiculous,aka pretending to be a local to hate on a group you don't like so it seems like the general public also doesn't like said group. I've seen this happen to so many groups over the years and then you click on the person's profile and they're part of the fandom the group they don't like has a rivalry with. At the end of the day,most kpop hate trains are internet echo chambers that rarely make it out of the kpop community.

So I think the main takeaway is that you should own up to what you like and don't like

I'm not saying this is the case for all groups but some groups have released music which isn't necessarily that great, at least in my opinion. and I think it's because there's a big trend going on in kpop to make more unique songs, particularly under HYBE (from what I've observed). it's honestly sad to see, because 2016-2023 kpop has been great and it's just fallen off I guess

I absolutely love K-pop as a music genre, but I’ve reached a point where I almost exclusively listen to girl groups. I know every idol works incredibly hard to debut, but I just can't ignore the deep-rooted double standards built into this industry anymore.

It honestly feels like the system is fundamentally rigged. Male idols seem to be given so much more public grace; they are allowed to make mistakes, experiment more freely, and are celebrated for things that would cause massive scandals for women. Meanwhile, girl groups have to endure microscopic scrutiny, impossible standards, and immense pressure just to survive in the exact same environment. It is exhausting to watch female idols get torn apart by netizens for simply existing or breathing wrong, while male idols rarely face that same level of ruthless backlash.

Because of this clear imbalance, I find it really difficult to dedicate my time, streams, and money to the boy group side of the industry. I’d much rather put my support behind the women who have to constantly navigate these unique hurdles and unfair expectations. I just can't make sense of the industry's double standard, and it has permanently changed how I consume K-pop.

I see people say 'this is the only place i can post this cause my fanbase are crybabies bla bla bla' and it being a snark. Maybe it's just me that finds it silly, but you do realise that the majority of people in those snarks hate your fanbase and the group/idol you stan? If you think people 'yes mening' you is a good thing, you are completely wrong, like I said ppl on there don't like your faves so of course they are gonna automatically agree that '____ is one of the most annoying fanbase' or '_____ is getting worse'.

You are only on there because you want your thoughts validated and you know about snark will easily do that.

And yes of course you can't complain on the main subreddit of said group/idol, it's literally meant to be a positive space silly🤦🏿‍♀️. There are actually many nuanced places you can have this discussion, literally THIS sub reddit as one example.

Also trust me, there are many people in a fanbase who are willing to have nuanced discussions and also no doubt there are people on the extreme fan side not ready to hear you out whatsoever, however don't get it mixed up with people simply disagreeing with you.

Does anyone else have this really unsettling feeling about the future of boynextdoor??
Like every time I see any performances or videos of them discussing the reactions and streams of different songs I just get this really daunting feeling that they aren’t going to be able to reach their goals musically or just that something bad will happen.
I mean I saw the clip of MyungJae speaking about it and saying if the album doesn’t do very well he will quit music. And I mean it’s likely he didn’t mean that literally but it just gives me the feeling that their careers aren’t going in the direction they want them to. And i can imagine how drained they are because they’ve been doing this for 3 years now and still don’t really have much recognition outside Asia tbh and honestly I can imagine seeing new group debut and go extremely viral globally within months of debut, I mean anyone would wonder what they’re doing differently. But I just wonder if maybe their label took a different approach to marketing them maybe then they would have had a different path or result??
Idkk I’m just rambling ….

Just venting, please delete this post of not allowed, I don't want to break any rules x

I'm feeling so many feelings right now and I just want to see if other ARMY's relate. I've been an ARMY for 9 years, starting in my early teens. Since then, I've always loved the boys and was so happy to see them grow and become a global sensation.

At school, I used to hum their songs under my breath and fangirl about them with my friends and there was this one girl who always made fun of me for it. She would say it's not real music, that they look like girls, and that it's ridiculous. I remember her insulting their music when she heard me playing it. She also was nasty to me about other things unrelated to kpop, spreading rumors about me, being condescending, and getting her popular friends to laugh at me with her. I'd come home crying about things she said. I felt so ostracised that I don't keep in touch with anyone from school except my closest friends. I even avoid reunions if I know she'll be there. Her behaviour continued throughout my school life til I left, and I hoped I'd never see her again after moving abroad for college.

Well, she found me. It's been years, but she transferred to my college and I feel like that kid all over again. She is still as rude as ever. And apparently, she's a massive BTS fan now? She's liked all their posts, liked reels which have anything to do with them and pretends to have been into them for a long time. The icing on top of the cake was her getting tickets to see them. I got tickets too, which I was ELATED about, but now this means that I will see my high-school nightmare on the two best days of my life and pretend it doesn't trigger awful memories about my childhood.

Like, I'm happy she gets to see them but also I feel so friggin bitter about it. I feel so livid that she just gets to brush past her terrible behaviour and get rewarded by seeing BTS in person- something genuine ARMY's have to struggle for years to do.

Anyway, not much I can do about it but accept it. I just wanted to say something or I'll explode. Thanks all💜

None of the artist or groups have a signature style, image or distinguishable brand. Nothing, from the random spanish/english phrases to rap verses really hit the mark. It reminds me of forever 21 or shein. Low quality and mass produced. Can someone explain why there are so many members in each group? What is purpose of the forced English rather than singing in Korean? Does BoA still exist?

First of all, this is not a hate post towards Jennie, so their fans can sit down.

I don't have problem with Jennie collabing with Kevin..but why is she or her team trying to own that song? In the AMA nominations..they literally put Jennie's face with "ft.tame Impala".

Like hello? It's literally his song. She's ft. On it. And honestly, the original version is better but I won't go there because I acknowledge that people can have different tastes and like that song Instead. But personally, i did not like the remix, and her heavily auto tuned voice was not for me. Again, just putting an opinion while acknowledging that people can prefer her voice too. But I definitely don't.

My point is, why are they trying to own the song SHE IS FEATURED on. Trying to make it seem like it's HER song. And it's not even a proper remix because she didn't contribute anything in the song except changing her name from Kevin to Jennie.

Not to put shade, but her most streamed song on Spotify is dracula and One of the girls...BITH songsare not hers...she only sung 2-6 lines in them.

It kinda does not sit right with me. Blinks are even claiming that "Jennie made Kevin famous" which is hilarious because one of them has multiple Grammies and other doesn't even get nominated. Yk who is who. They also want him to submit that remix for Grammy nomination💀. Like no. He'd rather submit original but then blinks would harass him online so much. So ya...I think it's unfair to tame Impala.

It's just my personal opinion. I ain't claiming dracula or dracula remix are deserving or undeserving of Grammy or anything like that.

I don't even know how to begin but all I can say is I genuinely need help. I was having a real tough year with losing my best friend, college exams problems, fights within household e.t.c which led me to having suic*dal thoughts and thoughts of harming myself so to sort of find an escape I found myself lost in a kpop group which has been making waves nowadays. Now the problem is they put a smile on my face but the moment they're gone or are not online, I go back to the previous phase of depression. And the member who's my bias is THE most hated member of the group, actually he's one of top most hated idols in general(it's annoying cause in general also, whoever I like is not liked by many for some reason), anyway so the hate he gets automatically gets to me too. I watch his videos as a happy pill, it physically hurts my body when people throw hate for no reason. All in all my personal life is really messed up cause I'm not working on my growth and am rather busy in monitoring the life of these idols and what people say about them. My happiness depends on them cause Idk how to make myself content with my own life and not listen to the outside noise. Please help me figure it out because I can't and I've been crying for days over it. Wouldn't have come over here if it wasn't legit killing me because like I've never been this obsessed with people on a screen, people who I'll never meet and have never met.

Ps. I don't have the usual "jealousy" problem that kpop stans have(of their idol dating someone or stuff like that), or even the jealousy girls have over bodies of female idols and all..I don't struggle with that, I just want to find a direction of my own life because I'm genuinely loosing myself in this kpop world which I see as escapism and somehow not be effected by the hate my fave gets.

The online debate after the TWICE concert in Cologne is driving me insane. People are actually claiming it’s rude to sit down in the tiered sections, and it’s just ridiculous. "I don't understand why people would buy concert tickets if they aren't standing the whole time???" ok?

I literally have back problems. If I wanted to stand for three hours straight, I would’ve just bought a GA standing ticket. I paid for a seat because I needed to sit.
Since when does sitting mean you’re not enjoying the show? You can still wave your lightstick, scream, and completely vibe without standing up.

Also, do international fans not realize that staying seated is literally the norm in South Korea and Asia in general? I’ve been to shows there and the entire bowl stays seated unless the group explicitly tells everyone to jump up. The energy is still amazing.

If you want to dance and jump the whole night, power to you, do that. But stop shaming people in the seats for just trying to enjoy the concert in their own way

Okay so I've always been a more casual fan. It was only recently that I actually started stanning groups. And omg I hate WK1 so much. Like mistreatment is one thing but besides SM I've never felt such hatred for a company before. Especially with the whole split situation right now. I love both zb1 and and2ble but the way wakeone is behaving.

And even some zeroses fucking shading the members that left like it was their choice?? It's irritating the hell out of me.

I always knew WK1 was sinophobic like honey it was obvious. But I just found out all the petty shit they've been doing and it just pisses me off to no end.

I really want to support zb1 but idk if I can do that knowing I'm giving money to WK1. Off topic but that's always been my issue with kpop. I want to support the artist hate the damn company.

Anyways had to get this outta the way cause I have finals and need to let out the pent up rage. Probably could do another rant on the zeroses shading the boys but who knows. Not really the type to go on social media in general but the kpop community will do this to you.

Why is one member center or face of their group. Every member should get a chance to be able to shine in their own light. Why is one member being able to represent the whole entire group that makes no sense. For example babymonster. Every member gets time to shine (which i love) so why is ahyeon center, I mean i love Ahyeon but center is js a not needed role. Asa literally got center but everyone is like "Ahyeon is center" and stuff like that. Center is a not needed role.​