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(Written September 10, 2024)
I was about seven episodes into Shining SOLO when I received the following email:
You know, I’ve been generally ambivalent about the concept of a higher power. But I’m pretty sure now that one exists, and it loves K-pop, has my email address, and knows that RIIZE is one of the first groups I got into when I got into K-pop almost a year ago. And you’d better believe I’m going to recap this show, because I don’t want this higher power to feel rejected, since it now has access to my emails and could someday hack my phone.
The email came from my KOCOWA account, but it’s also on Rakuten Viki, so I’m going to watch it there because I want to include viewer comments. This is the most recent show I’ve done so far. It’s currently airing in South Korea. There will be a total of 12 episodes, and right now I have access to the first four. Each new episode is available for streaming a week after it airs live in South Korea.
What is this show about? Let’s check the show synopsis:
The
members of RIIZE – Shotaro, Eun Seok, Sung Chan, Won Bin, So Hee, and Anton –
embark on a 1-night, 2-day trip to Gangneung and Yangyang in Gangwon
Province. But there’s a twist: through completing various missions, they
earn voting rights to elect one member as the “boss,” who gets to dictate the
rules of the trip! This dynamic travel
story combines healing moments, competitive energy, and lots of fun along the
way. This 2024 reality-variety show was
produced as a collaboration between LG Uplus’s STUDIO X+U and SM Entertainment.
RIIZE fans may have noticed
that only six members are on this show, even though the group debuted with
seven members. The answer is toxic
fandom. The seventh member, Seunghan, has
been put on indefinite hiatus while the label takes legal action against the
anti-fans who have spread rumors about him online. What was Seunghan’s crime? He had a girlfriend before the band
debuted. Photos circulated online of the
two of them kissing, and anti-fans also found photos of him smoking.
Sadly, anti-fans do have incredible power to tear down idols in K-pop. It’s the reason Wonho had to leave Monsta X, even though he was able to clear his name. We also talked about Jay Park in the Hot Blood recaps. The K-pop industry doesn’t want any hint of negative press anywhere near their idols, and if the rumors stick, it can affect the reputation of the whole group.
Management has pretty much zero patience for bad behavior or even the suspicion of bad behavior, and if you get on the wrong side of the fandom, your career can end instantly. K-pop artists have gotten actual death threats on suspicion of dating, smoking cigarettes, having one bad show, or even becoming friends with members of another group their fans don’t like.
This is kind of hard for Westerners like me to comprehend. Can you imagine if the band Oasis had been a K-pop band? The whole group would have been fired from their label after their very first interview. Instead, the raging hate Liam and Noel Gallagher have for each other has always been part of the appeal. In fact, in 1994, the brothers were being interviewed by the music magazine NME, and the interview erupted into a loud, expletive-filled 14-minute argument that was released as a single in the UK. The recording was called “Wibbling Rivalry,” and at this writing, it remains the highest-charting interview recording in UK history.
That would never EVER happen in K-pop. SM Entertainment would have thrown the entire band into a van, put a brick on the gas pedal, and sent them off in any direction while burning any evidence that the group ever existed.
RIIZE has been the target of fan hate for other reasons. So Hee was accused of going to a singles bar (he was of legal age) and having a friend with a tattoo. Won Bin was accused of being a bully, which is a very common accusation aimed at idols, and that case fell apart pretty quickly. Anton is still ridiculed for being a nepo baby, since his father is an industry executive. He and Eun Seok were also accused of having girlfriends.
I do not care about any of this when it comes to this group’s music. I’m just sad for the pain it causes the group members, and the fact that Seunghan had to leave the group. He was in the videos for “Get a Guitar” and “Siren,” and his dancing and visuals are absolutely insane. He deserves to be in this group. I was bummed to see that he wasn’t included in BOSS RIIZE.
I’m glad that the group is still powering on, and I hope the anti-fans are leaving them alone while this show airs. I’m very interested to see what RIIZE is up to in this show. Regardless of controversy, they are a talented, successful, and influential group. They’ve been referenced in survival reality shows by aspiring idols, including trainees from Make Mate 1. They still have fans and are some of the most incredible dancers I’ve ever seen. I’m happy that they’re getting their own show, and I’m looking forward to recapping it.
And things just may turn out well for Seunghan. Many fans were upset about him being put on indefinite hiatus and have been very vocal online about wanting him back. In July of this year, an industry insider posted online that he would be returning to the group by the end of this year. Seunghan has been seen out in public and reading fan emails instead of staying in hiding. I’ve got my fingers crossed. If there is a K-pop higher power up there, please make it happen.
In the meantime, let’s follow
our boys on this adventure!
Ap-eulo! (I think that’s how you
say “onward” in Korean.)
Episode 1: Dawn of a New Regime
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