I really enjoyed the first episode of Hip Pop Princess, and so I wanted to make a post with my prediction/hope for who debuts.
I’ll bump this thread when they debut, and it should be fun to see how off the mark I was.
Also, I can’t find anywhere how big the final line-up will be. Izone was 12 members, 1/4 being Japanese. I don’t think the group will be that big, so I am going to go with 8 members, 2.5 being Japanese.
1. Nam Yu Ju (Japanese/Korean)
She’s the ace of the show, and has it all, visuals, height, dancing skills and most importantly rap. She has the most unexpected tone and pulls it off so well. She’s also half Japanese half Korean, so the perfect candidate for the group.
She’s currently ranked number 2 on the Korean side, but I imagine that’s M-Net skullduggery and they’ll artificially keep her there until the end, but she’ll finish the show not only debuting but also crowned the overall winner.
2. Kim Doyi (Korean)
Second is Kim Doyi, who after the 1st episode is my favourite. She has such a unique vibe (she looks a little bit like a ghost, but in a cute way). She’s really talented too and I see her as a big stan attractor
She’s a former YG trainee and has a super cute personality along with some great skills, I see her forming the maknee line with the next member:
4. Yang Jae Yun (Korean)
She’s gonna be the maknae, and her and Ryu Ha Jin really compliment each other, like in this performance:
5. Kim Su Jin (Korean)
Great rap, vocals and visuals. If it wasn’t for Nam Yu Ju, she would be in the running for top spot. I think she’ll be top 4.
6. Hina (Japanese)
Hina is really proficient in Korean as showcased when speaking before Japan team A’s performance in episode 1, she also is very bubbly and I think she’ll be able to garner a big Korea fanbase as a result. She has great fundamentals and I also think she has the right look to fit into a Kpop idol group (she looks a little like Hyolyn)
7. Choi Ga Yoon (Korean)
She has a really powerful flow and a strong aura, I think she’ll make it to debut
8. Koko (Japanese)
Last in my line-up is Koko. I see in her a young Reihata (one of the Judges and who led the Tokyo team on Street Woman Fighter) and I hope she takes Koko under her wing during the show. She’s got good dance skills and she’s got the vibe for Tokyo streetwear so I can see her adding a cool factor to the group.
So that’s the final line-up I am currently hoping for/predicting. Maybe that’ll change as time goes on and there will be other members who catch my attention. I actually voted for Han Hee Yeon today (you can pick up to 7 contestants), so she’s my wild card for a 9th member, and an underdog to look out for:
Underdog: Han Hee Yeon (Korean)
Hot Take
The elephants in the room are Niko and YSY (Yoon Seo Young), who are both currently number 1 for Korea and Japan respectively. My hot take is neither of them will make the final line-up.
I am not personally a fan of YSY’s flow or delivery, but I think Niko is amazing. For both of them though, I think neither give me the vibe of an idol, especially one that can fit into a larger group. Both add some real hip-hop credentials to the show and give it an air of authenticity, but ultimately the group is going to be quite a typical idol group in my opinion.
So my prediction is one will exit the show in the penultimate episode and the other will just miss the cut by a single place.
YSY (Korean)
Niko (Japanese)
Anyway, those are my predictions. If you have your own feel free to add them here. I’ll bump this when the show ends to see how I did.
