Would you support the Restored IZOne with some member changes?

Some people are trying to restore IZOne, and CJ told them they are 'considering it', although in Korean corporate lingo, that can mean anything.

It is certain that the two Starship members won't join; CJ is very angry against Starship.

Miyawaki Sakura has her own plan, and Yabuki Nako, who never really fit in Korea, is happy in Japan.

So only Kwon EunB, Kim Chaewon, Kang Hyewon, Kim Minju, Choi Yena, Cho Yuri, Honda Hitomi and Lee Chaeyon might rejoin, we don't know whether some of these will have other plans.

There are no agreement about how the restored IZOne will work. It is going to be very hard to reject Han CHowon, who is now kicked around by Yoon Sangah and her clique in Lightsum like a soccer ball, if she wants to join the restored IZOne although diehard wizones will try to oppose it. I think Cube is contemplating it since in the debut it was clear Chowon was being denigrated in favor of Sangah. It would be awkward for Han Chowon to deal with Kim Chaewon and Kim MInju, who probably took her seat, but that is probably better than being stuck with a group unlikely to be even as big as Gidle and being pushed over by Yoon Sangah.

It is likely that Takahashi Juri, who is not too happy with Rocket Punch, will probably try to gap Miyawaki Sakura's gap, and if the restored IZOne (or whatever the new name will be since IZOne won't be used) wants to have any chance in Japan Juri will have to be added. That makes three Woolim people but these Wizones want IZOne no matter what so what can they do?

Finding the other two slots will not be too hard.

Of course diehard Wizones won't take it unless the 'original' 12 members are there, but that won't be possible.

As for me, I do not mind either way, since they won't be able to dethrone KPop's Senior Singer no matter what now.

Quote from TheHeretic

They are all better off doing something new - while they are still young and famous enough to make it work.

Some people have collected a few million dollars, and CJ is also 'considering it', although probably not too seriously.

Quote from bartkun

not sure

if there would be situation like

only 7 original members want to continue but there are talented girls who would get a chance to full line-up to 12 then why not?

but in same time I don't see a problem with group promoting with less number of members :)

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Wizones will want to have only the 'original' members but Han CHown has a claim and if it wants to do anything in Japan Juri has to be added

Quote from Mark-Lee

It's amusing how you always find a way to mention the Senior Singer no matter what.

Well, that's what most of my writings are. Most of them mention the Senior Singer one way or another

Quote from bingbing1

Ooh I’d love Chowon to be added I’m supporting her right now in lightsum but their music and concept kinda puts me off. I also liked Juri in p48 so I’m not opposed to her being added as well.

Both Chowon and Juri are going nowhere in their own groups so they should be allowed to join.

Quote from BlackpinkHouse

Wut? Where else are they gonna sell 500k per album? Do real concerts in Korea, Japan, SEA? If not Izone, most of them will end up like IOI members. Cobbling together makeshift careers, desperate to stay afloat. Only four of them are even semi relevant and mostly for non music things (Somi, Chungha, Mina, Sejeong). Nobody cared about Weki, Gugu, Pristin, etc unfortunately.

With Izone, they get CJENM Tier One treatment, that means top billing on MNET, international tours when concerts open up, etc. And the reformed group can be structured differently, where the members are allowed more free time to do solo and subunit projects if they want, we already saw that with Yujin and Minju MC duties, Pepsi ad, multiple modeling opportunities, etc.

One thing is sure - Starship apparently thinks they can use Jang Wonyoung and Ahn Yujin for better use so it won't release these two.

Quote from horizonshard

If you add new members, it's not IZ*ONE anymore. Removing members makes it only a portion of IZ*ONE, and I don't know if fans will feel it's the same anymore.

Chowon has a right to be in there and since Lightsum is going nowhere and she is bullied by Yoon Sangah and her clique she and Cube will probably demand a spot

and Juri would be needed to make it go anywhere in Japan

The Wizones can debate it to the end of time but if this relaunch goes anywhere they will be added, whether some wizones like it or not.

Quote from horizonshard

If Wizones don't like it, they won't support it. If the fandom doesn't support it, it won't be successful. Adding new members to "IZ*ONE" will kill IZ*ONE more than they already are.

Bad idea.

Actually they are divided about that. Some people will absolutely accept nothing other than the 12 members. Some are more aware of the reality and will be happy to see most (more than 6 members) in there. A few are adamant against accepting newer members, but others are open for those who made it in the PD48 to some degree.

Quote from Dubucub

I think that if only some of them come, watch the other girls that don't join get hated because it has happened before. Besides that there is/was a lot of solo stans in the fandom that if some of them don't come they won't either which it would maybe damage the fandom size?

If nor Wonyoung, nor Sakura, Nako or Yujin come back, it looks like a portion of the fandom, considering their popularity.

(Just speculations here, I hope I'm completely wrong)

I don't know how I would feel about addinf new members, I didn't follow Produce48, I don't feel any connection to Chowon or Kaeun, and it would be weird to have them in Iz*one now after 2 years.

I would still support them whatever it ends up happening, at the end of the day I'm a wiz*one, and that means OT12, but I'm still excited about what the girls can bring now!

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The disbandment came because Starship had other plans about Wonyoung and Yujin so they are NOT coming back. Period.

And Miyawaki Sakura has her own ambition, whatever that might be.

Not sure about Nako but she was homesick all the time and appeared to be happy back in Japan.

If Han Chowon insists joining the relaunch, there is little rational to reject her now because there will be at least 3 people who are not coming back, whether some Wizones hate it or not. Period.

Quote from BlackpinkHouse

What in holy hell is this about? Bullied by Sangah and her clique? Wut?

And no, if Izone comes back it will be as the OT12 or a subunit like OT10 or OT8. Izone doesnt need to curry favor with the GP because of their rigging scandal. They're a fandom based group, like a boy group but with great digitals. Izone fans are no different than BG fans, 20,000 of them literally gave away 3 MILLION DOLLARS of their own money for the PUP project. Basically 150 bucks per fan. As long as they sell tons of albums, sellout concerts when they go on tour, sell merch, etc, they'll be fine.

The problem is most of their sales came from China because of - Miyawaki Sakura and Jang Wonyoung, the members least likely to join this.Starship is grooming Wonyoung for something, and it risked going foul with Mnet and CJ because its owner judged any losses because of crossing Mnet would be outweighed by what Wonyoung will bring to the company.

In the debut promotion of Lightsum, it was painfully clear that Chowon was NOT given any spotlight. But that might be Cube positioning her for a possible IZOne relaunch and make her NOT TOO ATTACHED to Lightsum, which only debuted because of the Soojin mess in Gidle and has a reasonable chance to become the next CLC. If a relaunch actually materializes she and Cube will demand a seat, and even if some Wizones oppose it , that will probably be done. There is no argument, Period.

Quote from horizonshard

and a splintered fandom is not going to help anything. If the IZ*ONE members choose to reform, I wish them all the luck, but I don't think it will work and I don't think it's a good idea.

There is no solution which will make all the Wizones happy, the moment Starship chose not to continue Wonyoung and Yujin in IZOne. They are not coming back. Starship does not have to put them in girl groups; Yujin could be made into an actress and Wonyoung can just remain as a celebrity, getting expensive endorsements.

So, no matter how it ends, the fandom will be splintered and there is no way to avoid it. Some people are rational and are trying to find something which is the most feasible given the constraints. Others might not accept that but there is simply no way to make them happy.

Quote from horizonshard

I thought LightSum was doing pretty well for a debuting group. I don't think Chowon leaving them right now would be smart. It'd sink the new group before they even had a chance to try to succeed.

Given Cube's history, that is probably not true. CLC was doing reasonably well, but Cube simply ... forgot them.

Given the Hyuna and Dawn fiasco it has shown repeatedly that its staff is not the most efficient staff in KPop.

If anything, Cube will insist on its rights this time, and with at least 3 members who are going to be absent, there is no rationale to not accept it although some Wizones will never allow it.

Quote from Dubucub

Some Wiz*one won't probably even know who Chowon is, since they came after the PD48 thing, and adding just one member is gonna make the poor girl get a lot of unnecessary hate that she would avoid just staying in her group now (not even talking about how weird would it be for the members). And if the fans don't end up liking it, then who is going to support the group?

Actually, within Lightsum, only Joohyun has any kind of attachment to C and the other members are all following Yoon Sangah so she is already being hated by her own members. At least, if she joins the second iteration of IZOne, the members will feel a little guilt and won't be too hard on her unlike Yoon Sangah and her clique.

Plus Cube is not an honest company. It played games with Lai Guanlin, who won the lawsuit because it was proven that a Cube employee faked the seal of Lai's father.

Lightsum has enough members to make C's absence not too much marked, and if anything Yoon Sangah, etc, will rather see C gone.

Again, this argument is possible since not everyone will join the relaunch and there will be gaps. We don't know how it is end; the whole thing might just go in smoke because CJ is also playing games with those who want to relaunch. And I have said a few times that as long as there is at least one member who won't join, the fandom won't be truly happy and it is impossible for everyone to join now. So they will take whatever they can get.

Quote from SMsKKSilence

Chowon and Gaeun do not have any entitlement to the re-launch. The contract that they were entitled to already expired. This relaunch is negotiating new contracts that have nothing to do with Produce48 anymore. And even if by some weird occurrence they were added, especially if some original members can't rejoin, it would just piss off Wiz*Ones (as well as Lightsum fans) in Korea, start huge fandom war, and stir a bunch of controversy that Iz*One does not need.

I'd rather Starship keep Wonyoung and Yujin and debut them in their own group than bother with that mess. I originally favored disbandment, and I will favor it again should something like that happen.

There are no Chowon fans in the tiny fandom Lightsum has. So that is no problem.

Some wizones won't like it, for sure. However, again, there is no way to make all the wizones happy.

If Cube insists putting C to the relaunch, that will be done, whether some Wizones like it or not. For them, seeing their faves again would be more important than kicking out someone two times from the same act.