Iz*One
| RPF Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name(s): | Iz*One, IZ*ONE, 아이즈원, アイズワン, Izone |
| Scope/Focus: | K-Pop, J-Pop |
| Date(s): | 2018-2021 |
| See also: | IOI, Wanna One, Produce 101, AKB48 |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Iz*One is a 12-member k-pop/j-pop girl group. It was formed through the third season of the music survival show Produce 101, where the viewers voted for their favourites out of 96 contestants. The contestants were Korean idol trainees as well as Japanese members of the idol group AKB48 and its various subunits.[1]
The members are Eunbi (leader), Wonyoung, Sakura, Yuri, Yena, Yujin, Nako, Hyewon, Hitomi, Chaewon, Minju and Chaeyeon.
Sakura and Nako are also members of HKT48, while Hitomi is a member of AKB48.
Fandom
Iz*One's official fan name is WIZ*ONE. "WIZ" comes from Wizard, because the fans and Iz*One are creating a magical future together. [2] Many international fans were unimpressed with the name, which they found uncreative and difficult to pronouce.
I sat here trying to pronounce it just on the title alone like... "WHY Zone? WEE Zone? Wizzone...WeIzOne WEEZ ONE"
However, some were quick to point out that Iz*One are hardly the first group to have a less than catchy fan club name.
People are making fun of it now, but everyone is going to get used to it in the future. All fanclub names go through this phase.
Lightstick
The official Iz*One lightstick is made in all white except for a gold trim between the handle and the see-through top-part that lights up. Inside the top part there are 12 silicon balls, one in each member's color. The stick can light up in each of the 12 colors as well.[3]
Shipping
Popular Iz*One pairings are:
- Yenyul (Yena/Yuri)
Controversies
Vote Rigging
The final lineup of the group was controversial from the beginning, since it looked very different from earlier episode's Top Twelve. This led to viewers accusing Mnet, the channel that aired the show, of vote manipulation. Within a couple of months, Ahn Joon-young and Kim Yong-bum, who were producers of the show, were arrested. [4] It was confirmed that the lineup was chosen completely by the producers, without consideration for the audience's votes. [5] This caused wide speculation among fans about which members did not have deserve their place. It also created a split in the fandom, where some no longer felt comfortable supporting the group, while others argued that it was unfair to punish the members for the actions of their managements.
I know this situation wasn't what anyone wanted, and honestly, I agree that the biggest victims here are the trainees who were “supposed” to be in IZ*ONE but that doesn’t mean it was the girls’ fault, it was their companies. Quit blaming them for something out of their control.
The amount of hypocrisy that WIZONEs have is simply astonishing, as they don’t care that they are supporting an unfair project that robbed people from their dreams. Now don’t get me wrong I’m a WIZONE myself and I’ve bought every album since colouriz, but we cannot overlook one simple fact; IZ*ONE is a rigged group where only people with enough connections and money got to become celebrities.
Disbandment
As with all groups spawned from the Produce 101 series, Iz*One was always intended to be a temporary group. After 2.5 years, in April 2021, the members would go back to their respective agencies. In January 2021 rumours said that the agencies were discussing an extension of the contracts.[6] The talks fell through, and many fans were disappointed when the disbandment was announced days before what turned out to be their last concert.
The Iz*One community on the korean forum DC Inside posted a statement from WIZ*ONE after the news of the disbandment broke. There they demanded the group continue to promote as one, or they would boycott all future activities form their respective agencies. Far from all WIZ*ONES stood behind these demands, and some argued that it was an overreaction to something that should have been expected to happen.
look, i really love these girls, as a group and individually, but we all knew what we were getting ourselves into when we decided to stan them, everyone knows what happens to produce groups. i know we were all trying to hold onto that little bit of hope that they could possibly get an extension, but the minute the news about some members being rigged came out that idea was off the table completely, and don’t get me wrong, i think they deserve an extension and i would love to see them together for a longer time and see how much more they can grow and improve as a group, but this was an inevitable situation.
To this, others responded that it was not so much about the lack of an extension, but the way Iz*One were not given a proper goodbye like previous Produce 101 groups had. Instead the decision to make 'ONE, THE STORY' their farewell concert seemed like it had been taken last minute.[7]
The encore stage turned into an hour of torture, with members crying their eyes out, crying bitterly, sobbing, choking until they went speechless, until cameramen were unable to record. There were no joyful tears, but tears of being wronged and mistreated. This got fans questioning the reasons behind the disbandment of such popular idols with underaged teenagers.
References
- ^ Kpop Herald Meet the 12 members of IZ*ONE as ‘Produce 48’ wraps up (Accessed 16 March 2021)
- ^ Soompi IZ*ONE Reveals Fan Club Name On Debut Day (Accessed 16 March 2021)
- ^ Kpop Merchandise Guide IZ*ONE (Izone) Official Light Stick (Accessed 16 March 2021)
- ^ The Korea Times Vote-rigging suspicions undermine reputation of K-pop audition shows (Accessed 20 March 2021)
- ^ Koreaboo Prosecution Reveals All The X1 and IZ*ONE Final Members Were Rigged, Plus 1 Wanna One Member (Accessed 20 March 2021)
- ^ Soompi IZ*ONE Reportedly Discussing Potential Contract Extension + Agency Comments (Accessed 18 March 2021)
- ^ StarrySky Blog IZ*ONE DISBANDMENT DUE TO END OF CONTRACT? WHAT ARE THEIR FANS FIGHTING FOR? (Accessed 18 March 2021)