The 5 most overrated and underrated in K-Entertainment
We all know those people or dramas or movies that everyone loves but you don’t quite like. And there are always our beloved actors that no one likes but you couldn’t live without. Here I give you my highly controversial list of who I think are the most underrated and overrated people or things in the Korean Entertainment scene.
Let’s start with the overrated ones, shall we?
5. Dong Bang Shin Ki -Yeah, I said it. Yes, most of the guys in this group can sing, yes Junsu has a bubble butt, yes, Yunho is a great dancer, and okay, I concede that Jae Joong is really good-looking. (Oh, and I guess the other two are okay too). They are the Gods Rising in the East, they have the biggest fanclub in the world and if a bad word is said about them you better watch your butt because a Cassie will be on you before you can put a period on that sentence. Why are they overrated? For a group with so many fans, so much popularity and immense super stardom in Korea and Japan, I’m waiting for music that is something better than the SM manufactured, over-produced, fake sentimental stuff that they consistently put out. For a group with such loyal fans I’m waiting for Yoochun and Changmin to exhibit a reason for why they’re irreplaceable.
4. Super Junior – Yeah, I said it. Super Junior has 13 guys, they have 3 very good singers, they are spread all over the entertainment world, acting, VJing and the likes. They have grown a strong fanbase through their antics and, not excluding, the subgroups they’ve garnered an extremely loyal fanbase. Why are they overrated? Sorry, Sorry but they have 13 members, only 3 of them are good enough singers to be paid for it, people buy their albums because they’re cute or funny or (insert adjective that has nothing to do with music here), they have a strong fanbase of the most butthurt fans to walk the face of the earth. Jesus’ disciples weren’t even as butthurt after the whole Judas betrayal thing as the average ELF would be if you called Shindong fat. I will be skinned alive for it but Super Junior is not. that. great. Dancing is great, so is being funny, so is kissing boys for “fan service” but at the end of the day do they really need to be in a 13 member group making their forgettable music?
3. Kim Tae Hee, Kim Ah Joong and other CF queens – They are two of the most famous CF queens in Korea and arguably the prettiest. They has done what some only dream of doing (and many more actually do) which is minimal acting and skating through your career living on CFs. This is amazing. Why is Kim Ah Joong overrated? Besides “200 Pound Beauty” not being that great she also hasn’t exhibited any impressive acting either, charming and passable isn’t quite Oscar worthy. Why is Kim Tae Hee overrated? Yes she’s pretty but last I checked she couldn’t actually act. We’ll see how she fairs in IRIS and I’m hoping for my sake that she has learned how to act in the years she spent selling everything from Ice cream to kimchi fridges.
2. Ahn So Hee – She is in the most popular girl group in Korea (Wonder Girls), and she is the most popular member in that group because she’s cute and looks like a dumpling. Why is she overrated? She can’t sing and her dancing is questionable, (critics are split over the actual quality of her dancing skills). All I needed to prove (or disprove) singing or dancing ability was her lovely rendition of “Single Ladies”.
1. Boys Over Flowers – Haha Oh YES, I said it. The number one overrated thing in the K-Entertainment scene recently is the third re-imagining of “Boys Over Flowers”, “Kgot Boda Namja”. The drama is the most popular weekly drama of the year so far, it had a huge legacy to follow and, if you go by the ratings, it lived up to the hype. Gu Hye Sun and Lee Minho had great chemistry and are fine actors in their own right, Kim So Eun, was perfect as Ga Eul and endearing as an actress, Kim Joon earned his stripes and Kim Bum was consistent. Why is this drama overrated? Where should I start…. Hyun Joong used this drama more like an acting class, learning how to act while the drama went on. The music was horrid and overused, the script was a handful of clichés, the editing could have been done better by my house plants and socio-cultural implications of the drama left my brain numb. I don’t want to be too dismissive of the drama by calling it bad but I believe the negative points outweighed the positive to the nth degree.
Now to the Most Underrated people or things in Kpop:
5. BoA’s “Eat You Up” – Everyone, myself included, was slightly taken aback by this single. There was a lot of: “Um, what’s she saying”, “Eat You Up? Right…” “OMG BoA must have lost her mind”. The lyrics were silly and the incoherence permeated it in parts (specifically the “I’ll eat you up, your love, you looOooOve” part). But after more and more listens of the song, the good pop sound of it comes out more. The hot beat, the falsetto, the dancing in the music video it all comes together for a great summer hit.
4. Rain – In some circles (or maybe just the ones I run in), Rain–I’m sorry, “The Rain”–being brought up in conversations is usually to set up some kind of joke. He has embarrassed himself plenty in his transition to the United States entertainment scene. Why is he underrated? Well, this guy has achieved so much in the past two years. He was in that flop “Speed Racer” but because of “Speed Racer” Rain is in the public eye. The Wachowski Brothers love him and he is now starring in the Comic-Con geek wet dream, “Ninja Assassin” (coming soon to a theater near you). He released his world album and despite trouble with dumb censors and his “magic stick” he had a hit single at the end of last year. Oh and he has mastered the English language. Rain, as silly as he can make himself look at times, is going no where but up.
3. Jung Il Woo – He had the bad luck of being in the second drama reworking of the Iljimae legend (following Lee Junki’s super-popular “Iljimae”) and even after the moderate success of that he isn’t quite the superstar like his good friend Lee Minho. But this guy is a good actor, he’s humble and he doesn’t seem to have fallen into the pitfalls of fame in Korea, i.e. making an ass out of yourself by cross-dressing, doing lame advertisements and kissing boys for fun.
2. Dong Bang Shin Ki – Oh, what’s this? Yes, DBSK is one of the most underrated groups in Kpop. Their music for the most part is uninspired, falling on the bad side of the pop spectrum and they have some of the more annoying diehard fans in kpop (ahem, yes Jaejoong diehards, I’m talking about you). But why are they underrated? These. Boys. Can. Sing. Well, not all of them can sing as well as my stilted phrase before implies but let’s start with Junsu. Amazing, amazing voice. My soon-to-be-uber-famous friend thinks he sounds like a dolphin. I think he has one of the strongest voices in Kpop. If Junsu wasn’t in DBSK, I wouldn’t care about the rest of them, but he is so here’s the rest of them. Jaejoong has a strong versatile voice, Yunho’s voice has finally come into it’s own and he is now the third best singer in the group (and seriously, who would have thought that was possible?) Changmin has a voice but he still doesn’t know how to use and Yoochun is capable of singing but does not have a great voice. But overall, when together and everyone is on top of their game, these boys are GOLD. So let’s give them credit for being talented, ja?
Refresher:
1. Brown Eyed Girls, Big Mama, Park Hwayobi, Gummy and all the other female singers in Korea that don’t get enough love – These women are some of the best singers in Kpop. Yes, there are good singers in SNSD, but they have nothing on any of the women listed above. And, okay, Sun Ye is a good singer, but as much as I love her and Ye Eun from Wonder Girls, they’re no where near as disciplined as Park Hwayobi or Gummy or Ga-In of Brown Eyed Girls. Call me conservative but I don’t care if you can dance or are good looking if you can’t sing. If you are releasing albums as a singer you should be able to sing, and sing well. Big Mama, undebatably amazing singers, is better any day than most of the pop-fluff that the youngens waste their parent’s money on. They depend on talent, not distracting concepts and images to sell records. Brown Eyed Girls needed these same idol tactics to have their talent even marginally noticed and Park Hwayobi and Gummy are still on the fringe because they stuck to their roots and released music that showcased their voices and not lollipops, miniskirts or fake virginal personas.
But that’s just my list. Who or what do you think are the most overrated or underrated in Korean Entertainment?
I agree with you.
BOF is the most overrated drama of the year.
It was just mediocre.
This proves that some people relies on pretty faces instead true talent.
I’m liking your site and I really like what you said here. So totally true!! :)
Navi is totally underrated.she needs more love.even JYP ask his artist to rap for her.
as we all know(or not) JYP choose best artist only for their artist be featured on other artist perf/song.like WG Sohee & 2AM Jinwoon in 8eight’s MV,2PM Taec & Jay in Navi’s Damaged Heart.
since im SJ fan i dont have comment on that.they make my life happy.hahaha
im so getting killed for saying this but i think they are more to entertainers than singers. =x
BOF is soo overrated.I DONT KNOW why people love it.the editing sucks.the song just played in some scenes.sometimes it doesnt match the scene. =.=;
they also like to compiled 2 episode to 1 episode.i prefer Japanese ver than BOF.its much better and more real.you can see domyouji life and makino life.
junpyo and jihoo doesnt have good acting skills.so is jandi.i believe there are other experienced actors/actress that can act better than them..
but then,it’s Korea.where looks is more important than talent.
we might pissed off right now,but we can’t change it..huhu~
I totally agree with your list. Especially the overrated ones.. (BOF, Kim Tae Hee, Kim Ah Joong, and Sohee)
but I’ve got a few to add to the underrated list.
Male kpop artists like Fly to the Sky (FTTS), Wheesung, Alex Chu (Clazziquai) don’t get enough recognition. Seriously.
But then again, we all know that Kpop industry is all bout advertising (and catchy songs), and less of talent.
@ miumiu099
You said it best. :)
I actually agree with DBSK being on both lists.
DBSK is overrated for their popularity but underrated for their talents.
Most of the idol groups are overrated. Big Bang has some good songs but the group consists of average singers.
2NE1 are quickly becoming overrated, their fans think they’re so ~*~*~*fresh~*~*~*, but they’re just another girl group.
Super Junior/SNSD/2PM/WG are all meh.
i cant comment anymore? ):
first time i know SuJu is on their 3jib. And by that time, I have conlude that YESUNG, RYEOWOOK AND KYUHYUN are the best singer. I haven’t actually know them, and I haven’t know KRY. Yes they are over rated, but thats the beauty of it. They tried to mix it in 1 group. if they’re separated, I’m sure they’ll get in your under-rated parts too..
No offense, but Yoochun KNOWS how to sing WELL. he hit notes, and people thinks he had a bad voice, it’s not bad, its just low and you can’t hear him. Also, in my under-rated list, Kim Taeyeon of SNSD will get in, she is hated coz of racism and everyone made their mistakes ryte?
true. love it when u put DBSK as overrated and underrated
i love them. but Mr SM is just totally using them… they have so much talents to go waste… pity my DBSK boys… they can actually sing…
YES. AGREED.
ON BOF ESP.
Hell yeah, Yunho has def come a long way. Def agree with you on the improving part. He’s become the 3rd best singer of the group, for real. Some just don’t get it; your fave member isn’t all that.
Gosh, Yoochun needs to stop smoking; his voice is terribly affected. He has got this beautiful voice but uh…
And yes, Changmin needs a little control on his high notes.
DBSK’s harmonizations in their Japanese singles are friggin gorgeous. Korean music doesn’t do them enough justice to show off their voices: )
totally agree with you… i actually enjoy listening to their japanese singles more than the korean ones. the harmonizations are tight :)
I think IU should be part of the underrated list. Seriously, the girl oozes talent from her very pores, but NOBODY talks about her. It’s unfortunate. Epik High definitely makes my underrated list, as well.
I agree with you 100 percent. Boys Before Flowers was basically a drama with all of the cliches you could ever think of. I mean come on theres the misunderstanding, the fainting, the excessive crying, ect…
I do agree that DBSK is an overrated boy group. Their hot, they have nice voices (Junsu & Jaejoong) and they can dance <– typical characteristics of a Korean group, but I’m looking for something different! Yunho is overrated lol. I think his dancing is repetitive and awkward to look at. He should try to dance different styles because I know that he can.
thank you Rina for saying that comment about DBSK!!! much appreciation towards you <333
oh and btw, the next person who over-praises junsu and says “OMG he’s the BEST singer in DBSK, he holds the group together…” will get bitch-slapped (thank you to the ppl like Rina though) b/c srsly over-praising junsu is gettint RLY ANNOYING to those ppl who actually value the talents of the other members. yes jaejoong needs to show more emotion when singing (but there are times when he does, like in Doushite and LITC, then it’s magic), but the guy sounds like an angel when he sings (there’s a reason he’s lead vocals). and when changmin hits those high notes, he RLY hits those notes (wild soul, anyone?), yunho has improved tremendously, and yoochun does have a good voice, it’s unique, it has to grow on you (it grew on me w/ time), but yeah he needs to stop smoking…do you honestly think junsu could pull off songs like “Maze” & “Wild Soul”?…no, his voice is good for certain parts and certain songs, other members’ voices are good for certain parts & certain songs…this is a GROUP, it’s not called Xiah Junsu and the Four Other Members, it’s called Dong Bang Shin Ki, and it’s about time ppl give recognition to everyone in the group, not put junsu on a fucking pedestal and shower him with excessive love while leaving the other members in the dust…thank you, i apologize for my noisy rant i was just getting rly annoyed.
i think Clazziquai should be up there on the underrated list…Epik High as well
i don’t like B.E.G so i don’t care if they’re underrated…they are copycats…gr8 thing their vocals are good. I agree w/ rain. but boa? maybe, i guess…just don’t call her “Britney Spears of Asia”…not suitable, at least for me. Teddy and Gummy are underrated too.
I’m not a 2ne1 die hard fan or whatever but i just think that their style (music&fashion) is just incomparable to any other girl groups in korea… i think of them as spice girls actually.(i’m not saying they are the best okay?!)
CL–soon to be,2pm, dbsk , snsnd & wondergirls = overrated…and if anyone talks about them while i’m around…i swear i’m gonna kick a baby!
Agreeeeee,come on,outside Junsu & Jeajoon DBSk can’t sing,they surely worked hard so they developed that way!sometimes i wonder why SM put Changmin & not Siwon of SUJU in this band!
Wonder girls:if we are in singing contest these girls are total failure,i like Wg songs but Sunye & Yeeun can’t stand a minute in front of Taeyeon or Jessica…..
Coming to SNSD:eye candy with some good singers,& it works!!add the so called scandals(Tiffany is always hated coz of her short skirts-Hyori wears shorter & she’s beloved-Jessica is hated for her past with JaeJoon & Donghae,Sunny is there coz SM is her uncle…)
Suju:yep,only three can sing(SUJU KRY)i wondered why Yesung wasn’t in SUJU M,but they needed Donghae for his ,i dunno,i don’t like Donghae…SUJU sems to me sometimes like group with three singers(add Kangin & Sungmin who are developing,Siwon too if u want)& the others are dancers,by the way,Heechul can’t sing & can’t dance,yep,just coz he’s pretty(yep,pretty,this guy can go into public ladies bath & no woman can notice),he’s not even funny!i wish if they work harder & focus on singing instead of being clowns!
Hyori is overrated too:She’s showing skin & using her charisma,she can’t sing!!
BoA:believe it or not,her voice isn’t really good,she’s a great dancer yeah,but singer,nope!!
BOF:stupid love story seen many times before!!what makes it that special??
2NE1:good band,talented but tooo much,a girl is a girl in the end,i bet we’ll see them someday trying to get more feminine look!
well,bands are made to show the talents of each member,& they get an,let’s say,”easy sunccess”(they complete each other,u need a sharp eye to get their eak points),& may be continue with a solo career if they have the talent & the chance.
You serious, you think jessica has a good voice, really? I am no wondergirls fan but Sunye and Yeeun’s voices are way better than Jessica’s. And if you think jessica’s voice is good, than BoA’s voice is great. BoA has a way wider range than Jessica, BoA can actually hit high notes when singing live, she puts more soul and emotion into her voice, she’s not off key when she performs, overall, BoA’s voice is better than Jessica’s, and anyone who isn’t a diehard soshi fan would agree. Look at jessica’s voice, whiny, sometimes nasally just like BoA, no emotion or soul, and not a good live performer at all, her voice is so soft and not in a good way, people say it’s her microphone, but that is just bullshit because she messes up in a majority of her performances, overall her voice is bleh when it comes to BoA. I would say she is more of an overrated singer than BoA. Let me say this, BoA will always be a better performer than snsd, sorry soshis, but they cannot do a live for shit, all they got is a backtrack going for them or else their performances would just be nothing but breathless girls dancing to a cutesy song. BoA isn’t the best singer, but she is one of the best performers Korea has, she is what most koreans would call a true performer, she dances her ass off while singing on key, you could actually hear it and it’s almost identical to the studio version (Her moto and girls on top were spot on, hardcore dancing while singing really well live, she was working the stage like no other, she has that stage charisma and fiercness to her when she performs and no one can deny that). And when she sings a ballad, she puts so much emotion and soul into her performances which makes it wonderful, and once again, majority of the time, her voice doesnt crack or go off key. (Moon and Sunrise is probably one of the best ballad BoA could perform, and when she does, she has the ability to make her audience cry, because through her song, they can see her emotions, i actually thought she was gonna cry when she sang it in her concert because you could hear and feel the sadness in her voice, but her vocals are always on point) I’ve seen Jessica perform a ballad, her voice isn’t anything compared to BoA, when she performs it is rather bland and dull than outstading. SunYe, or YeEun, Jessica doesnt stand a chance against BoA. It’s the truth, Jessica’s voice isn’t great, neither is BoA’s, but as a performer, BoA would knock Jessica out of the ring in the first round if it came down to it, better voice overall, way better dancer, way better stage presence, way better charisma, etc…I wouldn’t have to state everything she’s better at, im sure you get the gist of it!!!
I meant to say she doesnt stand a chance against BoA, sunye and yeeun. I am a boa fan but by all means, i know how to admit it when i say BoA doesn’t have a great voice, it’s good but not great. I also think sunye and yeeun both have better voices than BoA…But as a performer, they too would be knocked out on stage, because BoA is at her best when it comes to lives.
I would say I disagree. Basically calling things overrated or underrated is your excuse to hate on the popular groups. I think that unpopular things are so for a reason. Granted, I don’t like Super Junior or DBSK myself, but people like them well enough. Whatever the popular idols have is likable enough for many to be fans. And for the “underrated”, maybe there is a reason that is the way. Their songs are not catchy enough or their being overshadowed by better groups. Not better by singing, but better in personality or stage presence.
Hwayobi is so damn fugly that’s why she ain’t gettin any air time.
But Ga In is the SMEX these days. And so is Narsha.
BigBang shoulda been no.1 in that overrated list. Or just GD would be fine.
I dont think sohee is overrated, cause i NEVER hears anyone saying “OMG, she’s such a great singer” she’s just crazily popular, and popular and overrated are not the same. You can be popular and underrated, as well as popular and overrated. for sohee, i think she’s just popular.
i do think sun ye and ye eun are underrated, just because they’re in wondergirls and some people just tend to think none of them can’t sing or they don’t stand a chance against other idols. But: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5aXFkD5m9M i found this on youtube, watch it till the end.
i doubt there are other idol singers who can pull that of like THAT
Well i have to disagree with DBSK and suju being overrated Suju, i think u only heard sorry sorry out of the album, all the songs are really good.
And how can a group be overrated in popularity, stupid
Dbsk are not underrated in talent either
I agree with you whole list. I’m so tired of BOF! I think that Junsu’s really talented too (I admit, I’m a Junsu fangirl).
I think that the KRY from SuJu are underrated. They’re amazing singers.
most overrated: 2ne1, bom is average at singing (though her voice is kinda unique), minzy isn’t good at rapping nor singing, dara is just pretty. They’re not that original and new, the only one who’s really good is cl.
snsd’s taeyeon and jessica: they’re good singers, they have really good technique, but they’re voices aren’t all that great. taeyeon has a very limited range and her singing never shows any emotion or soul, plus she has like no charisma at all, you never notice her until her solo parts come. Jessica is probably the most overrated singer in k-pop, although she knows how to hit the notes, her voice is very plain, whiny and way to soft, you can’t hear her when she sings live.
some of your overrated i agree.. but sj, maybe they r overrated but i am one of sj loyal fans.. that’s true they are more like entertainers than singers but when you say that their songs is forgettable i don’t think it is fully true. some of their songs left big impreesions. just like sorry2, u and don’t don.. but i totally agree about dbsk for both overrated and underrated. i think supernova(choshinsung) should be in underrated list
I agree at Cassies being crazy (like, who would stalk their fav artists till midnight and wasted bucks and bucks on it? O_O) but I’m a bit disappointed in this post (yeah you can yell at me for talking only on DBSK)
Yoochun is a music-composer, he’s a great singer plus rapper (I’d like to say, only a real music-lover can love his voice. Ha im not a narcissist)
Changmin’s voice is the BOMB but it’s still unstable (NOT that he doesnt know how to use it)
on my underrated list: Epik High (OMG they are too awesome for words)
Fly to the Sky (they are simply awesome)
As much as I love Sohee and The Wonder Girls, her performance of ‘Single Ladies’ was horrible. o__o
I’m not sure if it was her Korean accent that made it sound that way or if she’s just THAT bad. She’s a little overrated if you ask me, I still love her and The Wonder Girls but Sohee just can’t sing very well. :/
Epik High is underrated to me. However, they’ve got such addictive songs! ^-^
It’s not just the accent, she is just bad at lives period, she doesnt have the voice at all either. But she is cute and she can keep a beat when it comes to dancing, that’s why she’s a wondergirl. But I do believe she is overrated.