You knew this was coming — 2pm vs. SHINee
I’ll be completely honest: If you had asked me this question 2 weeks ago, I would’ve tsked and tutted at you before I shoved my SHINee flag in yo face. But 2 weeks later, I have no answer. Ah, such is the power of a boygroup.
I don’t think that any “X vs. Y” questions in Kpop are ever actually answerable because if a group achieves what it’s supposed to do, their style shouldn’t be comparable to anything else going on in the Kpop scene. Sure you can compare Big Bang to DBSK and the Wondergirls with SNSD until you’re blue in the face, but when it comes down to it, who you choose is just really a matter of preference, not an indication of who is actually better. “Betterness” is subjective. But for me, I have no preference for either group at the moment. What SHINee lacks, 2PM makes up for; what 2PM lacks, SHINee makes up for.
So in a matter of preferences, 2PM or SHINee?
MUSIC STYLE
Both debuted in 2008, with SHINee beginning in May and 2pm coming after in September. In terms of music style, it boils down to a regular SM Entertainment vs. JYP Entertainment thing, but I do think SHINee has an edge. SHINee’s music is similar to the rest of SM’s in terms of the boring ballads, but their mini-album showcased a lot of different styles that we’ve never seen from SM artists. There was some low-key acoustic in In My Room, and lots of use of brass instruments in songs like Real and Love Should Go On.
And of course, their debut song goes without saying, but 누난 너무 예뻐 (Replay) is one of the few epic Kpop songs I remember any new group singing ever since I’ve “gotten” into Kpop. It’s such a gimmicky song disguised in slick choreography and colorful hipster clothes: all these tweeny under-aged Kpoplings singing about their pretty noonas and spinning around them while earnestly and sickeningly declaring their ever undying sarang♡ — what’s not to love?!
On the other hand you have 2PM’s music. One would think that having JYP would be a having a massive edge, but somehow JYP hasn’t really been hitting the mark with 2PM’s music. 10 Points out of 10 Points has a hilariously, self-mocking MV but other than that, I find the song incredibly bland. I mean, Tell Me, So Hot, and Nobody are similar in terms of how catchy they are and how easily the songs get stuck in your head, but all I can hear when I listen to 10 Points is how much everyone basically talks the song instead of properly singing/rapping it. Am I the only one who feels this way about this song? I tried so hard to like it — I really have! — but I can’t.
With their latest single Again and Again, I’ve grown to like the song, but it doesn’t feel fresh. And then of course, observant netizens did this, “Again and Again” pieced together with “Nobody”:
The song takes the EXACT same turns and has the same beat. It shouldn’t be this effortless to lay over one song on top of another! JYP, you disappointed me with this one.
But, my favorite 2PM song without a doubt is Angel. I can’t believe it’s a b-side and I can’t believe they’ve never performed it.
PERFORMANCE
Hate to say it, but this is another area where SHINee trumps 2PM. First, there’s the choreography. Right from their debut you can tell that these guys have some tight choreography moves. There’s gliding, fancy leg-work, and most importantly of all, their moves make sense. Don’t deny, how many times have you DBSK fans watched DBSK dance to “O Jung Ban Hap” and wondered why the five of them looked like they were warding off evil spirits at some point? What the hell is that Yunho solo in the very beginning?
Anyway, back to the point. These guys sound great, despite all the moving around. Taemin and Minho aren’t very strong singers and thus they have very little to do vocally, but none of their performances have any glaring mistakes and there’s nothing for me to nitpick on. These guys have to balance a LOT of movement with very rigorous singing, so props to them all around.
2PM on the other hand…first, their dance track singles aren’t very vocally intensive. Jaebum and Junsu get the brunt of the singing because they’re the best in the group, but their songs are about as vocally intensive as the Wondergirls’ songs. Sure Sun-ye and Ye-eun can make them look like the most difficult, skill-intensive songs, but that’s just because they’re the best singers in the group. There’s a lot of pauses in the song so the lines don’t really sound as cohesive as I want them to be.
Also, there’s this thing where 2PM’s choreography is really boring to me. I give them props for all the backflips and cartwheels but those moves don’t do anything to improve the song. And worst of all that is that they’re all out of breath after they do the gymnastic moves, to the point where it’s obvious when they sing. What’s the point of that then? There was so much flipping around in 10 Points, so maybe that’s why the song sounded more like they were speaking than actually singing. And what I dislike most is how gimmicky their moves can get. One guy singing while the rest are sliding around making hand gestures? Come on. Their style is more B-Boy-esque but I want my idols to dance, dammit! I will say, though, that Junho seems to be the most reliable when it comes to dancing and singing at the same time — he’s almost flawless in “Again and Again”!
This is something I found on my quest for 2PM videos after I got into them. Nickhun and Jaebum are singing Usher’s “Confession” and I was very much negatively surprised at some parts.
They go flat in so many parts of the song, and Nickhun has some serious breathing problems, so much so that he drops full words from the lines. That is not okay. Yeah maybe Khun was having an off day, blah blah. And them singing in English should not be an excuse as to why this cover was mediocre; their native languages are English, and they’re just singing this standing up, they’re not moving around.
PERSONALITY
And this is the area in which 2PM knocks SHINee out in one punch flat. So much so that all the above in which I think SHINee does better in doesn’t override their lack of personality. SHINee has been on plenty of variety shows, but none of them are “cool.” Come on guys, don’t even LIE, you probably died watching their noona dating show. I watched half an episode but couldn’t get into it anymore. It kills me to think that Taemin, 15, had to go on a pretend date with a noona.
The five of them collectively probably have as much personality as a carrot. I’ve seen moments where they’re really funny and goofy but for the most part, they’re so awkward and shy. The one thing you have to be in Kpop is absolutely shameless, and SHINee seems to be too self-conscious at the moment. Taemin covers his mouth when he laughs (what’s there to be embarrassed about?!) and Jonghyun speaks like he’s giggling all the time, and Minho would be happy to never speak again in his life.
2PM, though, are MASTERS. Please observe, and take note of Wooyoung:
I guess these guys can be likened to Super Junior in their entertainment value, but I’d say 2PM is more to my taste. There’s just too many in Super Junior and the more guys you have, the more chances there are that you’ll really hate some of them. Luckily I don’t dislike anyone in 2PM. Their Idol Show is of pure brilliance. All of them are hilarious as hell and they’re pretty quick on their feet when it comes to avoiding awkward moments. Awkward, apparently, is the norm for SHINee so it’s a pain for me to watch them “have fun.” Observe 2PM on their Idol Show. This is the episode with After School as guests:
And another ep, just because:
So in conclusion, I don’t really like 2PM for their music even though I’ll listen to a few of their songs. To be honest, I probably cannot see myself hanging out with the SHINee guys so much as I want to pat them on the head and give them milk and cookies. So the guys balance each other out, to the point where I don’t know which group I like better. What a dilemma.
Lemme end the post with this gem from the Idol Army show when SHINee were the guests. Could it be any more perfect and sparkly with the gay? Watch Khun woo Minho. Brilliance:
SHINee boys are too feminine for my taste. I don’t think they’ve even hit puberty yet.
2PM-amazing voices, dance moves, personalities…the list goes on and on. 2PM <33