I almost didn’t watch Girls Planet 999. As a WIZ*ONE, there was something in the back of my mind about it feeling too soon after IZ*ONE’s disbandment, and after seeing messages on Twitter the show — which is similar to Produce 48 that gave us IZ*ONE — it seemed to dredge up difficult emotions for others too.

But I did watch, and I’ll probably continue. What changed my mind? I thought about how and why I started watching Produce 48, and it all fell into place.

Idols brought me to IZ*ONE

No K-pop idol group will ever replace IZ*ONE for me. While there was a beginning to IZ*ONE, there won’t be an end, as I’ll continue to listen to their music, re-watch their variety shows, and support each member in their new endeavours. I know I’m not alone either.

But thinking back to how it started for me is important. I watched Produce 48 because Honda Hitomi was taking part, and I knew her from AKB48’s Team 8. I really didn’t follow any K-pop artists at the time, but I did follow AKB48, Nogizaka46, and Keyakizaka46 (now Sakurazaka46), along with many other idol groups from Japan. 

If I hadn’t have wanted to see how Hii-chan performed in the show, would I have eventually listened to and loved IZ*ONE? Possibly not. If Hii-chan didn’t become a member of IZ*ONE, would I have become a fan of Hyewon or Minju? Almost certainly not.

During this time, and despite IZ*ONE becoming so important to me, I never stopped watching, listening to, and loving my favourite members from Nogizaka46, AKB48, or any of the other groups. I found IZ*ONE because of other idols. If I’d have stayed “true” to those other groups and decided not to watch Produce 48, then my life would be significantly worse because of it. 

Business is business

Realizing this was an important part of accepting it’s fine to watch Girls Planet 999, but it’s not the only part. What about Mnet and CJ E&M’s involvement? Yes, there was a vote rigging scandal in Produce 48 which directly affected IZ*ONE, and business machinations likely did affect IZ*ONE’s disbandment plus the chances of the group re-launching. These machinations are also the reason why I don’t have a beautiful CD set of Parallel Universe and Lesson on my shelf. 

It’s incredibly unfair, and I have absolutely no love for the companies in question, but I understand that business is business and the decisions that come out of it won’t always be the ones I want. I also know none of this is IZ*ONE’s fault. It didn’t stop me buying the Shall We Dance D’ICON publications, and it wouldn’t stop me buying Parallel Universe should it ever be released, because the members made these things for us to enjoy. 

Girls Planet 999 falls into the same category. What happened to IZ*ONE is not the fault of any of the contestants on the new show. Imagine just one of them knowing you decided not to watch them perform because of a problem with a company that will never know you even exist. To me, the possibility of that is far worse than taking a largely meaningless stand against a business. 

Being DD

Then there’s my curse as an idol fan. At one of the very first idol shows I ever attended in Japan, during a conversation with other fans in-between handshakes with group members, I was told I was “DD.” I didn’t really know what it meant at the time, but subsequently found out it stands for 誰でも大好き (Daredemo Daisuki) meaning “I like everyone.” It refers to an idol fan who doesn’t have a single favourite member, but instead likes all of them. 

It’s mostly accurate. I have multiple favourite members in large groups, tend to like all the members in smaller groups, and in the case of IZ*ONE I have three members that are technically my favourite. But really, yes, I just like everyone. I don’t like the thought of an idol not getting support. This isn’t to say the eventual winning group from Girls Planet 999 will be added to the list, or even one particular person, but it would pretty out of character for me not to watch the show at all.

I had rationalized my decision pretty well to this point, but one final thought still kept entering my mind. If I asked any IZ*ONE member if they thought I would be less of a WIZ*ONE if I watched Girls Planet 999, and perhaps eventually supported one or more contestants, I cannot imagine they would say anything other than, “of course not!” Idols will always be about spreading joy and happiness, never hate or negativity. I’ll watch Girls Planet 999 with that in my mind.