September is here and fall is approaching! Cooler temperatures are on the horizon, but we couldn’t wait, and the cool questions for Ask Oppa / Ask Unnie are already here!
As always, there are three ways for you to send us questions, and we need to continue to receive them from you in order to keep this column going. Just remember that we’re looking for opinion-based questions, and that questions about Girls’ Generation facts can be answered here instead. Also, remember that there is NO deadline for submitting questions. If we didn’t answer your question this month, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll never answer it, and we can save it for later months.
Method 1) Email questions to us at [email protected] with the subject “Ask Column“.
Method 2) Leave questions in the official Ask Oppa / Ask Unnie Question Submission Thread here on Soshified.
Method 3) Submit questions to the official Ask Oppa / Ask Unnie Formspring page.
So what fascinating questions did you all ask this month? Let’s dive right in and find out!
Who do you think is the most improved member since their debut? Why?
– jajangmyun
We both chose Tiffany and also mentioned other members.
michaelroni-oppa says:
I would say either Yoona or Tiffany. Yoona’s progression is a bit more obvious and well-documented, as she faced criticism in the past for not being one of the stronger singers of Girls’ Generation. She never lashed out, however, and instead she took it upon herself to continuously improve her singing. Once Yoona sang the “Innisfree Day” song, it proved that she wasn’t just a one-trick pony and her vocal skills became more apparent. Tiffany’s progression is slightly more subtle, but it still merits recognition. When Girls’ Generation first started out, Taeyeon and Jessica almost exclusively got the background ad-lib vocals. But as time wore on, Tiffany started to get more of those. It began with the background vocals that she got during the second chorus in “Genie”, then it continued with ending ad-libs in “Hoot”, and then she and Taeyeon had their vocals playing off of each other near the end of “MR. TAXI”. Now, Tiffany has been cast in one of the lead roles in a musical, which is often viewed as one of the most difficult and demanding endeavors for a singer. I don’t think anyone ever really viewed Tiffany as a weak singer, but in my mind, she has still improved a great deal, and I think she still has yet to reach her ceiling as a singer.
Procrastinatoress-unnie says:
Baby Seohyun ;~;. She’s blossomed into such a fine young lady. No longer is she a cartoon-loving girl, but a mature and beautiful woman. Ah, it makes me emotional. But if you’re talking skill-wise, while they’ve all improved, probably Tiffany? Her powerful voice was always her best point as an entertainer, but when she got hit with problems like vocal nodules and a severe case of the clumsy, she just rolled with the punches and used the time to better herself. Her vocal control is so much better now, no? Makes one proud.
Do you think that SM Entertainment did a good job in handling both their Korean and Japanese activities concurrently? How do you think it should have went?
– Imperfection-x3
michaelroni-oppa says:
I think it went about as well as could be expected, given how popular the girls are in both Korea and Japan. They followed their Daesang win last year with an successful Japanese tour and a full Japanese album that sold extremely well. SM Entertainment has probably learned how to appropriately handle promoting one group in two countries better, after the BoA and DBSK crossovers in the past. The wait by Korean fans for a comeback was probably longer than they would have hoped for, but all in all I think SM did a relatively good job, and I don’t find too much fault with the way it’s gone. Let’s hope they continue learning and improving, at least for Girls’ Generation’s sake.
Procrastinatoress-unnie says:
To be honest, I’ve felt that their promotions have been somewhat lacking (lazy?), I mean, they were promoted really well during their Gee and Genie days, and even well into Oh!. But these days – and SM knows this – Girls’ Generation more or less promote themselves just by having the title of Korea’s top selling girl group. So the dual Korea-Japan promotions aren’t as strong as fans would like I guess, but they’re effective. Although I think all the touring that the girls have done is epic. Nothing like a good concert to keep fans happy (and rake in the revenue…).
How do you manage Soshified and the real world? I’m certain you all have jobs and lovers, how do you do it all? Does it ever get in the way? – Editor’s note: This is more of a personal question to us, rather than a question about the girls. It doesn’t hurt to branch out a little bit and talk about other things, so we thought we’d give it a try. But if you, our readers, prefer to only see Soshi-related questions, just let us know and this will be just a one-time thing.
– Anonymous
michaelroni-oppa says:
I do indeed have a lover, her name is Lee Soonkyu…….. Anyway, about the actual question, it’s not always easy. I have a full-time job and I also do freelance work on the side. Combine that with the responsibilities of keeping up with the busy Soshi news cycle, and I often find myself lacking free time. Recently, there was a period of about two weeks where things were incredibly busy at my job and most of our other writers were either sick or dealing with school/work responsibilities. I took it upon myself to make sure all the news stories got done, despite barely having any time during the day available. It was a difficult time, but thankfully those kinds of rough patches are rare. Most of the time, it isn’t too difficult to try and manage my Soshified writing work with my day-to-day life. If anything, I often feel as if I need to work harder for Soshified.
Procrastinatoress-unnie says:
The writers team is made up of dedicated people, like Michael-ahjussi over there, and everyone is really hard-working…except me? To be honest I probably don’t deserve to be a part of this team, because everyone is so much more involved and on the ball than I am. I feel really guilty that Michael needs to remind me to finish this column every month too. I promise I’ll work harder guys…;~; (Editor’s note: Pie’s being modest, how cute.)
In an episode of Strong Heart, Taeyeon revealed that the girls once had a 5 minute talk and during that conversation Taeyeon had decided that she should step down and SNSD should be “leaderless” – citing that 7 of the 9 girls are the same age and she has a somewhat timid personality. What are your thoughts of Taeyeon’s leadership? Strengths? Weaknesses?
– Dru Solis
michaelroni-oppa says:
Frankly, I think Girls’ Generation has reached the point where having a true leader is unnecessary, and in my opinion the Soshi Bond is such that being “leaderless” is not really a critical factor to their success. With that being said, even if she is timid, Taeyeon can still serve as a leader to Girls’ Generation. Some of the best leaders are the ones who don’t actually say much, but the ones who silently lead by example. If she works hard to help Girls’ Generation be the best group possible, then the other members will see that work ethic and follow her lead. Essentially, I think all nine girls are leaders in their own unique ways. I’ve always thought of Sunny, Hyoyeon, and Manager Hwang as strong vocal leaders within the group, and while being timid and quiet might be one of Taeyeon’s “weaknesses” as a leader, that doesn’t mean she can’t effective lead the group in other ways.
Procrastinatoress-unnie says:
Laissez-faire leadership! Look it up. Rather than saying Taeyeon “leads” the group, I feel it’s more like she provides a valuable link between all the members. She’s a timid personality, and maybe that doesn’t usually make for great leaders, but SoShi ain’t no usual case. In a group of very loud and dominant personalities, I think it’s a good thing that the one who looks out for them is the quiet one and just sets an example in her own way. Rather than lead the group out the door, she’s probably the last one out to make sure they haven’t missed anyone. Or rather than rush everyone to the beauty salon, she does her own makeup so the others have more time. Being the least loud personality-wise in the group, it’s only Taeyeon who can provide that kind of leadership to the group, no? Kid leader forever!
If you could create a drama for your favorite SNSD member, what would the plotline be, and who else would be in the cast with her?
– MadamMartha
michaelroni-oppa says:
Anyone who knows even 1% about me knows I’m a Sunshiner at heart. But when reading this question, my first idea actually involved Hyoyeon, who has been my favorite member for the past few months. It would be more of a comedic show rather than a drama, but if I would create a show around her, it would be about a crazy science experiment that trapped a child’s mind inside an adult’s body. With that plotline, Hyoyeon would have the freedom to put her Kim Choding personality on full display. I suppose eventually the show would have to turn a bit serious and show Hyoyeon’s character maturing and learning more about the real world that adults have to deal with, but the conclusion of the show would have to show Hyoyeon becoming a mature young woman who still loves to be young at heart…. you know, kind of like how Hyoyeon is in real life. I would include the other Girls’ Generation members as guests who make special cameo appearances, but beyond that, I don’t know enough idols/actors to really fill out the rest of the cast. Besides, why do you need anyone else besides Kim Choding in that show?
Basically, I want to see a show where Hyoyeon does this a lot.
Procrastinatoress-unnie says:
Jessica Jung as a war general. That is all.
What did you think of the questions this month, and did you agree with our answers? Leave us a comment below! As always, we hope to hear more of your wonderful questions, and we look forward to seeing you again next month!
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I love Choi Soo Young…Have Choi Soo Young Boy Friend?…
e dgv
lol~ i love all the answers.. especially Procrastinatoress-unnie’s Jessica Jung as a war general… ROFL
haha jessica jung as a war general? IKR!!!!!!!!!!! shell just FREEZE all the enemies first haha ^^ but anyway i think all the girls have made great progress, like the girls trying musicals, (sica,taeng,fany) sunny and yuri doing IY, seohyun overcoming her timidness to do WGM….i think theyve come so far! its really heartwarming when i think of it.. the way they work so hard for their sones, i can jus cry! haha :D stay well and keep strong girls, SNSD fighting!
The question on Taeyeon’s leadership abilities always seems to come up, but I don’t really understand why. Taeyeon is as close to a bias as I can have, so I’m glad you chose the question. Maybe it’s because we don’t get to see Taeyeon as a leader in the sense that we may see leaders in other groups, but the results definitely speak for themselves. Girls’ Generation is the leader of the Hallyu wave, famous worldwide, the nation’s girl group, maybe even the nation’s group in general. Who knows if they would be where they are now if Taeyeon had not been given the role of the leader and carried it out as she did. The public may not have gotten to see what Taeyeon did behind the scenes during the long hiatus of 2008, when they were at their lowest, but we did see that all nine came back stronger than ever. I think a lot of that was thanks to Taeyeon.
I think Taeyeon also was (is) great as a leader in that she lets the others shine when she can. During awards ceremonies or interviews, it’s not always Taeyeon who speaks. Rather, she lets others talk and let themselves be heard and known. At concerts though, it’s a little different. You can see that it’s usually Taeyeon who, at the end of the concert, calls the girls over for their last bow to the audience. Or perhaps most importantly, Taeyeon chose to give up her leadership when they agreed it was no longer necessary. How many leaders (and I don’t mean just leaders of idol groups) would do that? In this way and others, her leadership does come out: you just have to pay attention for it.
It’s always that part of that episode of Strong Heart that people focus on, and yet later on Eun Ji Won says something that was really important that I wish people would also remember. He said that even though Taeyeon chooses to step down as leader, Girls’ Generation fans will always regard Taeyeon as the leader of the group, and Taeyeon seemed to acknowledged that. To us, Taeyeon will always be the kkokkoma leader, standing in the middle as the tent in the center of the concert stadium disappears, and the pyramid lowers to reveal Girls’ Generation.
Taeyeon’s leadership is a really interesting question. I agree completely with Michael. I think what people think of as a traditional group leader in K-pop doesn’t really apply to this group of girls. In other groups there is like a hierarchy with a defined leader, but in SNSD all the girls take part in that role. I think that is due in part to Taeyeon being so strong during the early days. She made such a great example for the other girls, and they are so close to each other, that they don’t need some monarch directing the others. They are an organic unit that lives and breathes together as one, and Taeyeon is like the quiet strong force that is there should it be needed. That to me is what makes Taeyeon the most amazing leader in the entire industry. She is so good that she created 8 other leaders.
lolololololol epic blog gif of FanyHyoSica! Kim Choding is awesome and poor Sica while singing too, her voice must had been wavering trying not to laugh. This is one of the reason why I deeply love these angels, hope they continue to show their playful side. Good questions and answers/opinions from ssf writer staffs. I pretty much always agree most of the time with your answers. So maybe this new album will have a lot more Fany background and ad-lib vocals. Hope SM continue to do well with SNSD promotions and SONEs continue to support. Taeyeon is thee best cutest, adorkable leader. I’d watch anything with Hyoyeon and Sica and all the SoShi no matter what, it’d be very interesting and fun. Soshified staffs thanks very much for your hardwork and sacrifices for making this awesome forum a special forum for the world. Seriously this forum wouldn’t be what/where it is now if it weren’t for dedicated staffs and of course the founder, Soy. I’ll never stop saying that Soshified is thee BEST International forum in the kpop world. I’m happy and proud to join in! Btw staffs it’s cool with me if you want to include personal info, as long as you are comfortable in sharing.
<3 Well thanks again and hope to read more Ask Oppa Ask Unnie column and many more other columns. :D
“Jessica Jung as a war general. That is all.”
lol, this I would watch. But, would she be the great leader, or would she be the great warrior?? which style of war general would she be?? Most likely the one that beats the living hell out of everyone??
As for Kim Choding, I think I’d rather see her in a more witty kind of role, or at least at that dimension to her character. We’ve seen it before, where they’ll be on a show, and her witty comments will draw out a great reaction. The most prominent of those in my mind would probably be from “Win Win”, where she directed a scorching comment toward the younger members in the group. I think something like this would be a really good way for her to express herself. (Or maybe I’m just dumb lol)
But, I really want to know why questions about Taeyeon’s leadership skills always come into question?? Has there really been anything about what she’s done that makes people question it?? What is the standard that people are basing these comments off of?? It really doesn’t make sense to me. And to be honest, aren’t these kind of comments hurtful?? I know Taeyeon likes to play it off by saying things like, “I only feel like a leader when I have to go wake up those kids,” and things like that, but is there really a need for her to be upfront and commanding, as if she were a military commander?? If anything, since she knows everyone else so well, i think she just subconsciously knows how to help them, and probably the same goes for everyone else. Its the infinite loop of being able to help each other, isn’t that part of the core of what makes the “soshibond”??
And I won’t comment on growth, because if I did, it’d turn into a really really long essay lol.
I love this column as much as I love reading it. People ask such good questions and Michael-ajusshi (:P) and Pie-unnie in answering them.
For me its hard to tell who had most improved, but definitely nod my head in yours answers. AND YES! It seems that SM is somewhat lazy in promoting them to me too, but I’m not sure it they even need it. In retrospect their popularity is reaching up to the point where they themselves can’t comprehend, and it gets scary, so I think they are just letting things go by the flow.
And Taeyeon <3 even though she's timid, we all know how strong she is inside (and even more timid), and that's what keeps the girls going. I think the main reason why Taeyeon said she wanted to step down as leader was because the spotlight was on her, and she wants people to know Girls' Generation consist of equally talented 9 girls! Plus the stress must have been killing her, I did think that in their earlier days when the girls depended so much on Taeyeon for answers is when she was most leader-like, and for that reason the girls would always respect her.
But now the girls are comfortable after 4 years and counting in the business, in group interview and whatnot. Whether it be one of the members talking, one never hold back piping a few comments here and there so as for the public side of things, I don't think there is a leader anymore, but who knows bts? Taeyeon might just love bossing them around :P
As for soshified team, you guys are amazing as always, and to the writers especially (since this is an article ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ)
and the last question. Hats off to both of you!
Thanks for the column for the month <3
You guys picked good questions as always! Thanks for another great column!
I like both of your answers for most improved, Tiffany has come a long way and it’s great to see her getting more parts. Her performance of Lady Marmalade is epic.
Michael, thanks for your hard work in getting those news articles out during those couple of weeks after we got back from Seoul. I remember how stressed you were with work and I just wanted to say thanks for your dedication. I also loved your answer for the drama show. I would totally watch it!!