JOJO
This review may contain spoilers
It's been a few years since I've picked up a survival show and I didn't think I would be as hooked as I was before, but this was so worth it!! Even though the show wounded up in some controversies and the finale was canceled, I still think the rest of the show before it was still very enjoyable.
I honestly didn't think any other seasons that followed Idol Producer would have such a unique and talented set of individuals on the show again but this season (at least) has proved me wrong. All the trainees are so talented!
The selection of music was fire despite what others may say. There had been some rumors saying iQiyi was running low on budget and that's why the song selections were a majority the mentor's songs. Personally I haven't heard many of the songs before so I found it entertaining. The way in which they created groups this season is interesting too. The first evaluation was position and they allowed trainees to select their own groups but also intervene with others selection, and kind of battle it out by persuading the trainee to join them. Then the second was split by age groups and it was based on who was able to snatch the song first rather than by rank (which I found was a bit unfair in the past for the lower classes). These are only a few examples of how they did song selections.
In terms of the editing, I would say its changed a bit but I still appreciate the extra clips they put in of the trainees. In comparison to Produce Camp (another survival show), there's a lot more content and screen time showing their practice sessions leading up to the stage day. The episodes are very oddly separated into parts, but I guess that only means more content! However, unless you are VIP there isn't much extra clips to watch, at least from my standpoint. It's also hard to navigate around the website for the studio recordings and performances especially since some aren't available on YouTube. There has been some talk about how this season isn't as entertaining as the past seasons in terms of editing and music performances but I disagree I thought that it was pretty entertaining. I do agree with some aspects such as the unequal distribution of screen time like during the press conference in the early episodes and also training time leading up to performances.
The mentor line up was also great! You could tell each mentor really cared about the trainees and were very respectful of everyone. They took their time speaking and did their best to help each person. Will Pan didn't get frustrated at all during his sessions with the trainees, he instead would pull those who weren't as comfortable or familiar with rapping aside, giving them advice and helping them figure out their parts. Then there is LISA who I'm not too familiar with but before, but I was always in awe seeing how she was able to so easily catch the problem with each groups' dances and point out how to make it better. I'd watch and be like "oHH yeah that looks SO much better woW!" And finally, Li Ronghao's class sessions would be in the recording studio and it's so funny and cute seeing him come out of the control room and into the recording booth to help out the trainees if they weren't getting a high note or something. Li Chun wasn't exactly a mentor, she was the MC for the most part of the show, but she never failed to show her care and generosity. She often asked about the trainees and would bring them food. The most memorable would probably be giving a Doreamon to Li Junhao (Rimiko).
Overall, the show was really really good! I just wished the finale had happened before the show ended, and Yu Jingtian (Tony) didn't get wrapped up in a controversy as well. Fan or not, I just felt bad and it was very unfortunate that it came right before the last episode was able to air. Same with the rest of the trainees, they worked so hard but in the end were not able to debut (especially Lian Huaiwei). However with that being said, it wasn't a *complete* waste because the trainees at least got some exposure and the show helped each and everyone of them grow in some aspect. We don't always get the ending we want, but we can always pick out at least one positive to hold onto.
I honestly didn't think any other seasons that followed Idol Producer would have such a unique and talented set of individuals on the show again but this season (at least) has proved me wrong. All the trainees are so talented!
The selection of music was fire despite what others may say. There had been some rumors saying iQiyi was running low on budget and that's why the song selections were a majority the mentor's songs. Personally I haven't heard many of the songs before so I found it entertaining. The way in which they created groups this season is interesting too. The first evaluation was position and they allowed trainees to select their own groups but also intervene with others selection, and kind of battle it out by persuading the trainee to join them. Then the second was split by age groups and it was based on who was able to snatch the song first rather than by rank (which I found was a bit unfair in the past for the lower classes). These are only a few examples of how they did song selections.
In terms of the editing, I would say its changed a bit but I still appreciate the extra clips they put in of the trainees. In comparison to Produce Camp (another survival show), there's a lot more content and screen time showing their practice sessions leading up to the stage day. The episodes are very oddly separated into parts, but I guess that only means more content! However, unless you are VIP there isn't much extra clips to watch, at least from my standpoint. It's also hard to navigate around the website for the studio recordings and performances especially since some aren't available on YouTube. There has been some talk about how this season isn't as entertaining as the past seasons in terms of editing and music performances but I disagree I thought that it was pretty entertaining. I do agree with some aspects such as the unequal distribution of screen time like during the press conference in the early episodes and also training time leading up to performances.
The mentor line up was also great! You could tell each mentor really cared about the trainees and were very respectful of everyone. They took their time speaking and did their best to help each person. Will Pan didn't get frustrated at all during his sessions with the trainees, he instead would pull those who weren't as comfortable or familiar with rapping aside, giving them advice and helping them figure out their parts. Then there is LISA who I'm not too familiar with but before, but I was always in awe seeing how she was able to so easily catch the problem with each groups' dances and point out how to make it better. I'd watch and be like "oHH yeah that looks SO much better woW!" And finally, Li Ronghao's class sessions would be in the recording studio and it's so funny and cute seeing him come out of the control room and into the recording booth to help out the trainees if they weren't getting a high note or something. Li Chun wasn't exactly a mentor, she was the MC for the most part of the show, but she never failed to show her care and generosity. She often asked about the trainees and would bring them food. The most memorable would probably be giving a Doreamon to Li Junhao (Rimiko).
Overall, the show was really really good! I just wished the finale had happened before the show ended, and Yu Jingtian (Tony) didn't get wrapped up in a controversy as well. Fan or not, I just felt bad and it was very unfortunate that it came right before the last episode was able to air. Same with the rest of the trainees, they worked so hard but in the end were not able to debut (especially Lian Huaiwei). However with that being said, it wasn't a *complete* waste because the trainees at least got some exposure and the show helped each and everyone of them grow in some aspect. We don't always get the ending we want, but we can always pick out at least one positive to hold onto.
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