Given the cliff-hanger at the end of the first episode, it’s no wonder that Produce 48 has been hitting the top of everybody’s watchlist. It reached 1.9% according to AGB Nielsen, a high rating for a cable network show. This season takes the ambitious Produce 101 formula and adds the Japanese 48 Group members into the mix, in an attempt to create a global girl group that will take the world by storm. The previous seasons have created K-Pop groups such as I.O.I and Wanna One that gained popularity around the globe. So, hopefully, Produce 48’s final lineup will allow for more foreigners to dip their toes into the Hallyu wave.
Warning: spoilers.
The episode began with latecomer National Producer Representative Lee Seung Gi entering a room, perhaps to emphasise that he is the representative as he wasn’t seen during the audition rounds. He expressed the burden he felt by becoming the national representative due to the popularity of the show in both Korea and Japan. He then proceeded to watch the auditions and guess each trainee’s individual grade, getting most of them correct. A staff member showed him Matsui Jurina’s audition before stopping the clip to ask what grade he would personally give her. Of course, the viewers were left with a cliff-hanger when Lee Seung Gi appeared shocked with the actual result, which was not revealed until later on.
The Produce 48 Auditions
As soon as the show’s cute pixel introduction ended, we were left with another Korea v Japan scenario — this time with the maknae line of each country. The AKB48 maknae line, consisting of Chiba Erii, Sato Minami (who is still an AKB Research Student) and Asai Nanami, performed AKB48’s “Nage Kiss De Uchi Otose” (Blow a Kiss and Knock Him Out). It left an impression on the other trainees due to how cute they were, but the trainers were confused. One dance trainer asked: “Are they dancing on the beat?” Strict teacher Bae Yoonjung looked visibly perplexed. The only praise given was for how Sato Minami (who received a D) looked like a rabbit with her two front teeth. The other two both received an F.
The Korean maknae line was up next, with the CNC trainees expressing their wish to not be judged by their ages. They performed “Team” by Iggy Azalea, gradually changing the trainers’ impressions with their fierce expressions and powerful dance moves. Everyone in the team received a B, except for Lee Yujeong who received a C.
Honestly, between these two groups, I personally found the AKB48 performance more charming and suitable. Perhaps it’s the age factor — the AKB48 performance felt more age-appropriate, rather than kids trying to dance like adults. However, the maknae rivalry shown did feel like Mnet’s (and possibly AKS’s) way of trying to further prove that there are cultural differences between the Korean and Japanese trainees.
Up next was MNH’s Lee Haeun, another young trainee but this time burdened with expectations due to being from the same agency as Chungha, a former I.O.I member who’d placed fourth in the first season. She performed “Burn Break Crash” by Aanysa. Whilst her dance was on point, the trainers noticed that she stopped singing. She explained that her voice suddenly didn’t come out but proceeded to sing an impressive solo, receiving praise and an A grade.
Then a new Mnet narrative began. The cliff-hanger from the end of the last episode and the start of this episode resumed with Matsui Jurina from SKE48 coming out on stage with a confidence that was noted by the trainees. One of Mnet’s rare holy edits showed how popular she is and how the various 48 Group members participating in the show look up to her. Her Sousenkyo result was shown at the end, possibly to start more drama between her and Sakura.
After the Mnet edit concluded, Jurina performed previous AKB member Itano Tomomi’s solo debut song “Dear J”, receiving mostly good reactions. The other trainers were all in agreement of what seemed like an A grade result before strict dance trainer Bae Yoonjung interrupted by saying how her dance was on the safe side. They discussed further before handing her a B grade.
Produce 101 season 2’s tradition of “attracting screen time” continued this season when the trainers took a break. The season 2 “Pick Me” theme song was played, prompting trainees from Woollim, Blockberry, A Team and MNH as well as two individual trainees to run out and dance. As soon as “Nayana” ended, surprisingly, AKB48’s “Heavy Rotation” started playing, with all the trainees dancing to it, which shocked and confused the trainers. The fun stopped after these two songs as the next evaluations were about to begin.
Quirky team NMB48 was up next, with the spotlight on well known Red Velvet fangirl, Shiroma Miru. Whilst she appears to be a typical cool and cute pop idol on the outside, the other NMB trainees claimed that she’s a 돌+I — a crazy person — outside of her idol career. They proceeded to do a cheer, going around in a circle, and slapping each other’s backs before performing “Warota People”, to much praise from both the trainers and the trainees. Rap trainer Cheetah said it was one of the best Japanese performances. She then individually judged each person, with Shiroma Miru receiving a B, Kato Yuuka a C, Naiki Kokoro and Murase Sae a D and Umeyama Cocona an F result. Miru was noticeably happy about the results. However, dance trainer Choi Youngjun interrupted, stating how the performances were going to be harder than the auditions.
The Stone Music trainees entered after footage showcasing all the members on another Mnet survival show, Idol School. Every trainee commented on their resemblances to others. Lee Sian was compared to DIA and previous I.O.I member Jeong Chaeyeon. Bae Eunyoung was compared to actor Kye Ryunmi. Jo Yuri was compared to Weki Meki and previous I.O.I member Choi Yoojung. Finally, Jang Gyuri stated (much to our amusement) that she looks like the Korean Meme Dog of the ‘00s.
Jang Gyuri was noted by trainers as having debuted in fromis_9 after participating in Idol School. The show then cut to a clip of her saying that even though others are envious of her short training time before debut, she sees it as a weakness. She admitted that she brings her own group’s morale down by slowing down the process of dance practice for everyone else. The Stone Music girls performed an edited version of NCT Dream‘s “Chewing Gum” sung from a girl’s perspective. Jo Yuri received an A due to her vocals, whilst Jang Gyuri received a B and Lee Sian and Bae Eunyoung got a C.
Next, the light was shone on another auditioning AKB trio, with Mnet’s editing emphasis placed on Takahashi Juri. She fully admitted her love for Korean idols. This set of trainees is special, as they are all popular in the 48 Group. Juri and Tomu both made Senbatsu in this year’s Sousenkyo, and Tomu also made Kami 7 status this year. They performed BLACKPINK‘s “Playing With Fire,” which, again, received mixed reactions from the Korean trainees and trainers. Juri was given a B grade, Mako C and Tomu D.
BTS‘s “Fire” played as A Team’s Kim Choyeon came out with her eager eyes. She was shown to be very ambitious as she prepared thoroughly for the pre-audition stages and always talked about how she wanted to be in the A class. After her segment, there was a sudden cut. Blockberry Creative’s Go Yujin was announced to come down since they were both performing the same song. It was a situation similar to the last episode when both AKB48 and HOW Entertainment trainees were called down to perform “Celeb Five”. Go Yujin performed first but trainers were disappointed due to her stuttering vocals. Meanwhile, Choyeon received positive reactions. The trainers were fascinated by how she could sing whilst dancing heavy moves. These two girls received a C and an A, respectively.
Last but not least was the controversial Miyawaki Sakura audition. Mnet’s editing of the audition was really hot and cold. First, they edited Sakura in a bad light with her awkward wave. Then, they portrayed her as a potential star after she received an A grade for her performance of AKB48‘s “Black Angel”, raising many of the Korean trainees’ eyebrows. Whilst I’m not going to comment on whether she deserved it or not, the trainers commented on how she had idol quality and the potential to improve. This led to Bae Yoonjung saying “Trust me once and give her an A”, to which all trainers agreed.
Practising for Produce 48’s Theme Song: Naekkoya
After the auditions, the show’s theme song “Naekkoya” was revealed — alongside a shocking piece of information: all the trainees will need to learn the song in both Japanese and Korean. As the girls practiced, the AKB trainees struggled whilst the Korean trainees were shown as the cream of the crop. The C class struggled with the choreography as Bae Yoonjung took the reins, though Honda Hitomi and Son Eunchae proved to be the aces of their class.
The B class received an overwhelmingly good response, except for Shiroma Miru who had a hard time with the amount of detail in the dance. The A class was harshly criticised for their vocals (aside from Sakura and Takeuchi Miyu), whilst the D class had a cute vocal lesson. Dance trainer May J Lee noted that one trainee, visual Kim Minju, was depressed due to her lack of skill and confidence.
The big bomb hit when the F class got Bae Yoonjung as their trainer (WHAT!?!?!?). However, the twist was that out of all the classes, they were probably doing the best at learning the dance. Though, of course, there has to be a Sohye of this season, and that Sohye is… *drumrolls* Chiba Erii! Clearly the editing worked in her favour, as she was unable to dance but was shown to be trying hard. I’m interested in seeing if Mnet actually takes the Sohye route with Erii.
Final Re-evaluations
Re-evaluations showcased funny jumps from Iwatate Saho, unsteady dancing from Goto Moe and shaky vocals from Tanaka Miku. Amongst the failures, came the gems, who took the trainers by surprise by either remembering the Japanese and Korean lyrics or having sharp dance moves:
- F Class: Yabuki Nako
- A Class: Lee Gaeun, Lee Chaeyeon and Miyawaki Sakura
- C Class: Honda Hitomi, Go Yujin and Kim Nayoung
At the end of the episode, we are left with yet another cliff-hanger. Looks like we’re going to have to wait until the next episode to find out the re-evaluation ranks (grrrrr).
i thought it was a recap lol you should replace it as a “review”. i dont want to see your comments.