Super Junior: The Last Man Standing - A Documentary You Shouldn't Miss
Entertainment January 19, 2023
Super Junior was there when K-Pop began
K-Pop has now really been widely accepted in this generation. It's as if you're no longer "in" if you're not a K-Pop fan. But during my time, when I first became a K-Pop fan, I was actually judged by some people for being one. It was hard to explain to other people. How much more the hate and criticism the idols received?
Super Junior: The Last Man Standing shows the humble beginning of Super Junior and how they overcame all the challenges that happened to them in the past years, individually and as a group. It is a two-episode documentary with a running time of around 50 minutes per episode. It is available via Disney+.
As an ELF, I have been waiting for this since last year. A few hours after it was released, I immediately watched it. I can say that you need to prepare your tissues for this documentary.
Thoughts on the documentary
I learned a lot of things about Super Junior
One of the things that I was surprised was Donghae and Leeteuk were supposed to debut under the group, Smile. Leeteuk was supposed to be the leader of that group. Being a fan of Super Junior for like 13 years, this is my first time to hear this. But that group didn't push through. And I believe, it happened for a reason.
Another thing that I learned just by watching it was the reason why it's Super Junior '05 when Twins was released.
Apparently, Super Junior was supposed to have a graduation style of group. Somewhat like the AKB48 group? (I'm not really familiar with how those groups work but I think it's what SM would want to do with Super Junior). So, 05 means 2005. There will be a graduation scheme and then the group will then be called 06 and onwards.
I think SM is still trying to push that concept with NCT especially with NCT Dream. But thank goodness, they made NCT Dream a permanent group. Anyway, going back to what I was saying, I am also thankful that SM didn't push this concept for Super Junior. Instead, they created the sub-units which is the first in the K-Pop industry.
They're also human beings who experience the same experiences that I go through
When they were finalizing the members of the group, Yesung was on the verge of not making it. That made Yesung anxious if he'll get to debut or not. When Ryeowook came, the more he became anxious since Ryeowook is also a vocalist. But they ended up debuting together after their performance. I love to see how honest they were with the struggles they felt during that time.
Super Junior's care for their members was unimaginable
Leeteuk, Shindong, Eunhyuk, and Kyuhyun got into a terrifying accident. These are just some of the accidents that the group went through. It was a life and death situation. This is also a terrifying news for the family and the fans.
Kyuhyun's dad told the media that his son is doing okay when in fact he is in a serious condition. He even told the fans not to worry. But what made me really teared up was when Kyuhyun mentioned that he was supposed to be intubated in the neck part because he will have a difficulty breathing because of the broken ribs that was caused by the accident. His dad said, "My son is a singer." If Kyuhyun wakes up and he won't be able to sing anymore, then his dream is shattered.
For me, dying physically and dying emotionally is just the same. That's why I understood what Kyuhyun's dad meant with those words. Good thing, the doctors were able to look for other ways to help Kyuhyun breathe.
The other members were so concerned with Kyuhyun's situation that they even borrowed the computer of the nurses to check on articles since at that time internet is not yet a thing. In this situation, you will definitely see how much love they have for each other.
Super Junior had to experience a lot of things in order to be where they are now
It wasn't an easy journey for Super Junior. They are constantly anxious if the group will continue and succeed. There were members who left. There were accidents that happened. They also entered the military which somehow made their progress slow down. But all these things made them even stronger as a group and as an individual. Their love for each other and for the fans is what keeps them going until now.
"I'll do my best until the blue balloons dominate the world." - Leeteuk
We made it. With you hard work, love and dedication, the blue balloons (or now lights) dominates the world.
Final thoughts
Two episodes is honestly not enough to show their whole journey. To be honest, I was kind of disappointed with the second episode because it felt like they squished the 10+ years into 50 minutes. The episode 1 was so detailed but the episode 2 was a bit rushed. I need more.
Anyway, to end this blog post, this documentary made me realize that I am so proud that I became their fan. And I will always be their fan. I may have been following other groups but Super Junior will always be in my heart no matter what happened. Remember what happened during SS9 in Manila? That's one proof that they love us so much.
As long as they [Super Junior] exists, I'll remain as ELF. I'll hold that line forever.
