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As SNSD’s popularity continues to grow in Japan, fans have been figuring out unique ways to distinguish the 9 members apart.
According to MNet’s Boom The KPop which is a show that explores the explosion of KPOP across the globe, Japanese fans divided the girls into three groups based off of certain characteristics.
The first group, consists of Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Taeyeon. These members have been given the name “Four Devas“. Devas is a Buddhist reference, which has been adopted in Japan thanks to the Shinto belief of Kami. They share similarities in that they both refer to non-human entities that display special and powerful characteristics. These girls have all been identified as having special gifts that impress the Japanese fans.
Sooyoung, who debuted in Japan earlier in the pop group Route 0, earned a spot in the “Devas” for her amazing Japanese fluency. Yuri, our Black Pearl, was placed into this group thanks to her overflowing charisma and her gorgeous tanned skin. Yoona’s famous beauty and cute looks also gave her a spot on the four devas, as clearly fans have been swooning over the deer. Finally Taeyeon earned her place among the four, thanks to her stand out vocal performances which have distinguished her from the rest.
The next group, known as the “Distinctive Personalities Group” contains Sunny, Hyoyeon, and Seohyun. Sunny is famous for her extremely cute and bubbly personality. Hyoyeon has earned her place here because of her amazing dance skills which surprised and captivated the Japanese fans. Finally Seohyun spearheads the group with her “health-obsessed” personality. How often have we seen Seohyun in Japanese interviews talk about her love of health foods.
Finally the Japanese fans put Jessica and Tiffany (JeTi) together as “The Americans“. These two lovely California girls are famous in Japan for their fluent English, and are said to add a unique and special vibe and presence to the popular group.
It’s pretty interesting how Japanese fans are reacting to the girls now that they’ve been promoting for a while. It always astonishes me just how popular they’re getting. I hate to admit it but I also had some difficulties identifying some of the girls initially. Great to hear that the fans are already noticing the characteristics of all the girls!
Sources used: shizzles9@soshified, ch0sshi@soshified, Sportschosun via Nate.
SNSD Korean 
Great post. I love the Japanese-Sone. So clever and I could not agree more with the grouping. I’m actually glad it didn’t turn out like group of singers, group of dancer and so forth. I belong in “The Americans”… though any group is quite amazing.
deva group – hyoyeon, sooyoung, and taeyeon
distinct personalities – sunny, sica, and seohyun
instead of an american category:
random cuties – yoona, yuri, and tiffany
Wahahaha. Japan recognizes my OTP.
America FKC YEAH!
Epic Gif is Epic.
LOL.
omg i love your animation haha
Finally, my gorgeous Sooyoung earned a spot she deserves..
The pics are lovely! anyway
JJANG! (:
JESSICA N TIFFANY ❤
Devas would make a really good sub-unit name. <333
lol at JeTi as “The Americans” ^^
anyways, glad to know that japanese fans are putting in the effort to get to know the girls better!
I disagree…. i think hyoyeon should be in the “four devas” and yoona go to “distinctive personality” they just said that she stands out due to her amazing dancing skills… sorry but CAN SOMEONE AGREE WITH ME?? These japanesies got it wrong. And honestly…. this whole segregating into groups is kinda annoying. they should be distinct in their OWN WAY . thats why when they debuted they had their very own special nickname.
hyoyeon should be in the four devas
http://ethicalfutures.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/tyler-hadley-fla-teen-high-on-xtacy-kills-parents-then-throws-a-party-to-celebrate/
I’m so agree with you !
AHAHAHAHAHA “THE AMERICANS”
“Hey, I love Shoujo Jidai and my favorites are those two…”
“Which one?”
“Y’know…. the Americans!”
which ones*
@Janet, far be it for me to tell you your opinion is wrong… but it is. For broad appeal, Yoona does deserve the spot. Think of it this way, SNSD is NOT bland, is NOT homogeneous, is NOT boring. Why is that? Because each of them is appealing in a different way, to different people. It’s called demographics and advertisers pay tons to figure it out. Which age group is going to buy my product? Who can I select to appeal to that age group?
There is a reason Yoona gets so many solo CF opportunities. She appeals to more people on average. Get that?
Hyo is more self-effacing, she isn’t as effective a public speaker, her beauty is more difficult to showcase, her talents only seen in the proper venue. But this isn’t a bad thing.
On first blush, when one is faced with 9 beautiful strangers, the mind seeks to recognize, organize and prioritize who they are. Nine members in a group is, on the face of it, a difficulty. The fact that they are so easy to love, easy to continually fall for, easy to be drawn into and never tire of is due to their complexity.
We have Yoona to thank for the initial appeal, the ‘look, we’re damn beautiful’ conventionality and we have each of them to thank for the depth. If SNSD were all simply pretty to look at, they’d be boring. But their ferocious talents become better known the closer one looks and Hyo is there when people are willing to open their eyes.
Think of the best desert you’ve ever eaten. Is it plain vanilla ice cream? Or did it arrive at the table to hushed reverence, a wide plate holding a warm chocolate chip flourless brownie under a scoop of dulce de leche with crunchy nuts, a splash of fudge and ribbons of caramel and a cherry on top?
Love that each member will have her time in the hearts of SONES. Stop with the jealousy. Eh?
im going going back to back to cali cali! love my cali girls!
Sorry auratas but you are just as subjective as Janet
Noone is right or wrong but just letting you know that you taking everything way out of context….ie obsessive hahahahah
Uh. Huh? Obsessive? I’m a fan, a SONE, I can say that. I believe each of them is awesome and brings something unique to the mix. This article points out how the Japanese public is starting to see individuals in the group vs 9 pretty faces and 18 long thin legs. This -> “As SNSD’s popularity continues to grow in Japan, fans have been figuring out unique ways to distinguish the 9 members apart.” It’s a process, recognizing faces in a crowd.
How many times have you seen this? “Who were you fan of first?” This means the typical way people start to appreciate the group is by picking a favorite member. Bias and OTP are familiar words and are a result of this process.
But hopefully people move beyond appreciation of one or two into an appreciation of all of them. I think that’s the best way to be their fan. Is that subjective? I’m not telling anyone HOW to be a fan, but pointing out a way to get the most for your time as a fan.
If one had a REALLY nice pencil, one of those mechanical jobbies and it was really awesome… it’s still a pencil at the end of the day. Static. A thing to appreciate but eventually attention moves on to the next thing. Fandom is like this. Oh, I was a fan of so-and-so, but then I became a fan of the new thing, and omg, they are soooo coool!
The interesting thing for me, personally, is how UNTIRED I am of the nine. I tend to move on to the next thing with disappointing regularity and I’m surprised at myself for remaining a fan for so long. And why is that? Because they’re ALL so damned interesting.
So it irks me when I see an ad nauseum repetition of ‘Why member X, why not member Y?” And to be specific, I’m… sensitive to the harping Yoona receives, as if she does nothing for SNSD. I appreciate both Yoona and Hyoyeon, equally, as I’d hope long time SONES do. If one of them is popular initially, the other grows to become so later. They are a group, not 9 solo artists. Exposure and attention for one leads to interest for the rest. Is this difficult to see?
The Japanese are starting on the road to appreciating them, as the article says. Be happy.
Whatever you guys, this isnt official or anything. but it does irritate me that they’re putting snsd into these dumb groups…. shows that they DONT KNOW SNSD AT ALL.
Lol, JeTi as the Americans! ^^
When I think of SNSD in 3 categories, I think of it like this.
Hyo, Yuri, and Yoona—->best dancers
Tae, Jess, and Tiff—–>best singers
Sunny, Sooyoung, Seobaby——>equally good at both singing and dancing
Ahhh~
I can’t get enough of these girls! 😀
I think bias should stop comparing 9 girls with each other…it just the way Japanese Sone to distinguish the girls..I love all the girls as SNSD…Bias = Other girl group fan…..TQ
Switch Yoona n Hyoyeon and yes
HELL YEAH CALIFORNIA
The grouping is quite shallow in my opinion. Let’s put Jessica and Tiffany together in one group because they’re Americans. Really?
But I respect the fans grouping because they just get to know the girls. Once they know more about the girl, I highly doubt that you’ll lump Jessica and Tiffany into the same group! 😀
The Americans?????? I think Japanese fans did not look & think deep enough to categorize them. Yes it’s true that they were born in California & they speak fluent English but to classify them as the Americans is to plain. I think the most suitable category for both of them is The Fashion Leader because of their fashion sense.
Americans jjang WOOOOOOO!!!
i know you got to move on sometime..but i still remember them as short group and tall group..them good old days..
categories…isk2..they are SNSD, there are no categories only 1 snsd..fighting.
Auratus, just check out how much you write compared to the rest.
your pyscho
Lol. I’m a writer… apologies for writing.
oh, I just realized Auratus is here 😛
I’m a fan of your writings though I think something happened to the fics coz I can’t find them in the fanfics section anymore >_<
hahah yeh you sure are a writer indeed
no need to say sorry i forgive you…here im patting your head right now
You have your right to write, just dont take up the whole page on telling people off…
Everyones a fan of snsd so just try and be a bit less offended with every comment
My 3 favourites are in ‘Distinctive Personalities Group’! Yayy~~
Wow, this post shows that considerable progress is being made to recognize the ladies who took Japan by storm.
I like how SONEs from all over the world express their appreciation for SNSD by carrying out simple acts of love with practically anything, such as this detailed list. People who add their own personal touch to the SNSD-related items they own, contributing to the fandom in any way possible for the benefits of the community, that sort of thing. It’s something I don’t think I could ever do.
I think I might’ve hit a roadblock with loving all 9. I totally respect every member, but I feel slightly uneasy and guilty for loving a few members, not going to name who, and neglect others because they don’t appeal to me in a certain way. Perhaps it could be the standard which the SONE community set: “If you love one of them, you’re bound to love ’em all”. I have Tiffany as my bias, but I can’t exactly pinpoint the reason why I’m unable to advance to the stage of giving all of ’em unconditional love from my starting point, even when I think I know the answer. Maybe it’s my impassivity holding me back and this conflict in my mind about what I really want to do and be. Either that, or time will tell.
All that aside, I suppose that by taking the time to better understand any member, better appreciation will follow, along with the reasons to deal with people who doubt said member’s ability. The same can be said for SNSD’s prowess, influence and popularity. Both parties have their rights to justify themselves about what they think of SNSD, but I’d rather stand by and watch.
Man … That’s just natural. There’s nothing wrong with all of our personal preferences.
Sure we’ll have one or two that much more appealing to us than the rest.
But at least, loving just a few doesn’t eventually means to hate the rest, just loving them too but in slightly different way
Just one thing that we should be sure:
Once they are together, there are no 9 ladies, Just one SNSD
这是哪里呀？= =。
Seriously.. if that’s the way Japanese fans works.. so what’s wrong with it?
If dividing 9 girls into 3 groups helps new fans to recognize who is who then let them do it, it’s not like it’s for real or something. And their point of view is not the whole world’s point of view, and so is yours. So if you wanna put Jessica in “Four Devas” or put Sooyoung in “The Americans” then that’s your choice.. No one is forcing you to like or to even agree with how Japanese fans distinguishes So Nyuh Shi Dae.
Come on guys, and I thought this article was supposed to be fun.
I think Yoona should be in the 2nd group, because she’s Im Choding, Alligator Yoona, you know she has a distinctive personality
But Hyo I don’t know where she should be, because okay she has good dancing qualities, but as the same time “she’s the reason why I’m laughing”tiffany (AAGG anyone ? :p ) so she could be on both categories as I think…
And the American category is sooo cute ! ^^
Everyone should just calm down a bit. It’s not like they’re going to break up into subunits according to these three categories. They’re still a whole. The three divisions were just for fun. It was created to help J Sones distinguish the girls. So who cares if one member is supposed to be in a certain group? Soshi isn’t 4+3+2; Soshi = 9! 🙂
@Mayumi
This article is indeed fun.
I’m not against their classification. It’s just amusing that the way Japanese fans thinks and categorize is WAAYYY different that what I did when I first get to know our angels. This proves that different cultures employs different type of thinking.
It’s very interesting and amusing in the same time. It’s what makes the world fun to live 😀
wow. that’s a really interesting way of grouping. totally agree with the reasoning though.
bingo! correct XD
SNSD, fighting! ^^
J-SONEs, i officially agreed to all your placings..XD
oh yeah, sooyoung as one of the 4 divas. i love it
I would swap Seohyun and Sooyoung. For me, Hyo, Soo and Sunny are the best when it comes to personality. And seohyun gives the aura of a goddess.
Physics of soshi says one awesome category was devided into 9……and reformed into whatever number…and on and on…
But seriously, Soshi has two categories: one and other eight…totaling 18 parallel categories.
When I became a newborn SONE, I didn’t group them, because I didn’t know anything about them, I just wanted to see/learn about Yuri. => Half way through, I grouped them into; Dancy Soshi(YulSooHyo), Singy Soshi(TaeSeoJess) and Other Soshi(for lack of better name I swear!) (YoonSunTi)
Now, to me grouping is lame. (Unless you wanna make some Sailor Moon/SNSD fanfiction)
all the hates for yoona here comes when taeyeon is placed in the devas..you know, talented should be with the talented..so all of you think hyoyeon should be with taeyeon..am i right??come on..then why not anyone questioned about sooyoung being in the devas??sooyoung too is nothing if not because of her physical, right??just like yoona..think of it..be logic..
Obvious troll. Well, I’ll bite.
“sooyoung too is nothing if not because of her physical, right??”
w-t-h?
There is sparkling wit and presence behind her height and legs. If SNSD came to the US, would Sica and Fany be nothing but singing voices? One of the big factors in SNSD’s success in Japan is Sooyoung’s familiarity with Japan and the Japanese public. Who do you think helps the other 8 with the culture and language and food? Who do the girls lean on in their music show appearances and who eases the language barrier the most?
And Yoona is just a pretty face to you?
Fan. Heh. You’re doing it wrong.
i’m agree with you
Love the pictures, old or new~
where is yonna and yuri should of of put them together
I used your post with full credit
here http://ghdoo.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/الفانز-الياباني-يقسم-سنسد-الى-3-اقسام/
we are arab sone