Talk:SeeU/@comment-35914741-20180712193956/@comment-28951715-20180830155133

My favorite part about the copycat debate with SeeU, is that people come after her about that as if others didn't do it. One thing I didn't like about Luo Tianyi and Xingchen was that no one made as big a stink about their designs being like Miku's like they did with SeeU. Part of it I think is because of the racism (politics is honestly too kind a word for what was said about SeeU and to those who tried to use her) against her. The Miku Formula has been alive and well long before SeeU was even put together, but lo and behold, she got trashed harder than any other vocal I've ever seen for having that formula.

- The SeeU concept art which had her mimicking Miku's pose, I'd like to note, had a design completely different from her current one. She had straight hair, a long jacket, thick boots and a hat that made her look more like a KPop idol than a vocaloid.

- The only concept I'd happily concede to her being a Miku clone was the one where her shirt was silvery and gray, like Miku's. So glad they didn't go with that one...it wouldn't be defensible.

But no, I'm going to have to say that SeeU being a "copycat" isn't a valid argument. She received backlash so severe for existing and following a successful formula like several Vocaloids before and after (Gumi, IA, Tone Rion, Maika, Tianyi, Yuzuki Yukari, miki, Ring Suzune, Xin Hua -to a lesser extent imo-, anon and kanon, Xingchen), the list goes on and on.

SeeU followed the formula closer than others, that much I'm happy to say. But when Miku, Tianyi and SeeU all have the same basic design elements, it's silly how one of them took the bigger hit and the other walked away with little to nothing.

A vast majority of the hatred for SeeU (while it has died down exponentially, thank God), came as a result of blatant and flagrant racism against Koreans. Japan-Korean relations have been steamy for decades, and it reared its ugly head seven years ago with SeeU's announcement.

No, she didn't make it easy for herself with the mixed vocal demo, and the Miku Formula design, but those were just vehicles for the harassment that was launched at SBS and at creators who used SeeU.

If you look at several videos posted with SeeU following her release, lots posted for her from 2011-2012 have disabled comments and like bars because of the harassment creators would receive. Several of SeeU's earliest and most famous producers quit or took breaks because of the racist comments and bullying they'd received as a result of using SeeU's voice. Sangnoksu, the fellow who's written tons of classic SeeU songs with traditional Korean themes, took an extensive break after he first started as a result of the attacks he was struck with.

He even wrote a song about SeeU being hated and being attacked, with the chorus asking "Why are you doing this?" several times. It was later removed, for essentially the same reason.

So no, I wouldn't say writing off the hatred because she "looks like Miku" is fair, and no, politics is not the proper word to describe what happened.

SeeU was unfairly brought down because of the fact she was Korean, and fans of hers were attacked simply for liking her.

Nowadays, I'd like to think people learned from their behavior, and everything has calmed down. I've never had a problem with how she looks; I think they fundamentally flipped around a lot of Miku's design enough to make SeeU's iconic. There's a reason she had so many cosplays made when she was first released; it's a cute and simple design that stands out.

I know I'm going off on a tangent here, but I want you to know that I have my issues, too. SBS wasn't the best company for this project, and they were controversial and made bad moves with the demos and promoting English when it's something she's not really all that great with to begin with. They should've released that English VB...how lovely it would've been to see it.

When Kim Dahee was sentenced it just put a hole in my heart because after everything...of course SeeU wouldn't catch a break. Kim Dahee, I should note, never actually went to prison. She took a plea deal and GLAM was disbanded, and she essentially was blacklisted from the industry. But the actor she attempted to blackmail "took pity" on her, according to the news reports, and they decided to just drop it.

SeeU had the misfortune of controversy dragging her down, and while she hasn't been as recognized in the Western community, she's still doing quite well with South Korean fans. New songs pop up daily, she's having her 7th anniversary celebration and she's getting a steady stream of fan support from art to stories to constructive criticism among people who genuinely love her.

She'll always hold a special place in my heart, which is why it always pains me to see people write off what happened. Being able to witness the harassment and racism firsthand and watch everything unfold from start to finish, it's important that people realize this even seven years later.