YMMV / NU'EST

• Audience-Alienating Era: NU'EST went through a series of image changes which were inconsistent and different from their debut concepts. On top of having to compete with other rising boy bands and poor management on Pledis' part, the public gradually lost interest in the group. NU'EST even tried to move on from their old image with "Good Bye Bye" and it wasn't until 2016 they finally had a consistent sound.
• Broken Base:
  • NU'EST's Japanese promotions remain a touchy subject for the fanbase, as it was a last-ditch attempt at keeping the group relevant after their popularity dropped significantly in South Korea. Detractors point out that NU'EST were often fed poorly, unaccompanied by managers in public, and their concerns with the high-five events (where they worked long hours without breaks and also had to pose intimately with their fans). Supporters point out that their Japanese promotions did help the group stay afloat pre-Produce 101.
  • In the group's earlier years, Aron was the fandom's most divisive member. For international fans, in 2014, he stated on his English radio show that guys were "superior [friends]" (because he claimed girls were Gossipy Hens while boys had the The Bro Code) and had to apologize twice since his first apology came off as dismissive. For Korean fans, he was overheard mocking Seventeen behind their backs with a swear word on their vlog in 2013. Both instances were difficult to defend, however, these days, he seems to have wised up and is now viewed more favorably.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: Minhyun is the most popular member in Japan due to his fluency in Japanese, being highlighted as a member of Wanna One, and matching their beauty standards in men. However, Baekho is the most popular member among gay Japanese fans.
• Fandom Rivalry:
  • Some fans from Wanna One got upset when Minhyun mentioned NU'EST during his time with the group, believing that it was damaging the relations with the other Wanna One members and that he wasn't "fully" devoted to them. They also sent hate comments to the other NU'EST members for things innocuous as them wishing Minhyun a happy birthday on their Instagram accounts, or when Aron had mentioned him on his Instagram account ^note (an inside joke in the NU'EST fandom is that Aron is always quick to "like" posts, and he reposted a screenshot of Minhyun's post showing that he was the first person to like it), all because they were perceived as "riding off on Minhyun's fame." It got so bad that they couldn't mention each other nor interact in public. Minhyun couldn't even attend any of NU'EST W's concerts. Mnet also had to delete a behind-the-scenes video where they were interacting due to the hate comments.
  • There's some tension between Japanese and Korean fans of the group. Political tension aside, a lot of Korean fans are reluctant to have NU'EST promote in Japan again and blame it as one of the reasons why interest in NU'EST had declined in South Korea. Depending on which side you're on, the Korean fans' concerns either make sense or are being used as an excuse for poor political relations between the two countries. In fact, their 2018 handshake fan meet in Japan was canceled because the Korean fans had protested.
• Misblamed: NU'EST's Japanese promotions were often blamed for their initial decline in popularity from 2014 to 2017, but this is just an oversimplification of what happened. Their drop in popularity mostly had to do with the oversaturation of boy groups at the time, their songs post-"Face" not capturing public attention, their management cutting their promotions short or announcing them at the last minute, their management focusing too much on overseas activities during their earlier years, and their initial fans moving onto other groups. There's a joke in the Western fan base about how "NU'EST's Japanese management promotes them better than Pledis."
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: NU'EST's popularity dropped from 2013 to 2016 and they were, quite literally, on the brink of disbandment, especially as the popularity of Seventeen and Pristin led their management to devote more of their resources towards those groups instead. Then, during Produce 101, Hello, Q is, and Canvas started charting again, and they finally received their first music show win with "Where You At" in 2017, 5 years after debut.
• Tough Act to Follow: NU'EST debuted with "Face", a dark, gritty song about anti-bullying, which became one of the critically acclaimed debuts in 2012. However, their later singles were unable to surpass that. "Hello" and "Sleep Talking", which were more romantic in tone, were seen as generic in comparison. The group tried to revive their image after "Good Bye Bye" but it wasn't enough to gain public attention again.