I Rewatched Them All Yesterday. It's So Great To See JKs Skills And Intentions Change Throughout These

I rewatched them all yesterday. It's so great to see JKs skills and intentions change throughout these videos. Tokyo still carries such emotional impact, though. Perfect song, excellent editing choices and I'm definitely biased toward the subject! 😉

LAST CALL: Generally how do you feel about watching reactors to BTS content?

Ooh, this line though:

Perhaps his competition isn't fellow musicians, but rather the latest trend in AI voice programs.

That's exactly it. My initial listens of all of JKs music this year has been overall that I'm bored (with the exception of gross lyrics in the Seven and 3D raps). And the boredom, is concerning...

I don't think any ARMY ever questioned JKs technical skills and this album was just further proof that he is an exceptional singer and performer. But I'm at least interested in BTS in the first place because there was substance underneath the beautiful sounds and performances.

Not everything has to be a soul-chsnging masterpiece, pop is fun and absolutely needed. I just can't musically survive on pop alone. Happy to join the party and support the guys in fun side-adventures but this definitely won't be the method that gets me to stick around long term.

https://x.com/pannchoa/status/1723021399759913254?s=46

Another good review of Golden if you are interested

Hahaha, I was already discussing this piece in private. Yeah, I think it's important to note that the review is mostly a criticism towards Bang PD, Hybe and its business model and it's definitely a legitimate one. Critics shouldn't be afraid of talking about this just because of the fandom's bullying power. We're not all idiots. And especially in a case that is crystal clear.

I'd add some highlights from the article, but honestly, the entire piece is on point from beginning to end.

Link here

Run BTS: 011 | Back to School

Original Air Date: 31 JAN 2017 Episode Length: 26:22 Total Parts: 1 YouTube English Subtitles: Yes Title Song: Fire

Synopsis: Classroom skit

Production: Good set up and edit. We understand exactly what's going on.

Endearment: Much more effective to include the set up and assignment of roles and hear their opinions of how the last skit went. We get invested in wanting them to succeed with the skit.

Winner/Loser: none

Best Cheater: none

Member Moments:

RM: Namjoon was so good at putting on that voice and mannerisms while they were coming up with the plan.

JN: Aww, Jin flushing when practicing at the beginning and blows a hand kiss at Jimin.

YG: I mean, was this fate? This role was perfect to get him involved.

JH: Why does Hobi always end up with water all over him in the skits?? ok, not always but at least twice!

JM: The practice version with Jimin is so much better than what they did in the real skit!

V: Best.timed.sneeze.ever

JK: So many props! He's got a whole pile of them!

Bonus Content: Definitely worth the watch. it seems these were cut purely for pacing but some great acting by all of the guys, especially Namjoon!

CQ Rank: 3

(CQ Eval Date: 12 SEPT 2023)

Check out this post for my Masterlist of all episodes and descriptions of how I'm evaluating these.

Previous Episode: 010

Next Episode: 012

This question sent me on such an unexpected spiral. Thanks @rae-sense for sending it in to @bts-polls ! I had the pleasure of a Fake Love Era deep dive revisit and it was lovely! (Shoulda been making gifs for my Run bts series but always happy to procrastinate being at my desk!)

My initial reaction was: Easy peasy lemon squeezy, it's JK. Buuuuut, since I've been successfully bias-wrecked by Jimin, I was curious if rewatching the content would lead me to a different conclusion.

My discovery of Fake Love was extremely pivotal in my BTS journey as it facilitated my desire to dive deeper into the BTS world rather than just listening to the music. I was absolutely convinced before Fake Love that music videos were completely unnecessary for true music lovers, they were sometimes nice but ultimately sources of random trivia along the lines of "did you know the music video is actually about xyz...". Maybe it's because I grew up without cable and MTV access but I never thought an mv could ADD to the music enjoyment/experience.

Anyway, along comes the Fake Love mv with its pretty visuals and hints of a further storyline underneath (I wouldn't fully realize how much I was craving something like the BU in the music industry until I connected the dots between Run and Fake Love but the foundation was starting to form). And then there's the break in the middle... hearing JK's voice seep in with the astounding fire and water visuals has permanently changed me. I will never again be the same person I was before hearing seeing experiencing this. To this day, I have that moment as my ring tone and I keep the volume on so that when I get spam calls, it's like the universe was telling me I needed a reminder that I do have a soul in my body. (It's actually made spam calls turn into something of a treat for me instead of an annoyance, I highly recommend this!)

So...We've established that I was completely suckered in by the Fake Love mv and was falling for JK as my bias as I ventured through all of the rest of the Fake Love Era content. Buuuut! The question rises: Was JK my bias because I loved those specific moments OR did I love those specific moments because JK was my bias??? Now we have a quest!

I rewatched as much Fake Love Era content as I could before my pre-planned errands yesterday with the intent of noting what stands out to me for each member to see if anyone can usurp my answer of JK for this question.

RM: I'm sorry but I think one of RM's best contributions to the Fake Love Era was ripping JK's shirt in that one performance...as he said, he created a legendary scene.

JN: Jin KILLS the intro and all of his solo scenes in the mv! He doesn't really stand out to me in the performances though.

YG: Yoongi's tiny smirk during the flame explosion does me in everytime. The rest of his solo scenes are very compelling as well. I love his rap section in the performance, it always feels like a treat to watch.

JH: Hobi's storyline in the mv was a little confusing without being familiar with the BU. The Fake Love performances that I think of for him are 2018 MMA, 2019 MMA and 2018 MAMA, that mannequin rise!!

JM: I want to love the flooding scene, because it's so beautifully shot, and there are times I think I do but there's something that sticks about it, not sure what it is though. I wish his dance moments were highlighted more though, they absolutely would have suckered me in if with more coverage. As it stands, I have to look for them to properly appreciate.

Jimin absolutely stands out during all of their special stage performances, the marionette dances, the lift by JK and V. I honestly don't know why it took me so long to 'find' Jimin.

V: V's storyline in the mv was very forgettable for me. Pretty visuals in the moment but I move on quickly. the only performances that sticks out to me is 2018 MMA at the intro where the camera follows him and the members appear in the line behind him but that's more due the excellent blocking than Tae himself.

JK: The 'Love you so bad' hook after the break! Still gets me. he's such a great perspective character on the rest of the guys, and his hallway scene is extremely compelling as well. there's a reason why his shirt lift moment was the most memorable of the Billboard music awards or whatever they said it was. JK does a great mannequin rise with Hobi in the 2018 MAMA performance also.

In conclusion: there are definitely some other members in contention, but JK still owns the Fake Love era for me.

Which member do you feel fits the "fake love" era the most?

Thanks for the poll question @rae-sense ! Always happy to post a submitted question.

LAST CALL: Do you use Rock Paper Scissors to resolve disputes more now than before your BTS journey?

Run BTS: 016 | Snow Park Winter Olympic Games

Original Air Date: 28 MAR 2017 Episode Length: 19:40 Total Parts: 1 YouTube English Subtitles: Yes ... but the timing is off so I'm counting this as a No. Title Song: Blood Sweat & Tears

Synopsis: Still at the same location as the previous episodes but this is technically a separate part. Mini games with a winter olympics theme.

Production: They did a great job utilizing the location and choosing games that were easy to understand and vaguely related to the winter olympics. I did catch some sound weirdness at the beginning when they were outside but only because I'm watching these with the purpose of identifying that this time around, never noticed it before.

Endearment: Great (mostly clean) competitive fun with the guys.

Winner: JH

Loser: none

Best Cheater: V

Member Moments:

RM: Poor RMs husky voice. i hope he got some good rest after these shoots!

JN: Jin's lost glove! the editor's absolutely did him right with this moment.

YG: I'm loving Yoongi's energy this episode. He got the spinning trend started at the ice rink.

JH: Hobi had a cute attempt at best cheater when he got the pole to JMs flag.

JM: If Jimin in the curling cup isnt officially the cutest thing in a winter-olympic-related event, i don't know that i can continue in this world...two min later we see JM on the snowman sled....I've melted!

V: Absolutely iconic shout of Jiminshiiii at the sledding event!

JK: Our 'extra' king with his spin on the ice. One of my fav JK run moments! oh and then later he's using his hand to push the sled. JayKaaaaAAAAAaayyyy!

Bonus Content: I was leaning toward ranking this a 3 but the bonus content absolutely wins me over. It's the absolute definition of endearing!

CQ Rank: 3.5

(CQ Eval Date: 29 SEPT 2023)

Check out this post for my Masterlist of all episodes and descriptions of how I'm evaluating these.

Previous Episode: 015

Next Episode: 017

Jungkook Audacy Performance

Here's a link in case you haven't watched it yet. Please do watch it first as I don't like influencing anyone's initial reaction.

Back? Cool, I have thoughts.

I desperately wanted to love this but there are just some execution issues that I'm struggling to get past.

STANDING NEXT TO YOU

I actually didn't mind this performance much, still don't really care for the song but it's just not to my personal taste. This was the best application of JK purposely putting down the mic though, having him place it on the table. I always get just a little cringe when he puts it on the floor in the other performances but I have a suspicion it's supposed to be an enticing move that just does nothing for my ace self.

I still don't understand why there are so many dancers with JK. Especially on this small stage, it just looks crowded. Thus song is supposed to feel a little more intimate but the juxtaposition with so many others on stage with him is just awkward.

SEVEN

I got so excited when I saw the first JK duplicate! This type of filmmaking requires planning and preparation and I know the BTS production team is capable of some pretty cool visuals....but apparently the intended direction was to make the audience feel as seasick as possible while staring at a screen? What is with the continuous Dutch angles and floaty zooms?? Oh it's so bad. I can tell there was a great idea but it's just so poorly executed...

3D

I absolutely DESPISE the 'mute' method of censoring in songs. As much as I dislike the rap in this song, I'd so much rather hear it than the abrupt muting of specific words. Pretty sure there's something happening psychologically that makes me fill in the gap mentally and then those individual words stick around longer but with no context. I realize they do it because they need to comply with some broadcasting policy but I wish never again to hear a clean version of ANY song with this approach, fill it in with something else or don't do it.

But THIS song absolutely makes sense to have so many dancers, and they've allocated enough space for it.

CLOSER TO YOU

I wish I hadn't been spoiled as to this song being in this performance. It would have been a great moment of wonderment when a song other than the titles was about to start. Oh well, had to be in esrly meetings.

So...um...I understand the vision for this performance and it's actually an interesting idea with this song but...how do I say this nicely... This was completely reliant on JK's acting abilities to walk that fine line to not get into actual creeper territory and while JK is a great performer, he's really not that great of an actor. The edit didn't help him much either.

I'd like to end on a positive note though and go over some of the things that were great with this performance.

The set design! Absolutely gorgeous! Excellent idea and blocking for joining these songs into a cohesive performance.

The lighting! Oi, whomever was in charge of this, they did a great job! Absolutely perfection functionally for coverage and to support the storytelling.

That's it though...there will absolutely be some gorgeous stills and gifs that can come from this material. (not my crappy screen records, see someone else for the good ones! Lol) Overall this performance has continued the Golden theme of a great idea with some execution issues.