Run BTS: 022 | Hangawi Festival

Run BTS: 022 | Hangawi Festival

Original Air Date: 03 OCT 2017 Episode Length: 29:48 Total Parts: 1 YouTube English Subtitles: Yes Title Song: Blood Sweat & Tears

Synopsis: Various traditional activities and games for the Chuseok holiday

Production: So, I do think this episode is OVERALL produced well...just not necessarily understandable for the international audience. There are some explanations of how the activities work but it's really not the greatest. And the way it's executed hasn't really sparked the curiosity to learn more and fill the knowledge gaep. I understand them now but that knowledge was hard won.

Endearment: The guys' personalities completely carry the episode for those that don't understand the games and this is SO much more successful than the board games in the previous episode. I think it's because the guys are more confident in the games and the space themselves.

Winner: none

Loser: YG, V

Best Cheater: none

Member Moments:

RM: Namjoon - THE GOD OF DESTRUCTION - insisting to carefully fold that newspaper square back together...

JN: Jin falling into the camera director after spinning!

YG: I've said it before and I'll say it again but Yoongi's playfully competitive personality is just so adorable!

JH: Congrats on beating JK at a creative contest!!

JM: I LOVE seeing Jimin when is comes to crafts and creation. He just gets so precious.

V: Poor Tae, he sure had a roller coaster of emotions with these games.

JK: Of course JK excells in the flippers. He's J-KaaaAAAaayyy!

Bonus Content: I love seeing glimpses of the members being curious with the cameras and production equipment.

CQ Rank: 2.5

(CQ Eval Date: 02 OCT 2023)

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

Previous Episode: 021

Next Episode: 023

Run BTS: 024 | BTS vs Zombies

Original Air Date: 24 OCT 2017 Episode Length: 32:47 Total Parts: 1 YouTube English Subtitles: Yes Title Song: Blood Sweat & Tears

Synopsis: Zombie games at an amusement park

Production: I was so torn on this episode going into this review. I know how much it's beloved by army, but this one is so frustrating to try to follow the escape room game. it's very clear the guys didn't really understand it enough either, but I think that's why we got the coverage we did in the edit. This was absolutely a learning episode for the production team, as I don't think it ever gets this bad again. on the other hand, the concept is great, and I think the puzzle itself and tag game were well-prepared. but let's also not forget the camera team, absolute rockstars this episode! they got excellent coverage of the guys, the zombies, the game content, all while everyone is screaming, running around, and trying to not be in the shots.

Endearment: This episode is absolutely carried on the endearment factor. Before i watched it for the first time, i knew how much army loved it, and with the production issues, it's hugely due to the guys and how much the audience invests in them.

Winner: JN

Loser: none

Best Cheater: YG, sneaking unfreeze stickers onto JK. lol

Member Moments:

RM: Poor RM, couldn't see the tickets that were right in front of him. It's good that Jin knew to check over the same area.

JN: Jin using english with the zombies... do you have ticket?? I'm in love.

YG: Suga is absolutely fight over flight...no doubt about it. but I love how supportive of Jin he is

JH: Hobi's poor shoe, the clear star of the episode.

JM: I LOVE Jimin's moment of checking behind the photos like that's what he intended to do...of course, he wasn't scared and running away, not our big strong Jimin!! ;)

V: Of course, V made friends with the zombies. His little face after getting hauled off during that instant re-freeze

JK: I really wanna know what JK said to RM at the back of the bus when they found out it was zombies.

Bonus Content: Be prepared for a LOT of screaming if you watch this. Some cute moments during the freeze tag game.

CQ Rank: 4

(CQ Eval Date: 22 OCT 2023)

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

Previous Episode: 023

Next Episode: 025

Run BTS: 018 | Arcade Olympics part 2

Original Air Date: 18 APR 2017 Episode Length: 20:10 Total Parts: 2 YouTube English Subtitles: Yes Title Song: Blood Sweat & Tears

Synopsis: Gaming at an arcade continued

Production: I wonder if these were originally meant to be one episode and they took too long getting through the first two games...

Endearment: More hanging out with the guys. They're definitely all warmed up by now, and it's clearly a competition between the members and not between the members and the games.

Winner: RM

Loser: YG...and JM

Best Cheater: none...maaaaybe Jin for some of the shenanigans during the air hockey game but it was more entertainement and less cheating so I'm not counting it.

Member Moments:

RM: RM is soooo invested in the air hockey matches, loving the passion!

JN: Jin was on fire as an entertainer this episode...the less said about the air hockey incident, the better ;)

YG: Suga plays air hockey exactly the way I do...don't think I've ever won either lol

JH: Yes, Hobi...your costume for Dope absolutely imbued you with the spirit of a racer...of course!

JM: my poor lil chim chim. air hockey is definitely not your game but he absolutely made the match with Jin one of the most entertaining!

V: V has got to contain his strength! the man is a menace on an air hockey table!

JK: JK dancing on Suga during the 95z race was so cute!

Bonus Content: Just fun little extra moments

CQ Rank: 3

(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: 017

Next Episode: 019

I don't usually reblog unless I have commentary to add but this deserves being added to my page history.

How lovely.

Park Jimin in 2023

with thanks to Glisten on TwiX

GLISTEN

Post Date: 12/12/2023

GCF in Budapest

I have thoughts... but first a link, please have your own first impressions without any influence.

So...I don't know what it has been about the Golden promo period but there's literally nothing that hasn't given me mixed feelings. Nothing that I absolutely love or hate and this GCF is right along with it. And overall, that just makes me sad. I spent years being excited for whatever JK would finally give us if he ever did a proper solo project and I'm just kinda bummed overall.

What did I love?

'Directed by Jung Kook'.

Seeing JK when he's more playful. Always a serotonin boost!

JKs camera work, I just love the insight he has on camera placement and framing to help tell the story he wants to tell.

Yes or No. Still the only track I actually love from Golden so it's nice to hear it featured!

What bothered me?

'Edited by HYBE'. Bro... so much of GCF's charm and storytelling comes from the edit itself. (And not to nitpick but HYBE is a company...not an editor, so this means there were either multiple editors, or they're purposely trying to not have us associate any actual humans with this film other than JK. I also think they want ARMY to use the logic that HYBE is basically BTS and thus this work is basically completely JK's too... it's not, it's definitely not).

No English subs yet. I get it, I really do but it's a bummer.

The amount of camerawork by someone else. It's not uncommon for JK to include footage with someone else holding the camera but once we get to the gym scenes, the majority is from the perspective of someone else holding the camera, not JK. Which again, there's nothing wrong with that per se but it absolutely feels more like a bangtan bomb or episode rather than a GCF. This is also when we stop getting establishing shots and B roll. Again, nothing wrong with it but that's one of the fundamentals of a GCF for me.

There was so much dialogue that the song was interrupted pretty continuously. JK did that previously as a storytelling device which just further supports the feeling that this is bangtantv content and not a GCF.

Basically, I think I would have had very little issue with this if it wasn't packaged as a GCF. It feels a whole lot more like JK's camping vlog from a few years ago. Loved that, had no issues with it whatsoever.

...the irony is not lost on me that the only song from Golden that I love is Yes or No while my overall experience with this era is....maybe??

STANDING NEXT TO YOU (Usher Remix) REACTION

Listen to it first if you haven't yet:

OK, I really don't want to be a blog that just crashed on everything JK releases, but I do just have one tiny point to share about this Remix. Overall, I don't hate it or live it; it's just very benign in the context of remixes we've gotten this year and I still don't care for SNTY at all but not enough to hate it.

This Remix highlighted something for me that I only had hints of with the JT 3D Remix. Obviously a LOT of GOLDEN album was an homage to Michael Jackson and I honestly believe that Usher is the closest they could get to a current artist that most embodies that style...so cue the Remix. Just like we had JT on 3D which was a song CLEARLY in his style.

The thing is, when they incorporate the artist that was the inspiration of an homage...it feels just wrong to me. A little like when you have to explain the punchline to a joke. Like we GOT it, we didn't need any handholding. Is it just me that feels this way??

Okay, that's my one point. I do foresee that the same kind of ppl that enjoyed the JT Remix will love this one too. I don't mind hearing it but I think it's more out of fatigue than anything; I'm just sick of being disappointed by JKs work this year