Marvel:’Hawkeye’ Trailer

Screenshot of Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop in the first official trailer for ‘Hawkeye’. Copyright goes to Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures.

Hey! Hallie here!

Recently we’ve been kind of in between major Marvel Disney+ shows. We have ‘What If?’ right now to hold us off, but no one can deny that a mix of non-canon events isn’t as major of a contribution to the MCU as shows like ‘WandaVision’, ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’, and ‘Loki’. But as of late November, the wait for another big Marvel show will be over! ‘Hawkeye’ is coming out just in time for the Christmas season, as the trailer frequently likes to remind us. This trailer is really interesting and not at all what I expected. There’s also tons of other announcements for this show that have me really excited. Let’s go through this trailer and what we know so far.

The Trailer:

This trailer opens up with Clint and his kids in New York City. Given the fact that the cast has been spotted filming on location there frequently, and the constant shots of the city throughout the trailer, it’s safe to say that it’ll be our setting for the majority of the series. Clint’s trying to spend the holidays with his kids to make up for lost time caused by the Blip. It even seems like he takes them out to see ‘Rogers: The Musical’, which never fails to make me laugh every time I see it referenced. I especially love the gold background and black silhouette design of the posters that are clearly nods to ‘Hamilton’. But suddenly the news is reporting that a masked vigilante that was lurking around a few years ago might be back. This is news to Clint, who WAS the masked vigilante after he lost his family to Thanos, but hasn’t picked up the “Ronin” title since. So he sends his kids home and promises that he’ll be home for Christmas. Afterwards, Clint decides to go out and catch this vigilante. It’s Kate Bishop! She’s a 22-year-old archer who also happens to be a huge fan of Clint’s. She claims she’s great at what she does but it’s pretty clear right from the beginning that she doesn’t know exactly what she’s doing.

After this we get some very ‘Die Hard’-esque scenes. While Clint works with Kate and makes excuses to his family about his absence, we get shots of him throwing a Molotov cocktail back to a group of assailants that tried to attack him with it, punching someone in the face, dangling off the side of a building with his bow, icing his injuries, getting shot at while inside a restaurant, and getting held at gunpoint. Kate does crash to his rescue, though. As all of this happens, Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” plays in the background. In a brief interlude, a mysterious woman raises her glass and we get an even more ridiculous look at ‘Rogers: The Musical’ and all the terrible costumes. Why are the costumes THAT terrible if the show’s on Broadway? But Kate Bishop’s adorable dog makes up for it. And are those viking costumes? My favorite moment in the trailer, though, is seeing Clint and Kate back to back with bows drawn right in the middle of The Rink at Rockefeller Center. Next we get a car chase scene that very much reminds me of the scene between Natasha and Yelena in ‘Black Widow’. Clint sorts through his various homemade arrows to find one that isn’t too dangerous for Kate to use, but it winds up blowing up the car behind them. I love that they’re acknowledging all of the crazy arrows Clint creates. Ultimately, I’m a Christmas fan and I love the Christmas vibes of this trailer. But I’m also a bit shaky on how much I like Jeremy Renner and I was under the impression that Kate would be more of the focus here. Still, Kate and Clint look like they make an excellent team and I’m excited to see how it all plays out!

Additional Information:

Anyone who’s seen ‘Black Widow’ knows that we’ll see Yelena showing up here. And even if you didn’t see the movie, Florence Pugh’s on the IMDB page. In any case, the end credits scene of ‘Black Widow’ saw Yelena visiting Natasha’s grave. While she was there, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, approached her and convinced her that Clint was the main person responsible for Natahsa’s death. There’s no word on whether or not Contessa will be appearing in the show, though she has been causing trouble since ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’. But it seems we will see a familiar assassin going after Clint in ‘Hawkeye’. It feels like we’re getting Kate and Yelena together as the new Hawkeye and Black Widow really soon here. Also, Echo will be a character in this show! For those who don’t know the superhero Echo, Maya Lopez is a Native American superhero who is capable of various telekinetic abilities and is also deaf. The actress playing her, Alaqua Cox is also Native American and deaf! Yay good representation! I can’t wait to see this character in action. Also, eagle eyed fans have spotted Clint Barton wearing hearing aids in the trailer. This is MAJOR because Clint is canonically deaf in the comics. Many people were frustrated that the MCU refused to acknowledge this part of the character, but it looks like it will be acknowledged now!

The trailer was short but I’m already loving the look of this series. I might have been expecting more Kate, but I can’t say I don’t like the strong connection already present between Kate and Clint in this trailer. I love the Christmas feel and all of the action sequences that feel more like they’re from a spy film than a superhero film. And the representation this show promises is a really good step in the right direction. I don’t want to get my hopes up, especially when it comes to representation, but I’m optimistic about what we’ve seen so far!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

BTS: Presidential Envoy and What This Means

Promotional image of (from left) Kim Taehyung, Jeon Jungkook, Kim Namjoon, Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Park Jimin, and Jung Hoseok. Copyright goes to the Hybe Corporation and BTS.

Hi! It’s Annie!

I think most people have heard about this at this point, but it’s worth talking about in as much depth as possible. Because not only is this a triumph for BTS, but this is also a pretty historical moment. I can’t imagine that at their debut years ago any member of BTS would have expected this to happen to them one day. And I feel like this gave me more hope in the past week than most other things. BTS have always talked about incredibly important topics regarding youth and letting them represent youth at the UN is one of the best decisions I can think of. They’ve been a voice of the youth for ages even before being given this honor. And there’s so much here I want to address about this itself, what it means, and why BTS was given this specifically. So let’s get into it!

‘Presidential Envoy for Future Generations and Culture’:

This is the new title gifted to the members of BTS. And yes it is absolutely a mouthful. So what exactly does this mean? This means that the president of South Korea, President Moon Jae-in, has specially chosen BTS to accompany him to the United Nations General Assembly (and other such prestigious events) as representatives for youth. This is what they will essentially be doing. And in doing this the members of BTS were actually gifted diplomatic passports by the President himself. Meaning that there is no doubt that the position they were just gifted is a diplomatic one. BTS can meet with world leaders while representing youth and while representing their country itself. All of this is a very fancy way to say that they are now actually being employed by the government of South Korea. They are officially diplomats. Which is actually a pretty political position. This is not just a historical event for South Korea. Appointing any musical artist of any sort as a diplomat of a country is incredibly rare and has barely been done before. And it is also entirely possible that it will never be done again in South Korea. So why was BTS given this specific honor? And why may it never be done again?

History Makers:

I’ve heard a lot of fans of other groups say that BTS is paving the way for other K-Pop groups to do the same. I’ve even heard BTS fans say things like this. Much of the time it was to comfort fans of other groups who were unfairly going after BTS for being given such a position. And I don’t think it’s fair to say that this is going to effect all K-Pop groups. We are not going to see a sudden surge of a bunch of groups being given diplomatic status. That’s not what this is. Recent reports of the South Korean economy suggest that BTS is responsible for five billion dollars added to the economy. Which is incredibly significant. BTS has given their country worldwide recognition, which comes with many advantages. They’ve improved business by their own business gaining so much money and branching out as a South Korean giant. In doing so their company has created jobs. They’ve upped tourism in numbers that are so excessive that it’s believed that they make up for almost half of current tourism interest in the country. Getting another K-Pop band to reach that level is not only difficult, it’s almost impossible. Getting any group from anywhere to that level is almost impossible. BTS almost singlehandedly held up the economy for South Korea during the pandemic with their continued revenue from releases and online concerts. Not only does having an impact so big on your country warrant more than just a diplomatic position, it also prevents other K-Pop groups from being like them. The South Korean government is forced, whether they like it or not, to acknowledge something that has such a giant impact on their country. Many of these government officials already feel uncomfortable at how much they have to pay attention to BTS. So I don’t think any group will be on BTS’s level until at least BTS is not as much of a thing anymore. Which I don’t think will happen for a long time. And even then it would still be a difficult feat to accomplish. This will not be a standard for every K-Pop group.

Military Service:

So they’re diplomats now. Does that mean they won’t have to serve in the military? Unfortunately, we don’t know. That is currently in the hands of the National Defense Committee. But the popular opinion right now is that they will be granted exemptions. And this move to make them diplomats only makes this opinion more widespread. But don’t go celebrating yet. We don’t want to get our hopes up too high. In most cases, people working for the government this way would be considered to already be doing work for their government. That’s a general rule for some countries, though it doesn’t necessarily apply to South Korea. We won’t know for sure until the Defense Committee talks at the end of this year. The fact that they have already been given the opportunity to postpone service is already a sign that the government won’t be willing to let BTS go into mandatory military service. And I do mean won’t let them. I’ve seen many ARMYs worried that the members of BTS might want to complete their service anyways because of possible backlash. And while that may be possible sometime in the far future, it probably wouldn’t be possible anytime soon if they were granted an exemption. Why? For several reasons. Firstly, the reason why BTS might be exempted might be said by the government to be because of their great contributions, but that’s unlikely in truth. It will probably be because the South Korean economy would falter if BTS was gone for two years. Especially their tourism industry. Secondly, I doubt BTS would be allowed to reject a rule change made specifically for them by their government system. Especially if the rule change was made for economical reasons. Maybe when or if there comes a time that they aren’t so important to the entire economy of their country they could then enlist. But if they are given that exemption, that is unlikely to be soon. Still, don’t get your hopes up.

Malicious?:

Many people feel that BTS (or more specifically their company) has maliciously appealed to the government in a plot to try and get BTS out of mandatory military service. This is extremely ridiculous. It doesn’t take a genius to see that their well-earned achievements have gotten them to this point. And recently a meeting between several big K-Pop companies was called to see if they could appeal to the government to get K-Pop artists out of mandatory military service. Notably, Hybe was not one of the companies represented at this meeting. They did not attend. But I know this is falling on deaf ears because if you’re one of those people readily denying that BTS could have possibly become this successful, even after seeing the facts of everything, then you probably won’t be convinced otherwise.

Listen to Namjoon:

If there’s anyone I’m a little worried for in this situation, it’s Namjoon. As the general spokesperson for his group, he just got a whole lot more responsibility laid on his shoulders. And really they all did, but it’s Namjoon’s words that will be heard by dozens of world leaders. And as ARMY we all need to give him the respect of listening to him in our daily lives too. Namjoon had an absolutely amazing birthday Vlive that was both adorable and included a section about him getting candid regarding his struggles during the pandemic. Many ARMYs pointed out that barely anyone talked about the moment afterwards, even though almost every single moment of Jungkook’s birthday Vlive was talked about for days after. What I’m saying here is that Namjoon has a lot on his plate, but he is absolutely the man for this job. His wise words and advice have resulted in many feeling heard and comforted by him. His words are the ones we heard accepting the title at the ceremony and we’ll hear him at the UN once again. Please take a note from Jungkook’s book and listen intently to him. And do not throw a fit if Namjoon is the only one speaking. I’m sure Namjoon would love for the others to share his burden a little bit and it is not his fault or anybody’s fault. This is what comes with being a leader of a group. Respect Namjoon and all his hard work.

Celebrate!:

I know most of this has been pretty serious, and it is true that this is a somewhat serious occasion. But it isn’t all serious! Take this time to actually celebrate all their achievements! All of them individually and as a group made this happen and it’s amazing. It’s unheard of. These men have made history! And they are still their genuine and humble selves while doing it. I hope that they can continue to be themselves no matter what happens and I hope that this will push them all in a happy direction. I also hope that they still feel some normalcy on top of all of this because I’m sure it’s just a little overwhelming. But I think the best thing we can do for all of that is celebrate them and give them our unwavering support! Also remember that this is just a new job for them. They’ll still be the same normal guys from South Korea.

I am personally hoping that they are all doing well and that they are all proud of themselves. This is amazing! And just being a fan of them feels like I’m part of something bigger. Just like I know they feel they are part of something bigger with us too. I hope to feel comforted by their words and celebrate their amazing feats for years to come. No matter what happens and no matter what they do (or even if they don’t do anything if they feel like taking a break), let’s all continue to support them!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

ATEEZ: ‘ZERO: FEVER Part.3’

Promotional image of Jeong Yunho, Choi San, Kang Yeosang, Kim Hongjoong, Choi Jongho, Jung Wooyoung, and Park Seonghwa. Copyright goes to KQ Entertainment.

Hey! Hallie here!

ATEEZ’s next album was just released! ‘ZERO: FEVER Part.3’ is a really strong entry in this connecting line of albums. Stronger than I expected, and I had very high expectations. There isn’t one weak song on the album. From peppy songs that bring instant serotonin to songs that hit so hard they’ve become some of my new favorites, we have tons to talk about. Especially now that Mingi’s back and all the members are being given plenty of time to show off their incredible skills! Let’s talk about these new songs! (As a warning: Consensus is still out on who sings which part of each song. I’m going by what I see on a few websites and I’m being a little vague, but I could absolutely be wrong about who sings what. I’m only completely confident in what parts I ascribe to Mingi, Hongjoong, and Jongho.)

“Eternal Sunshine”:

This track is an absolute serotonin provider. It definitely has the feeling of a Summer song, despite the fact that Summer’s over. It’s fun beat and smooth chorus instantly put the listener in a good mood. Once again, the lighter register of Yunho blows me away in this song. He switches off parts of the chorus with San, and at times their tones are so similar I forget which verse I’m listening to. Meanwhile, Jongho rightfully takes the last part of the chorus to hit all of us harder with his incredible voice. I love the rap verses in this song. Mingi’s captures the light, lovesick feel of the song while Hongjoong’s picks up the beat a little more and gives us a Peter Pan reference that is absolutely on brand for him. Wooyoung, Yeosang, and Seonghwa are all spaced throughout the song with a little less than the rest, but they all do amazing jobs. Seonghwa’s opening is addictive, as is Wooyoung’s closing, and no one can deny how strong Yeosang comes through during the chanting. It isn’t perfect in showing off all of the members, but it still gives us some excellent moments for all of them and it’ll definitely get stuck in your head.

“Feeling Like I Do”:

This song very much has a similar feel to “Eternal Sunshine”. Right from the beginning, though, it’s faster and softer. There’s almost a whispery sound to the pre-chorus, which is a direct contrast to the energy of the chorus. Instead of the more “lovesick and devoted” feel of the last song, this one’s more of a “lovesick and determined to prove their worth” song. Yunho comes into this song with his deeper register, which definitely adds a satisfying layer to the song. Yeosang adds to this very well on his own and it’s nice to hear him get a lengthier piece of the opening. Our whispery pre-chorus is unsurprisingly provided by San, who’s very good at the soft and seductive sound, while Seonghwa builds up to the chorus with some higher notes that I’m absolutely in love with. Jongho and Wooyoung absolutely kill it during the chorus and neither overshadow the other. The raps in this song are really adorable. Once again, Mingi captures the main themes of the song while Hongjoong’s rap sounds exactly like what you’d expect an adorable crush to sound like. As someone who likes faster, upbeat tracks, this one really grabbed me.

“Deja Vu”:

The title track and my favorite song on the album. There was a competition between “Eternal Sunshine” and “Deja Vu” to see which one would be the title track, but this one absolutely wins for me. It’s not that I don’t enjoy “Eternal Sunshine”, but “Deja Vu” is a different sound for ATEEZ and it works so well. We also have a music video for this one! This music video is so good. Right from the beginning we get to see all of them dressed in formal black and white attire while a storm goes on in the background. It sets the mood for the entire video. In other scenes we get black leather and fluid, mesmerizing dancing. About halfway through we also get to see them hanging around what looks like a junkyard. It all really adds to the darker, badass feel. Plus we get to see Hongjoong in his black suit and fedora! Tying into past music videos, maybe? Yunho is insane in both the song and the music video. He looks incredible and his voice hooks you immediately. Also, can we talk about how much time Yeosang got for this song? Just like Yunho, his voice can get very deep, and I think he uses it even more to his advantage than Yunho does here. Seonghwa and San’s voices once again lend to the more addictive parts of the chorus and pre-chorus. They’re so good at hitting the crazy notes leading up to Jongho. Plus, both of them have perfected that seductive tone I can’t stop listening to. Once again, Jongho’s voice packs a punch during the chorus. His voice is a highlight of every song. Hongjoong messes around with a whispery opening to his rap before going into something more teasing and fun, which was refreshing and amazing. Mingi starts out with something a bit lower and ends it all at a whisper, which pairs with his deep voice so well. Also Mingi singing at the end? Perfection. Can we also talk about the switch between San and Wooyoung? Wooyoung’s voice is perfect, as is that shirt grab. Oof. Everything about this song is perfect. Everything.

“ROCKY”:

This one is a more classic sound for ATEEZ when it comes to their epic hype songs. This song gives off the “we’re the shit” message that ATEEZ has absolutely earned. Hongjoong and Mingi are really active in the song. They both get awesome verses that build it up well, and their contributions continue throughout the entire song to add to its structure. Meanwhile, you get a lot of harmonization from the other members. As usual, Jongho gets his moments to stand out. You also get plenty of really excellent vocals from San, Wooyoung and Seonghwa, and some deeper vocals from Yunho and Yeosang. All of it combines really well and makes for a song that makes you want to get up and kick ass.

“All About You”:

This is another really cute song, although it falls into a slower category than everything we’ve discussed so far. It’s a really heartfelt love song. This song also does a really good job in particular at letting all of the members stand out. Hongjoong and Mingi have some more singsong parts of their verses to add to the feel. Seonghwa’s voice is deeper in this song, which he doesn’t utilize too often, to contrast the lighter voices of Wooyoung and San. Yeosang also plays with a lighter tone that Yunho contrasts with his deeper voice. And Jongho hits some crazy notes that play as sweet and soothing here. I love the sound of this one so much. It’s definitely the most calming on the album.

“Not Too Late”:

Most of the other songs on this album are love songs with the exception of “Rocky”. This one is straight up about depression. I love when artists get candid about these types of feelings all of us have struggled with. Especially when times are as hard as they are now. Seonghwa’s voice really gets deeper on these soothing songs and I appreciate it every time. He seriously has amazing range. Hongjoong and Mingi also keep their verses here more melodic which I always love to hear. Both have amazing singing voices. You won’t find much Yeosang in this song, but his deep voice is appreciated. Yunho’s voice once again reaches the range of Wooyoung and San and the three of them do really well in this range for this song. And Jongho stands out with a few really nice notes, especially towards the end of the song. This is my favorite song in terms of lyrics on this album. I’m a sucker for artists addressing real world problems I can relate to, and I love when ATEEZ does it in particular.

That’s it! We got a bit more of an even amount of the members this time around. Although, I will say that Wooyoung is heard a bit less in this album than he has been in the past. I really don’t want this to be the type of situation where we’re trading off Yeosang’s underutilization for Wooyoung’s. This album is a step in the right direction in sharing the focus, but I think we still have to wait for a day when all of them get equal time. Still, I loved this album. I enjoy listening to all these songs and I will absolutely have them on repeat for the next few days. Especially “Deja Vu”.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

BTS: Happy Namjoon Day!

Photoshoot image of RM (Kim Namjoon). Copyright goes to the Hybe Corporation and BTS.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Obviously, Namjoon’s birthday was something we had to cover. Specifically for me, he is my bias wrecker and he’s actually been wrecking me more and more recently. But more than any of that, he’s our leader, president, and deserving of all our praise and more. Especially because he doesn’t think he does. And ARMY’s behavior yesterday and today for his birthday was, frankly, disappointing. Just a couple weeks ago on Jungkook’s birthday we had several different hashtags trending on Twitter for several days, video ads absolutely everywhere, and several projects running at once. Namjoon’s birthday only trended on Twitter yesterday and was buried under everyone concerning themselves about the maknae line. Namjoon deserves just as much as everyone else without his trends being blocked by our own fandom. (‘Plants for Namjoon’ was an amazing effort though!) So, this will be dedicated to who is possibly the biggest comfort person in my life (both literally and figuratively)! These are some of my favorite comfort moments from Namjoon.

Persona:

One of my favorite performances from Namjoon is in his own personal music video to this song, which I have used to get me through a lot. The promise of giving us all the shoulders when we cry is comforting and Namjoon doesn’t stop there with the comfort. The entire song Namjoon talks about the struggle of figuring out who you are as a person and the way fame has affected that journey for him. But though the song comforts mainly through its relatability, Namjoon never passes up the opportunity to directly comfort as well.

Mono:

This is an entire album made of comfort songs directly from Namjoon. His mixtape is one that I use often for multiple different reasons. I have used some songs for falling asleep such “seoul” and “forever rain”. I use the songs as alarms to wake me up in the morning because they are soft enough to lull me from my slumber without making me annoyed. And I swear these are the firsts songs I’ve found that have been able to do that. This is also an amazing album for if you have bad anxiety or even panic attacks. I don’t think I’ve found an album as soothing as this one before and I doubt any album will ever be like this after. No song is quite as comforting to me as “moonchild”, where he discusses his own struggles and then encourages both himself and his listeners through the song. But “forever rain” is the song that probably calms me down the most. It even begins with soothing rain sounds. Definitely an entire album that will be on my regular playlist forever.

Dionysus:

I know this sounds a little odd for comfort Namjoon moments, but his moments during the choreography for this song in particular are ones that I’ll never get over. Namjoon with the staff gives off the entire feeling of “leader” and I legitimately cried when he walked out with the staff for the 2019 MMAs. Because I couldn’t help but think how powerful our leader looked there. I seriously go back to that moment in the performance all the time. It was too amazing.

Awareness and Diplomacy:

One of the main things that I love about Namjoon is how seriously he takes the leader position. Taking care of the rest of the boys is important to him. So much so that before debut, Namjoon and Jin made a point to discuss together how they were going to take care of the rest of the group. Namjoon is Jin’s comedic partner, Yoongi’s respect, Hobi’s best friend, Jimin’s pillow, Tae’s caretaker, and Jungkook’s big hug. We’ve seen his moments of caring so many times. He’s generally one of the first to notice if a member of the group is hurt and when Jungkook started dancing during his solo song in concert when he should have been sitting, Namjoon was the first to report this to Hobi. Namjoon grabbed an ill Jungkook to remind him not to be too hard on himself. He comforted a crying Taehyung and took equal blame for an argument he wasn’t a part of. He teaches the others English and tries to get each of them heard in any interview they participate in. Namjoon is everything a leader should be. And much of that comes from his natural caring side. If anyone was going to be the leader, the giant teddy bear who’s always there for everyone else was definitely going to be that.

Namjooning:

One of the best parts of Namjoon, is his Namjooning. This was a verb coined by fans to describe Namjoon just doing regular Namjoon things. Usually having to do with nature. Always loved how much Namjoon loves being a plant Dad? Me too! That’s just Namjoon Namjooning. What about him ankle deep in water looking for crabs? Or riding his bicycle along the Han River? Or visiting countless art museums? That’s all Namjoon Namjooning. I recently saw a video of him apologizing to frogs and asking if they were the only ones there while looking for crabs. The video was so cute I just about died. Namjoon’s love for nature and art is unmatched and some of the things he cites as keeping him so down to earth.

No Benefits:

I think we’ve all seen moments of Namjoon in various BTS content when they’re supposed to be taking a break, working instead. This was most prevalent in ‘Bon Voyage’. Namjoon felt bad that the others were driving and cooking, both things that he cannot do well, and took out his frustration by trying to get some work done. And sometimes he doesn’t have a choice but to do the extra work. He talked to Jimin once about how stressed he was to do work during a time where he wished he could be relaxing. Yoongi has said several times that being the leader of BTS comes with no benefits and a lot of extra work. And Namjoon being the main lyricist of the group only adds onto his plate. Namjoon feels immature for not being able to cook or drive, but I think he’s incredibly mature for all the work he has to do instead of those things. How many times have we seen Namjoon leading interviews? And for every single time we’ve seen that we’ve also seen footage of him behind the scenes trying to quiet his nerves. Many people forget that both Yoongi and Namjoon have suffered with anxiety. This man is without a doubt one of the hardest working people in his industry. Not to mention he was given the choice between a solo career and BTS and he chose the group without hesitation.

Bicycle:

This song flew completely under the radar when it came out. And it’s one of my favorites from him. Some of his other soothing songs have a more somber note to them, but this one is more upbeat. It really makes you want to go on a bike ride with Namjoon, whether you know how to ride a bike or not. More people need to listen to this song. Seriously, if you haven’t, go listen to this immediately. It needs more listens because it’s truly a masterpiece and Namjoon deserves for his solo pieces to be heard as much as the rest of them. I swear your life will be better for listening to it.

Namjoon is one of my favorite people on the planet. I’m so glad that we got both “Fake Love” and “Idol” to a billion for his birthday, but actually celebrating his birthday is also important. We need more people to respect Namjoon in the way that he deserves. He does so much for this group and I hope that we all are much better at celebrating his birthday next year than we were this year. Namjoon deserved better than all of us freaking out over other issues and trending other members on his birthday. So let’s look at how amazing and comforting this man is and at least try and give him some of that comfort back. He told us all to use him to learn to love ourselves, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t take him up on that offer. But I hope that myself and other ARMY can eventually be there for him in a similar way. He has been there for us, and we should be there for him too. Our leader. Our comfort. Happy Birthday, Namjoon!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

BTS: ARMY Etiquette for Namjoon’s Birthday

Screenshot of Kim Namjoon (RM) in the “Black Swan” music video. Copyright goes to BTS and the Hybe Corporation.

Hey! Hallie here!

It’s Namjoon’s birthday today! Or tomorrow, depending on which time zone you’re focusing on. Either way, ARMY usually spends both days celebrating BTS birthdays and Namjoon’s is no different. Tomorrow our official happy birthday post is coming, so watch out for that, but today I want to focus on what I’ve seen coming from ARMY on social media today. All the amazing birthday wishes are lovely. I also love that ARMY has been posting pictures of plants as a gift to Namjoon! But I’ve seen a ton of inappropriate behavior and it isn’t exclusively directed at Namjoon either. We want this to be a happy celebration for Namjoon, not a frustrating one. So let’s look at what needs to stop both for Namjoon’s birthday and other BTS events coming up.

Shipping:

Shipping ruins a lot of things. It can make relationships between BTS members awkward, it can start ARMY wars on inopportune days, and it can lead to disturbingly toxic fan behavior. Today the Jimin/Jungkook ship was trending on Twitter because of released behind the scenes footage of BTS. Essentially, Jungkook and Jimin were drinking, Jungkook decided to uncontrollably spin Jimin around, and Jimin bit him to make him stop. The bite wound up on his neck, leading shippers to freak out about the “hickey”. I do understand that some shippers just had a quick laugh about it and moved on, but too many used this opportunity to prove just how bad shippers can be. A large group decided to claim that this was proof that Jungkook and Jimin were dating. They became angry at everyone who told them otherwise and a few of them decided to throw around the term “homophobia” to describe those who denied that Jungkook and Jimin are a couple. Gross. A situation where two friends go out drinking and wind up doing something crazy doesn’t in the least imply that they’re dating. Especially because the closeness between male friends is much different in South Korea than in America. We can’t push American standards onto two men who grew up in a completely different culture. Jungkook and Jimin have also never said they’re dating. They’ve never even said what their sexualities are. That is personal information none of us are entitled to. Because of this, assuming their sexualities, whether that be gay, straight, or anything else, or making guesses at who they’re dating, is inappropriate. And those who do take pleasure in these assumptions too often find themselves trying to force their delusions on real people with real lives. That’s not even mentioning all the shippers that used this situation to over sexualize Jungkook to a disgusting degree or tried to paint Jimin as a more feminine figure. These two are real people. Not your toys. Not your weird fantasies. Real people who deserve your respect. If you can’t respect them and their privacy, you aren’t ARMY. And please stop with these ship wars when we’re trying to celebrate someone’s birthday.

Missing Taehyung:

This has been trending for a while but it’s even more frustrating that it was trending on Namjoon’s birthday. Taehyung has been completely silent on social media for a while now. This isn’t the first time he’s done it, but we wouldn’t be ARMY if we didn’t feel his absence. Some have even been surprised by his continued absence on other member’s birthdays. Quite a few ARMYs are concerned about him and that’s completely fine. We all want the best for Taehyung. But constantly getting this sentiment on trending sends the exact opposite message. In fact, a lot of people seem to have the goal of getting Taehyung back on social media. That isn’t ARMYs decision. We can miss him and hope he’s well, but we should also acknowledge that Taehyung is a busy man and social media can be extremely detrimental to your mental health. If Taehyung feels he needs the time off, that’s his decision. Sometimes I need to take a break from social media too. I’m sure he’s spending lots of time with the BTS members and wishing them happiness on their birthdays in private. I’m sure there will be a time when he comes back. But until then, let’s not bug him. And let’s not center a member who’s been absent in the middle of another member’s birthday. It’s Namjoon’s day! Let’s celebrate him!

NAMJOON!:

I keep bringing every topic back to Namjoon. That’s for a purpose. Namjoon doesn’t get as much attention as members like Jungkook or Jimin on their birthdays. And that sucks. Today isn’t the day to talk about Jungkook and Jimin’s personal lives or about how much you miss Taehyung. We should be focusing on Namjoon. He’s a wonderful leader! He’s inspired so many people! He’s absolutely helped me sort through some of the darker parts of my life. He deserves the praise today. Not all of this other drama I’ve seen many ARMYs putting a focus on. He deserves better than that. All of us should be there to support all of the members when they need us. And for both today and tomorrow in particular, ARMYs should be supporting Namjoon.

So now that we’ve gone over what ARMYs shouldn’t be doing for Namjoon’s birthday, what should ARMYS do? Celebrate, of course! Send Namjoon a positive message. If you do so, please be respectful of his boundaries and be polite! Look up the projects ARMY has started as gifts to Namjoon. If you want to post a picture of a plant you’re taking care of, do so! Plant a tree for Namjoon! Stream his solo work! And if none of these appeal to you, there are plenty more projects you can find to gift Namjoon something great for his birthday. I know this post was more of a downer, but we’ll have more of a celebratory post for his birthday tomorrow. In any case, Happy Birthday Namjoon!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Comfort Entertainment: Merlin Rewatch

Promotional image of (left) Angel Coulby and (right) Eoin Macken for ‘Merlin’. Copyright goes to BBC.

Hi! It’s Annie!

I did a post on ‘Merlin’ not that long ago, mainly because I am currently rewatching it for the first time in years. In my last post on this show I did a quick introduction and review of some of my favorite characters. But I have to say, some of my opinions actually have changed since I’ve gotten further into the series. Or at least, I’ve gotten a clearer view that I didn’t necessarily have before. I started watching this series when I was pretty young, so I feel as though my opinions on the series change every single time I watch it. There’s always a new character nuance that I discover or a different way that I view a specific situation. So I guess this will be more of a review of the characters than the show itself. And I know some of these are going to be unpopular opinions so just bear with me. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

Merlin:

Still one of my favorite characters through the rewatch. But this time I feel like his actions are more understandable. Throughout the series Merlin has to make a series of difficult decisions; mainly on whether or not he should help Morgana, Uther, and Mordred after knowing what they each mean to his destiny. There were several moments the first time I watched this when Merlin going against the advice of Kilhgarrah frustrated me. But Merlin’s compassion is always what prevented him from going against this advice, and he never went against it when it mattered most. With some of the situations I even wondered if things would have been made even worse if Merlin had a lack of compassion in that situation. So, if anything, this rewatch has only made me like Merlin even more than before. And nothing beats Dragoon the Great.

Arthur:

I feel like this is the character who my opinion of has changed the most. In the first season of Merlin, Arthur is a bit of a bully. But more importantly he has a pure heart and treats most of the people around him as equals. This treatment of others doesn’t seem to continue into the following seasons of Merlin. Arthur acts more arrogantly towards Merlin than he does in the first season and often makes selfish decisions. Such as continuously letting Merlin take the fall for things that Arthur does. He often doesn’t listen to Merlin and becomes angry at Merlin’s advice instead, despite how much Merlin has been there for him. This is even more prevalent when Agravaine becomes an advisor to Arthur. What sticks out to me here, is that Arthur never seems to lose his sense of arrogance. Even after he learns not to be so prideful in the unicorn situation. And his continuance of his attack on magic as his rule begins after the death of his father is both not understandable and wholly against what Arthur had promised so many people before in the series. Arthur has his good points, but not as many as I remember. I honestly didn’t like this character all that much while watching this through the second time. And sometimes it’s difficult to see his friendship with Merlin through his dismissal of him and him not knowing who Merlin is. Which is more of a writing issue and a season five issue than an Arthur issue.

Morgana:

I don’t think I have ever really thought that Morgana’s writing was consistent. But her turn to villainy feels even more rushed this time around. Morgana immediately trusts Morgause for some unknown reason, and even reverts back to hating Uther without a real catalyst for it. But when Morgana is good…I still didn’t like her. I remembered liking Morgana at first when I first watched this series. But this time around she never seems to understand the plight of other characters, even when she is good. Her compassion certainly stretches to those in need, but she becomes angry at anyone who can’t immediately do something about any issue. And often times it is Morgana requesting that Arthur do something rather than doing it herself. Morgana’s compassion seems to be choosy even before she is evil.

Gwen:

Another character that I like even more the second time around! I always loved Gwen, but I don’t think I listed Gwen among my very favorite characters before and after this time watching it I have no idea why. I honestly think it’s because her character wasn’t involved in many action scenes, which I still think that she should have been included as a fighter in more than one episode. But Gwen is definitely the heart of the series. She’s not only compassionate but she’s also fiercely intelligent. Some of my favorite episodes of Merlin ended up being episodes where Gwen and Merlin are in league with each other to solve some sort of issue. Unfortunately her amazing personality isn’t focused on as much when she becomes Queen. Part of that is how many times she has to be imprisoned or enchanted by Morgana. But that doesn’t demean Gwen’s character in the rest of the series. Gwen is one of the delights of the show and definitely one of the best characters.

Leon:

Leon gets better and better every time I watch Merlin. From the moment he was introduced, he became one of my favorite characters. Even though Leon was only supposed to be a one-time character in that episode. He shows that he’s one of the only knights that will stick up for himself in front of Arthur. And later he becomes the most trusted knight of Arthur’s and definitely the most loyal. I completely forgot how many badass fight scenes that Leon got to himself. Not to mention the fact that he sticks up for himself in front of more royals than Arthur; like Morgana for example. I’ve always liked Leon, but this rewatch bumped him up to my favorite characters list. Leon is responsible, noble, and an immediate comfort every time he’s on screen. He’s also damn good at sword fighting.

Gwaine:

One of the best parts of Merlin hands down. Not many people in this show serve it to Arthur without caring that he’s a royal. Gwaine treats Arthur like just another guy. But more than that; that is not how he treats Merlin. Gwaine is one of the dearest friends of Merlin. When Arthur shows his friendship to Merlin by tapping him on the shoulder, Gwaine shows his friendship by pulling Merlin into a giant hug. When Arthur won’t believe Merlin, Gwaine will lay down his life to help Merlin instead. Gwaine is a great knight, not only because he’s comedic and fun to watch. He’s great because he never wanted to be a knight and only uses his power for a sense of goodness and compassion. Gwaine never shows too much pride because he never wanted the power to begin with (though he does have a temper). And his continual trust of Merlin at least ensures that Merlin will always have a peer who will trust him and be there for him no matter what. Even on those occasions where Arthur won’t. He also dreamed he was eating a cheese that tasted of apple pie. We’re all missing out.

Lancelot:

This is a character that I like, but he confuses me. He’s not one of my favorites and part of that might be because of lack of frequency of his appearances. But another part of that might be because he isn’t really fleshed out until the episodes right before his death and the episode of his death. Before that he is kind and noble but not much else. But those few episodes that flesh him out show just how good of a friend he is to Merlin. And it also gives him an amazing sense of humor. It’s just a shame that he had to die right as his character was given development. But I like him nonetheless and he deserved so much better.

Elyan and Percival:

Also definitely deserved better. Elyan and Leon are definitely the smartest of the knights and Elyan should have been given more time. He also speaks on behalf of the knights more than I remembered. I love Elyan every time he’s on screen. I just wish we would have gotten more of him. Percival is similar, though at least he isn’t killed off brutally. And can we talk about that scene with the kids? Percival is such a teddy bear. Also, his friendship with Gwaine is one of the best in the series.

There are plenty of other characters in Merlin, but these are the ones that I had the most opinions about when rewatching this. Obviously, Gaius and Kilgharrah are just as great as they always are. But I was surprised at how much I loved some of the characters more than I had, and also how much I disliked Arthur. And while I don’t hate him, I almost wish he would have been a character more like Leon. Leon is a great example for me of what I wish Arthur could have been. And maybe he would have been more like that if the series had been given more time. But even so, there are plenty of other characters to love and I always love my rewatches of this amazing show.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

BTS: News Update

Promotional image of Min Yoongi (Suga), Kim Taehyung (V), Jeon Jungkook, Kim Namjoon (RM), Park Jimin, Kim Seokjin (Jin), and Jung Hoseok (J-Hope) at the 2019 ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’. Copyright goes to BTS and the Hybe Corporation.

Hey! Hallie here!

Within just the last couple of days we’ve gotten tons of BTS content worth discussing. They’ve been blowing up social media in the best way possible. It feels like the members get more impressive every time we see them. Although, I did see one piece of very important information slide under the radar. Or rather, under Twitter’s trending list. So with all of the new footage to watch over and over again, and all of the important news we still have to keep an ear out for, let’s get into this!

Seoul Travel Promo:

BTS, as part of their position as honorary tourism ambassadors for South Korea, released a video for this year’s promotional efforts. The promotional content will continue throughout the entire month of September and all of it seems to be going under the name “Eo-Gi-Young-Cha” which is an expression shouted in unison to give each other strength. This sentiment is meant to support everyone struggling under the effects of the pandemic. Amongst the content is behind the scenes footage for the official video and other extras featuring BTS. We’ll have to wait for those, however. What we do have, is the official video and all of the amazing shots of BTS that came with it. Throughout the video we see all of the members chant the name of the project dressed in gorgeous outfits. From Taehyung and Namjoon we can see simpler and more classic suits, Namjoon’s with tighter black pants and a more fitted jacket whereas Taehyung’s brown suit lays looser. Yoongi’s suit has some added character with large flower designs decorating the bottom half of his jacket and sleeves. Jimin and Hoseok have matching blue feather designs, Hoseok’s taking up his entire suit design whereas Jimin matches his pants with a black, loosely fitting shirt and connecting scarf. Jungkook’s suit has beautiful gold detailing and a striking red undershirt and Jin is dressed in a blue robe that gorgeously accentuates his movements. There’s a traditional feel to all of these outfits that very much reflects the traditional places advertised in the video. Between all of the individual shots of BTS, and an epic few seconds of Jungkook playing some traditional drums, we see others walking around famous places in Seoul and joining in on the chant. It definitely succeeds in making me want to go. Though maybe not during the pandemic. In any case, I really love the message of togetherness this video sends to every viewer.

Megan Thee Stallion “Butter” Remix Dance:

This is probably my favorite thing I’m talking about in this post. It’s always a pleasure to watch J-Hope, Jimin, and Jungkook dance. But having just the three of them do an insanely intense and impressive dance to one of the best collaborations BTS has ever done? Perfection. This video feels very casual. They’re dancing in their studio and they move so fluidly that they make the dance look easy. But the quick pace of every single move betrays how difficult it is and makes it addictive to watch. I love how they incorporated moves that not only show how well they move in sync but also how well they move as extensions of one another. Other things worth pointing out are J-Hope’s unnaturally flexible ankles and how adorable all of them looked sticking their tongues out. Just go watch this one. Right now.

BTS Interview With Chris Martin:

Just around an hour ago as I’m writing this, BTS released a reaction to the “Permission to Dance” challenge that’s been going on for the past few weeks. In between the group viewing select entries from the challenge, they were interviewed by Chris Martin of Coldplay fame! It was impressive enough that they got Chris Martin to agree to let them cover “Fix You”. He’s famously protective of his work. But now he’s interviewing them as well! It shows the power of BTS’s message that even the cautious want to join in to support them. In the video the members watched videos from all over the world, including a dancing video by two Russians who made their crazy reflective costumes themselves, and a video made by a blind woman and a deaf woman who spoke about what the song meant to them. They also answered questions about what it felt like to have such a huge cultural impact and how seeing the challenge videos effected them. They were humble as always and frequently managed to turn the conversation back to praising ARMY. There was even a cute moment where Namjoon and Chris Martin got into a bit of a complement war. It wasn’t as natural as most interviews are, but it was still very enjoyable.

BTS’s Military Service:

This is less fun news but still important to talk about. Yesterday was supposed to be the day that BTS’s military service was discussed by the National Defense Commission. They were even supposed to come to a final decision. As most probably know considering how little everyone has been talking about this, there was no decision announced. Evidently the National Defense Commission didn’t get to this matter as discussions for other matters of more importance went longer than expected. The discussion of BTS’s military service is now expected to happen later in the year. I’ve seen a lot of people comment on this subject. Antis have yelled about how unfair it would be if BTS didn’t serve. ARMYs have yelled about how unfair it would be if BTS had to serve. What I will say here is, this isn’t a matter of a K-Pop group getting exemptions. This is a matter of a K-Pop group who contributes to a large portion of South Korea’s economy and now represents South Korea officially as Presidential Envoys, getting exemptions. This will not, and can not, apply to every K-Pop group if it’s enacted. But I’m not from South Korea, so my say on this matter isn’t important. Either way, ARMY should keep their eye out for more information and support the members regardless of what happens.

This is only the news from the last few days. It feels like we’re always getting more BTS content and I love all of it! I enjoy talking about BTS and they definitely gave me tons to talk about this week. Sometimes it feels like the more serious news surrounding BTS can be overwhelming, but they always come out with wholesome and entertaining content to balance it out. They’ve made the entire pandemic better and I’m grateful that they continue to spread so much positivity.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Theme Parks: Oogie Boogie Bash

Professional image of the ‘Oogie Boogie Bash’ overlay to California Adventure’s exterior. Copyright goes to Disney, Disney Parks, and professional reviewer photographers..

Hi! It’s Annie!

I feel like most will either think that it’s too early to talk about this or too late to talk about it. After all, it’s only September and the tickets for this event have already long sold out. But, right before quarantine hit, I actually was able to attend this event. Just the once of course and I’m not planning on going back this year. Personally, I am still extremely wary of large events. Especially ones that sell out completely, such as this one. But I did still want to talk about it because there was a lot that I loved about it when I went. People are well aware at this point that this involves trick or treating in a more safe environment than what you could usually find and special interactions with characters. But there’s even more to it than that and even more details to talk about. So I’m going to talk about my own experiences with the event and some of my favorite parts of it!

Character Meet and Greets:

A lot of people expect character meet and greets to mostly happen with villains at these types of events, but that’s something that unfortunately doesn’t happen much anymore. The lines for villains, especially if they are rare characters, became so unmanageable that Disney decided on an alternative for the regular meet and greets. I’ll get back to that later, because this is about the characters that you can actually meet. Or at least, the characters that were available to meet. If you are a video game fan, specifically a fan of ‘Kingdom Hearts’, I’m sure you’ll love this one. At one station, that probably has the longest line of any character meet and greet, you can meet ‘Kingdom Hearts’ Goofy and Donald who switch shifts throughout the night. I personally met Goofy, which is exactly what I wanted. Goofy is one of my favorite Disney characters. And Goofy’s shield does not prevent him from giving you giant warm hugs. You can also spot rare characters such as Baloo in his ‘Talespin’ outfit. I will say, that actual meets are not part of this year’s Bash. You can see the characters but you can’t actually approach them as you were able to before.

Trick or Treat Trails:

This is one of the highlights of the night, so this was a must do. Because these trails are not only about candy. Each trail is themed after a popular Disney Halloween character or Disney villain. And that means that each villain is present at their own trail on a themed stage, where they are talking to guests below. The major villains are all present, such as the Evil Queen and Maleficent. But you also have ones you don’t usually see. My sister and I had an entire conversation with Dr. Facilier that made my night and Ooogie Boogie with his giant gambling wheel is an event in itself. But quite possibly my favorite trail was the Mad Hatter’s from Tim Burton’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’. The Mad Hatter sat elegantly at a tea table, often babbling cheerfully. But every once in a while, his tone and demeanor would darken completely and he would begin talking in a Scottish accent while only speaking in riddles, truly taken over by his madness. I’m a giant ‘Alice in Wonderland’ fan, so I absolutely loved this unexpected addition. Either way, you’ll find more treats than just candy on these trails.

Rides and Events:

Most of the rides remain open for the time that you’re there and there are plenty of shows for you to watch as well. The last year this event took place the parade was the ‘Boo to You!’ parade, which I am very familiar with. So I skipped it. I had other priorities, so I can’t say I am very familiar with the events at this Bash specifically. But I know the parade this year will be the ‘Frightfully Fun Parade’, and there are sure to be differences! Though the addition of Disney villains and ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ characters will definitely still be part of the show. Most of the rides stay the way they are, with a couple exceptions. Namely, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout’ becomes a ‘Monsters After Dark’ version of the ride. It’s a more silent (though there’s still a fun song) and a more thrilling version of the ride. I would say that this overlay for Halloween is just as good as ‘Ghost Galaxy’ is as an overlay on ‘Space Mountain’. While most of the other rides remain the same, you have the added thrill of riding all of them at night.

Villain’s Grove:

This was my favorite part of ‘Oogie Boogie Bash’. In the redwood area of ‘California Adventure’, there is walkthrough attraction for the Bash. It has been completely remade to be the ‘Villain’s Grove’. It’s still family friendly but slightly creepy all the same. But more than that, it is wonderfully immersive. The trail begins with a walk through dimly lit candles, and the reflection of stained glass on the ground. As you make your way through this you hear the unmistakeable whispers of “guilty”. An amazing start to the grove and an amazing nod to Judge Claude Frollo. Throughout the grove you find more nods to villains. Some of my favorites included the vibrantly lit garden that reflected the tastes of the Queen of Hearts. This also included the eerily disappearing smile of the Cheshire Cat. The green lit stone reflecting hyenas marching to an instrumental of ‘Be Prepared’ for Scar was also another favorite of mine. If you pay attention you may be able to spot some of Dr Facilier’s “friends”. But the in between for these sections is also amazing. In between each of these sections is star lighting with small whispers, and only after watching this for a while will you be able to realize that among the stars are the whisps from the Pixar movie “Brave”, guiding you to your fate. The immersive nature of this attraction is really what made it a stand out for me.

While I’m not going to recommend going to this now (I’m certainly not) maybe it would be something to look forward to in the future. The detail that went into this event is amazing and beyond what I originally expected. Especially ‘Villain’s Grove’ which I wasn’t expecting to like as much as I ended up liking it. And recalling these events is getting me more into the Fall spirit. So happy Fall everyone!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

K-Pop: China’s Ban

Promotional photo of Park Jimin for “Butter”. Copyright goes to BTS and the Hybe Corporation.

Hey! Hallie here!

I’m not usually one to talk about politics or world news on this blog. That isn’t really what this blog is for. But China’s recent decision to ban “pretty boys” is definitely worth talking about, both because of K-Pop and because of K-Dramas and C-Dramas. This ban has the potential to influence quite a bit of the things we talk about on this blog, though not in the ways some people are theorizing. Also of note here, we don’t know exactly what things are going to change or how they’re going to change. A ban on “pretty boys” doesn’t offer much specificity, especially when it’s evidently up to the president to decide what’s “pretty”. But let’s look at what actually has been said about the ban so far.

BTS and Idol Groups:

This is the main thing most news pages are focusing on. The ban on “pretty boys” is absolutely partly targeted at K-Pop and we already have proof of that. Idol shows, most of which come from Korea, are being banned in China. And one of their first specific crackdowns was on BTS. Or more specifically, a Jimin fan page. Fans of Jimin were raising money to get him a birthday present, his image on a plane, when the page was taken down by the Chinese government. That’s proof enough that BTS isn’t welcome in Chinese media. Some have speculated on the impact this will have on BTS themselves, but it’s not likely it will have much of an impact on them at all. BTS hasn’t performed in China or done any major promotional content in or for China. Who it will affect is ARMY in China, who will now have to be unfairly careful about expressing their love for BTS. It can be expected other K-Pop groups will be targeted as well and some of them may not have the luxury of being as lightly affected. How groups like NCT will be affected (NCT famously has members from various places including China,) is unclear at the moment. Is this just a matter of banning them from Chinese media? Or will China pull full support from the members? And will China make some exceptions based off of monetary gain? All uncertain. Frighteningly uncertain. Just as uncertain as how China will deal with their own idol groups who fall under the “pretty boy” description. As of now the only idol groups they’re promoting are groups that fit the new beauty standard being enforced. Groups with facial hair and bigger builds. This seems like it might lead to the phasing out of their own idol groups, but then again, these groups make them money. So we don’t know much about what’s going to happen here at this point.

K-Dramas and C-Dramas:

Various areas of media are already being affected. I already mentioned the ban on idol shows and even social media influencers who are deemed too “pretty” are being banned from mentions in larger forms of media or threatened with entire account takedowns. Additionally, the president noted that he wanted a return to “traditional” shows. That probably means a bigger crackdown on K-Dramas overall. Especially K-Dramas starring lead male actors considered to be too “pretty”. But it also might affect C-Dramas as well. There’s no telling whether or not actors in China are going to be affected by the “pretty boy” ban, but there’s a clear attack on feminine traits seen in men happening here. Which may affect shows that have become increasingly more popular, like “The Untamed”. “The Untamed” and shows like it are screen adaptations of LGBTQ+ centered stories that try to skirt around the Chinese censorship laws as much as possible. This ban may have made these shows even more difficult to make. Considering the fact that the men hired for these roles are definitely not of the more “masculine” beauty standards China is trying to push right now, that alone could be a danger. Also, the fact that these LGBTQ+ themes are already challenging China’s ideas on masculinity could make the whole thing even worse. But internationally, shows like “The Untamed” are getting some of the most attention of the media coming from China. With the money they get from these shows I have to ask again, will monetary reasons keep them from completely banning things like this?

Toxic Masculinity:

Now we’re onto what this entire ban is really enforcing. Toxic masculinity. The phrasing of “pretty boys”, which apparently was even more insulting in its original language, already blatantly states an effort to attack feminine traits in men. But the government’s insistence to only push musical groups and stars with facial hair and bigger builds only further proves it. To be clear, everyone has both feminine and masculine traits. And everyone should be allowed to embrace these things. This new ban on all things that allow men to express themselves in this way is textbook toxic masculinity. And it will result in brutal bullying and hardships for many people. Especially those in the LGBTQ+ community, who already experience unfair hatred and violence due to their connections to more feminine traits. This has the potential to be more horrifying to everyday people than a lot of people seem to be considering.

So what does all of this mean? As I said, we don’t know. We know they’re going to crack down largely on things from countries like Korea and Japan, but we don’t know exactly what they’re going to do with content that comes from China itself. We also don’t know exactly what they can enforce. It seems to me that this is an effort made by the Chinese President to fit himself into the beauty standard. He’s basically banning conventionally attractive men from appearing too often in the media, which makes it hard to imagine that this type of thing could come from anywhere but jealousy. There’s even word that conventionally attractive men by American standards, like those with abs and muscular builds, might also get a ban. But there’s also a clear sign of homophobia in there too. It’s just another reminder that China is a communist country. There isn’t reason to worry about BTS here, but there is most definitely reason to worry about Chinese fans and men who don’t know what this ban is going to mean for them.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie.

BTS: The ‘Run’ and ‘I Need U’ Story

Screenshot of Jung Hoseok (J-Hope) and Park Jimin in the ‘Run’ music video. Copyright goes to the Hybe Corporation and BTS.

Hi! It’s Annie!

I’ve talked quite a bit recently about ‘Youth’ and the way that music videos such as ‘I Need U’ and ‘Run’ will be used for reference to the story being told. But, if you actually look at the two videos, they feel very connected. There are similar themes that run throughout both, almost to the point where it feels like ‘Run’ was made to be a prequel of ‘I Need U’. And though we have no idea if ‘Youth’ will ever even air at this point, I think it’s worth looking back at this storyline. Because very few artists spend time on a story the way BTS does and the themes in these stories are pretty deep. And rather dark. I don’t think I necessarily need a spoiler warning for this, but I’ll definitely need a TRIGGER WARNING to talk about ‘I Need U’ specifically. Considering how the usage of some of these themes has become more controversial and rightly more monitored to be more helpful, I can only assume that the television show would not end as sadly as ‘I Need U’. Especially with the current BTS brand. But I think some of that stuff still should be mentioned. If you are currently unable to handle those themes, reconsider reading further and definitely don’t watch the ‘I Need U’ MV. Trust me, I’ve been there and triggering yourself isn’t worth it. I’m going to go through everyone’s story individually in fan chant order. So let’s go through this!

Namjoon:

Namjoon is depicted to be poor enough to be working shabby jobs in both music videos. But there is a discrepancy in the way that he’s portrayed. For one, the actions of all the boys when they are together seem much more reckless in the ‘Run’ music video. But that aside, Namjoon is shown in ‘I Need U’ to be bored as he’s working a fairly usual gas station job. But nothing much more is seen of Namjoon in that particular music video. Other than a couple of singular shots with Taehyung. And that’s what we see more of in ‘Run’. In this particular MV, Namjoon seems to be portrayed as some sort of delinquent whose best friend is Taehyung. Namjoon hides with Tae as they are being chased by the cops, also runs away with him, and smiles at him as they’re both being arrested. Because the story for ‘Youth’ is pretty particular about mentioning that Yoongi and Jungkook are friends, I completely forgot about the different configurations we might see. Because there are actually a few who are portrayed as best friends that we might see more of if ‘Youth’ ever comes out. Namjoon smiling at Tae when they are arrested does make me think that they did something more enjoyable, like graffiti. But the crime theme only goes forward with Tae.

Jin:

A commonality between the two music videos for Jin is that he always seems to be portrayed alone in more singular shots. He’s the member who’s always portrayed with the group but is not really portrayed singularly with anyone else. In a way, Jin seems like the overseer. When the newest BTS game tackled the ‘I Need U’ storyline, that’s exactly what Jin was. The role of the overseer has been tackled many times (such as in Monsta X’s music video for ‘Dramarama’ where it was usually either Minhyuk or Hyungwon) and especially in time travel kinds of story lines. In the game Jin actually does time travel. I’m doubtful that would be part of ‘Youth’ though. But in both music videos the role of Jin does seem a little eery. He often stares at other members as if he knows what’s about to happen to them. And in the ‘Run’ MV he’s also the one who always drives the get away car. Either way, Jin’s the caretaker of the group and his knowledge seems to exceed anyone else’s. He’s always portrayed as the one who’s the most capable and the one with the most agency.

Yoongi:

By far, Yoongi and Tae are the ones who come off as the most delinquent-like. Yoongi consistently messes with dangerous things in both music videos. And in both it is clear that this character is in a lot of pain. But the other standout of his character is his bond with Jungkook. In ‘I Need U’, Yoongi spends most of the time in bed at home until the end of the video when he sets the house he’s in on fire. We see a couple of shots of him and Jungkook in this one, but mostly when they’re in group shots. Though the best friendship still seems to track here. In ‘Run’ this friendship is even more prominent. We see several shots of just the two of them. And then we see a longer scene between only them where it’s clear that Yoongi is very upset. Jungkook tries to hold him back and he swings at everything in the room, including Jungkook. He even throws things around. We don’t know why he’s doing this, but we can see how upset it makes Jungkook. And in the group shots, Yoongi is portrayed as one of the most reckless presences there. He is not portrayed as a caretaker for the group in any form.

Hoseok:

Hobi’s story is one of the most disturbing of all of them. Which is odd considering this role is played by our hope, J-Hope. In the ‘I Need You’ MV, Hobi’s struggle with his mental health is what his entire arc is about. There isn’t really any action shots with him unless it’s a group shot. Everything else depicts Hobi in a state I really never want to see him in again. Though I think that can be said for literally all of them. ‘I Need U’ depicts the deaths of many of the members of BTS, and Hobi’s death is one of them. Just as a refresher; Jungkook, Jin, Tae, and Namjoon all survive ‘I Need U’ while Hobi, Jimin, and Yoongi do not seem to. And the deaths are caused by themselves. Which is why I’m not being too descriptive. In ‘Run’, Hobi is often depicted in some sort of hospital. Which could be why he is struggling so much in ‘I Need U’. In most of the group shots Hobi is depicted with Jimin. Jimin and Hobi are constantly together. They fall down together during a pillow fight and Hobi lays on Jimin’s lap in another scene. In a separate scene we see Jimin visit Hobi in this hospital, and the feeling of this is much more somber. But through each, it’s clear that Hobi is ill in some way.

Jimin:

Jimin’s best friend Hobi isn’t doing well, and in these music videos neither is Jimin. Jimin is the first to greet many of the boys as they enter parties, he’s often depicted with the biggest smile on his face (though it sometimes looks mischievous), and it’s clear that he likes to have fun. And I guess it’s the fact that Jimin always has so much fun with his friends that causes him to struggle so much when he does. Jimin’s sadness in ‘Run’ comes from Hobi’s sadness and struggles. In an after credits scene for ‘Run’, we see Jimin sadly holding a Polaroid picture of his friend group and burning it. This is actually the image that directly ties ‘Run’ to ‘I Need U’. In ‘Run’, Jimin is shoved into a bathtub by the rest of the boys in a party scene where he’s shown laughing. In ‘I Need U’ Jimin sits fully clothed in what appears to be the same bathtub; reminiscing on his friends and appearing to become more and more depressed as he does so. It’s not actually fully clear if Jimin does die, but that implication feels there. It feels as though Jimin’s story line comes last; as if all of the other bad things have already happened.

Taehyung:

This is where the story gets a little bit more complicated. And that’s mostly because of Tae’s singular shots in ‘Run’. Throughout this I’ve been treating it as though ‘Run’ comes before ‘I Need U’ story wise, but Tae appears to be drowning in his singular shots for ‘Run’. I think I’m going to take this as more of a figurative message than a literal one. In ‘Run’, Tae dresses in dark colors and appears to commit several crimes. Some of them with Namjoon. He and Namjoon get arrested. This illegality continues in ‘I Need U’ when we see that Tae doesn’t look like he’s doing the most savory of activities. He visits Namjoon at the gas station at some point, and we also know he goes home to see what some assume to be his parents having an argument. ‘Youth’ says that Tae comes from an abusive household, which would confirm this theory. And we end this story in ‘I Need U’ with him killing his father in defense of his mother who his father was hitting at the beginning of the scene. The one crime that Tae doesn’t seem to have had a choice in committing.

Jungkook:

Jungkook spends a lot of his time getting beat up. And I mean a lot. When we see Jungkook in ‘Run’ he’s getting attacked by Yoongi. We don’t see much of Jungkook singularly in that one. Instead we see him launch himself at Yoongi and try to hold him back, which prompts Yoongi to punch him. Jungkook doesn’t take that lying down because he also punches Yoongi, who only seems to find Jungkook’s efforts amusing. In ‘I Need U’ we see Jungkook alone. This time he’s in an alley surrounded by several figures in black. And they are also severely beating up Jungkook. There have been a few theories about a fall out between Yoongi and Jungkook causing Jungkook’s turn to crime and Yoongi’s loneliness followed by his death in ‘I Need U’. Either way, their close friendship seems to be one of the closest and also one of the most explosive of the best friendships these music videos explore. And if the storyline in ‘Youth’ is to be believed; Jungkook is all Yoongi has left after the death of his mother. So the theories might not be too far off.

It can honestly be a little difficult for me to talk about these particular music videos sometimes. They deal with extremely dark content and it’s difficult to see anyone, never mind our boys, portraying these scenarios. As I’ve said several times, it’s difficult to imagine that ‘Youth’ would go with all the original plot points and the original dark theme. The summary for the show even has a more positive edge to it, by saying that the boys use each other to get through their struggles. It already sounds like a light at the end of the tunnel. But, if they are going with these themes, these depictions definitely need to be handled with more care now that our understanding of mental health has improved since these music videos originally came out. I don’t mind them dealing with these themes as long as they deal with them in a helpful and heavily researched manner. Dark themes aside, it was nice to brush up on the friendship aspects of these videos. I think we might be able to look forward to a Hoseok and Jimin pairing and a Namjoon and Taehyung pairing as well as the Jungkook and Yoongi pairing. And hopefully we’ll be able to see Jin taking care of all of them in the mix as well. While I would appreciate if they are more careful with some of the theming, I definitely don’t want them to change those dynamics if possible. But I guess we’ll just have to see when or if ‘Youth’ comes out!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie