Ron Does Stuff

So. I’ve not been blogging for the past week or so, not that anybody cares to know why! But it’s a combination of me having to earn a living because I need to eat, and me just not being able to devote the rest of my time to anything else but the BTS comeback. I gotta get in my streams, man! But now I have a little bit of free time, and even more free time as the Holy Week approaches, I think I can get back to a reasonable blogging schedule. But for now, I’m watching this docu!

I’m going to be honest, I was a little worried about watching this, because just like every BTS comeback, there were every possible variation of doomsayers, naysayers, and fearmongers going around on social media. Social media has definitely not been a boon for stan culture, because while doomsayers, naysayers, and fearmongers were also around back then, it was easier to tune them out if you wanted to. In this day and age, the algorithm will serve it to you and tell you, “This is what you wanted, right?” No, this is not what I wanted.

ANYWAYS. The documentary opens with something I definitely wanted, and it’s moments from that beach live that the guys did once all of them were in Los Angeles. And can I just say, I felt like a proud mom watching that live, and watching the moments they showed at the start of this documentary? That years-long wait was worth it, especially when the doc gave a quick recap. Brought all the feelings back!

We then get the guys being introduced, and I’ve gotten so used to the fanchant order that it was a little ~discombobulating~ to see the names listed ~not in order~ as they popped up on the screen. We find out that by the time Jin arrives and joins the rest of the band in Los Angeles, there is already a “basic sketch” of the album ready to go, even if no final decision has been made.

I really like Namjoon talking about how none of them, not even Bang PD, know what to do, because there has literally been no K-Pop idol who has achieved as much as they have and retained as much popularity as they have. They are in a unique position, and that’s always hard.

I did not know that the album still wasn’t on the road to completion, even with just two weeks left in Los Angeles. And the first shots we see of them working on the album are a little stressful, as no idea seems good enough for the majority of people in the room. We also get one of the quotes that first spread around before everyone watched the documentary, and that got everyone heated. But it doesn’t sound bad at all with context included. And now for a totally shallow take: I wish I knew how to screencap on Netflix, because Taehyung arms while practicing for the first pitch? OM NOM NOM.

I do have to say that all of the noise before this documentary even came out really soured the viewing experience for me, because I was constantly on edge and waiting for what social media was fearmongering about. And it’s a shame! Because there were moments in the documentary, like the one where the guys watch clips from their past, that were really sweet and made me feel nostalgic and proud at the same time.

But I guess I also appreciated my resistance to the fearmongering narratives that quickly took root on social media? At least from the documentary I watched, what I saw was the company offering suggestions to the team, with BTS still very much having the final say in what they’re going to do. And the fact that even within BTS themselves, there’s disagreement about the songs. Hobi advocating for the Arirang sample even if Namjoon and Yoongi didn’t quite like the earlier versions of “Body to Body”! That whole discussion with Bang Si-Hyuk about how long the Arirang sample should be. Yoongi with the perfectly timed jabs when it came to their first listen to “Swim”, as well as Jimin and Jungkook advocating for “Swim” to be the title track.

Speaking of which, watch the music video!

Stream it on Spotify!

Getting to hear the guys’ thoughts about their future was also great for me, especially when Yoongi shared that they’ve gotten less worried about results and have adopted a more “If he flips it, he flips it” attitude when it comes to people’s reactions to their work.

Another insight that I liked from this documentary is seeing what the boys do outside of making music. Taehyung had dinner with the Wooga Squad, Jimin watches YouTube explainer videos and plays games, Jin plays tennis, Jungkook has Bam, and J-Hope has pottery, which was a surprise to me.

By the time the documentary ended with the boys singing “Swim”, I felt the same complicated feelings I felt after watching “Bring The Soul: The Movie” — that the boys had just let me see just enough of their inner lives that they were comfortable with, and no more. It’s very much for the fans, in my opinion, and I don’t know how well it’s going to be received by ~civilians~. While this is the most accessible documentary for non-ARMY, I’d probably recommend that they watch something like Burn The Stage first before diving into this one, because this one is diving into the deep end.

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