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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
as an army it was so interesting seeing the history of the boys that I know but this time coming from their own perspective. I loved how the book had various QR codes to connect people with performances, songs and various moments that the book referenced and it really made me emotional seeing how far bts have come in 10 years
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
honestly, just a fun biography. probably more fun bc im actually a fan and not a random person lmao. the chronological structure was well done, and so was the integration of direct quotes from the members' interviews. i also loved the qr codes at the bottom of the pages showing the songs and videos discussed in the main text. even the use of the song lyrics to explain/support some of the points the members were making was great. like so much of bts's identity as artists is their amazing lyricism so seeing that shine through was great. loved how each chapter correlated with a number of albums so having the album photoshoots at the start of each chapter was a great way of breaking up the book.
most active armys would know/be aware of most of the info in this and the events that happened. but like so many things happened but bts didn't talk about then or give their opinions. so this book sheds a lot of light on their personal opinions and emotions regarding many "incidents" that aren't the happiest usually.
i think its just so interesting to see how the pandemic completely derailed their plans. like the fact that map of the soul was meant to be a 3 part series (which would've made sense, looking at the jungian psychology its based of) with persona, shadow and ego being 3 separate albums but covid messed that up. the fact that from dynamite all the way to ptd was all basically improvised is just insane. like ik ppl have issues w their english releases but these songs are what they needed to be and really did pay off in the end.
no but im actually kinda disappointed the dumpling incident wasn't as dramatic as i thought it would be lmaoo. like those boys accidentally hyped it up wayyy too much. like the amount of times they've referenced it is wild.
most active armys would know/be aware of most of the info in this and the events that happened. but like so many things happened but bts didn't talk about then or give their opinions. so this book sheds a lot of light on their personal opinions and emotions regarding many "incidents" that aren't the happiest usually.
i think its just so interesting to see how the pandemic completely derailed their plans. like the fact that map of the soul was meant to be a 3 part series (which would've made sense, looking at the jungian psychology its based of) with persona, shadow and ego being 3 separate albums but covid messed that up. the fact that from dynamite all the way to ptd was all basically improvised is just insane. like ik ppl have issues w their english releases but these songs are what they needed to be and really did pay off in the end.
no but im actually kinda disappointed the dumpling incident wasn't as dramatic as i thought it would be lmaoo. like those boys accidentally hyped it up wayyy too much. like the amount of times they've referenced it is wild.
To the shock of no one, I loved this book. While nothing in here was particularly revelatory to me, it was incredibly special to be able to read it all from their perspectives and with all the little nuances that entails. What it drove home for me was that it both is and isn’t miraculous that BTS came to be who they are today. Miraculous in that there were so many obstacles and hardships that could’ve easily derailed their entire careers, and unmiraculous because there was no way these seven boys were going to be anything but superstars. Their love for their fans and each other, their passion for what they do, and the work they put in to get to where they are has never been more evident than in these pages. Can’t wait to see what comes next.
One critique: I really wish the translators/editors were not given the explicit instruction to only use their stage names in the making of this book because I think it loses a lot of personality as a result.
One critique: I really wish the translators/editors were not given the explicit instruction to only use their stage names in the making of this book because I think it loses a lot of personality as a result.
Before you all jump on me I just want to say that I am ARMY, I will always be ARMY and my rating in no way reflects them as a group, it reflects the quality of the book and my opinions as a critical reader.
First off, I want to point out that this was never marketed as a “tell all” even though the title “Beyond the Story”may suggest that. Those rating the book low just because they didn’t get “salacious” and “juicy” intimate details about the members personal lives should look closer (and to be honest we shouldn’t be expecting BTS to divulge more than they want to) and realise that this is literally a “10 Year Record of BTS”. That’s essentially what it is, the book effectively chronicles BTS from their beginnings to their 2021 Grammy performance which makes it the perfect book for new fans as it basically gives you a rundown of their journey and the hardships they have faced alongside their success. BTS, in my opinion, deserve every accolade and success that they have achieved. The gruelling road they have walked to get to where they are now has been full of bumps and honestly I commend them for even still being a group let alone an internationally successful group. The book does a fantastic job of showing this journey and really showcases the groups abilities and talent while delving into each members emotions and mindset at each obstacle and triumph.
However, this is very poorly written and translated in my opinion. The original was written in Korean so obviously some things may get lost in translation as different languages have different nuances and vocabulary. This was not the problem here, I had to read some sentences over and over again before I could even understand what was actually being said, they literally didn’t make sense. The narrative itself was clunky and extremely repetitive with phrases being repeated over and over again. The author jumps around randomly in the middle of chapters, for example, he would suddenly mention what I would consider to be quite a large event in BTS’s journey in the middle of a later chapter e.g. something that happened in 2015 would suddenly be inserted while talking about 2021.
He also went off on tangents and glossed over a lot of facts and events, for example, he starts to talk about SUGA’s shoulder surgery and is talking about an interview where SUGA went into more detail about the injury. Rather than including said interview he then suddenly switches to Jimin’s perspective on the interview and the original topic was abandoned completely. There is also barely anything about the member’s backgrounds, I was expecting maybe a section for each member at the beginning talking about their roots and where they came from, maybe even snippets from their childhood but nope. There is also nothing in this book that cannot be found online in various articles and interviews so if you were hoping for new information then you’ll be disappointed. Also, a minor gripe, those so called “unreleased photos”? There are three of each member and they are literally part of the photoshoot used to promote the book so I don’t really catagorise that as “unreleased”. I was expecting some unreleased behind the scenes photos from music videos, jacket shoots and other activities but again…nope.
Overall I would recommend you pick this up if you are new to the fandom or just looking to brush up on your knowledge of BTS’s story but keep in mind that this is what it says on the cover, a record and not a tell all. If you go into it with that mindset I think you will enjoy it. I personally was just expecting more from the writing and more depth and didn’t really gain any new information. I would also like to say, those of you who look down on BTS based on your perception of them as being “for teenage girls” or “talentless and just good looking” perhaps you should pick up this book (or actually watch a music video of theirs) and learn a thing or two. Thanks for coming to my TED talk and BTS you are incredible.
First off, I want to point out that this was never marketed as a “tell all” even though the title “Beyond the Story”may suggest that. Those rating the book low just because they didn’t get “salacious” and “juicy” intimate details about the members personal lives should look closer (and to be honest we shouldn’t be expecting BTS to divulge more than they want to) and realise that this is literally a “10 Year Record of BTS”. That’s essentially what it is, the book effectively chronicles BTS from their beginnings to their 2021 Grammy performance which makes it the perfect book for new fans as it basically gives you a rundown of their journey and the hardships they have faced alongside their success. BTS, in my opinion, deserve every accolade and success that they have achieved. The gruelling road they have walked to get to where they are now has been full of bumps and honestly I commend them for even still being a group let alone an internationally successful group. The book does a fantastic job of showing this journey and really showcases the groups abilities and talent while delving into each members emotions and mindset at each obstacle and triumph.
However, this is very poorly written and translated in my opinion. The original was written in Korean so obviously some things may get lost in translation as different languages have different nuances and vocabulary. This was not the problem here, I had to read some sentences over and over again before I could even understand what was actually being said, they literally didn’t make sense. The narrative itself was clunky and extremely repetitive with phrases being repeated over and over again. The author jumps around randomly in the middle of chapters, for example, he would suddenly mention what I would consider to be quite a large event in BTS’s journey in the middle of a later chapter e.g. something that happened in 2015 would suddenly be inserted while talking about 2021.
He also went off on tangents and glossed over a lot of facts and events, for example, he starts to talk about SUGA’s shoulder surgery and is talking about an interview where SUGA went into more detail about the injury. Rather than including said interview he then suddenly switches to Jimin’s perspective on the interview and the original topic was abandoned completely. There is also barely anything about the member’s backgrounds, I was expecting maybe a section for each member at the beginning talking about their roots and where they came from, maybe even snippets from their childhood but nope. There is also nothing in this book that cannot be found online in various articles and interviews so if you were hoping for new information then you’ll be disappointed. Also, a minor gripe, those so called “unreleased photos”? There are three of each member and they are literally part of the photoshoot used to promote the book so I don’t really catagorise that as “unreleased”. I was expecting some unreleased behind the scenes photos from music videos, jacket shoots and other activities but again…nope.
Overall I would recommend you pick this up if you are new to the fandom or just looking to brush up on your knowledge of BTS’s story but keep in mind that this is what it says on the cover, a record and not a tell all. If you go into it with that mindset I think you will enjoy it. I personally was just expecting more from the writing and more depth and didn’t really gain any new information. I would also like to say, those of you who look down on BTS based on your perception of them as being “for teenage girls” or “talentless and just good looking” perhaps you should pick up this book (or actually watch a music video of theirs) and learn a thing or two. Thanks for coming to my TED talk and BTS you are incredible.
informative
slow-paced