#My bias is definitely showing here but I also have to say that boundaries shined through most prominently in VP's storyline ok

[thatgirl4815]

Boundaries

One of the things I found most enjoyable in this episode was the careful attention to boundaries. I feel like we got to understand its importance in all three of the relationships.

For KinnPorsche, we have Porsche repeatedly turning Kinn away when he thinks he’s lied to him. Kinn, seeing that boundary, backs off; however, he immediately starts making moves to mend the wall between them. During their first conversation after Porsche’s eavesdropping, Kinn backs off when Porsche pushes him away, but he doesn’t let Porsche push him away for good. That’s one of the prevailing aspects of KP’s relationship--they have issues, certainly, but they don't let each other form an unbreakable boundary. We saw it in the last scene of Ep7 and we see it here. Kinn makes mistakes, but he can’t bear the thought of just letting Porsche walk away--no, he’s been hurt too many times. Tay is right about Kinn; he holds onto what he loves dearly. And while Porsche does it too, I will say that Kinn always makes efforts to hold Porsche’s hand tightly (both metaphorically--as Tay said--and physically). 

I will say that I think we are missing out on an important conversation between KP during the episode, because I thought there would certainly be more of a fallout after Korn confessed to covering up Porsche’s parent’s murder. But, they moved on fairly quickly, which is probably a testament to how willingly they submit to each other. It’s again a parallel to Ep7--they make mistakes but they are quick to make up, because they’re clinging to each other like their lives depend on it. In this kind of dangerous world, that’s the only thing they can do if they want to make it out the other side. 

For VegasPete, we have a much more immediate, physical idea of boundaries. Yes, I’m talking about the love scene, but there’s also an acknowledgement of boundaries before that. It’s all to do with Vegas’s hedgehog, a.k.a., a metaphor for his feelings of worth to his father and himself. The one thing I always come back to about this idea of boundaries is that Pete clearly acknowledges them--for instance, during their conversation about blood types when Vegas quickly turns hostile at the notion that he’s “sensitive”/in need of love. There were several times I saw Pete’s expression and just knew that he was trying hard to come to terms with Vegas’s brokenness--to truly understand him. Vegas forms boundaries around himself as a defense-mechanism--and the blood type scene is one of the clearest examples of that. 

When it comes to physical boundaries, the connection here is pretty clear. Vegas initiates with Pete, but he (shockingly) backs off when Pete doesn’t immediately give in. I’ll devote more substantial meta to this later, but Pete sets a boundary when he calls Vegas a psycho, and we see Vegas acknowledging that boundary in a way Kinn did not in KP’s first love scene. Maybe Vegas was telling the truth when he told Porsche that he doesn’t like to force anyone. 

But what we eventually see is Pete taking matters into his own hands--(temporarily) ripping apart the boundaries he has over himself about distrusting Vegas and all the pain he’s inflicted. Because, as I’ve said previously, Pete doesn’t want Vegas to feel so alone. Pete is breaking these boundaries because Vegas needs someone to break them. Desperately. I think Pete’s known it at a subconscious level since the moment he saw Kan give Vegas that first slap in Ep11. But here, he’s saying that he will be Vegas’s, that he will give Vegas that control; it’s as much about their relationship as it is about the sex. Vegas, someone who tortures people and forcibly takes control from them, is only truly satisfied by someone who cares enough to give that power to him. When Pete gives Vegas the ropes, he is temporarily offering Vegas dominion over the boundary separating them. 

Lastly, for KimChay, we have another metaphorical boundary in the form of interference. Kim, someone who recently rejected a sensitive teenage boy (quite coldly, might I add), waltzes into Chay’s gathering to put an end to something that could’ve been very bad for Chay. Kim thinks he’s doing the right thing by “helping” Chay here, but that’s not the point. Kim has crossed a line here, because he doesn’t get to say what’s best for Chay; he’s not his parent. He’s not even his lover. The point is that Kim is trying to act as if he has control over something he let go the moment he walked away from this relationship. He doesn’t get to walk back in now and act as if he has real authority. 

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I guess I’d conclude by saying that all three of these boundary investigations are worth exploring because they all touch on similar and different sides of the same topic. I feel as if I’ve just barely scratched the surface of a much greater discussion, but this is what I’ve come up with so far on the paralleling dynamics in Ep12.

[thoughts-on-bangtan]

I know we shoudnt talk about other ships but for real I don’t get how people come here asking about maknae line ships when this thread exist twitter com/stussyjeon_/status/1361977220890296320?s=21 doesn’t mean anything I know but jk ships with maknae line don’t do half of these and people call them married. Lol People should look more into jk as a person and all members instead of keep feeding their projections with y or x because he has done a lot with others. It’s insulting.

I mean, we can talk about other ships as long as we see them as friendships and not romantic ones, except for vmin (and namjin). I said it before but if anyone wants to talk to me about Seokjin with Jungkook or Yoongi with Seokjin or Namjoon with Jimin in terms of their real-life amazing friendships, I’m 100% in. Especially Jungkook with Seokjin since I adore their bond and dynamic, it’s so funny and cute and has been this steady constant ever since they became trainees. Like Jungkook once said that he came to Seoul to raise Seokjin hyung.

But, going back to the actual purpose of that ask, I agree in that what many should do (yet most of the time simply do not, on purpose or accidentally) is take a step back and consider the full picture, instead of just the “zoomed in” moment that ignores all context and what’s happening around them, as well as their dynamics with the other members. This is a major thing I see happening with Jungkook ships, though surely it happens with all of them but to a lesser degree, and it really is unfair and, in a way, discredits and erases his bonds with all the other members. And okay, I get it, I tend to notice interactions between vmin or namjin more/quicker since they are my favorite pairs, or more generally interactions or things that the Kim line do since Namjoon is my bias and Seokjin and Taehyung my bias wreckers, but I’d never go as far as completely ignoring everything else around their “moments” and the context of it all. When I watch BTS content, I observe OT7 first and foremost, since I love all of them, and then next in line are details regarding my ships and biases, not the other way around.

I don’t want to come across as preachy or like I’m some end all be all judge sitting on my high horse, but one thing I do believe is super important when you’re ARMY, and also a shipper, is to prioritize OT7 while watching any piece of content over just watching said content for the sake of catching “moments” or interactions between your ship. If you focus just on the latter, you’ll miss out on a lot of amazing things, and you’ll very quickly end up on this very slippery slope that’ll lead you into toxic shipper land where OT7 stops being important and all you’ll care about is your ship (occasionally to the point of making yourself miserable when your ship doesn’t act the way you want them to or parts of your ship “act out of line”, so to speak), and that’s just not fair toward BTS, your ship, and yourself.

That linked thread, by the way, is super adorable and showcases how wonderful Jungkook’s bond is with Hobi, but also with the entirety of the hyung line since there are threads like that for him along with Yoongi, Seokjin and Namjoon as well. Think about Jungkook’s many declarations about how thankful he is for Namjoon, how he was the reason he wanted to be a BH trainee, how much he loves him—how come that doesn’t garner bigger reactions from people? Can you imagine if he’d say the exact same thing for one of the 95s? Sns servers would quite literally break under the force of emotions exploding from shippers. But since it’s Namjoon, it gets a “cute” and written off as largely uninteresting. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

Why do people not react just as fiercely about these “moments” as they do when Jungkook interacts with the 95s, you may ask. Easy, because those who have these big and loud reactions and make these declarations of xyz ML ship being real and married are people who, generally speaking, have little interest in the hyung line due to various reasons like, including but not limited to, them being too old, too mature, not cute enough, or simply not a maknae line member. I’ve noticed that in many cases if they do pay attention to the hyung line it’s only to use them as supporting roles/props, in that they use their reactions or behavior in connection to their ship as “proof” for their claims.

Hobi laughs a certain way when Jungkook interacts with Jimin? Ships is real. Seokjin smiles a certain way while Jungkook laughs at something Tae said? Ship is most definitely real. Namjoon shakes his head at whatever Jungkook just did with Jimin or Tae? Ship is literally married.

And yes, interactions between the maknaes are cute and funny and lovely, but in most cases anything Jungkook has done with Jimin and/or Tae are things he’s also done with the hyung line, and in many cases, just like you pointed out, he’s done more significant things with the hyungs than he’s done with the 95s. Though, in a way, comparing things like this feels a bit…icky to me since every bond is different and has different boundaries and “rules”, but for the sake of this post, I’ll roll with it.

Look at Jungkook’s bond with Yoongi, how we know that Yoongi had Jungkook record several guides for songs for his mixtapes and enjoys spending time at Yoongi’s studio, how both of them started to learn guitar at a similar time and I’m sure they’ve used each other as motivation and helped each other. Look at how gentle Jungkook is with Yoongi, or how instead of saying ‘I love you’ Yoongi sometimes simply touches the purple heart tattoo on Jungkook’s hand.

Or look at his bond with Seokjin, how silly and carefree they are together despite their age gap of five years which, while it may not be so important anymore now that Jungkook is 23 and Seokjin 28, but it was definitely a significant thing back when Jungkook was 15 and Seokjin 20 (though I know in Korea that age difference will always be important to a certain degree but you get my point). And yet Seokjin practically adopted Jungkook to the point where Jungkook basically said that in Seokjin he has both an older and a younger brother.

Or look at that thread full of lovely Jungkook and Hobi moments, how clearly their closeness shines through, how cute they are together and how much they care about each other. There are so many instances of them cuddling or hugging, gravitating to each other, Hobi pretend kissing Jungkook, and generally showing how comfortable they are with each other. Like in BV4 where they shared a bed in the campervan and one morning Jungkook woke up to find that Hobi went to brush his teeth or whatever without him and was a bit whiny about it. Or that clip of Hobi wrapped in a blue blanket and Jungkook hugging him while they were both asleep that’s in the FESTA 2019 Euphoria MV which is significant since it’s a clip taken by the members in their own time, meaning this is simply something Jungkook and Hobi do together. Or how much comfort Jungkook gets from sniffing Hobi, his clothes or hair, and how often we’ve seen him do that, which makes it even cuter when you consider how sensitive Jungkook is to smells in general.

Admin 2: quick addition from my side: remember ITS and that scene where JK plays Lost Stars on guitar and Hobi sits next to him? And look at him as though he just realized that he’s in love with JK with stars in his eyes and that dreamy type of expression? It’s just a look, just a small moment, and yet it makes you think.

Just like I said in my previous post all about Jungkook and how shippers have a tendency to erase/take away his autonomy, talent, and humanity, it seems some also have a tendency to erase his bonds with the hyung line and that’s simply not okay. You can ship Jungkook with whoever you want, that’s none of my business, but at least don’t ignore his bonds and friendships for the sake of your ship. You’ll lose out on a lot of cute, fun and meaningful things if you do, honestly. Also, if you pay attention to his interactions with all the members, you’ll realize that his interactions with the 95s aren’t special or more ship-worthy or better “proof”, in fact, you might come to find that there’s far more that could be seen as “ship proof” in his interactions with his hyungs. But really, the one thing that matters in all of this is that Jungkook has a beautiful bond with all the members, different ones, yet none of them are better or worse, all worthy of being cherished and highlighted just as much. Shippability and the amount of “ship” moments are just a less important extra, if even.

Also romanticdrift got the exact same ask so you can check out their response to it here (generally the post it belongs to is amazing and worth a read).

[osanajimi]

Untitled Review

My bias said since there’re only 2 years left until Arashi’s 20th, they have 2 years to test their limits and boundaries before being busy celebrating entering their 3rd decade, thus, that is what I choose to focus on in appreciating this album...

Green Light - Top batter. I wasn’t sucked into this immediately, but my impression of it has changed. The preview on the website which only featured the chorus made me think of their kouhais (HSJ, Kisumai), but the lower notes changed my mind. I find that I don’t dislike the tuning on the members’ voice, so that’s good. The transitions are niggling me though. Feels like it could have been done more smoothly. I find that the contrasts throw me off a little. Still one of my favourites from the album though.

Mikan - When I first heard it, I was blooming mad because of the mishmash of genres that didn’t feel like they mesh. But as I listened to it more, I became convinced that it is a daring attempt. It was what hinted me at what Arashi was trying to do with the album this round, before they dropped any other details about it. My condolences about the MV, but with Sho as bias, I don’t find myself complaining much when I’ve got that pair dance to flail over. 

Sugar - Love the beat. I call these kinds of songs the ‘blast them out loud as you you go for a drive maybe at coastal roads ala what they do in MVs’ (or ‘Drive songs’ for short). Members singing in the back has got my attention rather than the member that’s doing the main, like when they’re going ‘sugaa~~rrr’ and ‘my loo~~vee’. Also, something about this reminds me of EXILE. 

Ari no Mama de - Clap your hands to this, yeah~ Wave it side to side, yeah~ Channel your 1D fangirl heart, yeah~ (there, I’ve gone and said it). I want to be skipping around with my tween girlfriends while holding hands. Quite Western boyband-ish *cough* for our Japanese manband.

Fu’un - Kamen Rider or Super Sentai OSTs. Nothing really bad about it, but it’s never really been my kind of song.  

Houyou - The first half felt a bit complicated. I couldn’t tell when the song was going to settle. And then I realized it wouldn’t. Then Sakurap actually caught me in this state which I’m thankful for. Bias he may be, it felt like a float to hold onto in the middle of a calm sea, but in the middle of the sea nonetheless. Edit: I found out the meaning. Suffice to say, no wonder I felt lost.. ahaha..

Pray - Shojo slice-of-life ending theme song. I’m seeing curious faces peeking out of umbrellas and up at the sky as the rain lets up but the air is still heavy with moisture (that’s probably just the ‘傘’ word getting in the way, though).  

Hikari - Ninoooo~~~~~~ If I sounded this good opening a song, I’d call it out as my favorite, too. I can sort of see him as Disney princess singing to charm the tiny critters who’ll become his allies. Gospel-ish, just like they said in the jweb vid. Definitely a song that makes you stand up and sway left-right and clapping to beat. I like songs where there is obvious non-member backing, mostly because if it’s performed, then I like the backup singers in the con to have their time to shine. Or, they could have a choir, but they did that two years ago in Miyagi, so idk. The Sakurap isn’t my favourite kind, but appreciating the versatility. Would’ve liked to hear the 15-seconds after Ohno’s main following Sakurap as a cappella, but oh well. 

Kanata e - I couldn’t make my mind up about the song until after the 1min mark. I’ll be honest and say only the chorus is sort of working for me. Sounds like uplifting anime OST. The rest... doesn’t really stick.

Song for you - This was great. This is great. Arashi did me in with this one. Ohno had gotten to me on Msute (I’m kinda weak for Ohno’s solo lines in group songs). But then they sang in unison the same lines/melody towards the end, and I can honestly say, the 5 of Arashi topped Ohno solo. That part was... beautiful. I don’t really have any other way to describe it. Whatever it was that Ohno found in Miles Away last year, they didn’t let it be a one-time thing and go to waste. 

Kanpai Song - Either Kanjani or WEST. This was a Kansai song that thought it might want to do a little ‘上京’ing. From the title, I was expecting something like Energy Song. The theme was, the melody not so much. It’s not a song I would dislike, but clashes a bit with my image of current Arashi.

Unit Songs:

Curiosity Team - Bazuri Night: Initial D (?) Eurobeat stuff I should think. Fuzakeru song, as I thought it’ll be when I saw the unit (I might not show it, but I’m still a bit sore about Yama). I had this teeny hope for a slow song when the Machi ga Irodzuku koro video was going around, but Aiba on Rekomen explained that it wasn’t so. So the song is basically the old men having their night out unsupervised. I don’t mind doing some ParaPara to this.

 Riida and his babies - Yoru no Kage: They sound like a a KPop group trying to promote themselves in Japan (in the sense that the group puts more effort since they’re trying to enter a foreign market). That, or Miura Daichi. I was pretty sure we’re going to get something classy from this unit though, so in that aspect I wasn’t disappointed. Nice high notes. Jun did great matching the other two, always have been a bit of his specialty, I should think. Looking forward to the performance. 

Soubusen Nakama - UB: Unit bath. Of course. What were we thinking of getting when it’s these two. A straight ballad? Pfft. But the harmonizing is sweet. If I didn’t know better, I think I’m hearing open fields and clear endless blue skies with whispy clouds. There’s something Western (American outback? not country though) about it. It’s kinda cute if you don’t think about the meaning too much. 

Sakumoto - Comeback: So, this is something like if MC Sakurai and DJ Matsumoto from Arafes ‘13 got together for real and decided to do something from 2 decades ago. I have no objections to this (kidding, I LOVE it).   It is ‘Get Arrested Pt. II’ after all. The countdowns in the song works so much for me. Gets you all riled up and excited for them. I can already hear the dead whale noises I’ll be making as watching the DVD next year induces a cardiac arrest in me. Edit: I just remembered the Yakai episode where they have an ICU girl describe Sho as having ‘good vibes’. It’d tickle me if that’s where the phrase in the lyrics come from. 

If I’m to rank the unit songs:

Yoru no Kage

Comeback

UB

Bazuri Night

Why do I feel that this album is pretty polarizing? I’ve seen some people who aren’t into it (Japanese fans, though). I’m supposing it’s all the new sounds we’re hearing? However, despite that, I’ll repeat what I said in a post the other day,  I hope they can continue doing something different without fear of backlash from fans. Personally, I’m really happy with it. 

Edit: After getting a proper looks, I’m wondering how much the members were involved with the lyrics. Song For You, for example, would be really weird if it was written without the members having any say at all. I mean, it’s beautiful, it’s a story of the group’s journey, but if a complete stranger wrote it then... you know. Kinda weird. Idk.

P.S.: There’s always this one song in each con that makes me wish I was there whenever I watch the con DVD, eg, Hope in the Darkness for Digitalian, Ohno’s Akatsuki in Japonism, and Nino’s Mata Kyou in AYH. But Song For You makes me wish I could have attended the con just from the sound of it. Here’s to them giving the song the justice it deserves.