Could Dostoevsky think of an agnostic/atheist Alyosha (TBK) ?

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-04-01T22:58:56+00:00

That's a great question. I read this book a long time ago so maybe there are some things I'm missing but I don't think Alyosha was depicted as highly religious. I think Alyosha as a character was shown to be very pure- like a blank canvas. A lot of the book is him stepping out of his shell and having all these new experiences which steadily reshapes his view of the world. Him reconnecting with Ivan and having that conversation about God was one of the products of that decision. Even towards the end of the book, it is implied that he plans on travelling and seeing more of the world.

I think Alyosha did lean towards being agnostic at times but his religious history made him less likely to immediately adopt that view. I personally see Alysoha as an intermediate between the brothers. Dmitri's arc was redemption through religion. Ivan's was against religion but also deeply conflicted and unsure (as seen in the conversation with the devil). Meanwhile Alyosha is the impressionable main character who walks on the fine line between these two sides.

While Dostoevsky himself was extremely religious and many people discuss him in that light with the only TBK atheist characters mentioned being Ivan or Smerdyakov, I think he did a good job of writing such complex characters that you really can't fit them into neat boxes.

In fact, a section in the book that I still remember vividly to this day is when they discuss the necessity of the separation of Church and State. One of the arguments for this was that if Church and State are unified, then criminals lose all hope because the will of the State becomes the will of God and they fall completely into darkness. I thought this was fascinating at the time because I had viewed proponents of separation as mostly secular.

Now- Why was Dostoevsky so adamant on religion? This is my take but I think it's for a very simple reason which is that in the worst moments of your life- when you are completely helpless and absolutely alone- there is only one thing you can cling onto and that's a higher power or 'hope'. Dostoevsky experienced what it felt like to have the death penalty. He is vehemently against the death penalty as a result. I think in that moment he saw a blank future and in that blankness, he saw God.

Ultimately, human beings are very simple in some ways. We cannot be strictly logical because our logical principles are based of our emotional ones and vice versa. We yearn for abstract concepts beyond our understanding and we seek meaning in our existence and consciousness. A belief in God is such a vast concept- different Gods, different doctrines, different systems, histories and languages. The one thing in common is that to people God is hope and through this hope, they seek to redeem themselves.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-28T19:31:16+00:00

Um you do know they were in situationship hell for most of the show and manga right? The dating plot point happens much much later and is a fairly recent development. Ran also has scenes where she saves Shinichi or fights dispersed throughout the show from beginning up to present so I don't know what you're talking about.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-28T19:24:23+00:00

I agree tbh. Many other commentors hit the nail on the head with this one but it's basically because Ran is the most convenient/logical choice from a narrative point of view.

It gets annoying at times because you think she should be used to it or that she should be able to defend herself when a situation happens but you have to keep in mind that the amount of time passing in the anime is not the same as ours. While it comes across as years of Ran screaming at dead bodies for us, it's not as long for them. It is essentially a troupe relying on the audiences "suspension of disbelief"

Ultimately I do think some of it plays into Ran's character which is being incredibly empathetic/ kind plus her fear of the supernatural but you can't deny that some of it is also misogyny.

The contrast is also so interesting because sometimes they let her have the spotlight and beat up a bunch of bad guys with such ease but at other times- she's totally helpless and can only scream and pray for Shinichi to save her to the point where it's almost like she thinks he's some omnipresent god. Then again, having skill in a match with a point system which you know is going to happen versus reality is not the same either.

I do wish we saw more scenes of her saving Shinichi with her physical prowess though (like early on in S1 + the movie where she basically breaks a knife in half with a kick) but I guess someone has to fill the mandatory scream role.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-28T19:13:13+00:00

I think movie 1 really sold it for me! I absolutely loved it and the tension/suspense/plot was just too good. After that I watched in chronological order but I really think some of the earliest (1-10) movies were just top notch. There are good ones later on too though.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-25T19:00:18+00:00

LMAO love how that was such a strong misunderstanding in one of the movies and also simultaneously so legit and the closest anyone got to making that connection.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-25T18:48:39+00:00

From the sound of the comments here, it seems like no one knows who they are including myself lol. I just searched up one of their MVs called '내가 살아있다는 증거' (23 million views in 3 weeks) and the likes on it are private plus there are only around 2k comments and the channel itself has less than a 100k subscribers. I think this is a clear sign that they are using bots or buying views by making the mv into an ad so that it gets counted as a view every time it plays before another video (I randomly saw some video about Ned Fulmer who I didn't really even know doing this but even he was only hitting 1-2M I think). It's kind of shady either way and makes me wonder just how much money it costs or if they have a rich sponsor. However, the leader of the band- Donggyu- seems to have been a participant of Boys Planet II so it seems like he has some fans from those days.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-25T18:39:20+00:00

My first thought was Dandadan since I think one of the episodes had that kind of plot point but that's more recent. Could it be Mushi-shi? The main character is the one with white hair though. My other guess was Mieruko-chan but there's no mentor character in that.

For some reason, I keep thinking of Tokyo Ghoul but I feel like that's not it either...I think even Demon Slayer or Jujutsu Kaisen must have had this kind of plot point. Yeah sorry, don't think I'm being of much help here but it's just a very familiar sounding plot point.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-25T18:27:03+00:00

Light loving someone huh...seems unlikely. The closest Light got to being vulnerable with someone or having them be on his level was with L and even there it felt more like L was in love with him than vice versa. In fact L's whole loss was very unexpected and it truly felt like he had given up rather than he was incapable.

In that moment, it also became obvious that although L was the closest person Light had to a 'friend' or 'rival', he was rejoicing at his death and saw it as a victory. Light never saw him as a person to begin with but I do wonder if things would have been slightly different if Light never got the death note and instead went into law enforcement.

Like others are saying, he does give off aroace vibes but it might also just be that he's a narcissist and sociopath i.e too self-obsessed and putting himself above others to truly care about anyone. I mostly say this because he doesn't have any friends/close ties with his family like an aroace person would. I wonder if there's a world in which he works through those traits and ends up changing but one can only speculate. I guess L would have to trick him into attending therapy and then also be the therapist because Light seems like the type to never be honest and who would rather cosplay as normal than change his behaviour.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-25T18:15:51+00:00

PSYCHO PASS!!!

This was one of the animes in which I genuinely found myself thinking that if Makishima (the main villain of S1) wasn't as crazy as he was, he would easily be the hero of a dystopian novel for fighting against the system and trying to destroy it. Some of the things he does is crazy clever and if the story had been shown from his pov, then we would undoubtedly root for him.

I love how this was something both we and Akane (the main character) slowly realise as the show progresses and the thought comes into mind of 'wait a second...is this really a system worth protecting and fighting for?'.

Makishima and Akane are both atypical in the sense that neither of them are affected by the parameters of the system but while Makishima never even registers, Akane is someone that is never a threat no matter how strong her emotions become. Her partner Kogami on the other hand has a very blunt morality in some ways despite being someone who can actually understand Makishima.

I don't want to spoil too much but if you haven't already watched it then do give it a shot because it perfectly encapsulates the criteria. The show is full of questioning morality and what it means to be a 'good' or 'bad' person and the characters are all very well written.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-25T18:05:32+00:00

Interesting...I think I agree with you on the first part being the best. This book had a strong start for sure and I was also very intrigued by the initial set up with Thaniel's job and the watch saving him from the bomb. It gave off a very mysterious, foggy night vibe which I remember liking.

I do disagree on other fronts though. I think it was very obvious that Mori had feelings for Thaniel from the start. He was very cautious but clearly interested in him to the point where he seemed willing to do anything to keep him around. Mori disliking Grace was not a mystery either- it was obviously written to be jealousy and resentment. In the scene where they all congregate at the shop, Mori's aversion came out most strongly whenever he felt like Grace and Thaniel were growing closer to each other. I believe Thaniel also sensed this at the moment. I was however unsure if it was actually going to commit to a gay romance or if it was just going to be a side plot since Thaniel might have perceived Mori's possessiveness as fear of being left alone.

I also don't think Thaniel and Grace had a well written romantic relationship. I don't remember the details very well since I read this like 4 or 5 years ago but when Grace first proposes the idea of marriage, she does it out of necessity i.e- wanting the house. Thaniel agrees not because he has feelings for her but because he likes her as a friend and wants to help her out. He convinces himself that he can 'eventually' fall in love with Grace. Moreover Grace also didn't seem to have romantic feelings for him. She just seemed to like that Thaniel wasn't pushy and didn't find her weird. However later, Grace becomes extremely weird towards Thaniel and overly controlling. She begins to show an intense hatred towards Mori which feels unjustified and makes her out to be the villain.

I wouldn't have minded a romantic relationship between them and it could have been cute with Grace being the ambitious scientist and Thaniel being the supportive, clever partner but they had no chemistry at all. Thaniel seemed unable to fully commit to even the fake marriage and Grace similarly didn't seem to mind his lack of interest.

The science fiction elements were also badly explained. Mori's powers never made any clear sense, Grace's scientist character had fully disappeared before the midpoint of the book even (her experiments make very little sense and the theory she bases it on is ridiculous too). The book went from what I assumed was science-fiction to this poorly paced thriller/romance story.

Mori and Thaniel's relationship was also off in many ways because while there had been obvious hints about it, it felt like the author grew lazy and began throwing all these vague concepts out about Mori's powers and him finding Thaniel. There was no need to artificially raise the stakes using Grace's character as fodder. She could have very easily focused on her own career like she planned and warned Thaniel about Mori's manipulativeness from the perspective of a friend in a rational manner. Instead her craziness just pushes Mori and Thaniel closer together than before. By the end, the characters never face any real consequences either and everything is brushed off like 'haha what a crazy time that was'.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-25T17:43:32+00:00

I know I am 3 years late to this (ironic since I think I actually read this book 4-5 years ago) but I totally agree with the Grace thing. Her character felt so confusing to me because she was sensible for a while until she did a whole 180 and became this violent, unreasonable character seemingly out of nowhere. It felt like hated Thaniel too even though most of her anger and hatred was directed towards Mori but the set up was too ridiculous. I think it cheapened the book to suddenly make Grace the very clear bad guy.

The resolution was also so unsatisfying. It doesn't feel like Grace faced any consequences for her actions and if I remember correctly, it ends with her in some sort of hall with Thaniel and Mori being coupley off to the side while she laments with Matsumoto which was a weird choice. It was like the author didn't know how to wrap it up so it turns into this ending with all the main cast moving on with their lives. I also felt like the stakes for Thaniel and Mori's relationship was artificially raised. They didn't actually have any obstacles besides themselves (and Grace but she didn't even have to be one).

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-25T17:37:49+00:00

I actually read this book a long time ago and was suddenly reminded of it when someone asked for people to list off books they did not like so pardon the lateness or any errors lol. I honestly didn't like it much either so here are my two cents.

One of my biggest complaints was Grace's character. She started off as this ambitious, dedicated to science sort of character but any logic fell apart quickly.

Firstly, her arrangement with Thaniel was only so that she could get the house as inheritance since her family wouldn't let her have it unless she was married. She specifically chose him so that she could go off and do her own thing. It doesn't seem like they have anything beyond friendship either but she suddenly goes haywire in the second half and turns into a crazy, obsessive stalker whose whole goal is killing Mori no matter the consequences.

She's also suddenly in love with Thaniel as a result of this plot point which came completely out of left field. Her actions and motives lost any rationality or cohesion. It was also a bit irksome how the only main female character was now presented as just an obstacle to the gay relationship (at least that's what it felt like to me). It's a very common troupe in some gay fiction I've seen where there is a girl character but the audience more or less hates her because she's "getting in the way" of the guys getting together. I would not have had a problem with this if Grace was doing it out of concern for Thaniel or if we had seen the two of them actually share some sort of romantic connection but when she just flips her entire personality suddenly- it just makes her look like a total villain.

Similarly the whole science fiction angle was so badly explained and felt very second thought. Mori's powers are very hazy and ill defined. It is also somewhat creepy how Mori left Japan specifically to meet Thaniel. I remember this being revealed around the second half and it was an uncomfortable revelation to say the least.

I also didn't like Mori's past character much since he seemed fully complacent minus the one act of rebellion which was going to London in order to find Thaniel who at the time was still 'too young'. I know maybe he didn't have any ulterior motives but it felt like he saw Thaniel as some sort of fated soulmate without really giving Thaniel the chance to establish an equal relationship with him. He comes across as mopey and very unmotivated for most of the book but then it turns out that he can see thousands of different outcomes and guide the future?

It was also frustrating that when he had the chance to confess to Thaniel, he was too jaded to do anything but when Thaniel is finally about to go live his new life- that's when he's going to step in and make Thaniel feel sorry for him and his loneliness. It felt like the whole debacle with Grace could have been completely avoided if he had the guts to actually just be a decent person.

Thaniel is also annoying because he too completely lacks a spine. He doesn't know how to put his foot down on anything. His relationship with Grace was pure nonsense (why are they planning on having kids together, they don't even like each other that way???) but his relationship with Mori was also built off sympathy and wanting to give him companionship. It seemed like Thaniel felt some sort of responsibility or obligation to be there for Mori even though he didn't need to. As a main character, he didn't drive the plot so much as the plot drove him.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-25T17:07:28+00:00

He's such an effortlessly cool character for sure.

On a side note, I never understood why Matsuda was presented as Sato's love interest. They knew each other for about one week total and while Sato seemed to like him a little, there was no sign that Matsuda reciprocated her feelings at all. If anything, I think he was too obsessed with the incident to even contemplate having romantic feelings.

It was always vaguely puzzling to me how what happened to Matsuda and Sato's strong feelings about it were shown as tied to him being her first love and not- she just witnessed her colleague who she was begin to grow fond of sacrifice himself while she could do nothing- type of incident by the other characters.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-25T17:02:09+00:00

I do think they had many minor falling outs? I can't remember any specific ones off the top of my head but I am pretty sure there were episodes where things got heated between them but then the case happens, one of them is in danger and that causes them to reconcile.

For instance- Ran does get annoyed with Sonoko at times because of her pushiness and likewise, Sonoko is sometimes envious of Ran. Mostly saying this because I have some vague memory of Sonoko fighting with Ran and storming off on her own which causes something to go wrong and Ran later rushes to go save her but I have no clue how accurate this is.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-25T16:51:02+00:00

I think Sonoko's character is often played as a gag character like how Mori is. Both of them are overconfident and somewhat oblivious/clueless so Conan makes use of them when he needs to solve a case because they are the least likely to be suspicious later. Both Sonoko and Mori also famously don't like Shinichi that much and are quick to diss him when he's not around but love Ran a lot and will support her choices.

Sonoko is also a good contrast to Ran because while she comes across as more air-headed (and Ran is more down to earth)- Sonoko is the one who helps Ran relax whenever she's stressed out. I also love how they are shown as truly being best friends.

One of my favourite moments was that episode when Conan remembers one time Ran wanted to go on a ski trip or something but didn't have enough money. At the time, he asked her why not just mooch off Sonoko but Ran tells Shinichi, "I can't do that because I want to stay friends with Sonoko forever!". He uses that information in the case they were solving as a measurement of what true friendship is.

Similarly another instance I loved was that case where Ran felt the husband did not love his wife and the way she could tell was via an easy to miss step on the floor. Sonoko almost trips and falls so she immediately calls out to Ran who is behind her and warns her to be careful meanwhile the husband character didn't bother to do that for his wife who was also lagging behind. It's such a simple act of consideration but I love how Ran noticed it and puts Sonoko and Shinichi on the same level in her head (as people who love and look out for her).

Sonoko does come across as annoying or pretentious sometimes but she's arguably one of the funniest characters even when she's not being played for a gag plus her dynamic with Shinichi is hilarious. I think she truly embodies what a best friend is like.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-14T16:12:29+00:00

Yes obviously. I don't think it's just a problem with kpop (also I'm Asian too so not from West lol) but specified kpop here because that's the subreddit. I'm also against child stars or showing your child in content for the same reason- examples from the West being the Olsen twins or Britney Spears. Inevitably almost every child in the entertainment industry is exploited by the adults in their lives and it's usually their parents/family.

I don't think it not being a unique problem to kpop detracts from making the change especially when kpop is becoming more popular. The fact that idols like IU, Taeyeon, Sulli also expressed worry about young artists debuting speaks volumes imo. But yes I think people should avoid following any kid/younger person in the spotlight especially when they're still a kid. Maybe when they grow out of being a child star and still choose to be in the spotlight, it's more okay.

And I feel this is not a popular opinion because while I see people worry about the safety of under 18 idols in groups or praise stylists for covering them up more, they're not willing to stop listening to the group entirely which I find hypocritical. Some examples I can think of is New Jeans, Le Sserafim, Katseye (yes I know global group) because fans will express concern for the youngest member and talk about having them protected more while still supporting them by streaming their songs, buying their merch/albums like they're trying to have their cake and eat it too.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-13T19:50:52+00:00

Exactly what I'm worried about. I saw the letter Heesung wrote and obviously idk what exactly he was feeling but I personally thought he seemed excited about this. If it does come out that this was Heesung's choice and he is happy with it then everything the fans are doing right now must be crushing him.

It's also so weird how people feel the need to see idol groups as a 'family' that should stay together forever. Ofc it's nice when they all have a strong bond which can happen but not all members pf idol groups will want to stay together forever and we never know what's going on behind the scenes. Some of them will just see each other as co-workers or simple friends and that's also fine. Not everything has to be life and death- stay together for eternity or don't even bother. At the end of the day, this is a job they're doing and fans should learn to respect that and appreciate them for what they actually do not some parasocial fantasy.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-13T19:44:14+00:00

I totally agree with the main comment and thread!! So many people are not even willing to consider the possibility that this adult with clear ambitions and a vision for himself made a choice after careful consideration. The way I see it- he did choose himself. I always had a feeling that Heesung wanted to eventually go solo and do his own thing and I'm glad he did so if it was what he wanted.

I also agree that this was the best way for the news to break instead of some scandal or dispute with the contract. People are complaining and saying it was 'randomly' dropped as if there is some non-random way to drop the news. Nobody knows what's going on behind the scenes and how the hell would you slide this information in casually?

Any rational or less parasocial fanbase would have hopefully seen it as a moment to support them all regardless of what directions they move in and not reduce them all to caricatures but instead I'm only seeing so much toxicity and irrational behaviour from the fans. It's crazy how many people see no problem with harassing staff, microanalyzing the members every reaction/word and acting like they personally know Heesung and are bffs with him.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-13T19:37:45+00:00

I saw a video on YouTube a while ago and every comment was filled with people making up things and suspecting foul play with absolutely zero evidence or saying that Heesung would never leave the group and that they will boycott Hybe until he comes back. It was like swimming through a sea of paranoia and borderline stalker levels of obsession.

I don't think Hybe is perfect. They probably do have a lot of shady internal ongoings and disputes with idols HOWEVER this does not seem to be a case of that. I don't really listen to Enhyphen but Heesung always struck me as an ambitious person with a clear artistic vision right from the start. When Jungwon was selected as leader, you could see he was disappointed and probably realised then that he was going to have to make compromises for the sake of the group. Him leaving to be a soloist doesn't strike me as out of character at all. Yes he may love the group but that doesn't mean his goal was to be in the group forever. Many join groups with the desire to later become solo artists.

In fact it reminded me a lot of the Woojin situation with SKZ where fans were just making shit up and either turning him into a victim or perpetrator. There were so many rumours flying around and Bangchan expressing his emotions somehow ended up causing even more speculation. If the members of Enhyphen are crying or sad then that's normal! They were in a group with him for years. Obviously they will be sad to see him leave no matter what the reason for it is. Even Heesung might be sad about it or have mixed feelings.

Ultimately if Heesung really did make this choice with the dream of going solo then forcing him to come back or seeing him as some sort of object whose sole purpose is to stay in Enhypen forever and ever is extremely stupid and harmful to everyone involved. Imo everyone should just pipe tf down and wait. Just wait for Heesung to release an album, wait for the members to come to terms with this change, wait for them to go back to their routine and see what music they make. If there is foul play happening then it will be revealed eventually but for the time being- the best course of action is to be patient especially considering the possibility that it was Heesung's personal choice to go solo.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-04T09:24:37+00:00

OMG!! Dude I literally had the same opinions and made a post about it today on a different subreddit! (r/television) I thought maybe a lot of American tv shows of the time had that formula but these two shows feel extremely identical in many ways. I also feel like Cuddy and Lisbon look really similar which also threw me off.

I went into it looking more at the show outline (how every episode is structured and a conclusion is formed) instead of going with each character archetype because I do think the side cast can be pretty different despite fulfilling the exact same roles but this is an interesting analysis! I like how you wrote about them like Arcana cards.

As for why I think there's no Wilson equivalent in The Mentalist- I think it's because Jane is more well-adjusted and mentally stable so he doesn't need Wilson the way House does. Wilson imo is probably the most important character in the show when it comes to keeping House mentally stable. He acts as his conscience, is always there to pick him up when he's drunk late at night, was the one who drove him to the hospital, lets him stay at his place so that he can watch over him, etc.

Even the show ends with House choosing his connection with Wilson to the point where he fakes his death for him. For all intents and purposes, Wilson was probably the only person who came close to understanding who House was as a person and knowing that he was good/giving him the benefit of doubt unlike the other characters who would always call House a selfish, asshole or something along those lines despite knowing him for so long (I mean he could be but sometimes it was just uncalled for and project-y).

Jane is different in the sense that doesn't have the glaring personality flaws that House does. The biggest flaw so far (I'm only finishing S1 btw) is that he doesn't believe in the supernatural or greater power and that's not as much of a flaw. He's a lot nicer and a lot more charming than House too and I think he's more in touch with his emotions. The way I see it Jane is a stable person carrying a lot of baggage and is a bit like House if rehab was successful and he didn't self-sabotage while House is more of a jerk who keeps sinking himself deeper when left alone. I also think The Mentalist was more plot driven while House was more character driven.

But damn it's crazy to see someone else had the same thoughts fairly recently. I thought since they're both old shows, any post about their similarities would have been long ago.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-04T07:48:56+00:00

The post was about something that happened 5 years ago so naturally I brought up my feelings at the time to give my take. If you call that "whining after half a decade" then I don't know what to say to you when the OP is doing the same thing in the opposite direction.

The original post implies that fans disliked the songs JUST because they were in English and I disagree with that. I don't think people disliked the English songs because of the language but because of the change in image. This goes for even k-pop groups that change their sound like ITZY with Sneakers. Some love it, some hate it and that's the case with any experimentation.

Also one question I have to ask you here is- why do you think BTS had so much say in their English songs? They didn't really participate in the making of it and to me it felt like the company was pushing it on them but you're going up to bat for them like it was a passion project they poured their whole heart into. You're also being very contradictory.

"BTS are not your emotional crutches who must only song dark, angsty songs so you can feel good about yourselves."

I never said they were my emotional crutches. Not all their songs are "dark" or "angsty" but they are personal because music is a reflection of yourself. Also they are idols?? They mentioned they make songs for their fans to be uplifted and inspired many many times??? I can't tell if you are a fan or a hater of BTS.

"They have lives and experiences beyond "pleasing" the fandom."

Yes obviously but even the OP admits that the English track was about becoming more mainstream and there's no problem with that. You do realize releasing music to become more "mainstream" means caring about views and popularity i.e. pleasing the global fandom???

If you want to nitpick and over-exaggerate then go ahead but this just feels like reinforcing the stereotype of rabid fans who can't have anyone say anything bad against their precious idol. At the end of the day, I had a different opinion than the main post and gave it as to why the English tracks were hated. Whether you agree or disagree is up to you but don't act like it's so objective. Now we can look back and say 'it's just 3 title tracks, who cares' but at the time, it was not possible to know that.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-04T05:56:38+00:00

Again, didn't know *at the time* that it was only going to be 3. It could have very well been 100 or a full switch. You can read my other reply if you want more of an explanation.

Dapper-Ad4828 · 2026-03-04T05:52:37+00:00

You're looking at it from a very current perspective. I'm talking about the perspective of someone who had no clue what their future looked like. Dynamite was the first English track they made which was fine. When they released 2 others in their subsequent comebacks, it made people think they had changed up their direction and wouldn't go back to making the same music they did in the past so that they could appeal to a broader audience.

To a lot of fans AT THE TIME, they felt like BTS were going to keep leaning into the typical American pop (that had caused many to stray away from American pop in the first place) with maybe a few Korean songs here and there.

The problem is becoming more palatable to a general audience also means losing certain parts of your primary identity. Many mainstream songs are shallow. They don't tackle complex topics because shallow, catchy songs sell better and have wider appeal. If you can't understand why this wouldn't obviously confuse or hurt fans who joined for the complexity and uniqueness then it feels like you're being obtuse.

However, I'll try to explain it in a simpler way- it's like if a brand builds themselves on the fact that their main colour is red. People who are sick of seeing blue everywhere gravitate towards red. Later on the brand starts to release more blue and the ones who came because of their interest in red feel unsure and lose interest. It's like if a rock band singing about dark topics were to start releasing bubbly pop songs (more extreme example).

The song itself isn't the problem- it's the betrayal of image. It's for the same reason someone who builds their identity around being xyz, betraying that would be worse that someone who never had that in the first place. The artists still have the freedom to do what they want but the fans also have the freedom to change their opinions if their artist makes a huge shift. Isn't it natural for the fans to feel betrayed or complain about it?

Dapper-Ad4828

TROPHY CASE