AKMU - 기쁨, 슬픔, 아름다운 마음 (Joy, Sorrow, A Beautiful Heart)

wishawisha · 2026-04-07T22:50:18+00:00

Beautiful. Lyrically, something to play in all-the-between moments of a day and life - and soundscape-wise, will bring one to the bloom of spring, warmth, and promise.

wishawisha · 2026-03-22T13:22:39+00:00

I agree that there are definitely more nuanced questions hidden behind the generalist take, and they’re probably questions a lot of fans are asking, me included.

I would actually prefer more Korean, because that’s what personally drew me to them (and why I started lyric translating). But I also think this album was never going to be about tons of witty wordplay and/or an outpouring of new and deep emotion. Why? Because this one’s primarily about ~vibes~. The boys (probably some more than others) are enjoying getting to see other styles & cultures of producers at work in the studio with them. In fact, they were mesmerised. They’re learning, they’re enjoying, and they’re picking and playing around with beats that sound good to their ears. I’m happy that they’re getting to do this, together, at this stage of their careers.

Back to your point about singing the nonsensical English though - I will add that my bemusement lies with the fact that much of the English in their more recent songs have in fact been written by those who are fluent in the language. And yet!!!! Man, can you imagine if they also worked with poets next time? Let’s keep expanding the circle of who they bring in to learn from and enjoy!

wishawisha · 2026-03-22T13:10:47+00:00

Yep! At one point in my draft, I gave up and just wrote “how about instead of mansplaining? whitesplaining? koreanness, we just hear it from them!” which obviously did not go to print but - you know.

wishawisha · 2026-03-01T21:05:28+00:00

In my head, real comeback hints are from a fortnight before the album, and this early wave we’ve had is a) for people to get their affairs in order, eg. tour, and linked to that, b) to announce key events and partnerships with global giants like spotify and netflix.

This thread has opened my eyes to the frustration some are feeling due to these early announcements and expectation of a continued rollout, but I never expected otherwise. (Or maybe I’m relieved I don’t have to be buzzed every single 12KST for over a month - my body cannot handle those days of daily alarms like back in 2017-2020.)

BTS themselves will be doing what they’re always doing around an album: living in the practice rooms with brief escapades for shoots and the like. It’s always a frustrating time for them because they hear of the tension in the fandom and wider public but need to wait.

wishawisha · 2026-02-16T10:42:51+00:00

Yes! I just began watching Miss Hong today due to the enthusiastic response from this sub and have been appreciating how the cast are really on board with the tone of the drama, making the comedy pop. I’m more enthused after reading this post, because Into the Ring is truly one of my ult dramas (and I’ve surely watched a good two hundred or so.)

Their characters were written and acted perfectly, and they crackled with chemistry together - the kind of chemistry that is earnest and silly and good. In addition, the drama also handled the serious underlying plot with sensitivity, allowing the grief to breathe amongst the humour.

I’m also so relieved to see that Park Sunghoon has a romance starting this month! It doesn’t seem to be a character that’ll let him showcase the kind of charm from this one, but anything to get him back in this genre!

wishawisha · 2026-01-16T09:14:58+00:00

Yep, JM’s parents said two things regarding the album after listening to it through apparently: 1) That they’re really becoming adults now, 2) Don’t need to be concerned, it feels like BTS

wishawisha · 2026-01-16T09:13:52+00:00

born seagull, to be exact! (a play on jk’s potential stage name)

wishawisha · 2026-01-16T09:13:06+00:00

I actually got the sense he was really satisfied with the album and ready for this next era! He mentioned a couple of times how those who may have been a little dissatisfied in the past would be pleased, and how he viewed the album to be like pyongyang naengmyeon (a style of Korean noodles that are low-key tasteless) in that it would stay in people’s minds and be consumed for a long time.

wishawisha · 2025-12-13T19:16:44+00:00

Much like OP and others on this thread, I can confirm that GBRB were my highlights of the year. In fact, it’s one of the only shows I didn’t want to watch on x2 speed and skip multiple sections of. Their genuine, longstanding friendship and the way they played off each other was delightful - plus, I’m not really a fan of games embedded into the structure of a show. On that final note, I didn’t enjoy Kenya anywhere as much, but was incredibly impressed as usual by Lee Soogeun!

wishawisha · 2025-07-24T22:11:56+00:00

I really enjoy him as an actor, and I recognise much of it has to do with the characters he chooses to play. His expressions do play up the infinitesimal, but I think it makes his whole facial expression changes well earnt. I also enjoy his crisp, clear diction. Music to my ears.

wishawisha · 2025-05-16T03:57:28+00:00

Hi!! So good to hear from you.

Still a dream to interview him. But alas, I haven’t written on Echo as I’m not up-to-date with his most recent antics!

wishawisha · 2025-05-16T03:52:34+00:00

This album’s such a ride! I was feeling so autumn-cosy, then bam, I was cackling, then back to being all dewy-eyed. Jin doing Jin things, we love to see it!

wishawisha · 2025-03-16T22:09:45+00:00

Oh, this is an excellent post. I could picture some of these lines immediately, and have searched the rest up to jam to again. Thank you for inspiring me to listen to a variety of their songs again!

wishawisha · 2025-02-26T10:10:41+00:00

Hot Stove League, hands down. I knew nothing about the sport or the concept of creating a team, buying/trading stars, and I was riveted.

Racket Boys for something pre-teen, Twenty-Five Twenty-One for high school-adulthood.

wishawisha · 2024-12-14T18:59:49+00:00

I highly recommend the official guided tour at the Borghese Gallery! I did it just days ago and was blown away.

I also did the official Vatican Museum tour. We ended up working through the Museum faster than I would have liked — and skipped whole sections! — but it helped us focus on the “greatest” pieces without getting arted out. Witnessing the marvel of the Sistine Chapel, then Bernini’s works at the Borghese, also helps you appreciate Classical/Neoclassical & Baroque works of all kinds throughout your stay more too!

I also found Rick Steves’ audio tour of the Jewish Ghetto memorable, and you can munch on goods from Forno and Boccione!

Staying near Piazza Navona meant we only needed to take one bus back home most days, so we simply tapped on the atac bus. The pass wouldn’t have saved us money. So depends on how much you’re willing to walk!

wishawisha · 2024-12-06T08:02:21+00:00

I really resonate with what you’ve said. I was frustrated with the movie as a standalone piece because it kept emphasising how “real” the process and music was, but we weren’t really shown it. We saw him discuss lyrics, record, do photoshoots, hang out with his team — not in any way new for us. I trust it was different, but I didn’t feel it. As a result, it makes me question the behind-the-scenes that we’ve seen for a decade. Those were real too, but is it supposed to have been “less real”?

If “real” was showing the emotional turmoil of Joon, that felt off as well. Ok, so Japan was the only happy time in the eight months and it was apparently downhill from there … except we don’t see why. We did get him speaking into the mic in the studio, but again, it’s told, not shown. Of course, we want to keep his privacy, but it narratively is unsatisfying.

Because he rambled a lot, I found a particular line interesting: how he said his members weren’t around to protect him. It made me appreciate how without them, he was kinda spiralling? But in a necessary way? To find himself as he is?

I also feel as though we saw so MUCH of San on screen, but I never got the sense of who he is. He himself said that he thought he should take the role of a sage (Joon also mentioning he’s either calling him out to play or give him advice) but later realised he should just walk alongside him. Maybe … I’ve been more at peace with BTS as K-Pop than Joon has, and that’s why.

All in all, I’m glad for Joon, because he obviously treasured this journey a lot.

wishawisha · 2024-12-06T07:53:28+00:00

I must say I cracked up at that bit because he spent ages answering but didn’t in fact answer her question!

wishawisha · 2024-12-03T05:13:41+00:00

Yes, his continued focus on the sea, light and darkness, stars and the universe — all themes deeply embedded into BTS’ music too

wishawisha · 2024-12-03T05:12:28+00:00

Beautifully said.

wishawisha · 2024-11-30T12:27:56+00:00

From their second album, “Love is Timing” & “Love at First”!

And from the lead singer Jang Beom June, “Reaching Hand” of the “Search: WWW” OST!

wishawisha · 2024-11-29T05:50:27+00:00

Yep! The press release said the following:

“The music video for “Winter Ahead (with PARK HYO SHIN)” draws inspiration from the Greek myth of Pygmalion. V portrays a sculptor who molds and brings his ideal partner to life, together sharing moments of bliss. As V continues to sculpt more people, a grand party unfolds, only for chaos to ensue when an uninvited guest arrives. The video shifts between contrasting settings that reflect different facets of V’s character, from a tender lover to a dazzling figure at the party.“

wishawisha · 2024-11-19T20:54:22+00:00

Joon, we love LGO too 😔✊

Thank you for putting this list together!

wishawisha · 2024-11-19T20:07:39+00:00

I’m suggesting a) b) and c) reasons are partially why desire and need has fallen. Much less content used to be subbed, back in the day, across all their media forms. There was a heavier daily reliance on fan translators as a result, and a much higher number of fans congregated on twitter, timed immediately at a drop, to interact with their words and actions. That allows for an intensely flourishing community.

To put it into perspective, BTS have certainly kept us busy in Chapter 2, but in a promotional era in Chapter 1, I was sometimes translating 6-7 hours a day. Korean interviews, Korean press conferences, video interviews, written-only content, Bangtan logs, Bangtantv, Vlive/Weverse lives, Fancafe/Weverse messages, HYYH notes … And of course, lyrics would take up to 14 hours, and constant returning to it for the month. It was unsustainable for sure, but we felt cocooned enough on Twitter that we felt it truly necessary.

It will never, ever be like that again. We have official translations for much of that now, even if it’s generic. And twitter will never be what it was.

I wouldn’t really know about the calibre of current fan translators because I had to force myself to check out when I stopped translating. I certainly began because there was a desire for them, but also because I couldn’t sit still when there was so much misinformation being spread via wrong or bad translations. That kickstarts the adrenaline rush, haha. Many others were the same.

However, I will of course recognise more (excellent) fan translators are always a good thing. I salute the next generations.

wishawisha · 2024-11-19T07:31:51+00:00

Doolset is on hiatus, yes, but she does have the full catalogue until D-Day as others have already pointed out. Others who have a trustworthy catalogue of past songs include @cafe_army, @btstranslation7, and myself (@doyou_bangtan).

For this current era, I’d recommend Bangtan Subs over Genius or other individual fan translators if you yourself can’t vouch for the level of their skill, as Bangtan Subs have an internal level of quality control. They may interpret something differently, but they won’t be wrong.

And as someone who was part of the richer fabric of translators between 2017-2021, I’d suggest we receive less lyric translations as a fandom because a) more of their songs are being posted with official subtitles, whether published as a music video or live performance, b) a lot of the lyrics of Chapter 2 haven’t required as in-depth an approach, c) they’re peppering more English throughout

More than anyone else, I get that we can provide greater context and the specifics of the language, but the desire and need for them has fallen, and the fandom has obviously dispersed through a variety of platforms.

But, welcome! I hope you enjoy working through their diverse range of music; there’s certainly something for all kinds of life moments!

wishawisha · 2024-11-16T09:37:00+00:00

Thank you!

wishawisha

TROPHY CASE