Reviews

Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS by Myeongseok Kang, BTS

thelisahon's review against another edition

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5.0

Truly the most incredible story, it took me so long to finish this book because I just didn't want the story to end. As a fan it was so nostalgic to relive every era. Thinking back to the concerts I was so fortunate to attend and getting more of a glimpse of what they were feeling in each moment. I have never wanted to know a foreign language so much to be able to understand the full story of BTS's unparalleled journey but this was a happy start.

thelaneyshow's review against another edition

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5.0

Yes I read it twice immediately, and?

tricia0613's review against another edition

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5.0

4.5/5

RTC

jungkookie_reads's review against another edition

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5.0

So fucking proud of them! <3

zara_imagination's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense

5.0

interludeshadow's review against another edition

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4.0

I really wish it was more critical and sharper and even more honest, especially towards the music industry, not only opinions from the writer themselves but more from the members as well. But I fully understand it was constructed and produced under Hybe supervision. Obviously, not the goal of this book. Personally speaking, the beginning was good most notably where it discussed the diss track for instance, up until (spoiler alert?) the chapter where BTS started their American venture, and the dynamic starts to die down and seemed to be skipping a lot of important points such as, for example, the initial poor receptions from the entire music industry and media from the West, the xenophobia, James Corden's 15 year olds jokes, and many more. On the other hand, the second half talked a lot (a bit too much, almost repetitive) about their coming of age story, the hard work, the burn outs which is totally not wrong (and I'm fully aware of!) but it can be toned down a little bit. In the end, I still couldn't hold my emotions knowing how genuine the love, the bond, and the trust that BTS and ARMY share.

brisingr's review against another edition

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3.0

5 absolute stars for who BTS are, what they stand for, and their impact on my life (biggest of which being that i am still here, alive)

this book chronicles the decade of BTS' activity, from pre-debut to 2022, and is pretty much an encyclopedia on the biggest band in the world. it is a high quality book, heavy as an armful of bricks, with the signature beautiful pictures that tend to accompany HYBE publications. this is where the good thing ends, because i really disliked the narration in this (most of the book is actually written by Myeongseok Kang, critic and journalist) which explains why it took me so long to finish this book - i never wanted to pick it up again after i stopped reading.

The translation is very poor, because the art of translating *and* adapting is unfortunately lost. Literally giving me synonyms for words won't do much for reading flow, and it is really unfortunate, considering we are discussing a top of the top artists, a bit more care should have been given in how this information is presented (beyond the aesthetic, on which front they absolutely win all the praises).

This book is worthy for any fan out there, as the quotes from the members I think are very darling, endearing and enlightening, and really offer some new perspective on different parts of their history. It is also a good 'bible' to check out for any new fan curious to learn more about BTS' path.

However, I've been in the trenches as an ARMY defending my precious boys since 2017, and this book didn't offer anything new to me personally. As I mentioned, I am rating the book itself only 3 stars, as otherwise the journey it covers, and the artists it presents, are worthy of all the respect and love in the world <3

pippin's review

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informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

everyrkive's review against another edition

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5.0

finally done with this book!!

>< what can i say? it's bts.

(BRING MY FAMILY BACK TOGETHER NOW PLS I MISS THEM SO MUCH I CANNOT WAIT FOR 2025

deea13bts's review against another edition

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5.0

So proud of how far they got, despite everything they've been through....Apobangpo