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A review by ghendrian
花樣年華 HYYH The Notes 1 by Big Hit Entertainment
4.0
The Notes is the much anticipated (by BTS fans) book form of the story that the band has been telling for the past 4ish years through their music videos and other content. This book is a compilation of "notes" that came with each physical copy of the last three BTS albums, along with some extended and new content. For those of us who have been theorizing over this story for the last few years, or for those who like stories filled with angst, coming-of-age, and , then this book will be right up your ally.
The story is presented in the form of what are basically diary entries, written by the seven young men that the story revolves around. Seokjin, Namjoon, Yoongi, Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook each tell snatches of their stories, all of which involve heavy subjects like suicide, loneliness, poverty, abandonment, childhood trauma, and murder. The seven meet in high school during detention and grow extremely close until eventually, their own personal demons drive them apart. At the center of everything is Seokjin, the eldest of the group, who has a mysterious past and an even more enigmatic relationship with his father. As the story progressively gets worse for each character, Seokjin's behavior becomes more mysterious, with his notes hinting Concluding with an open ending (please, we want a second book) and a wonderfully jarring little epilogue, this book is a quick study in self-reflection and friendship.
Putting aside my bias as part of the BTS ARMY, after reading the book I think they did quite a good job. I did knock one star off of my review, mostly for a few pacing moments in the book that were a bit clunky (though I think this is due mostly to the translation). If I could, I would give this 4.75 stars. I loved the book, both as a fan of the band and a reader. I do think that the plot could be slightly murky for those who have never delved into BTS's vast library of content (not to say that those of us who have aren't confused), but I would still recommend it. Overall, I think this book is a great start, and I am absolutely in love with the expansion of BTS content into the book world. To those who want more similar content, BigHit (BTS's label) also recently released a webtoon, "[b:Save Me - BTS Webtoon|43596716|Save Me - BTS Webtoon|BigHit Entertainment|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1547693107s/43596716.jpg|67830650]," that deals with the same characters and most of the same story (it is clearer in some respects, but this book does a deeper dive inside the minds of the characters).
For anyone who might be interested, here is the link to "I Need U," which is one of the MV's that deals directly with some of the events in this book: https://youtu.be/jjskoRh8GTE
Spoiler
time travelThe story is presented in the form of what are basically diary entries, written by the seven young men that the story revolves around. Seokjin, Namjoon, Yoongi, Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook each tell snatches of their stories, all of which involve heavy subjects like suicide, loneliness, poverty, abandonment, childhood trauma, and murder. The seven meet in high school during detention and grow extremely close until eventually, their own personal demons drive them apart. At the center of everything is Seokjin, the eldest of the group, who has a mysterious past and an even more enigmatic relationship with his father. As the story progressively gets worse for each character, Seokjin's behavior becomes more mysterious, with his notes hinting
Spoiler
at his ability to time travel. Apparently, Seokjin is continually going back in time and attempting to fix his friends' lives. Each time something goes wrong, time resets, and he returns to a certain date before everything falls apart.Putting aside my bias as part of the BTS ARMY, after reading the book I think they did quite a good job. I did knock one star off of my review, mostly for a few pacing moments in the book that were a bit clunky (though I think this is due mostly to the translation). If I could, I would give this 4.75 stars. I loved the book, both as a fan of the band and a reader. I do think that the plot could be slightly murky for those who have never delved into BTS's vast library of content (not to say that those of us who have aren't confused), but I would still recommend it. Overall, I think this book is a great start, and I am absolutely in love with the expansion of BTS content into the book world. To those who want more similar content, BigHit (BTS's label) also recently released a webtoon, "[b:Save Me - BTS Webtoon|43596716|Save Me - BTS Webtoon|BigHit Entertainment|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1547693107s/43596716.jpg|67830650]," that deals with the same characters and most of the same story (it is clearer in some respects, but this book does a deeper dive inside the minds of the characters).
For anyone who might be interested, here is the link to "I Need U," which is one of the MV's that deals directly with some of the events in this book: https://youtu.be/jjskoRh8GTE