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