Fangirl Follow Along: No More Dream (Japanese Version) by BTS

Another Fangirl Follow Along, drafted on another Thursday. Still watching Overwatch alone (Seoul vs London, gogo all Korean teams) this time because my mother-in-law passed away.

I’ve scheduled cremations, written an obituary, and sorted through forty years of paperwork for important documents. I’ve asked my sister what she wants for our mother’s ashes and made her sick with anxiety. (My mother isn’t sick… we’re just neurotic planners. She’s also mentioned adding me to her checking account “just in case” since MIL passed.)

And, to make this week as awesome as possible, my cork is fucking stuck in my wine…

But it’s okay. We’ve got our first Japanese version to watch. We? I? I feel like I switch that from post to post…

It doesn’t matter because in the wake of Just One Day I’m filled with nothing but hope…


First… there is no big hit logo. This alone made me so anxious I spent a significant amount of time dedicated to getting this bottle of wine open. Eventually going so far as googling and finding this video.

And still… well…

This means I have to drink the bottle… right?

Either way, I have wine and BTS. It’s basically a party.

This is not the demon bus. This is not the weird abandoned warehouse. This is… RM’s weird ass perm again?

No.

Please.

I am begging you…

Starting off, they look much tougher and much less like jailbait. Both things I appreciate.

No, wait. Starting off, I love RM’s shirt. Then the jailbait and thug thing. And finally… not RM with a perm. So now I’m confused.

If I hadn’t already come around on the Jimin bias, this would’ve done me in. Also, pay attention to the background. RM has bling, Jin is wearing his pissed yet hot face, Suga is wearing a hat with “BALLIN” on it and (I think) V with his lip curled to the point that he looks like he has a killer stache.

But that is RM cracking his neck…

But RM has silver… oh, it’s a fauxhawk. Okay. Not better, but at least the mystery is solved.

The length of time between recordings means that the vocal inflections between the Korean and Japanese versions are pretty intense. It’s not just that the words and cadence are different (as they’re totally different languages.) It’s their whole essence as artists.

And it’s vaguely fascinating.

And I wanted to speak on this more but I paused here:

And what are words?

So this is my social security number, my mother’s maiden name, my first pet’s name, and did you just want the information for one credit card or all of them?

I want to discuss RM’s serious dimples because I didn’t know it was possible to dimple when being SUPER SERIOUS. But please note instead that V is full on “O” facing, Jimin is in a leather snapback and sticking out his tongue, and Suga is bitting his lip while wearing a sailor hat that reads “Eye Want U” on it… for reasons.

I don’t know, I just work here.

Drinking wine is working, did you see the effort I put into getting the bottle uncorked?

I suddenly understand why they didn’t let Jungkook try and look tough in the first go round. Though I’m questioning why they changed that stance here.

He looks like he just smelled someone microwaving fish and broccoli.

J-Hope is guaranteed to make me smile.

And usually, giggle.

Like right now.

When I sounded like the baby watching his dad tear paper.

I have questions.

Why are J-Hope and Jimin sporting bandana loincloths? Why is RM in leather basketball shorts? Why is Jungkook in bandana basketball shorts? Why is V in a bandana shirt, leather pants, and possibly a leather utility kilt?

Whatever… J-Hope is also in mesh and fingerless gloves and Jin all the way in the back is sporting a hoody and looking tough so let’s move onto the…

DRASTIC CUT TO THEIR OTHER WARDROBE CHOICE.

I’m going to warn you now, there’s a lot of leather. It’s not for the faint of heart.

And what I suspect are suspenders.

Let’s watch more and see…

Too fucking adorable for words. RM, you kill me.

Stinky fish.

SUSPENDERS!

(and floppy hair)

Suga even says “big car, big house, and big rings” different. And it’s not nearly as good.

I don’t like it.

Also, is he wearing a leather button down? How much leather is in this video? How many cows had to die?

And I question the suspenders now because I don’t understand how they work with the rest of the outfit…

…yet.

Wait, is Suga in a kilt? Does that kilt have a Deathstar on it? (I think it’s a moon and star but… Deathstar.)

Not a sailor hat. Writing on a hoodie. Which somehow makes less sense to me.

Oh, I missed the human chair.

WAIT! does this mean they’ll be emoting shooting V again?

I don’t know if I can watch that again.

(Also, given the current political climate all the “white” makes me nervous. I’m almost positive they’re not Nazis, but you never know…)

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the angle of this shot. When they start bouncing.

Jin is flat out jumping. I don’t even care what else is going on because dude… DUDE…

(Allegedly RM and Jin are the worst dancers. They’re still better dancers than I will ever be, but on the sliding scale of BTS dancers with J-Hope and Jimin on one side, RM and Jin are on the other…)

I almost wonder, now that RM is rapping again if the Japanese market doesn’t appreciate the deeper and angrier style of rapping they use in the Korean version. Nothing in KPop is done by accident so the lack of a guttural growling edge cannot be a coincidence.

OH! Jimin being an edgy dude and spray painting the lockers…

What a bad boy.

What a rebel.

He’s actually a marshmallow…

WHAT HAPPENED TO JUNGKOOK’S VOICE?

Even V.

What is going on?

Is it the language? Are they that different that it affects speech patterns?

Randomly spraying paint detracts from the validity of graffiti as an art form.

JIN! THROWING BOOKS?

AND AT YOUR FRIEND, NO LESS? I don’t even know who you are anymore.

INTERMISSION TIME

Occasionally when trying to get screencaps you’ll pause and question if the singers actually have teeth. As an example, here’s J-Hope. If you look close, you can see his back top right teeth. And still, his lips look like when my husband has taken his dentures out.

You also get weird nostril and eye movements…

There are a lot of straps on J-Hope’s outfit. I’m too drunk for this. Or not drunk enough. I’m not sure. I just know I’m not equipped to handle this.

What is this gate? What kind of building are they in with a gate like this and lockers?

Is it after the apocalypse?

No. Apparently not.

I’m still appreciating this angle.

I’m really concerned that I pissed Jin off somehow.

Fucking hell… this is a zombie apocalypse.

(P.S. is a movie I would watch)

Don’t slap the side of the TVs. You’re not the Fonz.

The stack of chairs is a barricade and the signs are to warn of “infected.”

Which we all know is code for “zombie.”

Oh no, this can only mean one thing.

Flickering lights. A sure sign of a horror movie happening.

So I really question how Jin is still looking so amazing.

(But it does explain all the leather. Harder to bite through.)

We already got the horror movie memo. No need to keep rubbing it in.

This caption reads “slow-motion jump reveals V abs”

The subtitle reads “and Jungkook has knees”

Wait… Is V bait for the zombies? Because this is how we get zombies.

It is a sailor hat. He was just wearing the hood of his hoodie up earlier.

I’m… what?

Please. Please don’t do this to me.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I thought it would be the zombies that got V, but it was his own bandmates.

IT WAS HIS OWN BANDMATES.

And then they celebrate in a shopping cart.

The humanity.

The.Humanity.

Still loving this angle.

And we can see here that V is alive so… it’s all good.

Look. They’ve found happiness. Even at the end of the world.

I really do not understand J-Hope’s outfit.

Also… hello RM.

I can never let my daughter see this. I’ll never get to watch another video again for the rest of my life.

J-Hope sounds the same, by the way.

Jin too.

See? Weird nostrils. But RM makes it work.

Wait… are they praying to the shopping cart? Is the shopping cart their god now?

Possessed by shopping cart. (I told you, weird screenshots are abundant.)

Wait, was it Suga’s beanie this whole time?

Quiet. The zombies are coming.

This will be important later.

oh no. OH NO. It’s the zombies.

IT’S THE–

zom…bies…

Wait…

Zombies don’t use flashlights.

Did I misunderstand the entire premise of this music video?

Yes, I did. Because the whole point is…

Jimin’s abs.

And ass in those leather pants.

Jesus fucking Christ.

And just like that, back to looking sweet and pure. Blurry, but sweet.

(It’s a lie. Never believe it. He may be a marshmallow, but he’s a sinful one.)

Also… notice Jin looking to RM. Namjin confirmed?

(No, but I can see where the theory came from.)

Smile, dimples, and messy silver hair.

They really missed an opportunity by not putting him in a complete black bandana sailor suit.

Wait. He can look angry? Where was this expression nearly three minutes ago?

I also really enjoyed the brief interludes of darkened hallway shots. I know I didn’t include any others, but I did like them.

I have suspicion.

Oh god, Jungkook just lifts Jimin with ease.

Fire alarm?

There really are no zombies, are there?

Also important later.

I love when they look like teenagers just being happy and carefree more than anything else.

It just makes my heart sing.

My hope, your hope, J-Hope.

More frolicking.

Possibly the best scene in the whole video (I am such a slut for epic lighting.)

More happy boys.

One last screencap except wait…

J-Hope throws his arm around Suga and we fade to black as they bro-out.


Now, without sobering up or proof-reading… let me recap.

No More Dream (Japanese Version) by BTS
Released: May 25th, 2014
Album: Wake Up
Length: 3:50
Notes: The first of the Japanese music videos.
Watched Status: Previously unwatched
Bias: V
Reason: remember when I said “this will be important later” as V read a book casually and caught sprinkler water on his tongue? This is why…

Favorite video to date: Their zombie apocalypse movie… Which isn’t a real thing, but I can dream.

Join me next time when I review Boy In Luv, the Japanese version.

…fuck…


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