Fannish 50 S3 Post 33: BTS documentaries
Aug. 25th, 2025 12:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glitteryvThis post is abt 8 of BTS' docus--including a quick overview of what each one is abt, my opinion on them, where they're available for streaming, a score (out of 5), and trailers for each.
Group documentaries
I'm placing the spotlight on the first and the latest of the already-released docus.
Burn the Stage (2018) consists of 8 episodes that cover the time period from debut (2013) up to the Wings Tour (2017). This is content I've returned to a few times. What makes it special is the level of rawness in what is shown; the members being so unguarded in a way that I doubt we will ever see again. Adding to that are the dramatic things that happen during the tour (including injuries, ppl losing their passports, etc.) . I find it super fascinating to see past!BTS and compare them to their current selves.
The first ep is available for free ninety-nine on YouTube. If you have a YT Premium account, you can watch the rest of eps too.
Le Trailer
BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star dropped in 2023 as an 8-episode miniseries on Disney+. Although not presented in linear form, the series does cover a little bit from pre-debut era up to early 2023. It gets an extra kudos from me cuz they compressed the often-trod LYS Era and tour to a single episode (number 3.) HALLELU!
The reason for my \o/ is cuz this meant there was enough space for other things to be covered*. I also appreciated seeing the guys discuss things in a more frank manner. Finally, the last two eps have additional footage (including some of the members' homes). It ends riiiight around the first year of Chapter 2 as enlistment era begins.
THAT SAID, I'm not sure how well the series works for locals? Especially with the time jumps and certain things (that, again, have been covered in other content and docus) being mentioned rather than dove into. FWIW, the series feels geared more toward ARMYs more than anyone else. WOMAN SHRUG EMOJI.
In between these two docus I've mentioned, there are two other ones (Bring the Soul (2019) and Break the Silence (2020).) AFAIK, both are available as paid content on Weverse, as part of the Kocowa subscription, and in certain Netflix regions.
* Gotta mention that I know a lot of ARMYs love these docus a ton. OTOH, there are some cool/key scenes that make them worth checking out. Including things that have become important highlights in BTS' history (for both shippy and non-shippy reasons.) OTOH, however, both cover THE SAME TIME PERIOD. Bring the Soul focuses on the Love Yourself Tour (62 shows, 2018-2019) while Break the Silence dives into the Love Yourself: Speak Yourself tour extension (20 shows, May-October 2019.)
And so, to me, they feel repetitive. YMMV, etc.
Here's a bonus!trailer for the Permission To Dance Los Angeles concert (available on D+).
Docus that focus on Chapter 2 (solo) in ascending order
6. J-Hope IN THE BOX (2023) - Streaming on D+ and also available as paid content on Weverse. This is an hour and a half of Hobi working on Jack in the Box, his first solo album, including the albu's listening party. The second half or so of the film is abt him preparing to take the (eventual) headliner stage at 2022 Lollapalooza Chicago. It's a good intro to seeing the level of professionalism that fuels him as well as all of the moving parts (choreo, music, etc) involved in that v. important and historic performance.
Once he's in dancer mode, he's super focused to the point of making the viewer awe at him.
The reason why I ranked it last is cuz there are two behind-the-scenes Bangtan Bombs for the "Arson" and "More" MVs, an 11-min Bangtan Bomb for the listening party, another one for the album photoshoot, a 22-min Bangtan Episode abt the v. same thing PLUS an hour and 16 minute recording of his entire Lolla set. So, to me, all of this content is an abbreviated version of the docu. The movie does have a handful of additional scenes (especially when it comes to Hobi writing and recording the album, but not enough for me to feel more enthusiastic abt this specific docu. Locals and casuals might end up enjoying it a lot more. I'm giving it a 2.3 out of 5
5. I'm Still (2024) - Streaming on D+. An hour and 30-min docu (split into three episodes) that covers the 8 or so months leading up to AND performances of JK's first solo album Golden. Although I liked seeing the focus on Jungkook, I felt quite meh abt it overall.
CONFESSION TIME: out of all of Chapter 2's solo releases, Jungkook's is the one that I found just okay. IDK! "Standing Next to You" is a good song, I liked "SEVEN", and yet...
He was v. clear as to what his goals were for his first solo album; kudos to him for achieving them! HOWEVAH, compared to other stuff he's released before it (like "Stay", "My Time", and "Begin"), I'm underwhelmed with his new music. Again, there are some good moments, but my neutral feels abt it have expanded to this docu as well. *Hands*.
THAT SAID, there ARE some good and OJO moments. And, it ends (just like the BTS Monuments docu) on a half-bittersweet, half-tender moment as SPOILER Jungkook shaves his head as he prepares to enlist END OF SPOILER. Anyways, I'm giving this a 2.4 out of 5
4. HOPE on the Street (2024) - A 6-episode miniseries that is available on Amazon Prime Video. It's got a companion album under the same name. Each song of that album's tracklist is a title of an episode in this miniseries.
Viewers join Hobi as he travels to the US, France, Japan, and also films in some parts of South Korea. Each episode centers on a specific dance style (like pop-and-lock, house, etc.) One of the things that made it such a delightful watch was seeing how much Hobi respects and loves dance. He understands and loves it to the point of remaining curious and wanting to continue learning despite having spent decades perfecting his own dance language. My fave ep was the Paris, France episode. A+++ vibes.
The cutest surprises pop up at the end of the each 30-min. episode in the form of showing some behind-the-scenes footage of the album recording (including each of the artists who featured.) I'm giving it a 3 out of 5.
3. Road to D-Day (2023) - SUGA, a.k.a. Min Yoongi, dropped an hour and half docu that's available on Disney+ and as paid content on Weverse. It follows him working on D-Day while traveling to California, Las Vegas, Tokyo, and some places in Korea. Along the way he meets up with some famous artists. There are lots of scenes of him working at his craft, getting frustrated, and then diving back into the process.
It was brutally honest on the ins and outs of songwriting. Pushing aside the "mystique" and more esoteric aspect of creativity to showcase the reality of music pursuits. There are tons of scenes where Yoongi's working on a song, trashing it, and then tweaking what he needed to tweak in order to make the song actually listenable. I also love the different performances throughout. It's one of my fave docus for sure. I'm giving it a 4 out of 5.
2. Jimin's Production Diary - A v. surprising entry! This is one of those docus I wish more ppl would watch. It's got Jimin, PDogg, GHSTLOOP, and EVAN doing a mini-songwriting camp at PDogg's apartment as they work in what would eventually become FACE, Jimin's first solo album.
There's a quick scene with RM (lending songwriting help) and Jungkook (who shows up to do vocals for "Letter"). The bulk of the ppl onscreen are Jimin and the three BigHit producers writing, joking, and coming up with melodies.
Part of the reason I love it is how it's proof that Jimin was quite hands-on with his first album. Other than Jin, he's had a general image of not being quite as involved with the songwriting. [This is, btw, despite the fact that he's contributed to a lot of BTS' music through the years. But I digress…] I do fully understand how Jimin's singing and dancing skills are eye-catching. He should most deffo be celebrated for displaying his artistry using his voice and body! Buuuut, that's not all that he is. And so I like the way that this documentary is able to reveal more of him as a person who is insecure but cute and impish but also lovely.
This docu is split into three parts: the main film (which is a little over an hour), a 23-minute commentary with all four guys, and a short (I think it's 12-15 mins?) "quiz show". So, like the rest of the docus, it all adds up to an hour and 30 mins +/-.
IMO, the only "downside" is that the docu is only available for sale on Weverse, so that's a bit of a barrier for casuals and locals. Like all things, ofc, there are other places to find it at, IJS.
In any case, I was mesmerized, charmed, and delighted at seeing this aspect of Jimin. Especially since all but 1 of the songs from his first album were co-written by him! I'm giving this docu a 4.5 out of 5.
RM: Right People, Wrong Place (2024)
NO spoilers, just a bit of rambling from when I went to see this docu in the theaters.
This movie is all about Namjoon's process during this second solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person (often abbreviated to rpwp.) It first debuted in October '24 at the Busan International Film Festival to a ton of acclaim. THANKFULLY, there was a weeklong worldwide distribution deal in early December '24. At the time, I didn't know when or even IF the movie was gonna be available for purchase (it is! Over at Weverse as of late spring, IIRC),so I headed to the movies.
What follows is a transcript of what posted elsewhere:
Starting with: I didn't cry while watching it, but now that I am painfully slowly processing what I just watched, I have teared up almost to the point of fully crying. Because I am SO fucking moved by how much access there was into Kim Namjoon's psyche. For those that have watched the 2-part "All Day" RM thing from 2 yrs ago, this docu is a similar vibe BUT MORE INTENSE.
In some ways, this docu was like the indie version of Jimin's "Production Diary". Same approach to how an artist creates and how having a team helps the artist until an album is born. Aside from the obvious (two different artists for two different albums), the most stark difference is that Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (what Jimin named his team) was all BH while Team RM brought in a whole new crew.
Moving on, hehehe. A+ cinematography too! It was a v. visually stimulating (tho not to the point of becoming overwhelming) movie.
*EXTREMELY MILD SPOILER* They also show all of the MVs behind-the-scenes. Which was a treat. And it explains why there weren't any Bangtan bombs for those videos.*END OF THE EXTREMELY MILD SPOILER*
I know this docu has a super limited release window (it's 2 wks in the US, I think?)--which is a real shame. Because EVERYONE (both ARMYs and locals) would benefit from watching this movie. I cannot think of anyone who wouldn't be super 😍 by the end of it.
Sadly, I couldn't stay til the credits rolled. 🥲 The lights went on and the usher came by. I was robbed of the experience. ROBBED I TELL YOU! Anyways, 1000000000/5 docu. I am even more in love with Joonie than before. 😅
Let me be nice cuz it's Monday and this post is pretty long...
Group documentaries
I'm placing the spotlight on the first and the latest of the already-released docus.
Burn the Stage (2018) consists of 8 episodes that cover the time period from debut (2013) up to the Wings Tour (2017). This is content I've returned to a few times. What makes it special is the level of rawness in what is shown; the members being so unguarded in a way that I doubt we will ever see again. Adding to that are the dramatic things that happen during the tour (including injuries, ppl losing their passports, etc.) . I find it super fascinating to see past!BTS and compare them to their current selves.
The first ep is available for free ninety-nine on YouTube. If you have a YT Premium account, you can watch the rest of eps too.
Le Trailer
BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star dropped in 2023 as an 8-episode miniseries on Disney+. Although not presented in linear form, the series does cover a little bit from pre-debut era up to early 2023. It gets an extra kudos from me cuz they compressed the often-trod LYS Era and tour to a single episode (number 3.) HALLELU!
The reason for my \o/ is cuz this meant there was enough space for other things to be covered*. I also appreciated seeing the guys discuss things in a more frank manner. Finally, the last two eps have additional footage (including some of the members' homes). It ends riiiight around the first year of Chapter 2 as enlistment era begins.
THAT SAID, I'm not sure how well the series works for locals? Especially with the time jumps and certain things (that, again, have been covered in other content and docus) being mentioned rather than dove into. FWIW, the series feels geared more toward ARMYs more than anyone else. WOMAN SHRUG EMOJI.
In between these two docus I've mentioned, there are two other ones (Bring the Soul (2019) and Break the Silence (2020).) AFAIK, both are available as paid content on Weverse, as part of the Kocowa subscription, and in certain Netflix regions.
* Gotta mention that I know a lot of ARMYs love these docus a ton. OTOH, there are some cool/key scenes that make them worth checking out. Including things that have become important highlights in BTS' history (for both shippy and non-shippy reasons.) OTOH, however, both cover THE SAME TIME PERIOD. Bring the Soul focuses on the Love Yourself Tour (62 shows, 2018-2019) while Break the Silence dives into the Love Yourself: Speak Yourself tour extension (20 shows, May-October 2019.)
And so, to me, they feel repetitive. YMMV, etc.
Here's a bonus!trailer for the Permission To Dance Los Angeles concert (available on D+).
Docus that focus on Chapter 2 (solo) in ascending order
6. J-Hope IN THE BOX (2023) - Streaming on D+ and also available as paid content on Weverse. This is an hour and a half of Hobi working on Jack in the Box, his first solo album, including the albu's listening party. The second half or so of the film is abt him preparing to take the (eventual) headliner stage at 2022 Lollapalooza Chicago. It's a good intro to seeing the level of professionalism that fuels him as well as all of the moving parts (choreo, music, etc) involved in that v. important and historic performance.
Once he's in dancer mode, he's super focused to the point of making the viewer awe at him.
The reason why I ranked it last is cuz there are two behind-the-scenes Bangtan Bombs for the "Arson" and "More" MVs, an 11-min Bangtan Bomb for the listening party, another one for the album photoshoot, a 22-min Bangtan Episode abt the v. same thing PLUS an hour and 16 minute recording of his entire Lolla set. So, to me, all of this content is an abbreviated version of the docu. The movie does have a handful of additional scenes (especially when it comes to Hobi writing and recording the album, but not enough for me to feel more enthusiastic abt this specific docu. Locals and casuals might end up enjoying it a lot more. I'm giving it a 2.3 out of 5
5. I'm Still (2024) - Streaming on D+. An hour and 30-min docu (split into three episodes) that covers the 8 or so months leading up to AND performances of JK's first solo album Golden. Although I liked seeing the focus on Jungkook, I felt quite meh abt it overall.
CONFESSION TIME: out of all of Chapter 2's solo releases, Jungkook's is the one that I found just okay. IDK! "Standing Next to You" is a good song, I liked "SEVEN", and yet...
He was v. clear as to what his goals were for his first solo album; kudos to him for achieving them! HOWEVAH, compared to other stuff he's released before it (like "Stay", "My Time", and "Begin"), I'm underwhelmed with his new music. Again, there are some good moments, but my neutral feels abt it have expanded to this docu as well. *Hands*.
THAT SAID, there ARE some good and OJO moments. And, it ends (just like the BTS Monuments docu) on a half-bittersweet, half-tender moment as SPOILER Jungkook shaves his head as he prepares to enlist END OF SPOILER. Anyways, I'm giving this a 2.4 out of 5
4. HOPE on the Street (2024) - A 6-episode miniseries that is available on Amazon Prime Video. It's got a companion album under the same name. Each song of that album's tracklist is a title of an episode in this miniseries.
Viewers join Hobi as he travels to the US, France, Japan, and also films in some parts of South Korea. Each episode centers on a specific dance style (like pop-and-lock, house, etc.) One of the things that made it such a delightful watch was seeing how much Hobi respects and loves dance. He understands and loves it to the point of remaining curious and wanting to continue learning despite having spent decades perfecting his own dance language. My fave ep was the Paris, France episode. A+++ vibes.
The cutest surprises pop up at the end of the each 30-min. episode in the form of showing some behind-the-scenes footage of the album recording (including each of the artists who featured.) I'm giving it a 3 out of 5.
3. Road to D-Day (2023) - SUGA, a.k.a. Min Yoongi, dropped an hour and half docu that's available on Disney+ and as paid content on Weverse. It follows him working on D-Day while traveling to California, Las Vegas, Tokyo, and some places in Korea. Along the way he meets up with some famous artists. There are lots of scenes of him working at his craft, getting frustrated, and then diving back into the process.
It was brutally honest on the ins and outs of songwriting. Pushing aside the "mystique" and more esoteric aspect of creativity to showcase the reality of music pursuits. There are tons of scenes where Yoongi's working on a song, trashing it, and then tweaking what he needed to tweak in order to make the song actually listenable. I also love the different performances throughout. It's one of my fave docus for sure. I'm giving it a 4 out of 5.
2. Jimin's Production Diary - A v. surprising entry! This is one of those docus I wish more ppl would watch. It's got Jimin, PDogg, GHSTLOOP, and EVAN doing a mini-songwriting camp at PDogg's apartment as they work in what would eventually become FACE, Jimin's first solo album.
There's a quick scene with RM (lending songwriting help) and Jungkook (who shows up to do vocals for "Letter"). The bulk of the ppl onscreen are Jimin and the three BigHit producers writing, joking, and coming up with melodies.
Part of the reason I love it is how it's proof that Jimin was quite hands-on with his first album. Other than Jin, he's had a general image of not being quite as involved with the songwriting. [This is, btw, despite the fact that he's contributed to a lot of BTS' music through the years. But I digress…] I do fully understand how Jimin's singing and dancing skills are eye-catching. He should most deffo be celebrated for displaying his artistry using his voice and body! Buuuut, that's not all that he is. And so I like the way that this documentary is able to reveal more of him as a person who is insecure but cute and impish but also lovely.
This docu is split into three parts: the main film (which is a little over an hour), a 23-minute commentary with all four guys, and a short (I think it's 12-15 mins?) "quiz show". So, like the rest of the docus, it all adds up to an hour and 30 mins +/-.
IMO, the only "downside" is that the docu is only available for sale on Weverse, so that's a bit of a barrier for casuals and locals. Like all things, ofc, there are other places to find it at, IJS.
In any case, I was mesmerized, charmed, and delighted at seeing this aspect of Jimin. Especially since all but 1 of the songs from his first album were co-written by him! I'm giving this docu a 4.5 out of 5.
RM: Right People, Wrong Place (2024)
NO spoilers, just a bit of rambling from when I went to see this docu in the theaters.
This movie is all about Namjoon's process during this second solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person (often abbreviated to rpwp.) It first debuted in October '24 at the Busan International Film Festival to a ton of acclaim. THANKFULLY, there was a weeklong worldwide distribution deal in early December '24. At the time, I didn't know when or even IF the movie was gonna be available for purchase (it is! Over at Weverse as of late spring, IIRC),so I headed to the movies.
What follows is a transcript of what posted elsewhere:
Starting with: I didn't cry while watching it, but now that I am painfully slowly processing what I just watched, I have teared up almost to the point of fully crying. Because I am SO fucking moved by how much access there was into Kim Namjoon's psyche. For those that have watched the 2-part "All Day" RM thing from 2 yrs ago, this docu is a similar vibe BUT MORE INTENSE.
In some ways, this docu was like the indie version of Jimin's "Production Diary". Same approach to how an artist creates and how having a team helps the artist until an album is born. Aside from the obvious (two different artists for two different albums), the most stark difference is that Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (what Jimin named his team) was all BH while Team RM brought in a whole new crew.
Moving on, hehehe. A+ cinematography too! It was a v. visually stimulating (tho not to the point of becoming overwhelming) movie.
*EXTREMELY MILD SPOILER* They also show all of the MVs behind-the-scenes. Which was a treat. And it explains why there weren't any Bangtan bombs for those videos.*END OF THE EXTREMELY MILD SPOILER*
I know this docu has a super limited release window (it's 2 wks in the US, I think?)--which is a real shame. Because EVERYONE (both ARMYs and locals) would benefit from watching this movie. I cannot think of anyone who wouldn't be super 😍 by the end of it.
Sadly, I couldn't stay til the credits rolled. 🥲 The lights went on and the usher came by. I was robbed of the experience. ROBBED I TELL YOU! Anyways, 1000000000/5 docu. I am even more in love with Joonie than before. 😅