After sitting with the album for a day and spending some time on other parts of the internet, here are my personal observations about the cb. These observations are not related either. They're just thoughts overall about a lot of things.
1) I believe the majority likes the album even kpop stans. And I say this mostly because I have a lot of mutual friends who kinda gave up on bts the past few years actually defend the album. I think the album did what it was supposed to.
2) Armys who don't like the album are a small minority. The fandom genuinely likes the cb.
3) Kpop stans who went into the album with an open mind enjoyed it regardless of their stance on bts.
4)Then there's the subset that genuinely don't like it understandably because they were most likely not going to like music from a group they don't like anyways, least of all bts so their opinion is redundant.
5)Then we talk about the people who don't like it because they don't like it because of course not everyone's going to like the album. That is common sense. Their taste doesn't suddenly make the album "Not good". (A lot of this discourse would be nonexistent if people understood that. But I've come to realise a lot of stans are not really smart so of course.
6) There's also the ones who like it and are most likely streaming the fuck out of it but of course they'll never admit it though. Instead there'll try to overcompensate by trying to convince others it's not that good. Explains the millions of "this is the only good song on the album" comments on practically every song (Except maybe the hip hop heavy ones I'll talk about this more later). They like it but are not going to admit it because its bts and sadly the album is also doing well. This could be tied back to my thoughts on kpop stans are their different reactions to who and like crazy, taking into account the first day reactions to how both songs became perceived at the end of their run (also something I'll probably talk about later)
7) Now more on the tiktok comments from people who are obviously multis. Most of the hate comments I saw were under songs like Hooligan, 2.0, FYA and Aliens which kind of buttresses the narrative that yes a lot of people just do not like how hip hop/rap line heavy the album is. It proves that the fixation on the songs on their earlier albums were just for social media points. And the boys probably know this hence the reason for the bubbly or fuck boy English singles because in actuality, that is what a lot of the fans prefer. But of course they all pretend to want "more" because one thing a lot of music stans will do is jump off a cliff before they admit they enjoy bubblegum pop the most. "Why is the song do successful" because you're streaming it behind the closed doors of your room friend and y'all don't actually listen to half the deep/ artistic songs y'all post about but they do sound good and also makes you look good when you post about it on social media.
"X is a real artist and underrated" yet you only have one song of theirs saved.
8) Now more on the hip hop thing. My problem is how rapline heavy it is. Singers can do hip hop songs too. Hobi shouldn't be singing 4 different verses on one song while jimin only repeats one line. The first part of the Album would've been more palatable to their pop loving audience if the songs hadn't been 80% rapline. "But the vocalists sing more on the second half so it's ok" yeah but someone who didn't like the album 5 songs in will probably give up halfway through because it is the FIRST half of the Album. It sets the tone. And after that they would probably need a another relisten to fully get it.
9) I just have to say this because I saw this comment a couple of times but if your critique of hooligan is the laugh because you think it sounds "corny" or "cringe" then I just have to say that you sound stupid and you should probably listen to more music. (I don't care who wrote the chorus and I don't care who gets offended by this. I'm actually ready to tussle if y'all are) and hooligan isn't even in my top 5.
10) Jimin went viral after the concert ended when fans started posting their fancams and what we saw wasn't dependent on what Netflix decided to show. So that's interesting.
11) These pjms who were in my asks yesterday, going on and on about standing out better not speak on jimin ever again. Keep your insecurity to yourself.
12) Pjms are so hypocritical it's funny to watch. It would be less annoying though if they admitted to the hypocrisy rather than acting self righteous. And why do I say this you ask?
A lot of y'all were siding with K-pop stans to drag bts because you were angry that TO YOUR EARS jimin didn't have any stand out lines, and y'all were scared he was being over shadowed. Now he's gone viral after the performance now y'all are all up in the quotes of the tweets from jk stans who called the concert boring because jk did not stand out. Y'all are calling them out...they're just doing what y'all did on release day lmao so why are y'all suddenly bts defenders?
13) I love swim, it's a very good song. Still not title material but a very good bside. It isn't a title track not because it is bad, but because of the type of song it is. And the fixation on swim to drag the cb does confirm the narrative that kpop stans really only listen to title tracks because ok you don't like the title track... so what? Go listen to other songs on the album. I knew this was going to happen hence why I said months ago that all bts needed to do was make an upbeat korean song the title. If they had done this half the discourse would also be nonexistent, even if arirang as a whole was a terrible body of work. Title track does a lot of the heavy lifting in kpop because these niggas do not listen to albums.
14) Arirang is better than Map of the soul 7. It's actually top 3 bts album for me together with lys:tear and Dark and wild. It is a very good album and everyone will finally admit it in a short while when they're no longer pressed and angry.
15) The cb turned out to be an album cb which is a first for bts and it will work out well in the long run. In fact I hope jimin makes his next cb like that with multiple songs having the potential of being more than just a bside. (We probably could have had this with face if he had gotten the visual album he wanted but I guess. Think of what could have been with songs like face off.)
16) Now finally. The reason why this whole thing is so drawn out is because the people who didn't like the album (or are pretending not to) thinks everyone else has to care about their opinion. Like I said your opinion doesn't change the fact that the album is good. You could try to convince us but it still won't change anything. Then you have armys and some solos who are talking about the negative reactions to the album more than the people with those opinions because as always they're so desperate for bts to be accepted but I think this proves that there's nothing bts could do. Their success is huge part of the problem for most kpop stans, not just the music. And it all comes down to some people thinking their opinion should matter and the other half caring so much about the opinions of others because others have to like something before they like or it affects their enjoyment. Only your opinion should matter. Only my opinion matters to me. And I think arirang is a great album, what the rest of y'all have to say has nothing to do with me.
I think a lot of people could benefit from learning to think for themselves. It also goes for those who don't like the album. Stop trying to make other people hate it just so you can keep hating. If you're not going to give the album a chance, then stand in your hate. You shouldn't care if Sage likes it. Me and anyone else liking the album shouldn't take away from your dislike.
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