BIGHIT vs BTS SHIPS IN THE SOOP: Soop Episode 06 Analysis
Usually, I'd wait till I've seen all episodes of a serialized content such as Soop together with it's behind the scenes before making any analysis on it- I'm making an exception for Soop episode six for obvious reasons.
There's been talks. There's been wild, wild talks. Even before this episode aired, people had been raising concerns about BigHit- rightfully so, questioning the intentions behind BigHit's recent marketing approach.
What was of utmost concern to most people was the 'suspicious' timing and manner in which some ships within BTS were marketed and presented to us, 'pushed,' as they'd put it: Is Bighit trying to neutralise Jikook moments with other ships, they ask. Why is there a surge in Taekook content or Yoonmin or any ship's content immediately after a big Jikook moment?
2019 memories was Jikook centric, I bet 2020 memories will focus mainly on Taekook or another ship. Why is Jikook touchy in one moment, tame in another? Has BigHit asked them to tone things down? What is BigHit's agenda?
Then, after Soop episode 06, there were some questioning the effect Taekook mending their relationship openly like this is going to have on Jikook. Is Jikook just a casualty of Taekook, they ask. Will there be a surge in Taekook content henceforth? What will happen to Jikook now that Taekook are back to being buddies?
Chileee, all these weird ass, outrageous suspicions, and outlandish curiosities- I LOVE IT. Lol. Let's talk.
I think I have hinted at this BigHit agenda in a couple of my blog posts but allow me to reiterate and expand on it.
As explained in past posts, ships are fun and all but they are also a great organic marketing resource tool available to a marketer as it helps retain audience, keep engagement rates high and sustains people's interest in a piece of marketed content over time.
I explained that people may not be listening to BTS songs every day all year round but the average shipper would at least like and engage with a ship post a few times a day each day all year round. That impacts the relevancy of BTS in a way as far as marketing in concerned- don't even.
Ships have great commercial value in that sense. If flows from this then that all ships in BTS would be of great commercial value to BigHit not just Jikook or Taekook.
So you can imagine my frustration when people get uncomfortable with BigHit 'pushing' other ships besides Jikook or Taekook. These other ships, as low as their numbers may be, also have an audience that form part of the fandom that BigHit needs to cater for.
Jikook stands out of those ships because they are real- and deadass want to be shipped with each other. Lol.
Thus most, if not all, of their interactions are real, organic, barely induced, barely scripted or coerced. I said barely.
This is why the cameras love them. Editors love them, marketers love them, Music Video directors love them, corporate S.K loves them. They are fun to watch, they are fun to film and they have the numbers- great commercial value.
And whether BigHit knows this or not, they consciously and unconsciously gravitate towards Jikook in a way that ends up distinguishing Jikook from the others-
I mean, who wants to watch a three minute footage of X washing dishes when Jikook are busy flirting in the corner somewhere?
Unless X is making faces, struggling to hold a sponge or doing something ridiculously hilarious or meaningful- I'm yeeting myself out of there real fast. No apologies.
As much as we love BTS and love to support them, they gotta make certain content worth our while. And I think they understand this bit. BigHit understands this bit.
Hence why they have a content development team, a creative team that controls which content sees the light of day based on what they view as quality entertaining content worth the viewers while.
BTS do not have creative control over content that BigHit marketers put out. They haven't always had creative control over their content. Not until recent times. In my opinion.
You see this during MV reaction videos- for the love of God they themselves can't even tell who is which in certain MVs, or what a concept of a MV means- hell, they are still trying to figure out what the 'no more dream' cameo in the On MV means. Lol
Then there are times also that they act so surprised when certain moments make it to the screens or don't make it to the screens like the viral dance Jikook did in Dynamite.
And I see what people mean when they say BigHit plays favorites with Jikook. However, I feel favoritism is such a strong word.
Their 'favouritism' shows in the way they give more screen time to Jikook, because perhaps that brings them more money? example Memories 2019; rather than that they are actually giving preferential treatment to Jikook. They treat all of the boys the same, in my opinion.
But this exposure BigHit gives Jikook is double edged and comes with dire consequences.
On one hand, shipping wise, there are people who are confused out of their wits because they feel Jikook ought to be hiding if their real. And if BigHit knows they are real then they wouldn't be giving them this much exposure.
Then there are those that feel, the exposure BigHit gives Jikook is what has contributed to the growing popularity of Jikook as a brand seperate from BTS's own brand and as such has been competing against BTS's brand- I share similar views.
I'll address the former later but let's begin with this:
If you don't think Jikook is a brand or is shaping out to be a brand- you are in denial and I can't help you.
Jikook presents as a power couple, gay icons if I do say so myself- a brand. A very powerful brand quite frankly if you look at their commercial value. Look at the Ads you'll see what I mean.
And as a brand, I have explained that they have a tendency to overshadow the brand of BTS at times. Take for instance, JK leaning his head on JM's shoulder at MMA 2019. That had sent the crowd into a frenzy. Even though Tae was trying to deliver his speech at the same time, he had to wait till the crowd had settled before resuming his speech.
RM didn't seem too pleased with that, which is what had led to that infamous standoff moment between him and JK, as I've said in past posts.
Throughout the years, we've all seen moments like that where RM, being the leader of the group, has had to step in to control Jikook and curb certain interactions between them.
And I see this also confuses people because, one moment it seems RM is against Jikook's interactions and thus 'separates' them and in other instances he seems chilled about them and even gives the impression he supports Jikook. What gives?
RM is not against Jikook's relationship. He is against their relationship getting in the way of their work and careers and taking away attention from the band at instances where BTS should be the center of attention. I think.
And when at interviews, concerts, awards or even during a VLive such the 1st September, 2020 Billboard VLive, the headline in the news should read BTS did X, not JM lied about being with JK, or Jikook goofed around in the middle of a serious interview.
It is why BigHit had asked for a take down of a video article during On's promotion in February this year where the studio had deliberately included a footage of JK playing hide and seek with JM in the middle of an interview while RM was answering a rather serious question.
The studio decided Jikook goofing around was more screen time worthy than RM answering an important question. It's not hard to figure out why the studio did this. For the clout. For the attention. Jikook have people's attention. BigHit knows this, BTS know this, corporate institutions know this.
Which brings me to my next point of discussion: does BigHit know about Jikook?
I feel they had their suspicions about Jikook. Suspicions which only grew louder especially after Rosebowl but had turned a blind eye to them so they could continue 'exploiting' their bond in a way that absorbs them of all guilt.
Because, acknowledging Jikook in that way would require them to assume certain legal and moral responsibilities to not only protect Jikook's interests but Jikook's privacy as well.
But here is the conundrum, how do they protect Jikook's privacy when the commercial worth of Jikook lies in their ability to commodify Jikook's intimate interactions and sell it to the consumer?
We are into Jikook because of all the moments BigHit has allowed to slip into screen time. Some, by accident but others I argue are by design- they ain't stupid.
And when I say them, I mean the higher ups not the people in the field working with them like the camera crew and editors.
Take for example that moment, where they intentionally put cameras in BTS's rooms without telling them and Jikook ended up walking into JK's room together. Jimin looked quite shook- bless him.
Then that moment where JK pretended to sleep as soon as he saw Jimin approaching- JM caressed him fondly but the cameras immediately panned from JK's face to Jimin's face as if they wanted to capture JM's whipped face. Again, Jimin didn't seem too pleased.
JK was equally not pleased when the cameras caught up to him and Jimin in the back of a track while they- well, they claim they were taking selfies for Twitter so...
There are plenty of moments like this. And when you pay attention to the captions they place on some of their videos- the boy in love with JK, a romantic date, why do you have to stand so close etc
Or even look at the type of content they script for BTS like in Rookie King where as punishment V and Hobi were made to kiss, or even as missions, the boys have been asked to act out some really gay shit and do some really questionable things- you'd understand the kind of content BigHit marketers consider marketable.
In Rookie King, Suga said he was wary of the writers because of the weird punishments they had written for them to perform.
Over the years, BTS have had to put their foot down and push back against BigHit's exploitative tendencies and shenanigans.
They've set boundaries on the kinds of things they will and will not do and have said they only engage in the skinship they want and feel comfortable doing.
So I see why RM would want to protect Jikook sometimes beyond the clashing of the two brands, BTS' brand and Jikook's brand.
He is very perceptive and knows how exploitative the company can be at times. And so while Jikook may be trusting that a certain intimate moment would be cut out of the final edit, RM would be wary of such moments and would rather they didn't create them at all.
Because he knows that's the kind of content BigHit wants and needs from them for their marketing purposes.
But Jikook isn't innocent either. Fucking slytherins- They know what they are doing. Those two don't seem to push back against BigHit commodifying certain intimate interactions between them. They expose themselves to us and to BigHit in an almost reckless way.
It's the exhibitionist in them. It's the ambitious drive in them. It's the the slytherin in them. It's a myriads of things in them that for a lack of a better term I'm just gonna refer to as weird- They are weirdos and they scare me.
BigHit is weird, wants BTS to do weird stuff, Jikook are weird and do weird stuff- it just works. Lol
But notice how lately things have changed? Notice how RM doesn't seem to be as controlling over Jikook as he used to be? How Jikook seems like they have a breathing space within BTS lately?
How BigHit seems to be conducting ships in BTS in a way that seems as if they are distributing screentime judiciously and giving them somewhat qual exposure?
How they don't seem to be 'hiding' Jikook anymore- memories 2019? Dynamite? How everything seems- healthy, domestic even for Jikook? Where Jikook is concerned at least?
I think BigHit has recently assumed management of Jikook as a brand and is marketing them as such.
I say this because I see BigHit taking a different approach to dealing with Jikook:
RM's approach had been to curb Jikook and stop their moments from happening before they happened and when that failed he would try to neutralize Jikook by mirroring certain Jikook mannerisms and interactions- like imitating how JK would turn to JM when he speaks, JK would say something about Jimin and RM would repeat it or recreate that moment with Jimin too or another member so it appears as if it was something they all did with one another all the time.
BigHit's approach, to me, has been to normalize Jikook by showing more of their interactions and more of their moments in order to take the spectacle out of it.
I have said this, that BigHit wants to make Jikook less of a spectacle so people don't go snooping around them for tea.
You see the distinction between these two different approaches during moments such as the 1st September VLive moment:
I mentioned in my analysis of that VLive that RM had kept cutting JM off, not allowing him to go on and on about his night with Jk.
His approach to handling that moment was to stop JM from spilling or giving away any detail that could lead people to add two and two together and arrive at the conclusion that Jikook were together that dawn, and this had resulted in a lot of omissions in their narration.
BigHit had had a different approach. In an interview a few days afterwards, they allowed for a question around that night to be directed at Jimin and I feel they had asked Jimin to tell his truth as long as that is what he wanted to do. And we all know the choice he made.
Another instance of this difference is when RM thought Jikook goofing around in the Dynamite MV was inappropriate because they weren't taking things seriously but JM had explained to him he had improvised that scene based on the vibe of the song and with the director's encouragement-That scene ended up in the final MV.
One thing to keep in mind, before we proceed is that, there is an interconnectedness of things within the BigHit/BTS/Jikook- verse, from my point of view. And if you miss that interconnection you might end up confused about certain moments when they happen- like Soop.
Personally, I keep an eye on two parallel timelines where Jikook and BigHit is concerned:
There is the uWu worthy moments that exist in isolation for us to consume and make nothing off, then there is another less visible timeline that interconnects some of these isolated moments.
It's a bit hard to keep track of this invisible timeline because BigHit does not feed us some content in real time and by the time certain moments are released it's meaning and context is lost on us- but I'm a nerd and don't have a life so... they should try harder. Lol.
If you've been around my blog for a while, anything happening on Soop would not come as a shock to you- unless you've not been paying attention, in which case- WHAT THE FUCK?!
Let me recap but skip if you are an avid reader of my blogs or have read them all:
[Warning: DELULU DELUXE AHEAD]
As explained in past blog posts, I see Rosebowl, August 2019, February-March On promotions and May 2020 as all interconnected in my opinion and is what I think has led Jikook and BTS to where they are now- being managed my BigHit.
Rosebowl put Jikook in BigHit's full view. They couldn't ignore what Jikook were anymore. They had cut it close. But they didn't make much of it because it had happened on stage and could be easily explained away as fanservice.
Then New Jersey VLive happened and that was the last straw. Sanctions were placed on Jikook and they were banned from filming a Vlive by themselves. Bare with me. Lol
August 2019: Jikook's secrets almost gets spilled. Impromptu break, girls scandal to control said Jikook scandal- read more about this is my analysis on the Tattoo girl scandal.
October 30th happens: Mass emailing to BigHit to cancel Jikook for promoting homophobia. Not a big deal because again those moments people were angry about had happened on stage.
But BigHit assumes Jikook is going to be a problem if left unchecked.
RM being the leader of the group and someone BigHit respects, is tasked to keep his boys under control. He feels pressured. He puts a lot of pressure on Jikook to tone things down- y'all saw the heavy monitoring and supervision during this phase- don't even.
This doesn't go to well, creating lots of tensions within the group from there on to March 2020- please get with the timeline on my past posts.
Things escalate in March 2020 when JK interrupts JM's call to ask him on a date and say I love you blah blah blah. This leads to more tensions within the group because JK appears to be rebelling at this point against RM's control and his interference with their relationship- Don't mess with JK's lovey-dovey hours. He'll kill you.
JM isn't spared either. There is a lot of pressure on him being the eldest of the two to Keep JK in line. This in turn creates a lot of tension between him and Jk. Which sparks the push and pull dynamic that's marked later parts of 2019 and early half of 2020.
This pressure leads to a lot of tensions between Jimin and Suga as well- JK didn't tease them in that MV reaction video for nothing and JM didn't have that reaction for nothing either. I think the Yoonminers know what I'm talking about. Ask them. Lol
All these tensions and pressure- JM asks for space within their relationship. JK throws tantrums on the internet- never not think about you, still with you yadda yadda yadda- Hey, I said delulu hours ok? Lol
JK snaps. Decides he's not gonna have a VLive with anyone until the sanctions on him and JM banning them from having a VLive together are lifted-
Thats the thing about JK. I feel out of the two, he is the one that fights for their rights to be themselves and have the freedom within the group to pursue their relationship. Left to the Hufflepuff half blood nerf herder, he would sacrifice their happiness and their rights for the Kumbaya of the group- Real saint that one. Lol.
BigHit pulls their contract over his head, have JK do certain VLives he didn't want to do under strict supervision. Mind you, at this point only a few members are holding down the social media engagement forts.
JK does this Live, feels tensed, runs to Weverse to further complicate matters for BigHit by telling everyone how awkward he felt about the VLive- where is my damn green snake emoji? Where is my sorting hat- SLYTHERIN
Dude didn't want to do that live. Deadass. In my opinion. Quite honestly, I don't think Tae wanted to do that live either. But more on that in my next blog.
In JK's VLive with Jimin, notice how he kept hinting at his discomfort with the presence of staff around them? His problem in the Taekook VLive wasn't with Tae per se. It was with BigHit making him do things he didn't want to do. Dude ain't slick.
Why would he result to such antics, you might ask. Because social media is a huge bargaining tool for them in balancing the power dynamics between them and BigHit.
They all do this not just JK quite frankly. BigHit used to trust BTS to handle their social media activities with little to no supervision from BigHit. They were engaging with their fans and growing their fanbase. It was all good until growth set it.
The rate of change in growth of the campany and BTS's brand varies indirectly to the rate of change in trust they put in BTS.
What this means is, the larger their fan base grew, and the larger BigHit got, the less trust they had in BTS- One wrong post by any member could create a scandal, sending the entire empire crumbling down.
Jikook, well JK, hasn't exactly been trust worthy in that regard.
I have explained in past posts, how JK has learned to weaponize this influence against people of power within BTS and BigHit that threatens his relationship with JM.
We see this in moments during interviews where he's teased his relationship- like when he felt RM was crossing boundaries with JM during an interview and so when he was asked what he liked most about himself he pointed in JM's direction and said my 'boy-oice' instead of voice. RM nearly shit his pants. Bless him.
JK doesn't want to hide his relationship at all and so that gives him a strong bargaining power when negotiating with people who would rather he hides it. Aka RM, BTS and perhaps BigHit.
Although for BigHit, I feel, it's not so much as they want Jikook to hide. It's more they don't want a scandal as a result of Jikook's secrets. They don't want to be blind sided by a Jikook scandal. Especially one they aren't prepared for.
If there is anything that S.K corporations shy away from its scandals. Search it up.
Why would JK do this at this point and not sooner? Because BigHit was in a vulnerable position at that point in time? Their IPO was coming and they didn't need any in house trouble that could impact their IPO- Slick. I know.
They couldn't ignore what Jikook are anymore because, unfortunately,a gay relationship is exactly the kind of news that could negatively impact the company's IPO.
I feel they were forced to confront and acknowledge Jikook this year and demand the truth from them, upon which they have had a contingency plan in place for when Jikook accidentally or intentionally outs themselves without notice or for when a third party outed them out of the blue.
Secondly, I feel JK was rebelling at this phase because BTS's contract was officially renewing in June? It was his speak now or forever remain silent moment, I suppose.
JK has been on a track to assert himself and demand he be treated like an adult and respect and not like a child within the group especially since their On promotions this year- Chileee, he's been pretty hardcore.
JK is rebellious. One way he rebels is through absenting himself from social media- we not seeing Jikook online anytime soon unless they are gearing up for eachother's birthdays again- they ain't slick.
Moving on, I think BigHit felt they didnt have a choice but to step in and control the situation- which, rightfully so. It was getting quite chaotic.
They have seven long years ahead to work together as a group and they can't afford cracks like this in their midst.
BigHit's plan with thus was to have them all sit and talk and reconnect, rebuild their bond- Hence SOOP.
It wouldn't be the first time they've done this. Rookie King was filmed for this exact reason: so members could air their grievances and move on from it.
But I feel, BigHit had spoken with everyone individually behind close doors to figure out what everyone's problem was.
And I'm guessing, BTS's grievances against Jikook was that they were worried Jikook would do something that's going to abruptly end their careers amongst other things.
In which case, Jikook's grievances, amongst other things, would be RM and BTS controlling and interfering in their personal matters- their relationship.
I would lie if I said I've seen Soop, I haven't. Except for episode six. So I will not share my opinion on it- I don't have one. Yet. Lol.
But Taekook's conversation in Soop 06 is one of the conversations I expected and frankly anticipated from Soop due to the things I felt were going on in the timeline I've explained above.
When I read the concept for Soop I was excited. I have been expecting a Yoonmin healing moment, a Namkook healing moment, a Taekook healing moment, a YoonKook healing moment- Vmin not so much. They had their issues in February but I feel they squashed it real fast. But I would still love to see Tae on his Vmin agenda. Lol
These pairs I've mentioned are the pairings within BTS I feel had been fractured along the way, in the immediate timeline we've discussed, where Jikook is concerned.
There are other pairs besides these that I feel needs to heal and reconnect as well. I'm not going to talk about them here because they are unrelated to Jikook and irrelevant to our discussions.
Now, again, I've not seen Soop, so I don't know if there has been any such healing moments and honest conversations resembling that of Taekook's in episode six but I have seen other moments outside Soop that I think reflects this concept of healing I speak of.
The first would be NamKook and I think we've all seen in the later half of 2020, post June that there's been an increase in their interactions. Yoonkook too.
Initially, it felt as if RM was keeping Kook close in order to monitor him but after seeing him in Dynamite MV reaction video- it didn't seem like he was monitoring him in that kind of way? Hear me out.
If felt more like he was trying to get in JK's good graces- Or perhaps he is doing both, but not in an overt manner that is gonna have JK spelling his name for him at the back of his head with his frying pan. Lol
I have a blog post on my wall titled JK has a problem with RM. I know, I've joked repeatedly about the frenemy dynamics between those two but lately it feels they are really making a conscious effort to spend time together, and try to repair their bond- good for them.
And because RM monitoring Jikook and interfering in their relationship is the root cause of Jk's problems with RM, I see why RM would want to step back from doing all of that now.
The vibe in BTS lately smacks of respect and consideration. Which simply wasn't the case before hand.
There was a lack of sensitivity and consideration even in the way they handled Jikook's secret, especially RM- not to throw him under the bus.
I've mentioned how his attitude post 2018, totally disregards JK's authority over Jimin as his boyfriend. In wanting to help 'hide' Jikook's relationship, they ended up crossing certain boundaries that only ended up infuriating JK.
Imagine, having to live in a society and community that doesn't regard his place and position as Jimin's partner and not having access to certain freedoms, certain basic human rights by virtue of his sexuality and having to work all year round in an environment where his rights and privileges are equally curtailed, censored and dictated by his peers- Naa, JK needs to wield his frying pan more often. That's absolute nonsense. I feel for him.
So imagine my surprise when in the recent KSB interview where BTS were asked about their secret to staying together Hobi used those exact words: respect and consideration- seemed to me like something he had read from a self help book in recent times. But let's not talk about that. Lol. Bless him.
RM jumped in to explain that keeping boundaries and not interfering in each other's personal business was something that had also helped strengthen their bond- something some people misinterpret to mean he meant BTS aren't close to eachother, ergo no ship is real... Alright then.
Now, I found this interview quite interesting because BTS were singing a different song in there. These are the same people that had said their lack of boundaries with each other is what set them apart from other brands and what had kept them together through the years.
I felt from this that something has changed fundamentally between the members in their group dynamics. Does it have anything to do with Jikook- I'm bet my edges it does. Lol
Jimin has changed, JK has changed. I've said previously at the start of Dynamite promotions how I felt Jimin and JK seemed to be asserting themselves against eachother and against the group dynamics- I stand by it.
Also, I see Yoonmin trying to bicker less and actively trying to repair their friendship- good for them. I don't know for the other episodes on Soop but in the episode six that I watched I saw Suga really trying with JM and Kook with RM- not mad at that.
Not sure if they are spending time together in other episodes as well but I hope they do. I hope the friendships that were broken in the cause of the timeline above are spending quality time around eachother in there one way or the other. Can't wait to see all the episodes.
I won't be surprised if Jikook is on the back burner and not front center because Soop is not about them. But again, I won't mind another Jikook date by the lake- hear me, oh Jikook gods!
Which brings me to Taekook- But for a separate post.
With everything that's been said here, I hope you understand BigHit pushing other ships besides Jikook is not the agenda. It is something but nothing at the same time.
To BTS we are family. To BigHit we are customers, consumers. The only thing they thus care about is customer satisfaction and longevity of their business model. And the only thing that can hurt the longevity of their business model is a scandal- they are going to do anything to prevent one.
As long as Jikook isn't creating a scandal- outing themselves or getting outed by someone with real proof and a platform, I don't think they will have a problem with BigHit.
BigHit's agenda is to avoid a scandal at all cost while keeping the customers satisfied and making more money.
Thus, every content they put out, every ship they highlight is to keep their customers satisfied and their numbers soaring high, basically.
They don't pander to consumers and customers like Taekookers because what they require of BigHit is beyond BigHit's control- they want BigHit to make their ship behave the way Jikook does- which is insane and impossible.
Jikook is the most coveted ship amongst BTS ships and often nonJokers find themselves wishing for their ship dynamics. And because their ship doesn't behave that way, they come up with the most ridiculous theories unheard of since Moses crossed the red sea with a bamboo stick-I'm not an atheist, I assure you. I just find it equally ridiculous. Lol.
It's sad that these people don't understand that Jikook act the way they do because they want to. It is their choice. No one is forcing them to and when they are forced to interact moments like the Taekook VLive happens.
It's frustrating that these shippers don't respect their ship bias's boundaries, their choice to not cross certain limits for the cameras or behave in any certain way for commercial purposes.
They call Jikook fanservice then would proceed to mass email BigHit to have their ship do the fanservice some- y'all make it make sense please.
Fanservice or not, what it comes down to is, Jikook knows how to keep their fanbase satisfied. They want to keep their fanbase satisfied, they can keep us satisfied and they do keep us satisfied while satisfying themselves- it's a win win and we ain't complaining.
Let the 'dissatisfied customers' call it fanservice, we say it's a glass closet- that's on period.
