BTS -- EPILOGUE: YOUNG FOREVER

BTS is back and have dropped their first music video ahead of their comeback! The special album is due May 2, and "Epilogue: Young Forever" is the first of three MVs planned for that album. Not only that, they've got a concert coming at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul May 7-8, and they'll be a headliner at KCON NY as well.

As big as the song has gotten, I can't express that much enthusiasm for "Epilogue: Young Forever." It starts out fantastic, j-hope, Rap Monster, and Suga expressing their fears and frustrations in a soul-searing performance. The emotion is palpable. And then we get to the chorus, which is almost another song itself; the message and tone is one of hope, of redemption - it's a very uplifting piece. Unfortunately, that's where it starts to slide downhill for me. The rest of the song, which is half of its running time, is the chorus. It's not like that's not unusual, but to structure it that way is. It just started to drag after the fifth time in a row I heard them sing "forever," which is exactly how long it seemed like while listening. They had a bridge, which was just more of the chorus and fundamentally weak. After the stellar beginning I was hoping for something more.



It's not like I don't like BTS, but I think they could have made this song better.

MV REVIEW

The music video seems to mirror the song in a lot of ways which makes it art. There's a line in the song about running through mazes, and that's exactly what some of the video actually is, the boys making their way through a chain link labyrinth. While the mazes in the song were more metaphorical, it still works well. It shows them trapped by their doubts and fears until they finally emerge, free to run and play.



I like the images of being trapped whether it's in a burning room or in the alley or in that chain-link fence contraption. The HDR sequences with the sun are nice touches as well. The action sequences are filmed in slow-mo which gives it a certain dynamism and energy. As a dramatic piece it works quite well, and it's certainly watchable. Now describing it with words seems spare, but there's actually quite a bit going on here. The camaraderie gives you good feels and echoes how the Bangtan Boys seem to feel about each other. Definitely a thumbs up.

Score

MV Relevance.......9
MV Production......8
MV Concept..........8
Songwriting..........8
Composition.........7
Impression...........7

OVERALL............7.8