Tokyo falls in love with BTS

BTS is drawing an avid attention in Japan. A prestigious Japanese daily has featured a special report on analyzing the success behind the Korean boy band, and a slot has been secured for a special TV program for BTS. Such zeal is a far cry from two years ago when Korean entertainers were rejected to appear on Japanese TV programs owing to the soured relations between Tokyo and Seoul.

The Asahi Shimbun published a lead story analyzing the popularity of the seven-membered South Korean boy band. The article said the Korean singers dominated the global entertainment industry with Korean lyrics despite the fact that they are not from an influential entertainment agency. The report called them the “Beatles of the 21st century” mentioning the “British Invasion” of 1964, a term referring to the success of British culture in America.

As for the reason for their success, the story suggested it was crucial that BTS are delivering a message of their own, with every single member of the group participating in songwriting and telling socially relevant messages and the personal stories of their own. The analysis said the Korean band’s message struck a chord with many fans across the world when they called on their fans to “love yourself” at a UNICEF event at the UN headquarters in New York in 2018.

On Sunday, TV Tokyo aired an hour-long special program dedicated to BTS, titled “BTS Journey∼The Travel of Seven Men.” Such special programs are rarely dedicated even to the top Japanese entertainers.

On July 15, BTS are releasing their fourth regular album in Japan, titled “Map of the Soul: 7 ∼The Journey∼.” The “Stay Gold,” a new single previewed from the album, has already been ranked at the top of the iTunes charts in 84 countries. “It was a miracle that we could use the music of BTS as our theme song,” said Tatsuya Yamaga, the producer of the TV show Spiral Labyrinth on TV Tokyo that used “Stay Gold” as one of its soundtracks.


bsism@donga.com