BTS Resources –– A Handy Guide for New and Old Fans Alike
Hello! In the spirit of trying to make life easier for baby ARMY and also decrease the spread of misinformation, here is an extensive list of BTS resources for reference. The guide is best viewed on laptop or tablet and the link can be shared freely.
As an aside, I have done my best to judiciously evaluate the sources listed, but please use critical thinking skills when it comes to reading/watching/listening to things about BTS that are made via third party sources. The best place to get to know BTS will always be by watching and listening to BTS themselves.
Contact @turnofphase on Twitter via DM with any questions.
If you have resource suggestions, please leave them here!
Key Resources noted with an asterisk (*) are created by the creator of this document. Resources in italics are key resources that should be looked at first by a new fan. |
Table of Contents
[Click on the link to go to the section]
BTS Primers - AKA, who are BTS?
YouTube Series, Videos, & Playlists
BTS & ARMY STARTERS GUIDE is the most comprehensive introduction to BTS that I am presently aware of and is very frequently updated. This is one of my top resources of all time and I highly recommend taking a peek.
First Time with BTS? is a fairly comprehensive and detailed blog post primer to the members of BTS, their history, their discography, and is also quite an easy skim read.
Although frequently overlooked, BTS’s own Wikipedia page is actually very thorough and if you happen to be interested in the smallest details about BTS’s career, the whole thing is worth a read.
The BTS Pre-debut History doc is a great resource for people who want to learn more about BTS’s history prior to joining the band and their very early days.
*the BTS directory is a masterlist of all BTS’s public social media accounts and their various purposes.
The Anti-Manti Document is a quote index that counters common manager anti (manti), solo, and anti-fan narratives through collecting BTS’s own words.
Bangtan Lexicon is a website and Twitter account that keeps a running database of common fandom-specific terms for reference.
The *Best BTS Media doc contains the best media coverage (largely articles) about BTS that are well executed, well researched, contain key information, or are otherwise relevant to read.
The BTS Content Index is a continually updated list of all the content BTS has ever made. so if you’re looking for something specific, you’ll probably find it there.
The *BTS glossary is an extensive list of BTS and ARMY related terms that is intended to provide clarification regarding the terminology used in fandom spaces.
The *BTS Archival Project is a crowdsourced fan archive of BTS information and history (with sources!)
The BTS Interview Collection, compiled by @winterlyblooms has content from BTS’s interviews from 2013 through 2021 translated into English.
BTS Picture & Video Archive (by @94sjin) is a very, very thorough and well-updated archive of BTS’s visual content throughout the years.
The BTS Discography Sheet is a comprehensive list of all the songs BTS have ever released, including unofficial releases, covers, and pre-debut songs. BTS have almost 500 songs in their total discography!
BTS Fanchants compiles all the fanchants for BTS’s discography so you can be prepared for their next concert!
The BTS lyric translation index is a great resource for comparing translations of different songs.
The BTS Thread Archive is a great compilation of all the best and most comprehensive BTS Twitter threads on subtopics like music, tutorials, lyrics, music videos, etc.
BTS Achievements Masterlist is a document with all of BTS’s achievements to date.
*The BTS Intro is a continually updated YouTube playlist of the most critical BTS videos for a new fan to watch, including music videos, performances, interviews, media coverage, and beyond.
Introduction to Beyond the Scene Series is one of the most well-done, concise video introductions to BTS as a band and the individual members. Although the series was done in 2018 and as such the achievements listed are outdated, the series is well-done and worth a watch.
BTS are amazing performers and entertainers. As such, here’s a *YouTube playlist with some of the cult classic BTS performances at concerts, at award shows, and beyond.
THE RISE OF BANGTAN is a free, fan-made docu-series cataloging BTS’s journey from their earliest days till now in sequential chapters.
Ever wanted to know more about the larger significance of BTS and their lyrics? The* BTS Analysis YouTube Playlist has some in-depth lyricial, cultural, and thematic analyses in video format.
The “*a musical introduction to BTS playlist” is a continually updated medley playlist of BTS’s discography from 2013 - 2020 spanning all genres including pop, hiphop, R&B, rock, EDM, latin, ballads and more.
*This is a list of Twitter users who translate BTS content (ie. tweets, v-lives, etc) as it is released in real-time. Also a handy resource for the comparison of interpretations by different translators.
Muish runs an wordpress exclusive site where they translate lyrics and discuss the relevant cultural contexts that can influence interpretation.
Colin is a vastly underrated source of lyric translations. By profession he translates history books and is consequently skilled at providing lyric interpretations and analysis that truly enhance understanding for English speakers.
Doolset Bangtan runs an excellent lyric translation blog and provides detailed notes on cultural contexts. Reading BTS lyrics is a critical element of understanding who BTS are and why they do what they do. Do not miss out.
DoYou Bangtan runs a BTS translation blog that is not limited to just lyrics. There are interviews, concert ments, and much much more. She also provides notes on cultural context and in general is a trusted fandom translator.
BangtanSubs is one of the oldest and most respected translation teams for anything BTS and were the heroes of i-ARMY when Bangtan Bombs were not subbed at all by BigHit.
r/Bangtan is the fandom’s biggest subreddit and a place to go for long discussions.
All For ARMY is a fan-run website that is worth checking out for daily recaps, announcements, reporting and voting guides, fandom etiquette, and is generally just a wealth of information.
BTS Universe Starter Guide — The BTS Effect is a basic primer of the Bangtan Universe storyline. As a reminder, everything within the BU is fictional, even if the characters BTS portray share the same name and appearance.
BU Content Guide is one of the most comprehensive guides to the Bangtan Universe storyline and has a beautiful website.
HYYH: The Notes spreadsheet contains translations for all of the notes that have been released, in addition to a timeline and other miscellaneous resources.
Bangtan Universe Chronological Timeline is a chronological timeline of all the BU related releases.
Map of the BU is a fan project to visualize the Bangtan Universe and the locations in which the events take place. Highly recommended once you have some level of familiarity with the Bangtan Universe storyline and events.
The Bangtan Theory is a fan-made website with various well-written theories, explanations, and analyses of the Bangtan Universe.
The BTS Effect blog provides resources, analysis, and research regarding BTS and the larger Bangtan Universe. Highly recommend.
The #BTSSYLLABUS is a joint effort cataloging project aimed “to make research, teaching, and writing about BTS more accessible” via crowdsourcing complied by well-regarded ARMY academics Candace Epps-Robertson, Jin Ha Lee, and Cassie Nguyen.
The Rhizomatic Revolution Review is a BTS-centric peer-reviewed academic journal catering around the “rigorous, interdisciplinary examination and exploration of the art, fandom, economic effects, and sociocultural forces of and surrounding BTS (방탄소년단).”
BTS ARMY Census is a fan-driven census of the BTS ARMY. In 2020 they received 400,000 respondents. If you’re interested in the demographics of ARMY, whether out of curiosity or to prove a point, this is a helpful resource.
The BTS Library carrd contains all of the books BTS have recommended or been spotted with over the years, sorted by member.
*So, you wanna see BTS live? A guide to ticketing is a self-explanatory, comprehensive guide to the process of ticketing for BTS within the US and the concert experience as a whole.
The bts serotonin bot is an adorable website that you should check out if you need a little boost of happy.
@turnofphase