Bangtan Iconic Moments: Part II
Well hello again... Christina here, and I’m back with Part 2 of the iconic moments series. One would think that the task of choosing which moments to include on this list would get easier, but no. Not at all. Especially since many of you have given me suggestions (I greatly appreciate it) that have sent me down many different rabbit holes. Since everything AP529 does is for the sake of SCIENCE, I will gladly continue this work for ARMY—no matter the personal cost to my sanity. Now… to the moments!
***WARNING: HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF BEING BIAS WRECKED MULTIPLE TIMES!!!***
As always, our leader starts us off. Let’s take a moment (or several) to appreciate Kim Namjoon in his Permission to Dance concert fit. The fitted white tank under his jacket and the chain that definitely cost more than $3 are both nothing short of fantastic. But we also can’t forget the subtle nod to his Debut era with the two lines shaved into his hair à la “No More Dream”. He grabs the camera and raps his verse from “Dope” right in our faces. He’s glowing. And we love it. Nice to meet you too, Namjoon!
The Tannies have switched up their hair colors many times over the years, and they’ve all done some shade of purple at one time or another. And they’ve all looked amazing, but it’s Kim Seokjin’s purple (especially when paired with a headband) that stands out as the purple that rules all other purples. The best part? Jin did this color change all by himself, without telling anyone he was going to, a day before BTS had a big concert in Japan. What a rebel! Check out our World Wide Purple Handsome sliding down a bouncy castle during a performance of “Anpanman”. Notice how his singing stays steady—the hair may be purple, but the voice is silver.
And speaking of hair colors… Min Yoongi has also had many different ones throughout BTS’ career, but just like Jin has a hold on purple, if you say “mint” to an ARMY there is a 99.9% chance you will then hear a squeal followed by “I LOVE MINT YOONGI”! But it’s not just the hair color itself—it’s the way he posed for all of his pictures during The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2 concept photoshoot. We dare you not to fall for Yoongi’s sleepy expression—looking so dreamy and tough while dressed in leather and covered in a butterfly tattoo. Mint Yoongi, we hardly had time to know you—but we will love you forever.
Don’t get us wrong—ARMY loves our Sunshine Hobi. The effervescent smile, positive attitude, and bright laughter suit him so well. But as we awaited his headlining Lollapalooza performance in 2022, none of us were prepared for the version of j-hope that jumped up on stage that July evening. Black baggy clothes, gloves, and wet-looking hair were accompanied by an attitude so dominant and serious that he became the most dual-faced member in all of BTS that night. ARMY has dubbed this persona: “Jay”. Watch Jay take us all on a new journey during what is now forever known as “Hobipalooza”.
This solo performance from Jimin of his song “Filter” has been clipped, studied, edited, and dissected many times over. Despite all the different formulas and calculations you may try, you will always end up with the same results—Park Jimin is just incredible. His smoky-eyed stare and breathy voice will capture you, and his dance moves will ensure you never want to escape. Our own Quince once said, “Filter Jimin will cause you to question whether every other attraction you ever felt before in your life was valid.” We all agree. Whether he’s the Genie or Aladdin, in the red suit or the purple—it’s too late. Your “Jim-in” moment has already happened.
Given the unpredictable genius that is Mr. Kim Taehyung, it’s not a far stretch to imagine him being the member that could get Bangtan out of a pinch in a hurry. Handcuffs? Not a problem—all one needs is the proper application of a paperclip. Simple enough. But it’s all in the HOW, the presentation—as V was only too happy to show us during the VCR clips at the beginning of BTS’ "“Permission to Dance” concerts. He shows us what he has up his sleeve (so to speak) while smirking and never breaking eye contact—daring us to look away. But we never do. Why would we? Witness the magic of Taehyung as he inadvertently makes the best office supplies commercial ever.
And finally… we arrive at 190811 Jeon Jung Kook, courtesy of the Lotte Family concert that took place on August 11th, 2019. ARMY refers to this iconic “moment” simply by date, because we cannot single out just one thing that makes this performance look from Jung Kook so legendary. Every tilt of his head, every moment of eye contact, every roll of his hips—he KNEW he looked good that night, without a doubt. There was a little extra “something” in his entire performance, but take a moment and check out the sheer audacity of him in “MIC Drop”. He took no prisoners and offered no quarter, and that’s why we’re still talking about it to this day.
Part II is over, and thus the research for Part III is commencing! Comment here and let me know which moments you want researched & highlighted. And special thanks again go to the Lovely Leslie for her research and links.
Take care & BORAHAE!
Christina
