SXSWis about to be invaded by the army.
No, not the army you might be thinking.
Were talking about ARMY the Adorable Representative M.C.
BTS fans gather in 2023 in SeoulChung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
for Youth the acronym for the legion of supporters of the massively popular K-Pop bandBTS.
A lot of the fans that you meet in the beginning of the film, theyre teenagers.
Its the most malleable time of their life.
BTS fans “heart” the K-Pop boy band in ‘Forever We Are Young’Tremolo Productions
Theyre really emotional, notes Lee.
BTS is growing as a band and as a phenomenon, and so is ARMY at the same time.
That was one of the things that fascinated us the most about this relationship.
Says one ARMY enlistee in the film, Its a social movement.
Lee observes, This is the most diverse fan base Ive ever seen in my life.
The diversity extends to age.
BTS fans run from tweens up to seniors.
There is something quite unique to the fandom on this.
In an extensiveMedium post, an ARMY recruit named Maria helpfully parsed what a fans bias says about them.
For instance, Suga aka Min Yoongi.
An angel on earth.
Hes an angel on earth.
A place of safety, acceptance, and pure love for many.
In case youre wondering, the filmmakers are ARMY too.
I just started listening and following and getting into the music, Lee shares.
Actually, Im secretly ARMY too.
Ahn, who holds a Ph.D. from USC, takes a scholarly approach to her appreciation of BTS.
Yet she too is ARMY, and willing to declare her bias.
I love them all so dearly.
But my bias is Jimin, Ahn tells Deadline.
I like them all equally.
I cannot choose.
In the past, Ive had, Ooh, this one or this one, but I am OT7.
A lot of BTS music and performance those astonishingly precise dance moves are featured in the movie.
Anytime its a members birthday, fans get together.
A lot of fans are coming to see the movie itself on Monday, that first screening.
Expect the ARMY to be out in full force at SXSW.
