BTS "ON" Music Video: "Game of Thrones," "Lion King," "Maze Runner," and More
Following the unveiling of the Kinetic Manifesto film on February 21, BTS has released the second official music video for Map of the Soul: 7’s lead single “ON.”
As the clock struck zero o'clock on February 28 in South Korea, and following the comeback schedule Big Hit had revealed back in January, the new music video appeared on the label’s YouTube channel after an agonizing countdown for ARMYs.
Unlike the previous one, this music video takes a much more cinematic, fantastical approach. It opens up in a very Game of Thrones-esque battlefield where we see Jin kneel down in front of an impaled white dove. We then see Jungkook running away from a walled city, his hands tied with thorns. Jimin and V then kick off the song, before panning to a shot of RM surrounded by animals, seemingly reminiscent of Noah’s ark. J-Hope and Suga, meanwhile, appear in field and church-inspired settings.
In the almost six-minute video, the septet creates its own thematic universe, merging influences from Game of Thrones, and dystopian favorites like Maze Runner and Hunger Games. The seemingly disparate references, combined with Biblical motifs and The Lion King’s Pride Rock, did not escape fans, who took to social media to share their thoughts.
“Alice in the wonderland, maze runner, attack on titan b*tch it was literally everything in one,” one ARMY pointed out. Another fan examined RM's Noah moment: "Noah's Ark and Alpacas and Namjoon..??? Wtf is Namjoon Noah the one who got on the boat with BTS and haters and rappers who used to mock him were left to get destroyed behind sksksksk." “HOW DID BTS TAKE INSPIRATION FROM MAZE RUNNER, DIVERGENT SERIES, THE HUNGER GAMES, THE 100 AND STILL MANAGE TO STILL MAKE IT LOOK SO MUCH MORE PROFESSIONAL THAN THE MOVIES COMBINED,” one fan also added.
But ARMYs also clocked references to Bangtan’s past history in the video. For example, in the closing scene, they reach the top of Pride Rock — and that's when “No More Dream,” BTS’s debut title track, becomes “Dream,” one of the main running motifs in MOTS: 7. After even just a few watches, one thing is for sure: ARMY theorists will certainly have a great time deciphering all the hidden references BTS managed to sneak in the video. As one fan summed up, "Love how the ON music video is giving everyone a different vibe and reminding us of different films and shows like is it attack on titan? maze runner? hunger games? game of thrones? but at the same time the bangtan universe keeps us in check."
Prior to the video’s release, Big Hit Entertainment weighed in on the different approaches the two official music videos present to fans in a press release. The label explained that the Kinetic Manifesto’s main focus was BTS’s epic performance, which they recreated to perfection on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from NYC’s Grand Central Station and in a slightly more intimate setting during their Mnet comeback special stage on February 27. According to Big Hit’s release, this new music video, on the other hand, serves as a “symbolic representation” of the song and its message of resilience.
You can watch the new music video for “ON” below:
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