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Suga Is Gearing Up for Awaited Military Discharge as Final BTS Member in Service

Suga Is Gearing Up for Awaited Military Discharge as Final BTS Member in Service

Yahoo5 hours ago

It's almost time for BTS to officially flip the hourglass to begin counting down to their collective comeback. Earlier this month, Jungkook and Jimin were discharged following the completion of their mandatory military services in South Korea. They followed RM and V, who were discharged just one day prior, as well as Jin, who has been out since June 2024, and J-hope, who was discharged in October 2024. Suga is next up, the group's label Big Hit shared in a celebratory post on WeVerse.
'We are excited to bring you the news of SUGA's upcoming Social Work discharge. SUGA is close to completing his service as a Social Work Personnel and will soon be discharged,' the label wrote. 'No special events are planned on the day of SUGA's discharge. Overcrowding can pose safety risks, and we sincerely request our fans not to visit the sites in person. Please convey your warm regards and encouragement in your hearts. We are always grateful for your unwavering love and support for SUGA. Our company will continue to put our utmost effort into supporting our artists. Thank you once again for your continued love and support for BTS.'
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HYBE's Elusive Producers Speak: Pdogg, Slow Rabbit, and More on the Future of BTS and K-Pop
BTS' Jungkook and Jimin Discharged from Korean Military After RM and V
BTS' RM and V Discharged From South Korean Military After Completing Mandatory Service
'The thoughts I had during those times have become an inseparable part of me, nurturing and shaping who I am today,' J-hope told Rolling Stone about the 'invaluable' journey they each embarked on. 'Ultimately, they have influenced the stories I tell, the music I aspire to create.'
Big Hit's statement comes on the heels of reports about the anticipated return of BTS. The Korea Herald reported that the seven-member supergroup are planning to return in March 2026. This will mark nearly four years to the date of BTS announcing their extended hiatus which made time for the band to complete their military service and pursue solo endeavors as musicians.
'BTS' comeback date is set for March next year,' a HYBE official is said to have told the Korea Herald's source. Representatives for HYBE and BTS did not immediately return Rolling Stone's requests for comment.
Pdogg, the producer who oversees all aspects of BTS' music, recently told Rolling Stone about the collaborative nature of his work with the band. 'I communicate directly with the members as their tracks and albums often center around their personal stories,' he said. 'I spend a lot of time talking to each member and communicating about what they're thinking and how they view the world.'
The forthcoming BTS comeback album will not feature frequent producer Slow Rabbit. 'I'm sure the members and the talented producers who will be a part of their next comeback will create an incredible album,' Slow Rabbit told Rolling Stone. 'I am also looking forward to BTS' comeback, but as for me, I will be focusing on my role as the main producer for TOMORROW X TOGETHER.'
The Korea Herald report noted that BTS and TXT's comebacks may overlap, but the order in which each band will return is unclear.
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Everything to Remember from ‘Squid Game' Season 1 and 2
Everything to Remember from ‘Squid Game' Season 1 and 2

Yahoo

time30 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Everything to Remember from ‘Squid Game' Season 1 and 2

After taking the world by storm in 2021, the curtain is about to close on Hwang Dong-hyuk's 'Squid Game.' Where Season 2 premiered over three years after its predecessor, 'Squid Game 3' hits Netflix barely six months on the heels of that. Season 2's characters, stakes, and cliffhanger might be fresh in the minds of many, but it's worth revisiting details all of 'Squid Game' ahead of its final hurrah. More from IndieWire 'Matlock' Production Designer Adam Rowe on How Two Canceled Shows Gave the CBS Hit Its Scale 'Nobody Wants This' Creator Erin Foster Set Out to Make Her Own 'Fleabag' - Her 'Really Sweet' Rom-Com Took Her by Surprise In case you haven't made the time to re-binge all of Season 1 and 2 (or even if you have!), here's a refresher on what happened in 'Squid Game' and what might be critical to Season 3. While most of the characters from Season 1 are dead, Season 2's key players are still at large — but in terrible danger unless Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) succeeds in his master plan. In Season 1, our protagonist was a little selfish, a bit bumbling, but a sweet guy who wanted to provide for his mother and daughter. But after a week in the Games and watching hundreds of people die violently before him due to the whims of the wealthy — not to mention his mother's sudden death during that time — Gi-hun turned into a grave, hardened, and barely recognizable person (and not just because of that drastic dye job). In the years between his first and second time in the Game, Gi-hun appears to have barely kept in touch with his daughter, who moved to America with her mother and stepfather, or with Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan), one of his remaining friends. He spent the prize money only on his search for the Games, part of a greater mission to end them for good. And the smile from his old player ID? Gone, probably forever. In Season 1, Gi-hun and the other players took a vote on whether or not to stay in the game after Red Light, Green Light — a vote which ended in them going home and returning to their lives. But shortly after, many took the opportunity to return to the games, risking their lives rather than keep the ones they had. This voting returned in Season 2 as a perverse ritual; after an initial vote to stay, players were required to vote again after every game; and every time so far, they've stayed. Each person received a patch to wear on their tracksuit indicating how they voted — essentially creating two factions within the dorms. Players have tried to appeal to those on opposing sides, or resorted to more violent means when that doesn't work. In Season 1, Gi-hun filed a police report about everything he saw in the games, which prompted police officer Jun-ho (Wi Ha-joon) to sneak in as a guard — and learn that his missing brother In-ho (Lee Byung-hun) is none other than Front Man, the highest-ranking authority within the game and a former winner. The brothers faced off in the Season 1 finale, with Jun-ho taking a bullet and falling off a cliff… but his quest to expose the games didn't end there. In-ho had a pregnant wife before he entered the Games, but she died while waiting for him to secure funds for her surgery. With nothing left to fight for, he joined the Games and became the Front Man. In Season 2, he joins the games undercover, casting the first decisive vote to keep playing before switching sides and gaining Gi-hun's trust (but ultimately losing Jung-bae's when he kills someone during the game 'Mingle'). Gi-hun and Jun-ho teamed up in Season 2, before Gi-hun decided to reenter the games and lost all contact with the outside world. While he risks his life in the competition and tries to save individual players, Jun-ho is on a boat with a team of mercenaries determined to find the island. But as the Season 2 finale revealed, their biggest threat is the boat captain, who is not what he seems. Plenty of players are content to dispense with societal decorum and start fully murdering each other in the Games — but not Gi-hun. He never partook of dormitory violence, sacrificed other players, or even pushed them to create a disadvantage. He won the Games on a technicality, because Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo) stabbed himself after all the death and pain he wrought. And until shooting at the masked guards in Season 2, Gi-hun hadn't killed or tried to harm anyone, even if he felt the desire — but he stands as evidence that violence leaves a mark even upon those who survive and witness it. 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Hideo Kojima Reveals He Rewrote DEATH STARNDING 2 Because Too Many People Liked It — GeekTyrant
Hideo Kojima Reveals He Rewrote DEATH STARNDING 2 Because Too Many People Liked It — GeekTyrant

Geek Tyrant

time2 hours ago

  • Geek Tyrant

Hideo Kojima Reveals He Rewrote DEATH STARNDING 2 Because Too Many People Liked It — GeekTyrant

Only Hideo Kojima would look at overwhelmingly positive feedback and think, 'We have a problem.' While most developers would see high praise during internal testing as a green light, Kojima saw it as a warning sign. The legendary game creator known for embracing the strange, the bold, and the deeply personal, decided to rework Death Stranding 2 because, in his eyes, it was too well received. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Kojima's longtime collaborator and composer Yoann Lemoine (aka Woodkid) shared a surprising behind-the-scenes story about the game's development. 'There's a key moment where we had a discussion, probably halfway [through] when we were doing the game, where he came to me and he said, 'We have a problem.' 'Then he said, 'I'm going to be very honest, we have been testing the game with players and the results are too good. They like it too much. That means something is wrong; we have to change something.' And he changed stuff in the script and the way some crucial stuff [happens] in the game because he thought his work was not polarizing and not triggering enough emotions. And he said, 'If everyone likes it, it means it's mainstream. It means it's conventional. It means it's already pre-digested for people to like it. And I don't want that. 'I want people to end up liking things they didn't like when they first encountered it, because that's where you really end up loving something.' And that was really a lesson for me; not doing stuff to please people, but to make them shift a little bit and move them.' It's a very Kojima philosophy, one that fits perfectly with his legacy of crafting deeply strange yet emotionally rich games that often divide audiences. Death Stranding was already a litmus test for patience and curiosity. On paper, it was a 'walking simulator' where you delivered packages through rain-soaked landscapes haunted by invisible spirits. In practice, it became one of the most talked-about and debated games in recent memory. With Death Stranding 2 , it looks like Kojima isn't looking to course-correct for the masses. In fact, quite the opposite as he's steering even harder into the idea that his work should challenge players rather than comfort them. Interestingly, Norman Reedus, who returns to play Sam Porter Bridges, hinted that the sequel's story might be easier to follow. He said he found it more digestible this time around, which might suggest a tighter narrative. But, don't mistake clarity for compromise. Kojima's still pushing boundaries; he's just making sure that what he's building can't be described as 'conventional.' So what do you think of Kojima's decision to rewrite his game because people liked it too much?

As Crunchyroll shows off first Demon Slayer Infinity Castle footage behind closed doors, its movie chief declares "Anime is niche no more"
As Crunchyroll shows off first Demon Slayer Infinity Castle footage behind closed doors, its movie chief declares "Anime is niche no more"

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

As Crunchyroll shows off first Demon Slayer Infinity Castle footage behind closed doors, its movie chief declares "Anime is niche no more"

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. As Demon Slayer Infinity Castle movie is expected to be a box office hit this year and shows like Jujutsu Kaisen and The Apothecary Diaries are becoming cultural phenomenons on TV, it's clear that anime is soaring in the global scene. With 17 million subscribers and the largest anime library, Crunchyroll is riding this wave, which is predicted to keep growing in the next five years. According to the latest Crunchyroll study, conducted by National Research Group (NRG), anime fandom is expected to reach at least 1.5 billion by 2030, even without including Japan and China, as its global audience keeps growing non-stop, particularly among younger viewers. "Anime is niche no more," said Crunchyroll EVP of global commerce and head of theatrical Michel Berger (via Variety). During this year's Annecy International Animated Film Festival, Berger introduced the Crunchyroll Studio Focus 2025 and talked about the anime fandom's growth. According to the study, nearly 60% of viewers from 13 to 17 identify as anime fans. The number goes down to 44% with viewers from 13 to 54, but it still surpasses, according to Berger, other popular genres like K-dramas. Berger concluded his presentation by sharing footage from the upcoming Demon Slayer movie, officially titled Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle, which is scheduled to be released on July 18, 2025, in Japan. Crunchyroll will distribute the film in international markets through Sony Pictures Releasing a couple of months later. Infinity Castle could easily become a box office hit, at least if it follows the results of Demon Slayer: Mugen Train. The first Demon Slayer film made over $500 million at the global box office, becoming the highest-grossing Japanese anime movie of all time. Per the official synopsis, Infinity Castle sees Tanjiro and the Hashira rush to save the Demon Corps headquarters, but they're "plunged into a deep descent to a mysterious space by the hands of Muzan Kibutsuji. The destination of where Tanjiro and Demon Slayer Corps have fallen is the demons' stronghold – the Infinity Castle. And so, the battleground is set as the final battle between the Demon Slayer Corps and the demons ignites." Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle is set to premiere in North America on September 12. For more, check out the best anime we'd recommend watching in 2025. If you're still playing catch-up with Tanjiro's saga, you'll need our guide on how to watch Demon Slayer in order.

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