Brazilian ARMYs have taken matters into their own hands after discovering that BTS' newest DVD, BTS WORLD TOUR: LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF SAO PAULO, does not have Portuguese subtitles. The movie recounts the onstage and behind-the-scenes events at BTS' historic Allianz Parque performance back in May.
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To get Big Hit Entertainment's attention, ARMYs decided to get #BigHitAddSubs trending on Twitter so that they might hopefully get a translation for all the Portuguese-speaking fans wanting to purchase the new DVD. The efforts came soon after preorders opened, with more than one complaint about the status of the new merchandise.
Many ARMYs in the now-top trending tag on Twitter are voicing their concerns, not only about the new DVD, but also about the principle of not offering a wide range of translations. Those upset with the lack of options are making it clear that they are not against learning or being exposed to Korean, but that it "takes time" — they are also pointing out that the issue is less about the language of the subtitles, and more about a lack of awareness in the global marketing of the new product.
ARMYs are coming together under the hashtag to let it be known that future preorders and marketing of global content should not only be conscious of consumers, but also of how hard some ARMYs have to work to even just have access to BTS-related merchandise.
Until Big Hit updates fans, explore #BigHitAddSubs to see the events unfold in real-time.
Correction: An earlier version of this article implied that non-ARMYs were helping Brazilian BTS fans put pressure on Big Hit. ARMYs have made us very much aware that this is not the case, and that they fight this battle alone. We wish them well and regret the error.
Photography: Hong Jang Hyun