BTS World Tour: ARIRANG — Tour Merch Haul

BTS World Tour ARIRANG merch. There are ARMYs that waited hours and hours for it. (People literally started lining up for merch at 2:00AM for the public merch sale last Friday.) But my friend Iris got the VIP soundcheck package for Day 1, so she got access to VIP shopping which has a separate merch booth just for VIP ticket holders. And she got there at 8:00AM on Saturday, so not only did she get all the merch items we wanted, but she only had to wait in line for 30 minutes. (Most items have a limit of one per person for this tour, but I wanted the items that she didn't want and vice versa, so it worked out perfectly for us.) So, thanks to her, I didn't have to line-up for merch at all for this tour. It's like karma finally paid me back for having had to wait dozens of hours for merch at all their previous tours. (Yes, I did treat Iris to lunch.)

Here's what I got:

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Charcoal Zip-Up Hoodie — Front

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Charcoal Zip-Up Hoodie — Back

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Charcoal Zip-Up Hoodie — Detail

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Sweatshirt (North American Exclusive) — Front

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Sweatshirt (North American Exclusive) — Back

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Sweatshirt (North American Exclusive) — Detail

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Black Tour T-Shirt — Front

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Black Tour T-Shirt — Back

BTS ARIRANG Deluxe Vinyl (Color ver.) — Front

BTS ARIRANG Deluxe Vinyl (Color ver.) — Inside

BTS ARIRANG Deluxe Vinyl (Color ver.) — Vinyl

BTS World Tour ARIRANG ARMY Bomb Plush Keyring

BTS World Tour ARIRANG ARMY Bomb Plush Keyring

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Tour Stamp — Toronto

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Tour Stamp — Toronto

BTS World Tour ARIRANG ARMY ZONE Gift (Toronto) — Member Photocards

BTS World Tour ARIRANG ARMY ZONE Gift (Toronto) — Member Photocards

Despite being able to get all the items I wanted, I will say that the pricing was ATROCIOUS for Toronto. Even with the currency exchange, the pricing here actually ended up being higher than the retail prices on Weverse Shop Global plus shipping costs plus duties. Which means, yes, I spent just under $800 after tax on SIX ITEMS. This is, of course, on top of the ticket price for a floor seat ($845 after tax per ticket, and I went to BOTH days), transportation ($75 just on Uber there and back on Day 1 — I decided to drive to the subway for Day 2), and water ($15 per can per day — which is highway robbery even if I refilled the shit out of that can). So, all in all, I spent just over $2,500 for the entire weekend — and this is without the cost of flight and hotel for going to another city. 

Do I regret it? No. Would I do it all over again? ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY.

Unboxing: BTS — ARIRANG 613 Limited Edition Picture Disc Vinyl

I still don't know how I managed to get this on Weverse Shop because it sold out within literal minutes, but my copy of the ARIRANG 613 Limited Edition Picture Disc Vinyl that was released for BTS FESTA this year finally arrived!

BTS' ARIRANG 613 Limited Edition Picture Disc Vinyl — With Clear Outer Sleeve
BTS' ARIRANG 613 Limited Edition Picture Disc Vinyl — Front
BTS' ARIRANG 613 Limited Edition Picture Disc Vinyl — Back
BTS' ARIRANG 613 Limited Edition Picture Disc Vinyl — Preview Reel Front
BTS' ARIRANG 613 Limited Edition Picture Disc Vinyl — Preview Reel Back
BTS' ARIRANG 613 Limited Edition Picture Disc Vinyl — Polaroid Photo Card Set
I really should look into getting a record player at some point... Then again, I don't have a CD player anymore, so...

Unboxing: Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Tour Merch

JIN TOUR MERCH HAUL! 

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — Check Shirt

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — Check Shirt (Detail)

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — Check Shirt (Detail)

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — S/S Routing T-Shirt (US Version)

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — S/S Routing T-Shirt (US Version) [Detail]

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — S/S Routing T-Shirt (US Version) [Detail]

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — Wootteo Keyring

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — Tour Keyring and Tour Mini Charm (Newark Version)

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR VIP Gifts — VIP Laminate Pass + Lanyard, Acrylic Pin Set, and Fanny Pack

I had pre-ordered the oversized Check Shirt and Tour Keyring from Weverse Shop Global in June, but I did pick up a few things at the concert: the S/S Routing T-Shirt (US version), Wootteo Keyring, and Tour Mini Charm (Newark version). (I thought I exercised a lot of self-control, if I do say so myself.) I received some gifts with my Soundcheck VIP Package as well: a VIP laminate pass and lanyard, an acrylic pin set, and a silver fanny pack.

Jin Ramen Mild T-Shirt

Jin Ramen Mild Noodle Pack and Noodle Cup

There was also a huge Otoki Jin Ramen booth inside the venue (not sure if they're a tour sponsor, but Jin is — appropriately — the current spokesmodel for them) where they were giving out free gift bags to all the VIP that included a blue Jin Ramen Mild T-shirt, a pack of Jin Ramen Mild, and a cup of Jin Ramen Mild. (Coincidentally, I just picked up a six-pack of Jin Ramen Mild cups last week. Not because Jin is the spokesperson, but because it's genuinely delicious.)

Gifts from ARMY!

And, of course, there were tons of ARMYs giving out free goodies — handmade beaded bracelets, keychains, buttons, dozens of photo cards, ticket bookmarks, a plethora of candy, the most adorable BTS ARMY pens, scrunchies, and even bottle openers! Truly, BTS ARMY is the best fandom in the world. (I'm only slightly biased.)

Unboxing: BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures

So, um, I pre-ordered these last August and they shipped out in December to my Korean forwarding address... and I kinda forgot about them until my BTS Island figures arrived. So I realize this unboxing is exceptionally late, but they're all still available for purchase so this post isn't completely redundant yet!

BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures — Outer Boxes

To be honest, I'm not like, a die-hard Despicable Me fan, so I didn't even know a fourth movie was coming out until this collaboration was announced. And even then, I wasn't really sure how BTS was related to this movie franchise. (I looked it up: there's a new character in DM4 named Poppy Prescott who loves BTS. Which is fair. She has a BTS phone case and a "Butter" poster on her wall, and they also play "Dynamite" in one of the scenes.) But I've always loved the Minions, so when I saw that they were releasing figures that featured BTS as Minions in the "Permission to Dance" MV outfits, I had to get my hands on them. Resistance was futile.

BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures — RM, Jin, and Suga
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures — J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook

All the figures come packaged in yellow (Minion yellow, if you will) with clear cellophane windows in the front. Each member has his own distinct box with his name and his Minion character illustration on the front. Each figure comes with a white foot stand. The figures measure 6.6cm to 7.8cm tall, and are made of PVC and ABS plastics. Each figure retails for ₩32,000 or $25.18 USD on Weverse Shop Global (and, as mentioned, they are shockingly all still available for purchase!).

BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — RM
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — Jin
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — Suga
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — J-Hope
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — Jimin
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — V
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — Jungkook
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures(Top row, left to right: RM, Jin, and SugaBottom row, left to right: J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook)

Now, granted, unless you're very familiar with BTS' "Permission to Dance" MV, you probably won't be able to tell which BTS member is which in their Minion form. But I will say that the designers really got down the hair and outfits to a T so any ARMY will be able to recognize these fellas as BTS, and that is what counts. (Also, these are just cute AF. Funko also released BTS x Despicable Me 4 figures, but they actually look kinda creepy so I'm still debating whether I will get them or not. We shall see. The BTS figure collector in me might cave.)

Unboxing: BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2

So, I finally got around to unboxing Version 2 of the BTS Island: In the SEOM BTS Island Figures. I pre-ordered them last October (yes, six months ago) and they were officially released this February, but I got them shipped to my Korean forwarding address and didn't end up shipping them out until a couple weeks ago, so here we are.

BTS Island: In the SEOM is BTS' match-3 mobile game that was released in June 2022, and the characters — which are based on the 7 members of BTS, obviously — are sickeningly adorable, so it was only a matter of time before merchandise for it was released. If you're a BTS figure collector, then you'll know that the first version of the BTS Island: In the SEOM figures came as a set which could be displayed separately or together on an "island base." This second version features the 7 member characters on separate bases, like the TinyTAN figures.

BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — Outer Boxes

All the figures come packaged in purple boxes with clear cellophane windows in the front. Each member has his own distinct box with his name and his character illustration on the front. Each figure comes with a matching stand with the name of the respective member on the base and a sticker background each to decorate the stand. The figures measure 5.5cm to 7.7cm tall, and are made of PVC and ABS plastics. Each figure retails for ₩27,000 or $21.24 USD on Weverse Shop Global (and, as of this post, the majority of them are shockingly still available for purchase!).

BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — RM in "Wild Flower," Jin in "The Astronaut," and Suga in "Haegeum"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — J-Hope in "On the Street," Jimin in "Like Crazy," V in "Slow Dancing," and Jungkook in "Seven"

So, instead of one cohesive theme, Version 2 of the BTS Island Figures actually features each member with their solo work. More specifically, each member's title track music video from a solo project:

• RM in "Wild Flower" (Indigo)
• Jin in "The Astronaut" (The Astronaut)
• Suga in "Haegeum" (D-DAY)
• J-Hope in "On the Street" (Hope on the Street)
• Jimin in "Like Crazy" (FACE)
• V in "Slow Dancing" (Layover)
• Jungkook in "Seven" (Golden)

BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — RM in "Wild Flower"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — Jin in "The Astronaut"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — Suga in "Haegeum"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — J-Hope in "On the Street"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — Jimin in "Like Crazy"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — V in "Slow Dancing"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — Jungkook in "Seven"
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2(Top row, left to right: RM in "Wild Flower," Jin in "The Astronaut," and Suga in "Haegeum"Bottom row, left to right: J-Hope in "On the Street," Jimin in "Like Crazy," and Jungkook in "Seven")
BTS Island: In the SEOM — BTS Island Figures V2 — Coupon Code Photocards(Top row, left to right: RM in "Wild Flower," Jin in "The Astronaut," and Suga in "Haegeum"Bottom row, left to right: J-Hope in "On the Street," Jimin in "Like Crazy," and Jungkook in "Seven")

As usual, the attention to detail in their individual hairstyles, outfits, and even background stickers is impeccable. I'm glad that HYBE decided to create figures with a totally different theme than their other figure collections (e.g. TinyTAN, Funko, Banpresto, etc.), which have a lot of overlap (for example, they've done "Dynamite" and "Butter" across all toy brands). These particular figures for BTS Island: In the SEOM actually mark the first series of figures that feature BTS' solo work — a cute acknowledgement of this second chapter of BTS while they're in the military. Can't wait to see what they come up with for Version 3!