Not sure if I should say this, not trying to discourage you or anything, but SKZ is not exactly ‘small’ in terms of the size and amount of output they put out. They have humongous size of discography and contents, bar most kpop groups. Relative to the groups you mentioned, other than BTS, they have the most number of contents, music or otherwise. Even when Enhypen comes back, I doubt you will finish any of SKZ whole discography. Good luck anyhow. SKZ is coming to US for a huge Arena tour btw. If I am not mistaken they have 9 dates out for sale already. Btw for clarification: 1. All title tracks - on JYPE official TH-cam 2. All other b-sides, performances, dances, behind-the-scenes and TH-cam exclusive contents - on SKZ official TH-cam 3. Japanese releases - on SKZ Japanese TH-cam official page
Yes stray kids have a running theme but honestly they have Sooooo many music videos you will never be caught up unless you are doing like 5 songs per video lol so I suggest starting with their latest album it's a mini album with only 7 songs and 4 of the seven have music videos so start there. You can also do live performances of maniac to get a feel of their stage presence which is insanely good. Then you can check out their older stuff.
I think I might end up skipping around like I did with BTS...Mostly because I don't have self control and there are so many MV's that I want to see/react to that I don't trust I won't just watch them.
I'M SO GLAD I FOUND THIS CHANNEL, thank you for being so in depth with everything you wanna say rather than just "oh wow cool video" and then ending it there. So excited to see more of your skz stuff and other kpop stuff, I hope you enjoy your journey with us!!
Totally not your fault for choosing this, a lot of people choose it since it's the shortest, but it's really, really not a good guide. It has some incorrect info and shows clear bias in the amount of time spent introducing each member (ex. some members get detailed intros while others get an oversimplification of their character and virtually nothing about their skills). Not to mention Hyunjin has said he'd rather be recognized for his talents rather than looks, and all the guide portrayed them as was a dramatic visual. Not to discourage you from checking them out at all, just saying maybe to look into a better guide if you want to get to know them
Just saw your channel! I am a baby Stay and I'm still learning a lot about Stay Kids! I'd love to go on this journey with you. I hope you're still making content.
so excited to join your experience and discovery into stray kids! I recommend you first watch the guide by "teanosuga react" she just came out with a 2022 version so you should definitely check it out( for better detail and info and get to know them better!)
Thank you for looking into Stray Kids. They are extremely talented. Please react to a better guide. I really look forward to you discovering Stray Kids.
- Yes, SKZ has lore/a storyline. It's incredibly complex and confusing, and if you decide to try to follow it (to the extent that any of us can follow it), you're in for an extensive ride. To have any hope of (possibly) not getting completely lost about their storylines (yes, multiple), you _have_ to start from the very beginning with "Hellevator" and work your way forward through not just the title tracks but also a lot of the b-sides, the trailers for every album starting from "Clé 2: Yellow Wood" on forward, the highlights reel, the God's Menu Cooking Video and the Back Door Opening Video, some of the unveils (especially "B Me," or you'll never understand _that_ storyline), possibly the vcr for the MANIAC concert as a complement, and also keep an eye out for any tidbits that make the info rounds among Stayville, because Chan has given info very sparingly in Channie's room episodes and the members also like to mess with us by occasionally dropping info in their bubble posts and whatnot. They go full multimedia with it, basically. STAY is a fandom of very confused conspiracy-theorist clowns who've been conditioned to assume every single thing they say or do is a potential spoiler or clue. Most of what we know is crowdsourced observations that we wove into theories. They've told us bits, but they mostly like to give us just enough to make us go into theory overdrive while they kick back and watch and laugh. I'll do my best to give you a rundown on a version of a popular theory, but I won't add in all the supporting sources, as this would turn into a graduate thesis posted in a yt comment, and it's already enormous. - There are three storylines: the main Korean one, the Japanese one, and the Mixtape one. STAYs' storyline-tracking lives are very confusing. - The main Korean storyline has parallel universes/timelines, and a different version of SKZ is in each. Except I.N, who we're pretty sure got switched during Astronaut (so the two versions of him are with the wrong two versions of SKZ). - The Japanese storyline is also parallel universes/timelines with two versions of SKZ. The Japanese timeline generally seems like an auxiliary version of the Korean one, a reflection of it, not necessarily its own separate story (so in theory, the two sets of SKZ in the Korean story are retold in the two sets of SKZ in the Japanese story -- like a Japanese remake of a Korean show, with tweaks to the individual episodes but using the same base characters -- as opposed to there being four separate sets of SKZ running around in four parallel timelines). Except that the "Scars" video managed to reference both the Korean and Japanese storylines, which means hey, maybe there _are_ four separate versions of them, two in each language's story. (I did mention this is confusing af.) - And the third storyline is the Mixtape one, the most important songs being "On Track" and then the "B Me" trailer (because we never got the actual mv) and then "OH" and then "The View." (Adding "Grow Up" at the start as an intro to their relationship, and fitting "Ex" in between "B Me" and "OH" adds some extra depth to the idea and the emotion, but it's not vital to comprehending the story.) This is BY FAR the easiest and shortest storyline, and while there are questionable moments for the more suspicious among us, it's pretty safe to just approach this as a storyline completely separate from the main Korean and the Japanese ones. (cont in pt 2)
(pt 2) - In the main Korean storyline (and possibly the Japanese storyline), I.N is "the oracle" -- the only person who actually knows what's happening. We know this from Chan, so it's fact, not theory. You'll see I.N reacting to this knowledge, which he can't/doesn't share and thus suffers alone with, in various videos. His knowledge just makes him aware; it doesn't let him change anything. So he's a helpless witness (or at least he has been until ODDINARY -- it seems like that might have changed, but we aren't sure yet). - Hyunjin appears to be a "tester of realities" or some such. He senses _something_ is wrong and definitely has unsettled reactions to that sense of wrongness, which influence his behavior. But he doesn't actually know _what_ is wrong (that's I.N-only knowledge). As of ODDINARY, this too might be changing, though. - Some people will tell you Felix is controlling things, but that's a direct contradiction to not only much of the demonstrated content but also to what Chan literally said -- because if I.N's the only one who knows what's happening, then Felix can't somehow be masterminding it all. That said, he does have _some_ sort of power; we just don't have enough info to really understand what yet. And as of ODDINARY (and the MANIAC concert vcr), it's evident that they've _all_ developed powers of some sort, or are somehow channeling powers, possibly through the duality of their existence. - One set of SKZ chose the easy way, the path of least resistance, following the well-traveled road through idyllic purple fields laid out for them by the industry. The other set of SKZ chose the road not taken (notice there's literally a Yellow Wood album -- they're referencing Frost), choosing to stay in the City Jungle and fight against the mainstream accepted way of doing things, struggling to be themselves and overthrow the system. Sometimes a video is one version of them; sometimes it's both. Most of the important pieces of this info can be found in the Highlight Reel, straight from Chan. But they're also easily seen in some videos, such as Side Effects, one of the times both sets of SKZ appear. - You'll see things like two moons (of different colors) in several videos, indicating the two timelines. You'll also see other recurrent details like keys, an idyllic purplish field, an elevator or elevator booth/doors, a cityscape, rooftops, a bus, a slightly creepy dude with a tattoo on his hand, an eagle, a guy pimped out in a fur coat, hints of lightning-like images appearing on or around the members, and red and blue pairing or conflicting [in the aforementioned moons, in eye contacts, in laser beams, etc]. If you pay attention, you'll notice that the "K" in their logo at the end of most videos (after the very earliest ones) changes colors. Most often, it will be red or blue (though there are also yellow and green). We were pretty sure those were world/timeline indicators, and now that we're very clearly switching over into the green universe with OODDINARY, it's basically guaranteed that theories regarding the logo colors being some kind of universe code were correct. - Levanter and God's Menu were a turning point and the introduction of a new era. The two worlds appear to merge in Levanter (the title track before God's Menu and the one that started their ot8 era). SKZ have grown up, found themselves, chosen to neither follow the mainstream nor fight just for the sake of fighting, but rather to simply be themselves. You'll still notice two-world references in GM and beyond though, like Changbin's red-and-blue heterochromia and the lasers in the NOEASY trailer, so both worlds still exist in some form, just apparently operating as one for the moment, at least up through the end of the God's Menu era (which closed with NOEASY, the third album in that era's trilogy). Levanter is the first really noticeable turning-point, end-of-the-era video and incorporates multiple references, of various forms, to previous songs and videos. It's an emotional video for many reasons, but one of them is that it brings up all these mentions of other moments that happened up to that point, then reframes them in the transformative setting of Levanter. One of the most obvious is Hyunjin and Felix's neck-snapping choreo from Side Effects being transformed into a gentle action of comfort. The choreo of Levanter also starts exactly where Side Effects ended, with Hyunjin dazed on the ground after the madness -- and then he's gently lifted up into the group, where the confusion and chaos of Side Effects has now been replaced with some of the most connected and supportive choreo in SKZ's collection. The building turmoil of the previous songs turns into an entire song of comfort and shared strength. - Back Door is a direct continuation of God's Menu, with them happy and partying and inviting others to join them in simply being themselves. However, mostly hidden among the characters in the video who came from God's Menu (the NiziU pit crew girls, the scientists, etc) are ominous characters from the two-worlds era, including Miroh powermongers and, most importantly, SKZ's Captain Hook. (cont in pt 3)
(pt 3) - Then the NOEASY trailer...which tells us that things weren't quite that easy. That the newfound self-acceptance and self-knowledge weren't magically able to stop the attacks of the world and might have even exacerbated them. Because now the vaguely ominous "something" that's lingered in the air of previous videos, the opposing voice of naysayers and haters and the established path has coalesced into the Sound Monster -- a powerful, overwhelming force dedicated to seeking out and eliminating anyone who makes "nagging" sounds, aka sounds not deemed nice and mainstream and unremarkable to all. So, y'know, SKZ in every single hate comment about their music. - So SKZ is now on the front lines, called into service in the scrappy underground resistance to the Sound Monster, the entity that's attempting to silence anyone who's different. (Things like the red vs blue lasers are references to the two timelines/universes, which seem to not be quite as merged or resolved as SKZ assumed in God's Menu.) - The trailer then leads into the title track, "Thunderous," which is lyrically and sonically a clapback song to antis hating on them for their "noise" music. Lyrically, they declare themselves the Thunderous Ones who will keep being them and making their own sounds. Visually, they're dokkaebi (도깨비) coming down from their lair to participate in a 소리꾼 competition (and win, of course) and lead a revolution. (Hence details like the blue goblin fire, the animated bits, the military-esque trio parade down the walkway, etc.) Those video details are all directly stated fact from them, not supposition from us. (They obviously can't ever explain that the lyrics are clapbacks, but they can explain seemingly innocent video details.) - As a side note, the "Christmas EveL" video is also a direct followup to the NOEASY trailer, just in a humorous fashion. But some of the references are things like them getting more missions, being super unenthused about it because they're exhausted from constant resistance fighting, Changbin photobombing Hyunjin's pretty-pretty-princess glamor closeup this time, Seungmin still poking the eyes of defenseless stuffies, Han with Lix's brownies, a straight-up mention of the Sound Monster, etc. - The fight continues more metaphorically in the rest of the album, starting with the other three of the first four tracks (Cheese, Domino, Ssick), all of which are clapbacks and one of which is a direct diss track. Then the demonstration of diversity and skills in the middle tracks. Completed with Wolfgang, the declaration of their continued bond and strength in the face of outside forces. - Then there's the "Scars" video, which is like the next iteration of Levanter in terms of incorporating references to previous videos, and is a direct and very obvious (as opposed to somewhat metaphorical, the way Thunderous is) continuation of the NOEASY trailer. The tired, battle-worn resistance fighters are moving outside the smoke-filled, bombed-out City Jungle and building their own little makeshift home, complete with a beacon protective light. But "ghosts are everywhere," as the warnings post all over the place say, and we see those ghosts surrounding them, held at bay only by the lights engineer Lee Know was able to jury-rig. I.N is still with the wrong group and zoning out as he watches the shooting stars. Ghosts are still everywhere. The city is still destroyed. SKZ are still outsiders -- although they're very deliberately shown to be a family now. The video is also a first, in that it's a Japanese release, but the video references and thematic content are the direct continuation of the NOEASY trailer and the bent-but-not-broken resistance theme of the album. So the main Korean and Japanese storylines have suddenly made open contact now. - And now we have the ODDINARY trailers and album, showing a clear shift into the green universe and its inherent oddness. The trailers give more insight into the different natures of their dual versions, again underlining the "normal" vs "odd/boundary-defying" parallel universes Their powers are more visible now, and all of them now show signs of those powers. There's a good chance that more of them than just I.N are now aware that they exist in two forms/universes, and they're possibly more in control of some elements now. One of the versions of Hyunjin, at minimum, now probably knows the two versions of I.N have been switched, and the version of I.N that exists alongside the newly aware version of Hyunjin is being unprecedentedly shady. We don't yet know if he has actual ill intent or if he's just finally melting down after being separated from his own reality for too long or what. One or more of the storylines will presumably also continue on the new Japanese album that releases in June. The promo material is grownup-circus-themed, which STAY all know is at least partially because we're infamous for being clowns to their ringmasters, and we know that SKZ are fully aware of this. So they're literally clowning us for being clowns in this circus. It's...never dull in Stayville.
Oh my...I like to go into my videos spoiler free, but I might need to change that up with Stray Kids. Thank you for the information. I will try to refer back to this comment often to remember everything 😋
Guide suggestions (caveat: almost all guides, these and others, still make incorrect statements about "official" positions, so ignore that widespread error). Obviously all guides quickly become outdated, especially with a group like SKZ who think they need to release new content every six minutes. But this is what we have: *_-- TeaNoSuga's "LONG (BUT UPDATED) 2022 GUIDE TO STRAY KIDS~"_* (th-cam.com/video/dYS2Bf0a3WA/w-d-xo.html) -- Good, most current update as of April 18, 2022. The only guide I know of that doesn't get the info wrong about positions, or sidestep/vaguely mention roles, but rather specifically and correctly clarifies that positions are no longer present. Short but well-varied set of performance examples for each member, enough to give a solid impression without spoiling half the discography. Equal attention to every member. *_-- TeaNoSuga's "A DETAILED & HELPFUL GUIDE TO STRAY KIDS 2021 EDITION"_* (th-cam.com/video/0gwWm1Fjxpc/w-d-xo.html ) -- Good, fairly comprehensive, the predecessor to the updated 2022 guide from the same creator. *_-- "Stray Kids Guide 2021" from Parme_Han_Cheese_* (th-cam.com/video/tXO2NiBA2oc/w-d-xo.html) -- Very recent (October 2021), so information and content are some of the most updated out of all the guides rn. Good mix of content for both personal and professional aspects of the members. Presents things in small bits of text rather than big blocks of it, with lots of video clips. This guide gets overlooked a lot, I think maybe because it's a small channel and a lot of STAY don't know this guide exists yet and thus don't have it on their lists to recommend. *_-- "STRAY KIDS - A World Domination Documentary [ENG guide]" by Icetye_* (th-cam.com/video/2uVUVPfQ4R8/w-d-xo.html) -- One of the most recent guides (Sept 2021), released in the middle of the NOEASY comeback, so other than full info about NOEASY on forward, the information is more updated than most. Structured differently than most guides; first it gives a look into SKZ and their group history, goals, ethos, and then it moves on to exploring individual members. Lots of content/clips, spanning the entire history of SKZ, so there's a broad range of coverage, both old and new. As with all guides, there's a mistake here and there, but overall this one is very informative and full of clips usually not seen elsewhere. Unless you're able to read fairly quickly while also focusing on video, you'll probably benefit from pausing to read in some moments; the lines aren't long, but they sometimes go by quickly, so don't look away from the screen, and don't be afraid to pause. *_-- "A helpful guide to Stray kids 2022 edition" by heliophilix_* (th-cam.com/video/z2Hzo9vZoHA/w-d-xo.html) -- Released March 5, 2022, so it's one of the most current guides rn. A good overview, lots of images of each member (helpful for learning faces), lots of clips to demonstrate the multiple skills of members. Bonus points for integrating not just the most known songs but also some of the hidden gems, as well as a few old 3RACHA classics, usually superimposed over the most jarringly mismatched visuals (eg, "Zone" playing over images of Changbin looking like a spring-green fairy baby). One of the few guides to not directly misinform by using "main/lead/sub" terms, though the word "position" is still used when describing roles; still, it's less misleading than most in that regard. *_-- Hyunjin Nation's "an introduction to: stray kids (2020 edition)"_* (th-cam.com/video/PYOsihpdNGU/w-d-xo.html ) -- One of the more popular and recommended guides, and it's worth watching. It's somewhat out of date, has some font choices that tweak some people, and skims over/fails to emphasize a few important bits, but overall most people seem to find it helpful, especially as a supplement. *_-- Any/all of skzvintage's SKZFLIX ongoing series ("This is Stray Kids pt 1&2," "3RACHA Producing for Stray Kids," "Stray Kids, a self-produced group," etc)_* (channel: th-cam.com/users/skzvintage2videos ) -- Along with Hyunjun Nation's 2020 guide and teanosuga's guides, this series is THE most frequently recommended; it's literally a documentary. The two main guide parts of this ('this is Stray Kids pt 1&2") were copyrighted into oblivion in 2021, but despite being a couple years old and outdated now, it remains one of the very best guides, and you can still see both deleted parts via other people's reactions. It would be odd to post a reaction to someone else's reaction to a guide, but I do recommend watching them for your own edification because they really are that good and helpful [th-cam.com/users/results?search_query=skzflix%3A+this+is+straykids+(2021+introduction)+part+1 and th-cam.com/users/results?search_query=skzflix%3A+this+is+straykids+(2021+introduction)+part+2 ]. Unlike those two main guide parts, several of the auxiliary guide videos survived and are still available on their channel (th-cam.com/users/skzvintage2videos). *_-- All of Vic Killjoy's "Stray Kids Guide: [member] edition" videos, as well as more recent videos like the Danceracha guide and 3RACHA guide_* (th-cam.com/channels/bAYVubpa8I9k1zRfGsOZHg.htmlsearch?query=stray%20kids ) -- Slightly outdated, but very useful; the individual member guides were one of my main tools when first learning about SKZ, and the more recent guides for Danceracha and 3RACHA are good. This channel also has a good collection of more general SKZ vids, which are fun to get additional insight into their interactions after you get to know them a little. *_-- "MEMEFUL GUIDE TO STRAY KIDS THAT WILL TURN YOU INTO A HARD STAN 2020 EDITION"_* (th-cam.com/video/aYdWRmQvVLw/w-d-xo.html ) -- Pretty solid initial peek at each member's persona and skills, but it's _definitely_ memes, not deep info. This is very much an auxiliary guide, not a main source of info. *_-- "My favorite things that Stray Kids have said/done"_* (th-cam.com/video/Pw7gtquoBAE/w-d-xo.html ) -- The title sounds like this will be humorous, but instead this goes beyond memes and funny stuff and gets you pretty solidly into the "omg, THIS is why we love them; they're beautiful, relatable human beings" deeper side of their personalities.
It's hard when you are going into something blind and know that what you're looking at is good or not. Until you're into it, or have a following that will point your in the right direction it can be hard. Thank you!
@@dmays6101 Yeah, I always feel bad for new folks because I know that I, at least, would feel utterly overwhelmed at both the amount of content and the lack of certainty about what's accurate. Half the reason I keep lists like this to recommend is simply because I know I myself would benefit from the info if I were trying to get into a new group. I figure people can always just ignore it if it's not useful to them, but I'd rather they have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Multiple people have already let you know how comparatively inaccurate and unhelpful this guide is. (I think Stayville in general is just frustrated with this particular guide now because it seems to be one of the most commonly chosen ones by new people, and we all just sit here gritting our teeth and wishing we could let the reactor know in real time that it's not a good one to start with. So if anyone sounds huffy, please forgive us. I promise it's just that we all wish we could more proactively help people who are first starting out, and this guide has slowly become a speed bump. It's not _bad_ -- it's just usually not very helpful for new people.) I posted my go-to guides recommendation list, in case you're interested in watching a more helpful, accurate guide. STAY loooooove watching reactors with guides and then following along on their SKZ journey, so please know that if you decide to keep going, plenty of us will be happy to watch. - The confusion between Changbin's and Bang Chan's names is extremely common. Since "Bang" is a surname, it's both fine and almost universal to just say "Chan" -- or "Chris," his English name, which he grew up using constantly for 13 years and still uses completely interchangably with his Korean name today. It's a lot easier to keep "Changbin" and "Chan"/"Chris" mentally separated when you're first getting familiar. (Eventually they devolve into Binnie and Channie once you get to know them.) - Anyone who gives you crap about not learning names fast enough to suit someone else's preference is being a jerk. Please go at your own pace, and please know that anyone who gives you that kind of attitude is a fake fan and does not represent the values of SKZ or STAY.
Not sure if I should say this, not trying to discourage you or anything, but SKZ is not exactly ‘small’ in terms of the size and amount of output they put out. They have humongous size of discography and contents, bar most kpop groups. Relative to the groups you mentioned, other than BTS, they have the most number of contents, music or otherwise. Even when Enhypen comes back, I doubt you will finish any of SKZ whole discography. Good luck anyhow. SKZ is coming to US for a huge Arena tour btw. If I am not mistaken they have 9 dates out for sale already.
Btw for clarification:
1. All title tracks - on JYPE official TH-cam
2. All other b-sides, performances, dances, behind-the-scenes and TH-cam exclusive contents - on SKZ official TH-cam
3. Japanese releases - on SKZ Japanese TH-cam official page
Yes stray kids have a running theme but honestly they have Sooooo many music videos you will never be caught up unless you are doing like 5 songs per video lol so I suggest starting with their latest album it's a mini album with only 7 songs and 4 of the seven have music videos so start there. You can also do live performances of maniac to get a feel of their stage presence which is insanely good. Then you can check out their older stuff.
I think I might end up skipping around like I did with BTS...Mostly because I don't have self control and there are so many MV's that I want to see/react to that I don't trust I won't just watch them.
I'M SO GLAD I FOUND THIS CHANNEL, thank you for being so in depth with everything you wanna say rather than just "oh wow cool video" and then ending it there.
So excited to see more of your skz stuff and other kpop stuff, I hope you enjoy your journey with us!!
Thank you! I really appreciate that. I know I can go on tangents but I'm glad someone doesn't mind them so much 😆
Totally not your fault for choosing this, a lot of people choose it since it's the shortest, but it's really, really not a good guide. It has some incorrect info and shows clear bias in the amount of time spent introducing each member (ex. some members get detailed intros while others get an oversimplification of their character and virtually nothing about their skills). Not to mention Hyunjin has said he'd rather be recognized for his talents rather than looks, and all the guide portrayed them as was a dramatic visual. Not to discourage you from checking them out at all, just saying maybe to look into a better guide if you want to get to know them
@lemonssssssss4 Maybe because visual is often times like an actual role in kpop, but I think it being a role is really messed up
Just saw your channel! I am a baby Stay and I'm still learning a lot about Stay Kids! I'd love to go on this journey with you. I hope you're still making content.
This is actually not a good guide, if you want to know more about them, you should react to the guide by "teanosuga react"
so excited to join your experience and discovery into stray kids! I recommend you first watch the guide by "teanosuga react" she just came out with a 2022 version so you should definitely check it out( for better detail and info and get to know them better!)
Thank you for taking your time to know the boys☺️ if you would like a better guide I recommend this video th-cam.com/video/dYS2Bf0a3WA/w-d-xo.html ^_^
Definitely! I think it’s better detailed, the person did a great job and it’s the most current guide out.
yes please react to this guide!!
Thank you for looking into Stray Kids. They are extremely talented. Please react to a better guide. I really look forward to you discovering Stray Kids.
this isn’t a good guide …
Hyunjin is friends with Sanha from Astro
Recomiendo esta Guía, y la de Teanosuga, Las 2 porque cargan con MUCHA INFORMACIÓN.
th-cam.com/video/PYOsihpdNGU/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for the recommendation!
- Yes, SKZ has lore/a storyline. It's incredibly complex and confusing, and if you decide to try to follow it (to the extent that any of us can follow it), you're in for an extensive ride.
To have any hope of (possibly) not getting completely lost about their storylines (yes, multiple), you _have_ to start from the very beginning with "Hellevator" and work your way forward through not just the title tracks but also a lot of the b-sides, the trailers for every album starting from "Clé 2: Yellow Wood" on forward, the highlights reel, the God's Menu Cooking Video and the Back Door Opening Video, some of the unveils (especially "B Me," or you'll never understand _that_ storyline), possibly the vcr for the MANIAC concert as a complement, and also keep an eye out for any tidbits that make the info rounds among Stayville, because Chan has given info very sparingly in Channie's room episodes and the members also like to mess with us by occasionally dropping info in their bubble posts and whatnot. They go full multimedia with it, basically. STAY is a fandom of very confused conspiracy-theorist clowns who've been conditioned to assume every single thing they say or do is a potential spoiler or clue. Most of what we know is crowdsourced observations that we wove into theories. They've told us bits, but they mostly like to give us just enough to make us go into theory overdrive while they kick back and watch and laugh.
I'll do my best to give you a rundown on a version of a popular theory, but I won't add in all the supporting sources, as this would turn into a graduate thesis posted in a yt comment, and it's already enormous.
- There are three storylines: the main Korean one, the Japanese one, and the Mixtape one. STAYs' storyline-tracking lives are very confusing.
- The main Korean storyline has parallel universes/timelines, and a different version of SKZ is in each. Except I.N, who we're pretty sure got switched during Astronaut (so the two versions of him are with the wrong two versions of SKZ).
- The Japanese storyline is also parallel universes/timelines with two versions of SKZ. The Japanese timeline generally seems like an auxiliary version of the Korean one, a reflection of it, not necessarily its own separate story (so in theory, the two sets of SKZ in the Korean story are retold in the two sets of SKZ in the Japanese story -- like a Japanese remake of a Korean show, with tweaks to the individual episodes but using the same base characters -- as opposed to there being four separate sets of SKZ running around in four parallel timelines). Except that the "Scars" video managed to reference both the Korean and Japanese storylines, which means hey, maybe there _are_ four separate versions of them, two in each language's story. (I did mention this is confusing af.)
- And the third storyline is the Mixtape one, the most important songs being "On Track" and then the "B Me" trailer (because we never got the actual mv) and then "OH" and then "The View." (Adding "Grow Up" at the start as an intro to their relationship, and fitting "Ex" in between "B Me" and "OH" adds some extra depth to the idea and the emotion, but it's not vital to comprehending the story.) This is BY FAR the easiest and shortest storyline, and while there are questionable moments for the more suspicious among us, it's pretty safe to just approach this as a storyline completely separate from the main Korean and the Japanese ones.
(cont in pt 2)
(pt 2)
- In the main Korean storyline (and possibly the Japanese storyline), I.N is "the oracle" -- the only person who actually knows what's happening. We know this from Chan, so it's fact, not theory. You'll see I.N reacting to this knowledge, which he can't/doesn't share and thus suffers alone with, in various videos. His knowledge just makes him aware; it doesn't let him change anything. So he's a helpless witness (or at least he has been until ODDINARY -- it seems like that might have changed, but we aren't sure yet).
- Hyunjin appears to be a "tester of realities" or some such. He senses _something_ is wrong and definitely has unsettled reactions to that sense of wrongness, which influence his behavior. But he doesn't actually know _what_ is wrong (that's I.N-only knowledge). As of ODDINARY, this too might be changing, though.
- Some people will tell you Felix is controlling things, but that's a direct contradiction to not only much of the demonstrated content but also to what Chan literally said -- because if I.N's the only one who knows what's happening, then Felix can't somehow be masterminding it all. That said, he does have _some_ sort of power; we just don't have enough info to really understand what yet. And as of ODDINARY (and the MANIAC concert vcr), it's evident that they've _all_ developed powers of some sort, or are somehow channeling powers, possibly through the duality of their existence.
- One set of SKZ chose the easy way, the path of least resistance, following the well-traveled road through idyllic purple fields laid out for them by the industry. The other set of SKZ chose the road not taken (notice there's literally a Yellow Wood album -- they're referencing Frost), choosing to stay in the City Jungle and fight against the mainstream accepted way of doing things, struggling to be themselves and overthrow the system. Sometimes a video is one version of them; sometimes it's both. Most of the important pieces of this info can be found in the Highlight Reel, straight from Chan. But they're also easily seen in some videos, such as Side Effects, one of the times both sets of SKZ appear.
- You'll see things like two moons (of different colors) in several videos, indicating the two timelines. You'll also see other recurrent details like keys, an idyllic purplish field, an elevator or elevator booth/doors, a cityscape, rooftops, a bus, a slightly creepy dude with a tattoo on his hand, an eagle, a guy pimped out in a fur coat, hints of lightning-like images appearing on or around the members, and red and blue pairing or conflicting [in the aforementioned moons, in eye contacts, in laser beams, etc]. If you pay attention, you'll notice that the "K" in their logo at the end of most videos (after the very earliest ones) changes colors. Most often, it will be red or blue (though there are also yellow and green). We were pretty sure those were world/timeline indicators, and now that we're very clearly switching over into the green universe with OODDINARY, it's basically guaranteed that theories regarding the logo colors being some kind of universe code were correct.
- Levanter and God's Menu were a turning point and the introduction of a new era. The two worlds appear to merge in Levanter (the title track before God's Menu and the one that started their ot8 era). SKZ have grown up, found themselves, chosen to neither follow the mainstream nor fight just for the sake of fighting, but rather to simply be themselves. You'll still notice two-world references in GM and beyond though, like Changbin's red-and-blue heterochromia and the lasers in the NOEASY trailer, so both worlds still exist in some form, just apparently operating as one for the moment, at least up through the end of the God's Menu era (which closed with NOEASY, the third album in that era's trilogy).
Levanter is the first really noticeable turning-point, end-of-the-era video and incorporates multiple references, of various forms, to previous songs and videos. It's an emotional video for many reasons, but one of them is that it brings up all these mentions of other moments that happened up to that point, then reframes them in the transformative setting of Levanter. One of the most obvious is Hyunjin and Felix's neck-snapping choreo from Side Effects being transformed into a gentle action of comfort. The choreo of Levanter also starts exactly where Side Effects ended, with Hyunjin dazed on the ground after the madness -- and then he's gently lifted up into the group, where the confusion and chaos of Side Effects has now been replaced with some of the most connected and supportive choreo in SKZ's collection. The building turmoil of the previous songs turns into an entire song of comfort and shared strength.
- Back Door is a direct continuation of God's Menu, with them happy and partying and inviting others to join them in simply being themselves. However, mostly hidden among the characters in the video who came from God's Menu (the NiziU pit crew girls, the scientists, etc) are ominous characters from the two-worlds era, including Miroh powermongers and, most importantly, SKZ's Captain Hook.
(cont in pt 3)
(pt 3)
- Then the NOEASY trailer...which tells us that things weren't quite that easy. That the newfound self-acceptance and self-knowledge weren't magically able to stop the attacks of the world and might have even exacerbated them. Because now the vaguely ominous "something" that's lingered in the air of previous videos, the opposing voice of naysayers and haters and the established path has coalesced into the Sound Monster -- a powerful, overwhelming force dedicated to seeking out and eliminating anyone who makes "nagging" sounds, aka sounds not deemed nice and mainstream and unremarkable to all. So, y'know, SKZ in every single hate comment about their music.
- So SKZ is now on the front lines, called into service in the scrappy underground resistance to the Sound Monster, the entity that's attempting to silence anyone who's different. (Things like the red vs blue lasers are references to the two timelines/universes, which seem to not be quite as merged or resolved as SKZ assumed in God's Menu.)
- The trailer then leads into the title track, "Thunderous," which is lyrically and sonically a clapback song to antis hating on them for their "noise" music. Lyrically, they declare themselves the Thunderous Ones who will keep being them and making their own sounds. Visually, they're dokkaebi (도깨비) coming down from their lair to participate in a 소리꾼 competition (and win, of course) and lead a revolution. (Hence details like the blue goblin fire, the animated bits, the military-esque trio parade down the walkway, etc.) Those video details are all directly stated fact from them, not supposition from us. (They obviously can't ever explain that the lyrics are clapbacks, but they can explain seemingly innocent video details.)
- As a side note, the "Christmas EveL" video is also a direct followup to the NOEASY trailer, just in a humorous fashion. But some of the references are things like them getting more missions, being super unenthused about it because they're exhausted from constant resistance fighting, Changbin photobombing Hyunjin's pretty-pretty-princess glamor closeup this time, Seungmin still poking the eyes of defenseless stuffies, Han with Lix's brownies, a straight-up mention of the Sound Monster, etc.
- The fight continues more metaphorically in the rest of the album, starting with the other three of the first four tracks (Cheese, Domino, Ssick), all of which are clapbacks and one of which is a direct diss track. Then the demonstration of diversity and skills in the middle tracks. Completed with Wolfgang, the declaration of their continued bond and strength in the face of outside forces.
- Then there's the "Scars" video, which is like the next iteration of Levanter in terms of incorporating references to previous videos, and is a direct and very obvious (as opposed to somewhat metaphorical, the way Thunderous is) continuation of the NOEASY trailer. The tired, battle-worn resistance fighters are moving outside the smoke-filled, bombed-out City Jungle and building their own little makeshift home, complete with a beacon protective light. But "ghosts are everywhere," as the warnings post all over the place say, and we see those ghosts surrounding them, held at bay only by the lights engineer Lee Know was able to jury-rig. I.N is still with the wrong group and zoning out as he watches the shooting stars. Ghosts are still everywhere. The city is still destroyed. SKZ are still outsiders -- although they're very deliberately shown to be a family now. The video is also a first, in that it's a Japanese release, but the video references and thematic content are the direct continuation of the NOEASY trailer and the bent-but-not-broken resistance theme of the album. So the main Korean and Japanese storylines have suddenly made open contact now.
- And now we have the ODDINARY trailers and album, showing a clear shift into the green universe and its inherent oddness. The trailers give more insight into the different natures of their dual versions, again underlining the "normal" vs "odd/boundary-defying" parallel universes Their powers are more visible now, and all of them now show signs of those powers. There's a good chance that more of them than just I.N are now aware that they exist in two forms/universes, and they're possibly more in control of some elements now. One of the versions of Hyunjin, at minimum, now probably knows the two versions of I.N have been switched, and the version of I.N that exists alongside the newly aware version of Hyunjin is being unprecedentedly shady. We don't yet know if he has actual ill intent or if he's just finally melting down after being separated from his own reality for too long or what.
One or more of the storylines will presumably also continue on the new Japanese album that releases in June. The promo material is grownup-circus-themed, which STAY all know is at least partially because we're infamous for being clowns to their ringmasters, and we know that SKZ are fully aware of this. So they're literally clowning us for being clowns in this circus.
It's...never dull in Stayville.
Oh my...I like to go into my videos spoiler free, but I might need to change that up with Stray Kids. Thank you for the information. I will try to refer back to this comment often to remember everything 😋
Guide suggestions (caveat: almost all guides, these and others, still make incorrect statements about "official" positions, so ignore that widespread error). Obviously all guides quickly become outdated, especially with a group like SKZ who think they need to release new content every six minutes. But this is what we have:
*_-- TeaNoSuga's "LONG (BUT UPDATED) 2022 GUIDE TO STRAY KIDS~"_* (th-cam.com/video/dYS2Bf0a3WA/w-d-xo.html) -- Good, most current update as of April 18, 2022. The only guide I know of that doesn't get the info wrong about positions, or sidestep/vaguely mention roles, but rather specifically and correctly clarifies that positions are no longer present. Short but well-varied set of performance examples for each member, enough to give a solid impression without spoiling half the discography. Equal attention to every member.
*_-- TeaNoSuga's "A DETAILED & HELPFUL GUIDE TO STRAY KIDS 2021 EDITION"_* (th-cam.com/video/0gwWm1Fjxpc/w-d-xo.html ) -- Good, fairly comprehensive, the predecessor to the updated 2022 guide from the same creator.
*_-- "Stray Kids Guide 2021" from Parme_Han_Cheese_* (th-cam.com/video/tXO2NiBA2oc/w-d-xo.html) -- Very recent (October 2021), so information and content are some of the most updated out of all the guides rn. Good mix of content for both personal and professional aspects of the members. Presents things in small bits of text rather than big blocks of it, with lots of video clips. This guide gets overlooked a lot, I think maybe because it's a small channel and a lot of STAY don't know this guide exists yet and thus don't have it on their lists to recommend.
*_-- "STRAY KIDS - A World Domination Documentary [ENG guide]" by Icetye_* (th-cam.com/video/2uVUVPfQ4R8/w-d-xo.html) -- One of the most recent guides (Sept 2021), released in the middle of the NOEASY comeback, so other than full info about NOEASY on forward, the information is more updated than most. Structured differently than most guides; first it gives a look into SKZ and their group history, goals, ethos, and then it moves on to exploring individual members. Lots of content/clips, spanning the entire history of SKZ, so there's a broad range of coverage, both old and new. As with all guides, there's a mistake here and there, but overall this one is very informative and full of clips usually not seen elsewhere. Unless you're able to read fairly quickly while also focusing on video, you'll probably benefit from pausing to read in some moments; the lines aren't long, but they sometimes go by quickly, so don't look away from the screen, and don't be afraid to pause.
*_-- "A helpful guide to Stray kids 2022 edition" by heliophilix_* (th-cam.com/video/z2Hzo9vZoHA/w-d-xo.html) -- Released March 5, 2022, so it's one of the most current guides rn. A good overview, lots of images of each member (helpful for learning faces), lots of clips to demonstrate the multiple skills of members. Bonus points for integrating not just the most known songs but also some of the hidden gems, as well as a few old 3RACHA classics, usually superimposed over the most jarringly mismatched visuals (eg, "Zone" playing over images of Changbin looking like a spring-green fairy baby). One of the few guides to not directly misinform by using "main/lead/sub" terms, though the word "position" is still used when describing roles; still, it's less misleading than most in that regard.
*_-- Hyunjin Nation's "an introduction to: stray kids (2020 edition)"_* (th-cam.com/video/PYOsihpdNGU/w-d-xo.html ) -- One of the more popular and recommended guides, and it's worth watching. It's somewhat out of date, has some font choices that tweak some people, and skims over/fails to emphasize a few important bits, but overall most people seem to find it helpful, especially as a supplement.
*_-- Any/all of skzvintage's SKZFLIX ongoing series ("This is Stray Kids pt 1&2," "3RACHA Producing for Stray Kids," "Stray Kids, a self-produced group," etc)_* (channel: th-cam.com/users/skzvintage2videos ) -- Along with Hyunjun Nation's 2020 guide and teanosuga's guides, this series is THE most frequently recommended; it's literally a documentary. The two main guide parts of this ('this is Stray Kids pt 1&2") were copyrighted into oblivion in 2021, but despite being a couple years old and outdated now, it remains one of the very best guides, and you can still see both deleted parts via other people's reactions. It would be odd to post a reaction to someone else's reaction to a guide, but I do recommend watching them for your own edification because they really are that good and helpful [th-cam.com/users/results?search_query=skzflix%3A+this+is+straykids+(2021+introduction)+part+1 and th-cam.com/users/results?search_query=skzflix%3A+this+is+straykids+(2021+introduction)+part+2 ]. Unlike those two main guide parts, several of the auxiliary guide videos survived and are still available on their channel (th-cam.com/users/skzvintage2videos).
*_-- All of Vic Killjoy's "Stray Kids Guide: [member] edition" videos, as well as more recent videos like the Danceracha guide and 3RACHA guide_* (th-cam.com/channels/bAYVubpa8I9k1zRfGsOZHg.htmlsearch?query=stray%20kids ) -- Slightly outdated, but very useful; the individual member guides were one of my main tools when first learning about SKZ, and the more recent guides for Danceracha and 3RACHA are good. This channel also has a good collection of more general SKZ vids, which are fun to get additional insight into their interactions after you get to know them a little.
*_-- "MEMEFUL GUIDE TO STRAY KIDS THAT WILL TURN YOU INTO A HARD STAN 2020 EDITION"_* (th-cam.com/video/aYdWRmQvVLw/w-d-xo.html ) -- Pretty solid initial peek at each member's persona and skills, but it's _definitely_ memes, not deep info. This is very much an auxiliary guide, not a main source of info.
*_-- "My favorite things that Stray Kids have said/done"_* (th-cam.com/video/Pw7gtquoBAE/w-d-xo.html ) -- The title sounds like this will be humorous, but instead this goes beyond memes and funny stuff and gets you pretty solidly into the "omg, THIS is why we love them; they're beautiful, relatable human beings" deeper side of their personalities.
It's hard when you are going into something blind and know that what you're looking at is good or not. Until you're into it, or have a following that will point your in the right direction it can be hard. Thank you!
@@dmays6101 Yeah, I always feel bad for new folks because I know that I, at least, would feel utterly overwhelmed at both the amount of content and the lack of certainty about what's accurate. Half the reason I keep lists like this to recommend is simply because I know I myself would benefit from the info if I were trying to get into a new group. I figure people can always just ignore it if it's not useful to them, but I'd rather they have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Multiple people have already let you know how comparatively inaccurate and unhelpful this guide is. (I think Stayville in general is just frustrated with this particular guide now because it seems to be one of the most commonly chosen ones by new people, and we all just sit here gritting our teeth and wishing we could let the reactor know in real time that it's not a good one to start with. So if anyone sounds huffy, please forgive us. I promise it's just that we all wish we could more proactively help people who are first starting out, and this guide has slowly become a speed bump. It's not _bad_ -- it's just usually not very helpful for new people.)
I posted my go-to guides recommendation list, in case you're interested in watching a more helpful, accurate guide. STAY loooooove watching reactors with guides and then following along on their SKZ journey, so please know that if you decide to keep going, plenty of us will be happy to watch.
- The confusion between Changbin's and Bang Chan's names is extremely common. Since "Bang" is a surname, it's both fine and almost universal to just say "Chan" -- or "Chris," his English name, which he grew up using constantly for 13 years and still uses completely interchangably with his Korean name today. It's a lot easier to keep "Changbin" and "Chan"/"Chris" mentally separated when you're first getting familiar. (Eventually they devolve into Binnie and Channie once you get to know them.)
- Anyone who gives you crap about not learning names fast enough to suit someone else's preference is being a jerk. Please go at your own pace, and please know that anyone who gives you that kind of attitude is a fake fan and does not represent the values of SKZ or STAY.