“When I get back to Seoul, I’ll busy with meetings and whatnot, I’ll be back to being J-Hope” — BTS superstar J-Hope has delighted fans with his behind-the-scenes documentary, but what is IN THE BOX really about?

Hope on screen

Having spent most of his adult life in BTS as J-Hope (Jung Ho-Seok), the IN THE BOX documentary shows us the 29-year-old idol’s personal songwriting process and the planning for his album promotions, ending with his epic solo performance headlining at Lollapalooza, all for his new album Jack in the Box.

It is a truthful and candid focus on J-Hope as an artist and it doesn’t try to shy away from the struggles that he faces. He spends most of 90 minutes — being brutally honest — looking absolutely exhausted.

He takes the project of this album extremely seriously and is eager to show the world the J-Hope he is now. He explains that Hope World (his mixtape released in 2018) was still very much him being “in the box” whereas with Jack in the Box, he is breaking out and maturing.

We can only speculate what metaphorical box he means: either the BTS box, the music genre box, or something more personal perhaps. There is only person that can truly answer this. Whatever the reason, it is clear that J–Hope needed to break out.

He works tirelessly — “To be absolutely frank, there’s no reason for me to push myself this hard. But I guess this is just who I am,” J-Hope explains, as he is struggling with a particularly difficult day in the studio.

It is clear that he is a total perfectionist, from planning every little detail of the staging, digital visuals, and colour scheme for the Lollapalooza performance, to sampling the food served at the listening party. And of course, the choreography. We see a snippet of scary dance teacher J-Hope when he clearly isn’t happy with the dancers.

Despite all this meticulous planning and continuous practice, he is still racked with self doubt and is hugely critical of himself. Whilst he is in Chicago practising for Lollapalooza he seems really lost and lonely, until fellow BTS member Jimin joins him and his whole body changes with his friend’s presence. J-Hope needed the comfort, reassurance, and just companionship of his BTS brother.

The amazing reality is that there is zero jealousy to see between the members. They are the best cheerleaders for each other, and the proud, half-tearful face of Jimin as he accompanies J-Hope to the car after the successful performance really does speak volumes.

A ‘Hopeful’ future

We start and end the documentary with an interview in New York, where J-Hope can finally relax and be relieved that the performance was a complete success. There is some poetry to the last scene, where he is excited for the next chapter of his plans, Hope on the Street (J-Hope’s self-made online dance series). He has always made his love of street dance very clear and that is where his heart truly lies.

New York is the birthplace of Hip-Hop music and bursting with Hip-Hop culture, so the NYC interview seems a fitting bookend to this instalment of his career. 

As a fan, I am excited that J-Hope has been given the opportunity to express himself on his terms and I look forward to whatever he has planned for the world. As my own maternal instinct kicks in, I would also like him to rest, spend time at home eating his mother’s home cooked food more often, and remember to take time to just have fun.

J-Hope IN THE BOX is available to stream on Weverse and Disney+.

Edited by Gabii Rayner.