'EASY CRAZY HOT' ENCORE IN SEOUL DC Review: I Miss Physical Media🥺
My 'EASY CRAZY HOT' ENCORE IN SEOUL DC has arrived, so I wanted to share some thoughts about video-related releases going forward.
This is my first LE SSERAFIM video merch item. The EASY CRAZY HOT trilogy means a lot to me personally, for a few reasons:
- I went to concerts and fan meetings several times while these songs were being promoted.
- These albums and songs are the ones I have kept listening to the longest.
- I wanted to revisit the concert VCR-only tracks and live arrangements.
For those reasons, I decided to buy it. The contents are very satisfying, and more than enough to bring back memories of those days.
This is not exactly a new issue, but the biggest drawback of this product is that the video is VOD. I knew this when I pre-ordered it, and I fully understand if someone says, “Why complain now?” But once I actually opened it and checked everything, I still felt a real sense of emptiness. All you do is tap the keychain with the built-in NFC tag against your smartphone and go through a few steps. The mechanical nature of that process only makes the emptiness feel stronger.
I understand that producing pressed video discs involves many steps, and that the total cost is clearly not comparable to CDs. Still, aren’t physical goods — their usefulness and their special feeling — something K-pop companies understand better than almost anyone? Maybe this is just the way things are moving, but it still feels a little disappointing that video alone seems to be treated as an exception to physical media.
I still think physical media has many advantages for video releases.
First, it remains as an actual object, so it satisfies the desire to own something. Just like placing a CD or vinyl record into a player, putting a disc into a player can be a kind of ritual that helps you immerse yourself in the work.
In terms of video and audio quality, physical media still has advantages as well. With streaming, quality is often reduced because of platform limitations, practical internet infrastructure, and the need to support many different viewing environments. Depending on the internet connection, buffering can happen, and video or audio quality may change during playback.
Lastly, this may be more of a mindset issue, but even though we pay for the content, the content itself is not really in our hands.
With VOD, we do not own the video file itself. We are only given the “right” to access the video. Watching it requires an internet connection, and it also involves things like accounts and authentication. I do not think this will happen anytime soon, but if Weverse or the server side were ever to stop providing the service, we would no longer be able to access the content. Of course, this is also true of subscription services in general, so it is not necessarily a problem unique to VOD.
If the concert video were offered as paid content on a general streaming service like Netflix or Hulu, I think I could understand it to some extent. But if it is being sold as a standalone merch product, it is hard for me to fully accept unless there is some kind of system that lets buyers access the content permanently, or at least for the long term.
The scanimation-style package, which is probably something you try a few times and then leave alone, the high-quality paper and embossed cover of the photo book, the cards carefully placed inside paper bags, and the secret message card that reveals its contents with body heat — there are many small details that may seem minor or even unnecessary at first glance.
But I think those little details are what make the product fun and satisfying to hold, even if the user does not consciously think about them. Because the package pursues this kind of beauty in seemingly unnecessary details, I find it even more questionable that the video content itself has been made intangible, seemingly in the name of efficiency.
I am curious to see what future releases will be like, but for now, I will enjoy the VOD. If they ever release a Blu-ray, I will buy it again. 😂
What do you all think?
UPDATE(260705, JST): I finished checking the main VOD, so I would like to add some brief thoughts here.
- The video quality needs improvement. This was in a wired network environment, and the stream was fixed at 1080p.
Dark areas look lifted, and block noise caused by low bitrate, as well as smeared details, are constantly noticeable. Even relatively static scenes, such as the VCR sections, look like they are struggling at times.
- The venue ambience is quite loud, and the fan chants are easy to hear.
I think it does a decent job of conveying the live atmosphere and energy. The reverb itself feels fairly restrained.
- From an archive-minded perspective, I have some complaints about the content and production choices.
The pauses during talk segments and transitions are trimmed to a reasonable degree, so the video moves at a good pace. Since this is being turned into a video release, I think that part is understandable.
However, the VCR sections use only the original source audio, with no venue ambience at all. At the venue, whenever a member appeared or did something, the audience cheered. During the VCR intro before SPAGHETTI, especially the scene where CHAEWON types on a keyboard, the typing sound mixed with the dome’s reflections and suddenly rang out through the space. It created a certain kind of tension. It is a little disappointing that this kind of irreplaceable live experience is lost in the video release.
Lastly, this is completely my own oversight, but the setlist/content has been changed. In the ABEMA TV broadcast version of the TOKYO DOME show, because Sanrio characters appeared on stage, a VTR was inserted during “Kawaii” for the livestream. Because there had already been that precedent, I had accepted that “Kawaii” would probably not be included. However, this time even “UNFORGIVEN,” one of their signature live staples, was cut. I was especially looking forward to the seamless transition from “UNFORGIVEN” to “ANTIFRAGILE” and the live arrangement, so this was a disappointing point for me. I wish the release had been made after clearing those rights-related issues.
From an archive-minded perspective, because there are major changes to the content, I cannot really call this a complete record of the concert. It feels more like a cleanly edited selection of only the parts that can be shown. I do not think it fully allows you to relive the concert at home.