나는 선생님인데 바이러스 때문에 집에서 일을 해서 정신이 없습니다. 늦게 글을 올리고 또 영어라 미안합니다만 조금이라도 같이 이 즐거움을 공유하고 싶습니다.
Underground Frozen Fandom ~ Round 2 ~
Original Worpress Link: https://kdramalife2017.wordpress.com/2020/03/12/underground-frozen-fandom-round-2/
After receiving a few requests for another article about last weekend’s 1+2 sing along, I am finally here to deliver!
Let’s begin with the elephant in the room – the Coronavirus. There is
rightfully a lot of fear in public gatherings now because of this
illness, especially in Korea. Despite all that, though, die hard fans
came out in mass to enjoy the last large scale 1+2 sing along before the
long hiatus (the next smaller gathering isn’t until April I believe).
After multiple back and forth conversations, the expected cancellation
of the show and then finding out last minute it was NOT cancelled, it is
clearly a miracle that this sing along happened, much less that Dom and
I were able to get tickets and go. I was very impressed by how hard the
staff worked checking temperatures on the way in and out of the theater
and making sure everyone was sanitized. I think my jacket still smells
like sanitizer actually… I was also impressed that nearly everyone had
masks on for this occasion. It dulled that glorious “Aurora Aaaahhs” a
little bit but I was happy to see everyone cooperating to make this
event safe and enjoyable despite the imposing virus.
**Shout out to my dudes in “Section I” for making sure I could enjoy
the “AaaaAAaaaAAAAaaaAAaaaaaahhhh!!” despite the masks. You guys were
the best!**
On to the fun parts of my review! Like I mentioned, it was a miracle
Dom and I were able to go. I was SUPER excited when he said he was able
to get some tickets. We weren’t able to cosplay like we had originally
planned, but we did try and dress up a little for the occasion. I don’t
think anyone realized who we were for the first hour after we arrived.
We stayed in the lower lobby while we waited for the ticket line to calm
down. There was a smaller group enjoying the unique practice of “fan
gear auctions” or “나눔.” Every fan has collectables from all the events
they’ve been to and some give them away as gifts, others kind of auction
them off (although I don’t think money is involved, there are some
pretty intense rounds of rock, paper, scissors).
Dom seemed pretty shy to wander through the crowds with me in tow
since I give us away as the “foreigner couple.” He made a few trips to
the main ticket area without me, blending in like the fan ninja he tends
to be. Eventually, we got enough confidence to go up together and wait
for tickets. After my first adventure to a 1+2 showing, I thought I was
prepared… Nope. This crowd was MUCH bigger and a little more diverse
with odd cosplays (like the joker and a random pink chipmunk I’m still
trying to figure out), more girls, and LOTS of outgoing people who
recognized me from the previous show. While we waited to get into the
theater, we had a small group of people drop by, some of Dom’s friends
and some who were genuinely curious about the random foreigner in a sea
of Korean fans! Again, I was the only foreigner….
**Spoiler Alert: Dom is Korean and has been a long-time fan since the
first movie. He’s just super shy. …Sorry to give you away Dom…**
There was a bit of awkwardness with me being at this show at the very
beginning, but during the intermission between the movies, people
started to get brave. Fans from my first 1+2 singalong began to “show
themselves” and talk to me. One sweet fan introduced himself by asking
if I had written the article from before! A quick interjection about me:
I may not speak Korean (I’m learning… I’m just slow…) but I applaud
anyone who wants to try and talk with me! I’m a teacher and I don’t
judge people on language skills, especially since mine aren’t very good.
Dom helped a lot with people who needed a little translation help but I
loved every second I got to talk with other people at the show! I
especially enjoyed being introduced to the many traditions that go on
during these events (like the auctions and the Frozen “덩-실덩-실” dance ~ I
want to do this by the way). Having them explained in person by
involved fans helped me understand them better and made me feel included
versus just being a spectator.
Foreigners are often isolated with language and cultural barriers.
That’s why I enjoy being involved in this fandom so much now. It feels
familiar since I was a part of a few fandoms in the states. I’ve done
cosplays and conventions, I miss them!! One brave girl sitting in front
of my row became interested in the conversation I was having about my
article. She mentioned how she was worried how people would view this
fandom based on what I wrote.
I completely understand.
My simple response is I’m a new blogger so I don’t have many
followers. I mostly share my stories with close family and friends. And
don’t worry, any pictures or videos Dom and I take are all personal and
not shared to bigger audiences. But the more complex response is this
fandom is just like any other fandom in the US. I personally don’t know
of sing along shows in the states, but that’s not to say they don’t
exist. In California, I would go to “Fathom Event” movies where theaters
would show for a super limited time, foreign movies or animes that
weren’t popular enough with the general public but tended to have HUGE
underground fan bases that would turn these events into mini
conventions; also complete with cosplayers, fan gear give-aways, etc.
My point is, I understand the concern for being anonymous but being
open to new people also has its benefits too. I’m always impressed with
the amount of support fans give each other in the Frozen fan bases here
and any of the conventions I’ve been to previously. It’s just like any
fan base around the globe. I call it “Nerds Uniting.” You would be very
surprised by the kind of people who would happily join in fandoms like
this. My own aunt is dying to join me for a sing along and I hope to
bring more of my foreign friends next time I go to a show here.
Overall, despite this crazy virus, I saw this 1+2 as a massive
success! I was highly encouraged to write another review (I’m sorry it’s
a little late…), I met LOADS of amazing people and enjoyed great
discussions about everything from Frozen to Disney movies in general to
future events and cosplays I could be involved in. I came home with some
unexpected fan gear including a giant, beautiful poster I’m going to
try and hang somewhere, these beautiful illustrated posters of some of
my favorite Disney movies as well as Frozen, and two fan tickets from
the sweet girl who sat in the row in front of me. Dom got the chance to
show himself as a fan a bit and over all we both had a fantastic time!
Also! I was very impressed with the spirit of gift giving and sharing
among fans! The auctions were pretty popular (the general chaos was fun
to watch even though I didn’t join in), but everyone was very happy to
share the things they had with people they thought were special! Dom
brought a few things to give out as well! I have been working on some
fan art myself but I wasn’t able to finish so I hope to have something
done next time. I feel really bad I didn’t haven anything this round… ㅠㅠ
A
tiny sneak peak of my work in progress. I don’t compare to the
beautiful posters and the artwork I saw at the event but I still enjoy
making fan art.
I genuinely hope everyone is staying safe from this virus and I hope I
get to see everyone again at the next showings I’m able to go to! I’m
debating on cosplaying Elsa, Anna, or Kristoff. Any suggestions?
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