Fan fiction review: 48 Hours
My first review/recommendation! If there's anything in the review that you'll like to address, please feel free to comment! All constructed critisms are welcomed.
48 Hours, an EXO classic fanfic. Originally a Chinese EXO fanfic written by 辛辛息息 which you can find the original here. It is uploaded on Lj by lukais translated by heecups, flyingbacons and wasabilxx (on twitter), which you can find it here. You can also find a pdf version here.
48 Hours is a plot intriguing, fast pace horror story (rated R) that kept me at the edge of my seat late at night (not a good idea to read at night if you're scared easily). This story centers around Kris and his traumatizing experience of being locked in a seemingly unknown house with his fellow bandmates. When we start the story, the ending is already known; Kris is the only survivor of this incident and is questioned by the police on what the hell had happened with all the EXO members dead.
What the author does tremendously well is exploring the psychological trauma each of the members must face in solving the dilemma set by the mastermind of the situation. The rules of the house states that 1) the boys must split into teams, 2) after 48 hours, only one member can be alive 3) the last two people alive must be one the same team. 4) If you try to escape, you'll die. Set against each other, the boys realize that this is a game to test their friendship and morals. As I said before, the author conveys each character rather realistically on how people in general will react to such conditions. After all, it is to remember no matter how close EXO seem to each other and how much OTPs fans create and latch onto their minds, EXO members are human after all. They are just a bunch of boys brought together by an entertainment company to form a band; friendship bonding comes after. But how thick are these bonds? How much does a friend count in your life? Do they count more than your own? They are not family after all, not sharing the same blood. The closest bonds can break. Trust can be broken. These kinds of topics ponders my mind even after reading it. You realize, that the one who survives, Kris, is not the one who can bask in glory being alive; rather, he is the one who has to repay for the sins of this horrible experience. This psychological depth shown in Kris, for me, is the highlight of the story because it is so damn mind-bogging (and heart-wrenching T_T).
I would have liked to see more depth in the relationship between the members. I think the author actually is able to pull off/get away with not describing much of the closeness of EXO’s relationship with each other (setting relationships as background info) because we, fans, are able to see so much of it in the media. But because all fan fiction especially real-person fan fiction tends to lead to OOC, I wish the author had set more indicators of what kind of relationships these characters have with each other; Especially with the Otp towards the end, I needed more! A backstory of the Otp may perhaps been sufficient, but I wish there was something to fill that hole that was left in the end. However, the Otp interactions were beautiful, touching, and heart-wrenching.
Another thing to point out is that I do feel the author is more biased towards the Chinese members (probably connected to her/his Chinese background). However, it does bring up the important themes of nationality and the idea that relationships are built stronger with the same background, speaking the same language. This story is in no way racist, and whether it’s the intention of the author or not, this story brings out a reality of relationships formed through commonality (the same nationality in this case).
I have no say in how well written this story is (I wish I can read Chinese >_<) since I’m reading a translation. The translation itself is decent, though some parts have poor phrasing that make me confused. However, the translation is able to successfully convey the emotions of the story, and you can see through the translation that some parts, especially the Otp ending moment, is just so beautifully written (in the original story).
Overall, this story’s engaging plot and intricate psychological relationships has drawn me nonstop into this horror story. If after reading the story, you feel there are some holes that need to covered up, you can read this wonderful analysis translated bychanxun here. Even after reading it a month ago, do I still think about it? Yes. Would I read it again? Most likely. Rating: 8.5/10
Fav. quote: "It all stops when you fall in love."