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shadowetienne · 2 years ago

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... so I just went through and copied down the translated to English lyrics for beyOnd and am sort of sifting through them trying to gain more insight into the story being told. Fair warning, literary analysis time (based on the translation that they had in the translated captions).

“beyOnd” (English translation of lyrics)

My frozen lips are chapped My heart is just dried up Then a ray of light that is you shined on me And left behind like a small dew Like how today seems much different from today You take root in my heart It keeps being irritating It feels different

Hold my hand Dance with me Dance with me Not sure yet but Align your steps with me And dance with me

It’s not over there I know nothing beyond this In the air that has gotten cold I’ll warm up and melt your heart With my breath (1.1) Perhaps it’s withered

My eyes keep looking at you only Why are you making me feel anxious Why is the clock ticking so slowly I can’t express this with words very well Baby, I wanna make you mine (2.1)

Dew on me flower Like a flower blossoming on ice baby Let yourself blossom in my heart please Far over there flower Hurry and let yourself blossom on me Winter come again Dew, dew, dew, dew flower Fell in deep and have trouble getting out everyday Which your, which your, which your, which your color Will you let me see you Flower flower, Oh winter, winter flower

The night can’t overshadow us Even when I cover my eyes I keep seeing you Your cold eyes swallow me Your scent makes me dizzy Drunk and getting drunk by your body scent (3) When you look at me The tip of my nose itches God bless (4)

Now please open your eyes to me Come lie down next to me And dream the same dream as me (5) When the winter comes, with my breath I’ll make you in full bloom (1.2) Perhaps it’s withered

My eyes keep looking at you only Why are you making me feel anxious I want to wind back the clock with my hand Because I want to see you even earlier Baby you can take my time (2.2)

Overall Lyrical Themes and Notes

Throughout the poem, the feelings that Nine is experiencing towards Mill and vice versa are being described as flowering plants. This immediately creates a reference to some of their other songs lyrically for me (”blOOm” and “blOssOm” are what are coming to mind, need to go look at those more closely). This flowering plant is specifically one existing in winter: harsh conditions that make it hard or unsafe for it to blossom/bloom. This is clearly relevant to the conditions that the characters are facing in high school where there is bullying over perceived sexuality. Nine is saying that he is coming into this situation with his heart flower dried up/withered, and meeting Mill causes his heart flower to take root again and start trying to grow and bloom.

(1) Breath and Growth

There are two sets of similar but different lyrics that reflect this. The first time it comes up, the lyrics say:

I’ll warm up and melt your heart With my breath (1.1)

At this point, nothing can grow because Mill is feeling too threatened/afraid to let anything grow. But by spending time together and getting close, Nine is helping him realize that it’s safe to be himself around Nine.

When the winter comes, with my breath I’ll make you in full bloom (1.2)

This is taking the idea further though, and moving towards the bloom of love in that heart flower that both of them seem to have. Nine’s breath, and the breath that they shared blowing out the candle and making the wish is what’s going to help Mill’s heart flower bloom.

(2) Time and Lyrical References

I think that this might be referencing “Time Leap” and possibly a few of their other songs in the last lines of these two line variations (someone help me out?).

Why is the clock ticking so slowly I can’t express this with words very well Baby, I wanna make you mine (2.1)

At the beginning of the lyrics, Nine still hasn’t solidified what he’s feeling and wanting to say and wanting to do, but he knows he wants Mill to be with him. The clock is ticking slowly, and it almost feels like the two of them are stalling, trying to figure themselves out.

I want to wind back the clock with my hand Because I want to see you even earlier Baby you can take my time (2.2)

This second variation is where it really reminds me of “Time Leap” and that idea of wanting to go back. But also, I feel like one of their earlier songs had the lyric “Baby we can take our time” and now we’re getting “Baby you can take my time.” (Which song is this???) It’s an interesting parallel.

(3) Connection to “byredO”

Nine used “byredO” as his remix song, and that’s always been his song, so I felt like this reference in the lyrics to scent and its effect was an interesting one showing how they are falling in love and tying it to the remix attached to it.

Your scent makes me dizzy Drunk and getting drunk by your body scent (3)

(4) Reference to the Description

Interestingly the description returns to that idea of “lovers who could not be blessed” and we have this usage of “God bless” in the lyrics.

The tip of my nose itches God bless (4)

I think that this line being lingered over in the delivery of the song is very important in that this is a song that is meant to be for those “lovers who could not be blessed” and it is in itself a blessing of their love.

(5) Hope and Wishes

In the previous arcs, hopes and wishes have been demonstrated on screen with paper cranes and how the protagonists interact with them, but there’s a change here to wishing on the candle and then also this line about dreams.

Come lie down next to me And dream the same dream as me (5)

While it feels like the hope of these characters is less tangible (the candle is a fleeting moment, even if captured on film), in the lyrics, during that candle scene, these lines are delivered, and they give a little preview of the end of the MV and song. We know that they are at least going to try to dream the same dream, and now, even with the hurt at the end, there is comfort and hope for the future.

Throughout, Nine and Mill’s flower hearts seem to be getting stronger and more resilient as winter flowers that are going to bloom despite the adversity, which mirrors the storyline shown in the MV. Mill catches Nine when he collapses, and this is what draws them together: being in the face of adversity. Mill doesn’t run away though, and Nine doesn’t break the promise that he made and comes to meet Mill. It’s not a hope of having no hardships, but a hope that being together will give them the strength and resilience to get past the hardships.

These lyrics match beautifully with the MV and the messages that OnlyOneOf has been conveying throughout this series. I’m really interested to see how it will transition into whatever they do next.

#OnlyOneOf #Nine #beyOnd lyrics #literary analysis time #featuring #Mill #and discussion of the #beyOnd MV #Etienne's rambles

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shadowetienne · 2 years ago

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I want to add onto this post now that Nine’s MV for “beyOnd” is out!

Symbols of Hopes for the Future

The paper cranes didn’t return, but there were some new thematic elements that tie into this:

The winter blooming flower in the lyrics! Flowers that naturally bloom during winter tend to be very hardy and small, but even though they are hard to spot sometimes and maybe look weak, they endure and are very strong. A winter bloom is also a rare thing to find, and a lot of them are the first signs of spring (which is often hope/part of hope

Blowing out the candle together: They are making a wish together over a single candle in a cake, that’s really symbolic of the start of something and it’s a wish, but it’s not something tangible and lasting. The candle isn’t burning anymore, the cake will be eaten, they can’t put that somewhere and look at it to remember, though they did take a picture which will help it be remembered.

A specific line in the song that foreshadows what will happen: During the blowing out the candle together scene, we get the line: "come lie down next to me / and dream the same dream as me" which then *happens* in the end, well the lie down next to me part, the rest is implied, especially as they kiss, the first time that they really act in a way that can’t be backed up from on what has been building between them

The Phone Booth

The phone booth continues to be a meeting place/point of connection. It looks like in the MV that Nine gives Mill a note telling him to meet there, and then is ambushed/beat up on the way to meet with Mill. Mill waits for him at the phone booth though, their point of connection. Mill waits outside though, he’s already made the connection/communication. There’s no one for him to call because he’s waiting. It sort of parallels both previous story arcs in some ways (falling into the arms at the phone booth of Yoojung/KB and it being a point where communication happens of Junji/Rie). Like all of the pairs, the phone booth represents a turning point, but it is turning towards being open. Even though Nine got beaten up, he still made it to meet up with Mill, he kept his promise, and Mill rose to the occasion to take care of him, and finally, they are both sure enough that they act on it.

Age Range: The Teenagers Story

Nine and Mill were the only ones who could really pull off a high school story, and they did it brilliantly I think. I am leaning in to what I said previously. I think that Nine is showing a teenager who has already kind of been through the worst that there is to go through he thinks (the getting beat up may be added to that, or it may be something that he’s gone through before).

Nine’s space in the MV that he brings Mill into appears to be a music practice space with a sleeping space that’s been put in it (I’m pretty sure that’s where Mill takes him after he gets beat up too). I’m going to posit that I think that Nine’s potentially been kicked out, and that’s why he’s transferring schools. Maybe he’s living in the practice space that he and some of his friends use for music, maybe he’s managed to scrape together enough to rent his own place somehow, maybe there’s someone he’s connected to who has this space available and is letting him stay there for now, even though it’s not really a proper place to stay. (Am I reading a lot into this, maybe? Is it something that makes sense to me, yes!)

He talks about being like a withered plant (or his feelings being like one) that perks up when he starts noticing Mill. Nine seems to mostly know who he is in terms of being interested in guys: he notices Mill right away and he doesn’t seem to second guess himself when he acts on that. Now maybe the character is just that impulsive, but I feel like it’s more likely that this is a character who has already dealt with that part, liking a guy isn’t new or surprising or something that he has to come to terms with. He’s maybe a little bit over the top because he’s been feeling betrayed/hopeless/withered emotionally because of something that has happened in the past, and now he’s met Mill and suddenly he’s got those happy new interest feelings that are making him feel like he can do almost anything.

Mill’s character blossoms under the attention of Nine’s. He’s not had friends, he’s been bullied, and here’s someone being sweet to him, someone he clearly also finds attractive, someone who is supportive of his art and just seems to want to laugh and do things with him. There’s such a clear depiction of that rush of affection and giddiness of being with someone who gets him, someone he can relax around, someone that he can get a crush on and it’s not going to hurt, at least not from Nine’s direction.

Nine getting beat up does lead to a moment where he is catching Nine and there is panic in his face. But he makes a decision, he takes Nine back to where he’s staying, takes care of him, lies down with him and gives that having a dream together thing a chance. It’s a bitersweet but very hopeful ending, and I love it!

I’m probably going to need to dedicate a whole other post to the lyrics because there is so much going on there symbolically! I love it!

OnlyOneOf be series thoughts

As undergrOund idOl / be series draws to a close, I'm noticing some interesting parallels between the three pairs and trying to think about the messages they are trying to give.

Each pair seems to have one member who is more at peace with his sexuality and one who is still struggling with it on some level.

In "begin" / "be free," Yoojung enters the story line comfortable with himself if unsure if how the world will treat him. His character is open, receptive, and as the song states, "ready to begin." KB's character arc in the two MVs involves him coming to terms with himself enough to accept his attraction to Yoojung and meet that openness, therefore becoming free as the title again suggests: in this case, free from the constraints he put on himself. However, we can also assume that it connects to the constraints that he has experienced from society, especially since even the more open of the two of them is waiting to be approached.

In "be mine" / "because," Junji is ready and comfortable acting on his feelings. He is both the one who initiates the relationship by running after Rie to talk to him, and the one who initiates and levels up a lot of the physicality. One of the points where this is really obvious is taking off the shirts at the pool. Junji is at ease, ready to show off, be seen, and go to the next point, while Rie is hesitant even though he does also take off the shirt. There's a lot more anxiety present in Rie's character when it comes to the relationship.

While "beat" / "beyond" is not complete yet, I feel pretty confident saying Mill is the half of this pair uncomfortable with his sexuality and position in society while Nine has come to terms with himself and is more relaxed. It's pretty blatant in how Mill faces bullying, how Nine and Mill interact in the art room scene. I am really curious to see how that continues to play out in "beyOnd."

The different pairs seem to be telling stories from different life stages/ages.

And we seem to be going backwards in age. Yoojung and KB are telling a story of full adults who have careers or at least jobs, and adult lives. Their story involves at least the implications of clubbing and cruising, and part of their struggle clearly involves being free to be themselves in the world and society without ruining what they already have.

Junji and Rie are showing a story of young adulthood. It's much more centered around the individual and less their roles in the world. They are independent at this point, but not fully invested into their adult lives, and they also seem to know others who are queer, and not necessarily need to hide from their immediate peers. (Junji and KB as friends, the cafe where Yoojung works as a meeting place, which seems to be a soft reference to My Beautiful Laundrette, a queer film.)

The ages of the characters really clicked with the addition of Mill and Nine's story being set in high school. They are in a life stage where they have pretty much adult emotions and reasoning ability without the experience, emotional control, and most importantly agency to really have security. While KB's struggle seems to largely be about his own emotions towards the world and how it views him in "be free," Mill is being faced with the reality of physical threat to his safety shoved in his face constantly through the bullying shown in "beat." It's pervasive, it's out in the open, and no one really seems to have tried to do anything to stop it before Nine. Being a teenager who knows or suspects that you're queer in an environment that is actively hostile towards you for it and you have no power to get out of is terrifying, and that is part of what makes "beat" and its story really poignant. Nine also clearly is facing some of these same potential concerns, but he seems to be coming from a place where he is able to be more secure. He's gotten "beyOnd" that. Either he's supported at home, or I suspect he's already faced what he thought was the worst possibility and he survived and kept going so he believes it will be ok once they get past this phase. I'm really curious what they show in his MV.

The phone booth as liminal space and a point of connection.

The phone booth has shown up in every set of MVs. It's where KB falls into Yoojung's arms. It's one of the places that Junji and Rie meet and Rie was (or was going to be) making a call. It's where Nine stumbles into Mill's arms after having been beaten up (I can't wait for context).

Phone booths are giving me a few different connections here:

Phone booths were a really common place used in cruising, and I do think that this is being referenced intentionally in Yoojung and KB's storyline. Yoojung waiting in a phone booth isn't innocent happenstance.

Obviously, phone booths are a place one can make calls, and reach out to others, and this part plays a pretty clear imagery role in Junji and Rie's story.

But on that front, when I was a queer teenager in danger of being kicked out, one of the things we told each other in our secretive connections between queer teenagers who all had recognized each other, with those of us who were out whether we wanted to be or not at the center of these clusters, was always carry enough change to make at least one payphone call, and have the number memorised for a safe person to call. Maybe this was just my extended circle in the Bay Area, in the early 00s, but it feels like it's a cultural thing I've seen references to. The idea at least, of going to a phone booth to make that call because you have been kicked out and you are reaching out to the one person who you are pretty sure is safe, that seems to resonate with how I see the scene with Mill at the phone booth at the end of "beat."

Paper cranes as a symbol of hope and the future.

Right now, especially with the lack of paper cranes in "beat" (will they return in Nine's MV?), I'm feeling like paper cranes are symbols of hopes or wishes for the future. Yoojung has some to start with, and then there are the small number shared between him and KB. Their hopes are tentative, just starting and building slowly. They aren't on steady footing yet. Yoojung has those hopes for the future of his own accord, but KB needs to connect with Yoojung to start getting his own hopes to match.

Junji and Rie have lots of them, made together, and gathered up and in many colors and possibilities. They're still a little fragile, but even if they get a little crumpled, they can be picked up off the floor and are mostly fine. The use of their respective colors in places for the cranes is a nice touch. Even though the relationship takes a turn and has a struggle, theyve built up the hopes together and it doesn't seem like they are so easily ruined (I'm reading it as them making up at the end).

Mill hasn't had the chance to have hope for his future yet. I think that if Nine's MV marks the return of paper cranes, it says something about Nine bringing hope into the situation. Mill isn't alone, there are other people like him. Even if their high school romance goes no where long term, Nine will have shown him possibility of future. I am hoping that we get that hope in Nine's MV.

I feel like I'm forgetting at least one theme I wanted to talk about, but it's after midnight, so I'm going to leave this ramble here.

#OnlyOneOf #further thoughts #on symbols and themes in the #undergrOund idOl #be series #now that #beyOnd MV #is out

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