#kpop mv analysis

[starchild--27]

first things first.

CHANYEOL’S FIRST SOLO ALBUM „BLACK OUT” IS OUT. IT IS FINALLY OUT. FUCKING HELL, CAN YOU BELIEVE WE’VE WAITED FOR SO LONG AND NOW IT’S HERE AND IT’S BEAUTIFUL AND I AM SO PROUD OF CHANYEOL I HOPE WE GET TO SEE AND HEAR SO MUCH MORE FROM HIM IN THE FUTURE.

ok. now that that’s out of my system, let’s talk about the mv for black out. in depth. hell yeah.

(on a side note, i really wanted to make a post like this for a long time. like, a long post where i put down thoughts in a kind of structured way, so yey i am excited, let’s go.)

first, i want to point out that personally, i appreciate a lot that the song has no gendered language (as far as i know. i am not fluent in korean tho, i am basing this on the english lyrics supplied with the video!), and in tune with that i will also use gender neutral language in this little analysis here. the only case i will use gendered language is when referring to chanyeol, who i will treat like an actor portraying the protagonist in this video. so when i say “chanyeol” i mean the guy in the video and not the person park chanyeol – just for clarification. ok. now.

overall, to me, the mv feels a lot like a movie, or parts of a movie. it has amazing cinematography – the city at night, the bus ride, the scenes at the window of the apartment, the fish tank, the short scenes relating to boxing – that portrays the feelings around a breakup very beautifully. in the video, i see many symbols that represent specific situations and emotions and that’s what i want to break down here a little bit.

the cassette tape is probably the most obvious of the symbols. the cassette he literally clings to, i think, represents the past relationship itself. is the very first scene he is sitting on a bus full of happy people, people that seem to be in a romantic relationship, that have fun and are laughing – he is alone and surrounded by love. he simply sits there, unmoving between people that are eagerly interacting with each other. he is still while everything else is moving on. but he has the cassette which he doesn’t even listen to (notice how we never see him wearing the headphones he carries around his neck!).

he is not listening to the tape, just keeping it – the relationship might already be over, he is just holding on to the memories. he doesn’t want to think about them (or else he would listen to the tape) but also doesn’t want to lose and let go (that’s why he's keeping it). and that’s why he is very distressed when he loses the tape, why he holds on to it so hard. but in the end, it rips apart and that causes him so much hurt. it was so precious to him and tried to keep it so hard. it’s really painful and heart-breaking to watch.

the bus ride itself is very interesting because it starts out being a space chanyeol is… well, not exactly comfortable in. but it’s a place where he rests, where he sits and lets himself being carried along, unmoving object at a place where everything is moving a lot. he is, mentally, still very entangled in the relationship. that’s why he’s still on top of that bus, alone with all the other people that are so happy and loved. he hasn’t moved on yet. and he doesn’t seem to want to.

until the moment we see the cassette on the ground. then we see him suddenly realizing that he lost it, like snapping out of a trance. he gets up, wants to get it but it falls out of his reach, the tape comes loose, and he tries to hold on to it so much. the moving bus suddenly becomes a trap, it moves too fast and the tape rips in the end. he can’t go back to the relationship and the memories anymore because it has broken and it’s his fault in a way. maybe he stayed to long on the bus. maybe he realized it fell too late. maybe he acted too hastily. maybe he should have kept the cassette safe in a pocket so he wouldn’t have lost it in the first place.

the scenes of him running aimlessly through the cityscape could just be mindless wandering to keep himself moving, but i like to believe that he is not so aimless in his running. i think he is looking for the lost tape. i think that in all the stillness he wants while he still is holding on to his memories, he feels utter restlessness after losing them. everything moves so fast, everything is loud (there even is a fucking plane), there are lights everywhere – he is afraid he won’t find the tape again in the vastness of the city. and maybe he doesn’t.

for me, the scenes with blond chanyeol happen after the bus scenes. he is post-breakup chanyeol (because what do you do after a breakup? right, radically change your hair xD). that’s the chanyeol we see in the apartment with the fishtank and the chanyeol we see boxing (well, kinda. we don’t see too much of the actual boxing, but I think that will change once we get the mv for back again xD). it’s also the chanyeol who is looking at himself in a broken mirror.

mirrors and reflections are symbolically used to reveal the true self of a person, in chanyeol’s case that’s someone who feels very broken inside.

something that really stood out to me was a shot of the fishtank where they filmed the tv in the background of the apartment through the water.

first and foremost, the shot through the water gives the whole scene a very whimsical feel, like looking into a dream world that chanyeol is escaping to from the harsh reality of his broken heart and the end of this relationship that he treasured so much. he is literally pushing his head into that world, into the water, where he can’t breathe.

that’s also a very desperate act of trying to feel alive, or like… anything at all. the same reason he resorts to a painful sport like boxing. the physical pain fills the emptiness that remains and overshadows the emotional numbness, fills the lack of emotion with pain he can control, instead of letting himself feel the emotional pain he can’t control. (and on an important note: both actions are forms of self-harm and that’s a very unhealthy coping mechanism, just… don’t do it)

back to the fish tank. fish can symbolize change and adaptability, as fishes are animals that can survive even in challenging conditions. and that fits very well with the story of the mv as well. chanyeol still needs to figure out how to adapt and how to survive his life right now, but he will figure it out – just listen to the rest of the album, and especially back again! as this is the other song we’ll have an mv too, and one that picks up on the boxing element that was introduced a bit, i treat it like what happens after the black out mv / the breakup.

back again is a crazy song!! it’s very lively, full of sounds and little details, of versatile voice use and a lot of energy! it’s him bouncing back again (see what I did there-), it’s when he is feeling better again and is confident to move forward again. and maybe he’s a bit more enthusiastic than he is actually healed and fails. but he has hope and takes moving on and coming back to life step by step.

musically, black out feels more like being torn apart from the inside. there is a lot of vulnerability in his voice while the beat is very restless when all we see chanyeol do is wanting to hold on for a moment but the beat and the melody, the song itself really, pull him along.

i also noticed to the colour schemes in the video. mainly we see a dark blue being used. in some moments, very prominently the scene where chanyeol looks at the goldfish in the tank, a warm orange is used as contrast.

it feels very comfortable and, well, warming within all the cold blues and greens, so that sort of underlines my interpretation of the fishtank scene(s). i also noted that in scenes from the apartment we see pink lights, usually contrasting a greenish blue light. neither of those are very warm lights and add more to the general vibe and atmosphere of the scenes, i think. one could argue though that pink could symbolize love, which is a pretty obvious although not happy theme of the story.

this mv has so much pain and regret and yearning and so so so much hurt. in all the soft spots. it’s dark and gloomy that make it feel almost brutally real. i like to draw a parallel to tomorrow here (and not only because the two mvs use similar a similar colour sceme, blue and orange), which is very still and very in the moment. it’s also dark and yearning but is gives these feelings room and holds a glimmer of hope. black out is not that calm. its darkness is hurrying the protagonist along, who just wants a moment to hold on and breath. but there is no room for feeling those feelings in black out, but there is no way to outrun the pain. or the hole in your heart that’s left when you lost something you loved a lot.

[watch the mv here]

[listen to his album, including back again, here]

[didntyoubelieveinme]

not to bring my little kpop guys onto this blog but i wanted to talk about some very interesting parallels i noticed when i saw this concept image for taemins guilty album.

ive already talked about my thoughts on the original scene in velvet goldmine in a previous post so i’ll start with the guilty photo. guilty has one of the most interesting concepts i’ve come across within kpop in like… forever. guilty is inspired by “erotism: death and sensuality” by the french philosopher georges bataille, both the album and the book exploring the idea of complex human emotions regarding sexuality, self-expression, as well as the taboo and societal view. there can be pages written about the entire album and storyline following the culprit and the victim, as well as the extended religious themes and well… guilt. i’d like to focus my attention more on the specific photo however and how, in my eyes, guilty parallels velvet goldmine so perfectly without even intending to.

the guilty photoshoot is meant to represent the viewer or “the culprit” as intruding, looking through curtains you’re never meant to look through. it’s voyeuristic in a sense, meant to leave you with the idea that he never escapes the watchful eye of others. the original scene in velvet goldmine focuses on brian and curt’s relationship and how they keep it hidden from the public. velvet goldmine is a movie for fans, by fans, and about fans—they deliberately keep these moments hidden behind a façade that you only see through by a stroke of fate.

curt and brian have their entire relationship publicized and capitalized upon, mostly encouraged by jerry devine. it was something born from genuine admiration before brian fell too far into the fame. throughout the movie their relationship is filmed from the same perspective as everyone else around them saw it, messy and falling apart. you’re not led to believe it was anything else until there’s those small flashing of something more.

after their official breakup, curt sighs in the car and just for a couple seconds you get the reveal of their getaway together. that in a moment where they knew no one was watching them, they still held each other close. but they weren’t alone—the viewer watches behind the curtains as they see what could be interpreted in a million different ways. the two could be expressing genuine love but you never know bcs you’re not supposed to know. it was a moment shared between curt and brian and only for them to understand. that they could just be themselves away from the world.

it’s similar to guilty, although it contrasts in the fact that taemin is alone. while velvet goldmine is fictional, it still expresses the same concept that many celebrities have faced and still face today that they are always on camera. guilty goes farther into the psychological stress and torment of taemin’s character, being controlled, manipulated, and influenced by this “culprit” figure. this is all the deeper themes behind the surface level analysis behind the image that is him being watched. the image seems to be set after he’s escaped from the manipulation and experimentation of before, showing that even though he “escaped” he’s haunted by the idea of “the culprit.” the music video even ending with him returning to burn down the original source of this trauma to end it all.

some could equate this to how brian sabotaged his own career to leave it behind and start a new one. one where he wasn’t “brian slade” or “maxwell demon.”

however while the actions of taemin’s character are freeing for himself and others, brian’s lie in a more selfish reasoning—watching the people around him fall apart due to his actions. maybe that’s where the similarities end. this is all probably a bigger analysis than i want to get into right now.

honestly i’m just yapping right now and i’m not sure if anyone else but me will care about this lmaoo. i just found the comparisons interesting considering the concept and themes behind both pieces of media. i’m assuming taemin has never actually seen velvet goldmine (though we never know 🤷‍♂️) so i find it beautiful how art can replicate itself in the most purest forms of genuine expression.

[limitlesssense]

What is going on in Taeyong’s SHALALA music video? Here is a breakdown of the plot and message!

[overanalyzingmainstream]

Anthropocene in mainstream music : ruined world and rebellion

An analysis of Maison by Dreamcatcher

In the summer of 2020, a movement of unbolting statues was at the center of a debate regarding western hegemony. Mainstream music has been a place to discuss the issue, because of its capacity to widely broadcasted productions about the current state of the world. “Zeitgeist” (meaning the spirit of a specific time) is often used to describe pop music, as it is representative of its time’s concern. In this analysis, I will not focus on counter-culture as a means for artists to speak a political truth but rather on the political awareness shown in mass media and more particularly in mainstream music. I will mainly analyze Dreamcatcher’s title track “Maison”, as it was the starting point of my reflection on the anthropocene. The music video came out on the 12th of April 2022 and showed at the beginning a chained and tagged statue in the middle of a ruined city. The sight felt like it was too powerful of an image to be a mere trivial scenery of a K-pop MV and that is precisely what sparked the idea for this analysis.

Dreamcatcher is relatively different from other K-pop groups, they don't belong to any successful south-korean record labels. It is actually the only group under their independent label, named Dreamcatcher Company. Dreamcatcher was reformed in 2017 after a commercial failure of their first concept “Minx”, hence the niche concept. For their new start, Dreamcatcher Company chose metal/rock sounds with horror coded music videos. Therefore, Dreamcatcher is in the mainstream system (K-pop) with a rather outer side production. “Maison” is the first part of a project about climate change, human greed and the consequences it has on the environment. In an interview, Dreamcatcher’s member Jiu explains the message as : “The story we told this time around is of environmental pollution. Because of human greed the earth is being destroyed.” As they were careful enough to count themselves as responsible as anyone else, the song is aimed to awaken some concern in all of us regarding the planet’s state. However, “Maison” isn’t only a campaign on recycling, the message goes further. Analyzing the music video, the production, the visual references and the lyrics will show why I think we should talk about anthropocene rather than ecology. Then, it will also help us consider the anthropocene and the difficulty of this debate when in the mainstream scene. 

Let’s start by pointing out that mainstream and anthropocene are more similar than it seems. Mainstream is the product of the cultural industries - which stand for the moment in time when art was broadcasted worldwide or nationwide through mass media (cf. Theodor W. Adorno’s (1903-1969) and Max Horkheimer’s (1895-1973) article Kulturindustrie). Thus mainstream culture depends on the market laws and rules. The Anthropocene refers to the geological era defined by human’s harmful impact on nature. In other words, it is a system based on the stranglehold humankind holds on the planet’s environment. I’ll explain more about the anthropocene later. If we can compare the two concepts, it is because the mainstream is also a dominant system. By definition, mainstream designates a certain production meant for a wide audience. It is an accessible culture. Of course, it is popular because it is aimed at a large scale, hence the sentiment we have that it is supposedly a culture that “everyone likes”. Only there is a problem in that conception. Considering a content to be “shared” by everyone would come down to saying it is “universal”. Yet, thinking something is “universal” is problematic in itself. If we do think something is “universal” it means that everyone without exception has experienced that thing, casting out people when they don’t. It equals demanding of a group of people to experience something or maybe live a certain way, following a forced idea of what is considered universal, therefore washing out the differences instead of giving value to them. What I mean by that is that mainstream culture can be a way to force people to experience what has been decided to be “common” but in reality is only the product of soft power. Not by any means a way to reunite different people because it erases their differences. It is because of this dominant aspect of mainstream that we can pair it with the anthropocene. Mainstream can be used for the same aim as the anthropocene : to establish hegemony. Be it by coercion (via hard power or what Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) called the “political society”) or by consent (soft power or “civil society”). Mainstream culture is guilty of following the dominant and globalizing logic of industries and capitalism, hence its share of responsibility on climate deregulation and pollution. In the case of mainstream music, it happens mainly through the disc and music industry. Mainstream culture also participates in social deregulation as it promotes overconsumption and neoliberalism, thus widening the gap between the higher and lower classes through normalizing wastes. 

I think it is important to define further what the anthropocene has to do with this theme. Anthropocene isn’t another greenwashing ideology. Etymologically, “anthro” stands for “human” in ancient Greek and “cene” is the “era”. The Anthropocene is an era caused by the rise of capitalism (also called capitalocene to explicit that link, it is often added to “anthropocene” to explain furthermore what holds the term. Cf. Donna Haraway (1944- ), “Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Plantationocene, Chthulucene: Making Kin”). It is also connected to the New World’s discovery and consequently the environmental disturbance caused by Europeans’ appropriation of America's resources (phenomenon also named plantationocene). 

My goal here isn’t to legitimize (or not) mainstream music, I want to analyze the representation of the debate regarding the anthropocene in mainstream music. How it was handled and why Dreamcatcher Company chose what they did in this particular system. The anthropocene is actually a rather popular subject in universities nowadays. Thinkers do educate ourselves with the discussion of its definition, but can mainstream music open a discussion on it? That is what I’m asking here. Is the mainstream scene the place to talk about our shared responsibility in the destruction of our world? 

1. Ecologism : how to come back to a livable world ?

In April 2022, prior to “Maison”’s release, Dreamcatcher Company posted teasers such as photoshoots, lyrics, videos… on social media to give a preview of the new music. In one of those teasers, a little green plant was in the palm of the hands of a member, thereby introducing the theme of “Maison” : preserving the environment. The name of the title track of the album is significant for a song about ecology since eco (“oikos” in greek) means “home” or “house”. And “maison” is the french translation for house. It makes the intent of the song very clear : we must treat our planet like a house that protects and hosts its residents. With respect and kindness. The lyrics in the chorus seem to focus on the necessity to protect the less anthropized environments, as well as actively fighting for their retention. Indeed “save” becomes “fight” because we reached a point when protecting is not enough anymore. 

There is a traffic sign in the background of the MV, mostly present during the first chorus that indicates the direction to the Badlands in California. The Badlands are a non practical land, no good for farming for example. In other words, it is a place left with a rather wildlife and balanced ecosystem. It is interesting to realize that the place is only mentioned, not shown. I think it is an important aspect of the whole mv : nature isn’t present. The lack of organic life forces the viewer to uncomfortably realize how human’s greed ravaged the world. To add to the list, at 1:47, can be spotted working factories as well as antennas in the desert. Only one of the singers stands in the middle of the scene and is looking lost and saddened at the sight. The only presence of humans - apart from the singers and the military/government clones - is through their hold on the environment. Visually, seeing a mere tiny spot of grass and a traffic sign isn’t enough anymore. Maybe the sight of a damaged world became unbearable. 

2. Cultural hegemony and western symbolism. 

“Maison”’s universe is made of 3D western architectures’ styles such as a brutalist city, a gothic cathedral and antic colonnades. The choice behind this type of scenery reveals, in my opinion, two different meanings. Contradictory ones.  I think it can be understood as a criticism of western iconography's ubiquity. For it is, after all, a South Korean music video with only European references. The other possibility behind that stylistic choice is that maybe Dreamcatcher uses western symbolism for a more practical reason : for more people to understand their message. Which is by definition the goal of mainstream as we saw before. Except it becomes an issue from the moment it participates in the never ending vicious circle of dominating cultures. What I mean by that is that the music video has a critical view on power over the masses, yet, by using the specific language of the dominant, it only makes them more powerful. The same way soft power does on the side : erase cultures for a “superior” one (the one from the dominant class). It proves that universality as a means to force a bland culture is deeply rooted in our society. Consequently, as previously stated it makes the differences between cultures less noticeable until they completely disappear. I’m not trying to say a good K-pop MV should only use Korean imagery or traditions. Pop culture is the place of melting pot, of mixing genres and accidental meetings of origins… Let’s just point out that 2020 was a turning point in K-pop as Agust D (aka Suga from worldwide famous band BTS) released “Daechwita”. Using a traditional military Korean piece of music sampled, it opened a new trend for K-pop groups to affirm their cultural identity (for example Stray Kid’s “Thunderous”). Although it was trending to use traditional pieces of music, celebrating their culture is nothing new for K-pop as promoting Korean culture is the point of K-pop. It is a governmental decision to rebuild the country's economy after the 1997’s financial crisis using their soft power, also named Hallyu Wave. That is why K-pop is inherently paradoxal : it blends both the want to promote their unique culture (showing the differences) as well as economically aiming for wider audience outside of South-Korea and Asia (and so making it for “everyone” hence removing big gaps of culture that could alter a sense of identifying). 

Those specifically are consequences of the anthropocene. Globalizing cultures purposefully makes differences disappear in order to have a monopoly. The reason behind using only western artistic codes is ambiguous. That uncertainty lies also in the lyrics. Sure, “Maison” condemns human greed but whose? Who is Dreamcatcher addressing the song to? Who must fight for the planet? Well, all of us, really. Everyone. That is the obvious answer but also the less engaging one. Globalizing the receptor is the easy choice, it doesn’t cost much to say that everyone needs to do something but it avoids any type of responsibility. If they talk to “everyone”, it is easier for the listener to blame the neighbors than to rethink their lifestyle. Moreover, the last sentence of the chorus “Please someone fight for us” doesn’t designate someone in particular. It is completely impersonal. It ends up being an anonymous entity that nobody identifies with. As a matter of fact, “Maison” criticizes a certain attitude towards the state of the world, choosing to ignore the consequences of it (“Break your habit now”). It could be aimed at the ones who don't feel concerned. It seems more likely to point at the elites, conscious of the anthropocene but choosing to ignore it in order to keep their privileges. That is what the French writer Bruno Latour (1947-2022) explains in Down To Earth : Politics in the New Climatic Regime. 

 In other words, the ruling class keeps the cycle of abuse on the planet's resources and residents for their own interests. With that idea in mind, we realize that “Maison” is more of a critic than a lecture. Especially since Dreamcatcher stated they weren’t better than the rest of us, being as responsible than others. However, the way they point out how abusive the system is (even in an impersonal way) manifests a political view. 

3. “I Can’t Breathe” : iconoclasm and protests.

“Maison” takes notice of the destroyed climatic state of the world but the message goes further than that. That is why I think the word anthropocene is better than ecology regarding this piece. There is a constant relationship between environmental and political conditions. For example in the lyrics, climate warming is compared to someone’s lack of conscience : “It’s weirdly hot, right? The laws of this planet are just the same as your drying conscience”. Also in the MV, the most impactful and politically charged image is the vandalized statue. It indicates that a rebellion against repression had taken place. That moment in the MV when we’re facing that image is accompanied by the song’s lyrics “Someone who got used to it”. Another translation can be found : “Someone got comfortable”. In the first one, it can be understood as the person being oppressed got used to the fate and won’t stop against the abusive authority anymore. Against “This crumbling place’s obvious dead sign”. The second translation makes it obvious that the statue is a symbol of a settler who took control of a place that doesn’t belong to them. Being symbols of power, oppression, conquest, pioneering, colonialism and slavery, statues often represent historical figures or allegories all being the epitome of western domination. Those statues were recently controversial, as people started questioning their legitimacy and meaning in today’s society, since they celebrate and endorse a certain history our modern society may not relate to anymore. 

It is important to explain the political context prior to Maison’s release. In 2020, the Afro-American George Floyd was killed by policemen from Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States of America. He died in a violent arrest, as a police officer knelt on his neck for minutes despite George Floyd’s complaint that he couldn’t breathe anymore. Hence his last words “I can’t breathe” became since the emblem of the Black Lives Matter. This event has been the starting point of numerous protests against police violence aimed at the black community. Those protests were joined by an iconoclast movement of destroying symbols of power, domination and especially linked to slavery. 

The vandalized statue in Dreamcatcher’s music video is way too impactful to not remind us of George Floyd’s protests. It is a way to show that rebellion can be an answer to oppression. I am aware that Dreamcatcher never talked about 2020’s riots or anything remotely political in their interviews to promote the song. Although it was never addressed, the music video doesn’t hide its engagement. Every reference is explicit enough to gather a clear political stance. The first sentence of the song “I can’t breathe” even if sung in Korean is exactly what George Floyd said before dying. The second sentence “Tomorrow disappears into the distance” explains how hard it is to imagine a future if nothing changes. It literally becomes harder to breathe because of global warming and other consequences of the anthropocene. It also means that we can’t keep on living in an unfair society governed by power and domination. The first sentences of the song have a double meaning as the fight is both environmental and social. 

Now, let’s talk about change. “Maison”’s music video shows all seven members of Dreamcatcher fighting against authority figures in a post-apocalyptic world. The message of “Maison” is to end the tyrannic dominant system. As a matter of fact a dictator is represented in the MV with diabolic goat attributes (often used to portray the antichrist) in a luxurious place, surrounded by clones. The music video ends on that figure defeated and a possible new peaceful era. It is clear that “Maison” criticizes the indifference towards the current state of the world, and as said before, it aims to awaken a political awareness. If not, at least it manifests how power rules over to the point where it poisons its planet and the people living on it. 

As a last aspect to analyze, I want to talk about the ending of the MV and more particularly how it evokes a return to a golden age. It seems, in my opinion, misplaced for a critic about cultural hegemony, since once again it uses only ancient symbols and western art forms. The superhero aesthetic (whose values are more cliché than engaged) winning against the bad guy in a dystopian world might discredit the seriousness of the subject. However the oversimplification of a fight between good and evil is balanced by strong references and politically charged symbols to the current situation. We can recognize the simplification as a symptom of mainstream as well as the anonymous use of “you”. If the goal is to be enjoyed by everyone then it is in the creator’s best interest to not offend anyone. Hence a politically correct way of delivering an engaged message. All those examples of clumsy associations and attempts to provide a critical opinion while still respecting restricting mainstream rules can be seen as a sort of intersectionality. In the way that all fights rejoin around equality and respect. In so many ways, the very fact that they want to spread such a message (also criticizing mainstream media) while in the mainstream can be contradictory. I think that no mainstream piece of art or culture can gather all conditions to be as impactful and critical towards the very system it is in as it should be, because the problem lies in that system itself and not necessarily in the said product. I also believe that it still holds the possibility to awaken some sort of political consciousness even if buried under layers of standardized and pre-made sentences. I don’t think the lack of sharpness to the delivery discredit the message because if it does, it would mean we can only talk about serious matters in “serious” media. Consequently limiting the message to an “elite” class. Opening a debate on mainstream within the mainstream scene is important. 

In conclusion, “Maison”’s aim is to remind us all how capable we can all be at restoring peace in our world by fighting against domination. Through union and respect. Bruno Latour explains in his book Down To Earth that “the [...] elites [...] have taken the threat seriously ; they have concluded that their dominance was threatened and have decided to dismantle the ideology of a planet shared by all”. “Maison” reminds us of this ideology and invites us to rethink our planet as a shared house. One that needs care.

Mcp

instagram.com/mcstormi

[doodletae]

Take me with you to go find her My one and only How many footsteps Must be under my feet from today ... To block the waves for her How tall a tower must I become

-"海城 (hai cheng)" by the8

when xu minghao said that these lyrics are supposed to create a space that conveys a certain longing, dreamy feeling, he was so real for that. even just musically speaking, this song is so calm and sentimental, but these lyrics especially make me soft, they're romantic in the purest sense of the word.

including these lyrics as well because they're just so poetically pretty:

The sea holds up the sinking sunset The city draped in night colors glows in the inky darkness

[fouryearsofshades]

Hi! Do you mind going over the new IVE mv and the aspects of Chinese culture in it? I did my own research, and I think most things cnetz are like upset about are borderline also in kr culture (I'm a bit sceptical by their knot choice tho), EXCEPT for the tuanshan! Which I'm pretty sure is chinese only. Thankyouu

Hi.

Yes I mind. I am not into kpop but I look up that video and the first thing I saw is that smoking tube which I hate (it is a signature Orientalism pose). I will not spend my holiday looking at things that I don't like and write analysis in proper English to explain in anger. From the half of minute or so the video I watched the whole aesthetic (the colour choice, the style of the hills and clouds etc.) was just very "guochao". I don't know what "Korean traditional culture design in modern" in Korea looks like now but that vibe just scream China for Chinese citizens. Even you have noticed the knot and tuanshan.

[mellosdrawings]

You mentioned your K-pop era when discussing Jamil as a triple threat. I also listened to K-pop in high school! Who are your favorite bands? I love Shinee, B2st/Highlight, and 2pm. Book 5 actually got me back into listening to K-pop again. And if they were half as talented as a K-pop group then they most certainly would have beat a children's song with a dwarf who couldn't remember his Own Name. Your rant on Book 5 is a perfect analysis in my opinion.

Oh dear, gotta check my old playlists, I only listen to the old songs now.

Boybands: BTS, EXO, Super Junior, SHINee (but, you know, that happened and I never managed to listen to any new songs since), BAP, VIXX

Girlbands: 4Minute, Exid, Red Velvet, BlackPink, Twice

And then a few other groups I listened to sporadically like Speed, Monsta X, iKON, Block B, Got 7, Momoland, etc

I used to be quite curious about it at the time so I looked for new songs and groups regularly. Now I just go back every once in a while to check the groups I really like, but I don't look for new groups. All the new era groups are just vague names I heard but I never really bothered.

Thanks for liking my rant o/ Honestly I can see why RSA won from my experience in Kpop communities. Sometimes you end up not caring about the quality of a song, you just vote for your bias/ favorite groups because you're gonna support them till death or something. Considering Neige's popularity and the fact that NRC tribe was exhausted after having fought Vil’s OB, I can see how they could have won.

But yeah, obviously Absolutely Beautiful was better. BTW I discovered a dance MV recently so if you wanna check it out, it's there

(Jamil's rapping ajsnskjdjdjd)

[im-sew-curious]

Isn't it glorious?

It’s here! I finally tackled my analysis of Key’s gold Gasoline era costume, worn in his music video for the song, photoshoots, a stage performance at the Inkigayo show, and a live performance at SM Town 2022. I’ll discuss everything from the fabrics used, the gloves, the shoes, complain about the zipper, talk about whatever the heck jumps are, break down all of the tiny little types of ornamentation (including the things I don’t actually know the name for) and more.

It’s scary in the best way. Buckle up. Grab some coffee or tea or vodka and a blanket.

I want to preface this by saying that this is going to be VERY long. I’ve polled my followers and nearly everyone said they want me to get as granular as I want. So I’m doing that. If that’s not your thing, here’s your exit ramp now. I get it. This is absurd.

You can also read it on my Twitter here. It actually has a LOT of bonus photos because they only allow me to have 30 on here, if you’re interested in seeing more. It may help clarify some things, as well.

Now then. Welcome to those who are left. Let’s begin!

Costumes by Dénicheur by Seo Seung Yeon

For his Gasoline era, Key has had four costumes designed and made by Dénicheur by Seo Seung Yeon, a Haute Couture Designer House that, among other things, makes elaborate costumes for Kpop performers. They’ve got an amazing Instagram portfolio to check out. They made him a gold and black costume for his G.O.A.T in the Keyland concert, the blue and white one for the Gasoline MV, this gold one, and a cream and gold beaded jacket for the 2023 SM Town Concert.

This fashion house’s trademark is intricately beaded, appliquéd…encrusted…costumes. I was able to get some high quality photos from some of you (thanks so much!) And the more I looked, the more I discovered.

If this were a piece of art (well, it is, but not in the same way) “Mixed Media” is what I’d call it. There are literally over twenty different types of beading techniques, appliqués, various types of sequins, trims, braids, rhinestones, chains, and more.

First, I’ll do an overview of the garments themselves, and then I’ll move on to the ornamentation.

The top (it’s not a jacket, it’s not really a shirt, it’s not a tunic. So I’m going with “top”) has a very boxy torso with exaggerated wide, padded shoulders. They’re completely squared. There are straight sleeves—not too slim, not too bulky. There’s a heavily ornamented oversleeve that reaches down to about his elbows and a “nude” colored full length under sleeve. It also has heavily ornamented cuffs at the bottom the sleeve. It has an exposed zipper up the center back that goes up into a short turtleneck collar. The collar and a portion of the lower neck back region are sheer with some beading and appliqués. There are sheer spirals around his arms and in chevrons on his front and scooping around to his back.

Just LOOK AT that masterpiece

The trousers are closely cut through the waist, hips, and thighs but become a bit wider at the knee. It looks like they were made full length but are always worn bunched up over knee high boots. They close at the center front with a very beautifully set fly zipper and flat trouser hook and bar. It’s so low profile that it wasn’t until I got some 4K images that I was even sure of where they closed. It was like he had been sewn in. I wrote a whole thread about it on Twitter that reads like a mystery novel, though I already spoiled the ending for you. Sorry.

The top is made of what is probably a “nude” (aka specially dyed to his skin tone) base fabric to hold the structure, with the ornamentation stitched over top. The external stabilizing fabric is what appears to be some sort of jacquard, possibly silk.

Jacquard is a type of weave, where the fabric is made of long and short “up and down” stitches of sorts, to make a pattern. Because some of the time it uses longer “stitches” on top, it becomes more vulnerable to the fiber breaking and makes it become kind of “fuzzy” looking. This can be especially true if it’s a natural fiber that usually has less structural integrity than a synthetic one. I initially thought this had started to happen on Key’s rear, but after a very close zoom in, I think that’s just a bit of appliqué edge pulling up. I think maybe one of his mic packs is down there too, but I’m really not an expert in that. I did the research so you don’t have to, folks.

Left: A type of jacquard fabric. The shine comes from the longer top threads, contrasting with details of shorter threads. Right: Is it an applique or is it some snagged fibers? Ultimately, I think it's an applique edge.

Perhaps the most interestingly nerdy thing about jacquard is that it was originally made on a loom that led to the creation of computer programming by utilizing a sort of “binary code.” There were punchcards that showed the strands of fibers when to go up and down. Like “holes and not holes” in which to weave.

A Jacquard Machine Loom with punchcards that create the desired design on the fabric

It’s important to note that this fabric needs to have some stretch because it is also used to make his very tight fitting trousers. If it were not a stretch fabric, he wouldn’t be able to do this like THIS or…most things, really.

Even though the jacquard is stretchy, it has some structure to it. It’s used as a stabilizer in between the “flesh mesh” on the outer layer. (aka power net, stretch mesh... There are many names!) It forms the base on which the majority of the ornamentation is stitched.

Flesh mesh is a stretchy mesh fabric dyed to the performer’s skin color and is used to give the illusion that you’re seeing their skin, but it gives much more strength than just a cutout. I wrote a thread about flesh mesh and the importance of taking into consideration the performer’s actual skin tone when building them a costume here

In this case, flesh mesh allows for adornment of these areas, as well. It’s important to note that, even though it’s a separate layer over the base, it is “tacked” through all layers in a regular fashion so it doesn’t droop with the weight of all of the ornamentation.

There are also some parts that have metallic gold applied pieces. This was probably made of a beefy metallic spandex applied on top of the base rather than some solid pleather, due to way it behaves on the body. The latter would have been way too rigid in comparison to the rest of the fabrics.

Heavy gold stretch spandex, forming a chevron on which to affix beads and other trims

Okay. Range of movement time. You know how I love discussing this. That’s because it’s the single most important aspect of costumes for dancers.

Let’s talk armpit gussets. They’re an American football shaped piece of fabric that is stitched in the armpit partially to the sleeve underarm, and partially to the torso underarm. It’s often made of a stretch fabric, but sometimes it’s out of the original “fashion fabric,” which is what we call the main garment fabric.

Gussets out of different fabrics under each underarm. You can see the gold bunch under his arm when it's at his side

It allows the performer to more easily move their arms above their chest and head to help keep the top from riding up. You can see in this photo, though, that it does bunch up a little when his arm is down, because of the extra fabric. It has to go somewhere when it’s not taut.

With this particular top, it’s interesting to note that, due to the asymmetrical decoration of his arms, one gusset is the gold stretch fabric and the other is the jacquard. That means that, either both fabrics have the exact same stretch, or his arms may be SLIGHTLY more limited on one side than the other. That’s fun! I really geeked out about this observation.

Often with jackets for dancers, they’ll have what are called “commodity pleats” around the center back shoulder area. They’re a sort of sneaky hidden accordion-like bit of fabric that stretches out during movement that may otherwise split the back open. Taemin uses them a LOT. But, since this top is so boxy, Key doesn’t need them in this instance. He already had the room he needed without any other accommodations.

They put commodity pleats in the back of most of Taemin's closer fitting jackets. I wish they'd make them the same color as his jackets, though!

With Key’s trousers, we’ve already established that they’re made of a fabric with a decent amount of stretch. But since I can’t find many good photos of his bottom half, I’m unsure about if he also has “crotch gussets.”

By this point, I’m kind of notorious as being the “crotch gusset person.”

The following posts explain them in much more detail, but basically, they’re long triangular wedges that start in the trouser crotch and taper down to nothing in the inseam. These are often put in trousers of dancers when people need a better range of movement.

I wrote about this in detail regarding Taemin’s pleather pants he wore in his Metamorph concert, as well as all of SHINee in the Your Number dance video. You can find my posts on the subject here:(Metamorph) (Your Number)

Jinki rocking a black crotch gusset in SHINee's "Your Number" Performance Video (Black Version)

Gussets allow for extra room and movement when one is trying to do extreme leg movements like squatting. Unfortunately, I don’t have many good photos of his inseam. There’s so much going on with appliqués and piecing of mesh vs jacquard, it’s hard to tell. Part of the front half of his trousers is flesh mesh, swirling around them. The other parts are the jacquard, whereas the back is all jacquard.

I saw one photo which made me begin to wonder if the inseam is a little further forward than it could be, though. That could mean there IS a gusset. I’m really not sure...I don't have official visual confirmation, but now you know more about crotch gussets either way. You’re welcome.

That seam line is up a bit more forward than usual. It really has me wondering, because that would happen if there was a gusset installed. Hmmmm.

Okay. Zipper education time. I apologize in advance. Things get spicy but I tried to tamp it down. The center back (abbreviated as “CB” in the industry) of the top has an exposed zipper. This means exactly what it sounds like: it’s exposed. You look at it, and it looks like there’s a zipper right there. It’s not hidden. Sometimes it’s a perfect match, and sometimes it’s “featured.” Exposed zippers actually become a trend every once in a while in everyday fashion.

I thought it was extremely interesting that, on this elaborate costume, they chose to use a zipper with metallic teeth on white “tape.” (The fabric on the sides of the teeth.) It was a huge disappointment for me, actually. I would have loved to have seen the zipper more carefully hidden like his fly was.

Hello, zipper. I see you loud and clear!

I have to comment a bit on what I view as the one flaw in this otherwise perfect costume. I will preface this by saying that I was not in the fitting room where this was conceived, and I don’t know about any extenuating circumstances and the reasoning behind this decision. But there a few things that I would have done differently regarding the zipper and back collar of this top if were to have made it.

But first: some zipper education. Besides exposed, there are center lapped, as well as regular lapped zippers. With the center lap, it’s like the fabric covers your zipper but you can pull the zipper down through it. Your hoodie probably has one. The regular lap zipper is more like your trouser fly in that there is one flap of fabric that covers the whole zipper, hiding it.

Top: Exposed. (Though it has a matching zipper and zipper tape.) Bottom Left: Center Lapped. Right: Regular Lapped.

Either of those types could have been used to make the zipper more discreet. I personally would have chosen to use a regular lapped zipper, which is less likely to get snagged than a center lapped zipper.

People have defended the exposed zipper by asking if it’s because it’s less likely to get caught. I very much get this argument, and, technically it’s right.

But, in my extensive experience, I don’t think I can recall a case of an exposed zipper in the back of a costume, quick change or no. It’s unattractive. (Not to mention a dead giveaway in a period garment!)

If it’s sewn well and tested, with the correct size lap and no loose fabric, it will work just fine. There should be a hook and eye at the top to make sure that it stays secure while dancing.

Part of being a good dresser is being methodical and purposeful, not frantically zipping something up in a way that is more prone to snagging. They keep their cool, perhaps taking a couple more seconds but ensuring that they pull it up smoothly. They use their fingers to block the overlap as they guide the zipper up.

(Random side note: I met a dresser once who preferred zippers be installed upside down for their quick changes. Hey, whatever works best for them! I wonder how they discovered that…)

I will also note that, as far as I’m aware, the only times he’s worn this costume, he didn’t need to get in or out of it quickly. I know that he wore it in the MV, the Inkigayo performance, and the photoshoot. He also performed at SM Town Tokyo 2022, though he had 11 songs during which to change between Bad Love and this. He never wore this look at his G.O.A.T. in the Keyland concert. Oh, and the collab with the Jinro frog. I’ll talk about that later.

So ultimately, all of the zipper quick change talk is for nothing. There COULD have been a chance that this was going to be worn during his concert, I suppose. But if not, in the end, I can find no reason that there needed to be an exposed zipper other than: they wanted it that way.

Sorry for that rant. I know that it was intense. I just…wish it were pretty. That’s all. I know it wouldn’t have bothered most people, but I personally think that the costume deserved better!

Well then. They arranged the symmetrical beaded appliqué motifs so they didn’t interfere with the center back line, so it wasn’t an issue being all chonky around the zipper.

Unfortunately, since the zipper was built into the neck with just the “stretch mesh,” it moves very differently than the rest of the top. It has a substantially weaker structural makeup and it can’t support itself the same, so it stretched at a different rate than the zipper on the solid fabric on the bottom. It kind of “bubbled” when he moved and it rode up.

Showing the neck bubbling, and, on the bottom left photo, you can see that there is some sheer stabilizer to ensure that the zipper doesn't just tear out of the sheer net.

It couldn’t have been helped unless that whole back neck area had been backed with the solid nude base fabric. That’s what I would have done, personally. But using the stabilizer helped a bit. Without it, it may have not lasted a performance.

I don’t know why they did it that way, but the result was rather disappointing to me, especially considering the care that was taken with the rest of the garment.

Okay. End rant. The rest of the costume is EXQUISITE.

One more thing to note is that the zipper terminates about 4” above the top’s bottom hem. It is right around where his waist is. It was built that way to ensure that he was able to move his legs and hips comfortably without getting hung up anywhere.

His knee high boots were covered with the same peach jacquard as his top, as well as utilizing the gold fabric to serve as ornamental buckled straps.

The stretch element of the jacquard is further showcased by the fact that it pulls over the boot toe smoothly, with little issue. A completely stable fabric wouldn’t be able to do that.

Now for the ornamentation. Oooooh boy. There are around twenty types of various adornments on this costume, and I thought I’d highlight some of them.

I can spy about 15 different types of ornamentation here alone.

Beaded appliques at the neckline

Heavy chains

Rhinestone appliques and/or individual rhinestone pieces

Bugle bead chevrons

Gold round beads

Yellow individual small rhinestones

Grey beads in between bugle beads

Gold and silver flat braid trim

Gold stretch fabric

Round flat decorative chain

Hanging paillettes

Dark seed beads with some of the paillettes

Gold dangling lil dudes

A sequined applique peeking out from behind a chain

Utilizing the main fabric as a chevon stabilizer as a design detail

About paillettes: these might actually be my favorites. They’re like ���floppy sequins” that only have one hole at an edge. They’re made of a very lightweight plastic, so they’re virtually silent. If you wear a dress completely covered in paillettes, you’ll just hear a little rustle. In this case, his were mainly attached via dangly wires as fringe around the upper sleeves. There are a few other random instances throughout the garment where they’re stitched on individually. You can read more about paillettes in my post here.

Appliqués: There are at least three different types of appliqués in this costume:

Beaded

Lace

Sequined

Rhinestone

Appliqués are premade decorative pieces. It looks like someone hand beaded everything on the costume, but they were able to take a shortcut by using these. So no, contrary to what you might believe, there wasn't someone laboriously hand beading every single thing on to this costume.

It still takes FOREVER to invisibly stitch each motif on to the costume as well as, in this case, sometimes layer upon layer. A lot of them are attached to a net base, and in closeups, I saw how they trimmed the net away closely around the motifs.

On the top, we have the gold paisley sequined appliques. On his trousers, you can see the low profile lurex embroidered lace appliques. Bottom left, you can see the beaded and rhinestone applique. And on the right, beaded appliques. You can see that they're over flesh mesh so, when it's on Key, it just looks like he has a beaded collar.

The sequined, beaded paisley motifs are the most prominent and plentiful form of appliqués, focusing around the top’s cuffs and lower edge. They’re also heavily featured spiraling around the trousers. There are even some appliqués stitched across the seams of the trousers and top.

There are some huge, gorgeous bead and rhinestone appliqués, like this one on his right bicep that you can see in the photo above.

There’s also the Lurex lace (metallic threaded) embroidered appliqués that concentrate mostly on his trousers' waist and hips. It’s low profile without any bits that might snag the top while moving. They added a few jewels to it further down once it was no longer posing any danger to snags. There are also a few flat appliqués on his rear, so as to not make sitting uncomfortable but still be adorned.

Beads and gemstones: There are also individual beads and jewels both sewn and what appears to be discreetly glued on as accents. A popular adhesive we use for that sort of application is called E6000. It bonds pretty much everything from plastic, leather, metal, rubber, and wood. It’s like a slower acting super glue, but is more flexible.

You definitely need to use this in a ventilated area or, ideally, with a respirator. The fumes are no joke! There are little chevrons made out of long tubular metallic bugle beads that were probably glued instead of stitched on. There are also round bronze beads and gold rhinestones glued to the edges of the metallic fabric.

There are little dangling gold dudes, though I don’t know what they’re officially called. There are individual sew on rhinestones. There are circular decorative flat chains. There is gold beaded fringe at the wrists of the sleeves.

Top left: gold braid, beads and chains are heavily featured. Top right: the dangling gold dudes. I don't know what to call them. Bottom left: Paillettes, hanging on gold wires on the upper sleeve hem. Bottom right: Gemstones highlighting the center of the chest, with a whole organized, beautiful mess of braid, beads, etc.

There’s gold flat “braid” trim that also looks like it has a bit of silver in it to add dimension. It’s basically like a braided ribbon, often in metallic colors. It’s used a lot in military uniforms.

And there are a few other various random beads and trims that show up amongst the circus of adornment.

The layout of the overall design is asymmetrical, with left and right arms and legs that don’t match. However, the front of the top is completely symmetrical (which is extremely impressive) except for a few rampant rhinestones that intentionally deviate a bit. Here’s an abomination I made of the sleeves next to each other to see the asymmetry more clearly.

I THINK (not based on this photo but others that aren't Frankensteined together with different perspectives) that the sleeves are actually different lengths as well.

Something that I should cover is that with garments made out of a stretch fabric, like Key’s trousers in this case, stitching on something non-stretchy (like some appliqués) can be fraught. The appliqué can keep the fabric from stretching as much as it needs to accommodate a body in it, and it might tear off.

Sometimes, we need to stretch the fabric a bit as we sew on the motif so it will look normal when a leg is in it. It may look a bit puckered when it’s not being worn. The good news is that it appears that most of the motifs in this costume are on what is most likely a mesh backing, so they probably didn’t have to deal with that headache here!

Since the motif on the Jacquard fabric is pretty small, as well as the fact that some of the appliqués wrapped across the side seams, “pattern matching” wasn’t a big priority on this. However, it’s always preferable to keep the motifs at the same horizontal height. This is a REALLY small pattern, so it wouldn't matter terribly, plus the fact that it was so covered it can hardly be seen. There WAS a point on the right side seam where the pattern did match, but the fabric slightly torqued on the left so it didn’t. All in all, it wasn’t a big deal whatsoever. If it were a bigger print though, it could have been. I made a thread about pattern matching here. It's a subject I'm pretty passionate about!

This side seam was cut so that, at a fixed point, the motif was all at the same level horizonatally at there was a part where the motif perfectly matched up to create one complete one. Because there are curves in the seam, it can't do that everywhere.

Now for a bit of a departure: SHINee and its members have done a few collabs over the years, dancing with the frog mascot from Jinro soju. SHINee did one for Don’t Call Me, Taemin did one for Move, and Key did one for Gasoline.

They dressed the frog up like Key, complete with jewels and chains! It was precious. SO GOOD. Watch it now. I also bring this up because that video was the resource I used to figure out where the gold chains on Key’s top were “tacked” (AKA stitched to keep it held down strategically.) It was a nice close-up view. Thanks, Jinro frog!

(Side note: I have made mascots before and it's ironic because they freak me out. I also refurbished a hot dog mascot that had gotten too gross after public appearances over a decade. My life is weird.)

I love how scaled-back but accurate the frog's costume was.

Through the magic of the Jinro frog, I found the answer to the question “where were the chains tacked?” Here. Enough that they still have independent swing and look natural, but frequent enough to keep them from smacking him in the face. Based on the way they move, I think that is metallic coated plastic and not actual metal. Also, for safety's/comfortability's sake! You don't want to be thumped in the chest with every move.

Here's where the chains were tacked

Someone asked me how much they thought this costume weighed. My answer?

I really have no idea…but probably not NEARLY as much as it looks? I'm like 99.9% sure the chains aren't actual metal. I’m not sure if the “jewels” are glass or plastic. The tiiiiiny “seed beads” and "bugle beads" are glass, but there aren’t enough that they would weigh a significant amount. There's a lot of gold braid on there that's very lightweight. A lot of what you see are layered appliqués with sequins and seed beads, which weigh nearly nothing. The dangling paillettes are just a light plastic.

For the garments themselves, as we’ve established, the are a few layers of fabric and mesh, which aren’t very heavy. Because of the “encrusted” nature of the ornamentation, of course, it still weighs a bit more than just a regular top, and is probably kind of rigid on the front. However, it’s not like he’s dancing around in chainmail.

Lastly, there are his gloves. His left one is made out of that heavy gold stretch fabric that was incorporated into the rest of his costume, and his right was also made out of a flesh mesh. From the way it behaves in this photo, it appears to be a much heavier mesh than the top and trousers.

The right glove has thicker mesh that almost appears to have a natural fiber content that is getting snagged. It doesn't completely conform to the skin like a tight flesh mesh would.

The gloves are heavily ornamented with appliqués and beads. I’m going to guess that these were actually custom made for him, which is a big deal. I know very little about glove making, except it involves a TON of pieces to be done right. Gussets in between the fingers to make them slim and elegant and such. No Mickey Mouse hands here.

Stitching the ornamentation on to gloves is pretty difficult work. You either need a hand form and a curved needle or a very brave stitcher who uses their own hand as a form (palm up.) I haven’t done that for gloves, specifically, but I have been a “sacrificial hand” for other situations. I’m so calloused in most places, I don’t really feel much anymore!

There’s one more aspect to this costume that was seen in the intro for his Gasoline Inkigayo performance: the cloak. He didn’t wear it for very long, but it appears to button across his chest to the other shoulder with snaps underneath. The snaps keep the underlap from peeking out from…under the lap.

It looks like they might have had a wardrobe emergency here, because you can see that two of the three snaps were hastily stitched on with red thread. The ornamentation is asymmetrical, mostly focused on his right side. On his left shoulder, there is a decorative beaded “epaulette.” Those are the ornamental shoulder pieces you often see on military dress uniforms.

Left: The full cloak. You can see the facing on the inside edges, made of the same fabric as the outside. I'll write about that in a bit, and I'll show you a closer view later. Top right: The red thread holding on the upper snaps. Bottom right: Metallic epaulette.

It’s hooded and made out of the same jacquard fabric as the rest of his costume, and it has a satin lining the same color as the “fashion fabric.” It appears to be about calf length. One of the photos I found actually has a shot that shows the facing, the lining, and how the hem is done. Of course, I nerded out. It’s “self faced,” which means that there’s the same fabric that’s on the outside making up the “facing.” The facing is the first ten inches or so of the inside edge of the cloak. It makes a pretty transition from the outside to the inside, without a harsh switch to lining.

Then, there’s the hem.

While attached at the top, the hem of the lining and the outer fashion fabrics are allowed to “hang out” separately while on a dress form. Because fabrics stretch out at different rates (and it also changes by the direction they’re cut from the fabric, but that’s a whole different lesson…) it’s ideal for something like this to hang on a dress form and do its thing for a day or so.

In an ideal world, you’d have a fitting with your performer and you would mark a “level line” on them while they’re wearing the cloak (and also the shoes they will be wearing. Different shoes can change a lot!)

There are several different ways you can mark a hem. You can safety pin it up the way you want it, using a ruler measuring up from the floor to keep it even. But this can be awkward and clunky.

Or you can safety pin a “level line” and say that it’s, for instance, 18” off the ground, and you’d like the hem to be 16” off the ground. You’d draw a new hemline 2” down from the pins. It's the easiest way to know what's level and then decide exactly what you want to do later.

OR you can use what I call “the poofer” which is a little measuring stick on a tripod with chalk and a rubber squeezy ball that poofs chalk into a line at a set height, instead of dealing with pins. But sometimes the chalk doesn’t like to brush away, so that’s a bit of a risk in exchange for convenience.

First, let’s talk about hemming the outside cloak fabric. Because it may have stretched out unevenly, you may have wildly different hems lengths now that they’ve been “leveled.” Let’s say we’ll leave 6” of “hem allowance” to fold up into the garment so it can be lengthened later if we need to. You’ll trim the rest of it away. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve altered hem lengths on cloaks over the years! I'm always grateful to have extra.

You may want to finish the hem with a “serger” or “overlock” machine, which is the sewing machine that uses 3-4 threads to sew things, often stretch, together and kind of seals off the edges. It’s probably what stitches together the side seams of your t-shirt or hoodie or lounge pants or basically anything stretchy. It’s used to keep hems and the edges of fabrics inside garments from fraying. Sometimes people don’t do it, especially since it's inside, but it’s nice if you’re planning on altering it or if the fabric is really prone to fraying.

The cloak fabric is then thoroughly pinned and hand stitched up. There are many different sneaky stitches which grab a few threads at a time from the front of the fabric and are virtually invisible. Everyone has their favorites. My personal favorite is the “vertical hemming stitch” or “vertical blind hem.” I like it because it holds the inner hem and the outside of the cloak more tightly together than a lot of other styles. The “cross stitch” which is called the “blind catch stitch” here in this diagram is one of the most popular methods. However, I feel it can be a bit too loose some times and is more likely to be caught on something. The one downside of the vertical blind hem is that, if you pull it too tight, it’s more likely to show from the outside. It takes a very sensitive hand to get it right. The lining is usually slip-stitched to the cloak hem.

Once you’ve got your level line of your fashion fabric, it goes back on the dress form. I’m…not entirely sure I’ll do a good job explaining this because I work best with showing things with points and grunts. My apologies.

You mark the lining to match the level where the hem of the fashion fabric ends. You decide how far up from the bottom of the hem you want the lining to end (in this case, 4”.) So normally, you think you'd fold it up 4", right? Ha! You subtract two inches from that number. This means you’ll be folding up only two inches of lining. But, since we will be stitching it 4” up from the hem, that means there’s a floppy extra two inches. (Cue Advice.) What’s that for? Now I have to tell you about “jumps.”

Jumps are a sneaky trick. This method is used in suit coat hems and sleeve linings as well. Basically, they’re a way to give a little bit of wiggle room with the length of the lining to hem interaction.

After the fashion fabric is hemmed, you hand stitch the lining 4” up from the hem. You have two extra inches of lining. One extra inch of lining is pressed down so there’s an extra inch of “underlap". This photo (top right) showed me that they had done this to Key’s cloak. You can see it stretched out with the pressed line on the left, and it is folded over on the right.

Left: The "self fabric facing" at the center front inside of the cloak. Top right: The cloak hem showing the underside of the "jump" (left) and it down in its "resting" position (right). Bottom right: the "poofer." They're marking a level line.

If you want to get even MORE granular, that is considered a “soft press”, which means that the iron steams and very lightly rests on the fabric. A “hard press” is what it sounds like. Squish that lil dude and steam the heck out of it. That line is never gonna come out.

Okay. Enough of that. I can’t believe myself.

I could literally discuss this costume inch by inch, but I think I’ve covered it enough that you can peruse it yourself if you’d like and kind of know what you’re looking at.

I deeply admire and respect the, perhaps, 100+ hours of craftspersonship that it took to make this stunning costume. Don’t even ask me what it cost to make!

Do check out the Instagram of @denicheur.official where you can see other costumes they’ve worked on for groups like IVE, Enhypen, Stray Kids and more. They’ve got an amazing portfolio to drool over.

I hope you’ve gained an even greater appreciation for this gorgeous look, and the knowledge you’ve gained here can go forward with you as you enjoy future costumes! And thanks so much for sticking with me. I hope it was worth it!

[multifandumbmeg]

BTS HYYH Analysis 2, TONIGHT AT 8PM EST !

Streaming on Twitch @multifandommeg

Link will be dropped a little before the stream! Tonight we will be breaking down the Run music video and if time permits, the Japanese version of Run. Please drop by or share if you know anyone who might be interested!

The Hwayang Yeonhwa (HYYH) story is an extremely complex narrative told through various mediums (MVs, webtoon, short films, albums, blogs, etc) and laden with layers of literary metaphor and puzzles. If you've never heard of it and don't fancy yourself a kpop fan, but love a good mystery, or tend to cry watching movies about friendship, hop on tonight!! All are welcome and I am HAPPY to infodump about this special interest of mine.

[suuho]

Hi Kaz hope you are having a pleasant weekend. Would you tell me number 25 for the kpop asks? I am really curious which videos you like and if its not too much to ask a short reason for each one? Like wether you like the concept a specific moment or just the song in general keeps pulling you back to a video. I just really like to read your analysis on things and this is one I am curious about I hope thats okay

25. favorite kpop mvs?

okay, this is gonna take a little! and it will be long.

highlight - not the end

first of all, this song makes me cry every single time, point blank. it is so beautiful, and i love how the music video encapsulates the soundscape of the song perfectly, and visualizes it accordingly. this is one of my favorite kpop songs of all time, and i think the message of it goes hand in hand with the visual of the video, but it is just so well executed. the colors, the scenery, the sets. this sort of liminal feeling it has that signifies being stuck somewhere, waiting for someone; the resilience of loving and of not giving up, and the patience of devotion. something that seems hopeless evoking the opposite, evoking hope. the imagery of blooming flowers, of traces of scent lingering in the air, the first breeze bringing you back to me.

this was a spring release and their comeback after their enlistment and losing another member, and it is so beautifully done and evocative of everything they needed to telegraph back then: the promise that this is not over, the group is not over, and the promise they made over and over again, resurfacing. i'm still here, it's not the end.

the still really just... breaks my fucking back, man. this entire music video feels like that singular word in the titular phrase. still. like the light, like the spring breeze that warmly wraps around me. awaken your cold heart and come back to me, i'm still here.

and, of course, thank you lee gikwang for the perhaps most beautiful bridge in any kpop song ever:

to me / and to this place / you are blowing over / you’re blowing over right now to me / when the warm breeze passes through me / you are walking over to me / you’re blowing over to me again.

2. beast - 12:30

time to take off the training wheels, we are moving into undisputable masterpiece territory. first of all, this is maybe the greatest kpop song ever, and absolutely the best idol ballad, and i will not hear a word otherwise. this song is just marvelously written, 3:53 minutes of perfection, vocally, melodically, production wise. and that music video, oh my god. i actually wrote up something about it before, but i think i deleted it? anyways, i love this music video so much.

starring? well, none other than beast's very own yoon doojoon, of course! the leader of the group, no less! many idol actors have come, many idol actors have gone, but few of them are as good as doojoon. he is such a great romantic lead and you can sense those sensibilities in his performance in this mv.

if you watch the video, you will notice that the clock at the beginning (actually, all the clocks) stop just shy of 12:30, implying that the titular 12:30 - the moment when they are so far apart in their relationship, literally diametrically opposed, they cannot get back together - has not yet arrived. instead, you find a couple half frozen, the woman on the bed, and the man still moving around freely but sitting on the floor. the clock rewinds thirty minutes and we see a happy relationship, steadily moving forward. until the clock strikes 12:15 and everything goes downhill; they fight, they hurt each other, and just as doojoon pushes her onto the bed, time stops.

this is greatly intersected by shots of various members of the group singing. doojoon himself has like minus three lines in this song (i have truly endless beef with cube entertainment because of this, lol) but it makes his appearances in the video, outside of the part he is playing, soooooo impactful. notice how they all only come together after doojoon sings in the second verse. a masterclass in blocking, etc. and, once more, his bridge lines are too good to not share them here: i'm letting you go right now, i'm letting you go and everything has stopped.

we are back at where the music video started. he takes her hand, and stops moving altogether with her, and behind the two, the clock hand moves to 12:30. time has stopped, and they are unmoving.

absolute insane. so fucking good. i love everything that is implied here, too much to get into, but the fact that they are in this space between 12:27-12:30 where time doesn't seem to move, where it freezes and he is grappling with the loss, the guilt, the hurt, and the impossible. godddd, just so good.

3. shinee - good evening

good evening, as i have said many times before, is a study in grief. that, of course, does not only mean the song but also the video. a technicolor display of loss that is so haunting every frame, the feeling that there is something lingering just outside of your periphery that you cannot see, cannot touch, and still reach for, and the inexplicable link between people who are grieving and are loving each other in the midst of that cataclysmic loss.

so many intentional choices in this music video. the television screens and cameras recording them in a greenhouse, a building made completely out of glass walls, in a room with a broken piano (that kibum destroys), a bed that minho lies in, a fridge that has been taped shut. the room with the circular table and the ring of light suspended from above, in blue and dark green. the fox, of course.

the rain. the water. all of them beneath the plastic. the fifth shadow in the well. kibum turning around to look over his shoulder as if there is someone else behind them when they are in the forest, finally out of the green house, finally free. watching this music video is a transcendental experience. i remember that, when i watched it for the first time, everything was still so raw, and the tears were coming before i could even comprehend a single thing.

4. growing pains - d&e

it’s giving eternal sunshine of the spotless mind ten years before miss ariana grande ever got her hands on it, and it’s gay as all hell despite the fact that there’s a girl and a ring. donghae is too pretty to look at directly, as has always been his wont, so thank god he's in this. on top of it all, it is a ballad with choreography and coats, which is my favorite kpop genre ever (see 12:30). some tasteful black and white, and just one of the finest kpop tracks ever written. i don’t care much for suju, but donghae & eunhyuk are the one thing they got right, and thank god these two decided to shack up with each other forever (it doesn’t hurt that donghae is a very good songwriter).

they both end up at the same memory erasure office, and i'd like to think they meet each other after and get their happy ending. eat your heart out, ariana grande!

i might add more! but this is just four, and already so much. honorable mention: exo - monster (the ogs omg...), seventeen - home;run (seventeen, i think, are best when they operate like their own musical cast), tvxq - the chance of love (sexy, sleek, impeccably danced, and a little gay. what is not to love!), got7 - never ever (flight log trilogy finale!!! youngjae and jinyoung's cosmic connection!)

[jiminsass-istant]

This blog is literally for my brain noise. Do NOT take me too seriously. You can call me Jean.

About opinions on BTS Members, their personalities, behaviour etc-

I seriously believe that celebrity lives are not something we should have strong opinions on. We can just speculate but please LEAVE HUGE ROOM for doubt as we barely know 5% about what they are upto and what they are like IRL. Or even lesser. Also, I don't hate a celebrity unless they are actually convicted of a crime or say/do problematic things. Again, it's subjective what people will find problematic.

That being said, my biases are jm, suga, rm. Jhope for a while too.

First ever bias was agustd, jm wrecked.

Tae, jk, jin have never been in my bias line, but I appreciate the talent.

Genuinely just here for the music and to listen to them talking about music (Big music nerd). The only thing I take seriously are music and performances. Ships, personalities, fandom trends etc are all semi-serious stuff to me.

About kookmin/jikook:

This might be the usual answer- the exclusively soft and 'couple' like behaviour jkk have towards each other has me intrigued. It makes me mushy and puts me in the feels. Some people here genuinely believe they are dating, and they can think like that. I personally don't think of them like that. I simply do not feel like making such bold statements about 2 people I have only seen photos and videos of. To me, they are my comfort ship and of course I acknowledge they are the closest IRL. That's the best way I can put it. I literally don't care who they date irl, as that's none of my business. That being said, I do think they are more soulmates than vmin themselves. (Sorry vmin, i love you, but jkk superior as they LITERALLY CAN'T STAY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, UGH)

PS:

1. I'm lowkey obsessed with Jimin. If my username didn't give that away. (Read "tugs at my heartstrings")

2. Everything I say here are just opinions or jokes, not facts. If it's serious for me, you'll know. Trust me, you'll know.

Blog organization ◾⚠️ work in progress ⚠️◾

Jimin related tags-

#jimin music

Highlights:

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

#jimin dance

Link 1

Link 2

#jimin effect

Link 1

Link 2

#jimin career

BTS related tags

#bts opinions

#bts music

#bts mv analysis

Member related tags-

#min yoongi

#jhope

#kim taehyung

#kim namjoon

#jeon jungkook

#kim seokjin

Jikook related tags-

#jikook

#bt21 jikook

Highlighted posts:

Link 1

Link 2

Other tags-

#kpop opinions

[xienst]

links to twilight pentagram analysis

i'll read the japanese and stuff later LOL for now this thread's just gonna serve as a compilation of links while I listen to Twilight Pentagon for the 100th time

on the choreography:

on the flower symbolisms (Japanese):

flower symbolisms (english):

translation of lyrics:

wataru is the last one left standing + revealing natsume

more on the order of appearances:

enjoy natsume's spp

cool observations

inspiration for the music

^^ personally I think it's style is like Tempest Night,,, as if it were written by Eichi with Wataru's influence right ;) along with the electric elements, 'kpop' because it is based off Natsume's proposal after all. perhaps the jazz trumpets could be rei's influence (slight) idk anything abt the event story, but perhaps rei had a part in this too? ahahah eirei dorm

cool observation about the stars?

^^ to add on kanata sings about twilight reminisces in the sky just as the comets in the background come on (a reference to meteor impact)

as a knightsP though, I need to end with this.

[thedaytheworldburned]

'Chasing That Feeling' MV First Reactions

Guys, I'm reacting. The blog isn't dead. I'm just also going to the Wild Kpop Fest in Sydney, so had to get ready for that. It was fun and I enjoyed seeing all three groups, but especially New (ahem, bias altert, ahem).

But let's have a look.

First, this MV pretty obviously follows on from 'Good Boy Gone Bad,' 'Sugar Rush Ride' and so on. It also has what I interpret as some nice Magic Island references, but I may be completely wrong (as always). So let's get into it!

I feel like this ray of light depositing TXT on Earth is a pretty obvious representation of them being expelled from Magic Island. It shows how violently they have been expelled after abusing their power, and it conveys how they, like Gfriend and unlike BTS, were born on the island, as such, and thus are basically supernatural non-human beings.

Also, the rubble and water are reminiscent of 'GBGB' and the Japanese MV for 'Sugar Rush Ride' - instantly visually connecting this storyline to the heartbreak and insanity one which those MVs discussed.

And, of course, we have the continuation of the star and the number 5 - there are 5 tunnels leading out of this hole, 5 colours in the light, 5 lights they chase, 5 points on the star, and so on.

There's also a nice contrast with the idea of angels coming down from the sky, and TXT being dressed in black - reminiscent of when they went crazy and were decidedly not angellic, despite being supernatural.

This is also emphasised by the fact that they are styled with tattoos.

Also, as always, TXT's choreographies are great.

Don't ask me to colour analyse the colours of light each membr chases - it would take far more time and research than I have today to do that in depth, and is thus better suited for a proper MV analysis. The most I can say so far is - Kai is gold - since he is the 'angel', Gyu has been associated with green before, especially in the webtoon through plants, and Yeonjun gets the other side of the cat - blue and green, thus he gets green.

A lot of this MV is them further abusing their powers, since they clearly didn't learn their lesson. Also - note that there are a lot of cars featured in this MV - cars being something we have seen in Magic Island arcs before, and which is generally a symbol of transit - as TXT are continuing their journey.

Interestingly, only Gyu, Yeonjun, and Taehyun seem to actually attain their power in this MV - Kai and Soobin are just constantly chasing it. We know Kai is in an internal battle, so it makes sense why he chases. Soobin is also being held back by doubts and the glass box the cat put him in. Yeonjun, Taehyun, and Gyu are all very firm in their beliefs - whatever those might be, and whether they're good or evil - so they can grab that power and feeling since they know how.

Trains are back - another way to get to Magic Island. They also emphasise the sense of danger in this MV.

Also, are you wondering why no one - except for the people Yeonjun LITERALLY RAN INTO are reacting to them in this MV? I'll discuss that more later.

I also think this scene is the best visual representation of the longing and desire they feel in the MV - Soobin reaching forward for power, for love, for literally everything he could ever want, but forced ackwards by the momentum of the train and his own doubts.

Like, look at this face!

Also - note that the tattoos on his neck look a little like the branches/veins V had on his neck during 'ON' era - a coincidence? Idk, but it's interesting.

So here we see that Taehyun has his power, and, like the rest of them, he is wonderfully misusing it.

Same with Gyu - although in a far more dangerous way.

Yeonjun too.

I'm not entirely sure if this is supposed to be Kai having his power or just grabbing a lift to try and catch up to it - but since there's no golden light, I'll assume he doesn't have the power.

I don't think this has any point other than to show how he's cool, how he's using his power, and possibly associating him with Gyu considering the light is green.

Star time again!

They've unified - making them more powerful, as expected. But interestingly, in this explosion, I only really see the red and blue, and, by proxy, purple. Was there a reason for this? Soobin, Taehyun, Yeonjun - generally but not always portrayed as good - vs Gyu (who smothered Taehyun) and Kai (who has a demon inside him)? Maybe I'm completely wrong.

So the Dr Strange stuff going on here is interesting because it shows that their abuse of their powers is literally breaking the universe/breaking reality. It also made me think that they were moving between dimensions - you know, since it's the mirror dimension. Which brings me back to people ignoring them and the light falling from the sky - it's possible that they have been shoved into another dimension, either by their own volition or because of the harm they did to Magic Island. This is a nice use of visual shortcut and also offers a potential explanation for why they are suddenly in some random city in America or England - I thought it was London but my knowledge of these places is almost nonexistent so please forgive me for not knowing.

I also find it interesting that they suddenly snap back to reality.

And also an odd shot to end on. The only thing we would think we would get from this is seeing the boys leave, but we also see the cars, the people walking, and the buildings. I have no doubt there is hidden meaning or are hidden detailsl, but the only thing I can really point to is that it reminds me of 'My Fair Lady,' and that the steam rising up could be considered the damage left over from the world knitting itself back together after going all mirror-dimension.

So that's the end of the MV!

I love the choreography, as always, but that is best analysed in a different video. Interestingly, I think it does little (compared to their other choreos) to tell the story, and instead is just cool and portrays the mood of the song.

Let's talk about the lyrics for a moment.

We've of course got the mandatory mentions of the night and moonlight, and of the highs of being in a 'loving' relationship.

The 'thief that keeps on stealing' is interesting, because there's the obvious meaning of 'stealing my heart,' but also the implied meaning of stealing power etc.

Then of course, the idea of miracles. Lightning is also often associated with a dangerous form of love (See Romeo and Juliet for what is probably the oldest example of that). And the kalidescope and butterflies are of course related to the butterfly effect and the fracturing of the world through the mirror univserse/dimension.

And that's pretty much it. A nice simple set of lyrics for a short little song.

Conclusions

It follows on from the previous MVs and storyline. Although slightly different themes are explored in each MV, they seem to be very obsessed with the 'high' phase of the relationship, rather than, you know, the fallout and the healing from it. Maybe they're serially dating toxic people. Psychologically that would make sense. Storyline-wise? Not so much.

That said, they probably like keeping the romance for the title tracks since that sells well, and keeping the funky mind-bending curse stuff for award shows and bside MVs, since the fans love that, and it makes jaws drop in award show season. In fact, they released this basically just in time for award show season - was that for a reason? Or is that a conspiracy theory of mine?

As a matter of interest, this (generic title tracks and crazy bsides) is something that exists in the whole industry but ESPECIALLY in HYBE.

[starburstfloat]

ok ok i’m rly late to watching their VMA perf bc i was out all day but oh my god they KILLED IT!!!

their presence was so powerful and the michael jackson influence was *chef’s kiss* they did so well!! IMO soogyu’s vocals work rly well for this type of song and i wish that could have been captured better in this stage :( that said, the camerawork was much better here!!

and can we talk about the styling and overall creative direction too??? something is definitely up with all the rain elements for tnc: freefall 🤨 loved the whole undressing/shoulder exposure going on — it’s def still following the whole maturity arc they got going on — a teasing kind of sensuality that works so well for them. such a delicate balancing act that they nail every time

you were right that the anitta interaction could have been spicier — we’ve seen the anitta solo perf behind vid with all her dancers grinding about!! Let them use their hips!! 🗣️

overall the boys did amazing and local twt is going crazy for them too 🥹 and i’m waiting impatiently for the song’s official release, and i’m sure i’m not the only one!!

Same here I've been so busy that I haven't found the time to properly sit down and analyze it but first off YES I agree their stage presence was excellent and I also loved the Michael Jackson vibes! I loved how confident they looked and sounded. The choice to have beomgyu and soobin stay in a lower register was perfect!!

Also idk who the performance director is but I want to personally thank them for giving beomgyu the coolest intro ever!!! Like!!!! Can we talk about how epic that was?!!!

That organ music opening with the thunder and lightning better be on the official track. Goosebumps everytime!

I hadn't even considered how the stage elements tie into the narrative arc of tnc but you're right that the rain and storm are probably indicative of where their story is going. I wonder what track position back for more will be on the album because if it's the first one it would tie well together with farewell neverland, of them having jumped and fallen but perhaps hitting a storm. I'm so hyped to see the track progression on this album and do more analysis! Again, whoever is the creative director here: I WANT YOUR JOB literally such a dream

In terms of anitta's part though yeah we really could have upped the spice 🙈 I mean. We all know what she's capable of. I think I was expecting more of an interactive choreo element with her but it was obvious that they've prepared choreography that would work well without her bc obviously they can't always perform this with her. Having said that I wonder who will replace her part in the live version at their concerts? 👀

Overall I'm with you on the reaction though; they killed it and seeing the locals go "damn didn't know these kpop boys were that good" is such an ego boost hahaha anywho~!! More rambles to come as the mv drops! Hope you're having a good week 😘

[vitaminwaterreviews]

Young Posse - XXL

I absolutely loved this EP, I don’t even know what else to say. I liked the sound, I was impressed by their vocals, I thought the feature was really good, the title track is obviously awesome. It’s interesting though, because the sound is kind of similar to Illit, but I think Young Posse just did it better somehow. I don’t really know how to explain the difference. Like, when Illit do it, it feels like they’re trying to be cool. When Young Posse do it, it feels like they are cool. Plus the title track gives a lot more legitimacy to the album. I do wish there was a bit more rap on the album, but then again, we got a ton of rap in Macaroni Cheese, so in terms of their discography as a whole (all two EP’s) this is a reasonable shift for an album.

Average score of 8.8, but I liked it a lot, so imma round up to 9.0.

- I’ve already seen XXL and I absolutely loved it. Very excited to hear the rest of the album. This is immediately after I heard Illit, so let’s see how it is.

Scars

Oh hey, all of the songs are over three minutes Except the title lol

Well this isn’t the Young Posse sound we’ve come to know and love

Mildly impressed by the vocals, but also the autotune is everywhere

This does actually sound kinda like the Illit album

They wouldn’t be using This excessive of autotune though

Oh her low register is pretty, alright

Why does this make me feel Sad?

Actually I kinda get Look At Me vibes from this haha

(Also I liked Look At Me before it was cool just to be clear)

DEEP VOICE MOMENT

The synth here is so good oh my god

It makes me feel like I Just, sort of

9/10

XXL

God the MV for this is just so good

See this is what I mean by Fun kpop

Like, kpop that doesn’t take itself too seriously

10/10

DND

And now we’re back to r&b

I dunno why but for some reason this feels more like proper r&b than a lot of the NewJeans style to me

Don’t get me wrong, I love a lot of NewJeans’ music, but it’s impossible not to compare groups to them

Woah, BM fits this so well. I don’t know much Kard, maybe I’ll have to listen to more of him

Their singing is so Good, you never would’ve guessed it by their first album

Mmm and now we’re more upbeat

8/10

ROTY

Is this like, a statement of intent?

Oh wait it’s on their Album cover

I love that so much for them

Why does all this music make me so SAD?

Like for some reason this is crying music to me

(Not that I do much crying but still)

It’s got me dancing around the room, that’s neat

9/10 for the audacity to put it on the album cover

Skyline

I always find it a bit weird when kpop groups reference western artists in their music (Red Velvet)

But actually I think it kinda works for Young Posse, at least for me

I guess at some point I’ll have to figure out what all the Stevie Wonder is for

Hopefully someone writes up a lyrical analysis that I get to read

Ah yes, random piano outro bc why not

8/10

[nqgmx]

✧ ATEEZ: DON’T STOP MV - a character analysis

watch here!!

this is inspired by mitch's video on the mv! please go and watch it, it's an amazing lore and story breakdown / analysis!

if there's one thing i can talk about for hours, it's ateez lore. i can talk about every ateez timeline for DAYS, mainly because i just absolutely adore their music videos' ways of telling a story. from the 'say my name' music video to 'guerilla' music video, ateez has, in my opinion, some of the most interesting lore in kpop. one music video that has really been stuck in the back of my mind pretty much since it came out, however, is the 'don't stop' mv, mainly due to the member's roles in the music video. whilst i, like many other people, don't believe that it is part of any of the overarching timeline lore, i still appreciate the storytelling that the music video holds (nevertheless, hongjoong stated in the group's music video reaction that 'a lot of the fans were guessing how the storyline connects to ateez, but more than that you should know our variety show universe? i think you should see how it connects to that. i think it would be easier to understand,' and san agreed, stating that it would be 'more fun' for atiny to theorise and connect the music video back to their space pirates lore, aka the 'universe timeline', but i'm getting off topic from the points i want to make. i'll happily talk about the universe lore another time!). the music video concept is as follows: a group of pirates, lead by hongjoong, loses everything they have - their ship, their tools - and must restart their journey from scratch, or at least that's the concept in a nutshell. i really recommend watching the music video for yourself to fully grasp the storyline and the character tropes that i'm going to be talking about here.

all that being said, the 'don't stop' mv has some of my favourite character architypes in a kpop music video: the bank heist trope is used so well to tell a clear and enticing story, and it leaves you wanting more of this storyline and this version of ateez as a whole.

to understand the characters, we first need to understand the groups / units that they're in, where they are and what they're doing. seonghwa, yunho, yeosang and jongho are together, robbing the central pawn shop and working together as a team. hongjoong is alone, not participating in the heist, and is instead in what seems to be an apartment or a mansion, a fancy and expensive one if that. san and wooyoung are seen gambling with what we can assume is a mob boss (i could talk about the lore here, but i won't because i'm here to talk about the characters, not the plot), often going all in (the same clip was used twice for san going all in, but again this is irrelevant and me rambling), which keep this in mind as we'll talk about this later. finally, mingi is alone; he's dumped out of a car in the middle of nowhere before walking away from the car as it blows up behind him (this has to be my favourite shot in the entire music video. it's such a stunning shot, literally gives me goosebumps every time, plus mingi looks SO FINE). okay, now FINALLY we can get into the character analysis.

firstly lets start with the pawn shop boys...

seonghwa is the right hand man, specifically hongjoong's right hand man. this is pretty common in ateez music videos (eg. 'the real' mv, which i'll analyse soon), so it's a pretty unsurprising that he's taken this role. he's casual because he knows that he's only here to overlook. after yunho finds the certificate at 2:09, he checks in with seonghwa despite it clearly being what they're there for. he only follows hongjoong, and has a huge sense of respect and loyalty for him, as can be seen at the end of the music video when he's the only member to approach hongjoong after they reunite.

yunho is the driver, in charge of transport and mobility. specifically, he's in charge of the car, and perhaps previously the ship, which may be why he's the member who picks up the certificate of registration of the destiny ship, or i'm looking to far into this. he's the member who drives literally through a wall to save san and wooyoung, and clearly knows what he's doing as he somehow doesn't hit them too. plus, yunho is seen driving A LOT in other ateez mvs, which, again, may just be a coincidence or may be me just looking too far into this.

yeosang is the thief. he's quick, efficient and seems to almost lead the group. he knows what he's doing, and has clearly done all this before; this can be seen by the organised way that he's pulling out the books to find the vault, especially compared to seonghwa. he's also the one opening the vault, showing that he has the skills and the tools to complete the job. also, similarly to jongho, he's wearing full black, but is wearing a gem-covered leather jacket, further suggesting this thief role.

jongho, unsuprisingly, is the strongman, the muscle, the bouncer. this is insinuated in everything about him: from his actions, to his colour scheme, to even simply the way that he's dressed. this is shown even from his first moment in the music video, where he crowbars open a locked door to let the group into the shop. he figuratively protects the group, which can be seen on 3:09 of the music video, where he is stood in front of the group, literally standing between them and possible danger (hongjoong). he's dark, stoic even, wearing simply only black compared to the other muted colours worn by the other members.

next, we'll cover everybody else...

san and wooyoung are probably my favourite characters in the mv. together, they fit a trope that are essential to any heist: the manipulators, the cheaters, the conmen. they're charming and sly, manipulating their way into any situation; in this case, a poker game with who we can assume is a mob boss or powerful criminal and clearly being cunning enough to let him bet the spyglass into the game. they're also seen cheating their way through the game, with wooyoung passing san the winning card. they go all in more than once because they know that whether it's through chance or a little manipulation of the game, they will win no matter what. just the way that they silently communicate and manipulate their way through the game is mesmerising and hypnotic. what's more, their clothing is much less formal than the other members, confirming their casual and perhaps even cocky nature, two traits held by grifters. finally, simply put, at the end of the day they're pirates. and what do pirates do? steal treasure.

mingi is the most interesting character to me: he's shown as unstable, being the only character alone in a dangerous situation, yet he makes it out alive, but not without chaos. he's shown to be beaten up and hurt, but he doesn't really seem to care that much. he's portrayed as the demolitions expert, yet bombs are risky in heists, but he seems unphased by that, choosing a short term solution rather than practicality. he knows what he's there for, and he doesn't care what he needs to do to get it.

finally, hongjoong is the mastermind. the leader. the captain. the captain goes down with his ship, and as shown with his black eye, he at least didn't go down without a fight. he is, understandably, feeling the pressure and the loss more than anyone else. he's angry, setting the room ablaze and shattering the model ship (which again, him being the captain, portrays his sense of loss and feeling of pure rage) and injuring his eye as a result (hongjoong says in the making film that 'he lost his eye because he couldn't control his rage'. covered eyes is a pretty big symbol in the ateez main storyline, so it's pretty cool to see this homage and reference to it in a smaller storyline). he's lost the trust and respect of his members, his crew, as can be seen in the distance between them at 3:09, however he eventually realises that he can't let his pride get in the way of his crew's future.

'don't stop' is rich in character and storytelling for just a four minute long music video. the story itself is full and clear, and the characters are in-depth and almost addictive, leaving you wanting more of this group of pirate thieves. the song itself is catchy and clearly in the classic ateez style, which makes the music video just such a blast to watch. if you've read to the end of this huge infodump of an essay, thank you! i bet nobody really has, but it was a lot of fun to write anyways!! please expect more music video analysis in the future!!