KPOP MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW FROM A FAN AND A NON-FAN

방탄소년단 (Bangtan Boys) - 쩔어(Dope/Sick)

Hello, Wonderers. We are back with yet another mid-week post. This time, it will be our new segment which we have talked about in the last post. (If you haven't read it, please go check it out first.) We will be reviewing Bangtan Sonyeondan (BTS, Bangtan Boys, or in Korean, 방탄소년단)'s new music video for the song Dope. This song is in their latest album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Part 1. It has recently been released as a single and promotions are still going on. Now, without further ado, we will be sharing our thoughts on the music video. Let's go~~

*please turn on the CC for English subtitles!*

Dhanya

Based on what I've just watched, I can't really make out a plot. However, they DANCE which is pretty entertaining to be honest. It kinda takes away from the fact that there isn't a plot but I do know that some Kpop music videos have a plot, from Wei Ling's (futile) attempts at dragging me into the Kpop army. (is that even what they're called?) HAHA. I apologise for offending anyone with my lack of knowledge! Back to the point, I like the transitions used in the MV when they switch into a different scene as it has a very smooth flow and it was definitely well edited. My best guess is that the music video was shot at a warehouse since the backdrop is a brick wall and pipes can be seen lining the walls.

So, I watched the music video once or twice WITHOUT subtitles and had absolutely no clue what was going on but I gave it a wild guess anyways. I didn't have very much to start off with but I came up with the idea that they were all men with different jobs. It looked as though they were trying to show that their jobs were better (or dope-r) than each other's. I pretty much thought of this because one of the transitions seemed to portray what I was thinking. Little did I know, I was EXTREMELY wrong.

Next, I proceeded to actually watch the music video with subtitles and it completely changed my view on the storyline. I learnt that the member of the group BTS who sang the song are actually trying to voice their opinions. They talk about how they work very hard as a group (?) when they say "sweating it out". They also try to voice their opinion on women when they say that 'women' go clubbing all night and don't actually work hard for their future. Last but not least, I learnt that the members believe that their elders condemn them and all the effort they put in. Apparently, they do believe that the job they put their sweat and tears into is not worth while and not considered a REAL job.

HMMM. Now, onto their DANCE MOVES. I think my favourite part of the music video was watching them dance. Their synchronization truly AMAZED me. You can tell they really put hard work and effort into every single move and that is something I admire. I especially liked when they danced in a group since you could see them all hit the moves at the exact same time. Every pause they took seemed to create a picture perfect image. Oh My God! Who else thinks that other English- based boy bands should adopt this culture? I definitely do! Who would disagree to watching the members of One Direction dancing as they belted out songs? None, I hope!

Ahh. We have now reached the part where I give my overall thoughts. To sum up everything I watched, it was actually really enjoyable as I don't usually watch Kpop music videos. I think I've only watched one or two others that Wei Ling got me to watch. Even those were pretty interesting! I also really liked their costumes and the concept of the different jobs. The costumes managed to compliment each member and they actually looked like they belonged to whichever occupation they were told to portray. I don't think I have enough experience in the Kpop world to rate this music video but it really was enjoyable so I'll give it a 8 out of 10.

Wei Ling

This particular music video doesn't have a prominent plot and focuses mainly on their dancing. Compared to their previous music video, I Need U, this video does not have as deep of a meaning and can be easily understood by reading the lyrics. The flow of this music video is very good and the editing was done very well. The camera work is very professional and I am very happy with how the video turned out as I really like this song. This video is set in what looks like a warehouse and I am glad it wasn't filmed in a confined box-set, as a lot of other Kpop videos are. 

Since I already knew what the lyrics for this song meant, I will go straight to the deeper meaning that I understand from the lyrics. In my opinion, this song talks about how other people their age and even other girls are partying away and having fun while they are working their butts off. It also states that their job as idols are seen as 'unstable' or 'a joke' by the public, especially their elders. They are trying to clear that assumption by saying how they work so much harder than most people their age and that their jobs are certainly not easy.

The dance. I felt chills when I watched this video for the first time. Just as all the fans thought that Danger and I Need U had difficult choreography, this bombshell was dropped upon us. The dance moves are so sharp and fast that it gives me a headache just watching them. Bangtan is known for their detailed and intricate dance moves and this certainly shows us just why. The two 'worst dancers' of the group, Rap Monster and Jin definitely practiced very hard and I couldn't even tell that dancing is not their forte. (well, their 'worst' dancers are still waaaaaaay above average tho)

I quite like this song's concept, which is the members having different jobs. This is because we get to see them wearing different types of uniforms and outfits for every music show (heehee). The plain backgrounds, such as regular brick walls, really make the members stand out, as opposed to having flashy lights or huge center pieces which are not only costly, but distracting. Overall, I like this music video and song very much. The video, however, is quite long and it would be very difficult to get my friends, who have VERY short attentions spans, to watch until the end. The song is very catchy and the lyrics are very meaningful, and not to mention, written by the members. (yay for original material). I would give this song and video an 8.5 out of 10.

Thank you all for reading this lengthy post. Please come back again this Saturday for a very special post. (hint: it has something to do with Dhanya's macho-ness) That's all for this post. Adios, Wonderers!