Not essentially a “spooky” watch, but Never Ever has an intense darker theme ☂️
Disclaimer:
I want to do something fun for spooky season! Throughout October I will be reviewing spooky kpop videos, but sadly the kings of spook: VIXX won’t be on the list, nor will Sunmi, SHINee, Block B, Red Velvet or Gain. They have fantastic spooky videos and if you haven’t listened to them I would highly recommend them, but they aren’t new to me. I hope you’ll happily meet new artists with me or roll your eyes that I’ve somehow missed your faves! ♥
Ji Yeon debuted with one of the best selling girl groups of all time in 2009: T-ARA. I mean who doesn’t know Roly Poly? (or the subsequent bullying scandal that dipped T-ARA’s popularity).
T-ARA’s maknae Ji Yeon has ventured into acting, most notably Dream High 2 and recently I Wanna Hear Your Song which aired this August and September.
In 2014, Ji Yeon became the first T-ARA member to debut as a solo artist with her EP Never Ever.
Story:
In this video Ji Yeon lives a rather simple, repetitive life (almost like an animated character) in a flat. However, certain cracks start to occur and her dreams can be distressing.
One day Ji Yeon sees a man with an umbrella in her flat, while it’s raining. The world she has set up around her is crumbling/becoming unreal – which is why pictures and drawings are referenced. The white figure in her “dream” looks like a doctor (also slight jump scare warning for this guy!), which makes the ending where Ji Yeon is in a white psychiatric room the reality.
It seems that Ji Yeon was in a relationship and when that person left or something occurred, her mental health declines and she has built up a ‘picture perfect’ world to keep her safe.
From the lyrics, I feel that this story line is somewhat similar. However, I think that the lyrics also add another layer with Ji Yeon being “haunted” by the person she still wants to be with. There is tension between her feelings of yearning and wanting to forget them:
I hope this is a dream when I close my eyes and open them
I pray and pray then I get tired and fall asleep
I keep having the same nightmare
I can’t escape from it
I hope this is a dream when I close my eyes and open them
I pray and pray then I get tired and fall asleep
Then it repeats again
Please just leave me aloneIf you ever run into me
Will you please smile at me, who can’t forget you?
Visuals:
This video is absolutely beautiful. The little flat is adorable and has a lovely fairy tale aspect to it. And I love that the shooting style is clockwork-esque as it calls back to the title and the altered time of her life.
There is a lovely balance with the lighting between the different sets and also the progression of the song/story. The lighting in the flat gets duller when the emotions became more chaotic and then bam, we get the intense white of the hospital room.
I also liked the way the dance scenes are darker. It’s a cooler colourscape for an emotionally charged story.
Vocals:
Ji Yeon’s vocals are lovely. This song is soft and sensual, with a lot of emotion. I don’t have much to say about the vocals but know that this song has been on repeat for most of the day!
I hope that Ji Yeon is able to have a comeback soon as I would love to hear more from her ♥
Dance:
The hip dance against the wall was seen as too provocative for the public – which isn’t unusual – the reps said it wasn’t to be intentionally “erotic” but to “match the atmosphere” of the song. And of course this meant that it was changed for tv, such as for music bank.
I like the dance, a lot. However, it’s sexy… really sexy and I don’t see the problem. I don’t think it’s exactly a perfect match for the ‘atmosphere’, but I don’t care ^^” Boy groups do it all the time. I especially liked the switch between white and black outfits with the raised jacket.
Oh and the reflection dance! That was perfect and I could have watched an entire video of just that. The little details made it beautiful to watch.
Star Ratings:
- Understandable Story-line: 4.5/5☆
- Video Production: 4/5☆
- Vocals: 4/5☆
- Dance: 5/5☆
- Overall Package: 8.75/10☆
This is one of my new faves and I hope for more music from Ji Yeon.
Do you like this song?
Thanks for reading! I hope you’re having a lovely day~
DramaRambles 🌸 