Charming & Whimsical
I've been loving all of Boyfriends recent fairy tale releases, from Peter Pan with *Obsession* to *Witch* to this delightful depiction of Alice in Wonderland. This version of the classic tale is awesome because it features Alice as the instigator rather than the passive victim. Our Alice enters the scene draped in red, a monastic mantra playing behind her. Whether this image is supposed to depict her as a monk or as a religious sacrifice, it's an image our Alice rejects by whipping off her cloak and revealing her true self. We see her sitting at a table, a bubbling brew beside her and an unopened book set before her while she decides what she wants her reality to be. We zip into the world of the book, to Alice's imagination, to find that everything is frozen, waiting for a thought to kickstart it. Throughout the MV, we see Alice holding the book in deep consideration, we see her gambling with a leap of creativity, and drawing herself ever-closer to the white rabbit. The world inside the the book, specifically the tea-part scene, only comes to life (outside of choreography) when Alice willingly enters the book herself. She holds the clock, controlling time's progression there (much like how things can only happen in your imagination while you're actively thinking about them). She drags everyone else into the rabbit hole with her and leaves them trying to find their own way out of the world she's built for him... it's all wonderfully topsy-turvy.
I LOVE the styling. We've got a gorgeous Hatter, and perfect twins to play the Tweedle Two. There's a lovely toy soldier for the Queen's army, too. The 'male alice' that I've seen Hyunseong reported as doesn't make sense to me, but seeing him as a chesspiece does; as a chesspiece he'd be an integral part of the world, a part of Alice. Perhaps he could be analyzed as a depiction of her desires in a significant other, that would explain the blue shirt rather well, certainly better than the idea that he's Gender-bent-Alice (while original-Alice is a present character). And Donghyun as the white rabbit also doesn't make sense to me. I see him as either the Cheshire Cat or the March Hare, both of which traditionally provide counsel and guidance that proves rather less than helpful. I personally would lean towards the March Hare because the original depiction of that character comes from the phrase "Mad as a March hare" which adds a sexual connotation to their interactions that is complimented by the visuals depicted (bunnies have always been thought of as busy little breeders people)... I clearly love the character styling, but even more than that, I adore how the hip-hop and military-chic outfits are worked in with flawless blend of fashionable interplay.
The choreography is gorgeous, and it suits the track extraordinarily well. The track itself is well rounded and balanced between hip-hop charm and synth-y pop fun. It's catchy as hell. The backing sounds are repetitive and so close to crossing the line towards being annoying rather than a decorative compliment to the vocal melody. Nothing in the instrumental is interesting enough to hold its own without the vocals but the vocal melody evolves well enough to mitigate most of my concern. Other than that, this is a slid release and, as always, Boyfriend's concept and styling is spot on. There's lot of visual throws to the 2010 Tim Burton version which I appreciate, and a lot of individual innovation on the styling system. I like it, as a whole.
I LOVE the styling. We've got a gorgeous Hatter, and perfect twins to play the Tweedle Two. There's a lovely toy soldier for the Queen's army, too. The 'male alice' that I've seen Hyunseong reported as doesn't make sense to me, but seeing him as a chesspiece does; as a chesspiece he'd be an integral part of the world, a part of Alice. Perhaps he could be analyzed as a depiction of her desires in a significant other, that would explain the blue shirt rather well, certainly better than the idea that he's Gender-bent-Alice (while original-Alice is a present character). And Donghyun as the white rabbit also doesn't make sense to me. I see him as either the Cheshire Cat or the March Hare, both of which traditionally provide counsel and guidance that proves rather less than helpful. I personally would lean towards the March Hare because the original depiction of that character comes from the phrase "Mad as a March hare" which adds a sexual connotation to their interactions that is complimented by the visuals depicted (bunnies have always been thought of as busy little breeders people)... I clearly love the character styling, but even more than that, I adore how the hip-hop and military-chic outfits are worked in with flawless blend of fashionable interplay.
The choreography is gorgeous, and it suits the track extraordinarily well. The track itself is well rounded and balanced between hip-hop charm and synth-y pop fun. It's catchy as hell. The backing sounds are repetitive and so close to crossing the line towards being annoying rather than a decorative compliment to the vocal melody. Nothing in the instrumental is interesting enough to hold its own without the vocals but the vocal melody evolves well enough to mitigate most of my concern. Other than that, this is a slid release and, as always, Boyfriend's concept and styling is spot on. There's lot of visual throws to the 2010 Tim Burton version which I appreciate, and a lot of individual innovation on the styling system. I like it, as a whole.
I Give It An 8/10: Fabulous! |  |
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