Shangri-La: Sensual Oriental Gangsters
May 19, 2017
If we talking about VIXX, it's hard to separate them from concept, itulah kenapa mereka digadang-gadang sebagai The Concept-dol dari ujung Korea Utara sampai ujung Korea Selatan.
Oh, VIXX, ini?
Yeah, serah.
Grup debutan 2012 ini awalnya nggak terlalu laku seperti grup sebelah, but then they got an enormous attention and love because of their sci-fi: space-vampire-like concept with crazy makeup and lenses also with the ear catching lyrics "I need serabi lalalalala serabi~" back in 2013, marks on the same year of their 1st ever win with Voodoo Doll, title song di full album pertama mereka, alias theme song pesugihan se-Korea.
Oh well, anyway, they released something that pleased me as a fan this month. After pulling from classical Western literary characters and archetypes or pushing the boundaries of music into genres like sci-fi (like I said above), heavy-handed use of Jekyll-Hyde to Conception Trilogy last year with Greek Mythology Gods as their grand plot of their music and performance aspect. Setelah bertahun-tahun sticks dengan konsep yang kebarat-baratan they now came with East Asian Aesthetic Concept: Oriental Concept.
Sudah rahasia umum trend choker di kalangan pria di Korea sana dimulai dari mereka, we'll see if the modernized hanbok that they wear will also trend along with this comeback. And the use of a fan for dance, man, dance with property is fucking hard, and now they need to synchronize it. Amazing.
Setelah terkenal dengan 'story-telling music video' that were rich in color, texture and the complex narrative; now they let the narrative stepped back to allow the music and dance take center to shown more (still on the aesthetic and eye-pleasuring-look mode, though).
The Korean title of the song references Peach Blossom Spring, a fictional earthly paradise depicted in the preface of poet Tao Yuan Ming‘s Peach Blossom Spring poems. Dan di lagu ini mereka gimana ya, seksi yang sensual nan alluring gitu lah. There's no a vague hint of a plot point like Chained Up had yang keseksiannya itu hardcore dan rough. Berbeda juga dengan The Closer yang seksinya gentle (thanks for the fucking uniform).
As a song, Shangri-La is only tangentially connected to its source material. Instead of being a literal place, Peach Blossom Spring becomes a metaphor for the persona’s lovestruck emotional state yang cakep banget tervisualisasikan dengan indah di MV-nya.
First, apa itu Shangri-La? Mungkin ada yang belum nyaho.
It's a fictional place common to many eastern culture (China-Jepang-Korea), di Indonesia sendiri sepertinya nggak banyak yang tau sih... It is described as a paradise, heavenly place of abundant happiness.
Kalau pernah nonton Kungfu Panda 3, kalau masih inget tempat tinggal panda-panda kampung halamannya Po, nah, that Panda Village on the movie is inspired by Shangri-La concept. Surgawi banget pokoknya. Oooooh, I always have soft spot for Asian backstory animation like Kungfu Panda and Mulan. I go crazy for them.
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| Panda Village on Kungfu Panda 3 |
More appreciation for Kungfu Panda's landscape, cinematography CGs:
Okay now stop with the Kungfu Panda, I guess we're here not talking about them, right?
Di MVnya sendiri we see the imaginary of the sun and the moon. Moon is often associated with the feminine aspect of life dan matahari menggambarkan metafora dari maskulinitas. Gampangnya ini adalah simbolisasi antara wanita dengan pria.
Mungkin ada yang pernah tau atau ngikutin drama "The Moon Embracing The Sun", dimana 'The Sun' dalam drama tersebut direpresentasikan oleh seorang raja dan 'The Moon' adalah seorang ratu.
There's a countless scene of falling petals here, gue nggak tau maksudnya apa. Apakah itu sesatu yang baik atau justru buruk like the one that we saw on The Closer's opening with a falling chandelier that sign a tragedy.
Now let's talk about the member's roles:
N
Orang Asia (Asia sono, bukan Asia sini) percaya kalau setiap bulan kelahiran itu punya bunga dan batu kelahirannya masing-masing. N's birthmonth is June so therefore his Flowerbirth is Honeysuckle and his Birthstone is Pearl.
Honeysuckle - Indicates love and passion. Honeysuckle also means fraternal affection or devoted affection. It symbolizes devoted affection in the form of a lover's embrace.
Pearl - Symbol of eternal love and a hope for wounded heart. Paham nggak sih di MV-MV sebelumnya yang patah hati siapa? Doi kan? Udah move on deh kayaknya.
Leo
November
Flowerbirth: Hibiscus
Birthstone: Blue Topaz
In some scene we can see him sitting in a gold and red rock, gently looking and reaching for the moon as if he would like to touch it. Gold dan merah sendiri memiliki arti maskulinitas seperti matahari dan passion.
Hibiscus - In China, hibiscus symbolize the fleeting and beauty of fame or personal glory. It is given to both men and women.
Blue Topaz - Believed will bring a true love, energy both time and space and is the one of most loving crystal.
Ken
April
Flowerbirth: Adonis
Birthstone: Diamond
His tattoo somewhat similar with what N had on Dynamite's MV:
Adonis / anemone - Dalam mitologi Yunani, Anemone adalah bunga yang diberikan oleh Aphrodite saat Adonis mati. Ya, gue juga gak kenal mereka tapi katanya begitu. So the flower that on Ken's back may symbolize death/loss of the loved one.
Diamond - And his birthstone is believed to give strength and courage. I think there's a positive message here that his love can't be even separated by a death.
Ravi
(THIS IS GOING TO BE THE MOST MY FAVORITE ERA OF HIS I SWEAR HE LOOKS SO OVERLY MAJESTIC HERE I'M WHEEZING)
February
Flowerbirth: Cedar tree
Birthstone: Amethyst
Cedar tree - That tree beside him, lol. This one symbolize strength, eternity and incorruptibility.
Amethyst - Referred as the love that over time transcends the carnal union and gives way to deeper connection. In the Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui, amethyst enhances the wealth, focusing on the giving and receiving of material wealth. Mangkannya di bagian dia banyak warna emasnya. 역시, member dengan royalti dari hasil produksi lagu terbanyak, pemegang royalti terbanyak dari member idol group dengan raking top 10 nasional. ₩₩₩.
Hongbin
Oke. Disini mukanya nggak keliatan, enggak adil. Gue semata-mata ingin memperlihatkan settingan pribadinya.
Nih, biar adil.
(Oh, this one looks unflattering and don't justify his visual but nvm, masih ganteng kok)
September
Flowerbirth: Apple Blossom
Birthstone: Sapphire
Apple Blossom - Symbol of marriage and person's romantic life.
Sapphire - A stone of love, commitment and fidelity. Cewek yang ngerti dan peka terhadap batu-batuan pasti terperangah kalau dilamar pake cincin dengan batu jenis ini. This one is said to be quite popular on engagement events.
Hyuk
July
Flowerbirth: Lavender
Birthstone: Ruby
Lavender - Associated with purity and devotion. But seriously, purity? He's an evil maknae that doesn't deserve a word like 'purity'. I guess we all know he's a satan, right? A kawaii satan. N mama's favorite.
Ruby - In many cultures Ruby have been a talisman of passion and protection. It also symbol of the sun.
Ada scene yang memperlihatkan Hyuk dengan burung merak dan seekor rusa. Nggak tau apa maksudnya deh, gimmick doang apa gimana gitu.
The set and prop choices are not simply plucked at random just to create hints of East Asian aesthetics; they also respond to details in the lyrics and the Peach Blossom Spring tale. There's a visualization of the unripe peach yang dipungut oleh nggak tau siapa, this one may hinted to these lines of the song:
Even unripe peaches taste sweet
Under the scattering flower petals
Following the tip of your silk clothes
The pathetic fallacy also follows everywhere on the song, lol.
Gorgeously blossoming flowers
Even the wind is sweet
In this dream-like place
Whenever I’m with you
Wherever it is, my heart flutters
Pokoknya sih lirik di atas men-deliver arti kurang lebih seperti: Kalau sama kamu berdua makan RM Padang aja rasanya kayak makan di One Altitude.
Lebay? Emang.
Fan used in Asian dances are typically brightly colored, but VIXX uses single-colored ones in a muted blue-grey shade. Likewise, the dance is a fusion of Asian dance and modern dance, with the moves of the chorus featuring an R&B style. Gue suka bagaimana tarian ini dikemas. Transisi dari tradisional ke bagian modernnya sangat luwes. Dan detail flippin' the fan-nya itu loh, I'm lovin' the intro. Give it up for Mariel Madrid and Keone Madrid, koreografer dan pasturi yang pernah menjadi dancer/model dalam video Justin Bieber - Love Yourself.
Through combining lush colors, sharp silhouettes, subtle Asian aesthetic influences and an abstract but evocative fantasy setting, Shangri-La somehow manages to keep an undercurrent of the dark edge that is a signature yang VIXX banget, but reworks this in a sensual direction rather than a gothic horror one seperti yang lalu-lalu. It’s an incredibly well-crafted release that takes VIXX to greater heights of artistic maturity even as it stays true to their focus on concepts.
Terimakasih telah memanjakan Sandy sekali lagi. See you on July and Happy 5th Anniversary, my six bundle of joy!! ❤
Also, let's not forget one of the best release of this month aside VIXX. Lagu yang bikin pengen jatuh cinta lagi. Sungguh mengaspirasikan suasana hati gue akhir-akhir ini. Kemarin mereka berdua guest radio bareng untuk promo album terus dicomblangin sama MC nya huhuhuhu bertemanlah kalian, maka benang-benang pertalian favorit-favorit Sandy akan semakin kusut.
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