The neverending obsession people have with the supernatural cliché, especially with werewolves, does not seem to be dissipating with the release of “Witch” by Korean boy band Boyfriend.
Boyfriend released their third mini album Witch on the 13th October 2014. They dropped their music video for the title song, “Witch,” on October 12th. In the video, they have taken on a darker concept again as with their first full-length album, Janus.
The music video starts of at a crime scene with blood on the roof. Donghyun stands and looks at the crime scene before jumping into the singing and dancing. When Jeongmin takes over the singing and dancing, it cuts back to the crime scene, and Donghyun is examining it more intimately, but without the necessary CSI tools that are needed to collect evidence.
During the next 20 odd seconds of the video, Donghyun paces the rooftop and seems to be contemplating something. When Donghyun comes off the rooftop, we get a good first look at all six band members of Boyfriend. During this, we are given the first hint that they are more than just mere humans, but are something supernatural. When Donghyun seems to be mad/upset about something that is in the newspaper, it sets off an emotional reaction in the other members.
After the upset the newspaper has caused, Kwangmin throws a temper tantrum and does his impression of a werewolf, which looks awkward. Now, Hyunseong is brooding on the rooftop where the crime scene from the beginning of the video took place. He is then confronted by the female lead in a red cloak, who is the witch that Boyfriend is singing about in the video.
After he is taken by the witch, there are some flashback scenes of the six members relaxing in the living room and interacting with each other. When the female lead runs into the living room, she seems to be hiding from something or someone. After she has greeted the six members and she is sitting on the bed, the viewers get a shot of the female lead’s handbag. There is red fabric hanging out of it which this hints that she is the witch.
After this scene, we flash back to the present and Hyunseong is back with the group. He has been injured by the Witch. This makes them angry, so they go out to see the Witch on the rooftop and take the injured member with them.
The climax of the music video is when the six members confront the witch by showcasing their werewolf attributes. The members get into a fight with the Witch that ends with all six members being defeated by her. During the entire storyline, Boyfriend showcases the polished dance routine that Korean groups are known for. The music video also shows that HONG WonKi has stuck to the traditional music video method that Korean groups are known for, producing a fantastic dance routine that intercepts the storyline.
The use of werewolves is not an original concept within the Korean music scene, as other groups have used the same concept previously. The original aspect is the use of little red riding hood as a witch. However, the video director and editor have managed to edit the video in a way that the werewolf concept is more original, and different than previous groups’ efforts. This has endeared the song and music video to the fans of Boyfriend, and overall, the video has done what it is designed to do. It showcases the dancing and singing while keeping the viewers interested in the story.
It is surprising, though, that some scenes in the video are awkward and badly acted. The six members show that they have put their all into the acting, which makes you wants to watch the video right to the end to see the conclusion.
With regards to music, it has a pretty consistent drum beat. After listening to it a few times, it can get your feet tapping along to the beat, regardless of the highs and lows of the rest of the song when the members are rapping or singing. The drum beat ties the different instruments used in the music backing track together to give a smooth play to it. It doesn’t drown everything out or bombard your ear drums, which can often happen.
As for the lyrics, the main section of the chorus is “Cause your body goes Boom bara boom / Cause your body goes / Boom bara boom.” This gets stuck in your head, and you find yourself just singing this section over and over again, regardless of whether you are able to speak or understand Korean.
When you look at the English translation of the song, the lyrics go somewhat with the theme of the music video. They sing about being attracted to a girl who is not soft and shy, but is rough and dangerous. The lyrics “neon geochireoseo yeppeo / neon wiheomhaeseo ggeullyeo,” translate to “You’re pretty because you’re rough / you’re attractive because you’re dangerous.” But there does not seem to be much of a romantic storyline within the video, as the members are just being chased by the female lead.