B.A.P - 1004 (Angel) MV - Unfulfilled Dreams

Lately, I've been interested in the music videos that are loaded with imagery.  My interpretations on this might be a little squirrely, because I haven't read the lyrics yet.  It's more fun this way.   :) Sometimes I get very wrapped up in the little details, so I hope you brought a hot cocoa (or a stiff drink!) cuz I'm not stoppin' 'til it's done!

Here's a link to the video:

I spent a lot of time wondering whether the girl is supposed to be dead, because a lot of the imagery suggests this.  It would give a very literal meaning to this story if she's dead and he's agonizing over it.  If she's dead, then my interpretation is over.  LOL I can't have that. 

Is it all Black and White?  

I wasn't going to give this much thought until I noticed the girl is examining the dollhouse from outside in black and white, while Daehyun appears to be inside.  A dollhouse is a model home that simulates life, or could be saying he was "playing house" (as in a non-married couple living together).  His being in the dollhouse might mean he's living in dreamland.

 

The way Daehyun is experiencing the vibrant colors and items inside suggests that it is much more real for him than it is for her, who is only seeing minimal details in black and white.  These two different perspectives are like an impenetrable boundary.  Black and white video suggests her point of view is separate from reality (I suppose that supports the dead theme, because it's rigid and can't change).

The way she's dressed reminds me of Alice in Wonderland - in other words, maybe she's a dream.  Video projectors play movies, and this suggests what he's looking at isn't real, making me think this is all his pursuit to find love because it's not reflecting the reality of the moment. 
 

Something else that supports the pursuit of love theme is that both Daehyun and the girl are depicted separately with a full hourglass, as if they are waiting for something, or time stopped.  This is a little oddly placed that the full hourglass is shown when they are separated, but the hourglass has run out in the flashback when they appear to be happy (see happy pic above).  So maybe it's not a flashback, but his dream of the future and they are separated by reality.  For some reason he can't have this dream.


Daehyun is also depicted alone at the chessboard, as if ready to play but waiting for a partner.  Chess is a complicated game that's hard to win, like relationships. (chess makes me hiss!)


Reflecting Frustration 


There's a recurring theme of looking at reflections - reflecting on memories or revealing the truth.  There's something else about destroying the mirror and reflections.  I just can't quite put my finger on it.  Like he's trying to deny reality or doesn't want to see what the mirror is reflecting...hmmm.

Youngjae (who I only know of because of geek!!) is stuck in a hall of mirrors and being stymied at every turn because the girl is RIGHT THERE, but might as well be in another world.  If the girl represents love, then his searching in the mirrors makes sense, because an unacknowledged love feels like it's a world away.

Looking into the mirror, he sees her image superimposed over him - she is his reason for being (or maybe she's haunting him, supporting the dead theme).  The bleeding hand held over his chest looks like his heart is bleeding out, the way a broken heart feels.


There's the feeling that no matter what you do, or how hard you try, it remains out of reach.  It's deeper than frustration to have a longing that cannot be soothed.


Digging up the Past

Previously we looked at the pain of searching, now we take the search to another level - literally.  Yongguk is digging in a barren wasteland by a gigantic ribcage tunnel.  He must have a passion for desolate feelings and digging up the past, but with all that digging, he doesn't find much.  Just proves that digging up the past doesn't help, so staaahhhp!

In the panoramic view of this scene, you can see he's dug in at least 3 places, another way they are illustrating the searching theme.  I wonder at the arrangement of the holes...are they heart valves?

Once he digs the grave-sized hole, he finds a model church, which he hugs and sobs over.  model church = marriage --> buried in the grave = dead and gone --> agonizing over unfulfilled dreams.  

So if this is the case, this ties the images together nicely.  The black-n-white scene in which the hourglass empty and they are happy is an unfulfilled dream.  Searching in the mirrors, beating through the wall are all suggesting he's trying to find a way to make the dream real. 


Self-destructive Behavior

They have a very disturbing image of Himchan holding a gun to his head and pulling the trigger.  It's kind of emo and dramatic if he were really going to kill himself over the search for love.

He is obviously upset and aiming the gun at the happy images of unfulfilled dreams being displayed.  Sometimes, memories or dreams are so painful that you wish to erase them.  Then he points the gun at the mirror, which reflects that he is pointing the gun at himself.  It's an unnecessarily graphic way of saying these feelings are killing him.

OR you could just go with the literal version - the mirror literally reflects that he wants to die, because the mirror image nods to him, then he pulls the trigger...

I don't support this image.   :(  Of course, there is the argument that art is art and it's up to you to interpret it.  You can't always coddle everyone with PG images.  So maybe the mirror is reflecting the happy person he could have been and he feels he will never be happy again and just wants to destroy that part of himself so he won't hurt anymore.  How's that for a run-on sentence?

I can relate to the feeling of not wanting to hurt anymore and wishing I couldn't feel anymore.  I can relate to the feeling of something being just beyond my reach, and can relate to feeling like I'm desperately trying to break through a thick wall.  So I guess I'm satisfied with the symbolism, but I feel like they crammed to much stuff in (all the knickknacks).

THE END

Maybe this is getting embarrassingly long, but I just wanted to mention it's my first time studying B.A.P and I like this song.  It has a lot of momentum and almost a frantic feel which dragged me along and dropped me into an emo rock session.  YAY!  I especially like that the song doesn't stay the same throughout and I think the guys performed it very nicely.  I will be looking into B.A.P because of this.