Unbreakable Tradition

We've been inundated with cheerful summer party music recently. As much as I love getting into the feel of the season it was awesome to find a video that really broke that mold. And a whole bunch of other ones as well....

So this week we're talking about Kim Hyun Joong's Unbreakable!

I’m no expert on traditional clothing or weaponry, so you’ll have to forgive the technical terms here, but let me know if you have the names or any info on what is being used.

Overall impression:

Ruby: So I know that this video was probably a bit of a surprising choice but I have such a weakness for anything even vaguely reminiscent of  traditional east Asian clothing - furisode, yukata, hakama, obi, hanbok (no surprise here…) - and I’m all over it. I’m also a sucker for the fighting arts and use of weaponry in the dance, so this video was a happy experience for me. Aside from that though, I also loved the way they played with the modern clothing in some cases to reflect their counterparts. It gives me the fashion tinglies.

 

Traditional swordsmen bring artistry in movement into the video

Those beautiful sleeve extensions highlight the dancers flips and tricks.

Matt: Mmhmm! This video is definitely loaded with cool visuals that combine to create a surprisingly strong and eclectic overall style. All of the visual and artistic components blend together in a really enjoyable mix of modern and historic culture to surprise and entertain audiences. A good example of the cultural complexity of the video can be seen when a dancer wearing a historical Korean mask underneath an urban-style bandana performs a modern martial-arts-inspired dance while simultaneously painting an aggressive dragon on the wall behind him in a style heavily reminiscent of ancient Eastern calligraphy.

 

the dragon beginning

Paint and dance and so many feeeeeeeeels

Other promotional Materials:

Ruby: What other promotional materials….. I mean he released some half naked photos to promote Round 3, his album. But really he hasn’t done much else to promote. Maybe Mattmatt can find some other videos I missed but I’m at a loss. He has recently been on a show called Barefoot Friends, which is quite fun. We found out all about his apartment. It has skulls and booze and designer clothes and that's about it. If that's not good pr I don't know what is.

NAKED TEASER TIME

barefoot friends. they take their jobs really really seriously.

Matt: Hahaha… agreed. On another note, I actually did manage to stumble across some other promotional material. Kim Hyun Joong recently uploaded one of his dance rehearsals to his official YouTube channel. The video brings the choreography to the spotlight, which is good considering that in the official music video, the more complex movements are drowned out by cut scenes to women in traditional dress, Hyun Joong stepping out of a flashy sports car, or the aforementioned dragon painting scene. His live SBS Inkigayo Comeback Stage can also be found online. Its visuals mirror the music video’s main scene, including elements such as the historic emblem cutout on the backdrop and the modern hoodies and gold chains that adorn the established singer and his talented backup dancers. Although it’s worth watching for the live vocals if nothing else, it doesn’t diverge from the fashion and visuals established in the music video.

stage performance featuring the same sports wear from the mv

Continuity:

Ruby: I guess this is where the video could have gone horrible no good very bad wrong, but it didn’t. I really think they made an effort to use the traditional and modern clothing in parallel. We have these harem pants paired with the idea of flowy skirts and hakama and the slit-side sweatshirts with the happi jackets. Even the hats and hoods with writing give the impression of the headbands and headwraps traditionally worn. Yeah, the button down and wife beater were not the best choices and ripping off ones shirt is not classy at any point in history… but I have a lot of respect for the people who coordinated this. I bet there was a lot of thought put into each outfit and I appreciate that a lot.

 

The beautiful traditional dress with extended sleeves

and the sweatshirt, split up the sides to reflect shapes of items like the happi coats.

Matt: Definitely. I don’t have much else to add, except for the fact that the contrast between black-and-white cinematography and color cinematography was also very well balanced. Mirroring the contrast between tradition and modern culture shown in the video, the color usage and overall videography was also very well thought out. A+ for continuity!

 

the black and white take contrast to a whole new level

Band’s Overall Image:

Ruby: So this is extremely consistent with Hyun Joong’s other big Korean single, Breakdown. And that's all fine and good, dark alley gangster dance clothes are fantastic. But lets be real. He spent the beginning of his career of the leader of the group SS501, who were the ultimate flower boy, sweet-heart boy band. I know he’s grown up a lot and I respect that, but I think for me he will always be the playa bartender who can’t pick up a chick to save his life.

Breakdown era KJH

DOUBLE S FIVE OH ONE, DOUBLE S...

Matt: Again, there’s not much to add here. The video is consistent with his solo work, but not so much with his pre-solo-debut material. That’s to be expected. As for his new image, I love it. This video may not look like the product of “the ultimate flower boy, sweet-heart boy band”, but it’s still darn good ^_^;

 

once upon a time, he was such a cutie pie.

Trends in K-POP:

Ruby: So this video is in some ways spot on with the trends. Fake tattoos, and sports wear are really peaking right now. Guys with six packs taking off their shirts has been in for a long time now. coughraincough…. not that I’m complaining. I guess I wish that playing more than alternative fashion was in. They did a nice job of keeping it accessible by staying with trend for one look and then pairing it with something off-trend and stylistically really interesting, like traditional clothing. Even the altered version of the traditional clothing that appear in the video are really refreshing.

 

Bi Rain in his famous shirt removal dance.

Exo wolf's sports wear

Matt: Yup. Fake tattoos are definitely appearing all over the place. Just take a look at Brown Eyed Girls’ new music video “Kill Bill”.

Fake tattoo from Brown Eyed Girls "Kill Bill"

lots of fake tats in this mv

Conclusion:

Ruby: The video really split down the middle of painfully predictable and really fresh and interesting. Using the rhythmic dance of the taiko drums in conjunction with the clothing and the modern song really was completely unexpected but immediately understandable. And for me that's the ultimate goal. I wish they’d committed to it fully rather than half-assing it. I appreciate that they made it accessible to more people but for me it took away from the cooler aspects of the video. I wish they’d gone further with their metaphors and references. 

 

this is really cool looking, very modern but not at odds. 

for me, outfits like this were really out of place

next to scenes like this.

Matt: Really fresh video. Really cool concept, and really great execution. Unlike Ruby, I don’t think it was half-assed at all. To me, the juxtaposition of the different elements (some of which were, admittedly, simpler than others) is what makes the video so captivating.

 

the traditional meets the new

with breakdancers in ribbon hats

and dudes in weird masks!

Daily Dose of Daebak:

Kim Hyun Joong... in the red light district..... *smirks* because there haven't been any prostitution scandals in kpop recently..... (too soon?)

Hi, there, horsey. The man on your back is terrifying ^_^   

Leave us some love in the comments please! If you want, tell us if you prefer the traditional or modern clothes!

This video was awesome. Like, I had so much fun screencapping it and I just couldn't pick. I love the aesthetic. seriously.

But seriously

wow.

See ya

Rachael AND MATT