Thread by @cea_burn, Thread about King Gnu’s Doron MV & how AWESOME it is [...]

Thread about King Gnu’s Doron MV

& how AWESOME it is at conveying the song’s message (from someone w/ experience in set design!)

I decided to make this thread to celebrate 6 months since the MV release (as of yesterday)!

I’m a huge fan of the director Osrin (from PERIMETRON). I hope this sheds light on the excellent visual work he & co-director Margt did for Doron!

LET’S GO

1st shot - Close-up of a man’s eye. This MV is about perception. The eye looks & tries to see.

Camera pulls back to reveal the man wearing head gear that's restricting. His other eye peers through a glass that magnifies.

How does this affect his vision?
What does he see?

Title card - Doron. The word is meant to imitate the sound of disappearing or slipping away unnoticed.

The text looks like a white, disjointed collage of something against a black background. It's choppy & a bit unclear, which fits the MV’s theme of the attempt to see clearly.

But why is the title the sound of disappearing?

Trivia: Doron is actually a theme song for the film Stolen Identity 2, a murder mystery thriller centered on social media & smartphones.

So, in the age of social media, what disappears??

We see a camera monitoring the band. A watchman is entertained as he watches them on a TV.

Privacy is harder to preserve. Information on our behavior being monitored. Unexpected surveillance of our actions.

Throughout the MV, there are glimpses of a spectacular mural in the background - a gritty & slightly creepy mixed media artwork.

If you look closely, aside from eyes, mouths, & people, you can see phrases like “what are you watching” or “if you see something, say something”.

But aside from the imagery & design & cinematography & meaning of everything

Let’s appreciate
tHE FASHION

King Gnu looking SO GOOD here!!

(& their outfits fit the color scheme

)

But aside from the imagery & design & cinematography & meaning of everythingLet’s appreciatetHE FASHIONKing Gnu looking SO GOOD here!! (& their outfits fit the color scheme )

I love this shot! Daiki Tsuneta looks so cool.

Note: Not all their head gear are the same. The guy in the middle only has one eye magnified. Others have both eyes magnified. Does this make them “more blinded”?

The 2nd guy even has headphones. He tries to see, but never listens?

The 5 in head gear may be us trying to interpret the world thru social media, but at the same time suppressing each other w/ extreme scrutiny of all words & actions.

The props & costume design are

! They're perfect for the concept. Cool & creepy in a good way. It works!!

The 5 in head gear may be us trying to interpret the world thru social media, but at the same time suppressing each other w/ extreme scrutiny of all words & actions.The props & costume design are ! They're perfect for the concept. Cool & creepy in a good way. It works!!

This scene shows how we always analyze & judge. The world has become harsh in its extreme focus on every word & action.

Lyrics:
"There's no guardrail on the path of life
If you mishandle, you slide off the track
Falling straight into darkness,
You’ll be treated like a freak"

This scene shows how we always analyze & judge. The world has become harsh in its extreme focus on every word & action. Lyrics:"There's no guardrail on the path of lifeIf you mishandle, you slide off the track Falling straight into darkness,You’ll be treated like a freak"

MV director Osrin has said that the theme is “the line of sight of the blind ... The masses, while blind, try to ascertain what's good or evil, whether to support or reject.”

Seeing so much that we are blinded - the animation of the eyes fits with this.

Now, the set! A dark, cramped basement, like how the world often feels to us. The lyrics talk about "being crushed by a messy room".

Dull faded flooring, random stuff laying around, harsh fluorescent light. A messy & worn-out reality.

The flowers behind main head gear guy- is it actual beauty & truth? The roses he carries- a search for love in a harsh, fabricated world?

Lyrics:
“I can’t just let things be black or white
Nobody makes anything clear, right?
What are we holding onto?
What are we desperate for?”

Then, cult imagery. The 5 seem to be part of a cult of extreme criticism. They come together, stuck in their head gear/mindset of "seeing everything close-up" (social media in a nutshell).

We see a religious-looking painting. Magnified eyes & hands reaching out to each other.

A news clipping appears, showing events in Japan’s history - the Sada Abe murder case (1936), the Hanshin education case (1948), Japan’s invasion of China (1937-1945).

These are all events that were distorted in the eyes of the public. Magnified controversy = the death of truth.

Amidst brief flashes of the news, the word POP appears for a split second.

Pop culture (or popular culture) magnifies specific things we see in the world. Things we like. Things we're used to.

So does pop blind us even more?

Or can it be a chance to help us see clearly?

Amidst brief flashes of the news, the word POP appears for a split second. Pop culture (or popular culture) magnifies specific things we see in the world. Things we like. Things we're used to.So does pop blind us even more? Or can it be a chance to help us see clearly?

Now to the climax of the MV. Main head gear guy throws his roses down. Has he given up on seeking love in this false world?

Mouths screaming.

A god creature (gnu??) whom the head gear cult probably worship, shines light from its eye.

The large eye closes.

Guy tries to remove head gear. He wants to see everything (the flowers?) w/ his own eyes. His companions stop him.

Lyrics:
“Where are the people standing at my side?
Even today, we’re licking each other’s wounds,
Covering the truth with a mask
To protect the place we belong”

We're encouraged to stay in our comfort zones. See the man who tries to escape being laughed at by the watchman.

Is he the media? Or a person in power who manipulates information?? Either way, his surveillance represents a world of control that increasingly lacks privacy.

Look at the cool effect where the band’s motions lag behind & appear multiplied! It adds to the overwhelming feeling of trying to keep up w/ the world.

Lyrics:
“Even if I’ll be buried without realizing,
I can never withdraw.
I can’t!”

(Iguchi screams the last line over & over!)

Last shot - a gritty, detailed mixed media set design!! My eyes are popping

Are the 4 members immortalized in a pop music grave?? They're surrounded by flowers. If ‘Doron’ is to disappear, then is modern pop dead? Is it futile to search for meaning within pop culture?

Last shot - a gritty, detailed mixed media set design!! My eyes are popping Are the 4 members immortalized in a pop music grave?? They're surrounded by flowers. If ‘Doron’ is to disappear, then is modern pop dead? Is it futile to search for meaning within pop culture?

Pop music & pop culture are a big part of how we see things & cope. They can either contribute to or counter the growing "blindness" in society.

Note: This is King Gnu's last MV from the CEREMONY album, which has been hailed as their induction into J-pop.

What will come after?

I love King Gnu & whatever comes next, I'll be waiting.

End of thread! It’s probably the most research I’ve done for an MV. That’s how brilliant & creative it is. Good job, PERIMETRON

English lyrics by @jbtw_me_you

Please stream Doron !!!

Extra thoughts:
When I feel like talking about King Gnu
No one can hold me back

my mind explodes every time this MV ends even if I’ve watced it so many times!

the last moments

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