EXO Drama Music Video Episode 1:
So this is a fantastic trainwreck. Honestly, it looked okay at first, but the editing...the editing. Seriously, SM, I have no training in computer technology but I can edit video and music together much better than that. Ready to hire me yet?
Also, the plot is not very clear. While I don't usually mind that K-Pop videos have shoddy plot lines, SM actually spent some time and money (and the hype) on these videos. So why not invest in a good screenwriter?
One bright spot is Luhan's use of parkour (if that isn't really him, I will be mad because if they can afford a stunt double, they should be able to afford good editing...). But why hire so many other guys to be bad guys if you already have 12 members in EXO? And why doesn't Kris play a bigger part??? He is the fan favorite after all...
This also introduces Yoon Sohee, an actress under SM C&C who is 20 years old (5 days older than me!!!!). Her age also explains why SM's favorite son, Kai, isn't the main love interest - she's his noona! Not that it matters much after SHINee's "누난 너무 예뻐", but Luhan is older than her.
Korean Version
Play By Play;
The music video starts with Kris and Luhan bidding each other farewell inside an abandoned hallway. They seem close (and they're both otherworldly - werewolves, perhaps?), but we never are told their relationship. Brothers? Boyfriends? Best friends? Father/Son? All we know is Kris has a duffle bag and is leaving Luhan in the dust.
[Song: "Black Pearl"]
The next scene is of Luhan showing off his parkour moves on a random rooftop. Yoon Sohee (the actress in the video, who also plays the faceless girl in SHINee's "Why So Serious" and possibly "Dream Girl") also, randomly sits on the rooftop to look at the daytime moon through a telescope. Knowing how busy Korean students are, I am wondering when she got time to site see when she was wearing her uniform...
Anyway, Luhan gets chased by a bunch of masked guys who would have made for a more interesting plot if they had been made up of EXO members...but no, 12 guys isn't enough...you need 24... And why are they chasing him? Is it because he's a werewolf and they're out to kill him? Is it because he's got powers and they want to experiment on him? Does he have an outstanding bench warrant? Is it because he's just so pretty???
Sohee falls asleep on the roof (because Korean high school students have nothing better to do) and ends up leaving way into the night, all by her lonely self. The creepy lights flicker, and Luhan hides her while the bad guys run by. Then, Luhan vanishes into the night leaving Sohee astonished and alone...again...way to be a gentleman! Anyone feeling that the screenwriters were watching Twilight recently?
[Song: "Heart Attack"]
Luhan decides to enroll in the school that consists of the rest of EXO and Sohee (surprise!). But I doubt any self-respecting Korean high school would let their transfers start their day without their uniforms. The writing on his hoodie is a big no-no. But at least the classroom reminds me of my high school! Also, most of the schools I know of have girls and boys separated into separate classrooms, but I see more girls in the room, so it's a co-ed school?
Then Luhan and the guys bond over soccer and Luhan teaching the guys how to fight in an abandoned warehouse. (Which is ironic, seeing as Baekhyun and Tao are the martial artists here.)
[Song: 나비소녀 (Don't Go)]
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The 12 hot EXO guys walk Sohee home. I personally would have fainted long ago, but she acts cool. XD Anyway, as soon as she gets on the bus, the EXO members are confronted with the masked men who have beef with Luhan. While it looks like she sees the whole confrontation and gets off the bus immediately, it takes her forever to catch up to them... Obviously, the screenwriter has also never seen how fast young Seoulites can walk...
----
Epic fight time! Luhan goes all weird after getting hit a few times and literally sees red. His werewolf powers mayhaps? Then, he mistakes D.O. as an enemy (but in all fairness, D.O. shouldn't have gotten too close...) and throws him into a bunch of boxes. Luhan slowly snaps out of it and the rest of the members go running after their fallen comrade, all while giving Luhan dirty looks. And somehow this totally freaks out the masked guys into running away...?
Epic fight time! Luhan goes all weird after getting hit a few times and literally sees red. His werewolf powers mayhaps? Then, he mistakes D.O. as an enemy (but in all fairness, D.O. shouldn't have gotten too close...) and throws him into a bunch of boxes. Luhan slowly snaps out of it and the rest of the members go running after their fallen comrade, all while giving Luhan dirty looks. And somehow this totally freaks out the masked guys into running away...?
[Song: 늑대와 미녀 (Wolf)]
Finally, the slowest girl in Seoul, Sohee, shows up and the battle's over! (Either that or she spent the whole battle hiding in a closet...) EXO has carted off D.O., the masked men are mysterious gone, and Luhan is moping on the floor.
Now it is unknown how she knows what he did (did EXO tell her as they carried D.O. off or does my closet theory hold water?), but she's all emotional and demands: "Who are you? What are you?" (NOTE: whoever did the Chinese subbing on the Chinese version sucks at translating...)
EXO Drama Music Video Episode 2:
So I actually had higher hopes for this one...maybe time would make their editors better? But no...not really...
Kris finally shows up and the plot line is as vague and non-existent as ever. Honestly, it would have been better if it was a parody of sorts where you could match it up with an existing plot (like Twilight or some random Korean drama), but no, the screenwriters make you guess at their cruddy writing skills.
Finally, the slowest girl in Seoul, Sohee, shows up and the battle's over! (Either that or she spent the whole battle hiding in a closet...) EXO has carted off D.O., the masked men are mysterious gone, and Luhan is moping on the floor.
Now it is unknown how she knows what he did (did EXO tell her as they carried D.O. off or does my closet theory hold water?), but she's all emotional and demands: "Who are you? What are you?" (NOTE: whoever did the Chinese subbing on the Chinese version sucks at translating...)
EXO Drama Music Video Episode 2:
So I actually had higher hopes for this one...maybe time would make their editors better? But no...not really...
Kris finally shows up and the plot line is as vague and non-existent as ever. Honestly, it would have been better if it was a parody of sorts where you could match it up with an existing plot (like Twilight or some random Korean drama), but no, the screenwriters make you guess at their cruddy writing skills.
Korean Version
Play By Play:
Luhan is creeping on the EXO members who are visiting D.O. in the hospital. Sohee is along for the ride and is apparently the only who sees him. Seeing that he's been noticed, the still injured LuLu takes off.
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The EXO members leave the hospital and bade each other farewell and say good-bye to Sohee. Who is once again left alone in the middle of the night...right after they've all been attacked. I'm all for independence, but after a major fight like that, I'd want to keep someone around, especially if they were as gorgeous as EXO. Just another excuse to keep them around! ^^
Sohee notices Luhan and we see that he's actually pretty banged up. Probably some cracked ribs or bruising because he doubles over and collapses from the pain.
The next scene is of her caring for him at his place...which is like an abandoned warehouse or something. Honestly, how did she know where he lived? He wakes up like he doesn't realize she's there so it's not like he said "I live at Creepy Warehouse #5 on Chestnut Street." before passing out.
Anyway, she sees a photo of Kris and Luhan. Once again, bad editing takes over. If you didn't catch the change in light, she goes from staring at a picture of Kris and Luhan to suddenly bringing Luhan soup...
Kai, the ultimate creeper, is on the prowl for Sohee (I think, or he's just randomly wandering around) and is right at Luhan's front gate just as they are coming out. While he freaks out on Luhan, Sohee is once again left to walk home alone in the dark. With a creepy masked guy following her. Good going guys.
[Song: Baby Don't Cry (인어의 눈물)]
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The masked guys take Sohee captive and call Luhan to come and get her. Luhan takes off while the rest of EXO is chilling in D.O.'s hospital room.
----
Luhan confronts the masked guys alone. Sohee, instead of calling 911 (or in Korea's case, 119) spends her one chance to dial Kai. Luhan attacks the masked guys and gets his ass handed to him because they're hitting him with bats. Ouch. That really hurts.
Then EXO arrives, minus D.O., to save the day! They kick some butt (Tao and Kai in particular) and Luhan rushes to rescue the damsel in distress. However, remembering how she reacted to his use of his magic powers, he hesitates and gets clocked over the head. Double ouch.
Once again, that somehow scares off the bad guys...wait, what???? If they get scared by knocking someone unconscious but can totally take a fight, these are some seriously wacked out bad guys...
EXO runs over to Luhan and we see Kris show up unexpectedly at Luhan's place.
I don't know if the magical bond was Luhan's wedding vows to Kris or something, but the moment Sohee's tears hit his tattoo, he reverts back to a human form and Kris feels it and gets all angsty, smashing the photo of them. Kris looks pissed!!!
[Song: 으르렁 (Growl)]
Okay.... so that's it....
Either the writers are terrible at endings (which I would totally buy cause they did such a terrible job on the plot) or SM is setting the scene for a Part 3 that they won't tell us about for the next five years. Hopefully SM answers questions like:
The masked guys take Sohee captive and call Luhan to come and get her. Luhan takes off while the rest of EXO is chilling in D.O.'s hospital room.
----
Luhan confronts the masked guys alone. Sohee, instead of calling 911 (or in Korea's case, 119) spends her one chance to dial Kai. Luhan attacks the masked guys and gets his ass handed to him because they're hitting him with bats. Ouch. That really hurts.
Then EXO arrives, minus D.O., to save the day! They kick some butt (Tao and Kai in particular) and Luhan rushes to rescue the damsel in distress. However, remembering how she reacted to his use of his magic powers, he hesitates and gets clocked over the head. Double ouch.
Once again, that somehow scares off the bad guys...wait, what???? If they get scared by knocking someone unconscious but can totally take a fight, these are some seriously wacked out bad guys...
EXO runs over to Luhan and we see Kris show up unexpectedly at Luhan's place.
I don't know if the magical bond was Luhan's wedding vows to Kris or something, but the moment Sohee's tears hit his tattoo, he reverts back to a human form and Kris feels it and gets all angsty, smashing the photo of them. Kris looks pissed!!!
[Song: 으르렁 (Growl)]
Okay.... so that's it....
Either the writers are terrible at endings (which I would totally buy cause they did such a terrible job on the plot) or SM is setting the scene for a Part 3 that they won't tell us about for the next five years. Hopefully SM answers questions like:
- What are Luhan and Kris?
- Is it like Beauty and the Beast where true love breaks the curse/magic?
- Why is Kris so mad?
- Where did Kris go in the first place?
- Why are the masked guys after Luhan?
Overall, SM should remember what Lt. Cameron Mitchell said: "Never underestimate your audience. They're generally sensitive, intelligent people who respond positively to quality entertainment."
SM, EXO's genuine fans are sensitive and intelligent people and we respond positively to quality entertainment. If you're going to bait us with a drama version and then spend all kinds of money on it, at least spend a little more money and time on the plot and the editing.
Personally, since this seems to be taking the theme of wolves that is present in EXO's music and the school theme present in the album jacket. However, judging by both "늑대와 미녀 (Wolf)" and "으르렁 (Growl)"'s lyrics, they could have done a plot about two guys fighting over a girl (and could have saved themselves the money by doing away with the extra guys). "Wolf"'s lyrics are about a guy feeling drawn to a girl though he views himself as a monster while "Growl"'s lyrics indicate that the singer is telling another man to back away from his girl. Um, plot line right there!!!
SM, EXO's genuine fans are sensitive and intelligent people and we respond positively to quality entertainment. If you're going to bait us with a drama version and then spend all kinds of money on it, at least spend a little more money and time on the plot and the editing.
Personally, since this seems to be taking the theme of wolves that is present in EXO's music and the school theme present in the album jacket. However, judging by both "늑대와 미녀 (Wolf)" and "으르렁 (Growl)"'s lyrics, they could have done a plot about two guys fighting over a girl (and could have saved themselves the money by doing away with the extra guys). "Wolf"'s lyrics are about a guy feeling drawn to a girl though he views himself as a monster while "Growl"'s lyrics indicate that the singer is telling another man to back away from his girl. Um, plot line right there!!!
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