T-ARA Day by Day MV Reivew

If  you were to ask me to list down my favorite girl groups, T-ara wouldn't be one of them. There's nothing wrong with T-ara; they're just one of those groups I never really invested time in getting to know. I've heard their hit songs like Roly Poly, Bo Peep Bo Peep,Lovey Dovey, and Why Are You Being Like this, which was the only song I really liked. To me, they gave off a retro, disco vibe especially with their distinct hand motions perfect for line dancing. Plus, even I have heard of their notorious member changes and incredibly long music videos. However; the T-ara I saw in Day by Day was nothing like their colorful counterparts. Rather what we had was something new, and I liked it enough to review it.


First of all, it wouldn't be a T-ara music video if it didn't exceed at least 10 minutes; this one was a total of 15. I'm the kind of person that would wait no more than 30 seconds before I skip right to the middle, but I found myself watching the whole thing. The music video begins with a narrative in Korean introducing to us to a post-apocalyptic, dystopian metropolis. A fiery red headed Hyomin and the latest T-ara member, Dani,  ride into the scene as a sisters. Fending for themselves, Hyomin as elder sister, guides her blind sister (who also happens to have super powers) by teaching her how to hunt. This of course reminds me immediately of Katniss Everdeen and her sister Prim. Hey, I blame recent pop culture for teaching me to identify bows and arrows, and side braids with the Hunger Games.

And as much as I love bunnies (they're my favorite animals) I found it quite random to have a bunny hopping about. Regardless of the random bunny, Jiyeon shows off her superior acting skills as a cruel, intimidating mobster-lady with her team of minions hunting down Dani. So, it was only a matter of time until Jiyeon zoomed in with her pink convertible and kidnap Dani like a boss, but not without attempting to kill Hyomin. Eventually, Hyomin is saved, brought to life by two mysterious dudes who tie her up in a tangle of AED's (the wire patch thingies). In short, Jiyeon is ready for her world takeover and Hyomin is healed, hyped and ready to fight. And so the music video ends there a vague "to be continued" packed with a preview for the next box office movie, ending credits and behind the scenes footage. All that's missing is the popcorn!


I think what made this music video stand out in comparison to Lovey Dovey and Roly Poly was the story line. This wasn't a light-hearted drama, it was like a kick-ass action-packed movie! I can't help but love Jiyeon's character, but there's something very appealing about an evil, female antagonist and she plays this role so well! Overall, the plot line didn't drag, rather it kept you on your toes, the characters were interesting, the cinematography and special effects were top of the line and best of all,  it didn't interrupt the song! (Too much)


 My evaluation: it was a good music video with a good song to boot. Day by day is a midtempo song with guitar and flute-like instrumentals combined a strong rap. I wouldn't call it catchy persay but it does have this mysterious, etheral feel, and this darker feel enhances the music video. It was quite a departure from their old songs, but it was their combination of vocals and that light melody that allows it to be still called a T-ara song. I liked Day by day not only because it was more of my style, but it also showed a different side of T-ara both musically and conceptually that I thought was refreshing leaving me with a better impression of T-ara. I may just check out Roly Poly again...


By the way, just in case your wondering, I'm pretty sure the bunny lives.

-A


*All credits including pictures and videos belong to their rightful owners*

Translated English Narrative for Day By Day

“Humans wanted to wear the clothes of Gods.
They wanted to talk like Gods and reign like Gods.
However, the Gods did not permit such thoughts of the humans.
In the destroyed world, humans became more like animals than animals themselves.
Picking up knives in attempts to reign over one another, they started to slaughter one another.
But one day…
Rumors started spreading that among them was a girl who possessed special powers.” - T-ARA Day by Day MV

Here's the full music video

Here's the full song to get a good idea what is sounds like as a whole.