Spring Day (BTS) MV Analysis
BTS - Spring Day (2017) MV
Due to the ever-increasing popularity of BTS and the ambiguities of this conceptually-layered cinematic music video, there exists multiple competing strands of 'theories' attempting to decipher Spring Day. Here I will be giving a brief synopsis of what I believe is the most direct interpretation given the socio-historical context — which, in a nutshell, is a tribute to the victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry incident and a corresponding critique of Korean society, by combining BTS's overarching fictional universe with thematic-conceptual references to Ursula K. Le Guine's The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas (1973) and Bong Joon-Ho's Snowpiercer (2014).
BTS 'Spring Day' Context Introduction
The Sewol sank because of greed.
Corrupt regulators, bought off by fancy dinners and travel, allowed the unsafe ship to sail. Had inspectors taken the time to board the vessel, it would have been hard to miss how grossly overburdened it was.
The cheating at every level created a perfect storm. When the Sewol made a sharp turn while fighting a strong current, the badly balanced ferry began to keel over. The poorly secured cargo started sliding across the decks, forcing the ferry further onto its side. The ship soon capsized. More than 300 people were killed. Only 172 passengers made it off alive.
The disaster enraged, and traumatized, the nation. The country’s leaders vowed to write new laws and rules to improve safety at sea, and to do battle with the culture of corruption that courses through the country’s companies and safety agencies.“I will make sure that all this sacrifice was not for nothing by removing the layer after layer of corruption that has accumulated over the years, and by making South Korea a safe country,” vowed the president at the time, Park Geun-hye.
— Choe Sang-Hun, for The New York Times (June 2019)
Furthermore, the aspect of this incident that BTS seemed to focus on is the fact that it was largely preventable; the hundreds of trapped students were actually instructed to "stay put and wait for instructions" while the ferry was sinking. Due to overall societal and parental expectations for students to follow orders and not to question the status quo (some parents recall reinforcing this expectation while on the phone with their panicking students for the last time), most students listened and perished inside the ship while the captain and most of the crew escaped.
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas (1973) by Ursula K. Le Guine
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is a 1973 short philosophical fiction by prominent American science fiction author Ursula K. Le Guine. The short story is categorized as Postmodern for its distinct use of an unreliable narrator and lack of chronological sequence or plotline. In this seemingly utopian world called Omelas, the reader is introduced to an alternate political structure free of government and conflict, a serene city where happy citizens engage in pleasant cultural activities all year long. At one point the unreliable narrator decides that the world they describe may sound too good to be true, and thus reveals one final detail of the city: all the happiness and splendor of Omelas depends on the perpetual agony and isolation of one imprisoned child.
"None of my fantasy works focus on superheroes. Even if a wizard appears, they are portrayed as someone who makes mistakes and goes through hardships just like ordinary people. I want my fantasy work to be as realistic as possible, because the reality itself is already fantasy." [emphasis added]
- Ursula K. Le Guine
Snowpiercer (2013) dir. Bong Joon-ho
Snowpiercer is a 2013 science fiction action film directed by Bong Joon-ho, starring Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, and Jamie Bell. The dystopian film takes place on the Snowpiercer train, which carries the last remnants of humanity after attempts at climate engineering resulted in a frozen Earth. The train's sections from the front to the tail effectively divide the remnant by upper, middle and lower classes respectively, with elite passengers living in luxury and the underprivileged contained in squalid conditions at the back. The film centers around tail passenger Curtis Everett (Chris Evans) who leads a gruesome revolt against their oppressors at the front of the train, where they discover many secrets hidden from them for decades.
BTS Fictional Universe
The BTS Universe, also known as the "HYYH Series" is a philosophical sci-fi drama storyline that first appeared in the music video 'I NEED U' in 2015 and continues throughout 'Run' (2015), 'Blood, Sweat and Tears' (2016) and 'FAKE LOVE' (2018), and more. The tragic narrative centers around Jin (Kim Seokjin of BTS), the time-travelling protagonist who makes multiple attempts to 'fix' a tragic series of events (arguably started by him) that led to several of his friends' deaths. Jin first discovers the mysterious Smeraldo flower in the dropped notebook of a girl that he meets at a train crossing one day, and buys her the flowers for their date. However, the girl gets hit by a car and dies while crossing the road in front of Jin. Jin realizes he has gained the power to travel back in time. This begins his lonely battle to reverse the string of tragedies that were soon to come; this story line is present in a parallel manner in 'Spring Day'. The following is a breakdown of the BTS universe fictional characters (featuring the members with their real and stage names):
Min Yoongi (Suga of BTS) is a suicidal character who experienced the trauma of loss by fire. He is thematically tied to the piano, which he used to play with his mother before she passed away in a house fire. He is close with Jungkook, who tries to save him from perishing in a self-inflicted fire without success.
Kim Namjoon (RM of BTS) is a delinquent who is in a way the opposite of Jin; he tends to stay out of others' messy situations, even if they involve the friends he cares for. He comes to bear the consequence of his nature when he is forced to miss a fateful call for help from his friend Taehyung.
Jung Hoseok (J-Hope of BTS) was abandoned by his mother at an amusement park as a child. That trauma, along with life in an orphanage led to an array of mental health struggles, and he was eventually diagnosed with Munchausen Syndrome (a disorder involving feigning of physical and mental illness for attention, sympathy or reassurance). He is thematically associated with medication and candy bars (his mother's last gift), and is close to hospital mate Park Jimin.
Park Jimin (Jimin of BTS) battles severe depression, and is frequently hospitalized alongside Hoseok. He is thematically associated with water, in which he tries to drown himself without success.
Kim Taehyung (V of BTS) lost his mother at a young age and endures life with his sister at the hands of their abusive father. He befriends Namjoon and go on vandalizing adventures as a way of escapism. One day he comes home to witness his sister being abused and ends up killing his father with a broken beer bottle.
Jeon Jungkook (Jungkook of BTS) is the youngest member of the group and wants his 'hyungs' (older brothers) to be happy. He has a strong bond with Suga, but failed to save him from the fire and attempts or commits suicide in the MV for 'Euphoria' (2018). In the BTS universe timeline, he is tragically 'fated' to die in a car crash, which Jin tries to prevent via time travelling but ends up finding himself driving the car that runs in to Jungkook.
In early 2019, an official webtoon named after BTS's song 'SAVE ME' was created to bring together the original storyline from start to end.
MV Walkthrough & Analysis
The connection of the above cinematic & literary works together with the Sewol incident is a creative feat. Visually, the two works provide the major settings throughout the music video: a speeding winter train and a strange hostel named Omelas. The thematic similarities in the two references come together as a silent argument in Spring Day: that the Sewol incident was a preventable tragedy that exposed the corruption of those in power and inhumane negligence of those without.. and it will never be forgotten.
The following is a walk-through of the Spring Day music video with stills of major scenes. Technical, visual, conceptual and contextual elements will be touched on with a focus on special 'clues' that gave birth to this overarching theory in the beginning. Additionally, brief references will be made to the overarching BTS universe.
The MV opens to a cinematic 21:9 screen with Taehyung (V of BTS) alone at a fictional train station in the middle of winter. This sets the stage for the 'Snowpiercer' train that was to come, but simultaneously relates to his fictional arc as a newly-convicted criminal who wants to atone for killing his father. In relation to Sewol, Taehyung represents 'survivor's guilt' as he longs to join his friends in the afterlife.
Jimin is portrayed looking out to an open sea alone. Beside his thematic association with water and depression, his scenes arguably relate most directly to the Sewol tragedy as longing for someone who is lost at sea.
Namjoon (RM of BTS) introduces us to an empty train cabin filled with luggage. The train luggage represents the students who went on the ferry trip with their belongings but never came back. Namjoon represents the protagonist in Snowpiercer, who leads us toward the front of the train and discovers the problematic world to wrestle with.
Namjoon takes us outside to a hostel called Omelas. The second literary reference is established as a bright but small and artificial realm with 'no vacancy'.
Namjoon reaches the middle of the cabin and opens the door to what appears to be a fun birthday scene. But as his expression shows in this reaction shot, all is not what it seems.
Namjoon is portrayed as the birthday boy, bracing himself for the slow-motion bombardment of exited friends and flying party favors. This seemingly 'fun' scene is actually mirroring one from Snowpiercer, when the protagonist reaches the middle of the train and is attacked by those who do not want the rebels to pass through. An artfully subtle take on referencing the film by way of a contrastingly 'happy' analogy.
Jin's scene stands out in its artful spiraling composition and faded, almost sepia colour scheme that contrasts with the overall bright or otherwise brightly-coloured music video. The other members are energetically climbing up and playfully looking back down at Jin, who stands still and looks up longingly. In light of Sewol, Jin at the bottom of the staircase can be interpreted as someone lost in the bottom of the sea, or his friends as those who are ascending to a better place leaving him in the mortal realm alone.
Jin's fictional universe character (who tries to photograph and record every moment with his friends) is referenced by this close-up shot of framing a photo with his hands.
Jungkook is now portrayed alone in front of a battered merry-go-round (with the sign 'YOU NEVER WALK ALONE', the title of their then-current album). As Jungkook is the youngest member of the group in real life, he is associated with youth and innocence. In dream symbolism, the carousel represents the desire to return to childhood or a happier and more innocent time. Here, Jungkook is seen to represent all the lost hopes and dreams of the youth in trapped in Sewol.
Next is a focus on the BTS-Omelas world, as represented by the three members in relatively colourful outfits.
The members are together and having fun, but there appears to be a lingering emptiness in their everyday lives. By way of light and colour treatment, a sense of artificiality or falseness is created, echoing that of the city of Omelas.
The falsely happy scenes cut to a brief medium close-up shot of Taehyung and Jin who take off their sweaters while positioned in front of sconce lights that resemble halos. A strong reference is made to the BTS universe, where Jin (the time traveler) and Taehyung (the murderer) are shown to have a complicated good/evil relationship — at one point (in Blood, Sweat & Tears) with Taehyung becoming a 'fallen angel' who makes a deal and trades places with Jin.
A succession of 'portrait' shots feature the group in decreasing states of happiness, staring blankly at the remaining sparks of their unsatisfying party.
As the flames burn out along with the members, Jungkook becomes the center. Here another strong reference is made to BTS universe, where Jungkook the youngest helplessly watches as he loses his beloved hyungs one by one.
A reference is made to the 'Little Match Girl', where Jungkook reignites his match and his hyungs reappear behind him. However, it is an illusion as they (and he himself) are already gone.
We return to the sea, where Jimin picks up a pair of shoes washed up from shore — a symbolic reference for finding the remaining traces of those lost at sea. Jimin then proceeds to bring the shoes to the laundry room at Omelas.
Arguably one of the most powerful symbolic scenes from multiple strands of theories is this scene from Jin's perspective, a Dutch angle/tilt shot of washing machines in operation with the sticker label: 'Don't Forget'. One begins to wonder if the laundry machines in operation are in fact symbolic portals, representing the sea that tossed around the Sewol victims.
Then, this fascinating Dutch tilt shot turns around, as if the washing machine stares back at Jin with a silent question: what will you do about this?
This next scene seems to support the above significance of the washing machine. A faint light shines on what appears to be a looming mountain of clothes, on which Suga delivers his rap segment.
The clothes likely represent all those who passed away in Sewol. Suga makes himself comfortable in this dark tomb-like mountain — perhaps a reference to his own early death in the alternate universe.
Wintery shots of the 'Snowpiercer' train bring us back to Jungkook's mini-arc in this story.
Jungkook (in another dimension) wakes up at night and frantically runs through the train, in search of his hyungs.
He runs through all the places his hyungs had been, now empty.
The scene of the boys together then zoom out in to the clothing monument, this time outside as an actual mountain in the clouds on a 'spring day'.
The Sewol tragedy is finally brought out in to the light, no longer hidden by lies and injustice.
The cut to this rather cinematic 'Snowpiercer' shot seems to suggest that the injustices of the world live on.
Back on the train, alternate/original Jungkook wakes up to a beautiful new day, surrounded by his hyungs. The train ride is over.
In a stunning establishing shot, the 'survivors' exit and traverse the semi-frozen new world.
The group, led by Jimin, takes them to a single barren tree — a symbol of life.
Jimin has the shoes from the ocean. He holds them as precious objects and looks deep in to the viewer's eyes, as if to repeat the question: what will you do about this? The shoes are then hung on the tree by their shoelaces — a symbol of passing, and walking closer to heaven.
The MV ends with the group of friends around the tree, witnessing the dawning of a new day. The cold nights of loneliness and grief have passed, and the lost have finally found a resting place.
Conclusion
All in all, I found the MV for BTS' 'Spring Day' to be a music video masterpiece, due to its intricate social and conceptual meaning and artistry in its vibrant cinematography. BTS has since brought forth many more socially impactful works (such as their #LOVE MYSELF campaign partnering with UNICEF) and spread their wings towards the top of the world. My hope is that they will continue to stay true to their genuine roots and shine as advocates of the power of human authenticity, friendship and selfless love.
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