K-Pop

NewJeans’ “Ditto” MV: was everything an illusion? References of school violence?

The MV for NewJeans’ “Ditto” may look simple, but there are a lot of complicated details. 

On December 19th, the pre-release track “Ditto” of girl group NewJeans was unveiled. With a catchy and addictive melody, the song quickly conquered Korean music charts, and has achieved a “Real-time All Kill” by landing on No.1 in all music platforms of the iChart system. 

“Ditto” (side A) MV – NewJeans
“Ditto” (side B) MV – NewJeans

Once again, NewJeans is drawing attention for their unique concept and MV. Created by the famous creative director Min Hee Jin, the 5 members of NewJeans look bright and fresh, yet still embody their characteristic Y2K elements. At the same time, they make the school concept their own by introducing a mystery theme and integrating various secret messages. 

newjeans ditto
Despite adopting the school concept, the “Ditto” MV takes on a dark palette

Both side A and side B of “Ditto” are illusions?

Upon the release of “Ditto”, a popular theory raised by fans is that NewJeans is nothing but an illusion of one girl. Painted in shades of ash gray, both versions of “Ditto” look gloomy despite its bright setting, and the only happy moments were recorded by a 6th character. In addition, the girl in the MV often wears a cold and lonely expression, while her classmates stare at her with perplexion. All of these lead to speculations that every footage of NewJeans filmed by her are only fragments of imagination. 

newjeans ditto
The classmates’ perplexed gaze
Park Ji-hoo
The main character of “Ditto” is always holding a filming camera 

Moreover, many people notice that NewJeans member Hanni may be a special character, for her actions somewhat differ from the remaining members. In particular, she was the only one to ignore the camera in side A, but was the only one to sit and stare at the camera in side B. It is therefore possible that Hanni provides a special connection between NewJeans and the 6th girl. 

There may be a lot of explanations behind “Ditto”. The first speculation is one often found in K-dramas, where the 6th girl can see ghosts and NewJeans are lingering souls inside the school. Regarding the 2nd speculation, many people believe that she imagined NewJeans, who create great memories due to loneliness. Whatever the case, it is undeniable that “Ditto” was unique and intriguing enough to raise curiosity, questions, and discussions among fans and the public alike. 

The mysterious deer and allude to a famous franchise

There are 2 scenes where “Ditto” main character faces a deer. As this animal represents unconditional love, naivety, and dedication, the main character is interpreted to be someone with similar traits, who are stuck in her memories or imagination. The fact that she always rewatches filmed footage helps to sooth her mind, but at the same time, she knows it’s high time to let go. 

Later on, as this character makes a new friend, she can finally let go of the film. Her tears were a farewell to the deer, and as the deer disappeared, the girl walked towards her new friend – and new reality. 

At the same time, the outfit and color palette of “Ditto” is extremely reminiscent of the Japanese franchise “Battle Royale”. Here, a group of students have to engage in a deadly survival battle, and the female lead was among the sole survivors. At the same time, the cinematography of “Ditto” also gives off the same aura as a somber horror movie. 

newjeans
The palette and uniform of “Ditto”…

References of school violence

School concepts in Kpop are often focused on the bright side. However, through “Ditto”, Min Hee Jin and New Jeans members prove that there can be dark sides as well. In particular, whether the main character imagined everything up, or was reminiscing her old memories, it is likely that she suffered from school bullying and isolation. 

newjeans
The main character of “Ditto” was always alone

In the end, the male character that looks after the main character seems to have become friends with her, providing a shiny ray of hope. 

newjeans
“Ditto” has achieved “Real-time All Kill” after 15 hours of release

Source: k14

Back to top button