MYNAME Says Hello and Goodbye

You may or may not remember MYNAME. They were one of the dozens of groups that debuted last year, with a flashy concept and debut song called “Message.” Like 99% of the groups that debuted last year, MYNAME soon faded from memory, but they’ve come back to remind you of their existence.

The music video for their title song, “Hello and Goodbye,” stars the leader of the group, Gunwoo, and actress Son Eun-seo. First taking place at a club, Gunwoo seemingly gets inducted into a gang before spotting Eun-seo. They soon begin to openly flirt, catching the attention of the mafia boss, who does not approve. Gunwoo is lured into a trap, bearing flowers obviously meant for Eun-seo but instead finding her held hostage by gang members that clearly mean to kill him. Luckily, Gunwoo manages to defeat most of the gang members with ease, amidst classical no less, but Eunseo is shot by the boss. Gunwoo holds her, too manly and caught up in his grief to even notice getting shot by the boss, and then the MV ends with Gunwoo leaning up against his car.

The music video is dramatic in the extreme and the song doesn’t even seem to fit it. The lively and upbeat song contradicts with the heavy, bloody MV, sounding much more like something you’d see in a lighthearted breakup music video and not one about violence and death. Nothing about the cheerful music hints at the bloodshed to come in the way the cuts to a bloody Gunwoo at the beginning do. Aside from the actual song, the music during the fight scene was also ill-fitting. Like the title song, it’s uncomfortably lighthearted and doesn’t even build up suspense. The music seems better suited to ballet than a violent fight scene, and the lack of crescendos and variations in the sound also off-putting. You’d expect the music to become more dramatic when the girl got shot but no. It sounds pretty and calming before rushing right back into the title track.

Besides the music, a few other things personally bugged me in the MV: how Gunwoo easily overpowers multiple guys — completely unrealistic – and then doesn’t even notice his gunshot wound. He’s obviously too much of a man to notice getting shot. But instead of getting macho vibes from Gunwoo in this MV, I was a little creeped out by him. Maybe it’s the hair or perhaps it’s his unblinking stare, but Gunwoo looked creepy. And for a guy that looked creepy, there was far too much of him in the MV. The other members didn’t even get a part in the storyline and even their cut scenes didn’t feel as numerous as Gunwoo’s. And his eyebrows were green. Why were they green?

The music video wasn’t all bad. The cinematography was lovely, doing a wonderful job of capturing the choreography and also adding to the characterization. The many different angles and cuts perfectly captured Eunseo’s flirtiness and interest in Gunwoo while also emphasizing Gunwoo’s creepiness. I can’t decide if he’s more like Severus Snape or Edward Scissorhands but I don’t like him either way. I actually did like the choreography though. It looks more difficult than typical K-pop choreography, especially with all the members doing hand-stands.

There isn’t any intellectual or emotional value to be garnered from this MV, despite it having a storyline. It teaches nothing and is far too boring, overdramatic, and ridiculous to be truly provoking. The performance varies – Gunwoo’s stiff and emotionless during his acting scenes but the boys delivered the song nicely during the singind and dancing scenes. The plot could’ve been much better – less drawn out and more straight to the point. This MV feels longer than it actually is.

All in all, MYNAME’s comeback MV was mediocre and disappointing. It has its good points, them being choreography and cinematography, but the plot and melodrama drags this MV down. In the end, I’m giving MYNAME’s music video for “Hello and Goodbye” a 3/5.