Bvndit debuted in 2019 under the small company MNH Entertainment who happens to also manage Chung-ha. In just 2 years, this girl group already has 6 MVs under their name and has dabbled in a variety of genres and concepts. The MV for “Jungle” focuses on a “strong and independent” theme by using luxurious outfits, adorned backgrounds, and striking architecture. The MV stays consistent with their imagery while also providing a decent dance routine creating an overall entertaining MV.
The MV does not contain a plot and instead focuses on “girl crush” imagery to emphasize the concept of leadership and power. Although there is obvious “jungle” symbolism, the MV also tries not to be too on the nose by combining this with powerful images of the members. For example, both Yiyeon and Simyeong are dressed in embellished outfits with sparkling jewelry and set against tall architecture. Yiyeon is dressed in a white beaded dress against a beige Victorian building. While Simyeong is dressed in a dark embroidered dress and set against a lit skyscraper. The comparisons to the architecture give them a sense of power while also falling into the “girl crush” with their emphasis on aesthetics.
Similarly, Seungeun sits with a red blouse and is heavily adorned with sparkling jewelry and even has a crown. She sits in what looks like a press conference which is often used to show that the character is the center of attention and has something to say. Again, it creates an assertive image pointing to the character’s confidence.
Along with this, the MV does sprinkle through jungle related images with their green outfits, a variety of plants in the backgrounds, and shots of green light. The members are even sometimes set against blooming flowers which symbolizes their growth. The lyrics to the song’s main tagline is “I am the queen in the jungle.” The jungle is full of deadly creatures and dangerous plants so anyone that can rule it is obviously someone with strength. This helps support the strong and independent theme that runs throughout the MV.
The dance routine is elaborate and set in three different stages: a theatre stage, a lit stage, and a forest. With the theatre and lit stage, the ladies switch out from red sheer outfits and white beaded outfits. Sometimes they bring in back-up dancers in sleek black outfits to give them a fuller-looking stage and to help contrast their moves. The third stage is set against an open field with a forest in the background. While a forest is a bit different than a jungle, the natural stage helps bring in more nature to the MV. The song builds up to a dance break that pans back to the forest with pink fog as Yiyeon leads the first part. The other members take their turns and its easily the most entertaining part for both the song and MV.
The lyrics of the song do not delve too deep but speak about originality and feeling confident. The “I am the queen of the jungle” tag is repeated throughout the song which is typically followed by the main beat. The members all have a consistent and similar tone throughout the song. Even without a big high note, the song does build up to a climax using an addictive beat for the dance break that was previously mentioned. The husky voices of the members go well with the message of the song which is promoting an assertive and confident message:
In the midst of the restless people here (yeah yeah)
I don’t want to look the same (kill it)
I don’t like it
Baby boom-boom-boom even if you dance after me (yeah yeah)
You can’t shine more than me
Bvndit’s Jungle is a decent song with a decent MV. While their concept is fairly common, they bring in their own individual touches to keep it from being boring. The biggest criticism is that Songhee and Jungwoo tend to blend into the background and did not get any striking scenes as the others did to help them stand out. Since it does not seem like Bvndit is stuck on any concept or genre, it will be interesting to see what else they will come up with next.
(Youtube. Lyrics via Genius. Image via MNH Entertainment.)
