Ampers&One are a fairly new group that debuted in 2023 with only four singles. The members come from failed competition shows, but were brought together under FNC Entertainment to form this seven-member group.
At first glance, you might think they have an obsession with cats. In their previous MV for “He + She = We,” their personas discover that cats are the secret to wooing a girl. They take that theme one step further by becoming the cats themselves in “Kick Start.” The eclectic-ness of the MV is occasionally overwhelming, but it makes for a memorable MV.
If you think humanoid cats working in a bungeo-ppang factory is in any way related to the song, then you would be dead wrong. The song itself is an encouraging hype song about going for your dreams. However, the MV has the members dressed up looking like serial killers with knitted ski masks and all-white coveralls. However, once you realize they are just cats working in a factory with their favorite treats, you can see the comedy of it all. It has nothing to do with the music, but everything to do with their fun personalities and not taking themselves too seriously.
The fellows do not just dress up as cats, they also engage in cat-like behavior. Even when they are not wearing the suits, they perch up on tables, pop balloons, and knock things over. One of the most bizarre scenes is when we get a POV through the mouth of a cat. The camera pans to all the members with the frame of a cat’s mouth, which takes the quirkyness to another level. This MV will keep you wondering what will come up next.
Probably the most out-of-place scene, due to its blandness, is the garage scene. The members are dancing in a garage with a black car in the background. They are also wearing racer jackets to fit in with the car scene, but it takes you out of the cat fantasy due to its trope-y look. In contrast, their other dance set is just the gray factory background, with the members wearing suits. Understandably, they wanted to keep things simple for the sake of showing off their choreography, but they could have incorporated their theme into these sequences for a more cohesive transition.
“Kick Start” is a fun and youthful song that is great for the spring season, plus a nice addition to Ampers&One’s growing discography. While the MV is on the weirder end with its concept, it certainly is eye-catching and memorable. Hopefully, the members will continue to be experimental with their concepts, while also not allowing wackiness to overshadow everything else.
(YouTube. Images via FNC Entertainment.)
