In the past, Chuu has explored fantastical concepts like friendly animated monsters that join her in an imaginary world. However, with her latest single, she uses differing techniques to convey complicated feelings regarding friendship. In the MV for “Only Cry in the Rain,” Chuu is a friend returning from college to her hometown to see her best friends. While the reunion should be jovial, it is clouded by bittersweet emotions towards her friends. Through subtle hints, symbolism, and the lyrics of the song, “Only Cry in the Rain” tells a conflicting story about the loss of friendship.
On the surface, the MV is about a group of friends reuniting; however, through the technique of subtle layers within the storytelling, a deeper meaning is revealed. Chuu plays a student who left for college and is meeting up with her best friends upon her return. She is close with the female friend, versus the male friend who joined their group later. There are scenes of Chuu studying with her female friend, and another where the male friend burns college acceptance letters. It was clear one was more supportive of Chuu’s goals, while the other was more reluctant to let her go. Despite that, through other scenes, like when Chuu brings him an ice pop, we know she cared for them both. Throughout the characters’ interactions, the viewer must pay attention to the small details to put together the context.
In general, Chuu is much closer and less gated with her female friend. While the male character smiles at times, in other scenes he appears moody and out of place. Sometimes, we do not even see his face in a scene, but his blurred profile in the background or just parts of his body, like his hand. However, the scenes with Chuu’s female friend are much more lively and emotional. When Chuu is crying in the rain, her female friend is the only one who runs to comfort her. It is not until we put together all the details that the viewer would come to understand why Chuu is closer to her female friend than her male friend.
The animation towards the end of the MV adds another layer to Chuu’s personal feelings about her friends. In the cartoon, all three friends are riding on bikes; however, only two ride off, while the center one is left behind. Chuu’s is represented by the middle character, who symbolically sprouts wings to fly away. As such, this scene conveys that her friends kept on the same path together, while she went on a completely different trajectory.
The lyrics of the song give us additional insights into the MV. The “cuckoo” mentioned in the pre-chorus of the song is that of a clock that chimes at the hour. This is to convey that the voice of the song is constantly thinking of that pain every day. Additionally, the voice only mentions one friend, and someone to whom they were previously close. To “cry in the rain” is a way to hide one’s tears, and therefore, they do not want anyone to know what they are feeling. In the MV, we see that the female friend is the only one who notices Chuu in the rain scene as she is sobbing. This revelation, along with the animation, reveals that Chuu feels replaced by the male friend, which explains her growing sadness:
Days after days, we were overwhelmed with joy
More and more, we were hurt and sad
We were in a world for two
‘Cause you-ooh-ooh, you-ooh-ooh, youWhen it rains like this (Rains like this)
The cuckoo clock inside my heart
Cries softly, “cuckoo”
‘Cause I only cry in the rain.
“Only Cry in the Rain” tells a beautiful and tragic story about growing up and leaving your friends behind. Whereas before, she told a story of fantasy through the use of animation, for this MV, Chuu uses animation to explore her feelings of loss. Additionally, instead of being overt with its message, the MV uses hints and clues that are layered with the theme and lyrics of the song to tell this story. Chuu continues to evolve as a musical artist and tells a different story with each comeback. As she does, hopefully, she also continues to use different techniques for that storytelling that will continue to entice her fans.
