MV-K The Real Secret Behind AoA's success

[Kvothe]

There are a lot of secrets which people attribute to why AoA is popular the way they are right now..

One User in tumblr (mybiasisquiet) though created a huge story based on AoA's latest Comeback Heart Attack of the real truth behind how AoA really found success...

This actually includes true facts that AoA went through...

It might be quite a long read but as a true Elvis or a person trying to get into them, you would totally stan them after reading this..

 

Here is the music video...

^_^

 

AOA’s Heart Attack MV (Music Video Analysis)

The views presented in this analysis are a part of my own individual interpretation of the video, which means they are subject to error. Also take note that is post is done as a request for a group I don’t really follow. If I get their names mixed up or if I’m missing information that a fan would know, I apologize. Please be gracious with me. This post is based off of the video from the AOA’s Official Youtube channel, as well as one of the teaser videos. 

For the most part, the video’s narrative is straight-forward. There aren’t any abstract concepts. It’s about a girl’s lacrosse team shaping up and one of their members getting the attention of the guy she likes. The analysis I’m offering is a bit of an unconventional interpretation: Heart Attack as a commentary on the treatment of girl groups in the k-pop industry, as they compete against boys who are favored over them. The video chronicles how the AOA girls transform from bumbling rookies, flailing hopelessly against the boys against them, to a unified, competent team able to claim victory for themselves. 

 

 

The video begins with a lacrosse game: the members against a team of boys. They’re flailing helplessly. They obviously don’t really know what they’re doing. Though they’re wearing similar gray outfits, they don’t have anything resembling an actual uniform. Neither do they have proper safety gear, like elbow pads or helmets, unlike the boys’ team. This shows both a lack of professionalism and skill, but also a lack of unity. They are not given the same level of training or equipment given to their male counterparts. By virtue of the system, they are at a disadvantage–a situation that closely resembles the atmosphere of the kpop industry, which greatly favors boy groups. They are not given the same opportunities as the boys. And while the boys are gaining an unrealistic and excessive advantage (the score on the boys side increases exponentially without anyone actually there to move the numbers), the girls look incompetent. 

The â€œLeague of AOA’ itself is the metaphor for the kpop industry. We know from later in the video that these student all attend the same school, and yet they have two teams competing against each other in the same league? And a female team competing against a male team? This is not a situation that would actually happen within high school sports competition, but it is a situation common in kpop, as girl groups are compared to and pitted against boy groups. They’re in the same business, the same school, but it becomes a battle of the sexes. 

Athletics and performance are linked throughout the video, as seen in the dance setting of the video. The lights and basketball hoops are arranged according to aesthetic purposes rather than practicality, as backdrop for the girls’ dancing. 

Even in the second teaser, we see a sort of breaking of the fourth wall, as the teaser showcases the â€œfilming†of the video, with the girls posing and their fanboys going crazy behind them. These are the same boys from the music video. In this context, they are very much idols, and the boys are fans. While this doesn’t directly relate to the plot of the actual music video, this theme is still present.

Here we see the same fanboys from the teaser. Though this is a high school setting, they’re obviously not in high school. It makes more sense that they would represent a male fanbase. They also tend to match stereotypes concerning fanboys: overweight, below average looks, a loser-like social standing, as they’re not portrayed as popular. 

In this initial encounter, they are not yet fans. Instead of responding positively to the AOA girls, their fascination with the girls involves pestering them. They’re fixated on the girls, throwing stuff at them and pointing their thumbs down–actions that elicit obviously negative responses from all the girls. However, as the two groups quarrel, it seems that the boys find a sort of perverse joy in it, as exhibited in the last screenshot. Essentially, they’re antis. They easily criticize these girls because they’re available for criticism, picking fights because it excites them. They enjoy it. 

In their response to the criticism, the girls fight back. They entangle themselves with the boys. They’re excitable, headstrong, and easily baited, which is an immature response to heedless criticism. They only give the boys what they want. This as well shows the lack of experience, as they don’t know how to gracefully respond to hate. 

While most of her members are occupied with the scuffle with the boys, Choa is too distracted by her crush to take notice–even as one of her members grasps her wrist in pain. She pushes someone else out the way for blocking her view. Though she doesn’t participate in the immature scuffle, her lack of participation is not for admirable reasons, but rather a lack of unity. She’s more concerned with her crush than the unity of her group. 

[Moonie]

#cockblock ignore me

[Kvothe]

Enter Seolhyun. She’s a new student. Her arrival elicits shocked admiration from the male classmates, while Jimin and Choa are decidedly more threatened. Choa obviously fears that her crush has taken a romantic interest in the new girl. This is indicative of two things: first, the male response is to ogle; second, the female response is to compete, perhaps because of the male response. This shows a further lack of unity. Rather than building each other up, they consider Seolhyun a threat.

However, Seolhyun sports a knowing, gracious smile, as if she’s aware of the situation while the others are not. She sees Choa’s interest in the other boy. She understands how she might be perceived and instead of continuing the cycle of competitive female relationships, she makes a change within the AOA unit and helps them gain their footing. 

Seolhyun is also shown to be more attentive and motivated than the rest of the girls. The girls are either writing love notes or sleeping or talking with one another, generally not paying attention, while Seolhyun actually studies the work in the folder. Perhaps out of a lack of proper encouragement, the majority of them are not realizing their potential. Seolhyun represents a catalyst–someone who is attentive and motivated and understanding, and she’ll enact these changes on the group and unify them.  

Just as Choa was out of sync with members because of her crush, her members are similarly out of sync with her. When she goes to give her love note to her crush, the girls step in and appear to stop her. They gesture at the guy, unwelcoming, like he’s the enemy and he should leave. They associate him with the opposing team, the antis. 

And Seolhyun smiles again, as if she’s decided to help them. 

The girls look generally confused or tired or disinterested in their equipment, in the sport. Seolhyun enters their locker room, introducing herself to them as a new teammate and coach. She shows them how to properly use their equipment and she gives them uniforms. She teaches them how to improve and offers the encouragement to do so. She teaches them how to play the game and she unifies them in the process. 

Even so, Choa only looks interested in her letter. Instead of looking down on her crush like the others seemed to do, Seolhyun encourages her. She shows that Choa doesn’t have to be jealous of her. Instead, they can lift each other up and become a team unit, become a more unified and professional group. 

Narrative flow is a bit weird here. We see that they’re wearing the same outfits from the beginning of the video. This cannot be a flashback to the beginning of the video. It would mean that she began to train them before her introduction as a coach in the locker room, where they obviously greet her for the first time. But at the same time, the lacrosse game was not a flashforward. This definitely happened after that first lacrosse game, so it would place the lacrosse game chronologically after she began to coach them. This doesn’t make sense for several reasons, being that she would have to had seen them play to know they sucked in order to know she needed to coach them, as well as when she entered as a coach she was wearing a uniform, meaning that she had joined their team. She could not have joined as a teammate and coach unaware of their skill level, then sat on the sidelines watching as they failed, then resumed coaching them again after the game. Also, why would they have not worn their new uniforms for this game? 

A possible explanation for this is that this is just practice, chronologically after the locker room scene, not actually linked to the opening lacrosse scene. The fact that they’re wearing the same clothing from the first lacrosse game does not mean that it happened immediately after, but they’re remembering their failure from that night. They’re motivated to do better from it. 

The girls make their reformed debut in the cafeteria. Though they are not wearing the same outfit, their clothing complements one another. They’re unified. More than that, they stand taller, more confidently. This is a group that can steal hearts. The boys look shocked as they enter the cafeteria–the change is that drastic. They’ve reached a whole new level. And when the boys chase them, this time it’s out of admiration. They’ve become a group that can make antis love them.

[Kvothe]

Now, when they begin the game, they wear uniforms and they come together in a circle for a cheer. They’re unified. 

At this second game, we can see their converted fanbase cheering enthusiastically.

The girls are able to score, finally winning some success for themselves. But success is slow. They gain a single point, where in the earlier game, the boys were gaining endless points, and without someone to move the score. For the boys, the success was automatic, but these girls, through their hard work, are earning it. Later, their score will begin to move automatically, as success comes more easily with experience and gaining popularity in the business. 

In the end, they’re able to win by giving â€œheart attacks,†little distractions like blowing a kiss or flipping their hair. They even send a boy to his knees. This gives them an opportunity to get back ahead and to gain success. This is indicative of the fanservice aspect of performing. Their skill in performing, in playing the game, in combination with their fanservice is what guarantees them success. This is only reinforced by the fanservice-heavy choreography featured in this video. 

Choa scores the winning point. They celebrate and finally her crush acknowledges her. Choa doesn’t get the guy until they’re unified. Before, Choa had needed his help even to get up when she fell, but now she can score by herself. She’s competent. The unity of the group is the most important aspect of their success, as is true in the kpop industry. It’s a unit that is strengthened by an environment of encouragement and motivation–teammates lifting one another up so they can all give their best. This is the key to their success, how they can win over the boys in an industry that greatly favors them. This is their strength.

The video ends as they put their sticks in–one last unifying gesture. They’re a team now. They’re a group.   

upvote for their effort

 

Wow you are just so fast...

It was actually a very long post...

^_^

[Libidinosa]

The MV is basically saying AOA can't achieve anything w/o Seolhyun...

[Wonder.]

they are popular bc bravesound~ 

[tozima95]

The MV is basically saying AOA can't achieve anything w/o Seolhyun...

LMFAO

[Shinki]

the mv:

 

the girl likes the guy

 

the guy is a jerk

 

the girl is shy

 

seolhyun da gal that twist thangs

 

the girl becomes confident on stuff

 

they all happy

 

end

[s4a]

This is way too long to say "AoA debuted as a group with a unique concept but only found success when they started doing the same things that every other girl group does and then promoted Seolhyun to the highest heavens". The effort is nice though.

[Only 1 U Need Connoisseur]

I don't even remember the Seolhyun wave(when it started).. AOA was popular with Like a Cat.. 

[PaboWasseo✩]

The real secret behind AOA's success is, or are:

[˹AS˼]

Best thread of March candidate?

[nareurong]

They shook their asses. The end.

[UNNIE]

I thought it was because of pads.

 

Not that I'm complaining though...

[Seulo]

This is way too long to say "AoA debuted as a group with a unique concept but only found success when they started doing the same things that every other girl group does and then promoted Seolhyun to the highest heavens". The effort is nice though.

[roamingcat]

Catchy songs + cute girls in sexy outfits + dancing.