NewJeans Ditto is Beautiful.

[@nabicore]

I prefer a short story in a music video over lore that's spread across multiple music videos because over time companies start not to care about it and make it sloppy and disconnected (LOONA, EXO, and im assuming it'll happen to Aespa). I noticed that these short stories always hold much more weight than lore ever will so I really hope newjeans continues this path. great video btw!

[@edvaedan9161]

I think lore is fine to generate interest and help connect songs and albums together. If people don’t care it’s easily ignored. I don’t like really obscure lore that requires knowledge outside of the videos to piece together. ‘Well if you go back to teaser 3 and compare one split second image back to the insert in their CD packaging….’ who has that much time?😂

[@BrentARJ]

This 100%. I can't get behind the "they're dead and she's hallucinating" thing with Ditto because it feels too much like cringey 3rd generation lore. There's something a lot deeper going on here that is much more relatable to all people, both young and old, and that's exactly what I think newjeans as a concept is trying to achieve throughout all of their music.

[@Chuuoutsang]

the LOONA lore has to be one of the most convoluted and backward stories I have ever witnessed but I'm obsessed with its messiness

[@edvaedan9161]

@@Chuuoutsang I was kind of alluding to Loonas lore but Dreamcatcher has some of that too.

[@hectorsumaoang2320]

it reminds me of bts during i need u and run eras.

[@ryanpitchford5812]

To me the impression that I got was a story about Heesoo making up the members of NewJeans to cope with loneliness. When the members are revealed to not actually be there she’s framed as very solitary even when she’s in a room full of people. I think that her dropping the camcorder is her way of moving on and committing to leave her imaginary friends in the past and to connect with real people. Her walking with the guy is her way of doing that, she’s finding connection with him. One big whole with a theory of them being imaginary is that the members actually show up in the tape. I see the biggest theme being loneliness and how you cope with it.

[@calyyygrazie8]

It's shown in the end of one of the mvs that the girls weren't actually in the camera though

[@ryanpitchford5812]

@@calyyygrazie8 at 4:01 in side b for a few frames you can see the tv she’s watching the tape on and it has the members on it.

[@eliwithluv]

im currently in a bad mental health situation and i don’t have many friends. maybe that’s why this mv hit so hard, i was sobbing by the end. it was more than just an mv, it really felt like a short film

[@ariesfairy4444]

same. my mental health is honestly better than when it used to be but it still isn’t 100%. also since i graduated high school (class of 2021) it’s been really really hard making friends and i only have 1 person other than my family that i even talk to irl. since covid i’ve been pretty lonely and used my imagination to cope, so this mv hit me really hard too. i was sobbing so hard especially after side b and it honestly made me sad for the whole day. anyways anyways i’m blabbing, i hope we both find good true friends some day and hopefully this loneliness won’t last too much longer. wishing the best for u💕

[@lacienagalacey9454]

I sobbed uncontrollably. I’m out of high school now but I was alone most of it and this really hit me.

[@j.a4196]

Kpop is supposed to make me happy, but Ditto's videos made me sad. I think "Side B" became my favorite kpop video.

[@Marina-qs9tj]

honestly I don't like the accident theory I agree with the second one. Some articles that came out before the release said the music video was about the story between newjeans and their fans. The cast symbolizes she's hurting emotionally, and a lot of times our favorite groups comfort us in many ways but that doesn't mean they can surpass our needs for real life relationships represented by the boy in the mv. The end of side B shows her looking happily at those memories, they may not have been real friends but they were still an important part of her youth. It's crazy to me how a group would break down the illusion of idol-fan relationships that the whole industry makes everything to maintain, but they did it in the most beautiful and sensible way

[@moon_cast]

The mv hit hard for me. It reminded me of my early freshman year. I felt so alone even though I was surrounded by people. The only thing that made me feel like I had people to depend on was music. I could hear people with similar emotions share their story. Now that I’m in a better place and can confidently say I have close friends, looking back I’m proud of where I’ve come. Ditto might just be my new favorite from nj

[@soralution]

Oh dang I remember doyouram (a kpop youtuber who speaks Korean as their first language) describe ditto's meaning in full with the context clues you given! I think their meaning was more on par with theory #2, but also came up with a conclusion that's less sad(?) ig Ig to sum up, doyouram hints that the message being represented in the mv is that newjeans hopes to be "a loving memory in your past, rather than a current state infatuation" newjeans want bunnies to remember the good times they have and kinda go through them as you grew up with them, but also know that fans come and go. Newjeans wants you (as a bunny) to remember the fun times you spent rather than totally pretend to forget you. Ig that's why in side b, the kinda ending where newjeans meets up with heesoo (the person with the camera representing bunnies, Newjean's official fandom) after heesoo opens up her box of past trinkets and treasures, it kinda represents a closing chapter of rememberance of the good old days you watch funny compilations of the groups you love and enjoy! Also love the videos you are making! I'm a recent subscriber of yours and the way you view various topics is very wise and mature! Hope to see more if your content soon!!

[@Ankit-uv3yp]

If the mv can cater to both the audience who are into the lore and who are not, it's a complete win according to me, and this mv does that

[@Hypeboy_Jurin0]

Coming back here after the Hybe drama with Newjeans and it all hit different. This is so sad we lost Ban Heesoo footages

[@pandora1093]

My theory is more conceptual. I interpreted both music videos as a coming of age story. There is so much content exploring boyhood and I think New Jeans explore girlhood, and specifically in Ditto it is a story of growing up. The boy is mystery girl’s first crush a sign of growing up and creating conflict within her. The deer then would represent a sense of innocence that one has to walk away as you grow up. Therefore New Jeans girls are a symbolic representation of someone’s youth, which can evoke a bitter sweet feeling when looking back. Love the music video and all the theories!

[@wonderlucky1912]

I am liking these storyline type of music videos. Some Rookie Girl Groups that I can think of that have actual storylines and great cinematography in their music videos, are New Jeans and Billlie. Both groups' music videos feel like movies on different ends of the spectrum and fans make up theories.

[@gabbyalivio5692]

i think the fact that the pandemic struck during my last 2 years of highschool was why this song + mv hit me so hard 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️thinking of those 2 extra years my friends and i could’ve spent together f2f before parting ways hits too hard,,,

[@bbi2.052]

Sometimes I think K-pop producers uses “””lore””” as an excuse for not having proper artistry, cinematography, and image overall. Like I don’t need watch 15 webtoons, 35 fan theories to know why this girl ran left and not right.. so I’m very glad NJs is not like that.. Ditto’s storytelling does Lore so well.

[@nea6332]

Hybe side eyeing you

[@bbi2.052]

@@nea6332 hehe oh well

[@orenji13]

imagine 2 or multiple theories on a single mv, if I see the writer I will not just shake his hand. I will say "Oh my god, I greatly appreciate your mind!" to him.

[@HailToTheMeep]

This is so meta it is fabulous.

[@efma3589]

I can't help but think that both MVs remind me of groups that used to be 6 members and now there are only 5 and all this related to a school topic, especially the b side where heeseo sits to see the old memories she made with her friends.

[@geranimo1974]

I recently left all my friends and moved countries, I struggle making friends with a language barrier and being schoolless (for now). This made me feel something I haven't felt in a while.

[@I_LOVE_NMIXX.ITZY.Red_Velvet_2]

HOLY MOLY !! NewJeans !! 🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@bunkooluvr]

Honestly the survivors guilt theory would make so much sense considering hybe did this before with bts (spring day mv)

[@hopefaith4595]

The two-part storyline reminds me of this old MV called Timeless by Zhang Li Yin. The difference being the story was more direct, but you would have no idea what happened until you watch the 2nd part of the MV or you need to watch both MVs so get the general picture of the entire story. Also I like that this storyline is more contained? Like there’s not magic or heavy fantasy lore (which I adore too), so the theories are in a small size.

[@midori58]

Yeah, I was never a fan of the whole accident theory. While it is the most plausible, I think it doesn't give justice to the actual profound themes and messages that this MV was trying to convey, and is instead forced into a hard storyline with a lore that, like you said, has no substance. But anyways, this MV truly is a masterpiece. This is what fans must've felt like back in 2015 when they experienced the HYYH era for the first time. This is just beautiful. And just to add with the whole fan-idol relationship theory, I think the MV isn't PURELY trying to tell the stans to "get a life". While that surely is part of it, the end of side B also tells us that these are still precious memories to look back to. Stanning a group isn't entirely a bad thing, as long as you're aware that they're not you're "real" friends. This part of your life isn't something you should regret. This really hits close to home for me personally. I've been a fan of kpop for 5 years now, but I was really just in it for the music. It was until 2022 when New jeans came and I started stanning them. I've been beating myself up for it because I'm aware that stanning a group is not healthy and parasocial relationships are never good. But after watching this, I felt really comforted in a way. Stanning is way to escape your shitty life for even just a bit, and that's not entirely a bad thing! (Again, as long as you know your boundaries)

[@Aaa-dv3oi]

I cried with ditto lmao I didn’t even know why it was like THEY WERE NOT REAL ??!! 🤧🤧

[@toastlover555]

After watching the MV I immediately thought that heesoo is a lonely girl that has imaginary friends OR she’s a lonely kpop stan that glamorizes idols and uses both of these as a coping mechanism. I thought this because her cast and nails weren’t signed and painted and she was always alone in other students eyes, but after reading more comments my theory changed completely. I believe that the 6 girls are very close friends and got into a terrible accident and heesoo is the only survivor (hence the cast on her arm). In one shot a member wrote “don’t die” in Korean on her cast too, which is her subconscious mind telling her to live and survive for the rest of the girls. The overall theme of the MV is nostalgia and old memories which makes you feel uneasy or a heavy sadness, and in side B you can see she gets rid of her camera and starts to ignore the girls which indicates she’s trying to move on cause she realized it’s not healthy. At the end when she seems older and she looks back at the videos, you can see she still misses her friends but kept living with the girls in her mind.

[@chandanascholar]

Yes mostly bighit music videos is amazing They have deep storytelling Unlike all other hybe groups BTS , TXT, newjeans only one song tho,enyphen also kida

[@TheBluestOfThemAll]

I have close to 0 critical thinking skills, so lore in kpop is a miss for me personally. Whenever I see fans trying to dissect why girl a has a ponytail and girl b doesn't, I just sob inside because anything subtle flies over my head. Also I have a hard time telling apart good cinematography and lore/message/stories in music videos which makes this lore stuff even harder 🥳🥳

[@ruriva4931]

I liked Loona’s predebut lore because a lot of the time they felt like very cinematic stories.

[@edvaedan9161]

Wow I came up with the first theory just from watching your video review the first time. I had not even seen the actual video yet. It was the cast that made me think of that along with the ghostly images

[@LanaBellaVargas]

i know im saying this with hindsight, but the second theory is most likely what the directors of the mv was going for. mainly because omg is about that same thing, but from the idol perspective. omgs mv is about idol fan parasocial relationships, specifically that idols force/trick themselves into becoming the people that their fans want them to be; so much so that they forget who they really are. i really like the first theory, but the thing they were going for as a comeback altogether was probably all about idol fan relationships. omg and ditto were just different sides of the same coin, and kinda showed that its harmful for both parties involved

[@rkhandle]

you missed a third option at 12:09... or maybe it's a reflection of kpop fans being detached from reality and missing opportunities to make real friends (not necessarily a copying mechanism, but a self-destructive vice). By the way, if you can rant about the video for an hour, you should do a live stream. I wouldn't mind listening in cuz u have so far been the best reactor (perhaps better than Form of Therapy in some ways).

[@Aaa-dv3oi]

Such a good and thorough explanation of two good theories! Tbh the first theory I saw was the second theory. But tbh I love like just looking at it and knowing what happens with the two sides (honestly at first I didn’t realise ditto side A and B meant it was two possibilities; I believed it was just two sides of the same story and yeah) I believe it’s just about moving on nonetheless. On the second theory somebody said that the reindeer symbolised how this “interest” “addiction” would always linger around and you could either follow it or observe it and let it go

[@LavenderMage]

I really love the way you explained the video. This is my fav NewJean song so far and it's turning me into a bunny. 😊 While watching I thought of another kind of theory. At the end of the mv I think the 5 members are erasing what looks like the 6th girl off the chalkboard. What if throughout the mv the 6th member is the one that died during the accident and she is going through limbo as the song itself is about being in limbo in terms of love. She is reliving moments with her friends and seeing her crush who she never got a chance to confess. That might not make as much sense as the other theories tho. Anyways, great video!

[@hqlola]

This remids me SOOOOO much of bts’ i need u, run, young forever.. the camcorder, the theories, the dead person, even the colorization of the music video itself

[@TraderJoe888]

I agree with you, Ditto is a commentary on the Idol/Young Fan relationship, but you left out the Idol's own devastation and disappointment of the imaginary fan/Idol relationship. The comfort/joy/deep friendship that the fan feels from hearing their songs, feeling their presence, imagining being best friends during a difficult time when she needed support. But the fan matures/heals/becomes stronger, recognizes that the Idols aren't real friends, and moves on with her life (with that boy in the video). Also striking to me (and not mentioned by the narrator), the shot of how hurt/devasted the Idols looked when the fan turned and ran away from them. You have to see the original Ditto MV Part 2 to see these shots, at 0:42, when the fan ran away from them, at 2:34 and 2:38 when the fan left them behind and walked away in the rain alone under her umbrella, the Idols looked confused and devastated. And at 2:44, the shot of the Idols holding each other all alone in the rain, now that the fame has gone and they are forgotten and without their fan(s). If it was just about the fan, why show the idols without the fan anywhere near them, not seeing them, not being aware of them any longer? So, it is not just the fan that has feelings of loss and regret that an imaginary relationship wasn't real. But also the idols, once fame has passed and their fans no longer want to see them perform, are crushed that the fan's love wasn't real either, that it wasn't everlasting love and adoration. Both fans and idols are imagining ideal relationships that just never existed. But the memories of how they felt were real and they appreciate those memories for the rest of their lives. And years later, both the fan and the Idols can listen to an old cd/vhs/whatever, and relive those imaginary happy memories of how they felt in their imaginary loving relationship, maybe appreciating how important that imagined relationship was at their (fan and Idols) time of need.

[@eunoiia801]

I love your thought process! Just became a subscriber :) will be watching every other video you have! ^^

[@boboblueblue2]

I really hope that they keep this type of theming/storyline in their official comeback for OMG. I’d feel like it’s kind of… a waste? (For lack of a better word! Sorry!) if they just go back to their status quo. Idk. I’d jut really appreciate it if they spent this era talking about issue youth face. This was loneliness. The next could be high expectations or loss or they could stay with the loneliness theme, but present it in a different way. I think I’d be really cool.

[@audioeditz3838]

I’m praying they don’t change there concepts,like weekly did

[@oecfim]

Honestly, I don’t see that happening.

[@riddhi1909]

thats not going to happen ditto as well as attention and hype boy where planed for nj since 2019. min hee jin is a creative genius and she is not someone that changes style of her idols

[@audioeditz3838]

@@riddhi1909 that’s good to know

[@boboblueblue2]

I also like if lore for a group is kept simple and can be easily followed by just watching their music videos. I’d be cool if its presented in a episodic way, where each music video can stand on its own but can maybe be added to the whole story. It’s tough when you watch a music video and so many things are happening that you’re just left confused by the ending. If it’s so complex that I can’t understand what’s happening by just watching the music videos, then it’s too much!

[@shawarmaintheair]

This really hits hard,I have seen people say they would k!11 themselves if it wasnt for _____ and stuff like that,but kpop should not be the only reason you're alive there are things you have to do,maybe you cant live without them and their being the only reason you're alive but they can live completely okay without you ok you can listen to music and enjoy it as a mood booster or something like that but dont make it your entire reason to live and live your life they way you are supposed to but just not making it your reason to cope your loneliness.Director of part A and part B did so well.

[@sonole3]

I was looking through the comments of side A to see some theories cuz I was having trouble putting together the pieces but I didn't even see that first theory, just mainly the second theory that was, like you said, more of an overarching theme. That's fucking dark for a kpop song but honestly feel like it was something necessary for the industry. Been sleeping on NewJeans for a while (mainly cuz the name threw me off ngl plus I've never been one to follow HYBE groups) but now I've got to keep up with them. Great video work btw

[@Lola_rey]

All i know is that this mv make me cry like a baby

[@xsomili5501]

5:50 I also think the same. But I think the guy has something to do in the first theory too. Accident caused by a deer, perhaps car crash(?), Heeso singular survivor left with survivors guilt and grief of missing her friends. The guy seems to be the only one to reach out and care for her after the accident, as her other classmates just seem to pity and observe on the sidelines, how she seems to be suffering alone. That's why the camera keeps on catching the guy, cuz he is trying to reach out, which he successfully did at the part where he walk with Heeso in the rain(?or I rmb wrongly) 6:19 ah I like that interpretation

[@ipekyener6513]

What I thought before seeing other theories was the girl and newjeans were friends, she was being outcasted by them and in the end she realised she was actually alone all this time but it took a much darker turn

[@MRTotalWarSC]

The song itself is alright, but the MV is something else. Really good MV it's something different.

[@pengchaaa]

It’s a little late to comment after 1 month but I really wanted to write and share my thoughts… This is a great video! Very well structured and talks about all the main things including the 2 main theories for the MV, however, I do think we can go a lot more into details but that would make the video too long so I’m here to share a bit more details about the 2 main theories. Firstly, I don’t think the 1st theory (lost friends) is more plausible than the 2nd one (idol relationship) for the main reason that the first theory where the NewJeans girls are dead doesn’t follow the promotional direction they went for around the number 6, which the second theory enhances very well through the character of Ban Heesoo representing the 6th member of NewJeans: their fandom, bunnies. But I also don’t think we should throw away the first theory because some things actually make a lot of sense. If you think about it, the 1st theory is a lot more connected to Reality, it’s about how a rational person would explain the events that he sees in the MV. And if you take both sides of the MV as 1 realization (like a movie), the story holds up pretty well. Let’s say it’s the Reality theory. The 2nd theory however, is a lot more about interpretation. It tries to explain through the eyes of the producers what they tried to say with the story of this girl and her relationship with her imaginary friends that symbolizes the parasocial relationship between fans and idols. Let’s call it the Imaginary theory. The point is, the two theories actually hold up by they own. It’s two different view of the same story, like it’s literally different points of view. One being more rational and connected to Reality and the other being more interpretative and related to Imaginary. The main character, Ban Heesoo, actually lives between two worlds. The first one being Reality that she tries to escape at the beginning by being in her own second world, her Imaginary world. But her two worlds are actually two sides of the same world, separated by a camera. This story is given to us in two sides, side A and side B, which can actually mean a lot of things (or nothing lol) one of them being two sides of one story. What if actually Ador wanted us to have two theories for this MV? Like, from one person to another and their view of the world, they can see the story in one way or the other. Because actually both make sense, it’s more about how you interpret things; how you see things.

[@xsomili5501]

Woah and in side A Heeso chose to go with NWJNS into the rain But in B She chose to use the umbrella herself and go into the rain alone, leaving NWJNS behind Maybe A is how she was reacting at first, but B is her slowly moving on (choosing to or naturally moving on) from the accident and the girls 😭

[@riddhi1909]

min hee jin did say its a story about bunnies (nwjns fandom) and newjeans and also the girls name in the mv is ban hee soo it sounds so similar to bunnies.

[@justincha4973]

At first, I thought I was watching a Japanese horror movie 🎬

[@JohnnyTsoonami]

Anyone notice Minji drawing Onjo from All Of Us Ate Dead? The faceless girl in the video portrays Onjo in the show

[@xsomili5501]

I can't choose which one I like more... Side A or B... But I think maybe B

[@justella4982]

I'm a year late to this video oops but i've never seen any mentions of the car accident theory, and it seems the second theory you have is the commonly accepted one now.

[@hyemhyemin]

"i'm not gonna go into that bc i dont want the video to be 20 minutes long" *makes the video 19 and a half minutes long*

[@joonlisa3313]

u should check out txts lore its v deep and soo good

[@user-xt8up2qi9b]

“I don’t want this video to be 20 mins long “ : uploads a 19:46 mins video yuuppp sticking to my words 😭😭

[@TheNormalAsian]

What's the hint to this being a car accident? That's what's holding me back from beleaving the main theory.

[@alexxd6859]

i think its her broken arm! there isnt much else that could explain it like why did they decie to give this obscred character a broken arm? i honestly feel like it all connects pretty well with the car accident theory in mind

[@Taejiu]

I think its the association of the deer, one of the leading causes of accidents involving vehicles is deer.

[@TheNormalAsian]

@@Taejiu I took a quick look into symbolism in film, deers represent letting go, kindness, intuation. So it could refer to seeing the deer to move on form the 5 girls.(if it refers to the 5 being gone/being imaginations of hers) Also seeing the painted pinky it represents awareness of child abuse. This could refer to girl 6's lonleness having the 5 be her imagination to compliment with abuse and being alone. (Idk if this one would have any relevance could be un intentional)

[@TheTantan1111]

A sedan should only have 5 people at most. The driver and front passenger plus 3 passengers in the back. Anymore than 5 is bound to be in a car accident.

[@richardc5100]

Or maybe the curtain is just blue!

[@TraderJoe888]

As to the first theory (5 died one survived), that is plausible but IMO super silly. Who copes with loss by taking video where their friends never danced or even appeared? Answer: No one in the history of mankind. Look at her she is a loner, who never had a friend, let alone 5 best friends. See her smiling at the end watching the video? Who smiles watching 5 dead friends? Answer: No one in the history of mankind. So, no, not buying that. She did suffer a traumatic event (arm cast), and her imaginary kpop idol friends helped her cope with that. The boy is real life waiting for her to move away from her imaginary Kpop fantasy. The deer, is the loss of innocence, that was experienced in whatever traumatic event that she experienced (more likely the loss of a parent or parents). So, read my views on the Idol/young fan relationship.

[@meagain7669]

I can never support that group or anything from their company & ceo

[@chavalisaipavan5472]

Well I think we all r glad that newjeans don't depend on ur support for their survival.... They r already the biggest girl group right now in home country so u can continue ur "boycott" 🤡

[@HailToTheMeep]

Huh? If you support SM after a statement like that then either you are ignorant or a hypocrite or both 🫤

[@norabeckwith6893]

Ok and

[@jeonlixxx5321]

your loss