i always assumed that jiu and yoohyeon only fought once and the two scenes were showing how yoo viewed herself as a victim and the reality of her villainy. the first time we're shown the scene, yoo looks soft and gentle sitting on the floor as though she has tripped and fallen while jiu looks imposing, mercilessly pointing her sword at a helpless lady. when we're shown the reality of it, yoohyeon looks dangerous even though she is kneeling and disarmed. jiu still points her sword at yoo, but it looks less like a knight about to murder a princess and more like two warriors facing each other down. even though jiu wears a dress in the real version, she doesn't look helpless like yoohyeon does in her false memory. the two scenes show yoohyeon distorted perspective. anyway, on another note: deja vu was my intro to dreamcatcher. i immediately fell in love because of how gorgeous both the song and the music video were. insomnia for life!
Ooooh! I really like your "Offender/Victim" take on the lyrics because it works so well with the video! It's like Yoohyeon(offender) and Jiu(victim) are singing this song at the same time!
Deja Vu is truly my favorite up until this time. It never gets old, as the music is so emotionally charged that you can follow the story without knowing the lyrics or watching the mv. Thank you for analyzing it! (I had the same impression as you about the fight scene being just one and not two)
I have never truly had the time to analyze the Deja Vu MV, but I have analyzed the lyrics. Every time I hear the song, I can imagine a different story. Here’s my analysis: For me, I’ve always took the lyrics being told from the unreliable narration of a victim of a toxic relationship who was able to escape the abusive situation. However, they weren’t able to take one of their loved ones with them. So, they blame themselves for leaving their love to further suffer in pain and sorrow. Especially, if they were lost to the world because of the situation. I’ve always took the lyrics to be depicting a platonic relationship. Such as two siblings with abusive parents, and when the eldest turned eighteen they were able to escape; but, couldn’t take their sibling with them. So, I’ve viewed the lyrics as an apology by the eldest for having to leave behind the younger. That’s the Deja Vu, the older sibling can truly move on and be happy until their sibling can also escape. So, they force themself to relive that painful day, as a way of punishing themself. That’s my analysis anyway!
no bc I absolutely LOVE the choreo and how it works so well with the song and like the symbolism and AAAHHHH I also love the part where they slowly pick up half the members in the second verse(?) from different positions bc it's like when you get pieces of deja vu from certain aspects of a situation also your lyric theory is so interesting!! I kinda see it as something like that, but I always thought of it as like someone who died and you can't be with them anymore but you're stuck in that pain, in the memory and seeing things they used to do and having that deja vu about them
As someone who recently got into Dreamcatcher because of this very song, I'm so so glad that you did this whole two parter and everything! And I'll admit that my initial impressions on the MV's story may be a bit more cursory and thus different than what's been mostly established by the fanbase, but I'll start by saying that I do really like your "hot take" about the different perspectives angle with the two scenes with Jiu+Yoohyeon and the sword. So overall, my initial conclusion is actually completely backwards from what you mentioned as I assumed that Jiu was the original ruler that was later Yoohsurped (admittedly due to Jiu being the leader of the group). I thus assumed that the beginning scene was "in medias res" where Yoohyeon took the throne after killing Jiu later on in the MV. And while I couldn't make out what the initial scene with the sword fit in with how I framed this, your idea of them seeing this scene from different perspectives could explain how it's from Yoohyeon's perspective seeing herself as the rightful ruler that's being challenged. The 2nd scene thereafter to me could be the "real" scene where Jiu compels Yoohyeon to heed after she caught her red handed. I won't make a strong stance on my initial conclusion since I'm sure that you and other fans have spent much more time thinking about this beforehand, but the big thing that gave me the impression of Jiu being the original ruler was how the 2nd sword scene had Yoohyeon kneeling in front of Jiu with such composed posture and implicit respect (almost as if she were to be knighted in some ceremony). If Jiu was just a friend of Yoohyeon being the ruler, I can't imagine the latter being that compelled to show as much respect as she has in that scene. Other than that, I'm sure that there'd be some of the funeral scenes that would contradict my conclusion. I feel like piecing together the sequence of events is a bit of a rigamarole in places.
Jiu definitely is the original ruler. The meaning of the MV and the scenes just get convoluted and messy when you make it that Yoohyeon is the original ruler. Yoohyeon is just imagining herself as queen in the beginning, she has a distorted and corrupted memory of events because of the evil black smoke.
i’ve always interpreted it in a very similar way, but in a romantic way - hurting each other as friends to avoid the deeper feelings, and ending up separated/worse off than at the start!
I have always thought it was kinda like, Fallen Angel or Fallen Gods kinda thing?? the lyrics kinda talk about someone who goes into hell/suffering just to be with another. Its similar to the King's Raid Animated Video version of the song, you either Die A Hero or live long enough to be the villain. But the Love POV had me shook cause thats like, sort of fits.
i think an interesting detail that i love about the lyrics is that there are certain lyrics that repeat, but have been changed slightly. they seem familiar but its not the exact same as you think it is (literally a lyrical deja vu). the prechorus is the most obvious example to me: "oh now holding this pain like the day i abandoned everything" in the first prechorus to "so now i'm holding this pain like how you abandoned everything". it's a very subtle detail but it further adds to how the song conveys that sense of deja vu and what, to me, makes it a masterpiece thematically. all the little details add together to what the title conveys, it's just so chef's kiss. to me, i have a slightly different interpretation of the story in the lyrics where it's a pair of lovers who know they aren't right for each other (hence why they ask for someone to erase their memories in the first set of lyrics) but keep going back to each other despite it all, realizing they are now forever stuck in their repeating cycle, their deja vu. i see the ending just a bit more somberly, but maybe it's because the ending instrumental easily loops back to the beginning (therefore continuing that loop) that makes me have that interpretation.
"No good, very bad, evil"! XD... Great analysis. I love your two-parter series. Amazing work, CatchingTeez! Also, I need more Dreamcatcher videos like this, please. :) Stay safe and have a very good, great, awesome day (or whatever time it is, when you see this comment if you ever, see it, lol). - Skye.
I think the Jiu and Yoohyeon only fight once case is completely correct, I even think it is hinted at in the lyrics. In the first prechorus the lyrics are "Oh now, holding this pain Like the day I abandoned everything" while in the second chorus it is slightly twisted to be "So now, I’m holding this pain Like how you abandoned everything". This can in my opinion only mean that it is seen from two different perspectives in both scenes. For the remainder this was a great video and I love to hear the interpretations no matter if I agree or not (I do for the most part). One other cool choreography moment (besides the one's you pointed out) in my opinion is Dami holding Siyeon's hand and making her stab herself in the last chorus during "and the painful wounds deepen". This song/MV just contains so much thought, a true masterpiece!
Really love your videos on Deja Vu, it's one of my favourite songs and I love how you analyzed it. Dreamcatcher is a very unique group and I like to see people talking about them.
My understanding of the JiU vs Yoohyeon scenes are the exact same as yours. The blueish tint in Yoo's perspective especially supports it for me since it's the exact same as her beginning walk to the throne and corruption moment. (+ The debris falling down but nothing actually being in the room. That combined with only Yoo seeing herself in the coffin with JiU holding a sword whereas with everyone else it's always only JiU in the coffin leads me to believe Yoo is in a highly delusional state unlike others.) I'm genuinely surprised this reading is the less common one. 😅
I’m so excited! I literally gasped when I saw the notification! ❤ I absolutely adore analyzing the meaning of song lyrics and music videos, and I’m just so happy to listen to your analysis! ❤
Lovely videos! It made me reminisce and look through my Deja Vu album again. There's definitely a lot of paralleling themes of the mv and song to the King's Raid story
While I don't agree with the idea that Yoohyeon is the queen of the kingdom (I think Jiu as queen makes more sense as she's the leader), I absolutely agree about the paralleling scenes of their confrontation. Dreamcatcher's expanded lore really is so interesting; I've done my own ultimate timeline theory connecting everything together, but like you said, Deja Vu works as a great stand-alone story with a Shakespearian tragedy of betrayal and denial. Even with the more ambiguous elements tying into the group's grander storyline, the narrative of Yoohyeon's betrayal and the fallout of her actions is conveyed so well. Also, Jiu with a sword in that gorgeous flowery dress is so beautifully badass, I love this group so much!!!
Tin foil hat time: okay so Rose Blue was also a game collab single (this time for Girl Cafe Gun) and leans more into the sci-fi genre rather than fantasy epic like Deja Vu/King's Raid. Rose Blue's lyrics, to me at least, convey a feeling of loss and nostalgia felt between two parties; the one who chose to leave and the one who was left behind. Both parties are dealing with the fallout of their relationship ending and are enthralled by the past where everything was still right with the world. The MV is also a similar tragedy, with Jiu basically sacrificing herself to save the other members and trapping herself in a world where she is alone and they cannot reach her. I think it definitely reflects Jiu's kindness and selflessness as a leader; maybe Queen Jiu knew Yoohyeon was going to betray her in the end, but she still gave her the choice to stop the fighting. To link this bit with my own ultimate timeline theory, I think Jiu is able to retain a significant amount of her memories through each cycle the girls endure. Jiu's always linked to Yoohyeon somehow; Jiu wants to save Yoohyeon from fully losing herself to the darkness. Even if it means she has to pay the price.
I love your interpretation of the music video it’s definitely new but makes so much sense I’ve given up on trying to interpret deja vu on my own but I def love your taje
Loved this analysis. I was surprised to hear that you think JiU and Yoohyeon's fight only happening once, but from different perspectives, was a hot take? That's how I've always interpreted the MV. But then I don't pay much attention to fan theories, so maybe that's an uncommon reading.
I can't believe that my interpretation of Deja Vu is considered a hot take lmao... I came up with this story the moment I finished watching Deja Vu and I thought that was the general opinion for InSomnias. When I looked up the wiki and saw a completely different interpretation, I thought that what I came up with only resonated to the small portions of Somnias. My reasoning for my interpretation is that since Dreamcatcher themselves pointed out that Deja Vu is mostly about King's Raid, we weren't supposed to mix the story within the Nightmare era. Especially with the sun imagery at the end of the MV where the purple sun is way bigger than the red sun. And also with R.o.S.E. Blue not only that the teams were different, R.o.S.E. Blue was also made for a different game. Furthermore, R.o.S.E. Blue itself is an organization. Quoted directly from Girl Cafe Gun wiki, "The Ro’s Strategy Equipment Corp, abbreviated as R.o.S.E., is a transnational arms giant with a business scope spanning assorted weaponry and gear, space tech, large mecha, precision machinery, basic science research, confidential services, and other fields [ . . . ]. After “the Outbreak”, R.o.S.E. became one of the only remaining scientific research forces of mankind. R.o.S.E. takes the lead in the lonus related research thanks to its early touch with the lonus. Therefore, the practical research of lonus is mainly carried out by R.o.S.E.." Why did they added the word blue? I think it's the same reason with why there were blue roses in Deja Vu, to convey the imagery of dreams and mysteries that they were trapped in (especially in R.o.S.E. Blue since they were mentally trapped because of the crystal, not to mention JiU who were literally trapped mentally and physically inside the crystal). That's basically my rendition of Deja Vu, and a tiny bit of R.o.S.E. Blue. Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my native language.
When I first heard this song, the lyrics made me think of a story I was trying to write at the time (I lost inspiration for it a long ago + I found some plot holes, but I don't want to abandon it). It's set in a sci-fi dystopia (I didn't even make up a name for the country) that attacked another country, and even forced their teenagers to undergo military training. Domestic violence is also legal in that country. The main character, a teen girl named Yuno, had very good critical thinking skills, and she could see that the media in her home country twisted the news a lot. She criticized the government out loud, and when her time to start military training came, it was her final droplet to escape. She had a frail build, and she was so sensitive that couldn't even kill a fly, she knew military wasn't for her. However, the attempt was unsuccessful: Yuno's mother was imprisoned and tortured there, and Yuno herself was taken to a hospital in one of the military schools. There, her vocal cords were removed as punishment for saying bad things about the government, and her memories about "forbidden" things were distorted. They also lied, saying that she lost her voice because of an accident, not with this surgery against her will. Without these memories, Yuno would be a lot easier to influence, and she lived years thinking that her country was on the right. However, one day, the distorted memories came back to their place, and Yuno remembered everything. She also feels enraged after discovering that her vocal cords weren't damaged in an accident, but removed forcefully and without her knowing. It also made her think how ableist the government was, thinking that, if a person doesn't possess the ability to speak, they won't be able to express their thoughts. All of that lead her to join a revolutionist group and, in the end, replace this government with a more competent one, which will, bit by bit, solve the problems. It's just the theme of living in lies and lost memories that reminded me of this story, I often imagined Deja Vu as an opening if it was an anime 😂.
Great work, thanks.Except for Insomnia, DC love stories are rarely happy. Deja Vu is my favorite song, the M/V is so well crafted, the music, the voices ... so good. BEcause is also a masterpiece.
The lyrics almost read to me as a duet. Where the first verse of the song is the one who wronged the other. The one who left the hurtful marks but didn’t seem to realize it. And then the second verse the victim hoping it wasn’t true. But both are just holding on to delusional false versions of what happens.
I love the song and I love the story. What I'm really curious about though is where the story came from? The songwriters, Dreamcatcher company, Sunny Visual (makers of the MV), Vespa (creators of King's Raid) or? The story in Deja Vu has little to do with King's Raid, the game it was created for, so it's a big mystery. I'm thinking that Sunny Visual had a lot to do with it since they've been making Dreamcatcher's MV's since Fly High, and are experts at fantasy themed MVs, but nobody is talking, or maybe nobody is asking except me.
I love this analysis (as I love all of your deep dives!) Mostly, though, what I see when I watch this is gaaaaaaaaaayyyy. And I mean that in the most positive wlw way imaginable. This is just an amazing AO3 fic writ large. I mean, defeating your opponent at sword-point and having them kneel in front of you, with all the broken and betrayed trust hanging in the air between them, I just, ugh, KISS ALREADY.
I don't agree with Yoohyeon being the Queen, it's always been just Jiu (it represents her leader role in Dreamcatcher too), with Yoohyeon then betraying and killing Jiu in order to steal her throne (when you make it that Yoohyeon is queen, the meaning of the MV just becomes convoluted and messy). Also, Yoohyeon at the beginning is just imagining herself sitting on the throne and wearing regalia. You said it yourself that the first scene of the Jiu vs Yoohyeon showdown was a corrupted memory, the same goes for Yoohyeon imagining herself as queen (e.g., sitting on the throne). The scene of Yoohyeon pretending to be the queen also uses the exact same blue lightning as the first Jiu vs Yoohyeon showdown, which further supports my point that both of these events share the similarity that they are fake and the memory has been twisted in Yoohyeon's mind. Also, I feel like she killed all members too, not just Jiu. You mention the choreography, but you didn't mention how near the end, during the last chorus, all the members move their arms in a motion that represents being stabbed. With Dami holding Siyeon's arm to further emphasize the fact that the stabbing was not self-inflicted, but done by another person (Yoohyeon stabbing and killing all the members). Also in the MV, again near the end, during the last chorus, it's not just Jiu that is falling into the darkness (representing death). It's also Sua and Siyeon falling. So either Yoohyeon only killed those 3, or she killed everyone. The reason why Yoohyeon maybe only killed those 3 is because they are the eldest members and perhaps held more important roles, since Jiu is Queen because she is the eldest and leader of Dreamcatcher, then Sua and Siyeon might've been high-ranking nobles/advisors/commanders that Yoohyeon had to kill to complete her usurpation. With the younger members perhaps holding lower-ranking titles and were able to just be banished or imprisoned instead of killed. But I am still leaning to the notion that Yoohyeon just killed them all, especially because she isn't thinking logically, she is corrupted by the black smoke representing evil and ambition, so a senseless and unnecessary act of killing all the members makes more sense than a calculated, more reserved approach.
Audio issue is fixed! Sorry I couldn't get to it quicker, but thank you to everyone who let me know!
I’ve never been more excited for anything ever
YAY!!! Thanks!
i always assumed that jiu and yoohyeon only fought once and the two scenes were showing how yoo viewed herself as a victim and the reality of her villainy. the first time we're shown the scene, yoo looks soft and gentle sitting on the floor as though she has tripped and fallen while jiu looks imposing, mercilessly pointing her sword at a helpless lady. when we're shown the reality of it, yoohyeon looks dangerous even though she is kneeling and disarmed. jiu still points her sword at yoo, but it looks less like a knight about to murder a princess and more like two warriors facing each other down. even though jiu wears a dress in the real version, she doesn't look helpless like yoohyeon does in her false memory. the two scenes show yoohyeon distorted perspective.
anyway, on another note: deja vu was my intro to dreamcatcher. i immediately fell in love because of how gorgeous both the song and the music video were. insomnia for life!
Ooooh! I really like your "Offender/Victim" take on the lyrics because it works so well with the video! It's like Yoohyeon(offender) and Jiu(victim) are singing this song at the same time!
Deja Vu is truly my favorite up until this time. It never gets old, as the music is so emotionally charged that you can follow the story without knowing the lyrics or watching the mv. Thank you for analyzing it! (I had the same impression as you about the fight scene being just one and not two)
This upload feels like Deja Vu…
Okay got the obvious joke out the way.
How did I not think of this... gold star
@@catchingteez
Thank you, much appreciated. Great video, it was worth the wait. ⭐️
I have never truly had the time to analyze the Deja Vu MV, but I have analyzed the lyrics. Every time I hear the song, I can imagine a different story.
Here’s my analysis:
For me, I’ve always took the lyrics being told from the unreliable narration of a victim of a toxic relationship who was able to escape the abusive situation. However, they weren’t able to take one of their loved ones with them. So, they blame themselves for leaving their love to further suffer in pain and sorrow. Especially, if they were lost to the world because of the situation.
I’ve always took the lyrics to be depicting a platonic relationship. Such as two siblings with abusive parents, and when the eldest turned eighteen they were able to escape; but, couldn’t take their sibling with them.
So, I’ve viewed the lyrics as an apology by the eldest for having to leave behind the younger. That’s the Deja Vu, the older sibling can truly move on and be happy until their sibling can also escape.
So, they force themself to relive that painful day, as a way of punishing themself.
That’s my analysis anyway!
Oooooh I like this a lot
no bc I absolutely LOVE the choreo and how it works so well with the song and like the symbolism and AAAHHHH I also love the part where they slowly pick up half the members in the second verse(?) from different positions bc it's like when you get pieces of deja vu from certain aspects of a situation
also your lyric theory is so interesting!! I kinda see it as something like that, but I always thought of it as like someone who died and you can't be with them anymore but you're stuck in that pain, in the memory and seeing things they used to do and having that deja vu about them
Catchingteez uploaded when she was needed most !!
seeing deja vu possibly live in 10 days is insane and I'm so excited!! 7 doors Europe Tour!! :DDDDDD
As someone who recently got into Dreamcatcher because of this very song, I'm so so glad that you did this whole two parter and everything!
And I'll admit that my initial impressions on the MV's story may be a bit more cursory and thus different than what's been mostly established by the fanbase, but I'll start by saying that I do really like your "hot take" about the different perspectives angle with the two scenes with Jiu+Yoohyeon and the sword.
So overall, my initial conclusion is actually completely backwards from what you mentioned as I assumed that Jiu was the original ruler that was later Yoohsurped (admittedly due to Jiu being the leader of the group). I thus assumed that the beginning scene was "in medias res" where Yoohyeon took the throne after killing Jiu later on in the MV. And while I couldn't make out what the initial scene with the sword fit in with how I framed this, your idea of them seeing this scene from different perspectives could explain how it's from Yoohyeon's perspective seeing herself as the rightful ruler that's being challenged. The 2nd scene thereafter to me could be the "real" scene where Jiu compels Yoohyeon to heed after she caught her red handed.
I won't make a strong stance on my initial conclusion since I'm sure that you and other fans have spent much more time thinking about this beforehand, but the big thing that gave me the impression of Jiu being the original ruler was how the 2nd sword scene had Yoohyeon kneeling in front of Jiu with such composed posture and implicit respect (almost as if she were to be knighted in some ceremony). If Jiu was just a friend of Yoohyeon being the ruler, I can't imagine the latter being that compelled to show as much respect as she has in that scene. Other than that, I'm sure that there'd be some of the funeral scenes that would contradict my conclusion. I feel like piecing together the sequence of events is a bit of a rigamarole in places.
Jiu definitely is the original ruler. The meaning of the MV and the scenes just get convoluted and messy when you make it that Yoohyeon is the original ruler. Yoohyeon is just imagining herself as queen in the beginning, she has a distorted and corrupted memory of events because of the evil black smoke.
i’ve always interpreted it in a very similar way, but in a romantic way - hurting each other as friends to avoid the deeper feelings, and ending up separated/worse off than at the start!
2:36
I always perceived these scenes this way. No idea that was a hot take at all.
I have always thought it was kinda like, Fallen Angel or Fallen Gods kinda thing?? the lyrics kinda talk about someone who goes into hell/suffering just to be with another. Its similar to the King's Raid Animated Video version of the song, you either Die A Hero or live long enough to be the villain. But the Love POV had me shook cause thats like, sort of fits.
i think an interesting detail that i love about the lyrics is that there are certain lyrics that repeat, but have been changed slightly. they seem familiar but its not the exact same as you think it is (literally a lyrical deja vu). the prechorus is the most obvious example to me: "oh now holding this pain like the day i abandoned everything" in the first prechorus to "so now i'm holding this pain like how you abandoned everything". it's a very subtle detail but it further adds to how the song conveys that sense of deja vu and what, to me, makes it a masterpiece thematically. all the little details add together to what the title conveys, it's just so chef's kiss.
to me, i have a slightly different interpretation of the story in the lyrics where it's a pair of lovers who know they aren't right for each other (hence why they ask for someone to erase their memories in the first set of lyrics) but keep going back to each other despite it all, realizing they are now forever stuck in their repeating cycle, their deja vu. i see the ending just a bit more somberly, but maybe it's because the ending instrumental easily loops back to the beginning (therefore continuing that loop) that makes me have that interpretation.
"No good, very bad, evil"! XD... Great analysis. I love your two-parter series. Amazing work, CatchingTeez! Also, I need more Dreamcatcher videos like this, please. :) Stay safe and have a very good, great, awesome day (or whatever time it is, when you see this comment if you ever, see it, lol). - Skye.
I think the Jiu and Yoohyeon only fight once case is completely correct, I even think it is hinted at in the lyrics. In the first prechorus the lyrics are "Oh now, holding this pain Like the day I abandoned everything" while in the second chorus it is slightly twisted to be "So now, I’m holding this pain Like how you abandoned everything". This can in my opinion only mean that it is seen from two different perspectives in both scenes.
For the remainder this was a great video and I love to hear the interpretations no matter if I agree or not (I do for the most part). One other cool choreography moment (besides the one's you pointed out) in my opinion is Dami holding Siyeon's hand and making her stab herself in the last chorus during "and the painful wounds deepen". This song/MV just contains so much thought, a true masterpiece!
Really love your videos on Deja Vu, it's one of my favourite songs and I love how you analyzed it.
Dreamcatcher is a very unique group and I like to see people talking about them.
My understanding of the JiU vs Yoohyeon scenes are the exact same as yours. The blueish tint in Yoo's perspective especially supports it for me since it's the exact same as her beginning walk to the throne and corruption moment. (+ The debris falling down but nothing actually being in the room. That combined with only Yoo seeing herself in the coffin with JiU holding a sword whereas with everyone else it's always only JiU in the coffin leads me to believe Yoo is in a highly delusional state unlike others.) I'm genuinely surprised this reading is the less common one. 😅
Deja Vu truly is a masterpiece and so is this video! (As well as part 1)
I’m so excited! I literally gasped when I saw the notification! ❤
I absolutely adore analyzing the meaning of song lyrics and music videos, and I’m just so happy to listen to your analysis! ❤
I like your take. Personally, I've never thought of the pre-chorus scene like that, but it makes sense with the explanation. Great video👍
Thank you for the two really interessanting Videos. Made me appricate this bop in a whole new way
Lovely videos! It made me reminisce and look through my Deja Vu album again. There's definitely a lot of paralleling themes of the mv and song to the King's Raid story
While I don't agree with the idea that Yoohyeon is the queen of the kingdom (I think Jiu as queen makes more sense as she's the leader), I absolutely agree about the paralleling scenes of their confrontation. Dreamcatcher's expanded lore really is so interesting; I've done my own ultimate timeline theory connecting everything together, but like you said, Deja Vu works as a great stand-alone story with a Shakespearian tragedy of betrayal and denial. Even with the more ambiguous elements tying into the group's grander storyline, the narrative of Yoohyeon's betrayal and the fallout of her actions is conveyed so well. Also, Jiu with a sword in that gorgeous flowery dress is so beautifully badass, I love this group so much!!!
Excellent series !! Thank you so much, we appreciate your hard work
Tin foil hat time: okay so Rose Blue was also a game collab single (this time for Girl Cafe Gun) and leans more into the sci-fi genre rather than fantasy epic like Deja Vu/King's Raid. Rose Blue's lyrics, to me at least, convey a feeling of loss and nostalgia felt between two parties; the one who chose to leave and the one who was left behind. Both parties are dealing with the fallout of their relationship ending and are enthralled by the past where everything was still right with the world. The MV is also a similar tragedy, with Jiu basically sacrificing herself to save the other members and trapping herself in a world where she is alone and they cannot reach her. I think it definitely reflects Jiu's kindness and selflessness as a leader; maybe Queen Jiu knew Yoohyeon was going to betray her in the end, but she still gave her the choice to stop the fighting. To link this bit with my own ultimate timeline theory, I think Jiu is able to retain a significant amount of her memories through each cycle the girls endure. Jiu's always linked to Yoohyeon somehow; Jiu wants to save Yoohyeon from fully losing herself to the darkness. Even if it means she has to pay the price.
I was hoping for more parts, but this was very nice
I love your interpretation of the music video it’s definitely new but makes so much sense I’ve given up on trying to interpret deja vu on my own but I def love your taje
Loved this analysis. I was surprised to hear that you think JiU and Yoohyeon's fight only happening once, but from different perspectives, was a hot take? That's how I've always interpreted the MV. But then I don't pay much attention to fan theories, so maybe that's an uncommon reading.
I can't believe that my interpretation of Deja Vu is considered a hot take lmao...
I came up with this story the moment I finished watching Deja Vu and I thought that was the general opinion for InSomnias. When I looked up the wiki and saw a completely different interpretation, I thought that what I came up with only resonated to the small portions of Somnias. My reasoning for my interpretation is that since Dreamcatcher themselves pointed out that Deja Vu is mostly about King's Raid, we weren't supposed to mix the story within the Nightmare era. Especially with the sun imagery at the end of the MV where the purple sun is way bigger than the red sun.
And also with R.o.S.E. Blue not only that the teams were different, R.o.S.E. Blue was also made for a different game. Furthermore, R.o.S.E. Blue itself is an organization. Quoted directly from Girl Cafe Gun wiki, "The Ro’s Strategy Equipment Corp, abbreviated as R.o.S.E., is a transnational arms giant with a business scope spanning assorted weaponry and gear, space tech, large mecha, precision machinery, basic science research, confidential services, and other fields [ . . . ]. After “the Outbreak”, R.o.S.E. became one of the only remaining scientific research forces of mankind. R.o.S.E. takes the lead in the lonus related research thanks to its early touch with the lonus. Therefore, the practical research of lonus is mainly carried out by R.o.S.E.."
Why did they added the word blue? I think it's the same reason with why there were blue roses in Deja Vu, to convey the imagery of dreams and mysteries that they were trapped in (especially in R.o.S.E. Blue since they were mentally trapped because of the crystal, not to mention JiU who were literally trapped mentally and physically inside the crystal).
That's basically my rendition of Deja Vu, and a tiny bit of R.o.S.E. Blue. Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my native language.
When I first heard this song, the lyrics made me think of a story I was trying to write at the time (I lost inspiration for it a long ago + I found some plot holes, but I don't want to abandon it). It's set in a sci-fi dystopia (I didn't even make up a name for the country) that attacked another country, and even forced their teenagers to undergo military training. Domestic violence is also legal in that country. The main character, a teen girl named Yuno, had very good critical thinking skills, and she could see that the media in her home country twisted the news a lot. She criticized the government out loud, and when her time to start military training came, it was her final droplet to escape. She had a frail build, and she was so sensitive that couldn't even kill a fly, she knew military wasn't for her. However, the attempt was unsuccessful: Yuno's mother was imprisoned and tortured there, and Yuno herself was taken to a hospital in one of the military schools. There, her vocal cords were removed as punishment for saying bad things about the government, and her memories about "forbidden" things were distorted. They also lied, saying that she lost her voice because of an accident, not with this surgery against her will. Without these memories, Yuno would be a lot easier to influence, and she lived years thinking that her country was on the right. However, one day, the distorted memories came back to their place, and Yuno remembered everything. She also feels enraged after discovering that her vocal cords weren't damaged in an accident, but removed forcefully and without her knowing. It also made her think how ableist the government was, thinking that, if a person doesn't possess the ability to speak, they won't be able to express their thoughts. All of that lead her to join a revolutionist group and, in the end, replace this government with a more competent one, which will, bit by bit, solve the problems.
It's just the theme of living in lies and lost memories that reminded me of this story, I often imagined Deja Vu as an opening if it was an anime 😂.
omoshiroi 💖
Great work, thanks.Except for Insomnia, DC love stories are rarely happy. Deja Vu is my favorite song, the M/V is so well crafted, the music, the voices ... so good. BEcause is also a masterpiece.
The lyrics almost read to me as a duet. Where the first verse of the song is the one who wronged the other. The one who left the hurtful marks but didn’t seem to realize it. And then the second verse the victim hoping it wasn’t true. But both are just holding on to delusional false versions of what happens.
I love the song and I love the story. What I'm really curious about though is where the story came from? The songwriters, Dreamcatcher company, Sunny Visual (makers of the MV), Vespa (creators of King's Raid) or? The story in Deja Vu has little to do with King's Raid, the game it was created for, so it's a big mystery. I'm thinking that Sunny Visual had a lot to do with it since they've been making Dreamcatcher's MV's since Fly High, and are experts at fantasy themed MVs, but nobody is talking, or maybe nobody is asking except me.
I love this analysis (as I love all of your deep dives!)
Mostly, though, what I see when I watch this is gaaaaaaaaaayyyy. And I mean that in the most positive wlw way imaginable. This is just an amazing AO3 fic writ large. I mean, defeating your opponent at sword-point and having them kneel in front of you, with all the broken and betrayed trust hanging in the air between them, I just, ugh, KISS ALREADY.
I agree with your point of just kiss already lmao, but unfortunately Yoohyeon killed her instead 💀
Урааа
I don't agree with Yoohyeon being the Queen, it's always been just Jiu (it represents her leader role in Dreamcatcher too), with Yoohyeon then betraying and killing Jiu in order to steal her throne (when you make it that Yoohyeon is queen, the meaning of the MV just becomes convoluted and messy). Also, Yoohyeon at the beginning is just imagining herself sitting on the throne and wearing regalia. You said it yourself that the first scene of the Jiu vs Yoohyeon showdown was a corrupted memory, the same goes for Yoohyeon imagining herself as queen (e.g., sitting on the throne). The scene of Yoohyeon pretending to be the queen also uses the exact same blue lightning as the first Jiu vs Yoohyeon showdown, which further supports my point that both of these events share the similarity that they are fake and the memory has been twisted in Yoohyeon's mind.
Also, I feel like she killed all members too, not just Jiu. You mention the choreography, but you didn't mention how near the end, during the last chorus, all the members move their arms in a motion that represents being stabbed. With Dami holding Siyeon's arm to further emphasize the fact that the stabbing was not self-inflicted, but done by another person (Yoohyeon stabbing and killing all the members). Also in the MV, again near the end, during the last chorus, it's not just Jiu that is falling into the darkness (representing death). It's also Sua and Siyeon falling. So either Yoohyeon only killed those 3, or she killed everyone. The reason why Yoohyeon maybe only killed those 3 is because they are the eldest members and perhaps held more important roles, since Jiu is Queen because she is the eldest and leader of Dreamcatcher, then Sua and Siyeon might've been high-ranking nobles/advisors/commanders that Yoohyeon had to kill to complete her usurpation. With the younger members perhaps holding lower-ranking titles and were able to just be banished or imprisoned instead of killed. But I am still leaning to the notion that Yoohyeon just killed them all, especially because she isn't thinking logically, she is corrupted by the black smoke representing evil and ambition, so a senseless and unnecessary act of killing all the members makes more sense than a calculated, more reserved approach.