Review: EXO - Wolf

I realize that this song is a tad outdated. I would have reviewed it a lot earlier had it not been for my frantic last-minute flipping through exam notes during the whole of last month.

Music Video
I've been meaning to write this for ages, but I kept putting it off because I heard that they were going to release a drama version of the MV. So I waited. And waited. And waited. And nada. Zilch. Where is the drama version, huh?? I was promised a Wolf drama MV!!! Not to mention I've been hearing all these rumors about the company not releasing it because fangirls threw a pigue after seeing one of the boys kiss a girl in the MV. I saw the teaser, it was a peck on the cheek. It barely lasted three seconds. Don't get your knickers in a twist.

Yawn~~

Okay, for those who might not know, EXO is split into EXO-K and EXO-M, which put together forms a Kpop group so big that I still don't know who is who yet. In fact, I only know one name, Kai, who is the magnae (I think), although I have no idea which one he is. Therefore, I have assigned nicknames for all twelve of them. Hope no one minds.

For example, this is Taeyang Jr.

This is mainly a dance video so I won't go into it much, but I've got to bring up that whole werewolf thing they had going on. When I first watched the MV, I thought it was pretty tacky. Sorry. But after watching their live performances, I realized that it was actually a good thing that it was added because it made the MV look more impressive. I'm not saying that their live performance sucked, just that the werewolf thing made a much more powerful impact. It had that Oomph! factor, even though it was a tribute to the worst movie ever.

Hey, if the wolf is Jacob, does that mean the other dude is Edward?

Song and Lyrics
From what I managed to find out about the song was that it involved all twelve members of EXO, it had a Korean version and a Mandarin version, and the distribution of the lyrics were different for both version of the song. This is a pretty smart move because it means that you can promote the song without worrying about the language barrier, and EXO members don't have to memorize their lyrics in both languages.

The historical-ish Japanese-sounding instrumental at the beginning of the song was so ethereal and mystical and lovely. And that was about the only thing I liked about the song. Sorry again. To be fair though, the vocal line did a really great job. One of them even sounds like Changmin from TVXQ. So they probably would have won me over if they had sang more than, like, three lines each. As for the rapping, which carried the weight of the entire song, it wasn't so much rapping as it was spouting the lyrics with a really intense expression towards the camera. I didn't feel it.

Still, the quality of the song didn't bother me as much as the lyrics itself. Was it just me, or did anyone else notice an underlying PG theme in the lyrics?

Pictured: not suitable for kids.

Call me old-fashioned, and I'm pretty sure many would argue that they are actually singing about being a werewolf and eating up a girl (Still creepy) or falling in love with her or whatever, but I find it just a tad disturbing that boys barely scrapping twenty are singing about smelling in a girl's scent and eating her up like she's a piece of cheese.

That's hot.

Dance
Any doubts I might have had with the song itself definitely did not carry over to their choreography. The dance was amazing. The swaying-tree thing at the beginning made with their bodies was without a doubt the best part. At first I couldn't figure out how two of the members were doing that Smooth-Criminal tilt, and then I realized that they were actually grabbing on for dear life as they leaned away from each other to create a more branched-out feel.

One advantage of having twelve members is that you don't need backup dancers. Having said that, arranging the dance moves for each of them was probably hell. In Super Junior's case, most of the time they have the same movements and their only job is to robotically in-sync. But for this song, the dance had a lot of freestyle but it was done in a deliberate manner so that it didn't look sloppy, but also not over-rehearsed either.

This part is cool.

Even when they had to interact with each other while keeping to their own designated space, they handled it like a boss. From the human tree to the human den to Jacob Black, the dance was awesome.

However, there was one part of the dance that I couldn't help bursting into laughter when I saw it, although I'm pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be funny. In the chorus when they sang "I'm a wolf.", the members held up both hands to their ears, like, well, a wolf. That was all kinds of weird. To me, making animal-ears with your hands is something that should remain strictly within the realm of bedtime stories when you're trying to scare little kids by pretending to be the Big Bad Wolf.

Although they kind of look like Chihuahuas if you squint.

I take my hat off to you guys. You pulled it off with a straight face.

Showdown
Last but not least, for this showdown, which howl did you prefer? Taeyang Junior in Wolf, or L Joe in Miss Right? Both look like they just saw a hot chick walk down the street.